Prince William released a video today expressing hisconcern over the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, and expresses his admiration for healthcare workers who have travelled to disease hit areas to help people.
Shot quickly in an office at Kensington Palace, in this video The Duke mentions “Ebola is Real”, a video by a small group of local filmmakers called Future View based in Sierra Leone and supported here in the UK by Purple Field Productions.
The Duke is following developments closely and became aware of the video, which offers practical advice and information on the precautions people can take to avoid getting and spreading the disease.
HRH was keen to show his support for this local initiative and recorded a message to help promote the video, as part of the social information campaign that is taking place in West Africa.
‘I’m so lucky to have such supportive and generous fans. Nothing would make me happier though than for their love, time, effort and money to be channelled towards people who are really in need at Christmas. Homeless charities, humanitarian organisations and human rights charities all deserve our support. If that seems too impersonal for you or you don’t have any money to give please just do someone a favour who needs it or who you love as that’s the best Christmas present I could ever think of having. Goodwill to all! Thank you again to all those that did this for my birthday I was soo moved by the money raised and all your ‘Batch Of Kindness’ stories… As I think it was called… Silly names aside the deeds were marvellous, imaginative and so generous. Thank you Bx’
Impressive to see that this worldwide celebrity has his heart and intentions in the right place…spreading goodwill! Thank you Mr. Cumberbatch!
Benedict is the Ambassador for The Princes Trust which you can visit here:
HobbitMania is in full swing in Los Angeles, California! We were at The Grove LA yesterday and from the moment you entered the parking structure you were hit with massive Hobbit posters featuring all of our favorite characters! The war-torn faces of Gandalf, Bilbo, Thorin and Bard were everywhere you looked, building the excitement in every Hobbit fan’s heart!
The parking structure at The Grove LA is blasted with fabulous Hobbit posters!
Coming down the escalator, each level of the parking structure highlights a different poster. Once inside The Grove, banner flags of The Hobbit hung everywhere till finally you reach the theatre and see the top crown of the cinema marquee surrounded by the most heavily anticipated movie of the year!
Banner flags featuring Bilbo and Gandalf
You’d almost think the LA Premiere was going to happen at The Grove given the massive PR campaign that is in place there. But we hear the premiere is actually going to happen at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre (Formally Grauman’s) on/about December 9th! (More details on that soon!)
The top of the cinema is surrounded in Hobbit!
In the coming weeks we’ll feature more Hobbit-related photos and other fun bits and bobs from around LA….all leading up to the exciting premiere of the defining Hobbit film!
Roll out the royal red carpet: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are coming to America once again!!
Coming to America!
Nothing sets an Anglophile’s heart aflutter than to hear of a potential royal visit to our very own homeland. Clarence House released a statement this morning confirming that Prince William and Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge will visit the US between 7th and 9th December 2014. This is such exciting news that it propels me to bake some scones, get out my best china and invite friends over for tea just to watch the daily coverage on television and discuss Catherine’s inevitably fabulous ensems!…Because we all remember how stunning she looked during their 2011 visit.
Royal perfection!
The royal couple are scheduled to travel to New York City for some joint engagements, after which Prince William will then travel on to Washington DC for a visit while The Duchess remains in New York. But don’t bother sending Her Royal Highness an invite to afternoon tea as she will be much occupied with many solo appearances of her own.
In the official statement Clarence house said, “The Duke and Duchess will attend events on behalf of the Royal Foundation and other charities with which Their Royal Highnesses are closely associated, and also on behalf of HM Government.
On this visit the charitable themes will include promoting sustainable conservation issues with a particular focus on collaborative working to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, and also supporting organisations which reflect Their Royal Highnesses’ interest in young people’s mental health and the importance supporting disadvantaged young people from an early age.
As Patron of the University of St Andrews 600th Anniversary Campaign, The Duke accompanied by The Duchess will also attend the University’s 600th Anniversary Gala Dinner in New York.
In support of UK Government Initiatives, The Duke and Duchess will attend events that celebrate the successful partnerships between the UK and USA in the technology and creative industries sectors. This follows events in support of these sectors that Their Royal Highnesses attended in 2011 in California, and reflects The Royal Family’s ongoing support for the creative and technology sectors.
During the visit, The Duke and Duchess will also visit the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center to pay their respects to the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks of 26th February 1993 and 11th September 2001. Their Royal Highnesses will learn how the site, which includes the recently-opened One World Trade Center, has been redeveloped and the plans for its future.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
This will be both William and Catherine’s first visit to both New York City or Washington D.C. Throughout their visit, The Duke and Duchess will be joined by both the British Ambassador to the United States of America, Sir Peter Westmacott whom we had the great honor of speaking to at the recent BAFTA/LA Britannia Awards:
Also accompanying the royal couple will be the British Consul General to New York, Mr. Danny Lopez.
British Consul-General of New York City
And a busy schedule they shall all have indeed! Take a look at what Clarence House has confirmed of their whirlwind visit:
The Royal Schedule
Sunday December 7th
The Duke and Duchess will arrive in New York.
William and Catherine will attend a private engagement on behalf of the American Friends of The Royal Foundation that evening.
Monday 8th December
The Duke will travel to Washington DC, while The Duchess remains in New York.
His Royal Highness will attend an anti-corruption conference at the World Bank to discuss a zero tolerance approach to the transportation across borders of illegal wildlife parts. This is a key area of work for the United For Wildlife consortium, of which The Duke is President.
The Duke will also attend a working lunch at the World Bank at which a number of programmes in support of the fight against the illegal trade in ivory will be discussed.
The Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by The First Lady of New York City, Chirlane McCray, will visit a local child development center. They will learn about how this organisation fosters the healthy development of children and families by providing high-quality mental health and educational services, which is an issue strongly supported by The First Lady.
Her Royal Highness will also attend a lunch, hosted by the British Consul General in New York, to celebrate the achievements of a successful British community in New York from the culture, arts, hospitality and business sectors.
On his return to New York, His Royal Highness will attend a reception organised by the Royal Foundation, in recognition of the conservation work carried out by Tusk Trust and United for Wildlife partners: Wildlife Conservation Society; Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy.
In the evening: Their Royal Highnesses will attend an NBA Basketball game to help launch a new collaboration between the Royal Foundation, United for Wildlife and the NBA.
Tuesday 9th December
The Duke and Duchess will visit a youth organisation to see the work they carry out in partnership with an inner city youth development foundation. Both organisations focus on programmes and projects that promote positive youth development and social learning. During the visit, The Duke and Duchess will learn about the wide-ranging support services on offer to young people to help them reach their potential, particularly through an arts-in-education model that supports the artistic and intellectual development of the participants.
The Duke and Duchess will then attend an event celebrating the wealth of British talent in the creative industries based in New York. The reception will be in association with the UK Government’s GREAT Campaign.
The Duke will also attend a technology themed event, hosted by a New York-headquartered technology company, which will bring together entrepreneurs from both the UK and the US.
The final engagement of the visit will be the University of St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The evening event will support scholarships and bursaries for students from under-privileged communities, new student sports facilities in St Andrews, investment in the university’s medical and science faculties and a lectureship in American Literature at St. Andrews.
No word on whether Prince George will be accompanying The Duke and Duchess to New York. How exciting would that be? However, it is going to be quite the busy, jam-packed tour for William and Catherine and we wish them both safe travels and a happy visit to the United States!
Will Prince George accompany the William and Catherine to NYC?
Last night in Hollywood I was treated to a Screen Actor’s Guild showing of “Mr. Turner”,the biopic about eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner, with the additional surprise of an appearance by the film’s star, Timothy Spall. You might not know the name offhand, but that face will be very familiar to Anglophiles. He has over one hundred and twenty eight film and television credits. You may have seen him in everything from the Harry Potter films (Wormtail), classic Dickens adaptations, to one of my favorites, the 1998 rock and roll film”Still Crazy”. Spall finally gets a film that is completely his to show us how incredibly talented he is, and yet, how without ego he appears on screen.
Timothy Spall as Mr Turner
I really want you to go and see this film, so you won’t get the “book report” version from this post, just encouragement to see it! It’s long, but never boring and never rings false. I have haunted British museums for decades but didn’t know much about J.M.W. Turner as a person. I used to get him mixed up with Constable, but no more. That’s what a good biopic does. I felt immersed in Turner’s world. The acting was wonderful overall and I never felt yanked out of this world by anachronism.
According to Mr. Spall, in 2000 director, Mike Leigh asked him if he would be interested in doing a film on Turner in a few years. Mr. Spall has worked on and off with Mike Leigh for over thirty years, and was eager to work with him again. Mike Leigh suggested that Spall might use the years before production began to learn how to paint. After ascertaining that Leigh wasn’t kidding, Spall went to work and immersed himself. His painting on screen shows the confidence and technical knowledge he has amassed. His painting technique reached the level where he was able to successfully copy a real Turner! He said the copy now hangs in his home. He’s left off painting since then and he doesn’t believe he could ever paint like that again. Lucky for us that he prefers acting!
Spall who was the winner the winner of the Best Actor prize this year at The Cannes International Film Festival, told the group about the exciting collaborative process of working with director Mike Leigh, taking the facts and pieces of Turner that are known, using imagination for the rest, making the character seamless and eventually letting the character take over. When that happens, he said, you don’t worry about close ups or angles because you are living it and letting the camera catch it as it can. When that happens to an actor, it is absolute magic for the audience. Spall doesn’t worry about looking like a movie star on film. He is Turner with all his brilliance, all his faults, all his beauty and all his vulgarity. One of his lines from the film is “When I look in the mirror, I see a gargoyle”, yet in the playful scenes with his elderly father played by the fabulous Paul Jesson, you see Turner’s sweetness and rough little boy charm. Dorothy Atkinson rounds out the Turner household as their long suffering housekeeper who tugs at your emotions with her loyalty.
Spall takes non-verbal communication to a whole new level in his portrayal of J.M.W. Turner in”Mr. Turner”. He grunts and snorts and snarls his way through many of the scenes as he portrays this working class art hero. He also confessed to having visited Turner’s grave at St. Paul’s Cathedral a few times and “had a word” while pretending to tie his shoe. At first, he asked for Turner’s blessing. The last time, he told us, he left a tear of gratitude behind. When Spall appeared, elegantly dressed down to his 1851 (the year of Turner’s death) pocket watch and chain, to a standing ovation after the film screening to our group of SAG members he was humble, gracious, and inspiring and funny while talking about his work. He said he never thought he brought his work home with him, until the time he was asked that question…with his wife of thirty-three years sitting next to him, she answered “yes” at the same he was saying “no”, so he’s revised his ideas.
Anglophiles will also see many other familiar faces including a silent but telling cameo of Ruby Bentall (Lark Rise, The Paradise) and Lee Ingleby (Inspector George Gently) as a silent, couple in the midst of their own drama. Excellent acting, history, costumes, characters I’ve only read about weaving their way through the film, gorgeous British scenery, stately homes, nineteenth century London in all it’s glory squalor —and the seaside all made for one happy Anglophile! Go see “Mr. Turner” and tell me what you think!
“In the secret world of espionage, the players are set and the fight to save Britain begins!”
The Game,a suspenseful six-part, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, created by Toby Whithouse (Being Human, Doctor Who) is NEW on BBC America!
BBC America’s Spy Thriller, The Game
THE GAME is a stylish, character-driven spy drama that explores the lives and lies of the invisible soldiers fighting a secret war. When MI5 agent, Joe Lambe (Tom Hughes, Dancing on the Edge), is contacted by a defecting KGB officer about the plan to destroy the British establishment, MI5 leader, Daddy (Brian Cox, The Bourne Supremacy,An Adventure in Space and Time), assembles a secret committee to investigate the threat in a frantic race against time. Their mission: stop the plot, save Britain and in turn, the world.
We recently spoke to “The Game” star Tom Hughes. Here’s what he had to say about the new series he’s starring in:
The Game is part BBC AMERICA’s Dramaville.
Let us know what you think after you’ve watched the show!
Ring for Carson! Sound the dressing gong! ITV and Carnival Films has just confirmed that Downton Abbey has been renewed for a 6th Season!
We get another year with our favorite Crawly Family!
Just as Season 5 is wrapping up in the UK and PBS is about to premiere the popular Masterpiece series on January 4, 2015… Downton Abbey producers have made fans around the world breath a sigh of relief when they announced that production will, indeed, begin early next year on a sixth series of the hit drama! Hooray!
Lady Mary is indeed happy that she’ll be sharing her story with us for one more season!
The globally successful and multi award-winning series, debuted on ITV in 2010 and has since been sold to over 250 territories worldwide. The fifth season, which comes to an end on Sunday 9th November, has been watched by an average of 10.4 million based on consolidated data per episode and will return at Christmas for a festive edition of the drama. And we all love the Christmas episode, right? My favorite will always be Matthew’s proposal to Lady Mary in the snow…
Most romantic moment ever!
Carnival’s Managing Director, Gareth Neame said:
“We have had an amazing reaction to the story lines, acting and production values of Downton Abbey this year and the whole team is thrilled to be moving ahead with a new season of the show. This will provide audiences with a fresh opportunity to see what will befall our much loved characters.”
Indeed the Crawly family and their team of loyal servants have been part of our lives for so long we feel as connected to them as if they were actually family members.
We were so happy when Anna and Bates married we sent them a place-setting!
We recently spoke with Downton cast member, Allen Leech who gave US fans some insight on what to expect in Season 5:
No word on which cast members will be returning for Season 6, nor is there word on whether or not this shall be the final season. Lets hope not!
Downton Abbey back for Season 6 and we couldn’t be happier!
Downton Abbey is a Carnival Films/MASTERPIECE co-production. Season 5 will premiere on MASTERPIECE on PBS on Sunday 4th January 2015.
Lady Anglophile…inviting the Dowager Countess over for Afternoon Tea, to celebrate!
The wait is finally over! The moment Hobbit fans all over the world have been waiting for: the FINAL Hobbit trailer ever! And it does not disappoint:
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,”the third in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies…the epic finale!
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and the Company of Dwarves. The Dwarves of Erebor have reclaimed the vast wealth of their homeland, but now must face the consequences of having unleashed the terrifying Dragon, Smaug, upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town.
This will be Richard Armitage‘s moment to shine. “Everything I did..I did for them.” says Thorin as he succumbs to his dragon-sickness. The King Under the Mountain, sacrifices friendship and honor in his search for the legendary Arkenstone. Unable to help Thorin see reason, Bilbo is driven to make a desperate and dangerous choice, not knowing that even greater perils lie ahead.
Brilliant as Thorin Oakenshield is Oscar worthy Richard Armitage.
Dramatic, thrilling and emotional moments will rule this final film with Gandalf asking, “You have but one question to answer….How shall this day end?” The exciting trailer ends with Bilbo placing the ring on his finger one last time..and disappears.
Do not see this film without a supply of tissues handy!
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies opens December 17th!
The Anglophile Channel wishes to congratulate Benedict Cumberbatch on the announcement of his engagement to Miss Sophie Hunter!
The announcement was made in a truly lovely and traditional way by announcing in the Forthcoming Marriages section of The Times newspaper.
The official engagement announcement of Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter
The engagement was confirmed by Cumberbatch’s PR rep with this statement, “I am delighted to confirm this morning’s announcement that Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter are engaged.”
Congratulations to the happy couple!
The bride is a noted British theater director, actress and Oxford graduate. The groom is the star of Sherlock and the upcoming The Imitation Game. Details of the wedding date are, understandably, being kept under wraps.
The Anglophile Channel 