The Anglophile Channel and BRIT WEEK are proud to present the 2014 GREAT British Afternoon Tea-Off Event! Congratulations to our 2014 nominees: The High Tea Cottage (Woodland Hills, Ca), Ye Olde King’s Head tea room (Santa Monica, Ca), Rose Tree Cottage (Pasadena, Ca), and The Queen Mary Tea Room (Long Beach, Ca). We have visited each of these lovely tea rooms, interviewed the owners and sampled their Afternoon Tea, and let me tell you what a treat you have in store for you! Each tea room is unique and has its own distinct personality! We will feature each nominee in a video that introduces you to the tea room, it’s owner and shows you what sets it apart from other Afternoon Teas in Los Angeles. Videos will be posted here on our website, as well as on our YouTube channel, beginning April 22nd. We invite all of our Brit Week followers to visit each of these tea rooms during Brit Week (from April 21 through May 4th) and decide which one YOU feel offers the BEST Afternoon Tea in Los Angeles. Each of our nominees will offer a special “Brit Week” tea and/or discount during the GREAT British Afternoon Tea-Off event. After you’ve enjoyed teatime…you may place your vote HERE on our website, AND on our YouTube Channel by leaving your comment/vote below the video of your choice! The winner of our GREAT British Afternoon Tea-Off will be announced the week of May 5th!
For more details on Brit Week and other events you can attend visit their website:
Louis Fantasiahas produced an extraordinary one night only performance ofBritWeek’s Evening of Shakespeare, Music & Love. These generous actors have given their time to celebrate the Bard’s 450th Birthday with BritWeek and support theInner City Shakespeare Ensembleand theHobart Elementary Shakespeareans. Don’t miss this Evening! Tickets are available fromwww.britweek.org. and on GoldStar at a discount: https://www.goldstar.com/events/santa-monica-ca/shakespeare-music-and-love
Don’t miss this amazing night of talent with a Shakespearean twist!
“If this is to end in fire…then we will all burn together”
And that pretty much sums up Thorin Oakenshield’s determination to achieve his goal of re-entering the Lonely Mountain and taking back what is rightfully his….no matter what the cost. And in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug we begin to get a glimpse of exactly what that cost might be.
In the long awaited DVD/Blu-Ray release of Peter Jackson’s second installment in a trilogy of films adapted from J.R.R. Tokien’s enduring novel, “The Hobbit”, the Dwarves are back along with everyone’s favorite Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, (played to perfection by Sherlock’s Martin Freeman) and the legendary Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey, as they continue in their epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from Smaug, the ferocious fire-breathing dragon (voiced by the deliciously dangerous tone’s of Benedict Cumberbatch) who holds possession of all the gold including the king’s stone, the Arkenstone, which will put the heir apparent, Oakenshield, (gloriously played by Richard Armitage) back on the throne where he belongs! (Whew! Got that?) After all it’s been nearly 200 years since his homeland was ravaged and captured by Smaug and the Dwarves were either slain or sent wandering homeless…why shouldn’t Thorin be hell-bent on taking back Erebor? As he says in the film, “I have the only right.”
It might be refreshing to know (or not) that, unlike millions of loyal Tolkien aficionados, I did not grow up reading The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings books and therefore did not have a pre-conceived, dogmatic vision of how the books should be represented up on the big screen. As far as I was concerned, Peter Jackson was free to do with the story as he wished…and apparently, much to many a Tolkein fan’s chagrin, that’s exactly what he did. Bringing back Orlando Bloom in the role of Legolas, who does not appear in The Hobbit book, was one of them. But as Jackson explains, “He’s Thranduil’s son, and Thranduil is one of the characters in The Hobbit, and because elves are immortal it makes sense Legolas would be part of the sequence in the Woodland Realm.” Sounds good to me. Listen the man is an Academy Award winning director, who am I to disagree? And while he’s at it let’s toss in a potential love interest for Legolas in the form of Tauriel, (played by Lost’s beautiful Evangeline Lilly) the head of the Mirkwood Elven Guard, (think Tinker Bell on steroids) who spends a great portion of the film either saving or flirting with, Thorin’s nephew, Kili (played by the gorgeous Aidan Turner.) Hey, I’d flirt too.
Okay, let me get something off my chest right now: in my next life I want to come back as Evangeline Lily. The woman got to spend six seasons frolicking on a beach in Hawaii shooting ABC’s Lost, looking all sexy and windblown while wielding a gun, with two of the world’s sexiest guys (“Sawyer” and “Jack”) vying for her affection. CUT TO: New Zealand, working with ‘Directing God’ Jackson, where she now gets to wield a bow and arrow, wear a cute little figure-hugging Elf costume (I’m getting one for Halloween), and flirt with Orlando Bloom and Aidan Turner. JUMP CUT TO: The Hobbit world press tour where, as the only female in a testosterone driven film, she gets to shine in gorgeous designer gowns and have Richard Armitage asking her for drinks in Dwarvish….which I’m pretty sure he learned just to impress her! Yep, I wanna come back as Evangeline Lily…..
But I digress.
Much of Desolation of Smaug’s forward motion is action-packed with our merry band of determined dwarves encountering various obstacles on the perilous road to Erebor. A run in with skin-changer Beorn (played by Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt), a nasty bit with spiders in the forests of Mirkwood (I’ve watched it twice, now I just hit the fast forward button…), being captured by the Wood-elves led by the villainous King Thranduil (the perfectly cast Lee Pace), and my favorite scene featuring what should become the next big theme-park ride…the barrel escape! The Dwarves go white water rapids racing in wine barrels to escape Thranduil’s dungeons! (Thorin’s long wet, rock-star-like locks flinging in the wind, mind you!)
All the while the great orc, Azog the Defiler, continues on his vengeful quest of destroying Thorin. He’s like a giant gnat that won’t go away. The Dwarves have enough blockade running to do on their way to Erebor without having to deal with this nasty beast every 20minutes. This all leads them to their encounter with Bard the Bowman (played with heart by Luke Evans), their journey to Lake-Town where we see more of Thorin’s desperation revealed as he is willing to leave behind his ailing nephew Kili suffering from a poison-filled arrow wound and finally…the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the arrival at the Lonely Mountain where upon the last light of Durin’s day will reveal a key-hole where they might insert the key that will finally welcome them home!
But what awaits them inside is what Cumberbatch fans have been waiting two films for. The Hobbit must face Smaug the Magnificent and, like a needle in a haystack, find the Arkenstone! Cumberbatch’s rich Alan Rickman-esque voice does not disappoint. I actually think I applauded when I first heard it provoking strange looks from my fellow theatre-goers. But I was like a kid in a Sherlock gift shop watching Martin Freeman’s Hobbit and Cumberbatch’s Smaug face-off! Even with Cumberbatch relegated to solitary confinement doing mo-cap in a soundstage somewhere, you could STILL see and feel the chemistry between these two fantastic actors.
But it’s Richard Armitage’s towering and layered performance as Thorin Oakenshield that steals the show for me.
If Oscars are handed out to actors who lose themselves so significantly, and unrecognizably in a role, then Armitage should be making room for one on his mantle piece. Having interviewed Armitage, I can tell you first hand that you can not detect even one trace of the would-be dwarf king in him. Not in looks, in tone of voice or in mannerisms. Well, you might say, that’s an actor’s job isn’t it? To become someone else, so completely unrecognizable from who they actually are. Yes it is. But how often do we actually see that it today’s leading men? Not often. When I’m watching Oakenshield’s journey towards an all consuming desperation and greed not once do I think that’s the same actor who once played John Thorton in Elizabeth Gaskell’s period drama, “North and South”. In fact, I do not think I’m watching an actor at all.. and it has nothing to do with the elaborate prosthetics Amitage had to wear while making the film. It’s what Shakespeare was talking about in Hamlet’s speech to the players when he urged them to create the illusion of reality by holding the mirror up to nature.
“Speak the speech I pray you as I pronounce it to you, trippingly on the tongue; but if you mouth it as many of your players do I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines.”
I think I’m fairly safe in saying that Peter Jackson and Producer/Co-Writer Philippa Boyens do not believe the town crier is spoke any of Thorin’s lines. And if you know the book (and I do now because I read the Cliff Notes) you know what lies ahead for Oakenshield.
Armitage, get your speech ready!
If you don’t already own a Blu-ray player, buy one. It’s worth it to see Jackson’s film in all its glory. From beginning to end the edge of your seat action never stops but it does not do so at the expense of storytelling such as with Bard and his family, which gives us a touch of real life back story to this fantastic adventure.
You’ll also enjoy the Special Features especially the “day in the life of” featurette where Jackson invites you onto the set to experience what life was like for the cast and crew of The Hobbit films. You will walk away with a great sense of appreciation and respect for all the hundreds of talented unseen heroes (1100 crew!) behind the camera. These are the people who magically bring Tolkein’s world to life and made this film happen! But their life in New Zealand was more than that. This was like the greatest job-relocation gig in history. Only you weren’t packing the wife and kids up and moving to boring East BumbleBerry, USA. These people moved a half a world away (well, many of them were locals) for the better part of two years and became one big family. Enjoying school-like lunchtime breaks where they played ‘9-ball’ at recess, live-entertainment during mealtimes, Weiners Wacky Wheel of Wonders where crew spun a giant wheel to win prizes like a weekends away or cash! Made “Dwarfericise” videos and dwarf calendars. Arts and Crafts and Teatime! I want to go to Peter Jackson Camp too!
One thing you can see for sure is this experience changed their lives. Even Luke Evans said they formed such close bonds that when it was time to go back to reality, he said, “not sure I’m ready for that.” No wonder Armitage nearly moved to New Zealand permanently. I’m sure this was a unique experience that they’ll all remember for the rest of their careers and lives.
“You’re not the same hobbit that left the shire…”, says Gandalf to Bilbo Baggins. I think we are, none of us, the same. We’re all changed after experiencing The Hobbit films. Cast, crew and audience alike. And even though I didn’t read the Tolkien books, I’ve become such a fan of the Tolkein/Jackson combo that I’m got my Elvish ears ready to camp out for my local midnight showing of The Hobbit: There and Back Again this December!
Own “THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG” Limited Collector’s Edition Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo pack, Blu-ray Combo pack, 2-disc DVD special edition, and Digital HD on 4/8
Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, stars Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt and Orlando Bloom.
Thank you to Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment for providing us with copies to giveaway to your loyal Hobbit fans!
Hobbit Fans: There is STILL time to WIN The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Blu-ray Combo Pack PLUS the AUTOGRAPHED The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey signed by RICHARD ARMITAGE! Leave your comment on the video below! See you all at The Hobbit: There and Back Again!
Well, I’m all in a Firth-lathered-frenzy as I’ve just emerged from the 20th Century Fox presentation at CinemaCon 2014 in Las Vegas and all I can say about the Fox 2014-15 slate is WOW! Yes…they opened with a a splashy feathered showgirl-induced production number for RIO 2, and yes they trotted out Cameron Diaz (looking amazing, I’m jealous to say) to promo her upcoming film The Other Woman, and yes I’m excited about X-Men with a slew of fabulous Brits (James McAvoy, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart) not to mention “precious” Andy Serkis in Dawn of the Planet Of The Ape …but what was the preview that got me all excited? COLIN FIRTH in The Secret Service!!!
If Firth fans EVER fantasized about seeing Mr. Firth as James Bond…here is your chance! The Secret Service has Firth playing a highly-trained British spy, Jack London, who attempts to save his street smart nephew, played by Taron Egerton, from falling into a bad crowd by taking him under his wing.
The clip we got to see shows a familiarly dashing Firth, sitting down over a pint at a pub and having a calm intelligent conversation with his ‘tude-filled’ nephew, who he is trying to set straight, when a dangerous-looking group of thugs walk in to confront the kid. They ask “grandpa” to leave before he gets hurt and THAT is when we see Firth go into action like you’ve NEVER seen him before, using every Bond-esque move to kick the living daylights out of these punks! My heart was RACING as I watched this! Thankfully the audience was just as enthusiastic as we ALL let out a huge round of applause when the preview ended. You will not believe that this is OUR Mr. Darcy or the man that girlishly fought Hugh Grant in Bridget Jones’ Diary…this is Firth. Colin Firth…action star!!
The film is directed by Matthew Vaughn and is based on the comic book of the same name created by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. The script is co-written by Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman and also stars Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Hamill. Film will be released October 24th. I want to kiss the person that offered Colin Firth this role! I always knew he had it in him.
Good Afternoon Anglophiles…so, it was NOT a bad dream, after all. Helen Fielding really DID write, “Mad About The Boy” the third installment in the Bridget Jones saga, which begins five months after the death of…wait for it….(*SPOILER ALERT*)…Bridget’s beloved Mark Darcy! What??!! But, when we last left Bridget she was enjoying the elation of Darcy’s marriage proposal and about ready to reach for Brides magazine to start planning her special day. I thought part three was going to be about Bridget Jones’s baby! What happened to experiencing Bridget’s first year of marriage with Mr. Darcy and watching her bumble through her first pregnancy, full of insecurities over her burgeoning baby weight, while her husband is off on a business trip with the sexy Natasha?
Instead, as was revealed in excerpts published in last weekend’s Sunday Times Magazine, we have a 50-ish, widowed Bridget, still fighting her weight of course…thanks to too many bottles of wine and trips to McDonald’s, raising two children alone, and most likely suffering the hot flashes of menopause. Will Daniel Cleaver even be interested in wooing her without the dashing Mark Darcy challenging him to a duel every two minutes? (Yes, Cleaver is still in the picture…as the children’s Godfather no less!) And will we care? We’ll all have to wait till October 10th, when the book is due to be released…to find out the how and the WHY of Darcy’s death and Bridget’s life as a singleton widow, now romancing a 30-year old boy toy….yes, you heard me right. Unless, of course, Fielding has a last minute ‘Aha moment’, comes to her senses and decides to “stop the presses” to fix this erroneous mistake by adding a cliche “Dallas” moment when Pam wakes up to find that Bobby’s death was just a dream. That’s the ONLY way I can reconcile this momentary lapse of literary judgment. It’s like Lizzie without Darcy! It’s like Lady Mary without Matthew! Like the Phantom without Christine. What are these British writers about these days?
Although Fielding has denied that the Bridget Jones books were autobiographical, she is, coincidentally, around the same age as Bridget is in “Mad About The Boy” and is now, also, a single mom with two kids. (Hmm, has she subconsciously killed off her ex with this fit of artistic freedom?) She has, however, admitted to having the same Bridget Jones-type crush on Colin Firth, thanks to everyone’s favorite wet-shirt scene in 1995’s Pride and Prejudice, and which is why she named her dashing hero Darcy and why, when it came time to cast the movie, she felt no one could play that role except for Colin Firth himself! So you see, she’s a Firth-Fan too! So, why would she kill off the character that Firth would most certainly have to reprise in the film…thus passing up any future opportunities for her to #1:Visit Colin on the set of said movie therefore allowing for many ‘casual encounters’ with him at the craft services table, #2: Travel the multi-city press junket circuit with him ensuring bumping into him in the lounge bars of various far away hotels, #3: Walk the red carpet with him at the film’s premiere, (or at least behind him as wife, Livia, is never that far away…), #4: Plan films #4, 5 and 6 with him! Seems like a no-brainer to me. Did Colin displease her somehow? I mean, Colin, even with his Academy Award winning status, has still said he would be ‘game’ for another Bridget Jones installment. He even commented in one interview that director Peter Cattaneo was in talks to direct the 3rd film while he himself admitted that he was “reconciled to the inevitability” of reprising the role of Mark Darcy, clearly sounding, at the time, like he had NO idea his character would be killed off. So what gives, Helen?
Fans around the cyber-world have taken to social media to voice their shock and displeasure and wondering aloud if Helen Fielding was indeed high when she wrote this? Or at the very least, did she have a “Here’s how to really piss off your fans” pow-wow with “Love Never Dies” composer Andrew Lloyd Webber? (Don’t get me started about what he did to Christine…) One thing we know about the British is that they don’t get overly sentimental or attached to things like we soppy American’s do. And one thing is certain, on her book tour, Helen will be “fielding” an awful lot of questions on why she killed off Mr. Darcy, and will Colin Firth at least appear in the film in flashbacks? Maybe Bridget falls in love with the REAL Colin Firth and he loses his senses and leaves Livia for her?
In Hollywood movie making…anything can happen, including turning Mark Darcy’s death into a Bobby Ewing dream….it may be the only way they’ll get this Anglophile to the cinema!
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