Tag: British Things (21-30 of 345)

Mar 21 2012 04:47 PM ET

Wallace and Gromit praised on the floor of Parliament. Hear hear! -- VIDEO

WALLACE-GROMIT

Image Credit: DreamWorks Animation

Place yourself, for just a moment, back in the days of the George W. Bush administration. Now imagine the head of Bush’s economic team standing before Congress and declaring that their newest budget was expanding tax breaks not just to Hollywood, but the world of videogames, pay-cable television, and animation as well — with a full-throated endorsement of Woody and Buzz Lightyear to boot.

Kinda hard to picture, isn’t it?

But that’s exactly what happened this week across the pond in Parliament — and we’ve got the footage to prove it below. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 15 2012 12:52 PM ET

Gillian Anderson: 'I was actually offered a part in Downton Abbey'

gillian-anderson-elizabeth-mcgovern

Image Credit: BBC

While chatting up her role as Miss Havisham in Masterpiece Classic’s upcoming Great Expectations in this week’s TV Guide Magazine, former X-Files star Gillian Anderson dropped an equally great tidbit: She’d been offered the role of Cora Crawley in Downton Abbey. Forget being shocked about Agent Scully living at Downton — Anderson has acted in enough English period miniseries in the last decade to make her a welcomed face in the genre (she even used to host Masterpiece Classic). And she could certainly play an excellent determined buccaneer.

But what kind of Cora Crawley would she have made? READ FULL STORY »

Mar 11 2012 03:31 PM ET

'Wallace and Gromit' take on science in new series coming out on DVD -- Exclusive VIDEO

Our favorite British inventor (ok, maybe second to Tim Berners-Lee — we couldn’t PopWatch without the Web!) and his smart but silent dog are back in a new six-part series available on DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday, Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention. In the series, which originally aired on BBC One, Wallace is in front of the camera, teaching about inventions that help with everything from space travel to housework — and trusty cameradog Gromit is producing behind the scenes. Check out Wallace’s Rube Goldberg-meets-Mr. Wizard act in this exclusive clip after the jump.

READ FULL STORY »

Feb 25 2012 10:56 AM ET

Kenneth Branagh’s red carpet ritual, and more notes from a small island’s Oscar party

branagh-beckham-oldman

Image Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The Brits have brought us the Mini, Top Shop, and proper pints — but in Hollywood, their greatest contribution has been their talent. The stars came out Friday evening to honor their homeland’s 21 Oscar nominees at a pre-Oscar party hosted by British Consul-General Dame Barbara Hay at the British Consulate’s residence in Los Angeles.

U.K.-born acting nominees Kenneth Branagh, Janet McTeer, and Gary Oldman were all in attendance (along with Canadian nominee Christopher Plummer — yep, he is Canadian — Google it!), as well as behind-the-scenes talent including Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close director Stephen Daldry and The Iron Lady makeup artist Mark Coulier. And since no British event is complete without cucumber finger sandwiches and Victoria Beckham, those were on hand as well. READ FULL STORY »

Feb 3 2012 02:30 PM ET

Gary Oldman searches for the poetry in 'Jersey Shore'

It’s understood that a British accent can class up the most pedestrian of American dreck. As far as we’re concerned, every Brit went to Oxford and has afternoon tea with Colin Firth. But the British lilt was put to the test last night on Jimmy Kimmel, when Oscar-nominee Gary Oldman was tasked with reading an episode summary from the most recent Jersey Shore. Alas, there is no poetry between the words Snooki and urinary tract infection, no matter the graceful delivery and background violins. Still, this is as tasteful as Jersey Shore will ever sound. READ FULL STORY »

Feb 1 2012 05:55 PM ET

Bates, please! Seven 'Downton Abbey'-inspired Tumblrs that will delight or enrage you

TV-DOWNTON-ABBEY

Image Credit: Nick Briggs

For what it’s worth, the Internet is filled with productive people who actually want to help change the world. Unfortunately, those people are not the ones who made these seven Tumblr blogs, all inspired by the hit PBS series Downton Abbey.

Have a look at these Downton-inspired memes (a.k.a.: a disturbingly enjoyable joke that is employed repeatedly until the humor of it is clobbered into the ground), which will either contribute to your love of the show, or enrage you with their blatant disregard for the Downton canon.  READ FULL STORY »

Jan 31 2012 08:14 PM ET

Spice Girls 2012: A reunion fit for a Queen?

SPICE-GIRLS-QUEEN

Image Credit: Getty Images

Yo, I’ll tell you what Queen Elizabeth II wants, what she really, really wants: A Spice Girls reunion! Four years after their squeal-inducing 2007-2008 “Return of the Spice Girls” tour, rumors have started swirling that Scary, Ginger, Baby, Sporty, and Posh will take the stage together once again. Scary Spice herself, a.k.a. Melanie Brown, addressed the buzz on Australian morning program Sunrise, saying she would definitely be on board when 5 become 1, then she noted coyly, “We do have the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee coming up!” Check out the video (Spice Girls-specific soundbites start around 3:50) below. READ FULL STORY »

Jan 30 2012 09:45 PM ET
Jan 30 2012 01:25 PM ET

'Chariots of Fire' to run on the London stage

Chariots-of-Fire_320.jpg

Image Credit: Everett Collection

Cue that music: The Oscar-winning 1980 drama Chariots of Fire will get an entirely new kind of run. London’s Hampstead Theatre announced that, just in time for this summer’s Olympics, they’ll hold the world premiere of Mike Bartlett’s stage adaptation of the film about two runners beating the odds (and facing down anti-Semitism) in the 1924 Olympics. READ FULL STORY »

Jan 20 2012 02:25 PM ET

Hitler! Jesus! There is no God! Ricky Gervais knows our sore spots

Ricky Gervais is a comic genius. Period. Look no further than The Office. You can argue about the rest, the Golden Globes, the movie misfires, that unnerving cackle, whatever. The original British version of The Office was simply perfect, and its legacy is undeniable. Can we move on?

Wonderful. Thank you.

Now, people — fans of Gervais and haters alike — I want you to try harder. By that, I mean, I don’t want you to hyperventilate every time Gervais does something a little provocative — or seems to do something a little provocative. Take for instance the recent Internet outrage over Gervais tweeting photos of himself dressed up as Hitler and as Jesus. READ FULL STORY »

Advertisement

TV Recaps

Powered by WordPress.com VIP
Which will you see this weekend?