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Sep. 30th, 2009 08:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightLink here to a slightly tongue-in-cheek article in today's Guardian about Brit actors being cast in American TV shows, as Americans.
I'd been going to make some facetious comparison with American GIs coming to Britain during WW2 (overpaid, oversexed and over here), but in fact the Brit actors are not like the GIs. They are more like the influx of Polish plumbers to the UK back in pre-credit crunch days, in that they are not only very good at their job and very hard workers, but they also come very cheap.
Apparently, they are also getting better at doing the accent, though even those who aren't so good, like Dominic West, seem to get away with it. Certainly, two of the three Brit actors (Joseph Fiennes and Sonia Walger) in the first episode of Flash Forward, which was shown here on Monday night, could have fooled anyone this side of the Pond that they were really American (if they didn't know who they were already) and possibly on the other side as well.
Speaking of Flash Forward (spoilers for ep 1 within)
I've only seen one person on my flist mention it. Did no one else like it, or even watch it? Must admit, I'm not sure I can be bothered with any more of it. It comes from the makers of Lost and you can tell. Ep 1 featured lots of rather dull characters we're evidently supposed to care about, plus a lot of explosions and mysterious goings on - not to mention a brief appearance by an incongruous animal (a kangaroo rather than a polar bear, in this instance). However, since it's obvious already who the villain is, and since I'm pretty sure they're basically making it up as they go along (like Lost), I'm not sure I have the patience for any more.
If you're wondering how I've fingered the villain already, it's easy. It has to be Jack Davenport, yet another British thesp (though presumably a little better known in the US, thanks to the Pirates of the Caribbean movies). How do I know he's the villain? It's simple. Because he's been allowed to keep his own accent of course.
I'd been going to make some facetious comparison with American GIs coming to Britain during WW2 (overpaid, oversexed and over here), but in fact the Brit actors are not like the GIs. They are more like the influx of Polish plumbers to the UK back in pre-credit crunch days, in that they are not only very good at their job and very hard workers, but they also come very cheap.
Apparently, they are also getting better at doing the accent, though even those who aren't so good, like Dominic West, seem to get away with it. Certainly, two of the three Brit actors (Joseph Fiennes and Sonia Walger) in the first episode of Flash Forward, which was shown here on Monday night, could have fooled anyone this side of the Pond that they were really American (if they didn't know who they were already) and possibly on the other side as well.
Speaking of Flash Forward (spoilers for ep 1 within)
I've only seen one person on my flist mention it. Did no one else like it, or even watch it? Must admit, I'm not sure I can be bothered with any more of it. It comes from the makers of Lost and you can tell. Ep 1 featured lots of rather dull characters we're evidently supposed to care about, plus a lot of explosions and mysterious goings on - not to mention a brief appearance by an incongruous animal (a kangaroo rather than a polar bear, in this instance). However, since it's obvious already who the villain is, and since I'm pretty sure they're basically making it up as they go along (like Lost), I'm not sure I have the patience for any more.
If you're wondering how I've fingered the villain already, it's easy. It has to be Jack Davenport, yet another British thesp (though presumably a little better known in the US, thanks to the Pirates of the Caribbean movies). How do I know he's the villain? It's simple. Because he's been allowed to keep his own accent of course.
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Date: 2009-09-30 08:17 pm (UTC)We regularly get tour buses covered in Neighbours-themed paintings driving round the area seeing all the sets.
Usually 95% British people...
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Date: 2009-09-30 08:25 pm (UTC)I still think one of the funniest things in the world was when the US media (I forget which part specifically) asked Jesse Spencer what it was like to come over for House and become a global/household name.
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Date: 2009-09-30 08:30 pm (UTC)It's funny how popular Neighbours is over there. Here, it's really not.
(Mind you - one of the producers once said that every time he told someone what his job was, they'd instantly say two things: "Oh, I don't watch that." and "When are Karl and Susan getting back together?")
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Date: 2009-09-30 08:45 pm (UTC)Hee! Well, you can't break Karl and Susan up and not expect consequences.
It always seems a little odd that we're so into Aussie daytime soaps when US ones (I'm pretty sure) aren't even a blip on satellite TV's radar. You can probably find them somewhere, but I've never seen a single minute of Passions or whatever. I can't imagine there's that much different in levels of silliness...
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Date: 2009-09-30 09:18 pm (UTC)Nor would you want to. Trust me. It died a comparatively quick death for a reason.
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Date: 2009-09-30 09:24 pm (UTC)Seriously, Spike's taste in rubbishy TV is something I would say was one of his more British characteristics.
Just look at Dr. Who!Forgive me, internetz, for I have sinned.
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Date: 2009-09-30 09:35 pm (UTC)You're talking about the Tennant/Piper days, aren't you? :grits teeth at memory:
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Date: 2009-09-30 09:40 pm (UTC)Ah, British telly, so cheap and grimy and slightly silly!
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Date: 2009-09-30 09:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-30 09:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-01 04:08 am (UTC)I googled YouTube looking for the evil clowns, but couldn't find them. I did find The Soup's mockery of Passions' Chad 'who is not gay'. (Um-hmm)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlpWoR3viUE
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Date: 2009-10-01 10:51 am (UTC)And *snort* at that clip. The poor, confused man.
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Date: 2009-10-01 11:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-30 09:25 pm (UTC)Whereas Aussie soaps have standard lighting, working class characters, and go in real time.
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Date: 2009-09-30 09:28 pm (UTC)Oh, that probably explains it then. I'm not sure we have any soaps about rich people (apart from doctors).
And I think part of me always thought the soft-lighting was something they exaggerated in spoofs...
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Date: 2009-09-30 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-30 09:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-30 09:32 pm (UTC)I don't think any of us had watched it for years, but we all understood the earth-shattering significance of that.
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Date: 2009-09-30 09:36 pm (UTC)Bet most people have forgotten Daphne, though.
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Date: 2009-09-30 09:46 pm (UTC)Hardcore teen memories, those are. We were just old enough to realise how wrong it was, but not nearly old enough to stop watching.
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Date: 2009-10-01 11:39 am (UTC)I don't have any excuse, I'm afraid, unless it's true that motherhood softens your brain. Can remember watching the first UK broadcast of Neighbours with baby K on my lap.
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Date: 2009-09-30 09:51 pm (UTC)*feels ashamed*
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Date: 2009-10-01 11:40 am (UTC)