The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio
The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio |
- Downton Abbey - In a class of its own
- Rewarding search
- Comedy based on mobster Whitey Bulger headed to TV
| Downton Abbey - In a class of its own Posted: 21 Sep 2011 04:19 AM PDT Award-winning British miniseries Downton Abbey is a multi-tiered cake that oozes an intense flavour with every bite. THERE is something innately charming about English period dramas. From haughty accents to class divisions, the rigid formalities of the age-old culture remain an object of stubborn fascination. British miniseries Downton Abbey serves all that on a sparkly silver platter. The period piece, which has enjoyed high ratings in both Britain and the United States, offers delectable bites of stiff upper lip type drama that the British are famous for. It opens with the lives of those living in the fictional Downton Abbey, an estate owned by Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville). From the valet, to the housekeeper and a very handsome, if sullen-looking footman – we are thrust into a domain where everybody knows their place just seconds after the pilot unfolds. They even have someone to iron the newspapers. Alas, the morning post brings distressing news that the Titanic has sunk. Here, we begin to learn the inflexible details of the estate's centuries old "entail" agreement, which legally requires that the manor, the land, the village and the family fortunes may only be passed down to a male heir, who along with the heir's son, was aboard the Titanic. The problem is, while the Earl had saved Downton from financial ruin before in the late 19th century when he married Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), a wealthy American heiress who brought her fortune with her, he has no sons. Now, true to the pre-feminist Edwardian era, the estate is entailed to pass over the heads of his three grown daughters – Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) and Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), his eldest and the loveliest of the sisters. Lady Mary was to marry one of the cousins who perished in the Titanic. Intrigue and desperation engulf the clan after it is discovered that the sunken ship has taken all their possible male heirs with it. In comes a distant cousin, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stephens), an attorney from Manchester who lives with his widowed mother Isobel (Penelope Wilton). Insisting on tradition and the letter of the law, the noble Earl brings them to Downton Abbey to gauge whether the young man is up to inheriting the estate and its varying sets of never-ending problems. Here is where the stuffy practices of age-old English aristocracy come in full force. The family, especially the dowager countess, Violet (Maggie Smith), mocks the fact that Matthew actually works for a living and that his late father was a doctor. "What is a 'weekend'?" the dowager asks, with snotty disdain. Mega-talented Smith yields the same likability she exuded as the super-strict Professional McGonagall in the Harry Potter series. But unlike the mother figure she plays in the films, in Downton Abbey Smith is a shrewd, sniveling, manipulative, I'm-better-than-you money-grubber. However, with the estate at stake, everyone in the house is hoping that Matthew will fall in love with Lady Mary, which would provide the ideal solution. But of course, playing by the tradition of English drama series, (a la Pride And Prejudice) Matthew and Mary just can't seem to get along, even if the chemistry between them alludes otherwise. Beneath the stairs, the house's help is equally fascinating. Perhaps the most outstanding of the lot is Bates (Brendan Coyle), a newly-hired valet with a marked limp. Bates upsets the ambitious and conniving footman Thomas (Rob James-Collier), when he is passed over for the position of the valet. On Thomas' side is his equally grim protector, the lady's maid O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran) who lurks around a lot and is all kinds of nasty. Mrs Patsmore (Lesley Nicol), a cook who eats her feelings and the bumbling young kitchen maid, Daisy (Sophie McShera), who has a very obvious crush on Thomas without realising his true character, also make up some zesty key ingredients for the perfectly well-brewed drama. Naturally, the series is an exploration of the class system still inherent in modern English society. The irony is that both masters and servants grapple with the same unsettling sense of repression and quiet desperation underneath their seemingly placid facades. I have never been a fan of period dramas, but Downton Abbey stacks up like a multi-tiered cake that oozes an intense flavour with every bite. It is not always as pleasant as it is addictive, but there is nothing to stop me from going back for more. Downton Abbey, which won four awards at the Primetime Emmy Awards last Sunday, airs on Diva (Astro Channel 702) on Thursdays at 11pm. |
| Posted: 21 Sep 2011 04:14 AM PDT Join in the hunt for the Red FM Runaway DJs and stand a chance to win a car. FOR days, they have been hunted like prey, pursued and trailed to various locations, yet Red FM's Runaway DJs have never been more thrilled to have been captured! It's an exciting hunt that has listeners searching all around town as they follow the clues being given on air and online. With a key to give away that would lead to the ultimate grand prize, participants are racing to be the first person to reach the correct location and identify Red FM's Runaway DJs. Only one key will unlock the door to a brand new Proton Inspira. To top it off, there are also cash and gadgets to give away. For Prabakar Murugiah, he found out just how rewarding the search was as he tracked down Red FM's Runaway DJ of the day in Subang, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. The engineer deciphered the clues on his own and not only did he walk away with a key in addition to cash, he also picked up an iPad2 for his efforts. A fan of the Proton Inspira, he is optimistic about his chances of winning the car in the finale. Another delighted winner, Chong Chow Hoong, managed to track down Red FM's Runaway DJs to Cheras in Kuala Lumpur with the help of her 10-year-old son. Following hints given on air and online, she picked up cash and a key to put her in the running to drive away with the ultimate grand prize. Tune in as well as check out Red FM's Facebook Fan page and Twitter every weekdays for clues to the latest location. With the contest ending on Sept 29, you only have a limited time to join in the hunt and pick up a key to the finale. And if you are unable to join the deejays on the run, Red FM will bring you the fun as you get the chance to win your share of the goodies just by going online. Log on to Red FM's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/redfm.my) and follow the steps. Add the Red FM Badge to your profile picture and you could pick up an iPod Nano. To find out more details, log on to www.red.fm. Also, join the Red FM Malaysia Facebook fan page and follow them on Twitter (@iloveredfm) for the latest updates. Red FM is owned and operated by The Star. Red FM's station frequencies: Taiping, Kedah, Perlis and Pulau Langkawi: 98.1 FM; George Town and Seberang Prai: 107.6 FM; Ipoh, Perak: 106.4 FM; Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and Tapah: 104.9 FM; Kuantan, Pahang: 91.6 FM; Batu Pahat and Malacca: 98.9 FM; Johor Baru and Singapore: 92.8 FM. |
| Comedy based on mobster Whitey Bulger headed to TV Posted: 20 Sep 2011 08:08 PM PDT LOS ANGELES: A comedy based around recently apprehended mobster Whitey Bulger is one step closer to the small screen. Fox has purchased a project from former ''Seinfeld'' writer-producer Peter Mehlman, about a young couple who unwittingly live next door to a murderer, Mehlman told TheWrap on Tuesday. Though the half-hour, multiple-camera comedy will not literally feature Bulger as a character, Mehlman told TheWrap in August that the pilot was inspired by the fact that Bulger, 82, was found living a life of leisure in Santa Monica, California, in June by the FBI after a decades-long manhunt. ''I can't imagine how many times I walked past him,'' Mehlman said. ''They had a dog and walked it in Palisades Park. I walked [my dog] Izzy there every night at sunset. I probably saw him 50 times - and he has 19 murders under his belt, allegedly.'' Mehlman told TheWrap that John Malkovich is at the top of his dream-casting list for the role. Bulger will also be the subject of a film from Brookstreet Pictures, based on the book ''Street Soldier: My Life as an Enforcer for Whitey Bulger and the Boston Irish Mob.'' Peter Facinelli and Robert DeFranco are producing. |
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