strange and random happenstance: Emma Spotlight

Showing posts with label Emma Spotlight. Show all posts

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Emma Spotlight: Rupert Evans

Here we go... the man that had Highbury all under his spell!

Name: Rupert Evans

First Impression: North & South as that mutinous Frederick Hale.

Lasting Impression: He hasn't really made one on me yet... he's kind of skating in on the, "significant other" ticket. He's the companion piece to Jane Fairfax... you can't have Jane and not have Frank!

What else you've seen them in: Just your basic British fare... My Family, Shakespeare Re-Told... oh, but he DOES have an Andrew Davies' miniseries under his belt with Fingersmith.

Can't believe it's them: That was him in Hellboy? The one not in makeup that wasn't Selma Blair. Huh. Small world.

Wish they hadn't: Lexx. Could you get tackier than Lexx... nope, the vote is in, you can not. For someone like Craig Charles, it's ok, it's not Red Dwarf but the same sort of genre. For an actor wanting to be taken seriously? Hell no!

Bio: Kind of forgettable... Frank Churchill should be everything Ewan was with Gwenneth and then some!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments

Labels: Andrew Davies, Craig Charles, Emma Spotlight, Fingersmith, Frank Churchill, Hellboy, Highbury, Jane Fairfax, Lexx, My Family, North and South, Rupert Evans, Selma Blair, Shakepeare Re-Told

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Emma Spotlight: Laura Pyper

And as for the lady almost compromised and who will eventually marry a psychopath (how else can you really describe Frank Churchill?) I bring to you...

Name: Laura Pyper

First Impression: Hex, as Ella Dee, the girl who saved the show and made it awesome, and then they go and cancel it on us!

Lasting Impression: Hex! Really, this show was atrociously bad and I really wanted to like and once she took over I can honestly say I did!

What else you've seen them in: Bit roles here and there, a cameo on The IT Crowd, a run on Silent Witness, an episode of Demons, a one off on Spooks and finally a bigger role in Emma.

Can't believe it's them: In Emma I did not recognize her! No, honestly, I sat there for the longest time going, I know her... but I couldn't place her. Still can't believe it's her! So funny though that she's costarring with the woman she killed on Hex, aka Christina 'Cassie' Cole.

Wish they hadn't: Demons... the show that everyone involved wishes they could wipe off their permanent records. Sorry folks, with the Internet, bad shows will live forever!

Bio: A surprisingly effective actress who, you'd think on first looking at her, would be meek and not all there. But she's got the Buffy vibe, she could kick some serious ass.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments

Labels: Buffy, Christina Cole, Demons, Ella Dee, Emma, Emma Spotlight, Frank Churchill, Hex, Laura Pyper, Silent Witness, Spooks, The IT Crowd

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Emma Spotlight: Blake Ritson

Name: Blake Ritson

First Impression: As the sweet Edmund who wins Billie Piper's heart in Mansfield Park.

Lasting Impression: Emma. Complete turn around, the sweet lovestruck Edmund was replaced with the smarmy, sleek, creepy... giving Mr. Collins a run for his money in his kiss assedness.

What else you've seen them in: Small roles here and there, but more notably a fixture among British mysteries, the likes of Lynley and Frost.

Can't believe it's them: Titus... icky icky, I feel unclean, I feel soiled. Memories I tried to bury are resurfacing... noooooo.

Wish they hadn't: The Bill... it's such a joke.

Bio: Making a name for himself as the Emo looking Edmund I was surprised that he actually had such depths to play the subtlety and smarm of Elton. I think we might just see a little bit more of him now that his depths are becoming apparent. It's not all about the looks! I didn't think he was attractive till he was slightly full of himself...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 4 comments

Labels: Billie Piper, Blake Ritson, Edmund, Emma Spotlight, Emo, Frost, Lynley, Mansfield Park, Mr. Collins, Mr. Elton, The Bill

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Emma Spotlight: Christina Cole

As the Emma Spotlight continues, we turn to one of the more dubiously happy couples in Hartfield... but still, perfectly suited.

Name: Christina Cole

First Impression: What A Girl Wants, as Caroline Bingley's (Anna Chancellor's) daughter in what I like to fondly call, the revenge of the Bingleys. They want Darcy, and they want him now! Ironic that Christina went on to play Caroline in Lost in Austen.

Lasting Impression: Hex... ah, you little show that had so much hype and then failed miserably to meet all expectations... odd that once Christina's character, Cassie, was murdered the show was steadily getting better and then was abruptly cancelled.

What else you've seen them in: Christina is one busy busy lady. From appearing in some of the top TV shows to the best miniseries: Foyle's War, Marple, Doctor Who, Poirot, Jane Eyre, He Knew He Was Right, Lost in Austen to name a few. She is also slowly building a name in films, from Miss Pettigrew Live for a Day to Casino Royale. When you see Christina's name attached, you know it's like a standard for quality, a real seal of approval.

Can't believe it's them: Totally hitting on Jemima Rooper's Amanda in Lost in Austen! Too, too perfect, plus nice to have the shoe on the other foot from what was happening on Hex.

Wish they hadn't: I often forget that it is her in What a Girl Wants so have a few minutes of happiness, till Amanda Bynes shows... worst actress EVER. Why couldn't Jonathan Pryce, Anna Chancellor and Christina killed her and dumped her in the Thames? So I wish she hadn't let Amanda Bynes live.

Bio: Totally awesome in everything. But my favorite might be riding a donkey in the new Emma...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 3 comments

Labels: Amanda Bynes, Caroline Bingley, Christina Cole, Doctor Who, Emma Spotlight, Foyle's War, He Knew He Was Right, Hex, Jane Eyre, Jemima Rooper, Lost in Austen, Poirot, What a Girl Wants

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Emma Spotlight: Johnny Lee Miller

And Every matchmaker must have their match. Here's Emma's in the guise of Johnny Lee Miller.

Name: Johnny Lee Miller

First Impression: Trainspotting, duh!

Lasting Impression: Oddly enough Plunkett & Macleane, which I remember being so excited about, when really, it was so not worth getting excited about. Plus how bad was that soundtrack? It was even more jarring than A Knight's Tale, which somehow gets by on it's campiness.

What else you've seen them in: From big budget movies like Aeon Flux, to BBC period pieces like Canterbury Tales, to plain old British and American TV shows from Eli Stone to Inspector Morse, Johnny Lee Miller has been there and done that... having even been married to Angelina Jolie at one point.

Can't believe it's them: No freakin' way! He was on an episode of Keeping Up Appearances? That's just too too funny. Of course there's also The Bill and EastEnders as well!

Wish they hadn't: Mansfield Park due to my own personal hatred of everything to do with this adaptation. Don't bother trying to convince me otherwise, many have tried, many have failed. Johnny himself couldn't change my mind... though he is welcome to stop by and try.

Bio: Despite being in film and television for years it wasn't until the smash success of Trainspotting that he finally got real recognition. In recent years he's been on several failed American television shows and has recently gone back to the BBC, which I am very happy to see, it's great whenever he comes back, from Byron to Emma, he's a welcome sight.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 7 comments

Labels: Aeon Flux, Angelina Jolie, Canterbury Tales, Eli Stone, Emma Spotlight, Inspector Morse, Johnny Lee Miller, Keeping Up Appearances, Mansfield Park, Plunkett and Macleane, Sick Boy, Trainspotting

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Emma Spotlight: Romola Garai

In honor of the new BBC adaptation of Emma that's finally airing stateside, I thought my ever fun to do actor spotlights should be Austen centric, concentrating on some of the couples of Highbury. Without further ado I bring you the actress playing the mischievous matchmaker herself....

Name: Romola Garai

First Impression: As the heart-breaker, Gwendolen Harleth, who gets more then she bargained for from a domineering Hugh Bonneville in Daniel Deronda.

Lasting Impression: Vanity Fair with Reese Witherspoon. Now I'm not saying I'm endorsing this movie or even liking it, I just thought that Romola was magnificently cast and then the director didn't even get the point of the book... there is NO HEROINE! You can't make Becky redeemable because she's being played by Reese! Directors and their radical ideas... get the best cast possible and then ruin it. Just watch the Andrew Davies version, it's very close to perfection.

What else you've seen them in: From smaller roles in BBC productions she's been working her way up in the film world. Though I've loved her since first seeing Daniel Deronda she probably didn't get more well known till Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights or get the critical acclaim she deserved till Atonement, but she's always at the top of her game. I loved her in As You Like It and the new Emma adaptation.

Can't believe it's them: She has to dance with Mister Collins from P&P in I Capture the Castle... ewwww, David Bamber, creepy, icky. I actually felt slightly unclean after this scene.

Wish they hadn't: Atonement... I know, I know, people love it and she got lots of critical acclaim, I just couldn't stand it. I was either wanting to feed Keira Knightly or counting the holes on the ceiling. They stretched it out and made it an unbearable bore, plus overly predictable. Just panning shots of the beach do not a good WWII drama make, pick any episode of Foyle's War and it captured it better than this snooze fest.

Bio: Keep an eye on her, she's going to be huge one day... perhaps quite soon. Also I'm really looking forward to Glorious 39, the new Stephen Poliakoff film that she's starring in with a who's who of Brits, from David Tennant to Christopher Lee! Plus the last lead of a Poliakoff... could that be a little lady by the name of Emily Blunt? And as a total random aside... I want her archery dress from Daniel Deronda.