Alan Rickman - Something the Lord Made - Part 2

This is a temporary (until HPANA comes back, if indeed it can rise from the ashes) home for the Alan Rickman appreciation thread and... of course... for adventures in Alanland. This is in no way meant to be a replacement... just more like a detour and temporary playground for the moment until we know more of HPANA's future.

Background for any newbies: Alanland is a cyberland in which all of the characters played by Alan Rickman in film, tv, stage, radio, readings or photoshoots have real, individual lives. (His more lethal characters are no longer lethal, but just edgy.) Most of you already are familiar with Alanland parties and events, and with the approaching holidays, I'd hate to be without our playground.

There should be a place for your art work,Always.

You really should give tutorials so we all could tap into our creativity.I find the computer based directions for Paint difficult enough let alone your cut and paste magic.

Okey dokey, Maxe... I just did a mini tutorial over in the creative section... figured it was more appropriate there... using the above pic from the Halloween party as an example. I'm far from an expert, but at least it's a starting point for anyone who'd like to play!

I'm going there and will probably take notes. I hope you used really small words...I think I make things harder for myself than they should be,just by being anxious about technology.
I wanted to get some software and try my hand (literally) at designing greeting cards but when I couldn't follow my computer's Paint program I got discouraged.
Now,if you needed a specialized exercise program to work around an ailment or injury,I'm your girl,or decorated cookies,count me in..it's only math and technology that tie me in knots.

*snark* here I go off and suggest it in another thread - and you've already created it here! Thank you for bringing the boys over Always!

I do love George's marshmellow 'stick' - as long as he's the one cleaning the gloop off.

Maxie, I wish I could fly you over here to help me with the Christmas baking! I volunteered (i.e. put my foot in my mouth) to sell holiday cookies & such for others for the Relay fundraiser for Christmas. Oh, my, what have I done? But I did go get new sprinkles - silver, gold & a nice mix of the bigger crystals in red & green. I just for some reason have an issue with frosting the cookies! I need to do a baking thread to get your input.

So, are you going to keep us in AR photos for Thanksgiving & the rest of the holidays? Looking forward to it!

Karentia... Alan's Acolyte is still committed (or perhaps should be committed) to adventuring in Alanland! I'm sure we will have plenty of holiday things going on here.

I'm not too sure as yet about whether to post a photo with each post the way I've been doing for some time. Gee, there actually was a time when I posted on the Alan thread without a picture! Do you know whether this site can handle a lot of (properly sized of course) photos or should I kind of space them out...?

How did you guys get your avatars posted?

Just go into "profile" then select "avatar"... fill in the link info and you'll have your avatar.

Hello Always and Other Alan fans,



We can't live without our Alan/Snape time. I like this picture for as we all know, it is hard to get a picture of Severus smiling.

(pic by Blokeone who was on vacation in Italy)

Adorable Alan in Tuscany last year. Love the shirt and the smile!

There's an easy to watch new montage video on Youtube with a lot of nice Alan pix, including a few I don't recall seeing. That's always a pleasure!

I admit it. I love Alan Rickman.

Have ever since Die Hard.

But one of my most favorite roles is a movie not easily found.

Anybody else like Closet Land?

Ladyhawke... I did love Alan's performance in Closet Land, but I can't say I thought the film was all that good. It felt like the director was trying to be too artsy and rather lost touch with what there was of the story. It just felt muddled and incomplete. However, that being said, it is certainly worth watching just to see Alan giving an amazingly versatile and intense performance. Hey, and we all do seem to love the suspenders.

Love finding another Alan fan. He's so versatile there's sure to be a favorite role for everyone.

Found this in several places today. (Would credit the originator if I knew who it was!) I think it first appeared on twitter with a pic someone grabbed with their phone during one of the preview performances of Seminar.

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There are brief mentions of Alan popping up in connection with the release of DH2 on Friday... Here are a couple:

From Ohio.com comes this comment: It has some marvelous performances, particularly by Alan Rickman as Severus Snape and Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, and impressive, effects-laden sequences.

The Calcary Herald says: It has some marvelous performances, particularly by Alan Rickman as Severus Snape and Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, and impressive, effects-laden sequences.



The Norwood Transcript and Bulletin offered a different musing on the effect films can have, including:

If you also love healing stories that come to us through the medium of film, I would like to share a few small jewels that are available at Morrill Memorial Library or through the Minuteman Library Network.

Director Anthony Minghella’s first film, “Truly, Madly, Deeply,” starring Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson, is a moving and funny take on a young, recently widowed woman who cannot find a way to leave her grief behind and begin again, until her husband’s ghost returns, along with several pals from unknown time periods, to help her do so.

Minghella later became famous for “The English Patient,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” and “Cold Mountain,” but he wrote this story for himself while he was also writing the Inspector Morse mysteries for the BBC. Minghella wanted to see the sardonic, martini-dry Alan Rickman play a leading man just once. Professor Snape, we hardly knew ye.

Always just wanted to thank you for setting this thread up here. I enjoy reading throught the posts of the world you all of created, it often makes me smile even on days it doesn't seem possible.

My daughter sent me this. I was reading it out loud and it made me cry a bit.

I posted on fb this photo and quip would really please Always.

AR did villains and "heavies" so well early in his film career,critics totally missed his history of stage work..he's capable of so much..by now, most AR followers know how much Truly Madly Deeply meant to me,though I love his work in Blow Dry and Love,Actually..flawed but lovable men.
He makes it all seem so effortless. I would love to experience him on stage...there's an energy from a live performance that can not be reproduced even in the finest film work

Stage door pic posted on the Seminar FB page (pic by Kristen Sullivan).

Broadway.com has an interview with Alan's Seminar co-star Jerry O'Connell, who says: When you’re on a stage with Alan Rickman and Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater and Hettienne Park, you find your game elevated. Michael Jordan won all those championships because players had to rise to a level that was close to him. I get lost on stage every night just watching Alan Rickman!

The Olympian offers its DH2 dvd review, including: It has some marvelous performances, particularly by Alan Rickman as Severus Snape and Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, and impressive, effects-laden sequences.

There's a newly uploaded video from the DH2 Bluray with deleted Snape footage. So far, I've been getting error messages when I try to view it but I will certainly keep trying. The comments indicate a must see!

Weesa... you're very welcome! Glad the thread (and Alan) can bring a smile...

Missypotter... love that pic of Alan, but (just so you'll know) the comment was originally made up by someone on Twitter... and has since been repeated so many times, it's melted into myth. Nice sentiment, however! It'd be nice if it were so...

Maxe... yes, thanks. Jamie is major in my life as well.

Oh,I assumed the quote wasn't really from AR. I don't think he would have chosen a film for a memorable quote even if asked for a caption worthy one. I think he'd reach for a stage line,preferably an obscure one recognized by theatre buffs only.

But....it's still a nice sentiment and I hope in years to come,he actually speaks out with kind words about our beloved Severus.

We love him.
Always

I agree exactly with you Maxecat. I am sure it isn't real but it is the way I would like him to think of that role and the books.

Very moving pic from the WB "For Your Consideration" booklet.

Maxe & Missypotter... indeed. Alan has actually been speaking quite kindly of his "old friend" Severus in various DH2 and post-DH2 interviews. Hope that continues!

Okay... Finally got the DH2 video to play. Yes. Worth it!

The Seminar FB page just posted: Daniel Radcliffe was at SEMINAR tonight to see his teacher!

The Niles Herald-Spectator comments: Even better, he takes time to balance the action with emotion — notably the final revelation of the tragic back-story of is-he-or-isn’t-he-evil Professor Snape (Alan Rickman at his best).

British actor Alan Rickman is hopping across the pond and is said to be looking for some new digs in the Big Apple. Rickman, who is known for his roles as Hans Gruber in Die Hard and Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series, was recently spotted touring an apartment at One Morton Square.
The ninth floor unit that Rickman looked at is on the market for $2.595 million. The 1,450-square-foot apartment features 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, southern exposures from all of the rooms, and views of the Statue of Liberty. With all of its full service luxury amenities such as a full-time doorman, valet, state-of-the-art fitness center, kids playroom and indoor parking, it's no surprise that One Morton Square is a magnet for celebrities. Other owners in the building include Rickman's Harry Potter colleague, Daniel Radcliffe, as well a Mike Myers, Oliver Stone, and Amy Poehler and Will Arnett.
So far, it's unclear whether the stunning unit won over Rickman. Perhaps, the Brit was deterred by the $1,283 per month common charges fee attached to the apartment.

Behind the scenes screencap from the DH2 Bluray Maximum Movie Mode.

GoldDerby has listed Alan on the ballot in the Golden Globes Best Supporting Actor Category:
Past Globe winners who are on the ballot are: Jim Broadbent ("The Iron Lady"), John Goodman ("The Artist"), Tom Hanks ("Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"), Ben Kingsley ("Hugo"), Nick Nolte ("Warrior"), Brad Pitt and Sean Penn ("The Tree of Life"), Alan Rickman ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"), Geoffrey Rush ("The Eye of the Storm"), and Christoph Waltz ("Carnage"). The political drama "The Ides of March" features three previous winners: George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

But they only put his odds of winning at 33:1. They surely didn't consult us about that.

MMD... Yep, looks like Alan's looking for bigger digs in NY now that he has a longer run ahead of him (and seems to be spending a lot of time there these days). It would be too cute if he did take the apt. in the same building as Dan Radcliffe. Good thing the place has a full time doorman! Haven't heard if he actually bought the place. I saw photos of it on another site and it really has rather amazing views of NY.

More of the Maximum Movie Mode videos with bits of Snape in them: here and here

From the Seminar FB page for anyone who's not able to attend in person but would like a Seminar playbill: Seminar On Broadway: If you send a self-addressed stamped envelop to the stage management team at the theater (with a nice letter!), they will send a playbill back in the mail to you. Enjoy!

Lots of Seminar stage door pix with Alan here and here.

Nice writeup of Song of Lunch from the "San Antonio Current", so nice that I'm going to post the whole thing:

Masterpiece Theatre (8pm Sun, PBS)
When was the last time you watched a TV show based on a poem? Christopher Reid’s The Song of Lunch takes place mostly in the head of a disillusioned London writer (Alan Rickman) who struggles through a lunch date with an old flame (Emma Thompson). The writer’s poetic internal narration is attuned to minute details of his feelings and his environment, and he is acutely aware of why this fateful lunch is going south.

The Song of Lunch is the rare TV movie for adults. It doesn’t bother with sexy young actors or a conclusion that ties up every loose end. Instead, it looks deep into an aging man’s troubled soul. The writer is sensitive on the inside but hopelessly crusty on the outside. As unpleasant as he acts toward his confused ex-lover, we pull for him most of the time, knowing that a sympathetic human being lurks in there somewhere. Rickman renders the nuances of this antihero’s psychology, and Thompson establishes a substantial character with minimal dialogue.

We’re used to TV movies that are sweet or, at worst, bittersweet. The Song of Lunch, by contrast, is bracingly bitter. I repeat: for adults only.

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MTV says: I am putting my bid in right now for Alan Rickman definitely getting a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Everyone from Michael Gambon to Matthew Lewis definitely put out an amazing performance in this film, but it was finally Rickman's time to shine. Even if "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" gets snubbed its much-deserved Best Picture nod, it will be satisfying enough to have Rickman in contention because he stands the best chance of actually winning.

NYU Local comments on Seminar (I admit I found this report irritating since the author couldn't seem to realize that Snape is not the actor in the play):
Alan Rickman is unquestionably the star of this play and a muse for the supporting actors. Therefore, if you are an Alan Rickman fan (which means you are probably also a Harry Potter fan) and you find Alan Rickman’s voice to be pleasing to your ears, then you should see this play. In fact, at certain points throughout the play, Rickman channels his inner Snape, criticizing his students’ works.

More Alan Seminar photos here from the NY Times.

And another contest where you can win tickets to Seminar is offered on DNAinfo.

SnitchSeeker has the extended version of the DH2 farewell video from the final day(s) of shooting.

The LA Times offers "Two Broadway Stars Put Potter and Snape Behind Them". Excerpts:

Radcliffe found the production to be inspiring, Rickman said. “He told me, ‘This makes me want to do a play, I have to do a play,’ ” he recalled in his dressing room before a recent rehearsal. “And I told him, ‘Daniel, you have years ahead of you ….' And he not only has the time but the talent to accomplish much on the stage.”

In fact, Rickman had earlier seen Radcliffe as corporate climber J. Pierrepont Finch in “How to Succeed” and pronounced his singing and dancing in the role as “brilliant.”

Rickman says one reward of being in the movies made from J.K. Rowling’s seven-volume Harry Potter opus was the privilege of “watching three kids turn into three adults, imperceptibly it seems, over 10 years. And now being able to sit in a café in New York with Daniel, talking about something loosely called ‘process.’ ”

Though he is a person who guards his privacy closely, the actor says his anonymity has not been much compromised by the enormous popularity of the Harry Potter movies. “I don’t wander around in a black wig,” he said, deadpan.

Too much info to add to the prior post, and it's been two days, so enjoy this gorgeous new photo of Alan by Sara Krulwich of the NY Times. I think it's one of the best Alan pix I've seen in a long while! The article is also interesting, a blend of review with interview. Excerpt:

Asked if his director or fellow cast members are intimidated by him, Mr. Rickman, 65, arched an eyebrow. In that voice that evokes a slow pour of black molasses, he said, “You’d have to ask them.”

Ms. Rebeck acknowledged that, given the disparity of age and professional experience in the company, a certain degree of awe was inevitable. “Listen, it’s not the warmest or fuzziest experience, working with Alan, and that’s good,” she said. “He’s such a prince of a guy. But he can be scary.”

She continued: “Somebody said to me once, ‘Talent is a double-edged sword,’ and you really see that with Alan. He holds himself to extremely high standards. Because of that he holds us to those standards as well. It’s a serious business being in a working relationship with him.”

The Star Tribune comments on the upcoming airing of Song of Lunch:

Watching an estranged couple share a meal doesn't scream great entertainment unless, of course, the pair is being played by Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman. "The Song of Lunch" (8 p.m. Sunday, KTCA, Ch. 2), the latest installment of "Masterpiece Contemporary," may not rival Wallace Shawn's "My Dinner with Andre," but it's a luscious snack prepared by two of our finest actors.

Today's Wall St. Journal has an article on Alan's Seminar co-star Hamish Linklater. Excerpt:

Offstage, in a bit of unintentional method acting, Mr. Linklater sought Mr. Rickman's advice on his own writing: He showed him a play he'd written called "The Vandal," which just had a reading in New York. Mr. Rickman diligently marked up the script. "He's like, 'You're a born writer,' and I start crying," Mr. Linklater recalled. "And then he's like, 'But this part, I think you become a bit of a television writer here,' and I'm quickly humbled."

SnitchSeeker has an Alan speaking on Snape and the HP series interview from Warner Bros. France. Excerpt:

Snape and Dumbledore share some intense scenes. Where do they rank among your favorite onscreen moments in the series?
Rickman: When I walked onto the set to work with Richard Harris – that’s iconic. You think, “I’m actually sitting in a make-up chair next to this guy, and I’ve grown up watching him.” Moving on to Michael, similarly, when I was at drama school [he was] an iconic figure to young actors. So there’s that level to it, which is just that you’re working with these people, and then there’s a human level too, which is you get to know them. Michael I knew before, anyway, but sitting in a make-up chair with Richard Harris and he’s talking about Beckett and Shakespeare and Pirandello. Then you go onto the set, Michael Gambon, you’re in awe and only this far away from him making you laugh. So you’re proud if you’ve got a take where he hasn’t cracked you up.

The Worcester Telegram comments on DH2, including: The “Potter” films have always been filled with wonderful actors — Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Emma Thompson, Jim Broadbent, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Jason Isaacs, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane — with Ralph Fiennes as the archvillain Lord Voldemort and Alan Rickman as the mysterious Professor Severus Snape adding particular power to their roles.

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USA Today says:

A British Masterpiece import, The Song of Lunch (PBS, Sunday, 9 ET/PT, times may vary) is the kind of artistic novelty you're unlikely to ever see on American commercial television.

Starring Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson, Song is a 50-minute, insufficiently dramatized performance of a Christopher Reid poem, with Rickman reading the poem in voice-over while we see the story — a sad reunion lunch between two ex-lovers — play out.

Song too often tells us what we've already seen, but the poem itself is lovely and insightful, and the performances shine..

Kingwood People has an interesting story about a charity art auction:

David Cameron and stars from the big screen have all donated works of art for the sale, in aid of Kingswood-based charity Hop, Skip and Jump South West, which runs a centre for children with special needs. With £40 price tags, the collectors' items could be genuine bargain.

But there's a catch – buyers won't know who created it until after they've bought it.

The Six By Eight exhibition showcases 450 pieces, including oil paintings, watercolours and graffiti works at The Bristol Gallery.

Each piece, just 6in by 8in, is the work of a different artist, and organisers have been given paintings by big names – many of them not known primarily for their abilities with a paint brush.

As well as Mr Cameron, actors Jeremy Irons, Kim Cattrall, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, John Hurt and Miranda Richardson have put brush to canvas.

Surely would love to see what Alan contributed!

One more nice find from HP UK... DH2 behind the scenes video featuring Alan.

WoW! What a fantastic range of Alan info. Thank you as always, Always!

I was equally intrigued about what Alan might have contributed to the exhibition, so I went to the Bristol Gallery site to see if they had any of the art on display. Just a few choice items tiled around the edge of their information, but yes, tantalising! I would be peering at them all, hoping for the sudden gift of X-ray vision, so I could see which name was on the back. Wish I didn't live at the other end of the country, and could see the exhibition. Superb marketing idea by the charity,

The new Alan pic is rather stunning, and interviews were great. I have to say, I love the thought of Alan "wandering around in a black wig", and in the rest of his Snape gear. I need to move to Spinner's End...