Yay, here are some photos from last night’s LA premiere of The Imitation Game. I’m including lots of Benedict Cumberbatch photos, plus some pics of Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode and Allen Leech. Keira wore Chanel, which has been her go-to label throughout this promotional tour. If Keira gets nominated for a Golden Globe, SAG and Academy Award, do you think she’ll wear Chanel throughout the awards season? Or will she save the big Chanel gown for the Oscars?
Anyway, I think Benedict looks a little worse for wear. Maybe it’s jet-lag. Or maybe he’s just exhausted from the pace he has to keep when he’s participating in a Harvey Weinstein Oscar campaign. Or maybe it’s something else. When asked about why and how he broke the internet with his engagement announcement in the Times, Bendy told USA Today:
“It’s what I would have done if I wasn’t famous. It’s a normal thing to do in my country,” he told USA TODAY. “It was a way of telling our friends who we hadn’t been able to tell before (they saw) some grainy shot of a ring on her finger.”
Some grainy shot of a ring on her finger? Hm. So, instead of announcing the happy news to friends in person, the first thing Benedict did was call up The Times for an engagement announcement? Something sketchy is happening, hand to God. USA Today also quotes Bendy’s friend Matthew Goode – on a short trip to LA in between filming for The Good Wife – saying that he thinks Bendy’s engagement announcement was very “old school” and he joked that they “both found Sophies.” Because Goode is married to Sophie Dymoke.
Oh, and I don’t like his hair in these photos. AT ALL.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
I thought he was going to say something like “I’m so happy! I’m engaged!”
He has a lot of friends, so the newspaper announcement (and subsequent internet coverage) makes sense as a way to reach them all. And quickly. Like ripping off a Band-aid.
Keira and Allen look good,
Instead he kept his poker face on and barely cracked a smile.
Keira can’t put a foot wrong in terms of her fashion, she’s flawless.
Idk… In this age of text, email, phones, and skype, I don’t buy the paper being the brst way to tell friends.
Apparently we’re in the minority. Others seem to think it’s perfectly normal.
It just seems odd, like does he know his friends all check the Times wedding announcements?
We’re really not in the minority.
The Times wedding announcements is the *first* thing I check in the morning. Everybody does, right?
😀
“Flawless” was my thought too.
For my taste, Keira is doing all the right fashion choices lately, but I particularly like this dress. It looks fresh but not “hip”, glamorous but not over the top, elegant but not boring.
Seriously, look how happy he looks here with Keira! When I see him looking like this with Sophie I will be convinced that all is well:
https://screen.yahoo.com/imitation-game-keira-knightley-benedict-133639612.html
That was seriously cute, and they have great chemistry together. Thought I’d just watch a second or two and was sucked into the whole video — thanks gg 🙂
Great video! I’m with you, if I see he and Sophie like this (highly unlikely, as I doubt they’ll show any emotions with peasants/fans/cameras around) then I’ll be sending happy vibes their way. 🙂
There’s too much of him lately but since his Oscar-bait movie is produced by Weinstein I would it’s just a beginning. Though Harvey prefers young blond American sweethearts so maybe this campaign won’t be so agressive as Lawrence’s and he won’t try to convince everybody that Cumberbutch is next DeNiro (opposite to JLaw’s ridiculous “nest Meryl Streep”).
Yes, this time Harvey has an “it boy” instead of an”it girl” who is more mature than the women he pushed. We will have to see how aggressive Harvey is and how cooperative this guy is. There is a great deal of competition this year and so far, the campaigning is already too much. It will get ridiculous when the nomnations are actually announced if it is this bad already. And, not just this guy, but all of the ass kissing that is going on. It would be a change if awards were based on talent, not money and who has the best “campaign”, like some election.
And agree that Keira is with child and looks good. Nice dress.
If they were Timothy Spall would be nominated
Last year Harvey pushed Meryl, Judi Dench, Julia Roberts, Oprah and Octavia Spencer -hardly some spring chickens.
He generally pushes whoever is in his movies and has a chance of winning regardless of age and gender. I hate how Harvey forces directors to edit the movies and cuts stuff out but he is actually one of the few studio bosses who creates good roles for older women. Judi Dench has said she owes Harvey her Hollywood career and even jokes having a Harvey tattoo on her ass. Plus he helped Meryl finally win an overdue third Oscar.
I think Harvey is pinning his hopes on BC being his big leading man and positioning him for the Old Hollywood meets DDL vibe–brooding, serious, British actor who has no time for fluff nonsense and ffs look I just got engaged, of course I’m serious and don’t care what fans think I just care about the work… (one might assume)
Let the crazy commence….
I totes think Keira is preggers. Maybe she and Sophie could be preggo buddies!
Urgh. I’m making myself gag.
Yep, Keira having a uterine secret is looking more likely by the minute.
Keira looks pregnant.. I like the dress.. not the shoes.
Two Bendy engagement posts? I think she’s pregnant…
It’s very sketchy. Sketchy like the drawings he does to ease the pain of fame.
Nicely done.
preggo
Who the hell prints an ad in the paper for “friends” to see? He’s not a good liar, is he?
The guy probably has a thousand people who think they’re his bud. He wasn’t going to call them or tweet them one by one.
Hi everyone. I’m new here, been observing the sh!tstorm from afar & enjoying it immensely. I like long walks on the beach, Earl Grey tea and handsome British fellas.
Just popped in here to say that I finally saw a picture in which Sophie Hunter smiles, and now I understand why she doesn’t do that so much – the similarity between her face & the Otter’s is effing CREEPY.
That is all. Have a stupenduous day!
Welcome Joanne! Fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride!!
There is no one handsome in this post though?
Ha! I know what you mean. Love BC, am a huge fan of his work and a proud worshipper at the Otter-altar, but… I guess I don’t actually like him in THAT way. There’s definitely plenty of handsome Brits out there to choose from, though, praise the heavens in their mercy;)
And come on, *no one* handsome in this post? You’ve got two other, perfectly decent looking guys right there, surely you can’t be that picky 😀
It’s been a rough week plus for Celebitches. I am laughing so hard.
Am I the only one who read this statement like: It was a way of telling those friends of ours whom we for some reason didn’t manage to reach?
It seems to me like he was trying to say that, not that they didn’t tell anyone and expected friends and family to read about it in the papers.
They can’t be very good friends if you don’t tell them these things personally by text at least
Who ever said they had to be good friends?
@Leo I don’t know, anyone who isn’t a psychopath.
Um, then why feel the need to tell them at all? If you can’t be bothered to actually inform someone personally and do it by the Times newspaper, that’s a bit odd.
Who’s to say all his vague acquaintances he wants to inform will even read the wedding section of the times everyday.
I’m a bit sick of people throwing a trite and predictable ‘ooh fangirls just be pissy’ at people. That CLEARLY isn’t it. You might not agree, fine. But don’t insult everyone else with that.
You mean Olivia?
What?
Ouch, that would be low.
Oh, that’s what you mean! Well, it’s really sweet to be concerned about the feelings of his ex-GF who has moved on long ago and with whom he broke up years ago, yet have no problem bullying or ridiculing his present partner based on a handful of photos and a few snippets of the work she had done.
I guess, to each his own.
Olivia is more talented, nothing wrong with that.
Leo – fortunately Olivia broke up with him so the only hard feelings would be on his end.
@ Freebunny: No, nothing wrong with that. But what does this have to do with anything? That gives people the right to openly insult her even if it’s just a gossip page?
@ Dani: Fantastic, than there is nothing for Grace to worry about!
Even though I would say that this fact is just another supposition and rumour that came from fan forums, just like much of the content re: the engagement.
@Leo It’s certainly unfair but people judge other people from what they can see. And as they’re never ever seen together as a couple, people will look at her previous work to know who she is.
If they were not so paranoid about their “privacy” people wouldn’t have to search elsewhere.
@leo
Criticising and discussing her public work is neither bullying nor ridiculing. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
Except when you’re Benedict Cumberbatch and you put an engagement announcement In The newspaper, the media turns into a storm. It isn’t like when normal people do it. So he just made the media part of it enormous when he didn’t have to. Nobody was stalking her trying to get pap shots of a ring they didn’t know existed. They had plenty of time to tell friends via the normal channels before it “got out” if that was their actual intention.
So, how should they have announced it for it not to be strange/posh/sketchy/attention-seeking/you name it?
Something tells me everything would be problematic. And I really hate that word.
I don’t know, annouce it to your friends first, keep low key and don’t put an announce just before the promo storm would have been a good idea
They could have not announced it, but I don’t see them getting away from a reaction if she wants to do a high-profile event with him as a couple. Which would have still lead to a statement or announcement through a media outlet. The only way to ensure privacy is to never have her out with him at major events in public.
It’s not a fame level issue per se; he’s simply click-bait and he sells magazines well; the media outlets go where the money is.
How do you know that didn’t announce it to their friends?
Yes, the announcement could have been put in some other time. But so what? Their call and certainly not a crime, even if I don’t like it or if I’m neutral to it.
@Leo There’s no drama here, people are questionning his timing and weird answers, that’s all.
If you think everything is fine and normal, fine. Other people think otherwise.
I would have notified family and friends as soon as I could either in person, phone or social media. SH could have notified people while he was in US because, hell, she doesn’t appear to be that busy. My friends would tell friends and then I could confirm. My mother could spread the news. ANYTHING BUT AN INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPER.
Well said Sigh. If his privacy had mean that much to him he could have emailed those close to him and spread the word that way. Basically the tradition and snobbery overruled hIs need for privacy.
What gets me is why he tries to explain it away. He always seems to be defending something which to my mind points to his need to constantly control hi image and it is not pretty. To me Sophie is just another move in that direction.
I thought that too, Leo. He has friends everywhere and the newspaper announcement was a way to reach them all. He had to know it would get picked up on the internet, so even the not so close friends or acquaintances could read about it if they don’t get the paper.
It’s a joke I suppose.
He’s not able to phone or e-mail his friends first????
Agree. Seems like a perfectly sensible way of making it public/official to everyone without inviting the media in with a news release.
I don’t get the fuss over the newspaper announcement. It’s an old-fashioned-but-pretty-normal thing. And probably more for the benefit of acquaintances or family friends than close mates. I’m kinda “whatever” about the rest. Good luck to them, none of my business really?
It’s old school, but also not uncommon amongst the upper crust.
If it is such a common thing to do how come that their announcement was the only one in the wedding section?
London alone has ten million people! And one single engagement announcement in the Times that day.
Yes, really common (roll eyes)
Nobody knows who he told before the ad, probably made a million calls. Maybe it’s because I am a Brit that I find all this perfectly normal, all my family have announced stuff in the paper, births, deaths etc , maybe not the Times but a paper, it’s very normal here. Not showing affection in public is not surprising either with the level of scrutiny they have to cope with. Also announcements go in all kinds of papers, not just the Times.
When I was mentally dating bendy, I had a similar nightmare one night where I accidentally got preggo and bendy wanted to keep the baby and proposed. This whole story has been insanely creepy for me personally. Could not keep it to myself anymore , had to tell u people and husband 😀
It’s the imitation game, you know, sometimes life imitates art and so on… But this whole mess feels creepy to me too, and I didn’t even have your kind of nightmare.
@Lucifer So Benedict was the ‘dream father’ of Lucifer’s baby so to speak?! That’s kind of fantastic, hahaha. 😉
@cate Not ane more. My kids will be scared of this sourpuss face 😀
Ha! 🙂
It really is a pretty normal way to announce an engagement. Nothing sketchy at all.
It’s not ‘normal’. I don’t know why people are painting it as an everyday thing to do. And it’s certainly not normal for someone so famous who wants to keep his private life quiet.
It’s normal for a normal, non-famous couple.
•Guinea Pig•
How is it different than announcing it on social media? Which is what and how most people now use to make those kinds of announcements, so it’s really not that different. And he doesn’t have social media so a paper is the next best thing.
LadySlippers,
Only ‘celebs’ who want two tell the public everything would announce it on social media. The point is he didn’t need to make a big public announcement at all.
I’m not sure where you live, but everywhere I have lived- a few different countries- it has been absolutely normal.
@Sigh it was once considered the right thing to do amongst upper class and some. middle class people but nowadays nobody bothers so much. It was a way of announcing who your daughter is marrying and what a great catch they are.
Most people are much more mobile these days and nobody has a clue who they are unless they are famous or well connected. The internet is is by farr the more reliable way to spread the news,I bet most of his friends did not even see the announcement until it was broken by the press.
Nowadays people tend to put their wedding phot0s in
I don’t get this..
Many people I know put their engagement announcements in the local paper. Some with a pictures. And the purpose it for the people they can’t reach or to just tell the world,
Why are people calling it unusual or sketchy?
At the risk of not getting my comment on the page or pissing people off, I’ll be blunt – they are calling it unusual/sketchy because it’s the only way they can imagine him being engaged.
Every single theory, however insane it may be, is possible, expect for the one where he actually loves her, wants to marry her and has decided to publish it in a way some think strange.
Cause you obviously put an announce in the newspaper BEFORE telling your friends or so you don’t have to tell them face to face ????
What kind of friendship is it?????
I totally agree not a week goes by without an engagement notice being posted in my local paper.I guess he was supposed to post it on FB or twitter?I am not on social media and I read the obits,wedding and engagement notices in the newspaper which is delivered to my house.I guess I am not normal.BTW I rarely text and I have a landline.OLD SCHOOL
It is because he has been moaning about his privacy and lack thereof for months-which I grt. What I don’t get is caring about your privacy, putting an engagement announcement in the Times prior to the week you begin your Oscar campaign, and simultaneously begin whitewashing your fiance’s resume. This is not about being normal, or classy. Don’t fall into that fairytale. Don’t think it is Oscar, but suspect trying to make shotgun wedding as classy as possible. Hope it works and lasts, but call a spade a spade
Probably a lot of their friends didn’t even know they were dating, much less seriously. Even a month ago they wouldn’t be seen on the red carpet together. So yeah, an engagement notice from a friend you didn’t even know was in a serious relationship would probably seem sketchy. I know it would cause me to raise an eyebrow.
I think we all sincerely hope this is the case Leo. It’s just not the vibe some of us are getting.
sigh…it was comining out anyway if she is going to start doing some events with him. his campaign began weeks ago. this shortcutted the ‘oh who is she’ ‘are they dating’ crap that would have sprung up the first time it became clear theyre an item to the gen public.
the only way to have privacy here is her never ever being seen out in public with him as a couplr at a major event which seems crappy if she wants to be with him at things.
The general consensus is, since these two spent months ducking and dodging everyone, at times even each other, and considering his aversion to publicity, it is odd that they would put their engagement in a large international newspaper.
They most certainly had time and resources to alert friends and family of the happy news and didn’t have to let every know that next day unless someone was on fire. Also, considering that he was about to leave to promote his movie the timing is suspect.
It’s the disingenuousness of it. Saying “we did it to tell our friends” when clearly it was for publicity purposes. Again, reference Lindy’s post below. They had plenty of time to tell friends in the normal way, especially if she isn’t currently doing promo work with him. Just be honest and say this is how we wanted the media to get hold of it, on our terms.
@freebunny – Exactly. I would contact everyone I knew personally before I put my engagement in an international newspaper. It seems almost rude to me.
Um, I’m sure their friends were told. Acquaintances and whatnot, probably not all of them. I read it as “This was a way for us to announce it instead of someone else.”
“we did it to tell our friends” = “we did it to get the news to the media and to the public, but I cannot actually say that.”
“Many people I know put their engagement announcements in the local paper”
Are they also fairly famous actors who bemoan a lack of privacy?
Have you considered that is something solely British, I’m Portuguese and no one does that in my country for Goodness sake… So for me, it’s weird, sketchy, etc….
*sigh*
OK, last time…
Actors do not HAVE to announce things about their private lives in any capacity. The Times is much classier than People or Hello but it’s still a worldwide publication and it flies in the face of his insistence that his private life be kept private. The ads are not a pre-requisite, it is a CHOICE and all the examples people give about their home towns etc. are done by people who WANT their announcement to be made public which is great, yay for them.
What’s ticking people off is that he will now more than likely refuse to talk about it and look a bit pissy when anyone asks him about it.
Tom Hardy is possibly married to Charlotte Riley but no one knows for sure because *gasp* he hasn’t taken out an ad in the Times.
No one has seen Ryan Goslings baby or even know when she was born because *gasp* they didn’t announce stuff publicly the day after it happened.
THIS is the issue people are having, not the ad itself but that he claims to want privacy yet did a very public thing relating to his private life and he did so days before starting an insane promo tour. Sophie hasnt been with him since the announcement so there was no real reason to do what he did so quickly.
Let’s say I agree with you. I don’t entirely, but let’s say for the argument’s sake, you are right.
It was an unnecessary, rash, stupid thing to do. But do you really think they deserve to have their entire relationship or even their character questioned just because of that?
@Leo If he was obviously happy nobody would raise an eyebrown but he looks really miserable so yeah people will ask questions about their relationship.
I think – not, as I’m sure you know, Lindy, that I give the chuff from a flying monkey about Benny – that it only looks weird because it’s a schizophrenic colliding of two worlds.
Posh Brits put these announcements in The Times. It’s just what they do. He’s a posh Brit as much as he likes to downplay it and say it ain’t so, like all the posh Brit actors try to pretend that being posh isn’t why they’re successful. He’s marrying a posh Brit. They’re as dull and predictable as all posh Brits and they’re doing what their set do.
On the other side, he’s a popular actor, where PR and media management is king and where dedicated fans obsess over every word, expression, appearance, etc. And from this standpoint, it all looks weird because it actually isn’t some media-planned image play; it’s an anachronistic piece of society news coming from outside PR.
It’s like the tectonic plates of Benny the Poshly-Affianced and Benny the Weinstein-Bouncer rubbing against each other.
And behold! The earthquake!
Also his use of the word “famous.” In the past he would say “in the public eye” but now it’s “famous.” I may be nitpicking but famous just has a bit more of an egotistical twist than public eye.
in the video linked on the other post from yesterday, felice, he does actually say ‘in the public eye’ but tbh that’s looong lol
No, I’m not saying that but unless he logs on here and reads these, all we’re doing is chatting on an online forum.
Like hundreds of others where people are entitled to voice their opinions (so long as they adhere to the rules of said site)
These comments should have zero impact on his life. I don’t contact anyone associated with him, I don’t go to premieres or signings or anything to do with him, hell I don’t even talk about him outside here really.
@Lindy79 this ^^^^ is so on target. It is not the fact he is engaged, or his choice (side eye her artistic expression but not necessarily her as a person). Hope it lasts, but have never observed someone so unhappy about an event that has always been discussed with great joy.
@ Sixer, thank you, that’s what I was trying to say, but couldn’t find the right words.
Plus, yes, there is drama. Thousands of comments, insane conspiracy theories, listening to made-up gossip from Tumblr, suppositions and interpreting RL contest in a way that fits your conspiracy theroy of choice – that is drama.
No, Leo. Not all of us are fed by mindless tumblr gossip. We use our eyes and think for ourselves. You don’t agree? Fine. But don’t tell us that we’re listening to anyone else. Not all of us believe everything we read/see.
@ All
I don’t mean this in a way that criticises fans – however detached or attached they might be. Don’t take it as a snot over fans. I mean it as a critique of the anachronistic, boring, stuffy, completely predictable ways of the British upper class. I mean it as a critique of the media machine behind actors. I mean it as a critique of actors (including Benny but not solely confined to Benny) who use the media machine when it suits them and sulk about it when it doesn’t.
Hope that’s cleared it up!
@ Guinea Pig – No, I wasn’t saying you all listed to it. Sorry if you feel offended that was not my intention. It was just one of the elements I mentioned.
But I would be very interested to see your comment about the classifieds thing. Since posters usually ignore a substantial number of posts giving RL examples of it being normal/normal to them.
Leo,
What about the classified thing? What was it haven’t answered?
@Sixer, thank you. It is an announcement from two posh Brits to other posh Brits that they are forming another union of posh Brits, because that’s what posh Brits do, much like posh NYers run such announcements in the NY Times and the Mayflower people make them in the Boston Globe. It is what their “society” does and has little to do with what either one of them actually do in this world or how those of us who aren’t part of that “society” conduct our lives or get our news. And yes, I suspect close friends were told by other means, but this is more of an announcement to acquaintances who attended the same schools or whatever.
Love ya Sixer!
That’s kind of what I was trying to say. I’m a fan of him so am commenting on this but it’s always been a pet peeve when actors who use PR when it suits, moan when it doesn’t which is the root of my feelings on this.
Love you too, Lindy, of course!
@ Lilac – that’s it exactly. The Times announcement was intended for the other poshies, not us, the hoi polloi.
I think we should just call it what it is: reverting to type.
As a Brit, I find our posh celebrities ineffably wearing. As soon as they get famous, they run around whining about being posh-bashed, or shout to the rooftops that Great Uncle Jimmy was a chimney sweep and Mater had to walk the streets of Soho in laddered fishnets to pay the school fees so they’re not really posh at all. But, when it comes down to it, their apples never fall far from the tree – as we can see here, with the choice of bride and the announcement in The Times. I don’t mind this: I mind the endless pretending that goes before the reverting to type.
This site is so informative. As a Yank, I was totally seeing what Lindy was saying and thought that BCs actions don’t match his constant harping on wanting to keep his personal life private. Getting another angle from Sixer was helpful, since Posh Brit behavior isn’t something I quite get. They seem rather boring to me with their garden parties and Formula 1 events. Ugh, give me a weekend in the Rockies with beers, brats and friends around a campfire any day over that.
@Sixer, your comment was epic; ‘Great Uncle Jimmy was a chimney sweep and Mater had to walk the streets of Soho in laddered fishnets to pay the school fees’
Hahahahahahahahaha!!!
@Lindy79 well said
@Sixer And we have two of his more obvious contractions. He wants his privacy and puts it in the paper. He does not want to be seen as a posh actor but cannot resist the lifestyle and all the little traditions, like marrying a suitable wife, which go with it. So for me still pretty much about controlling his image and I bet it was passed through his publicity team. It perfectly feeds the English gentlemen image that he and his tea are now pushing in the UK because that is what sells over there .In the UK it is just another posh trop
To Guinea Pig,
So what is the New York Time wedding section on Sunday? They all seem normal.
Have you ever seen major stars put their wedding announcements or other aspects of their personal business in The New York Times.
No, they usually do magazine covers and page spreads or whatnot. It’s more publicity that way.
Beautiful, Sandi! Thank you 🙂
They dont all do that. Plenty don’t.
@sandi – Classless people put their business in the street for publicity.
Oh I get it, he should have done a People Magazine cover.
I hope they elope before the Golden Globes.
I am so happy for them.
I haven’t been so happy for a celebrity couple since George and Amal.
By normal, I mean it’s not an everyday thing to do. I know tons of people who are married and they wouldn’t have even thought of making a newspaper annoucement. And he’s a public figure who’s supposedly private, THATS the issue.
So, just to repeat what mazza asked – if this is such a “not-normal” thing to do, why do classifieds even exits?
I currently live in a small non-English speaking country that couldn’t be further away from British culture. Every single daily paper here has several pages of obituaries, wedding announcements or birth notices. It’s normal to me and I’m not even posh.
Should it not be normal for them? Even if they want privacy, shouldn’t they be allowed a wedding announcement like „normal/posh people“?
Nope, they usually chose People, Hello, Hola, etc. Oh! Let’s not forget Instagram or Twitter. 🙂
A lot do, and it’s not necessarily because they’re ‘classless’, Moodgirl. It’s a control measure. Cuts the speculation out and the interest down. It’s not gossip-worthy once it’s been confirmed, and you’ve got to know what to fold on to save yourself unnecessary grief.
For example, Lindy79 mentioned Gosling’s new child, who I know was born 9/12 because TMZ got the birth certificate despite their attempts to keep it quiet. And paps are now angling for that baby pic. And went after Mendes while she was pregnant constantly because she denied it.
Look, I can understand why people are annoyed with him right now, and this could have been an impulsive mistake. But there were bigger ways to go if he wanted publicity and I do think it was going to come out anyway.
@leo
It’s not an average thing for people to do. I live in the UK and people generally don’t think to tell a national newspaper. It just doesn’t happen very often at all. Whatever a ‘posh’ person may be, I don’t know..maybe that’s different. But I’ve got a wide ranging group of friends and even the perhaps perceived ‘posh’ wouldn’t so it.
And your point about privacy, you need to be realistic. If you’re a famous person and you want your privacy, making a point of announcing your engagement in the national press is negating that completely. It’s ridiculously naive to think otherwise.
@sandi
Of course an engagement is gossip worthy when it’s confirmed. It’s been all over the press on the most insane way. If he’d kept it quiet, nobody would’ve known.
@Sandi, I get what you’re saying but an engagement is easier to hide than a baby. There are legal registrations (as you said which is how TMZ got it..urgh).
They could have gone so far as to tell a select few (so if it got out they would have a small list of suspects), and even not wearing the ring in public if they wanted privacy.
It seems ridiculous but given that a month ago they wouldn’t walk a red carpet together, she left and got her own car totally separate from her future in laws and his friends, they’re not a couple that are adverse to playing that kind of thing.
I get what you mean, Lindy79. Like I said, it could have been a rash decision or they were trying to get ahead of someone else, but I can why people are a little annoyed.
It’s hard for me to form much of an opinion on the rest of it without knowing for sure who didn’t want to be public.
@ Guinea Pig
“It’s not an average thing for people to do.”
You’re missing the point. It’s not normal for the average couple to announce their engagement in The Times. It is normal/expected/traditional for the upper classes to do this. Benny – despite his constant attempts to downplay his poshness – is one of them. Therefore, he did it.
http://announcements.thetimes.co.uk/celebration/timesonline-uk/celebrations-search.aspx?page=1&announcementtype=2&daterange=365&entriesperpage=50
Have a look there. 256 couples from the great and the good, the titled, the gentry, the alumni of the top public schools – all announcing their engagement in The Times in 2014. There aren’t that many of these people, so you can see what a large proportion of them do it.
It’s the done thing, darling (as Wanda would say).
I can’t believe no-one’s bought up the fact that Eddie Redmayne published HIS engagement in The Times back in May/June. So Cumby’s not even the first Brit actor to do it this year. Definitely normal, not weird at all.
I do think Sixer is right. Some of you are trying to analyse this like it was intentional PR, that there was some kind of planned spin. On that level it’s a complete failure, because it makes no sense to claim you want to be private and simultaneously take out an ad in a newspaper. But if you assume he was just following a tradition (and not thinking of the PR implications whatsoever), then it’s perfectly fine.
Yes. I think if it was me I’d value my privacy over tradition but I totally get yours and Sixers points on it.
But Eddie acts like he actually likes his fiance.
That would just make him insanely naive and possibly hypocritical, Lucrezia.
also Eddie is LEGIT posh. He grew up extraordinarily privileged. It would have surprised me if he HADN’T announced his engagement.
His was also with his long term girlfriend who attends many functions and events with him.
He’s playing the PR game too he just looks like he’s enjoying it.
Eddie Redmayne also avoids drawing unnecessary attention to himself as opposed to Benny who is forever “accidently” finding himself the centre of media attention.
Icerose, that comment could easily be attributed to another posh actor …
Did you see the vid of him talking about that? THAT is what I call beaming (X-Rays)…
more like an avada kevadra death stare. And up until I saw the video I genuinely thought he was just tired and stressed. Man…that is not a happy engaged man…possibily a soon to be father. WTH?
You say it girl.
“It’s what I would have done if I wasn’t famous. It’s a normal thing to do in my country,”
What I thought when I saw the Times ad. I was surprised by the engagement but not how it was announced.
I don’t get the fuss about BC at all. He looks cold and like a serial killer. He’s a good actor but as man, no…
Keira is so pretty,at 29 i’m slim but i still have baby fat in my face and i’m envious of her cheek bones!
I couldn’t give a toss if he is engaged he is just not my type AT ALL.I am just here for the meltdown and conspiracy theories amongst his fan girls.
Very entertaining.
I’m not fussed either but it’s been entertaining reading . But I have to say that while there has been wide ranging discussion, and lots of people are “invested”, there hasn’t been very much craziness, no one has had to be talked down off a high building, that’s why I like this site.
Anne Tommy– true. Discussions have pretty much tolerated everyone’s perceptions.
Same. Although my fascination is less with the fangirls and more with how Cumberbatch and his team’s actions are feeding the conspiracy theories at this point. As I said elsewhere, I didn’t think anything of the engagement – even think Sophie seems like a good match – but the roll out has been weird.
I’ve seen the paparazzi at LAX and around LA. They can be unbelievably intimidating. I can’t imagine getting off an international flight and having a camera shoved in my face. At the same time, Benedict’s 38. He’s been around long enough that he knew what he was in for with an active Oscar campaign, never mind throwing a surprise engagement into the mix.
Kaiser! What are you doing? Are you making fun of us?
My goodness, thank the Lord they only put an engagement announcement in the paper and didn’t actually commit, you know. a crime.
@joe spider: LOL, I snorted coffee all over the keyboard:)
@ Joe Spider: But you know, that would have been better/easier to understand. You know, drugs, mental illness, difficult childhood, stress, etc. But this? For a man to get engaged to a woman without previuosly introducing her to his fans!? The horror.
So no one is allowed to speculate on any celeb story or is it only for certain ones, as Ive seen much worse written about others on here?
90% of them on here are light fluff bits that get hundreds of comments.
Is that not what sites like this are all about?
@ Lindy: Of course they are! And that’s way I’m here. But come on, even CB confirmed this is the most discussed topic in CB history. Celebrities act in much stranger/nefarious/PR-minded/suspicions ways and the reaction/backlash is rarely this strong. Yes, people comment on other threads too, but I don’t think I have really seen this level of suspicion over an engagement of two scandal-free people.
I guess it’s just me and my bewilderment.
I think it’s probably because here, he had a reasonably positive following (Ive been on other sites and the commenters hate him) so maybe that explains it a bit?
That’s me anyway, I thought he wouldn’t revert to type and he’s ended up being a Hubbell
…Huge personal opinion only incoming: overall, actors never film, mount a play and campaign all at the same time. It’s ludicrous to take all that on and he was a fool to try (and may need new PR and/or management).
He’s under an enormous amount of pressure and is trying to stick to a script/persona he was handed to survive intact and not damage himself or the movie. It would be easier to do if he wasn’t overextended.
Outside of the fandom, people don’t know him or don’t like him or think he’s a joke, so he’s told to be serious and non-controversial. No one becomes their ‘real self’ during an Oscar campaign.
Not his usual route, and he’ll just revert back to normal once it eases up. Also don’t think he’ll be doing this again once he’s done.
@sandi: I agree with almost everything you said. Someone should perhaps clue him in on the fact that there’s a balance between photobombing U2 and look like a giant stick is up his b**t 🙂
@aly: that’s why I’m wondering about his PR/management. Don’t know much about either. God help him if they are letting Harvey drive the bus entirely.
That being said, this is bigger than just an Oscar nod. He can’t have another box failure on his hands either.
What? A crime wasn’t committed? I’m so confused.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iiy5HO4VKEA
@Lilacflowers no crime just double standards and contradictions and a loss of perfection status.
“loss of perfection status” I had to snigger sorry :p
A loss of perfection status? Did something happen to Bill Nighy?
@ Lindy79
which is why I’m allowed to come on and put my three penn’orth in, qnd laugh at those with too much invested in the subject.
@Lilacflowers
I’m sure they’ll think of one. 😉
@Joe spider, as the daughter of a firefighter, I’m finding the “you can’t deal with coming home to a newborn while prepping for the grueling work of Hamlet. How could she do this do him when playing Hamlet is his life’s dream?” theme to be particularly mind-numbing. But that’s just me.
@ Lilacflowers
Haha, reminds me of Rory Kinnear’s acceptance speech when he won his Olivier earlier this year. Something like “we had a new daughter 3(?) weeks ago and I’m so f*****g tired!”
But he didn’t use asterisks.
And it isn’t just you.
Medical personal, emergency services, teachers, care workers seem to manage the arrival of babies with out the additions of nannies, cleaners or nappy washing services?? And what ever happened to those wonderful grandparents who help out.
Just give me Tommy oozing joy of life as he gets to grips with hill billy music and down south buckaroo hats. It is just so much more enjoyable and provides me with enough smiles to help with my wrinkles.
Have we all seen this lovely picture of him and Rodney defying all sense of fashion as they sing good old country songs.
https://twitter.com/cjanecrowell/status/530892021456965632/photo/1
Icerose- that’s too adorable. I like how Tom just seems to embrace everyone, regardless of their class status.
Course you are.
I felt the tone was a bit “why are you commenting ” which is where i was coming from.
That Tom photo is awesome Icerose
That makes my day. Please keep threadbombing with Hillbilly Hiddles!
I’m formally announcing that I am becoming a Tommy Turncoat.
And when Tommy and I get married we will formally announce our betrothal in the Times – not because we are posh, but just so that all my friends on CB won’t have to find out about our engagement through grainy pictures of me and the ring.
Your welcome.
@Icerose, my husband Thomas appears to be singing with exuberance, probably off-key. I love how he is resting his foot on a a folding chair, which appears to be a good five feet away from him. Climbing those legs is so much fun.
Two Cumberbatch threads in one day! Stop the onslaught! Oh the humanity!
Pssssh. You propose on a Monday and call the paper on a Tuesday so the announcement comes out on Wednesday and then say it’s to tell the friends you weren’t able to reach? You devote one day to try and reach out to your “friends” to share the happy news? Pshhh.
I’m not bashing the way it was done (it is sweetly old fashioned, and better than a magazine tell all in any case). Just…bizaare.
But her mother did the magazine tell all anyway – apparently the next day so they could have waited
It’s nonsense. Just like their courtship. They are just continuing the nonsense of the past five months.
I’m with Sixer, he was just doing it the posh Brit way, most probably so that his mum could cut out the clipping and stick it in the family album, along with the rest of the family’s b/d/m newspaper clippings. I’m guessing the stuff about getting it out to friends before they read about it in a gossip mag was more of a throwaway line. But I know nothing really.
But I know nothing really
*claps*
Well played Sir, well played.
Maybe, I’m a bad person for saying this, but I’ll be quite surprised if they do make it down the aisle. He gives off the vibe of being so desperate to be a father now, that he doesn’t care who he gets pregnant. Whether Sophie is or isn’t pregnant is up in the air.
I do find it weird that the engagement came to a surprise that it seems most of his friends, albeit one or two, are radio silent on twitter about the whole thing.
On a side note: his demeanor and death glares in the last few months are, I’m not sure of a better word, completely off-putting and annoying. He’s becoming boring, and I might avoid a lot of his stuff until this whole thing cools off a bit.
I’m a fan of his work, and I’m tired of all this personal life crap. Also, not a fangirl, he has the tall, lean look, and eyes I’m drawn to, but he just seems so touchy. Not really my type.
I’m a self proclaimed Cumberb!tch, I like both his work and shallow things about him (like his booty) but I really need to go see The Imitation Game soon, because this cloak and dagger engagement bull and all the campaigning Is starting to annoy me and making me nitpick his personality. And I can’t even enjoy his looks because he’s so rundown looking nowadays.
I don’t find him boring at all…and he still turns his charm on when he has to (Graham Nortorn, for example), but it’s like he’s so done with red carpets, interviews and paparazzi; and despite what someone say he has just started his Oscar campaign, whereas other nominees have been at it for a month already. Hopefully he’ll find a balance
or calm the hell down after SH reaches the 12 weeks mark *kidding, sort of*Has he just started? It seems he’s been doing a lot of press ever since Telluride. Lots of interviews and magazine covers. TV interviews. Mags like Out, Flaunt, Elle. And then TIFF, and LFF. I’m certainly getting tired of his repetitive answers (repetitive questions by reporters partly to blame). Has it really not been that long?
Well, he hasn’t done any screenings in the US until this week end, and those count. Most of the press and events he has done have been in the UK so far, so I don’t know how much it will impact AMPAS voters. My guess is that he will do a LOT of press now, and if he gets sag, gg, bafta, oscar nods, he will have to bend backwards while shooting Sherlock (I’m pretty sure Moffat and BBC will be only too happy to accomodate his needs). I’m kind of following this Oscar season, last I did was in 2005 when George Clooney won, and I had forgotten how it was like.
on a side note: the hair is growing, thank God…
the guy has trust issues, he was scared to tell his not-so best friends and family that he was getting engaged. He didn’t want it leaking to the press, so he did it the Times way. I get that, totally. What I do hope is that his closest friends and family didn’t find out this way. I would be insulted to the extreme.
I have to admit though he’s acting like Prince Charles right now, if someone dares asks him about love, he is going to twiddle his ring and ask what love is. Or whatever rubbish Charles came out with so many years ago. The guy needs a broom up his butt and get that penny out that’s stuck between his cheeks. [not me, old expression]
I think he already has a broom and possibly a steam mop already up there judging by his demeanor the last while.
Lindy79, I was about to say the same thing.
‘p’enny, Colin is so sorry the coffee wasn’t as you liked. He’s sending Charlie Hunnam to you with a box of chocolate truffles to make amends.
lol lilacflowers,
Charlie Hunnam, thank you lilac, was a darling with his box of chocs. In the UK we had an advert many moons ago, called the Lady loves Milk Tray and a man cames through her window in a tux – all James Bond like and leaves her a box of chocs and disappears on skis.
Charlie re-enacted this scene for me, but he took it to stage 2. He stayed and came ‘in’ my strawberry centre. 😀
For some reason it never dawned on me that she would be preggers but now that you mention it, it makes sense.
I’m going to break the Bendy cycle and say I LOVE Matthew Goode on The Good Wife. I totally want Finn Polmar for myself.
I’ll let you have Finn Polmar if I can have temporary custody of Eli Gold – I’d set him loose during an election year, he’s probably a bloody nightmare to be with then at any rate.
It’s a totally normal thing to make an engagement announcement in the newspaper for a certain class of people – the class of people to which Benedict and his family belong. In fact, it’s expected. An engagement isn’t considered proper until it has been announced in the paper. The also do announcements for births, marriages, significant anniversaries and deaths.
It may seem disingenuous to those who live their lives online, but texting and social media are not considered proper or permanent enough media for such important announcements.
And if the man looks a bit too grouchy, maybe it’s because the low-key, traditional response to engagement is what he wants, and instead the internet is full of delusional and antagonistic fans picking his every move apart and insulting his finacee left right and centre. He’s under no obligation to show the public anything about his private emotions, and no obligation to follow anyone else’s guidelines about how to tell people about his private affairs. And he certainly does not have to do things the American way. (Although upperclass Americans announce their engagements in the paper too – the Sunday New York Times is full of that sort of thing.)
He’s a Brit. He’s doing it the upperclass Brit way. It’s stodgy and boring and not exuberant. I can respect that for what it is.
*eyeroll*
It doesn’t matter how ‘traditional’ it is to his family, at his level of fame, if he wanted the quiet life he could’ve kept his mouth shut. As for ‘an engagement isn’t proper until it’s announced in the paper’ Utter tosh.
Secondly there was nothing ‘low key’ about an announcement in Times.
Thirdly, honestly it’s hilarious how some fans think that he actually gives two shits what fans online think. Do you seriously honestly believe that he sits moping over what a few fans are thinking about him on the Internet? Please wake up.
Nobody is delusional or antagonistic. I actually think it’s pretty delusional to deny that he looks like utter thunder and this whole thing has been flat out weird. And for the record, nobody has been ‘insulting’ her left right and centre. If you’d bother to actually read what’s being said, people aren’t afraid to question and criticise, which I realise is out of the remit of the slavishly devoted fangirls.
What does him being ‘a Brit’ have to do with anything? I don’t know why people from abroad see us as this Downton abbey style pomp and twattery. Sorry to disappoint, but we’re not.
“””And if the man looks a bit too grouchy, maybe it’s because the low-key, traditional response to engagement is what he wants, and instead the internet is full of delusional and antagonistic fans picking his every move apart and insulting his finacee left right and centre.“””
I’m sorry but while I think that some of the criticism is way too harsh and unjustified — and some of it mean and stupid -, what an actor does in public is fair game. It sucks, I know — but that’s how it works. If Ben, whom I adore by the way, is so upset by public opinion about things he does and says in public he needs either to grow a thicker skin or to really be private about his life. To me it’s starting to look like he wants his cake and wants to eat it too.
I’m a fan of his work, I think he’s immensely talented, I’m a fan of his — but when things don’t make sense to me, things he does in *public* I can’t pretend it’s all okay. *shrugs*
Sorry for the harsh tone, by the way.
Oh, a double-edged sword there, aly, if we’re talking more generally here.
I get why people criticize; at the same time, celebrity culture is more than just sucky, it’s toxic. They can keep their money and cars, to be frank. I’ll stick to my normal life 🙂
Indeed, Sandi…it’s toxic, and I totally appreciate those celebreties who either embrace fame and don’t whine about it or those who keep their private lives under a tight lid. I wouldn’t be able to bear the scrutiny, personally, but I’m also aware of the fact that whatever one does in public is open to be judged and picked apart.
I’ve read some pretty vile stuff about the engagement and about Ben in general – not here, just to be clear — but speculation about why he looks like someone drowned all his puppies or why his fiancee’s cv has been whitewashed is fair, I think.
The only thing that can ‘save’ this disaster now, is a pic or a vid of him WITH Sophie where they at least look like they know each other names.
Or just Benedict not looking like he wants to kill himself on the red carpet.
I have to admit, I didn’t get the conspiracy theories last week, but I’m starting to believe (is this a sign I need to spend less time on Celebitchy?). His PR game is awful: the correct response was “Yes, the announcement is a family tradition, and we’re thrilled.” Then a smile. Full stop.
He’s a good actor. He should be able to play happy engaged otter for a few minutes.
He just looks so happy! *sarcasm *
The Madame Tussaud’s CumberWax has a happier expression than he does.
And this is what I call chemistry and a happy Ben.
https://screen.yahoo.com/movie-videos/imitation-game-keira-knightley-benedict-133639612.html
aaaaww…they’re adorable together:)
I just posted that upthread, god they are soooo cute together! THAT is how he should look when he is talking about his fiancee. I miss seeing that goofy side of him….
THIS. And if I was a casual fan just scanning through, I’d think they were dating based on chemistry alone. Hell, my SO and their BFF sure did and wouldn’t believe me for most of the day when I said otherwise lol.
Hopefully once award season is over he cheers the hell up and gets back to this. This was around LFF, I remember her dress and his hair is still like bum fluff.
I’m happy to see the photo of Matthew Goode and Alan Leech here too. I never thought Goode was as hot as in the recent Death Comes to Pemberley as Wickham. I’ve always had a soft spot for Leech, cute Irish actor always cast as the low born but noble guy in love with the forbidden daughter of the noble house (Rome as Agrippa, Downton as Tom Branson) look forward to seeing him in this movie, I’m pretty sick of Cumby, bring on some new faces.
I’m not his fan, I don’t care about him at all but he and you here managed one thing. There is only November, there are few more months of award season but my only reaction is – give him this Oscar, maybe he will disappear for some time.
I´m starting to think that Benedict is just weird. And that the true love of his life is not a woman – any woman – but his job. For example, there´s this video from 2010 (when he wasn´t so famous), he got an award and he didn´t kiss Olivia Poulet? She was sweet touching his hair and Benedict, well…
I know it was their last year together, but still. Or british couple are this way in public?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoDhWKkioQg
Has anyone seen the Conan video?
I think I just died laughing… also.. I know it was meant as comedy but.. Might there be a tiny bit of criticism in the beginning? The whole “Is it still on?Some people might change their mind over the weekend?”
Because I felt a tiny bit of it 😀
http://teamcoco.com/video/benedict-cumberbatch-engagement
Nah as much as I’ve said on this thing i don’t get that snark.
LOL, that skit was the best! And I love Conan & Andy on a normal day. Conan already made a joke during his monologue about BC’s engagement last week too:
‘Benedict and his fiancee are registered at ‘Cumberbatch, Cumberbed and Beyond’ LOL!
Haha! I don’t care that they’re making fun of his fans. That was hilarious and adorable.
Medical personal, emergency services, teachers, care workers seem to manage the arrival of babies with out the additions of nannies, cleaners or nappy washing services?? And what ever happened to those wonderful grandparents who help out.
Just give me Tommy oozing joy of life as he gets to grips with hill billy music and down south buckaroo hats. It is just so much more enjoyable and provides me with enough smiles to help with my wrinkles.
Have we all seen this lovely picture of him and Rodney defying all sense of fashion as they sing good old country songs.
https://twitter.com/cjanecrowell/status/530892021456965632/photo/1
That sketch just made the engagement worthwhile and the lovely ending was the end that said it all.
I am exhausted by this subject, but it is amazing to see the tumbler/imdb crowd trying to normalize a very bizarre situation. I get it, you don’t want your idol to be cold, calculating, and do anything for an Oscar. I don’t think you realize that he is in love with his career, and it is his one great love. He sacrificed his relationship with Olivia for it. He is willing to sell a story about himself in a very big way to get attention and be taken seriously and not be the guy who has millions of women obsessed with his otter self.
Those of us who are questioning it see inconsistencies, bizarre behavior that seems out of character. On top of which the cloak and dagger route he took was DESIGNED to get your attention. This whole thing has felt staged and then you thrown in how miserable he is.
Maybe she’s pregnant and he is just trying to navigate this. I think the more likely approach is that they agreed to some kind of arrangement and it is getting out of hand.
Agree with me, don’t agree with me, that’s just how I see it.
Agreed…but why does he look so…idk, grumpy? sad? He’s an excellent actor, he could pull it off if he wanted to.
Her family is all in and has been since the beginning. His friends and family are radio silent. Something is off, don’t know exactly what it is.
The fact her family seemed to have a statement ready to go for the first tab that called (or they called?) is kind of eye brow raising for me.
@ Madly – Yes. To all of this.
@ aly – He IS an excellent actor. This is what makes it even more bizarre. Surely he’s not just acting unhappy on purpose. Something is very off.
I really tried to look at this from the happy in love perspective and it’s still so. damn. odd.
@Ingrid: it’s weird because even though I’m spending a lot of time speculating here, I don’t care about the engagement per se. To me it’s the whole circus that is fun. Is Ben in love with SH? I don’t know, but at this point I’m 99% sure this is just PR; nothing so far has convinced me of the contrary. The love angle clashes with Mr. Grumpy Pants of the past weekend…
I agree with you, Madly. Entirely. And I think a big part of it is he is trying to change his image, shake the “omg open letter” tumblrite fans or at least build a larger “middle America” type fan base who will see a serious, brooding, actor and not “that guy the girls gush over and pretend is their husband”. I was thinking the other day that it’s odd he’s doing day time talkies when he’s stateside and a super fluffy one at that, but no night time ones (as far as I know) and the whole “OH he/his PR/someone’s PR wants to build the whole older fanbase–the SAHM/D, middle of the road, not going to build a shrine to him in their closet base to support a more “serious” career.”
I think he’ll be doing Fallon too Miss Mary, but that’s pure fluff too I guess.
I am thinking that too. He is trying to appeal to the people magazine demographic, that doesn’t live on tumbler.
@Cate: I think Fallon was his most successful talk show appearance last year, and I’m betting his people can get Fallon to agree to not bug him about the engagement unduly since he himself had some very private things go on when he and his wife had a baby via surrogate. Appeal to the “respect my privacy” angle.
Wow, I’m bitchy without enough tea in me, lol.
@MissMary: Almost what I said above, although I think this is also about ensuring he won’t have another huge public failure. Being box office-poison is a bigger issue career-wise than getting an Oscar nom.
Actors with ‘corrective’ personas around Oscar time are pretty common. I don’t believe he’ll make it all the way, however, nor it is permanent. And something is off somewhere if he can’t sell it.
Madly
Yes!!!!Exactly.
What he’s doing is at odds with ‘who’ he usually comes across as.The inconsistencies in his behaviour are becoming more apparent.
Whatever’s changed in his life and circumstances isn’t having a good effect on him IMO.
He said it should be about the work.And he wanted the focus to be on TIG.It hasn’t,it’s become about him.
i think weinstein has him in a situation he can’t get out of. he reluctantly agreed to this, but maybe had no choice, and is not happy.
Oh and let’s add that wonderful quote from the new E! interview:
Following the exciting news, fans have rallied around the star and seem genuinely excited that Cumberbatch has found his match, but according to the newly engaged celeb, the only support he needs is from his bride-to-be.
“It is,” he said when asked if it’s nice to have such strong support his loyal admirers. “But the only support I really need to be honest I need is the woman I love who I proposed to.”
I will just leave that here…
Ouch. Maybe the Tumblr crowd should stop writing those letters to the happy couple then.
It does feel like he is trying to divorce himself from them.
He has become snippy and rude lately and I am starting to not care about what is making him so miserable.
@Madly I love him to pieces, but he’s an idiot:)
Well, somebody is doing an awful lot of talking for a private person… I can imagine him “beaming” when saying those things again…
Isn’t there an extra “need” in there? Like maybe the PR intern made a mistake when they were cutting and pasting?
Good catch. Lol
Well, to be fair, he just got the script in the car on the way over–even every good actors need time to really memorize things and get the “feel” of the piece.
@ MissMary – 😀 LOL He DOES need his prep time.
“The woman I love WHO I PROPOSED TO.” Err, yeah, we heard. You proposed. Got it. Was that in case we missed the Times announcement that was just your societal way of keeping up with the Middletons?
He seriously wants to get rid of the crazy fans. I gotta tell you, Benedict….I think you’re a great actor, you have bags of talent, but you are not Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, George Clooney et al, and you never will be. You need the crazy fans. You really do.
Very similar to Mitt Romney saying “The woman I chose to marry”
I sense that there is something that’s coming forward that will make the media turn.
@sigh, it’s not like fans have helped those actors in some cases…but I get what you’re saying. Right now, he needs all the fans. To be fair, though, having a lot of
nutjobdevoted fans didn’t stop TFE from being a flop, so…I don’t necessarily mean the completely bat $hit crazy ones. I guess I’m saying that he seems to try to be reaching for that middle America crowd, and I just don’t think he has the generic appeal for that. He needs the niche fans. Because if he loses those and doesn’t get the middle America fan base he’s hoping for then he’s really screwed.
@sigh, oh I agree on that, but I think it’s a calculated risk, after all whoever follows Ben for more than a week knows about his foot in he mouth disease. He can be very articulate, he can talk your ear off and then boom…random sh*t that probably sounded good in his neurotic head:)
Jesus…*bursts into incontrollable laughter*
Oh, Ben….
If you made something up,you have to sell it. After all he is an actor. A damn good one at that. Realization is kicking in that his sour expression is not helping his oscar agenda/preggo thingy. Will we see the supportive SO actually supporting him at an important time in his career is yet to be seen. He says a lot of things. I for one dont believe ANYTHING aftr 5.11.14
Amen.
Since he only wants her support, I assume we’ll be seeing her soon??
I’m still laughing at this quote. Thanks for the comedy, Ben. 🙂
For me, at this point, I have noticed too much weirdness. So even if the otter queen does grace us with her tentacles, and they looked loved up, I would still question it. He is selling us something. That much has been very clear. He can’t erase the expressions and idiot behavior that he has been showing lately. This has started too much on the wrong foot to course correct for me.
Really @madly @aly. Its too messed up now. He cant sell that much to us.At least we have more education and real life experience than him or his SO *eye roll*
He’s basically saying, ‘get the f..k off me with your cumbercupcakes and ‘best day of my life’ wishes!’ Just to think of the post some cumberfruitcake started on tumblr for Sophie, titled, hold yourselves, ‘Welcome to the family!’
Will they get it?
Yeah I think they can officially stop with the scrapbooks, cupcakes, letters and whatever else they might have planned.
Just to add from a purely PR standpoint, he maybe should stop talking?
Yeah stop talking and start giving newspaper ads.
LOL
As I pointed out a few threads ago, I think their plan is to eliminate “the crazy” from the fanbase. It’s taking too much focus and making his image a joke.
@Ingrid. I wonder if the crazy fangirls will buy a clue though
@ Renee – Of course not, they lack all self-awareness.
BTW, I have never understood the scrapbook and cupcake fans who seem to think he loves, cares and adores them above anything. “We are family and he’s part of this.” No, he doesn’t love them. But he should be appreciative of them (because of them he’s were he’s now), but he doesn’t love them or want their homemade cookies.
Believe it or not, Tumblr still seems to be squeeing over it (they did create a ship name for them after all – SophieBatch). Twitter is getting pissed though
@gg
What are they saying on twitter, gg? Waking up to the ‘sophiebatch’?
Twitter is “not amused.” Honestly I was more struck by the stilted way he was speaking about “the woman he proposed to” than anything about the fans. I dunno, none of this shocks me anymore. I am unshockable.
Kind of funny and sad at the same time that the desired effect is back firing! Now, Tumblrbishes think they’re a family! Aw, man….
Christ on a crutch, you must be kidding. Welcome to the family??? ***wretching sounds***
I rolled my eyes.
Scripted.
It all sounds like it was written for him and he learned the script very well.. But he sadly forgot to act the part as well..
How long will it take till he snaps and tells what he really thinks about his cumberfruit…oops…cupcakes? Oh boy, THAT will shatter hearts for real..:(
it’s very obvious to me that he was given a tongue lashing by his pr, and or weinstein about his moodiness, and non-answers about the engagement. so he was given a script. he will be repeating this many more times to come. i feel sorry for him. i think he’s gotten himself in a situation he can’t get out of.
@gracada: You are going to the thing at the 92nd St Y, right? You must be our spy!!!
@gg I will be the spy though I am trying to bring myself to go…this whole thing is starting to taint being a fan.
Link to that please! Sounds good.
@Laetitia:
http://www.eonline.com/news/596871/benedict-cumberbatch-really-happy-after-engagement-will-martin-freeman-be-his-best-man
@gg I guess I am in the minority but his comments in that E article don’t bother me. If I were said fiancee, I would be thinking “hell yeah, who cares about the support of a bunch of cumberb**ches?”. But, due to my split personality, I may then turn around and say “Aw, that’s so sweet of the cumberbuddies.”.
Sorry, but how can you not think there’s anything wrong or weird about that statement? Genuinely, I’m intrigued.
No, same, Laetitia. It’s a bit scripted but not ‘wrong’ or a slap to the fans. He’s acknowledged their support is nice to have a few times back at the beginning when the media was painting them as ‘crazies’, like he did here, but it’s strange to think they’re the most important.
@Guinea Pig I see it as him letting the World know that his fans support isn’t of the utmost importance but the support of his fiancee is of the utmost importance.
@Green Earrings See statement above. I think it’s statement letting his fans know, that’s great that you support me, but I don’t need your support, I need and value my fiancee’s support hence why I proposed to her. I think with some of the statements he makes, it’s best like with anyone, to take a step back and take it at face value.
It’s the most weird, contrived and unspeakably and unnecessarily rude thing I’ve ever heard him say. Literally nothing about it makes sense. I’m just stunned frankly.
The polite this was just to say thanks and he appreciates the kind thoughts. How hard is that?
Really? This is the first time I’ve soundly disagreed on here, I think.
I can’t imagine a fan thinking their approval here is important or necessary, and if so, that is really odd.
@Madly: he’s done that already. I don’t know why the media keeps asking him like he needs fan approval on it.
I don’t think any fan thinks their approval is necessary but it’d just be nice if he said, ‘aw, yeah, bless them’ instead of ‘go away, I only care that the woman that I asked to marry me and proposed to woman supports me’
Sorry, but it just baffles me that anyone thinks that’s ok.
I hate to say it but he’ll get his
Ugh Benedict, why so serious and defensive? I don’t know, but I for one am starting to believe that he may be actually in love and that this is just her influence showing itself. Some people very much morph into their significant other and I kind of believe this may be happening with Mr. Happy here. *Team Redmayne Oscar*
He would be happier if it was real.
I mean I know his fans are ruthless but honestly this is what they call ******* where you eat.
@Madly, I know, but I just don’t know anymore. Been ‘following’ him since 3 years, I have no idea what’s got into him. But maybe that’s what he wants… *Waves white flag*
How odd.
#understatement
‘But the only support I really need, to be honest, all I need is the support of the woman I love, who I proposed to.”
I’ll be honest . I think some people have been reaching to find something wrong in everything he’s said this past week, but this is the first time I’ve thought something is really wrong. Aside from the fact that the statement is, at best him trying to be suave, and at worst a ‘f*ck off’ to his fans. What is wrong with the phrasing? It sounds almost as if he has to clarify exactly which woman he loves. “The woman I love …uh, the woman I proposed to.” Right.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. The fact that ANYONE thinks he’s truly in love is just laughable.
Right? He had to clarify it?
Maybe he forgot her name. 😀 (Sorry, now I’m just being catty on purpose)
I also just realized…
This sounds like a huge, giant f*** you to his friends and family. Didn’t he always say that they were his priority.. What they think of him?
Like.. Considering the statement that would have made much more sense.. Like something along the lines of “thanks and yes it’s amazing, but I am especially grateful for the support of the people around me, my friends and family.”
One would assume that he values his fiancees opinion.. No need to clarify that.
? pinky, I think you’re on it today. I didn’t even think about it that way. Of course I’m probably reading way too much into it, as you do, but it almost does sound like a petulant f*** you to everyone! it’s my life I’ll do what I want! (Like my little one).
He definitely has a right to say that and do that, of course…still sounds like no one approves and he knows it.
@sighs – haha thanks 😛
oh yeah. Thank god I am not the only one seeing that.
Now I imagine Ben sort of doing the whole thing as a giant back off to everybody.. A la – I don’t care what pr tells me to do, I don’t care what my friends tell me… She seems alright, and it feels right right now… so why shouldn’t I be spontaneous?
But now in all honesty. I think thats the main reason why the quote feels so off to me. what about his family? his friends? combine that with the radio silence from their part…
Could be, pinky. I’m telling you, he’s losing it. Not going to end well, I fear (and I mean that, I’m terrified of sounding like I think it’s funny when it’s not even remotely amusing to me).
I know what you mean Sandi…
My only hope at the moment (thats the romantic in me) is that he finds somebody, that he falls head over heels for (like actually properly in love not – I need to convince myself she’s perfect and it SEEMS right) and who manages to drag him out of it before he snaps.
Or – which I would be okay with as well.. if his friends do it. If they catch him and bring him back to “himself”. Just somebody who dares to speak up and tell him that what he’s doing is neither normal nor good.
And I just realized…. I can offer another interpretation…
maybe he DOESN’T have her support… and it was a small.. reminder to her that maybe she should work on that?^^
Interesting idea, Pinky.
The few people I know who are a bit like her (/the way she comes across (before anyone jumps on that)) are SERIOUSLY anti-Hollywood and ‘sell out’ ‘common’ arts. She seems to consider herself an artiste, so maybe she’s not actually being that supportive of his lot right now?
My friend’s and I completely agree. Like I’ve been saying in other threads, this isn’t mean to be. From what my girlfriends have pointed out, I think he’s miserable because he’s not being “who he really is.”
Well thats my conscience clear about mocking this freakshow he has going on
Just to add to the rumours Keira has nothing definite lined up for next year.
I’m kind of irky about the “omg she must be prego” thing for a few reasons and I’ll just throw ’em down here lol. Not because omg he can’t have a baby but… a.) who says she can get pregnant? We don’t know her personal info or wants. She may not want to get pregnant, period. b.) why does she *have* to be pregnant? Any time a celeb gets engaged, it’s automatically because pregnancy. Poor Jennifer Anniston has been pregnant about 80 times so far, between Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux, if you believe gossip and tabs. IF and that’s a huge IF with neon flashing lights, they are legit and stay together and decide to become parents, who says it has to be a pregnancy? Maybe adoption is in the cards, or surrogacy… Long and short of it, the assumption a woman is pregnant always bugs the frack out of me because it’s such a huge assumption, more than “oh they are/aren’t dating”–it’s far more personal and just…IDK. Invasive, in a sense?
always liked your thoughts. While I am on the preggo train myself I dnt think it has (surprisingly) anything to do with sophie or feminism at the least. We all are side eyeing his behaviour and imaginig the worst possible scenario for such a rash decision(clearly stupid too). Pregnancy and Oscar are my two top bets
I’m still thinking that, if and BIG IF she is pregnant, it’s a bought and paid for deal. Quiet separation after the kiddo is born, shared custody, he has someone to care for the kid when he’s filming, she has somewhere to send the kid when she’s…wrestling cephalopods or whatever. Yeah, super cynical of me but I really don’t see this lasting, no matter what the impetus. I wish ’em the best but I’m envisioning scenarios that don’t end in Princess Bride themes.
Same here!!
Poor baby though!! def. mama ll get the custody n send him/her to boarding
“There’ll be another one…” he joked of his heartbreaker status. “And I don’t know that I really deserve that title. I think most people are just really happy as we are.”
What is he saying? can anyone explain? wedding
@Lucifer There will be another heartbreaker, someone else. That’s how I interpreted it.
@ Lucifer – another heartthrob / fan favorite
There be sugars and candies and chocolates in your mouth. Hope u’re true
If that’s the case, my eyes rolled to the back of my head. Like people of all ages love him. It’s not just that he’s a fan obsession. I liked him because he seemed real and I loved Frankenstein. This sucks.
Also, what about his friends’ and family’s support?
@Felice – His family and friends haven’t really expressed (publicly) their support thus far 😀
“All that matters is the woman I love and I proposed to” nothing else matters you guys!!We are “normal” people having a husband, parents and lotsa close friends. But again I did not put an ad to make them know that I’m married, I invited them to my party. So it all makes SENSE
*Grand Romance*
Like Sixer was talking about “reverting to type,” maybe this is what is off? He’s acting strangely because he’s been banging on for years that he’s a normal dude and this engagement drives it home that he is not. He is the posh dude he kept claiming he wasn’t? They’re worried about the backlash because his popularity and charm was partially based on him not being a posh wanker? But jig’s up now?
That doesn’t make sense, me. It was all easily avoidable and no one cares in the US anyway.
I’m not that sure about that, Sandi. Avoidable how? He’s marrying another posh chick. They can’t shun tradition and etiquette for his career’s sake. Those who know Sophie’s kind of people know where she’s coming from – and it’s the place that BC has been trying to distance himself from for a long time. Americans don’t care as deeply about class as Brits do. In some ways, they get off on the upper class Brit thing. But in other ways, they’re sort of like, “Oh, you’re so fancy. You sit there in that glass cabinet until we find a film with a horse in it for you, okay?” BC wants real roles. If he thought he was type cast before….
No, but it does help lay the groundwork for an image make over. Already, talk show hosts here joke about cumberbitches and make fun of his name, the photobomb, etc, and go with the goofy guy image that he cultivated in the UK and earlier press.. now it looks like he’s trying to “start fresh” as “Serious!ActorMan!”
Just don’t go so public with it. Mail out announcements, etc. He could have easily skipped tradition or managed it if that was the issue.
MissMary and me are on the same page, except I think it’s temporary for TIG and he won’t even make it all the way because he’s balls at hiding.
Oh I think he’s gonna crack big. Either the popular “he’s checked into a hospital due to exhaustion” or he’s just going to snap. If this SH thing ends,I’m betting that’s one avenue of an “out”. And I think it’ll happen before the Oscars.
I want to buy that ticket with missmary’s conspiracy train but the preggo thing just does not go away from my head. Your theory is the one that makes most sense.
One thing I noticed.
In all the quotes he never says Her name( she whose name shall not be ottered?)
Same, he’s not making it to the Oscars. I’m not saying this with relish, of course, he’s by no means a monster, it’s just kind of obvious it’s heading that way.
are u saying NO nomination? Because I think that too. Too much effort IMO on his part
I wouldn’t be surprised if he was praying not to get a nom at this point, if he’s this stressed-seeming now, before we’re even into the new year.
Agreed, MissMary/Lucifer.
@Lucifer: there’s no way he won’t get nominated. I have no idea whether he’ll win (I think the real race is between Keaton and he), but the nomination is a virtual lock. SAG members — the ones who vote, to be clear — loved his performance, and Weinstein needs to make up for last year which was lackluster for him. Hell, no offence to her fans, but he got Jennifer Lawrence an Academy Award.
I think Ben will snap, sooner rather than later, but I doubt we’ll see anything…
@ aly: Oh, we may not see it (I hope!) but we’ll know.
Get concerned if Hamlet is postponed or he mysteriously vanishes for more than 2 weeks.
For me, the more he talks, the more he sounds like a snob. I thought that quote was a bit unnecessarily rude and I’m no fan of the more crazy fans of his. And the wording when he said “the woman I proposed to.” I think he can speak her name. Their secret is out. I’m his fan, but he’s drifting into douche territory.
He looks miserable, and tense and acting like a jerk who’s is not how anyone I know who just got engaged behaves. Busy schedules or no, you just don’t.
But if he is like this to me and I don’t know him from Adam, imagine how his loved ones feel. No wonder many didn’t know or have said anything about it.
I’m on the wait and see because there is too much behind-the-scenes stuff going on, and I’ve been ‘?’ that reporters keep asking about fan approval (this is not the first time) myself.
Although tbh his acting is all I care about. The perfect public face ones don’t sit well with me, so all my faves are questionable LOL.
I’m wondering how much of the repeat “fan approval” questions are down to PR going “here’s what you can ask and what we have prepared answers for. Anything else is a no comment.”
I don’t think any of these are sit-down interviews, but red carpet/junket fast grabs? It’s a bit faster and looser in that arena because you don’t have time for long answers.
Seems like the approval questions are stemming from the media assuming fans would have a meltdown, which I will give him credit for pointing out that wasn’t true off the bat.
the PR is still aware of who is on the carpet and can shut down questions. And media present knows who their “gets” are and are often told in advance “don’t ask so and so about xyz” or PR sends a list around before the event. Not always, but sometimes. But I definitely think he’s been coached on answers for this. Big time.
Oh, I know. I’m guessing they’re grabbing at that topic for the reasons I mentioned though. It’s ‘easy’.
I agree on the coaching, they-my guess is Harvey, his PR is out of their league-don’t want him to be him for this movie promotion/campaign.
Who cares!?! Matthew Goode is there and he is looking goooooooooooood! *drools*
He is a nice specimen isn’t he.
yes to Matthew Goode -he oozes charm
He certainly oozes something.
Ok I have to share this-traveling this week for work. The two women sitting behind me talked about the Benedict Cumberbatch engagement for most of the 2 hr flight. Their take was that it is coming off like an arranged marriage. Any of you guys on your way out to LA today?? First time I have heard the topic brought up in the real world. Best to all-MissMary and Lindy 79 always enjoy your take. Also appreciate all of the information shared on Brit culture.
You were flying out of LA when this happened?
Nope, in for these ladies. Put stop for me.
Heh, well, his PR is working! It’s getting out into the real world and off the internet! *PR being either Karon, Harvey’s machine, or a mix of both–I agree that Karon et al are out of their league with some of this.
mouth to mouth. word spreads fast. anybody in the real world does not discuss an episode of sherlock in the plain. suddenly they r discussing star’s engagement. 2hr? what was the topic anyway?
Yeah, Karon hasn’t ever run an Oscar campaign. This is Harvey. And the weirdness is because of it. Harvey is capable of unimaginable things.
The film was sold to Harvey after it was finished, so BC didn’t really have any other options. And you don’t say no to Harvey.
And the engagement is PR. THE TIMING, people. It’s very obvious because he keeps talking about it to every reporter. And saying different things creating more headlines.
And BC is angry because he hates this method.
@ingrid share some of your wisdom with the *crying with joy* people.
Oh wait don’t. They’re so gonna fall flat on thr face
Lucifer- don’t know when it turned to BC, but the engagement and appearances were brought up and how the whole thing seemed off. Interwoven with discussion of how people act when in love, etc. As someone who travels bi-weekly, was amused but not surprised. One hears fascinating tidbits on planes. I think they knew each other and we’re trying to pass the flight. When I have co-workers traveling with me, I know we try to keep it light in the plane to deal with the 12 hr work days. Which clearly I need to do now and not be on a gossip board. Really wanted to ask them if they were on Celebitchy. I have three friends who are BC fans. Just thought it was funny and shared.
@Ingrid: “The film was sold to Harvey after it was finished, so BC didn’t really have any other options. And you don’t say no to Harvey.”
But that’s exactly what Fassbender and Phoenix did.
@Intro: Phoenix already has an Oscar and has a well established career. Didn’t Fassbender campaign for Shame?
@aly: Fassbender did campaign for Shame and Phoenix did have an Oscar. That doesn’t change my point though. If you REALLY want to say no to Harvey Scissor-hands, you can. However, Cumberbatch doesn’t have Phoenix’s level of talent and fame and doesn’t get nearly as many leading man film offers as Fassbender. Hence, he needs Weinsten’s little help lol. He wants exposure, and he wants that Oscar (nom) badly. Weinstein has already given him the former and, if Benny plays Weinstein’s game properly, will give the latter, too.
Arranged marriage, as in they will actually go through with it? Or just for PR and then they will break up? Because I had a chat with a friend of mine who is not a Benedict fan at all and even *she* thinks his behavior around this is very weird
GG-the “arranged marriage” came up in discussion of never having seen her together and his responses to the engagement. Also, and I concur with this observation-many news outlets have made this inescapable on Twitter. I have seen stories from Huffington Post analyzing the classified ad, as well as Salon; Time magazine did that blurb on Sophie and I am guessing other places as well. They pointed out it was sounding like a royal engagement but since there weren’t pictures of the two side by side made it look like an arranged marriage. No clue what they do for a living other than they were dressed in suits. So, not teenage girls on tumblr pining away.
I don’t know if people get Weinstein fully, it’s complicated? It’s more than just ‘oh you can’t do a movie through him anymore’ and toward a bunch of weird stuff, like I’ll ruin you or sue you or both when it comes to leads in movies he’s heavily invested cash in.
Much easier to wiggle out if your rep is already shot, like Bill Murray, or you’ve got connections of your own. Cumberbatch doesn’t fall into either of those slots and frankly needed a more powerful and better-positioned PR firm than what he has.
The stuff I’ve heard about Weinstein is pretty hair-raising. He’s known for being a monster for good reason. And he watches all this stuff like a hawk so I’m sure he’s not happy.
@Sandi. Yeah, it’s more than the current Oscar campaign, IMO. This movie, the next few months could decide the direction of his future career. Can he open a movie? TFE was a bad movie, seriously…it sucked, he was the only somewhat redeeming thing, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the flop. TIG needs to do well, .campaigning for an oscar nod has more to do with future work than the golden statue, IMO.
Weinstein is a monster, but even in his worse year, he gets his pet project nominated for awards (re: August Osage County), plus, this time it looks like the movie is actually good…
I thought 2 hours of BC engagement discussion just like that. Sorry Coco that u’re on a plane was not on my mind. But i also would really like to know if they are here or not. IF not thn we are not alone in the universe 😀
I really don’t get why people are getting so worked up. He’s a brilliant actor and I enjoy his work and find him very attractive. I enjoy seeing his interviews but don’t really care what he gets up to in his personal life so why should you lot.
Your feelings are mutual with andy. For reference see the conan video posted in somewhere above the thread
A variety of reasons.
Feel I should make clear this won’t destroy or even honestly harm his career or anything. These online fanbases are too small to carry an actor, and wider exposure to the general public is always a plus.
Yep, the PR onslaught has begun. Here’s InStyle:
http://news.instyle.com/2014/11/11/benedict-cumberbatch-engagement-sophie-hunter-newspaper/
People:
http://www.people.com/article/benedict-cumberbatch-talks-engagement-babies
Oh dear god.
Ok, scrap the first oh dear god. I’ve just seen the people article. WTAF. Is he on drugs? I mean…did he actually say that shit?
I thought I was unshockable.
She was his longtime gf??? That’s a new one. I guess in this alternate reality, 5 mos. = longtime.
It’s all the same canned thing:
-How he’d do it if he wasn’t in the public eye (probably true actually)
-Didn’t want to do Instagram pic/social media-the grainy pic thing wasn’t about paps.
A couple having him expressing happiness at the fans’ support, People in particular, so maybe E! cut him off.
5 months when he was on set or traveling half the time.
These 2 mags are a PR person’s dream–just the typical fawning whitewashed crap. its all a bit…umm..nauseating,esp coming from someone who claimed his private life was for himself. Too bad I don’t buy a word of it.
Tell me again how this whole f****ry is not PR. God…it’s so obvious and predictable it’s almost embarassing…
I noticed that he at least tacked on the end there that he was getting love from friends and family….wonder if the PR’s been reading celebitchy…
People Magazine Tweeted this
“Ladies, get it together. Benedict Cumberbatch wants to talk about his engagement”
I thought his private life was private?? lol
“But he’s more wary now when it comes to talking about his private life because “It always comes back to haunt me in strange ways. I’ve been judged for my relationships or not being a father in the weirdest ways.” (The Big Issue)
It’s the same carpet blurb posted above. I thought it was a People spread or something for a minute, lol. I finally looked at some of the LA stuff, he looks kind of sedated in half of it.
Imma just leave this here. (I guess his fiancee doesn’t have a problem with IG…or wait maybe she does! LOL) Guy whose account it is is her last bf, looks like they were together until at least last Easter. They show up in group photos together as recently as August:
http://instagram.com/p/efefO-FbhQ/?modal=true
@guinea pig
“it was not like it was in the film”
Ending will also be like in the film 😀
my 50cents
Not a single time he says her NAME.
Oh, he wasn’t talking about paps then. He was saying he didn’t want a Instagram shot. And sounds happy about the fans.
I guess the link disappeared and I’m not sure go why so–People.
What’s this? Is he seriously positing the chance that someone would see the octopus botherers left hand in an instagram shot as a reason for making a national newspaper declaration?
No, that he didn’t want to do a full-on social media-style announcement.
Why would the prat have to make any announcement? Seriously, these interviews are scarily weird now. This just isn’t him. It all feels like a parody to me.
It’s one of those ‘technically he’s not wrong’ things. He’s not saying he had to make an announcement, just that he didn’t want to use social media to do it.
Think it’s been fairly obvious something is wrong with him tbh.
He’s really a bit of an idiot sometimes, foot in mouth syndrome, no thinking before speaking whatsoever. That’s why I have no idea what’s he’s on about wanting to ‘be more impulsive’, I think he’s plenty impulsive. Also – ‘taking weekends off’…Erm, AND having kids AND more time for loved ones and family? Good luck with that BC! I mean, those things combined don’t make ‘being impulsive’ very easy I think. He’s always just speaking wistfully, so he ends up contradicting himself of course.
Also I think part of the problem here (whatever may be happening) that he has said numerous times he doesn’t know what being a fan feels like. Or what it means. He can’t relate. He was never a fanboy and it shows and has so before. It’s utterly alien to him. So it’s ironic that he of all actors has this kind of internet following. I agree that he was never really super comfortable with it, although it seemed he was very much starting to enjoy it. But now – and that’s why I mentioned before that I think it’s Sophie’s influence one way or the other (I don’t think they’re all PR, I just don’t think they’re ‘right’ either…) – he seems to all see it trough someone else’s eyes atm. Someone who was never about ‘the public’, but about ‘avant-garde’ for the most part of her career. Not much fangirls/fanboys in that corner. Anyway, lots of longtime fans on Twitter are joking about it, quite a bit of ribbing going on. (Sorry for the essay)
oh so what are the twitter comments saying? I would love to know that 😀
btw no worries about the essay. Know what you mean.
@Pinky, the ribbing is mostly about him ‘having moved on’, like ‘we’ll show him and move on too. We’re too good for him anyway’. I didn’t see anything too serious, but then again, he’s had this foot in mouth thing since forever, so most longterm fans are used to it. Quite a bit hope he’ll light up a bit again though, I’ve been seeing that around too. Goofy Ben has been missed. There’s now an interview out there with him and Keira which is lighthearted and cute, but I have no idea when that one was done. Maybe he has hormonal mood swings, maybe he’s the one expecting a Cumberbaby (…) You read it here first… 😉
I think you’re right on both accounts. Every now and then in the past and more and more often lately things just seem to come out of his mouth and sound like they are not thought through – this may be an indication on how tired and burned out he is. When people get to that state, they tend to snap a lot more and the things they say are all over the place. But really, him talking about himself being more impulsive given what’s happened is just… Unnecessary.
Also about him not being able to understand fans. I always thought him took himself a little bit too seriously even on a better day. He’s an intelligent boy in some ways but his emotional intelligence is not quite there. This in the past has made him come off awkward at times but endearing. Now it’s just backfiring at him. Also I think not understanding fans might come from a place of not wanting to understand. I have a friend – a very intelligent woman and we rarely talk about Internet celebrities – who has made remarks repeatedly how she doesn’t get people’s crazy over male celebrities like Benedict and Tom, even though I try to explain to her, oh I’ve tried, people like their work and there is a good chance of positive inspiration and enlightenment, that people can learn things through the work they’ve done, not all of their fans are obsessive and delusional, she still keeps going like a broken record ‘Oh, I just don’t get.’ And the funny thing is, she watches their films and listens to Tom’s audio books too. Some people just think they’re above all that and don’t want to understand.
What’s going on with Ben is in the past he has had problem here and there, but by large he seems to get the idea of it, and now he just looks like he’s trying to distant himself from his fandom altogether. I don’t know how this will roll out. Maybe in time he will establish himself as a serious actor in time and above all the nonsense as he seems to loathe.
I get such a Yoko Ono vibe from her. John Lennon had enough of a stable fanbase to recover though.
@Grace, him lacking a bit of emotional intelligence is a great point. I think that’s true, sometimes he just doesn’t ‘get it’. It’s kind of interesting, as he’s very well mannered and can be very nice. I don’t know if you ever heard the story of Brent Spiner (played Data in Star Trek The Next Generations series) and Patrick Stewart’s encounter with Benedict, it’s quite funny:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQAj3HKm8rc
His antenna isn’t as fine tuned in social RL situations as one might believe, hahaha. It makes him a loveable dork, but as they say, the thing you initially love about someone might end up being the thing you start to dislike. It can be annoying, lol.
Also agree about the fan thing. Some people just don’t want to understand. It’s not that hard to try to imagine it, so it’s probably some sort of resistance on their part. Shame really, it’s sometimes quite nice to fangirl.
@ Cate
OMG, thank you for linking! That was really funny. And also the Ivy seems to be the place everything is happening. Ha!
Despite all of that’s happening recently, I still think he’s a good person – a good person who is making himself appear less and less likeable, for reasons that may seem unnecessary to us but important to him. It’s a shame. It really is. I just had a thought the other day. Would he look back in a few years time and think now as ‘one of the crazy times of my life’? Very sadly sometimes emotional growth comes from bad life experiences rather than good. When life is all smooth sailing and sunshine, people just go with the fleet of things; when things get tough for them, there is a chance they might raise to the occasion and learn. I am not deeming the thing with SH is a bad thing for him because I honestly don’t know what’s good or bad for him. But he’s handling rather appallingly. Maybe in a few years times, it will all work out and I really hope it does.
@Grace, very well said. I do agree, something seems off for whatever reason and only time will tell. It’s quite annoying, but I do think he’s still a good egg too. (When I call him an idiot, it’s in the most loving way, hehe) Here’s for hoping it’ll all turn out well for him one way or the other.
I don’t think he understands anything about being a fan, even a casual fan of someone or something. I think he sees the negative aspects of fandom and can’t really understand the positive aspects, like camaraderie with other fans over something be it a football team or ST fans or whatever. So there is a definite disconnect on his part. I don’t care what he “allegedly” said to People, I don’t think he cares what fans think. He’s either doing this for PR or she’s pregnant but I don’t think this is some grand romance. His behavior is way too weird for me to buy it what he’s trying to sell.
Edited: My football team is doing quite well so far so YAY for that! Sorry… Just had to add that being a fan can be fun. 🙂
@Renee, I think I do agree that he doesn’t care about this idea of a ‘Cumbercollective’. It’s an abstract idea for him, I think he can’t see this as a group of individuals, that’s the problem. He’s been very nice in the past during most fan encounters. He really made time for fans when this was all still relatively new to him, like in 2011 and 2012. Like he did long signings on his own time, I don’t mean the convention stuff. It’s why I always dreaded him growing more famous, I knew that’d change. And it did. It’s maybe black and white and a bit childish, but I’ll go ahead and blame Hollywood. Sherlock fame alone was okay, he was handling it quite well, but after Khan it slowly started to change. Ah well, c’est la vie (if you want to play ball with the big boys in HW. He didn’t express admiration for Pitt and Clooney for no reason back in ’12…).
Btw, congrats on your team! And on a somewhat more happy note, BC’s on Fallon this Monday together with……………
U2!
So I’m now just waiting for them to photobomb him with the entire band. What can I say, I like the Irish… 😉
@Renee I rather think he understands at least some aspects of it but just refuses to identify himself as one or be identified as one. If not, then how does he go through life? Liking things but with ‘a guarded enthusiasm’? Again I just think he takes things way too seriously sometimes. Like he always has a chip on his shoulders and something to prove, which can be a good thing because it gives him motivation and drive, makes him determined and hard-working, but really, it doesn’t hurt to sit back and have a laugh every now and then. Life would be miserable without the lightness of things. Or being able to appreciate the lightness as well as the intensity. And yes! Congrats on your football team! Hooray!
@Cate…I know I’m dating myself but I grew up listening to U2. At this point, I’ll be more excited to see them on Fallon than BC, which saddens me, but I’m not digging BC and his attitude at the moment. I do hope they photobomb BC though! 🙂
@Renee, Ha! Love them and I’m way more excited for them as well, BC’s been to much of a weird sourpuss. I feel like I’m watching pretending Sherlock having a girlfriend all over again. It’s awkward and it feels off. 😉
@Cate and they’re on Fallon all next week so another thing to be happy about. 🙂 As far as BC is concerned, maybe it’s best for me to enjoy just his work at this point. Not enjoying post-SH version of him so much. As I said on another thread, seeing him and hearing him talk is like watching a slow-moving train wreck and I don’t like that. I do hope for the best for him though.
@Renee, All week!? Ah, didn’t know that yet, great news!
And yes, hoping the best indeed, esp. hoping he’ll lighten up sometime again too. He’s of course a great actor, so there’s always that, true.
Hey Sandi in light of what you know about Harvey do you think this engagement is likely to last? And what role do you think he’s played in the engagement?
@ claire: Forgive my long-winded response, I’ve the flu so this is something distracting to do lol.
Weinstein could not care less about what happens to the actors once the final ballots are in mid-Feb, so it’s anyone’s guess on engagement length.
Your second question is more complicated. Yes, I absolutely do believe Weinstein would pull this. It’s mild compared to other stuff he’s done and he’s got no conscience whatsoever.
But Cumberbatch should be able to pull it off. It’s very weird that he can’t. He’s more than just moody, he’s erratic. It started back before Weinstein, imo, around the time he was filming TIG, and it’s just getting worse with more stress.
One of my many conspiracy theories in relation to why he can’t pull it off: he doesn’t want to. I mean, yes he wants the award, or at least the nomination, but he doesn’t want to be strong armed into a PR stunt. And while he HAS been pissy for a while now, since before this, ah, engagement, we don’t know what’s been going on “behind the scenes” in terms of the Weinstein PR Machine since the film was purchased in February. It’s possible he’s been being “urged” into some PR behaviors he was unhappy with or felt had him over a barrel in terms of “If you ever want to work in this town again…”
Definitely part of it, MissMary, but not all of it. And I say this as a person who doesn’t have an issue at all with campaigns or even stunts as long as they’re not smearing someone else.
He’s too ambitious to mangle his own campaign, and he’s all over the place. Not in a ‘Oh, he’s changed’ sort of way but more of ‘Yeah, that’s not what normal, sane people do’ thing. But YMMV.
IMO he started acting a little weird (for him) before Weinstein, late 2013.
One good thing coming from EB
the term enGAGement 😀
@MissMary: Interesting. Weinstein bought TIG in February and Benedict and Sophie show up at the French Open in June, looking bored/uncomfortable as hell.
I also find it interesting that once the engagement announcement came, all of a sudden there were all these pics from the French Open that were not released before. I don’t understand. Not like the other photos show any chemistry. He had more chemistry with the ice cream than her.
This whole thing stinks on so many levels….
i’m starting to think more and more that he was forced into this situation by weinstein. there is no way he would have timed an engagement at this very moment if he’s 1. exhausted and has a lot on his plate already and 2. wanting the focus to stay on the movie and turing. he has been such an advocate for turing’s story the whole time, and now no one is even talking about that.
yes. i miss alan. :/
Keep in mind Ben wants it to be about Turing, safe to say that is his genuine personal wish. That doesn’t mean that’s what Weinstein wants and considering Turing is only of interest to the geek crowd with maybe a bit of interst beyond, having the focus on Ben may be preferred by Weinstein.
I hope you are right this is a pr relationship tho.
Another thing to consider: weinstein’s campaign person is not with them this year and there was murmurs miramax’s game might not be on as much. Not sure who they have on board and what their pr tactics are but would be interested to know.
@blended – I am astonished that, after the way he has behaved the past few months that he is giving interviews to People magazine. I’m shocked. The past DAYS he didn’t want to talk about and he is doing the rags? WTF! This makes no sense in any area of the universe. It defies logic. If you are so uncomfortable even saying her name or walking to a restaurant with her and now you are giving THIS. Unless weinstein told to quit acting like an idiot.
From celebitchy and weinstein Oscar campaigns of past. Did Blake and Ryan turn out to be a pr relationship? (I ask bc I really don’t follow this stuff)
http://www.celebitchy.com/130534/blake_lively_ryan_gosling_are_officially_a_couple_people_mag_confirms/
Well, they didn’t get ”engaged” for dear ol’ Harvey’s nor did they do all that cloak-and-dagger hiding pantomime. And yet BL and RG broke up.
They were the “All American COuple” for Weinstein though. Shiny hair, white teeth, golly gee we’re in love.
Wow, vintage gossip. Forgot about that pairing.
I hope Lively got the premium Disneyland trip before it ended.
I’m sure she got some kind of a ride.
He seems happier sounding in the People soundbite so that’s something.
yeah but it’s People. they make everyone sounds happy when talking about marriage or babies.
People is nothing but PR. They put that positive spin on everything! Just like that..write some positive fluff and add an exclamation point.
isn’t one of People’s nicknames kneepad?
He sounds like he’s on drugs in the People soundbite and not in a good way. I’ve never read anything so forced and weird.
I considered that esp in light of the photo on this post. Not nec narcotics but xanax etc
Since sophie’s friends esp in America judging by the photos of the past couple years, seems to be the rich with too much time on their hands I’m going to stick spaghetti on the wall and call it art crowd, I imagine she has access to a shit load of cocaine too. He IS agitated. I hope it’s not the case.
Also handy to know if you click on the rss link you can see the latest posts on your phone. Better than refreshing the actual page
People is aka “Kneepads” for a reason. It’s one step up from a tab (maybe half a step some issues) and is never going to print a critical word about someone who is positioned to be a potential a.) sexiest man alive runner up and b.) a Potential A-Lister.
@MissMary: pretty much….
What really bothers me right now is that he used to be a distraction and an entertainment. Now, when I see his name in the internet trending topics, I worry that it will be bad news that he died or something. He seems to be going off the rails. I hope someone takes care of him. I’m glad he is talking about slowing down. He needs to. Once your health is gone, you have nothing. There is no job, money, or person worth losing your health over. 🙁
If he’s so happy why does he look like a bulldog chewing a wasp?
The People article made me throw up a little in my mouth.
Wtf is going on with him?
In one interview he’s basically giving his fans the finger.In the next he’s thanking them for ‘ outpourings of love’!!!
PR PR PR. THere is nothing anyone can say to make it look otherwise to many of us. The interviews (and I use the term loosely) with People and E!Online, the canned responses, the *timing*… its all very disappointing and very unpleasant.
NOT ONE TIME SAYS HER NAME>> @missmary @kazlock.
Shower some light on this. Stuck in my head. Maybe he does not want to be on record saying her name a few yrs after this
I would not believe he would do this for the sake of PR, I don’t think he’d go for that at all, too cynical. I’m still going with the pregnancy theory, rush along the engagement and the wedding (so it won’t look like a shotgun wedding) because they’re so happy (not like you could tell). And then poof ,in a few months, Babybatch “oh we planned that”… First one comes whenever, second one always takes nine months…..
Sorry but there’s no way that a movie about a bunch of WWII code breakers would get this much PR puffery, this time from Vanity Fair (although this one doesn’t even mention the movie – oops!!):
http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/11/benedict-cumberbatch-cumberbabies?mbid=social_twitter
I think the PR for the movie is well deserved, if reviews in the UK are anything to go by, and they’re heavily campaigning for an Oscar – see what the reviews are when it’s finally released. I’m just saying I don’t think he’d sell out his personal life and take direction from someone about when to announce his engagement for the benefit of a damn film. The media in this country is a joke, it’s all celeb crap and little of real substance, like important things-poverty, economy, etc.
I just can’t believe anyone thinks this crap is in any way normal. “The world saying we love you back” I mean, …. W.T.A.F
Has he lost his mind?
Guinea Pig, it’s way beyond abnormal, it’s freakin’ bizarre..Given that it seems most of his close friends found out when the rest of the world did, (deleted tweet from Amanda for example) I wonder just how much love they’re going to feel when they all catch up again.
@Guinea Pig. What a gag-worthy quote. Where I live in the US, no one even knows who he is and if they do, they could care less about his fauxmance….er…I mean….umm, nevermind.
To add: I still find it amazing that he went from not being able to escort his fiancée into a restaurant a few weeks ago to babbling about love and the world giving them love back.
I don’t think it’s necessarily TIG pr but PR for *HIM*. Weinstein paid a lot of money for this film and he’s banking on BC being his golden boy.
I’m sure there is a great deal of PR involved. BC is not that well known in the US so Weinstein put him under pressure: raise your profile or I do it and you won’t have any control over your image. so BC went for the lesser evil and raised his profile by announcing the engagement his way. God knows what kind of image Weinstein would have created? The womaniser? bC being gay? A hopeless genius? I don’t think that SH is the love of his life but she is convenient at the moment.
Harvey had no problems getting an Oscar for that French guy a few years back and no one knew him, why would he need benedict to raise his profile? And I’m pretty sure most Academy members barely noticed the engagement.
@chuchu, this year is a bloodbath as far as Ben’s category is concerned
Can someone ensure all those “films” that are getting scrubbed off imdb are saved forever somewhere lk an internet archive? Cause that is a bunch of bull shit (both her crap career and the imdb scrubbing).
Reminds me of when the Soviets obliterate every single trace of the dead and/or traitors from history (Putin did that to his ex-wife).
nothing can be deleted on the internet.
Could someone explain about the “whitewashing” and imdb scrubbing. I’m a little lost here. What are they trying to hide?
I can’t say I’ve been very impressed by her acting. Everything I’ve seen her in has either been bit parts or else she’s just standing there staring vacantly into space waiting for it to be her turn to speak. I have to shake my head every time a tab talks about her being multi-talented and versatile. I don’t see it.
Ah, how I miss the Ben that could make your cherry pop without the guilt of coveting someone else’s love….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Dim2CQyr0sY
That’s a good montage. Also C. Aguilera sounds impressive there in a sort of 1940s register; I hadn’t heard that song before.
It’s fun to pick out how many of the movies you’ve seen. It makes me think that while BC is always fun to watch (and listen to, natch), he can’t save a weak project from itself. I found To the Ends of the Earth, Parade’s End and that Miss Marple episode really weak and disappointing. I could never get into the Hugh Laurie series either — it was like a British person’s idea of an American sit-com; very lame.
I was especially amazed by Parade’s End. With Cumberbatch, Stoppard, Rebecca Hall and respectable source material, I couldn’t see how it could fail. But it was really weak sauce. I sympathized with Hall’s character the whole way through, while the plot insisted he was the put-upon hero. He deserved a comeuppance, not a suffragette.
That’s the thing with that particular adaptation: I have a feeling they decided certain things were not for modern people to understand, at the same time try to glamorise the story by creating a love triangle but fall somewhere in between. Tretjens got his comeuppance already: his wife. Throughout the book he couldn’t stand her. Her characters were largely glorified and washed to make her appeal more attractive to the audience. Then the audiences get this feeling after watching, why can’t he just pull himself together, either love her or leave her?
I thought both women deserved a much better man and couldn’t understand what either of them saw in that character.
Those quotes are way too over the top to be taken seriously. If we are not in a bad harlequin romance novel, then someone is piling our legs. I am not buying any of it and am laughing at those who do. Come on people, this is truning into a joke and it is a shame because we are all talking about this and not the film.
I think about 2013 where in March he was asked if he had a message for his fans and his face lit up and he giggled. I then think about his Hobbit twitter Q&A where he was asked how much he loves his fans and he said “more than 140 characters can say.” I know that may have been him being polite but he used to get all excited when people mentioned that yes, he has fans and they are his special group. I can’t help but wonder if it’s because of the nutjobs, SH, or Hollywood telling him that they are losers. It’s just sad.
I posted this on the other thread, but it’s relevant here, too; from a Fifth Estate promo interview about a year ago:
…the Internet, where vitriol “is horrific. You can’t win. It’s like a new form of bullying. I find it quite despicable.”
“I’m not like Holmes,” he says. “I don’t have his capacity to compartmentalize.” Cumberbatch adds, “I’m now haunted with, ‘But he did want children, and now he doesn’t? What’s gone wrong? Is he gay? Can’t he commit to relationships?’ All this speculative sh-t. There’s a point where I just go, ‘I’ve said all I have to say.’ “
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/benedict-cumberbatch-confessions-fifth-estate-625408?page=1
Waaaaaah, your comment gave me the sads Felice 🙁
We’ll never see that again 🙁
@Ally8: That’s just it – now he’s blabbing to E! and People magazine?
@Felice: think whatever’s up with him is more complicated than that, but I’m sure Harvey let it be known he can’t carry a movie on his own and pointed at TFE.
@Felice/ @Cate
I felt it too (re: fans/losers/nutjobs) on his last visit to the Graham Norton Show. Graham says something about when everytime Benedict is on, he (GN) gets a lot of questions to ask from the fans. Benedict then goes, “Sorry about that.”
@gg, well is he setting up appointments with them, or are they standing there behind the barricade as he walks a red carpet and he tries to politely answer their questions? I don’t know; I think all thinking celebs are torn between engaging with the media/fans (cause they want to talk / be famous / promote their project*) and wanting to safeguard their privacy. He seems to go back and forth between the two.
Personally I don’t think couples should appear on red carpets together at all. Don’t commodify your relationship; don’t invite people in. Go to events with your costars (as he has been doing with Knightley); it’ll promote the project better.
* I despise the media for always demanding personal tidbits in exchange for professional project promotion, too. Celebs have to engage in that transaction to get press, and then people feel like “well, the celeb brought it up.” It’s exploitative. I’d be more interested in on-set anecdotes and making-of stories than the state of local uteri, anyway.
Sorry for a long response to you short comment. /-:
@Ally8 – I’m with you, I get a little cringe-y when I see couples that are joined at the hip on a red carpet. OK – maybe one photo together at the start of the carpet and then the SO disappears inside and hangs at the bar until the celeb is done. I like your term ‘commodify’ – that is exactly what happens, whether intentional or not. And once it starts, you have to keep feeding that demand – whether it’s a good idea or not.
Call me naive, but I am buying what he’s selling.
On another note, based on his comments and how they change over the course of certain publications, I wonder if he is privy to the comments made about him on blogs (i.e. using we vs. I in the People quote).
I think I might be buying what he’s selling now, too. It’s just that the other scenarios aren’t so great, but they don’t finish with – “And y’all been had. Thanks for the career boost. Welcome to my real personality. Smiles are for suckers, peon. Where’s my filet mignon? PS: If you look closely you’ll see the upper crusty, artsy fartsy, personality-less love of my life whiz by. But don’t look.”
Not unless they’re psychic, Nero. Those quotes were all taken at the same event.
No one becomes their true self during an Oscar campaign lol. It’s usually the opposite. Whatever is needed to sell the movie. He looks like hell tbh it’s obvious something is up.
I think there was a discussion going on upthread somewhere (sorry, I’m far too lazy to scroll back through almost 400 (yikes!) comments) about PR and how it changes during Oscar season. I was only half-listening to some entertainment show last night and the host mentioned that some actors even go so far as to hire a special PR consultant to craft an effective Oscar campaign. I wish I had been paying more attention, but it was just a snippet about the award season getting underway.
I knew that actors campaigned, but it was news to me that there are PR folks that specialize in that sort of thing and that the actors themselves would hire them. I guess it makes sense, an every-day PR team may not be equipped for the special needs of Oscar season and unless your project is part of a big studio, there won’t be a PR apparatus at your disposal.
So who exactly is in charge of Ben’s campaign – Cumby, Karon or Big Harv? Or maybe another player yet to be named? All of the above or none of the above?
No one has said he has different PR than Karon right now but, while she has other name-clients (Eddie Izzard is one, iirc) BC is the “golden boy”–up and coming, heading for A list if luck holds, possible Oscar nomination… And a lot of folks, looking in from the outside as fans of his work or as casual observers, don’t think she/her firm are up to the task of Oscar campaigning. It’s very possible (and imo likely) Weinstein has someone “helping” and Karon et al are “along for the ride” and acting as his PR on a small level (walking the red carpets with him, smiling at interviews, but having little to no input in image branding right now, or who he interviews with, hence things like People, which is basically straight up PR rag). Weinstein is sketch as Hell and runs some nasty PR campaigns (lawsuits, threats, manipulation) in order to make sure “His” investments pay off. He wouldn’t let a relatively small firm “run” an awards season campaign and possibly an Oscar nominee’s image campaign after he plunked down a chunk of change on the movie rights and has the potential “IT” boy of the season on his hands.
Sorry to post 2 comments in a row… again too lazy to scroll back up to the appropriate spot.
Regarding the newspaper announcement and the language the groom-to-be has been using to describe his future wedded bliss. It all just sounds so upper-crusty British to me – no disrespect intended to any peer of the realm that happens to be reading this. It’s almost like he doesn’t have the vocabulary for expressing feelings or emotions. Is that a cultural thing (the famous British reserve) or more a sign of the social circles he runs in? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt there are feelings, I just wonder if he has no practical experience in verbalizing them.
It’s odd that an actor would have such a tough time with that, but I suppose he specializes in projecting other people’s emotions rather than his own. I don’t think he owes his fans some sort of gushing, I’m-so-happy-I-can-cry type of display, but here’s where a few trite soundbites delivered with a little charm and/or enthusiasm would work wonders.
Please. Mr “Vaccinated with a Phonograph Needle” never has problems expressing himself. EVER. For him to be so stumped about his “engagement” is probably because someone else is writing the text for him. Look at the interview from the LFF (where his fiancee supposedly was but acted like they’d never met) with Kiera, he’s happy, funny, articulate, none of which is apparent now. If he was truly happy he would be GUSHING, over the moon happy and grinning all over the place. He’s not, anyone can see that. Oh, the pressure of an accidental impending pregnancy that you are going to have to explain away in a month or two……
@OhHey – I’ve only watched a tiny fraction of all the TIG interviews and press and I think I must have missed the one you are referring to because I didn’t see him laugh or crack more than a small smile in any of it. In what I did see, you are right, he’s very articulate and is not shy about sharing. But it’s all about what he thinks or has learned about Turing’s life, not deep emotional revelations about the man who played him. Someone can say “I feel” when starting a thought and still not be talking about actual emotions.
I have no earthly idea what is actually going on behind the scenes. I can see any and all, or none, of the theories that have been mentioned here being true.
I am finding his words very odd for someone who has never had issues with explaining himself before. It’s reading as though someone has handed him some PR friendly text and said ‘Say this and make it real’. I just don’t get it. I really don’t. You don’t need to be all mushy and over enthusiastic, but for goodness sake, smile when you’re congratulated or when you’re talking about her. Instead of referring to your fiancee as ‘the woman I love the woman I proposed to’, refer to her by name. Everyone knows her name, is it so hard to say ‘Sophie and I are thrilled’, smile, then move on.
I wish I could say that I’m buying it, but so far, he’s not selling it very well.
@Dara: I think OhHey is talking about this video. If we ever see Benedict and Sophie together and they display half as much chemistry as these two, I will buy the relationship as being real:
https://sg.screen.yahoo.com/imitation-game-keira-knightley-benedict-133639612.html
Dara ,this is the interview I was referring to- it was released or made the rounds again yesterday (I’ve never seen it before) and I think it was at the London FF event because that’s the dress she was wearing for that day. It’s lovely and it’s the way he used to be and I doubt very much is with his new bride to be, given his recent behavior.
https://screen.yahoo.com/movie-videos/imitation-game-keira-knightley-benedict-133639612.html
@Dara: “Is that a cultural thing (the famous British reserve) or more a sign of the social circles he runs in?”
Isn’t Hiddleston even poshier than Cumberbatch? And yet he doesn’t seem to have issues expressing feelings and emotions 😀 My guess is that in Benny’s case it’s more of an individual character trait which has started to manifest itself pretty recently by the way. As far as I understand, in the past he was much more open when discussing his feelings and emotions regarding his hypothetical future wife.
@Intro – I’m still trying to work out where all these posh boys fall in the intricate (and migraine-inducing) scale of “posh” to “not”! If anyone has an official ranking they could forward along, that would be super. 😀
And yes, Hiddles seems to manage just fine, so I guess that blows one of my theories out of the water. Haven’t paid too much attention to Ben, but what I’ve seen I’ve liked – but he does seem different recently. I guess that’s why I wondered if discussing real emotions made him twitchy. Up until now it’s all been an hypothetical, and therefore more intellectual, exercise for him.
have some DOUBT about the feelings dearie 😀
Just remember, very recently he was like this.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i0BZW4U3nqE
I’m actually finding his interviews more weird than the engagement. He’s suddenly talking about fatherhood again when he NEVER did before. That is more telling than the engagement.only two possibilities:
1) Oscar campaigning to get middle aged women swooning
2) that bitch got herself knocked up with his kid
A cursory look at the usual suspects on twitter had them clapping their hands and gabbing about how happy he’s looked the last few months.
They’re surely taking the piss?
I’m beginning to think that there are fewer and fewer of us who think that he is looking unhappy. When I look at BC, even at the pics of him here on this site, he looks to me, stressed and completely unhappy with whatever is going on. Compared to him at SDCC, he looks positively morose.
I can’t help but think that this whole engagement thing is suspect. Is it real, can it be real after so short a time? Possibly. But why, for all the loving hell, gabble on about ‘my private life is private’ but then announce your engagement in a way that is sure to invite questions and speculation. Yes, I get that announcing it in the paper is something a lot of couples do, and I don’t have an issue with that. My biggest issues are
a) Within 2 weeks of not being able to walk into a restaurant together, they’re engaged
b) The timing of the announcement. You want to keep it private, keep the damn thing private! Don’t announce it within days of the start of an American press tour
c) Smile! Are you, or are you not a newly engaged man that us ‘very happy’? You don’t look it. You don’t sound it.
If this relationship is real, and this is an example of true love, give me singledom for the rest of my life.
If this is an attempt to raise the status of BC from actor with crazy fandom to Serious!Actor, then surely there are better ways to do it, without denigrating those fans that have stuck with you for so long.
I could be wrong. This could be the love of his life and they will show up in NY together, smiling and happy. I would like to see that. I don’t wish ill on him or her. I don’t hate her. I don’t even think she’s the luckiest woman on earth for ending up with him. If it’s love, its love.
The timing stinks though, no matter which way you look at it.
And as for that grainy ring pic, well I’m sorry, but how do you think that someone is ever going to get that kind of picture of the two of you when you are never seen together?
Please don’t forget that this is a couple who, whenever spotted, are never mentioned to be particularly close. And those questions *were* asked – no mentions of closeness or intimacy. Is BC really that paranoid, or is he just delusional as to how noticeable he is when in public?
I just don’t know. I want to believe that he wouldn’t stage a PR engagement for the sake of a raised profile during Oscar season. I want to believe that he is in love, that he wouldn’t put his parents through all of this for nothing, but I just can’t shake the feeling that something is off about this whole thing.
Time will tell, I guess. As I said, maybe this weekend I will be proven wrong and we will have pics of the pair together finally. I live in hope, but not much expectation.
I am trying to find the sneaky photos of them walking through a farmer’s market or something, he was in the lead ,they were not having a happy stroll hand in hand, it looked very odd to me – maybe making a studious effort not to have any PDA that could be photographed. Well, RESULT, if that was the point. If I can find them I’ll post a link.
@ Guinea Pig I think they are on some kind of hallucinogenics. Regardless of what you think is behind the engagement, he doesn’t look happy.
The last photo of him genuinely smiling is with Dan Stevens at The Guest screening from very early September. Maybe they broke up and he’s on a rebound? 😀
@SimplyReal – Excellent points. I had a good laugh about the grainy pic quote. So he doesn’t want anyone to see them together, but he’s OK talking about their relationship to the world? Dear God, man…
If she is at NYC premiere, it will be for PR. There’s no other point of her being there (she has seen the film, he will be working.)
I’m only coming off with one thing from all of this – he’s much much much more posh than I had ever imagined he could be. Jesus, dodged a bullet right there ladies, stop fretting.
Now I’m admiring this Sophie woman for saying yes in the first place.
The Tea comment made me wonder that too. Builders tea “disgusting?”
come on bendy let me pour some over ur head >:(
For those interested in Harvey’s methods, exhibit A from last year.
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/08/meryl-streep-walt-disney-anti-semitism-sexism
August Osage County was not a very good film. Meryl is good in it, but that’s about it. From The Best Actress nominations, four were locks (Blanchett, Bullock, Adams, Dench) and the final spot was going either to Emma Thompson (in Saving Mr. Banks, movie about Disney) or Meryl.
Meryl was *honoring Emma* in January at National Broad Review Gala (she got best actress award) and during her speech Meryl attacked Walt Disney on antisemitism and sexism. (Read the article, you will be shocked.)
And the Oscar nomination went to… Meryl.
Harvey Weinstein, ladies and gentleman.
Remember, that was only for nomination in a much easier actress category, this year he’s going for a win a difficult actor category. This is going to get a lot uglier.
I am truely doubtful of the nomination now,
The theory of verything and Mr. Turner look good. How many geniuses are gonna get nominated. nightcrawler, birdman all look great. Intersteller? Exodus?
Lucifer, I’ve been following the race since early September; all critics, all specialized sites…or at least 99% of them agree on three names: Keaton, Cumberbatch and Redmayne. At this stage the fight is for the two vacant spots: Spall, Mc Coughney, Carrell, Cooper, O’Connell, the guy who plays Marthin Luther King . Gyllenhall and Affleck won’t happen.
While TIG is not a masterpiece according to critics, Ben’s performance has been getting raves ever since Telluride. He got a standing ovation from SAG members, he’s been in the round table of possible nominees. Weinstein is pushing him hard.
I doubt he will win – but then again I was sure he wouldn’t get the Emmy either – but he’ll be nominated.
I’m finding this borderline hilarious now.
Only a few months ago (April) he was doing 2 Q&As in Oz with his fans (who had to pay for the privilege. Tickets were minimum $150 for basic and $350 for VIP each day) now he’s basically telling them to eff off and acting like a grumpy old sod (until his PR told him to stop).
Funny thing is, his fans don’t seem to care that he basically told them to eff off.
It remains to be seen how many of them actually show up for TIG. Cumberwatchweb has been tweeting people asking them to come out for opening weekend (which starts this Friday in the UK) even though a lot of hardcore fans have already seen preview screenings. She’s tight with Karon so I think they might be worried.
^^This. And I don’t think it’s “sunk in” to some of the more ardent fans yet he is essentially saying “that’s nice, now go play in another sandbox.”
Wow, this place is crazy, it’s like watching a hunt, poor bloke being torn to shreds by people who no know nothing about him, it’s hysterical. Not slagging it off by the way it’s not called Celebitchy for nothing, I enjoy being shocked by it, it’s fun. Though I do think most people here haven’t a clue about Brtitish culture and how we work.
How on earth is this like a ‘hunt’? He’s purposely acting in the most ridiculous fashion publicly right now and we’re baffled. And what’s the comment on British culture have to do with anything? I know exactly how things work here. I am actually british, which us entirely irrelevant anyway. He’s acting like a total fool.
@Sally: WTH are you talking about? At least half the posters on any BC thread are from the UK. So you can be assured that at least half of the folks on here know “how we work.”
BTW Sally, your RL initials aren’t KB, are they?
@Green Eyes: I suspect KB has been crying herself to sleep every night don’t you? Why doesn’t the press cover that? LOL
Your comment regarding British culture is accurate in relation to what Sixer has said above, namely BC is a posh guy and this is what they do for announcements. He put his want of privacy aside in favour of tradition and ceremony.
His general attitude has changed from what he was projecting for years so…that’s really a Cumberbatch thing as opposed to a British specific thing, though.
I’ve said it before, this is a celeb gossip site. None of us to my knowledge are sending these comments/links to his people or anyone connected with him(and nor shoudl we because that is beyond creepy) so…I fail to see the issue. There are just as many sites/tumblrs/twitters out there celebrating this joyous union, posting photoshopped images of them and I have read of a few sending stuff to the press. Is it only an issue because we’re saying he’s acting odd and questioning this whole thing?
This Benny engament news makes me think of what Hiddles said “nothing to write home about I will talk if there was” and of he’ll do the same thing. Whilst I could understand him also doing it I hope he doesn’t run into an engagement with you-know-who. It would just about push it over for us fans (her not hiddles getting a GF or married) I would certainly have Sophie over her any day so Benny fans should think themselves lucky he’s not assciocated with some like her.
Here’s to Hiddles finding someone nice and who acts her age.
Ellen, the quote was “I hope when there’s really something to write home about, then I’ll be able to talk.” but I agree, Ben could have picked someone much worse. I anticipate when Tom does actually get a gf there will be a similar epic meltdown no matter who it is.
@Catherine exactly we all want to see Hiddles happy although I don’t think it would be as much epic if he got a nice proper GF than HER as she pushed a lot of fans buttons
With her immature behaviour. This is why Benny fans should think themselves lucky Sophie is normal, nice and mature unlike Hiddles latest hook up.
Question I’m throwing out here: Maybe the reason he’s acting so strangely is because SH is uncomfortable with his fame, crazy fans and whatnot and he’s trying to balance his career and her and he doesn’t know what to say about it? Plus, I think he’s kind of coming off as a bit defensive because this engagement basically flew out of nowhere. After the FO, they seemed to go out of their way to not be photographed together and the boom, he’s engaged to this woman. Even some of his friends seemed blindsided by the news.
Maybe part of the problem is actually her. No one knows anything about her, so maybe he’s having a struggle juggling her feelings and his commitments to his career.
I don’t know. Just a thought because I’m at a loss to explain the weirdness and short of joining the conspiracy/pregnancy express trains, I don’t know what else could account for his pissy behavior. But all these other fans on Twitter/Tumblr see him as happy!Ben so maybe I’m the one with the problem.
She’s not uncomfortable with attention. I don’t understand where the idea that she’s a wallflower has come from anyway.
And what attention? In terms of crazy fans, well…get over it. Everyone has their share of those and they mostly just reside on the internet which can be very easily avoided.
This has been said loads of times on here, but she did a lone stroll into photogs at a hotel which didn’t need to happen. She also arrived in her own car to the premiere which was just reserved for the stars etc. That also didn’t need to happen.
I’m shy and if I was her, I would’ve either found a side entrance to the venue or just walked into the premiere like most other guests, with a jacket and my own umbrella up and all likelihood is nobody would’ve even noticed her.
And her career seems to be getting more praise than it’s ever done before for seemingly no reason at all. There’s borderline lies about her acheivements in the press and how ‘wonderful’ and ‘intelligent’ she is. It’s utterly, utterly bizarre and I’m sorry, but these people saying they don’t see anything weird or unusual are kidding themselves.
Who knows the reason why, but the fact it’s odd is indeed a fact.
I saw on one of the above post an Instagram picture of SH giving someone the finger. I believe it was posted by gg. I have thought about this, and my feeling was of sadness I think. Is this the woman he has chosen to be the mother of his children, to set an example of politeness and good manners. I don’t mean to sound like an old prude, but when i saw the picture I could not help wondering what Wanda, her future mother -in – law would think. I believe this is not going to go well for him. But we all have to make our own choices in life. Sometimes we make good ones and sometimes not. Be careful what you wish for cause it might come true . Ben has always wanted to be in this position. On top of the world. But all I see now is an unhappy looking man. Be careful what you wish for indeed.
I am wondering, welcoming thoughts here, will this affect Hamlet?
I am going to the 92Y thing in NYC on Sunday and I have had second thoughts. I know there are some selling their tickets,
I can’t see how this would affect Hamlet. I personally no longer have any interest in hearing any interview or q&a with him.
I think, for whatever reason, that a bright, engaging, funny, smart, chill woman with a good background like Olivia was not enough to show him that you can “slow down” and “say no to things.” It was this crispy, wispy coat hanger of a chick, which shows exactly how “not posh” he is and where his true values lie. And he decided to be extremely private and made all kinds of sacrifices for her (which is good and even better that Olivia is over it, because I’d be pissed). He’s so private that he’s become defensive, angry and weird. His PR is telling him that that ain’t gonna work. Hence, these strange card-board like soundbites.
I miss old public Bendy. I think we’re stuck with this one. He hates his fans. Weird thing is the reality check ain’t coming anytime soon because those dumb heifers are hanging on tight, no matter how many times he tells them to eff off.