#rada audition

[justforbooks]

Jeannette Charles

The Queen’s most famous lookalike, who enjoyed a long career in film and television thanks to their uncanny resemblance

In 1972, Jeannette Charles was in her mid-40s and settling down to life in an Essex village, having returned, with her husband, Ken, from Libya. They had been living there for some years, but left following the army coup led by Muammar Gaddafi.

On reading about the artist Jane Thornhill in a local newspaper, Charles decided to commission a painting of herself for her husband’s birthday. Thornhill asked whether she could submit it for the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition in London, but when she did, the venerable institution returned the picture, believing it to be a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and having been told by Buckingham Palace that the monarch had not sat for it.

The resulting publicity began a new chapter in the life of Charles, who would spend the next 40 years as the Queen’s most famous lookalike, and who has died aged 96. She appeared on British television and in Hollywood films, alongside stars such as Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley and Mike Myers, and also modelled for Spitting Image when the satirical TV show was making the Queen’s puppet.

Charles said of her uncanny resemblance to the monarch, whom she never met: “We both have the same bone structure, so the same style of makeup and hairdressing suits us best. But I’m 2 inches shorter than her, so my clothes wouldn’t always look well on her and vice versa.”

She also made personal appearances – opening shops, handing out gifts with the flamboyant piano virtuoso Liberace and presenting a silver disc to the rock group Queen – and Muhammad Ali put in a special request to have a photograph taken with her. Commercials kept her busy, too, but Charles insisted: “I am not an actress. I only do the one role.”

Her first job as the Queen was posing for a London Weekly Advertiser poster that featured her reading a paper, with a stuffed corgi at her feet. However, London Transport, which was due to display it on buses and Tube trains, objected and never used it. Charles said it was a lesson: “too real … a little vulgar”. She insisted she was a staunch royalist, and told the Guardian in 2022: “I would never do anything that reflected badly on the monarch or myself. Over the years, I’ve turned down large sums to pose for Page 3-type pictures and insisted I should never be introduced as the Queen when making appearances.”

Jeannette was born in London, 18 months after Princess Elizabeth, to Yetta (nee Wonsoff), who was Dutch, of Polish descent, and Alfred Clark, a chef, later restaurateur, and was brought up in Perivale, Middlesex. Her resemblance to the future monarch was spotted when she was still a child. She recalled: “On a trip to Greenwich when I was 11 or 12, a photographer asked if he could use me in some shots, saying, ‘She looks like Princess Elizabeth.’ Later, I’d draw crowds, especially abroad, and sometimes had to run away.”

After leaving Wembley high school, she took a job as a secretary and spent evenings acting with an amateur group in Acton. She dreamed of acting professionally, and passed an audition to train at Rada, but could not afford the fees. Instead, she emigrated to the US at the age of 24 and settled in Midland, Texas.

While working there as an au pair, she met Ken Charles, a British oil drilling engineer with BP. His work took him to Canada – where they married in Alberta in 1957 – and then to South America and Libya.

They returned to Britain in 1969 and, when regal fame came to Charles, she found herself travelling the world again. At home, her early screen appearances were in the sketch shows Rutland Weekend Television (1975), with Eric Idle and Neil Innes, Spike Milligan’s Q series (from 1976 to 1980), and Not the Nine O’Clock News (1980). She was also in sitcoms such as Mind Your Language (1978) and Never the Twain (1990), and jetted to the US for a 1977 appearance on Saturday Night Live.

When Hollywood came calling, she put on the royal tiara to appear in National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985). In The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), she was seen flat on her back with Nielsen on top of her as they slide down a royal banqueting table – when his inept detective believes the Queen is about to be assassinated and jumps to her rescue. For Charles, another highlight of filming that wacky movie was being invited to Presley’s trailer for lunch. “We became good friends,” she said.

She was back in Hollywood for The Parent Trap (1998), with Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson, and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), when she mistook its star, Myers, for a crew electrician on first meeting him.

Alongside chat shows, corporate events, fete openings and other appearances, she appeared in Motörhead’s music video promoting their version of the Sex Pistols song God Save the Queen in 2000.

Charles’s autobiography, The Queen & I, was published in 1986.

Her husband died in 1997. She is survived by their three children, David, Peter and Carol, and her sister, Delinda.

🔔 Jeannette Dorothea Louise Charles, lookalike, born 15 October 1927; died 2 June 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[militantinremission]

Vivek Ramaswami: The Perils of 'Race Neutrality'

Vivek Ramaswami's interview w/ Ann Coulter killed many birds w/ One Stone. Her blatant Racism & his acceptance of it spoke Volumes. Vivek has been pushing an Anti- Black Narrative for several years; I have personally said that he WILL become a victim of the Institutionalized Racism that he marginalized & dismissed. Ann Coulter is NO DUMMY! She tested his 'Race Neutral' stance from the start of the Interview. When she told him Point Blank that she agrees w/ him on many issues, but won't vote for him because he's 'Indian', Vivek didn't blink. He later commented that he 'respected her Courage to speak honestly'(???). THIS is what separates Black Americans from 'Brownfolk', & why ANY Black & Brown Coalition is just a pipe dream.

I have said a few times that Black Immigrants & Brownfolk don't have the same experience as Black Americans. We have an American Experience of Institutionalized Systemic Racism that has endured for Centuries. From the American Constitution, to Local Law, legislation has been put in place w/ the intent of marginalizing Black America as a Collective. For example: Property Taxes are lower & Insurance Rates are higher in Black Communities, compared to similar situations (same Property Lot size, same Vehicle) in Non Black Communities. This is by legislative design. 'People Of Color' don't share that experience. Like Irish, Italian, & Eastern European Immigrants, these Folks experienced a Period of 'Social Hazing' by the Mainstream, but are eventually included into American Society. They know Discrimination & Prejudicial Bias, but few experience the level of Systemic Racism that Black America faces daily.

Vivek Ramaswami's Case is worth noting. He's a 2nd generation American- a child of Brahmin Parents; both w/ Post Graduate Degrees (like Nimrata 'Nikki' Haley & Kamala Harris). He was born & raised in Ohio, attended Private School, & was able to amass Hundreds of Millions of Dollars at QVT Financial (managing their Biotech Division). By all accounts, Vivek is living The American Dream. His brief Public School Experience in Cincinnati has obviously affected his view of Black Americans. He has gone out of his way to slander the Black American Experience; marginalizing Our History & Our Struggle, but his Family arrived in the 1980s. He positioned himself in Conservative Politics & rose to prominence spewing Anti- Black rhetoric. Conservative News Media Outlets gave him a wave to ride, but he Wiped Out in the Iowa Primary.

Despite visiting all 99 Counties, Ramaswami received a meager Return on his Investment. Iowans liked his talking points, but weren't comfortable w/ his Religion (Hinduism) or his 'Brown Skin'. The conversations that his Wife had w/ Iowan Voters were cringe worthy! Many looked her in the eye & stated their mistrust of his 'dark complexion' & questionable Christian Values; this despite Vivek touting his Jesuit Education non-stop on the Campaign Trail. Black Americans (other than Sen. Tim Scott) would've been insulted, but Vivek & his Wife apparently took it on the chin. He dropped out of the Race after Iowa, & predictably kissed the ring of Donald Trump. Throughout his Presidential Bid, Vivek Ramaswami sounded like he was auditioning for the Office of Vice President more than President.

Donald Trump recently had an Event at Mar A Lago that Media is calling a 'Vice Presidential Sweepstakes'. Ramaswami was among those being considered. It appears that his interview w/ Ann Coulter was an effort to beef up his Social Capital among MAGA Republicans, but Coulter deflated his Trial Balloon before he could reach a proper threshold. I personally find it comical. Vivek got so wrapped up in his perceived White Privilege, that he didn't realize what he REALLY had was Anti- Black Privilege. He thought that his wealth put him in the Ballpark, but didn't realize that most Americans don't know much about Hedge Funds or Biotech. Vivek literally flew beneath the radar, but his glaringly Non- White features overshadowed his rhetoric.

Like most 'People Of Color', Vivek Ramaswami failed to understand that AmeriKKKa sees him & his demographic as nothing more than a 'Buffer Group'. Their arrogance & smugness towards Us, blinds them to the fact that they are tools of Benign Neglect Policies; set up solely for the purpose of marginalizing Black American efforts to exercise a Right of Expression... Middle Class & Poor Whitefolk are becoming aware of just how much money this demographic earns; i'm anticipating a pushback at some point. AmeriKKKa IS NOT a Democracy, it's a White Supremacist Capitalist Republic. In This Land, The Wealthy Rule & Wealthy Whitefolk (i e. WASPS) are at the top of the Totem Pole... To date, the average Asian American Family earns more than the average White American Family. Black America knows FULL WELL what happens when Whitefolk begin to think that a Non- White Population may B outperforming them. For their own sake, Latinx & Black Immigrants should pay close attention.

When We factor in the Sabre Rattling between The U.S. & China over Commerce & Taiwan, plus rising tension between The U.S. & Hindustan/ Bharat over alleged Election Tampering, there may B some blow back on Asian Americans; especially during a Time of Economical Uncertainty- think Japanese Americans during WW2... Chattel Slavery has provided Black Americans w/ a unique perspective that Immigrants don't have. Whitefolk regarded Us as Sub Human (3/5ths of Humanity), so they weren't discrete about their actions around Us. This gives Us an intimate understanding of HOW AmeriKKKa moves. We warned these 'People of Color' about the folly of Race Neutrality, as We warned Poor Whitefolk about the folly of choosing White Privilege over Progressive Politics 135Yrs ago (i.e. The Populist Movement). NO ONE took heed to Our Prophecy- that American Capitalism WILL come for them, once We're neutralized. As always, it's Profit over People.

-The pendulum swings both ways.

[dulcewrites]

which universities would hotd characters (+myrah and fmo reader) go to in your opinion?

I based this on mainly based on English/European schools but I can do a part 2 with American schools if that’s something y’all care about

Alicent - an Oxford girlie. Probably went to expensive all girls boarding schools most of her life till university. I see her going to school for economics. Idk I think Alicent would like numbers. They are to the point and analytical in a way she would appreciate. I think otto probably went there too.

Viserys, Aemond, Daemon, Daeron - Cambridge. Most of the men in the Targs have gone to Cambridge. They all go under some sort of business/entrepreneurial or law track

Rhaenyra - goes to one of the best out of the country. Maybe Edinburgh or ETH Zurich. English degree with a minor in business.

Aegon - he’s a bit of wild card. I think his parents would make him go regardless. But where…. Hmmm. On one hand, I could see him going the nyra route and going out of the country. Maybe like university of Amsterdam. If he has to go, might as well do it on his terms. But I could also see him craving Alicent’s approval and going to Cambridge instead. I think she’d be happy if one of her kids when to alma mater. Idk what he would like to study 💀. He’s a lot of smart than people give him credit for tho

Helaena - she’s another person I could see doing a lot of things. I could see her going a more traditional school route (like a st andrews) and going into writing. Idk Helaena gives me journalist or creative writer vibes. She likes shifting the focus from herself to her subjects. I could also see her going to a more artistic minded school (in my og modern fcc headcanon her and myrah go to the same school). Royal college of art or University of the Arts London. She likes photography and nature. So she combines the two

Myrah - this depends on the which universe we are talking about. Og modern fcc universe myrah probably gets a scholarship to one of the arts schools i mentioned in Helaena’s section. Oxford also has a good art program and do kind of like the idea of Aemond bringing home a girl that went to school his mom went to. Very momma’s boy of him. Broadway (or west end) myrah could be RADA or LAMDA girl. If she didn’t get a scholarship, I could see her parents advising her to get a more traditional degree in something she could fall back while she auditions and stuff. I still see myrah being an arist in the fools rush in au so same applies to before.

Fmo reader - hmmm she’s a ~material gworl~ and maybe by this point Aemond hasn’t ruined her life 💀 so the world is her oyster. I could see her going to america. She gives off American mom, British dad vibes idk how to explain it. This also depends on the universe. The first modern fmo thing I did, I had her going down a medical/research path. So maybe Stanford or UCSF. I could see her thrive in Cali. In England, *sigh* I could see her meeting Aemond at Cambridge. Now djats fmo reader probably stays in Europe. Maybe London College of Fashion or Royal College of Art

[head-post]

Zelensky to raise salaries for Ukraine’s Accounting Chamber amid US, IMF request

Member of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) Nina Yuzhanina reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law on reforming the Ukrainian Accounting Chamber, as insisted by the US and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to Ukrainian media.

According to the legislation, the salaries of Accounting Chamber members will be raised. The annual salary of the chamber chairman is set at 4.3 million hryvnias ($103,000), advisers at 1.9 million hryvnias ($45,600) each.

State auditors would earn from 1.9 million hryvnias ($45,600) to 2.8 million hryvnias ($67,200). Members of the chamber would receive 3.8 million hryvnias ($91,200) each, Yuzhanina stressed.

We can’t live like this.

Experts warned that the move was aimed at gaining loyalty from auditors. This was done for making desired reports and figures, as well as political manipulation, they alleged.

Yuzhanina stressed that the members of the Accounting Chamber, their advisers, the secretary, his deputy, and state auditors would not be held accountable for the upcoming audits after signing the law.

According to the Law on Public Service, a total of about 500 people would be exempted from responsibility, which was contrary to the country’s constitution, the deputy said.

In October, Ukrainian media reported about the formation of a new financial elite in the country amid forced mobilisation. Media outlets compiled a list of the biggest corrupt officials, revealing a mobilisation evasion scheme worth more than $1 million. Military enlistment officers were accused of illegal enrichment on a particularly large scale and acquisition of elite real estate abroad.

Read more HERE

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

Ashes & Ink

November 1, 2024 | Off-Broadway | AMT Theatre | Evening | Play | Original | 1H 30M

Within the first five minutes, I began to wonder who Kathryn Erbe owed a favor to. She's not even getting Equity rates. A sloppy and lumbering play packed with too many traumas and social issues, this piece reads very much like an emerging playwright's college assignment. And look, the playwright is new to the game. This is her first dip into stageplays, and it shows.

Molly (Erbe) is a struggling single mother whose husband is dead, sister is going blind, and son is a relapsing addict. And her boyfriend is a widower with a young son who's proving to be his own handful. It's a lot to heap on to a weakly-crafted character. The writing is repetitive, and the dialogue awkward and unnatural. Each character seems to have the same inexplicable verbosity, and they're all painted with such underdeveloped strokes that it's difficult to form any emotional attachment. There are over a dozen short scenes, most of which do little to advance characterization or plot, and each transition requires tedious set shifts back and forth, back and forth, that hamper any dramatic tension. They're also entirely too repetitive, showcasing the same basic premise in slightly different but equally ineffective ways. The two women try their best to imbue the text with some semblance of anything, but even they struggle, and the sister role should have been cut entirely. The other three actors are non-equity and inexperienced, to say the least. The little boy has the excuse of being a child, and was charming enough. But the young man playing Molly's son is far from the gifted actor he's meant to portray. The character delivers two monologues as auditions to RADA (a prestigious London theatre program) that are supposed to be good enough for him to get in, but they're...not. At all.

Kathryn Erbe delivers one decent monologue, but it's placed so far back in the story that it doesn't serve any purpose. It might've made a decent opener, but even then... The play just isn't up to snuff just yet. It needs significant editing, and guidance from more experienced professionals. As it stands, it remains ineffective in portraying the multitude of issues it presents, attempting to tackle too many and failing at each turn.

Verdict: A Long Slog to Curtains

A Note on Ratings

[kelayya]

Crowded Week

Minggu kemarin bener-bener minggu tersibuk sih, sekaligus seru :D Dimulai dari malem jumat, akutuh iseng ajak dia tryout (biar dia pusingnya ples ples :p) wkwkwk tapi dia bilang, "mending kamu yg ngerjain tar aku next aja" aku nyeletuklah "mending nobar :p" eh dia seriusin dong wkwkk dia langsung ajarin aku download anydesk dan minta login akun netflix ibunyaa wkwk walau akhirnya pake website ilegal :p dia pastiin aku nontonnya nyaman, suaranya clear :)) pas filmnya kurang seru, dia inisiatif buat ganti film dan itu approved by aku ternyataaa means seleranya nyambung xD jadilaah kami nonton dari jam setengah 8 sampe jam setengah 10 huehehe so much fun :)) besok paginyaaa dia izin ga masuk kerja biar bisa main sama aku seharian huhu aku dijemput di dalem stasiun, ditungguu. keknya baru kali ini aku ditungguin kedatangannya selain sama keluarga :')) terus kami ke kampus B, nungguin dia jumatan, dan cuss ke GM. di GM tuh kami mam sushi tei, pertama kali mam itu dan cukup amaze sih ternyata aku doyan hahahaha kemaren tuh pesen : spicy beef nabe & chicken teriyaki salad sesame dressing terus kami mulai main Kartu Tentang Kita lagii. Kali ini edisi pdkt :p ada beberapa point yg aku dapet sih : 1. 5 tahun kedepan, dia udah membayangkan nikah 2. Dia rasa, 2-3 tahun itu adalah waktu yang pendek (terutama untuk berkarir yah). Dan surprisingly kaget pas tau aku ada rencana nikah di usia 30 or 31 tahun maksimal. 3. Dia berharap : kami berdua bisa sama2 naik pendapatannya wkwkwk 4. Anw tentang improvement, dia kemarin ditawari atasan untuk pindah ke Accounting Service. Karena bagian Audit yang sekarang tuh kliennya sedikit. Dan dia rencana untuk mendalami posisi itu sekitar 2 tahun. Kemarin tuh banyak bahas soal my past, aku rada belum siap sebetulnya karna setiap membahas itu aku tidak bisa menjelaskan dengan baik. entah karena aku cuman inget sakitnya, atau emang udah lupa. Cukup lama kami di GM kemaren, dari jam 1 sampai jam 8 malam. dari yg full tenaganya sampe bener-bener cape hahaha Pulangnya, aku dianter ke Petra. Tbh i have no expectation on him already cz aku tau dia gapernah pacaran dan gapunya sodara. Jadi kurasa acts of service nya kurang. Tapi engga dong huhu Pas kami nungguin gojek di indomaret, dia tau kan aku kewalahan bayar. Dia inisiatif untuk bantu bawa hpku, minumku :') Dia juga pastiin gojekku bener terus diliatnya akuu peergi :'D small things matter yah:') hari itu akan jadi hal yg memorable untuk dikenang. makasih yaahhhh <3 aku tau perjalanan kita masih panjangg banget. tapi semoga selama perjalanan itu, kita berdua dikelilingi kebahagiaan satu sama lain ya. yg ini, tolong jadikan happy ending ya allah <3 Pss : Kemarin pas dia mau berangkat cuti, dia bilang kalau Ibunya tuh ngajak aku untuk makan bareng di luar. Tapi dia gajawab karna takut ketawan xD wkwkwkwk

[abhrodeepnag-posts]

A friend of Volodymyr Zelensky’s family has become the head of Ukraine’s top anti-corruption body

The Ukrainian parliament has appointed Olga Pishchanskaya, who was Zelensky’s neighbor in Krivoy Rog, as chairwoman of the Accounting Chamber, the country’s supreme auditing institution. Verkhovna Rada deputy Irina Gerashchenko called it “a disgrace and nepotism.”

Peschanskaya’s sister Svetlana is a friend of the president’s wife Elena Zelenskaya. Journalistic investigations have shown that the Zelensky family’s villa in Italy is registered in Svetlana’s name. She was also among the donors to the president's election campaign.

The Accounting Chamber is a state body that, on behalf of the Rada, exercises control over the flow of funds into the state budget of Ukraine and their use.

[remenar]

[Sažetak] Investments Unlimited - Helen Beal

Čitali ste The Phoenix Project? Fantastična knjiga o DevOps i Agile kulturi i metodologiji. Stručna literatura pisana u obliku romana. Čita se pitko a opet dovoljno stručna. Nastavlja se romanom The Unicorn Project koja je orijentirana više prema razvojnim timovima. I zadnja u nizu je ova knjiga - Investments Unlimited. Tematika knjige je financijska organizacija, Investments Unlimited - IUI, koja se nakon uspješne digitalne transformacije i agilizacije našla u nezavidnoj situaciji - u izvanrednoj reviziji nakon što nisu uspjeli dokazati regulatoru da vladaju rizikom agilnog načina rada. U okruženju koje omogućava rapidan razvoj i česte isporuke u produkcijska okruženja teško je udovoljiti svim regulatornim zahtjevima a ujedno održati velocity isporuka. I dok dio organizacija već je usvojio DevSecOps model, rijetke organizacije razmišljaju o Governance, Risk, Audit i Compliance problematici u startu novog produkta ili u prvim koracima build pipelinea. Shift-Left on Governance, Risk and Compliance. Kroz knjigu, autori pokušavaju prikazati kako postići taj kulturološki pomak u funkcioniranju organizacije promjenom procesa i primjenom automatizacija. Napraviti sažetak za roman je vrlo teško. Nadam se da ću vas motivirati da pročitate cijelu knjigu. Isplati se i ne zahtijeva duboku koncentraciju. Ipak je roman :)

"IT Governance is hard" "This book tells the story of Investments Unlimited, Inc., a fictional company in the financial sector" "The goal of this book is to help enterprises radically rethink governance and how software is build inside the enterprise" "Controls are very sterile, but promises - well, no one wants to break a promise" "Everyone agreed unequivocally that segregation of duties is a joke. It doesn't work" "We assume that just because the code deployer belongs to another role, there will be no risk, or less risk" "Now, if we take away elevated production access from every developer and ensure that every code change is peer reviewed before production deployment, we will have the best way to mitigate that risk that you mention Jada. The key is enforcing the peer review process" "Diffusion of responsibility reefers to a situation where as number of bystanders increases, the personal responsibility that an individual bystander feels decreases" "That's why our software engineering process failed us: we only considered Development and Operations, Dev and Ops, not Security, Compliance, or Risk. This was our big failing" "First guiding policy: if the rest of these policies are abided by, than you can bypass the IUI manual change approval process and go straight to production" "Second guiding policy: complete automation must be implemented for capturing evidence of quality, risk mitigation, and compliance for software and it's delivery process. The only manual process is peer review, which is a must when software is being designed and developed" "Third guiding policy: security and compliance requirements are as important as functional requirements, and hence all software product teams must involve Security, Risk, Compliance and Audit teams to identify those requirements from day one" "Fourth guiding policy: the software budget. A budgeting system, similar to a financial budget, will be established to track our deficit in quality, risk, compliance and audit. When a budget has been exhausted, the team cannot work any new features and must pay down the debt completely. This budget will be available for anyone in the company to see at any time"

Dodatne poveznice

Goodreads: Investments Unlimited Amazon: Investments Unlimited Blackwells: Investments Unlimited

Video materijali

Preuzimanje sažetka

PDF: Investments Unlimited - PDF MOBI: Investments Unlimited - MOBI EPUB: Investments Unlimited - EPUB Read the full article

[phoebeboard]

Finally received an email from RADA and, as expected, it was a rejection. It's really nicely worded, I think. Wishing luck in my acting career, being positive, apologetic, offering no place 'this year' but not suggesting it won't happen in future... etc. So so so happy that they put me out of my misery, at last. I really needed this, so I could move on and make a note of where I went wrong, ready for next time. The next challenge awaits!

[dramaschoolblogs-blog]

Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD) audition @ Vermont Hotel (Newcastle), March 2018

If I’m being completely honest, I thought I’d love Guildhall; I really did. I admire so many of their alumni and even have friends there. That said, this school; from the get-go, just wasn’t for me.

We started with a warm-up, but, I mean, they said we weren’t being assessed but it totally felt like we were. As opposed to quelling our nerves, for me, it just heightened them — I felt as if they were judging how far we could stretch; and, to be real, the panel straight up humiliated this little 17-year old that was noticeably very anxious. We were made to line-up, come to the centre, and then tell them about something we love, something we hate, and then speak a line of our Shakespeare. But this poor girl couldn’t find the centre of the room without glancing at her feet and they totally just ripped her for it… it just wasn’t cool.

We stretched, spoke our speeches in a circle; basically just the usual jazz you do in acting class (but with the intense pressure of a drama school panel hawking over your every move).

After the thirty minute warm-up, we went off and waited to be called up for our speeches. I was fifth, which was fine, I guess.

So, I went in said hello and they let me do my first speech, uninterrupted. Then 1/3 or so through my second speech I got some redirection, then some more, and then some more. Actually, I didn’t get halfway through before they cut me off and asked for my song. I went for it and totally bombed the thing, I mean, the panel were cringing whilst I was singing (yes, it was that bad). I was stopped halfway through, told to run around the room and do it again (it was still dead as fuck). They sat me down for my interview where they asked me all these really specific questions: “what’s the difference between stand-up and acting?”, I replied, they then asked me to elaborate and I just choked — another one was something like “tell us your favourite syllogism...” and my mind just blanked, I sat there just sinking into the chair (lol); trying to push out something intellectual and I really couldn’t, oh God! It was so fucking awful. Then came the normal questions “what have you been doing? etc. etc.” As I was in the middle of telling them they asked for my third speech, I gave it; there was some redirection, then they asked for my song again and my second speech after that. We then resumed the interview and that was that.

The moment I left the room I knew I’d fucked that audition. I mean, yeah, it was kinda fun; really intense, but ultimately I knew the school was not for me.

After about an hour they came in and told us that nobody had been recalled and that was it. It’s a really weird school, I’m also probably salty as it’s my first rejection this season (crazy, I know!) but hey, at least I know not to audition next year. That school totally ain’t for me haha.

Oh well, onwards and upwards!

[scotianostra]

Happy 75th Birthday Denis Lawson born September 27, 1947 in Glasgow. and Kinross Star Wars connections here, Lawson’s nephew is, of course, Ewan McGregor, who portrayed Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel trilogy.and he was also an early drama school classmate of Ian McDiarmid, aka Emperor Palpatine in movie franchise.

Lawson t grew up in Crieff, Perthshire, after his family moved there when he was three years old. He is the son of Phyllis Neno, a merchant, and Laurence Lawson, a watchmaker Denis was educated at Crieff Primary School (then called Crieff Public School). After the 11-plus examination, he attended Morrison's Academy as a day pupil before attending the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, having first unsuccessfully auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He then sold carpets and did amateur theatre work for a year in Dundee before auditioning again at RADA in London and successfully at RSAMD in Glasgow.

Lawson began his acting career with a small role in a 1969 stage production of The Metamorphosis in London's West End. and has since starred in television dramas such as The Merchant of Venice  opposite Laurence Olivier as Shylock, Rock Follies and Dead Head.

Denis has been in too many other TV shows to mention, from the original Dr. Finlay’s Casebook and of course with almost every other Scottish actor he has starred in a Bill Forsyth film, his being Local Hero, but unusually he has never been in Taggart, his last film role of note was in the Glasgow Gangster film, The Wee Man, Denis was in 61 episodes of the long running hospital drama, Holby City as consultant cardiothoracic surgeon Tom Campbell-Gore and 37 episodes of the crime drama New Tricks. In 2017 he played The Duke of Atholl in the series Victoria.

In Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope his voice was dubbed by David Ankrum. He reprised the role, in voice-over form, in the Nintendo GameCube game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader. Lawson’s voice also provided the narration for the audio book of Heir to the Empire and Dark Force Rising in both novels, he reprised his role as Wedge Antilles as well as playing all characters.

Lawson turned down Lucas’s proposal to make a cameo as Raymus Antilles in Revenge of the Sith.

Lawson was approached to return for Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, but declined, stating that it “just would have bored [him].”he did however resurface in The Rise of Skywalker and voiced  Wedge Antilles  in the Video game Star Wars: Squadrons

Denis has been quiet for onscreen roles lately, but he has been treading the boards, his last show was  Anything Goes at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh last spring. 

​No stranger to Edinburgh, it was here that Lawson spent some of the formative years of his career working at both the Royal Lyceum and old Traverse in the Grassmarket, where he trained with the legendary dancer, actor, teacher, mime artist, and choreographer, Lindsay Kemp.

His childhood heroes were silver screen stars like Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire.“American Vaudeville kind of people,” he clarifies, “That's what made me want to perform. I wanted to be like them and Anything Goes is that 'front-cloth' vaudevillian-style show and I just love it. It's fantastic - musical theatre has always been a strong part of my career."

So strong, if fact, he won an Olivier Award for his performance as Jim Lancaster in the musical, Mr Cinders.

On his nephew, Ewan, Denis has clarified the line that he tried to talk MacGregor out of the Star Wars role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, saying;

“Ewan likes to say that, but it wasn't like that at all. He was young at the time and it's easy in this profession to get pigeon-holed, so all I said to him was to just be careful. To make sure he really wanted to do it. It was great that he did it and ignored ‘my advice’ and he was fantastic in it. He is an amazing talent.”

It's Lawson we have to thank for encouraging that talent and he remembers, "My sister Carol came to me and said that Ewan, who was eight at the time, had something to tell me. He stood in front of me very seriously and said, 'I want to be an actor.' And I said, ‘Fine, well come back to me in a few years and we will discuss it’. As with me, it never went away and I am immensely proud of what he has done.”

[zozybee]

RADA Audition - First Round

Speeches:

Juliet - Romeo and Juliet “Shall I speak ill of him...”

Anna - The Angry Brigade by James Graham

Luciana - Comedy of Errors “And may it be that you have quite forgot...”

My second attempt at the big four letters and my first audition of my 5th year! It was back in 2015 that I first applied to RADA, and I have no good reason as to why I didn’t re-apply in the following years other than AUDITIONS ARE EXPENSIVE.

Today I was in school until 2pm rehearsing for A Doll’s House (which I am performing tomorrow morning!), so it was a bit hectic to get to my audition relaxed and composed, for 3pm. Nevertheless I made it with my hair still in tact and my cheeks not too pink.

We were shown to a room upstairs when everyone had arrived, and Dee (admissions) returned our application forms for us to add our speeches to the back for the panelists. Half of the group were taken to the other building which left four of us in the studio. Sometimes I find it’s nice to have your own space and focus in without company, but the guys I sat with were in similar boats to me- one girl had done a Foundation Diploma at East 15 and was 25, another was 21 and knew girls in my year at LAMDA from NYT and she had auditioned previously. Ewan was 29 and Scottish, with a degree in Philosophy, who applied when he was 17/18 but didn’t get in, so he changed his path and became a teacher, but is now wanting to act again. It’s not that it bothers me at all when first-time-auditionees talk to me, but it was rather refreshing to sit with people who could empathise with coming back and continuing to fight the struggle.

We waited for quite some time, so I was glad to be first in. Perth (I think was his name), the graduate who was stewarding, said I could use him for a body to talk to, however because in recent weeks I’ve really been working on personalising my monologues and seeing the other person, I decided my imaginary Nurse would be sufficient today. It was nice to have the offer of someone to play the character you’re speaking to though.

Anyway, I’ll stop rambling... maybe. I had a guy (in his 30s called Rob?) and a slightly older woman called Louise (I think?) whom was rather glamorous, on my panel. They were both very welcoming and shook my hand as I sat down. They asked me what I’d been up to since I first applied to RADA in 2015 - I spoke about Project A (the one year course I did in Newcastle) and then working as an actor for a year before coming to London and studying at LAMDA. It was great to have a lot to talk about. THEN (finally) I did my speeches!

They asked me to stand quite far back in the room, as expected, and I started with Juliet. I took plenty of time to see the Nurse and hear Juliet’s cue before speaking and started strongly. My voice was in quite good shape from a good warm up earlier on in the day, and I also had chance to run my speeches in a studio at school before I ventured to my audition. I took my time and let each thought land, which I was sort of proud of myself for; I didn’t let my nerves get the better of me in my speeches and all the work I had put in came to fruition naturally. There were occasional moments where I felt myself becoming aware of the panel, but for the most part I was completely focused and not distracted, which was a great improvement for me. Jimmy (the head of my course at LAMDA) told me yesterday, bring what you have on the day, do the work and that is enough. If they like you, they like you, if they don’t, no worries.

Before I began my contemporary speech, Louise (let’s go with Louise), said take your time, which came across as a real supportive comment- you would never have guessed that they actually WANT you to be good! I didn’t apologise for myself and I gave it my all. I was on voice, connected to my body and not stuck in a rhythm- how fab!

They asked me to take a seat once again (they didn’t want to see Luciana) and asked me a little bit more about LAMDA and if I’d been to see much theatre since living in London. They seemed genuinely interested in me which was lovely. I spoke about playing Nora and how great the course is, along with the many, many theatre trips I’ve had and learning so much from just watching and observing. Louise asked me if I knew John Baxter (he teaches movement on the BA at LAMDA) and I mentioned that I’ve seen him around but unfortunately we don’t get him for classes. She then asked me what status Anna has in my contemporary speech. I spoke about the characters not believing in conventional relationships and that earlier in the play, Anna is quite high status - confident and sure of herself. But in this scene, Anna’s just laid the table for a sit down meal with candles and music, then Jim walks in and asks ‘what on earth is going on, you’re enough on your own without me, you don’t need this crutch’, and her speech is her last reach out to get him to run away from all they know, because she loves him and wants to be with him. So I believe she is trying to be high status, but feeling quite low status, as the stakes are big and she is risking a lot by confessing what she wants deep down.

And after I passionately rambled, that was that. They thanked me, I said it was nice to meet them and I was on my way!

I am feeling positively jolly (to quote Torvald in Doll’s House) and content with how it went. I did the work, I showed them what I do best and I was myself which is the main thing. Whatever happens now, I have done all that I can.

So here is a little thought of the day for anyone budding actors: no matter what, always believe you are enough- you deserve to be in that audition room and never feel like it’s a burden for them to watch you; take your time, breathe- at the end of the day you’ve paid a lot of money to be there and they want to want to recall you, they’re looking for people they would enjoy working with.

Oh and also, apparently biting your tongue stops your mouth getting dry when you’re nervous, tip of the day!

Keep smiling, more updates to follow...

X

[the-empress-7]

Hollywood stick with their own - Trevor and Tom are both connected, Trevor in production and Tom with lighting, the latter being Emmy award winning. Not to mention that Meghan herself said that she was basically blacklisted after lying about being part of SAG at auditions that they would never cast her, and then how she’s apparently feuding with the likes of Katy Perry and the neighbours at Montecito but also trashing Anna Wintour and the Met Gala… Meghan has frozen herself out not to mention that plenty of actors, actresses etc. have connections to the royal family via whatever reason, and then with BAFTA having William as their president/patron, then other royals being patrons of dance schools, orchestras, operas, theatres, musicians, fashion councils, choirs, ballets, ovalhouse, festivals, LAMDA, LCOF, RAOD, RADA, RAOM, conservatoires and more not just in the UK and Commonwealth but elsewhere too. By doing what they did to their own family, that has also blacklisted them even more.

Yep.

[head-post]

Ukrainian fortification scandal erupts amid Russian pressure

Fighting in Kharkiv region continues, as Russian troops advance along front lines, erasing the gains of the 2023 Ukrainian counter-offensive. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian media publish another video fuelling the scandal related to the construction of fortifications.

A video surfaced online featuring a man angered by the so-called “dragon’s teeth” fortifications piled in Ukraine. Previously, such fortifications were supposed to deter the Russian offensive in Kharkiv and other regions.

I have only one question. Why … they are here?

Russian forces succeeded in advancing in Kharkiv region, as Ukrainian authorities failed to prepare minefields and serious engineering fortifications, The Economist reported in May.

Residents of Kharkiv also showed a construction site where a huge pile of “dragon’s teeth” had been brought in for their later deployment, probably not for military purposes.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian authorities launched about 30 criminal cases on embezzlement of funds allocated for the building of fortifications, a member of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament), Mykhailo Bondar, stated.

About 30 criminal proceedings on misappropriation of funds during the construction of fortifications have been opened by now. Members of the commission from the Servant of the People [party], after hearing such figures, immediately tried to defend the disposers of the funds.

Law-enforcement officials reported that the total amount involved in the cases stood at 20bn hryvnias ($490m), according to him. The next meeting of the parliamentary investigation commission formed to probe the misappropriation of funds allocated for the fortifications would take place in a week, he added.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and the regional military administration will have to report on the allocation of budget funds for the construction of fortifications, their schedule and location. Afterwards, deputies of a special commission will launch an audit of the fortifications.

Reconstruction agency scandal

The head of Ukraine’s reconstruction agency, Mustafa Nayyem, resigned a day before an international conference on the country’s long-term reconstruction, The Guardian reported.

Nayyem claimed that the Ukrainian government had systematically prevented him from doing his job. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal then rejected his request to attend the event in Germany, according to Ukrainian media.

This probably influenced Nayyem’s decision to resign. He announced it in a Facebook post on Monday after having sent a sharp message to a number of foreign partners. In his statements, he criticised the Ukrainian administration for a “wide range of mistakes.”

A two-day Ukraine’s Recovery Conference will start in Berlin on Tuesday, 11 June. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will reportedly deliver a speech there. The German government called the event an important signal to Ukrainians about the long-term future of their country.

Read more HERE

[that-thing-that-feeling]

Don’t blame Joe Q; he’s lovely and a great actor

This is true. And yet, having talent isn't enough. There's luck. And then there's who you know. Lots of talents go nowhere. Going to a good school, getting those initial roles, having a good team, etc. very often comes down to connections. In acting, in the rest of the arts, in jobs outside the arts. To say (not that you are) that it all comes down to Joe Q's talent wouldn't be true. Leveraging that talent is super important, and to do that, having connections - growing up in a house where everyone is talking about the job you want to do, and has a massive amount of experience in the industry - can only help. (Maya Hawke...)

And classism in England can never be underestimated.

Def agreed leveraging that talent is huge—so having a good team is really impt. But while idk a lot about it, Joseph doesn’t seem like super nepo and posh situation—it wasn’t Eton and Oxbridge. It sounded more like he was just an actor with good training from one of the places like RADA, Central, LAMDA, Guildhall, etc. which prepares you really well for a career. And his father was somewhat in the business, which prob helps. But Joseph def got his jobs based on talent and having a good agent (Curtis Brown) in the UK, which got him on a roll landing a lot of projects there. But he wouldn’t be cast if not for the talent; something I love about British productions is they generally don’t mess up; the bring in and find talent. And then re: ST, he had to nail that audition for Eddie and bring something unique to the part that made him that popular and connect with him and such. Plus he has a lot of charisma.

I just don’t like pitting actors agst each other. I get your point though obvs about classicism in the UK and it’s clear Charlie has faced that and it’s a huge problem in the industry. Almost every British actor comes from a posh background and Charlie is one of the rare exceptions. But tbh he also like…hasn’t gotten a new agent or put himself out there, yk? It’s talent, luck, for some connections, but also drive and taking advantage of every situation bc it’s so competitive. Like Charlie knows he’s been demoted on the show. So why not go to more events and network, do press, get a new agent? Like yes he was in tsp2 for one minute but he skipped the LFF premiere—a great networking opportunity. But yeah the classism and lack of training prob is a huge hurdle for him, altho he was cast as a lead in a BBC project, but then it fell through. I wonder if he could land any BBC things now.

Some of the most interesting things posted about Charlie are people from his hometown, like shocked he got out and made it. It def seems like a rare story. And it’s sad to see him stall.

[villainousshakespeare]

Learning a Lesson Chapter 9

iLearning a Lesson Chapter 8

Part 1 Here, Part 2 Here, Part 3 Here, Part 4 Here, Part 5 Here, Part 6 Here, Part 7 Here, Part 8 Here

Young Actor Tom Hiddleston/OFC

Rated E -Smut, Angst, Complicated Relationship - Teacher/Actor Posing as Student, Feels, Flirting, Fluff, Oral Sex, Sex, Shower Sex, Threats, Breakups, Angst…

ANGST IN THIS CHAPTER! (but don’t worry… I’m a hopeless romantic)

Summary: It’s your first day as a teacher and things are going well. That is, until a tall, gorgeous boy with blond curls and dramatic ways saunters into your last class. When he ignores all the swooning girls to flirt outrageously with you, it is secretly thrilling. Even more so is when he tries to steal a kiss after class ends. How long will you be able to keep your defenses up?

Up and Coming actor Tom is under cover in high school for  research for a movie, but the pretty drama teacher is making the long assignment so much more enjoyable

@arch-venus25​, @caffiend-queen​ @ciaodarknessmyheart​ @frostbitten-written​ @just-the-hiddles​ @kellatron55​ @myoxisbroken​ @nonsensicalobsessions​ @poetic-fiasco​ @shiningloki​ @shae-annelore​ @thecutestlittlebunbunfairy​ @hiddlesholic​ @yespolkadotkitty​ @vodka-and-some-sass​ @wolfsmom1​ @tom-hlover​ @toozmanykids​ @delightfulheartdream​ @whyispistashanuttaken​ @hopelessromanticspoonie​; @loki-yoursaviourishere​ @is-it-madness​

The Monday morning walk to school was the longest of Emily's life. With every step she took she was tempted to turn around and run the other way, hiding under her blankets and weeping rather than going on. Only a deep seated stubborn streak kept her from giving in to her fears and doing just that.

She needn't have worried. Tom was true to his word. There was no sign of him to be found in school. No infectious laugh ringing through the hallway, no tousled halo of blond hair floating above the shorter students amidst a throng of admirers, and no ice blue eyes seeking hers for a secret wink or speaking glance.

Emily told herself it was for the best. She hoped she would eventually believe it.

The other god-send was that Jim Howard seemed to have called in sick. A substitute was in his classroom when she got there, and never had she been so glad to see the old woman than she was that day. She assumed that it was his pride that kept him from walking into the building with a black eye and a swollen jaw, and took evil delight in the fact that Tom had so thoroughly trounced him.

Tom. There he was again. She could not go five minutes without calling him to mind. It was going to be a long day. Hell, it was going to be a long forever as far as she knew. How long would it take to get over the golden boy who had so completely won her heart?

Half a day was how long it took for the news of his exit to hit the school grapevine. Emily began hearing his name whispered during her fourth period class. By the time that class ended and she made her way to the staff lounge it was all anyone was talking about. Ada, Janis, and Mike were gossiping about it when she came in, a pathetic lunch of coffee and a banana in her hand.

"Well, anyone with eyes could have seen that that boy should be a movie star," Janis was opining. "It doesn't surprise me one bit."

"Oh, come on Janis," Mike laughed, skepticism showing, "he was handsome, sure, but there's no way you saw this coming!"

"I'm not saying that," Janis sniffed. "Obviously I didn't know he was an actor. But if anyone in this school was destined for greatness it was Martinsson."

"Hiddleston," Mike corrected her. "Apparently that's his real name. You're awfully quiet, Emily. You were close with the boy, weren't you? Tutoring him after hours and all?"

"Not that close," she said with a half shrug. "He claimed to want help with an audition monologue, but that was obviously for show. We never actually worked on it. Just class."

The words were true enough as far they went, even if the meaning behind them was an all out lie.

"Still, he clearly preferred you," Ada said, giving her a probing look. "I heard all sorts of chatter about how he always flirted with you, volunteering to read romantic scenes with you. I was a little jealous, to tell the truth. I mean, and I can say it now that I know he's a genuine adult - what I wouldn't have given for a chance to sculpt a nude of that boy!"

"No wonder Howard hated him so much," Mike laughed good naturedly. "It seems it's not just the high school girls who had a thing for him."

Emily did her best to tune them out after that, and took to eating in her classroom. The days blended into each other, with no end of the day secret to make them stand out as special.

The kids in her drama class were all excited of course. The thought that they had read scenes with an honest to goodness actor, one who was going to be starring in a movie, made them practically giddy. Kate began recirculating the lie that the two of them had been involved, and no one dared to correct her. Emily was angry on his behalf, offended that anyone would believe he would fool around with a student, until she realized the implications of that thought.

It was that guilt that was the worst. Well, along with the loneliness. Even if he had been an adult, she hadn't known that. She had thought him no different than Kate or Zack or Jamie, and she had slept with him anyway. She deserved all the pain she was feeling. Deserved more than that; to loose her job and never be hired again, even. More and more she slipped into a depression.

It was nine days after she had thrown him out of her apartment and her life that the first letter arrived. She grabbed her mail from the small slot inside the door and rifled through it on the way up the stairs as she always did, expecting nothing more than bills and solicitations. When she turned over an envelope addressed in an instantly recognizable hand, she felt as though she had been punched in the gut. Hands shaking, she opened the seal, afraid that if she didn't do it at once she would never find the courage, and unfolded a letter.

"My Darling Emily," it began in Tom's loopy mess of long hand, "I know I have no right to write to you, having broken your trust in the most caddish way possible. I only hope that you will allow me the opportunity to once more take advantage of your goodness of heart and kindness of disposition, that I may try to explain why I orchestrated such a hurtful charade.

"As you are patently aware now, I am an actor of both stage and screen. I take my profession very seriously, perhaps more so than it deserves, though I like to believe that you among all women will understand why. If I can peel away the layers of a character enough to expose the beating heart within, allowing my audience to sees even a piece of the truth of humanity in my portrayal, then I truly believe that I am contributing something to this shared experience we all are living. Pretentious as that sounds, it is my goal every time I assume a role, be it Iago or a soldier, or even Mr. Toad.

"When I was cast as a student from the States, I knew I had my work cut out for me. I was educated, I blush to say my love, in the best schools in England: Eton, Cambridge, and RADA. My good fortune has been quite excessive, I know, though no teacher I encountered in all of my tutelage could hold a candle to you, my darling. In any case, I was woefully unprepared to know the struggle such a young man was going through. My director came up with the idea to have me pose in a small town school, and I admit I leapt at the chance.

"Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would meet the woman of my dreams in such a situation.

"I confess that in the beginning I flirted with you to amuse myself. You are quite breathtakingly beautiful, my sweet, and I was bored beyond belief. As the days went on, however, I began to uncover the woman underneath the starched blouses and pencil skirts. A woman with a mind that soared and a soul that sung. One who shared my passion for stage poetry, and did not back down from a challenge.

"In short, my darling Emily, I fell in love with you.

"I should have told you the moment our relation crossed over the line. Alas my love, I fear that it is a coward who worships you. I was afraid that if you learned the truth you would be angry, and I wanted to collect as many precious moments with you as I could before your warm eyes turned cold. My sin is great, I know. I do not deserve to be forgiven. Nonetheless, I place my heart at your feet in hope that you will take it up, take pity on me, and not stomp it beneath your shoe.

"The film I am working on seized the opportunity afforded by my early matriculation to begin shooting. I am relocated to New York City to start principal photography. I know it is a mere two hours from you, and yet it feels the length of the world. Knowing I will not see you each day, hold you at night, is a weight on my soul that I know I have only myself to blame for.

"I ask nothing of you, my dearest Emily, but that you allow me to write to you. I do not expect you to write back, although I live in hope that one day you will. The distance keeps us apart, but perhaps that need not be all bad. Perhaps it can give you time to heal and to trust me once more. Let me write to you, to tell you about myself - my real self - and try to win your friendship back if nothing else. It has been the most important of my life.

"I do not flatter myself that I will ever hold you again, kiss your soft lips, feel you beneath me as you gasp in passion. I have too great a mark against me to hope for such grace. I would die to have it, but will not impose it on you. Just let me try to heal the hurt I have done, and I will be content.

"If you cannot find it within you to accept my offer of friendship in the form of epistles, simply write me with one word. 'Stop' and I will cease. You are in control, my heart. I will bow to your wishes.

"Please take good care of yourself, my Emily. I wish I could be their to tend to you myself. Be warry of the dread maths teacher. I know it is no longer my place, but I would ask you to not be alone around him.

"Enough of that. I will end for now. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.

"My heart is yours.

All my love,

Tom."

Emily read the letter through, barley able to make out the words through the tears welling in her eyes. When she had finished, she collapsed onto the bed and read it through again, openly weeping this time. All of the pain and guilt she had been holding in came flooding out. In the end, she had to put the letter aside so that the deluge of her tears didn't permanently mar the ink composing the lines. By then she knew it by heart, but she still loved to see his strong hand scrawled out over the page.

She did not for a moment consider writing him to stop. Perhaps she should have. There was no future she could see for the two of them. Her trust had been shattered, along with her mental image of herself, by the situation. On top of that, he was away, filming a movie in the big city that she rarely went to. When this movie was ended, who knew where he would be? Jetting off to exotic countries? Treading the boards in London? His life was exciting and adventurous, and she was a little mouse of a school teacher from a small town. How could they hope to make a relationship work, even without their drama?

The letters came far more frequently than she had expected. While it was not every day, Tom was clearly grasping every spare moment he had to pour out his heart to her. He told her all about the filming process. She felt as though she knew his costars, so vividly did he depict them. Against her will, Emily would find herself laughing at ridiculous anecdotes, or groaning in commiseration at delays in the shooting.

In the midst of all of these tales of misadventures and productivity, Tom made clear to he still hoped to win Emily back. He never missed an opportunity to praise her, calling her darling, his sweet, his dear, his love. He mentioned how he had suggested that one of the teachers should be young, smart, and sexy as an homage to her, though no one could possibly do her justice. He let slip that he had been making his costars groan with his continual referencing her, to the point where they teased him any time her name arose.

At the end of each letter he dropped all pretense, stating plainly that he loved her and would do anything to win her back. He insisted that he would wait, that the decision was entirely hers, but that he lived in hope that one day she would write him back, telling him she forgave him. Until that day, he would soldier on and try to deserve her.

Several times Emily found herself sitting down, trying to pen a reply to him. She wanted, desperately wanted, to do so. But each time, the fear would come crashing down and she would end up tearing the letter to shreds.

About two months after the letters started, there was a longer than usual gap between arrivals. Emily began to think that he had given up on her, and a panic she had never felt gripped her. She had not realized the extent to which she had been living for his words.

When an envelope finally arrived, it was in an international envelope, and the return address was London, England. That was it, then. He was out of the country. All of the stories of his homecoming, complete with welcoming family, were a dagger to her. He still professed his love, but now an actual ocean separated them along with the sea of emotion.

Their were two more letters, spread over a month and a half, and then nothing for three weeks. Depression returned. She had all but given up when a card shaped envelope, gilded on the edges, arrived in her box.

***

"Alright, out with it!"

Emily looked up from the pile of papers she was grading to see Ada standing in her classroom door, arms crossed over her paint splattered apron and a determined look on her face.

"Out with what?" Emily asked, confusion genuine.

"It's been four months, Emily," the older woman said, shutting the door behind her as she walked in and sat at one of the student desks. The same desk, Emily couldn't help but note, that had once been Tom's.

"Sorry?"

"Four months that you have been moping around! Barely showing your face in the teacher's lounge, looking like someone stole your dog and kicked your kitten. This, from the girl who was such a spark of joy when she was hired that she even ignited passion for teaching in an old war horse like me!"

"I'm sorry," Emily mumbled.

"Don't be sorry, girl! Tell me what's wrong!"

"It's nothing."

"Emily, do you think I'm blind?" Ada asked with a sigh.

"No..."

"Or that I'm stupid?"

"Of course not!"

"Good," Ada snorted. "As I am neither. Four months ago, a certain long-legged boy with more looks than are good for anyone swaggered out of this school, and you have been a ghost ever since. It's not hard to put the pieces together."

Emily gaped at her, all color draining from her face. If Ada knew, or strongly suspected, was it then general knowledge? Was her shame a joke amongst the faculty, or a cause of scorn?

"Don't worry, hun," Ada said, as though reading her mind. "Most of the people around here are blind and stupid. No one else has any idea. Well, maybe Jim, but that's a whole other can of worms that I am not too keen on digging around in. So, you fell for the boy, huh?"

"You must despise me," Emily said, voice hardly above a whisper.

"So you're failing is that you're deaf," Ada shook her head. "How many times did you hear me rhapsodize about him? Hell, I was undressing him with my eyes every damn day!"

"But you never took it farther than that."

"No, I didn't. But then I am decades older than either one of you and was not given the opportunity. Who knows what I might have done if he had batted those long golden lashes at me and flashed a dimple."

"You wouldn't have slept with a student," Emily said doggedly.

"Is that what this is? That you feel guilty? Tell me something, Emily: would you ever even consider anything inappropriate with say... Jack Simmons, or Zach Lewis, or Dan Fielding? Would it even occur to you?"

"No," Emily said at once, repulsed by the very idea.

"Of course not. Because they are children. The Simmons boy is a hulking child, true, but even though he is big, he is still an adolescent. You can easily tell in a moment he is not an adult. Now, compare that to Tom. He has a baby face, and is all gangly, but there was something about him that flatly identified him as a man. You knew that, instinctively. That is why you let things play out the way you did."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I know you," Ada said simply. "You are a good person, with a moral compass. Was it a stupid thing to do? Of course! It could have ended horribly for you, and thank god it didn't! But don't beat yourself up for listening to your intuition when it turned out to be right! Even if the boy did end up being a snake."

"What if he wasn't?" Emily asked carefully.

"I just assumed... he left, and you didn't seem happy about it... Emily, what did happen?"

Emily looked at her friend, chewing on her lip as she decided what to say. Ada already knew the worst; what harm could it do to let her in on the rest? In a rush it all came out. The clandestine affair, the trouble with Mr. Howard, seeing Tom on Nicholas Nickleby, their disastrous fallout, all of it. Ada sat there rapt as Emily spilled the whole sordid story.

"He really punched Jim?" Ada asked when she had finished, a huge grin spread over her face.

"Twice," Emily confirmed, answering smile on her own mouth. "Hard. Knocked him flat onto the ground."

"Oh, would I have loved to have seen that."

"I could have lived without it, honestly."

"Oh, hun, I don't know what to tell you," Ada shook her head. "I don't even know whether to feel jealous of you sorry for you. Both, I suppose. Ah, to be young again."

"He's been writing me letters," Emily confessed, face reddening. "Ever since he left."

"What does he say?" Ada's eyes were huge.

"Different things. How his day is going. About the filming. That he loves me and wants to be with me."

"Well what the hell are you doing here then?" Ada stood from the desk to stare at her.

"Ada..."

"Girl, if that young man wanted me, you can bet that nothing would keep me away!"

"He's in London," she muttered.

"Did something happen to all the airplanes?"

"No... In fact..."

"In fact what, Emily? Spill it? Give a woman something to live vicariously through!"

With a sigh, Emily dug through her bag and pulled out the card she had received the day before. It was an invitation to a movie premiere in New York City. Folded along with that was a train ticket, prepaid first class, and a small note:

    "I would not wish Any companion in the world but you,      Nor can imagination form a shape, Besides yourself, to like of.

     Tom (with all thanks to Miranda in The Tempest)"

"Well," Ada smiled at her, "when shall we go shopping? You, my dear, are going to need a dress!"