by Oliver Lyttelton
"Game of Thrones" already has one of the most expansive and impressive casts in the history of television. Essentially picking up the slack that "Harry Potter" left in terms of propping up the British acting industry, the show hasn't just made stars (with names like Richard Madden, Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke coming to serious Hollywood attention), but also given great showcases to veteran character actors -- people like Donald Sumpter, Stephen Dillane and Liam Cunningham have given show-stealing turns over the last two seasons.
One wondered after season one how new additions would fit in, but the first-timers blended seamlessly into the ensemble, and the show has continued to become bigger and better. And with the "Game of Thrones" Comic-Con panel taking place yesterday, the new arrivals for season three have been announced. And while there are a few familiar faces there (notably Diana Rigg, who we discussed on Friday), most aren't exactly household names. As such, we've run down the histories of both the actors and the characters (with as few spoilers as possible) of the new arrivals. Read on for more below, and you can watch a video with some of the cast introducing themselves too. As announced yesterday, season three kicks off on March 31, 2013. It's going to be a long eight months...
Dame Diana Rigg - Olenna Redwyne, The Queen of ThornsThe Actor: As detailed last week, Diana Rigg is a true geek icon, thanks to playing the cat-suited secret agent Emma Peel in the British TV series "The Avengers" (a role later taken by Uma Thurman in the disastrous 1998 film version). From that, she also played the only woman James Bond ever loved, killed just after their wedding, in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Since then, she's been a staple in film, TV and theater, with her most recent movie appearance being in 2006's "The Painted Veil."
The Character: Olenna Tyrell (née Redwyne), is the grandmother of season two addition Margaery Tyrell, described as a cunning, manipulative matriarch who comes to King's Landing to oversee her granddaughter's wedding to King Joffrey.
Clive Russell - Brynden Tully, The Blackfish The Actor: The 67-year-old Scottish actor Clive Russell certainly has his geek bona fides: he starred in Neil Gaiman's TV series "Neverwhere" as villain Mr. Vandemaar and also had a recurring role as sinister comics boss Damien Knox in Edgar Wright's "Spaced" back in the day. He's got over a hundred credits to his name, but the most recognizable one of late is as Captain Tanner in both Guy Ritchie "Sherlock Holmes" films.
The Character: Brynden is the uncle of Catelyn Stark (née Tully), a famous knight who now fights alongside Robb, becoming one of his most trusted advisers and comrades.
Tobias Menzies - Edmure Tully The Actor: Another familiar face, Tobias Menzies is a RADA grad best known at first for playing Brutus in another HBO epic, "Rome," before being M's right-hand man (before Rory Kinnear took the part) in "Casino Royale." Most recently, he starred in "The Recruiting Officer" at the Donmar Warehouse in London.
The Character: Catelyn's younger brother, Edmure, is a whoring, hot-headed figure, but good at heart. **Spoiler** He becomes the lord of Riverrun after his father, Hoster Tully, dies.
Mackenzie Crook - OrellThe Actor: Arguably the most recognizable face of the new additions, Crook came to fame as Gareth on the original BBC version of "The Office," before going on to be comic relief across the original "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy. More recently, he's had some serious plaudits for his theater roles: first in "The Seagull" with Kristin Scott Thomas, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Carey Mulligan, then the award-winning "Jerusalem," and most recently "The Recruiting Officer" alongside Menzies.
The Character : Orell is one of the lieutenants of Mance Rayder (the biggest part yet to be cast), the so-called King of the North. He's a skinchanger, which means he's able to shift his consciousness.
Richard Dormer - Beric DondarrionThe Actor: The Northern Irish actor, another RADA grad, has long been thought to be one of British acting's best kept secrets, particularly after starring as troubled snooker player Alex Higgins in stage hit "Hurricane," which he also wrote. Dormer's also appeared in films like "Mrs. Henderson Presents" and "Five Minutes Of Heaven" and TV series like "My Boy Jack" and "Hidden," but recently got a lead role -- later in the year, he'll star as Belfast punk legend Terri Hooley in "Good Vibrations" from the producers of "24 Hour Party People."
The Character: Beric Of Dondarrion is a former soldier for Ned Stark, who is now the leader of the outlaw group the Brotherhood Without Banners, and may or may not be unkillable.
Nathalie Emmannuel - Missandei The Actor: Emmanuel is a veteran of low-rent British teen soap "Hollyoaks," in which she played Sasha Valentine, who became a prostitute and a heroin addict. Since leaving the show in 2010, she's starred as Nala in "The Lion King" on stage and appeared in the most recent season of cult superhero drama "Misfits."
The Character: Daenerys is a little lacking in followers after the events in Qarth, but Missandei, an interpreter in the slave city of Astapor, looks to fill the gap. Eleven in the books, clearly a little older here.
Kerry Ingram - Shireen Baratheon The Actor: Thirteen-year-old Kerry Ingram has aleady had her fair share of success, sharing the Olivier Award (the British equivalent of the Tonys) for Best Actress in a Musical for playing the title character in smash-hit musical "Matilda" (alternating with three other young actresses).
The Character: Shireen Baratheon is the young daughter of Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), who nearly died of a disease called 'greyscale' as a child, and is left with flaky, grey dead skin on her left cheek and neck as a result.
Tara Fitzgerald - Selyse BaratheonThe Actor: Tara Fitzgerald was a major rising star in Britain after graduating from Drama Centre in 1990: she played Ophelia to Ralph Fiennes' Hamlet in 1995, winning a Drama Desk Award for her trouble, and starred in films like "Sirens," "The Englishmen Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain" and "Brassed Off." More recently, she's been a regular on long-running BBC procedural "Waking The Dead," and its spin off, "The Body Farm."
The Character: Selyse Baratheon (née Florent) is Stannis' wife, and the mariage has never been a happy one. And yet Selyse is a fervent supporter of his priestess Melisandre and her new religion.
Paul Kaye - Thoros Of Myr The Actor: The second "Spaced" grad of the new batch (he had a cameo in an early episode), Kaye came to fame playing obnoxious red-carpet interviewer Dennis Pennis on a BBC comedy show. After the character was killed off, he starred in British films like "Blackball" and "It's All Gone Pete Tong," and has become a familiar and flexible character actor, with particularly memorable role on TV show "Pulling," and as Ingram's stage father in "Matilda."
The Character: Thoros is a red priest, affiliated to the same religion as Melisandre. He's also a formidable warrior, and co-founds the Brotherhood Without Banners.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster - Jojen Reed The Actor : The boy-who-would-have-been-Tintin, Sangster came to attention as Liam Neeson's son in "Love Actually" before going on to star in films like "Nanny McPhee," "The Last Legion," "Bright Star" and as Paul McCartney in "Nowhere Boy." TV roles have included a classic two-part "Doctor Who" and the voice of Ferb in long-running Disney Channel animation "Phineas and Ferb." He was originally cast in the title character in Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin" before scheduling conflicts saw Jamie Bell step in instead.
The Character : Jojeen Reed is the son of another aristocratic family who has "greensight," the power of prophetic dreams. He accompanies Bran, Osha and Hodor as they flee from Winterfell.
Ellie Kendrick - Meera Reed The Actor: A fast-rising young actress who played Juliet at the Globe Theater at 19, Kendrick is probably best known as Carey Mulligan's best friend in "An Education." She also played the title role in a BBC version of "The Diary Of Anne Frank," and has more recently appeared in TV series "Upstairs Downstairs" and "Being Human."
The Character: The older sister of Jojen, Meera is a skilled huntress who, with her brother, assists and accompanies Bran on his flight from Winterfell.
Kristofer Hivju - Tormund Giantsbane The Actor: A mightily bearded Norwegian actor, Hivju played Jonas, a nervous scientist, in last year's remake/prequel of "The Thing." Since then, he's been shooting a role in M. Night Shyamalan's "After Earth" alongside Will Smith. The Character: Tormund is a giant-slaying wildling raider, one of Mance Rayder's most trusted men, with the impressive title "Tall-talker, Horn-blower and Breaker of Ice, Husband to Bears, the Mead-king of Ruddy Hall, Speaker to Gods and Father of Hosts." Um, husband to bears?
Philip McGinley - Anguy The Actor: Liverpool-born McGinley has had all kinds of TV and theater roles in his ten years as an actor, but is best known for playing Tom Kerrigan on long-running soap "Coronation Street" between 2008 and 2009. More recently, he had a tiny role in "Prometheus."
The Character: A talented archer, Anguy is another member of the Brotherhood Without Banners.
Anton Lesser - Qyburn The Actor: A veteran Shakespearean actor, 60-year-old Lesser has long been associated with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and has been a prolific, if somewhat unsung, TV actor in Britain. Most recently, he cropped up in the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" and stole the show in excellent BBC program "The Hour."
The Character: A former maester and skilled physician, Qyburn was stripped of his position after performing experiments on living people. Since then, he's joined the mercenary band The Brave Companions.
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The Punisher: Short Film With Thomas Jane and Ron Perlman [NSFW]
Dave Golder
10-minute, 18-rated film from a fan, for the fans
Of the three attempts to bring The Punisher to the big screen so far, the 2004 Thomas Jane version is by far our favourite by far – though the competition is pretty rank, to be honest. Whatever other failings the film had, you have to admit that Jane himself was great in the title role.
And now, we have a chance to see more of him in the role, which is a nice surprise as the film was never going to spawn a sequel. Jane himself has made an unofficial short that he debuted at the San Diego Comic-Con titled Dirty Laundry, with a cameo from Ron (Hellboy) Perlman.
Says Jane: “I wanted to make a fan film for a character I’ve always loved and believed in – a love letter to Frank Castle and his fans. It was an incredible experience with everyone on the project throwing in their time just for the fun of it. It’s been a blast to be a part of from start to finish – we hope the friends of Frank enjoy watching it as much as we did making it… Not pushing anything. Just a fan film from friends of Frank.”
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Miss USA 2012 : Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About Olivia Culpo
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Sarah Silverman's Indecent Proposal To Romney Supporter Sheldon Adelson
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Sons of Anarchy Preview: Explosions, Nudity, Death, Guest Stars
Jax is in charge. Clay is barely alive. And Damon Pope is none too pleased that Tig killed his daughter.
This is what we know so far about Sons of Anarchy Season 5.
What else can fans get excited about for when this FX drama returns with new episodes on September 11? Simply put, "explosions and nudity," according to one snippet of the following teaser. Watch now, get your first quick glimpse of Jimmy Smits on set, and go behind the scenes with Kurt Sutter and company:
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Sherlyn Chopra takes inspiring career to Playboy
by: Paul Freiberger
Sherlyn Chopra has broken down barriers and proven herself to be a dominant force for change in the world. Yes, the Indian actress and model has boldly gone where nobody from India has gone before, posing nude on the cover of Hugh Hefner's Playboy magazine.
Chopra proudly proclaimed her victory on Twitter calling it an "honor and a great privilege" to take her clothes off for India.
Chopra's rise to fame has been slow and steady in her own country, as she has appeared in many Bollywood films such as Jawani Diwani (Youthful Craziness) and Dil Bole Hadippa! (The Heart Says Hurray!) both of which would be considered "teen comedies" in the United States.
Her biggest exposure, pre-Playboy of course, was on the Indian version of Big Brother. As a houseguest trapped in the "Bigg Boss" house and filmed non-stop for a three-month period, the viewing public gets to know contestants like Chopra on a very personal level.
As Chopra puts it on her personal website, "Passion is the single fastest way to spur yourself to massive success." While you may not agree with the career path she has chosen for herself, the undeniable fact is that Chopra has been successful.
A Playboy cover may not be the ultimate goal for most people, but for someone who has chosen to become famous and pursue a modeling and acting career, it is a huge feather in Chopra's cap.
Being from a foreign country certainly didn't make it any easier for her to achieve her dream of being invited to the Playboy Mansion and capturing the eye of Hugh Hefner. However, by pursuing her dreams with enormous drive and passion, Chopra did indeed achieve her goal.
Beauty may well be in the eye of the beholder, but getting to the pinnacle of your chosen profession is something that can easily be agreed to by most people in that field. Chopra, by getting on the Playboy cover, has done something few in her field will ever get to do.
For that, you have to give her all due credit.
How big a deal is Sherlyn Chopra's nude Playboy cover?
New Delhi: Model-turned actress Sherlyn Chopra is treading on clouds these days, fighting off jet lag with red wine and making sure the world knows of her amazing windfall. The Playboy covergirl has made an unexpected career move on her rivals Sunny Leone and Poonam Pandey. The deal is official. Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner tweeted that Chopra will be the first Indian to appear nude on the Playboy cover. The Playboy team said it could not wait to post her shoot pictures on Twitter. And Chopra reciprocated with a grateful and very public thank you post that included, in the same sentence, some 'tight hugs' and 'warm regards'.
"Bollywood starlet Sherlyn Chopra will be the first Indian to appear nude in Playboy, in the November issue," Hefner tweeted. Chopra said: "Yipeeeeeeee!!! Mr.Hefner, huge thanks 2 you and 2 the entire team! U're my HERO!!! Cannot wait 2 get back to LA 4 the promotions!"
The official @PlayboyDotCom channel on Twitter posted "Indian women are gorgeous and we're excited that you modeled for us."
Chopra has some great ambitions. She said she wanted to outdo Pamela Anderson's record of Playboy covers.
She is back from a fruitful stay at the famous Playboy mansion. Chopra must be doing something right in her career. There are at the moment only two women who can compare to what she's achieving - adult entertainment star Sunny Leone and Twitter celebrity Poonam Pandey known for her lascivious photo shoots. Both Pandey and Leone have film deals and are busy shooting for them.
While Leone is already an established name in the adult entertainment industry in Canada, Pandey is yet to see an international project. For models in the West, the Playboy cover is a very big deal and it's certainly a coup of sorts for Chopra.
The Playboy magazine has made stars of actors as early as the 1950s, including Marilyn Monroe. But it remains to be seen if this will change Chopra's future.
Sherlyn Chopra would shed clothes in films too
Sherlyn Chopra took the nation by storm when she did a full monty for Playboy magazine photo shoot. Some approved of it while some were appalled by it. But Ms. Chopra isn’t bothered by any of it and now aspires to do the same in some big Bollywood films.
Sherlyn said that she doesn’t mind baring it all for movies. As long as it is tastefully shot like in Bhatts’ movies, she has no qualms in shedding every piece of clothing for the big screen. Talking about her goals, Sherlyn said that she is completely game for the TV show Swayamvar and A- list Bollywood films. Also, she is ready for endorsements too.
Well, what we don’t understand here is why she wants her nakedness to be tastefully shot like the Bhatts? Uploading naked pics on Twitter doesn’t come under aesthetics Sherlyn. When you had no qualms shedding everything for a mere photo shoot, why do you want your bare self to be shot differently? Beats us! But we hope so much of shedding helps you get what you want.
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Female filmmakers explore sex and romance
Juan Barquin/Columnist
The Bill Cosford Cinema at the University of Miami never fails at presenting a diverse collection of films — and this summer is no exception. Their latest collection of films brings six female filmmakers to Miami audiences, offering an interesting mix and something for just about anyone interested in exploring up-and-coming female directors. While Maïwenn Le Besco’s “Polisse,” Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Goodbye First Love” and Alice Rohrwacher’s “Corpo Celeste” are all long gone, two films will be premiering this weekend that are likely to stir up plenty of mixed opinions.In “Elles,” Juliette Binoche stars as Anne, a journalist for Elle Magazine who is on assignment writing about prostitution among university students. The two young women she interviews, Alicja and Charlotte, offer glimpses into the world of paid sex as Anne reflects on her dull and never changing lifestyle. “Elles” may sound like the sort of film one with an interest in human sexuality or psychology might want to watch, but it is unfortunately not worth spending your time or money on.
The story is almost embarrassingly shallow, poorly attempting to string together meaningless sequences into an actual narrative. For every scene that gives the slightest chance of insight into prostitution and the lives of these women, there’s an endless – and extremely gratuitous – sex scene that serves as an awkward waste of time. The film ends up feeling a lot more like a series of loosely connected vignettes rather than a coherent work of cinema.
As if the writing wasn’t enough of a mess, Malgorzata Szumowska’s direction doesn’t prove to be much better. At times, the camera is placed in the most random angles imaginable, showcasing the sets more than any single human being in the movie. This isn’t to say that she doesn’t show potential, as there are a few little moments that give off the documentary feel that something like this begs for.
The only thing that makes it particularly bearable is Juliette Binoche. Regardless of the material she’s working with, Binoche always manages to dish out a worthwhile performance. It’s not anywhere near her best work, but it’s decent enough. If anything, there is one scene in which she masturbates frustratingly that might inspire plenty of laughter and practically comes out of nowhere.
If only “Elles” had a better everything to accompany Binoche, it might make quite the movie to watch. Alas, it is only a great concept that turns into nothing more than a mess, but at least the Cosford’s “Female Filmmaker Showcase” offers another film.
Sarah Polley’s “Take This Waltz” introduces us to Margot (Michelle Williams), a married woman who stumbles upon a handsome artist named Daniel (Luke Kirby) while on a writing assignment for a travel company. As fate would have it, the two find that they live across the street from each other and the chemistry between them develops as Margot fights hard to resist her feelings for a man that isn’t her husband Lou (Seth Rogen).
There’s something entirely realistic about this little film that allows us to dive into the heart of romance and just how fleeting it can be. Polley’s writing and direction feels intensely personal, giving us a revealing look into love. From the moment that Polley follows Daniel and Margot with a tracking shot down their block, one can sense the connection building between them through simple chit-chat. Her use of a warm color palette, gorgeous shots of Toronto scenery and an impressive soundtrack – featuring artists like Leonard Cohen, Feist, and The Buggles – only serve to add to the film’s captivating mood.
Michelle Williams delivers yet another grand performance, alongside Luke Kirby who also holds his own along her side. Their characters, well crafted by Polley, allow us to reflect on desire and whether wanting something we shouldn’t want is good or bad. There is one scene of the two on an amusement park ride, so full of color and life and music, that perfectly captures a brief encounter with romance. The way Williams and Kirby look at each other shows how entranced they are by one another and how much fun they could have exploring such feelings. Of course, every ride comes to an end, and with it comes the harsh realization that maybe it’s not all fun and games. “Take This Waltz” is as charming as it is unsympathetic, presenting an all too realistic look at life that some might shy away from, but some will find themselves blown away by.
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23-years old Brazilian model Mariana Almeida is one of those models. You know the type. Very conservative in shooting style back home but goes totally wild on overseas assignments. Here she is naked for Terry Richardson.
* there goes the cheeky thumbs-up - Terry signature. Just wondering if the skinny fuck got to play with Kate Upton's airbags. Bet he sucked on the nips like forever and fingered her sweet tight pussy.....
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Nudity for Opera Buffs
By Fred Plotkin
When it is as hot as it has been lately in many parts of the northern hemisphere, getting naked seems the thing to do. At least for everyday people. If they are opera singers who appear in certain European theaters and, more rarely, in North American ones, they might be asked to perform at any time of the year without clothes in productions in which nudity is requested by the stage director.
Before I lay bare the reasons for this, let me issue a warning: If your sensibilities are offended by the sight of nudity, do not click open any of the links in this article. And if you are under 18 years old, please have your parents read this article first and ask them whether they think it is appropriate for you to see it (that goes for you too, Opera Teen).
Opera is a cutting-edge thing, and also high art. We know that nudity has been part of art since ancient times and in most centuries since. The naked body has been exalted by the Greeks, artists of the Renaissance and many others since. The human form is beautiful and most religious people believe that we are creations of God. Some of the faithful have no problem with that beauty being revealed but many more assert that the naked body has little or no place in the public arena.
When European opera productions contain nudity, it is often of dancers or actors but also, on occasion, of opera stars too. Some are discreetly lit and posed while others leave little to the imagination. There have been naked Rhinemaidens in many Ring cycles. In the recent production of Don Giovanni at La Scala that I so richly enjoyed, director Robert Carsen included a naked woman (perhaps Donna Elvira’s maid) to visually delight the Don. It worked quite well. Many operas set in ancient Greece or Rome could naturally embrace nudity in certain contexts, as would operas based on stories from the Bible. I have seen lots of writhing nudes in the bacchanal scene from Samson et Dalila. Many works by Massenet, such as Thaïs and Cleopatre, could have nudity by the title character if the singer were willing to do that.As a general rule, I think nudity in opera is fine if it is an integral part of the story. Gratuitous nudity does not work well because it tends to be distracting and we focus on it rather than on the music and the story. If a woman playing Salome does the "Dance of the Seven Veils" and removes all of her coverings, that makes sense in the context of the opera. Singers should not be expected to do this, and I have seen some rather artful choreography that suggests that she has entirely disrobed. But some singers are willing, as Salome, to go all the way.
Karita Mattila showed her rear during her dance in Paris but appeared fully naked at the Met in 2004 (below). There is no peek-a-boo in Maria Ewing’s "Dance of the Seven Veils." She was an artist who appeared unabashedly nude when it worked in the context of the story and the production.
I once saw a staging of Salome in Germany in which the soprano did not undress completely but, when the executioner came out of the cistern with the bloodied head of John the Baptist in his right hand, he was entirely naked. In this case, the executioner was a very large, muscular black man and it was distracting on many levels. Why would this character, who wields sharp equipment, do his work in the nude? Why would Salome be interacting with him without noticing what all of us can’t help but see? I am sure you can think of many more questions of your own.
What this phenomenon of gratuitous nudity might be about is the way the naked body is perceived in different societies. Many German-speaking peoples and Scandinavians are quite comfortable in the altogether and are used to seeing naked imagery everywhere. The same is the case in France. I have seen many British actors, from Diana Rigg to Jude Law to even Dame Maggie Smith fully naked on the stage. And yet the countries mentioned above have given us Calvinism, Puritanism and certain Protestant denominations that consider the sight of bare flesh sinful. All of these strains, from the most liberated to the most repressed, are part of the American view of the naked body.But are nudity and sensuality the same thing? I can think of many actors and opera singers who have projected incredible sexiness without taking off all of their clothes. The smoldering look of Robert Mitchum or Simone Signoret was enough to make pulses race simply because they conveyed an unmistakable sexual tension.
Charles Reid, the fine American tenor who has sung extensively in his own country and Europe, told me, "There are some singers in Europe who like to be exhibitionists and want to be able to bare all on the stage. I also think—without totally generalizing—that a German mindset or director seems to approach nudity as sexy whereas, historically at least, an American director would view tension as sexy. In Europe they might put you in an S-and-M outfit, have you walk around with a whip and this is considered sexy. As an American I look at that and say, ‘that has no build-up at all and there is nothing sexy about it.’”
I should point out that it is not the exclusive province of Europeans to appear nude onstage but rather that there seems to be more demand for singers’ flesh there than in North America.
American baritone Daniel Okulitch appeared nude in The Fly, which was produced at the Los Angeles Opera and, I believe, in Europe. Nudity in the transformation scene from man to insect in this science fiction story might seem incongruous, but it is brief and in keeping with the story.
Contrast this with what American tenor Zachary Stains did at the Spoleto festival in Italy in Ercole sul Termodonte, Vivaldi’s version of the Hercules story. In the original myth, the young hero has slain a lion and wears its skin over his naked body. As directed in this production, the singer is asked to sing at length while naked, something even Salome does not have to do. What is remarkable in this performance is not so much the seeming casualness in Stains’s nudity but that he sings so well in this state.Another question this clip raises is what it is like for other performers to be onstage with a naked singer. Give credit to the other singer in Ercole whose bright eyes and frozen smile seem more about his admiration for Hercules than the “Oh-my-God-what-do-I-do?” dilemma. I called Susan Graham, artist nonpareil, to talk about the Robert Carsen production of Handel’s Alcina at the Paris Opera in 1999. Renée Fleming sang the title role, a sorceress who enchants men and then turns them to stone. Natalie Dessay was Morgana and Susan Graham was Ruggiero, a trouser role. In this production, men in various states of undress were a large part of the stage picture. They represented the gradual transformation from human to stone. (Here is a report from French television.)
Graham told me that the cast found rehearsal and performance both fun and challenging. “One guy who was, shall we say, ‘stageworthy,’ had to walk toward Renée fully naked, with his backside to the audience and his front facing Renée, who was reclining on a bed, with her looking at him and she had to gesture and cast her spell.” It probably was a challenge for Fleming to “stay in character” during rehearsals but her concentration and focus were in full force during performances.I asked Graham how she managed to not be distracted by the “scenery” and she said that, during rehearsals, she did notice some of the fellows on the stage but, in performance, “I was more focused on staying in character and at the right place in the music.” It struck me that, in the presence of three such attractive women as Fleming, Dessay and Graham, even the most disciplined of these men could not remain entirely resistant to their charms. “I did not look down to check,” said Graham. “Some of them were probably gay, I am sure.”
As Ruggiero, Graham was, she reminded me, “a boy too, but I was not naked.” But, boy, when she sang "Sta nell’ircana" in Alcina, who cares what she was!
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Gemma Arterton : NewMan Magazine [2010]
* catch the ravishing Gemma in Neil Jordan's Byzantium scheduled to be released later this year. The movie is based on a play for young adults by Moira Buffini called A Vampire Story, about two women who arrive in a small British town and may or may not be vampires. The staging was strictly PG but with Jordan at the helm...........
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Debt Questions Will Not Inhibit Netflix Stock Gains
Some people may be kicking themselves if they previously considered investing in Netflix (NFLX), but decided to change their minds. The stock has quickly jumped due to little more than an announcement of increased viewership. After this initial jump, however, some may be wondering if they should still get on board. Despite the rise in price, I would still recommend investing in the stock. I believe the company will continue to show strong numbers in terms of viewership, and even a potential debt "problem" does not appear to be such bad news. Investors should consider Netflix as an investment candidate. Netflix is currently trading around $82 and it has been increasing greatly since July 2, although this upward trend may stabilize for a little bit now. As many investors are fairly aware, it has a 52-week range of $60.70 to $304.79. After such a massive drop, however, this 52-week high is clearly a poor indicator of what the stock will do in the future. It has a market cap of $4.55 billion, a P/E of 27.72 (TTM), and $3.36 billion in revenue .
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings recently announced that subscribers watched over one billion hours of streaming video content in the month of June. This followed a positive review from Citigroup (C) analyst Mark Mahaney, released just the day before. He even gave it a target of $130 per share. As a result of these two things, Netflix stock increased dramatically throughout the week, opening at $68.49 on July 2 and then opening at $83.74 on July 6. Things seem to be stabilizing slightly, but I think Netflix still has room to grow, even if it has become a little bit of a risky stock.
Netflix's streaming service has been growing in popularity as it is the largest part of Netflix's business, bringing in 19.1 million customers. In addition to these streaming-only customers, there are an additional 7.4 million DVD-and-streaming customers. There are only 2.7 million DVD-only customers, showing that this service is becoming less desirable. Its streaming-only and streaming-and-DVD services have more customers than leading cable provider Comcast (CMCSA), which only has 22.3 million TV subscribers. Netflix has been spending a lot of money to improve its streaming service in anticipation of lower DVD sales, and it appears that the company has done everything right.
Netflix streaming and other online services may continue to overtake television. Of the customers that have gotten rid of cable services, 33% claimed that they would not go back to cable, even with a drastic reduction in price. This spells trouble for other companies like Dish Network (DISH) and DirecTV (DTV), as Netflix should hold on to the customers it has taken from them, regardless of the actions from cable companies. Streaming has continued to gain popularity, so those who criticized Netflix's actions to focus on streaming may feel a little foolish at the moment.
Some have also been pointing to the company's upcoming original content as another factor for its improved business. I do not think this will bring in additional viewers until the premiers get closer, but I agree that this will help it bring in even more subscribers in the future. "House of Cards" will star Kevin Spacey, and it is creating a new season of comedy series "Arrested Development." These will be coming out later this year and in 2013, and the anticipated quality of these and other original shows already demonstrates that Netflix's streaming services will only continue to improve.
This should help it trounce Amazon.com's (AMZN) Prime streaming services. Amazon is planning to create four original shows, but these are mostly comedies and all came from a "public call" for scripts. In some superficial ways, Amazon may be keeping up with Netflix, but I think original content will be another example where it just cannot compete in terms of quality. Netflix is being careful to produce good original content, and I do not see evidence that Amazon is doing the same.
With all this good news, of course, there is also something to be concerned about, although it initially sounds a lot worse than I think it really is. The talk about debt for Netflix is that it has kept $3.68 billion in commitments and contingencies off its balance sheet. Over $700 million will even be due by the end of the year. The reason it can do this is that the titles are not yet available for streaming, so the commitments do not need to go on the balance sheet. These "mysterious commitments" do force investors to put some faith in Netflix, but it does show that there is more in store for Netflix than we may even know about. As the improved streaming viewership was such a major part of Netflix's recent boom in the stock market, it should actually be good news that it is continuing to work to provide better services.
The possible "debt," therefore, should not concern investors such a great deal. It just means that Netflix is continuing to work on growth, and as always, investors should pay close attention to how effective its attempts are growth will be. Its streaming services have seen increases in viewership, and all signs seem to indicate that streaming will continue to take business away from cable companies like Comcast, Dish, and DirecTV. Even Amazon seems unable to keep up with Netflix, so I think this is much more than just an isolated surge in viewership. Mahaney's target of $130 is probably a good one to keep in mind as you decide what to do with the stock, and I certainly do not think Netflix's run in the market is over. In fact, I think Netflix would even make a good long-term investment now. With all this in mind, I recommend investing in Netflix today.
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Softball Pitcher and Beauty Queen
Billie Hallam wins the 1937 Miss Toronto beauty pageant.
Mayor William D. Robbins presenting the Miss Toronto silk sash to Billie Hallam, 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1448.
Miss Toronto Beauty Pageant, c. 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1436.
The TPAAA readily agreed, concurring that the pageant would provide the games with “punch.” But it was a risqué proposal because it had only been a year since a severe heat wave resulted in arrests for violations of Toronto’s sanctimonious bathing suit bylaw.
No sooner had the pageant been announced than it came under fire from the Local Council of Women of Toronto in a letter to the Board of Control and the chief of police. The council’s issue was not that the pageant objectified women—as feminists would assert in the future—but rather that the pageant was “not in good taste.” Their letter read in part:
We look to the heads of the police department not only to see that existing laws pertaining to standards of decency and good taste are enforced, but also to be most punctilious in seeing that nothing they sponsor may tend to have a lowering effect on the standards of the people in general.The council added that the pageant’s “after-effects on some of the contestants [would be] far from being desirable.”
Contestants registering for the Miss Toronto Beauty Pageant, c. 1937, from City of Toronto Achives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1419.
Among them was 17-year-old Billie Hallam, a softball pitcher and all-around athlete with chestnut hair and blue eyes, who’d been urged to enter by her grandmother. “If you don’t, Billie,” the grandmother threatened (one hopes in jest) after reading about the pageant in the newspaper, “I’ll never speak to you again.” Billie convinced her eldest sister Edith to enter the pageant as well, although a third sister, Violet, proved too shy to join them.
Billie Hallam and her sister Edith at their home at 191 Booth Avenue, 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1465.
Six contestants at the Miss Toronto Beauty Pageant, c. 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1432.
Feminine beauty is made up of tangibles and intangibles. It is a blend of more than 20 or perhaps 20 times 20 ingredients and to permit any young lady to go forth, in this coronation year as Miss Toronto 1937, who is chosen by some superficial standard, yet whose beauty vanishes into the air the minute she speaks or smiles, is not to be thought of.In the pursuit of finding a “natural beauty,” the use of cosmetics would be frowned upon, Ward-Price warned. His fellow judges included pioneering athlete and Star sportswriter Alexandrine Gibb, sculptress/sculptor Merle Foster, Telegram radio announcer Jim Hunter, and Globe and Mail columnist Roly Young.
The judges would assess each contestant’s “face, head, shoulders, torso, arms, legs, hands, feet, teeth, mouth, eyes and expression, walk, grace of carriage, voice, speech, and last of all, general natural charm.” In other words, the winner would have to not only be beautiful, but also exemplify the prim-and-proper image the TPAAA wanted the Miss Toronto pageant to project.
Contestants walking along a platform at the CNE grandstand during the Miss Toronto Beauty Pageant, c. 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1430.
Spectators streamed into the grandstand, eventually reaching almost 20,000 in number, the largest crowd ever for the Police Games. The price of admission—$1 in advance for reserved seats or fifty cents at the gate for general admission, with all proceeds going to the police force’s widows and orphans fund—included the sporting competitions and a display of daredevil riding by the Detroit police force’s motorcycle squad. These events occurred in the background while the pageant was staged on a 200-foot-long runway built on the edge of the stadium infield.
The beauty contestants gathered in a dressing room under the stands, guarded by two policewomen. Billie anxiously paced up and down the dressing room while others passed time chatting with fellow contestants until they were all finally called out to the stage and lined up according to their entry number. “I felt nervous and excited. We couldn’t get there fast enough for me,” she later recalled. “I like to get things started and over with. My cheeks get red when I’m nervous, and I could feel them blushing as we walked out.”
Miss Toronto Beauty Pageant, c. 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1437.
Six contestants at the Miss Toronto Beauty Pageant, c. 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1435.
Contestants before the crowd and judges at the Miss Toronto Beauty Pageant, c. 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1429.
Impressed with Hallam’s appearance on the stage, journalists tried outdo each other’s floridity. She is
“straight as a sapling, with a flashing smile and natural dignity,” swooned one. She has “a straight aristocratic nose which could have been carved from Italian marble and a graceful, almost languid carriage,” gushed another. Every recap in the Monday newspapers described her physical attributes; she was five-feet and 10-and-a-half inches tall—making her the tallest in the contest—and between 140 to 152 pounds. “I’d like to know how the man who said I weigh 152 pounds got that way,” she later complained, “because I don’t even know how much I weigh myself, but I’m sure it’s not that much.”
Six contestants at the Miss Toronto Beauty Pageant, c. 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1431.
Again and again, they were judged in small groups on the platform in the sweltering heat until the top seven were reduced to three finalists. Hallam was among them. She was joined by the 17-year-old blonde Betty Thompson of Admiral Road, a recent graduate of the Northern Vocational School and now a stenographer at the T. Eaton Company, and the 28-year-old wife of a customs agent from Weston, Olive Lane Johnson, who’d entered the contest “on a dare from another girl.” The two finished second and third respectively.
Three finalists for the Miss Toronto with Billie Hallam at left, 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1443.
After being introduced as the finalists on the podium, the three were brought to the judges’ table where they were engaged in informal conversation so the judges could better inspect their manner—as well as their teeth and hands—up close. Over her sister’s protest, Billie had worn the lucky bracelet—given to her by philanthropist and supporter of women’s athletics, F.G. “Teddy” Oke—she sported during every softball game. “They took off my bracelet—I suppose to see if I were hiding anything, like a scar, or a burn, or something—or was it to keep my attention away from them while they looked at my hands, or at my face?” Hallam recalled of the up-close inspection. “I wonder.” Afterward, she had to be called back by the judges because she’d retreated without remembering the bracelet.
The master of ceremonies appeared in the dressing room 10 to 15 minutes later and called Billie back out to the stage. “It was the most thrilling moment of my life,” she said of her announcement as the winner. “I felt as if it were all a dream.” With her sister Edith excitedly jumping up and down in the dressing room, Billie tried in vain to locate her parents in the grandstand crowd as she received the sash from Mayor Robbins.
Mayor William D. Robbins presenting the Miss Toronto silk sash to Billie Hallam, 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1447.
Alexandrine Gibb provided a solution, chauffeuring the beauty queen home to trade her bathing suit and robe for evening wear. Then, escorted by a police car with sirens blaring, Gibb and Hallam sped to Kew Gardens to be introduced to the crowd at the softball game and to be congratulated by teammates. “I felt as important as a movie star,” she recalled.
Then she rushed back across town to sit at the banquet’s head table at the Royal York. She danced with policemen and was serenaded in the rooftop garden by the country’s premier big band leader, Mart Kenney, late into the evening. When she finally got home after midnight, the house was filled with extended family and the Hallam clan continued to celebrate Billie’s victory until almost four in the morning.
Billie Hallam and family at their home at 191 Booth Avenue, 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1461.
Journalists peppered Billie, her Belfast-born mother, and her father—a London-born mechanic—with question after question. The Star alone carried four separate articles from bylined writers in the Monday edition, along with the first of a series of reminisces penned for the paper by Billie herself. The result was a jumble of contradictory information, with her responses to similar questions varying from reporter to reporter. Regarding her future ambition, for example, some quoted her as wanting to become a model, and others that she wanted to emulate her favourite actress, Myrna Loy, to whom she bore a striking resemblance.
Billie Hallam applying makeup in her bedroom, 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1481.
In her autobiographical piece, Billie gently contested the assumption that she was surprised by her victory: “It wasn’t that I thought I was a bit nicer-looking than any of the other girls, but I just had a sort of a feeling inside me—just a hunch, I guess you’d call it. I wasn’t surprised when I won, because I felt I was going to, just like I do in a ball game.”
Billie Hallam with her pet kitten Tarzan, 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1482.
When the reporters were through, it was the photographers’ turn. In an effort to recreate a supposed day in the life of the beauty queen, they snapped her lying in bed, applying makeup at her vanity, posing with her parents and five siblings, cuddling her pet kitten Tarzan, striking softball poses, and carousing on the beach. “I guess they must have taken about 120 different pictures of me,” she said of her exhausting day. “I know I changed my clothes at least 20 times, or so it seemed.” Then, that evening, she was off to be interviewed on the radio.
Billie Hallam in an evening gown at Chess shop, 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1479.
“I have had a lot of fun shopping and opening a bank account, and getting nice clothes,” she recounted of these Miss Toronto activities, “but I don’t think I have had any bad after-effects”—a reference to the pre-pageant criticism of the Local Council of Women.
Billie Hallam exiting a chauffeured automobile, 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1488.
Billie admitted being anxious at the sudden, overwhelming opportunities presented to her as Miss Toronto: “I keep remembering that I’m only a girl of 17, who was just another girl who played softball until to-day, and that I don’t know very much about the world, and what it’s all about.” But she felt confident that, with the support of her parents, she would be fine—confirming the press narrative of the level-headed and straight-laced pageant queen.
Billie Hallam striking a baseball pose in her Maple Leafs softball uniform in an alley near her home, 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1470.
And when I said it some of the people tittered, and I felt miserable and wanted to explain, but I couldn’t. It seems that when I make a mistake some people laugh, but they laugh with their faces, and they aren’t laughing happily, but sort of in a mean way, if you know what I mean. But not many of them are like that, thank goodness.In 1986, Paul Watson from the Star caught up with Billie Hallam—now Billie Maeda—at the modest home she shared with her husband of over 30 years. In the wake of the 1937 pageant, she established a modelling career—having had a few similar gigs prior to the pageant—appearing in Eaton’s catalogue, among other venues, during the Great Depression. Although she emphasized her positive experience as Miss Toronto, she acknowledged that “sudden fame taught her much that she disliked.”
Billie Hallam at her home at 191 Booth Avenue, 1937, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257, Series 1057, Item 1459.
Other sources consulted include: Metropolitan Toronto Police Amateur Athletic Association Centennial Book (M.T.P.A.A.A., 1982); Mike Filey, Toronto Sketches 10 (Dundurn Press, 2010); and articles from the Globe and Mail (June 15, July 3 and 19, August 26, and September 2, 1937); the Toronto Star (June 10, 12, 22 and 25, July 2, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27 and 29, August 4 and 7, 1937; July 5, 1986; January 7, 1992).
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Colin Rowntree: 2008 Was Really The Armageddon of the Porn Industry Gene Ross writes - As Internet porn broadcasts go, the interviews airing on www.dirtyoldmen.tv ain’t about Kid Vegas.
Rather they fall into the highbrow and food-for-thought categories. The most recent guest on the show hosted by Colin Rowntree and Simon Abitbol was Kate Darling. Darling graduated from law school in Switzerland and is an IP Research Specialist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab.
Darling’s also a Ph.D. candidate in Intellectual Property and Law and Economics. Her work focuses on economic issues in copyright and patent systems. She also writes and lectures about robot ethics, co-taught a “Robot Rights” course with Larry Lessig at Harvard Law School in 2011 and recently wrote a paper on the adult industry’s copyright protection issues.
While the interview covered much of that territory including Darling’s take on copyright trolling, later in the broadcast, Rowntree a pioneer of online adult entertainment, gave a Cliff Note’s version of how the industry got into its current economic morass.
How they got on the subject, Rowntree asked Darling what, as an outsider, she thought about the adult industry trade shows. Rowntree used to call it the wild west which it certainly was.
“Once you got to 2004 it mellowed out and got to be a real business,” he said.
It was Darling’s contention that adult industry was going through its own difficulties and changes and companies that were more entrepreneurial and professional survived “whereas the others have died out”.
“What happened back in the Nineties and 2001, 2002,” reflected Rowntree, “it was almost like, ‘if you build it they will come’.
“There was not much consolidation; there were no Manwins at that point. There were three or four larger affiliate programs but it was pretty much an even playing field. And I remember back in the late Nineties- we could pretty much reliably put up a porn site and charge $24.95 a month for it. After thirty days of operation it would be grossing $30,000. Pretty much.”
Then things began to tighten up, Rowntree continued.
“There was a great deal of attrition. A lot of people didn’t have a business model and people were just winging it and they were no longer monetizing in the way they could sustain a profitable hobbyist-thing. And they just went away.
“2008 was really the Armageddon of the industry. That’s when everything changed and it’s never changed back and probably never will.”
Darling wondered how much the Tube Sites vs. the economy was responsible.
“People think porn is recession-proof, whatever. That’s obviously not true. The industry must have taken a massive hit.” [For an analogy picture a massive meteorite wiping out the dinosaurs.]
“It was very much a Perfect Storm,” Rowntree agreed.
“The literal explosion of the Tube Sites happened around 2008 and you had the literal collapse of the United States and European economies. On top of that, you had the entire banking crisis and people who might have had credit cards with a $10,000 limit, overnight, they were told you have a $1,000 limit. Most of the applecart of adult processing is based on Visa and Mastercard. So without that consumer confidence, the economy, unemployment soaring, and people budgeting, so even if they wanted to pay for porn there’s nothing left on their credit card by the middle of the month.
“And then there’s those Tubes. You can go in, get off and get out real quick and it doesn’t cost a cent. It all converged around 2008. It was Perfect Storm of variables.”
Abitbol, speaking from the youth perspective said, “Someone turns 18 with a credit card every day. Those are your new consumers. But the problem also now is the younger generation that are becoming of legal age are so much more smart and know how to get things for free. They’re being trained and brought up not paying for anything online. And they really get offended if they have to pay for something. It’s kind of the culture.”
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