from The Associated Press:

By MICHAEL KUCHWARA – November 20
NEW YORK (AP) — Most of Broadway may be shut down because of the stagehands strike, but producer Jeffrey Richards still is juggling as fast as he can. Tuesday should have been opening night of "August: Osage County," the critically acclaimed hit from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre. This Friday, his revival of Harold Pinter's "The Homecoming" was to have started preview performances. And then there is Richards' production of David Mamet's new play, "November," starring Nathan Lane, Laurie Metcalf and Dylan Baker. It goes into rehearsal next Monday for a January opening.

The three shows together represent an investment of over $6 million, according to Richards, a producer of the Tony-winning 2005 revival of Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross."

"I just came back from a rehearsal of `The Homecoming,' so I am really fired up right now," Richards said Tuesday.

Monday had been an equally busy day for the producer: attending final auditions for "November," watching a run-through of "The Homecoming" and then meeting with the company of "August: Osage County," a troupe of mostly Chicago-based actors who are now stranded in New York, awaiting the play's reopening.

It will depend, of course, on when the contract dispute between Local 1 and the League of American Theatres and Producers is resolved. More than two dozen plays and musicals are closed, dark since the strike began Nov. 10. No negotiations have been scheduled since talks ended abruptly last Sunday. Performances have been canceled at least through Sunday, the end of the lucrative Thanksgiving weekend, one of the best times of the year for business on Broadway.

Richards and the show's other producers had offered to fly the "August: Osage County" actors back to Chicago for the holiday, but they are still here, with many planning to spend Thanksgiving in New York, he said. So will his "Homecoming" cast including Ian McShane, James Frain, Eve Best and Michael McKean.

Meanwhile, Steppenwolf announced Tuesday in Chicago that the limited Broadway engagement for the $2.5 million production of Tracy Letts' play will now end March 9 instead of Feb. 17 as originally scheduled. "We hope this extension will allow `August' to realize its full potential in New York and afford Broadway theatergoers the opportunity to experience this extraordinary production," said David Hawkanson, Steppenwolf's executive director.

But the New York opening is still up in the air.

"We will replan the opening night after we consult with our colleagues from `The Farnsworth Invention' and `The Seafarer' that had dates prior to us," Richards said.

"The Little Mermaid" said Tuesday it also would postpone its opening. The big Disney musical originally was scheduled to open Dec. 6 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre but was shut down after doing only a week of previews.

Both "Farnsworth" by Aaron Sorkin and "The Seafarer," an Irish drama by Conor McPherson were to have opened last week. "The Homecoming," budgeted at $2.1 million, has an opening date of Dec. 13, but that may change, too.

"We are still in the rehearsal room with `The Homecoming,' even though our set is in the (Cort) theater," Richards said. "The set was loaded in prior to the strike."

At Tuesday's rehearsal, Richards said actor Raul Esparza told him, "I just want to get up on stage," adding that that his character is "one of the toughest roles I have ever played."

"The cast needs ... feedback (from theatergoers)," Richards said. "`The Homecoming' is a very funny, ironic and seductive play, and you need to have all of these elements presented in the theater — before an audience."

Dear Cast of Homecoming,

Here's some feedback from a couple of native New York would-be theatergoers... We'd really, really, really LOVE to see just what you have all come up with. We had tickets. We got them in the pre-public American Express sales promotion long before October 20 (that's 20 October for the Brit half of you.) Not that it does us any good because the performance is now cancelled. We'd buy tickets for another performance, but guess what? We have NO IDEA when there will be ANY performances. We promise that there are more than a few of us out here in the same boat. And whenever this once-in-a-121-year historical event has played itself out, many of us will still try and show up at the Cort to give you some LIVE feedback.

We at AJF haven't a clue what will inspire the dueling powers that be to see whatever light they need to see to put an end to this show-stopper, but we truly hope that it's sometime before we get too many more gray hairs. Where ARE the scissors? Have you seen them?

Break a leg darlings. In fact, break a few! Whatever it takes to get up onstage.

From an article by Linda Winer on Newsday.com:

November 19, 2007
A second day of talks between striking stagehands and Broadway producers broke down last night, leaving shows in the dark for at least another week at the start of one of Broadway's most lucrative periods all year, producers said last night.

"Out of respect for our public and our local theatergoers, many of whom are traveling from around the world, we regret that we must cancel performances through Sunday, Nov. 25," Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the League of American Theatres and Producers, said in a statement last night.

Producers walked away from the table at a theater district hotel after 12 hours of negotiations, telling the stagehands' union that its offers "were not enough," said a representative of Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. No new talks were scheduled.

One hundred and twenty one years, the Local 1 Union has run without a strike. It's a crying shame that they choose to be on strike the week that James Frain is suppose to make his Broadway debut. Not having a crystal ball, it's impossible to know just how long this situation will continue. Meanwhile, there are many dissapointed people left in the wake of it. Tourists, theater lovers and many New York businesses remain on tenterhooks.

The Homecoming, which was scheduled to begin previews on November 23, obviously won't be. As we hear any news of this interrupted revival's plans, we'll pass them on.

note from webmaster~ November 10, 2007, New York. Although 'The Homecoming' has not yet begun previews (they are scheduled to begin November 23), they have nevertheless issued the following statement on their official website:

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR BROADWAY TICKET HOLDERS: Due to a strike by Local One, IATSE stagehands, there will be no performances today. Please click here or visit Telecharge.com for details on our refund policy. We regret any inconvenience caused and encourage you to check in daily at LiveBroadway.com for a status of the strike.

from canwest.com:

Second stoppage in four years

Jay Stone
CanWest News Service

Saturday, November 10, 2007
NEW YORK CITY -- Rachel Carroll and Anna Kowlezyk, two teenagers from Utica, N.Y., drove four hours with their families to New York City Saturday morning to see the Broadway musical Mamma Mia.

They arrived to find that the long-running tribute to ABBA, along with two dozen other plays and musicals, have been cancelled by a strike that has darkened the Great White Way for the second time in four years.

Broadway's stagehands went on strike Saturday morning over the issue of union rules, ending three months of negotiations and closing such popular musicals as Legally Blonde, Monty Python's Spamalot and the Canadian show The Drowsy Chaperone, as well as plays like A Bronx Tale and The Farnsworth Invention.

Eight Broadway shows -- Cymbeline, Mary Poppins, Mauritius, Pygmalion, The Ritz, Young Frankenstein, Xanadu and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee -- are still playing. They are in theatres that have separate contracts with the union, Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

Off-Broadway shows are also going on as usual.

"It's really bad," said Rachel as she waited at a crowed booth near Times Square where theatre-goers were grabbing up tickets to alternate shows. By noon Saturday, Mary Poppins was already sold out for the weekend. "Maybe we'll go to see Xanadu, but I don't want to see something just for the sake of seeing it." She didn't have to: by the time her party got to the ticket window, Xanadu was sold out as well.

"People are pretty appalled," said one picket in front of the Palace Theatre on Broadway, where Legally Blonde had been showing. "I don't blame them." She added she hoped the strike would be settled quickly. In 2003, a musician's strike lasted four days.

People with tickets to strikebound shows can get refunds at the outlets where they bought the tickets. Ticketmaster was giving automatic credits to customers within a week or so of the performance date. Those who bought tickets at a box office were asked to return after the strike was over: box office workers were honouring picket lines, and strikebound theatres were locked and empty.

Pamphlets handed out by pickets said theatre owners and producers were demanding a 38% cut in jobs and wages, even though Broadway is "a billion dollar a year industry and has never been more profitable than now."

"Unlike the producers, we are not fighting for our second or third homes; we are fighting to keep the one that we have," the pamphlet said.

IATSE has been negotiating with the League of American Theatres and Producers since before its contract expired in July. Management is asking for more flexible union rules so it can decide when stagehands are needed and how many; the union wants benefits to make up for the change.

The local has 2,200 members, of whom a quarter of them work on Broadway. Other stagehand work, such as television jobs, has been hurt by the strike by the Writers Guild of America.

Meanwhile, at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway where pickets have closed performances of The Drowsy Chaperone, a group of women from New Jersey -- who had planned to get tickets for a Saturday performance -- picked up an information sheet and turned around, heading down Broadway away from Times Square.

What were they going to do instead?

"Shop," yelled one over her shoulder.

In theory, The Homecoming is one of the shows being affected by this strike, as the Cort Theatre is owned by the Schubert Organization. However, previews have yet to begin and it's impossible to imagine that a strike would last the two weeks until November 23, when the doors are meant to open for our first glimpse of James Frains' Teddy and his North London nightmare of a family.

If the strike has an effect on the scheduling of the play remains to be seen. Rest assured, we will pass on any information as we get it.

We at AJF wish all the best for the very hard working folk in these negotiations. We hope that the outcome is both fair and fast, so that business can return to normal, with the drama being on stage instead of in the street on Broadway.

"This is a play about power, love, hate, possession, desire, uncertainty, loss of possession, all sorts of things. Sure, there's plenty of sex in The Homecoming, but the play is not about naked female thighs. [Pause] Not entirely." Thus spake Harold Pinter of one of the 20th century's most provocative stage works, which he happens to have written. Billed as "an edgy and compelling tale of lust, betrayal, and seduction," The Homecoming concerns the men of a dysfunctional British family, who compete for the attentions of an estranged brother's "dangerously alluring" wife. A new production of the play is soon to open on Broadway at the Cort Theatre for a limited engagement, with performances beginning November 3 and the official opening set for December 13. The company met the press on Monday, October 22;

Click HERE to view some pics from that event.

And from Broadway.com; BROADWAY BUZZ:

Before the ink was dry on their Equity contracts on the morning of October 22, press agent-turned-Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Richards had the cast for his Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming up in front of the camera at their midtown rehearsal studio digs, minutes before beginning their first full day of rehearsal. Happy to have a first look, we were also very happy to greet Homecoming's trio of returnee Broadway stars—Eve Best (Moon for the Misbegotten), Raul Esparza (Company) and Michael McKean (Pajama Game)—plus the sexy fresh faces of Gareth Saxe and James Frain, and of course that man-you-love-to-hate from Deadwood, Ian McShane, making his first (and long-awaited) appearance on the Great White Way since his debut here in 1967. Harold Pinter's Tony Award-winning drama about three brothers, two uncles and a mysterious girl begins previews at the Cort on November 23. Until then, check 'em out here first!

See page with a link to photos HERE.

James Frain Coming to Broadway in The Homecoming

Thanks to Tina, we have news of James Frain's latest role, in the revival of the 1965 play "The Homecoming." This will be Mr. Frain's Broadway debut. In an article appearing on Theater Mania.com, we read that James will be playing the role of Teddy in a 20 week run of the Tony award winning play by Harold Pinter. For more information on the works of British playwright Harold Pinter, please visit PINTER'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE. Also see OFFICIAL HOMECOMING WEBSITE.

Previews begin November 23, 2007. The play opens December 13, 2007 and closes April 13, 2008. Tickets range from $26.50 - $98.50. They can be purchased by the general public from October 20, 2007. To see complete schedule or purchase tickets, visit this page for the play - The Homecoming.

Here is a synopsis of the play:
Considered one of Pinter's greatest plays, The Homecoming is undoubtedly his most sexually provocative work. Set in North London, the play concerns the ultimate dysfunctional family, presided over by its patriarch Max (McShane). Living under his dilapidated roof are his younger brother Sam (McKean), and two of his sons: Lenny (Esparza), the town pimp, and Joey, a boxer-in-training. Tensions begin to flair with the arrival of Max's eldest son Teddy, who returns home after six years with his new wife Ruth. Seduction, betrayal, and divisiveness ensue, as the family welcomes the homecoming of its estranged brother and vies for the attention of his dangerously alluring wife.

Hmmm, playing an estranged brother with a dangerously alluring wife. Sounds like typical Frain fare, eh?

This is the article about James joining the cast:

Theater News Oct 1, 2007
New York

James Frain Completes Cast of Broadway's The Homecoming

By: Brian Scott Lipton
British actor James Frain will play Teddy in the Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming. The production, to be directed by Daniel Sullivan, will begin performances at the Cort Theatre for a 20-week engagement starting on November 23, and will now open on December 13.

As previously reported, the cast will include Ian McShane, Eve Best, Raul Esparza, Michael McKean, and Gareth Saxe. The design team will include Eugene Lee (set), Kenneth Posner (lights) and Jess Goldstein (costumes).

The Homecoming concerns the ultimate dysfunctional family, presided over by its patriarch Max (McShane). Living under his dilapidated roof are his younger brother Sam (McKean), and two of his sons: Lenny (Esparza), the town pimp, and Joey (Saxe), a boxer-in-training. Tensions begin to flair with the arrival of Max's eldest son Teddy (Frain), who returns home after six years with his new wife Ruth (Best). The play's Broadway premiere in 1967 won the Tony Award for Best Play.

Frain's London stage credits include Other People, King Lear, and She Stoops to Conquer. His film and television credits include Elizabeth, Hilary and Jackie, The Count of Monte Cristo, Prime Suspect 3, and Showtime's The Tudors.

In as much as The Tudors is not a Hollywood production, combined with the fact that it's twelve-episode second season filming schedule finished up in October, it's no surprise that the programme is expected to air unaffected. Now, if it were an editor's strike, who knows? We found this addressed in the following article appearing on Canada.com network. As for the rest of this television season, we may well have to spend more time with friends and family, pull out some DVDs or gasp - read a book or two! Remember reading? Well, just for practice, read the following and see what TV programmes may be affected...

from The Gazette in Montreal:

Casualties of the Hollywood writers strike

Alex Strachan
CanWest News Service

Wednesday, November 07, 2007
One of the unexpected early casualties of the Hollywood writers strike has been the refusal by several show-runners - writers who also produce and supervise their own series - to cross picket lines.

As a result, some series that had expected to remain in production well into December have been shut down.

Most of the affected shows are studio sitcoms, as these are taped the week before they air, with writers polishing and refining jokes up to the moment the show goes in front of a live audience.

Here's an informal list of the affected shows, and what viewers can expect to see from their favourite programs in the coming weeks. The list is subject to last-minute change as events unfold.

LATE-NIGHT:
Colbert Report (CTV, Comedy Network); Jimmy Kimmel Live (Citytv, ABC); Tonight Show with Jay Leno (A-Channel, NBC); Late Show with David Letterman (CBS); Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (E!, CBS); The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (CTV, Comedy Network); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (A-Channel, NBC); MADtv (Fox); and Saturday Night Live (Global, NBC) have gone into immediate reruns.

The late-night talk shows may return if their hosts decide to wing it without writers. Expect longer celebrity interviews and more of them if that happens. Sketch-comedy programs like Saturday Night Live and MADtv are off the air until the writers' strike is settled.

PRIME TIME:
The Amazing Race (CTV, CBS) - Unaffected.

America's Next Top Model (Citytv, CW) - Unaffected.

Back to You (Global, Fox) - Production suspended indefinitely.

Beauty & the Geek (CW) - Unaffected.

The Big Bang Theory (A-Channel, CBS) - Production suspended indefinitely.

Boston Legal (E!, ABC) - 11 episodes are ready, with the last new episode scheduled to air Dec. 18.

Brothers & Sisters (Global, ABC) -Two new episodes are confirmed, with the final new episode to air Nov. 25. Production continues, but may be suspended any day.

Cane (Global, CBS) - All 13 episodes are expected to be ready, although filming was disrupted briefly Monday and the production moved to a different location. No more episodes have been ordered.

Carpoolers (ABC) - All 13 episodes have been filmed. No new episodes have been ordered.

Cashmere Mafia (Global/E!, ABC) - Initially scheduled to debut on Nov. 27. Delayed indefinitely.

Cavemen (ABC) - Nearly all 13 episodes are ready. No more episodes have been ordered.

CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York (CTV, CBS) - 13 of 22 scheduled episodes are expected to be ready, with the final new episodes scheduled to air the week of Nov. 26.

Dancing with the Stars (CTV, ABC) - Unaffected.

Desperate Housewives (CTV, ABC) - Nine of 22 episodes have been filmed. The last new episode is scheduled to air Dec. 2. Production has otherwise been suspended indefinitely.

Dirty Sexy Money (CTV, ABC) - 11 episodes completed of initial 13. No more episodes have been ordered.

ER (CTV, NBC) - Eight episodes have been made. Scripts are ready for another three, with the final new episode scheduled to air Dec. 6.

Family Guy (Global, Fox) - Unaffected. Entire season has been planned in advance.

Friday Night Lights (Global, NBC) - 15 of 22 episodes are expected to be completed.

Gossip Girl (CTV, CW) - 13 episodes are expected. Another nine have been ordered, for a full season complement of 22, but will not be made until the strike is settled.

Grey's Anatomy (CTV, ABC - 10 episodes are expected to be ready, though production on a two-part episode scheduled for Dec. 6 and Dec. 13 may be suspended ahead of time.

Heroes (Global, NBC) - 11 episodes are ready, with the final new episode to air Dec. 3.

House (Global, Fox) - Three new episodes are ready, with the final confirmed episode scheduled to air Nov. 27. Production was briefly suspended last week to accommodate star Hugh Laurie, for personal reasons.

Jericho (Citytv, CBS) - All seven episodes are ready. Scheduled for midseason; no debut date as yet.

Journeyman (Global, NBC) - 13 episodes are either made or on the drawing board. No new episodes have been ordered.

Kid Nation (E!, CBS) - Unaffected.

Law & Order (CTV, NBC) - Nine of 22 episodes will be ready. Scheduled for midseason; no debut date as yet.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (CTV) - 10 episodes have been filmed, but production has been suspended on the remaining 12.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (CTV, NBC) - 10 episodes have been filmed, but no decision has been made yet on additional episodes.

Lost (CTV, ABC) - Nine of 16 episodes are expected to be ready. Scheduled for midseason; no debut date as yet.

Medium (CTV, NBC) - Nine of 22 episodes will be ready. Scheduled for midseason; no debut date as yet.

Men in Trees (Citytv, ABC) - 10 new episodes have been filmed; scripts are ready for four more. In addition, five episodes were held over from last season, for a total of 19.

Moonlight (CTV, CBS) - 12 of an initial 13 episodes will be ready. No more episodes have been ordered.

The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS) - Production has been suspended. Originally scheduled for midseason; no debut date has been decided for already-filmed episodes.

The Office (Global, NBC) - Still in production, but could be suspended any day. The last confirmed new episode is scheduled to air Nov. 15.

Prison Break (Global, Fox) - Three new episodes are good to go, with the last fresh episode to air Dec. 3. Still in production, but production may be suspended any day.

Rules of Engagement (E!, CBS) - Production suspended indefinitely.

The Simpsons (Global, Fox) - Unaffected. Entire season has been planned in advance.

Scrubs (A-Channel, NBC) - 12 of 18 episodes have been completed in what is officially the show's final season.

Smallville (CW) - Fresh episodes are expected to air through Jan. 10, subject to last-minute change.

Supernatural (Citytv, CW) - 10 episodes have been filmed, with scripts reportedly ready for five more.

Survivor: China (Global, CBS) - Unaffected.

30 Rock (A-Channel, NBC) - Nine of 22 episodes completed. Production on a 10th episode was suspended this week; the show is now on indefinite hiatus.

'Til Death (Global, Fox) - Production suspended indefinitely.

The Tudors (CBC) - 12 episodes have been completed in series' second season. This season will remain unaffected.

24 (Global, Fox) - Nine of 24 episodes are expected to be ready. Series is scheduled to debut Jan. 14, but that decision is subject to last-minute change.

Two and a Half Men (A-Channel, CBS) - Production suspended indefinitely.

17 October from BBC NEWS:

The second series of popular historical TV drama The Tudors will be shown next year (2008), the BBC has confirmed.

Created by Michael Hirst, writer of the film Elizabeth, the series was shot in Ireland over the summer with Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the young Henry VIII. Hirst promises "old and new conflicts, both at court and outside it".

Launched earlier this month, The Tudors has been a ratings success for BBC Two with an average audience of 3.2 million viewers tuning in each week. The series also features Sam Neill as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Jeremy Northam as Sir Thomas More and Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon, Henry's first wife.

'Compulsory viewing'

The second season sees veteran actor Peter O'Toole join the cast as Pope Paul III.

"We are extremely pleased with our viewers' positive reactions to The Tudors," said George McGhee, controller of programme acquisitions. "Henry VIII and his six wives are still compulsory viewing in the 21st century as portrayed by this young and excellent cast."

Executive producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner also produced Elizabeth and its forthcoming sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

The first season of The Tudors began showing in Ireland on TV3 on Tuesday, September 4th at 10:00 PM.

From TV3's programme notes:
The Tudors focuses on the life and romances of the young King Henry VIII. The ten one-hour episodes take a look at the often overlooked, early political relationships as well as Henry's trysts with such notable women as Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn.

The series is shot on location in Ireland. Michael Hirst, writer of the Oscar-winning movie Elizabeth, is the series creator, writer and executive producer.

We have just read at Straight.com that the first season is set to air in Canada from October 2 - Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Although the time/day of it's debut is not yet properly listed Online at BBC.co.uk, word on the street has it that Season One will be screened in the UK on BBC TWO - Fridays at 9:00 PM beginning on 5 October. I'm sure that the webpages will catch up to speed eventually.

It should be interesting to see how well the series does in Europe.

We have news of the imminent release of Season One on DVD. According to TV Shows on DVD, Season One will be ready for release in January 2008. Not too long of a wait, all things considered. Gives us all something to look forward to after the holidays!

UPDATE 22 SEPTEMBER:
The DVD has just posted on Amazon.com where you can pre-order it now in the North American regional format (i.e., the U.S. & Canada.) Their price is $29.99 which is $13.00 less than the list price. So far, it has not listed separately on the Canadian Amazon site. According to Amazon it will be released on 8 January, 2008 - gift wrapping available!

The Emmys are upon us and suddenly -- we have NEWS!!

from CNN Money.com:

Showtime, Peace Arch Entertainment and TM Productions' Breakthrough Television Series 'The Tudors' Wins Two Emmy(R) Awards

Emmy Awards Provide Mainstream Validation for Peace Arch's Strategy to Capitalize on Robust Product Pipeline of Award-Winning Original Content

September 14, 2007: 04:01 PM EST
Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc. (AMEX: PAE) (TSX: PAE), an integrated global entertainment company creating critically acclaimed television, film and DVD content for worldwide distribution, announced today that the television series "The Tudors," co-produced by Peace Arch Entertainment and TM Productions in association with The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Showtime Networks Inc., received two Creative Emmy® Awards from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The Emmy Awards were given for "Outstanding Costumes for a Series" and "Outstanding Original Movie Title Theme Music." "The Tudors" received nominations for two additional Emmy Awards, "Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series," and "Outstanding Art Direction for a Single Camera Series." These category winners will be announced at The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, which will air on Sunday, September 16, 2007 at 8 pm EDT on the Fox Network.

"We are thrilled that 'The Tudors' received these prestigious awards and believe they are a strong indication of Peace Arch's coming of age as a world-class entertainment company," said Gary Howsam, Chief Executive Officer of Peace Arch Entertainment. "We are looking forward to the second season of 'The Tudors' and believe that the series will continue to reflect the creative and business vision that has become a hallmark of Peace Arch productions." "The Tudors" premiered in April to record audiences on the Showtime Network. Peace Arch Entertainment, which owns worldwide distribution rights to the series outside the United States, licensed the first season of "The Tudors" to Sony Pictures Entertainment for DVD, television, mobile and new media distribution outside North America. Sony and its licensees premiered the series internationally this summer. Peace Arch licensed Canadian rights to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation who will broadcast the first season of "The Tudors" in Canada this fall. Peace Arch Entertainment will distribute the series on DVD in Canada in late 2007.

The first season of the "The Tudors" is a ten-part series of one-hour episodes that tells the incredible tale of the young, powerful, seductive King Henry VIII, focusing on the tumultuous early years of the ambitious King's nearly 40-year reign of England. Bold and passionate about his country and his women, Henry's obsession with ensuring his legacy led to beheadings of friend and foe, waging war, and challenging the almighty Catholic Church of England, forever changing the soul of the British Empire. The second season of "The Tudors" is currently in production on location in Ireland, with the addition of legendary, Academy Award®-winning actor Peter O'Toole.

...according to Liz Smith via the Baltimore Sun:

September 14, 2007

Jonathan Rhys Meyers will sport longer hair and a beard, to portray the maturing Henry VIII in the second season of Showtime's big hit, The Tudors. Oh, darn! Jonathan has such a pretty face, why go all historically accurate now? (The actor is slim and dark-haired, as opposed to Henry, who was redheaded and robust.) But Meyers is terrific as the much-married monarch, so we'll simply adjust to his facial fuzz.

Now filming in Ireland, The Tudors airs again in April. Maria Doyle Kennedy, as Queen Catherine, Jeremy Northam as Thomas More and Natalie Dormer, luscious as Anne Boleyn, all meet their respective fates. Peter O'Toole is said to be fantastic as Pope Paul III, the pontiff who was so opposed to Henry's divorce of Catherine and marriage to Anne. (Henry and Anne thought the Vatican needed to butt out of their affair. Later on, Lady Anne might have longed for papal protection!) Even though I'm a sucker for most things historical, The Tudors has turned out more engaging than I expected. Showtime itself was surprised by the audience response to this ribald reworking of Henry's marital woes.

There isn't a whole lot, well...okay - there's really NO news about James Frain from The Tudors filming to report. We do know that the second season of The Tudors is being filmed in Dublin and is scheduled to wrap in October. Then, the editors and other post-production crew will have their way with it and the new season should be ready to be screened in the spring of 2008. So long to wait!

Thanks to a friend Stello, we have a gallery of some fun behind-the-scenes pictures from the current season of filming. See the new Tudors Season Two Gallery. We have read of one alleged sighting of Mr. Frain walking with a bicycle on Baggot Street in Dublin looking lost. This was posted on the IMDb messageboard for James Frain. Please, if anyone spots him wandering around lost, do approach him to offer directions. Ardmore Studios needs him! And his fans would be ever-so-grateful! Thanks so.

The first official press we've seen about the new season is a lovely article about Peter O'Toole's filming. Here are a few snippets:

July 26, 2007

DUBLIN — On a typically drizzly Irish day Peter O'Toole crossed a movie studio lot, protected by a huge green umbrella. He was elegant in white papal robes and red cape, with a characteristic glint in his world-famous eyes.

Mr. O'Toole, 74, had just completed filming his portrayal of the 16th-century pope Paul III in Showtime's much-talked-about series "The Tudors," which returns for its second season next spring. Even out of character he seemed happy to discuss religion.

Mr. O'Toole's character will spend most of next season in an epistolary battle with Henry VIII (the equally blue-eyed Jonathan Rhys Meyers) over the king's insistence on a divorce from Catherine of Aragon so he can marry Anne Boleyn. The real pope at the time was Clement VII, but in last season's brief papal scenes Clement was played by Ian McElhinney. So when Mr. O'Toole came on board, the series made him Clement's successor, Paul III, instead. (Actually, by Paul III's time, Anne was already in her grave. But what's a little dramatic license among friends?

The "Tudors" set can look a bit like the Island of Lost Handsome British Actors. Besides Mr. Rhys Meyers (who turns 30 on July 27 and plays a particularly young, fit Henry), there are, among others, Jeremy Northam as Thomas More, James Frain as Thomas Cromwell and the newcomer Henry Cavill as Henry's hunky brother-in-law Charles Brandon.

Michael Hirst, who has written every episode of the series so far, said he was delighted to have Mr. O'Toole speaking his dialogue. "The pope was extremely cynical, so what I wanted was to hear the character of a man who is spiritual but also worldly," Mr. Hirst said. "He says something about, 'The French king has guns and soldiers, whereas we must make do with truth and beauty.' "

Mr. Hirst mentioned another cherished line. It was part of a discussion of Henry's infatuation with the cunning Anne Boleyn, and it reflected the past of Paul III, who had mistresses and children.

"You and I have done well to escape the craft of women," the pope tells Cardinal Campeggio (John Kavanagh). "Celibacy is an immense relief."

To read the article in it's entirety, please see our Tudors Review page, which can also be accessed through the Filmography page.

Here we are already, at the finale of Season One of The Tudors. Queen Katherine is on her way out, Anne Bolelyn on her way up, Wolsey is down for the count and happily for those who are fans of the series, Season Two is on the horizon.

Showtime's synopsis of Episode 10:
Cardinal Wolsey is down but not yet out. Although exiled, he tries to gather last-minute support from his old enemy, Queen Katherine. She hesitantly agrees to his plan, as she finds herself in a situation similar to that of the fallen Cardinal. But their plot is intercepted by the King's new advisors and Wolsey must pay the ultimate price.

Directed By: Ciarán Donnelly
Written By: Michael Hirst
TV MA (V, S, L, D) - Adult Language, Violence, Nudity, Adult Content

To see the breakdown of Showtime's schedule for The Tudors, please visit - The Tudors schedule.

Source: Variety
June 5, 2007

Peter O'Toole will follow his Oscar-nominated role in Venus by playing Pope Paul III on Showtime's "The Tudors."

The actor has booked a seven-episode arc on the second season of the cable channel's new success story. He'll film his episodes later this year for broadcast next spring.

The season two storyline promises to pit O'Toole's pontiff against Jonathan Rhys Meyers' Henry VIII. The series will follow the historic showdown between the two men.

Teri found this news for us on Coming Soon.net

Also, as reported on E! online:

by Sarah Hall
Wed, 6 Jun 2007 02:06:10 PM PDT

This is one role that won't earn Peter O'Toole an Oscar nomination.

The veteran actor has signed on to play Pope Paul III in the second season of Showtime's The Tudors. His character will face off against Jonathan Rhys Meyers' Henry VIII in a retelling of the religious showdown that led to the king's excommunication in 1538.

"Peter O'Toole is the holy grail for The Tudors," Showtime Entertainment President Robert Greenblatt told Daily Variety. "We needed someone of enormous stature to play Pope Paul III, who faced off against Henry VIII in his bid to get his divorce from Katherine of Aragon. Henry's defiance of the pope and his break with the Roman Catholic Church is one of the great turning points in the history of the world."

Though O'Toole has appeared in television miniseries before, earning an Emmy for 1999's Joan of Arc, the seven-episode Tudors run will mark his first recurring role. The 74-year-old thesp is slated to film his episodes later this year for broadcast next spring.

O'Toole has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, but has yet to win for Best Actor, though he was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2003. He earned his most recent nomination for last year's Venus.

The Tudors debuted on Showtime in April, drawing an impressive 870,000 viewers for its premiere episode.

The first season concludes Sunday, as sexual tension builds between the doomed Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer) and Henry VIII, the man over whom she will eventually lose her head.

The second season is currently in production in Dublin.

Here is a blurb from the Latest News section at Ardmore Studios:

Shooting for the second series of 'The Tudors' gets underway at Ardmore Studios on June 5th. The hugely successful series debuted on US television in April, breaking records at TV network Showtime and winning rave reviews from critics.

Scheduled to film for five months in Ireland, the €25million producution will see the return of Jonathan Rhys Meyers in his role as Henry VIII. The Tudors will shoot for five months at Ardmore Studios.

'The Tudors' is produced by TM Productions and PA Tudors, with the support of Morgan O'Sullivan's production company World 2000 Entertainment. It is an official Irish/Canadian co-production and co-financed Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board through the IFB international production fund. The second series of 'The Tudors' will be broadcast on Showtime in 2008.

"The Tudors" roared out of the gate in the ratings April 1, giving Showtime its highest-rated premiere night in three years. It sounds like an April Fools joke, but Showtime is putting their money where their mouth is. After a mere two episodes aired on the US cable channel Showtime, the new take on Henry VIII has been renewed for a second season of ten more episodes. The show's creator Michael Hirst is once again penning all segments. Production on season two will begin shortly (June 2007) in Dublin, with Peace Arch and Ben Silverman's Reveille producing.

Showtime's president of Entertainment Robert Greenblatt says that "The Tudors" is "right on brand for Showtime." "Michael Hirst has done a masterful job turning history into relevant and entertaining drama," he added, calling the next chapter of the saga "even more compelling" than the current season. The production is the most expensive series in Showtime's history, though a big chunk of the production costs are offset by the sale of international rights.

An April 18th snippet on Ireland Online:
Tudors back for more 18/04/2007 - 13:43:02 The Tudors, the big budget mini-series shot in Ireland, has proved so successful Stateside that it will be back for a second series - and that's good news for the local industry with locations planned for Ardmore, Dublin and Wicklow in June. The cast includes Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, as a sexy, athletic Henry, Nick Dunning, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Sam Neill.

As reported on April 16 on "Digital Spy" :
The Tudors, a ten-part drama produced by Peace Arts and TM Productions in association with the CBC and Showtime, has been acquired by BBC Two for its Autumn schedule.

Described by Sue Deeks, head of series at BBC Programme Acquisition, as "a lavish, highly entertaining and addictive historical drama which takes a fresh look at Henry VIII," the show delivered record-breaking ratings for a series debut when it aired on US premium channel Showtime in April.

The series was filmed in Ireland with a predominantly British cast. Jonathan Rhys Meyers (MI:3) plays Henry VIII and Jeremy Northam (Gosford Park) plays Sir Thomas More.

The cast also includes Jurassic Park's Sam Neill, Peter O'Toole's daughter Kate O'Toole, Gabrielle Anwar (Scent of a Woman) as Princess Margaret and Henry Czerny (The Pink Panther).

"Jonathan Rhys Meyers sexy and vital monarch completely dispels the image of the older, overweight and infirm ruler - I know that BBC viewers will really enjoy this contemporary take on the Tudor dynasty," said Deeks.

So, rightfully beginning in the UK, the rest of the world will have it's chance to see young Henry and his Tudor Brit pack.

The second season will document the marriage of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn, the birth of daughter Elizabeth, the Reformation and (spoiler alert!) the beheading of Boleyn. Jonathan Rhys Meyers will return as star.

We here on the Internet have been delighted to see Showtime embrace the buzz! Unlike the less than fan-friendly major networks, Showtime is encouraging all things Tudor by offering episodes Online, linking to blogs, fansites and webpages devoted to appeciation of this new series. They seem unafraid of having less than total control of fan fare on the Web. Unlike King Henry, they are looking more like Braveheart to us, crying "Freedom!" for the masses.

Here at AJF, we confess to being mostly about James Frain, for which we make no apologies! However, we have been inspired to joining the fray and have an entire page devoted to "The Tudors." Along with added galleries and a review/article page, we will add content and links to other interesting spots we find devoted to the series. (Ours is a humble effort, Showtime itself has a most splendid site!) We warmly welcome you to head towards our Tudors page and enjoy.

James has now debuted as Thomas Cromwell, who replaces Mr. Pace as Cardinal Wolsey's secretary. So we now have screencaptures of his portrayal from Episodes 4, 5, and 6 in our screencaptures gallery. We look forward to adding more as the weeks go on and we get to see much more of of Mr. Cromwell.

"The Tudors" appears on Showtime Sundays @ 10PM EST/PST

Congratulations are in Order...

Carol googled her way to some of the premiere photos for "The Tudors". Many of the cast & production members were out in force as well as other actors. It was quite the turn-out in both Los Angeles (March 26th) and New York (March 28th.) James Frain attended the LA premiere with his wife Marta, and by the looks of the photos, they appear to be expecting a baby! Mrs. Frain's outfit might be a bit deceiving, but the flat shoes give it away. Mazel Tov and best wishes from all your fans here at AJF and elsewhere!

Premiere Photo Links:
Film Magic                 Wire Images

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So, James did his bit in the season finale of NUMB3RS on May 18. Yay! His brief appearance left us with a tantillizing line coming from FBI agent Don Epps in the rooftop scene - "We're not through you and I." Hmm, could our foriegn spy guy show up again next season? Until there's a morgue scene starring James' character Allister, then there's always a good chance.

We now have a new gallery of screencaps for this episode of "NUMB3RS", brought to us courtesty of Lisa from James Frain Online. Thanks Lisa! The episode synopsis from Yahoo's TV site reads as follows: "In the wake of a deadly standoff with a mysterious, yet, brilliant bomber, Don and Charlie discover that he was poisoned to keep him from exposing a shocking secret that will change the FBI team forever."

The CBS press release describes the episode ~ "The Janus List" -- "Don (Rob Morrow, left) interrogates Allister McClair (James Frain, right) to try and find out more about a suspect who dies mysteriously after threatening to blow up a bridge, on the third season finale of NUMB3RS, Friday, May 18 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network."

Photo: Ron P. Jaffe/CBS
©2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Another Teri find from SpoilerFix.com ~ "Episode 3.24 - 'The Janus List' - Charlie tries to help a nurse guard a man named Ashby from another murder attempt after the man already survived a poisoning attempt. He is killed after a man follows Charlie and the nurse pushing the man's gurney. Charlie is rescued and the killer is caught. Don learns that the CIA is involved and he is unable to arrest the man he believes sent the man to kill Ashby. Megan is back from being away on assignment." Oh gee, eh, that's not too confusing!?

A season finale in a very popular prime time series? Not a bad gig Mr. Frain! A nice treat for both James Frain and NUMB3RS fans everywhere.

Official CBS website - CBS NUMB3RS.

IMDb site for the series - IMDb NUMB3RS

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March 2007

FRAIN FANS TUDOR ALERT! According to a poster on The Tudors messageboard at IMDB, James should be showing up about episode 4. (Look for the thread "First 6 episodes.") Thank you Carol for jumping up to ask her about Cromwell!! So we should be seeing him in previews after episode 3. Yay! The poster - EmilyS-1 had the chance to see the first SIX episodes, lucky girl and assures us that it just gets better and better. As for Cromwell's arrival she says - Yes, he's there way before the sixth eppy. I think he shows up in the 4th. And he's very good. I remember James Frain from Titus. He was great. I remember Jonathan Rhys Meyers character (Chiron) being VERY mean to him. :). Yes, I do remember JRM's character being ever so psychotic. Okay, okay - can't wait, can't wait. But I guess we'll have to!

Publicity for the series seems to be growing daily since the debut episode on April 1. A veritable tudor blitz of advertisments are popping up on the small screen. Blogs, fansites, messageboards have been taking over the Internet. And unlike so many of the cranky major networks, Showtime is embracing the love! They know a good thing when it's on fire, yes indeedy. Click on the icon above to link to the buzz at Showtime.

We'll be updating our Tudor content in the next week or so. Here at AJF, we are still kind of anxious for James Frain's debut in the series! Meanwhile, here's a sneak preview of our new Tudors Portrait gallery. Enjoy.

Carol and Tina have kept on top of the Tudor search which has turned up a veritable Tudor feast of brief but quite potent videos about "The Tudors," appear Online at YouTube. Here are the links:

YouTube - The Tudors: Cancao do Mar - Henry & Anne YouTube - The Tudors: All the King's Women YouTube - The Tudors: The New Henry VIII YouTube - The Tudors: Evanescence Music Video YouTube - The Tudors: Henry 8 I Am, I Am YouTube - Inside The Tudors: JRM=HRM YouTube - The Tudors Trailer

Thank you Carol! That mini-vacation certainly hasn't slowed you down! And thank you Tina for your fruitful googling as well!

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The following story on publicity for "The Tudors" appear March 9 at the following Multichannel News site - Showtime to Blitz on Tudors Free Views

Showtime Networks is amassing a small army of at least 18 partners to blast out free views of the first two episodes of original series The Tudors on cable video-on-demand services and Internet sites.

CEO Matt Blank said it's the biggest promotional push the network has ever done, although he declined to put a dollar figure on the campaign. "There's a tremendous marketing challenge whenever we launch a new show to get it in front of potential viewers," he said. "It's a lot different than if we had 110 million television households. So we need to be a little bit more aggressive to get our programming sample in front of people."

Showtime has about 14 million subscribers, one-half of HBO's 29 million.

The network is spending an estimated $25 million on the 10-episode Tudors, which stars Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as a petulant, sexually avaricious Henry VIII and imagines the earliest years of the 16th century king's reign.

On March 19 -- two weeks before the show's April 1 premiere on the network -- the two Tudors episodes will be available via free VOD on Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Cablevision Systems, Mediacom Communications, Atlantic Broadband, Bright House Networks, RCN and other operators.

At the same time, Internet users will be able to watch them via streaming video at Amazon.com's Internet Movie Database -- the first time that site has ever streamed a full-length episode of a TV show -- as well as Netflix's Watch Now, Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN, CBS' Innertube, Brightcove, CNET Networks' TV.com and MeeVee.com.

Both episodes will also be streamed from the sites of Showtime affiliates AT&T's U-verse TV, Atlantic Broadband, Cablevision, Charter Communications, Comcast and RCN.

At Showtime's own sho.com site, hand-picked bloggers and other VIPs will get access to streaming episodes March 12.

And beginning March 20, Blockbuster will offer its Total Access rent-by-mail customers an exclusive DVD sampler with the show's first three episodes. Finally, Showtime is negotiating deals with movie-download sites to offer copy-protected versions of the two episodes that would be viewable only until April 8. At press time, the network said it had not officially landed a download partner.

The heavy buzz-building play is, obviously, supposed to titillate nonsubscribers enough to get them to pay for Showtime. "This show really plays like a soap," Blank said. "We wanted to get people as hooked as we can."

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Visit the official Showtime website for The Tudors to view the trailer, view a generous selection of photos, acquire downloads and read bits of official information. You can sign up for email and wireless updates on the series. Then, in a matter of weeks, we will all have a chance to see this colorful take on Henry VII and no doubt enjoy this new role of James Frain as Thomas Cromwell. All of us, that is who subscribe to Showtime.

According to the IMDb site for The Tudors, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a young King Henry VIII. Some of the other cast members of note will be -- Sam Neill.... Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Jeremy Northam.... Sir Thomas More, Steven Waddington .... Buckingham, Henry Czerny.... Norfolk, Nick Dunning.... Boleyn, Natalie Dormer.... Anne Boleyn, Perdita Weeks .... Mary Boleyn, (fromNothing Personal) Maria Doyle Kennedy.... Queen Katherine, Matt Ryan .... Pace, (from The Count of Monte Cristo) Henry Cavill.... Charles Brandon, Callum Blue.... Knivert, Kristen Holden-Ried.... Compton and Joe Van Moyland.... Thomas Tallis among others.

James will be playing Thomas Cromwell, uncle to the infamous Oliver Cromwell and (at least at first), right-hand man to the young King Henry. Of course, much drama and politics ensue, and the friendship takes a bad turn. Just James Frain's cup of tea, I'd say! We can be certain that ol' Thomas will be played with passion and sympathy. It's such twisted fun having to feel even a bit of sympathy for villians, but that is what we have come to expect from a Frain portrayal. He has a well-polished ability at finding the human being in the depth of the villian.

Thomas Cromwell, according to history, manages to keep his head up until the time of Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Since this series is said to cover only Henry's early years, Thomas (and therefore James Frain) may well be 'round for the duration. Wouldn't that be a refreshing change? However, if indeed the series were to go through all eight wives, then Mr. Frain may "cut out" somewhere in the middle. In any case, we here at AJF are hoping that it's a good juicy part for him. Break a leg!

FOR YOUR EDIFICATION...

Thanks to Mary Jane, here's the Chambers Biographical Dictionary entry on Thomas Cromwell:

CROMWELL, Thomas, Earl of Essex (c. 1485-1540)

The vignette in this 1739 Dutch engraving depicts Henry's introduction to Anne by means of a flattering portrait

English statesman, born in Putney, London, the son of a blacksmith and brewer. He spent some years on the Continent (1504-12), where he may have served in the French army in Italy, and gained experience as a clerk and trader. In England from 1513 he became a wool-stapler and scrivener, as well as practising some law. In 1514 he entered the service of Cardinal Wolsey, and entered parliament in 1523. In 1525 he acted as Wolsey's chief agent in the dissolution of the smaller monasteries. In 1530 he entered the service on King Henry VIII and quickly became his principal adviser, as privy concillor (1531), Chancellor of the Exchequer (1533) and secretary of state and master of the rolls (1534.) He was the guiding hand behind the Reformation acts of 1532-39 that produced the Act of Supremacy (1534) that made the King head of the English Church. As vicar-general from 1535, and as lord privy seal and the king's deputy as head of the church (from 1536), he organized the dissolution of the monasteries (1536-39), thereby earning the nickmame of 'malleus monarchorum' - 'hammer of the monks'. He exerted himself single-handedly to the establishment of the absolute authority of the crown and Protestantization of the church. He was appointed lord great chamberlain in 1539 and ennobled as the Earl of Essex in 1540; but he lost favour with the king after negotiating the disastrous marriage with Anne of Cleves; he was sent to the Tower, condemned by parliament under a Bill of Attainder, and executed.

Thanks to Carol, Teri and Mary-Jane for their finds and insights in this latest Frain venture! Thanks to Carol, we found this lovely photo of Mr. Frain in costume looking beautifully brooding in black. For other photos of the actors on set, please visit Showbiz Ireland.com