I usually like to keep this blog free of political entries and devote it entirely to my love of Kevin McKidd, James Nesbitt, Michael Fassbender and Rome. Tonight my husband was watching Glen Beck, who is usually too right-winged for my taste, and Mr. Beck was doing a segment on events that are occurring in Texas and other border states with Mexico.
Several issues raised my ire. The first involves the Mexican military that has been escorting drug runners and coyotes onto American soil. There are American ranch owners who have witnessed this and one even found an identification card dropped by one of the Mexican soldiers. These ranchers fear for their lives since there is inadequate American law enforcement agents who can protect them.
Second, involves the disappearance of American citizens from American and Mexican border towns. Most recently two teenaged girls disappeared after they attended a concert in Nuevo Laredo, a Mexican border town. They were driving, only two miles from the Mexican/US border when they were pulled over by Nuevo Laredo police. It was not clear to me how it was known that they were pulled over, but the girls' last cell phone transmission that night occurred two miles from the border. It is thought that the girls were given as gifts by the police to a drug cartel. It is also feared that the girls are now dead. The parents just want closure.
In addition, 62 other American citizens have been kidnapped and are now missing.
Third, if your thirst for blood isn't quenched by mock violence on American television, you can always watch live executions of Americans and Mexicans on the internet. Apparently, these Mexican drug cartels have borrowed Al Qaeda techniques and broadcast executions over the internet.
When a Texas congressman was asked by a Texas sheriff why something isn't being done about security at the border and why isn't our military being deployed to our southern border, the congressman flippantly answered that that will never happen. I am sorry Mr. Impotent Congressman, I agree with the sheriff, are you in bed with President Calderon of Mexico? You fucking sellout! I should rip your balls off at the root!! I personally plan to write this asshole and tell him was a cunt he is!!!!
Again, I am no fan of Glen Beck, but I do take notice when a talk show host is ballsy enough to tackle real issues. A rebroadcast of tonight's (11/8) topic is available on his website and Mr. Beck will be addressing these issues come January 2008. I have no idea why he is waiting so long.
Sometimes I wish I was president, although I would be eventually tried for war crimes. My solution would be to set up a 1-mile perimeter at our border and saturate the are in land mines. Bring the National Guard back from Iraq and deploy them at the border to eliminate anyone who makes it through the minefield. We should also send assasins into Mexico to take out key drug cartel leaders and the corrupt Mexican government.
After, killing off the leadership in Mexico, we should annex Mexico. Maybe make it a territory instead of numerous states. This would partially solve the illegal immigrant problem (at least from Mexico) and give Americans the opportunity to purchase prime vacation real estate. The Mexicans have have Los Angeles, I'll take Alcapulco!
In the long run, this would be cheaper than supplying Mexico with 1.4 billion dollars annually to fight the drug cartel which apparently they must give to the drug cartel anyway.
Wee Kevvy mentions how none of the Rome crew knew what an impact Rome had in the US. I think this is interesting. Is there a chance Rome will return? ************************************************* Kevin McKidd Moving To LA To Make Sci-fi Show Nov 2 2007 By Rick Fulton
Exclusive Kevin Mckidd's Us Success As Ancient Soldier Has Opened The Door To A New Life In Tinsel Town Exciting New American Sci-Fi Series Features Scots Star
KEVIN McKidd is going to give his new pals in America a taste of home by "force feeding them haggis".
The Elgin-born star has moved to Los Angeles with his young family for the next five years to star in new American sci-fi television show Journeyman.
And while at first he wasn't sure about uprooting his family, he's now settling into Tinsel Town life. But he still misses home and is planning something special in January.
He said: "On Burns Night I'm going to cook for everyone on Journeyman and force feed them haggis."
While he may have played a junkie in Trainspotting, a thug in Small Faces and a hard-bitten soldier in Rome, in real life Kevin is a family man and reveals he asked his wife Jane and two young kids Joseph and Iona about the move from Britain to LA.
He said: "That was a big factor in the decision. There was a lot of soul searching. You talk about it and say 'Are we game for this as a family?' and we just went 'Yeah we are'.
"The kids are still young and my wife's a really cool woman who is adventurous, so we decided to give it a shot.
"I was still undecided as to whether I wanted to commit to the whole five-year thing, but then I thought this may not come around again."
Kevin became a name to watch after playing legionnaire Lucius Vorenus in the BBC2 sword and sandals epic, Rome.
Before that he made a good living taking various acting jobs, but wasn't in the same league as his other Trainspotting-turned-blockbuster star friends Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Macdonald and Ewen Bremner.
But Journeyman, which will be shown on Sky One next week, has changed all that.
Created by the team behind The West Wing, Kevin plays San Francisco newspaper reporter Dan Vasser, a former gambling addict, who is suddenly given the ability to travel through time and alter peoples lives.
He attempts to rectify his own past mistakes and finds himself reunited with his former fiancee, who disappeared in a plane crash.
The show started in the US last week and 10 million viewers tuned in, helping Kevin join other Brit actors who have made asplash on American TV.
Along with fellow Scots Ashley Jensen from Ugly Betty, Dougray Scott in Desperate Housewives, the Brits in the Lost series, and Hugh Laurie in House, British actors are showing America that there's lots of talent over here to use.
As he becomes a television star in the US, Kevin and his family are also getting used to the LA lifestyle.
He laughed: "There's this whole British thing where you hate to admit that you actually quite like it out here, but actually it's quite nice.
"The weather's nice and people aren't miserable when you're getting your petrol. I love Britain and I miss Scotland, but sometimes it can drive you nuts. This place can drive you nuts too because everybody is so nice."
However, Kevin admits there are also downsides to living in Hollywood.
"We had our first earthquake recently," he said. "There's not been a tremor in six years and there was one the week after we arrived in the middle of the night.
"The TV cabinet in the bedroom looked like it was walking towards us.
"The kids slept through it - they were fine."
THE son of a plumber and a secretary at a lemonade factory, Kevin was brought up on a housing estate in Elgin, Moray.
He decided to become an actor after seeing Steven Spielberg 's sci-fi classic ET and joined the Moray Youth Theatre before going on to study drama at Queen Margaret College after one term of trying engineering at Edinburgh University in 1992.
He made his big film screen debut as the vicious gangleader Malky Johnson in Small Faces in 1996. That year he also won his first TV role as Father Deegan in Father Ted.
But it was Trainspotting that took his career to another level. In the film of the Britpop era, Kevin played the gentle junkie Tommy who contracts AIDS.
Famously, Kevin wasn't in the iconic poster with the other stars because he was on holiday in Tunisia at the time of the shoot.
Maybe that's why, as the UK went mad for Ewan, Bobby, Kelly and Ewen, Kevin was still working in a pub, as a bicycle courier, and on abuilding site to make ends meet.
But Kevin has worked hard keeping his name known in television shows like Looking After Jo Jo, North Square and Gunpowder, Treason & Plot and films Topsy-Turvy, Dog Soldiers, The Acid House and 16 Years of Alcohol.
Winning the main part in Rome in 2005 opened the door to America and Journeyman will give him the level of fame he deserves.
But Kevin admits he wasn't interested in taking up new projects after Rome stopped filming.
He said: "I'd just finished Rome, it was Christmas and I didn't want to do much. But an agent said 'Look I really think you should come over. A lot of people have been phoning up asking about you'.
"So I went to the US and one of the things I read was Journeyman and I really loved it."
Kevin also admits he hadn't realised how big Rome was in America.
He added: "It was looked down upon a bit in Britain but it was huge over here. I don't think any of us really appreciated the kind of effect it had."
The Scot also admits that his character Dan Vasser is far more like him than Lucius in Rome, but he reckons he gets parts for hard, aggressive men because of his face.
He laughed: "I've got a face like a baked potato. It's gnarly. That kind of translates well on camera.
"I'm not a particularly aggressive or intense person really, but I'm attracted to those characters, probably because they're much braver than I am.
"Dan Vasser in this show is more like mebecause he's just a guy who finds himself in these extraordinary circumstances."
While Kevin had an English accent in Rome, he has put on an American accent for Journeyman, spending considerable time with a dialect coach to get rid of his natural Doric accent.
But Kevin admits he's just finished a film with Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan called Made of Honor, which will be the first time in a decade he's used his own voice.
In the film he plays a Scotsman who owns half the whisky distilleries in Scotland and it made him miss filming at home.
He said: "I'm quite homesick at the moment, so the thought of going to Scotland would be quite nice right now."
A decade after Trainspotting Kevin has arrived and while people still associate him with the film, it seems at last that not everyone revers him for it.
He said: "It's funny because it was so long ago now and you think it's going to die off.
"It was such a cultural phenomenon at the time, but maybe it's now in the past."
Journeyman begins on Sky One on November 8 at 10pm.
'I don't think any of us appreciated the effect Rome had'
Scott Rudin seizes 'I, Claudius' Producer nabs screen rights to Graves book By MICHAEL FLEMING Rudin
In a $2 million deal, producer Scott Rudin has acquired screen rights to the Robert Graves historical novel "I, Claudius." It is expected that "The Departed" tandem of Leonardo DiCaprio, and Oscar-winning scribe William Monahan will become attached. That duo was part of a rival bid made by Warner Bros.
Rudin hasn't yet set the picture at a studio, but it's likely to land at Disney--where he has an overall deal--and it could be made in concert with Miramax and Touchstone. Rudin will produce with Alison Owen, with whom he produced "The Other Boleyn Girl."
Several studios fought for Graves's famed book about the Roman Empire as told through the eyes of Claudius, starting with the rise of Augustus Caesar to emperor in 24 B.C., and ending with the crowning of Nero in 54 A.D. The book featured all the attendant backstabbing, violence and debauchery that was part and parcel of the Roman ruling class.
WB, Universal and Working Title chased the book, and New Line and Paramount were also rumored to be in the hunt.
The auction occurred because movie rights that had been held by Jim Sheridan lapsed, and RWSH's Nick Harris brought the book back into the marketplace on behalf of the author's estate.
The BBC turned Graves's novel into an Emmy-winning 13-part miniseries in 1976, with Derek Jacobi playing Claudius, a man who hid his brilliance behind a stutter and a limp but wound up outsmarting his rivals to become emperor in 41 A.D.
Neither DiCaprio nor Monahan have deals in place, but the actor just worked with Rudin on the DreamWorks drama "Revolutionary Road."
Jekyll Is A Once In A Lifetime Role For James Nesbitt
By Christina Radish
James Nesbitt at the BBC America presentation for the Television Critics Association Press Tour held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on July 13, 2007.
Set in the present day and starring James Nesbitt (Murphy’s Law, Cold Feet)in the title role, Jekyll is a chilling, and often shocking, thriller about a man whose life is literally split in half. Mr. Hyde is everything that the repressed Dr. Jackman (Jekyll) is not. Hyde is a narcissistic newborn in a grown man’s body, and his equal passion for booze, prostitutes, Disney movies and violence grows stronger each time Jackman drops his guard, and they both realize that Hyde will not be chained up forever.
Talking to MediaBlvd Magazine about what it’s like to find the balance between the reserved Jackman and the psychotic Hyde, the 42-year-old Irish actor says that Jekyll is the type of project that an actor waits his entire life for.
MediaBlvd Magazine> For American audiences that might not be familiar with you and your work, where are you from and how did you got into acting? James Nesbitt> I’m from a very rural area, called County Antrim, in Northern Ireland. I was the only boy, with three older sisters. They were all my teachers, and my father was my primary school headmaster. We then moved to a bigger town. I used to sing a lot at festivals, and I did a bit of acting when I was younger. There was a local theatre with a professional company and I did Artful Dodger in Oliver, and things like that. I started a French degree, and then packed it in and went to drama school in London. I began to do a lot of work. I was doing theater work. My first film was Hear my Song. And then, I was doing television roles on things like Ballykissangel, Boon and Touching Evil. Then Cold Feet came along, which just generated work for me.
MediaBlvd> How did you come to be involved with Jekyll? James> I was actually with my agent and we went to see the Commissioning Editor of Drama on BBC1 to talk to her about another season of a cop show I did, called Murphy’s Law. At the end of the meeting, she said, “Yeah, we’ll do another one of those,” which was great, but then she said, “Actually, I’ve got something else you might be interested to see.” It was in the very early stages, but the scripts were more or less in place. So, she sent me Jekyll and I read it, and it was actually astonishing to read. It just leapt off the page. It was exciting and original, inventive and quirky, and something you wait for, all your life. I went to meet Steven Moffat, the writer, and Executive Producer Beryl Vertue, and a couple of the other producers, and we talked a couple of times, and then it was there. So, I knew I was doing it for a long time. The build up and the anticipation was probably more terrifying than the actual doing of it, to tell you the truth. It felt momentous, in a sense. And then, the actual doing of it was, again, terrifying, but also very liberating and exhilarating and, ultimately, very satisfying.
MediaBlvd> Was part of the attraction to doing this the fact that it wasn’t a re-telling of the same Jekyll & Hyde story, but was more of an original film? James> The attraction wasn’t that I was going to be in Jekyll & Hyde. The attraction was that there were two great parts within one person. I never really viewed it as a version of Jekyll & Hyde. From my point of view, it was just about these two great characters, and trying to present them in a believable way. It was 14 or 15 weeks of very hard, intensive work. It flew by, but it also felt like a lifetime’s work as well.
MediaBlvd> How did you go about developing the subtle differences between the two characters? How did you know when you’d found the right balance? James> There was a Victorian Hyde, who was monstrous and violent. Steven’s take on it was that this modern Hyde was seductive and cool and, dare I say, sexy. It took a bit of work. There was a lot of conversation. We knew there wasn’t just going to be make-up differences. It wasn’t going to be monstrous, nor hugely different. I was certainly helped by the different lenses and a little bit of prosthetic work, but it was really more about finding the truth of the characters and, once you find that, the physicality comes as a result of that. In terms of playing Hyde, that was just about being brave and throwing it out there. Once I did that on the first day, and it seemed to work, then I could do whatever the hell I wanted with that. I loved that. I looked so forward to doing that because it was the opportunity to really show off. Jackman was harder because it was trying to present this rather tortured soul, in a light that we could relate to. But, if you’re backed up by good writing, it all fits into place. You don’t have to do much. It’s incredible. I could show you how people move and tell you what kind of people they are from how they move. I remember doing animal study at drama school, and I used to think, “What the fuck? What am I doing this for?” But, actually, it has all made sense. It was very interesting for me to experience how, just by doing a very little thing, like moving the angle of a head or the movement of a hand, you can really play different characters. Somewhere in my memory, I was able to tap into the notion that you only have to do very small things to often make quite a big difference. It was a better approach than having me go behind the sofa and then come up with a hairy arm, or something. It was much more to do with projection. There was also a bit of work on the nose. The depressing thing was having to not only hand in the wigs at the end of the day, but to hand in your nose and chin.
MediaBlvd> Did you intend to make this shocking, appalling character likeable, or did that just happen? James> If I was deliberate about anything, I was probably deliberate about that. I think it’s important that the audience finds something attractive about Hyde. They don’t necessarily have to have empathy with him, but certainly find something appealing about him. So, that was quite tricky to pitch right, and not just create a monster. I think the way of doing that was to find the child because it’s hard to hate a child. And, I think the childish elements of Hyde are what makes him forgivable, at times.
MediaBlvd> Can you talk about working with Michelle Ryan (the star of NBC’s upcoming Bionic Woman), who plays Jackman’s assistant? Were there ever moments when you worried about scaring her, in the times that you were playing Hyde? James> No, I was not. Michelle has more balls than me. She’s great. In England, we sometimes forget how young she is because she’s been a soap star for a long time, but she’s a committed, hard-working actress. She takes the project seriously, but doesn’t take herself too seriously. The balance that is the hardest to achieve in success is to take the work seriously, but not to take oneself too seriously. She was brilliant to work with. I’ve always thought of myself as the young member of the company, but of course, I’m not. I’m a middle-aged guy. I’m getting on a bit. And, she was very keen to learn things. She’s also funny, sexy, talented and cool. She’s great to work with. The girl will do very well. She’s ambitious, in the right way. She’s a good girl.
MediaBlvd> How was working with Gina Bellman, who plays Jackman’s wife? James> Gina was fabulous. I spent a lot more time with Gina than anyone else, and that was brilliant. We were constantly trying to pitch where we were in the story. It’s a mad tale, but Gina was incredible supportive and worked hard. It was a joy to do the job.
MediaBlvd> What scares you? James> One of the other notions about the show is that there’s an element of a mid-life crisis, to some extent, which Jackman is going through. If anything scares me, it’s getting a bit older and thinking, “What have I achieved? What have I left the kids? What have I got ahead of me?” In doing this show, you don’t really think, “I’ve got to be scary, in this moment. I’ve got to be funny in this moment.” You’re just playing the characters. The most terrifying thing I’ve ever confronted in my life was having to play this character. But, getting through it also made it the most rewarding job I’ve done.
MediaBlvd> Are you ever surprised at what you can get away with on British television, as opposed to American television? James> I find the idea that there’s a lowering of standards because of bad language interesting. I think there’s a lowering of standards because of war. I think the least of our worries should be what people are saying on television. I think we should worry about what people are doing in the government. What’s odd to me is the death penalty. That’s absurd. But, someone saying, “Fuck!,” on television doesn’t really bother me that much.
MediaBlvd> What has the experience of Murphy’s Law been like, now that you’re working as a Creative Consultant, in addition to playing the title role? James> I didn’t used to. We did the pilot, and then we did the first two seasons, and it was fine. It went well, but it felt as if it was coming to the end of its life. But, I knew that there was something in the character that we could take further, and I persuaded the BBC to do so. So, we got new writers and a new producer, and we were influenced by things like The Shield and CSI. We made it much darker and grittier, and we enlisted the help of one of the main undercover cops from the 80's and 90's in London, of which there are only a handful who really live that very dark life. It almost becomes a different show and, ultimately, I think it’s much better. It’s something I feel very close to because I am involved with it, creatively. The Murphy that we have now is someone who would be very suspicious of actors, and very suspicious of cop shows. I worked really hard on creating that new Murphy, in everything from the way he stood to the way he talked to the way he acts in situations. It was about getting the pieces and throwing them together.
MediaBlvd> Now that you’ve worked as a Creative Consultant, do you want to get more involved with the production side of things? James> I have a production company, but it’s about trying to find the right project. I have a couple of things developing, at the moment, hopefully. It gives you more control. It gives you more freedom.
MediaBlvd> You’ve had success with both Murphy’s Law and Cold Feet, which are two very different types of projects. Do you prefer doing lighter, more comedic work, or do you prefer the heavier drama? James> I don’t really make any conscious decisions like that. I don’t think, “Well, I’ve done that, so I should now do this.” Cold Feet wasn’t a million miles away from me, I have to say, and I was involved with the writing of that, in that we changed things a lot to suit me and the voice I use. But, comedy is hard.
MediaBlvd> Is there something that you get recognized for most often? James> It changes and evolves. For years, it was Cold Feet. And, I’ve done a series of very successful commercials, so I got recognized for that. Then, it was Murphy’s Law. Now, it’s Jekyll. It changes. But, it’s an odd thing when people are crossing the road to tell you how scary you are.
MediaBlvd> Do you want to do more work in the States? James> I’d like to work anywhere, really. I recently saw Paul Greengrass, who directed Bloody Sunday and is now directing the Bourne films. I’d love to come here and work with him. I either love to work or I love to be with my family. The notion of me coming here and sitting around for a long time, waiting for something, doesn’t really appeal to me. But, I’d love to work here, and I’d love to work at home.
MediaBlvd> What do you think the difference is in the pressures of fame in the UK, as opposed to the States? James> It’s pretty invasive at home. I’ve had my run-ins with the press. But, if you keep yourself to yourself then you’ll be left alone. If you put yourself out there, you can get into difficulties. I’m used to it, but whether or not my family is, I don’t know. The kids don’t really care about it, but I think it’s odd for my wife and my friends. It’s just quite odd if everyone knows you. Everyone in the UK knows me, and that’s an odd thing. I’m not saying that with arrogance, or anything. That’s just the way it is. It is quite an odd existence, I suppose. You can either court it or avoid it, and I tend to try to avoid it.
MediaBlvd> Are there certain types of roles that you’re looking for now, or specific things that attract you to a project? James> Good writing, and things that are different. I’m hoping now to go to Morocco and do Pontius Pilate in six half-hour dramas about The Passion. And then, I think I’m playing a character who’s a journalist with some sort of condition, where he can’t go out in daylight. I’m just looking for different things. I’m very lucky to be in the position where I can do that.
MediaBlvd> Are there particular characters that you’d like to explore, if you had the opportunity? James> I want to do a musical film. I’m going to do a musical film before I die. I also want to make a good British love story. I don’t think that we’re very good at doing love stories in England. I think they’re very good at doing them here. I want to do a musical love story, where I get eight musicians to write eight different songs that will carry through the film. That’s my next thing. That’s the opus that I want to do.
MediaBlvd> Since you were initially reluctant to start an acting career, are you ever surprised with success that you’ve achieved? James> Constantly! I think it’s absolutely absurd. I think it’s absurd when I get a job. I just can’t believe it. But, I also know that I work hard and I’m alright at it. It’s not all luck. But, I’m aware of the fragility of it. I’ve worked hard and I’ve been lucky enough to have good scripts. The success thing is weird, though.
MediaBlvd> Why is your work with UNICEF so important to you? James> It’s a privilege really. I’m a UNICEF Ambassador. I was in the Sudan two months ago, doing a piece on Chad soldiers. I was in Zambia last year, covering the HIV pandemic and how it’s robbing children of an education. There is a bit of cynicism out there about how celebrities, or actors, jump on this bandwagon. But, for me, I get an enormous amount out of it and, if I can raise some money for it, then good. There’s a lot of bad shit out there, and those stories need to be told. If I’m in the position to tell those stories, then that’s well and good. It’s incredible. It’s only through an accident of birth that some children have a shit life and some don’t, and that’s the terrible thing. And, it’s because of that accident of birth that we should look after those children that grow up in situations that you and I can scarcely believe. When I spoke to Chad soldiers about what their lives were, it is terrifying and wrong, and it’s important that someone tells those stories so that these children are given an opportunity too. All of them want to make sure it doesn’t happen to their children.
I am always amazed how a strong actor can save a show from mediocrity. That is probably why I am hooked on Jekyll which was first broadcast on BBC one in June 2007.
When I first saw the previews, I groaned internally. But the series is not just another Jekyll and Hyde remake. It is equal parts horror, parody, and drama. Much has already been written about the series so I will not drone on; I do have to say that James Nesbitt does a magnificent job of portraying an individual whose life is being ripped apart by his transformation into a monster.
Did I say that the monster is a hot one at that? There is something about Mr. Nesbitt's portrayal of Hyde that is more bad-boy than freak-of-nature and this makes Hyde an appealing character that for some reason illicits empathy from the viewer. I wanted Hyde to behave, as if he could, and when he does not, I felt dissapointed as if he was a misbehaving child.
Mr. Nesbitt's portrayal of Dr. Jackman is excellent. Again, the viewer feels empathy for the character and the conflict that Dr. Jackman feels is palpable. How does he save his family from himself? The most conflicting issue is that when Dr. Jackman is sexually aroused, Mr. Hyde emerges. This in essence prevents Dr. Jackman from showing any affection toward his wife.
If you are a fan of scifi or of James Nesbitt, I highly recommend the series and suggest that you give it watch. Admittedly, I saw the second episode initially and was not crazy about the series because it made no sense. I had to watch the first episode for background information and then I became hooked.
Armchair historians perk up! Rome: the Complete Second Season is now available on DVD. Rome: the Complete Second Season consists of a 5-disc collector’s set that picks up after the assassination of Julius Caesar. The set ends with Octavian Caesar’s triumphant return to Rome just after Mark Antony and Cleopatra’s tragic demise.
Rome: the Complete Second Season contains an exclusive excerpt from the official Rome hardback book also features illuminating audio commentary from cast and crew. Executive Producer Bruno Heller and Historical Consultant Jonathan Stamp share intriguing tidbits such as how long Caesar lay bleeding to death on the senate floor after his assassination, what professional mourners chanted during Caesar’s viewing, and why Caesar’s corpse was fed fresh breast milk during the viewing.
Also of note is James Purefoy’s devilishly keen insight into the series’ production. Having done extensive preparation for his role as Mark Antony, James Purefoy muses in his audio commentary about the kinds of drugs that might have been used during Antony and Cleopatra’s decadent reign and how Cleopatra might have been the source of inspiration for Madonna’s cone shaped bra. “As you can see, …[here is] Lyndsay Marshal sporting a very early version of that famous Madonna outfit,” Purefoy comments. “See, there is nothing such as originality, is there really?”
As an aside, one wonders how difficult it was to film such a decadent series. As Kevin McKidd put it during Barneys New York's DVD Release Party over the weekend in Beverly Hills, "It was not difficult. I'm English and our culture is a bit more relaxed than [America's]. I knew going in that I was doing a film about a pre-Chrisitian society lacking the kind of moral confines we now have and so I tried to understand that and adopt an appropriate mindset." Fellow Englishman, James Purefoy, holding a similar position, stated that preparation required "extensive research." He spent much of his preparation pouring over histories.
Rome: the Complete Second Season includes smart documentaries of the history of the Republic as wells as the making of the second season of Rome. It also contains an interactive onscreen guide. The interactive guide enriches each episode with details of characters’ motivations, the political climate, and Roman culture.
Question: What did some soldiers who guarded Caesar in ancient days wear as battle souvenirs?
Answer: Just the dessicated phalluses of their slaughtered enemies.
Talk about realism. One of these dried male organs is actually on display at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising's 2nd annual Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design exhibition. It hangs around the neck on a leather strap, part of a guard's costume from "Rome," HBO's critically hailed series that was nominated for six Emmys, including costume design.
So, um, whom did this belong to? "Oh, we don't know," said chuckling costume designer April Ferry, who won an Emmy for her "Rome" work last year and is nominated for it again this year. "It was a common practice and the soldiers used to bring them home as souvenirs." Beats refrigerator magnets, I guess.
Ferry was at FIDM last Saturday talking about the gruesomely authentic accessory and how sad it was to have the their award-winning show canceled. Ferry and her fellow Emmy '07 nominees Catherine Adair ("Desperate Housewives") and Eduardo Castro ("Ugly Betty") were presented with congratulatory certificates for their Emmy nods. Castro missed picking up his award due to a last-minute photo shoot with the "Betty" cast.
If you're a "Rome" fan, you're in and out of luck. Sadly, the series is still canceled. Don't get me started on that. But at least "Rome: The Second Season" is coming out on DVD. And in addition to the ongoing FIDM display, the windows at Barney's on Wilshire will be done up in Roman Emperor fashion this week for the DVD launch party set for Saturday evening. Lucius Vorenus, Mark Antony and Atia will be on hand to keep April company.
If you can't swing an invite to Saturday's event, you can always hit FIDM. There you can check out wardrobes from other 2007 Emmy costume nominees "The Tudors" and "Jane Eyre," as well as fashion flashbacks from iconic shows such as "I Dream of Jeannie," "Charlie's Angels" and "Bewitched"; current hits including "24" and "Entourage"; and last year's Emmy costume winner, "Elizabeth."
The TV costume collection will be open to the public at FIDM from July 31 through Sept. 29.
But don't say I didn't warn you about the dried phallus.
REMEMBER the 1996 British flick Trainspotting? Kevin McKidd, who began his career on stage with the play The Silver Darlings, really got noticed in his film debut role as the ill-fated drug addict, Tommy. He nabbed the role when he was 21, fresh out of acting school.
“I’m just a wee boy in Trainspotting. Who’s that guy? The guy with the dodgy haircut,” he muses.
Like the rest of the cast, he didn’t expect Trainspotting to become such a success. But after the film’s international acclaim, he was offered roles in many indie films such as the werewolf drama and cult favourite Dog Soldiers (2002). He also nearly ended up in the zombie movie 28 Days (2000) but didn’t sign up due to a packed schedule.
It was Rome, however, that made McKidd the darling of television – especially American television.
“It has done nothing for my career,” he says. Then, he pauses and laughs.
“No, of late, it has been easier for me to get into the rooms I could never get into and meet the people I couldn’t meet. But in the end you still have to audition. It’s not as if you’ve got a golden spoon just because you were in Rome. But people respected what we did,” reveals McKidd, who recently appeared as mercenary Petras Kolnas in the movie Hannibal Rising.
In fact, after Rome’s second and final season, McKidd was identified for numerous American television pilots. He did finally choose the role of a San Francisco journalist who time-travels in the drama Journeyman. The show is waiting to be picked up by US network NBC. And although McKidd insists that there’s no golden spoon, his Rome co-star Ray Stevenson is in a CBS pilot, a police drama called Babylon Fields.
Meanwhile, McKidd is hailed as one of the many British actors who have successfully invaded American television of late.
But to McKidd, it’s his hope that he can one day star in a “gnarly, gritty, dirty Scottish movie version of Macbeth.”
“We’ll shoot it on the wide open beaches in the north of Scotland where I’m from ... I’d love to do that,” he concludes.
Here’s one of the leading men of Rome and Rome II, who’s relieved he has got fewer sex scenes in the series than his co-stars. Next week: Interviews with other cast members
By ELIZABETH TAI starmag-feedback@thestar.com.my
I’M not very interesting,” Kevin McKidd insists. I don’t believe him, of course. But the 33-year-old Scottish actor, known for his role as the honourable Roman soldier Lucius Vorenus in the HBO-BBC series Rome, says that he was a shy, tongue-tied kid who stumbled onto acting because he discovered that he could express himself better as an actor.
Furthermore, he doesn’t think it is an actor’s job to make people interested in them.
“I am not an actor because I want to be a celebrity,” he says in a light Scottish accent.
Despite the tumultuous times in Rome, best friends Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) hang on to their friendship. – Photos courtesy of HBO Asia McKidd, who looks decidedly more casual in jeans and white shirt than the very proper Vorenus, is in HBO Asia’s offices in Singapore to promote the second season of Rome, which premieres on regional television next week. (The actor met with the media last Tuesday.)
Thanks to Vorenus’ intimidating presence, one tends to think that McKidd is as intense as the stern soldier. But in real life, McKidd is a light-hearted and talkative fellow whose “vice” is that he’s a bit of a gadget freak. The unpretentious and down-to-earth actor, together with his beautiful, publicity-shy wife, gamely joins us reporters for a pottery-making session at Boon’s Pottery and later for a noisy dinner at Brown Sugar, a fusion restaurant in River Valley Road. Stardom has not quite swelled his head.
“I live a very quiet life, really,” he says. (He makes his home in a cottage in the English countryside with his wife and two children – one aged seven, and the other is five.) He claims that his role in Rome hasn’t changed his personal life much, even though the powers that be behind American television are very interested in his leading man potential (see Rome leads to roles).
Interestingly, McKidd nearly didn’t become Vorenus because he had turned it down when it was first offered to him.
“I thought: ‘American TV show? Nah,’” he says.
Back then, he had been doing lots of independent cinema in Europe, and didn’t know what it meant to star in a HBO original series because the cable channel was not available in Britain. Plus, he didn’t realise that it would be broadcast internationally. If not for his agent, who asked him to reconsider, we may have a very different Vorenus!
“If you look at Rome, it’s a very high-class, high-end soap opera. And I think that’s what keeps people watching.
McKidd sportingly joins in the activity at Boon’s Pottery in Singapore last week. “Coming from the film world, I used to be snobby about it, but I came to realise that I was in denial. It is a soap opera.”
And a good one, mind you.
Roman adventure
For 179 days in 2006, McKidd had to wake up at 5.30am to get to Cinecittà Studios (in Rome, Italy) to shoot the second season of Rome. Considering that an average 22-episode series takes 160 to 180 days of production, it was certainly a mammoth task to make the 10 episodes of Rome II. The actor recalled working 14-hour (or more) days that often included strenuous battle scenes.
“It’s a boy’s dream come true to ride horses and swing swords, so I will try not to complain,” he says with a chuckle.
“Now, Ray (Stevenson, who portrays Titus Pullo) is a terrible complainer,” he adds cheekily.
The actors had to wear actual chain mail – no plastic ones for them – because the producers wanted the costumes to be as realistic as possible.
“Wearing them for 14 hours was like you’d been in the gym for four hours. Which was great!” he says, laughing.
However, standing around for 14 hours in heavy chain mail didn’t do favours for their feet. The actors absolutely hated the leather sandals they had on because the soles were only half an inch (slightly over 1cm) thick.
“They were agony. Your arches were dropping. And we thought, ‘Why can’t we get Birkenstocks?’ My kingdom for a decent pair of sandals!” he says in jest.
Eventually, they managed to convince the producers to tone down the realism a notch to allow them to wear leather sandals with proper arch support!
Besides its attention to detail, Rome is also famous for pushing the envelope with its brutal battles and steamy love scenes. The producers argue that they needed to portray an era where such debauchery was commonplace and an accepted part of life.
Love scenes are never easy for the actors to act out, admits McKidd. He feels especially sorry for James Purefoy, who plays the womanising Mark Antony.
“Poor James. At one point he said, ‘I’m so sick of having to take my f***ing clothes off every episode!’”
McKidd had fewer sex scenes only because his character is a principled man who is loyal to his wife.
“Those scenes are awkward for an actor to do. There’s not one actor I’ve met – male or female – who has said that they enjoy steamy scenes,” says McKidd.
“They’re embarrassing; you’ve got lights, you’re worried about the way you look ... yuck,” he says, making a face.
“I think I got off lucky,” he chuckles.
A dark turn
But while being Vorenus was fun, McKidd was always aware of the heavy responsibility he had as the lead actor of an expensive production.
“That was quite scary, but it made you stronger in the long run. Now, there’s not much to faze me in this career,” he says.
In Season One, McKidd was very hands-on, and even contributed to the writing process. But it was taking a toll on him after a while.
“It was exhausting, and I wasn’t enjoying myself. And I made a note to myself that I wasn’t going to do that in Season Two, but to focus on my acting.”
Just as well he did for Vorenus was slated to undergo a massive personality change in the second season.
Mark Antony (James Purefoy) and Cleopatra (Lyndsey Marshal) begin a stormy love affair. Doing those love scenes was no joy for Purefoy! “Vorenus is the kind of man who, no matter what happens, will stick to his principles. It can get frustrating after a while. I had been desperate for him to do something a bit more out of control and out of character,” he says.
He got his wish in Season Two; Vorenus is going to a dark place.
“Vorenus has lost everything in his life and because he has nothing to live for he has a certain power he hasn’t had before ... he’s released from himself,” says McKidd.
To prepare himself for a darker Vorenus, McKidd watched Asian films like the South Korean movie Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, the crime thriller directed by Park Chan-wook.
“Vorenus wants to die in some bloody battlefield, and because he has no fear of death he becomes strangely invincible and unkillable,” he says.
And that means lots of physically-demanding battles such as the fight between Vorenus and his best pal Titus.
“It was hard, sweaty work for three days in a dark studio, knocking lumps at each other,” he says.
“Ray damaged his thumb. He’s quite accident-prone,” he says, laughing. (Stevenson also fell off his horse thrice and dislocated his shoulder during filming.)
There were also many more emotionally-draining scenes such as the one that involved Vorenus’ children.
“I have children ... and the idea of playing a scene about young children under your care that you allowed to fall into abuse ... the kind of guilt that a parent will feel ... the horrible emotions that you have to go through. That was hard. I know how visceral that emotion would be,” he says.
“There were some days it was almost as if I had given myself a headache because of the level of intensity I had to get to. In real life I’m light-hearted generally, so to get to that place, that kind of intensity, was exhausting,” he relates.
Ironically, after being released from the straitjacket of Vorenus’ principles, McKidd finds that he prefers the Vorenus of Season One.
“He had that innocence that is stripped from him in Season Two. In a way, he was naive, that was one of his faults, but he had ideals he hoped he could live up to. It’s very sad, but you have to open his eyes to the truth so that he becomes less ideal (sic),” he says.
When executive producer Bruno Heller told McKidd that there wouldn’t be a third season, the latter was naturally sad.
“Bruno said, ‘The great thing about this is that they’ve given us 10 episodes and now I can put three seasons worth of storylines all in one intense, 10-episode, kick-a*** season.’
“But it’s much more punchy because we know we have only one season to tell everything,” McKidd says.
Former Union City resident screens short epic film in NYC Jessica Rosero Reporter staff writer
SCREENING – “Roma Sub Rosa” is scheduled to make its screening debut in New York City on Saturday, Feb. 3, at OS Art House at John Street Grill, 17 John St. at 8 p.m. Political corruption, murder, and the balance of power are three elements in the independent short Roma Sub Rosa: The Secret Under the Rose.
The short is a period piece set in Italy and was written by former Union City resident Jim Thalman.
It debuted last June on Adelphia Cable Channel 17 WHDT in California and has received critical acclaim at film festivals throughout the United States and abroad since its first screenings in February of 2006.
Following the overwhelming response, WHDT scheduled a second telecast in July, and additional networks have brought the film to 1.4 million homes across the country.
Now Roma Sub Rosa is scheduled to take on the Big Apple with a film screening set for Saturday, Feb. 3, at OS Art House at John Street Grill, 17 John St. at 8 p.m.
"On the eve of war, a politician's empty words echo the glories of war as a generation of field officers decided that the murder of a politician is a wiser course of action than to knowingly march thousands to the death," said writer and co-producer Thalman. "People love the incorporation of mafia into the Roman Empire, and they can relate to it. Within this world there is no room for politicians, they would sooner get murdered before getting any fame or power."
The backdrop
"This film is an alternative to what we have seen on the Roman Empire," said Thalman. "For the most part Roman stories on film are told from a very British perspective, and has nothing of the Italian culture laced in."
Set in 212 B.C. Southern Italy, 162 years before Caesar, the story follows a "ragtag army" of new recruits lead by Lt. General Cornelius Scipio (played by Thalman). The recruits are among the newly formed Meridian Armies, which have been sent out by the Roman Senate to put an end to the violence brought by Hannibal of Carthage.
"This is from the Italian perspective, which is based on family," said Thalman. "Within Roman culture it is about loyalty to family, and nothing else matters."
These soldiers fighting alongside one another are like family, loyal to each other. Their leader Scipio is among the veteran soldiers, who instigate a plot to assassinate the politicians, who according to Thalman seek the glories of war at the price of soldiers' lives.
"It's very prison yard," said Thalman. "We have spun a conspiracy [and tell the story] of a generation of ambitious young men and how they come to power, which they do so by murdering one man instead of through these large battle sequences."
The plot thickens
So the question becomes, do the lives of a few justify the means to save hundreds of others?
For this group of soldiers it does. Thus begins a web of negotiations, blackmail, marriage and murder to seize control of the Meridian Armies. It is the allegiances of these great families that put an end to squabbling politicians, and become the powerful families of Rome.
"It's much more akin to films like the Godfather and Goodfellas," said Thalman. "It's a crime story set as a period film."
The film follows the group in a sequence of events that take place from sunset to sunrise.
"We follow each of these eight men, which ultimately become, and this is a fact, the powerful founding families of the Roman Empire," said Thalman.
These men take specific courses of action to fulfill their purpose of assassinating the Imperator, or crown prince, without instigating a civil war amongst the army.
"This happens in a war camp on the verge of civil war with over 1,000 men, with the potential to turn on each other," said Thalman.
Building a franchise
Following the success of Roma Sub Rosa, which was completed in November of 2005, Thalman and Cobblestone Pictures, who released the film, will continue with an additional three-part installment.
"We started with this film as a pilot, and it has been playing to great notoriety around the world," said Thalman.
The film is set to screen next in Canada. Thalman and Cobblestone Pictures are also in negotiations to possibly bring the film to Spain.
"It's gaining momentum and a great popularity, so through that we have been able to solidify second monies and production deals to shoot the four part [series] needed to sell this franchise," said Thalman.
Roma Sub Rosa was made on a budget of just over $50,000, and had a majority of their costume armor and weapons donated by the Warner Bros. Studios.
"There is a huge popularity for ancient pieces right now, and Rome in particular, thanks to shows like HBO's Rome," said Thalman.
The second film will continue with the hunt for Hannibal, the third will involve the capture of Carthage, and the final installment will be titled All Roads Lead to Rome.
"When they get back to Rome is when it becomes the most dangerous," said Thalman. "The soldiers have garnered wealth and made enemies, and vendettas have formed against them."
Screenplays for the following films are completed and in the works with a couple of well-known actors expressing interest in the films.
"There is universality to it," said Thalman. "Even though its set in 212 B.C. its something that any 16 or 18 year old can understand because it's mafia. It's the Sopranos set in Rome."
Roma Sub Rosa was directed by Michael Fischa; produced by Matt Walsh, Klint Macro, Jim Thalman, and executive produced by Joseph Sanchez, Arian Blanco, and John J. McMahon.
For more information on Roma Sub Rosa visit www.romasubrosa.com
Jessica Rosero can be reached at jrosero@hudsonreporter.com
I have come to the conclusion that it is too early to comment on Rome Season II. I will reserve my overall opinion until I have seen the series. Given that and my need to discuss all things Rome, I thought I would comment on sightings of Rome alumni.
I spotted Karl Johnson who played Porcius Cato in season I in the Illusionist starring Edward Norton. Mr. Johnson had a small role as the family doctor, and I almost did not recognize him except for his voice. By the way, the Illusionist was an excellent movie. Edward Norton did an excellent job as the lead character. Actually before I saw this movie at the video store, I did not know it existed. I had confused it with the Prestige, an entirely different movie that was released to theatres probably at the same time the Illusionist was ready for release. Unfortunate because this is a very good movie.
Another sighting was of Ian McNeice, the rather portly gentlemen who plays the newsreader. He played the medical examiner in the Black Dahlia. Very small role, but there he was big as life. An acceptable movie, but for some reason, it bored me terribly. I am glad I waited to watch it at home so I could restart portions I had dozed through.
As I eagerly count down the final days to Sunday's premiere of Rome season II (and desperately avoid the spoilers on the Rome discussion board), I wonder what the new season will bring...
Will Vorenus truly be as monstrous as everyone is leaking? Have Pullo and Vorenus truly switched roles? Did Erastes Fulman kill Vorena the Elder, Vorena the Mute, and the little bastard Lucius "Evander" Vorenus? What role will Eirene play in all this madness? How will Vorenus be received by his in-laws at Niobe's funeral? Are the in-laws clones of Lyde or fortunate to have Niobe's looks? Will Vorenus ever shave again? Will Atia, Antony, Cleo, and Octavia form a menage a quatre? Will Octavia give up the pipe? Will Octavian grow some balls and slug Antony? Will Calpurnia put a beat down on Servilia? Will Timon get any more from Atia? Who will Posca wed?
I am totally mesmerized by James Nesbitt who plays the main character Tom Murphy. Still photos do not do James Nesbitt justice. He is the type of actor that owns a scene. Not particularly handsome, but definitely attractive is an extremely masculine way.
Not being a fan of detective / undercover police shows (since they are way over done in the US ala the CSI franchise), I find Murphy's law to be rather refreshing. Perhaps because it is set in the UK and the locations are not familiar to me, I can't pinpoint it. The story lines aren't exactly fresh, but they are freshly done. And James Nesbitt is gritty enough to be believable as a hitman or drug dealer or whatever criminal he plays.
If you like this genre, I highly recommend the series starting with series 1.
As a result of my ecclectic viewing habits, I was watching an episode of Hamish MacBeth on my $35 PAL-enabled DVD. A quaint show, very different from what I am offered on American cable TV; rather allows me to escape now and then to motherland Scotland, it does.
Anyway, I digress ... never having been a great fan of Robert Carlyle (who I first espied in trainspotting as the psycho- and sociopathic Begbie), I nevertheless had decided to purchase the series since it received rave reviews on Amazon (proof enough for me). As I started watching the second episode of the first series it dawned on me what my fascination was: I was watching Kevin McKidd's early facial expressions and mannerisms! The realization struck me (like a bad smell) that those insanely annoying mannerisms and facial expressions that my beloved Kevin employed in movies like Understanding Jane and The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns were adopted from Robert Carlyle.
This also lead to the thought that perhaps the two were related somehow, cousins maybe. Sometimes if Robert Carlyle turns just the right way, I see a little of Kevin there although, not to be mean, Robert does look like he might have been born a preemie.
Well that last statement wasn't very nice, but he is rather undersized. I watched him last night in Once Upon a Time in the Midlands where he did an adequate job (Rhys Ifans stole the movie). I had totally forgotten that he also portrayed Edward I in Gunpowder, Treason and Plot where he did an excellent job.
