Benedict Cumberbatch “knocked for six” By His First Oscar Nomination!

Posted on January 15, 2015 by The Anglophile Channel

(Los Angeles) Nominations for the 87th Annual Academy Awards were announced live from Hollywood at 5:30AM this morning and amongst the Best Actor in a Leading Role nominees was Benedict Cumberbatch for his stirring portrayal of British enigma code breaker, Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.

Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch

Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch

 

And, what is it like hearing your name called as an Oscar nominee?  Straight from the set of “Sherlock” in the UK, in between filming his scenes, Benedict took the time to send us this message:

“I am knocked for six by this. So excited and honoured to receive this recognition. It’s wonderful to be included by the academy in this exceptional year of performances. To ring my parents who are both actors and tell them that their only son has been nominated for an Oscar is one of the proudest moments of my life”

If that doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, nothing will.  What a beautiful sentiment! And I’m sure the pride will be just as full on his parents side as well. Benedict’s parents, Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, have both enjoyed impressive careers in their own right. Most recently,  they thrilled Sherlock fans by appearing on the show as Sherlock’s parents!

Cumberparents

Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham on Sherlock with their son, Benedict

 

The Best Actor nomination has come as no surprise to us, however, as Benedict has been receiving rave reviews and critical acclaim for his brilliant work in Imitation Game since its release, picking up accolades and awards all along the way.

Benedict Cumberbatch has much to be celebrate this year! With a hit movie, his engagement to fiancée Sophie Hunter, impending fatherhood, and now add an Academy Award nominee to the list. Indeed, there is much to toast in the Cumberbatch household and we would like to join in that toast by offering our congratulations to Benedict on his well deserved nomination!

See you at the Oscars!
Lady Anglophile….picking out my red carpet frock as we speak!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Lady Anglophile Reviews & Other Bits and Bobs, The CumberWatch | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Oscar Nominations LIVE! WATCH HERE!

Posted on January 14, 2015 by The Anglophile Channel

We are just hours away from the announcement of the 87th Annual Academy Awards nominations! Who will be nominated?

British talent has reigned supreme this year and leading the favorites race going into Oscar nominations announcement are as follows. For Best Actor in a Motion Picture is: Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Eddie Redmayne (Theory Of Everything), David Oyelowo (Selma).

Shoo-in for Oscar nods: Cumberbatch, Redmayne and Oyelowo

Shoo-in for Oscar nods: Cumberbatch, Redmayne and Oyelowo

Dark horse could be Timothy Spall for Mr. Turner. Best Actress in a Motion Picture: Felicity Jones (Theory Of Everything) and Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl). Dark horse nod could go to Emily Blunt for her role in Into The Woods.  

Emily Blunt as The Baker's Wife "Into The Woods"

Emily Blunt as The Baker’s Wife
“Into The Woods”

Keira Knightley has been buzzed about for Supporting Actress but no prominent British actor has been campaigned for Best Supporting Actor. Dark horse could be Richard Armitage for The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. Or at least, this Anglophile, would like to see that happen.

Thorin Oakenshield #OneLastTime

Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield…Oscar worthy!

We will know soon enough! WATCH the nominations LIVE here!

Nominations begin at 5:30AM (PT)/ 8:30AM (ET)


Lady Anglophile….setting the alarm for bright and early!

Posted in Lady Anglophile Reviews & Other Bits and Bobs | Leave a comment

Prince William, Catherine The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry Join Twitter!

Posted on January 14, 2015 by The Anglophile Channel

Kensington Palace announced today that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry have officially joined Twitter!

New Tweeps!

The Royal Tweeps!

 

Following in the footsteps of The Queen who sent out her first Tweet last year when she tweeted “It is a pleasure to open the Information Age exhibition today at the @ScienceMuseum and I hope people will enjoy visiting. Elizabeth R.” it only seemed a matter of time before the young royals would follow suit. After all…if it’s good enough for granny…

The Queen's First Tweet

The Queen’s First Tweet

 

 

The palace Tweeted that @KensingtonRoyal will be the official Twitter account for royal trio and will feature updates on all their work and royal foundation.

 

No matter what you feel about social media the message is clear, in today’s world it is a necessary tool for staying in touch with your public. Business corporations, charities, movie studios and celebrities alike all take to Twitter to send out their 140 character messages to the world.  Just hours after introducing the new royal Twitter account nearly 50K royal watchers had already followed. Whether or not we’ll be receiving selfie posts from Prince William and Catherine remains to be seen. Doubtful. Still, we sent out our first Tweet welcoming William, Catherine and Harry to TwitterLand!

 

Follow The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry @KensigntonRoyal and The Anglophile Channel @AnglophileTV

 

Lady Anglophile….Tweeting a scone recipe to the Duchess.

Posted in Rule Britannia! | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Richard Armitage To Join Cast of NBC’s “Hannibal”

Posted on January 14, 2015 by The Anglophile Channel

Fresh off the worldwide success of The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies, Richard Armitage has joined the cast of NBC‘s Hannibal as the terrifying serial killer, Francis Dolarhyd, a.k.a. The Tooth Fairy!

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

A brilliant performance in The Hobbit has led to NBC’s Hannibal.

 

But this ain’t your five-year old’s tooth fairy. He won’t be putting quarters under anyone’s pillow. Based on the main character in the Red Dragon novel by Thomas Harris, Dolarhyd is described as a large, strong, muscular man driven by an inner torment that causes him to stalk and psychotically murder seemingly random families during sequential full moons.

And, don’t expect to swoon over the gorgeous Mr. Armitage as Dolarhyd, ladies, because this character will sport an upper lip scarred by a harelip, and uncommonly large sharp teeth which he apparently uses to bite off portions of his victim’s bodies.  We’re talking bloody gruesome!

However, he might have a hot bod to expose as Dolarhyde is a bodybuilder and, as described in the novel, could have competed in regional bodybuilding competitions. That and a huge red dragon tattoo’d across his back might give you just enough beefcake to ignore the blood dripping from his mouth…

Tom Noonan as Francis Dolarhyde in Manhunter.

Tom Noonan as Francis Dolarhyde in Manhunter.

 

Also, played by Ralph Fiennes in the 2002 film adaptation with Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, the Dolarhyd character becomes obsessed with the William Blake painting The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun, which gives voice to his Schizoid personality disorder…believing that by killing people he is ‘transforming’ them thus helping himself to become the dragon.

Dolarhyd's obsession, "The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun"

Dolarhyd’s obsession, “The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun”

 

Giving Buffalo “It puts the lotion in the basket” Bill a real run for his money, Dolarhyd does not simply kill his victims. That would be boring and not fitting of a man who was abandoned by his mother, abused by his grandmother and ended up in orphanages.  No, his “modus operandi“  is to start by taking out the family pet as a sort of ‘appetizer’, followed by the paternal figure (to remove any ‘threat’)…then he kills the mother whose corps he likes to rape while the dead children ‘sit up and watch’, broken shards of mirror placed in their eye-sockets – which he obtains by smashing mirrors in the house-to make them seem more lifelike.  Abused or not, this is a truly messed up character.

Armitage fans know the kind of dedication that goes into each role he tackles so if he’s absent from social media for awhile…one can only imagine he’s pumping up and traveling to the depths of Schizophrenia in order to fully envelop Dolarhyd.  Christ! And we thought The Crucible was rough on him! I think it’s best to give him his space on this one….

Armitage in the most heart wrenching performance of his career.

Armitage in the most heart wrenching performance of his career.

 

The casting search for the role began back in November 2014 during The Hobbit world press tour. I’m sure it didn’t take long for NBC execs to notice the immense talent exuding from the screen as Armitage turned in his final portrayal of the dwarf king, Thorin Oakensheild spiraling majestically into madness. Brilliant work that deserves worldwide notice!

Thorin Oakenshield #OneLastTime

Thorin Oakenshield #OneLastTime

 

While “The Psychotic Tooth Fairy” might not be the kind of role that will allow for much femme fantasizing…(unless you have some serious issues)…or sexy fan art memes, this is definitely a role that can set Armitage on the path toward the kind of recognition his talent has long deserved! I predict an Emmy.  Just make sure TAC gets the first interview, Richard!

Yeah...say goodbye to this guy for awhile.

Yeah…say goodbye to this guy for awhile.

 

Armitage will Guest Star in Season 3 of NBC’s Hannibal beginning in Episode 8 for  a  6-episode story arc. Shooting begins in Toronto on January 15th.  Hannibal stars Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen.

 

 

Posted in Armitage Alerts! | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Eddie Redmayne Wins Golden Globe for Best Actor

Posted on January 12, 2015 by The Anglophile Channel

Nominated in a Brit-heavy category, Eddie Redmayne came out on top at last night’s 2015 Golden Globe awards as he won Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama… pretty much sealing the deal on an Oscar nomination…for his poignant portrayal of English physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything.

Golden Globe winner, Eddie Redmayne

Golden Globe winner, Eddie Redmayne

It what was considered to be the toughest category of the night, Redmayne was nominated alongside fellow British countrymen, Benedict Cumberbatch who gave an equally brilliant performance as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, as well as David Oyelow‘s stirring portrayal as Martin Luther King in  Selma. Rounding out the category was Steve Carrell for Foxcatcher and Jake Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler.

But the horse race for Best Actor was always between Cumberbatch and Redmayne both of whom have received the most buzz going into award season and both picking up critics awards and film festival honors along the way.  But it was the humble Redmayne who won the voter’s hearts last night. Beginning his acceptance speech with “Oh my god, what an extraordinary thing!”  He went on to comment on all the legends in the room that he has long admired and had tried to prevent himself from “fawning” over, and then to Robert Duvall said, “I apologize, Mr. Duvall, I haven’t been entirely successful.”

Paying homage to all the legendary actors in the room.

Paying homage to all the legendary actors in the room.

 

Redmayne’s portrayal of ALS-sufferer Hawking was truly transforming. Bringing a depth not only to the brilliant mind that is the world’s most famous scientist, but shining the light on the terrible progressive neurodegenerative disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig‘s disease.

As Stephen Hawking in Theory of Everything

As Stephen Hawking in Theory of Everything

 

In his acceptance speech Redmayne acknowledge the contribution of the Hawking family saying, “This was a huge privilege. Stephen, Jane, Jonathan and the Hawking family allowed us into their lives and entrusted us with their story, and getting to spend time with Stephen Hawking, who despite all of the obstacles put in his way has lived passionately and fully and with great humor was one of the great honors of my life.”

Redmayne also thanked his co-star, Felicity Jones, who he called ‘formidable’ and his bride, Hannah Bagshawe, remarking that they had to end their honeymoon in order to travel to LA for the award ceremony  but ended with, “I thank the HFPA for giving me and us a night at the end of our honeymoon we will remember.”

Newlyweds, Mr and Mrs Eddie Redmayne

Newlyweds, Mr and Mrs Eddie Redmayne

 

Congratulations to Eddie on both his Golden Globe win as well as his new marriage!

If you missed Eddie’s Golden Globe speech, here it is in its entirety:

 

Next up for the actor is a starring role in Jupiter Ascending. But before that…the SAG Awards and Oscars!

Lady Anglophile…advising Redmayne to have a big shelf at home.

 

Posted in Lady Anglophile Reviews & Other Bits and Bobs | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Downton Abbey’s Joanne Froggatt Wins Golden Globe!

Posted on January 12, 2015 by The Anglophile Channel

We knew Season four of Downton Abbey was going to be Joanne Froggatt‘s year when her character Anna was given the brutal rape storyline, which Froggatt played to heartbreaking perfection. And last night at the 2015 Golden Globe Awards, Froggatt’s work was rewarded when she took home the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or TV Movie.

Golden Globe Winner, Joanne Froggatt

Golden Globe Winner, Joanne Froggatt

Making her way up to the podium at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Froggatt seemed genuinely surprised. “This is the most shocking moment of my life,” she said as she accepted her award.

The Downton Abbey actress paid homage to the “amazing women” in her category namely, Allison Janney, Kathy Batles, Michelle Monaghan, and Uzo Aduba.

Joanne said it was the most "shocking moment" of her life.

Joanne said it was the most “shocking moment” of her life.

 

Froggatt thanked her brilliant producer, Gareth Neame as well as Downton Abbey Creator and Writer, Julian Fellowes for giving her the responsibility of the rape storyline. Indeed, it was a moving story to watch our beloved Anna Bates suffer through in season four.

Award winning performance!

Award winning performance!

 

There wasn’t one of us out there that didn’t want to see the evil valet, Mr Green, get his comeuppance. Froggatt said that she even received letters from women who had suffered the same fate and although they weren’t sure why they’d written they knew they just “wanted to be heard.” and through teary eyes Joanne said, “I heard you.”

It was a beautiful speech from one of our favorite British actresses. Best moment of the night for me! Watch her acceptance speech here:

Earlier she dazzled the awaiting media on the red carpet…

Joanne stunned on the Golden Globe red carpet.

Joanne stunned on the Golden Globe red carpet.

 

Downton Abbey airs on Sundays at 9PM on Masterpiece and don’t forget to tune into our very own NEW web-series, our pre-Downton chat show, “The Downton Dish©”, Sundays at 7PM  on The Anglophile Channel only on YouTube!

Watch Episode One of “The Downton Dish©” here! Enjoy!

 

 

Lady Anglophile…sending her congratulations to Miss Froggatt!

Posted in British Telly, Lady Anglophile Reviews & Other Bits and Bobs | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Benedict Cumberbatch Leads Nominations For 2015 Anglophile Channel Awards

Posted on January 1, 2015 by The Anglophile Channel

Nominations for the 2015 Anglophile Channel Awards were announced in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve and leading the pack is Britain’s most popular export, Benedict Cumberbatch who is nominated in three categories: Favorite Actor in a Motion Picture (The Imitation Game), Favorite Actor in a Television Series (Sherlock) and Favorite British Artist of the Year!

Take A Look At The Nominees…

Cumberbatch is coming off another amazing year having already won The Emmy for his popular portrayal of the title character in the hit BBC series, Sherlock,  and is now receiving Oscar buzz for his role as Enigma-code breaker Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.  Tickets for Cumbertach’s 2015 West End production of Hamlet sold out in minutes all while he was before the cameras with even another Shakespearean outing as Richard III. Add to that a whirlwind year of worldwide travel and press stops at talk shows, red carpets and magazine covers and it looks like Cumberbatch is the man to beat in every race.

Also leading the TAC nominations is last year’s Favorite British Artist of The Year recipient Richard Armitage with two nominations.

2013-14 Favorite British Artist of the Year, Richard Armitage

2013-14 Favorite British Artist of the Year, Richard Armitage

 

Armitage is coming off an equally impressive year having appeared in two major studio films for Warner Bros:  Into The Storm and the world’s current #1 film Peter Jackson’s, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, in which his performance as dwarf king, Thorin Oakenshield,  is amongst the most lauded of the whole series.  Armitage also received rave reviews, and pre-Olivier Award-buzz,  as John Proctor in the critically acclaimed West End production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible at The Old Vic in London.  In between rehearsals and press junkets, Armitage managed to fit in starring roles in two indie-films and a cameo in yet another major studio film. Richard Armitage could be on the verge of a major Hollywood career and we can always say we gave him his first award!

Also enjoying an impressively successful year is Armitage and Cumberbatch’s Hobbit co-star, Martin Freeman, who also landed TAC nominations in both the Favorite Actor in TV and Film categories.  A recent Emmy award winner for his role as John Watson in Sherlock as well as his Emmy-nominated turn as Lester Nygaard in Fargo…add to that headlining all The Hobbit films, while starring in an unforgettable West End production of Richard III and you have another talented British export that we’d love to see more of!

Rounding out Favorite Actor in a Television Series is Sean Bean (Legends), David Tennant (Broadchurch/Gracepoint) and newcomer Sam Heughan (Outlander).

In the Favorite Actress in a Motion Picture category Keira Knightley (Imitation Game), Helen Mirren (Hundred Foot Journey), Emma Thompson (The Love Punch) and Emma Watson (Noah) are all no surprise as these ladies are solid artists who always turn in great performances in each of their films.  Emily Blunt’s incredible turn as The Baker’s Wife in Into The Woods is what has many people a buzz in Hollywood. In the current hit movie musical, Blunt shows off a incredibly beautiful voice that few people knew existed. Already nominated for a Golden Globe…can a TAC Award be in her future?

Also nominated in  Favorite Actor in a Motion Picture category is Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies) and Tom Hiddleston (Muppets Most Wanted)

The stand-outs in this year’s nominations voting has been Outlander break-out stars, Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe. Relatively unknown prior to the debut of their STARZ series in 2014, Heughan and Balfe have amassed a fandom of supporters as impressive as any of our veteran artists…making this year’s race to the TAC Awards a real nail biter!

The Anglophile Channel Awards are 100% fan voted. Final round of voting is now open through January 9th at 11:59PM (PT). Winners will be announced in Los Angeles during Awards Season. (Presentation Date(s) TBA)  To vote visit: http://wp.me/P3Ge8x-S0

 

The Anglophile Channel Awards Nominees (Complete List)

Favorite Actor in a Television Series

Favorite Actor in a Television Series

Favorite Actor in a Television Series

Sean Bean (Legends)

Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)

Martin Freeman (Fargo)

Sam Heughan (Outlander)

David Tennant (Broadchurch)

 

Favorite Actress in a Television Series

Favorite Actress in a Television Series

Favorite Actress in a Television Series

Amanda Abbington (Sherlock)

Caitriona Balfe (Outlander)

Helena Bonham Carter (Salting The Battlefield)

Olivia Colman (Broadchurch)

Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)

 

Favorite Actor in a Motion Picture

Favorite Actor in a Motion Picture

Favorite Actor in a Motion Picture

Richard Armitage (The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)

Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies)

Martin Freeman (The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies)

Tom Hiddleston (Muppets Most Wanted)

 

Favorite Actress in a Motion Picture

Favorite Actress in a Motion Picture

Favorite Actress in a Motion Picture

Emily Blunt (Into The Woods)

Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)

Helen Mirren (The Hundred-Foot Journey)

Emma Thompson (The Love Punch)

Emma Watson (Noah)

 

Favorite British Artist of the Year

Favorite British Artist of the Year

 

Favorite British Artist of the Year

Richard Armitage

Benedict Cumberbatch

Sam Heughan

Tom Hiddleston

David Tennant

 

Happy New Year Anglophiles!

 

 

Posted in Lady Anglophile Reviews & Other Bits and Bobs, The CumberWatch | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Queen’s Christmas Speech 2014 [VIDEO]

Posted on December 25, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

Queen Elizabeth II gave her annual Christmas address, commonly known as “The Queen’s Speech”. In her 2014 broadcast Her Majesty recalls the Christmas truce of 1914 as she speaks of reconciliation and forgiveness.

The Queen's Speech 2014

The Queen’s Speech 2014

 

She also spoke about visiting the Tower poppies memorial, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which marked the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. She said of her visit, “The ceramic poppies at the Tower of London drew millions, and the only possible reaction to walking among them was silence.”

Stunned into silence, Her Majesty visits the Tower Poppies

Stunned into silence, Her Majesty visits the Tower Poppies

 

Causing quite the flutter of Tweets, Her Majesty gave a shout out to “Game of Thrones” whose set she visited during her trip to Ireland although she says the most significant stop on that tour was her visit to former Crumlin Road prison remarking that,“What was once a prison during the troubles is now a place of hope and fresh purpose; a reminder of what is possible when people reach out to one another…”

The Queen visits Game of Thrones set

The Queen visits Game of Thrones set

Her Majesty visits former Crumlin Road prison

Her Majesty visits former Crumlin Road prison

 

The Queen recorded her Christmas message sitting next to an antique decorative brass Christmas Tin sent to the soldiers in 1914 during The Great War and photographs of her grandparents King George V and Queen Mary.   Over 426,000 of these tins were distributed to those serving on Christmas Day 1914. The tins were filled with various items including tobacco, confectionery, spices, pencils, a Christmas card and a picture of the princess.  The idea was the initiative of Princess Mary, the 17-year-old daughter of King George V and Queen Mary.

QueenMaryBox

Princess Mary’s gift to the soldiers serving during Christmas 2014

 

The Queen’s Speech, which also paid tribute to medics and aid workers fighting the Ebola epidemic as well as spoke about the Scottish referendum, can be seen here in its entirety:

 

Merry Christmas from Lady Anglophile

 

 

Posted in Rule Britannia! | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A Christmas Message from Richard Armitage

Posted on December 22, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

 

 

A Christmas Message
From Richard Armitage

RichXmas1

RichXmas2

Posted in Home Page Posts | 6 Comments

Ode to a Christmas Cracker

Posted on December 19, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

Ode To A Christmas Cracker 

By Lady Elyse

 

Cracker thou art not to blame
I was misled by your name
Not festive fun that pops and splits
‘Cause I mistook you for a Ritz….
ChristmasCracker1
It was the late 1980’s and I was the enormous-haired floor manager for a very trendy London restaurant in Soho.  We were coming up on a very busy holiday season and fully booked every night with parties from office gatherings to casts from the surrounding theatres wanting to make merry for Christmas time.  While struggling with the coming week’s “Can’t you squeeze us in? There are only seventeen of us” requests for tables, a call came through from a man asking if we’d like to order Christmas crackers.ChristmasCrackerArt
Gentle reader, please understand that I am from Milwaukee.
Crackers? Okay. I transferred the call down to the kitchen. Who transferred it back to me at the front desk…who sent it back down to the chef…who sent it back to me.  The man on the phone explained not very patiently that they were CRACKERS to put on the holiday party tables.  I hadn’t heard a tone that condescending since I asked Lord Albemarle, who was calling for a reservation, if he could spell his name, please. 
ChristmasCrackerArt
Crackers decorating holiday tables? All I could picture was a single, pale saltine alone on an even paler plate and the entire notion depressed me. The stories I heard of wartime privations came to mind, and considered that maybe it was some sort of tradition in memory of the Blitz victims or something. Or maybe they were crackers shaped like Christmas trees? Grudgingly, I took the man’s number and told him I would give the information to the owner. By this time the chef was trudging up the steps and he didn’t look happy.  I explained that I didn’t mean to bother him, but the call was about crackers, which, in my mind still went nicely with soup. Of course I would send queries about crackers to the kitchen. I was certain he’d want make his own and not buy them ready made. He looked at me as if I had sprouted antennae.  We went back and forth in a classic“who’s on first” kind of encounter.
ChristmasCracker2
 “Why?!?” he shouted.  “Because he wanted to know if we needed crackers!” I replied. “EXACTLY!” he boomed. Finally, in a moment of mutual misunderstanding, silence reigned.  I had decided Chef was a moron and Chef had decided I was an idiot. We could see it in each other’s eyes. He turned on his heels and muttered something I am certain was not terribly kind.
Moments later, the general manager was heading purposefully toward my desk. At least Chef decided to eschew violence and sent the man in the pink tuxedo to deal with me. It didn’t take long before we came to see there was a cross-cultural misunderstanding. I still couldn’t quite get my mind around the notion that an item wrapped like a gift that two people pulled and snapped, contained a hat, a toy (like Crackerjack—could it be connected?) and a lame joke would be a welcome table favor for our too-cool clientele.  They would actually wear these crazy hats? 
BridgetJonesPaperHat
Of course they would and when they did, it was a sight to behold! I learned a lesson that day. I learned more than one because after our discussion the manager picked up my phone and called down to the kitchen to soothe the raging temper below. He made excuses for me to Chef. “Darling, you simply must remember that she is American. She didn’t know what a cracker is. Americans don’t do crackers. They don’t even how to use a knife and fork properly!” or something to that effect.
I was humbled by the cracker and realized I still had a lot to learn about my adopted home.
ChristmasCracker4
 
Very recently, however, I heard a story from the other side. A young British man who had only come to America months earlier to work in the US told me how all his young, cool office mates were talking about the upcoming holiday party to which they were all expected to bring something.  He knew we didn’t have the aforementioned tradition in America, and he wanted to bring something special and different to make a good impression, so he spoke up and volunteered to bring the crackers.  An uncomfortable hush went around the office.  Later a co-worker told him that wasn’t an appropriate term to use at work. Everyone thought it meant he would bring white people.
ChristmasCracker3
Lady Elyse Ashton
Lady Elyse, Anglophile Extraordinaire

Lady Elyse, Anglophile Extraordinaire

Posted in Bats In My Bonnet By Lady Elyse Ashton | Tagged , , | 4 Comments