Connect with us

Entertainment

Patrick Stewart, A Shakespearean Actor Who Soars In Sci-Fi, Looks Back On His Life In Memoir

Published

2 months ago

on

stewart

NEW YORK — Famous “Star Trek” captain Patrick Stewart has boldly gone into his past where no one has gone before.

The actor spent most of the pandemic at his computer composing his memoir, which will be released this autumn under “Making It So,” a phrase he borrowed from “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

“My long-term memory is extremely robust. Memory after memory and sensation and sensation and feelings all scuttled back the moment I turned the key on day one, Stewart, 83, said in a Zoom interview from his residence in Los Angeles.

It is a remarkable tale of a child who grew up poor in northern England, became a great Shakespearean stage actor, and then a sci-fi movie icon aboard the USS Enterprise and in the “X-Men” film series.

He grew up in a home without a lavatory or a bathroom, sold furniture as a young man, and worked his way up the regional theatre ranks in England — including touring and a crush on Vivien Leigh — before a 14-year run with the Royal Shakespeare Company and a rise to fame in Los Angeles.

Stewart says in the interview that authoring the book has been a highly therapeutic experience. “I know my therapist is among those anticipating the book the most. I anticipate hearing, “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

stewart

Patrick Stewart, A Shakespearean Actor Who Soars In Sci-Fi, Looks Back On His Life In Memoir.

If there is one shadow, it is that of Stewart’s father, a former British Army regimental sergeant prone to violent eruptions against his mother.

Stewart writes about how he and his elder brother, Trevor, braced for nights when their dad came home drunk and angry. “Sometimes with an outstretched hand, and sometimes with a closed fist. He consistently targeted her cranium.”

Stewart wonders if the violence initiated his career. “The stage would prove to be a safe space, a refuge from real life, in which I could inhabit another person, living in another place and time,” he writes.

Other portraits emerge of those who were kind to Stewart along the way, such as Paul McCartney, Rod Steiger, and Kirk Douglas, as well as those who were not: Stewart commanding one of Gene Roddenberry’s starships was never acceptable to “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry or “Dune” director David Lynch.

“I wanted to be truthful, but I also wanted to be respectful and cautious. The most difficult aspect of the experience was determining how much I should say. What should I refrain from saying?

“It’s almost certain that someone will come forward and say, ‘How dare you?'” That is ludicrous.’ I’ve brought this upon myself. But I took it extremely seriously.”

stewart

Patrick Stewart, A Shakespearean Actor Who Soars In Sci-Fi, Looks Back On His Life In a Memoir.

Stewart, preparing to portray Hamlet in 1966, is given an hour-long tutorial by the late great director Peter Hall, widely regarded as the most influential figure in modern British theatre.

Stewart says, “When the hour was up and I checked my notebook, it contained nothing but scribbles.” “I realised that he had opened up this text to me in ways that no one else had ever done before.”

The grace with which he dealt with premature receding is a further example. Stewart would audition with a hairpiece, then remove it and make his case: two actors for the price of one.

Stewart dedicates the book to two influential instructors who instilled in him a passion for Shakespeare and inspired him to pursue a career in acting. Later in his 40s, when he was asked to portray Jean-Luc Picard, a 24th-century starship captain, his appreciation for Shakespeare would prove beneficial.

“The etiquette of their speech and demeanor reminds me of numerous Shakespearean situations in which I had participated onstage. I realized that I should portray Jean Luc as if he were a character from “Henry IV,” which is about courageous men.

Later in life, Stewart explored his sense of humor by donning crustacean costumes and lending his voice to Seth MacFarlane cartoons. People believed it would be entertaining to watch me play against type, he writes.

Throughout the memoir, Stewart is just as critical of himself as anyone else. Again and again, he confesses to mistakes or being unnecessarily stiff, at one point calling himself a “pompous ass.” Stewart explains that his relationship with his offspring is “a work in progress.”

“I needed to do better by the women with whom I was romantically involved,” he writes in one section. My two unsuccessful marriages are my greatest regret in a life filled with happiness and accomplishments.

Writing the book became “some of the happiest days of my life,” he says, despite pausing the audiobook a few times because he was weeping.

Sunny, his wife, observed that he appeared lighter and cheerful after a writing session. “She said I would come down smiling and kind of glowing because of the whole experience of going back.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Entertainment

Robert Downey Jr. Won’t Be Returning To The Marvel Cinematic Universe As Tony Stark

Published

1 hour ago

on

2023-12-06

By

downey jr

Fans of the Marvel world should not expect Robert Downey Jr. to resume his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man.

Despite claims to the contrary, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in an interview with Vanity Fair that there are no plans to renew the character following Downey Jr.’s last appearance in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.”

“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” she stated. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”

According to co-director Joe Russo, Downey Jr. was apprehensive about performing reshoots for “Endgame.”

downey jr

Robert Downey Jr. Won’t Be Returning To The Marvel Cinematic Universe As Tony Stark

“On the last day of shooting, we’d already said tearful goodbyes.” “Emotionally, everyone had moved on,” Russo told the publication. “We promised him it would be the last time we made him do it — ever.”

His brother Anthony Russo, who co-directed “Endgame,” adds, “That was a difficult thing for him to do, to come back and pick up that line.”

“When he (Downey Jr.) did come back, we were shooting on a stage directly opposite where he auditioned for Tony Stark,” Anthony Russo, the director, stated. “So his last line as Tony Stark was shot literally a couple hundred feet from his original audition that got him the role.”

According to Feige, he had to campaign for Downey Jr. to be cast as Stark in the Marvel universe due to his previous difficulties with substance abuse, which resulted in him serving 15 months in prison.

downey jr

Robert Downey Jr. Won’t Be Returning To The Marvel Cinematic Universe As Tony Stark

“It purely came down to the Marvel board being nervous at putting all of their chips in their future films on somebody who famously had those legal troubles in the past,” Feige stated. “I wasn’t very good — and still am not — at taking no for an answer. But I also don’t beat my chest to get my way. I try to think of ways to make it plain to others why we should go in a certain direction. And that’s when the concept of a screen test arose.”

Susan Downey, Downey Jr.’s wife, stated that her husband had turned down jobs similar to Stark. In 2018, Downey Jr. told Vanity Fair writer Anthony Breznican that he is his own man despite comparisons to the role.

downey jr

Robert Downey Jr. Won’t Be Returning To The Marvel Cinematic Universe As Tony Stark

“I ain’t him, I’ll tell you that flat out,” Downey Jr. stated.

Downey Jr is an American actor widely known for his roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Tony Stark/Iron Man. He has also appeared in various other films, receiving critical acclaim for his performances.

He has had a successful career marked by his versatility and ability to portray a wide range of characters. His work has earned him several awards and nominations, solidifying his status as one of the most influential figures in the entertainment industry.

SOURCE – CNN

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Wikipedia, Wrapped. Here Are 2023’S Most-Viewed Articles On The Internet’s Encyclopedia

Published

2 hours ago

on

2023-12-05

By

wikipedia

NEW YORK – Remember what you were looking for in 2023? Wikipedia, on the other hand, has the receipts.

According to data provided Tuesday by the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit behind the free, openly edited online encyclopedia, English Wikipedia received more than 84 billion views this year. The most popular piece was on ChatGPT (the AI chatbot that appears to be everywhere these days).

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has flown into the public eye since its inception just over a year ago, as the technology makes its way into schools, health care, legislation, and even religious preaching. The chatbot has also contributed to developing arguments regarding the possible benefits and risks of generative AI, most of which are detailed on its Wikipedia page.

wikipedia

Here Are 2023’S Most-Viewed Articles On The Internet’s Encyclopedia

The annual list of fatalities was the second most-read article on Wikipedia in 2023, after taking the #4 and #1 rankings in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Individual entries for important figures who died this year drew much attention, notably those for Matthew Perry and Lisa Marie Presley.

Meanwhile, the highly anticipated 2023 Cricket World Cup came in third place — along with three other cricket-related entries in Wikipedia’s top 25 this year, including the Indian Premier League at #4, marking the first time cricket content has made the list since the Wikimedia Foundation began tracking in 2015.

“Barbenheimer,” Taylor Swift and others also appeared to influence our internet-reading habits in 2023. Here are this year’s top 25 English Wikipedia articles.

According to the Wikimedia Foundation, this top 25 ranking was constructed using English Wikipedia statistics as of November 28. The charity plans to update full-year figures on January 3, 2024.

The United States (33.2 billion) and the United Kingdom (9 billion), along with India (8.48 billion), Canada (3.95 billion), and Australia (2.56 billion), are the top countries that accessed English Wikipedia globally in 2023, according to Wikimedia Foundation data shared with The Associated Press.

wikipedia

Here Are 2023’S Most-Viewed Articles On The Internet’s Encyclopedia

1. ChatGPT: 49,490,406 pageviews

2. Deaths in 2023: 42,666,860 pageviews

3. 2023 Cricket World Cup: 38,171,653 pageviews

4. Indian Premier League: 32,012,810 pageviews

5. Oppenheimer (film): 28,348,248 pageviews

6. Cricket World Cup: 25,961,417 pageviews

7. J. Robert Oppenheimer: 25,672,469 pageviews

8. Jawan (film): 21,791,126 pageviews

9. 2023 Indian Premier League: 20,694,974 pageviews

10. Pathaan (film): 19,932,509 pageviews

11. The Last of Us (TV series): 19,791,789 pageviews

12. Taylor Swift, 19,418,385: pageviews

13. Barbie (film): 18,051,077 pageviews

14. Cristiano Ronaldo: 17,492,537 pageviews

15. Lionel Messi: 16,623,630 pageviews

16. Premier League: 16,604,669 pageviews

17. Matthew Perry: 16,454,666 pageviews

18. United States: 16,240,461 pageviews

19. Elon Musk: 14,370,395 pageviews

20. Avatar: The Way of Water: 14,303,116 pageviews

21. India: 13,850,178 pageviews

22. Lisa Marie Presley: 13,764,007 pageviews

23. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: 13,392,917 pageviews

24. Russian invasion of Ukraine: 12,798,866 pageviews

25. Andrew Tate: 12,728,616 pageviews

According to the Wikimedia Foundation, this top 25 ranking was constructed using English Wikipedia statistics as of November 28. The charity plans to update full-year figures on January 3, 2024.

The United States (33.2 billion) and the United Kingdom (9 billion), along with India (8.48 billion), Canada (3.95 billion), and Australia (2.56 billion), are the top countries that accessed English Wikipedia globally in 2023, according to Wikimedia Foundation data shared with The Associated Press.

SOURCE – (AP)

Continue Reading

Electronics

Thousands Of People Are Waiting To Watch The GTA 6 Trailer 24 Hours Before Launch

Published

1 day ago

on

2023-12-04

By

GTA 6

GTA 6 ANNOUNCEMENT: Will the Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer smash viewing records? Given the huge interest even now, 24 hours before it’s scheduled to go live, it appears feasible.

Rockstar Games has released a video premiere for “Trailer 1” on YouTube, which includes a countdown to the game’s release on December 5 at 6 a.m. Pacific / 9 a.m. Eastern / 2 p.m. UK.

However, astute watchers observed the GTA 6 Trailer 1 length was released to expose a YouTube flaw. View the mobile video preview while unsubscribing from the Rockstar Games channel using the YouTube app’s search. Notice the “upcoming” tag on the bottom right; the runtime should appear over it.

There might be some spoilers ahead!

GTA 6

Tens Of Thousands Of People Are Already Waiting To Watch The GTA 6 Trailer

The GTA 6 Trailer 1 lasts one minute and 31 seconds. That should give you plenty of time to look at the game. We’ll even get a release date and platform information.

Surprisingly, tens of thousands have already lined up to watch Trailer 1. At the time of writing, about 24 hours before launch, 43,172 individuals were waiting to witness what could be the largest video game trailer of all time.

If you want to join in on the fun, roughly 2,000 people are watching IGN’s own GTA 6 trailer countdown and actively chatting right now.

When Rockstar announced a December release date for the GTA 6 trailer in November, it added, “We are very excited to let you know that in early December, we will release the first trailer for the next Grand Theft Auto.” We look forward to sharing these experiences with you all for many years.

“We have had the opportunity to create games we are truly passionate about thanks to the incredible support of our players worldwide — none of this would be possible without you, and we are so grateful to all of you for sharing this journey with us.”

GTA 6

Tens Of Thousands Of People Are Already Waiting To Watch The GTA 6 Trailer

“In 1998, Rockstar Games was founded on the idea that video games could come to be as essential to culture as any other form of entertainment, and we hope that we have created games you love in our efforts to be part of that evolution.”With anticipation at an all-time high, IGN reports that Rockstar appears to have revealed the GTA 6 Trailer 1 release date on a GTA Online T-shirt sold nearly a year ago.

GTA 6 has been rumored since the release of Grand Theft Auto 5 a little more than a decade ago. It was mentioned in passing in a 2020 Kotaku article on Rockstar’s efforts to combat crunch culture at the company, and it was confirmed in a press release in 2022, with the studio stating that development was “well underway.” Later that year, in-development footage from the game was leaked in a large breach, leading to the arrest of a British teenage hacker in connection with the crime.

Since early in 2023, when publisher Take-Two Interactive expected large financial gains in that fiscal year that would be difficult to achieve without the boost from the enormously profitable series, a release window between April 2024 and March 2025 has been speculated.

gta 6

Tens Of Thousands Of People Are Already Waiting To Watch The GTA 6 Trailer

“GTA 6” is the next installment in the Grand Theft Auto series. Rockstar Games are developing it, and it is highly anticipated by gamers all around the world. The game is expected to have a large open environment, intense gameplay, and cutting-edge graphics.

While there are few specifics about the game, rumors say it will be set in a fictionalized depiction of a modern-day metropolis. “GTA 6” has garnered great enthusiasm and intrigue among fans and the gaming world as one of the most anticipated releases in the gaming industry.

SOURCE (IGN)

Continue Reading

Trending