It's only a Birthday, It's Only a Play, and It's only a Dark Mystery

What's new in the life of the British celebrities today? Well, lots and lots of new things are happening for some of our biggest stars and favorite royals. So let's start with the Royals of Britain.

Prince William had his 32nd Birthday on Saturday on June the 21st, 2014  also known as the summer solstice. He celebrated his birthday by receiving a helicopter from his Grandmother,  Queen Elizabeth the II. He celebrated at home with Duchess Kate Middleton and baby Prince George.


Prince Harry is currently in Brazil,  doing volunteer work by visiting hospitals and people in wheelchairs, just like his mother, Princess Diana did. He also attended one of the World Cup games,  Cameroon and Brazil on June 23rd in Brazil.




Harry Potter World will open Diagon Alley and it's new features on July 8th, 2014.   Last week,  was the preview event where several of our favorite Harry Potter stars attended. Those were:  Evanna Lynch, Matthew Lewis,  James and Oliver Phelps and Bonnie Wright.

Daniel Radcliffe  has a movie coming out. That will answer the question of  if boys and girls can really just be friends.  The two friends in the film try to be just that, just friends.  But from what I have seen in the previews,  it looks like Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) may have fallen in love with his new best friend.  The movie  releases on August 8th, 2014 starring Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan.


Rupert Grint is following his fellow Harry Potter co-star, Daniel Radcliffe's footsteps this fall.  He will be in the upcoming Broadway play, It's  Only a Play starring Rupert Grint, will be Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre this fall.  For a 17 week time period only.  He will be in the play with  Matthew Broderick (Ferris Buller's Day Off,  The Lion King, and Godzilla).   It is about  Frank Finger (Grint) who is hosting a parting on opening night for his play.  He will also be a voice in Postman Pat,  and on the soundtrack for Postman Pat coming out next winter, January 16th 2015. It is an Animated film.  So listen for Rupert's voice as he plays Josh in the movie. 


Emma Watson is back to work after Graduating from Brown University.  She will be  in the film Regression,  a film  that is  An American-Spanish thriller. Emma will be working with Ethan Hawke and  David Denick.  Also David Thewlis  Professor Lupin from the Harry Potter Films) will be in this excellent cast.  The movie is about a father who has committed a crime but he has no memory of committing that crime. The film will release sometime in 2015.



 Tom Felton currently  stars in The Murder of the First.   The show will follow a  single case,  with arrests and trials of the crime.  Tom Felton Plays Erich Blunt. It aired this week on TNT.  Apparently he uses his British accent. It should be a suspensful show,  and I plan on watching it before I write my next blog!

Daniel Radcliffe can do a fantastic Irish accent in The Cripple of an Inishmann.

On a Sunny Sunday afternoon in Manhattan, my dad and I walked all the way to the Cort Theater On Broadway.  When we finally arrived,  there was a big sign saying Daniel Radcliffe in The Cripple of Inishmaan, by Martin McDonagh and Directed by  Michael Grundage.  The excitement in me could barely contain itself , as this was my second time seeing Daniel Radcliffe on stage but first time seeing him about 9 rows back. The theater inside was amazing, as well as the set and the performers.
My photo of the sign for the play!

Cort Theater is beautiful,   with seats that are covered with red fabric and beautiful paintings of the ceilings.  The stage had a curtain of what seemed to be a picture  of Ireland with rocks and water.   The show started at exactly 3:00 p.m., with these two hilarious women, who play the aunts of Billy, the Cripple of Inishmaan.  They stress about living in Ireland in 1935, and with Crippled Billy who likes to read and look at cows.   Then walks in the newsman,   Johnny  Pateenmike, who swears he has news to tell.  However, he goes on telling neighborhood gossip first,  which is just so hilarious that you laugh until you cry.  He takes so long, that in walks Bill,.our star of the show, and our hero.

Crippled Billy  as he is called in his hometown,  is a unique character. When Johnny Pateenmike tells him the news that the people who are from Hollywood, America, are coming to Inishmaan, Billy actually pulls away from his book. He of course wants to go and make a man out of himself, and doesn't want to live on this island anymore because people make fun of him too much and call him Cripple Billy.  Though he is not cripple,  Daniel Radcliffe makes it so believable. In fact in one scene, when he finds out his love interest Helen McCormick ( Sarah Greene)  and her brother, Bartley McCormick (Corner MacNeil) are taking a boat sailed by BabbyBobby (Padriac Delaney) to Hollywood,  Billy sneaks to the boat first.

Amazingly enough, in this boat scene Billy climbs over the cliff wall unscratched and didn't fall. Even with one arm and shaky legs.  The audience has gasps at this scene because of the worry that this might be where Billy falls badly. However, Daniel Radcliffe  is spectacular at Billy and Billy is amazing at climbing.  Billy  survives the trip to Hollywood.
My photo of the reviews outside The Cort Theater.
There is one particular scene where it seems as if Billy is really dying because of the TB he told Bobbybabby he had.  Tears were coming out of my eyes, and they really do when it comes to any kind of movie/theater production. However,  it turns out that Billy had acted during this entire scene, for Hollywood. It was his screen test,  but when his body quivers and then silences,  the audience almost wants to scream "NO!" Not only because it's Billy, but because seeing Daniel Radcliffe play dead is not happy thing to think about. That said, Billy realizes through his acting that his family is more important to him and goes back to Ireland to home.

His Family are waiting for him, watching a silent film, and Helen teaches Billy's friend Bartley (her brother) a lesson on Ireland verses England.  She crushes eggs on to Bartley's head,  and says now that's England, and you're ireland to explain the issues going on between Ireland and England during 1935. Its extremely commical, and  Helen (Sarah Greene) makes you laugh so hard that you snort.   Shortly after this,  Billy comes back waiting behind the screen alive and healthy,  though his aunts are furious in a loving way.

In the end he proclaims his love to Helen,  and she  at first being her mean and stubborn self, tells him no, it's never going to happen because you're a  crippled. In the end though, she actually ends up saving his life because he was thinking about killing himself. She comes back, kisses him, and the curtain drops.


Daniel Radcliffe is amazing,  I have watched him grow since 2001.  From young Harry Potter to Allen Ginsberg and then to Billy, The Cripple of an Inishmaan.   Billy was by far his best role, and it was his most enjoyable to watch. Somewhere in the play,  I felt like I was in  Ireland because of the beautiful set, music, and of course accents. Though he is also British,  Daniel Radcliffe can do an amazing Irish Accent.  Every bit of the character is believable, and when Billy the Character has to act his dying scene,  you know that's when somebody's a good actor.  Daniel Radcliffe as mentioned above does this well, as he not only has to think of his lines, but Billy's lines,  and the lines, thoughts and emotions that Billy has to give to the director in 1935 Hollywood.

I strongly recommend that everyone see this play.  It shows not only the difficulties that the aunts have to go through with the Great Depression and raising a child who is not theirs, who  is with disability.  It also deals with Billy's own issues of being an orphan, and trying to find love with his disability.  He even wants people to start call him "just Billy" because he is tired of the name Crippled Billy. Then again who wouldn't be?
The message is simple hat love is unconditional and that even if you have a disability you still have people who care about you.
Not my photo, as you are not allowed to take pictues in the theater. , http://www.theartswire.com/storage/Cripple.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1398716661855.

Note,  I would not recommend this play for ages 12 and under, because there is some violence and the accents are hard to understand. However, it is really up to you, because the play on Broadway in New York until July 20th. Which is actually near Daniel Radcliffe's birthday, so if you get to meet him after the show, be sure to wish a Happy Birthday to him!

Note, he does do a meet and greet if their are two shows in a row, or something like the Tony Awards afterwords. Which was unfortunate for me, but Security was kind enough to pass out autographed he had signed to fans.  So check the schedules, and I wish you luck!
Here is a link that will take you schedules, tickets.

 Here's the autographed photo I got from Daniel Radcliffe on the Day of The Tony Awards.

http://www.crippleofinishmaan.com/

If you want to purchase t shirts, hats, or any other merchandise,  you have to have cash at the theater. Or you can purchase online here:

http://broadwaymerchandiseshop.com/view/details/id/1184/for/The_Cripple_of_Inishmaan_Tee

What if? Kate Middlenton's not just a commoner? What if Rupert Grin'ts not just an actor, but a singer? What if, Daniel Radcliffe can play a Romantic Comedian?

A lot  has happened with our favorite British people in the  past couple of weeks since I have last written! So, lets get started. 

Kate Middleton has big news: She's not a commoner after all, actually she is a second cousin to the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.

The Duchess also attended her cousin's  wedding at  the Dorchester Hotel in London,  which apparently is most known for it's anti-gay views.  I do not know, or will put a claim on saying if Kate Middleton is anti-gay or not.  But usually, just attending a wedding doesn't have anything to do with political rights, even if the hotel does.

Prince Harry and Prince William recently played in the Audio Polo Challenge on Saturday, May 31st.  Later this month, Prince Harry will taking a trip to South America to cheer on his National team in the World Cup in Brazil. 

That's all for the Royals!!

Daniel Radcliffe is currently performing on Broadway with the play The Cripple of  Inishmaan in New York until July 20th, 2014.   I've heard great things about it, and that its his best role  yet.  It's about a man who has to deal with living with polo disease.   On a funnier note,   Radcliffe will be starring in the newest  romantic  comedy, What If.  It's to hit theaters this August, and I am super to so excited to see it. Could he possibly the new Hugh Grant?!

Emma Watson has just recently graduated Brown University!   This girl is amazing,  she's finished a number of films and still managed to earn her college degree.    Now that college is over, what is Emma Watson up to?  She is already at work in a new film called Regression that is being filmed in Toronto, Canada, with co-star Ethan Hawke.

Rupert Grint can sing, apparently.   Well, if you're a dedicated fan like myself,  you would already know that.. Considering he  used a rap video of himself to audition for Harry Potter way back in 2000.   Nonetheless,   he will be featured on the Postman Pat soundtrack! It seems that he's doing well with his career choices!