Tag: Things That Are British (21-30 of 43)

Sep 28 2012 01:02 PM ET

'Downton Abbey' creator wants a Robert/Cora prequel. What should it be about?

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Image Credit: Nick Briggs/PBS

Downton Abbey: The Early Years?

Abbey-holics may be in for such a treat, based on comments Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes told the U.K.’s Daily Mail. It sounds like Fellowes is taking a page from Fanfiction and may be expanding the universe.

“I do have an idea of doing a prequel of the courtship between Robert and Cora,”  he said. “It is a fascinating time when the Buccaneers were coming to England and marrying [aristocrats]. Cora was in love with him before they married but as we know he only fell in love with her about a year after they married. He married her purely for the money. I think that is something he came to feel quite guilty about.” READ FULL STORY »

Sep 21 2012 11:51 AM ET

Helen Mirren will portray Queen Elizabeth II again

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Image Credit: Laurie Sparham

Long live Helen Mirren!

The British actress who won an Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 movie, The Queen, will once again don the crown for a new play written by Peter Morgan and to be directed by Stephen Daldry. (Mirren also portrayed the other Queen Elizabeth in a 2005 miniseries, Elizabeth I.)

The new play, The Audience, will focus on the Queen’s relationship with the 12 prime ministers who served during her reign — from Churchill to Cameron. “For 60 years Elizabeth II has met each of her 12 prime ministers in a weekly audience at Buckingham Palace. A meeting like no other in British public life — it is private. Both parties have an unspoken agreement never to repeat what is said. Not even to their spouses. The Audience breaks this contract of silence — and imagines a series of pivotal meetings between the Downing Street incumbents and their Queen,” according to The Audience’s official site.

The Audience will begin performances at the Gielguld Theatre in London’s West End on Feb. 15, 2013.

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Sep 13 2012 02:28 PM ET

Five more signs that Prince William and Kate Middleton might be expecting a royal baby

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Image Credit: Arthur Edwards/Getty Images

Will the world soon welcome another itty-bitty British person who has to worry about inheriting the dreaded Prince Charles Hairline? Possibly, according to Internet chatter. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, has reportedly been raising eyebrows by toasting with water at events celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee and sporting a “well-defined ‘baby bump’” at a public appearance in Singapore. Sure, rumors about Kate’s possible pregnancy have been floating around ever since she donned that sleeved wedding dress — but this time, they might actually have merit.

Especially if the following information is true.* See, my English spy friends have been keeping an eye on William and Kate’s family for the past few weeks — and what they’ve seen is a pretty strong indication that the Duchess really does have a bun in her royal oven. Here’s what I’ve been told so far:

- After downing a few shots with Ryan Lochte, Prince Harry kept talking about how he can’t wait to be the “cool uncle” who “teaches the kid how to play billiards.”

READ FULL STORY »

Aug 17 2012 11:50 AM ET

Behind the scenes at David Beckham's underwear ad shoot -- PHOTO

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You’d think that we’d be tired of seeing soccer stud David Beckham in his skivvies by now, but just the opposite is true. Each scantily clad image of Becks seems to be better than the last. The latest photo to feast your eyes on comes from a shoot for H&M’s Beckham bodywear collection. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 16 2012 12:58 PM ET

Julian Assange granted asylum by Ecuador

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Image Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been holed up in London’s Ecuadorean Embassy since June, waiting for the South American nation to respond to his request for asylum. Today, Ecuador came through: It granted Assange asylum, guaranteeing him protection from arrest as long as he’s on Ecuadorean territory, writes the New York Times.

Of course, in order to get to Ecuador, Assange will have to leave the embassy — and Britain has no intention of letting him. Britain’s highest court ruled last year that Assange must be extradited back to Sweden, where he will be questioned about an alleged rape and an alleged molestation.

READ FULL STORY »

Aug 15 2012 09:00 AM ET

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre plays set to screen in U.S. movie theaters -- EXCLUSIVE TRAILER AND POSTER

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Image Credit: Keith Pattison

In a twist on Jacques’ declaration in As You Like It that “all the world’s a stage,” Shakespeare’s stage is now coming to the world.

Three plays performed last year in London’s Globe Theatre, a reconstruction of the home of William Shakespeare’s plays in the latter half of his career, will be screened in movie theaters in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. starting this fall.

EW has the exclusive trailer and poster for this year’s “Globe on Screen” season, which features productions of two comedies by the Bard, All’s Well That Ends Well and Much Ado About Nothing, and the hellish tragedy by one of his contemporaries, Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 13 2012 08:46 AM ET

Olympic Stud of the Day: The Olympic Flame

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Image Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Yes, the Flame technically was extinguished last night in London, but its elegance — its power — rests in its symbolism. Pomp and circumstance aside, the Olympic Flame lives on whether a cauldron is alight or not. It never really goes out. This sentiment has a tendency to lapse into a sort of greeting-card hokiness that viewers easily gloss over, but the creative minds behind these Games would not allow that kind of dismissal. They not only embraced the metaphor, they took it a step farther and made it tangible.

By constructing one giant Flame from scores of individual torches engraved with the names of each athletic delegation, they offered a poetic visualization of the spirit of unity that underpins the Games. More over, this particular Flame ensured that each country had its own torch to take home — a poignant parting gift that quite literally distributed a piece of the Games to everyone, not just medal winners and/or countries with an outside shot of hosting a future Games.

Add to that another arresting visual during last night’s Closing Ceremony: A phoenix rising over the Flame. This Games’ end is also a beginning — not only the beginning of preparations for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, but also the beginning of countless dreams of future Olympians. READ FULL STORY »

Jul 31 2012 08:20 AM ET

Olympics recap, Day 3: U.S. swimming wins big while U.S. men's gymnastics melts down

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Image Credit: Gregory Bull/AP

“The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” may be the slogan for ABC’s defunct Wide World of Sports, but rarely has it been as apt as on the third day of NBC’s Olympic primetime coverage. The U.S. pulled in some major hardware in the swimming pool — though Ryan Lochte faltered for the second day in a row, and went home without a medal for the first time at this Olympics. America landed its first medal for men’s diving since 1996 — but diver Tom Daley, Great Britain’s most famous Olympian and one of its best chances for gold, failed to reach the medal stand. And while the host nation celebrated its first medal in men’s team gymnastics in 100 years, the favorites for gold, the United States, suffered through an agonizing slow-motion collapse, and finished a distant fifth.

Meanwhile, John McEnroe talked bikini bottoms with Bob Costas. The human drama of athletic competition, everyone! Let’s get to it:  READ FULL STORY »

Jul 26 2012 06:24 PM ET

For the Olympic torch relay, a royally, 'Absolutely Fabulous' final day

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Image Credit: Gareth Fuller/AP

The Olympic flame has completed its tour through the U.K., making some time for the iconic Absolutely Fabulous stars Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, who carried the torch together through Sloane Square on Thursday — sadly, sans martinis.

Ab Fab recently returned to TV for three special episodes commemorating its 20th anniversary. Before speed-walking through the crowd with the torch, the duo supplied photographers with plenty of lips-puckered, hips-popped poses. Lumley even sported Patsy’s blonde beehive ‘do for the occasion.

The torch also made its way past British royalty on Thursday, as Will, Kate, and Harry stood by during a passing off of the torch in front of Buckingham Palace. READ FULL STORY »

Jul 23 2012 05:16 PM ET

Patrick Stewart boldly goes through London with Olympic torch

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Image Credit: LOCOG via Getty Images

The Olympic torch’s journey through the U.K. is near its end, and Monday it passed through the hands of our favorite mutant/Starfleet captain.

Sir Patrick Stewart, of Star Trek: The Next Generation and X-Men fame, carried the torch through Croydon in South London.

“Nevermind Jean-Luc Picard. I have attended world premieres of big movies that have not had the excitement and sense of pleasure that people are exhibiting today,” Stewart said of the crowd gathered for the occasion.

The torch relay, which traditionally criss-crosses the globe, has remained solely in the U.K. this year. Most of the 8,000 torchbearers have been athletes and various notable British citizens.

READ FULL STORY »

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