Benedict Cumberbatch’s best man was not Tom Hiddleston, it was a uni mate

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I’m not completely sure why Benedict Cumberbatch is STILL hustling, considering the Oscar votes have been cast and the campaign is officially over, but here we are. We’re still being inundated with Bendy news. Maybe he just can’t help himself. Maybe it’s too late to pull back a bit. Maybe The Hustle Never Dies. So, let’s do some highlights from Today In Cumberbatch.

*I think these quotes might be from his TimesTalk and I just didn’t see this part, but Bendy was talking about how he almost used the stage name Benedict Carlton: “I started off as Benedict Carlton, which is my middle name, my grandfather’s name. Cumberbatch sounds like a fart in a bath…It is even funnier in an English accent. But an agent who was wiser than me told me it was a good name. People have had fun with it and they continue to!”

*He’s sort of a Buddhist: “I did teach in Tibet when I was younger. I was teaching English to Tibetan Buddhist monks at a monastery. I was in quarters with spiders. I was interested in Buddhism and I am still…very much so. It is very helpful.”

*Benedict’s best man was NOT Tom Hiddleston. The best man was a dude who goes by Judge Rinder. They were mates at Manchester University. Judge Rinder is like the Judge Judy of the UK, apparently. The Mirror also claims Benedict had two other non-famous groomsmen or best men or whatever.

*You can see the program for Bendy’s wedding here. You can see that Bendy’s father gave a reading and so did Sophie’s parents.

*Benedict’s slave-owning relatives practiced droit de seigneur and Benedict might be genetically part-black, and he might have black relatives all around the world. One of Benedict’s distance cousins told her story to The Daily Mail about her research into their mixed-race family.

And finally, I leave you with Bendy and Sophie in motion, arriving at LAX a few days ago. I don’t understand why Sophie doesn’t just wear a coat that fastens?

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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228 Responses to “Benedict Cumberbatch’s best man was not Tom Hiddleston, it was a uni mate”

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  1. Cel says:

    I can no longer unsee that they look like siblings.

    • Gen says:

      Agreed. And I saw it very early on…sigh.

      • Andrea says:

        I have seen couples occasionally that look alike (both with glasses for instance, similar height, bone structure etc) and I always find it a touch creepy. Has anyone dated/married someone that looks like they could be their sibling on here? Just curious on people’s reactions.. I have green/hazel eyes and I have always been attracted to blue eyes. I cannot imagine dating someone that looks like they could be my brother.

      • oneshot says:

        @Andrea – I didn’t notice it at the time, but looking at old pics, my first bf did share some physical characteristics with me – I don’t count the dark hair and eyes, since that is default where we are from, but we had the same skin tone and dressed very similarly. I guess we had similar noses too.

        though that is not surprising considering we had ethnic origins in the same state, haha.

    • maria says:

      I know. But I also think Tom Hiddleston’s sister looks like that Jane broad he’s been doing. And I mean they look a lot like each other. Kind of like he’s been doing his sister

      • InvaderTak says:

        Still? Thought that was done.

      • maria says:

        I have no idea if he’s still doing her but he has. He’s been doing a person who looks pretty much like his own sister. I think it’s healthier to do like benny, choose someone who looks like yourself 🙂

      • InvaderTak says:

        I’m reminded of Eddie Izzaahd’s routine about royals. Spread the genes around!

      • Ava says:

        What does this have to do with Benny….just no…

      • Anne tommy says:

        “Doing” sounds a bit gross Maria. And there’s enough excitement around without introducing quasi- incestuous goings on into the mix.

      • Crocuta says:

        I don’t know how Tom’s older sister looks like (has her picture even ever been public?) but his younger sister Emma and Jane A. look nothing alike, except maybe in hair colour. Different nose, different jaw (especially jaw, Emma’s is really strong), different eye-shape, different cheeks, different body type.

      • MtnRunner says:

        Cmon, last confirmed sighting of Arthy was Bora Bora, 8 months ago. Let’s assume she’s out of the picture until her annual snapshot with TH is published. If that happens, I’ll pop some corn for the D’flies while we watch tumblr go into a collective meltdown.

        Pixie’s responsible for making the Pervy Tombangers, since she’s been mixing up a new recipe.

      • Isadora says:

        What Crocuta said. Come on, just google photos of them, they look nothing alike except that they are both female and have long hair.

    • MrsB says:

      Buzzfeed had an article about couples that looked alike. They included a split screen of their faces. It was…a little creepy.

    • boredblond says:

      So if the baby looks different,, now there’s a story, hehe. I still give him +++ for a no pap hoopla hysteria wedding..hopefully he’ll stay classy enough not to have items ‘secretly’ fed to press, and just live his life..dunno if she will, but we’ll see.

  2. lila fowler says:

    “Practiced droit de seigneur”… call it what it is: rape.

  3. SpunkyPR says:

    Was I the only one who had to look up what droit de seigneur meant?

    • Blannie says:

      Nope.

    • **sighs** says:

      No. I thought it was some French torture thing.

      • maria says:

        kind of is.

      • **sighs** says:

        Right?

      • mimif says:

        Right.

      • maria says:

        All agrees then. But how can Ben perhaps have black heritage? If the owners believed they had the right to rape ( in their minds, have sex) with the slaves, would they raise the kids as their own? I find that hard to believe. Or have I missed something about this story?

        ANd on that note, do you remember the scene in 12 years a slave where Fassbender walks around with the child on his arm while Lupita’s character glares at them? HE WAS SO CREEPY IN THAT MOVIE!!! the things that man can express with his eyes….ew.

      • Andrea says:

        He was so creepy in that movie and yet I still find him sex on a stick. I am sick.

      • maria says:

        hahah sex on a stick 😀 I’m torn about him. But I guess if we were eye to eye and he had set his eye on me he would probably get me to drop my panties. He seems like that kind of guy. Hrm.

        lots of eyes in that comment, my apologies

      • LAK says:

        Maria: in answer to your question about Ben possibly having black ancestry…..

        According to the cousin, who is blonde/blue eyed white lady, the Barbadian plantation owner freed his mixed race sons and their mothers and left them provisions in his will.

        They settled on the island and married other free slaves. His mixed race grandson married a white woman who moved back to England after his death. She settled here with her sons who married white women. And so on and so forth until the present day relatives are white with blond hair and blue eyes and Caucasian skin tone as you would find in any white person of north European ancestry.

        Ben’s own branch of the family also returned from Barbados a generation earlier, but it’s unclear whether this particular branch was purely white. That’s how it’s possible for him to have some black ancestry.

    • oneshot says:

      I thought it was made up? Isn’t that literally the right to rape any woman on his estate, I could swear I have read books saying that the right to rape other people’s wives and daughters was never an actual right (against Christian principles of chastity, for starters), but that doesn’t mean it was not a practice among lots of lords.

      • Ann says:

        You’re kidding? You didn’t know that slave owners raped their slaves and fathered children?

      • **sighs** says:

        Did you read? She said it was common practice but not necessarily a law.

      • oneshot says:

        Can you even read the entire comment, I said IT WAS A PRACTICE among lords, just that I did not think a concept like “droit de seigneur” was actually written into law for the reasons I mentioned i.e. it would be against Christianity to explicitly make laws that allow sex outside marriage (in this case, rape).

        That’s different from no one ever being punished for raping women they “owned”.

  4. Abbott says:

    I always thought his name sounded more like hot dog water sloshing around in a thermos, but ‘fart in a bathtub’ works as well.

  5. Mzizkrizten says:

    Interesting little history lesson LOL let’s hope his family didn’t also practice droit de prélassement (right of lounging; it was said that a lord had the right to disembowel his serfs to warm his feet in).

    • Annaliese says:

      That’s a new one on me. And here I thought I was reasonably familiar with medieval history. Where exactly is this supposed to have happened?

  6. GingerCrunch says:

    That coat. Smh. Great for a Spring promenade over a shift dress. Maybe! But traveling in the winter? I’d be wearing a hood and long sleeves, something COZY! Not an impractical monstrosity like this. Especially when you’re pregnant? Maybe a favorite niece or godchild designed it for her, that’s why she keeps showing it off. Please stop.

    • Isadora says:

      The flew to LA and it’s pretty warm there. So why should she wear arctic winter gear when it’s over 70° Fahrenheit outside?

  7. Felice says:

    The hustling of this relationship after voting is over is probably them going SEE???? WE’RE TOTES LEGIT. DID YOU SEE MY RING? But yeah. This wasn’t just any uni mate, this was one of the men of that couple he officiated for in Ibiza. I wonder if Katia’s wedding e-vite was lost in the encryption.

    Dear god about the Daily Mail. They’ve been playing nice but now that the Oscars are almost past, things are gonna get messy.

    • Bea says:

      Oh good old Katia, I almost forgot about her LOL. Looking back, she totally could have locked it down if she could keep the “acting lessons” on the down low and managed to conjure up a smidgen of genuine malicious sneakiness.

    • kelly says:

      What hustling? There was no hustling. Ben did a tiff talk with Keira for TIG then an appearance on Kimmel for TIG – all before the voting cutoff. Then they disappeared.

  8. koko says:

    Who thought that Hiddles was the best man? I sense that their relationship is ” just peers” , not “best man” stuff. Love the color of the coat, not so much the style.

  9. beep says:

    He looks scary in the first pic.

  10. MtnRunner says:

    Bored now. Snooooze.

  11. Betti says:

    He’ll still hustle as he needs to keep momentum going on his profile. He still ain’t famous enough for the kind of roles he wants so he’ll continue to push his personal life and make like he’s an A lister.

    As i’ve said previously, this is only the beginning and part of a bigger PR campaign to get him leading roles in Hollywood.

    As for the press, the tide is turning. They had to turn against him at some point, they’ve been waay to nice. He’s used the tabloids and now they are biting back. What kind of dirt do they have on the relationship or his behaviour over the past few years? I think they have all sorts of dirt on him putting it about – its certainly been hinted at enough.

    • J says:

      hes been trashed by tabs before. It’s been on/off for years lol

      i do wonder why the fail is obsessed with his ancestors when there’s other actors from the same circle with the same thing going on

    • Andrea says:

      They already said he frequented escorts…so he has been trashed in press already.

      • Kat says:

        Andrea,
        The mainstream press never said that. It’s always been some dubious baity bs gossip sites.

      • Andrea says:

        Hrm…Are you saying it isn’t true or are you saying that the mainstream press needs to pick up on any skeletons?

      • anon says:

        The escort rumors are blind items from Enty.
        Allegedly 50k for the Russian and 30k for the awards season gf.
        Take with huge grains of salt! 🙂

      • Andrea says:

        In all seriousness, do you think he had to pay for escorts? Why not just bang rabid fans? I mean after all, he already knocked up someone quickly, he clearly wasn’t worried about that.

      • moodgirl says:

        So Sophie received $30,000 bucks?

      • Andrea says:

        Is there something we don’t know about him if women would have to be paid to be out with him? makes one wonder….things that make you go hmmmm…

      • Jojar Pinks says:

        Haha. Oh people will really believe anything. Not true, people; I bet my dog on it.

        and hes a great dog.

      • hermi says:

        One reason and one reason only why this is patently untrue: BC is too thrifty to ever spend that kind of money for sex.
        He’s been wearing the same clothes for the past month.
        Besides, the man can take his pick. Why would he need to pay????????

      • moodgirl says:

        Escorts keep their mouths shut.

      • hermi says:

        I bet you anything that there are many many many (repeat a 1000+ times) women who would agree to keep their mouth shut, without money being involved.
        He’s a lovely man, with a devout following 🙂

  12. **sighs** says:

    Maybe she has a phobia of buttons?

  13. V.L.719 says:

    Interesting you mentioned that last little history part Kaiser. Thanks for including that.

  14. Bea says:

    “A source told The Sun: ‘Benedict had three best men, but only one was famous – and that was Judge Rinder. There was speculation that he chose another actor, but he wanted genuine old friends in the role.’ ”

    OH BURN. So no to Hiddles yes to GENUINE old friends? The ‘source’ must be Bendy himself, only he could be this crass.

    • A says:

      Ah yes, the Sun, a bastion of truth and facts…

      • Bea says:

        Sorry I must have missed the part where we established we were writing a report to a scientific journal. Will make sure to validate my truths and facts next time and double check with a control group.

      • oneshot says:

        …..no need for a control group, but maybe an outlet less known for making shit up? Like, say, TMZ, they’d at least get evidence.

      • Felice says:

        Doesn’t Rinder write for the Sun?

  15. Gill says:

    I’ve met ‘Judge Rinder’ a few times – he’s rich, privileged, charming and good fun to talk to. I suspect Bendy is very similar.

    • What'sUp says:

      Yeah, but what I hear from his uni mates, they were all shocked and taken aback by the engagement. That Sophie won’t actually chat with any of them because of some reason or another?!

      • Andrea says:

        Do tell…

      • Toodles45 says:

        Is that so…

      • Claire. says:

        Where’d you hear this? News to me. Never heard of him keeping in touch with uni mates other than Rinder

      • kitkat says:

        Yes, please elaborate, Do you know his uni mates? Why won’t Sophie talk to them? That gives even more credence to the “Sophie is a stuck up pain in the ass” theory…

      • Jenny says:

        Oh yes, I’m quite sure you’ve “heard” this.

      • Claire. says:

        A heads up: considering a certain someone fighting with fans on twitter and the msd post on the last thread, I expect some of SH’s friends to come on here and tumblr trying to troll and see if we’ll believe anything negative about Mrs. “My parents still give me money to live a luxury lifestyle well into my 30s” Cumberbatch.

      • viki says:

        I agree with claire. Don’t give them ammo and make her out as some kind of victim. It’ll give the press reason to write about her – you know like the press can’t write anything about BC without mentioning his cumberb**ches. Also SH Was an actor, most of BCs uni mates are in the same industry and have probably work with her at some point. It’s a small industry in the UK after all.

      • Felice says:

        She was in New York mostly.

      • Lu says:

        And she hasn’t worked that much.

      • Felice says:

        Which is inexplicable because you would have to sell one of your organs to live in NYC without working.

      • What'sUp says:

        Nothing more on that. Sorry.

      • snarkshark says:

        Lots of people were taken aback by the engagement then wedding. Even his true fans. I was a fan.

    • viki says:

      I can’t believe we have another one trying to ride on BCs coattail!
      How many are there of you?!

  16. an says:

    You’re not done until the day after the Oscars, but the only news here is the Times talk.

  17. OhDear says:

    I like her coat, esp. the color.

    /runs

  18. Dani says:

    He looks more at ease in pics with Kiera (Keira? help me). And he suddenly seems so…rough and old looking. They still look like brother and sister. Ugh. Boooo.

  19. Andrea says:

    I am over him. he “sold” this relationship too hard for me and lost me as a fan. He also knocking up his barely gf is not classy and shows he is not as much of a “gentleman” as I thought he’d be. With someone with as busy as a schedule as he has, you’d think he’d be mindful of birth control. He looks miserable because he is in a pickle. Do you think if he knocked up his long term gf he would have looked this miserable?

    • oneshot says:

      what does knocking up a gf of a few months have to do with being classy?

      He is not the first person in Hollywood to have a baby with someone he just began dating, and at least he is trying to take responsibility for it I guess. I hope this turns out better than Jeremy Renner and his baby mama’s case, at least.

      • Andrea says:

        I just think people should be responsible and only try to procreate with people they genuinely want to build a family with. It isn’t classy to just procreate with someone you barely know. Too many people I know have had children with people that are bad husbands, bad fathers, bad mothers, just generally bad people. And the children ultimately suffer for poor decision making. My own mother disliked having me and is a non-existent mother in adulthood, trust me when I say I would like the world to limit having children with people you loathe/don’t like/who simply don’t make good parents.

      • anon says:

        The way he publicized this relationship…I’m hoping it’ll turn out to be much more interesting than Renner and his baby mama!

      • oneshot says:

        but they were dating, I think? Not some one night stand.

        And lizardface (sorry to his fans) has been making noises about wanting to start a family for many years now looking at his past interviews, who is to say he and his now wife did not have an honest conversation about this when they began dating?

        I agree that people should only have babies with people they want to have babies with, but these two are like pushing 40, it’s normal at that age to be clear about what you want from a relationship re babies etc, early in the relationship. They could have chosen to abort it, that is legal in the UK after all but they kept it and intend to look after it I guess. And I’m sorry about your mother, but they are not her.

      • maria says:

        My mum admitted she didn’t want to have kids, she only had us because it was expected. And yes, she was/is terrible. hopefully they want and will love the child regardless of their feelings of each other. Unhappy parents…no.

      • Andrea says:

        @maria…My mother had her token one because it was expected. I feel sorry for her to a point because she gave up her career(which was the thing to do back then) and is bitter about her life choices now in her 60’s. The first time she met my now long term bf though she went on and on about how her life could have gone without me. I tell people my story and they think I am the lone wolf with this, but I have sadly met many others who are in a similar boat.

      • oneshot says:

        @anon – it’s going to be VERY hard for Cumberbands to outdo allegations of kidnapping, passport confiscation, and guns left in the presence of a toddler!

        @Andrea – I feel for you, I really do. I myself was my mother’s “practice child” i.e. the one she knocks out to prove her fertility before having what the family really wanted i.e. a son. these are my grandmother’s words btw, not my mother’s, though she confirmed them later…..only Mum decided to stop at one and never had any son, ha! She got married and had me very young, but I’ve never been made to feel unwanted or bad for it. (and she finished college, got a master’s after having me, and then an MBA later in life).

        Though I will admit I have definitely been impacted by my mother’s story – I became a staunch believer in not marrying young. My parents are still happily married but I know my mother had to give up a lot and put herself second many times, and she never had the breathing room of even a few years of adulthood in which to have some freedom as an individual. I could never do that.

      • amy says:

        You know he did say in an interview after the golden globes that he is ‘going to be an incumbent father’ – his words, so it was most likely an oops pregnancy and he is marrying her out of duty. Which is a gentlemanly thing to do. And yes they were spotted out on a few dates but it seems they weren’t exclusive because BC was spotted with a couple of blondes once in the theatre and once getting out of a cab. I think their relationship got serious after they found out she was pg – in september there was plenty of sighting of them in out of time trips. And now they are making the best out of their situation.

  20. The Original Mia says:

    He’s making his contracted appearances. I’m sure Harvey had them set up in advance.

    Maybe she doesn’t want to walk around like Kate with a non-maternity coat and shifting buttons. Maybe she just want to let that belly hang when the paps are not around. It’s a nice coat. Definitely doesn’t need buttons or belts. She’ll be able to wear it after the birth too.

    Never thought Hiddleston was his best man. That would mean he had no friends prior to filming War Horse, and I very much doubted that.

    • Kat says:

      I hardly think her belly would be ‘hanging out’, she had a huge sweater on. And who cares if the paparazzi saw a bump under her jumper? She seemed happy for the press to see and photograph her bump at Palm Springs.
      It just looks awkward and silly especially with the bizarre forced hand holding while he steers his trolley cart. So bloody weird.

      • Andrea says:

        Maybe she is self conscious about her weight gain? I have a friend who gained 20 lbs during her pregnancy, felt huge, and hated showing her belly off. Not everyone pregnant is happy about the pregnancy.

      • The Original Mia says:

        How did I know my complimentary post would attract your attention, Kat? I must be psychic.

        @Andrea, don’t try to be reasonable. As you can see, it’s not appreciated.

      • oneshot says:

        @the original Mia – I kind of like you.

      • Cee says:

        @Andrea – She looks quite slim, it doesn’t look like she’s gained much weight (and by this I mean the natural weight a pregnant woman progressively gains without the “I can eat for two!” BS).

        I honestly do not think pregnant women should justify why the cover up or show their stomachs. I’ve never been pregnant, so I don’t know.

      • Kat says:

        @Mia

        Sorry, but what the hell? I really don’t give a shit if you don’t agree with me, but I think you can give up trying to paint me as someone who jumps on people who vaguely compliment her.its a pretty weird thing to do and quite clearly isn’t remotely true.

      • MaddieH says:

        @ Kat Clearly!

    • Andrea says:

      I suppose not. 🙁 I cannot wait for this oscar buzz to be over with. Even though I post, I have grown weary of Cumberbatch and want more Fassbender.

    • jojar says:

      Mia that wasn’t actually a compliment though. You gave an opinion about why she clutches her coat all the time, which didn’t actually make a whole heap of sense. I agree with kat. Can’t someone reply to you with their opnion w/o you trying to twist it into tit for tat? I’m a long time lurker on here but holy moses some of you can be douchey.

      • oneshot says:

        “It’s a nice coat” ….sounds like a compliment to me. I’m sorry but your comment isn’t making any sense.

      • Jojar Pinks says:

        did kat say “HEY F- YOU. THE COAT F-ING SUCKS!!!!” no.
        The compliment on the coat had nothing to do with it. All she did was reply to what mia gave as a reason for her clawing the coat together all goddamn time. A valid point that was fine to say. the sneery doucheness wasn’t called for.
        Kat wasn’t jumping on her to shite on her compliment so why make out she was?

        I like this site as it turns on the twat-fest of celebrity. i don’t like people turning on other posters w/o reason.

      • The Original Mia says:

        I’m sorry, Jojar Pinks…what did I say exactly about Kat that was sneering and douchey? I merely stated an observation. You’re the one who’s jumping down my throat for making an observation about Kat’s posting habits, which I’ve experienced repeatedly on these posts.

      • Jojar Pinks says:

        Your post was sneering, mia. i’ve lurked on the boards here for months, with particular fascination for cumby threads and don’t see anything wrong with kat or anyone else for that matter. Ive been on boards where posters force their own agenda and shout down anyone who disagrees. I don’t see it here at all.
        You weren’t stating an observation, you were having a dig. Her response was fine and reasonable so why take it as a personal jab?. Even if you had a history, there was no need to make a jibe about it there. Are people not allowed to disagree with you?

  21. EN says:

    He has to hustle for future work, all actors do. The more high profile is work ,the more marketing and networking is required.

    • Cel says:

      +1

      You have to purposely seek him out to ‘overexpose’ yourself really. All the nominees have been campaigning hardcore ‘cept Keaton yet they’re just not covered here, so it’s a fishbowl effect.

  22. oneshot says:

    I have no investment in this lizard looking dude other than he suddenly landed himself a franchise run by a studio I rather like (Marvel), so now I went to find out a little about him.

    the one thing I did find is that he has been making noises for YEARS about how he wants to be a father, and now apparently he will really have a baby lizard hybrid, via a knocked-up gf.

    But if you think his making his wedding and baby a part of his Oscar campaign is going to put people off him, you are very wrong. Natalie Portman did the same thing 4 years ago and rode the “I suffered and starved for my role! Ballet! Now I am pregnant and wholesome!” schtick, also with a bf of barely a few months, all the way to an actual Oscar and people still think of her as leading lady material despite her obvious thirst and her faux-intellectual persona (off-putting to many).

    Mr Cummerbund here is not going to land himself an Oscar this time but don’t fool yourself that a bunch of internet fans calling him a faker or not being his fans anymore, is going to cause him to lose popularity and fade away . Not with a Marvel franchise in hand, no way.

    • Velvet, Crushed says:

      You are correct about Portman. In the ballet community, it was generally understood that Millepied was also still with a long-term girlfriend and his choreographic muse when he saw an opportunity for an upgrade. Thanks to his contribution to the film industry (***?***) and his significant other’s quasi-ballerina status (*****?*****) and her affiliation with the non-vegan house of Dior, Millepied — not a terrible choreographer by any means, but certainly not ever regarded as a talent of historical noteworthiness — RUNS THE FINEST BALLET COMPANY IN THE WESTERN WORLD. G R O S S.

    • I don’t know ANYONE who goes out of their way to watch Natalie Portman movies. I’ve seen three movies/franchises that she’s done–Star Wars, Leon the Professional, and Black Swan. . I know she did a movie called “Closer” (something about stripping), and she did this movie with Toby Maguire (something about war, brothers, someone’s dead and then not dead) that I saw the trailer for. Other than that, I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard about any of her other movies. Not in the last five years at least (besides “Black Swan”)….she is kinda like a non entity, but I think a lot of people think she’s really smart.

      • oneshot says:

        @Virgilia – I have to put up with her bland ass in Thor, giving off a vibe like she is above this silly comic-book movie and would much rather be out there making ‘ART’. She has limited talent (can’t do comedy at all, and sucks in genre despite Star Wars being the franchise that put her on the map and got her from indie darling to leading lady status even when it and she were so bad) but still managed to open a couple of movies, so yeah, her looks (very beautiful) and image (I am college-educated and intellectual!) go a long way to getting her work.

        @Velvet – whattttt her bf/now husband had another gf at the time they began hooking up?! You know if this was Angelina Jolie she’d be branded a scarlet woman forever. As for ballet-related controversies, the only one I was aware of was the issue with not crediting that dance double properly and trying to silence her while the Oscar campaign was on because they wanted to paint a picture of “Natalie the ballet genius” despite the fact that she’d done no ballet between the ages of 12 and 28.

      • Lol I saw her in “Thor, and completely forgot she was in the movie. See what I mean?

      • scarf girl says:

        Closer was a very depressing but well written movie. Not huge Portman fan but she killed. As did Clive Owen. Killed my Jude Law crush

      • hermi says:

        Closer is AMAZING, both the play and the film. Just a stunning piece of writing.

      • MtnRunner says:

        The only interesting scenes of Thor are the ones with Loki. Get rid of the humans altogether and its a vast improvement.

      • Velvet, Crushed says:

        @scarf girl & @hermi Portman was excellent in “Closer,” I will give her that much — a very moving performance that I did not think could be bettered, and a total surprise to me given that I had not thought much of her as a talent.
        @VirgiliaCoriolanus There is, indeed, a scene (an actual dialogue) in a strip club, but the acclaim she received for the role was not your classic “type-a good girl stretches herself for her art” trope that tends to garner unwarranted attention: It is both well constructed and executed with the appropriate spontaneity. (That sounds like a very cold description, but to say more might ruin the movie for you.) Having said that, I often find myself unsympathetic to a certain qualities of blandness and disinterest in other performers and characters that dominates much of her work.
        I liked her acting very much in “Black Swan,” which is a very well-directed bad movie. Of course, I completely resent that people focused on the idea of her dancing at all, when her proportions are such that the existence of a body-double is impossible to deny, and her training (strenuously and carefully as I am perfectly willing to admit she may have worked) only barely passable for the close-up shots.
        Yes @oneshot, not only did the classic “insecure talent seeks the associative validation of a somewhat esteemed mediocrity of a classical medium WHO IS QUITE ATTACHED TO A VERY RESPECTABLE TALENT”-trope completely fly over the heads of the public, but people actually phoned the box office of the Royal Opera House to find out when Ms. Portman would be dancing “Swan Lake.” What puzzles me is that the movie had all the “attributes” of an award-winning film for which she may very well have been able to run a dignified and, to the extent the industry permits, honest campaign, but in the wake of a very mediocre film, everyone and their prettiness-obsessed auntie now believes that your average Ivy League attendee has the makings of a hyper-vigilant artist in an extremely difficult and diversely faceted discipline.

    • The Original Mia says:

      I had forgotten Portman’s Oscar campaign. Good Lord was that obnoxious. She definitely set the standard for using a pregnancy and engagement for riding a mediocre performance allllllll the way to Oscar glory.

      Also, she’s the very reason I haven’t seen Thor 2. I could FF and ignore her in the first one, but she’s heavily featured in this one. No thanks. I can watch oatmeal dry and be more entertained.

  23. Distended says:

    My take: they’re going to get busy with a second child pretty soon after the first one. Unless Sophie wants just one.

    Also: droit the seigneur was probably an Enlightenment invention.

    • anon says:

      Yay for Sophie! The more kids the bigger the child support!! LOL
      Oh, and if BC does have another baby it’ll be with a different woman.
      ….I hear he’s doing a Jude Law or was it Hugh Grant?!

  24. kelly says:

    Why on earth would quotes from a three-day old interview mean that he’s “still hustling”? He did the interview then disappeared with Sophie for their honeymoon. Repeating previous information does not make it new. He’s likely holed up in a resort right now, not doing any promotion at all.

  25. Andrea says:

    He isn’t going to win. Let’s get the oscars over with so we can get back to other celeb news…Hopefully Cumberbatch’s “buzz” will fade and the juicy trainwreck will begin. LOL I must admit, I am sort-of hoping for a Katie Price style divorce.

  26. Lilacflowers says:

    Since the topic was Tom at the wedding, couldn’t we have had a picture of Tom in his pretty wedding clothes?

    • maria says:

      are you sure you don’t mean pants?

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Actually, I liked the waistcoat and the smile. The pants deserve their own thread.

      • 'P'enny says:

        Do u mean underpants? I think they were missing again ❤️👍

      • Lilacflowers says:

        ‘P’enny, I think they were hanging on for dear life and realizing that they had, once again, failed. Some things just cannot be contained.

    • tsmiv2 says:

      @Lilacflowers Of course Tom was smiling! He was probably thinking “Glad it’s Ben and not me.” Single guys are always happy at weddings, the odds are in their favor!

    • MtnRunner says:

      Bless you for this threadjack and bringing our attention back to Morning Suit Tom and his package.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        His name is in the thread title. I just think he deserves, if not equal time, at least a picture of wedding Tom in his silver tie, and black tails, and that lovely white brocade waistcoat. And those pants.

      • Ava says:

        I find it funny it took only a matter of hours for people to find out the exact type of water Tom was carrying and post pictures of the water bottle, brand and price….lol

      • MtnRunner says:

        WHO THE HELL CARES THE BRAND OF WATER HE DRANK!!!

        Damn Nannies. They need a friggin’ life.

      • Darya says:

        @MtnRunner – hear hear! His tailor on the other hand, now that is a vital piece of information that should be released in the public interest. At the very least the guy deserves a fruit basket. And no, I don’t think it’s that stylist-guy that’s been all over Twitter post-wedding.

  27. Deb says:

    lol@ the one paparazzi chick: “Are you pregnant?” hahahaha Do you live under a rock?

  28. Jojar Pinks says:

    Edit. Wrong place.

  29. Jojar Pinks says:

    LOL @ the service orders being hd on rex. Oh Crumbers, the privacy of this wedding is blinding me.
    Good luck crumblesnatch, you gonna need it, boy.

    Judge Rinder is a tool and also not a judge. tho i’m not sure how much respect he has in the courtroom as a barrister after fronting that theatre for the challenged daytime frightfest.

    • viki says:

      All Aboard the Cumber-traine-wreck! Choo…Choo…
      I always suspected BC was a gold-digger/famewhore magnet, but I guess you are what you attract. Everyone involved in this wedding seems to be promoting themselves. Agree about the judge, he even got a mention on People mag. Kudos to Tom for keeping his mouth shut.

      • **sighs** says:

        The dancing bear seems to be the only one who can keep his mouth shut. Benny, take notes.

      • snarkshark says:

        Now now. Let’s just let Ben be himself. He’s not as charming but now I’m very curious about how this will turn out. Divorce? No way. Even if he doesn’t get to see his child he will want it under His roof.

      • Darya says:

        @viki and **sighs** – can I say I find it mildly amusing that the one of the few guests keeping their mouth shut is the one person that has in the past been accused of being the most fame-hungry, do-anything-for-PR dancing bear out there? Could be he understands the difference between saying you want privacy and actually being private. Kudos to Tom indeed.

  30. Claire. says:

    I’m surprised no one’s expressing shock Adam wasn’t his best man. I’ll put my hand up as the first. Him officiating Rinder’s wedding doesn’t cut it btw.

    • MtnRunner says:

      Makes sense to me. He’s been friends with Rinder longer than Adam.

    • Lu says:

      I’ll second that. I was, in fact, surprised the best man wasn’t AA. If I’m not mistaken, he has called Adam his best friend in the past. Obvs, he’s close with RR, too, since he officiated his wedding in 2013, but AA and BC are the friendship most evident to us and the most publicly affectionate. Could just be the difference between what we know as members of the public and what really goes on in his private life. But anyway, that’s why I was surprised.

    • Felice says:

      He had 3. Maybe he was one of the other 2.

      • Lu says:

        That was just a guess, I believe. I also don’t understand the concept of having three “best men.” It’s supposed to be one, just as the bride doesn’t have more than one maid or matron of honor.

      • Felice says:

        Yeah there are men who have more than one brother who just has a non-brother do it so he doesn’t have to choose. Also, groomsmen can have as many duties as the best man if they wanted to.

    • tsmiv2 says:

      I think Adam probably was the best man. I think the tabloids are just trying to sell papers and get clicks. The more celebs they can connect to the wedding the more stories there are to write. The judge dude was there, but that doesn’t mean he was the best man.

    • Froop says:

      Adam was probably one of them. His kids were also part of the wedding party so I can’t imagine him not being involved.

  31. Alice says:

    Well, they’re in the March 2 issue of People. They say his fame might be difficult for Hunter. Sure. Also says he bought that hideous house. Hope that’s just a rehash from the Fail.

    • Claire. says:

      Wasn’t there a denial put out on the house? Remember, because of “family, friends, Sophie”, in that order of importance lol

      • Alice says:

        Oh ueah, he denied it, but, as I said, it’s probably just a rehash from the Fail who printed, after the denial I believe, that he had bought it. The Fail, that repeatedly said MF was Best Man, then switched to TH was BM, now saying Rinder was BM. I guess they’ll get around to Adam eventually. He’s not famous enough for their headlines.

      • an says:

        It’s funny because you’ve got people searching out Twitters and such but no one checks property records.

        He didn’t get the house. Someone else, and they paid less than $10 mill for it.

      • Felice says:

        The house was taken off the market. It takes literally less than 10 minutes to find on zillow. Also, if you look at the dates as to when it was put on the market, when on earth could he had looked at it?

    • viki says:

      Ahh…that explains why a certain someone was trying to bait fans into bullying her and fighting among each other. They probably want receipts to back up their claims and attach it to the article.
      Also that mansion thing is pure clickbait, its a fact that when you put a certain price on someone people will notice and want to know who that person is and what they do for a living. It’s why millionaires and billionaires easily attract attention.

    • J says:

      lol that’s the people guy was asking fans for fact confirmation on twitter

      so yeah no i’d say he probably didnt buy the house.

  32. Darya says:

    Has anyone noticed that in regards to Ben and his bride, the track record of assumptions about their relationship has been spectacularly off the mark. Examples-
    – Reports of ‘secret girlfriend’ hit the press, most fans don’t believe it, he’s too busy to have a girlfriend
    – BC and SH seen together on several occasions, most scoff that she is ‘secret girlfriend’ especially since there wasn’t any PDA at the French Open
    – Rumors circulate that they are getting serious, more scoffing and eye-rolling – it’s a casual relationship at most, won’t last more than a few months
    – Engagement announcement in newspaper. Fan reaction is glorious, but prevailing wisdom suggests it’s a PR ploy and they’ll quietly break up after Oscar season
    – Keen observers make note of Sophie’s changing waistline, some (not all by any means) brush this off with theories varying from bad tailoring, a pasta baby or fan-baiting by a shameless hussy
    – An official pregnancy announcement barely slows down the crazy theories about fake pregnancy and questionable paternity
    – Whispers start about a wedding before the Oscars – again met with disbelief and derision
    – Folks start showing up at a church on Valentine’s Day – it can’t be a real wedding some say, no proof of notice, lack of attendance by supposed ‘close’ friends/co-workers, yada-yada

    At this point I’m afraid that if this trend continues Ben will win the Oscar on Sunday and the happy bride and groom will celebrate their golden anniversary in 2065. Can you imagine? My fragile psyche would never recover.

    • Kat says:

      She wasn’t around when those stupid ‘secret girlfriend’ rumours were planted in the press.
      If there was a secret gf, it certainly wasn’t her. Oh and that plant was made by showbiz spy who incidentally also had the pregnancy story in December. Seriously, how much more proof do people want that this has been laid out, planned and tipped off to the press all the way. As for the ‘baiting’..that absolutely was taking place. Her ‘notice my stomach’ at PIFF, him at the BIFAs talking of ‘the most important news of his life that he can’t talk about because it’s private’ to a red carpet camera. And Yep, shameless it certainly is.
      I also don’t know where your theories on fake pg and fake weddings are coming from, but I’d quit reading them if I were you. Life’s too short.
      Fact remains, this has been planned like a bad soap opera with some very unconvincing performances. Can only hope that whatever he’s trying to do works out for him, but the odds of this being a success are lower than katie price’s knickers.

      • Alice says:

        One assumption is true – the assumption that they looked miserable together at their first RC, it carried through to the last RC, the BAFTAs.

        And anyone who can look at a photo of Ben from just a year ago and a photo from Monday and not see the drastic change, well I don’t know what you’re looking at. He looks ten years older at least.

        I would love to believe that this was not an oopsie that they’re dealing with, but it doesn’t appear that way, based on his behavior from the engagement announcement on.

      • Darya says:

        @Kat – I think my ultimate point is that none of us can claim to know definitively what the hell is actually going on – it’s all assumptions, guessing and conjecture on our part. Some folk have guessed correctly along the way, but I’m convinced that’s mostly due to law of averages and sheer dumb luck.

        You say this whole thing is a sham, and I don’t think you’re wrong per se, but I’d argue that it is just as likely that it’s a real (possibly dysfunctional) relationship and there is no way to know for sure unless you’re personally involved.

        And the only place I read Cumby gossip is here. If you scan back through the comments from the last few months you’ll find every wild conspiracy I’ve mentioned, and a few others for good measure. It’s been a highly entertaining few months, that’s for sure.

      • Claire. says:

        Right and to believe that you have to discount all the bs like that dakota Johnson was the secret gf, and you have to discount other things like that he was going on dates in Boston in June, la in July, london in august etc with women who were not her

      • Just here says:

        In June though, there *were* rumours going around in ‘theatre-land’ that he was seeing a theatre director. So, to play devil’s advocate, how are we certain that he was going on dates with other women? I often read it as a statement of fact. I’m genuinely asking, not trying to stir up anything.

      • Kat says:

        Just me
        It was only since the very public FO that people conveniently started ‘theatre director’ rumours. That was after they’d ID’d her from there.

        Darya,
        I’m not saying ‘this whole thing is a sham’ but it’s clearly been managed and orchestrated in some way since the beginning. Of course nobody knows exactly what’s happened for fact and we are speculating but to ignore the long list of weirdery and press involvement since the start and instead believe it to be a natural and normal relationship is very very naive at best.
        As for bizarre theories of fake pg, I don’t see that entertained here, so I very much doubt anyone is giving that serious consideration.

    • Wait I'm Typing says:

      To be honest, I think the same thing. Admittedly, when I first saw the French Open photos I thought they were just friends as there was no chemistry and entertained the idea that perhaps it was a casual thing. But now?
      The theories have just gone way too far. Right now I’m pretty irritated by both sides, the ones throwing themselves at Benedict and Sophie’s feet and the ones who could be writing a new series of X Files with all that imagination.
      There’s only one blog I read to keep up with the story and it gives everyone fair chance to think out loud.
      You’d think the more extreme fans would have taken the hint the first couple of times they were wrong. No one knows them! (and I say this as someone who isn’t very fond of Sophie and am waning interest on Benedict (his older work was better, in my opinion))

    • tsmiv2 says:

      Don’t forget the secret girlfriend was supposed to have a “serious career” so that rules her out! They were on 2 different continents in April, anyway. She was still in NY and he was in Australia for 2 wks and then at home.

    • Wait I'm Typing says:

      @Just Here
      I remember that rumour and it was never specified that it was a theatre director. It was right after that first “secret gf” article and a girl wrote a post about hearing from someone else (so trustworthy) that it was commonly known amongst his theatre friends that he had a girlfriend back in London.
      It doesn’t matter now either way. Although I would like to remind everyone that when those articles first came out everyone was CERTAIN that those rumours were about Kinvara (with some even claiming to have knowledge of that being true) even after the French Open photos. People had found photos of Sophie on Kinvara’s instagram (some glossy model shots for a magazine, I remember seeing them) and assumed that she was just another in a long line of female friends, everyone had bets on Kinvara being the girlfriend.

      • Wait I'm Typing says:

        Oh my god, after replying to your message @just here I felt inspired to go back and find the posts from Monaco and the Rebecca Eaton comment. Here is a quote from Kaiser herself!

        “As for the girlfriend… Lord knows. I doubt it was the brunette at the French Open – their body language said “friends” or even “relatives” to me. But it could have been that blonde at the Formula One Grand Prix in Monaco. Ugh!!!”

        and here is where I presume the “theatre girlfriend” rumour began. From a post dated June 19 2014, on this site.

        “This is funny, I am a London girl and we get attention when we are in the States! I also work in PR in London, nothing as glamourous as show biz, though Benedict Cumberbatch has been in once or twice with a (male) friend in the past, I adore him. Anyway there are a couple of jobbing actors in work and everyone is saying he definately has a girl if the rumours in theatre land are true. Also highly likely to be Kinvara Balfour….she even looks like his ex alittle. In a way I hope its not because she is supposed to be an awful vain stuck up person…but hey I don’t know her.”

      • Just here says:

        What you say about Kinvara is very true. A part of me *still* thinks they had something going on, if I’m honest.

        When I think back on that post, you may be right. Perhaps my memory is playing tricks on me and I’m inserting ‘theatre director’ into the post. But it was definitely in June, after the FO pics. I guess I just wanted to point out the possibility that they most likely were dating and all those ‘sightings’ of him with other women were rubbish.

        But you’re right: this doesn’t matter. I’m sick tonight and clearly bored so I’m dredging up old nonsense. Time for some more cold meds, I think.

      • Wait I'm Typing says:

        @Just Here,

        Oh dear, everyone seems to getting sick! Drink lots of fluids and get some rest.
        I think everyone’s memory has played tricks on them at some point and it seems a lot of people have been looking back going “did I miss something?” but we’ll never know.
        However, this whole drama has held me over while I wait for Game of Thrones to return so hey, at least it’s been entertaining.
        Hope you feel better, love.

      • Just here says:

        Ooooo, Game of Thrones!!! I’m looking forward to that.

        Yes, that was the post I was referring to. Rumours within rumours, it seems.

        Thanks for the kind words. I’m hoping to finally get back to work after 4 days sick. Bendy’s drama has been good side-eyeing entertainment when you’re ill and can’t do much. 🙂

  33. Kim1 says:

    I just read at Daily Mail he can’t wait to nest for a couple of months before the baby comes.

    • Just here says:

      Seriously…? For real?

      So he’s talking to the Daily Mail now?

      • gg says:

        Baz Bamigboye, their theatre critic and actually a pretty good dude.

      • Just here says:

        I just find it interesting that he’s quite tight-lipped about marriage/the baby when he was on TV on Monday but now he’s talking about it. As someone else said, he needs to pick a lane and stick to it.

      • J says:

        baz isn’t a theater critic, he’s a gossip columnist

        he’s also wrong about the hamlet thing apparently (?) seems nice, but gossip guys aren’t to be trusted faq wise lol

      • Linz says:

        @J
        Some of the skeptic blogs are saying he is wrong about Hamlet. But several sources/sites are reporting that there will be NT Live (Hamlet) screenings in October.

      • tsmiv2 says:

        The quotes are likely fabricated. He hasn’t played RIII since before Xmas and no one knew about a baby in December. If these quotes were recent, wouldn’t BC have said something about playing Sherlock? That’s his most recent role.

      • Claire. says:

        Good pickup tsmiv!! Another possibility is DM wrote it and Karon signed off on it. When I worked as an assistant to a ceo I wrote quotes he signed off on.

        In other news I just went onto one of the big skeptic tumblr’s (not sogo) and holy moly the utter madness there. I came away seriously considering whether it’s written by someone deliberately trying to make the rest of us look bad. I’m starting to think the same of several other tumblr’s actually. I can’t imagine fans like that exist.

      • Maggie says:

        http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlout10-hamlet

        NT Live has confirmed the screenings and linked to the article by Baz in the Daily Mail.

        So it looks as if it is all on. Excellent news!

      • Kat says:

        Seriously, if he’s really saying these things.. Is he for real? Giving baby quotes to the daily mail of all people while STILL trying to keep up the pretence of valuing privacy after putting it all on display for this campaign.

        GG,
        There are no good dudes working for the mail. Nobody with a conscience would be on their payroll.

      • curlsunited says:

        There will be screenings from October 15th, it’s confirmed.

        http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlout10-hamlet

      • TotallyBiased says:

        J says –Baz is ALSO a theatre critic. He’s on the panel for the Evening Standard Awards. I’d call him least-bad on the DF staff, myself. I’m constantly surprised that he writes for them.

      • 'P'enny says:

        Baz is well liked and respected. His gossip, tends to have a ring of truth to it. Daily Mail buy in a lot of pulp and have a lot of dodgy articles.

      • Kat says:

        These screenings were announced ages ago.

        On the subject of people with no moral compass working for the mail, I read something from Ian Hallard a while ago who said he spoke to someone who works for the mail and asked them how they sleep at night and apparently they responded with “I don’t know”.

        Says it all, really. But the onus is also on the celebrities who deride the paper one minute then chummily chat away to fill its pages and gain some publicity the next. Principles? Who needs ’em?

  34. ukbound says:

    The fact that Benedict is so close to “Judge Rinder” tells me a lot about him. I watch a bit of his show on youtube and he seems pretty supercilious and hateful to me. He misses no opportunity to say something nasty, under the guise of being entertaining, which he is not. He is very hateful on that show.

    At this point, I’m starting to think that my original impression of Benedict was wrong. Actors play roles. He was goofy and sweet. That was a role. He has made so many weird comments over the last year. Talking about “fat faced Cameron.” He went out of his way to be ugly on that. On top of many other comments. It’s very sad actually. Delusion over.

    • Just here says:

      “Fat-faced Cameron”?

      • j says:

        couple of years ago about that godawful david cameron

        rinder is supposed to be nice in real life, reality tv isn’t real even though they try to pawn it off as such, so he’s scripted, a character. all the us reality judges are like that here thanks to judge judy

      • Just here says:

        Ahh right. Thankyou for that clarification.

    • K says:

      Well, no, not really. I mean, Rinder isn’t being himself on a reality show if that’s what you mean.

      Rinder’s not a judge and flat out said he based his character on the US’ Judge Judy. I can’t tell you if any of the cases are real. In the US, it’s a well known “secret” that the courtroom shows are scripted. It’s real people, but they’re told what to say beforehand and both parties get money no matter what the judge decides.

    • Kat says:

      The thing is about rinder is, yes, it’s scripted and camped up for tv, but it’s still a very, very awful tacky trash TV show. He clearly wants a slice of dubious fame amongst the daytime TV gossip crowd. And an associated column in The Sun??? Doesn’t anyone have any principles at all?

      Oh and anytime BC wants to insult Cameron and his awful massive ham head, my respect for him will skyrocket. More of that please.

    • 'P'enny says:

      I watched Judge Rinder for the first time the other day, as its daytime I am normally at work. I had no idea what his relationship was to Bendy. I found it highly amusing and the people who were in the small-claims court deserved every p-take he dished out. He is like Jeremy Kyle of car-crashed TV and a lot of is staged IMO.
      I think Judge Judy is better bitch though.

  35. Linz says:

    Benedict’s stylist is really milking it.
    (From Twitter) “James Rhodes – I f**king love to cuddle
    Joe Woolfe – @JRhodesPianist a wedding full of cuddles! #wedding blues #lovelypeople #new friends”