On my second visit to the Dracula preview I noticed several user comments along the lines of ...

"Dracula will be bisexual"

"Van Helsing will be a woman"

"I don't remember a black guy in Bram Stoker's version"

Oh dear. Evidently, you're not the only one sensing that there may be some jiggery-pokery in the pipeline.

The BBC is dead. So is Hollywood. Oh and one more thing-

"You're next."

EXACTLY the same as in Stalin's Soviet Union.

Better watch what you say and do- and think- at all times.

Scads of knobby little SJW rats abound, with their mobile phones in their pockets and purses, recording.

Not that vigilance will help you in the end.

<Portentious Klaus Darga>

There is still time to resist by voting with your dollar, or in my case your "not dollar" since I steal everything that's not locked down on the internets.

And none of it is locked down- yet.

I was thinking about this ever since we were talking about <Tom Hardy> in general, and <I keep forgetting the title and I am too lazy to check on IMDB because that would be 'one mouse click too far' for my fat fingers> in particular.

That series where they are on a dock and there is competition to get on the "ship of fools boat" to escape the horror.

POWERFUL. Every character is full of nobility, pathos, bathos, you name it. Is Tom a "hero," "villain" or "victim"? He is all three. Is the little girl a "hero" "villain" or "victim"? Exactly the same. All. Great art, such as <Taboo> (Ha! remembered the title) or Greek tragedy doesn't need to be "woke" because it was always "fully woke" to begin with. As is all truly great art. <Taboo> aspires to the quality of Sophocles or Euripides, and profits greatly from such aspiration.

I worry that the series will not go to chapter two because of some idiotic campaign against <Tom Hardy's> "toxic masculinity."

But punters can still vote with their <Rahim Pound Sterling>, for now. What can you, as an individual, do?

I absolutely must have shows like <Taboo> and <Peaky Blinders> in the schedule. Macho, bloody, violent and in many ways unbending to the SJW. It would be interesting to know whether <Steven Knight>’s writing is deliberately rebellious, or whether he is simply guided by the drama/storytelling that captured his youthful imagination and gives no real thought to the social dynamics aspect.

Those shows are incredibly popular over here and I’ve not detected any substantive wavering throughout the entire Peaky series, so I think that there should remain a viable market for non-SJ shows, but I do lament the fact that there are less now than there were.

Equally though, I’m a fan of some shows that perhaps do take social and cultural diversity to extremes. <Phoebe Waller-Bridge>’s writing is somewhat that way. Understandably influenced, I think, by the curiosity value of social extremes and how the spectrum has not yet been exhausted. Those of her ilk know that many audiences will not have experienced, for example, homo, bi or trans issues in their actual lives. I can see that it’s a cheap shot in some regards to use curiosity, or socially extreme characters as a mechanism to gain viewers, but it will live or die on its overall merits when I watch it. In the case of <Killing Eve>, we have a top-flight assassin, who is a foreign, gay woman, hellbent on provoking a bi-curious response from her pursuer. That’s probably pushing the SJ envelope a long way, but the terrific writing and acting shine through to such an extent that I'm not likely to nitpick any points of process.

<wpty> good work sir! You have won burritos, which should arrive soon in the mail.

<Earl of Norfolk> is the immortal Nigel Davenport, <Thomas Cromwell> is the immortal Rumpole of the Bailey (Leo McKern).

10/10 what a great play and movie. I used to chat with the immortal Robert Bolt in the Windmill Tea Rooms, Swansea, back in the day. In my imagination.

Thanks for pointing out <Hilary Mental>! I hadn't heard of her, but I'm a fan of good historical fiction.

<Pant Wagging>

Well yes ManU's three game winning streak comes to an end and it's BECAUSE I WATCHED THE GAME.

Seriously every side I cheer for loses I'm the kiss of death.

At least it was an exciting second half thanks to <The King of Norway> scoring in the last second of the first half. Another highlight was <Ollie Gob Shropshire> throwing in two under-15 prospects at the end. One of them was actually wearing diapers.

A grand moment for the Cherries to be sure, though I have a horrible suspicion they only won because I was cheering for ManU.

Have you ever seen their gaffer's highlight reel? He was really impressive back in the day eh:

Hey, stop pucking around.

---------

<JessicaJinxerQueen>

<Potrzebie>

Well you know what I just watched <Sheffield Excited> WEEK 11 and then had a look at the table. What footy!

<What A Pity>

I am sorry to see that I mangled your handle earlier. It is <wtpy>, not <wpty> amirite.

I will certainly be test driving <Hilary Mental> and checking out that TV shoe.

I think John Hurt is one of the very best actors. The sheer diversity of his many, many roles is testament to his acting skill.

SCIENTERRIFIC PROOF:

Unlikely bedfellows Richard Rich, Quentin Crisp, John Merrick, Caligula, John Profumo, Christopher Marlowe, and Jesus.

He IS all of those disparate people. That's how good he is.

Also he has made over 9000 movies in his day. Here is more SCIENCING proof:

<Painted Daguerrotype>

Still cheering myself up from <Spur's> Weak Eleven outing vs. <Everton> by watching other matches- and another gem!

<Newcastle Brown Ale> finally showed up for benighted new gaffer <The Brown Bottle> with three (3) goals! By far the most satisfying was a trademark long range missile from <Jonjo Shelvey> who has long been one of my favorite players, and not just because he's so easy to spot from the cheap seats. He also set up the <Kieran Cross it to me! Now!> goal. <Top Shelvey> was my favorite player on <Swansea> back in the day. He even got a start for England a few years ago, before getting relegated. In fact if I remember correctly he got relegated with both Swansea *and* Newcastle.

The Hammers still showing nothing for (also benighted) gaffer and ex-Brazilian formula one driver <Emerson Fittipaldi>, but they made it exciting with late goals from <Neil Young ex-wife Carrie Snodgrass> and <Fabian "no es" bueno>.

This was a cracking match and reminded me of why I love footy.

Here is <Shelvey> science evidence:

<wpty> Good heavens I was just looking on IMDB and noticed that I had already watched WOLF HALL without knowing it had been written by <Hilary Mental>!!

IMDB gives it a 8.1/10 score, but I see that I rated it 10/10.

Mark Rylance was luminous in that, and I remember thinking that American <Band of Brothers> alumnus Damian Lewis wouldn't be suited to play Henry VIII but he was most excellent in that role.

He was also excellent in that TV shoe where he played an American POW who secretly becomes a Jihadist. What the heck is that shoe called again it has Mandy "Battleship" Potemkin in it as well, and that wonderful blustery blonde woman as the lead.

IMDB gives it a 8.1/10 score, but I see that I rated it 10/10.>

Totally 10/10 Jess. Heard Mantel on the wireless (Reith Lectures). Well worth a listen -- there's a transcript too.

Dead right about <Chef United>. I’m gulty of paying far too little attention to the season’s newbies. My Fantasy team has made good use of Norwich’s <Hockey Pukki>, but now that his goals have dried up, I am in need of a cheap replacement, so will need to spend some time leading up to <Brexmas> acquainting myself with the Prem’s ‘bargain basement’ teams.

Pleased to see that <Gomes Addams> is in a good place now and his injury was fixable. The distress it was causing him and <Son of a Gun> was difficult to watch at the weekend.

<Matt>

What a wonderful lecture by <Hilary Mantel> this is, thank you! https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b...

Such an intelligent and soulful woman.

<wtpy> I have to, and I do. I also enjoy Jim Jarmusch playing "Bob" in the Wayne Wang/Paul Auster film <Blue in the Face>, a criminally underrated sequel to their hilarious <Smoke>.

It was <Matt> (mckmac) who posted that fine Mantel lecture in my forum. I reposted it.

Now if I ever bought books that aren't chess books or H.P. "sauce" Lovecraft, I might have a chance to read some <Hilary Mantel>.