#tv guide 2007 interview

[ljblueteak]

If Chase being a surgeon/intensivist wunderkind wasn't enough, apparently they had planned to make him the head of the surgical department!

The biggest obstacle standing in the way of the show right now is the WGA strike.  According to the TV Guide‘s Michael Ausiello, the planned two-part episode that could have possibly advanced storylines that involves House‘s older characters has been scrapped due to the strike.  However, executive producer Katie Jacobs did point out that when it comes to Cameron and Chase, the issue is not so much time as it is the manner in which they will return to the fold. “The question is not really when, it’s how, insofar as they’re now each in their own domain doing really well,” Jacobs told TV Guide.  “But is it bugging Cameron [who is now a Senior attending in the ER] that she’s not really in on all of House’s business?  And how is it for Chase to be head of a department?  And when those things become clearer, then I think we’ll know what the hospital is going to look like.” When asked if the new hospital environment has the old and new team members working together, Jacobs said that she is unsure of such a union at this point. “Right now, we’re just exploring how Cameron and Chase running different departments either helps or hinders House,” she said.  “And how much they like being away from him and having their own space, or how much they don’t like being away from them.”

Bold mine, from "Executive Producer Weighs in on Old 'House' Fellows," by Lisa Claustro, Dec. 11, 2007

Apparently Jesse Spencer mentioned this plan for Chase to be a department head as well in an interview with Ausiello, but I haven't been able to find the clip. If someone's got it, please send it my way! According to someone on the TWOP forums, he seemed skeptical of the idea and "joked that they all have super powers and that was what season 5 would reveal."

[quordleona03]

My OTW interview

Back in 2023, I was asked if I'd like to be interviewed by the Organisation for Transformative Works. I said yes, sent in my answers, and only just wondered - 2024 was a rather busy year - if they ever used it. They did, and here it is:

How did you first find out about fandom and fanworks?

In the old Science-Fiction Bookshop in Edinburgh, a couple of years after the end of the 4th season of Blake’s 7 was first broadcast, I found a book called Blake’s 7 The Programme Guide. In the back of the book were the names and addresses of groups of B7 fans, and I found you could write to them and join. I got stamps and postal orders, sent typed letters – and got fannish newsletters back.

Somewhere in this, I found out about fanfic. I had no idea. The first B7 story I wrote, prior to this, was in the form of an episode – because I had no idea that you could do anything else for a TV series but write episode scripts, nor that there was anyone else out there who wanted to.

What made you decide to reach out to Open Doors about archiving Iolanthe’s works on AO3?

I was friends with Susan when we were all on LiveJournal. I was watching M*A*S*H reruns and had joined MASH100 on LJ and written drabbles. I met Susan – who was Scarlatti on LJ and Iolanthe on her lovely personal site, A Priest in Korea. Susan’s stories inspired me to start writing what became For Ever, which was the original nucleus of Sins and Virtues.

Susan died in June 2006, while Such As We was still in first draft – I sent her sections as I was going along because she had cancer. Other things happened, and I’d stopped writing M*A*S*H fanfic in about 2011. Then about ten years later, I started thinking about M*A*S*H again, and Hawkeye/Mulcahy, and Susan’s stories. I found her old site on the Wayback Machine, re-read her stories, and thought of the story idea that has become All We Know. I also thought, “I could get these stories on to AO3 and everyone could read them: I bet they have a process for that.”

And I did, and they do, and – A Priest in Korea moved to AO3.

What was it like working with Open Doors?

Once we had made contact, it was very easy! Julie, an Open Doors volunteer, was my Virgil, and sent me clear emails with easy-to-follow steps. I understood what to do and why to do it that way. The first step in the process could have been the hardest – I had to get consent to transfer the archive to Julie from someone related to Susan – but fortunately, I was still in contact with Doug, Susan’s partner, and he was pleased to know that her stories were to be archived.

Was there anything about the import process that surprised you?

Not really. Oh, I suppose finding out that “Tag Wrangler” is an actual job. At some point I sent the tags Susan had used to Open Doors, and Julie explained there would now be a pause of a few weeks to let the tag wranglers do their work to ensure that the tags I was to use when I posted the stories were in the right AO3 form.

And then I got an Excel form which outlined exactly how to post the stories. I could never have used AO3 before in my life, and it would have been clear how to post Iolanthe’s stories in her memorial account. But, step by step, everything about the Open Doors process seemed so obvious, and quite unsurprising, even if I hadn’t thought of it before.

How did you hear about the OTW and what do you see its role as?

I heard about OTW because other fans were talking about it on LiveJournal in late 2007. I’d left LiveJournal for other reasons in June 2006, so I was not involved in those discussions – but I was aware they were happening. I now see the role of OTW to, specifically, protect the existence of AO3 as a host site for fanworks of all sorts and to, generally, protect the right of fans to create transformative works based on all sorts of media.

What fandom things have inspired you the most?

Stories. I love reading fanfic, and I love writing fanfic. Writing is my passion.

Also: that fandom exists. That we have made fandom – and everything in it – out of love and words. This entire eccentric diverse muddled dramatic multilevelled Escher-staired magical structure, half castle, half space station, half Faraway Tree, half fae and half heaven and half hell: we made it. Fandom exists because we want it to, because of what we love, because of how we love, because of words.

[j2memories]

TV Guide article (October 25th 2007)

Up Close with Supernatural's Jensen Ackles: Part 1

The CW's Supernatural (Thursdays at 9pm/ET) is the little horror show that could. In a two-part interview, Jensen Ackles, who plays the ruthless but somehow adorable older bro, Dean Winchester, speaks with TV Guide about the "thrill ride" of a third season, details an off-the-set scuffle and even opens up about his usually deep-undercover personal life. TV Guide: Because of his deal with the Crossroads Demon to bring Sam back from the dead, Dean only has this year to live. That must suck. How will he be handling those dwindling days?Jensen Ackles: He'll keep going out and having fun, calling old flames to see if they want to go Round 2.... He's not wasting any time. [Laughs] But at the same time, he knows there are people out there who need help, so he keeps in the reality of hunting.

The CW's Supernatural (Thursdays at 9pm/ET) is the little horror show that could. In a two-part interview, Jensen Ackles, who plays the ruthless but somehow adorable older bro, Dean Winchester, speaks with TV Guide about the "thrill ride" of a third season, details an off-the-set scuffle and even opens up about his usually deep-undercover personal life.

TV Guide: Because of his deal with the Crossroads Demon to bring Sam back from the dead, Dean only has this year to live. That must suck. How will he be handling those dwindling days? Jensen Ackles: He'll keep going out and having fun, calling old flames to see if they want to go Round 2.... He's not wasting any time. [Laughs] But at the same time, he knows there are people out there who need help, so he keeps in the reality of hunting.

TV Guide: Will Sam keep trying to save Dean, even though he knows he'll die if he does? That's a bad bind. Ackles: Right. I have to stop Sam from doing that. But he's still trying. In each script I read, I'm getting a little bit more nervous.

TV Guide: Don't you know what's going to happen? Ackles: I don't. They won't tell us.

TV Guide: You seem to have evolved into a real sci-fi/action guy. You've done Dark Angel, Smallville, some movies and now Supernatural. Is that cool with you? Ackles:It wasn't planned at all. I guest-starred on Dark Angelas Max's brother and died. I went out for a pilot that didn't get picked up, and I went off to Europe where I got an e-mail that they wanted me back full-time. Then I auditioned for the role of Clark Kent on Smallville. It got down to Tom [Welling] and me, and they ultimately went for Tom, which was the right decision. Two seasons later, they called and said, "We've been thinking about you," and pitched me the role of Lana's boyfriend. I said, "Yeah, that sounds cool."

TV Guide: Were you happy with the way the role worked out? Ackles: It got a little tough in the middle of the season. And then it took some odd turns when I got the call from Supernatural. I had a whole other year left on Smallville, so that drastically changed my storyline. I ended up turning evil a little ahead of the plan!

TV Guide: Would you like to parlay all of that into one of those big-budget sci-fi/comic-book movies? Ackles: I'm not against it by any means. Comedy, drama, Westerns, sci-fi... it's all fine if the story's compelling and the character is interesting to me. I do like action a lot. The other night there was a big stunt and they brought in my stunt double. When I saw what the stunt was, I was like, "No, no, no. I'm doing this." They'll usually let me do it, unless it's big stuff like a wire-jump off a building — that could be a catastrophe. But [costar] Jared [Padalecki] and I would much rather have a day of action and stunts than a day of the two brothers sitting in a motel room pouring their hearts out. [Laughs]

TV Guide: You realize you have a lot of female viewers because of that emotional stuff, right? Ackles: This is true. "It's a necessary evil," we like to say.

TV Guide: After all your sci-fi roles, are you used to the passionate and obsessed cult fan? Ackles: To a degree. They're very avid, those fans. They're very passionate about the show and those characters. I like that they're very protective of those characters. I get protective of the characters as well. If I read something on the pages that I don't agree with, I'll call [series creator] Eric [Kripke] and say, "Eric, what are you doing here, buddy?" We're lucky enough to be able to do that.

TV Guide: There are Samoholics and Deaniacs out there. You each have your own coterie of fans, don't you? Ackles: What's funny is the network always talks about how we skew to a younger audience, but at the events we go to, the ones who show up at the set are usually women ages 30 to 50. It's actually pretty cool.

TV Guide: There are so many shows filming up in Vancouver — Smallville, Kyle XY, Bionic Woman.... Do you hang out? Ackles: We don't have a lot of leisure time, but I do play golf with Tom [Welling] and see Michael Rosenbaum every now and then. And Jeffrey Dean Morgan, when he's up here.

TV Guide: Out of habit, do you ever slip into the role of the "older brother" with Jared in real life? Ackles: There's definitely that dynamic between the two of us on and off screen, but I'd say for the most part we're pretty evenly on par and we get along like a couple of good buddies.

TV Guide: I hear you good buddies hit golf balls together. Who's better? Ackles: Well, I definitely play a lot more than he does. In fact, I introduced him to it just a few months ago. I got him out there and I bought the biggest box of balls you could possibly find and he ended up losing every one of them, which was funny. He might beat me at hoops, because he's taller than me.

TV Guide: You're not so short yourself, it's just that Jared's sort of a giant. Ackles: Yeah, I'm 6'1" and he makes me look like a midget! It lends itself to an interesting situation between us on set and the brothers on the show. Dean's such a short-tempered hothead, but he's also not nearly as big as Sam is. [Laughs]

TV Guide: Is it true that you and Jared had a bonding experience when you were attacked by some rowdy Canadians? Ackles: You mean when Jared, his buddy Jordan and I were jumped by seven or eight guys? There had been this fight at a bar and these guys got kicked out. They were pretty tanked. This one girl sees me walking by and says, "That's the guy," meaning she knew me from the show, but they thought I was some guy she had been fighting with. They started swinging at me and it was an all-out brawl.

TV Guide: How'd you do? Ackles: We got away and put two of them in the hospital. I got away first, then I turned around and saw three or four guys teaming up on Jared. I was like, "Oh, man!" I ran back in and I was fly-kicking at some kid, hit another guy, grabbed Jared's shirt — of course, I ripped his favorite shirt — and I was yelling "C'mon, let's get out of here!" We were pretty tight after that.

TV Guide: What does it say that the CW put you up against Grey's, CSI, The Office and even Kitchen Nightmares? Ackles: I understand the pairing of us and Smallville, the only show on the network we can really combo with. Yes, it sucks. It's very, very strong competition. They're all top-10 shows. The network's excuse for it is, "That's not your audience, it's an older audience." I disagree. The same age range watching those shows are tuning in to our show and buying the DVDs and watching them. It's hard being on a new network, a smaller network.

TV Guide: Do you feel supported? Ackles: Somewhat. They have a lot of other shows they're trying to launch, and they probably figure that once we're up and running, we can survive on our own. We've hardly had any promotion this year. My feeling is, "Take a little time with this show. You've gotten us to this level, why not put the extra energy into it and get us to an even bigger level?"

In Friday's Interviews & Features, Part 2 of our Q&A: Jensen Ackles talks about the two new gals in Supernatural town, opens up (a bit) about his own real-life romance and shares his plea to Eric Kripke.

Find some super clips of the demon-hunting brothers in our Online Video Guide.

Link to the article

[thejfblog]

John Amos on “Good Times:” The First Black TV Dad

John Amos broke ground when he played the first African American TV dad and family man on “Good Times.”

The show was created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and produced by Norman Lear as a spinoff of “Maude,” itself a spinoff of “All in the Family,” and premiered Friday, February 8, 1974 on CBS, starring Esther Rolle.

“Good Times” cast on the cover of the December 14-20, 1974 edition of “TV Guide.”

Rolle (born 1920, Florida) originated the role of Florida Evans in the third episode of “Maude,” first aired Tuesday, September 26, 1972. She played the newly-hired housekeeper of Bea Arthur’s Maude Findlay, cousin to Jean Stapleton’s Edith Bunker on “All in the Family.”

Amos (born 1939, New Jersey) made his first appearance as Florida’s husband, originally Henry Evans, in the 18th episode of “Maude” first aired Tuesday, February 13, 1973.

John Amos debuts in “Maude,” opposite Bea Arthur and Esther Rolle. (CBS)

“Maude” and “All in the Family” producer Norman Lear approached Rolle to star in a CBS television pilot to develop a show around Florida.

Rolle accepted the offer, conditioned that Amos would continue in his role as her husband in the new series. The actress insisted that the show, which would be the first television sitcom to feature an African American nuclear family, have a father.

She made her final appearance on “Maude” on the Tuesday that preceded the first episode of “Good Times” that aired the following Friday, starring Rolle and Amos, and Amos’ Henry Evans became James Evans Sr.

By the time the second season of “Good Times” premiered Tuesday, September 10, 1974, it became one of the most watched shows in U.S. prime time television.

“Good Times” title sequence for season one. (CBS)

On “Good Times,” Rolle and Amos’ characters become working-class people who live in a Chicago public housing project. Amos’ James becomes an itinerant day laborer, unlike his “Maude” occupation as a firefighter, who struggles to lift his family out of poverty, and Rolle’s Florida a homemaker.

Jimmie Walker, who played the Evans’ firstborn son James Jr. or J.J., became the show's breakout star, much to the chagrin of Rolle and Amos. Amos’ disagreement with showrunners prompted Lear to dismiss him after season three.

John Amos interviewed in 2014 for the Archive of American Television. (Television Academy)

Producers killed Amos’ character at the start of season four in the two-part episode, “The Big Move,” first aired September 22 and September 29, 1976 on CBS.

The episode’s second part features the repast after James’ funeral, and produced one of Rolle’s most memorable performances as Florida.

Florida cleans up after friends depart her home, and she soon breaks down in inconsolable grief, as kids J.J., Thelma (Bern Nadette Stanis), and Michael (Ralph Carter) rush to comfort her.

Esther Rolle in “Good Times.” (CBS)

Rolle, too, left “Good Times,” at the end of season four, like Amos expressing displeasure at the show’s direction. Viewership dropped precipitously following Rolle’s departure.

In Rolle’s stead, the show elevated Ja’Net DuBois’ supporting role as neighbor Willona Woods to main star for its fifth season, and added ingenue Janet Jackson to the cast.

Florida returns to the canvas when Esther Rolle agreed to rejoin the show for its sixth and final season, conditioned on concessions from showrunners on its direction.

Rolle closed out “Good Times” in its finale first aired Friday, August 1, 1979 on CBS. Her career continued until her death in 1998.

John Amos appears in the 2019 “Good Times” special. (ABC)

Amos reunited with “Good Times” cast members in 2007 to accept a TV Land Award for the show. In 2019, he participated in a special revival of the show produced by Norman Lear on ABC, with James and Florida played by Andre Braugher and Viola Davis.

[bm2ab]

Arrivals & Departures - 27 August 1952 – 30 July 2023 - Paul Reubens (né Rubenfeld) - Pee Wee Herman

Paul Reubens (/ˈruːbənz/; né Rubenfeld) was an American actor and comedian, widely known for creating and portraying the character Pee-wee Herman.

Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe the Groundlings in the 1970s, and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor. It was with the Groundlings that Reubens developed the Pee-wee character. After a failed audition for Saturday Night Live, Reubens debuted a stage show starring Pee-wee, The Pee-wee Herman Show, in 1981. Pee-wee became an instant cult figure and, for the next decade, Reubens was completely committed to his character, doing all of his public appearances and interviews as Pee-wee. He produced and wrote a feature film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), directed by Tim Burton, which was a financial and critical success. Its sequel, Big Top Pee-wee (1988), was less successful. Between 1986 and 1990, Reubens starred as Pee-wee in the CBS Saturday-morning children's program Pee-wee's Playhouse.

In 1991, Reubens was arrested for indecent exposure in an adult theater in Sarasota, Florida. The arrest set off a chain reaction of national media attention, though he received support from people in the entertainment industry. The arrest postponed Reubens's involvement in major projects until 1999, when he appeared in several big-budget projects including Mystery Men (1999) and Blow (2001). Reubens subsequently started giving interviews as himself rather than as Pee-wee.

Reubens acted in numerous shows such as Murphy Brown, 30 Rock, Portlandia, and The Blacklist. In 2010, he revived The Pee-wee Herman Show, which he performed in Los Angeles and on Broadway. In 2016, he co-wrote and starred in the Netflix original film Pee-wee's Big Holiday, reprising his role as Pee-wee Herman.

Reubens's Pee-wee character maintained an enduring popularity with both children and adults. Playhouse garnered 15 Emmy Awards during its initial run, and was aired again on late-night television in the 2000s, during which TV Guide dubbed it among the top ten cult classic television programs. Reubens died in July 2023 from cancer, a diagnosis which had been undisclosed to the public.

Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He starred in films and television series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that quickly led to an HBO special in 1981. As the stage performance gained further popularity, Reubens took the character to motion picture with Pee-wee's Big Adventure in 1985, toning down the adult innuendo for the appeal of children. This paved the way for Pee-wee's Playhouse, an Emmy Award-winning children's series that ran on CBS from 1986 to 1991. Another film, Big Top Pee-wee, was released in 1988.

Due to negative media attention following a scandal in 1991, Reubens decided to shelve his alter ego during the 1990s, but gradually resurrected it during the following decade. It was at that time that Reubens addressed plans to write a new Pee-wee film, Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Movie. In June 2007, Reubens appeared as Pee-wee Herman at the Spike TV's Guys' Choice Awards for the first time on television since 1992.[1] After a lengthy hiatus, a third film, Pee-wee's Big Holiday, was released by Netflix in 2016 and was the last time Reubens portrayed the character before his death in 2023.

[genxjamerican]

James Earl Jones addresses Tony Quinn's Race Controversy | The Dick Cavett Show James Earl Jones discusses the controversy of Actor, Anthony Quinn's intention of depicting Haitian Emperor, Henry Christophe. Date aired - 2nd August 1972 - James Earl Jones #JamesEarlJones For clip licensing opportunities please visit https://ift.tt/0nT53LN Dick Cavett has been nominated for eleven Emmy awards (the most recent in 2012 for the HBO special, Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again), and won three. Spanning five decades, Dick Cavett’s television career has defined excellence in the interview format. He started at ABC in 1968, and also enjoyed success on PBS, USA, and CNBC. His most recent television successes were the September 2014 PBS special, Dick Cavett’s Watergate, followed April 2015 by Dick Cavett’s Vietnam. He has appeared in movies, tv specials, tv commercials, and several Broadway plays. He starred in an off-Broadway production ofHellman v. McCarthy in 2014 and reprised the role at Theatre 40 in LA February 2015. Cavett has published four books beginning with Cavett (1974) and Eye on Cavett (1983), co-authored with Christopher Porterfield. His two recent books -- Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets (2010) and Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic moments, and Assorted Hijinks(October 2014) are both collections of his online opinion column, written for The New York Times since 2007. Additionally, he has written for The New Yorker, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, and elsewhere. #thedickcavettshow via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9walSdTXoQ

[clemflor]

about me

avangeline. 24. they/them. two-spirit bisexual. gemini sun, capricorn moon, scorpio rising.

interests

☆ books: interview with the vampire, frankenstein, good girl's guide to murder, percy jackson and the olympians, gossip girl

☆ movies/tv: buffy the vampire slayer (1997), scream franchise, interview with the vampire (2022), gravity falls, the addams family (movies and 1964 tv series), gossip girl (2007 & 2021), wednesday (2021)

☆ people: sabrina carpenter, jenna ortega, chappell roan, melissa barerra, matthew lillard, skeet ulrich

☆ misc. hyperfixations: monster high, universal monsters, barbie, doll collecting, nail art, disney descendants

links

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[jdumblr]

I don't know if this will qualify in your realm of ask and you can ignore if it doesn't. So here goes my ask. Some were saying that Jensen's tbt IG posting of him and Danneel (the November 2nd one) was actually done by her on his IG. What are you thoughts on the subject? Especially since she responded so quickly after he posted the picture.

Dear Anon,

Thank you for your question. I indeed wanted to talk aboutthis subject, as I don’t think most people understood what Jensen and D didwith that post and comment. See, in order to understand the reason behind what they did, I will have to go back a week before that. Please, bear with me.

Timeline of J2 Slander — Reasons & Damage Control

Wed, Oct 26th  — Supernatural Episode 2

The episode causes a major rift in Fandom. And by Fandom Imean The Only Fandom that exists: Sam & Dean fans. Never in all my 12 yearsof being a SPN fan have I ever seen such uproar; so many people screaming theirdissatisfaction with storyline, character erasure, character being dumbed down to jumpstart the spin-off.  However,instead of uniting for a common complain, what we saw were BiBros, SamStans,DeanStans fighting each other. Nobody was happy. That was the episode that broke fandom.

Sat, Oct 28th,NOLA Con — D at the Vendor’s Area

D sets up a Family Business Beer Co stand and sells merch at the vendor’s area.Fans line up to talk to her. Some TinHats are attackedfor wanting to meet her, and Hets and Hellers team up to bully them. Here’ssomething you need to understand about Hellers: they love the wives because intheir twisted logic, the wives invalidate TinHats/J2 and anything that could upsetus is game for them. Raise your hand you whose TinHat tweet/post was neverbashed by a minion.

Eventually, things evolve to an attempt to starta witch hunt.

Sun, Oct 29th,NOLA Con — J2 Panels

During the J2 Gold Panel, a questionabout pick up lines prompts a joke that the entire fandom had heard from J2before and no one had ever batted an eye (timestamp: 20:21).

In the Afternoon Panel, J2 are asked whatlead roles in SPN, other than Sam & Dean, they’d choose to play.

What follows is the longest M*sha/C*stiel shade ever thrownby Jared and Jensen, individually or combined—see for yourself those 3 fullminutes (timestamp: 10:12 to 13:02):

Once again, I’ve never seen J2 throw such enormous shade, Iguess it speaks volumes about how fed up they are with M*isha. You can see in thevideo the immediate reaction from Hellers booing Jared, who started the shade.

Now think with me: who’s the one Hellers most want out ofthe way because of their nonexistent ship? Jared. The two situations have onething in common: Jared. He was the one to mention the chloroform joke, and hewas the one to initiate and continue the M*sha/C*stiel shade. Now tell mewho Hellers were most pissed at? Jared.

You think I’m exaggerating?  Here’s some foodfor thought.

Mon, Oct 31st— pseudo-article trashing J2

A wannabe author from a blog where literally anyone could bea part of, makes an unabashedly Heller post, accusing J2 of making a rapistjoke. To back up their allegations that “fandom was dragging J2” theyunsurprisingly add caps of D*estiel accounts. No agenda at all, as you can see.

[Let’s go back to the Sunday events for a minute. J2 bashedM*sha, Jared was the one starting the shade, Jared is the one they hate, Jaredwas the who told the chloroform joke this time around. Now tell me if thatwasn’t the reason behind that “article”?]

J2 fans lash on the blog’s account for tweeting the “article” and thetweet get deleted, but not the article.

Side note: Jaredattends 1 or 2 Halloween parties in Vancouver and takes pictureswith half the town’s population. Curiously enough, he was alone, no costume anddressed as if he had been dining outand decided to drop by. Oh, wait…

Tue, Nov 1st— T*een V*gue reposts article

What could have well been stopped by CW/J2’s reps on Monday, gets the unexpected and undeserved traction: a bigger, more accredited,teen-oriented website reposts the pseudo-article. No facts were checked, no oneapproached J2 for a statement and guess what? The same H*ellers’ caps werepresent; it was a mere copy of the previous article.

The damage is done and more websites publish the same storywith slight variations but none of them favors or approaches J2 for a statement.The articles get reposted outside of the US.

The slander shocks J2 Shippers, TinHats and Hets who,unexpectedly, unite in at least three hashtags to show their love and supportfor Jared & Jensen:

#IStandWithJ2

#ISupportJaredandJensen

#ILoveJ2Because

J2 Fans flood the websites that posted the slander with commentspointing out all the good things the Js have done for fans, Mental HealthAwareness, charities, etc. During these 48h of slander, I didn’t seeone single website or accredited institution show their support for J2, exceptfor Attitudesin Reverse.

Not a single peep from J2 co-stars, production, nothingexcept for the one you’d least expect: Mart Pellegrino posts a simple andhonest tweetpraising J2:

J2 Fans retweet and thank him for being the onlycast member/peer who dared support J2. It seems that the only ones mature enough to be honest and recognize that Supernatural only is what it is becauseof J2, are Mark Pellegrino and Mark Sheppard.

Nov 2nd —J2 issue a statement

Reps for both Jared and Jensen issue combined statementsaffirming they do not condone rape and the subject apparently dies down.

J2 Fans speculate whether this incident will cause Jared andJensen to share less on Con panels. Some even fear the possibility the boysmight eventually cut down the number of Cons.

Jensen post a pictureof him and D

Contrary to what Jensen had been doing until now, he poststwo different caps, one for his IGAccount and another slightly different one on Twitterwith an added “❤ u”:

The picture is apparently cozy, once they’re sorta hugging. However,some point out how weird the picture is with her half smile and peace sign, andhis closed off face. Does that scream couple to you?  …

As you well pointed out, Anon, D quickly replieswith more information about the #tbt picture: they were at Cabo, they were meeting the parents andthey’ve been together for 11 years and going strong. 

Eleven years?? Come again? Oh, wait, she’s justdoing her job, I mean, Jensen was the one who started that 11 years story,precisely in Oct 26th 2007, at an interview he gave for TV Guidetitled UpClose with Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles: Part 2:

So, one year before that 2007 interview, when they filmed TenInch Hero. How convenient.

Check out the whole story at Anna’s blog.

How interesting that he managed to “hide” his one-yearrelationship from anyone, right?

The funny thing is that apart from that statement he rarely,if ever, mentioned the amount of years they've been together. The only time that comes to mind was at Kelly & Ryan.

Well, Anon, all this ridiculously long post to conclude thatJensen and D were only using social media to take the focus off of the eventsfrom the previous days. Did you see how many RTs/Likes both his posts had?

Twitter: 4.5K RTs/ 36K Likes

IG: 632K Likes/ 3,905 comments(as of today)

Did you see the hets and Hellers swooning over their love?

Jensen did what had to be done to change the focus and giveFandom something else to talk about. BUT much like his mentor Kim Manners wouldsay, ‘give them what they want in a way they don’t expect.’ Jensen did postsomething for PR purposes but on his owns terms. Just look at his face on thepicture he chose to represent how much he loves D.

Bonus: Jensen low key liked Mark’s tweet.

[yuurei20]

Meet the Seiyuu: Ashton Vargas

Ashton Vargas is voiced by Takeuchi Ryouta, and today is his birthday!

Takeuchi has explained in interviews that he first became interested in the entertainment industry as a child, because he dreamed of finding his estranged father by getting his name in the closing credits of a movie. 

He decided to pursue acting, specifically, after a high school friend invited him to join a school play. 

His voice acting work includes Ren in DRAMAtical Murder, Carmine in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Otsuka Hideyasu in Kyoei Toshi, Wakatoshi Ushijima in Haikyu!! and more.

Takeuchi’s first roles were small parts in anime ‘Sword of the Stranger’ and video game ‘Gears of War’ in 2007. He says in an interview that he was on the brink of giving up voice-acting completely when he won the role of ‘Lucifer’ in 2013’s Playstation 3/Xbox 360 release ‘El Shaddai’. 

Takeuchi has since had 34 lead roles in various anime, video games and drama CDs, provides voice work for foreign film and television show dubs and does narration work for TV spots, documentaries and more.

Takeuchi, his wife (fellow voice actor Terashima Ai) and younger brother-in-law Terashima Hiroki have formed a creative unit called ØGauge. Their music is available on YouTube, here

Takeuchi promoting “The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting”

Takeuchi at a “Haikyu!” section of an Animate store in Sendai, with a cutout of his character 

[redheadbigshoes]

“Coming out Story” trope (A LGBT character comes out of the closet and reveals their sexual identity to their friends, family, and associates)

*Reminder that all the media included here does not necessarily portray the characters as something positive, this is just about which media has this trope.

*Pls check parental rating if you’re a minor.

MOVIES:

MLM: I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Two Of Us, Beautiful Thing, Get Real, Handsome Devil, Naomi And Ely's No Kiss List.

Lesbians: Gray Matters, Blockers, V For Vendetta, Margarita With A Straw, The Half Of It, Saving Face, Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story, Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives, Steam, 100 Girls, Crush, Dating Amber.

Gays: Bent, C.R.A.Z.Y., Trevor, Cursed (2005), Dating Amber.

Sapphics: Desert Hearts, I Can’t Think Straight, First Girl I Loved, Pariah, Sappho, Across the Universe (2007), A New York Christmas Wedding, The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Holly Slept Over.

Bisexuals: Margarita With A Straw, The Craft: Legacy, Plan B (2021), Kissing Jessica Stein, Cassanova Was A Woman.

Trans/non-binary: They/Them (2022), 3 Generations.

LITERATURE:

Trans/non-binary: Parrotfish.

Gays: Boys Like Us: Gay Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories, The Mortal Instruments, Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda.

Lesbians: Testimonies: Lesbian Coming-Out Stories, A Woman Like That: Lesbian And Bisexual Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali.

Bisexuals: A Woman Like That: Lesbian And Bisexual Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories, Running With Lions, Just Juliet, Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating.

Sapphics: Sing You Home.

MLM: Hero, Autobiography of Red, The Best at It.

TV:

Gays: Will & Grace, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Happy Endings, General Hospital, Gossip Girl, Glee, Neighbours, Shameless (US), Dear White People, October Faction,

Trans/non-binary: Degrassi: The Next Generation, Transparent, Supergirl (2015), Star Trek: Discovery, Feel Good, First Day, The Umbrella Academy.

MLM: Six Feet Under, Ugly Betty, Noah’s Arc, As The World Turns, When I'm Sixty-Four, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Played for Laughs, Interview with the Vampire (2022).

Lesbians: South of Nowhere, The L Word, Glee, Pretty Little Liars, Supergirl (2015), Runaways (2017), Fresh Off The Boat, Almost Family, Batwoman (2019), Dates, Trinkets, Never Have I Ever, Tipping the Velvet, The Republic of Sarah, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Reboot (2022).

Sapphics: All My Children, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Skins, Faking It, The Wilds, Impulse.

Bisexuals: Neighbours, Brooklyn 99, Proven Innocent, Gossip Girl (2021), Twenties, The Bisexual, Avocado Toast.

Aro/Ace: Koisenu Futari.

Pansexuals: Schitt's Creek.

[thenotsolittlemisspeculiar]

Turning to Imagination to Compensate for That Lack Thereof

Posted: December 7, 2021 10:50pm PHT

Edited: May 6, 2025 11:26pm PHT

Since I've never been in a relationship in real life, here's a list of my imaginary flings and ex-boyfriends (aka "guys and 'guys' I've obsessed over"). Although I'm not sure if I missed anyone. Do I look like I have a type?

📌 NOTE: For reference, I graduated from college at 22 years old in June 2016.

1. Stuart Townsend in Queen of the Damned (2002) ➡️ 2002 🇮🇪

2. Ken Chu in Meteor Garden (2003) ➡️ 2003 🇹🇼

3. Aaron Yan of Fahrenheit via Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (2006) ➡️ 2006 🇹🇼

4. Jamie Campbell-Bower in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) ➡️ 2007 🇬🇧

5. Kim Bum in Boys Over Flowers (2009) ➡️ 2009 🇰🇷

6. Devon Werkheiser in Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide (2004-2007) ➡️ 2009 🇺🇲

7. Bill Kaulitz of Tokio Hotel ➡️ 2009 🇩🇪

8. Matthew Gray Gubler in Criminal Minds (2005-2020) ➡️ 2009 🇺🇸✳

9. Kevin Woo of U-KISS ➡️ 2010 🇺🇸

10. Changmin of TVXQ ➡️ 2011 🇰🇷

11. Alex Marshall of The Cab ➡️ 2012 🇺🇲

12. Paolo Ballesteros of Eat Bulaga! (1979-2023) ➡️ 2012–2014 🇵🇭

13. Rafael Rosell in The Borrowed Wife (2014) ➡️ 2014 🇵🇭

14. Benjamin Alves in Beautiful Strangers (2015) ➡️ 2015 🇵🇭

15. Matthew Gray Gubler ➡️ 2015 🇺🇲✳🖤

16. Sebastian Stan from fan posts about Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia 2016, his The Drop-In with Will Malnati podcast interview (here are the links to part one and part two) on Spotify, his Instagram posts, and when I learned his ex-girlfriend is an Aquarius like me (as silly as it sounds 🤪) ⚜ I discovered him when I spontaneously decided to check out Tom Hiddleston's hashtags on Instagram because I used to have a tiny crush on Loki in 2012, especially during the "puny god" scene in Avengers (2012) 😂 ⚜ The reason why I remembered Tom Hiddleston was because of the national news program that I was watching one evening wherein the HiddleSwift fiasco was a headline for the entertainment segment ➡️ June 16, 2016 – December 5, 2019 🇷🇴🖤

17. Chris Evans ➡️ April 16, 2020 – July 4, 2020 🇺🇲✳

18. Bryan Lee O'Malley ➡️ July 26, 2020 – October 30, 2020 🇨🇦

19. Chris Evans ➡️ November 15, 2020 – February 5, 2023 🇺🇲✳🖤

20. Pedro Pascal 🇨🇱

➡️ January 30, 2023: There were a handful of marketing for The Last of Us (2023‐present) and a few tweets which I have come across, but I'm the type of person who usually does the opposite when it comes to consuming mainstream media. Oftentimes, I have this odd habit (or perhaps an 'attitude') of ignoring the popular ones and paying more attention to the 'underdogs.' The internet was down the other day, so I had no other choice but to look for other forms of entertainment. At around 9:00pm PHT, I felt a 'nudge' inside myself which made me turn on the TV. I was fortunate enough to catch the opening credits of the post-apocalyptic series and thought to myself: "So this is the video game adaptation that has been highly-anticipated by fans within the gaming community." Just for context, I had HBO as my 'default' channel. 👀

My inner voice: "What did you mean when you said 'underdogs'?"

Me: "Like this. 🍄"

➡️ February 2, 2023 😍

➡️ February 7, 2023 – February 18, 2023 🖤

➡️ February 19, 2023 (8:07pm PHT) – April 18, 2023 (3:33am PHT) ⚜ April 19, 2023 (8:34pm PHT) – May 17, 2023 (12:53am PHT) ⚜ May 18, 2023 (7:03pm PHT) – June 21, 2023 (11:56pm PHT) ⚜ June 22, 2023 (2:04pm PHT) – July 25, 2023 (3:32pm PHT) ⚜ August 1, 2023 (11:17pm PHT) – August 21, 2023 (2:00pm PHT) ⚜ August 21, 2023 (4:40pm PHT) – October 23, 2023 (12:08:28pm PHT) ⚜ October 24, 2023 – August 28, 2024 (12:13am PHT) ⚜ October 8, 2024 (2:27:01am PHT) – December 14, 2024 (1:41:37pm PHT) ⚜ March 19, 2025 (9:23:30am PHT) – March 27, 2025 (5:17:34am PHT) ⚜ April 3, 2025 (11:57:57pm PHT) – April 5, 2025 (7:42:33am PHT) ⚜ April 12, 2025 (6:21:16pm PHT) – April 14, 2025 (3:41:37am PHT) ⚜ April 17, 2025 (4:07:03pm PHT) – April 20, 2025 (3:10:12am PHT) ⚜ April 22, 2025 (4:53:58pm PHT) – April 24, 2025 (10:50:22pm PHT) ✳🤍

❗ Clarification #1

❗ Clarification #2

And this is all because I'm an ilusyonada (a Filipino word which I like to assimilate into the words 'desperate,' 'delusional,' or 'delirious').

A Tentative List of My Delusional Assumptions

This is the list of guys that I have mistakenly thought they wanted me to make them my imaginary boyfriend, but perhaps they actually only wanted to "befriend" me. Regardless, I still don't trust any of them.

My inner voice: "Why didn't you add Barry Keoghan?"

Me: "Aside from being a father and not 'flirting' with me, I don't think I'm his 'type', but this is not to say the ones on the list do so. 🤣"

Justin Bieber in Under the Mistletoe (2011) ➡️ he also followed my first account (which I made in 2010 as a freshman in college) on Twitter as with tons of others ➡️ 2011 (although I already "knew" him since 2009) 🇨🇦

Tom Holland in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), The Devil All the Time (2020), Cherry (2021), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Uncharted (2022) ➡️ 2016 🇬🇧

Charles Melton in The Sun Is Also a Star (2019), Secret Headquarters (2022), May December (2023) ➡️ 2019 🇺🇲

Timothée Chalamet in Don't Look Up (2021) ➡️ I'm not really sure about this ➡️ 2020 🇺🇲

Harry Styles in Harry's House (2022), Don't Worry Darling (2022) ➡️ 2022 🇬🇧

Joseph Quinn in Stranger Things (2016-2025), A Quiet Place: Day One (2024), Gladiator II (2024), The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) ➡️ 2022 🇬🇧

Lucas Bravo in Emily in Paris (2020-present), Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022), Ticket to Paradise (2022) ➡️ 2022 🇫🇷

Glen Powell in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Anyone but You (2023), Hit Man (2023) ➡️ 2022 🇺🇲

Paul Mescal in Normal People (2020), Gladiator II (2024) ➡️ 2023 🇮🇪

Nicholas Galitzine in The Idea of You (2024) ➡️ 2024 🇬🇧

Harris Dickinson in Triangle of Sadness (2022), Babygirl (2024) ➡️ 2024 🇬🇧

Young Mazino in The Last of Us (2023-present), Beef (2023) ➡️ 2025 🇺🇲

I would have included Charles Melton. The reason why I didn't was because I didn't think he was "flirting" or trying to get my attention. So far, I have only seen The Sun Is Also a Star (2019) which its title reminded me of a short poem I wrote in 2011. Unfortunately, I couldn't get myself to finish Secret Headquarters (2022), and I have no plans to watch May December (2023).

Legend:

🖤 Imaginary Boyfriend or 🤍 Imaginary Husband (that's what I call my crushes when I felt like they were kind enough to "play along" with my crazy antics 😅✌🏼; if they made me feel ignored or if they were in a relationship, they're automatically considered as flings; FYI, I will never ever have an affair with a taken or married man in real life so calm the freak down; I'm just playing pretend 🤦🏻‍♀️)

✳ Rekindled

🔵 For actors

🔴 For singers/musicians

🟣 For artists

[archivingspn]

Destiel?

Scripts

• 2014 - 9x22 Production Draft (cut Cas’ fake heaven scene) • 2016 - 11x17 - Production Draft (Dean isn’t thinking about Cas) • 2018 -  8x02 - yellow, 9x05, 9x23 - pink, 13x08, 13x21 (eyefucking) • 2018 - 14x01 - Studio Network Draft (Sam is described as surrogate dad not an uncle) • 2020-15x18 Production Draft and One Blue Page (not reciprocated)

Episodes

• 2011-06x20 - (family) (brother) • 2013-08x17 - (family) • 2016-11x17 - (It’s a Sam parallel) • 2016-11x18 - (family) • 2016-11x23 - (friend, brother) • 2017-12x09 - (friend) • 2017-12x11 - (friend) • 2017-12x12 - (family, I love you, I love all of you, family, family) • 2019-14x12 - (friend) • 2020-15x09 - (friend) • 2020-15x18 - (I love you)

Cons

• 2009: Asylum 3 Saturday- Misha • 2009: Vancon- Misha • 2010: Vancon - Jensen • 2012: Nashcon - Jensen • 2012: Jibcon 3-Jensen solo • 2012: Jibcon 3- Misha & Jensen • 2012: Comic Con- Jensen, Edlund • 2012: SDCC Press Room - Jensen • 2012: Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo - Misha • 2013: ECCC - Misha • 2013: Vegascon- J2 • 2013: NJcon- Misha • 2013: SDCC Press Room - Kripke • 2013: SDCC Press Room - Carver • 2013: TorCon- Jensen meet and greet • 2013: Chicon - Misha • 2013: Burcon - Amy Gumenick • 2013: Burcon Autos- Robbie • 2014: Vegascon- J2 • 2014: Asylum 12 - Misha • 2014: Jibcon Saturday - Jensen solo • 2014: Jibcon Sunday - Jared solo • 2014: Jibcon Sunday - Jensen solo • 2014: Jibcon Sunday - Jensen & Misha • 2014: Torcon - J2 gold • 2015: Seacon- Jared • 2016: DCcon- Misha • 2015: Jibcon 6 Saturday - Jensen • 2015: Jibcon Saturday - Misha & Singer • 2016: Seacon Saturday - Sheppard • 2016: Vancon SuperWiki’s Wayward Cocktails - Wanek • 2017: Jaxcon - Jensen • 2018: SPNUK - J2M • 2018: Chicon - Alex • 2019: Jibcon Sunday - J2M • 2019: Dallascon- J2 • 2020: Twitter- #DCOnline - Richard, Misha • 2021: WonderCon - Cas’ voice actor

Interviews/Articles

• 2007: TV Guide - Kripke (three year plan) • 2007: TV Addict - Kripke (rough two seasons outlines) • 2009: Channel Ten Interview with J2M - J2M (didn’t know if his character would stay) • 2009: Chicago Tribune - Kripke • 2010: Supernatural: The Official Season 4 Companion - Kripke • 2011: Zap2it - Edlund • 2011: TV Squad - Edlund • 2011: Zap2it - Edlund • 2012: Fangasm - Jensen • 2012: IGN - Carver • 2012: SYFY Wire- Misha • 2013: Supernatural Turkey - July - Jim Micheals • 2013: The Backlot- July- Misha • 2013: TV Guide Canada - Misha • 2013: HuffPost - Misha • 2013: Daily Dot - Kennedy, Chau, Bee  • 2013: Fail-fandomanon - needs source • 2013: Larry King Now - Misha • 2013: TV Fanatic- Misha • 2014: Fangasm - Misha • 2014: New York Times - J2M (no mention) • 2014: Variety - various (no mention) • 2015: ET Online- Misha • 2016: EW - Misha (outsider yet connected to both brothers) Highfill- (close to a third brother as one gets) • 2017: EW - Dabb (family) • 2017: EW - (Closest friend, Best buds, Family) • 2017: EW - (”now it’s Mom and it’s Cas“) • 2017: Hypable - Perez • 2019: MarySue - Dabb (no romance endgame) • 2020: Variety - Dabb • 2020: EW - (probably family and/or do anything for him) • 2020: TV Guide News - J2 • 2020: Daily Dot - internet reaction to 15x18 • 2020: Buzzfeed - internet reaction to 15x18 • 2020: Polygon - internet reaction to 15x18 • 2020: TV Web - internet reaction to 15x18 • 2020: PinkNews - internet reaction to 15x18 and DLCOnline • 2020: EW - Nov 26- rouge translators • 2021: London Screenwriters’ - Kripke

Social Media

• 2012: Twitter - Sep (Misha) • 2013: Twitter - Jan (Robbie) • 2013: Twitter - Feb (Adam) • 2013: Twitter - Mar (Misha) • 2013: Twitter - Mar (Wanek) • 2013: Twitter - Mar (Glass) • 2013: Twitter - Sep (Robbie) • 2013: Twitter - Oct (Kennedy) • 2013: Twitter - Oct (Glass) • 2013: Twitter - Oct (Osric) • 2013: Twitter - Oct (Bee) • 2013: Twitter - Oct (Misha) • 2013: Twitter - Nov (Robbie) • 2014: Twitter - Mar (Wanek) • 2014: Twitter - Mar (Misha) • 2014: Twitter - Apr (Jared) • 2014: Twitter - May (Robbie) • 2014: Twitter- May (Glass) • 2014: Twitter - Nov (Jensen, Robbie) • 2015: Twitter - Jun (Smith) • 2016: Twitter - Jan (Misha) • 2016: Twitter - Apr (Parks) • 2016: Twitter - May (Armstrong) • 2016: Twitter - Jun (Fitzmartin) • 2016: Twitter - Jul (Lee Rumohr) • 2018: Twitter - Apr (Official SPN Twitter) • 2018: Twitter - Aug (Williams) • 2019: Tumblr/Twitter - Feb (Jess, MonarchMish, Davy) • 2019: Twitter - Oct - (Williams) • 2020: Twitter - Sep (Meghan, Emma, Jason, NF, Davy, Jeremy) • 2020: Twitter - Sep (DSilza) • 2020: Twitter - Nov 5 (Berens) • 2020: Twitter - Nov (narwhalltime) • 2020: Twitter -  Nov (Buchanan) • 2020: Twitter -  Nov 20 (Jay Julier) • 2020: Twitter - Nov 25-26 (Williams) • 2020: Twitter - Nov 25-26 (Misha) • 2020: Twitter - Nov 25-26 (narwhalltime) • 2020: Twitter - Dec 11-12 (Williams) • 2020: Twitter - Dec 12 (Williams)

Misc.

• 2011: Supernatural Season 6 DVD Extra- Edlund (another brother) • 2013: Season 8 DVD Extra “Angel Warrior: The Story of Castiel” - Carver (talks of DeanCas as a humorous friendship dynamic) • 2014: A Very Special Supernatural Special - Kripke, Carver, Singer, J2M2 • 2014: The Essential Supernatural [Revised and Updated Edition]: On the Road with Sam and Dean Winchester - (the book kind of infers that Cas’ bond with Dean is a flaw? And that’s pretty much the only line specifically dedicated to it in there.) • 2016: Warner Brothers Market Research • 2018: Hot Topic - Dean Cas Shirt

[rocknvaughn]

New Colin Morgan Interview with Edge Media Network about Benjamin - UPDATED

I am reblogging this because, after the author was made aware of an error in the posting of his article (if anyone clicked through to read it on the site, there was a whole question and answer that was repeated), the error was corrected and another three questions and answers were added! I am correcting it here, but they were very interesting, so I suggest you read the full article again!

I shall post the link at the bottom, but I wanted to type it out so that non-English speakers could more easily translate it. (This article was listed in their “Gay News” section of the site, hence the focus on the gay roles.)

British Actor Colin Morgan: How the Queerly Idiosyncratic ‘Benjamin’ Spoke to Him

by Frank J. Avelia

In writer-director Simon Amstell’s sweet, idiosyncratic, semi-autobiographical comedy, “Benjamin,” Colin Morgan plays the titular character, an insecure filmmaker trying to resuscitate his waning career (at least it’s waning in his mind) after one major cine-indie success. Benjamin is also doing his best to navigate a new relationship with a young French musician (Phenix Brossard of “Departures”).

Thanks to the truly endearing, multifaceted talents of Morgan, Benjamin feels like an authentic creation--one that most audiences can empathize with. Sure, he’s peculiar, has a legion of self-esteem issues and an almost exasperating need for acceptance as well as an inconvenient talent to self-sabotage the good in his life. But who can’t relate to some or all of that?

“Benjamin” is one of the better queer-themed films to come out in recent years, in large part because it eschews emphasis on the queer nature of the story. Instead, the film is a fascinating character study with Morgan slowly revealing layers and unpacking Benjamin’s emotional baggage.

Morgan is a major talent who has been appearing across mediums in Britain for many years. His London theatre debut was in DBC Pierre’s satire, “Vernon God Little” (2007), followed by the stage adaptation of Pedro Almodovar’s “All About My Mother” (2007), opposite Diana Rigg. Numerous and eclectic stage work followed (right up until the Corona shutdown) including Pedro Miguel Rozo’s “Our Private Life” (2011), where he played a bipolar gay, Jez Butterworth’s dark comedy, “Mojo” (2013), Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” opposite Sally Field (2019), and Caryl Churchill’s “A Number” (2020), to name a few.

His TV work includes, “Merlin” (playing the wizard himself), “Humans” and most recently, in a very memorable episode of “The Crown”. Onscreen he can be seen in “Testament of Youth”, “Legend” with Tom Hardy, “Snow White and the Huntsman” and Rupert Everett’s take on Oscar Wilde, “The Happy Prince.”

He’s played a host of gay roles in the past on stage, screen and TV.

EDGE recently interviewed the star of “Benjamin” about the new film and his career.

Why Benjamin?

EDGE: What drew you to this project and were you part of its development?

Colin Morgan: It’s always the strength of the script for me on any project and Simon’s script was just so well observed, he managed to combine humor and poignancy in delicate measure and when I first read it I found myself being both tickled and touched. Then reading it again and from “the actor” POV... I knew it would be a real challenge and uncharted territory for me to explore. I auditioned for Simon and we tried it in different ways and then when I was lucky enough for Simon to want me on board, we began to work through the script together, because it was clear that this was going to be a very close working relationship... it was important for the level of trust to be high.

EDGE: I appreciated that this was a queer love story where the character’s queerness wasn’t the main focus. Was that also part of the allure of the project?

CM: I think Benjamin’s sexuality is just quite naturally who he is and therefore that’s a given, we’re on his journey to find meaning and love and there’s certainly a freshness to what Simon has written in not making sexuality the main focus.

Great chemistry

EDGE: Can you speak a but about the process involved in working with Amstell on the character and his journey?

CM: Simon and me worked very closely over a period of weeks, at that time prior to shooting I was doing a theatre project not far from where he lived so I would go to him and rehearse and discuss through the whole script all afternoon before going to do the show that night, so that worked out well. It’s so personal to Simon, and to have had him as my guide and source throughout was fantastic because I could ask him all the questions and he could be the best barometer for the truth of the character; a rare opportunity for an actor and one that was so essential for building Benjamin. But ultimately Simon wanted Benjamin to emerge from somewhere inside me and he gave me so much freedom to do that also.

EDGE: You had great chemistry with Phenix Brossard. Did you get to rehearse?

CM: Phenix is fantastic, Simon and me did chemistry reads with a few different actors who were all very good but Phenix just had an extra something we felt Benjamin would be drawn to. We did a little bit of rehearsal together but because it was a relationship that was trying to find itself there was a lot of room for spontaneity and uncertainty between us, which is what the allure of a new relationship is all about, the excitement and fear.

Liberating process

EDGE: Did your process meld with Amstell’s?

CM: I’ve said this a lot before and it’s true, Simon is one of the best directors I’ve worked with. Everything he created before shooting and then maintained on set was special. We always did improvised versions of most scenes and always the scripted version too. It was such a creative and liberating process. That is exactly the way I love to work. And for a director to maintain that level of bravery, trust and experimental play throughout the whole shoot stands as one of the most rewarding shooting experiences I’ve had.

EDGE: When I spoke with Rupert Everett about “The Happy Prince,” he very proudly boasted about his ensemble. Can you speak about working with Rupert as he balanced wearing a number of creative hats?

CM: Again, this was an extremely rewarding project to work on and quite a similar relationship as with Simon in the respect that Rupert was the writer/director and Oscar Wilde is so personal to him. And then we also had many scenes together in front of the camera, so Rupert and me had a real 3D experience together. It was a long time in the making. I was on board, I think, two years before we actually got shooting so I had a lot of time to work with Rupert and rehearse. He really inspired me, watching him wear all the different creative hats, such a challenging and difficult job/jobs to achieve and he really excelled--plus we just got on very well.

Playing queer roles

EDGE: You haven’t shied away from playing queer roles. Do you think we’re moving closer to a time when a person’s sexual orientation is of little consequence to the stories being told, or should it always matter? Or perhaps we need to continue to evolve as a culture for it to matter less or not at all...

CM: That’s a hard question to answer, I think certainly the shift in people’s attitudes has changed considerably for the better compared to 40 years ago, but there will always be resistance to change and acceptance from individuals and groups whether it be sexuality, religion, race, gender--we’re seeing it every day.

Evolution is, of course, inevitable, but if we can learn from the past as we evolve that would be the ideal. Unfortunately, we rarely do learn, and history repeats itself.

EDGE: You were featured prominently in one of my favorite episodes of the “The Crown” (”Bubbikins”) as the fictional journo John Armstrong. Can you speak a bit about working on the show and with the great Jane Lapotaire?

CM: I had an exceptionally good time working on “The Crown.” Director Benjamin Caron, especially, was so prepared and creative, and made the whole experience so welcoming and inclusive. It was an incredibly happy set, with extremely talented people in every department, and I admired the ethos of the whole production and have no doubt that’s a huge ingredient to its success, along with Peter Morgan’s incredible writing.

I was also a fan of the show, and it was an honor to be part of the third season. And I can’t say enough amazing things about Jane Lapotaire. We talked a lot in between filming, and I relished every moment of that.

EDGE: You’ve done a ton of stage work. Do you have a favorite role you’ve played onstage?

CM: I’ve been so lucky with the theatre work I’ve done, to work with such special directors and work in wonderful theatres in London. I’ve worked at the Old Vic and The Young Vic twice each, and they’re always special to me. Ian Rickson is a liberating director, who I love. It’s hard to pick a favorite, because the roles have all been so different and presented different challenges, but, most recently, doing “A Number,” playing three different characters alongside Roger Allam and directed by Polly Findlay, was a really treasured experience, and I never tired of doing that show, every performance was challenging as it was.

Miss the rehearsal room

EDGE: You were doing “A Number” earlier this year. Did you finish your run before the lockdown/shutdown?

CM: Just about! We had our final performance, and then lockdown happened days later. I feel very sorry for the productions that didn’t get the sense of completion of finishing a run. I mean, finishing a full run leaves you in a kind of post-show void anyway, even though you know it’s coming, so to not know it’s coming and have it severed must be even more of a void.

Memories of performing just months ago seem like such an unattainable thing in this COVID world right now. I can’t tell you how much I’m hoping we get back to some semblance of live performance.

EDGE: What was it like to appear onstage opposite Dame Diana Rigg in “All About My Mother?”

CM: Well, I think “iconic” is an apt word for both the experience of working with Diana and the lady herself. In between scenes backstage we used to talk a lot and we got told off for talking too loudly, so Diana began to teach me sign language and we would spell out words to each other, maybe only getting a couple of sentences to each other before she was due on stage and I had to get into position for my next entrance-- we did a radio play together two years ago and she remembered, she said, “Do you remember A-E-I-O-U?” signing out the letters with her hands.

EDGE: None of us knows the future in terms of the pandemic and when we might return to making theatre. I’m a playwright myself and find it all supremely frustrating but I’m trying to remain hopeful! Where are you right now in terms of the standstill we are in and what the future might hold?

CM: Yes, I’m so worried for theatre. It’s a devastating blow. I’m sure as a playwright, you know that the creative spirit in individuals hasn’t been diminished by this virus. People are creating important art in this crisis but we need the platforms to present it and bring people to some light again out of this really scary period, but it needs to be safe and it’s a worrying time. The virtual theatre approach must be looked at I think. We need to experiment and find new paths at least for the time being. I’m involved in developing some things right now and how we can work on things in both an isolated and collaborative way. It’s entirely counterintuitive to what the family-feel and close bond of a group in a rehearsal room is like-- I miss the rehearsal room so much!-- but we can’t sit still, we must create and we must act.

What’s in a role?

EDGE: Looking back on the great success of “Merlin,” what are your takeaways from that experience?

CM: Some of the most treasured memories of my life will forever be connected to “Merlin,” the cast, crew, production, everyone! The invaluable training of being in front of a camera every day! The chance to inhabit a character and live with him for five seasons! There’s too much to list and words probably won’t do justice anyway, but I’m truly grateful for everything the show gave me.

EDGE: How do you select the roles you play?

CM: I guess they select me in a way. I can’t play a role unless it speaks to me and provokes me in some way, but ultimately it’s the characters that I have a fear about playing, not knowing how I’m going to enter into the process of living them, when I don’t have all the answers it’s a good indicator of a character I must play. If I have all the answers, there’s less scope for exploration and discovery which isn’t as interesting for me.

Link here

[infinitejapanication]

Dear Arashi,

The day I dreaded is here. It’s January 1st 2021 and you’re now gone into your indefinite hiatus.

Those (almost) two years passed by so quickly since you announced your hiatus. I still remember vividly when you announced it, as if it was yesterday. I remember thinking at that time that if that’s what you want and that’s what make you happy, then we should let you go and I just needed time to process this. Yet, here I am, January 1st 2021 and even after all this time, I guess I’ll still need a little more time to adjust my life as you won’t be here as 5 from now on. The thing that makes it so hard I guess is that during those almost 2 years before today, you kept giving us content, thanking us, you once again thought of us, your fans, more than anything else. From January 27th 2019 till yesterday, you did your best and gave us so many things, just like you did during all those years, even more. And that’s why it’s still so hard now to say good bye today, even though I knew since January 2019 that you were going on indefinite hiatus.

I remember thinking, many times during those last years with you, “but how am I gonna do without them? How will it be?” And to be honest, till today, I still don’t have the answer to those questions. I guess it will come as time passes.

Because yes, you’ve always been there. You’ve always been a part of my life. I discovered ARASHI in 2007, when I was 12. It’s now the year 2021 and I’m 25. I grew up with you, with your presence everywhere, even if we were so far apart. Everyday, ARASHI was there, through pictures I found on the internet or music I was listening to, articles on the blogs that I was reading at that time, through tv shows and DVD concerts. So, as my environment was always filled with ARASHI, I still don’t know how it will be without you in it. I mean, without some new contents of you as 5, since of course, I still have many things to look back to, thanks to all the things you gave us.

Without really realising it, ARASHI quickly became my safe place, a bubble where I could escape whenever I feel like it. Every time I felt down, or when I felt like escaping reality, I was watching one of your show or watching one of your concert and I could forget for a while my worries. Every time, you 5 were able to put a smile on my face, to make me laugh, to make me less worried and to help me overcome what I was going through. You were always the ones who could make me smile no matter what, even in my most stressful years. You were always there, in the happy moments as in the stressful moments and tough moments.

Thinking of ARASHI makes me think of my happiest moments, of a time when I was still smiling no matter what. Seeing ARASHI gives me constant warmth, comfort and happiness. And it always will. You give me countless of emotions and I’m so grateful for that.

Unfortunately sometimes, life got in the way and I couldn’t catch up on everything you were releasing etc. And at that time, way before you announce your hiatus, I was sometimes thinking that it’s alright if I can’t catch up on everything because there will always be new content. Indeed, it was so normal for me to see you releasing a new album, to see concert reports, to see photoshoots and magazines interviews. I almost took all of this for granted while I really shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.

But ARASHI! I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you for everything you’ve done until now. Thank you for all this hard work during all these years. Thank you for creating a safe place, a beautiful world where we can escape whenever we need to and where we learnt that no matter what hardships we go through, we’re not alone and we should never give up.

Thanks to you, I’ve surpassed myself. I believed in myself. I started learning Japanese thanks to you and you’re still the reason why I still learn Japanese today.

Thanks to you, I met amazing people from all over the world and I made friends that are so far away yet it feels like they’re just right besides me. I even met some of them in real life. Thanks to you, I made lifetime friendships.

Thanks to you, I was able to make tons and tons of memories with those friends, while we were watching your concerts, tour tv shows and stuff. Thanks to you, I have memories that I will hold preciously forever.

Thank you ARASHI.

Ohno, thank you for all the sacrifices you made all those years. Thank you for all the talent you shared with us. Thank you for always listening carefully to the other members’ opinions and putting them first before your own opinion. Thank you for sticking around even when you didn’t feel like it anymore. The best leader ARASHI could have. Thank you for everything. Go enjoy your vacations and I can’t wait to hear about them when you’re back. I’ll wait for you. 🎣⛵️✨

Sho, thank you for being ARASHI’s shadow leader. Thank you for protecting ARASHI with all your might. For guiding ARASHI and the fans. For making us feel secure to be an ARASHI fan and telling us that there’s no “perfect fan”. Thank you for always reading the atmosphere and acting serious when it was needed but also making us laugh when you knew it was needed too. Thank you for everything. I can’t wait to hear more from your journalism work. I’ll be watching. 🗞📺✨

Aiba, thank you for all those smiles and all those positive emotions you gave us throughout those years even when it was the hardest for you. Thank you for always sharing this warm smile with us. You’re the reason of many smiles I had during all those years and the same goes to lots of fans. Thank you for teaching us that even when something terrible happens, we shouldn’t give up. Thank you for always showing your emotions, for being someone with such a big heart. Thank you for everything. I can’t wait to see your variety shows. I’ll be watching and smiling with you. 🐻🐒💚✨

Nino, thank you for always speaking your mind and for not being afraid to be totally honest with you. Thank you for always taking care of the members through your small actions and for protecting them. Thank you for teaching us that we should just be ourselves, that we can cry because it’s okay to show our true emotions sometimes. Thank you for being yourself and for being fearless. That’s what makes you unique. Thank you for everything. I can’t wait to see more of your acting work. I’ll be watching and be amazed by your acting skills again. 🎬📺✨

Jun, I don’t even know how to start. You’re the reason I’m here and what I am today. Thank you for always loving ARASHI more than anyone. Thank you for always thinking of ARASHI first, for doing everything you did for ARASHI and putting ARASHI before your own life. Thank you for always thinking of ARASHI more than anyone. Thank you for propping ARASHI up. Thank you for always exceeding our expectations every time, year by year. Thank you for thinking of the fans more than anyone and for always doing it. Thank you for all your hard work, those countless nights when you didn’t get enough sleep, for every single sacrifice you did during all those years just so ARASHI’s concerts can be what they are today. Thank you for always thinking of every single detail. You’re the one who taught me what true hard work and dedication are, the one who taught me that it's okay to have weaknesses and that we should also always try to push our own limits. You’re the one who taught me that we should never give up on our dreams. Thank you for being such an inspiration since all this time. Thanks to you, I had the courage to finally give up the studies I didn’t like for studying something I love. I can’t even thank you enough for everything you did. I love you so much. Please enjoy your break, be selfish and live your life the way you want. I’ll be waiting for you to come back and I’ll still be amazed by what you do and the person you are. 🎥🎆💜✨

Thank you ARASHI for everything.

It’s time for you to be selfish for once and think of you first, instead of your fans.

Go enjoy your break, go enjoy life. 🎈✨

I hope this hiatus will be the opportunity for you to discover so much more about life, that it will give you tons and tons of opportunities, that it will make you the happiest.

I’ll hold all those precious memories and grow up thanks to them so I can be a better version of myself when we’ll see you as 5 again.

Whether it takes 5 years or 20 years, I’ll be waiting. We’ll all be waiting.

I love you.

BE HAPPY, ARASHI. 🪁💙❤️💚💛💜✨

[alexsmitposts]

Why do modern Europeans believe that the United States won the Second World War

History is a science that serves politics. This often leads to distortions in the interpretation of events. According to polls, 50% of Europeans are convinced that the United States won World War II, 22% - Great Britain and only 14% know about the role of the USSR in the destruction of fascism.

Neighbors-distort as they can

In Russia, as the successor of the USSR, the most accurate idea of the history of those terrible years is still preserved. But in Belarus, history is already taught in a truncated version, focusing on the partisan movement and on the fact that most civilians died in this country.

In Polish schools, the history of the war is taught as the story of the battle of two dictators – Hitler and Stalin. It is said that Poland was first invaded by Germany. and then the Soviet Union. Teachers focus on the atrocities of the UPA* and the shooting of officers in Katyn.

In Estonia, it is still difficult to hide an awl in a bag – too many people studied in Soviet schools. But the Day of the liberation of Tallinn on September 22 is now celebrated as the Day of Resistance to the USSR, and they teach that on this day the Soviet Union occupied the state.

According to the historian Vladimir Simindei, the situation in Latvia is similar: textbooks tell how bravely the Latvian SS men mobilized by Hitler fought with Soviet soldiers, and it is said about the Nuremberg trial that " it was highly politicized, especially because it was influenced by the Stalinist USSR."

In the textbooks of Moldova, it is written that Romania fought on the side of Hitler with the "good" goal – to return Bessarabia, which was supposed to go to the country of the Soviets under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and then "switched" to the side of the coalition. There are many mistakes in the books, the emphasis is on maps of military operations, but there are no major distortions.

The "Allies" want to forget the USSR

But things are different in the camp of the allies of that time. They acted according to the precepts of Hitler, who wrote in Mein Kampf: "I do not want history to be crammed, I want it to educate", and changed everything.

In some US textbooks, they teach that Hitler was defeated by America. Schoolchildren are sure that the American marines "caught" Hitler in the mountain bunker "Eagle's Nest", where they destroyed him. Since the Americans can not show the public the remains of the dictator, American journalists are looking for him in Brazil, then in Bolivia.

But many people know the truth. For example, the actor and director Clint Eastwood inserted in his film "Train to Paris" an episode where the main characters go on a tour of Berlin, and a German guide tells about the USSR and shows the place where Hitler's body was burned.

Students are told about the bombing of civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a retaliatory strike against the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The historian Stanislav Kulchitsky points out that in Western schools, the turning point is called the defeat of Rommel in Africa and the emphasis is on lend-lease.

Russian Russian history textbook Modern World History (California Edition) says about the USSR that the country was not ready for the attack of the Nazis, the troops were not modernized, and if it were not for the Russian winter, the Russians would have had a bad time. However, this textbook does not say that the US won, but it says that "the war is over".

According to a survey by the Washington Post, the American philistine believes that the USSR during World War II acted only "as an assistant."

Approximately the same thing, but with an emphasis on the actions of the British military forces, is taught in the Foggy Albion. They teach that the victory in the Second World War is solely the merit of this country. According to ITAR-TASS, since 2007, the mention of Joseph Stalin, as the leader of one of the three countries-the Syuznik, about Adolf Hitler himself, and even about him, has been removed from high school textbooks... Winston Churchill!

The British government explained this act by saying that "we need to keep up with the XXI century."

Historian Holger Nehring points out that English textbooks focus on the European Theater of war, they deny the leading role of the United States and, even more so, the USSR.

The vanquished don't want to remember the shame

In Italy, children are taught that the United Kingdom and the United States won. Basically, the brave Italians fought with the allies. The leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox community, Oles Gorodetsky, pointed out in an interview that the books do not mention either German or Soviet commanders.

In Japan, they try to avoid the topic of war at all costs. Students know that there was a war, that the United States, the British and the Russians fought on one side, and on the other – Germany, Romania and Italy. Japan was an" ally " of Germany. It is touching to talk about how elephants died of starvation in Osaka, but try not to touch on the topic of the Nanking massacre, when Japanese soldiers slaughtered 300,000 Chinese. Japanese teachers themselves admit that schoolchildren practically do not know the history of the XX century. The role of the United States as a winning country is emphasized.

In Germany itself, they would like to belittle the role of the USSR. Russian emigrants, whose children study in German schools, say that in the books there is such a thing as Siegermächte – the winning countries, which include the USSR, the United States and Great Britain. The same sounds from TV sets. About the war itself in schools, they speak concisely, without emotion. They mention the theory of the superiority of one race over all, almost do not talk about the death camps and the atrocities of the SS. In the minds of young people, they put the idea that everything would be fine if it were not for the war with the USSR.

What do other countries think?

In Israel, they honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, but they almost do not know about the heroism of Soviet soldiers. They also hold the opinion that the war was won by a coalition of countries. Likud MP Avraham Nagosa admits that Israeli students should know about the heroism of Jewish soldiers who fought in the Red Army.

In India, people think that the greatest contribution to the victory over the Nazis was made by the United States.

African countries where there was fighting: Algeria, Egypt or Morocco, whose volunteers took part in the liberation of Europe, also teach children that the winner in World War II was the United States.

And only in China, schools teach that a huge role in this was played in the USSR and honor the memory of Soviet heroes.