Tag Archives: Homeland

Magazine Cover Roundup: Kerry Washington, Amy Poehler and Claire Danes

3 Oct

It’s the start of the month which means new publications of several magazines and some of our favorite TV women feature on the covers. All three of these women have new seasons of their shows to promote and for one of them this has been a year of multiple cover shoots as both her star power and the popularity of her show are on the rise.

I am of course talking about Kerry Washington and at the moment she is getting at least one cover a month, sometimes two. In October she was on the cover of both Glamour and Flare, this month she features on Essence and Variety.

Kerry Washington Essence Cover

It’s a captivating cover as Washington is staring into the camera full on and she is wearing a stunning Rafael Cennamo Couture gold gown. In the interview she discusses the difference between Olivia’s style and her own “Olivia has three [fashion] modes: Work Olivia, Black-Tie Gala Olivia and At Home Olivia… My fashion is more eclectic: There’s Going to Work Kerry, which is gym clothes and Nike kicks. That’s the Bronx girl. There’s also Red Carpet Kerry and Out to Dinner With Friends Kerry.”

Kerry Washington Variety Cover

It’s Variety’s fifth annual Power of Women issue and Kerry Washington is one of five women being celebrated for her work as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Washington works as an arts ambassador in areas with poverty-stricken schools, using arts programs to help increase reading and maths scores as well as having a positive influence on attendance, parental involvement and enrollment. It’s a very different cover photo to her Essence shoot but just as mesmerizing. Washington’s red carpet style can’t be put in one category and her magazine covers have varied wildly in style and composition and I can’t wait to see what she features on next – personally I’m hoping for Vogue.

Amy Poehler Variety

Amy Poehler is another one of Variety’s Power of Women recipients for her work with the Worldwide Orphans Foundation. Poehler is both a fundraiser and an arts ambassador for the organization and she recently raised over $30,000 by throwing an Emmy “losers” afterparty. Co-hosting with fellow “loser” Jon Hamm the invitation stated that if you turned up with an Emmy award then your entry fee was a donation to WWO. It’s not mentioned in the article but I’m also a big fan of Poehler’s Smart Girls at the Party a website which promotes healthy self image for young women.

Claire Danes Vogue

Claire Danes covered Vogue earlier this year and now it is time for the UK issue of this publication. The cover shot is a lot softer than the US counterpart which almost feels like it is Danes’ Homeland character Carrie on the front. Wearing a tweed Louis Vuitton jacket Danes looks both relaxed and happy and you won’t be surprised to hear that I’m going to find out what lipstick color she is wearing because it’s the perfect soft pink blush for the fall season (when I’m not opting for a ’90s influence).

Emmys 2013: Red Carpet Highlights

23 Sep

It’s a busy day of fashion and TV thanks to last night’s Emmys (for my brief thoughts on the show head here) and while monochrome was a big trend, bold color and the standard nude tones were also big players on the red carpet. This post is for those dresses that don’t fall into one easy category and this post features a couple of dresses that still has me pondering whether they’re a hit or miss.

Let’s get to it!

Zooey Deschanel Emmys

Zooey Deschanel has a habit of wearing princess type gowns with a 1950s influence so this Barbarella looking icy blue J. Mendel number is a huge surprise. You can’t see it in this photo but the dress had a huge sexy slit up one leg and I’m so glad to see Deschanel opting for something outside of her standard wheelhouse. She looks amazing which almost makes up for the lack of New Girl nominations. Almost.

Kiernan Shipka 2013 emmys

Kiernan Shipka continues to impress with her age appropriate red carpet looks and this floral Delpozo frock is perfect for the 13-year-old; yes at 13 Shipka has already outshone every good fashion moment I have ever had. This dress could come across as too fussy which is why the ponytail/minimal makeup works and I don’t think we’re ready for Shipka to go for the Taylor Momsen raccoon eyes approach – now or ever.

Kerry Washington Emmys 2013

Kerry Washington was top of my red carpet most anticipated list and I’m disappointed with the Marchesa gown. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it and while I like the floral embellishments, it’s also reading wedding gown. I think if my expectations weren’t so high I would like this fine, but considering all of the other exquisite dresses she has worn this year it doesn’t quite hit the mark. It does fall into the Olivia Pope color scheme though and as always she looks flawless. It’s just not the dress I was hoping for.

Claire Danes emmys

Following closely behind Kerry Washington on that anticipated list, was Claire Danes and this is another dress that had me wrinkling my nose in disappointment, especially after what she wore last year. I’m not a huge fan of blush tone gowns which might be why I’m finding it hard to get excited about either of these dresses and with Danes this Armani Privé number washes her out. I do like the change in hairstyle and her makeup is also a win, more accessorizes would help.

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Danes does get red carpet legend status for crashing Lena Dunham’s E! interview and chatting about her Scandal obsession with the Girls star. A Romeo and Juliet reference was also thrown in regarding their Showtime/HBO standing; this has me reaching for those angel wings I’ve been holding onto for a Romeo + Juliet revival.

Christina Hendricks Emmys

Christina Hendricks doesn’t always get it right on the red carpet and designers inexplicably seem to have a hard time with her body shape, not so with Christian Siriano who always hits the mark with Hendricks. Hendricks described this gown as looking like a Sargent painting, a reference that was lost on Seacrest (Twitter quickly deduced that Madame X is the painting). Incredible from H to T (yeah I’ve been watching too much Top Model).

65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - ArrivalsMindy Kaling’s eggplant colored Edition by Georges Chakra dress is not the sparkly number that you might expect from Kaling and as with Deschanel I like this change up. Hair and makeup are understated and because of the embellished neckline accessorize beyond a cute clutch aren’t needed.

Carrie Preston Emmy 2013

Carrie Preston won an Emmy last weekend for her guest starring work on The Good Wife and she shone on the red carpet in this pale pink Romona Keveza gown with a touch of black detail. Preston’s incredible auburn locks instantly make her standout and this is another winning look.

Emmys 2013 Red Carpet: The Best of the Monochromes

23 Sep

Last night the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards took place in Los Angeles and the show was a mixed bag featuring unnecessary extended musical numbers, winners both predictable and surprising, a seemingly random dedication to 1963 and a band that played the winners off in record time (apparently a performance by Elton John is more important than the actual awards themselves). The direction felt all over the place and if it wasn’t for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler the awards opener would have been a huge dud (please host the Golden Globes again).

Luckily the fashion on the red carpet wasn’t such a shambles and first up is the women who are rocking the big monochromatic trend.

Anna Gunn Emmys 2013

Anna Gunn won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a drama category; a well deserved winner for that walk of despair into the swimming pool and her subsequent breakdown on the first half of Breaking Bad’s final season. Wearing Romona Keveza, Gunn looks stunning in a dress that is simple and elegant.

Merritt Wever Emmys

Merritt Wever! Another winner and not just for Nurse Jackie as she gave the best speech of the night that got straight to the point “Thank you so much! I’ve gotta go, bye.” While Wever doesn’t look all that convinced in the above photo, I think she looks incredible and I’m so happy that she won. Bonus points for an amazing lip color choice and for being generally awesome. It’s already been said on here countless times but can Elizabeth stay on New Girl please?

Elisabeth Moss Emmys

Breaking the “if you wear a monochromatic dress you will win” cycle is Elisabeth Moss and I’m pretty bummed out that both Top of the Lake and Mad Men went home with nothing. Moss is a vision in Andrew Gn and her blonde choppy cut continues to serve her well as this awards cycle is the best we’ve seen Moss yet. As with Wever, Moss has opted for a bold red lip color and is the key to setting off a great black and white ensemble.

Morgan Saylor Emmys

Now to one of the younger stars of the red carpet and Homeland’s Morgan Saylor; this Honor gown is perfect for an 18 year old as it’s not too prom but it also doesn’t age her up to 30. One thing I would change is her hair as it looks a little too casual for an event like this, nicely played with the red lips and makeup that isn’t too severe though. I’m hoping that season 3 of Homeland will give her a story that is less Kim Bauer like, she’s a really great young actress and I don’t want her bogged down in contrived melodrama.

Julianna Margulies Emmy 2013

Julianna Margulies was on hand to present because somehow she wasn’t nominated for The Good Wife and so this Reed Krakoff dress is a little more on the relaxed side. Yes it resembles a fancy bed sheet, but sometimes this can work too and maybe I’m just very excited by the return of The Good Wife next Sunday – yes on the same night as the Breaking Bad finale – but I think she looks fantastic.

From My So-Called Life to Homeland: The Dichotomy of Claire Danes

4 Sep

In this week’s New Yorker there is an extensive Claire Danes profile which explores her desire to act from an early age, the inherent contrasting elements of the characters she plays and how she got the lead roles on Homeland and as Angela Chase. It’s not surprising for anyone that reads this blog or who has read any of the My So-Called Life discussions over at This Was TV as to how much this show and character mean to me. It came along when I was the same age as Angela and connected in a way that no show had done in the past and this will surpass the time limit on this current spate of ’90s nostalgia.

MSCL ep 2 Angela

The casting process for My So-Called Life and how it was kismet that Danes walked into the audition room and blew them all away at the age of 13 is not something I have previously seen discussed. It was down to Danes and Alicia Silverstone and Silverstone was emancipated and so could work long hours, something that Danes couldn’t do. Despite the advantages of Silverstone’s availability they went the other way and instead turned Angela’s parents Patty and Graham into more central figures; a move that increased the storytelling spectrum of the show. Even though I hated Patty when I originally watched the show, now that I am not a teenager there is something very special about the portrayal of this mother/daughter relationship.

One defining aspect of this profile is the repetition of the dichotomy that Danes possesses in her acting as she consistently plays characters with dueling attributes and she can manipulate her acting style for a multi-layered performance. When they talk about why she was chosen over Alicia Silverstone they mention that Silverstone was too pretty and that “You can’t put that face in what’s been written for this girl.” Alternatively with Danes “her face could transform in an instant from beautiful to ordinary.” The relationship between creator Winnie Holzman and Claire Danes developed from this place Richard Kramer (who worked on MSCL) remarks “Winnie wouldn’t be Winnie without Claire. And Claire wouldn’t be Claire without Winnie. There was something mythological about their meeting.”

MSCL angela bed

There’s another aspect of duality when it comes to Claire Danes and Angela Chase as Danes was experiencing the very same teen issues as her character. Quite often someone who is much older plays a teen role (generally this is due to the legal working hours) and so it is rare to find a teen character played by a teen actor – there are exceptions of course such as Aimee Teegarden of Friday Night Lights and Taylor Momsen on Gossip Girl. This allowed Danes to channel her bad experiences through Angela “I remember being so relieved that I had an opportunity to voice my complaints about my time at school so perfectly and so eloquently, with the right amount of rage and humor.”

Carrie Mathison Season 3 Homeland

Homeland returns for season 3 in a few weeks and the “tsunami of emotions” that Danes brings to Carrie Mathison will be back in full force. The article reveals that Homeland creators Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa had seen Danes in Temple Grandin and were impressed that she “walked the razor’s edge between competence and unbalance.” This was something that their heroine required and the timing was perfect as Danes was suffering a slump in the projects she was being offered (this reiterates the point she made in her recent Vogue interview).

homeland photo

Dealing with personal and professional problems is at the heart of who Carrie is and her interactions with Brody are an extreme version of this. Carrie is constantly being second guessed and while at times she is completely unreliable, she is also incredible at her job. It’s about the marriage of both of these things and there is a reason why Danes has won so many awards as she gives such a believable and heartbreaking portrayal of a character teetering on the edge of oblivion. While Homeland had a dip in form last season, Danes has always been consistently brilliant. There is no holding back when it comes emotional intensity and this can be seen throughout Danes’ career; it’s why she can deliver a variety of striking performances that have the ability to make your soul hurt.

One final contrasting element that you might not expect from someone who picks such intense characters is that Claire Danes loves arts and crafts. This never fails to makes me smile especially when you factor in who her husband is and picture Carrie Mathison and Will Graham creating exotic Easter eggs together.

To read the rest of this extensive profile head here.

Out of the Box: Look of the Week

2 Aug

Last week it was all about Comic-Con style and this edition of “Out of the Box” looks to the panels and parties of the Television Critics Association Press Summer Tour. Current and forthcoming shows with plenty of familiar faces feature as we take a look at the big style hitters.

Winner: James Wolk at The Crazy Ones Panel

James Wolk Crazy Ones TCA

“Not great, Bob!” is still one of the best line readings of the year and James Wolk has featured several times on this list thanks to the sartorial greatness of Bob Benson on Mad Men. The Crazy Ones is also set at an ad agency and while I’m pretty lukewarm to the promos, having James Wolk as a cast member (and the bonus of Kelly Clarkson) will be enough to get me to watch the pilot. Even though it’s the height of the summer, Wolk has gone for an impressive amount of layering with shirt, hoodie and jacket and he looks pretty great in a smart/casual manner. His face is saying he’s listening intently, his slightly raised eyebrow suggests disagreement. Either way Wolk is a welcome sight.

Runner Up: Claire Danes at the Homeland Panel

Claire+Danes+2013+Summer+TCA+Tour+Day+6+AydrrD5aTWil

Claire Danes is the only one I’ve mentioned but she is not alone in this shot; Damian Lewis’ suit is lovely and if his socks were not skin tone then he’d have his name in bold too and Rupert Friend looks like he has come from a Mary Poppins audition. Danes is often one of the best dressed on the red carpet and while you can’t see all of the Thakoon lilac dandelion dress because she is sitting down; it’s elegant without looking like she is trying too hard. I think the key behind TCA dresses is a late afternoon/early evening cocktail party approach and all of the women that feature this week have got that spot on. The Christian Louboutin t-bar sandals are now on my shoe wish list.

Mae Whitman and Lauren Graham at the Parenthood Panel

Mae Whitman and Lauren Graham

Reminding me once again that I still haven’t watched Parenthood (I know) this double dash of patterned dress brilliance from Lauren Graham and Mae Whitman is making me want to get right on that. While I’m not the biggest fan of nude colored shoes they get a pass as the dresses are both on the eye-popping side. Bonus points awarded for excellent lip color.

Hannah Simone at the Fox TCA Party

Hannah Simone

While I might not have paired nude shoes – we already know how I feel about them and it’s a bit matchy matchy with a nude dress – this is a striking look from Hannah Simone thanks to the orange floral lace detail. It’s another great choice for a relaxed summer event like this where you want to look professional without resorting to floor length gowns or jeans and t-shirt. I miss New Girl and so I’m really happy to see the cast out and about again.

Runner Up: Emily Bett Rickards at the CW, CBS and Showtime TCA Party 

Emily Rickards TCA

The Felicity/Diggle/Oliver team is at the heart of Arrow and hopefully this is something season will capitalize on. Emily Bett Rickards gets footwear approval as she opts for orange heels that go with this blue, flower embellished dress. This is a dress that can be dressed down with flats or dressed up in this manner with a pair of bold heals and a simple clutch.

Claire Danes Covers Vogue: Creating Iconic TV Characters

16 Jul

My So-Called Life was the first show that understood me; a statement that sounds grand and ridiculous but one I hold to be true at both the ages of 14 and still at 30. After rewatching it for This Was TV recently I realized that it isn’t just the teenage version of me that can connect with this show and its characters, it still resonates today and a lot of this is to with Claire Danes. Danes is back on TV in another iconic role as Carrie Mathison on Homeland and while I haven’t felt compelled to write about Carrie in my journal in the way I did about Angela Chase (also I don’t have a journal anymore), Danes has helped create a character that is just as mesmerizing to watch.

claire-danes-cover-story-06_134646500817

The big talking point of this Vogue interview and theme of the editorial is Homeland (this isn’t particularly surprising as the show returns in September) and co-star Damian Lewis appears alongside Danes in some of the shots. The interview takes a look at Danes’ career as a whole – from her teen performance on My So-Called Life, to the incident that got her movies banned from the Philippines, her decision to go to college, why she did Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and how Temple Grandin was incredibly rewarding but she struggled to get work after this award winning performance. Next came Homeland and Danes had a decision to make when it came to the audition as she was also up for the role of Leonardo DiCaprio’s secretary in J. Edgar, it turns out it wasn’t a hard choice to make as Danes tells Vogue “I was like, ‘Do I want to play the secretary to the boss man or do I want to be the boss man?’ I want to be the boss man.” Also if Danes and DiCaprio are going to appear on screen together I think it needs to be something more than what this part in J. Edgar could offer.

Last night I watched the Claire Danes movie Evening for the first time; a film which has some pacing problems and the odd overwrought emotion, but one that I found compelling overall thanks to the incredible cast. It was on this set that Danes met husband Hugh Dancy and in a house that includes Carrie Mathison and Will Graham this quote from friend and actress Gaby Hoffmann about Danes and Dancy is brilliant “It’s amazing she found someone who loves crafts as much as she does.” The shot below is from Evening and the striped bathrobe and Panama hat combination Dancy is wearing is too good to resist posting.  Despite being set in the 1950s Dane’s costume of a white blouse and full and flared patterned skirt are on trend and it’s something I could definitely see myself wearing as this hot weather persists.

Claire Danes Hugh Dancy Evening

Danes’ role in Evening is the first time that I recall seeing her sing and while I joked on Twitter last night that I would like to see a Saul/Carrie duet on season 3 of Homeland, there is a Carrie quote from the premiere in this Vogue interview that suggests we might get to here Danes’ vocal talents “I didn’t just stop taking my meds. I run every day, six miles, sometimes more; singing helps.”

One person who has know Danes for as long as she has been on TV is My So-Called Life creator Winnie Holzman and she articulates perfectly why Danes has such a strong screen presence “Claire can be awkward and graceful and beautiful and not so beautiful and tortured and calm, and we have all that roiling inside of us, but we are so often typed or labeled. Sometimes we watch people who we want to learn from or be a little like.” This is probably why Holzman created a character that still resonates and means something almost 20 years later (yep My So-Called Life turns 20 next year, let that sink in for a moment).

Plot wise Homeland stumbled last season and while some aspects of the show come across as ridiculous at times (including the central love story) Danes is still incredibly effective. One scene that really stands out is from the episode “State of Independence” as Carrie descends into the darkness and chooses to die, it’s an incredibly tough sequence to watch and it feels like an eternity for Carrie to change her mind and save herself from this decision. Much has been said about her ability to show raw emotion and to not hold anything back and this is part of her appeal. Danes talked to Elle magazine about how uncomfortable she is with the fascination her cry face generates “I have to say, I find it very odd that it’s been sort of objectified. It’s just the way feelings register on my face. It’s not calculated; it’s not an aggressive gesture. It’s been isolated from the rest of my work, like a tacked-on thing. It’s not.” I’ll repeat what I said over at This Was TV  and that we point it out because “your chin quiver makes my chin quiver.” It’s moments like this in all of the roles that Danes has played that allows the audience to connect and why characters like Angela Chase and Carrie Mathison matter.

The August issue of Vogue hits newsstands July 23 and Homeland season 3 premieres on Showtime Sunday, September 29.

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