Top

Shirley Maclaine Downton Abbey Season 3

March 10, 2012 by · Comments Off on Shirley Maclaine Downton Abbey Season 3 

Shirley Maclaine Downton Abbey Season 3, The venerable Shirley MacLaine was cast as Lady Cora’s American mother, Martha Levinson, for Season 3 of “Downton Abbey,” the British import show that has captured American audiences – but it sound as though she has wrapped filming just about three weeks into shooting the season.

“I’m back in the States now and catching up with my other projects,” tweets MacLaine.

Of course, we’re sure it went swimmingly – the actors have had nothing but raves for her. Allen Leech, who plays Tom Branson, the former chauffer and Lady Sybil’s husband on the show, tweets that having MacLaine as part of the Downton family is “amazeballs.”

We’re sure it was.

Shirley also gave an interview to Lady magazine that is a good read – though she did the interview before she shot anything, so don’t look for any juicy details. She does say of her on-screen counterpart Maggie Smith, “I love her to death … Intimidating? Certainly not!”

Celebrity Genealogy

March 10, 2012 by · Comments Off on Celebrity Genealogy 

Celebrity Genealogy, With genealogy often cited as the second most popular hobby, I’ve never understood why it’s been largely ignored on TV. We’ve got channels dedicated to everything from golf to going green, but aside from shows such as History Detectives and Antiques Roadshow that occasionally incorporate a dash of family history, genealogy has been badly neglected. Finally, that’s about to change.

Active and armchair genealogists across the country — not to mention those who can’t know enough about their favorite celebrities — will soon be treated to two shows offering a combined 11 episodes of prime time programming. Starting on February 10th and running 8:00-9:00 p.m. for four Wednesdays will be Faces of America, the latest PBS series by Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr. Just two days after this series winds down, Who Do You Think You Are? (WDYTYA) will ramp up for seven episodes (Fridays, 8:00-9:00 p.m.) on NBC.

I suppose now might be an appropriate time to confess that I’m not a disinterested party as I conducted research for both of these series and had the opportunity to write the companion book, Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History, for one. Still, I can honestly say that my excitement would be as high even if I had had nothing to do with them. Genealogy will make for great TV for one simple reason: there’s no such thing as a boring family. This is reality television that was scripted before TV existed.

Both shows offer considerable, multicultural star power that will appeal even to those who have never looked up a census record or interviewed an older relative. The PBS line-up includes Yo-Yo Ma, Queen Noor, Malcolm Gladwell, Eva Longoria Parker, Mike Nichols, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Meryl Streep, Stephen Colbert, Louise Erdrich, Kristi Yamaguchi, Elizabeth Alexander and Mario Batali, while the NBC one includes Lisa Kudrow (who also happens to be the show’s executive producer), Susan Sarandon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Spike Lee, Brooke Shields, Emmitt Smith and Matthew Broderick.

Though both are celebrity roots shows, their formats are quite different. Both are participatory in nature with celebrities traveling to learn about their heritage, but Faces of America will feature Dr. Gates revealing many findings with his guests (much as he did in African American Lives I & II and Oprah’s Roots), while WDYTYA — a wildly popular import from the U.K. — follows celebs on journeys of self-discovery.

As a life-long and hard-core genealogist, I see this as reason to celebrate. Anyone who’s ever dabbled in family history knows how addicting it swiftly becomes, and if WDYTYA’s success in other countries is any measure, many non-genealogists will suddenly find themselves pulled in by the undertow. So now’s the time for current and budding roots-enthusiasts to start planning their weekly soirees (two shows in the week of March 1st!) to gather with friends, down some popcorn, swap tales of DNA testing Grandpa and purposely getting locked into libraries overnight, and most of all, enjoying these long overdue shows.

Splendor In The Grass

August 10, 2010 by · Comments Off on Splendor In The Grass 

Splendor In The Grass, Splendor in the Grass, an art of the tenth annual music festival is over. 2010 The splendor in the grass is three days of events. This year, the event was held from July 30 to 8, 2001 in Woodford, Queensland, Australia. In Splendor in the Grass 2010 event, there were more than eighty popular artists and DJs participated in Australia and the world
The splendor in the grass began in 2001 as a one-day event and soon evolved into a two-day event in 2002 following the festival. Splendor in the Grass is generally regarded as the country’s largest winter music festival, attracting a large number of visitors from interstate. Splendor in the Grass won the FasterLouder Festival Award for ‘Favorite Line Up’ in 2009. Splendor in the Grass is an annual music, arts and youth culture.

Each year the event has taken place on the outskirts of Byron Bay in July or August. However, in 2010 he moved to temporary Splendor Woodford in Queensland seat of Woodford Folk Festival. Last year’s event offered a staggering array of talent from the music world leaders such as Coldplay, TV On The Radio, The Flaming Lips, Arctic Monkeys, Death Cab for Cutie, Queens Of The Stone Age, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Brian Wilson, The Presets and more.

The festival has also featured local crafts, creative performance and the kitchen with the best and latest music from Australia and overseas.

The festival is at the top of the Australian fans will most demanding music of the lists of must-go festival, which combined with the relatively small number of events in comparison with many of the summer festivals, the results of the activity excited tickets go on sale days.

The festival this year was the tenth Splendor in the Grass. Traditionally, the two-day event has accommodated 17,500 people and has sold in advance for each year of its existence, often within hours of going on sale all entrances to the last festival took in just three hours, while events last three years for sale in one day.

Splendor in the grass of the promoters and Jessica Ducrou Piticco Paul said: “We are pleased with our first Splendor in Woodfordia. We had a really great time this year and despite some initial problems and heavy traffic was expected, we are pleased that comments on the event has been fantastic. ”

He said: “We were blessed with a large sun-filled time, a great atmosphere and spectacular performances by what a cracking weekend! We would also like to thank the local community and residents for their patience and support during the festival. Here’s to 2011. ”

First day of Splendor in the Grass:

On Friday, Esplendor welcomed back to The Gyuto Monks blessed the beautiful surroundings and set a tone that led to its passage through a divine weekend. As the sun was shining, the local money for the rope, Skipping Girl Vinegar and Violent Soho has Splendor 2010 to start cracking. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club took the stage as the sun set and establish a benchmark of musical force, with a set that built and built in the intensity of bettors, leaving your eyes wide open and the wind. It was during the execution Temper Trap that people have their first experience of what has become a tradition Splendor – special appearance.

Mumford and Sons joined the stage and during the closing set by Ben Harper, INXS drummer Jon Farris took to the skins of a great patriotic pride fuel approach. The tradition continued through the weekend with Mumford and Sons welcome new friends Passion Pit, Boy & Bear and Julia Stone on stage Hoedown on Sunday for a beautiful family that filled the amphitheater was stamped on my feet as one.

For three incredible days, there were many moments recorded in the scrapbook of the history of Australian music. LCD Soundsystem, took the roof of the store on Friday MixUp raise levels of dance to a new height and Scissor Sisters heating rollers that followed shortly thereafter. As the crowd inside their warm woolens in winter the band did (almost) nkd collectively encouraging the crowd to do the same, even though earlier in the day Midlake played through a divine whole, no doubt , boost sales cardigan over the coming months.

Second day of Splendor in the Grass:

On Saturday, Delphi handed an incredible set of high energy that did not hesitate a second booster of faith in his flock and the conversion of the unconverted. More at the Amphitheatre, Operator Please prompted the massive crowd without fear, to woo all those who sat before them with both their sound and awesome hair. As she took the stage with The Machine, the amphitheater excelled in advance, Florence shining silver fabric impressive flow, together with his heavenly voice, cemented the idea that she is nothing less than a fallen angel. Few could follow the event and survived. However, The Strokes delivered the coup days a memorable example of live music, Julian and his band of merry men hairy impeccable playing danceable hit unshakable swayable after another.

Third day of Splendor in the Grass:

On the third day, the G.W. McLennan stage shimmies to the lovely sounds of local Boy and Bear. The time was appropriate as the sunny sounds of LA responsible Surfer happy mood led to the amphitheater blood as the fish of the seas calm. Broken Social Scene brought heart to the beauty of GW McLennan stage and Passion Pit was moving around the Amphitheatre and the jump. As this epic journey of three days walking to an end too quickly Mumford and Sons had grown men swinging arm as singing a song after song word for word. Richard Ashcroft’s voice gave out his performance and was interrupted as a result. As things wrapped up, Aussie boys Empire of the Sun closed the Mix Up tent looking equally impressive as they sounded, and then complete Splendor in the grass with another tradition of a band that brings the generations together.

With Queensland Emergency first aid service representative, Stephen Barnes said: “Most of the treatments were for minor complaints. A team of doctors, nurses and paramedics were on hand to meet a number of medical conditions that occurred during the entire order week, and put us in contact with the Queensland Ambulance Service for patients who required additional medical treatment.

Bottom