Apr 26, 2010

OH, HENRY!

Well, here we go again....off on another obsessive compulsive TeeVee watching tangent that will cost me 39 hours of my life and about sixty bucks at amazon.com to own the set.

It all started innocently enough. My stupid cable company was stupid enough to give me Showtime for a week for free. And since I'm stupider than the stupid cable company, it wasn't four minutes before I was on the phone with the customer service representative ordering it for Chez Spinster on a permanent basis.

At first, Aunt Chrissy and I got hooked on Nurse Jackie, and we both marveled at the fact that Carmella Soprano and Fr. Intintolla could look so completely different without the priest's collar and the acrylic nails. (I got those reversed, I think, but you get the idea.)

Then...very innocently, Aunt Chrissy says to me "You know, I hear that The Tudors is supposed to be pretty good. Wanna' watch it?"

Four days later and I am stunned into submission. At first I was disgusted with myself that I seemed to have fallen asleep for most of the time I was supposed to have learned all about this stuff in school, but then it dawned on me that the versions of Tudor England that the nuns taught us looked NOTHING like a nekkid Jonathan Rhys Meyers and/or his many conquests.

(In my Henry VIII delirium, I even called my friend Kavanaugh and shouted into the phone: "Hey Kavanaugh! YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE TUDORS ON SHOWTIME!!! IT'S THE SOPRANOS FOR YOUR PEOPLE!!!".)

(Oh, and in the event that dear Kavanaugh is reading this...yes, about two seconds after I hung up the phone I smacked myself on the forehead and realized that you are, in fact, Irish, and NOT English.) (Or British.) (Or whatever you say when someone was born in England and not Ireland.)

But back to the nekkid Jonathan Rhys Meyers. (And just about everybody else in the series by the way..my goodness, but these people were frisky!) If history in this form would have been available to me as a young scholar, perhaps I would have actually paid attention? And the intrique! The backstabbing! The shenanagins that would make Paulie Walnuts look like Mister Rogers! Why couldn't I have learned and/or appreciated this when it was time for me to actually learn it? Why? Why did I think that the goings on of boy/girl relations at St. Charles grade school were so much more interesting than Henry VIII changing the entire course of human history?

Anywhoose...I am enthralled with this and am happy to report that I've stopped feeling ashamed that I am so completely dense when it comes to history (well, anything really), and I've set about the task of learning a little more. (This thought came to me in the middle of the night as I was tossing and turning over what an ignoramus I am...I bolted upright in bed and said (God knows, to no one in particular)....I CAN READ! I CAN READ AND I HAVE A KINDLE!!!).

So I've downloaded a few books that are all history-like and maybe, just maybe, I will actually learn something.

Oh, and just a quick note to you Brits....I envy your fascinating history and the fact that you could spend your entire life examining the inner workings of various kings and queens. Now before you reply that we have a little history over here, may I just point out that reading about Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower comes nowhere close to seeing King Henry VIII go completely off his nut for Anne Boleyn?

In addition to all of this Tudor obsessing and TeeVee watching, I did manage to get a fair amount done on Love the Spring:
Yes, I know that the name on the bottom of my sampler is NOT the name that is on the bottom of the chart, but I decided to put Mom and Dad and the year they were married on this. I don't think I've ever stitched a sampler that is supposed to have a name on it, and since I'm not cavorting about the country exhibiting my "official reproduction samplers", I didn't think anybody would mind. (And yes, I know that my dad didn't have an "s" at the end of Robert, but the name Vaceila Roberts is very very dear to Aunt Chrissy and I for a super secret reason, so I went with it.)

Nothing much to report on the Stewey front, other than the fact that Aunt Chrissy was amazed at his torpedo-like blazing speed as he chased after a duck. We have a little family of three ducks that frequent our houses and when Aunt Chrissy opened the back door to let Stewey outside, he took off like a shot and almost caught one. She was completely impressed with his athletic prowess, and has promised not to make fun of his fussy little gentleman tendencies anymore. He, on the other hand, has promised to leave the ducks alone and not break up what appears to be a rather interesting combination....a female and two males. We've speculated that it might be a mom, a dad, and a son still living at home, but it could also be a husband and wife and the brother-in-law Phil. (For the sake of conversation, let's just assume that Phil's wife Betty is off in Vegas playing Keno and having a few rounds of tequila shooters. The thought of this poor little guy not having a mate is too sad to bear.)

So that's the report for today. Just the usual crazy antics of a spinster and her little dog. I hope that your weekends were full of something delicious...

32 comments:

  1. The Tutors is a good show and I am hooked on Showtime, HBO, On-Demand, soap operas....I do have a worry with The Tutors as the show progresses in history. An older Henry is usually portrayed as a rotund little, guy. The juicy scenes with that visual are just not the same as the hotty playing Henry today.

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  2. I like The Tudors, even if they are boinking in about every second scene!! LOL Jonathan Rhys Meyers--yum!! You know he's Irish, right?! They make them pretty fine over here. ;) Same with Cillian Murphy, but I digress. I was driving a car full of teenagers home from school one afternoon & The Tudors came up in conversation. I mentioned how much boinking happened in that show & the girls were like, "Oh my gosh, I know!" and the boys were like, "Yeah baby, I know!". Totally different reactions--it was funny. If you like The Tudors, you have to get Philippa Gregory's Tudor series. Start with "The Other Boleyn Girl" and move on to "The Queen's Fool", etc. You'll LOVE it.

    Love the stitching progress! I like how you personalized it.

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  3. If you're looking for good Tudor history, try the books by Alison Weir. There's The Six Wives of Henry VIII, The Children of Henry VIII and The Life of Elizabeth I. Lots of lovely reading there.

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  4. You can call an Englishman English or British, however never call a Scot or a Welshman English because it won't be pretty! Henry was definitely not so hot by the end of his life, the excesses of it plus syphilis rather ruined the hotness!

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  5. Damn, guess I have to check this show out now!

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  6. I have the first 3 seasons of the Tudors on DVD and drool over them a LOT! hahahahaha! and love season 4 ..too bad its the last season! I will be buying that one when it comes out the first of the year(My birthday gift to myself!!)
    SIGH............(coming back to the real world!)
    Love all your stitching and how is Stewie feeling lately???

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  7. I love The Tudors. I watched all three seasons through Netflix. I do have to say it was a little strange watching it on my computer with my dh in the same room. :) I'm sure he would have loved to know what I was watching! LOL! :)

    I agree with what Siobhan said about Philippa Gregory. Her books are so good! I found the unabridged CDs from the library and listened to them all back to back.

    P.S. Your stitching is looking great! :)

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  8. I like the personalization approach. I like it much better than some stranger's name!

    I have not seen The Tudors, but now I'm intrigued (history element, not the skin... LOL)

    What books did you get? Fellow-Kindle-owners want to know! I can recommend the Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George. And it's available on the Kindle! Great story - it brings the history alive.

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  9. Hi Coni!!!! Speaking as a Brit, yes the Tudors is a very good series but remember it was made by a US film company and shot mostly in Ireland!!! Jonathan plays Henry perfectly although the most racy bits are with wife no 2 - Anne Boleyn. Philippa Gregory's books are a very good read although don't bother with the film version of The Other Boleyn girl as it's a disappointment!!!! Just my opinion though!!! And once Henry moves onto wives 4, 5 and 6 he does age and NOT gracefully!!!

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  10. Oh man! I just got into the Tudors this weekend myself. Never watched it before even though I've had Showtime for two years now. Check out Alison Weir's bios of the English royals. They're fascinating. If you're want to go the fiction route, read 'The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers' by Margaret George. Fantastic!

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  11. I have to admit the Tudors I love watching the series as well. I am disappointed this is the last season. I also love the books by Philippa Gregory. I am currently finishing up The White Queen which I believe is the beginning of her new series.

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  12. Hi Coni,
    My name is Deborah Mix and I have a blog of my hand painted needlepoint called A Dragons Tale Needlepoint.
    I love your blog and I love little Stewie! Would you mind if I put his pics in our Needle pets column with a link to your blog?
    He's a Jack Russell right? My sister has five of them. He's adorable!

    Please let me know. I can be reached at
    dmix7@yahoo.com

    Thanks,
    Debbie MIx
    PS. I agree about "The Tudors"- great show!

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  13. I have no idea what was in your post, I'm sure it was profound. Too busy looking at J.R.M.

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  14. Dwight and Mame had their moments. Check out his driver during his WWII days.

    http://www.bookyards.com/biography.html?author_id=4008&author=Summersby%2C%20Kay

    They were certainly very close and might have had an affair. Hard to say.

    By the way, there are many painted canvases of Henry 8th, Elizabeth One and Henry's wives.

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  15. I have been wanting to watch the Tudors for some time now. I think it would be interesting to see what is on screen compared to what was taught in school (maybe that's the historian in me talking, lol). While not my favorite aspect of British history, I find it interesting how King Henry VIII is perceived throughout history.

    Nice work on your stitching piece!

    And, LOL, LMAO about Stewey and the ducks!!!

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  16. I don't have a tv, but every Sunday I run down to my landlords and watch the tudors with him, and Treme since I am from New Orleans. Watching hot English nekkedness with a 75 year old man is weird, but not so weird I stop.

    Historically innaccurate, but so yummy! Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk, where do I get one?

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  17. I got the same free week of Showtime and also got hooked on Nurse Jackie. We now subscribe and I started watching The Tutors, too! I need a good long weekend so I can catch up on the first two seasons.

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  18. Love the Tudors! Been reading tons of Tudor and Stuart related books in the past three years.

    And here's a local to me designer who was inspired by Henry's wives:

    http://www.ruthdiltsdesign.com/hampton.html

    I've seen them in person and they are gorgeous.

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  19. BIG fan of the Tudors too! My rather branchy family tree has ancestors from Lancaster as well as York, so the Tudor rose (representing both) has always been a favorite stitching motif of mine. And believe you me sister, this cinematic version of Henry is SOooooooo much better than the one I had in my head from British history classes.

    The best memory jogger I learned regarding Henry's wives goes like this: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. So if you can remember the order of the wives, you can remember their "outcomes".

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  20. The author Phillipa Gregory also has a great and very readable seris on the Tudors. I've read them all and they are very enjoyable.
    Cheers Karen in Australia.

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  21. I'll give another plug for Weir and Gregory. I especially liked the book,Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir. It's about Lady Jane Grey and it's available as a Kindle book.

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  22. Although it's the last season for the Tudors, the Borgia start in 2011. Get it on you calendar!

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  23. Coni, I love "The Tudors" also and have the first 3 seasons to watch over and over (and over). I also love anything British Royalty related and wanted to pass along this site:

    http://www.leighdesigns.com/Grp827x.html

    It is the British Dynasty ornaments from Leigh Designs. I have all 8 on order and can't wait to get them to stitch on while watching The Tudors - except I can imagine that I might have to stop stitching during the steamy scenes.

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  24. I have the first two seasons of the Tudors, now I need to watch them again :-). And Jonathan Rhys Meyers, yummmeee, LOL.

    I love British history, my mother is English. Alison Weir is very detailed but lots of fun to listen, read.

    Pretty WIP too!

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  25. Coni, I am a sucker for English history and have read biographies of all Henry's wives.... it is interesting stuff! Also try Alison Weir, she has both academic and fiction works that are very interesting and readable!
    Love the stitching, as always.

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  26. wait a minute, did you know that Dwight and Mamie were the first couple to have a DOUBLE bed in the white house???? Mamie said that she wanted to be able to reach over and pat his bald head. Let's assume she meant the one that was on the pillow.....

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  27. wait a minute, did you know that Dwight and Mamie were the first modern first couple to have a double bed in the White House? Mamie said that she wanted to be able to reach over and pat his bald head. Let's assume that she meant the one on the pillow.....

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  28. What a great funny post, I love your comparison of the Tudors to Sopranos, hahaha Paulie Walnuts and Mister Rogers made me laugh right out loud..LOUDLY. LOL LOL Too funny. Now I must see the Tudors, that is about the cutest King Henry I have ever seen. LOve your stitching and how you personalized it.

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  29. Catching up on my posting - for 8.99/mo. at netflix, you can watch the Tudor's on your computer or streamed onto your tv.

    I agree with Siobhan - lots of boinking!

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  30. My hubby and I are watching the Tudors together...I got hooked on it when I was in Canada, and when I got here the boxed DVD sets were waiting...we love watching Tv series on DVD...there is a lot to be said for not having to wait for the next episode...

    If you read up on the Tudors, you will find that the series takes some rather large liberties with history...esp in the areas of costume and language used...

    I love your WIP...who is the designer?

    Kisses to Stewey...

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  31. Not quite Tudor, but I'm reading Alison Wier's Queen Isabella on my Nook right now, and it's a great read! (I don't know if it's available on Kindle tho.)

    Also, have you considered that the ducks might be in an open marriage? I was watching House last night, and this strange concept was at the center of the story. Then I read about your ducks... and well, I'm thinking it might be a fit. LOL

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  32. Nurse Jackie is AWSOME.
    The Tudors, while not precisely accurate, is one heckuva thrill ride. Recommendation: The Lady in the Tower. Or -- better yet -- Wolf Hall.
    ENJOY!!

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