Lauded by Caitlin Moran in The Times for having a voice “like a jaguar hiding in a cello,” and possessing a name he once described as sounding like a fart in a bath, British actor Benedict Cumberbatch didn’t exactly rise to fame so much as suddenly and unexpectedly hurtle to prominence in the space of an evening some time at the end of last summer.
That’s not to say he hadn’t done stuff before Sherlock made him a recognisable face though. Oh no. Bankability Cumberstick has quite the filmography. Chances are that you’ve probably seen him in something already, you just didn’t realise it at the time. Whether it’s Scarlet Johansson’s useless first husband in The Other Boleyn Girl, the uptight team captain in Starter For 10, William Pitt in Amazing Grace, or even the creepy paedophile rapist in Atonement, he’s been in some pretty big movies and is clearly not afraid to tackle the pathetic, the perverse or even the downright ugly along the way. He’s worked with James McAvoy and Tom Hardy, done his time in bit-parts and docu-dramas, and I’m starting to suspect there’s not a theatre critic left in London who’s not just a little bit in love with him.
Alright, he may not fit the classical mould of matinee idol beefcake, I’ll be the first to admit there’s not many of my countrymen who do, but Butternut Cucumberpatch has an undeniable appeal on screen regardless. There’s a level of intensity coupled with a slightly fascinating oddness (not to mention those purring, Harrow-educated vowels, be still my trembling knees,) that means he has already been immortalised in song by the creative team at weebles-stuff, and really what more could anyone ask for?
He has detractors of course. The Mirror notoriously compared him to the racehorse Shergar, but between pressing my buttons by throwing around references to obscure bits of classical literature, reading innumerable audiobooks and doing ridiculous impressions of Alan Rickman, Queuecutting Bumblepants did take a moment to exhibit some equally appealing self-deprecation on the topic: “The irritating thing is that I’ve always said that myself, and now some journalist has taken credit for it. I looked good in the picture, the horse looked good. What’s the problem?”
Of course if all else fails and my very best arguments will never sway your opinion, there is one other thing you can do. And that’s compete to find the most appalling permutations of his delightfully long-winded name. How about Snufleupagus Brandysnap? Though it must be admitted, I find Frumious Bandersnatch is usually a game-winner…
Benedict Cumberbatch will soon be starring in The National Theatre’s production of Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle (viewable by satellite at selected global venues- Check the NTLive website for details) as well as appearing in the new Spielberg adaptation of War Horse and the upcoming Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Oh, and in my dirty, dirty fantasies. He’ll be appearing in those a lot as well.
Lady T is a great lover of British TV, which is helpful as that's mostly what she gets to watch. She strongly believes that tea can't be made using a microwave, that children's programming really was better when she was a kid, and that there's nothing in the world that can't be solved with a liberal application of common sense. She very much enjoys reading but like most of the rest of the world would some day like to write a book herself. If she ever succeeds in doing so there's a pretty good chance she'll never shut up about it. She can be contacted at lady_t_220 @ yahoo.co.uk.
Remember that post I did on Harry Potter and the Totally Awesome Musical? Upon reading it, you might have caught just a little squee (okay, a lot) about the musical’s lead, Darren Criss. I kept watching A Very Potter Musical and his solo pieces and wondering why this incredibly talented (and incredibly cute) guy wasn’t a nationally known name.
Well, he is now.
If you’ve missed it (or live under a lichen-covered rock, whichever), Darren was added to the cast of Glee for a three-episode run. And it was an important run – Kurt was being bullied for being gay, and in steps Blaine (Darren Criss), an out and proud teenager, to hold his hand through the bullying, reminding him to take courage. (It’s a beautiful thing to see on American television – someone who’s LGBT, presented as a simply normal guy whose sexuality is an important part of him, but doesn’t define him. Glee not only broke that barrier, they ran through it with a monster truck.)
In his first episode, he covered Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”, and did it so well that it instantly outsold Glee’s first season “Don’t Stop Believin’”.
It made such a splash that – hold on to your hats – he’s been added as a series regular for the already greenlit third season!
He seems to be a really great guy; he’s straight, but is thrilled to pieces to get the chance to play Blaine. He’s a brilliant musician – you ought to see the things he can do with a guitar – and his iTunes 5-song EP, “Human”, is beautiful. And he’s got a great sense of humor.
From a Vanity Fair interview:
Brett Berk: Darren! Great to talk to you. And congrats on earning the role of Blaine. All the kids on the show seem to have crazy stories about their auditions so why don’t you tell me yours?
Darren Criss: It’s not that crazy. Lea’s takes the cake. I heard that she was in an accident and had glass in her hair. I can make one up for you. I was fighting a bear in Canada. I was on the verge of death and looked him straight in the eye, and the bear took pity on me before I took my last breath. “Is there anything you want before you die I’m a bear of honor,” he asked. And I said, “I really want to go out for Glee.” And he said, “it just so happens I know the casting director, I’ll get you over there right now. But I’m going to kill you if you don’t get it.” So I went into the casting office, and I said, “I really want to do this part, and if I don’t get it, the bear’s going to kill me.” So they gave me this part. And the bear let me live. And now he’s a good friend of mine and a big fan of the show.
How can you not love that?
Next episode, Darren and his show choir do Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister”, a song that I hated on several levels – until he did it. And I’m not the only one saying it, either.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkHBbeUN1tk
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Yeah, this article’s about Darren and his accomplishments, but I have two other Glee-related tidbits to toss in.
Crappy pic, but getting a picture of a picture sans scanner is NOT EASY.
I have a small Glee connection. I went to high school with the choreographer and co-producer of the show, Zach Woodlee. Lemme tell y’all about Zach: for starters, he was a Cheerio. You heard that right. He was also the Big Man on Campus – and the rare type who got there by being nice to every single person. There was no girl at that school, no matter what her age, who didn’t want him, and no guy that – well, they didn’t want the cheerleader part, but they sure as hell wanted the rest of it.
The reason I remember him so well is not that I was truly friends with him, per se, but – and this goes with the Glee bullying arc – I was being bullied like you wouldn’t believe, and he was one of only three people in the school that I can remember treating me like a human. I kept getting stuck in lines, or seeing him at drama auditions, and we’d talk a little, or he’d see me and wave in the halls – on days where I was getting spat on in the hallways.
So there. Glee’s choreographer is an awesome guy. Not exactly explosive, but there you go.
(And Darren? If you actually read this – tell Zach some chick he won’t remember from high school says hi.)
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Now THIS is pure gossip. I believe it’s true, because I believe the person who told me – but in the end, it’s hearsay.
Apparently, Cory Monteith was not the original Finn, and Mark Salling was not the original Puck. They let the original Finn go and hired Cory, but found themselves with a problem – the guy they hired for Puck looked way too much like Cory Monteith, so they had to let HIM go too. Poor Original Puck! Not that I don’t like Mark Salling – I do – but you gotta feel for the guy.
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Anyhow, Darren – congrats on being a series regular, and you’re totally awesome. And readers? I’d march out and snap up that EP, “Human”. A taste:
LamoreVincera
LamoreVincera has been a geek chick since the third grade, when she discovered Star Wars, Luke Skywalker, and a penchant for blond-haired farm boys. She has a lifetime-long love of fantasy, sci-fi, history, and medicine, and is currently working on achieving her dream of becoming a midwife, as well as working on a novel. She can be contacted at LamoreVincera @ hotmail . com and followed on Twitter at the link below.
For my fellow NaNoWriMo participants, I give you our favorite, geeky, adorable, fictional author doing what we’re all going to be doing feverishly throughout November:
Write away, my fellow fangirls (and fanboys)!
TDF Pamela
The Discriminating Fangirl, who is more likely to answer to Pamela if you shout it at her, is the proud owner of an MA in English, focusing on children's/young adult literature and popular culture. Because of her ample free time thanks to being gainfully unemployed, she reads voraciously. She also loves geeky movies and tv shows, reads comic books as often as she can buy them, and when she's procrastinating, she enjoys playing video games. She can be contacted at t.d.fangirl @ gmail.com and followed on Twitter at the link below.
Okay, I’ve been hit by a fit of nostalgia for Lost, specifically Sawyer’s habit of walking around without a shirt on.
It took me a while to like Sawyer as a character. I thought he was an asshole at first (which is understandable, since he is a bit of an asshole). I grew more fond of him when his characterization and motivations got more complicated. I have to confess, though, seeing him without a shirt on helped a lot.
He has a nice smile, too. ;)
TDF Pamela
The Discriminating Fangirl, who is more likely to answer to Pamela if you shout it at her, is the proud owner of an MA in English, focusing on children's/young adult literature and popular culture. Because of her ample free time thanks to being gainfully unemployed, she reads voraciously. She also loves geeky movies and tv shows, reads comic books as often as she can buy them, and when she's procrastinating, she enjoys playing video games. She can be contacted at t.d.fangirl @ gmail.com and followed on Twitter at the link below.
Unless you’re a big Lord of the Rings nerd, you’re probably thinking, Marton who? If you are a big LOTR nerd, you might still be wondering that, or you might have just hopped up and shrieked “CELEBORN!”
CELEBORN!
Oh yeah, that’s the elf. Marton Csokas, an actor from New Zealand, is probably best known in the U.S. for playing Galadriel’s honey in The Lord of the Rings movies. However, if you’re a Xena: Warrior Princess nerd, you’d probably recognize him as this guy:
BORIAS!!! (click to embiggen)
Yep, he was Borias, Xena’s barbarian boyfriend and babydaddy.
Unfortunately, many of his parts in American films tend to be either villains or very small parts as good guys. He was the villian in XxX, that Vin Diesel blows shit up movie from 2002; the scenery-chewing baddie Guy de Luisignan in Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven (and frankly, he’s the only reason I actually rewatch that movie); the time-travelling baddie in Timeline (a fun movie that just doesn’t get enough love, IMO); and even had a small part as Jarda, a former operative, in The Bourne Supremacy.
He’s also done some wonderful work in dramas, like Asylum, Romulus, My Father, and another underrated bit of entertainment, Æon Flux, in which Marton plays Trevor Goodchild.
Most recently, you might have seen him in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. He played Charles Kingsleigh, Alice’s father, in the brief scene in which Alice is a little girl.
So, he’s a fabulous actor, yes, and I’m always on the lookout for him in new movies. But he is RIDICULOUSLY sexy. Part of it is in his voice and how he moves (if I might be flighty for a moment, the man moves like a fucking panther), and part of it is his sheer presence. He’s a tall, broad guy with some of the sexiest hazel eyes I’ve ever seen. Click to embiggen the pics.
TDF Pamela
The Discriminating Fangirl, who is more likely to answer to Pamela if you shout it at her, is the proud owner of an MA in English, focusing on children's/young adult literature and popular culture. Because of her ample free time thanks to being gainfully unemployed, she reads voraciously. She also loves geeky movies and tv shows, reads comic books as often as she can buy them, and when she's procrastinating, she enjoys playing video games. She can be contacted at t.d.fangirl @ gmail.com and followed on Twitter at the link below.
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Lady T
Where my Gleeks at?
LamoreVincera
TDF Pamela
