The Borgias Exclusive: François Arnaud Teases New Cesare In Season Finale June 15th, 2012 8:42 PM by Dan Forcella (T V FANATICS)

"I can assure you that Cesare's drive and anger isn't diminished in any way," François Arnaud told me over the phone earlier this week.

The star of The Borgias went on to say that his character, after murdering his brother Juan last Sunday, has "grown into the warrior that he will be."

Arnaud said that Cesare killing Juan "was a beautiful moment."  Although it was indeed the horrible act of one brother gutting the other, Arnaud believed "there is that final embrace that I think helps letting go in a way."


We will all have to let go of Juan, and the great performance by David Oakes, as Arnaud realized, "It's very hard to imagine The Borgias without him. He's been the one who drove Cesare to become what he is now."

Who is that? The aforementioned warrior? "In the finale, you see a new Cesare," Arnaud teased.
But what else can we expect this Sunday night in a season finale titled "The Confession?"


Read more tv spoilers at: http://www.tvfanatic.com/2012/06/the-borgias-exclusive-franois-arnaud-teases-new-cesare-in-season/

The Borgias Exclusive: David Oakes on Juan Borgia's Rise and Fall June 12th, 2012 7:14 PM by Dan Forcella (TV FANATIC)

"The last thing I did on The Borgias, was literally throw myself off a bridge," David Oakes reminisced on Monday afternoon.  One of the stars of the Showtime series, Oakes' run as troublesome brother Juan Borgia was fantastic, but it sadly came to an end with the character's inevitable death on Sunday's penultimate episode of the year.

It was a moment that Oakes knew was coming. "I always knew I was going to die in season two," he said. "That was never in doubt, but I didn't know when I was going to die." After Juan's failure at Forli, and his subsequent syphilis, gangrenous leg, and opium addiction, everyone saw this character's end in sight.  As Oakes says, "There really wasn't much keeping him alive."


Read more tv spoilers at: http://www.tvfanatic.com/2012/06/the-borgias-exclusive-david-oakes-on-juan-borgias-rise-and-fall/

The Borgias Season Finale Sneak Peeks: Lucrezia and Rodrigo Face Off Written By Shilo Adams on June 11th, 2012 at 4:26 p (TVOM)

The Borgia family has managed to survive a pretty tremendous amount of conflict in the first two seasons of The Borgias. Enemies have been dispatched, alliances have been formed, and every inter-family squabble has been swept under Rodrigo's papal robe in favor of presenting a united front and preserving the family. But that inability to face their problems and worry about their image vs. their reality has made the second season of The Borgias quite a tense affair, culminating in the shocking murder of Juan at the end of the last episode. Can The Borgia family manage to get through their hardest time yet and emerge mostly in tact?




Judging by the sneak peeks of next week's season finale, titled "The Confession", they may not be able to bounce back quite as quickly as they have in the past. Lucrezia's last confrontation with Juan only solidified her burning hatred for her brother, which had been ignited for good upon Paolo's death, and she can't quite bring herself to mourn for him. Rodrigo isn't having any of that, of course, as Juan was his favorite child and his death dashed any dreams he had of one son in armor and another in the cloth. Lucrezia has been growing away from her father during the second season of The Borgias, defying him regarding the recent marriage proposals, and this is further proof that the two may not be able to see eye to eye ever again.

READ MORE:  http://www.tvovermind.com/the-borgias/the_borgias_season_2_finale/

The Borgias “Truth and Lies” Season 2 Episode 8 (TV)

Show Summary:   THE BORGIAS is a complex, unvarnished portrait of one of history’s most intriguing and infamous dynastic families. Oscar(r)-winning actor Jeremy Irons returns in his Golden Globe(r)-nominated role as the cunning, manipulative patriarch of the Borgia family who ascends to the highest circles of power within Renaissance-era Italy to become Pope Alexander VI.

Seeking to consolidate his power, Alexander enlists his family to take an oath of revenge on the great noble houses that dared to stand against him, causing his Papacy to face political turmoil once again. But Alexander’s real problems lie with his children, all of whom are growing up and defying his authority.

Lucrezia forges an unlikely alliance between Vanozza and Giulia, and together they plot to battle Vatican corruption. The sibling rivalry between Cesare and Juan will soon turn to hatred as their father’s unwavering favoritism toward Juan triggers Cesare to engage his dark side. Elsewhere in Rome, Alexander’s old enemy Della Rovere has entered the city incognito and conspires to assassinate him.

READ MORE:  http://www.tvequals.com/2012/06/03/the-borgias-truth-and-lies-season-2-episode-8/

Jeremy Irons: Oscar winning Die Hard actor- Trashed in Bishop's Cleeve Saturday, May 26, 2012Gloucestershire Echo

OSCAR winning actor Jeremy Irons left a Bishop’s Cleeve resident stunned when he pulled up on his motorbike outside her house.

The Die Hard film star is a keen environmentalist and visited the village to find out about its nearby toxic waste dump, Wingmoor Farm.


He was filmed speaking to Safety in Waste and Rubbish Disposal (SWARD ) campaigner, Barbara Farmer.

The documentary, Trashed, which features footage of the village and Cleeve Hill, has now been selected for a special screening at Cannes international film festival.

Barbara said: “It was quite surreal to have Jeremy Irons motorcycle up to my house and knock on my door. He spent a lot of time talking with me as the cameras rolled, finding out all about the blight of having thousands of tonnes of toxic incinerator chimney ash dumped on the edge of our villages in open conditions.

“He was astounded by the scale of the hazardous landfill so close to a residential area and in such a beauty spot.”

Blenheim Films came to visit Bishop's Cleeve as part of a tour of worldwide locations that have been blighted by waste disposal.

The crew spent a day filming the area then came back to film the protest in September 2011 when SWARD held a protest to coincide with the Gloucestershire County Council Planning Committee's site visit.

“I was astonished to get a text from the director telling me that she was sitting with Vangelis, who has written the music for the film, watching my clip,” Barbara said.

“So far we've only seen the trailer, which included a brief glimpse of Jeremy Irons with Cleeve Hill behind him. We can't wait to see the finished film.”

SWARD is delighted that Trashed has been selected for Cannes.

READ MORE: http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Oscar-winning-Die-Hard-actor-Trashed-Bishop-s/story-16192866-detail/story.html

David Oakes - The Borgias, dissecting a scene (video)

http://www.david-oakes.co.uk/content/borgias-2-siege-forli-behind-scenes-video

The Borgias - Cries of the Dying, episode 8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eM9KqUQ0rOk

The Borgias Review: We're Gonna Have To Take The Boy May 20th, 2012 11:00 PM by Dan Forcella (TV FANANTIC)

Since Francois Arnaud and David Oakes have both been so fantastic during The Borgias second season, it's a shame that the series has had such a difficult time showcasing them in the same episode.  "The Siege at Forli" was yet another example of this mishap as Cesare Borgia was sidelined for the majority of the hour.

From his triumphant return, to his battlefield tactics, Juan Borgia was quite the standout once again.  It felt so good to have him back, especially when his return meant a pet panther and cigars for the pope.  I'm not sure which was more fun, watching the then unheard of cat bite the finger of Lucrezia, or watching Juan explain to Rodrigo and everyone else what the then unheard of cigars were and did.


It wasn't all panthers and puffing for the second son, though.  He also made his way to Forli to take out the great Catherina Sforza in battle.  What made his inevitable failure, and the quasi betrayal by his brother Cesare, so epic, was the feeling of superiority he and Rodrigo had going during their fireside chat early in the hour.

The father, sorry Holy Father, was proud that his boy had become a man, and truly felt that Juan was going to wipe out Catherina and take her back to Rome completely compliant.

The fact that Juan used dirty tactics in battle was awesome.  If waving the white flag in peace only to cheap shot Catherina's son, steal him, and ride away had actually worked, I would have commended the coward.  It's kill or be killed out there.  The Borgia boy's plan faced numerous problems, though.


Read more tv spoilers at: http://www.tvfanatic.com/2012/05/the-borgias-review-were-gonna-have-to-take-the-boy/

The Borgias - Juan is BACK (DAVID OAKES)

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nAhjUeYplb8

The Borgias Review: Do You Perhaps Take Gold? May 13th, 2012 11:00 PM by Dan Forcella (TV FANATIC)

Similar to Sons of Anarchy at its best moments, the second season of The Borgias has done a fine job at showcasing both the outside and inside threats to its protagonistic family in concert.

While those coming from elsewhere - such as the Sforza forces or the Friar Savonarola - have been pushing the story of the season along, it is those issues close to the heart of the Borgias that has interested me most since the premiere.


The epicenter of the series' success continued to be Francis Arnaud's work as Cesare Borgia during "Day of Ashes." The eldest son of Pope Alexander kept striving towards earning the armor fit for the leader of the Papal Army, but per the usual, Rodrigo still didn't agree.

Watching Cesare use his "stray dogs" to take out the caravan, and steal all of the Medici gold, was fun, but it wasn't enough to change the Pope's mind. At the end of the day, that was all that Cesare was looking for. He wants to be the "one son in amour."

We all know that the Pope wants one in armor and one son of the cloth, but what Cesare doesn't understand is that it isn't his lack of skills in battle that is preventing him from taking control of the armies. Rather, it is Rodrigo's complete lack of faith in Juan to help in any other way than in a suit of armor.

I am hoping that this idea comes into play when Juan finally returns home. It feels like it has been forever since we have seen him.


Read more tv spoilers at: http://www.tvfanatic.com/2012/05/the-borgias-review-do-you-perhaps-take-gold/

Jeremy Irons: The good, the bad and the beautiful Melinda Houston May 10, 2012 (BRISBANE TIMES)

SEX, politics, scandal, sex, God, politics, power, sex, money, sex, scandal. It seems the more things change in the Catholic Church, the more they stay the same. To give a ''Previously … on The Borgias … '' could take quite a bit of space and time. Let's just say season one opened with Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons) ascending to the papacy - after some ruthless shenanigans - becoming Pope Alexander VI and installing his de facto wife and five children in the Vatican. He then spent the entire season trying to protect that position against all the people he'd enraged (and they were many) by fair means and foul.

A Canadian-US co-production, it's the kind of rich, dark, lewd drama fans of Rome and The Tudors know and love. And while you can certainly watch it simply for the sex, swords and frocks, the complex power plays, political intrigues and familial tensions reward a close viewing.


This is Neil Jordan's baby; creator and producer, he also wrote and directed this opening ep to season two. And his hand is evident in the smart pacing, the clever juxtaposition of scenes, the dense script flashing with dry wit. There's a fine cast, too, but it's undoubtedly Irons who carries the tale in a tricky role.

Pope Alexander VI was a pretty ghastly character: lascivious, gluttonous, despotic and brutal. Irons, with Jordan's help, makes him all these things and so much more. He's a man with an enormous passion for life, a lively sense of humour and of the absurd, brilliant and highly educated, and deeply sentimental about his family. So, tonight, having bequeathed Naples to his enemy, the King of France, without telling him the city is riddled with the plague, he's sitting back and waiting for that monarch to die a horrible death.


Read more:http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/the-good-the-bad-and-the-beautiful-20120509-1ybpw.html

'The Borgias' renewed for third season on Showtime May 4, 2012 | 1:18 pm (LA TIMES)

"The Borgias," Showtime's drama about Vatican intrigue during the Italian Renaissance, has just been renewed for a third season.

The series stars Jeremy Irons as Pope Alexancer VI, the patriarch of the infamous family that uses less than honable ways to muscle its way into the papacy.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/05/the-borgias-renewed-for-thrid-season-on-showtime.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ShowTracker+(L.A.+Times+-+Show+Tracker)

The Borgias Sneak Peek: Cesare Demands Catherina's Allegiance Written By Shilo Adams on May 3rd, 2012 at 5:06 pm (TV OVER MIND)

The Sforza clan has been a major thorn in the paw of every member of the Borgia family. Giovanni's general antipathy toward Rodrigo and subsequent callous treatment of Lucretzia severed pretty much any chance of political allegiance between the two families, particularly following the humiliation he suffered upon the annulment of the marriage to the Borgia daughter. Vengeance, the theme of this season, became priority number one for Giovanni and what once could have been a major victory for the Borgias, the joining together of two extremely powerful families, became a worrisome thing to deal with.





READ MORE:  http://www.tvovermind.com/the-borgias/the_borgias_season_2_episode_5/

Jeremy Irons on ‘The Borgias’ and Margin Call The veteran actor tells us about playing Rodrigo Borgia and the undercurrent behind his role in Margin Call. By Fred Topel (CRAVE ON LINE)

“The Borgias” is currently airing its second season on Showtime. The series dramatizes the history of the papal family in 15th century Italy. Jeremy Irons is Rodrigo Borgia, the man who would become Pope Alexander VI.

He’s also the legendary actor from films like Dead Ringers, Damage, Reversal of Fortune, The Lion King, Die Hard with a Vengeance and recently Margin Call. At the Television Critics Association session for “The Borgias,” we focused on Irons and gained insight into work and his knowledge of history and politics. 


CraveOnline: With the allowance for adult content on pay cable, do you feel even more freedom than on very edgy R-rated movies like Dead Ringers?

 Jeremy Irons: I’d say it’s about the same. I’d say what is going out on cable is about what we were doing on what I call artistic movies like Damage. It’s pretty free. I had to dub the word “bitch” out the other day because apparently on airlines that’s not allowed. So I had to change it to “witch.” Those sort of anomalies are curious but in a way I think we have about the same freedom.


READ MORE:  http://www.craveonline.com/tv/interviews/187737-jeremy-irons-on-the-borgias-and-margin-call