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Not Quite Downton: Manor House, Episode 2: Dinner Party!

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So two weeks into the "experiment," both upstairs and downstairs are settling into their roles.  Lady Olliff-Cooper plays tennis with Jonty, while Guy exclaims that the whole experience has given her a virtual happiness orgasm.  Not his exact words. In Lady Olliff-Cooper's defense, anyone  in that position would feel the same way, especially given the harried nature of her real life .  That includes the people downstairs who complain about her upkeep.  Who wouldn't want to give up having responsibilities for two weeks?  Best vacation ever. Still, many people must work very hard to keep her so comfortable, and the strain is beginning to show.  At one point, a weepy Antonia proclaims that she only got three-and-a-half hours of sleep the night before, and that she misses her family and her boyfriend.  There is a lot of weeping and missing the family on this show.  But at least a new scullery maid has arrived: Kelly Squires ("Kelly"): Whereas in real lif

Not Quite Downton: Manor House, Episode 1

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Manor House , or The Edwardian Country House  (as it was known in the UK), aired on American television in 2003.  It was part of a series of reality shows that also contained history lessons, including The 1900 House  and The 1940s House . Manor House was ahead of its time, in that its producers sensed our thirst for opulent period drama long before Downton Abbey  became a hit.  And like Downton Abbey , Manor House  took place in the close-yet-far-away time period of pre-World War I Britain. The house and lifestyle were meant to represent wealthy living during the years 1905 and 1914.  Unlike Downton , the actors playing the "upstairs" and "downstairs" didn't get to leave their roles at the end of the day.  Instead they lived them every day for three months. This series also has a fundamentally different outlook from  Downton Abbey .  With Downton , the objective is to show how harmoniously the classes lived together, how kindly and paternal the master was

My Very Un-Girls-Like Twenties

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The HBO show Girls  has received both acclaim and criticism for its portrayal of young women of the Millennial Generation.  Whether the acclaim is deserved or the criticism too rough, I don't know or care.  I also don't care about whether Girls  captures the essence of the Millennial Generation, because it doesn't.  How can four white urban girls and their friends accurately represent the experiences of millions?  How can four anyone anywhere?  No, the issue I have is how Girls portrays young creative people striving to break into an elite and unforgiving world. A decade ago, my life looked something like Hannah Horvath's.  After graduating from college and saving money, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a television writer.  I have always loved to write character-driven dramatic stories, and have usually received good feedback.  At the time, cable channels were multiplying and creative, intelligent dramas were being produced at a stunning rate -- Th

Movie Musicals That Got It Wrong: RENT (Part Two)

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I'll start by saying that I don't think it's a coincidence that both RENT and The Phantom of the Opera released "live performance" recordings years after the movie adaptations came out.  In both cases, the movie failed to capture the essence of what made the stage production so enjoyable. I went into some detail about the stage production in Part One .  Part Two will focus on what the movie adaptation does to improve, or not improve, upon its source material. Even though I don't think RENT  (2004) is a good movie, I also don't think it is a particularly bad one.  There is nothing that stands out as a glaring "Oh my god I can't believe they did this I can't look" like Phantom 's casting of Gerard Butler.   RENT the movie was directed by Chris Columbus, who has a track record of making films that are competent, if not cutting edge.  Of course, RENT 's main problem is that it needed someone who was cutting edge, who was willin

Movie Musicals That Got It Wrong: RENT (Part One)

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I have a somewhat complicated attitude toward RENT .  Had you asked me even two years ago, I would have said flat out that I hated it.  I hated its confused storytelling, its whiny protagonists, and its overplayed affirmation songs. I saw RENT live for the first and only time in London in 1998.  I was able to see most of the original cast, save Daphne Rubin-Vega's Mimi, which was fortunate.  I remember feeling bored and confused, somewhat moved during the second half, but only able to remember two songs afterward: "One Song Glory" and "Light My Candle."   RENT  wasn't a revolution -- it was a mess. It seemed almost set up to fail.  Creator Jonathan Larson, a promising Broadway writer and composer, died at a young age on the morning of  RENT 's opening in 1996.  His death added another layer of tragedy to his musical, which dealt substantially with young characters facing their mortality, and fueled the legend of RENT as something Real and Important

Update: What's Next After Downton, and More

First, thanks for giving me my biggest month of web traffic since I started!  And in February, no less.   Here is what is happening, or will be happening, with this blog: We Have Twitter!   I've joined that strange new (or maybe not-so new) phenomenon of stating my thoughts in 140 characters or less.   My Twitter account is here for anyone who wants to be informed of a new post, or for anyone who wants to read my random thoughts on random things. Movie Musicals Series Will Continue.   I have several more entries planned for the Movie Musicals That Got It Right/Wrong Series, which will be sprinkled about in the coming months.  The first one on the agenda is that musical you either love or hate, RENT . Before There Was Downton ...   I am also planning to look at a series that I briefly mentioned in one of my Downton Abbey recaps, Manor House .   Manor House  presents a far less benign picture of the Edwardian upstairs/downstairs relationship, as seen through the eyes of pe

Downton Abbey: What Possibly Awaits Us in Series Four?

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Matthew who? You're still thinking about this show?  It's been a whole two weeks since Matthew Crawley's death.  Time to move on.  There are newer and shinier objects out there. Okay, maybe that's not the way people think, but in the world of television, one show quickly takes the place of another.  My thoughts are already straying toward  Game of Thrones and Mad Men .  Still, I can't let Downton Abbey go without first speculating about what the last episode means for Series Four.  Here are my thoughts at random: The Viewership Numbers Will Remain Strong.   I've read many posts where people complain that after Sybil and Matthew's death, they are "done" with the show.  That is their prerogative, though there is reason to believe that come the start of Series Four, they will tune in, however reluctantly.  After all, we want to see how the Crawleys are reacting to Matthew's death, especially Mary and Isobel.  And how will Branson pick up t