Emmy Extravaganza: The Crew

As I mentioned before, the Downton Abbey crew rolled in deep to the City of Angels for the final DA Emmys and it was great to see them all in one place again

Julian Fellowes brought his lovely wife to accompany him on the red carpet

And Chris Croucher was hamming it up in a sexy tux. He also posted his note that he received from Jimmy's mom in his sack lunch

          Photo Credits to IG: ChrisCreatureFeature

I even took a horrible screenshot of them all sitting happily together in their Hollywood finery

Bonus: The DA Crew know that no matter what else you do in Cali, there's only one thing 

really counts before you leave

ChrisCreatureFeature

Stay Tuned...

More photos (and maybe some video?) coming from Emmys Night, my beloved sources sadly prioritized the GoT chicks and have yet to post the beautiful HQs I know they have of our Dowton loves...please return tomorrow for the updates!

Pre-Emmy Party!

It was a glamorous weekend-long affair full of red carpets, flashbulbs, cocktails, gorgeous gowns and laughter as the Downton crew reunited for a final celebration. Along with cast members like The Wife, Joanne Froggatt, Laura Carmichael, Michael C. Fox, Lesley Nicol, Tom Cullen, the crew also flocked to LA for the showdown, and people like Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge, and Chris Croucher joined in the festivities! 

Sadly, with all the countless members of the Downton family who strolled into the Microsoft theater, there are few BTS photos that have surfaced prior to and after the show, and I cannot hide my disappointment! So mostly we must settle for good old fashioned editorial photography.
Click to enlarge; visit the Far Far Away site for more HQs

Here is The Wife, Joanne Froggatt, and Laura Carmichael along with Michael C Fox at the Variety and Women In Film Pre-Emmy Party Friday night

And then we have the lovely ladies at the BAFTA Tea Party

The Creative Emmys

So, Downton got a few wins in at the creative Emmys last weekend! 

Nic Collins and her team won for Outstanding Hairstyling, Production Designer Donal Woods and his team won for Outstanding Production Design, Joanne was on hand to present for the evening, and it looks like everyone had a blast!

Photo Credits to IG Accounts Niccollinsmua, Downtonabbey_official, and JoFroggatt

"The Feast is Over, the Lamps Expire"

All fled, all done; Downton has come to an end. Just last Sunday two weeks three weeks ago (I was not ready to publish my final post) we here in the US sat with the Crawleys and their faithful employees one last time, reminiscing over the past six years together. The end was predictably bitter sweet as we reluctantly let go but left most of our beloved characters in the throes of genuine peace and happiness. With Edith and Mary happily married and another baby on the way, with Molesley landing a teaching job and Thomas with his newly turned leaf and position as Downton's butler, the doors of Downton closed with a resounding happy ending.

It is not very often that a show like this comes along. Downton had an incredible run with six seasons garnering an average of 9 million viewers in the US, though I think these projections may be a bit low because so many pirated the show when it aired in the UK...damn those impatient bastards! But then again, this is the problem you face when you release the show three months after premiering it across the pond. I mean those Game of Thrones dudes figured this out on the first try but DA couldn't get in right in 6 seasons? Oh and it also doesn't help ratings when you release the series DVD 7 weeks before the finale! Okay, I'm done with the grievances and complaining, I promise! Globally Downton has totaled an estimated 120 million viewers and is aired in over 220 countries and territories around the world. When it comes to the statues, they are not short in recognition either. In those first five seasons they accumulated 58 Emmy nods and 13 wins, 11 Golden Globe nods and 3 wins, 9 Screen Actors Guild nods and 4 wins, and 14 BAFTA nods with 3 wins. Season six awards season is on the horizon and I see glints of gold in the distance.

Logistics aside, this show thrived because it touched the hearts of people everywhere. Strange to think of a show that was essentially about a bunch of rich white people who lived one hundred years ago in a far off country, but it truly was relatable and transcended through so many languages and cultures effortlessly (okay maybe not totally relatable, I mean I've never spent entire days sitting on my ass writing letters and taking off hats, but you know what I mean). But in spite of the relatability, it was the subtle differences that kept the fantasy alive. Like most people, we watch TV to escape the stresses of daily life. After a chaotic work week, we settle down onto our couches and let the glow of the flat screen envelope us and take us on these journeys and adventures away from the monotony of our own worlds. We develop connections with these characters, we love them, we hate them, we want to be them, marry them, or just beat them upside the head, and we identify with them or know someone like them. With such an amazing ensemble cast with so many faces and personalities, how could we not enjoy the ride with this crazy household?

The beginning...I may have spelled Abbey wrong but at least I didn't call it Downtown

Surprisingly I'm not much for TV shows. With the close of Downton, I am currently watching only two, yes, two television series that are still on the air. It takes a lot to get me to watch a new show, and even more to make me stick with one. I'm not sure what drew me into DA that first hour, but when I watched the first episode (which I only did to get my mother off my back about it), I needed to watch the second, then the third, and then buy season 2 and wait for season 3. I've been hooked ever since, and in spite of popular belief, it was not purely for The Wife...but she helped. A lot. But the caliber of the story telling, the insurmountable talent of the individuals who brought the script to life, and the pristine production of the show is likely the culprit of my addiction.

So I want to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the cast of Downton Abbey for this incredible journey we've been so blessed to follow you on, and though it may be over, with the immortalization of DVDs and Blu-Rays, we can relive it time and time again. Your talents truly know no bounds, and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the future. I also want to thank the crew for their extremely hard work and dedication to bringing this story to life. It takes a village far beyond those we see in front of the camera and we all know this greatness could not have been achieved without your efforts, your deliriously long days and your sleepless nights.

The only regret I have here is not having started this blog sooner, as I've truly had so much fun doing it, and want to thank all of my readers for sticking with me until the end. You guys rock! I'm certainly going to miss working on this little project of mine, and like I said I have been avoiding writing and publishing this post because I didn't want to close it down for good (this post has been sitting on my blog unfinished for two and a half weeks). But although we will be closing, there will of course be coverage of the upcoming awards season this fall. If anything major happens, like I win the lottery or I marry some magnificent sugar mama and somehow get my ass to Highclere Castle, I will post on that here as well. Likewise, with talks of a potential film, the blog may reopen if these rumors come to fruition so we can chronicle the next chapter for the Crawleys. Who knows what could happen in the 1930s? Granny's dead, Edith pops out some legitimate kids, Molesley finally puts the moves on Baxter, and George will be of draft-able age by the time WWII roles around; will he survive the war? Will the estate's future be in jeopardy again? I guess we'll have to wait and see...or maybe I'll get into this fan fiction craze and make my own epilogue.

Anyways, if you enjoyed the blog and you have any interest to see the others I write, check out some of the links below. I haven't been writing on some of them as frequently as I would like because this one takes most of my time, but I hope to get them up and running again soon.

Another Drop in the Ocean - General Topics
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - LGBT
Disturbed Universe - Mental Health Professionals
Pieces of My Heart - Autism

Happiness is for This Place, in This Hour (S6 E9)

Check out the episode review for the amazing Downton finale!

Happiness is for This Place, in This Hour

Life After Highclere

So you're missing Downton, quite possibly experiencing brutal withdrawals this first weekend without them, and you want to know where you can see your favorite actors again. If you're desperate to see a familiar DA face and are wondering just how versatile these amazing performers can be, check out this wonderful compilation of future works for (almost) all the characters.
From Vulture.com

Downton Abbey came to a close in the U.S. Sunday night, but for its stars the show has been over for a good seven months. Where does one go careerwise after starring in one of the most popular television series of the past decade? Quite a lot of places outside the constraints of a Yorkshire country estate, it appears — read on and see for yourselves. (Note: We’ve only included actors whose characters appeared in every season. Sorry, Matthew and Sybil.)

Michelle Dockery (Mary Crawley)
Moving stateside, Dockery will be donning an American accent in TNT’s upcoming drama series Good Behavior, where she plays “a con artist recently released from prison with a country twang and a lot of demons who … gets caught up in a hit man’s plan to murder someone’s wife.” She recently wrapped production of an adaptation of the dramatic novel The Sense of an Ending and will soon be seen in a supporting role in Consider Yourself: The Lionel Bart Story, a biopic about the famous British composer and writer.

Laura Carmichael (Edith Crawley)
Carmichael is currently starring alongside Uzo Aduba in the well-received The Maids, a contemporary stage adaptation of Jean Genet’s 1970s radical play, in London’s West End. She has a supporting role alongside David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike in the upcoming film A United Kingdom, about a scandalous interracial love affair between “Prince Seretse Khama, the heir to the throne of Botswana, [who] has fallen in love and married a young, white English girl.” She’ll be returning to British television as a leading role in Marcella, a “multi-layered noir thriller” set in contemporary London. 

Hugh Bonneville (Robert Crawley)
Besides showing up on Galavant every now and then as a pirate king, he’ll be the leading man alongside Gillian Anderson in the historical drama Viceroy’s House, which chronicles “the turbulent final days of British rule in India in 1947.” He also appeared in a recent episode of the popular British miniseriesThe Hollow Crown as Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.

Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates)
Froggatt has a pretty packed 2016. She’ll be back on television later this year in Masterpiece’s two-part miniseries Dark Angel, where she’ll play Victorian serial killer Mary Ann Cotton. She also has three films on the horizon — the romantic drama A Storm in the Stars, an adaptation of the dramatic yet feel-good novel A Street Cat Named Bob, and the relationship-drama Starfish.

Maggie Smith (Violet Crawley)
She has yet to announce her future acting plans or actually watch Downton(she’s living her best life, okay?). So in the meantime, go watch The Lady in the Van, which netted her a Golden Globe-nomination last year.

Brendan Coyle (John Bates)
Coyle has a busy year ahead. He’ll be starring as Augustine Birrell in the Irish biopic drama The Rising: 1916 (about the infamous Easter Rising Rebellion); the original romantic drama Me Before You; and an adaptation of Carol Shields’s novel Unless, alongside Catherine Keener.

Allen Leech (Tom Branson)
Leech is playing a supporting role in the upcoming action-thriller Hunter’s Prayer, which revolves around a hired assassin who bonds with his intended female target and helps avenge the death of her family. Outside the acting realm, you can hear his voice in the video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Elizabeth McGovern (Cora Crawley)
McGovern is starring alongside Uzo Aduba and Adam Brody in Showing Roots,an indie drama about “two women who work in a local beauty parlor [who] see the town’s balance turned upside down when the slavery miniseries Roots hits the airwaves and are inspired to integrate their community.” It’ll be out later this year. She’s also in a toe-tappingly fun indie-rock band called Sadie and the Hotheads.

Rob James-Collier (Thomas Barrow)
Downton’s favorite rapscallion most recently played the lead in the family-friendly holiday film A Christmas Star. Surprise, surprise, he played the baddie.

Sophie McShera (Daisy Mason)
She’s happily singing and dancing on ABC’s musical comedy Galavant, where she plays yet another servant. She also has a recurring role as a work-shy slacker on the British comedy series The Job Lot.

Jim Carter (Charles Carson)
Carter has been devoting his time to his charity, WandAid, which puts on theatrical events to raise funds for “communities impacted by natural disaster, political crisis, and disadvantage.” He also has a damn fine head of hair.

Penelope Wilton (Isobel Crawley)
You can see Wilton as the Queen of England this July in Steven Spielberg’sThe BFG and in Brief Encounters, a British television drama about Ann Summers, seller of sex toys and lingerie. In a perfect world, there will also be aThird Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in our future.

Phyllis Logan (Elsie Hughes)
Like Smith, Logan hasn’t solidified her post-Downton plans just yet, but to get your Mrs. Hughes fix you can watch her in a Bones episode from about a year ago.

Lesley Nicol (Beryl Patmore)
Nichol’s currently lending her voice chops as the Fairy Godmother in the animated children’s series Goldie & Bear (it’s cute!). She also had a brief guest role on the CW’s long-running Supernatural last year.

Kevin Doyle (Joseph Molesley)
Doyle joined the British crime drama Happy Valley for its second season, where he’ll be playing a complex and flawed detective. It’ll be available to stream on Netflix later this month.

David Robb (Dr. Clarkson)
He most recently portrayed Thomas Boleyn in the Golden Globe-winning miniseries Wolf Hall, adapted from Hilary Mantel’s famed historical novels. His next film, Sacrifice, is a Shetland Islands-set murder-mystery and has wrapped production.

Samantha Bond (Rosamund Painswick)
Bond currently stars as one of the leads in another British period drama, Home Fires, which centers around rural Women’s Institute members during World War II. A second season has been ordered.