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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse, Star Trek: Into Darkness, The
Hobbit trilogy, Twelve Years a Slave, August: Osage County, The
Fifth Estate; Hedda Gabler, After the Dance, Frankenstein; Hawking,
To the Ends of the Earth, The Last Enemy, Parade's End, and, of
course, Sherlock. For most actors, these stellar cinematic,
theatrical, and television events would be the highlights of a
lifetime's work. On Benedict Cumberbatch's resume they are only a
few of many entries. Especially since 2010, his performances have
garnered a plethora of best actor awards, both in the theatre
(Evening Standard Theatre Award, Critics Circle Theatre Award, and
Olivier Award), by playing the dual roles of Victor Frankenstein
and the Creature in the National Theatre's Frankenstein, and on
television (Broadcasting Press Guild Award, Critics Choice
Television Award, Crime Thriller Award, and TV Choice Award), by
starring as the titular Holmes in the BBC's Sherlock. Add these and
other recent accolades to nearly a decade s nominations and awards
(such as the Golden Nymph as best actor in Hawking), and it's easy
to see why Benedict Cumberbatch is often hailed as the actor of his
generation. Cumberbatch's body of work further includes indie
films, radio plays and series, television documentaries, live
dramatic readings, multimedia advertisements, and even the
occasional stint as a fashion model. He often shares an intriguing
perspective on his profession, as evidenced in sometimes
controversial interviews. He has become so much in demand that
online box offices crash when tickets for his performances go on
sale, and, before a Cheltenham Literature Festival Q&A session,
fans overwhelmed Twitter when so many responded immediately to a
call for questions. Cumberbatch consistently is a top name on lists
ranging from sex appeal to global influence. In 2012 he beat David
Beckham in the former and U.S. President Barack Obama in the
latter. Increasingly, part of Cumberbatch's job involves the role
of celebrity. Benedict Cumberbatch is at a pivotal point in his
profession, and his career trajectory especially as documented in
entertainment media permits a closer examination of just what it
means to be a celebrity or star in Britain or the U.S. and how an
actor may be perceived very differently in London or Hollywood.
This performance biography is an analysis of a man in transition
from working actor to multimedia star, as well as the balance
between actor and celebrity. It looks at what makes this actor so
well suited to play one of popular culture's iconic characters,
Sherlock Holmes, and how Sherlock is so well suited to propel
Cumberbatch toward greater global fame.
Exploring the history of comic books adapted for the screen, the
authors explain how the US TV show 'Heroes' has been affected by
the decades of comic book superheroes before it. Also analysed are
the archetypal characters of the show, its huge fan base and the
link to other series such as 'Lost'.
Star Trek: Into Darkness, The Fifth Estate, 12 Years a Slave,
August: Osage County, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - these
would be milestones in most actors' entire career. For Benedict
Cumberbatch, roles in these films are merely a year's additions to
his already-vast resume. 2013 proved to be the final step in
Cumberbatch's transition from respected working actor to bona fide
worldwide celebrity and recipient of BAFTA Los Angeles' Britannia
Award for British Artist of the Year. Like its predecessor,
Benedict Cumberbatch, In Transition (MX Publishing, 2013), Benedict
Cumberbatch, Transition Completed: Films, Fame, Fans explores the
nature of Cumberbatch's fame and fandom while analysing his most
recent roles. This in-depth performance biography does more than
critique the actor's radio, stage, film, and television
performances - especially his star turn in the long-awaited yet
controversial third series of Sherlock. It also analyses how and
why the actor's work is so memorable in each role, a perspective
unique to this performance biography. Cumberbatch's role in popular
culture, as much as his acting in multiple media, is well worth
such scrutiny to illustrate that Benedict Cumberbatch represents
both the best of acting and of the power of celebrity.
The 21st century is a good time to be Sherlock Holmes. He stars in
the recent Guy Ritchie films, with Robert Downey, Jr., playing the
great detective; an internationally popular BBC television series,
featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock; a novel sanctioned by
the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate; and dozens of additional novels and
short stories, including two by Neil Gaiman. Add to this video
games, comic books, and fan-created works, plus a potent Internet
and social media presence. Holmes' London has even become a prime
destination for cinematic tourists. The evidence is clearly laid
out in this collection of 14 new essays: Holmes and Watson are more
popular than ever. Why we continue to be fascinated with them is
the overall topic. The genius detective has been portrayed as hero
as well as antihero. Adaptations describe him as tech savvy,
scientifically detached, even psychologically aberrant; he has been
romantically linked to The Woman and bromantically to Watson.
Whether Victorian or modern, he continues to intrigue us. These
essays analyze Sherlock Holmes as a cultural icon and explain why
he is destined to be a beloved if controversial character for years
to come.
Perhaps I should have realized that cancer runs in my family. After
all, three grandparents and my father and brother perished from
this disease. Yet, when I received my colorectal cancer diagnosis,
I was surprised. I never expected to be primarily identified as a
cancer patient. Following a typical combination of chemotherapy,
radiation, surgery, and more chemo, I was presumably cancer-free
when my post-treatment scans looked clean. Nonetheless, within a
year I received a terminal diagnosis; cancer had metastasized in my
lungs. Thus began my year as a dead woman--a time of chaotic
emotions, new priorities, and rapid-fire plans and changes.
Expecting the unexpected became a theme in my life, but what turned
out to be most shocking are social, familial, and even my
expectations about what is realistic for a dead woman to be or do."
Preconceptions about a terminal cancer diagnosis frequently are
based on popular culture depictions of cancer and dying, which can
be misleading as a guide for knowing what to expect when you're
expecting to die. This memoir provides one "dead" woman's
often-irreverent, pop culture-illustrated guide to life that
deconstructs some common preconceptions about living with a
terminal diagnosis.
Travelers are buzzing about apitourism--or "bee tourism"--as an
opportunity to get close to bees and learn about the ecology and
industry they support. Apitours invite visitors to see what takes
place inside a hive, taste fresh honey and observe its journey from
comb to bottle. Apitourists explore "bee culture" through diverse
activities--watching films, creating art, building "bee hotels,"
sampling mead, learning to plant pollinator gardens and documenting
species in the wild. This guide presents an educational overview of
apitourism, with an exploration of the fascinating world of bees
and the sometimes controversial issues surrounding them.
When the BBC's television series Sherlock debuted in summer 2010
and traveled to the U.S. via PBS a few months later, no
one-including Hartswood Films producers, series co-creators Steven
Moffat and Mark Gatiss, stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock
Holmes) and Martin Freeman (John Watson), or those who would become
ardent fans-knew what an international phenomenon it would become.
Since then, Sherlock has encouraged a diverse fandom who
participate in such traditional fan activities as writing fiction,
creating art, attending conventions, and buying merchandise. Yet,
Sherlock fandom does far more than that. Like the object of their
affection, Sherlock Holmes, fans scrutinize clues about the series'
meaning and deduce what happens off screen or off the set, then
share their findings across the internet. They postulate theories
and create personally empowering readings of the characters and
relationships. They have tweeted with The Powers That Be, mobilized
to filming locations via #Setlock, and become advocates for LGBTQIA
communities. Sherlock's digital communities have changed the way
that fans and TPTB interact in person and online as each publicly
takes "ownership" of beloved television characters who represent
far more than entertainment to their fans.
Nearly 130 years after the introduction of Sherlock Holmes to
readers, the Great Detective's identity is being questioned,
deconstructed, and reconstructed more than ever. Readers and
audiences, not to mention scholars and critics, continue to analyze
who Sherlock Holmes is or has become and why and how his identity
has been formed in a specific way. Films Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock
Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and Mr. Holmes and television series
Sherlock and Elementary have introduced wildly divergent, yet
fascinating portrayals that reveal as much about current social
mores and popular culture as about the consulting detective. More
than ever, fans also are taking an active role in creating their
own identities for Holmes through fan fiction and art, for example.
Who is Sherlock Holmes? is still a viable question, even after more
than a century of adaptations and character analysis. The answers
provided by illustrators, scriptwriters, directors, costume
designers, set designers, actors, scholars, and fans provide
insights into Victorian or modern-day Sherlock. Like the many
disguises the Great Detective has donned throughout canon and
adaptations, his perceived identities may be surprising or
shocking, but they continue to make us look ever more closely to
discover the real Sherlock Holmes.
Most criticism of The Lord of the Rings trilogy emphasizes the most
likely heroes in the tales: Aragorn, Frodo, Gandalf, and even Sam.
From popular to scholarly literature, the women and "smaller"
characters often go overlooked. But our notions of what makes a
hero have altered since September 11, and sometimes the most
unlikely people can come to embody all that we look up to and
admire in a person. Here, Lynnette Porter examines what we mean
when we talk about heroes, and for the first time illustrates the
heroic qualities that can be found in the women and other beloved,
though less-celebrated, characters in the Lord of the Rings books
and movies. She takes a critical look at the importance of literary
and cinematic heroes in general, emphasizing the roles of Merry,
Pippin, Galadriel, Eowyn, Arwen, Legolas, and Gimli, who can all be
considered heroes despite their relatively smaller roles. She
shows, ultimately, that our attraction to and celebration of heroes
does not have to be limited to the "leading man," but rather that
women and youth often display essential characteristics of true
heroes. Bringing together a discussion of both the books and the
movies, Porter reveals for readers the heroic nature of several
characters in The Lord of the Rings who have been ignored in terms
of their status as heroes. Nevertheless, these female and youthful
characters have received incredible popular acclaim and illustrate
the shift in the way the Western movie-going public identifies and
glorifies heroes. While other stars may have outshone the likes of
Merry and Pippin, Arwen and Galadriel, Porter redirects the
spotlight on these favorites of the books and movies to show us how
the roles theyplay, the actions they take, and the behaviors they
display are worthy of our praise and admiration. This unique and
refreshing perspective adds dimension to our understanding of The
Lord of the Rings phenomenon.
As Doctor Who nears its 50th anniversary, it is very much a part of
British popular culture, and the Doctor has become a British icon.
Nevertheless, thanks to BBC America and BBC Worldwide's marketing
strategy, as well as the Doctor's and his companions' recent
in-person visits to the U.S., the venerable series is becoming more
susceptible to an ""American influence,"" including the possibility
of becoming ""Americanised."" Doctor Who and recent spinoffs
Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures offer American audiences
very different insights into the Whoniverse and have met with
varying degrees of success. Whereas Torchwood became a U.S.-U.K.
co-production, The Sarah Jane Adventures was largely mismarketed.
To complicate matters, the interrelationships that keep the Doctor
Who franchise alive through radio dramas, audiobooks, comics,
novels, etc., during hiatuses in television broadcasts, may give
U.S. and U.K. audiences different understandings of the lead
characters--the Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness, and Sarah Jane
Smith. Although the past decade has been an exciting time in the
Whoniverse, the Doctor--and the franchise--are poised for yet
another regeneration.
The heroes, villains, and monsters portrayed in such popular
science fiction television series as Heroes, Lost, Battlestar
Galactica, Caprica, Doctor Who, and Torchwood, as well as Joss
Whedon's many series, illustrate a shift from traditional, clearly
defined characterizations toward much murkier definitions.
Traditional heroes give way to gray heroes who must become more
like the villains or monsters they face if they are going to
successfully save society. This book examines the ambiguous heroes
and villains, focusing on these characters' different perspectives
on morality and their roles within society. Appendices include
production details for each series, descriptions and summaries of
pivotal episodes, and a list of selected texts for classroom use.
Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request
an examination copy here.
Vincent van Gogh continues to fascinate more than a century after
his death in 1890. Yet how much of what is commonly known about
this world-renowned artist is accurate? Though he left thousands of
works and a trove of letters, the definitive Van Gogh remains
elusive. Was he a madman who painted his greatest pieces in a
passionate fury, or a lifelong student of art, literature and
science who carefully planned each composition? Was he a loner
dedicated only to his craft or an active collaborator with his
contemporaries? Why is he best known for self-mutilation and ""The
Starry Night""? This book has biographers, scriptwriters,
lyricists, actors, museum curators and tour guides, among others,
presenting diverse interpretations of his life and work, creating a
mythic persona that may in fact help us in the search for the real
van Gogh.
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