#michael he/she/flower/theatre/heart | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

johngarfieldtribute · 3 years

Text

ART IS UNIVERSAL!

I love the movie posters from Old Hollywood, and the international releases often brought a fresh look to the film’s promotional materials.

The French movie poster for FOUR DAUGHTERS prominently featured Julie. By the time the movie hit overseas, his groundbreaking debut performance was something of mass appeal to audiences.

In comparison, the promotional materials prepared in the US before the film’s premiere popped in photos of Julie and fellow supporting player Jeffrey Lynn as afterthoughts.

Julie’s incredible performance was groundbreaking. He is the screen’s first REBEL HERO and one of the earliest Method actors in film. He precedes Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, James Dean, Paul Newman and others. Read TCM’s profile on Julie here.

Julie‘s hometown paper, The New York Times enthusiastically praised his debut. It’s hard to believe these upcoming SPOILERS are actually in a review. More accurately, it reads like a PLOT SUMMARY. However, this reviewer recognizes Julie’s incredible debut performance, so it’s worth transcribing. (Note the low key ad for the movie in the bottom right).

Warners’ ‘Four Daughters” a Sentimental Comedy at Music Hall

Friday, August 19, 1938

by B.R.C. (NYT film reviewer and freelance journalist, Benjamin R. Crisler)

A charming, at times heartbreakingly human, little comedy about life in a musical family of attractive daughters which occasionally is ruffled by the drama of a masculine world outside, “Four Daughters” at the (Radio City) Music Hall, attempts to agree with Jack Warner’s recent assertion in the advertisements that it is the climax of his career. Putting aside Mr. Warner’s career for the nonse, we may assert with equal confidence that “Four Daughters” is one of the best pictures of anybody’s career, if only for the sake of the marvelously meaningful character of Mickey Borden as portrayed by John (formerly Jules) Garfield, who bites off his lines with a delivery so eloquent that we aren’t sure whether it is the dialogue or Mr. Garfield who is so bitterly brilliant.

Our vote, though, is for Mr. Garfield and for whatever stars watch over his career on the stage and screen, because, on re-reading the dialogue, as we have just done carefully, it seems to have lost something of the acidity, the beautiful clarity it had when Mr. Garfield spoke it. As the most startling innovation in the way of a screen character in years—a fascinating fatalist, reckless and poor and unhappy, who smokes too much, who is insufferably rude to everybody, and who assumes as a matter of course that all the cards are stacked against him, Mr. Garfield is such a sweet relief from conventional screen types, in this one character, anyway, so eloquent of a certain dispossessed class of people, that we can’t thank Warner Brothers, Michael Curtiz, the director, Mr. Epstein and Miss Coffee, the screen playwrights, and even Miss Fannie Hurst, the original author, enough for him.

In addition to Mr. Warner, Mr. Garfield and the Music Hall, “Four Daughters” is also a triumph for Priscilla Lane, who is much more attractive, animated and intelligent, than the run of ingénues; for Jeffrey Lynn, a new romantic discovery who knows how to be handsome inoffensively; for Claude Rains, as the musical father; Frank McHugh, as a rich beau; May Robson as Aunt Etta; Rosemary, as the voice of the family, and Lola as the quiet homebody. In fact all the Lanes—a prolific and talented tribe—meet at the Music Hall this week, and one would hardly know which Lane to take, so inviting are all three, not to mention Gale Page, who makes an attractive fourth.

The story begins gayly with a blossoming peach tree and a family quintet rendition of Schubert’s “Serenade” with Papa wielding his flute like a baton, with Priscilla playing the violin, Lola at the harp (if we remember correctly), and Gale at the piano. It is a house full of music and youth and femininity, and the good-natured grumpiness of Papa, who hates jazz, and with only the remotest threat of masculine invasion. But see how the serpent enters this Eden: First Mr. Lynn, a composer, comes swinging on the gate, and then his orchestrator from the city, Mr. Garfield, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, no money, not even a clean shirt, a personal grudge against the Fates, an interesting vocabulary and a heart of purest suet— Mr. Garfield, the eternal outsider.

In the long run it is this character—and a very fine cinematic invention he is—who steals the picture. His suicide is the pivotal theme, the tragic incident (and Mickey himself would call it an incident) which brings the cinematically predestined lovers, Priscilla and Jeffrey, back together again, after Priscilla’s impetuous sacrifice of herself and what she fancied was the altar of two other people’s happiness. But it’s just a simple family affair, after all, and it ends—the old folks a little older, the young ones a little less gay—with the same flowering peach tree and Schubert’s “Serenade,” and with the discordant squeak of Jeffrey swinging on the gate again to interrupt Priscilla’s fiddle part. It may be sentimental, but it’s grand cinema.

Variety, the show biz bible newspaper had this to say:

December 31, 1937 11:00pm PT

Four Daughters by Variety staff

Score one for Warners on this gentle drama from Fannie Hurst’s novel, Sister Act. It’s a beguiling film which reveals John Garfield as an interesting picture prospect. Formerly Jules Garfield, of Broadway’s Group Theatre, the actor turns out to be much more forceful personality on the screen than he was on the stage.

This tale deals with the heart-throbs of the four talented daughters of a professor of music. It’s a simple, gay and lovable small-town household. And as the various girls acquire beaux, the old man looks on with a twinkling eye, and kindly Aunt Etta bustles about to make the place homelike.

Michael Curtiz’s direction is both affectionate and knowing. Claude Rains is irresistibly persuasive and attractive as the father. Priscilla Lane has the best part as the youngest sister. May Robson plays the aunt in proper mother-hen fashion. As the ill-starred newcomer, Garfield plays with such tight-lipped force that for a time he threatens to throw the picture out of focus by drawing too much interest.

1938: Nominations: Best Picture, Director, Supp. Actor (John Garfield), Screenplay, Sound

The Spanish version of the movie poster also gives prominence to Julie’s scenes as Mickey Borden. Incidentally, Frank Sinatra and Doris Day starred in a musical remake from 1954, YOUNG AT HEART. Scuttlebutt is that Francis Albert would only do it if the ending was changed to his liking. Glad he did it so we could have that beauty of a title song.

The poster above shows a different angle for the promo campaign. Notice that Julie is touted as “the most dynamic discovery since Cagney.”

Looking like the total outsider. The nonconformist. Check out that stubble. Turns out, Mickey was the sensitive observer. Such a natural!

The studio paired Julie with Priscilla Lane in several films. Here’s a compilation of clips of their screen time.

“I believe the more successful an actor becomes, the more chances he should take. An actor never stops learning.” —John Garfield

How about an honorary Oscar awarded posthumously for Julie’s incredible work in film? This was only his first film role and his later performances showed even more depth—more maturity. What an amazing gift he had, and it’s a huge loss that he was taken too soon.

#john garfield #four daughters #priscilla lane #foreign movie posters #frank sinatra #doris day #young at heart

6 notes · View notes

ravnlghtft · 3 years

Text

Alvin Ailey born on January 5th 1931, in Rogers, Texas, at the height of the Great Depression in the violently racist and segregated south, during his youth Ailey was barred from interacting with mainstream society. Abandoned by his father when he was three months old, Ailey and his mother were forced to work in cotton fields and as domestics in white homes—the only employment available to them. As an escape, Ailey found refuge in the church, sneaking out at night to watch adults dance, and in writing a journal, a practice that he maintained his entire life. Even this could not shield him from a shiftless childhood spent moving from town to town as his mother sought employment, being abandoned with relatives whenever she took off on her own, or watching her get raped at the hands of a white man when he was five years old.

Looking for greater job prospects, Ailey’s mother departed for Los Angeles in 1941. He arrived a year later, enrolling at George Washington Carver Junior High School, and then graduating into Thomas Jefferson High School. In 1946 he had his first experience with concert dance when he saw the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Auditorium. This awakened an until then unknown spark of joy within him, though he did not become serious about dance until 1949 when his classmate and friend Carmen De Lavallade dragged him to the Melrose Avenue studio of Lester Horton.

Ailey studied a wide range of dance styles and techniques—from ballet to Native American inspired movement studies—at Horton’s school, which was one of the first racially integrated dance schools in the United States. Though Horton became his mentor, Ailey did not commit to dancing full-time; instead he pursued academic courses, studying romance languages and writing at UCLA. He continued these studies at San Francisco State in 1951. Living in San Francisco he met Maya Angelou, then known as Marguerite Johnson, with whom he formed a nightclub act called “Al and Rita”. Eventually, he returned to study dance with Horton in Los Angeles.

He joined Horton’s dance company in 1953, making his debut in Horton’s Revue Le Bal Caribe. Horton died suddenly that same year in November from a heart attack, leaving the company without leadership. In order to complete the organization’s pressing professional engagements, and because no one else was willing to, Ailey took over as artistic director and choreographer.

In 1954 De Lavallade and Ailey were recruited by Herbert Ross to join the Broadway show, House of Flowers. Ross had been hired to replace George Balanchine as the show’s choreographer and he wanted to use the pair, who had become known as a famous dance team in Los Angeles, as featured dancers. The show’s book was written and adapted by Truman Capote from one of his novellas with music from Harold Arlen and starred Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll. Ailey and De Lavallade met Geoffrey Holder, who performed alongside them in the chorus, during the production. Holder married De Lavallade and became a life-long artistic collaborator with Ailey. After House of Flowers closed, Ailey appeared in Harry Belafonte’s touring revue Sing, Man, Sing with Mary Hinkson as his dance partner, and the 1957 Broadway musical Jamaica, which starred Lena Horne and Ricardo Montalbán. Drawn to dance, but unable to find a choreographer whose work fulfilled him, Ailey started gathering dancers to perform his own unique vision of dance.

Alvin Ailey, a.k.a. Alvin Ailey Jr., founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Ailey School as havens for nurturing black artists and expressing the universality of the African-American experience through dance. His work fused theatre, modern dance, ballet, and jazz with black vernacular, creating hope-fueled choreography that continues to spread global awareness of black life in America. Ailey’s choreographic masterpiece Revelations is recognized as one of the most popular and most performed ballets in the world. In this work he blended primitive, modern and jazz elements of dance with a concern for black rural America. On July 15, 2008, the United States Congress passed a resolution designating AAADT a “vital American cultural ambassador to the World.” That same year, in recognition of AAADT’s 50th anniversary, then Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared December 4 “Alvin Ailey Day” in New York City while then Governor David Paterson honoured the organization on behalf of New York State.

Ailey loathed the label “black choreographer” and preferred being known simply as a choreographer. He was notoriously private about his life. Though gay, he kept his romantic affairs in the closet. Following the death of his friend Joyce Trisler, a failed relationship, and bouts of heavy drinking and cocaine use, Ailey suffered a mental breakdown in 1980. He was diagnosed as manic depressive, known today as bipolar disorder. During his rehabilitation, Judith Jamison served as co-director of AAADT.

Ailey died from an AIDS related illness on December 1, 1989, at the age of 58. He asked his doctor to announce that his death was caused by terminal blood dyscrasia in order to shield his mother from the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

Choreography

Cinco Latinos, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Kaufmann Concert Hall, New York City, 1958.

Blues Suite (also see below), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Kaufmann Concert Hall, 1958.

Revelations, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Kaufmann ConcertHall, 1960

Three for Now, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Clark Center, New York City, 1960.

Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Clark Center, 1960.

(With Carmen De Lavallade) Roots of the Blues, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City, 1961.

Hermit Songs, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 1963.

Ariadne, Harkness Ballet, Opera Comique, Paris, 1965.

Macumba, Harkness Ballet, Gran Teatro del Liceo, Barcelona, Spain,1966, then produced as Yemanja, Chicago Opera House, 1967.

Quintet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Church Hill Theatre, Edinburgh Festival, Scotland, 1968, then Billy Rose Theatre, New York City, 1969.

Masekela Langage, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, American Dance Festival, New London, Connecticut, 1969, then Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, 1969.

Streams, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 1970.

Gymnopedies, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 1970.

The River, American Ballet Theatre, New York State Theater, 1970.

Flowers, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, ANTA Theatre, 1971.

Myth, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, New York City Center, 1971.

Choral Dances, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, New York City Center, 1971.

Cry, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, New York City Center, 1971.

Mingus Dances, Robert Joffrey Company, New York City Center, 1971.

Mary Lou’s Mass, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, New York City Center, 1971.

Song for You, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, New York City Center, 1972.

The Lark Ascending, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, New York City Center, 1972.

Love Songs, Alvin Ailey City Center Dance Theater, New York City Center, 1972.

Shaken Angels, 10th New York Dance Festival, Delacorte Theatre, New York City, 1972.

Sea Change, American Ballet Theatre, Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington, D.C., 1972, then New York City Center, 1973.

Hidden Rites, Alvin Ailey City Center Dance Theater, New York City Center, 1973.

Archipelago, 1971,

The Mooche, 1975,

Night Creature, 1975,

Pas de “Duke”, 1976,

Memoria, 1979,

Phases, 1980

Landscape, 1981.

Stage

Acting and dancing

(Broadway debut) House of Flowers, Alvin Theatre, New York City, 1954 – Actor and dancer.

The Carefree Tree, 1955 – Actor and dancer.

Sing, Man, Sing, 1956 – Actor and dancer.

Show Boat, Marine Theatre, Jones Beach, New York, 1957 – Actor and dancer.

Jamaica, Imperial Theatre, New York City, 1957 – Actor and lead dance.

Call Me By My Rightful Name, One Sheridan Square Theatre, 1961 – Paul.

Ding Dong Bell, Westport Country Playhouse, 1961 – Negro Political Leader.

Blackstone Boulevard, Talking to You, produced as double-bill in 2 by Saroyan, East End Theatre, New York City, 1961-62.

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright, Booth Theatre, 1962 – Clarence Morris.

Stage choreography

Carmen Jones, Theatre in the Park, 1959.

Jamaica, Music Circus, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1959.

Dark of the Moon, Lenox Hill Playhouse, 1960.

(And director) African Holiday (musical), Apollo Theatre, New York City, 1960, then produced at Howard Theatre, Washington, D.C., 1960.

Feast of Ashes (ballet), Robert Joffrey Company, Teatro San Carlos, Lisbon, Portugal, 1962, then produced at New York City Center, 1971.

Antony and Cleopatra (opera), Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center, New York City, 1966.

La Strada, first produced at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 1969.

Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, Metropolitan Opera House, 1972, then John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia Academy of Music, both 1972.

Carmen, Metropolitan Opera, 1972.

Choreographed ballet, Lord Byron (opera; also see below), Juilliard School of Music, New York City, 1972.

Four Saints in Three Acts, Piccolo Met, New York City, 1973.

Director

(With William Hairston) Jerico-Jim Crow, The Sanctuary, New York City, 1964, then Greenwich Mews Theatre, 1968.

In 1968 Ailey was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, US & Canada. In 1977 he received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1988, was inducted into the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame in 1992, inducted into the Legacy Walk in 2012, and posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2014.

In August 2019, Ailey was one of the honorees inducted in the Rainbow Honor Walk, a walk of fame in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood noting LGBTQ people who have “made significant contributions in their fields.”

A crater on Mercury was named in his honor in 2012.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

#Alvin Ailey #dance #BLM #blm art

7 notes · View notes

soutterlytaron · 3 years

Text

TWIO HEADCANONS

HEADCANONS, WE ALL HAVE THEM. NOW, WE CAN SHARE THEM WITH EACH OTHER, TOO!

You can either work on all the questions at once, or work on a few of them at a time and post them in blocks, until you’ve answered them all. We’ll use them to fill the biographies on main, which were posted, when you were accepted in town. Have fun! We’ll definitely enjoy discovering new things about your darlings! Don’t forget to @ us! @theworldisoursforthetaking

Where do you live in town? How did you find it? I left the UK in June 2016 to get away from all the hoopla about Brexit, and also to have a bit of a break after filming back-to-back projects. I travelled around the East Coast, and out of a whim, I ended up staying just outside of Boston... I stumbled across people I had met before - some of them work-wise, at least - and was easily persuaded to stay for a little while. Five years later, and I built a completely new life here, which I’m utterly happy with.

Which is your go-to karaoke song? It’s “Faith” by George Michael, it’s never let me down in all the years, and I love going back to it. It’s a great song!

Are you and introvert or extrovert? I’m probably more of an outgoing introvert, since it takes me a little bit to warm up to people and situations, especially, when I’m thrown into them unpreparedly. Once I do, however, I’m as open and outgoing as I can be.

Are you good at sports? Which? I’m all right-ish at sports - I run, I swim, I can play a little footie or rugby - but I don’t have a particular affinity for any sport. That being said, I actually love watching sports once in a while.

Do you have a favourite film? Put on anything Disney or Pixar-made, and I’ll be a happy Taron. I might have a slight preference towards those films I can sing along with, and it’s only become more prominent since our twins have discovered the wonders of animated films.

What are 3 things in you fridge? The three things that have never missed in our fridge are cheese - probably brie or camembert -, wine, and yoghurt.

What are 3 recently watched things on streaming apps? I’ve been going back, watching and catching up on things I had abandoned earlier. I finally finished the fifth season of Lucifer, and then I caught up with Line of Duty, too. And now, I’m watching The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and it’s so good?

Who is you ultimate celebrity crush? Charlize Theron.

Are you close to your family? I’m very close to my mother and step-dad, and my little sisters. We have forged a very tight bond over the years, and especially my mother is one of the first people I call, when I have news, or need advice. My relationship with my father had its ups and downs, but it’s improved a lot over the years. And then I have my own family, Phoebe, Julian and Sadie, who are everything to me. I couldn’t imagine my life without them in it.

What is the best thing in you life? My family, as you can see above. There’s nothing I love more than being home, waking up, because I can feel our twins clambering up on the bed to get comfortable between us, or coming home and being greeted with pattering feet and lots of hugs.

Which is your greatest guilty pleasure? That would definitely be anything chocolate, but specifically eating Nutella straight out of the jar.

Which is one white lie you told? “Sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday, my phone died” - it totally didn’t, I simply forgot to call back.

Which is your biggest flaw? I tend to stress-eat - some people lose their appetite, when stressed, but not me, I gain it - and while I usually can curb it, sometimes it’s simply not possible. But with regular exercise and workouts with a coach it’s manageable.

Which is your greatest accomplishment? It might be such a cliché, but definitely my children - Julian and Sadie are amazing, they’re kind and caring, they have loads of sass, and they learn so much in the blink of an eye. One moment they were crawling, the next they were talking in semi-full sentences and walking. Running, rather.

What are your biggest fear(s)? There are quite a few, but I think one of my main fears is that I fail as a father. My own did walk away, and while I had a great step-dad, the feeling kinda stuck. It is on the top, with flunking out while acting coming in as a low second.

What would your Hogwarts House be and why? I’d probably be a total muggle with no magic powers whatsoever, but if I had to choose? Hufflepuff.

Did you graduate school? If so, did you attend college or did you start working right away? I graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2012 with a BA in Acting, and then slowly built my profile. But I started “working” in theatre productions, when I was 15.

How was your first kiss? When was it? It was a drunken one, very messy - I probably had no clue what I was doing, and even if I did, I wouldn’t have remembered, because we were flat-out drunk.

Have you ever broken someone’s heart? Has someone broken yours? I hope I haven’t, but I’m sure I must have some time. And yes, someone has. It’s all I’ll say about that.

Have you ever been married? Are you married? I’m married to the lovely @phoebejtonkinegerton. We have been married since July 2017, and we celebrated by building a playground for a school in Haiti, and having our friends and families join in. I’ll never forget seeing Phoebe walk down that sandy aisle for the first time... she looked absolutely ethereal.

Do you have children? If not, do you want children? Phoebe and I have twins, Sadie and Julian, born in April 2018, who are incredible. I love them dearly, and I can’t imagine my life without them. And yes, we still consider adding some children to our pack...

What is your favourite animal? Generally? A sloth. I met one the first time I went to Australia with Phoebe, and I was so fascinated with these gentle creatures, who are so slow, you can probably watch them think. Amazing, really.

What is your favourite season? Why? Anything warm is probably my thing - although I don’t mind the cold, my wife does, so I’m far happier, when it’s warm outside. Out of the other seasons, Spring is probably my favourite, everything is decked out in flowers and lush greens. What’s not to like?

Do you have any allergies? No, not that I know of.

What is your favourite clothing item? I have a soft grey cashmere sweater I really like to wear, especially, when I want to get comfortable or into a comfy mindset.

Do you have tattoos or piercings? If so, where? No, I don’t.

Do you have any distinctive features or marks on your body? I have a small mole on the right side of my Adam’s apple. It’s been there since birth, so I don’t even notice it. I also have a small gap between my upper premolar and molar on the left side.

Do you enjoy coffee or tea? Hot or iced? I’m a coffee person all the way - hot, a splash of milk. Tea is for those times I want to get comfortable, just like the sweater, or when I’m sick, and have to keep warm and up with the fluids.

Are you a morning person or a night person? I’m a bit of both, but more of a morning person, something my wife definitely isn’t. Luckily for us, our twins inherited that trait from her.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? There is no superpower without a downside, right? Hmm. I think I’d like to be like Domino from the second Deadpool and add a bit of luck to my life.

Who is your “ride or die” friend? I have several childhood friends - Bleddyn, Jack, Blyn, to name a few - who really know me inside out, and I know they’d have my back no matter what. Then there’s my wife, of course. And as a close third come @itsrichmadden and @moonlightriana who are such wonderful people.

What is your go-to flirt approach/routine? Can I be honest with you? I probably never had a proper approach. I’m a bit mouthy, I’m loud and joking around, especially, when there are a few drinks involved.

Have you ever written a love letter? Who was the last recipient? Do little notes on post-its count as love letters? Because I do write those regularly and slide them between the pages of the scripts Phoebe is reading.

Who is your childhood hero? Do you have a hero in adulthood, too? One of my biggest childhood heroes is David Bowie. He had it all, he did it all, his music was perfect. He influenced many people’s lives, and he remained this humble, lovely fella. Nowadays? I’ve definitely added Sir Elton John to that list. He’s simply incredible.

Lastly, what is your favourite gif of them?

#twioprompt #prompts #headcanons

2 notes · View notes

zukalations · 4 years

Text

Before retirement, Senka star remembers a miraculous 22 years - Hanagata Hikaru

I am currently focusing on translations of show scripts, but I hope to post new article/interview translations around once a week!

This interview with Hanagata Hikaru discussing her upcoming retirement was first published in April. It was recorded before the originally intended Tokyo opening of the show, so it does not reference the further delays and closures.

The interview was written by Murakami Kumiko and published in Nikkan Sports’ column ‘Melodius Takarazuka’. Click through for pictures!

Before retirement, Senka star remembers a miraculous 22 years - Hanagata Hikaru

Senka star Hanagata Hikaru, who is planning to retire, took part in an interview ahead of her final performance. She has been in the company for 22 years. When asked what was foundational to creating her characters, Hanagata, who is a master of manliness, replied 'tone of voice'. Her final role, in the Star Troupe production Valley of Xuanyao/RAY, is the enemy of the protagonist. When establishing her character as a general, she decided he needed 'a deep voice'. After cancellations, the closing performance took place in the Takarazuka Grand Theatre in Hyogo prefecture, and she bid farewell to her beloved home turf.

This is her final performance as a Takarasienne. After the interview, she wrote the kanji 'heart' on an autograph panel. 'This is the end of a 22-year spring. That's a long time, such a long time.' She is the classmate of former Star Troupe Top Star Yuzuki Reon. Although Hanagata is of a small size for an otokoyaku, she honed her allure as one of 'The Otokoyaku' of Flower Troupe.

After transferring to Senka in July of 2014, she was challenged with a broad variety of new roles. Her performance as Binbougami [God of Poverty] in the 2018 show ANOTHER WORLD, a unique production based on rakugo*, was highly praised.

'[Retirement] is one path out of many that I considered. Finally I concluded 'this is what I want to do' and selected it. I didn't feel the slightest hint of 'is this really it?'--it's the path I chose at the end of a long journey.'

She decided to retire last year, while she was performing in the final show for the previous Star Troupe Top Star, Kurenai Yuzuru. Her last production is the debut performance for Star Troupe's new Top Combi, Rei Makoto and Maisora Hitomi. Although the Takarazuka performance was cancelled due to the effects of the novel coronavirus it held its final show. Hanagata played the antagonist general.

'He's blackhearted, you could say, a real villainous type..'. When putting together the role she felt 'ears' were important, and tried to change her voice during the performance.

'I think the audience ultimately catches things through their ears. If you're in the Grand Theatre, at the far side of the second floor seating, you can't even tell if someone is wearing a beard or not. The ears come first. In this show, I use a really deep voice, like it's echoing through the earth. Something you feel you could cut through with a knife.'

When looking back on her life in Takarauka, she thought 'Was it really me who did all that?' At times she concentrated too much on her roles, and they started to intrude on her daily life like an 'unwelcome guest'. While she was performing in Gin-Chan's Love in 2008, someone pointed out 'Why do you keep moving your shoulders so much?'

'Even though they're all men, the posture and way of walking is always different. There are people like Michael Leitch, and people like Yuzuru Hanyu. Since I'm creating a 'person', the way of walking and voice will change every time. Since I live trying to get deeper into character, it'll pop up in my personal life, too.'

This reply is based in her deep experience as a star pursuing what it means to be an otokoyaku. When jokingly asked 'how much can you say' about her life post retirement, she replied 'I probably won't continue' working on stage.

'How I feel right now is, I got this far into this because I loved being an otokoyaku. As for "blooming outside Takarazuka" that isn't something I want to do at all. I don't have any real interest in being an actress...'

While she was in middle school, one of her acquaintances recommended Takarazuka, and she resolved to enter, succeeding in passing the entrance exam.

'Compared to the 106-year history [of Takarazuka], 22 years isn't even a quarter of it. But it feels like a miracle to me. The ratio [of acceptance to the Takarazuka Music School], the ratio was really memorable too**. I never thought of giving up for a moment, but looking back now I'm just glad I didn't end up losing.'

Each year, around 40 girls enter Takarazuka. Only a few ever gain prominence, let alone become Top Star. '22 years. A child born then would already be an adult, starting their job search...' she said, thinking of the flow of time.

'Being an otokoyaku is something you can only do here. The tradition advances, and there are different eras and styles. For people who don't know Takarazuka, I think we might look a bit silly to them in some ways. But I like the worldview of this as being 'right', I like the unique way time flows here.'

As the 'otokoyaku' she loves being, she is bidding farewell to her country of dreams with her memories of Takarazuka in her heart.

* A traditional Japanese comedy format.

** I could not find details for the ratio of acceptance for the 85th class, but the record of difficulty to entry was set in 1995, 2 years before Hanagata passed the TMS exam, so it was likely also a high-difficulty year.

#takarazuka #star: hanagata hikaru #troupe: senka #troupe: hana #troupe: hoshi

13 notes · View notes

savagekxds · 3 years

Text

basics ~

name: sorina ennata rosales age: 24 birthday: january 24 pronouns: she/her sexuality: bisexual blood status: halfblood species: half human half vampire affiliation: order family: anastasia morgenstern (mother), arcelio rosales (father), ramona morgenstern (cousin) faceclaim: samantha robinson

wizard stuff ~

former school & house: castelobruxo boggart: herself, alone at the graves of her family patronus: irish wolfhound current residence: helmsley, north yorkshire hometown: portobelo, panama occupation: model/actress however she also owns a shop where she offers aura and tarot readings as well as various divination pieces.

biography ~

The Central American country of Panama may not be the first place one would expect to find a vampire, but that's where Anastasia Morgenstern found herself after leaving her sister's coven. She loved Evangeline, but she was going further and further down the path of violence, and Anastasia didn't want to follow that path. They may have been vampires, but that didn't mean they had to be monsters. Right?

So Anastasia left, took a bag and fled in the middle of the night. She travelled across America, but never felt like she was far enough away, nowhere ever felt like home. Until she ended up in Panama. At first it was the country that captured her heart, but then she met Arcelio. He was the most beautiful man she'd ever met, and when they bumped into each other in a library one day she knew that she wasn't leaving Panama any time soon. He was a wizard, and so took the revelation that she was a vampire better than perhaps a muggle would. In fact, the only thing that seemed to bother him about it was the fact that he couldn't take her on dates in the sunshine. While she never spoke to her sister again, she would occasionally exchange letters with her brother, Michael.

Anastasia and Arcelio married by the sea in the town of Portobelo, while the crescent moon was high in the sky. It was a very small ceremony, attended only by a handful of their closest friends and the celebrant.They lived together in married bliss for three years before Anastasia realised she was pregnant. They had been trying for a child for months now, and the news was met with celebration. Sorina was born as dawn broke on the morning of January 24.

Sorina's childhood was one of love and play. It could have been a fairytale, growing up by the sea in the sunshine. Her mother taught her to embrace and love her vampiric nature, while also warning of the dangers that could lurk there. Despite being a half vampire, she loved the sun. She would sit outside in large hats, long sleeves covering her so no sun made direct contact with her skin and enjoy the feeling of the warmth seeping into her skin. Because of her somewhat odd nature, she didn't have many friends, even living within the wizarding neighbourhood of Portobelo. But that didn't bother her much, she was very adept at making her own imaginary friends, and as far as she was concerned, they were much more exciting than any normal friends could be. Her father would often say that she spent so much time with her head in the clouds one day she would simply float away.

She became acquainted with death at a young age, when she brought an injured bird home to her parents and was confused as to why it couldn't be fixed. Trying to understand that life could be fragile was a lesson that took a long time for her to learn. So she became gentle with everything, first out of fear of breaking it, and then out of reverence for it. She loved nothing more than watching flowers bloom, or birds hop around on the ground. It was the realisation that not everyone held this sort of reverence that hit her the hardest. When she saw a group of boys knock a birds nest full of eggs out of the tree she felt an anger that had consumed her. It was the first time she had really used her vampire strength and speed to hurt someone, and she'll never forget the fear in their eyes as she stood over them, before her father ran out and stopped her from making an even more regrettable decision. She learned something that day that stuck with her, the world was beautiful but people could be cruel. Especially men. It was sad, to realise that good men like her father and grandfather were not the norm, but she quickly took to defending those who would be the victims of cruelty. And if she couldn't defend them, then she would avenge them.

As much as she was half vampire, she was also half witch, and her magic manifested early. She would often be found among her mother's glamorous dresses and jewellery, watching as the glittering jewels floated around her head. She attened Castelobruxo in Brazil, much like her father had before her. While she was a talented witch, she didn't do all that well at school, often distracted by birds fluttering past the windows or watching the swirling colours of her classmates auras. The one class she did excel at was divination, she took to the cards like a fish to water. Sorina already had a natural affinity for seeing and reading auras, but tarot cards were the first real thing she committed to learning more about, and one of the few things that could hold her focus for more than a few moments. It was during school that her defensive nature really came into play, and soon she garnered a strong group of friends thanks to her values of self-love and fearlessness in standing up for what is right.

Sorina spent much of her childhood believing she would never meet her mother's family. They were all monsters, they weren't worthy of meeting her, is what her mother had said. Until one day Anastasia recieved a letter from Michael. He had taken Evangeline's daughter and escaped the coven as well, fleeing to England. Sorina was delighted to learn that she had a cousin who was like her, and held out hope that one day they could meet. But England was so far away, and Portobelo was her home.

The war had always seemed so far away while she was in school, only really mentioned when there was an update about it in the morning paper, before the conversation would move on to homework or other more relevent things. The only reason Sorina ever really paid attention to it was because she knew her cousin lived near where it was all happening, and even though she had never met Ramona, family was the most important thing to her. Despite her less-than-stellar marks at school, Sorina found work as a model and actress, becoming wildly popular in the wizarding theatre scene for her "goddess-like etherealness" (as one theatre critic put it). Though her true passion was auras and tarot, her acting and modelling meant she was able to move to England, to go searching for her cousin. She bought a house in a little village and opened up a small shop in Diagon Alley that would allow her to sell her services while also keeping an eye out for her cousin.

physical appearance ~

height: 5′4 hair colour: black eye colour: brown, almost black distinguishing features: she's always cold to the touch and the smell of death clings to her though she wears perfume to cover it, her fashion style is also very distinct fashion style: she dresses like if aphrodite decided to take a stroll through london. a greek goddess but make it 80's. soft floral colours, accesories on-point, a touch of glamour here and there. she's a fan of big hats, long lacey sleeves or long gloves that shield her from the sun

traits ~

positive: self-assured, loyal negative: impulsive, fanciful

❀ – — more info

#❀ – — sorina threads #❀ – — sorina asks #❀ – — sorina tasks #❀ – — i am my own sacred space | sorina visage #❀ – — i am a universe of exploding stars | sorina character #❀ – — life is beautiful and i have time | sorina musings #ahintro

0 notes

mcxiimc · 4 years

Text

- ( harry styles & bill hader ) bopping along to alejandro by lady gaga is maxime nowak , the twenty-four year old cismale thrown back to their child psychology days with some of his memories . voted most likely to do dumb stuff to look cool , max was known for being smart & haughty , go figures you’d always find them trying to write his own psychology book , but grew up to be humble & cynical . ✎ gin , 23 , she,her , gmt .

𝙉𝘼𝙈𝙀 , 𝙂𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍 , 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙉𝙊𝙐𝙉𝙎 : maxime nowak. cismale , he ╱ him

𝙎𝙀𝙓𝙐𝘼𝙇𝙄𝙏𝙔 : pansexal .

𝙊𝘾𝘾𝙐𝙋𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 : unemployed (recently fired from his job) .

- he grew up in a foster family of two dads & three other siblings

- his original family was a breathing nightmare. his "mother" was 20 when she was pregnant with him & used her pregnancy to pressure the "father" into staying & taking "care" of the both of them, which worked up until maxime was actually born. his "father" gave it his all to support them but his "mother" became more and more abusive of the two.. using max as a way to manipulate his "father".

- eventually he got taken out of that situation & brought into a new family - his two dads michael and matteo.

- from age 5 and up he had a g r e a t life & has been given all he wanted. there was literally not a single wish left untackled. his dads got married, he was the flower child, they got two cats.. everything was perfect.

- age 16 - 18 was rough for max & even the most loving parents bit on tough ground with that. he fell into the wrong crowd (as one does) & his entire behaviour changed into something much more violent. he robbed people, ganged up and beaten literally anyone for money or their close held possessions. basically he became a lil demon boy (which matteo calls him even to this day)

- but he pulled his ass together when he started college ya’ll .. it certainly helps that he’s the type of person who literally never has to study for anything but still gets a bomb ass grade.

- he was and he always will be a ravenclaw kinda dude, he loves everything vegan, the color red and his favorite animals are foxes and elephants. he also majored in child psychology (but sadly never did anything with that cause life was being a big mean ass) and he’s been in chess club and secretly met up with some theatre kids but psht.

- when finishing college maxime worked in a big company that sold beauty and body products (much like LUSH) and he got ‘em big guyyyys but .. unfortunately he got fired from his job just recently (but psssht he pretends like he’s still v important)

- yeah that brings us to maxime all grown up .. matteo died when he was around 27 of heart failure (which broke the boy)

- max had a bunch like I’m talking a BUNCH of flings here and there but nothing that really stuck with him for long enough

- he's really really sweet but also so annoyingly strict with mostly himself .. that's why he comes off pretty harsh at first

- maxime had never been the live of the party but ever since his dad died he locked up his unconventional charm (imagine his shock when he’s being thrown back into 2010 where both of his parents are still alive ya’ll..)

- he also swears a lot ... and probs never says naynay to a lil sip or a lil puff u knoooow.

#ayoooo have this tresh #but also love my child ???#if any of this tickles your fancy #leave this a heart && I'll get to you #or im me :*#tw: drugs #tw: death mention #tw: abuse #tw: max being a stupid #again:intro

20 notes · View notes

theworldisoursforthetaking · 3 years

Photo

WELCOME HOME, TARON!

CHARACTER INFO

Full Name: Taron David Egerton URL: @soutterlytaron Date of Birth: November 10, 1989 Profession: Actor Neighbourhood: Lowell Road Personal Status: Married to Phoebe Tonkin Egerton Children: Julian and Sadie, born April 2018

BIOGRAPHY

This part can be sent in later, when you have the time - it’s for our bio posts on main!

HEADCANON

Where do you live in town? How did you find it? I left the UK in June 2016 to get away from all the hoopla about Brexit, and also to have a bit of a break after filming back-to-back projects. I travelled around the East Coast, and out of a whim, I ended up staying just outside of Boston… I stumbled across people I had met before - some of them work-wise, at least - and was easily persuaded to stay for a little while. Five years later, and I built a completely new life here, which I’m utterly happy with.

Which is your go-to karaoke song? It’s “Faith” by George Michael, it’s never let me down in all the years, and I love going back to it. It’s a great song!

What are 3 things in you fridge? The three things that have never missed in our fridge are cheese - probably brie or camembert -, wine, and yoghurt.

Who is you ultimate celebrity crush? Charlize Theron.

Which is your greatest guilty pleasure? That would definitely be anything chocolate, but specifically eating Nutella straight out of the jar.

Which is one white lie you told? “Sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday, my phone died” - it totally didn’t, I simply forgot to call back.

What would your Hogwarts House be and why? I’d probably be a total muggle with no magic powers whatsoever, but if I had to choose? Hufflepuff.

How was your first kiss? When was it? It was a drunken one, very messy - I probably had no clue what I was doing, and even if I did, I wouldn’t have remembered, because we were flat-out drunk.

Have you ever broken someone’s heart? Has someone broken yours? I hope I haven’t, but I’m sure I must have some time. And yes, someone has. It’s all I’ll say about that.

Do you have any allergies? No, not that I know of.

What is your favourite clothing item? I have a soft grey cashmere sweater I really like to wear, especially, when I want to get comfortable or into a comfy mindset.

Do you have tattoos or piercings? If so, where? No, I don’t.

Are you a morning person or a night person? I’m a bit of both, but more of a morning person, something my wife definitely isn’t. Luckily for us, our twins inherited that trait from her.

Lastly, what is your favourite gif of them?

#twiobio #twiotaron

1 note · View note

jgroffdaily · 5 years

Link

[This article appears in the September 16, 2019, issue of New York Magazine.]

Within minutes of my meeting Jonathan Groff, he asks if I would like a slice of cherry pie, and then, only a short time later, if I would like to be eaten by a giant plant. The first I readily accept because Groff and the rest of the cast of Little Shop of Horrors have thoroughly analyzed the desserts they picked up for a bus ride down from New York to the suburban Philadelphia puppet studio where they’re rehearsing for the day, and they’ve all concluded it’s the best option. The idea of being eaten by a plant seems a little less palatable, considering the contortions involved in entering the hippopotamus-esque maw of the man-eating Audrey II, which is operated by several puppeteers, and because I’m not sure if Groff is making a serious offer. I learn quickly that he is always offering you things, and those offers are always serious.

The puppet in question represents the largest form of Audrey II, a sassy carnivorous horticultural oddity that convinces Seymour, an awkward flower-shop assistant, to commit murder in the pursuit of fame, fortune, and a suburban life with the original Audrey, a human who works with him. The day I visit, Groff, playing the misfit Seymour (despite good looks that actor Christian Borle, who plays the maniacal dentist, Orin, describes as “scrumptious”), and his castmates are climbing inside Audrey II one by one, figuring out how each of them will die. Wearing a hat from Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “On the Run II” tour, Groff jumps inside wielding a floppy machete, which is so un-aerodynamic it keeps getting stuck in Audrey II’s lips. Groff suggests a real machete prop would be sturdier, and they try substituting an umbrella, which flies out more cleanly. Michael Mayer, the director, says with satisfaction, “It’s a belch!”

Staging this revival of Little Shop is “illegal fun,” as Groff puts it. The original ran from 1982 to 1987 but never transferred to Broadway, at the insistence of writer-lyricist Howard Ashman, who wanted to preserve the show’s off-kilter spirit in a smaller space. Ashman and composer Alan Menken would go on to fill the Disney Renaissance — which consisted of films like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast — with the Marie’s Crisis–ready melodies and queer subversions you can already hear in Little Shop (Ashman died of aids-related complications in 1991). Despite a Broadway staging that kicked off in 2003, this version is staying put at the Westside Theatre Off Broadway in hopes of preserving the quirky spirit of the original. There’s a lot of laughter in rehearsal as well as dress codes like a “kimono Wednesday,” which Mayer enforces by handing me a spare kimono when I drop in that day.

I can’t imagine anyone who is consistently involved in or adjacent to homicide having a better time. In addition to playing a murderously nice guy in Little Shop, Groff stars in Netflix’s David Fincher–produced drama Mindhunter, playing an FBI agent who interviews serial killers; the show is based on the real work of John Douglas, who was one of the first criminal profilers. Considering he’s no big fan of true crime, Groff is somewhat confused about how he became a poster boy for gore and mutilation, though he’s enjoying the texts from friends who point out that even when he does musical comedy, there’s a dark edge involved. A few days after we meet in Philadelphia, we’re talking over breakfast at the cozy Grey Dog in Chelsea, where he insists on paying for everything, picking up all the water and utensils, and getting up from the table to refill my coffee cup when it’s empty.

Groff signed up to star in Little Shop this spring after careful consideration, by which I mean he got the offer and then listened to the original cast recording on repeat for a whole weekend. He’d never played Seymour before, unlike the majority of white male theater actors, but he had positive memories of seeing the first performance of the 2003 Broadway version just after high school, when he was rehearsing the role of Rolf in a non-Equity tour of The Sound of Music. “I wanted to make sure that I’m bleeding for it eight times a week,” he says, which is his measure for doing musicals; he wants to make sure he won’t get bored with the material. Even now, when I assume he might want a break from it during rehearsals, Groff still has the album on repeat. “I never went to college, and I’m not educated, really, so I couldn’t say, like, intellectually why that is,” he says. “When I listened to it, it shot through my heart.”

There’s a clue, however, in the way he remembers obsessing over the film version of the show as a seventh-grader, standing in his kitchen with the song “Skid Row” on repeat — specifically when Seymour sings, “Someone show me a way to get outta here.” It was an appealing message to a closeted kid whom Groff describes as just “a sweaty, uncomfortable person with a secret that was so deep-rooted I wasn’t even flirting with the idea of being myself.” With a little distance from that version of himself (the child of a phys-ed teacher and a horse trainer, growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and occasionally having to clean stables on the weekends), Groff recalls the kinds of tells that seem obvious in retrospect, like, say, listening to “Skid Row” on repeat. Or developing an obsession with I Love Lucy, which he still watches before going to bed. Or dancing along to the Donna Reed’s Dinner Party album when his parents weren’t home. There’s a similar longing in Little Shop, which has the queerest kind of perspective on its central couple, as Audrey and Seymour imagine an unreachable, heteronormative life away from skid row and where she looks “like Donna Reed.”

If there’s a murderous kinship between Little Shop and Mindhunter, it extends to the shows’ shared skepticism about that white-picket-fence-style normalcy. Holden, Groff’s profiler character, is a cardboard cutout of a man with a girlfriend who introduces him to 1970s-style sexual liberation, but he is ultimately more fascinated with the deviancy of the killers he’s interviewing. To play him, Groff shuts down his charisma, amassing such emptiness between his angular jaw and his eyebrows that you wonder if he’ll slip into deviancy himself. It’s a performance of square, even sinister straightness that feels close to the best-little-boy performances of closeted queer men, though what seems to thrill Holden most in the show are his interviews with killers. “Sexuality is so complicated, and the people I’ve ended up working with who have cast me in straight parts are interested in looking at things in a complicated way,” Groff says, noting that he feels the argument about whether gay actors can play straight, or vice versa, has gotten “sillier” as time goes on. “Being out and gay and being myself, it allowed me to find people that weren’t closed-minded.”

Groff came out when he was 23, without directly consulting his agent, after he’d become an idol to the nation’s theater teens of Facebook by starring as the sexy, rebellious, tousle-haired Melchior in Spring Awakening. “I was so compartmentalized,” he says, “singing about sex but then not talking about it.” He remains thankful for the way Mayer, who also directed that show, choreographed the explicit sex between himself and Lea Michele’s Wendla clinically, without asking them about their own experiences. He hadn’t spent too much time worrying about the aftereffects of coming out on his career, which were more limiting in 2009 than they are now. “I did think I might not be seen as a romantic lead, but ultimately I was okay with that,” he says, explaining that he was in love at the time and didn’t want to hide it. “At 23, I’d rather just have a real romantic relationship than pretend to have one with a girl.”

Several years after coming out, Groff booked a leading role in HBO’s Looking, a comedy-drama about gay men in San Francisco, which he calls one of the most fulfilling roles he’s had. The series ran for two seasons and got a wrap-up movie but never quite found a viewership, even among queer audiences, instead receiving, as he puts it, “a total mixed bag of very extreme reactions.” Some of that was because people just didn’t like the show — which was often slower, more interior, and whiter and fitter than people may have wanted — and some of it was because it was “carrying a lot of weight; there wasn’t a lot of specifically gay content on a major cable network.” To Groff, making the show opened him up to the possibility of using material from his own experience in his work. Among the cast and crew, “we would talk about stories about PrEP and uncut dicks and monogamy,” he recalls, among “so many stories about anal douching,” and those anecdotes would make their way into the scripts. He was used to a sort of “closeted training of the mind” to abstract himself from his own experience. Looking taught him he could use it.

Recently, Groff has developed an ability to end up near the center of cultural sensations. He stepped in for Brian d’Arcy James as Hamilton’s fey Britpop version of King George III midway through the show’s Off Broadway run. It was a somewhat ideal gig, given that he was onstage for only about nine minutes a night, performed crowd-pleasing kiss-off songs, met Beyoncé, earned a Tony nomination, and got a lot of reading done backstage. This fall, he’s in Disney’s sequel to Frozen, where he returns to play Princess Anna’s rugged (at a Disney-appropriate level) love interest, Kristoff. In the first movie, while Idina Menzel’s Elsa got the vocal-cord shattering “Let It Go,” Groff sang only a few lines of melody between Kristoff and his reindeer, Sven. This time around, he’s putting his Broadway training to use with a full-length solo. It’s the second one he recorded for the movie, since the writers had one idea for a Kristoff piece (“a jam”) but then canned that song while promising Groff they’d write something different, which he didn’t quite believe. “Then they fucking wrote that other song,” he says, characteristically effusive. “I was like, Wow, and the animation of the song is so brilliant.”

As personable as Groff is and as successful as he has become — and as beloved, especially among theater fans and people like my mother — there’s a point at which he maintains a certain distance, in what feels like a way to stem his own impulses. He doesn’t use any social media, though he did consider it when Looking was struggling, before he realized “I’d have to be good at it and want to do it, and I don’t.” He has never thrown himself a birthday party, because the impulse to make sure everyone’s having a good time would stress him out too much. In behavior that reminds me of both a secret agent and Kim Kardashian, he regularly goes through and deletes all his texts after responding to each of them. “I want to make sure I get back to everyone,” he says, holding his iPhone up in front of me to reveal the remarkably few surviving messages.

Before Groff gets up to leave breakfast and travel to rehearsal by way of the single-speed bicycle he rides around Manhattan, we end up talking about the larger trajectory of his career. Considering that he’s scaling down for a revival run of a musical Off Broadway, was he ever the kind of actor who thought of his work as building up to something? A big film? A franchise? “I think I gave that up when I came out of the closet,” he says. “I gave up the idea that there was an end goal or ideal or some kind of dream to work toward.” An image appears in my mind of the life Audrey sings about in Little Shop, a place that’s comfortable, traditional, and expected, somewhere that’s green. “When I moved to New York, what I wanted was to be on Broadway. That happened and then I came out, and it’s sort of been anybody’s guess since then,” Groff says. “I like when something makes me cry or I can’t stop listening to it. Okay, I want to do that.”

Little Shop of Horrors is in previews and opens October 17 at Westside Theatre Upstairs. Buy tickets here.

#jonathan groff #interview

34 notes · View notes

su-o · 5 years

Link

The tiaras have been dusted off and the pearls polished. Four long years after the final instalment of Downton Abbey, it’s back, this time on the big screen.

This perfect specimen of English baroque is the setting for the new Downton Abbey film – in which George V and Queen Mary tour the north of England (which also includes a visit to Downton itself, filmed as usual at Highclere Castle in Berkshire) – and today they are shooting a grand ball at the home of the Countess of Harewood in the film, attended by the royal couple and Downton’s Crawley family.

In the background, an assistant producer is being told off by one of the volunteers of Wentworth Woodhouse for wandering into a disused room. This isn’t jobsworthiness. The carpet in some rooms is nearly 300 years old and will disintegrate if anyone breathes on it. The wallpaper, meanwhile, is laced with arsenic (as was the fashion at the time) in order to make it a certain shade of green.

Away from the action, Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary (the eldest Crawley daughter), is sitting in her trailer, her sharp features accentuated by period make-up, feeling slightly in awe of the whole process. ‘It was during my costume fitting when it hit me. I got really emotional.’

In America, it became the most successful British drama import of all time. It also set the bar for costume dramas, at least in terms of visual sheen. The Crown, Netflix’s lavish regal series (which returns this autumn), has clearly been influenced by Julian Fellowes’ series, which cost, on average, £1 million per episode to make.

Everyone expected that a film would be made, but it was quite a feat getting the cast together. ‘It was like herding cats,’ says Dockery. ‘But I just love it. It’s so familiar and doesn’t feel like work.’

Despite rumours to the contrary, Maggie Smith is back as the Dowager Countess, famous for her withering put-downs, as are Hugh Bonneville’s paterfamilias the Earl of Grantham, his American wife Cora (played by Elizabeth McGovern) and his two surviving daughters, Lady Mary, of course, and Laura Carmichael’s Lady Edith.

Others involved include Penelope Wilton’s sensible cousin Isobel and many of the downstairs staff: Jim Carter’s stentorian Mr Carson and his wife, the no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan); Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol), the plain-speaking cook with Escoffier abilities, and her protégée, the occasionally mutinous Daisy (Sophie McShera).

When I talk to Fellowes though, he is adamant that a film was never inevitable. Rumours circulated about a prequel, following Robert’s courting of Cora for her money and subsequently falling in love with her, but nothing came of it. ‘When we finished the series, we didn’t envisage a film. We had a lovely party at The Ivy and everyone cried, but that was it as far as I was concerned. Then, as the years rolled by, there was a sense that people hadn’t quite finished with it, and eventually I formed an idea for a feature film.’

Other new cast members include Simon Jones and Geraldine James as the King and Queen, Imelda Staunton (real-life wife of Carter) as Lady Bagshaw, lady-in-waiting to the Queen and a relative of the Crawleys, and Tuppence Middleton as her mysterious lady’s maid, Lucy.

Although the film is set 15 years later, the King and Queen did make similar, unlikely tours around the country, as Fellowes explains. ‘After the First World War, there was a period of unsettled feelings about things – not least the monarchy. It had to re-establish itself as many members of European royalty had disappeared – the German Emperor, the Austrian Emperor, the Tsar of Russia. The structure had to be restated as having an integral role in society and they [George and Mary] were very successful in doing so. By 1930, the Crown was back at the heart of English life.’

For Dockery, making the film was not only a chance to catch up with old friends, but also to further develop a character that the nation took to their hearts.

‘Mary is so complex. We met her at 18 and she was this rebellious teenager – she was bored, and because she was a girl, she wasn’t what her father wanted [an heir to Downton]. Ultimately he became very proud of her, though, and I think everyone really responded to that. Seeing her journey was what hooked people.’

Now we see Lady Mary very much in control, happily married (to Matthew Goode’s Henry Talbot) and more than capable of taking over the ancestral pile when the time comes.

‘Julian writes really well for women and I think that has something to do with his wife, Emma [a descendant of Lord Kitchener]. I see a lot of her in Mary, just her expressions and things,’ she says.

Dockery has had a particularly successful career post-Downton. She brought rigour and a dash of fun to her part as an ambitious TV exec in Network (the National Theatre production based on the acclaimed ’70s film), and a sort of watchfulness to the role of a hard-edged widow in Netflix’s warped western Godless. Next year, she will be showing her versatility further in Guy Ritchie’s film The Gentlemen, in which she plays the wife of a drug lord (played by Matthew McConaughey).

One character who has a particularly meaty storyline in the film is gay footman Thomas, played by Robert James-Collier. We meet at Shepperton Studios, where the kitchen scenes are being filmed. It’s a cavernous setting which production designer Donal Woods describes as ‘like a noirish, Scandi film, as opposed to the glorious technicolor of upstairs’. For the TV series, the servants’ quarters were created at Ealing Studios, but the set has been flat-packed and sent over, as have the copper jelly moulds, kettles and pans.

This time, we see Thomas befriend a footman from the Royal household (played by Max Brown), and he ends up in an illicit gay drinking den in York. This was an era when homosexuality could result in a prison sentence, but, says James-Collier, for one brief moment his somewhat malevolent character is liberated.

‘He is introduced to this other world that he doesn’t know exists, and there is this sense of relief, this sudden realisation that there are kindred spirits and that he is not this “foul individual” as Mr Carson once described him.’

The irony that Downton Abbey has been sold to countries where homosexuality can be punished by death is not lost on James-Collier, and he feels a grave sense of responsibility about his role. ‘I have received letters from young men who say that watching Thomas’s journey has helped them. All I can say is that it’s an utter privilege. It’s the reason why I do it.’

In the film, however, there are no such concerns, and that reflects the point that Downton is in many ways a fantasy. One criticism of the original scripts was that the Crawleys were too benign as employers, that the relationship between master and servant was much more remote, without any of the Earl of Grantham’s well-meaning paternalism. Fellowes disagrees.

‘This notion that people were horrible to their servants is wrong. Most of us, if you think about it logically, and putting aside the moral view that that life should exist at all, would want to get on with the valet or lady’s maid. When you see a character snarling at his butler, you think this isn’t a way of life. None of us would want to be in a position of speaking to people you disliked.’

If Fellowes is the arbiter of psychological accuracy, then Alastair Bruce is the gatekeeper of protocol. He was Downton’s historical adviser at the beginning and describes himself, among other things, as the posture monitor.

He explains. ‘The cast tend to put their bums here on the seat,’ he says indicating the back of his chair. ‘But in those days, you didn’t – you would sit at the front. Also, [people’s] shoulders have fallen forward because everyone is on their mobile phone all the time.’

Bruce also helps the actors with their diction and mentions the word ‘room’. Many tended to accentuate the ‘o’s when it fact it should be shortened, so they sound very nearly like a ‘u’.

‘It is pompous bollocks, but if you are recreating the ’20s you may as well get it right,’ Bruce adds. ‘Michelle would quite happily let me describe her evolution in life as a long way from Downton Abbey, but I have some pretty grandiose friends who can’t believe this is the case. I am very proud of the fact that she now has this incredible poise – you never see a curve in her back – and her accent is on point.’

Several months later, I ask Fellowes whether he has plans for a sequel (although in truth, certain scenes in the film suggest a full stop rather than a pause). ‘There is never any point in answering that,’ he says. ‘In this business as soon as someone says that’s the last time I’ll put on my ballet shoes, there they are, a year later, dancing Giselle.’

Downton Abbey is released on 13 September

#downton abbey #michelle dockery #rob james collier #Julian Fellowes

37 notes · View notes

pfenniged · 4 years

Text

tagged by @anathenma WOO GIRL <3

rules: tag 10 followers you want to get to know better

name: Lauren

gender: Female

star sign: Virgo Sun || Leo Moon || Leo Ascendent, which basically means I have the usually quiet reserved personality of an analytical, organised virgo on the fact of things, am usually the goofy, chill friend amongst my friends, and don’t like to take anyone’s shit, but if I am disrespected, I’m a sensitive six foot flower and withdraw from the world until I can get over it. xD I don’t like conflict.

height: 183cm/6 feet

age: 27 (YIKES XD)

wallpaper on my phone: (I had to check XD) A calendar of May 2020 stylistically arranged around ribbons

house: Slytherin

ever crush on a teacher: Both my parents and my uncle are teachers and consequently I knew every teacher in my school as actual human people and not ‘crushes’ growing up. So no. XD

coolest halloween costume: I went as the Starbucks logo one year when I was eight, a gigantic Lady Luck die one year with a top hat covered in poker chips and cards. I had some good ones I made: I was creative as fuck when I was 9-11 especially, and I had to be, because I was already around 5′7 and people assumed I was just some weirdo dressing up to get candy (Hearing ‘AREN’T YOU A LITTLE OLD TO BE TRICK OR TREATING’ at eleven CRUSHED me XD)

Favorite 90s tv show:

Okay. So there’s one’s I watched actually as a child of the 90s, and ones that were just always ON in the 90s that I ended up watching. It’s debatable whether these are actually good NOW. XD

That being said, the background ones were Saved By the Bell (ZACH MORRIS IS TRAAAAassssh~~), Boy Meets World, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond.

As a kid, I loved the Aladdin Animated Series, The Hercules Animated Series, CHIP AND DALE RESCUE RANGERS (Which didn’t really hold up sadly but still has the best theme song of all time, fight me), and Timon and Pumbaa.

One I rarely caught but really liked was All That, The Wonder Years, Sabrina the Teenage Witch- occasionally Fresh Prince.

Out of all of these, I still have a super fond spot for Saved By the Bell, especially with the ‘Zach Morris is Trash’ series on Youtube (Seriously, go watch it. It’s fucking hilarious and basically breaks down how much of a serial killer in the making Zach Morris is XD). The clothing is ridiculous and no one really dressed like that in the early 90s outside of commercials and TV (unfortunately). Maybe one shoddy item out of the bunch. Meanwhile Saved by the Bell is like LETS PUT IT ALL ON. XD It was terrible once they got to college, but it was stupid and fun and made me feel ‘cool’ watching it because I was like three and being like, “YEAH, IT’S BRIGHT AND THESE PEOPLE ARE COOL AND I CAN FOLLOW THE PLOT. I’M MATURE.” XD It’s literally still the only one of these I actively watch now in the form of Zach Morris is Trash, so I’ll go with it. xD

Last kiss: Never had a consensual kiss. Make of that what you will. xD

Have you ever been stood up: Nope.

Favourite pair of shoes:

I have terrible plantar fasciitis from sports, so I’m a shoe snob, and have to have properly fitting/constructed shoes. It depends on what I’m doing in them, really. I got a pair of trail running shoes for trail running during COVID, but they’re not the most aesthetically pleasing. I’d say the best mixture between comfort and style are either a good ol’pair of black ankle boots with a slight heel (so I can be 6′2 and intimidate people with my height muhahahaha), or more practically on a day to day basis, I have a pair of Reeboks that are 90s-styled with pastel pink and blue triangles on the side. They’re pretty dope. xD

have you ever been to vegas: No, but my parents have. Basically, they said you tire of shopping after two days, and then you’re just stuck inside hotels and shopping malls there. If you’re not a gambler, drinker, or have a ton of money to splash out on stage shows, I don’t think it’s particularly worth going.

favorite fruit: Mango or raspberry, but they’re super-expensive in the land of Maple Syrup so I usually don’t get them any other way other than frozen in smoothies.

Favourite book:

I could never choose a favourite book. It’s literally like choosing between children. It’s my microcosmic version of Sophie’s Choice. xD Tasteless joke aside, it’d honestly depend on the occasion. There’s a huge difference between entertainment reading, literary exploits, and educating yourself through books as a whole.

My ‘plane’ book (which I’m terrible at flying, so that was a joke), as in, an easy, fun, instantly rereadable read to read on the plane when I used to have super long fifteen hour flights to Australia, was always Mario Puzo’s ‘The Godfather,’ because I also had a huge crush on Michael Corleone.

But it’s also not the ‘best’ book and literally spends an inordinate and honestly disturbing amount of time on the fact that this poor woman in the story (which thankfully in the film, it gets cut down), but the bridesmaid Sonny Corleone has sex with, and how you see his wife indicating his ‘size’?

THAT’S LITERALLY AN ENTIRE SUBPLOT OF THIS BROAD’S STORY I SHIT YOU NOT BECAUSE NOTHING IS ‘BIG’ ENOUGH FOR HER AFTER HIM AND THEN YOU FIND OUT SHE HAS A MEDICAL CONDITION AND GOOD FOR HER SHE’S ABLE TO FIND LOVE AGAIN BUT WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK MARIO PUZO XD IT WAS A LOT OKAY.

(Footnote: I also suffered through his horrific sequels because I love Michael Corleone and will take him in any form he comes in, even horrifically written Sicilian backhill exploits that were never told to us in the original book and were clearly just written because Puzo needed another pay check but I digress.)

Horrific subplots aside, I really enjoy The Godfather for its sheer pulpiness. The book is essentially what Andrew Lloyd Weber is to musicals. xD (Yes, I come with musical theatre burns. Fight me.)

In terms of a piece of literature that I think is amazingly well done? Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Stupidest thing you ever done:

Um, maybe when I was at Cambridge I tried to dye my roots to match the rest of my ‘blonde’ hair at the time, and it turned out bright orange? And because it’s Cambridge, they had this super-strict attendance policy, so I was literally trying not to hyperventilate because it was running close to class (which was across campus) and I was trying to find some way to remedy my hair without it falling out/ someone asking about it. So, I grabbed a toque-cap-thing despite it being literally one of the hottest summer on record in the UK (It was like 35 degrees, it was MENTAL), and had to sprint to class all the way on the other side of campus from my college dodging dodgy tourist groups blocking the sidewalk while I went. Then when I sat down inside, I had to be weirdly rude and wear my hat inside the lecture hall even though the professor was looking at me (it was a specialised program in German Literature) like, “Are you going to take that shit off?” xD THEN I tried to dye it back to brown, and it literally looked like mud mixed with a runny egg had exploded on the top of my head; it was AWFUL. XD So FINALLY I did my research and found a salon, but by THAT point I had done 250 pounds worth of damage to my hair (WHICH IS LIKE 400 DOLLARS CANADIAN AT THE TIME), and I almost had a heart attack and thanked my lucky stars that I had money put away so I could give my parents the ‘parent price’ when they asked why they hadn’t seen me on FaceTime or Skype for like, three weeks, and I replaced my face with a photo of John Cleese from Fawlty Towers, which they tease me about to this day. xD

The other dumbest thing I ever said was when I was so desperate for friends in grade six when I moved to a new school (and because being American was ‘cool’ at the time, apparently), I told everyone I was a dual citizen because my mother LITERALLY GAVE BIRTH TO ME ON THE BORDER CROSSING WHAT. XD And bless this poor bespectacled girl named Mara (who was actually a little class friend of mine), who just said timidly in the back, “That’s not how citizenship works.” xD It basically came out of attempting to be cool and failing, but I’m still SO embarrassed about THAT one that I’d never admit it to ANYONE besides shouting it out into the Tumblr black hole. xD I’m still embarrassed to THIS DAY.

All time favorite shows:

I’ll go for the original run of The Twilight Zone, which has some schmaltzy episodes (I’m really not a fan of any of the episodes entirely dedicated to the Space Race or the weird cowboy fanaticism of the fifties/ sixties, or anything that’s overtly like “ALIENS DID IT SO THERE”), but I LOVE their psychological horror episodes or Dystopian episodes. It’s when Rod Serling’s writing and narrative voice is the strongest and most prophetic, and the twists are usually the best. Other shows have tries to imitate it, or reboot it, but I really think the original, due to Rod Serling’s unmatchable voice, in every sense of the word. There’s lists of some of the greatest episodes, but I remember LOVING the episode ‘A Stop at Willoughby.’ The twist literally made me clap my hands in horror and delight, it was amazing. xD

Other than that? Off the top of my head, Mad Men and Band of Brothers, even though I haven’t rewatched either in ages.

last movie you saw in theaters:

Oh God, before all THIS hit? Probably Rise of Skywalker. I get agoraphobic and itchy if a movie theatre is too busy, and we only have really pokey sort of ones nearby that you’re guaranteed to see someone you went to high school with (terrible), so now that I can properly drive I go out to the big redneck theatre out in the boonies. I miss living in Montreal though, because when you live in a big city like that downtown (and can actually afford to live there), you could see blockbuster movies at like ten in the morning. xD Which would be AMAZING because I’d go to see any of the early Avengers/Marvel movies when they opened, the day of opening, and it was literally me, one old man who fell asleep halfway through and sat near the back, and maybe an elderly couple on a morning date to the movies. xD I get really annoyed with obnoxious movie-goers, and I’m really picky about just being completely absorbed in the movie, so I tend not to go unless I’m guaranteed that space.

tagging: Anyone who wishes to tag me back so I can learn about them <3

#meme #well god this was embarrassing #still hope you found something of interest in there though xD #personal #I indented the longer answers so this was somewhat cohesive

0 notes

in-flagrante · 5 years

Text

The wait is over

THE TIARAS HAVE BEEN DUSTED OFF AND THE PEARLS POLISHED. FOUR LONG YEARS AFTER THE FINAL INSTALMENT OF DOWNTON ABBEY, IT’S BACK, THIS TIME ON THE BIG SCREEN. BEN LAWRENCE WENT ON SET TO UNCOVER SOME FAMILY SECRETS

The Daily Telegraph

31 Aug 2019

As Downton Abbey sweeps majestically on to the big screen, Ben Lawrence joins the cast reunion on set

It is a crisp, clear morning at Wentworth Woodhouse, the stately home in South Yorkshire. Built by the 1st Marquess of Rockingham, it has the widest façade in Europe, boasts at least 365 rooms (no one is certain of the exact number), and represents two and a half acres of building. This perfect specimen of English baroque is the setting for the new Downton Abbey film – in which George V and Queen Mary tour the north of England (which also includes a visit to Downton itself, filmed as usual at Highclere Castle in Berkshire) – and today they are shooting a grand ball at the home of the Countess of Harewood in the film, attended by the royal couple and Downton’s Crawley family.

Inside the house, a production unit zigzags in and out of huge vaulted rooms with cables and film cameras, while extras in 1920s ball attire chat nonchalantly on makeshift chairs. Meanwhile in the ballroom – a giant marble space, adorned with deep-red damask wallpaper and enormous flower arrangements – Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton (two of the stars of the original series) slip through the lines of dancing couples in diaphanous silks, as a small orchestra plays a waltz. In the background, an assistant producer is being told off by one of the volunteers of Wentworth Woodhouse for wandering into a disused room. This isn’t jobsworthiness. The carpet in some rooms is nearly 300 years old and will disintegrate

if anyone breathes on it. The wallpaper, meanwhile, is laced with arsenic (as was the fashion at the time) in order to make it a certain shade of green.

Downton Abbey made Dockery and many of her fellow cast members international names, and no wonder. The ITV series, which ran from 2010 to 2015 and followed the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, was sold to 220 territories worldwide, achieved a global audience of 120 million and was nominated for 53 International Emmys. In America, it became the most successful British drama import of all time. It also set the bar for costume dramas, at least in terms of visual sheen. The Crown, Netflix’s lavish regal series (which returns this autumn), has clearly been influenced by Julian Fellowes’ series, which cost, on average, £1 million per episode to make.

Despite rumours to the contrary, Maggie Smith is back as the Dowager Countess, famous for her

‘When we finished the series, we didn’t envisage a film. We had a party at The Ivy and everyone cried’

withering put-downs, as are Hugh Bonneville’s paterfamilias the Earl of Grantham, his American wife Cora (played by Elizabeth Mcgovern) and his two surviving daughters, Lady Mary, of course, and Laura Carmichael’s Lady Edith. Others involved include Penelope Wilton’s sensible cousin Isobel and many of the downstairs staff: Jim Carter’s stentorian Mr Carson and his wife, the no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan); Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol), the plainspeaking cook with Escoffier abilities, and her protégée, the occasionally mutinous Daisy (Sophie Mcshera).

The Downton Abbey film, directed by Michael Engler, is set in 1927, just over a year after the series ended, and focuses on the Crawleys and their servants as they prepare for a royal visit. It causes much excitement below stairs, but the staff soon find the monarch’s entourage taking over – including a temperamental French chef (played by Philippe Spall) and a pompous head butler, played by David Haig, who refers to himself as the ‘King’s page of the back stairs’. Other new cast members include Simon Jones and Geraldine James as the King and Queen, Imelda Staunton (real-life wife of Carter) as Lady Bagshaw, lady-in-waiting to the Queen and a relative of the Crawleys, and Tuppence Middleton as her mysterious lady’s maid, Lucy.

Fellowes was inspired, in part, by a book he had read called Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey, which details a 1912 visit by King George V and Queen Mary to South Yorkshire. As well as tucking into lavish 13-course dinners, which included puddings served in sugar baskets that took four days to weave, they also met local miners and toured pit villages. Although the film is set 15 years later, the King and Queen did make similar, unlikely tours around the country, as Fellowes explains. ‘After the First World War, there was a period of unsettled feelings about things – not least the monarchy. It had to re-establish itself as many members of European royalty had disappeared – the German Emperor, the Austrian Emperor, the Tsar of Russia. The structure had to be restated as having an integral role in society and they [George and Mary] were very successful in doing so. By 1930, the Crown was back at the heart of English life.’

For Dockery, making the film was not only a chance to catch up with old friends, but also to further develop a character that the nation took to their hearts.

‘Mary is so complex. We met her at 18 and she was this rebellious teenager – she was bored, and

‘It is pompous, but if you are recreating the ’20s you may as well get it right’

because she was a girl, she wasn’t what her father wanted [an heir to Downton]. Ultimately he became very proud of her, though, and I think everyone really responded to that. Seeing her journey was what hooked people.’

Now we see Lady Mary very much in control, happily married (to Matthew Goode’s Henry Talbot) and more than capable of taking over the ancestral pile when the time comes.

Dockery has had a particularly successful career post-downton. She brought rigour and a dash of fun to her part as an ambitious TV exec in Network (the National Theatre production based on the acclaimed ’70s film), and a sort of watchfulness to the role of a hard-edged widow in Netflix’s warped western Godless. Next year, she will be showing her versatility further in Guy Ritchie’s film The Gentlemen, in which she plays the wife of a drug lord (played by Matthew Mcconaughey).

One character who has a particularly meaty storyline in the film is gay footman Thomas, played by Robert James-collier. We meet at Shepperton Studios, where the kitchen scenes are being filmed. It’s a cavernous setting which production designer Donal Woods describes as ‘like a noirish, Scandi film, as opposed to the glorious technicolor of upstairs’. For the TV series, the servants’ quarters were created at Ealing Studios, but the set has been flat-packed and sent over, as have the copper jelly moulds, kettles and pans.

This time, we see Thomas befriend a footman from the Royal household (played by Max Brown), and he ends up in an illicit gay drinking den in York. This was an era when homosexuality could result in a prison sentence, but, says James-collier, for one brief moment his somewhat malevolent character is liberated.

The irony that Downton Abbey has been sold to countries where homosexuality can be punished by death is not lost on James-collier, and he feels a grave sense of responsibility about his role. ‘I have received letters from young men who say that watching Thomas’s journey has helped them. All I can say is that it’s an utter privilege. It’s the reason why I do it.’

The film’s 1927 setting marks a period in Britain when country houses such as Downton were beginning to feel the austerity of the interwar years. Death duties had to be paid and households streamlined, which meant that many servants lost their jobs. Meanwhile, the General Strike of 1926 – in which the TUC fought against worsening conditions for the country’s miners – underlined a growing sense of solidarity among the working class. In the film, however, there are no such concerns, and that reflects the point that Downton is in many ways a fantasy. One criticism of the original scripts was that the Crawleys were too benign as employers, that the relationship between master and servant was much more remote, without any of the Earl of Grantham’s well-meaning paternalism. Fellowes disagrees.

Bruce also helps the actors with their diction and mentions the word ‘room’. Many tended to accentuate the ‘o’s when it fact it should be shortened, so they sound very nearly like a ‘u’.

#downton abbey #downton abbey movie #michelle dockery #robert james collier #alastair bruce #julian fellowes

17 notes · View notes

hedwigsaardvark · 5 years

Text

From the Telegraph.

The wait is over: Downton Abbey hits the big screen - and a visit to the set uncovers family secrets

By Ben Lawrence

30 AUGUST 2019

Harry Hadden-Paton, director Michael Engler and Matthew Goode CREDIT: CHARLIE GRAY

CREDIT: CHARLIE GRAY

The tiaras have been dusted off and the pearls polished. Four long years after the final instalment of Downton Abbey, it’s back, this time on the big screen.

Others involved include Penelope Wilton’s sensible cousin Isobel and many of the downstairs staff: Jim Carter’s stentorian Mr Carson and his wife, the no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan); Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol), the plain-speaking cook with Escoffierabilities, and her protégée, the occasionally mutinous Daisy (Sophie McShera).

For Dockery, making the film was not only a chance to catch up with old friends, but also to further develop a character that the nation took to their hearts.

Now we see Lady Mary very much in control, happily married (to Matthew Goode’s Henry Talbot) and more than capable of taking over the ancestral pile when the time comes.

Bruce also helps the actors with their diction and mentions the word ‘room’. Many tended to accentuate the ‘o’s when it fact it should be shortened, so they sound very nearly like a ‘u’.

Downton Abbey is released on 13 September

Source and copyright The Telegraph

#the telegraph #matthewgoode #downton abbey

14 notes · View notes

lchufflepuffcorn · 5 years

Text

One last moment (Ben Hargreeves x Reader)

The reader is gender neutral.

Words:1107

Warning: depressing, angst, not major tho...

Note: It’s a songfic, you can find the link of the song here (Michael Schulte - You Said You'd Grow Old With Me)

Ps: I try to do original content, please do not copy my work...

I’d like to say ‘I’m okay!’ but I’m not.

It would be a lie saying that you hadn’t felt betrayed when you learned about Ben. You were still a teenager. Mayhap, but the news still ended you. He was a friend, more than a friend! When you heard about him, it was after a hard day at school. You just didn’t know it could be even worse until then.

I try...

Klaus, Five, Ben and yourself were supposed to study, and you were already not in the mood for more school-related work, to be honest. When you weren’t met at the door by a joyful Klaus, and with Ben nowhere to be seen; your blood ran cold in your arteries. Then a strong hand dropped on your shoulder. The noises stopped entering into your brain. Your skin was sallow, your eyes looked dead. Your soul appeared to have left you. Just like it left him. Klaus’ eyes were watering, Vanya’s cheeks were drenched in tears. Alison was sobbing in Luthor arms. Diego was standing tall, alone, refusing the hand of his mom in his. They had just lost a brother. You left the Umbrella Academy without a word, not even expressing your regrets for their lost. You collapsed on the ground of an alley not that far, crying.

but I fall

The next day, you didn’t show up in school. You had been sick all night, and tears would not stop from rolling down your cheeks. In your mind, Ben’s memories were playing in repeat motion. Torturing you from the inside. That week, you were exempt from school. When your father asked you what he could do to help ease the pain, you responded by:

‘’Close my mind, turn it off.’’

Days transformed into weeks. They turned into months, which changed into years, and yet you were still left breathless. Your parents had concluded it was best to move and try to make a new life from scratches. Ben was now a subject it was best not to mention. Nobody talked about that anymore, it didn’t mean that it was healing.

But I can’t be sober!

You were an adult when that was brought back into your life under the form of a book. It was a present from Vanya. Unconsciously, she ripped open the bandage you had put over your heart years ago. Reading her book was the first time you had let yourself be comforted by alcohol. It also brought back the nightmares you had forgotten.

I cannot sleep.

Sometimes, you would wake up so angry, laying in bed, eyes red from crying too much. You couldn’t help the tears from rolling down to your chin. Your heart racing down your throat and your mind fighting against the rational thoughts.

You’ve got your peace now.

‘But what about me?’ It was selfish of you to think like that, even after so much time. A time you could have used to heal. It made you cry harder. The hot path of water left behind was a notice for your shameful mind.

Thought we had the time, had our lives.

You remembered his smiles and your dates at the movie theatre. Your study dates at Griddy’s Doughnuts. You remembered the feeling of his hand in your, the taste of his lips ghosting over yours. Yours remembered his promises to take you to your graduation party.

Now you’ll never get older, older.

You couldn’t remember the feeling of his skin under your, you couldn’t trace his lips eyes closed anymore. All you could do was look at the wall hoping to heal old wounds without going back into despair. In your mind, during those hard days of getting back into time, back to him in your mind. You could always imagine during hours what you should have said to him before leaving the night before. You didn’t say goodbye.

Now I’m frozen in time.

There were days that you spent still in a chair, unable to move. Frozen in place, shivering. Like that day when you heard on the news about the death of old Reginald Hargreeves. After years spent without reading Vanya’s book and declining Klaus’ voicemail and Diego’s letters and Allison’s movies, it hit you straight in the face. It was like a cold shower. Your bones were stuck in the ice of your blood. You couldn’t change the TV station. Stuck to see and hear everything they had to say about his family. All over again. It was as if you were taking a cold shower. Your bones were stuck in the ice of your blood. You couldn’t change the TV station. Stuck to see and hear everything they had to say about his family. All over again.

Getting colder, colder.

One last word.

If you could have changed what you said to him that last time you two were together. Some tears ran down on your cheeks. You were so tired to cry. So much anger and sorrow and hatred were filling your heart. It had been so full of those emotions for so long that you had completely forgotten what it meant to be at peace. Your figured that maybe if you would just go their one last time. Maybe... it would help you heal at last.

One last moment.

To ask you why…

A flower bouquet in one hand, a black umbrella in the other. You strolled down the street until you reached the once familiar door you had left behind. You knocked one time, two times, three times against it. Just like the old time.

You left me here behind.

It was Grace who opened you the door. A smiled on her face as she recognized you she let you in, guiding you to the garden. His statue was standing tall in front of her. Looking sadly on the ground as if he knew why she had come.

‘’You said you’d grow old with me.’’

We had plans, we had visions. Now I can’t see ahead.

You sat the bouquet down. Your now free hand resting on his marble shoe. On the tomb someone had engraved ‘’ We were one.’’ It had to be Klaus.

We were golden.

‘’Forever you said.’’

For a long time, you hadn’t turned to alcohol to get ahold of your problem. But now…

I can’t be sober.

You met face to face with Klaus without any preparation for it. You had spent so much time gone, you hardly recognized him. His pupils were blown, but you could still see the frightened boy he once was. He still was. His face fell when he acknowledged you. It was like he was seeing a picture. But instead, it was true.

One last word

His hands rose from his side as if he couldn’t control them, and his face broke into a smile. His fingers slowly caressed your cheeks. Searching your eyes for a hint. His lips stirred to form a word.

‘’Hello!’’

#hargreeves imagines #ben hargreeves #Ben x reader #ben hargreeves x reader #Imagines #tua fandom #tua #the umbrella academy #The umbrella academy imagines #x reader #Ben hargreeves imagines

48 notes · View notes

timehealsfanfictionbka · 5 years

Text

Time Heals.....Chapter Twenty-Nine

“So...you and Chris are going on a date?”

Robyn frowned as she looked at her computer screen, “no, we are not going on a date.”

“So what exactly do you call it? Melissa asked, “you just brought a new outfit, got your nails and feet done, got your hair done and you’re leaving your kids with their grandmother. Sounds like a date to me.”

“It is not a date. Chris offered for me to go to a concert with him. We’re going to listen to music as friends. That’s all.”

“Robyn, it’s Jill Scott. No nigga takes a woman to see Jill Scott as friends.”

“Why not?”

“That woman made Crown Royal and Come See Me. That is not friendship music.”

Robyn chuckled, “you are putting way more stock into this than I am. It’s just a concert.”

“Ok. No drinking. You know what happened last time y’all went out as friends.”

“Fuck you, Mel.”

Melissa laughed, “I’m just looking out for you. You told me that he’s been flirting with you and stuff. You just need to be aware and prepared.”

“You’re annoying.”

“But I’m right.”

“Whatever. What you think?”

Robyn spun in a slow circle and Melissa clapped, “I love it. Got the legs all out but the titties tucked in. Nice.”

Robyn rolled her eyes, “you are so aggravating.”

“You love me. So when you coming back this way?”

“If not Spring Break then probably Summer Break.”

“That’s so long away though.”

“We gotta work, Boo.”

“Ugh, it sucks. You bringing Chris this year?”

“Mama will kill me if I don’t.”

“Oh yea, she needs to see her son in law.”

“He is not her son-”

Robyn paused as the doorbell rang throughout the house, “I’m guessing that’s Chris.”

“Go ahead. Don’t do anything I would do.”

Robyn rolled her eyes, “Bye Mel.”

She closed her laptop and left out of her room and down the stairs.

She took a deep breath before opening the door.

Her breath caught in her throat as Chris stood up to his full height. He had a soft shadow of a beard and his hair was closely cut to his head with just enough length to see his curls. He had on a crisp white dress shirt with a slightly stiffened collar and the sleeves folded and cuffed up to his elbows. It was tucked into a pair of charcoal gray slacks and belted with a black belt. His shoes were uncreased black Italian leather dress shoes. His hands were tucked into pockets with stretched the fabric across his thighs. She really forgot how good he could look when he put in the effort.

Chris’s eyes roamed over her body. Her soft curves were dressed in black jersey fabric that stopped mid-thigh. There were slight fabric cutouts down the sides that gradually got smaller as they went up her body. It had mid-length sleeves and she was completely covered up to her neck. A part of him wanted to reconsider because he wasn’t sure his willpower was strong enough for tonight.

Robyn cleared her throat and his eyes slowly roamed over her before meeting her eyes, “you’re early.”

“I am? I told you I’d be here at 6.”

“It’s 5:45.”

“15 minutes. Wow,” Chris replied sarcastically.

“You know I was about to give you a compliment but since you want to be an asshole, I’m gonna keep it.”

Chris rolled his eyes, “Whatever. You look good.”

“Thank you.”

“No bad for a mother of twins.”

“You think?” Robyn turned in a full circle then posed with her hand on her hip.

Chris laughed as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him, “you ready or you need some more time?”

“I just need to grab my purse then we can go.”

“Cool.”

Robyn walked over to her coat closet and opened the door, “your wife follow you here or nah?”

Chris scoffed, “She better not have. I don’t think she remembers where you live anyway.”

“I’ll sue her ass for trespassing she bring that bullshit over here,” Robyn replied as she tossed a jacket over her arm and closed the door.

Chris chuckled, “Calm down, Mama Bear. How has your week been?”

“It’s been good. Got a lot of stuff around the house done so I can’t complain. You?”

“Just work. Nothing special.”

“Cool. Spoke to your lawyer?”

“They want to do mediation before the depositions.”

“Really?”

“Guess Tiana might’ve had a change of heart or she just wanna find a way to drag this out. Who knows? I don’t want to think about it.”

“Alright. We can head out now.”

“I got reservations for dinner after the show.”

“Nice. Food type?”

“Italian.”

“I likes.”

“Good.”

Chris smiled as he took her coat and placed it around her shoulders before moving to open the front door, “after you.”

“Thank you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Jill Scott started to sing, Robyn could feel Chris looking at her but she didn’t want to look at him. So much was happening and it was all going too fast and her sanity was barely hanging on by a thread. She felt his hand grasp hers and sighed before finally looking over at him. Chris smiled and she smiled back, “you need to relax. You are way too tense right now.”

“Sorry. Mel put this crazy idea in my head and never mind.”

“No, not nevermind. Something wrong?”

“No. Just me overthinking like usual.”

“You wanna leave?”

“No, of course not.”

“Robyn, Jill can get a bit romantic or sensual, if you’re uncomfortable we can go.””

“It's not the music, I promise. I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Ok,” Chris settled their entwined hands in his lap and returned his attention back to the stage. He smirked as he felt Robyn’s leg brush against his as she crossed one over the other.

Chris settled Robyn’s jacket back over shoulders before taking her hand and escorting her out of the theatre, “so how was it?”

“It was incredible. Thanks for bringing me.”

“You’re welcome. You scared me for a bit earlier”

“Sorry about that. When you grabbed my hand, I just- I don’t know.”

“What did Mel said that has you freaking out so bad?”

“She kept saying that this was a date and to not drink because of the last time we went out together.”

“Oh but this is a date.”

Robyn tugged away and frowned, “what?”

“Robyn, this was a date. I don’t get dressed like this just hang out with my friends. I took you out on a date.”

“I don’t think you say that. It sounds wrong.”

“We were two friends who went out on a date, it doesn’t have to be romantic, you know? Besides neither of us are drinking so we should be safe.”

Robyn tried to hold in her laughter but couldn’t. She nudged Chris as she laughed into her free hand, “you’re stupid.”

“I’m also right. Hungry yet?”

“What time is the reservation?”

“10. They’re open until 2 and I didn’t know how the long the show would last.”

“We got about an hour to kill. Wanna walk?”

“Sure. You gonna be ok in those shoes?”

Robyn lifted up her foot in her black pumps, “yea, I’ve broken them in. I’m good.”

“Ok. Want your purse or you want me to put it in the car?”

“I can hold it.”

“I don’t mind holding it, just wanted to make sure you didn’t want to make a pit stop to the car.”

“Chris holding purses now. What did I really miss in those 8 years?”

Chris chuckled, “I’ma grown man. It’s not gonna kill me to hold a purse.”

“I guess. We should walk this way, it’s a well-lit park over there.”

They walked around a few concert-goers still lingering around the theatre and started walking up the block. A comfortable silence fell around them as they walked. Robyn dropped Chris’s hand to scratch her nose, “you nervous?”

“About what?”

“What’s gonna happen next?”

“With what? Tiana?”

“Life, in general. This has been a hell of a crazy year.”

“It has but I’m not gonna kill myself with worry. Whatever happens, happens.”

“Wish I could be like that.”

“You can if you want to be.”

“Easier said than done.”

“You know you don’t have to be superwoman anymore right?”

“And why do you think that?”

“Well, what do you have me for?”

Robyn chuckled, “Chris, I love you but I am not putting any eggs in the basket case that is you.”

“Why not? You still don’t trust me?”

“I trust you with our children. And that’s as far as I’m willing to go.”

“I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted.”

“You’re a great father, that’s all I know you as.”

“And you don’t want to get to know me as anything else.”

“That comes with complications I’m not willing to deal with it at this time.”

Chris nodded his head. Robyn walked slightly ahead of him into the entrance of a park, “come here, I wanna show you something.”

Robyn reached back for Chris’s hand and tug him beside her as she came to a railing, “isn’t it pretty?”

Chris looked across the small pond to a large gathering of flower-covered trees, tucked among the flowers were small lights, “when’d you find this?”

“When I first moved to Dallas, I was a nervous wreck. Taking care of the twins, taking care of Michael, it could get overwhelming so I used to drive around by myself sometimes and I stumbled upon this place. It was calming which is odd because I really don’t like nature like that.”

Chris chuckled, “it’s a nice place.”

“Thanks. You’re the first person I ever brought here.”

“Really? You really do love me.”

“Don’t let it go to your head, Christopher.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“Yes, you would.”

Chris laughed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “Thanks for bringing me here. I know it wasn’t easy.”

“Easier than I thought. I might add you to my list of comforts.”

“Oooh, you really really love me.”

“Shut up.”

Chris kissed her temple, “I love you too, Robs.”

“Don’t tell nobody about this.”

“My lips are eternally sealed.”

Robyn smiled up at him before resting her head on his shoulder.

“Oh my god, this is painful,” Robyn remarked as she kicked her shoes off her feet.

“Come here,” Chris patted the seat of the couch next to him. Robyn sat down and Chris placed her feet in his lap. He started pressing his fingertips into her skin, massaging her calves. Robyn threw her head back against the pillows, “your hands are incredible.”

“I got skills, you ain’t know.”

“I’m not supposed to know, Mr. Married Man.”

“I will accept that nickname if my wife was a different woman.”

“Like who?”

Chris raised his brow then went back to massaging her feet. Robyn rolled her eyes as her cheeks turned red, “you’re annoying.”

“You keep saying that but are smiling. You’re giving me mixed signals.”

“I’m not sending you any signals so I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“I’ma kick you out my house in a minute.”

“Then come outside and drag me back in. We can just skip the cat and mouse game.”

“Whatever.”

Robyn closed her eyes as Chris continued massaging her skin. Chris looked over at her and smirked as she relaxed. Deciding to take playful advantage of the moment, he shifted her leg and ran his hand up the back of her exposed thigh. Robyn popped up immediately, “what are you doing?”

“Giving you a massage. What you think?”

“Chris, stop it. You are not helping your alimony case by doing this.”

“Doing what? First off, ain’t nobody here but us. Second, we’re not having sex. I am just giving you a massage so relax.”

“My feet and calves hurt not my thighs. There is no reason for your hand to be up that high.”

“Actually all that skin was kind of calling my hands so I did.”

“You can’t do one nice thing without turning it into something else.”

“I can. I’m just messing with you.”

“Don’t do that.”

They fell silent for a moment before Robyn relaxed back against her pillows.

“When’s the last time you had sex?”

“7 years ago.”

“Are you serious?’

“Very serious.”

“Maybe I should stop messing you. You’ve been pent up for way too long. My bad.”

“That confession doesn’t leave this room.”

“Promise.”

“Now keep massaging, you the one kept me out all night.’

“You the one wanted to walk.”

“Whatever.”

Chris laughed, “you lucky I like you.”

“Ain’t I, though?”

Chris popped her thigh and Robyn kicked him, “Oww asshole. What you do that for?”

“Just wanted to see it shake a little.”

“I am never going out with you again.”

“Well, I got Kem tickets next month so you're gonna have to take that back until after that.”

“You just assuming I’m gonna say yes.”

“You are especially if I’m divorced by then. First date vibes.”

“How about no.”

Chris pouted, “you really don’t want to date me, Robyn.”

“Not if you’re just assuming it’s some sure thing. I have options in this and they include not dating or fucking you.”

Robyn swung her feet out of his lap and onto the floor, “I really think it’s time for you to leave, Chris.”

“Robyn, I was just playing.”

“Well, I’m not. Don’t play my feelings like they’re a fucking joke because they aren’t. You don’t get to pull the shit you pulled and think you can just waltz back into my life with no work. No effort may work with your wife but not with me. You can go.”

“Robyn.”

“Chris, I want to remember this night on a good note and if you keep it up, I’m going to go upside your head. Go.”

Chris blew out a breath as he stood up, “at least walk me to the door. I won’t try anything, I promise.”

Robyn stood up and walked to the front door and held it open for him, “Goodnight Christopher.”

“Bajan Girl, I swear I was just playing and if I went too far, I sincerely apologize. This isn’t a game to me and I’d never want you to think. I hope you do genuinely think about going to the concert with me next month. No strings.”

“We’ll see. Goodnight.’

“Goodnight Bajan Girl. Sorry again,” Chris leaned in to kiss her and Robyn moved back, “I understand.”

Chris jogged down the porch steps and climbed into his car. Robyn watched as he pulled off before closing her front door.

“Fucking dumb ass,” she scoffed as she plopped down on her couch.

#chrianna #timehealsfanfiction

7 notes · View notes

sadedtgtg · 3 years

Text

taking only his Air Jordans

"When your manager tells you that, and Theo Epstein calls you and checks on you, and the organization sends $500 worth of food to your house so your family doesn't have to cook, you just feel like you owe them so much. Your bitch of a queen had no use for him, any man could see that. "Angry, hurt, I don't even know, I mean you would think family wouldn't do you like that."The two burglars, Sailor and Michael Carter ended up taking only his Air Jordans. He was the ultimate team player. But his eyes, too, were bright with love, and he Mens JORDAN Hoodie looked at her rapturously. The college level we are dealing with some teenagers. We used to read of that mite in our copy-books, and when that mite means a million you think there’s something wrong about it! And what does it all rest on, this common sense that’s so much praised and that I believed in so? Why do you look at me like that, father? As though you were looking at a buffoon, a fool! What does it matter my being a fool? Natasha, you should have heard what Katya said about that, ‘It’s not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them — the oneil mellény character, the heart, generous qualities, progressive ideas.’ But better still, Bezmygin has a saying about that that’s full of genius. CCGTV cable access channel broadcasts County Commissioner, Planning Commission, Board of Appeals, Board of Fire and Rescue, and Liquor Board meetings; rebroadcasts of taped meetings; bulletin board notices of county events; and informational programming highlighting county services and programs. It was good counsel. “No, sir, I am not unhappy. If the Tigers had a solid bullpen, they would not need the service of Joba Chamberlain in the 8th inning.. Volcanic eruptions can spew massive amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, sometimes causing cooling that lasts for years. Susan Stamper Brown is an opinion page columnist, motivational speaker and military advocate who writes about politics, the military, the economy and culture. I hit my head and we had another big bang and then everyone started to say, 'Get out.'""We popped the doors because we were in the exit row and everyone started to run out. No one was paying any mind to Bran. Then, for three successive days, they were all obliged to stand in an open porch fronting the street, for passers by to look at, except, when one was tired out, she might go in for a little time, and another take her place. Glen Canyon hanorace panda barbati and Lower Antelope Canyon were truly incredible, especially with Duane and Shushi as our guides. They give gifts as a token of love and respect. Because the MiG 29 is generally assessed to be on par with the American F 16, and the MiG 29 relationship with the SU 27 is similar to that between the F 16 and F 15, this has interesting implications for any match up between the SU 27 and F 15, the encounter which the SU 27 Flanker was built to win.. Reek. We are revived when the flowers bloom and the trees bud and bloom and leaf out. One was full of singers, enthroned like Brynden in nests of weirwood roots that wove under and through and around their bodies. He had never seen the godswood like this, though—grey and ghostly, filled with warm mists and floating lights and whispered voices that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. Men's versions are available online.. If anybody deserves it in this game, it's Colby.". It can even go so far as to offer a car rental to a passenger whose cazadora vaquera tommy hilfiger flight was canceled to a destination within driving distance. And I, I’m so abject that I’ve thrown up everything and am walking about kimono long femme grande taille the streets looking for him. The're camera cases which you can display off, as opposed to hiding them in your coat. “None can withstand his flames.”. Firms have raised billions in funding but investment bankers aren sure the market is free of biciclete rusesti vechi volatility. Max Hall gets a long completion to McKay Jacobson, then a 10 yard scoring strike to O'Neill Chambers on a slant route. And I'm very excited because this means she will have an alibi.") The theatre is quite intimate, even with its 400 seats on two levels, and the set's New York backdrop is vivid and detailed. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.. As cells went, it was large and queerly comfortable. He must not be allowed to restore the castle to its former strength. This feature can also be used to selectively update protected data sources on a remote system used internally for reporting or disaster recovery testing.Real time Failed Backup Alerts Event driven notifications provide MSPs with real time, granular email alerts of failed backup operations. I told her a shocking story. The HRRR, NAM 4km, and RPM are pretty consistent with this happening after 2pm or so and the coverage of rainfall in our 29 counties should remain below 20% or so. His scales were black, his eyes and gioco cubo di rubik amazon horns and spinal plates blood red. I love you. Larkin. The time evro kalkulator may come when Jacob Hiatt may be in the minority, when his principles may be as unpopular as Jesse McBride’s are now. If my novel doesn’t succeed — to tell the truth I thought this morning that the novel is a silly idea, and I only talked about it to hear your opinion — I could, if the worst comes to the worst, give music-lessons. Check your privilege and count your blessings. Dinah, she adidas mariposas slip away somehow from her first husband, and hab ‘noder child by Sambo (he b’long to Massa D.); so she and her first husband dey fall out somehow. To market retro brands, companies frequently use nostalgia with the intent of triggering an emotional response from the consumer. Three treasons will you know. I say abolitionists; I mean friends and advocates of freedom, in a fair and honorable way. It was too big for her and had a musty smell, but it made her feel as if her sun-and-stars was still near her.. La Nike GRATUIT 4. Even if I could slip these chains, I’d need to climb over him to reach his sword belt. The cloves eventually turn black and develop a flavour something like a balsamic jelly. Alyosha gazed at her, asking with anxiety after her health, tried to comfort her by saying that he was not going for long, and that then they would be married. No matter what new TIM you use you will get drastically reduced fekete táska női temperatures. Once you get the idea, finding the right children's furniture and other decorations your child prefers should be easy.. It has the option of logging your runs into your computer for analysis so I can check my mileage, pace, heart rate, etc. For all Tennesseans and for our brothers and sisters in Libya, there is the hope that a more stable Libyan government will emerge, and that hostilities between our nations can finally end forever. Their true names were too long for human tongues, said Leaf. In addition, thanks to the valuable strategic geography we have in Canada, along with best in class transit facilities in our hubs. I wanted the glory of slaying Robert in single combat, and I did not want the name of butcher. It was thick with leeks, carrots, barley, and turnips white and yellow, along with clams and chunks of cod and crabmeat, swimming in a stock of heavy cream and butter.

0 notes