Top Gear UK

Sorry to sound predictable, but I really like this show. I guess hanging around with my step dad is beginning to take a serious toll on me, huh??

Personally, I like the one with brown hair, Hammond. He's my favorite!! He is sooooo cute!!

There have been multiple versions of this show made, including one made in 1977, another one made in 2002 with different hosts, one from Australia and one from the US.

Top Gear UK is the ONLY one I will watch, no other!!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear_(2002_TV_series)
This show is currently hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. And also features a  stunt driver named The Stig, which have been played by at least 3 different people. Most of the time you can find this show on BBC or if u live in the US, like me, BBC America.

Races
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear_(2002_TV_series)#Races
This show usually features Jeremy Clarkson or one of the other hosts doing a race in a car against other forms of transportation. And it also involves Hammond and May taking another form of transportation, such as car, train or ferry.

Challenges
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear_(2002_TV_series)#Challenges
These can vary to anything, from being roadies for the Who, to taking cars and trying to make custom build limousines, or playing soccer with Mini Coopers and a oversized inflatable ball, or trying to find the perfect car for a 17 year old or trying to make a homemade RV and go on a trip with it. They usually have a set budget they have to work with, and it's usually pretty funny to watch them do the tasks given to them to help them accomplish the goal.

Christmas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear_(2002_TV_series)#Christmas_specials
Every year around the holidays, they undertake a goal and challenge themed after the holidays. In 2010, they were flown to Iraq to try and re-enact the exact path that the 3 Wise Men took to find baby Jesus.

Starts in Reasonably Priced Cars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear_(2002_TV_series)#Star_in_a_Reasonably_Priced_Car
On almost every episode, they manage to get one famous person or another to do what they call the Celebrity Speed Lap and after they finish, they tell the person their time and put it on a list of who's fast and who's not. For the first seven series, a Suzuki Liana was used for the Celebrity Speed Lap. And here's a lineup of who's fast and not. I won't list all, way too many, but here's a few:

• 1:46.7- Ellen MacArthur


• 1:47.1- Simon Cowell


• 1:48.8- Stephen Ladyman


• 1:49.7- Roger Daltrey

• 1:50.0- Jeremy Clarkson(with passengers)


• Gordon Ramsay and Patrick Stewart had 1:50.0

• 1:54.0- Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine as passenger

• David Soul- 1:54.0

Starting with the 8th series, they started using a Chevrolet Lacetti. And they made a new blank scoreboard for this car. Here's the lineup for this one, there are also too many, so I'll just list a few here and there:

• 1:45.83- Jay Kay


• 1:45.9- Brian Johnson


• Simon Cowell


• 1:46.1- Jennifer Saunders


• 1:47.1- Peter Firth


• 1:47.7- Jamie Oliver(melted snow and standing water)

• Hugh Grant

• 1:48.0- Ewan McGregor


• 1:48.3- Billie Piper

• 1:48.5- Simon Pegg


• 1:48.8- David Tennant

• 1:49.6- Ronnie Wood

• 1:49.8- Sienna Miller


• 1:50.3- Michael Gambon


• 1:50.9- Steve Coogan

• 1:51.4- Ray Winstone

• 1:52.8- Dame Helen Mirren

On the last episode of the 14th season, they announced they would be getting a new car, and they did. A Kia Cee'd. Here's the lineup for this car:

• 1:42.2- Rowan Atkinson

• 1:45.2- Cameron Diaz

• 1:44.5- Nick Frost

• 1:45.5- Rupert Grint

• 1:46.1- Andy Garcia

• 1:49.0- Jeff Goldblum


• 1:49.9- Peta Todd


• 1:56.3- Alice Cooper

Swinging London in the 1960s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swinging_London

The term Swinging London applied to London in the 1960s, from all the fashion, music and basically pop culture that emerged in the land of Big Ben, :). This happened mainly after WWII, when England basically got the hell bombed out of them. What did they do to deserve getting bombed?

Music
Here are some of the musicians of that time who gave Swinging London a soundtrack:
The Beatles

I like George the most!!!!!

The Rolling Stones

The Who

The Kinks

The Small Faces

• In America, when these musicians came to the US, it was referred to as the British Invasion, which is cool, because that time gave us some of th best musicians in the history of music. And a good majority of these musicians did actually come to the US, such as the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who


• How most of this music got airplay was through pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline, Wonderful Radio London, Swinging Radio England.

Fashion and Symbols
Fashion and photography became very big, in magazines such as Queen and it drew attention to people like Mary Quant, a fashion designer during the Swinging London times.

• Jean Shrimpton was one of the first supermodels as well as another big icon. She was the one to introduce the miniskirt. And her sister was an actress just like Jean, and she was known for her relationship to Rolling Stone front man Mick Jagger when he was attending the London School of Economics and Steve Marriott of the Small Faces. Shrimpton was called the Face of the 60s, and became the big icon of Swinging London.



For the minskirt, thank this awesome woman! Jean Shrimpton
• Other big models of this era included Twiggy, Veruschka, Peggy Moffitt, Penelope Tree. Twiggy was called 'The Face of Mod', along with Cathy McGowan, who hosted the TV rock show Ready, Steady, Go! from 19664-1966.



Twiggy

Peggy Moffitt

Penelope Tree
• The so called 'Mod' fashions are what started very fashionable areas like Carnaby Street, King's Road, Chelsea. This area was big for 'mod' youths. What got these areas underway was the introduction of the miniskirt by Jean Shrimpton.



• The British Flag, aka the Union Flag or Union Jack, was a big symbol of the 1960s for London, and it became so as part of the 1966 World Cup when England won, and also the Mini Cooper became taxis with advertising that served as the paintwork.




• Mods- here's some elements to this little world:


• Fashion- tailor made suits


• Music- black Soul music, Jamaican ska, British beat music, R&B


• Scooters.


• After the mid to late 1960s, the term mod was used to describe anything modern.

Movies
Yeah, somehow, movies got made about this era. Some celebrated it, while others may have mocked it.

• Blowup-1966


• Darling-1965


• The Knack...And How to Get It-1965


• Alfie- 1966


• Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment-1966


• Georgy Girl-1966


• Modesty Blaise-1966


• Casino Royale-1967


• Smashing Time-1967


• Bedazzled-1967


• Up the Junction- 1968


• if...-1968


• Performance-1970

Also there were a few comedy movies made about this, over here in the US, the Austin Powers movies:

• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery-1997



• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me-1999






• Austin Powers: Goldmember- 2002


• The Boat That Rocked-2009

TV
There were also shows that took place during this groovy time. Sorry, just had to throw that one in!

• The Avengers. This one is the biggest one that showed Swinging London, with it's 2 characters John Steed and Emma Peel



John Steed and Emma Peel. Strangely enough, I have never seen this show, but I know who they are. When my dad was growing up, he watched this show.
• Take Three Girls(1969)

This could be the Small Faces, although the one with the light hair looks like Rod Stewart!

Helena Bonham-Carter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Bonham_Carter

Helena Bonham Carter was born on May 26, 1966, in Golden Greers, London, England. She does film, stage and TV, and is currently with American director Tim Burton. She has an unusual style, referred to as 'shabby-chic', and her main style influences are Vivienne Westwood and Marie Antoinette, and was chosen by Marc Jacobs to be the face for thw autumn/winter advertising line for 2011

Filmography:

• 1983: A Pattern with Roses- Netty Bellinger


• 1985: A Room with a View- Lucy Honeychurch


• 1986: Lady Jane- Lady Jane Grey.


• 1987: Maurice- Lady at cricket match


• 1987: A Hazard of Hearts- Serena Staverley


• 1988: The Mask- Iris


• 1988: Six Minutes with Ludwig- The Star


• 1989: Francesco- Chiara Offreduccio


• 1989: Getting It Right- Lady Minerva Munday


• 1990: Hamlet- Ophelia


• 1990: The Early Life of Beatrix Potter- Beatrix Potter


• 1991: Where Angels Fear to Tread- Caroline Abbott


• 1991: Brown Bear's Wedding- White Bear(animated movie)


• 1992- Howard's End- Helen Schlegel


• 1993: Dancing Queen- Pandora/Julie


• 1994: May Shelley's Frankenstein- Elizabeth Frankenstein


• 1994: Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald- Marina Oswald


• 1994: A Dark Adapted Eye- Faith Severn(adult)


• 1994: Butter- Dorothy


• 1995: Mighty Aphrodite- Amanda Weinrib


• 1995: Margaret's Museum- Margaret MacNeil


• 1995: Jeremy Hardy Gives Good Sex- Herself(voice)


• 1996: Twelfth Night: Or What You Will- Olivia


• 1996: Portrait Chinois- Ada


• 1997: the Petticoat Expeditions- the narrator


• 1997: Keep the Aspidistra Flying- Rosemary


• 1997: The Wings of the Dove- Kate Croy


• 1998: Merlin- Morgan Le Fay


• 1998: Sweet Revenge- Karen Knightly


• 1998: The Theory of Flight- Jane Thatchard


• 1999: Fight Club- Marla Singer


• 1999: Women Talking Dirty- Cora


• 1999: The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything- Lily


• 2000: Carnivale- Milly(voice)


• 2001: Planet of the Apes- Ari


• 2001: Novocaine- Susan Ivey


• 2001: Football- Mum


• 2002:  The Heart of Me- Dinah


• 2002: Live from Baghdad- Ingrid Formanek


• 2002: Till Human Voices Wake Us- Ruby


• 2003: Big Fish- Jennifer Hill/The Witch


• 2003: Henry VIII- Anne Boleyn


• 2004: Series of Unfortunate Events- Beatrice Baudelaire


• 2005: Conversations with Other Women- Woman


• 2005:  Magnificent 7- Maggie Jackson


• 2005: Wallace and Gromit:Curse of the Were-Rabbit- Lady Tottington


• 2005: Corpse Bride- Emily the Corpse


• 2005: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Mrs. Bucket


• 2006: Sixty Six- Esther Reubens


• 2007: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- Bellatrix LeStrange


• 2007: Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street- Mrs. Lovett


• 2009: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- Bellatrix LeStrange


• 2009: Terminator:Salvation- Dr. Serena Kogan


• 2009: Enid- Enid Blyton


• 2009:  The Gruffalo- Mother Squirrel


• 2010: Alice in Wonderland- Red Queen


• 2010: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, pt.I and pt.II- Bellatrix LeStrange


• 2010: The King's Speech- Queen Elizabeth

As Bellatrix LeStrange from Harry Potter

Her and her partner Tim Burton

As Mrs. Lovett

As the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland

As Queen Elizabeth in The King's Speech