TV Gothic romance, Emmy Award
-Year: 1997
-Year in film: 1920s 
-Country: UK, Germany
-Who in clothing: 2nd Mrs de Winter ~ 22 ys, “sailor suit”
-Who in clothing 2:
-Available on DVD: yes 
-I own: no
-Clothing occurence: low ?  
-Rating:  2/10       
-Rating: **
-Comment: A young woman, I think Emilia Fox in sailor suit looking clothes. Also starring Faye Dunaway, Charles Dance and Diana Rigg (not Emma Watson as shown on this fan trailer). Novel by Daphne Du Maurier, remake of the 1940 Hitchcock movie. I don’t know this complete movie, there are also some kids (but I don’t know of any other sailor suit scenes). I think a boy in “breeches”. Probably other historical clothings of the 1920s, but can’t see much typical clothings. For this scene I can’t rate any higher than 2 for now. Though might be an exciting film, but most likely not better than Hitchcock’s. Film aka “Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca”.

 
BBC TV drama series, 10 episodes
-Year: 1998
-Year in film: 1902 
-Country: UK
-Who in clothing: boys ~ 8, 10 ys, sailor suit
-Who in clothing 2: girl, sailor dress
-Available on DVD: yes 
-I own: no
-Clothing occurence: medium ?  
-Rating:  8/10      
-Rating: ********
-Comment: I think at least 2 boys in different sailor suits and at least 2 girls in sailor dresses. Pic top right showing a boy.
I found this series by coincidence. It was not on the period drama list, but I got a video recommendation because of one title from that list. I don’t know all episodes completely but it looks very good. I think there are lots of different kids, so I don’t know their names.
Some interesting scenes cleaning the face of a boy and controlling his hands. Also mentioning to clean the mouth of a girl with soap.
See also Story 10

/2011/10/story-10-to-clean-children-in-sailor.html

Pictures: Top left from ep 2. A boy in light blue short sailor suit. White collar 2 thin stripes. Top right a boy in dark blue sailor suit, 2 thick stripes at a fun fair shooting. Long medium blue scarf. I think long pants, those also with white stripes. Both with straw hats. Bottom left a girl in ep 5. The collar looks like to be worn wrong side. Bottom right also ep. 5 a boy with a beige sailor suit, white collar, 2 medium blue stripes and a bow tie. Unpictured a girl in dark blue sailor dress in ep 4 in the woods getting a piggyback.

The kids are not always shown but most of the time of it in sailor suits. I have to check or purchase this series, I assume medium sailor suit scenes. On of the best UK series with sailor suits yet. However kids are quite young. Rating 8-9 for now. Plot is about 3 nannies. Starring Claire Wilkie, Viktoria Smurfit and Tabitha Wady. No trailer.

BBC series, 51 ep. in 4 seasons
-Year: 1976-1981
-Year in film: 1919 
-Country: UK
-Who in clothing: girl ~10, sailor dress ?
-Who in clothing 2: boys breeches/shorts
-Available on DVD: yes 
-I own: no
-Clothing occurence: low ?  
-Rating:  2/10      
-Rating: **
-Comment: At least a girl in brown sailor dress or similar at least with a beige collar, 2 stripes and some boys in breeches/short pants and of course others in historical clothing. Both pics from episode 1.6.
Another one from my period drama list. I don’t know this complete series, but I assume rather few scenes with sailor suits (probably also few scenes of kids) though quite good setting. Starring James Bolam, James Garbutt and Jean Haywood. 5 BAFTA Award nominations. No real trailer. Rating only 2-3 for now. There are definitely better films and series with sailor suits.
Update: I forgot to mention women with collars, but I think not real sailor dresses. And no stripes.

Thriller starring Ewan McGregor
-Year: 2003
-Year in film: 1950s ? 
-Country: UK, France
-Who in clothing: boy ~10, sailor suit ?
-Who in clothing 2:
-Available on DVD: yes 
-I own: no
-Clothing occurence: low ?  
-Rating:  3/10      
-Rating: ***
-Comment: A young boy (pictured on left) maybe in a salior suit. I can’t even say that for sure. Maybe it’s just a sweater with a pattern. I think only few scenes (at ~1:03 min). I also don’t know his name. He also wears bib overalls, but I think also in few and short scenes (see my overalls blog, also rating 3, and  2 men in bibs). The movie is quite good but weird and has a lot of erotic and SM content (of grown ups). Even if it’s not a sailor suit it looks like one and there are also a lot of scenes on a ship. A bathtub scene with the boy (tin bathtub outside at the riverside). A woman sittign at a beach has a blue dress with some white stripes, but also it’s not a real sailor dress. But I can’t rate any higher than 3 for now.
For more infos, see my other blog.

“Suddenly I started to lose, couldn’t control myself and lost everything.”

-  Fyodor Dostoevsky, “The Gambler”

It is the inevitable trajectory of the addict. The ones who seek escape in bedlam, and end up losing themselves completely, consumed by a vicious and unrelenting hunger for more (always more). No matter the addiction, the path is the same. Such is a path explored in Shame, an unflinching portrait of a man consumed by self-loathing and desperate loneliness, inexplicably closed in by the walls of a city defined by excess. The result is a sensitive and searing examination of human impulse, and the finest film of the year.

The first frame is startling in its simplicity and complete encapsulation of the entire tone of the film. Brandon (Michael Fassbender) lies in bed, an unreadable expression on his face, for some time before rising. Establishing exposition is unnecessary – the film almost seems an intrusion at an awkward angle in his life, heightening the intimate atmosphere. The brilliant cinematography further juxtaposes the external and internal; the outer chaos and the inner war – the ambient soundscapes of New York City at night contrasted with the eerie stillness of Brandon’s flat. Indeed, the interior of the flat is the essence of the film itself, all white sterility, clean lines, and soundless empty spaces throbbing with emotional repression. Brandon attempts to shroud himself in normalcy, layering unassuming masks over one another, until the abrupt arrival of his sister (in a ferociously uninhibited performance from Carey Mulligan) threatens to uproot him.

McQueen is a master of raw consciousness; his lens honest and unjudging of his characters, and scenes meticulously constructed. The narrative oscillates between moments of flickering tension and explosive power, reflecting Brandon’s emotional turmoil. We can almost see the film as a study in dramatic irony, as we can perfectly anticipate the outcomes of Brandon’s actions before they happen; watching as he makes one mistake after another, delving deeper into perilous urgency. Furthermore, no mention of this film can be complete without Michael Fassbender’s electrifyingly restrained and subtle performance of Brandon, a Dostoevskian portrait of a man and his foibles, broken by his weaknesses. Every line of his face, every flicker of his eyes, and every muscle in his jaw conveys unguarded and desperate emotional anguish. It is a performance comparable to Hunger, but with an added psychological and affecting intensity that is compelling and heartrending to witness.

In the last several years, McQueen has proven himself to be the most acute observer of the human condition in all its frailties; a contemporary Dostoevsky, with his constructions of flawed martyrs and broken men. As beautiful as we can be, there lies in us a terribly ugliness; tearing away superficialities to reveal a bleak and bleeding rendition of the soul, blackened and tired (“I am a sick man…I am a wicked man!”). The final scene of Shame is breathtaking in its simplicity, leaving an unanswered question burning uncomfortably in the back of your throat. Does the answer matter? Of course – but depending on whether you believe that redemption is possible or not makes all the difference.

TV biography, nominated for Golden Globe
-Year: 2003
-Year in film: 1908, ~1912, 1919
-Country: UK, USA
-Who in clothing: boys ~7, 10, 13 ys, men, sailor suits
-Who in clothing 2: others, historical clothing
-Available on DVD: yes
-I own: no
-Clothing occurence: medium ?   
-Rating:  7/10      
-Rating: *******
-Comment: I think this must be Daniel Williams as young Prince John and Brock Everitt-Elwick as young Prince George both in as well white sailor suits with long white pants on a beach (pictured top left), short blue sailor suits and short white sailor suits with blue pants (all with blue collars, 3 stripes). Also later older Prince John (Matthew James Thomas ~14 ys, pic below) in blue and white long sailor suits. Also real sailors and I think also women in sailor dresses.

Looks like a very good BBC film (180 min, 2 parts) about the British Prince who died of epilepsy aged 13 in 1919 (true story). I hadn’t the time yet to watch the complete movie. Contrary to the French Pagnol films, this are real and complete sailor suits. And a strict father (not sure about spanking scenes). Very good and authenthic setting and props. Some good scenes, I think I will make a story entry (eg about stockings which are shown).
This Emmy awarded mini series was directed by Stephen Poliakoff and also starred Rollo Weeks, Tom Hollander and Miranda Richardson.

However the main character is very young here (most of the time), Prince George, Duke of Kent is 3 years older. So most scenes must be set in ~1912. But good that also a teen boy is shown in sailor suit.
I have to check this completely, but can’t rate any higher than 7 for now for this young actors (compared to other entries).

Also starring Sam Page as Tsarevich Alexis. See other Alexis Romanov movies like Rasputin (1996), Rasputin and the Empress and Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna. And maybe more later.

Update: See also Story 11

/2011/11/story-11-sailor-suit-stockings.html

 
And that’s the real Prince John in 1913:

Drama TV series, 40 episodes in 4 seasons
-Year: 2008-2011
-Year in film: ~1880s
-Country: UK
-Who in clothing: kids, historical clothing, breeches
-Who in clothing 2: women with collars
-Available on DVD: yes
-I own: no
-Clothing occurence: low *
-Rating:  3/10 *
-Rating: ***
-Comment: Some boys and girls (poor and rich class) in historical clothing, also some in breeches or similar. At least 2 women in weird clothes with white collars (pictured, in episode 8). Pic top left from ep. 2, pic below from episode 37 (4.3) boy also in breeches. Haven’t noticed any kids in sailor suits.

This is the first movie I found of the mentioned period series list 2 posts ago. I don’t know this complete series but looks quite good. Novels by Flora Thompson. Starring Olivia Hallinan, Julia Savalha and John Dagleish. The series won a TRIC Award. Good setting and historical clothings including hats, but no real sailor suits. I have to check again but can’t rate higher than 2 or 3 for now. For another series of this list “Foyle’s War” (set in WWII) featuring a woman in beige bib overalls, but also some British kids in historical clothings, see my other blog.

Update: Series is now reaired. Some more infos and 2 more pics at

/2012/09/21/info-129-update-lark-rise-to-candleford/

TV biography starring Sally Field
-Year: 2000
-Year in film: ~1830s ? 
-Country: Ireland, USA
-Who in clothing: David 10 ys, sailor suits 
-Who in clothing 2: breeches, others
-Available on DVD: yes
-I own: not yet
-Clothing occurence: medium ?
-Rating:  10/10 
-Rating: **********
-Comment: (British) Max Dolbey (pictured) in different sailor suits. Dark blue sailor suit with white collar and red scarf and shiny (satin?) white short sailor suit with blue collar also 2 stripes and straw hat. Maybe more suits and actors (maybe also girls?) Also of course other historical clothings (including breeches) and also at least 2 spanking scenes (incl. Dolbey).

Yesterday I found during research a list of best voted period series. (More of that to come, also for my overalls blog). Then I start checking those films and series and got a video recommendation of this. Perfect. I like white collars. And also the blue collar is well shown from behind. Sitting in white sailor suit on a wagon.
I don’t know this complete film yet (180 minutes, 3 parts a 60 min) but I assume medium or fewer good scenes as there is also a grown up Copperfield, but the scenes, setting and actors looks extremely good and authentic. I have to check other similar films as well. Famous novel by Charles Dickens, published 1850. Nominated for a Primetime Emmy, produced by Hallmark, also starring Michael Richards, Hugh Dancy and Eileen Atkins. Have to check again, but even rating 10 for now.

Drama starring Dinah Sheridan, Jenny Agutter
-Year: 1970
-Year in film: ~1905
-Country: UK
-Who in clothing: Peter ~15 ys, Roberta ~17 ys, sailor suit 
-Who in clothing 2: others in historical clothing
-Available on DVD: yes
-I own: no
-Clothing occurence: medium *
-Rating:  6/10 
-Rating: ******
-Comment: Gary Warren in white sailor suit (blue collar, 3 stripes, pictured top left and with flat hat, pic below) and I think Jenny Agutter in white sailor dress (top right). Boy also in breeches. Also starring Sally Thomsett as Phyllis, the oldest girl ~19 ys (but I don’t think in sailor dress), but not sure. Sorry, I don’t know this complete film yet, but looks very good. Famous novel by E. Nesbit, published in 1905 and there is also a 2000 TV film and 3 TV series (which I also have to check), but this film is supposed to be the best version. However I assume rather few or medium scenes of the boy in sailor suits and more of the girl. Film won 2 BAFTA Awards and Thomsett got another nomination for it. Very good setting, for sailor suit scenes only rating 5-6 for now. Boy also has too long hair (like the 1970s and not the 1900s). I also don’t like Agutter (and her hair).

Biography starring Renée Zellweger
-Year: 2006
-Year in film: ~1876
-Country: UK, USA
-Who in clothing: Beatrix 12 ys, sailor suit
-Who in clothing 2: Bertram ~7 ys, sailor suit
-Available on DVD: yes
-I own: no
-Clothing occurence: low ?
-Rating:  5/10
-Rating: *****
-Comment: I think this is 12 yo Lucy Boynton as young Beatrix Potter (pictured right in white sailor dress, long blue scarf, white collar with many stripes and an anchor) and Oliver Jenkins in blue sailor suit (left as young brother Bertram). Both with straw hats. I found this movie by coincidence and don’t know it. But looks like a very good period film starring Zellweger as grown up author Beatrix Potter, Ewan McGregor and Emily Watson. Nominated for a Golden Globe, rated PG. Bonyton was nominated for A Young Artist Award.
Good scenes, the girl gets dirty but I assume few scenes of the children, the girl also wears a dress. And the kids are very young. But might be good film. Have to check it completely, but rating 5 for now only.

Wuthering Heights is not a romance, and I shudder to think of all the previous film adaptations that have treated it as such. Arnold’s Wuthering Heights is both a departure from the romanticized adaptations of the past, and a welcome return to the cruel and unflinching narrative of modern Gothic, perfected with a stark realism evident in Red Road and Fish Tank.

Arnold’s Wuthering Heights is dramatically wild and viscerally raw, lacking in any sense of pretention or sentiment. This is no romantic panorama with a sweeping orchestra and half-whispered confessions of love. It is crippling isolation and graceless elegance, tempered by the harshness of reality. The score is the sound of wind howling over rocky barrens, the squelch of damp earth, the tune of hopeless birds. The light is inartificial and sparse, pervading lonely corners of empty rooms with peeling wall plaster, and framing silhouettes fleeing into the darkness of the moors. We are not watching a film – we are viewing brief, intimate glimpses of an unsettling story, a series of tone poems linked together by suspicion and suggestion: the manic tapping of a tree branch at the window (echoes of “Heathcliff, it’s me, your Cathy!”), nervous horses pawing at the frozen ground, a bleed of dark crimson trailing up to the highest views of a grim landscape. It is a Gothic painting brought to life, accompanied by the relentless wind, downpour, and silence.

It is an unwavering exploration of class; race; and, faithful to the novel, the psychopathic bond between the main characters. The young actors portraying Cathy and Heathcliff are superb, their youth sufficiently awkward and genuine, as their characters develop a mutual dependence on each other. Their wills and egos battle against each other, both physically and emotionally, that only seem to strengthen with each blow of rebuke towards Heathcliff from Linton and Joseph. In this respect, the first half of the film featuring the young Cathy and Heathcliff is a triumph; sparse in dialogue and lingering shots of unbridled emotion.

Unfortunately, the latter half the film suffers as the transition is made to a more conventional narrative style, containing more dialogue and characters. The older actors portraying Cathy and Heathcliff are stiffer, more wooden, and do not seem as believable as their younger counterparts. Perhaps it is a sight of maturity to the characters (although unlikely, considering the emotional maturity of the characters does not entirely shift in the novel), but the bond between the two, as seemed so strong in the first half, is somewhat diminished, and elucidated as rather more two-dimensional. Perhaps Arnold realises that the crux of the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff is grounded in their youth, and is wise to end the film with lingering shots of the children surrounded in a hazy fog, pinned in the wet dirt; a return to its earthly origins.

An exhalation of breath in the frigid Yorkshire air; the evanescent heat dissipating into the cold and immediately retracting into stillness – such is the quality of Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre. The warmth goes as quickly as it comes, just as the flickering flames of a candle flee into darkened corners, but leave them just as fleetingly. That is not to say that such a nature leaves the film barren in any way – on the contrary, it lends an entirely new shift in the kaleidoscope of the themes interwoven throughout the novel, which should be the intention of any literary adaptation.

This particular adaptation takes ‘drama’ as its most minimal, primarily choosing not to speak through dialogue (however faithful it may be) but through the moments interspersed amongst the words (the gazes from the window, the empty rooms resounding with hushed silence). Fukunaga is elevated from status of filmmaker to that of craftsman of the art, for each scene is utterly perfect in visual intent, framed and composed with artistic purpose. This film reads as a series of Hammershøi paintings – muted blues and greys, and gorgeous full-length shots of Jane facing away from us. As such, this film becomes one of the most introspective ones in Eyre’s prolific adaptations for the screen. Unfortunately, this sense of introspection is lost in translation, and for those who have not read the novel (for shame!), the silences become lost opportunities for literal narrative, of which there is startlingly little.

There are more problems in the area of casting. Although Mia Wasikowska’s Jane is one of the finest to date, with her thoughtful demeanour and stoic suffering, the rest of the cast fares less well – in particular, Fassbender’s Rochester and Bell’s St. John Rivers. Both actors seem ill-cast for the roles, and is an utter shame, considering the caliber of these actors elsewhere. Fassbender’s Rochester seems intent on speaking through gritted teeth throughout, with little affective modulation. Contrary to Jane’s observation, he is rather less changeable than his character ought to be, instead opting for self-loathing and brooding for much of the film.< >Then of course, there is the centrifugal issue of his physical appearance – Fassbender is the very embodiment of ‘tall, dark, and handsome’, and so I could hardly contain my disbelief at Jane’s negative response to his query of “Do you think me handsome?” As such, the inconsistent characterization of Rochester bleeds over into that of Rivers. The very purpose of Rivers’ character is that of foil to Rochester – cold to hot, repression to passion. We see virtually none of Rivers’ defining characteristics in Bell’s version, thus making his proposal to Jane a bit of a shock. The actors’ portrayals of their characters may, on the surface seem appropriate, but if one were to question the characters’ motives deeper, their intrinsically flawed underdevelopment would interfere.

I shall not delve into other significant issues with the screenplay (only superficially introducing Blanche Ingram, the omission of Grace Poole, and the dire neglect of Bertha’s story), because I believe that most of these can be attributed to time constraints. With only a two-hour limit, it is understandable that much of the original complexity of the novel were sacrificed to adhere to the attention span of audiences. Nevertheless, such alterations only provide further justification for how Jane Eyre is virtually ‘un-filmable’.

In any case, this film adaptation casts JE in a different light from what we have seen in previous cinematic adaptations. This Jane is calmer, more thoughtful, and leaves more to silence than words; the final scene of the film is a magical testament to this. However, this tranquility comes at the expense of the novel’s manifesto of the passionate pursuit of life, and the Aristotlean struggle between passion and reason.

TV series, episode 5.13
-Year: 1954-1974
-Year in film: 1958   
-Country: USA
-Who in clothing: Robin ~12 ys 
-Who in clothing 2:
-Available on DVD: yes
-I own: yes DVD box
-Clothing occurence: often
-Rating:  6/10   
-Rating: ******
-Comment: Billy Potton (pictured left and right, on the right with Jon Provost as Timmy) in “traditional” British (school) clothing. No Lederhosen or sailor suits, but I like this episode called “The Bundle from Britain”. He wears short /medium lenght pants, a small cap (pic right), a blazer, a long woolen striped scarf and a string tie. At school he has to introduce himself standing in front of the class and a boy in jeans asked him about his funny short pants. He answered that this is British tradition. Later they scuffle on the ground and Timmy and Boomer defends him. Not sure if this actor is Britain in real life. I like this series and also the plot and the other actors. But don’t remember all episodes. For this episode and clothing rating 6 as no Lederhosen or sailor suit.

Drama starring Klaus Maria Brandauer
-Year: 1988
-Year in film: 1919   
-Country: UK, Germany
-Who in clothing: Edmund 12ys, sailor suit 
-Who in clothing 2: breeches, bathing costume
-Available on DVD: yes
-I own: yes, partly TV recording
-Clothing occurence: medium
-Rating:  8/10 
-Rating: ********
-Comment: David Eberts (pictured) in blue sailor suit. Also breeches and a bathing costume. Yet another masterpiece featuring a sailor suit. Set in 1920s Austria and very good plot with an asthmatic boy and a coming of age plot. Novel by Stefan Zweig, directed by Andrew Birkin. Venice Film Festival award for Eberts. Remake of “Brennendes Geheimnis (1933)”. I saw this (1988) film many years ago and don’t remember it completely, but I assume few sailor suit scenes. I like this film, atmosphere and actor. Nearly perfect film (rated PG), but for sailor suit scenes only rating 8 for now, but I have to watch this movie again. Also starring Faye Dunaway and Ian Richardson. 

Family film starring Rick Schroder
-Year: 1980
-Year in film: 1880s
-Country: UK
-Who in clothing: Ceddie ~10, sailor suit
-Who in clothing 2: other clothing, others
-Available on DVD: yes
-I own: yes, TV recording
-Clothing occurence: low *
-Rating:  8/10
-Rating: ********
-Comment: Ricky Schroder (pictured) in a short white/light blue striped sailor suit with very long, wide black scarf. Blue squared collar, 3 stripes. Black stockings.

Also other festive suits (dark blue with white, non sailor suit lace collar) and poor and sporting and riding clothings (breeches?) And also grown ups in historical cothing. This is my favorite movie at Christmas Time. Only 2 short sailor suit scenes. However very good, nearly perfect film and perfect plot (Primetime Emmy Award), touching scenes and very good acting of young Schroder (for Schroder also see entry “Too Young the Hero”, 1988 with him and other teens also in white sailor suits).

I saw some different DVD releases and some must be also officially. AUS DVD in enhanced widescreen or Italian (incl. English language) but I think without extras. So I don’t need them. There are also earlier and later films with the same title so watch out to get the right 1980 version. Also starring Alec Guinness, novel by Francis Hodgeson Burnett.

See also the 1936 b/w version starring Freddie Bartholomew and Mickey Rooney, rating 4. I will check the other version occasionally. Rating 8 “only” due to few sailor suit scenes. He is also very young and small.

Drama by Stanley Kubrick, 4 Oscars
-Year: 1975
-Year in film: ~1780s
-Country: USA, UK
-Who in clothing: Bryan ~10 ys, breeches
-Who in clothing 2: men, women historical clothing
-Available on DVD: yes
-I own: yes DVD
-Clothing occurence: low *
-Rating:  6/10 *
-Rating: ******
-Comment: David Morley (pictured) and others in historical clothing and hats. Not Lederhosen or sailor suits but I like this film. A masterpiece of Kubrick. 4 Oscars. A lot of costumes also many actors in historical army uniforms of the 18th century (1760s-1780s), dresses and hats. Also a spanking scene (I think only of an older boy). Starring Ryan O’Neill, Marisa Berensen, Hardy Krüger and others. Novel by William Makepeace Thackeray. I even considered buying the novel as well. I will watch and check this film again, but I haven’t time now to watch this 3 hour movie at slow speed. Clothing occurence and rating is for the boys’ scenes only. Complete film and plot is of course better.

British coming-of-age film  /romance/drama
-Year: 1970
-Year in film: 1900
-Country: UK
-Who in clothing: Leo 13, other boy in breeches
-Who in clothing 2: others/ women in historical dresses
-Available on DVD: yes
-I own: yes, partly TV recording
-Clothing occurence: often
-Rating:  6/10
-Rating: ******
-Comment: Dominic Guard (pictured on right in green suit and white collar). No Lederhosen or sailor suits, but good romantic film with good historical clothing of 1900. I even also own the novel by L.P. Hartley. Famous film (rated PG) which was nominated for an Oscar and other awards. I don’t remember this complete film and will have to watch it again if I have enough time. Also starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates. Rating 6 for clothing scenes (but film is better).

While the Emmy race for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series seems much more exciting due to the variety and quality of the possible candidates hoping to get a nomination, there are actually a select few actors in said category whose characters could have been considered as leading ones on their respective TV shows based on how they have been showcased.

Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation) actually submitted himself on the lead actor category. Sure his character is funny, but reality would tell you that he’s more of a supporting actor in his show, having less screentime when compared to the other male characters. Not to mention that Nick Offerman is considered by many as the best male actor from Parks during Season 3.

Now, let me show you three actors that I believe could have submitted themselves in the lead actor category, plus an honorable mention.

Read the rest at YAM Magazine.

Starting date: May 15, 2011

• Day 22 – A song that you listen to when you’re sad.
• Day 23 – A song that you want to play at your wedding.
• Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral.
• Day 25 – A song that makes you laugh.
• Day 26 – A song that you can play on an instrument.
• Day 27 – A song that you wish you could play
• Day 28 – A song that makes you feel guilty.
• Day 29 – a song from your childhood.
• Day 30 – Your favorite song at this time last year. (Final day: June 13, 2011)

• Day 11 – A song from your favorite band.
• Day 12 – A song from a band you hate.
• Day 13 – A song that is a guilty pleasure.
• Day 14 – A song that no one would expect you to love.
• Day 15 – A song that describes you.
• Day 16 – A song that you used to love but now hate.
• Day 17 – A song that you hear often on the radio.
• Day 18 – A song that you wish you heard on the radio.
• Day 19 – A song from your favorite album.
• Day 20 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry.
• Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re happy. (June 4, 2011)

Day 11: Red Hot Chili Peppers – Give It Away

Day 12: Evanescence – My Immortal

Day 13: Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)

Day 14: Enrique Iglesias – Bailamos

Day 15: Green Day – Basket Case

Day 16: Aerosmith – Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

Day 17: Andrés Calamaro – No Se Puede Vivir Del Amor

Day 18: Corrine Bailey Rae – Paris Nights / New York Mornings

Day 19: The Offspring – Why Don’t You Get A Job

Day 20: Korn – Falling Away From Me

Day 21: The Libertines – Time For Heroes

Ok, I’ll admit I watched this because of Tamsin Greig being part of the cast. I’m familiar with her because she starred in BBC/Showtime’s Episodes along with Matt LeBlanc and Stephen Mangan.

Friday Night Dinner consists about a Jewish family having dinner every Friday night. The parents, Martin and Jackie (played by Paul Ritter and Greig), receive their sons Adam and Jonny, played by Simon Bird and Tom Rosenthal,  who visit them not out of love, but because they need to be fed. Also, their neighbor Jim (Mark Heap) stalks Jackie on every episode along with his dog Wilson, who he irrationally fears.

The first episodes started quite slowly for me, but it did got better towards the season finale. The best actor from this show is Paul Ritter by a long shot. Ritter makes Friday Night Dinner worth the watch and stands out thanks to his character, a father with odd behavior and tastes who doesn’t mind being shirtless most of the time in front of his family, being eccentric, deaf and shows funny body language/reactions along with a very good performance. The rest of the cast are between decent and good all-around depending on the episode (though Simon Bird is kinda meh), but Ritter is more consistent in terms of being the funnier character. At times, Martin does remind me of Hal from Malcolm in the Middle. Not a bad thing since I liked Bryan Cranston’s character.

Friday Night Dinner has been signed up for another season/series, but there is room for improvement in regards of Simon Bird and the use of Tamsin Greig. The former is kinda obnoxious to watch and Greig could be used better like she was in Episodes. Hopefully Jackie gets a haircut for the next episodes because that wig Greig uses looks hideous. Also, the pacing of the show at times can be slow. And they’re Jewish, but that rarely comes into play with the exception of Martin giving Adam a book about the Schutzstaffel during his birthday, which made me laugh.

Still a good show and I’ll try to check out Season/Series 2 next year .

Starting date: May 15, 2011

• Day 01 – Your favorite song.
• Day 02 – Your least favorite song.
• Day 03 – A song that makes you happy.
• Day 04 – A song that makes you sad.
• Day 05 – A song that reminds you of someone.
• Day 06 – A song that reminds you of somewhere.
• Day 07 – A song that reminds you of a certain event.
• Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to.
• Day 09 – A song that you can dance to.
• Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep.
• Day 11 – A song from your favorite band.
• Day 12 – A song from a band you hate.
• Day 13 – A song that is a guilty pleasure.
• Day 14 – A song that no one would expect you to love.
• Day 15 – A song that describes you.
• Day 16 – A song that you used to love but now hate.
• Day 17 – A song that you hear often on the radio.
• Day 18 – A song that you wish you heard on the radio.
• Day 19 – A song from your favorite album.
• Day 20 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry.
• Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re happy.
• Day 22 – A song that you listen to when you’re sad.
• Day 23 – A song that you want to play at your wedding.
• Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral.
• Day 25 – A song that makes you laugh.
• Day 26 – A song that you can play on an instrument.
• Day 27 – A song that you wish you could play
• Day 28 – A song that makes you feel guilty.
• Day 29 – a song from your childhood.
• Day 30 – Your favorite song at this time last year.

Now, at 26, with a degree in economics behind him and an honours degree – equivalent to a year of research and a thesis – on the way, he has no regrets. At least, none that come to mind as he walks to class after a quick surf, something he does almost every day.

Natasha Krichefski, 22, from London, is spending a year at the University of New South Wales as part of her Edinburgh University undergraduate music degree. “A masters out here has great appeal,” she says. “I’m seriously considering music therapy at the University of Western Sydney, although an equivalent course is also offered in London.”

In the first semester of 2006, there were 1,801 UK students like Sheane and Krichefski on undergraduate, postgraduate or exchange programmes in Australian universities. This is peanuts compared with the numbers of students from China (40,292), Malaysia (24,952) and Singapore (20,714). But Australian universities are paying more attention than might be expected to their UK student numbers.

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