Benedict Cumberbatch: Not Your Father's Sherlock

[rereader2]

Aaaand one more thing courtesy of Elle UK, from their Twitter feed: Now THIS is what a feminist looks like.

 

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Remember when Benedict starred in Frankenstein on stage (last year or the year before...I forget)? Well, National Theatre Live has released an app that shows the makeup process to turn Benedict (and on alternate nights, Jonny Lee Miller) into the monster.

 

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According to Zap2it, "Ben Affleck, Robert Downey, Jr. & Benedict Cumberbatch to Appear on the 'Hollywood Film Awards' Friday, November 14 on CBS." (I don't recall ever hearing about the Hollywood Film Awards, but I'm sure it's very nice.)

[rereader2]

Making The Imitation Game:

 

Edited October 31, 2014 by rereader2

[dusang]

Aaaand one more thing courtesy of Elle UK, from their Twitter feed: Now THIS is what a feminist looks like.

 

If it's revealed at a later date that Benedict is, in fact, a douche and this is all bullshit I'm going to be so disappointed.  (Sorry, I'm feeling a bit cynical at the moment.)

[rereader2]

If anything he seems to be more...for want of a better word, thoughtlessly honest...in interviews than he should be rather than a faker. (I'm sure his press agent, if he has one, has daily heart attacks!)

Edited October 31, 2014 by rereader2

[rereader2]

This weekend's New York Times has an article about The Imitation Game that gives quite a bit of credit to Benedict: The Riddle Who Unlocked the Enigma

[rereader2]

Remember the thing where Benedict was one of a number of celebrities designing a Paddington Bear statue (now used to promote London tourism, eventually to be auctioned off on behalf of the British NSPCC)? Well, you can see a number of the bears on the Dail Mail website; if you scroll down aways, they show Benedict's Sherlock Bear.

 

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From BBC.com, Benedict has been nominated for best actor at the British Independent Film Awards for The Imitation Game.

 

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Also from the Daily Mail, more Smaug, including an "exclusive video" and many photos.

[ohjoy]

So, this morning this happened (from The Guardian, and other sources). Adorable since no one's thought of that idea in a while.

Edited November 5, 2014 by RandomMe

[M. Darcy]

Its funny seeing the reactions across the time zones.  I was awake really early today so I saw the British reaction first and now the Americans are finding out. 

 

Congrats to the happy couple!

Edited November 5, 2014 by M. Darcy

[rereader2]

A notice in the paper is so Regency I can't even! Love it.

Mazel tov to the pair of them!

[SistaLadybug]

So darling.  I love the formality of an announcement in the paper.  Congratulations to them.

[dusang]

So, this morning this happened (from The Guardian, and other sources). Adorable since no one's thought of that idea in a while.

 

Wow, I'm impressed by the level of maturity in this forum.  Even as a self-professed sane person, I felt a moment of irrational disappointment.

[BizBuzz]

Wow, I'm impressed by the level of maturity in this forum.  Even as a self-professed sane person, I felt a moment of irrational disappointment.

 

My daughter and I both had our moments when we found out, you are not alone.

[rereader2]

Benedict on the Andrew Marr Show--mostly about The Imitation Game.*

 

And also mostly about The Imitation Game, a nice interview in the Scotsman.

 

 

*ETA: UK viewers can see the interview on teh Beeb's iPlayer (Link on the BBC News website.)

Edited November 10, 2014 by rereader2

[rereader2]

Yet more from the lead up to The Imitation Game: a clip from the end of the SAG Q&A in LA:

 

Edited November 12, 2014 by rereader2

[rereader2]

E! Online has an article about briefly interviewing Benedict about his engagement at the premiere of The Imitation Game. (He seems to have been quite good-natured about it, even though one could say it wasn't exactly the appropriate place. But I'm sure he was expecting it.) 

Edited November 12, 2014 by rereader2

[rereader2]

From People Magazine: Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Engagement. I especially like the very last bit: 

 

Finally, PEOPLE mentioned to Benedict that his fans are now expecting something else – so-called "Cumberbabies."

"Oh my God," he replied. "Well, my mother is also waiting for Cumberbabies."

Edited November 12, 2014 by rereader2

[rereader2]

According to Time Magazine, researchers from Ancestry.com say that Benedict is a distant relation of Alan Turing. Very distant--17th cousins, which I say is really stretching it, but never mind. It's all in the family!

 

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WhatCulture.com has "20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Never Knew About Sherlock. (Nineteen and a half of which I knew--I wasn't aware of the second part of #8. That is, to the extent that they are true. Some of them aren't precisely accurate, going by what I've seen elsewhere!)

[rereader2]

A former "Bletchley Park girl" (now Baroness Trumpington) says 'That chap' Benedict Cumberbatch is a 'superb' Alan Turing. (Of course, she only met Turing once, so take that as you will!)

 

There's a nice interview in the Irish TImes with Benedict because of The Imitation Game, but the interview ranges. (It goes on for three screens, don't miss clicking though.)

 

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From MTV--Benedict does 11 celebrity impressions in 60 seconds:

 

 

Too cute!

(Articles about with on Us Weekly and E! Online and no doubt many other sites that I didn't click on.)

Edited November 14, 2014 by rereader2

[rereader2]

Heh! Clear enough that these guys are good friends: Tom Hiddleston is a “bore” and should “lay off my patch” jokes Benedict Cumberbatch (from RadioTimes).

[rereader2]

There was, apparently, a thing called the Hollywood Film Awards Saturday:

 

From HNGN: Benedict Cumberbatch Dodges Casting Rumors At Hollywood Film Awards

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBgz9Du_azI

(Video from CBS)

 

From London Evening Standard: Benedict Cumberbatch wins best actor gong at Hollywood Film Awards

 

And from the Mail Online: Newly-engaged Benedict Cumberbatch arrives at JFK airport in biker jacket and flat cap after the awards ceremony.

[M. Darcy]

He's in America doing all the press this week - this morning he was on GMA and Live with Kelly and Michael; tonight he's on Jimmy Fallon and tomorrow The Daily Show.   He's also on Charlie Rose tonight.

 

Last night he did a talk at the 92Y (which had lots of issues with the livestream) but they said it will be up on their website later on.

Edited November 17, 2014 by M. Darcy

[rereader2]

I think this is it, M. Darcy:

 

 

***

 

There's the cover interview from The Big Issue as well.

Edited November 19, 2014 by rereader2

[rereader2]

Benedict was on Live! With Kelly and Michael yesterday; Daily Mail story here; full video on the ABC website here. (The video isn't on YouTube that I know of, so you'll have to click through.)

 

From E! Online: Benedict Cumberbatch Makes Red Carpet Debut With Fiancée Sophie Hunter at the NYC premiere of The Imitation Game. (I love her dress, and I think they look very good together--not that they need my approval!)

 

ETA: There's a photo of the ring at US Magazine: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-style/news/benedict-cumberbatch-fiancee-sophie-hunter-make-red-carpet-debut-20141811

Edited November 20, 2014 by rereader2

[M. Darcy]

That's the 92Y interview!  I finally was able to watch the entire thing.  Its very good - he does a lot a talking during it.  I wish the Imitation Game would finally open in the States - I cannot believe we have to wait until the 28th.  I just bought the Alan Turing bio (they reprinted it with the movie poster on the front.  What's interesting is in the US version - BC is facing the machine but in the UK version, he is facing front). 

 

My friend actually saw him this morning at JFK Airport!  Hopefully he can get some rest before all the Hobbit premieres start. 

[rereader2]

I thought the 92Y thing was a really good interview, too--the interviewer started him off with intelligent questions and let him take them wherever he wanted.

 

My friend actually saw him this morning at JFK Airport!  Hopefully he can get some rest before all the Hobbit premieres start. 

 

Seriously. There is SO MUCH from his New York visit on the interwebs today, you'd think he'd have collapsed long since!

 

There's a clip from his stint on Charlie Rose on the PBS website--if I read it right, the whole interview is going to air Friday night (boo!), 11/21. Charlie is very interested in the way actors work, so it should be a good one.

 

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There are various bits and pieces about and from his appearance on Fallon's Tonight Show: Us Magazine, People, and Time.

 

And there are two clips on YouTube, uploaded by The Tonight Show:

 

 

 

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There's a piece about his Daily Show interview on Time, and the full interview on YouTube (uploaded by The Daily Show):

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS0mJo0aPNQ

 

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Not from this visit, but only online as of yesterday, is a long article on Vulture.com: Benedict and the Cumberbitches: What fame looks like from inside a meme (which is more thoughtful than the title suggests, and has some audio in the middle).

 

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And of course, more bits about his engagement and red carpet appearance with Sophie at the film premiere: Hollywood Reporter ( http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/benedict-cumberbatch-fiancee-sophie-hunter-749850 ), People (  http://www.people.com/article/benedict-cumberbatch-talks-engagement-sophie-hunter ), and The Telegraph (  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11237511/Benedict-Cumberbatch-bowled-over-by-reaction-to-engagement.html ).

Edited November 20, 2014 by rereader2

[rereader2]

This comment is all things Time Magazine, because they have put Benedict on the cover of their Genius Issue.

 

So that first piece (above) is from the Guardian. Here are some of the Time Magazine articles:

 

Benedict Cumberbatch Talks about Playing the Role of the Genius.

 

See Why Benedict Cumberbatch Is So Photogenic. Which takes you to The Backstory: Go Behind TIME's Benedict Cumberbatch Cover with Photographer Dan Winters.

 

Then there's Charles Dance on Benedict Cumberbatch and Playing Tywin Lannister.

 

And bringing up in the rear, 10 Benedict Cumberbatch Roles You Didn't Know About.

 

(There may well be more TIME pieces, but this is what I came up with so far!)

 

 

 

[M. Darcy]

Really Time Magazine?  I think we all knew about those roles.  They really don't know the Cumbercollective.   If they wanted obscure they could have gone with MI5 or Cambridge Spies since his part in these was only about 5 minutes.

Edited November 20, 2014 by M. Darcy

[rereader2]

Really Time Magazine?  I think we all knew about those roles.  They really don't know the Cumbercollective.   If they wanted obscure they could have gone with MI5 or Cambridge Spies since his part in these was only about 5 minutes.

 

Very true!

[M. Darcy]

Especially since Parade's End was just a few years ago and just about every single article about The Imitation Game says that Keira and BC have known each other since they were in Atonement together.  They just didn't do any research and randomly picked 10 performances.

[rereader2]

I guess to the writer, anything that wasn't Sherlock or Turing or Kahn was unknown.

[rereader2]

Some good (or at least lengthy) interviews/articles have been posted over the weekend:

 

From NPR, Benedict Cumberbatch: Code Breaker Alan Turing Was A Puzzle Himself. (There's the audio of the full interview at the site as well.)

 

From Vogue, what I assume is the story to go with Benedict's December cover: It’s a Benedict Cumberbatch Moment: The Oscar-Poised Rise of The Imitation Game Star.

 

From the Daily News: Benedict Cumberbatch puts celebrity to use illuminating historical wrong in 'The Imitation Game'.

 

From IndieWire, an analysis of some of Benedict's earlier roles. (And this one doesn't assume they are unknown to his fans, just that they are attention-worthy.)

 

Similarly, PopMatters takes an in-depth look at Benedict's role in "To the Ends of the Earth."

 

It seems to me that we're seeing a distinct shift toward "serious Oscar contender" in these sorts of articles. Not that the purely pop/celebrity stuff is going to stop any time soon!

 

***

 

And just for fun, a short mockumentary about the making of Penguins of Madagascar:

 

[rereader2]

Flavorwire has a think piece about Benedict's performance in The Imitation Game: ‘The Imitation Game’ and the Intellectual Charisma of Benedict Cumberbatch. It's an interesting take on "smart is the new sexy," anyway!

[dusang]

And just for fun, a short mockumentary about the making of Penguins of Madagascar:

 

 

This movie looks both ridiculous and ridiculously funny.  I wonder how it will all shake out in the end.

[rereader2]

Funny little video of Benedict and John Malkovich, doing publicity for Penguins of Madagascar, talking about hard words to pronounce. (Penguinpenguinpenguinpenguin...)

 

From DuJour, what I belive is an article/photo shoot of Oscar best-actor contenders: THE CONTENDER: BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH. There is also a second photo of Benedict in the connected photo gallery, IIRC he's ninth.

 

From Reuters, via Yahoo!News: Benedict Cumberbatch hails unsung hero in 'The Imitation Game'.

 

And there's a nice little interview on ScreenCrush with Matthew Goode, in which he talks a bit about Benedict, among other things.

 

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On hypable: Quiz: How well do you know Benedict Cumberbatch’s body?. 

 

(Mortifyingly, I got 7 out of 8--mortifying because I consider myself a casual fan...)

 

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I haven't been bringing reviews of The Imitation Game (as opposed to articles about Benedict) because it seems a step more removed, but if people want links, say so!

[M. Darcy]

Heh, I also got 7.  I only got the name of the eye mutation wrong.  But some were easy - like the first one was obviously the cut shower scene from Star Trek.

[rereader2]

Heh, I also got 7.  I only got the name of the eye mutation wrong.  But some were easy - like the first one was obviously the cut shower scene from Star Trek.

 

Yep, that's how I got that one! And I got the jawline from the lips, which are a lot more distinctive. 

[M. Darcy]

Though, I got one of the pictures because I recognized his watch.  That's a sign that I've been looking at too many BC pictures. 

 

Awesome - I can leave work early today which means I can go see Pengweens! 

[rereader2]

A People Exclusive (it says so right in the header!): How Benedict Cumberbatch Really Feels About His Female Fans. There are a few quite animated photos, and a squib for buying the magazine and seeing the rest of the interview. (Or wait 'til it turns up on the interwebs. :) )

[M. Darcy]

We have the official announcement about when the final episode of Cabin Pressure will be on! http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2014/cabin-pressure-good-omens

[rereader2]

From USA Today: Cumberbatch savors cool career, 'beautiful' fanbase. (There's a video, which I can't get to play for me.)

 

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From Business Standard: Benedict prefers enjoying the moment to snapping photos.

 

(I fully concur with that--I stopped taking photos of event days ages before there were cameras in phones.)

 

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And RadioTimes thinks the voiceover voice in this official Star Wars teaser sounds familiar (article here).

 

 

Edited November 28, 2014 by rereader2

[rereader2]

Some interviews from PBS:

 

On Charlie Rose. It says it aired 11/27; I can't get it to run now but I'll be trying again later. Charlie Rose is usually very good with creative people.

 

And from the PBS Newshour:

 

A teaser here, of questions from the television audience:

 

The full interview is here: Benedict Cumberbatch on ‘The Imitation Game’ and making Alan Turing less of an enigma. There's video and a transcript.

 

Both of these are quite thoughtful and interesting.

 

***

 

From the State Journal-Register (and also The Norwich Bulletin), yet another Imitation Game interview (non-video). (He does get asked the same questions over and over, doesn't he?)

 

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As I said, I'm not bringing all the Imitation Game reviews, but on the whole the reviews for the movie are mixed, leaning to calling it standard or pedestrian--and the reviews of Benedict's performance are excellent.

 

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About the Star Wars voiceover--Drew McWeeny says "For the record, that is Andy Serkis you hear in the trailer. I was able to verify this, although I was not able to uncover any further information about the role he plays." I don't know how reliable this info is or isn't.

Edited November 30, 2014 by rereader2

[rereader2]

The London Theatre Awards ceremony was last night, and this was the headline in The Telegraph: Benedict Cumberbatch and new fiancée Sophie Hunter join stars at London Theatre Awards. He leads off the video in the piece, too.

 

He wasn't even up for an award this year!

 

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Variety puts down The Imitation Game's very strong opening to "Oscar Buzz, Benedict Cumberbatch".

 

(If I were Benedict, at this point I'm be feeling somewhat alarmed...)

 

***

 

And RadioTimes thinks the voiceover voice in this official Star Wars teaser sounds familiar (article here).

 

But Benedict says not. That seems rather unambiguous, for a change!

Edited December 1, 2014 by rereader2

[M. Darcy]

Andy Serkis confirmed at The Hobbit premiere today in London that it's himself voicing the Star Wars trailer. BC was also at the premiere.

A Smaug figure is now available for sale http://www.amazon.com/Funko-POP-Movies-Hobbit-Action/dp/B00NGVJKPQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1417477401&sr=1-1&keywords=smaug. I still haven't seen an Classifed ones though.

[rereader2]

I have to assume that Benedict and Andy Serkis know what they didn't and did voice!

 

And yet another Imitation Game interview, this one from Deadline: Genius Uncovered: Benedict Cumberbatch's passion for portraying Alan Turing in The Imitation Game shines through.

[M. Darcy]

Andy really did sound a lot like BC. Of course, his non Gollem voice could sound like that anyway. Heh I bet they laughed about how people were so obsessed about it for a while.

[M. Darcy]

A guide to why everyone is in love with Bumbleshack Cumberbund (I'm being boring with just BC so I'm going to use the name generator) http://www.vox.com/2014/12/3/7326077/benedict-cumberbatch

[rereader2]

Cute article, M. Darcy! I like that the author has a sense of humor about the whole thing.

 

***

 

From Hollywood Reporter: Benedict Cumberbatch: ‘Hobbit’ Motion-Capture Gear Made Me Feel Like an Idiot. (Going by the video clips I've seen, he got over it.)

 

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I guess this was announced before, but I don't remember it, so... from Variety: Benedict Cumberbatch to Receive BIFA’s Variety Award Dec. 7. 

 

For those like me who have no idea what BIFA is, or what its Variety Award might signify (I do know what Variety is!), there's a BIFA press release here that explains.

 

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More from Variety, from Variety Studio's Actors on Actors. specifically: Benedict Cumberbatch and Edward Norton on Dealing With the ‘Insanity’ of Fame. Also, there is a video there where they talk about actual acting. (And both of them like to talk, it seems!)

[rereader2]

This is 49 minutes long, and I haven't watched it yet.

 

Benedict Cumberbatch, Channing Tatum & Top Actors Discuss Oscar Roles: The Full Actors Roundtable:

 

 

ETA: I just watched it and it is WELL worth the 49 minutes, IMO.

Edited December 4, 2014 by rereader2

[rereader2]

Another Imitation Game interview, this one from the San Francisco Chronicle: No 'Imitation’: Benedict Cumberbatch portrays code-breaker Turing

 

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From People: Benedict was named Tumblr's "Most reblogged actor of 2014" on Tuesday. There's a little video of him thanking the Tumblr-folk, but I don't know where he posted it originally.

 

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Who is Danny Dyer, and just how badly is his career going that he feels the need to try to create a conflict between himself and Benedict? (from the Telegraph)

[M. Darcy]

Oh shut up Mick Carter.  And, you are wrong - before he became so well known (I'm guessing pre Sherlock), Bumberstump Candlestick would hang out at the pub all the time.  Matthew Goode talked about in the press interviews for The Imitation Game.  They hung out together.  

 

Hee, I didn't know what BIFA was either. I kept seeing it mentioned on twitter but had no clue.