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Tag: downton Abbey

  • Theo James is Great Kisser According to Divergent Co-Star Shailene Woodley

    Theo James is a great kisser, according to Shailene Woodley who stars alongside him in the much-anticipated movie adaptation of Veronica Roth’s best-selling young adult novel Divergent.

    “He’s an incredibly masculine man with a beautiful soulful heart – and he was a great kisser,” Woodley said in a recent interview.

    In the movie, which hits theaters this weekend, James plays Four, the Dauntless instructor who connects and eventually falls in love with Woodley’s Tris.

    According to Divergent director Neil Burger, there was an immediate connection between James and Woodley:

    “With the other guys we’d been auditioning, Shai was the one that was pushing them back. When Theo was opposite her, she knew that he was the Four.”

    Of the role, James has said “I had an immediate affinity with the character. I think we share certain qualities. You tend to try and use everything you share with a character in everything you do. I love this person who you don’t know what he’s thinking. He’s the type of person when he walks into a room, doesn’t need to be the loudest voice, but you still feel his presence. He’s not someone who speaks too much, but you know he’s thinking all the time. He’s a very perceptive person. On top of that, there’s kind of a dangerous stillness I felt he had when reading the book and the script.”

    A native of Oxfordshire, England, 29-year-old James earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Nottingham and studied acting at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In his final year at Bristol, he was tapped for a minor role in Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.

    “It might have worked for others, but I was not mature enough to do it,” James has said of his decision to wait until his 20s to start acting. “I needed to be a bit more grounded and to have more to draw from. It was the right decision for me.”

    James made a brief but well-remembered appearance on Downton Abbey as Michelle Dockery’s ill-fated lover Kemal Pamuk. From there, he went on to play the role of Jed Harper in the British supernatural television series Bedlam and starred opposite Kate Beckinsale in Underworld: Awakening.

    Upcoming film projects include London Fields with Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and Jaimie Alexander and Franny with Dakota Fanning and Richard Gere.

    James admitted he’s concerned about being typecast after starring in what is expected to be a blockbuster this weekend: “Inevitably what will happen is that opportunities will open and you get choices presented to you that you definitely need to be strong enough to say no to. Then the stuff that you really want to go for, you’ll still have to hustle for and still have to fight for, so I think that will be my challenge: to play everything in opposition to that.”

    Image via YouTube

  • ‘Downton Abbey’: A Recap of This Week’s Episode

    Those who watched Downton Abbey this week were treated to a lot of content, but left with many questions. For instance, what did Mr. Bates do on his mysterious trip to York? And is Edith really going to secretly put her baby up for adoption in Switzerland? And maybe not as important but still questionable, why was Lady Mary so rude to the butler who announced dinner?

    Let’s take a look at the action-packed episode.

    Edith concocts a deranged plan that would involve her giving the new pig farmer, Mr. Drew, her baby, in an effort to keep the baby around her, without giving up the goods that it’s actually a child she conceived with her boyfriend who has mysteriously vanished. Aunt Rosamund comes up with an equally deranged plan of going to Switzerland with Edith for a few months to “learn French,” but will actually put Edith’s baby up for adoption. Cora agrees to let Edith stay in the Alps with her aunt. However, the Dowager Countess sees right through the flimsy plan and calls Edith and Aunt Rosamund out on it.

    Cora and the house are busy preparing for the annual church bazaar, which has her in a tizzy. She’s enlisted the help of just about everyone, including Aunt Rosamund. The bazaar is a success, and Lord Grantham returns from his trip to America at the end.

    Tom sees Rose dining with African-American band singer Jack Ross at a restaurant, which is quite the scandal. He tells Mary immediately, who talks to Rose about it. Rose reveals she and Ross are engaged, which leads Mary to visit London to advise Ross against this. He tells her he will call off the engagement, and does.

    Speaking of engagements, Albert proposes to Ivy in a letter, which she promptly turns down. Albert visits the house, and after consulting with her father-in-law, Daisy gives Albert a proper, and heart-warming send-off.

    Here’s what Twitter had to say about the episode:

    And perhaps the juiciest news of all, is that Mr. Bates takes off to York a day after Gillingham sacks his man, Mr. Green, after getting the request from Mary. Unbeknownst to Gillingham, Mary asks him to can the servant because he raped Anna, Mary’s lady’s maid and Mr. Bates’ wife. On the same day as Bates’ trip, Mr. Green just so happens to be shoved into a busy street, gets run over, and dies. Trés suspicious.

    Downton Abbey has lots of ends to tie up this season, without much time. Next week is the final episode of the season. Oh, bollocks!

    Image via YouTube

  • Jenny Jones Prepared For Slopestyle Finals With ‘Downton Abbey’

    Jenny Jones revealed in a press conference after her event, her secret to winning the bronze medal. When asked how she made her preparations for Olympic competition, she answered that she spent the night watching ‘Downton Abbey’. She went on to say, “…No mantras for me.” This was in reference to gold medalist Jamie Anderson’s reply to the same question where she said that she put on some meditation music, did some yoga, and lit incense and candles.

    On Sunday, Jenny Jones became a medalist for Team Great Britain at the Sochi Winter Olympics when she took home the bronze. She also made history by being the first Briton to win an Olympic medal on the snow since the Winter Olympics began ninety years ago. Enni Rukajarvi from Finland and Jamie Anderson representing the United States took home the silver and gold medal in the slopestyle event, respectively.

    Jones, a former chalet maid, is a pioneer among her peers. At 33 years of age, she is six years older than the eldest of her competitors in the finals. Despite her age, she is a seasoned champion in her sport, winning three gold medals in one European and two global X Games. Her experience shone through on Sunday to land her the bronze medal, as many of her younger competitors pushed to perform highly technically tricks but failed to land perfectly. Jones and her coach decided to be more level headed, and gave importance to avoiding technical errors in her run. This move put her in the lead, before Rukajarvi (s) and Anderson (g) went on to claim the top spots in the rankings. When qualification leader Isabel Derungs of Switzerland and the last competitor Anna Gasser representing Austria failed to claim a spot on the podium, Jones’ score of 87.25 was enough to cement her place as Britain’s new “Snow Queen.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Michelle Dockery: Downton Abbey Star Set for Golden Globes

    Michelle Dockery of Downton Abbey fame was pretty in plaid at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood this week, but it’s another dress that has her full attention. The actress already has her dress–ready and waiting–for her evening at the Golden Globes.

    “I decided yesterday,” she said during an interview with E!. “I had a few to choose form. There were such amazing ones. It’s hard to choose sometimes, but I’m really happy with the one I got.”

    “It’s always fun to play dress up,” she added.

    The Golden Globes air Sunday January 12th at 8PM on NBC. Hosted by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, the highly anticipated event draws a huge number of television viewers. Michelle Dockery explained in her interview how her day of preparations for the big event will go. It will all begin shortly after she gets up on Sunday morning.

    “I have friends who will pop in and then I’ll talk to my family,” she said. The rest of her day will be spent with hair and makeup people, and then of course she will slip into her beautiful dress for the evening’s festivities.

    Known for her role as Lady Mary on Downton Abbey, the first episode in the new season took place six months after her husband was killed en route to the hospital where she was giving birth.

    “When I was playing her like that, especially in episode one, she doesn’t really care so much anymore, so the hair was slightly less sculpted than it normally is,” Dockery said of Mary’s mourning and care less attitude. “There were challenges this time around because the state that Mary is in the first few episodes. It’s been wonderful to play, because it wasn’t something I was expecting. It’s been wonderful to tap into that side of her character. I think there’s that sort of numbness you would feel having had that shock of losing the love of your life. It’s not something she would get over very quickly. But she does gradually start to break out of it and get back to herself. She slowly comes out of the dark place.”

    Michelle Dockery definitely won’t be in a dark place on Sunday night–nor will she be in one all day Sunday, as she enjoys the pampering involved in getting ready for the Golden Globes. It will certainly be fun to see what her dress looks like when she makes her way down the red carpet at the pre-show festivities.

    Image via Wikimedia

  • Downton Abbey: Let’s Have a Bit of a Chin Wag*

    Downton Abbey‘s fourth season has just premiered to the delight of faithful watchers and new fans alike. With Downton Abbey, it seems as if one either adores the show, or abhors it. If you’re of another group– the one wondering “what is Downtown Downton Abbey?”– get up to speed quickly with a few bits ‘n bobs* about the show.

    What’s it About?
    The drama series surrounds the lives of the Crawleys, a family of aristocrats dealing with early 20th century British issues. The first season began with the day after the Titanic’s sinking (both heirs to the Crawley inheritance died on the ship) and ended with the beginning of World War I. What saves this show from being just a stuffy dialogue-heavy show about a minted* family is that it also covers the lives of their servants downstairs. The servants have their own lives while still being affected by world events as well as their employer’s moods.

    Does it Take the Biscuit?*

    Possibly due to its airing on PBS, Downton Abbey may be one of the most quietly successful shows out in the past five years. The show has received a Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film, an Emmy and is sealed in the Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed television series of 2011.

    Alas, we won’t waffle* on any more about the subject, and besides you may want to catch up on the past seasons now to prepare for the new season. You can watch past full episodes on Amazon, and be sure to check your local listings for Downton Abbey‘s showtime every Sunday on PBS.

    ——————
    chin wag- Conversation
    bits ‘n bobs- facts
    minted- wealthy
    take the biscuit- something being awesome
    waffle- ramble

    Image via Twitter

  • Downton Abbey Christmas Special: The Crawleys visit Buckingham Palace

    The much-anticipated Christmas episode of the hit series Downton Abbey saw the Crawley family in London for Lady Rose’s debut at court.

    Although Season 4 won’t premier in the US – on PBS – until January 5, it’s been airing on the UK’s ITV television network since September.

    The Christmas special was the ninth episode of Season 4. Episode 8 aired on November 10, so viewers had to wait more than a month for episode 9.

    This year’s Christmas edition was significantly lighter fare than last year’s, which saw the shocking death of character Matthew Crawley. This year creator Julian Fellowes gave viewers a more comforting episode that tied up a few loose ends from Season 4 and left open interesting possibilities for Season 5.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zj3ZbwFPho
    The two-hour episode saw the Crawley family in residence at their London home, as Rose was to be presented at court for her society debut. In the days leading up to her debut, Rose managed to get the family involved in a royal scandal, which patriarch Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, skillfully maneuvered them out of, with a little help from his valet, underdog favorite Mr. Bates.


    Shirley MacLaine made her third appearance in the series. She’d previously appeared in the first two episodes of Season 3 as Martha Levinson, the American mother of Cora Crawley. According to Alex Fletcher on The Digital Spy, MacLane’s character “felt underused” in this episode.

    A highlight of the episode was Paul Giamatti’s debut as Harold Levinson, Cora’s free-spirited playboy of a brother. Fletcher described Giamatti as a “sheer delight.” The door was left open for future appearances, which seems a good idea given Harold’s positive reception last night.

    The blossoming romance between Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes might have been fans’ favorite part of the Christmas episode. The two shared a tender moment when the staff enjoyed a day at the beach, delighting fans with the materialization of a romance that has been anticipated since the end of Season 1.

    Image via Twitter

  • Downton Abbey: Christmas Special Trailer Has Arrived [Video]

    Downton Abbey has become quite a hit for many people around the world, and the British hit continues to delight its fans. While the show originally airs in the U.K., it has become very popular in the United States as well.

    Unfortunately for Americans however, the U.K. has already been able to see what happens in the fourth season, while America has been wating in anticipation. Downton Abbey is highly praised by fans and critics all over, and boasts a very entertaining cast including Maggie Smith as the most well-known, as well as Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael and several others in the highly praised show with a large ensemble cast.

    For those that are not familiar with the show’s Christmas special, they have done one each season, and every time it includes a two-hour episode that caps off the season with some of the biggest and most jaw-dropping moments that fans experience throughout the season.

    Downton Abbey has become a show with several twists, surprises and deaths of characters, and there is no telling what will happen in any given episode. With just 16 days left until the much-anticipated Christmas special, it is important to take a look at where things were at the end of the third season.

    When fans last saw the Crawley family, Mary was being chased by two suitors, Edith was contemplating a Swiss vacation to avoid revealing her illegitimate pregnancy. Rose was also complicating things with her romance involving the African American musician, Jack Ross. The trailer contains several spoilers for the new season too, just as a precaution before watching.

    According to the new trailer, the Christmas special of Downton Abbey will pick up in London, where the family and servants are at Grantham House in preparation for Rose’s introduction into society. Those unfamiliar with the series will also be able to recognize a couple of familiar faces in the trailer, including film stars Shirley MacLaine and Paul Giamatti.

    Downton Abbey‘s Christmas special will air on December 25th on UK’s ITV. American fans can also get excited because season 4 will begin airing in the U.S. on Masterpiece PBS beginning Jan. 5, 2014.

    Image via Youtube

  • Downton Abbey Renewed for a Fifth Season

    Downton Abbey Renewed for a Fifth Season

    Love the British hit drama “Downton Abbey?” If you do, not only will American audiences get to see season four this January, but the show has already been renewed for a fifth season. The international PBS Masterpiece sensation from creator Julian Fellowes, will begin airing in America on January 5, 2014. The fourth season has just finished its run in the UK and averaged a staggering 11.8 million eager television watchers which made it their top-rated drama. “Downton” is also the number one rated show in the history of PBS.

    What makes “Downton” such a worldwide hit? On paper, an upstairs/downstairs British drama set in the early 1900s about the wealthy Crawley clan and their pleasing servants, may not seem like it would attract such a universal audience. However, the show is smart, well-written and touches upon a time in the UK where aristocratic wealth and lavish homes like the mansion featured in “Downton” were coming to an end. It was also the start of an era when over excess and luxury were clashing with World Wars and economic down times.

    The show was also not afraid to kill off its precious darlings. SPOILER ALERT IF YOU’RE NOT DONE VIEWING SEASON THREE. One would expect that shows like “Walking Dead” or even “Homeland” would feature key character deaths, because those shows revolve around danger. However, “Downton Abbey” was a total Kleenexfest last season. First, Syblil Branson, the youngest Crawley daughter died during child birth. And then in one of the most heartbreaking moments in television history, Matthew Crawley died in a car accident at the end of the season three finale, just after seeing his newborn son for the first time. Matthew and Lady Mary were finally happy! They finally got married! They finally had their heir! And then, out of nowhere, Matthew crashes his car and dies in a ditch.

    Matthew’s death, which aired on Christmas day in the UK, was meant with rage and anger amongst its British fans. Loyalists accused writers of “killing my soul” while one fan even said, “I AM 100% DONE WITH THIS SHOW. I CAN’T BREATHE.” Some viewers even claimed to be so upset that they could barely speak.

    It is difficult for Americans to avoid spoiler alerts from season four, since it has already aired in its entirely in the U.K. Matthew Crawley’s death was ruined for me. I stumbled upon an article on the internet about all the backlash from fans and why actor Dan Stevens (who played Matthew Crawley) decided to leave the show, just as I was popping in the DVD to start viewing season three. So I watched the entire season knowing the tragic ending. Somehow, the ending still shocked me, which is truly a testament to how powerful, well-acted and executed the show is.

    Take a look at the trailer for season four (I promise, no spoilers here.)

    You can join the countdown for the season four premiere on the Masterpiece website. The show’s narrative will pick up sometime after Matthew’s death. You can also take some “Downton Abbey” quizzes and see exclusive features there. Just please, try and stay away from spoilers. I know that I will.

    Image via Facebook

  • “Downton Abbey” Renewed For Fifth Season

    “Downton Abbey” Renewed For Fifth Season

    Good news for all you “Downton Abbey” fans! It looks as though the popular drama series has been signed on for a fifth season.

    According to the executive producer, Gareth Neame, “Audiences have enjoyed their regular Sunday evening visits back to Downton once again this autumn and we are thrilled to produce a new series of the show next year. We promise all the usual highs and lows, romance, drama and comedy played out by some of the most iconic characters on television.” He adds, “All the actors and makers of the show continue to be humbled by the extraordinary audience response and want to take the show from strength to strength next year.”

    The renewal for a fifth season comes after the season four finale in Britain generated 11.8 million viewers. The United States viewers have not yet seen the fourth season, but are equally thrilled that another season is in the works. The fourth season will air in the U.S. on January 5th, and will continue to be shown on PBS’ Masterpiece Classics and ITV.

    “Like millions of other Downton fans, I can’t wait to see what’s next for the Crawley family,” said PBS president and CEO, Paula Kerger. “We’re proud to be the home of this extraordinarily entertaining series, and, along with our stations, we look forward to sharing season five with U.S. audiences.”

    For those of you who have not started watching the award winning series, here is a plot summary from IMDb that may intrigue you:

    Lord Crawley sees his family heritage, especially the grand country home Downton Abbey, as his mission in life. The death of his heir aboard the Titanic means distant cousin Matthew Crawley, a Manchester lawyer, suddenly is next in line and accepts moving onto the vast estate with his even more modernist, socially engaged mother, who clashes with his lordship’s domineering, conservative mother, the dowager. Marrying off the daughters is another concern. Meanwhile, the butler presides over a staff which serves the family, but also lead most of their entire lives in the servants’ quarters, intriguing amongst themselves.

    Image via Twitter

  • New Downton Abbey Season 4 Photos Released

    ITV has released eight new photos from the forthcoming and much-anticipated fourth series of Downton Abbey. It will debut in the U.K. next month, and then here in the U.S. in January.

    That leaves you plenty of time to get caught up on past seasons. Just don’t expect to do so on Netflix, as Amazon has grabbed the exclusive streaming rights. Netflix subscribers do always have the DVD option, however (at least for now).

    Just don’t forget to grab your tissues.

    (image)

    Downton Abbey4 hours ago

    Dear Lords and Ladies, we are delighted to present the new generation at Downton Abbey… See more photos from the forthcoming Series 4 here: http://itv.co/1cxxpe5

    Powered by socialditto(image)  1,000+ likes ·  1,000+ comments

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  • Amazon Adds PBS Shows to Prime Instant Video: NOVA, Masterpiece, and a Handful of Kids Shows

    Amazon and PBS have just announced an expanded licensing agreement that will see a bunch of past episodes of popular PBS shows hit the Prime Instant Video catalog.

    On the adult side of things, the deal brings over NOVA, Masterpiece, and some Ken Burns documentaries. For the kids, Amazon will now stream Caillou, Arthur, Daniels Tiger’s Neighborhood, Dinosaur Train and Wild Kratts.

    “This deal is exciting for Prime members and particularly for those with families – this new deal combined with the recently announced Viacom deal brings some of the most popular kids programming to Prime Instant Video, making it the perfect place for the whole family to catch up on all their favorites,” said Brad Beale, Director of Digital Video Content Acquisition for Amazon. “Not to mention, Downton Abbey is continually one of the most watched shows of all time on Prime Instant Video. Prime Instant Video will soon become the only video subscription service to exclusively offer all seasons, current and future, of Downton Abbey – something we know our customers will love.”

    Speaking of Masterpiece, Amazon reiterates that they are now the only streaming platform on which you can stream the third season of Downton Abbey. Amazon stole the show from Netflix and Hulu back in February – gaining exclusive streaming rights to past, present, and even future seasons. Seasons 1 & 2 of Downton Abbey will disappear from all other streaming services later this year, and season 4 (and 5, 6, and so on if applicable) will only appear on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

    The PBS kids shows add to Amazon Prime’s growing lineup of entertainment targeted at children. Earlier this month, Amazon inked a deal with Viacom that gave them streaming access to Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. shows like Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, and SpongeBob Squarepants.

    Interestingly enough, we recently learned that Netflix will be losing some PBS content soon. And this does include some NOVA and Ken Burns stuff. More on that here.

    Recently, Amazon also announced an expanded agreement with NBCUniversal to add a handful of NBC, USA, and SyFy shows to Prime Instant Video.

  • Is Netflix About To Get Rid Of A Bunch Of PBS Content?

    Update: After speaking with a source at Netflix, I can confirm that Netflix is not losing PBS content in the sense that you will no longer see PBS content on Netflix. You will continue to see some titles. The source could not comment on any specific title, other than to note that Amazon did indeed get the exclusive deal for Downton Abbey. Any other titles on the list you may or may not see on Netflix after July 1st.

    Basically, it’s business as usual. Netflix is doing what it always does. Some content comes and goes. Typically if enough people are watching a title, Netflix will keep it around. If they’re not watching it, Netflix will decide it’s not worth it to keep paying for it. In the case of the titles in question, most probably just aren’t getting enough views to make it worth Netflix’s money.

    A reddit user suggests that Netflix Instant could be getting ready to lose a bunch of PBS titles on July 1st.

    “I was just browsing titles on the PS3, which I have found shows expirations sooner than the site (for me at least),” writes user herky140, before listing about 65 titles that reportedly say they will be no longer available as of that date. Among them are Downton Abbey, a bunch of Ken Burns documentaries, several Neil deGrasse Tyson Nova scienceNow titles, a number of titles in the “American Experience” series, and a bunch of Frontlines.

    While I didn’t run through the entire list, I did check several of the titles from Netflix’s web interface, and they do say “Streaming until 7/1/2013.”

    “It should be clarified that just because these titles are listed as expiring on July 1, it doesn’t mean that they actually will disappear on July 1,” notes herky140. “Rather, it means that these titles are under a contract that expires July 1, which may or may not get reupped. This list should not sensationalize the loss of titles, this happens all the time, Netflix’s catalog is constantly in flux. However, if you have been planning on watching any of these titles, it might be a good idea to check them out before July 1, just in case.”

    Of course, you could always go the DVD route.

    There are other PBS titles that do not say anything about expiration dates, as the redditor notes. This includes kids shows like Curious George, Sesame Street, Arthur, and some other Ken Burns documentaries.

    Earlier this year, news came out that Amazon had secured exclusive access to Downton Abbey, meaning that it would disappear from Netflix and Hulu, though an exact date wasn’t given. Now, with it “streaming until July 1st” it seems unlikely that it will be back in the foreseeable future. The fate of the rest of these titles remains unclear.

    It’s a good thing the kids shows appear to be sticking around, given that Netflix recently lost a bunch of kids content from Nickelodeon, and is currently pushing its family-friendly content to new users. The company did just ink a huge deal with DreamWorks that will help.

    We’ve reached out to Netflix for comment, and will update when we receive one.

  • Topless Scene Regretted by ‘Downton Abbey’ Star

    As Seth MacFarlane so tactfully pointed out at this year’s Oscars, Hollywood has a bit of a fascination with seeing actresses’ boobs. It’s not a particularly radical concept for mature adults (or Europeans), but sometimes the push for a breast tissue can pressure young actresses into baring their chest when they would rather not.

    Take Jessica Brown Findlay, for instance. The actress gained fame playing the rather modest role of Lady Sybil Crawley on the hit show Downton Abbey. More recently, she has taken the role of Alais Pelletier Du Mas in a TV adaptation of the Kate Mosse novel Labyrinth. In the upcoming show, Findlay bares quite a bit of her body, but it’s the skin she showed in the past that she told the Radio Times she regrets.

    According to the interview, Findlay stated that a scene in the movie Albatross in which she flashes a store clerk was “naivety” on her part and that she didn’t know she could say “no.” Going forward, Findlay advises actresses to be “honest and natural” with their nude scenes, but that she would have prepared her body more in hindsight.

    “I was drinking pints and eating burgers.” said Findlay. “But actually, it’s not something I would do again.”

    The video below is the scene from Albatross, and is, naturally, NSFW:

  • Amazon Nabs Exclusive Rights to FX’s Justified

    Another day in February, another exclusive content grab from Amazon.

    Today, the company announced that their Prime Instant Video service will be the exclusive online streaming home to the FX hit Justified. Also part of this new deal is the now-completed FX series The Shield.

    Justified has already been available to purchase from Amazon at $1.99 an episode, but now the series will be able to be streamed by Amazon Prime customers for no additional cost.

    “Justified and The Shield are two fan-favorites on Amazon,” said Brad Beale, Director of Digital Video Content Acquisition for Amazon. “We’re consistently looking for ways to make Prime even better – and one of the ways we’re doing that is adding shows like these that we know customers love. Prime members have tens of thousands of episodes of their favorite series like Downton Abbey, Falling Skies, and now Justified and The Shield, to enjoy on hundreds of devices, at no additional cost.”

    Earlier this month, Amazon made a big play for the megahit PBS series Downton Abbey. They snatched it away from competitors like Netflix and Hulu, nabbing exclusive rights to past, current, and future seasons of the show.

    A week or so later, Amazon announced that they will be the exclusive streaming home to CBS’ upcoming drama Under the Dome. Episodes of the new series, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, will become available just three days after they air.

  • Downton Abbey’s Maggie Smith Is ‘Queen Of The Double Take’

    PBS has uploaded a new video featuring Downton Abbey’s Jim Carter (Carson) talking about Maggie Smith, who he had deemed “queen of the doubletake”.

    If you’ve already watched the season finale, don’t forget to check out this heartwrenching look back at Mary and Matthew Crawley’s life together.

    Also, here’s Carter talking about how Carson should marry Mrs. Hughes.

  • PBS Releases A Tear-Jerking Tribute To Matthew And Mary Crawley

    Still sad about the way the latest Downton Abbey ended? This will do absolutely nothing to cheer you up, but at least you can honor the love that Matthew and Mary Crawley have shared as if they are actually your own loved ones.

    Now, to cheer you up, here’s comedian Patton Oswalt’s livetweeting of the episode.

  • Downton Abbey: Carson Wants To Marry Mrs. Hughes

    Downton Abbey fans in the U.S. got to see the season finale of the show on Sunday night. Today, PBS Masterpiece is sharing a video of the cast talking about the episode.

    While it may or may not happen, it’s worth noting that Jim Carter, who plays Carson on the show, says he believes that Carson should marry Mrs. Hughes. I’m sure a number of fans would enjoy that sentiment.

    “I love the scenes when Carson and Mrs. Hughes get together,” he says. “You don’t often see behind the mask with Mr. Carson, and just occasionally the mask slips, and you just get a little glimpse of the interior life, and you get that with when he’s with Mrs. Hughes. Everybody wants Carson and Mrs. Hughes (quietly) to get together. Even if they were married, he’d still call her Mrs. Hughes wouldn’t he?”

    “Carson has to marry Mrs. Hughes,” he adds. “Write to [show creator] Julian Fellowes. It’s got to happen.”

    Watch Downton Abbey: The Cast on Season 3 Episode 7 on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

    Now check out comedian Patton Oswalt’s twitter recap of the latest episode.

  • Downton Abbey Makes Patton Oswalt Want To Set An Arby’s On Fire

    There are a lot of people talking about Downton Abbey on Twitter today, now that PBS has run the season finale here in the U.S. While many had already seen the episode, a lot of American fans only got the opportunity to do so on Sunday. While I won’t spoil it here, suffice it to say, something big happened.

    Comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted his way through the episode on Sunday night. Below is the majority of his recap, which ends with him drinking, crying, wanting to set an Arby’s on Fire and watching the movie Battleship. Beware of spoilers and language if you’re easily offended.

    From there, Oswalt proceeded to tweet his way through Battleship. Do yourself a favor and view his timeline.

  • Amazon Steals Downton Abbey From Netflix & Hulu – Past, Present, and Future

    Amazon Steals Downton Abbey From Netflix & Hulu – Past, Present, and Future

    As of right now, you can watch the hit Masterpiece Classic show Downton Abbey on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Instant Video. Some time this year, that will no longer be the case.

    Amazon has just announced a deal with PBS Distribution that will make Prime Instant Video the only place that Downton Fans will be able to stream the show.

    Eventually. Amazon will have exclusive rights to Downton Abbey Season 3 (currently airing) on June 18th, and will gain exclusive rights to the other two seasons “later this year.” No specifics on the actual date that you’ll see Downton disappear from Netflix and Hulu.

    Not only that, but Amazon is keeping Downton out of the hands of Netflix and Hulu for the foreseeable future. Prime Instant Video will continue to be the exclusive subscription home of season 4 and season 5, if that actually becomes a thing.

    “Our Prime customers have spoken—they can’t get enough of the MASTERPIECE CLASSIC series ‘Downton Abbey.’ The series is consistently in our top most watched TV shows each week, making it the most popular TV series with Prime Instant Video customers, ever,” said Brad Beale, Director of Digital Video Content Acquisition for Amazon. “Prime Instant Video will soon be the exclusive subscription video streaming home for ‘Downton Abbey.’”

    This is a big move by Amazon to secure the rights to an extremely popular show. Locking up exclusive rights to Downton Abbey’s past, present, and future is a pretty good wallop to other streaming services – a scheme that Thomas could surely approve of.

  • “Downton Abbey” As Told By Sesame Street

    “Downton Abbey” As Told By Sesame Street

    If you’re like me and most of the U.S., you’re addicted to “Downton Abbey” like a fat kid’s addicted to Cheetos. No one can really pinpoint what makes the show so great, but personally I think it’s the atmosphere, the cinematic quality of the camerawork, and the way the characters interact with one another that keeps us tuning in. It’s hard to describe what’s so awesome about a British show featuring some stuffy 1920’s rich people and their land dispute, but it just works, guys. Also, the Dowager Countess has some wicked one-liners.

    At any rate, the writers over at Sesame Street know a hit when they see one, and over the years they’ve spoofed “Mad Men” and “True Blood” without even batting an eye, even though I doubt any of their core audience is familiar with either of those shows. I’m not sure my four-year old could appreciate Vampire Bill’s affinity for bottled blood, but when it’s incorporated into a skit with a cow and a rhyme scheme, she’s all over it.

    It seems the peeps over at Sesame Workshop realize there are probably a lot of parents watching along with their kids, because they keep giving us little bright spots of adult humor sandwiched in between Elmo skits and cartoons. The latest, of course, is based on “Downton” and makes good use of a pun. Like most Sesame Street sketches, it’s a bit repetitive, but the guy doing Carson’s voice is pretty good, and if that’s what’s holding you over until you get the next disc from Netflix, so be it.

  • The Game of Thrones & Downton Abbey Theme Songs Get the Mashup They Deserve

    Since two of the best shows on TV (Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey) also have two of the best theme songs around, it only makes sense that someone would mash them up into one supersong.

    Today is that day, and Sagar Jethani is your man.

    The accompanying voice you’ll hear is Duncan, Mr. Jethani’s direwolf.

    [h/t BuzzFeed]