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About James Frain and The Tudors
In season two we expect to see Thomas Cromwell support the king's marital affairs as he also readies the mission to deconstruct the English Roman Catholic Church in the course of establishing King Henry's Church of England. As the passions and politics come to a head, we look forward to seeing who lands on their feet in Season Two.
In a cast rich with historical characters, Thomas certainly holds his own. We are more than certain that James Frain shall too.
From the Multichannel News.com:
By Order Of The King: A Third 'Tudors' Season
By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News
King Henry VIII will return for a third season on Showtime.
The premium network, as expected, is bringing back The Tudors for a third campaign in 2009. Production is slated to begin on June 16 in Dublin, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who portrays the randy royal, set to return. The show's first season and Rhys Meyers received Golden Globe nominations.
The announcement comes as the sixth installment of the 10-episode second season is scheduled to premiere on the linear network Sunday night. Showtime Entertainment president Robert Greenblatt told Multichannel News and then an assembled crowd at a screening in New York last month that writing had already begun on a third campaign.
“The Tudors is now a fixture for us at Showtime and we’re on our way to completing the entire saga of all six wives of Henry VIII,” said Greenblatt in statement. “We are enormously proud of this show, the extraordinary cast, and the production team that recreates the grandeur of the Renaissance year in and year out. There is nothing like this anywhere on American television.”
During the current season, Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer), while continuing to declare his marriage to Queen Katherine of Aragon (Maria Doyle Kennedy). In turn, Pope Paul III (Peter O’Toole) excommunicates the king. However, Anne’s failure to bear a male heir ultimately carries a heady price -- and sends Henry toward Jane Seymour (Anita Briem), who later becomes the third of six wives.
We doubt it will happen, but it's something to ponder...
02:20 PM PT, Apr 22 2008
The series has emerged as something of a calling card for the pay cable network. Robert Greenblatt, Showtime's entertainment president, told The Times recently that he'd ultimately like to extend it for four seasons, covering all of Henry's six wives. But it remains to be seen whether Rhys Meyers, who is only committed to three seasons, will sign for a fourth.
-- Matea Gold
by Tom O'Neil
Stay tuned for the episode of "The Tudors" that will air Sunday, April 27. Showtime informs Gold Derby that No. 205, "Anne's Family's Power is Jeopardized," is the one the network plans to submit to Emmy judges in the race for best drama series--if the show makes the top 10 runoff after a popular vote of 14,000 academy members, which seems likely. At that point, the strength of just one episode will decide if "Tudors" can pull off a historic breakthrough and become the first non-HBO cable series nominated for best drama series. Or best series, for that matter. None has managed to make the comedy cut either, come to think of it.
It's a good thing that Showtime can change its mind about the episode planned for Jonathan Rhys Myers: last Sunday's segment, No. 203 ("Henry Marries Anne in Secret"). Yeah, it's great TV that finally gives viewers the Big Payoff of the Cranky King's wedding to Anne Boleyn, but Rhys Meyers doesn't get much screen time to showcase the kind of dramatic grandstanding that voters expect. So Showtime is also considering No. 210, whatever that is. Details haven't yet been disclosed.
Here's what happens in No. 203: Henry harrumphs, "The annulment of my marriage (to Catherine) must be declared immediately!"
You see, the belly of his mistress, Anne, is ballooning fast and he needs to make a decent queen out of her, pronto.
He installs a new, wimpy Archbishop of Canterbury to make the proclamation the Pope will not, then he finally weds Anne in a quiet, vaulted place.
Afterward, they proceed to the coronation, traveling by regal carriage through the empty streets of London. (Obviously, his subjects ain't too crazy about his new queenie.) An assassination attempt against Anne seems to go unnoticed.
Next comes the grandiose coronation during which Henry jumps up, snatches the crown from the archbishop and places it upon Anne's head as he booms, "With this — St. Edward's crown — I do so solemnly crown you queen of England!"
A few nights later, he cuddles up with Anne in bed, but she shoos him away, saying, "Can't now! Our baby!" His highness is not amused.
He's also not smiling with the baby is born and it turns out to be a girl. "I'm so sorry!" Anne sighs.
Randy Henry's a good sport about it, noting, "You and I are both young. With god's grace, boys will follow."
Not not anytime soon. Not with Anne. Next scene we see him eyeing the sexy Lady Eleanor, who he corners in a game of nude chess. Checkmate!
You see, this episode is fun, yes, but I don't spy an Emmy-worthy performance here. No, no, no.
(Photo: Showtime)
The following is the full, prelim list of "The Tudors'" Emmy campaign:
'The Tudors'' Emmy strategy: The episodes
If Emmy contenders make the final runoff after a popular vote of 14,000 members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, they must submit a sample episode to a judging panel that will determine the five final nominees. Final episode declarations aren't due until the end of May, but here is what "The Tudors" plans [as of now] Updated by LA Times on April 26, 2008:
Best Drama Series (205 "Anne's Family's Power is Jeopardized" airs April 27)
So, good to know that James Frain's Cromwell will be put forth for Emmy consideration, and the specific episode is Episode 9 (209). Hmm, just a few episodes away. He's been excellent in everything so far this season, so Episode 9 is definitely an object of anticipation here at AJF! Can't wait, can't wait. Thanks again to Carol for uncovering the details for us.
We love the comment by Henry Cavill as to what he attributes the success of the series; "I would guess it's just the excellent writing of Michael Hirst and the acting abilitiy of most of the cast." "Most" of them Henry? Geez man, way to support your fellow thesbians! LOL!
Here below is another video report of the screening party as provided by Hollywood Live Video.
That's right, as of Sunday, March 16, Showtime has added a preview of the premiere episode from Season Two online. After a good 5 minutes or so of catch-up in a "previously on The Tudors" segment, we are treated to an "edited" (for content or time, we don't know) version of the premiere. What fun!
It opens in London, 1532 in the midst of Henry's battle with the Catholic Church over his desire to divorce Queen Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn. Enjoy!
"I watched the Season 2 Episode 1 preview and it did not disappoint! Chock full of the requisite and by now justifiably expected intrigue and cruelty and death and gems and baubles and cleavage and suggestive glances and probable creative history and sex and best of all this time, lots of Thomas Cromwell! James Frain walking his incomparable walk, in tights, no less! Curls! Gorgeously nuanced facial expressions and subtley delivered lines. As is his talent, he immediately, single-handedly elevates the pith quotient, watchability and overall caliber of this super soap!!
On behalf of the king as well as to his own benefit, Thomas Cromwell witnesses, participates in and even generates some fairly unpleasant business, putting it mildly. It is due to the great talent of James Frain that we are able to detect conflict and even regret in this chilling character. As always, James Frain enables us to experience exactly what his characters are feeling, and allows us to still see their humanity even as we watch them perform their foulest deeds. What could be bad?
Enjoy!
Thanks for the preview review! And thank you Carol for relaying the info on the preview to us. So, go, go! Make a nice hot cup of something, grab the comfy computer chair and enjoy!
James can be seen in a number of the clips as Cromwell in his increasingly important role as Henry's right hand man. He gets to do King Henry's dirty work banishing people thither and yon, and will no doubt get the ball rolling in a beheading or two. Well, for as long as he keeps his own head about him at any rate.
Click on the picture to access the video clips. Enjoy!
Posted: Wed., Mar. 26, 2008, 4:48pm PT
So, before Season Two is even officially begun, we have the promise of a third installment of our favorite history-meets-modern-fantasy classic in the making. Sex, politics and religion?! What are they thinking? Michael Hirst, sharpen your pencils, buy some fresh doodle pads and check your computer for disk space! Perhaps all of you extras in Dublin should look at your calendars and keep your summer open!
The Tudors is an elaborate period drama, the likes of which we rarely get to see on television. It recounts the historical tale that we all mostly know: that of how the voracious ambitions and appetites of King Henry VIII changed the course of history. But with the seductive Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the title role; a stunning cast that includes Peter O’Toole, Jeremy Northam and James Frain; and flawless production design; the series manages to feel both appropriately historical and glamorously modern.
The show’s second season premieres on Showtime on Sunday, March 30, at 9 p.m., and had a shot at getting on CBS when it looked like the strike might wipe out this entire season, but now you either need to sign up for Showtime, get the DVD, download episodes on iTunes or become a TV reporter so they send you a few episodes for free.
I don’t subscribe to Showtime so I don’t watch as many of the shows as I should, but I have to hand it to Robert Greenblatt. A few years back, I went to the season premiere of Queer as Folk, and while people loved that show, I was unimpressed. It seemed amateurish and up against HBO’s powerhouses, it didn’t have a chance.
Fast forward and Showtime has a slate of formidable shows: besides The Tudors, there’s Dexter – which is getting a 12-episode run on CBS starting this Sunday at 10 p.m.; Weeds, starring Emmy winner Mary-Louise Parker; and Huff, starring Hank Azaria. OK, David Duchovny’s Californication was an oversexed dud, but you can’t win ‘em all.
Greenblatt – who brought Six Feet Under to HBO – has accomplished his mission: he turned the tables on HBO. Now the big-buzz programming is on Showtime.
Watch Sinéad Crowley's report on the IFTAs here.
Seven IFTAs for 'The Tudors'
The series' star, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, was named Best Actor in a Television Series while his co-stars, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Nick Dunning, won the Best Supporting Actress and Actor in Television awards respectively.
In the technical categories, 'The Tudors' won the Best Costume (Joan Bergin), Best Hair & Make-Up (Jennifer Hegarty, Dee Corcoran) and Best Production Design (Tom Conroy) awards.
Check out all the red carpet style from the IFTAs in our photo gallery here.
To watch last night's IFTAs show click here.
To read the article in it's entirety, go here - RTE.IE Entertainment
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
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
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:
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:
from Rope of Silicon.com:
The Golden Globe nominated Showtime series "The Tudors" is a lot of fun, but trust me when I tell you that this is a sex-filled look at the life of Henry VIII. Written by Michael Hirst, who penned the first Elizabeth feature, "The Tudors" stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as Henry and he is just a complete psycho with a ton of power. I am not much of a historian, but I have to believe a lot of liberties have been taken with the truth behind the actual events that inspired this show, but I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy these 11 first season episodes.
ALSO at SHOWTIME!!
SUNDAYS at 10PM ET/PT
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But we get ahead of ourselves. In "The Tudors," Thomas has only just gotten a toe hold in the Tudor Court. He entered in the service of the "good" Cardinal Wolsey, with much, much more to come. With the end of Season One, we see Wolsey's fall and Cromwell's rise well on the horizon. 
There is still time for switcheroos to be made by network execs, who are currently seeing the final season episodes, like No. 10, for the first time. So these decisions aren't royal decrees. In order to lighten the workload involved in shows officially entering the Emmy race, the TV academy asks networks to make early episode declarations, which can be changed later with ease as long as the initial filings are made on time.
On Wednesday, March 19 at the Sheraton Hotel in New York City, Showtime hosted a screening and party of the premiere episode of the new season of The Tudors. Many of the cast were there - star Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the incomparable Peter O'Toole, Natalie Dormer, Henry Cavill, David Alpay and James Frain who must have gotten an excuse note for the night off from The Homecoming. Also in tow were Tudors costume designer Joan Bergin and writer Michael Hirst along with other Showtime actors in current projects, such as Billie Piper - "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" and Tracey Ullman - "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union." Showtime has graciously provided the video above so that we may share it with you here.
Having watched it, let me just say that it worth the wait. The plot thickens and we are introduced to a few new characters. Peter O'Toole in his first wee snippet is elegant perfection! As for James Frain's increasing role, let me let our Carol give her impression:
'The Tudors' was named Best Drama Series/Soap and also dominated the TV acting and technical categories.
By: Brad Brevet
News
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