Tag Archives: helen mirren

Is It Wrong When Women Swear?

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Credit: Nemo

Credit: Nemo

There was a huge uproar when Dame Helen Mirren swore at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards. Dinosaur Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts wrote a piece criticising her, calling her an ‘”uneducated trollop”. Here is what Mirren said: “40 is good, 50 is great, 60 is fab and 70 is fucking awesome.” In an ageist, sexist society you have a sexy, beautiful, successful woman saying the word ‘fuck’ and a grown man just can’t handle it. Mirren is an advocate that getting older is great, that life just gets better, much better than the usual youth-obsession and droning on that getting older is awful. Dawn O’Porter also wrote an amazing piece for Glamour on Letts and swearing.

 

But let’s get down to what this is really about: sexist double standards. No one writes scathing articles when men swear but women are supposed to be ‘ladylike’. And when people say ‘ladylike’ what they really mean is quiet, well behaved and knowing your place. We have to wear the right things, have the correct manners, don’t be loud, don’t be opinionated, don’t draw attention to yourself. It is all COMPLETE BULLSHIT. I mean, are men like Quentin Letts gentlemen? No, there are barely any left, but women are still supposed to follow an ancient Victorian code that oppresses them under the guise of being a lady. I am a woman, not a lady and I am proud of that. Being a woman is far better. I have no interest in being a lady.

 

I am not saying I like ladette culture, in fact, I hated it. I am not saying all women should be loud mouthed and swear all of the time but a well placed fuck in the right moment makes all the difference. Never mind the fact that there is nothing sexier than someone who can swear properly. When you tell someone to fuck off it’s a command, not a suggestion. Punch it. True, not everyone likes swearing generally, but then again, not everyone likes chocolate or steak or yellow, that doesn’t mean other people aren’t allowed to like it. Everyone is allowed their own opinion on general swearing. For and against.

 

The real fact is, this is the only area where I blame my parents (blaming your parents for problems in your adulthood is juvenile to say the least). When I was growing up swearing was something that we were punished hard for but my parents were particularly hard on me, not my two brothers, always saying that it is ‘worse’ when women swear and not ‘ladylike’. This is, very probably, why my favourite word is ‘fuck’.

 

So the next time you have a point that would be greatly emphasised with a well-timed swearword, fucking go for it.

 

What do you think? What is your opinion on swearing?

 

 

 

WRAP UP AGAINST POVERTY 2012

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EXCLUSIVE CELEBRITY AND DESIGNER CLOTHING AUCTIONED TO RAISE VITAL FUNDS

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012

With London Fashion Week falling at the end of February, showcasing trends for autumn and winter 2012, charity Elizabeth Finn Care is celebrating all things fashion by auctioning a selection of unique items, donated by top celebrities and designers.

At Elizabeth Finn Care, a national charity whose grants team offers financial support to those in need, we know people can struggle to afford the items of winter clothing they need to stay warm and healthy during the colder months. There are 13.5 million people living below the poverty line in the UK, among them 3.8 million children[i]. Through Wrap Up Against Poverty, money to help buy more people in financial need buy essential clothes.

The inaugural Wrap Up Against Poverty campaign was launched in 2011. Over half the people the charity helps had to go without new clothes before they made the approach. By bidding for the fabulous pieces available, the public can not only boost their style credentials but also enable people in financial need survive the winter months.

Each item available reflects both the style and personality of the individual or designer who has donated it. Bidders can go for the classic look of Sienna Miller’s Doma fleece coat, or follow in Dame Helen Mirren’s footsteps by opting for her beautiful Alberta Ferretti coat. Glamour puss Kimberley Walsh’s plush Louis Vuitton scarf will be up for grabs too, as will a beautiful Alexander McQueen suit from Fern Britton, and stylish winter coats from comedy heroes Mathew Horne and Ruth Jones. To add to a spectacular celebrity list, exclusive designer items including a golden Martina Spetlova shift dress have been donated alongside beautiful items from high street stores such as Ted Baker and Topshop.

Wrap Up Against Poverty was a huge hit in 2011, raising both funds and awareness of the fact that millions of people in the UK are living in financial need and many can’t afford to clothe themselves through winter. Wrap Up Against Poverty 2012 will be even greater and grander.

Malcolm Tyndall, Director at Elizabeth Finn Care, said: “We hope that, with the generous support of top celebrities and the fashion industry, not to mention an incredibly enthusiastic public, Wrap Up Against Poverty 2012 will enable us to help even more people find and access the help they desperately need.”

Following the move to the digital catwalk, Elizabeth Finn Care’s auction will be hosted on eBay from Thursday 26th January, and will close on Sunday 26th February. The list of donations is growing longer by the day. For more information please visit www.elizabethfinncare.org.uk/WrapUp

 

 

Andrew Tiernan {Frost Interviews}

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I recently had the pleasure of working with one of Britain most hard working and talented actors, Andrew Tiernan, on Jason Croot’s new film Le Fear, Le Sequel. He was kind enough to give Frost an interview, and it’s a stunner.

You are in “Prisoners Wives” the new BBC Drama, what was it like working on that?

All credit to the Production as they took a risk with me, as usually I’m the Bad guy, so this time I’m on the other side of the law playing DS Hunter who is investigating the murder that Gemma’s (Emma Rigby) husband Steve (Jonas Armstrong) has been accused of. The Directors and Producers wanted an edge to this guy and they knew I could bring that to the role, which was great for me. I had to get my head into Cop mode, as I haven’t done that for a very long time, in fact since “Prime Suspect” when I was a young copper with Helen Mirren and Tom Bell. Hopefully I’ve done a good job. But that was easy as Julie Geary’s writing is fantastic.

You played Ephialtes, in Zack Snyder’s “300”, how did you manage to put in such a good performance under all of that prosthetic?

It’s great because you don’t get recognized. I have always tried to transform myself for each role. The prosthetics was like a mask that I could manipulate with my facial muscles, but I had to exaggerate my expressions to move the inch thick prosthetic. I enjoy mask work, so that wasn’t the hardest thing for me to do. When you’re trying to transform yourself without the use of prosthetics, that is the challenge. I’ve fluctuated my weight and appearance over the years to fit the roles, I was influenced by Robert De Niro when he put a ton of weight on for “Raging Bull,” but it’s quite a dangerous thing to do and not everyone in the business appreciates it, some have thought that I’ve just let myself go, so I doubt I’ll be putting on the pounds again anytime soon, unless it is under prosthetics.

You are a successful Actor, but still do your own projects, why?

It’s all about the work. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I wanted to have some kind of control over my work at some point. What people forget is that it’s the Writer and Producers who are in control we can only perform what is written on the page. And when we’re not doing those jobs, we’re waiting around for work, it can send most Actors insane, so I try to keep myself busy between jobs.

Tell us about the short film you’ve recently directed; “Flush”:

“Flush” came about after the writer; Kevin O’Donohoe, told me about an experience he had with some Estate Agents. One of the estate agents asked to use the toilet in his flat and was in there for an unexpectedly long time and managed to stink the place out. He thought that the guy had done it deliberately, so he decided to get his own back and came up with this very funny little script. We made it Independently, I got Shona McWilliams and Simon Balfour in to help me produce it. We’ve just finished Post-Production and we’ve entered it into some film festivals, we’re very excited about it. We’re planning to do some Feature Films later in the year with the same Production Team and a new script by Kevin called “UK18” a Political Drama set in the near future.

How did you get started as an actor?

I was into films from an early age and would visit the local cinema on my own, The Grove. I’d watch all the Ray Harryhausen adventures and then I managed to see some of Peter Bogdanovich’s films, such as “Paper Moon” and “What’s up Doc?”. So I suppose the bug started there, and eventually I decided it was something I wanted to do as a Career. I started working at the Midlands Art Centre after joining the Youth Theatre there, then ended up at the Drama Centre London.

Who/what is your inspirations?

If you’d asked me a few years ago, I would have said De Niro and Scorsese, but I think really it is people like Powell and Pressburger, Nicholas Roeg, Lindsay Anderson and Ken Russell who inspire me, and always have. I also have an admiration for Polanski’s films, one of the very first films I remember seeing was “Repulsion” when it was screened on television and it freaked me right out.

What is your favourite film?

At the moment, I would have to say it’s Ken Russell’s “The Boy Friend”. It was such a shock when he passed away, but I had managed to finally get the film on DVD the week before his passing. And it’s just as wonderfully spectacular as when I first watched it, what a genius. But there are so many films that I love, that I have a top 40 in my head every week. Though there are certain ones that always top the list and not necessarily everyone’s favourites.

How has the industry changed for Actors?

Since I joined the industry rather a lot has changed. When I first started there was a lot more opportunities and a lot more Drama was made for TV. But also there was a lot more Theatre Companies, we thought cuts were bad back then, but now it’s unbelievable. But on a positive note, technology has improved such that Artists can develop and produce their own independent work a lot easier than back then. And it’s possible for that work to be seen in different markets.

What are your opinions on reality TV?

Unfortunately, I think that it’s had a knock on effect in our industry and not just the fact that there’s not enough Drama being produced, but reality TV is very cheap for the Networks to produce and people seem to want to watch it. It’s a very sad time, as I think that when we look back at this period, we will think, where were the great British TV Drama Writers that we used to produce like Alan Bleasdale, Dennis Potter or Peter McDougall? The Networks should really pump more of the money they make from this cheap stuff into quality writing and drama, instead of squeezing the budgets. But we as Artists can’t rely on them anymore, we have to do it ourselves if we have a story to tell and find our own ways to distribute it.

What do you think of celebrity culture? What harm does it do?

Recently I was having a conversation with a Young Actor and we were chatting about the business and I mentioned that I’d worked with Simon Callow, the renowned Theatre Actor and Writer. He must have misheard me, as suddenly he shrieked in excitement “You know Simon Cowell!?!” I can forgive him for not knowing who Simon Callow is, but that reaction to the possibility that I could introduce him to Simon Cowell was deeply concerning. And I am seeing it more and more. Actors who manage to get themselves roles on Productions and the next step for them is a Celebrity Dance Show or the Jungle one. Shows where you have swallow things in order to gain more celebrity status. How ironic is that!? I think what this culture of celebrity has done has made some people very ignorant and obsessed with materialistic things. I think what will happen is when people think back to the noughties, no one will be remembered for any kind of Art or Music, the era will be remembered for the Wars that took place and the Banking Crisis. And just for the record, I don’t know Simon Cowell.

What next?

We are going to change things.

Links:

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0862907/
Official Website: http://web.mac.com/andytiernan/Andrew_Tiernan
Flush FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/Flush2012

Photo credit; Marac Kolodzinski

Dame Helen Mirren "believes in fairies".

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The 65-year-old actress describes herself as a “spiritual” person but admits she is not religious and doesn’t believe in God.

She said: “I am quite spiritual. I believed in the fairies when I was a child. I still do sort of believe in the fairies. And the leprechauns. But I don’t believe in God.”

The ‘Queen’ star also admitted she always carries her own tea bags whenever she has to travel anywhere in order to brew her favourite beverage.

She told America’s Esquire magazine: “I drink just as much tea when I’m in Los Angeles as I do when I’m in London. I take my tea bags with me wherever I go. PG Tips.”

Tea is not the only drink Helen enjoys – the actress thinks a good party required “lots and lots” of alcohol, though she doesn’t like throwing bashes herself.

She said: “I don’t throw a lot of parties. I find throwing parties a bit intimidating. What makes a good one? Loads and loads of drink, I suppose. But that can be a disaster as well.”

The actress – who is married to director Taylor Hackford – also admitted she was an “idiot” when she was younger, but thinks that is normal, and lamented the fact people are always filled with “self-doubt” in their twenties as it is the best time of life.

She added: “We’re all idiots when we’re young. We don’t think we are, but we are. So we should be.

“The hardest period in life is one’s twenties. It’s a shame because you’re your most gorgeous and you’re physically in peak condition. But it’s actually when you’re most insecure and full of self-doubt. When you don’t know what’s going to happen, it’s frightening.”

Bridesmaids Review: Is The Tide Turning For Women In Film?

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Women in films used to be sassy, brilliant, full of quips, But somewhere along the way, we lost it all. Rosalind Russell was replaced with Shannon Elizabeth (The actress in American Pie, who was there to be a sex object and show her breasts), and Katherine Hepburn, replaced by, oh, all those actresses in those dire 1980’s films, too many to name, who were there solely to take their clothes off.

Some people think the film Bridesmaids is ‘ground-breaking’. It is, because Bridesmaids just became a Box Office hit, taking a smidge below $150 million – so far. It was a mainstream comedy written by women, starring women, about women, which won in the only way Hollywood recognises, by making money.

Helen Mirren once said that Hollywood wasn’t sexist, it just made films that people wanted to see. Young men go to the cinema more often and go to see films they liked. Women will only see more films with women if they go out and see them. Vote with your purses!

Bridesmaids is funny, it has wowed critics and audiences alike and it breaks even more boundaries, the actresses are (shock, horror!) not all 21 and a size zero. Some of them are in their 30s and are beautifully curvy. There is nothing wrong with being thin (I have been discriminated against for being thin, so I know it works both ways), I am just sick of my friends thinking they are fat when they are not.

Zoe Williams said this film was more feminist that Thelma and Louise and urged everyone to go and see it.  I am doing the same. Salon’s Mary Elizabeth Williams went even further, saying the film is ‘your first black president of female-driven comedies’.

It is ironic that as women have progressed, on screen we’ve only gone backwards. As an actress, I know more than most about what people cast and what they want. Women have to be between a size 8-12. Size 12 being a grey area, it hurts an actress to be more than a size 10. I was told by one casting director than anything above a size 10 meant ‘character actor’.

Some people have attacked Bridesmaids for not being ‘feminine’. Do they ever attack men for not being ‘gentlemen’?  I think not. Women have to be celebrated, we have to have our stories told and not just as naked, skinny, 21-year-olds. I will soon be making my own movie about women and their lives, and I thank Bridesmaids for clearing the way.

1.Bridesmaids
2.Production year: 2011
3.Country: USA
4.Cert (UK): 15
5.Runtime: 125 mins
6.Directors: Paul Feig
7.Cast: Chris O’Dowd, Ellie Kemper, Jill Clayburgh, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Matt Lucas, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Terry Crews, Wendi McLendon-Covey

RED {Film Review}

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Like perhaps many of you, I had seen the posters that have seemed to spring up almost overnight. The four vibrant faces of Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich. The three big emblazoned letters RED, just inspires thoughts of an action movie that the entire world was waiting for. Encouraging you to think what a dynamic cocktail these actors could make.

Little wonder then that I entered the Cinema not quite sure what to expect. Sure I knew the history; RED is based on the three-issue comic book published by DC Comics and created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. If you have seen comic book to movie conversions though you know as well as I do that it is very much a hit and miss affair how good or bad these movies end up.

“Red”, is derived from the stamp on agent Frank Moses’ (Bruce Willis) file, meaning “Retired, Extremely Dangerous” Frank Moses is a former black-ops CIA agent, now living a quiet life in retirement. However, lonely with retirement he strikes up a slightly somewhat odd relationship with a customer service worker at Frank’s pension office in Kansas City. However, the path of love is never smooth his quiet life of retirement is brought to an abrupt end when he is attacked by a hit squad in the middle of the night.

Frank takes on his assailants and, knowing whoever is after him would have tapped his phone, makes his way to Kansas City to both protect Sarah and also find out who is now after him.

So how does it all play out? Well in my opinion whilst enjoyable the film was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The problem is the genre has been played out so many times before and often with the same actors that I found it hard to get into the movie. To their credit the actors play their part admirably but to my taste I noticed a hint of laziness on more than a couple of occasions. The storyline does permit for some interesting twists with the characters – Helen Mirren as a hit woman turned lady of luxury, John Malkovich as an ex-agent who is now paranoid and always thinks that someone is watching him are great examples of character depth and do produce a chuckle here and a chuckle there. But it is hard to ignore that these are well established actors in their own right and you can’t help feeling that they are capable of doing so much more especially if they were allowed to explore their characters more.

However these might be viewed as minor criticisms as what this movie does well it does extremely well. Adapted for the big screen by brothers Erich and Jon Hoeber (who also wrote the adaptations of Whiteout and Alice) where they did manage to succeed is in the dry, witty humour and quick fire action. I also found the idea of an older operative who is set in his ways having to contend with younger and fit agents as well as new techniques and modern technology quite refreshing. Although, it must be said I saw Bruce Willis in this role in Die Hard 4.0 and it was much a similar vein and did so with more success.

So – my final verdict? If you get the opportunity and are stuck for a movie to go and see you could do worse, however don’t make this the top of your hit list.

By Junior Smart