#Stephen Cookson

[mariacallous]

Standing in a seemingly endless line of people donning Harris-Walz branded camouflage hats, pink knit beanies, and “Hotties for Harris” T-shirts, 36-year-old Jenn Cookson was brimming with excitement. 

“I’m just a die-hard Kamala fan and Walz fan,” said Cookson, an acquisitions specialist at the U.S. Defense Department, as she waited for U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s rally on Tuesday. “I’m not going to lie, when I see her speak today, I’m totally going to cry.”

Emotions are running high among American voters just days before the election on Nov. 5, which polls suggest will be a toss-up between Harris and former U.S. President Donald Trump. Both candidates are making their final pitches to galvanize potential voters—but their target audiences look quite different. 

Democrats and Republicans “are now engaged in a battle of the sexes,” said Jennifer Lawless, a political scientist at the University of Virginia. “This is the first time I can remember where they’re really not competing for the same voters at all,” she added. 

Gendered voting preferences are nothing new. For decades, women and men in the United States have differed in their political views, with women leaning Democratic over Republican, and young women in particular growing steadily more progressive while their male counterparts have remained the same. That split has been thrown into the spotlight this presidential election—the first since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022—as both Harris and Trump champion starkly different visions of womanhood and masculinity on the campaign trail.

“The Democrats are making it about abortion rights and about women’s rights in general,” Lawless said. “The Republicans are making it more about men being left behind and not being sufficiently supported by the Democratic administration.”

That approach has seen Trump’s team, known for its “grab ‘em by the pussy” and “childless cat ladies” comments, lean into hypermasculine messaging and often crude rhetoric about women and gender roles. In just the last few weeks, Trump has praised the size of Arnold Palmer’s genitalia and mocked CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who is gay, by calling him “Allison Cooper.” Last year, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse. Now, he is casting himself as a protector of women—“whether the women like it or not.” 

To court upward of tens of millions of largely young male potential voters, Trump has appeared on at least a dozen podcasts and shows with overwhelmingly male audiences, including the immensely popular Joe Rogan Experience. Stephen Miller, a top Trump advisor, built on that kind of messaging in an interview with Fox News, in which he remarked that a vote for Trump would be a stamp of manliness. 

“The best thing you can do is to wear your Trump support on your sleeve,” Miller said. “Show that you are a real man. Show that you are not a beta. Be a proud and loud Trump supporter and your dating life will be fantastic.”

It’s a vision of gender roles that stands in sharp contrast to that espoused by Harris, who has made reproductive rights a key feature of her campaign and uses the catchphrase “we are not going back”—including in a campaign ad that nodded to the women’s suffrage movement. Reproductive rights also dominated the conversation when Harris appeared on the popular podcast Call Her Daddy, which has an audience of some 5 million people, most of whom are women under the age of 45. 

“We are looking at, I think, different Americas depending on who wins here,” said Christine Matthews, a pollster who has worked for Republican candidates with expertise on swing voters, particularly those who are women. “The question is: Will there be enough women and men who agree that ‘we should not go back’ to propel Kamala Harris to victory?” 

If Harris is indeed propelled to victory, she would make history as the United States’ first woman president. But unlike former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who called attention to her gender when she ran for president in 2016, Harris has largely downplayed her identity on the campaign trail. 

“Political leaders are always performing their gender,” said Hilary Matfess, a political scientist at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies whose work focuses on political violence and gender dynamics. “It’s a little bit trickier for women to try and walk that tightrope—demonstrating that they’re strong, and tough, and masculine enough to get the job done without people thinking, ‘Oh, my god. She’s such an unrelatable bitch.’” 

Both Trump and Harris are rallying potential voters at a time when younger women across the United States have grown increasingly progressive in the past two decades. But their male counterparts—who tend to tilt conservative over liberal—have not shifted with them. 

Those patterns have long guided campaign strategies for Democrats and Republicans. The formula of success for Democrats “is to win women by more than we lose men,” said Celinda Lake, one of the two lead pollsters for the Biden campaign in 2020. “The Republican formula is the opposite: win men by more than they lose women.” 

That longstanding gap in presidential voting preferences between men and women largely tracks with what we’re seeing ahead of this election, experts and pollsters said, despite both candidates’ more targeted outreach. “Even though both campaigns are leaning heavily into messaging to one gender or the other, the overall gender gap is well within the norm,” Matthews said.

But those numbers could prove decisive in key swing states, where polls indicate that Harris has stronger support among women, while Trump has stronger support among men. Dawn Teele, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University, noted there are simply more women in many key battleground counties and that overall women voter turnout is slightly higher than men. 

“Even a small preference for the Democrats among women in some of these swing states, in some of these swing counties, can make a difference because there’s more of them,” she said. 

Women might broadly lean Democratic, but there remain deep divisions within the demographic, particularly along racial, age, location, and educational lines. Those dynamics were on display in both 2016 and 2020, when the majority of white women voted for Trump.  

One such voter is Maureen Sullivan of Hoboken, New Jersey, who made waves in 2016 for penning a New York Times op-ed explaining her decision to vote for Trump. As a white, college-educated, Catholic mother who grew up in a pro-union household, voting for Trump “was an easy choice,” she wrote, citing economic issues, school choice, and how he would “come into office less burdened by party loyalties.” 

Sullivan, who said she grew up in a traditional Democratic household but has mostly voted Republican, plans to back Trump again this year. “We’ve seen the world [become] a lot more dangerous place than it was when Trump was president,” Sullivan told Foreign Policy. Under a Trump administration, she would want to see low taxes, a strong economy, and changes with crime and the border, she said. 

“I just don’t think [Harris] has what it takes to be president,” said Sullivan, who noted that she watches the news constantly. She likened Harris to an “empty pantsuit.” “I try to find something in her that convinces me that she would make a decent president, and I just haven’t seen it. She can’t speak. She doesn’t seem to have any ideas. She certainly can’t communicate them if she does have ideas.” 

A recent poll found that nearly 60 percent of college-educated white women said they will back Harris this election. But 55 percent of white women and 70 percent of white men without college degrees said they will vote for Trump. 

And with just a few days to go before the election, both conservative and liberal women are already turning out in force. Women are already outpacing men in battleground states, resulting in a 10-point gender gap in early voting so far, Politico reported. 

While waiting in line to hear Harris’s speech on Tuesday, 51-year-old Renee Dotson, who works in local government, said that she was “glad” the Democratic presidential candidate was a woman of color. “But, like, more importantly than her gender and race is the current conditions that we’re facing as Americans right now and how that can really be diminished,” she said. 

“We’ve already had a taste of what presidency looks like under this other candidate, and there’s no need to revisit that,” she said. “Nothing good came from it.”

[weclassybouquetfun]

Thank goodness for Taron Egerton (and John) because how else would ever know what's going on with Edward Holcroft. This long absence - has he fallen into the sea? Got lost in the forest? We'd never know if it weren't for these random IG stories of Taron (and John) of Ed.

Where is Edward now? Who knows. What is known is that he won't be seen in FX's adaptation of NEVER LET ME GO because the project has been scrapped. So yes, another Holcroft Hiatus is in the offing.

I must admit I didn't really belive that Ed Holcroft account was legit but I was wrong.

Another missing KINGSMAN star is Colin Firth. Colin has been busy in the past couple of years with back-to-back projects (MOTHERING SUNDAY, EMPIRE OF LIGHT, THE STAIRCASE) and he even pops up in the romantic-comedy RYE LANE (currently in theaters in the UK, streaming on Hulu in the U.S). But he has nothing currently lined up according to IMDB - even the action-comedy NEW YORK WILL EAT YOU that he was attached to in 2020 is not listed.

-Now someone who will not stop working is Taron Egerton and I, for one, am happy for that.

He can currently be seen in the excellent AppleTV+'s film TETRIS produced by Matthew Vaughn's MARV Films.

Taron and costar Nikita Efremov are so great.

Taron has CARRY ON in post-production and is doing a three-peater with AppleTV+ by reteaming with the streamer and his BLACK BIRD creator Dennis Lehane for FIREBUG (which Egerton will also serve as executive producer).

What is it about?: "Written by Lehane and inspired by true events, Firebug will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (played by Rocketman star Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists."

Taron has donned his producer hat by acquiring the screen rights to Josh Silver's debut novel, the LGBTQ+ psychological thriller, "HappyHead". So far he has no plans to act in the project.

When Taron isn't working he's gassing people up, like his ROCKETMAN costar Kit Connor .

KINGSMAN ROLL CALL

-Mark Strong is another one who doesn't rest on his laurels. He can be currently seen on Netflix's MURDER MYSTERY 2 starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.

He also has 8 projects in various stages of production including the upcoming HBO Max series DUNE: THE SISTHERHOOD. But with the constant changes at WB/Disco(very) and the series director and one of the leads, Shirley Henderson, exiting the project, who Is to say that the series will ever happen.

Taron and Mark at a BAFTA party.

-Another KINGSMAN alum with 8 projects in various stages of production is Samuel L. Jackson. One of them being the upcoming DISNEY+ series SECRET INVASION.

He also has the Matthew Vaughn directed ARGYLLE starring Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell and DAMAGED starring the always intriguing Vincent Cassel

-Not a BAFTA party but Vanity Fair Oscar party, Sofia Boutella bumped into her former boss Madonna and her fellow former back-up dancers to Madge.

Boutella can be currently seen in Steven Knight's ROGUE HEROES and she will be in Zack Snyder's upcoming REBEL MOON.

-Sophia Cookson was recently seen in ITV's mini- THE CONFESSIONS of FRANNIE LANGTON and will be seen soon in Lee Tamahori's (ONCE WERE WARRIORS), EMPEROR in the lead role. The film also stars Adrien Brody and Bill Skarsgård. She also has STOCKHOLM BLOODBATH coming up.

Set pictures of Sophie and her little one.

Sophie's partner Stephen Campbell-Moore shares a daughter with ex-wife Claire Foy.

[hiddenwashington]

@ofxscavengcrs said : Was that [PARK JINYOUNG]? Oh no no, that was just [WILLIAM ‘BILL’ DENBROUGH], a [CANON CHARACTER] from [STEPHEN KINGS IT]. They are [TWENTY-TWO] years old, use [HE/HIM], and [ARE] aware that they are not actually from Washington DC. Too bad they can’t stray from this city for long. (hey it’s me!) && May I please reserve Paige Matthews? && If I could get some fc suggestions for her that would be perf

accepted! welcome to washington d.c. william 'bill' denbrough [park jinyoung]! please send in your account within 24 hours! please be sure to take a look at the checklist now that you've arrived! we look forward to seeing you around the city!  **paige matthews is now reserved for cici until 9/13 at 2:38 pm est! **and for fcs, you could consider: maddison brown, conor leslie, katie stevens, sophie cookson, rose williams, maya hawke, or sophie skelton!

[cesaray]

[jamesginortonblog]

James Norton as Stephen Ward in The Trial of Christine Keeler

[ulrichgebert]

Die reizende Lady von nebenan wird verhaftet, weil sie eine Spionin ist und den Russen wichtige geheime Hinweise zur Herstellung von Atomwaffen geliefert hat. Wegen der Gerechtigkeit und dem Weltfrieden. Alles ist genau so passiert.

[rebelcookiesoph]

Pregnant. Baby blessing. Wishing them well♥️

[agentnico]

Greed (2020) Review

Steve Coogan walks around cursing left and right. What else is new?

Plot: Greed tells the story of self-made British billionaire Sir Richard McCreadie, whose retail empire is in crisis. For 30 years he has ruled the world of retail fashion, bringing the high street to the catwalk and the catwalk to the high street. But after a damaging public inquiry, his image is tarnished. To save his reputation, he decides to bounce back with a highly publicized and extravagant party celebrating his 60th birthday on the Greek island of Mykonos.

A movie of good intentions that involuntarily digs itself into a hole due to its overly preachy message. Director Michael Winterbottom is no stranger towards satirizing and complaining against politics and the class system, but in the case of this black comedy, his message is so simplistic and in-your-face, with the movie even ending on a montage of statistics aimed at shaming the fashion industry and its use of sweatshop labour. This was wholly unnecessary as the story made this point without this tacked-on piece of activism. It just feels like Winterbottom doesn’t respect his audience enough in thinking they’re not intelligent enough to get the message themselves, especially when the message within the movie is loud and clear. Also, I say simplistic due to the movie lacking a sense of urgency, risk, substance, and resonance. We all know that the very wealthy and powerful mostly made that wealth through ruthlessness, this is an old, tired narrative now. At least one has to try and to do something new with this. Instead, we just get Steve Coogan walking around for an hour and a half telling various people to go f*** themselves in his typical witty manner. Boy, ain’t that original!! Really sticking it to the man there, Mr. Winterbottom!

Filled to the brim with silly plot developments and cheap sentiment, Greed never knows what exactly it wants to be. There’s a lot of comedy thrown in here, though I didn’t find a lot of it that funny in all honesty, and then there are more serious dramatical elements thrown in and it doesn’t blend well. You know how the new Best Picture winner Parasite shined in blending completely different genres together so seamlessly whilst still having its message about the social class system, though not bashed over your head about it? Well, Greed is the opposite of that. I mean, it’s not horrible. It’s an okay watch with some amusing moments, mostly from Coogan’s one-liners (an entire gag revolving around the colour of fuchsia had me in stitches), but overall this movie will be forgotten in no time.

Overall score: 4/10

[maysshortmoviereviews]

Red Joan (2019)

The story of Joan Stanley, who was exposed as the KGB's longest-serving British spy.

The trailer for this film has all the best bits from the film. It is all over the place and has far too many flashbacks. The story is mostly about the character’s love life and there is absolutely no debt to the story or characters. 

Judi Dench is hardly in this film! Criminal as far as I am concerned!

Avoid.

[mymoviedump]

Red Joan

To change the world, she betrayed her country. 

English born Joan Stanley, a Soviet and communist party sympathizer, becomes employed as a British government civil servant, and gets recruited by the KGB in the mid 1930s. She successfully transfers nuclear bomb secrets to the Soviet Union (Russia), which enables them to keep up with the west in the development of atomic weapons, and remains undetected as a spy for over a half a century.

[andrewsmoviereviews]

Red Joan (2019)

Plot: The true-life tale of Joan Stanley (Judi Dench), who in her younger days (Sophie Cookson) was privy to British research into the atomic bomb - which she leaked to the Russians.

Review: The story behind Red Joan is not only true, but truly interesting. It’s just a shame that its potential is ruined by a dull and procedural movie.

We start off with elderly Joan, played by Dame Judi Dench, being dragged off by the police having been accused of spying for the Russians just after the second world war. We then get flashback scenes to a young Joan, played by Sophie Cookson of the Kingsman series, with the more recent interrogation used as a framing device for the story. So we have a young Joan getting entangled with people from the Communist society at university, watching videos with them and the like, and embarking on a torrid affair with Leo (Tom Hughes), Russian / German Jew who backs his country regardless.

All of this makes it sound more interesting and intriguing than it is. There is little in the way of tension, the story retold in an uninspired, pedestrian manner. Possibly the only reason the certificate is so high is a flash of nipple halfway through the film, and they probably could have lowered the rating anyway - it’s unlikely youngsters will want to go and see this. As she gets taken on the atomic bomb project and then has another affair with her boss - who later becomes her husband - it all sounds like it carries much more life about it than it actually has.

Joan’s motivations were apparently to achieve world peace by ensuring nobody was ahead or behind anybody else - something the lack of a world war since would indicate was the case. Whether you believe this version of events is up to you, but it would have been nice to here a detective put another version to her, even if it gets refuted straight away.

[bluecollarfilm]

Red Joan (2019)

The year is 2000 and Joan Stanley is living in contented retirement in suburbia at the turn of the millennium. Her tranquil life is suddenly disrupted when she's arrested by MI5 and accused of providing intelligence to Communist Russia. Cut to 1938 where Joan is a Cambridge physics student who falls for young communist Leo Galich and through him, begins to see the world in a new light.

Working at a top-secret nuclear research facility during WWII, Joan comes to the realization that the world is on the brink of mutually assured destruction. Confronted with an impossible question – what price would you pay for peace? - Joan must choose between betraying her country and loved ones or saving them.

Directed by:   Trevor Nunn

Starring:   Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Stephen Campbell Moore, Tom Hughes

Release date:   April 19, 2019

[moviescramble]

Red Joan - Review

Red Joan – Review

The idea of a “granny spy” seems utterly ridiculous. But, of course, Red Joan, is not focusing on the elderly woman tending her garden. It wants you to think about what the OAP in question got up to during her youth. And, in Joan Stanley’s case, she was passing British nuclear secrets to the Russians during the thick of World War Two.

Based on the real-life case of Melita Norwood, a highly valued…

[foxspeterpan]