Benedict Cumberbatch and the #IceBucketChallenge! And He Does NOT Disappoint!

Posted on August 22, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

After much speculation over why the poor guy was taking longer than the ‘allotted’ 24 hours (I vote we change that rule by the way…) Benedict Cumberbatch has come through with flying colors and puts to shame just about every other challenge we’ve seen yet. (Not that this is a competition. It’s about raising awareness for ALS: http://www.alsa.org/)

So without further ado Benedict Cumberbatch and the #IceBucketChallenge! Enjoy:

Okay, is it just me or are those the world’s smallest guy panties? Not fair!

Lady Anglophile…Donating to ALS and Going On A Diet….

Richard Armitage’s Next Gig: Role Of A Life Time, Cameo…or Both?

Posted on August 22, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

Well the Armitage Army and Internet are all abuzz over a few hints recently dropped by Richard Armitage that he may have just auditioned for the “role of a lifetime”. The admission came during an interview with The Hindu when their reporter wondered aloud if there was a ‘once-in-a-lifetime role his heart desired’ to which Armitage (quite carefully) replied, “Ye-es, there is….and I may have just auditioned for it.”

Hmm, tantalizing indeed! Especially for those of us that have already seen him chew up the scenery with his much hailed performance as John Proctor in The Crucible at The Old Vic in London, and know EXACTLY what this actor is capable of artistically!

Soul-shattering performance in The Crucible…Hollywood would BE so lucky to score this kind of talent!

Then, another piece of the puzzle was unearthed during an Into The Storm press junket interview with Digital Spy where Armitage revealed that after he’s completed his run in The Crucible he’ll be doing another film…but added, “I can’t tell you what it is. But you’ll know! It’s a little cameo in something…”

Oh, he’s such a tease!

OK, so…lets dissect this a bit, because you haven’t earned your “Fangirl” badge until you’ve contemplated absolutely every soundbite or quote you’ve ever heard come out of your obsession’s mouth…and in the end wondered how it could affect and/or involve you!

I’m sorry…you were saying?

SO First: In both interviews, is he talking about the SAME role in the same project? I’m not sure a “cameo” can be qualified as the “role of a lifetime”…unless it’s in an extremely highly visible project helmed by a legendary director or, at the very least, starring a pedigreed A-lister movie star…and I’ve got a few thoughts on that. In each interview he intimates that if he does get the role we will read all about it…meaning this project is SO big….his being cast in it will make the showbiz headline news! Oh Yipee!

You can’t IMAGINE all the ideas I have swirling around in my armchair-casting director’s brain right now. Or, for that matter in my actress brain….I mean, he must be in need a leading lady…right? Even for just a cameo! “WHO can I get my 8×10 to, pronto?”

Digital Spy has a few guesses one of them being Spooks: The Greater Good starring Kit Harington and Jennifer Ehle, (my personal favorite Elizabeth Bennett) which connects to Armitage because he played Lucas North in the BBC series Spooks (later renamed MI-5.)

As Lucas North in MI-5/Spooks

But North dies in Series 9 and to be honest, I don’t think coming back as this character, even in flashback, could be ‘deemed’ the role of a lifetime after you’ve bared your soul in Arthur Miller’s greatest works. And Spooks wasn’t a big enough hit internationally that Variety would be blasting the casting news all over its front page. Add to that…Spooks is already in post.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is also in post and again unless Heinz Kruger (Richard’s original character from the first Avengers film) comes back from the dead and is suddenly transformed into…I don’t know…the new Batman?…I don’t think it would make headlines. (Don’t judge my reference by the way…I’m not a big Marvel fan. I have no idea one superhero from the next…) (OK, Batman is DC Comics…I looked it up.)

Yeah, I can picture him in a superhero mask…
(Photo edit JonathanRudolph)

My fantasy of course is BOND. Who wouldn’t want to see this gorgeous, tall drink of British water in an Armani tux holding a martini glass and alluringly saying “Bond. James Bond”? This one has always seemed like a no-brainer to me…but then I pride myself for having more imagination than most Hollywood casting directors. (OHMYGAWD, I’m going to raise the funding myself and get this movie greenlit NOW!) However, as Daniel Craig isn’t quite ready to hang up his guns and gadgets yet…this scenario is highly unlikely. Bummer. And me all ready to play the next Bond Girl….

He had dark, rather cruel good looks and very clear, blue-grey eyes.” - Thunderball by Ian Fleming

He had dark, rather cruel good looks and very clear, blue-grey eyes.” – Do you think Fleming was describing Armitage? I do! (Photo: Tumblr/MichaelBond)

So lets look at what projects are actually in pre-production and/or filming…starting with the ‘biggie’ we ALL know is currently shooting (and constantly casting!):

STAR WARS: (Dec. 2015) Directed by J.J Abrams and Starring Harrison Ford and the whole gang from the original 1977 blockbuster. But that’s about all we know. This production is such a closely guarded secret that we have no idea what the film is even about with the exception of a few ‘leaked’ tidbits about Harrison Ford‘s costumes. We can’t even say who Armitage’s fellow Hobbit castmate, Andy Serkis, is playing! We do know that Armitage has a history with Star Wars because he played a bit role in Star Wars: Episode 1-The Phantom Menance.

I spy with my little eye…a future star!

Wouldn’t it be great if he came back in a significant, plot-affecting role that became the turning point of the whole Star Wars saga? Maybe he’s Hans Solo and Princess Leia’s son…Anakin Solo? He’s the right age-range for it. Wouldn’t THAT be cool? We’re certainly not going to get any hints from Abrams and company as Pinewood Studios has tighter security than the Pentagon.

The Mummy (June 2016) An ‘epic-scale’ reboot of The Mummy franchise. Sets the tale in the modern age as opposed to the 1920s. Nah. Who cares.

Beverly Hills Cop (March 2016) The new film brings detective Axel Foley back to Detroit during the coldest winter on record. Detroit and bad weather. Been there done that. By the way, GO SEE INTO THE STORM if you haven’t already! It’s amazing!

My high school principal never looked like this…just sayin’

The Revenant (Dec 2015) Centers on the 1820s’ story of a frontiersman, Hugh Glass, who set out on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling. Casting has already been announced with Tom Hardy and Leo DiCaprio so unless one of them falls out…

Untitled Tom Hanks/Cold War Thriller Project (October 2015) Tom Hanks is attached to play James Donovan, a prominent American attorney enlisted by the CIA during the Cold War to slip behind the Iron Curtain and tortured when his U-2 spy plane is shot down over Russia. Now this is a project Armitage might be able to sink his teeth into depending on what the other roles are. I vote for this one only with Armitage as Donovan. (Hanks can direct if he’d like. Someone get me his agent on the phone…)

He does ‘torture’ well.
(Photo via RichardArmitageNet.com)

King Arthur (July 2016) Sixth century king, King Arthur, defends Britain against Saxon invaders. Idris Elba is rumored but…what if?? I like this possibility as well. And I’d be the perfect Guinevere. Cate Blanchett can just sit this one out…

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 2016 ) Already filming with Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman but the actor listed to play Aquaman is just ‘rumored’…but would it be cruel to offer Armitage the role of Aquaman knowing his aversion to water? Hmm, but he looks so damn good soaking wet. Maybe we can put him under hypnosis to help him get over it….

I’m thinking he actually picks his roles according to how water soaked he’s going to get…

Ben Hur (Feb 2016) Okay, I’m going to TRY and not excited about THIS possibility. Yes The Hollywood Reporter recently posted that Tom Hiddleston is currently the front runner to play Judah Ben-Hur but what if he DOESN’T get the role and it goes to Armitage instead? {Squee!}} OR…perhaps Armitage is being considered for the role of Ben-Hur’s friend and later nemisis, Messala. Ohhh-kay, I’m trying not to picture Armitage in a toga just yet!…but I’ll be the FIRST to host a Roman-Themed party if it does happen. I vote for this one! Armitage would kick butt in the chariot races….

There are SOO many more possibilities of exactly what this ‘role of a lifetime’ and/or ‘cameo’ might be, but I guess we’re just going to have to wait till the big announcement comes from Armitage himself…or THR. In the meantime, I shall dream of the Gone With The Wind remake starring me as Scarlett O’Hara and Richard as Rhett Butler. Afterall, tomorrow is another day!

I can picture it…can you?

Lady Anglophile….Ready For Her Close-Up!

Posted in Armitage Alerts!, Home Page Posts, Lady Anglophile Reviews & Other Bits and Bobs | Tagged Richard Armitage | 14 Comments

Benedict Cumberbatch and The Ice Bucket Challenge…To Be, or Not To Be?

Posted on August 21, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

There seems to be a lot of speculation over reasons given of why Benedict Cumberbatch can not (or has not) done the ALS #IceBucketChallenge as nominated by Tom Hiddleston. Because I can only tell you what has personally been conveyed to us by his team….and I have no reason to doubt them…then that’s all we have to go by. We don’t actually know this man’s personal schedule.

Are you doubting me?

Heated discussions on why he hasn’t stepped up to the plate, within the apparent required 24-hour time frame, seem to insinuate that he’s not as busy as his team is telling us. Knowing what a global phenomenon this whole Ice Bucket Challenge has become, I really doubt the CumberCamp would try to avoid having their client participate. All I can say is this: whatever has Benedict so occupied is also keeping him from attending this weekend’s Emmy Awards where he is nominated in the Lead Actor category (Mini-series/Movie) for Sherlock:His Last Vow (from what we’ve been told he’s not attending, anyway…of course things can always change.)

Sherlock: His Last Vow

I actually believe Cumberbatch WOULD be at the Emmys, if at all possible, because lets face it from what we’ve seen of him this past year alone…. we know Cumberbatch doesn’t miss many events. He’s working non-stop! Whether prepping, filming, recording, traveling or promoting, Benedict Cumberbatch is one of the busiest guys I know in show business. His IMDB is piled high with film projects either in post or pre-production and that doesn’t even include additional projects such as The BBC‘s upcoming second Hollow Crown series which has Cumberbatch starring as Richard III, and goes before the cameras soon..or preparations for next year’s live appearance in the West End as Hamlet. When they say he’s busy…they’re not kidding. But I know for those chomping at the bit, “busy” is not an excuse.

Movies, Voice-Overs, Talk Shows, Premieres...and Shakespeare too!

To Be…or Not To Be…busy, that is.

What is sad to me is that getting lost in this heated discussion is the very reason why everyone is pouring a bucket of freezing cold ice water over their head in the first place and that is to bring awareness to a terrible disease that goes mainly unnoticed and is largely misunderstood. Sure it’s been fun to see all our favorite British hotties dousing themselves with water wearing nothing but the thinnest of white undershirts…I personally have the Tom Hiddleston video on a 24-hour loop…

But the #IceBucketChallenge was originally introduced as a creative way to raise awareness, and funds for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. Over 30,000 Americans suffer from this disease at any given time.

The 24-hour time limitation on the challenge is unfortunate because it puts pressure on people who might otherwise be well-intentioned but if they don’t act swiftly they’re immediately chastised…and then it becomes more about why that person has not accepted the challenge rather than what the challenge was for in the first place.

But the Cumber Collective can rest easy (of course they’ve never doubted…) as well as the CumberCritics, because Benedict’s Sunny March producing partner @adamackland recently Tweeted “Chill ya boots…it’s coming” which, I imagine, can only be referring to the heat the CumberCamp is getting for why Benedict hasn’t risen to Hiddleston’s challenge.

“Chill ya boots…”

So let’s give the guy the benefit of the doubt. And while we’re waiting with baited breath to see the Cumberbabe dripping wet in a see-through white shirt…lets consider donating even the smallest amount to a great and worthy cause!

To learn more about ALS visit: http://www.alsa.org/about-als/

Lady Anglophile…an ALS Supporter and not one ice cube hit my tiara!

Posted in Home Page Posts, The CumberWatch | Tagged Benedict Cumberbatch, Ice Bucket Challenge | 10 Comments

Sexy Voice of Benedict Cumberbatch to Bring Life to Warner Bros Jungle Book

Posted on August 19, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

The sexy, smooth vocal talents of Benedict Cumberbatch are going to help bring to life Warner Bros live-action adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book as the villainous man-eating tiger, Shere Khan, nemesis to the orphaned boy Mowgli who is raised in the jungle by animals. Another Khan, another baddie….both of which Cumberbatch does oh so well!

It’s Khan! Take Two!

The film, titled Jungle Book: Origins, is to be directed by Cumberbatch’s Hobbit castmate, Andy Serkis. Serkis, dubbed the motion capture king for his pioneering work in that genre, will be making his directorial debut with a script written by Callie Kloves daughter of Steve Kloves (Harry Potter), who is also co-writing and producing.

Although Jungle Book: Origins will be based on the classic children’s stories by English author Kipling, which center around Mowgli the boy who grows up in the jungle raised by wolves, Serkis has already described the script as as having “quite a dark take” on the original whose world “is a Garden of Eden… but also is a place of fear and a place of threat.”

Origins might have competition in Disney‘s own reboot of Jungle Book, with another Brit Idris Elba taking on the voice of Khan in that production…but if anything will get the Cumber Collective to the cinemas it’s the rich, gorgeous, baritone sounds of the CumberVoice who they’re already queuing up to hear as “Classified” in Dreamworks upcoming animated feature, Penguins of Madagascar.

Cumberbatch at his first Comic Con

Benedict recently made his Comic Con debut to promote Penguins, as well as The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, and you will see by the thunderous ovation he received that his fan base will follow him to the ends of Middle Earth…or Madagascar to see and/or hear him!

Cumberbatch, who I like to call the ‘busiest man in showbiz’, will next be seen as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game to be unveiled at next month’s Toronto International Film Festival….but not before he potentially wins an Emmy this weekend for his FABULOUS work on the hit series, Sherlock. He’s got my vote!

Jungle Book: Origins is set for an October 2016 release.

Lady Anglophile….picturing herself as Khan’s prey, Mowgli. Is that wrong?

Posted in Home Page Posts, The CumberWatch | Tagged Benedict Cumberbatch, Comic Con, Jungle Book, Penguins of Madagascar, Warner Bros | 2 Comments

Tom Hiddleston Eyed For Ben Hur

Posted on August 13, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

Why Hollywood insists on re-making iconic classics that are better left alone is beyond me…but if it must happen then make sure you cast a leading man that might stand a chance of living up to the original. Thus is the case with the rumored “wooing” of Tom Hiddleston for the role of Judah Ben-Hur in the upcoming MGM/Paramount adaptation of the 1880 Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ.

The future Ben Hur?

Ben Hur, will be a remake of the 1959 classic starring Charlton Heston and if anyone can step into Heston’s shoes…I’m pretty confident Hiddleston can.

Charlton Heston in the original 1959 classic, Ben Hur

Known by worldwide audiences as Thor’s evil brother Loki in The Avengers and Thor movies, Hiddleston has proven himself to be more than just a comic-book villain with his critically claimed Shakespearean roles in Coriolanus and as Henry V in The Hollow Crown series.

Hiddleston in Coriolanus

But don’t start picturing this gorgeous British hunk in thigh baring toga’s just yet ladies as rumor has it they’re still in the ‘wooing’ stage. (For what it’s worth…I’ll toss in a dinner at Morton’s if it’ll get him on board.) Plus MGM and Paramount will have to get in line as Hiddles has a nice long slate of projects keeping him busy before he can even report to chariot training camp, including playing Country Music Legend, Hank Williams in I Saw The Light (for that one I’ve already bought by cowboy hat and boots!) So it might be a long wait before we can see Hiddleston snapping his horsewhip around the Circus Maximus.

Yep, I can picture him shirtless or in a toga….

The original Ben Hur was the most expensive film ever made up to it’s time. At $15 million dollars and made on an epic, grande scale, the movie was a huge risk for MGM Studios and ultimately saved MGM from bankruptcy and went on to win 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. This remake certainly has a LOT to live up to.

Ben Hur, to be directed by Timur Bekmambetov is slated for a February 2016 release date. 12 Years a Slave screenwriter John Ridely is penning the script with The Bible’s Mark Burnett and Roma Downey producing. Let the chariot races begin!

Lady Anglophile….volunteering as a slave girl extra for the film.

Posted in Home Page Posts, Lady Anglophile Reviews & Other Bits and Bobs | Tagged Ben Hur, Tom Hiddleston | 9 Comments

Doctor Who TARDIS World Tour Kicks Off in Cardiff Wales

Posted on August 7, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

The Doctor Who TARDIS World Tour has officially kicked off in Cardiff Wales! Peter Capaldi looked dashing as he posed in front of Cardiff Castle before meeting fans lucky enough to be present for this historic event!

The NEW Doctor begins the seven city TARDIS world tour!

Joined by Co-Star/Companion Jenna Coleman and showrunner Steven Moffat the sonic trio will attend the world premiere feature length screening of the Doctor Who Series 8 opener, Deep Breath, before hopping on the TARDIS and heading off on a seven city tour around the world! London will naturally be the first stop followed by Seoul, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City and New York!

Jenna Coleman looks lovely and ready to take on another Doctor

I spot the TARDIS!

If you’re lucky enough to live near one of the TARDIS tour stops share your stories and photos with us! Fantastic-Allons-y-Geronimo!! (I wonder what saying Capaldi will have?)

The TARDIS embarks on a 7-city world tour on Aug 7!

For the rest of us mortals Doctor Who Series 8 will premiere on August 23 with showings in select cinemas as well!

Lady Anglophile….heading to Korea!

Posted in Home Page Posts, Lady Anglophile Reviews & Other Bits and Bobs | Tagged Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi, TARDIS World Tour | Leave a comment

Colin Firth Press Conference Interrupted with Phone Call That Samuel L. Jackson Answers!

Posted on July 31, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

Moments like these don’t come along very often in press conferences, most of which can be boring, staid and way too serious. During a Comic Con press conference for 20th Century Fox‘s “Kingsman: The Secret Service” starring Colin Firth a press member’s phone rang. Bad etiquette to be sure…but to make matters worse, the phone was slapped smack dab on the table right in front of Firth and his co-star Samuel L. Jackson who decided to ANSWER the call…in what became the highlight of the conference! (OK let’s not get carried away…my getting to actually TALK to “Mr. Darcy” and ask him a question was the highlight….but this was a close second!)

The guilty (and most likely mortified) press member didn’t immediately fess-up to it being his/her phone…which was all the better because Jackson riffed on this bit for a good few minutes making it the most entertaining press conference ever. Take a look. (I love Colin’s reaction to this….)

“Will someone’s phone PLEASE ring” these actors are seemingly thinking.

All in all I’d say it was a great press conference…I hope Colin and Samuel thought so too!

If you haven’t already seen the TRAILER for Kingsman: Secret Service, check it out here. Colin kicks some major arse!

Lady Anglophile…dialing up Colin as we speak!

Posted in Home Page Posts, Lady Anglophile Reviews & Other Bits and Bobs | 1 Comment

Night At The Museum 3 Goes to London in Secrets of The Tomb!

Posted on July 31, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

A host of familiar British faces are featured in the latest Night At The Museum movie starring Ben Stiller…most specifically former Downton Abbey star, Dan Stevens as Sir Lancelot looking quite dashing in his shining armor!

Knight in shining armor, Dan Stevens as Sir Lancelot!

Sir Ben Kingsley joins fellow returning British artists Ricky Gervais and Steve Coogan as the museum heads to London! Take a look at the first TRAILER here:

Night at The Museum: Secret of the Tomb is scheduled for a December 19th release.

Lady Anglophile…commissioning a portrait of Sir Lancelot for her boudoir!

Posted in Home Page Posts, Lady Anglophile Reviews & Other Bits and Bobs | Tagged Dan Stevens, Night at The Museum | Leave a comment

NEW Doctor Who on the Cover of Entertainment Weekly

Posted on July 30, 2014 by The Anglophile Channel

Doctor Who and Entertainment Weekly have a nice tradition going as The Doctor has been featured on three EW covers over the last three years. The August 8th issue introduces the NEW Doctor Peter Capaldi. From the interviews we’ve been doing…industry insiders feel that Capaldi is going to kick sonic-butt as The 12th Doctor…and we can’t wait!

The NEW Doctor on the Aug 8th cover of Entertainment Weekly

The cover teases with DALEKS! CYBERMEN! THE RETURN OF THE MASTER? and promises to give us an inside peek at the upcoming season: “For this week’s cover story, senior writer Clark Collis travels to the UK to meet with Peter Capaldi, the new star of the now 51-year-old time travel saga, and to find out what fans can expect from the forthcoming season. Collis also spoke with the actor’s costar Jenna Coleman (Clara) and showrunner Steven Moffat, who tackled such burning questions as ‘Will Capaldi’s previous appearances in the Who universe be referenced this season?’ and ‘What will happen in the two-part finale?’ We also persuade Capaldi to talk about the old monsters he’d like his Doctor to face and offer a sartorial breakdown of the Time Lord’s many looks through the show’s half-century history.”

The two previous EW Doctor Who covers feature 11th Doctor, Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman:

2012 Cover

2013 Cover

The producers know this is a highly anticipated season as they are pulling out all the stops for its launch, beginning with a TARDIS world tour that will see Capaldi and Doctor companion Coleman, travel to seven cities beginning with a splash-off in Cardiff Wales, where they’re also going to screen the first episode for fans, and stopping in: London, NYC, Seoul Korea, Sydney Australia, Mexico City and ending in Rio de Janeiro Brazil! That’s some serious TARDIS frequent flyer miles!

The TARDIS will embark on a 7-city world tour on Aug 7!

The Entertainment Weekly issue hits newsstands on August 1st. Doctor Who Season 8 premieres August 23 with “Deep Breath”

Take a “Deep Breath” Season 8 premieres Aug 23!

Lady Anglophile…Sonic Screwdriver at the ready!

Posted in Home Page Posts, Lady Anglophile Reviews & Other Bits and Bobs | Tagged Doctor Who, Entertainment Weekly, Peter Capaldi, TARDIS | Leave a comment