Fangirl, meet Fanboy

One of the things my boyfriend and I marvel at most is how many things - specifically stories - we're mutually passionate about and how they led us to meet and get to know one another.  There have been several moments where I just have to shake my head and smile at how much fun it is to appreciate stories together.  So I thought I'd share a few of those moments.

(Key: S=me, M=him)


The day after we met, he was perusing my blog...
S: Oh, I apologize in advance, there's a LOT of stuff on my blog about Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston, because I'm a huge fan of them both.
M: Well... how could you not be?

Discussing "important life questions," such as, favorite Avenger?
S: Can I choose Loki?
M: *smiles* Samara, I'm so glad you're a Loki girl rather than a Thor girl...  Deeply dynamic, understandably pained characters like Loki are precious to good stories, for them to last with you.

We were chatting with some of my family and...
M: I just love Patrick Stewart.  I met him at Comic Con last year.  Patrick Stewart is my [gestures to me] Benedict Cumberbatch.

On our first official date, we arrived at the restaurant early. So he pulls out one of his flutes and plays me "Concerning Hobbits" - from memory. 

During the craze of the Ice Bucket Challenge...

S: Ooh! Benedict did the Ice Bucket Challenge :) 

M: [watches] Haha - has Hiddleston done one yet?? 

S: Yes! [sends it to him] 

M: Brilliant!

He is a wonderful Trekkie, and also a huge fan of lions. The other day I find this on FB. 

M: Lion's log stardate 08271.4: I have encountered a new and intriguing life form called the Beautiful Girlfriend. My investigation may require all my attention. 

We read one of Matt's favorite books and now we're reading one of mine, Pride & Prejudice. It is completely new to him & he is "flipping loving it." Last night he was live-texting me his reaction to Darcy's proposal at Hunsford. Below are snippets of our conversation: 

M: [Sends a photo of the "In vain I have struggled…" line] Wut. :D Like, wow!!! Yes!! C:

S: Hehe, Matt are you developing a mancrush on Darcy? It's totally ok...I won't be jealous! 

M: I mean I... Well, yes, in fact I'm quite over Wickham and have put on my Team Darcy t-shirt... 

[a few minutes later] 

M: Shut. Down! 

S: Looks like someone ain't Team Darcy 

M: Not in the least... 

[a few more minutes] 

M: Oh my gosh that was the best fight I've ever read. 

 

These are just a few of many moments where I've been really thankful to be in a relationship with this Fanboy :) 

Q&A with Tom Hiddleston

Last weekend I saw Coriolanus with some ladies, and ever since has been "Tom Hiddleston Appreciation Week."  I know I've mentioned him before, but I've realized some people don't know much about him. Well, let's just say he's a lovely old soul who has still retained a child's playfulness.  And is at the same time devilishly handsome!

Last fall, he did a Twitter Q&A and I loved some of his answers, so here are some quotes, pictures and videos of his for your enjoyment.

[My favorite poem...]

 He recites the beginning in this photo shoot & interview:

[My favorite Disney film as a child...]

He once broke into the "Bare Necessities" impromptu:

 

[Hiddleston reading to his Thor teddy bear]

 

[Hiddleston with Quvenzhane Wallis at the MTV Movie Awards 2013]

[Prince Hal to Henry V - from PBS's The Hollow Crown]

[Hiddleston as F. Scott Fitzgerald in Midnight in Paris]

And remember...

Probably more to come on that, but it's safe to say that I think Hiddleston is pretty fantastic.

Tom Hiddelston, ladies & gents

I'm still sitting on my review for 12 Year's a Slave and working on a few other fun posts, but for now, I leave you with Tom Hiddleston's dance abilities:

"I would believe only in a god that knows how to dance." 
- Friedrich Nietzsche would be Loki'd 

In other Hiddleston adorableness, he said of his work on the upcoming Muppet movie:
"I worked with the man himself, Kermit the Frog. I've peaked — it's downhill from here."

Wednesday Creatives: The London Stage comes to Seattle

I need live theatre.  Not just want... I need it.  If I go too long without it I get twitchy!

And I'm not too much of a snob about it; a $5 UW Undergrad production of Macbeth satisfied me just as much as some ventures to 5th Ave.  But, like with Peter and Alice (which I wrote about here & here),  there are times when a production sounds SO good that the quality matters.  That's when I'm so very grateful for the digital age! 

Two sources in particular are doing great things to bring London's Stage closer to home:  Digital Theatre and National Theatre Live.


Digital Theatre works with several great theatres - including the RSC, Royal Court, Shakespeare's Globe, and an array of West End productions.  Their site allows you to rent or buy digital copies of these productions.  They have a strong Shakespeare collection, but also several award-winning, contemporary options.   My personal favorite is their modernized Much Ado About Nothing starring David Tennant & Catherine Tate


[This was actually playing when I was in London, but, alas, was sold out]



[Yes - Doctor Who S3 becomes Shakespeare!]

The other, is National Theatre Live.  Beginning with the National Theatre of Great Britain 5 years ago, now extended to several other theatres, NT Live's purpose is to broadcast productions to cinemas around the world - making theatre accessible, while maintaining the collective viewing experience singular to the theatre.  When possible, they broadcast the plays live.  That means going to see a play in Seattle at noon while it is concurrently taking place at an 8 pm showing in London.  100% live.  They do encores as well, where they have recorded productions.

Through NT Live I've seen Danny Boyle's Frankenstein (starring the Olivier Award-Winning pair, Jonny Lee Miller & Benedict Cumberbatch) a few times - and it's returning this Fall!! - as well as Alan Bennett's play People.  They've both been fabulous quality!

Through SIFF, you can catch most NT Live productions.  Some upcoming hilights:  Helen Mirren in The Audience,  Rory Kinnear & Adrian Lester in Othello, and, coming next January, Tom Hiddleston is Coriolanus (!!)

All that to say - London can sometimes feel closer than it actually is.  And there are some surprisingly affordable ways to catch a viewing of some of the greatest actors reciting the greatest lines. 

If any of the NT Live showings strike your fancy, leave a comment - maybe we can go together!

36 for 36: Happy Birthday, Benedict Cumberbatch!

July 19, 1976. Special day. Special because Benedict Cumberbatch came into this world. I am particularly grateful for this one incredible actor.


So, for his birthday, I give you, 36 things I appreciate about Mr. Benedict Cumberbatch:


1. Sherlock.
I will never stop being grateful for the entirety of this show--but especially the dynamic Benedict brought to life through his performance.


2. How self-deprecating he is


3. His impersonations

[just one example :]

4. Gratefulness - He is continually expressing gratefulness for the roles he's been given, the praise he's received--He is still genuinely shocked when other people appreciate his work


5. His relationship with his parents - Benedict is the only son of actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham (still married)

[Wanda and Benedict - via]

It was a performance of Glengarry Glen Ross

...that he broke his father’s heart with pride. “After the show he told me I was a better actor than he had ever been or would ever be. He was tearing up as he was saying it.” He has continued to be “terribly proud and utterly selfless”, revelling in his son’s success. When Hawking was well reviewed in The Sunday Times his father framed the drawing that accompanied the piece as a 28th birthday present. “Mum gets a bit emotional on first nights,” he says, “but Dad... he started to weep at the first night of After the Dance when he was telling me how proud he was. I didn’t know what to do. I just held onto him. I said, ‘You’re not crying out of relief that I got through it, are you?’ And he said, ‘No, you stupid boy. I’m crying because you were so wonderful.’

6. The way he so badly wants to be a dad


When asked his greatest disappointment, he responded: "Not being a dad by age 32."


7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. 

[While filming, Gary Oldman had to swim in a freezing cold lake. Cumberbatch offered to jump in first... verifying the water was, indeed, freezing.]

8. Hair - in a variety of styles

9. He looks good in period clothing


10. His funny faces

11. Amazing Grace.
When I first saw this I had no idea who he was, nevertheless it was my introduction.


12. Full name: Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch [Benedict is his, but the rest of the name is his dad's]

Benedict means "one spoken well of" and Cumberbatch comes from a Welsh word for "one who dwells in a wooded glen." haha

13. That his first stage role was as Tatiana, Queen of the Fairies in Midsummer Night's Dream.
He went to an all boys boarding school, okay? Haha... what I'd give to see that.


14. Voice.
It's been described as "a jaguar hiding in a cello..." ummm, yes =)


[Now, Benedict, will you please stop smoking so you and your voice will last longer??]


15. The Reichenbach Tear!


16. That he rejects celebrity.
His life isn't all out there for the public. As much as I wish I could follow his every move (more easily, anyway), I'm grateful he doesn't have a twitter or anything. It keeps him more mysterious.


17. That he gives everything to a role. I mean, the dude studied Komodo-dragons at the London Zoo to prepare for his role as Smaug.


18. His favorite poem is "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats. [I think the reason he lives in Hampstead is at least partly due to Keat's house there]





19. That--though he impersonates them--he's always respectful to Directors.
In interviews it's always Mr. Spielberg, Mr. Abraams.


20. That he's so awfully gangly.


21. That he really does look like an otter


22. That he's great on stage as well as screen. 

Three BAFTA nominations and an Olivier award on the shelf--not to mention a host of other nods??

23. Frankenstein. Brilliant and chilling in both roles.


24. His amazing displays of strength.

He's portrayed multiple characters who's muscles fail in some way (Frankenstein, Hawking, etc.) and he has such incredible command over those gangly limbs!

25. His buddies

[Tom Hardy - costar in both Stuart: a Life Backwards and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]

  

[Jonny Lee Miller - co-star, and co-Olivier Winner, in Frankenstein]

[Martin Freeman - Sherlock, The Hobbit, need I say more?]

[Tom Hiddleston - War Horse]

[James McAvoy - Starter for 10 and Atonement]

26. His handling of the car-jacking situation

While filming To the Ends of the Earth (2005) in South Africa, Cumberbatch, along with some friends, were car-jacked. He was tied up, beat, and had a gun held to his head (you can read more details here). But he left that night not with bitterness or fear, just an intense desire to live. In one interview: "It’s made me want to live a life slightly less ordinary."

27. That he loves London and Great Britain so much =)

28. He's complained of the shape of his head, comparing it to Sid the Sloth's


29. The crow's-feet, because it means he's smiled so often in his life...

30. That even though it terrified him, he was willing to dare the runway for his favorite designer, Spencer Hart


31. He's still a fanboy

32. The suspenders - he openly admits his interest in fashion is relatively new... and he blames it on Martin Freeman. "There's a man who knows his threads," he told one interviewer

33. His thoughtfulness - in an interview with the guardian, he offered to share a tea-bag with the journalist while sounding off on the subject with everything from "tea ceremonies to post-colonial theory..." Moreover, he spent his gap year teaching English in Nepal, contemplating his decision to pursue acting.


34. Humor - if it isn't obvious through other things posted, the bloke is hilarious! He's constantly cracking jokes about himself, his colleagues, impersonating people, dancing, etc... he just enjoys life and enjoys making other people laugh.


35. Intelligence - a "public school" education, a passion for research, and an expansive vocabulary all contribute to his knowledgeable approach to roles and interviews


36. Just him =)

Benedict, 35 was a fabulous year, but I'm hoping 36 is even better [of course an Emmy nomination isn't a bad way to start]! Here's to another fantastic year - Happy Birthday!