Celebrity Crush

LOVE Henry Cavill. But I much prefer him with his first-season-Tudors buzzcut.

Yes, both of them.

My truest celebrity crush: British actor James Purefoy - Utter perfection One of his most notable roles was Marc Antony in HBO's ROME. He channeled Antony's ghost in that role, man. It was incredible. Just, GUH.



That smile...

^ Gotta agree with James Purefoy. I can almost admit to having a man-crush on him. His portrayal of Mark Antony in Rome was inspired to say the least! I read somewhere that he had been a strong candidate to be the next James Bond at one point, and that it is still in his future prospects. I for one would much rather see him as Bond than the current one, Daniel Craig aka James Blond. That dude doesn't look anything like the other Bonds. And he has exactly one facial expression.

Oh my god...that series just never stops blowing my mind! I re-watched the second season over the course of the past few days and it just takes my breath away! There's honestly only one scene in that series that actually draws tears for me. It's during Octavian's triumph in the last episode, and Atia sees Antony's body go by on that cart thing, along with Cleopatra's (starting around 4:10). Her expression and the music that plays...guh. I never truly had much empathy for Atia until the latter part of Season 2. That whole scene is stunningly well-done. So much is expressed with few to no words at all...

Anyway, slightly off-topic. But yeah, Antony is one of my two most beloved Romans and I really feel like he was channeling him all through the show, right to the end. As for the Bond rumors, I love that too! I'm not a huge Bond movie fan, but I'd become one if he came to replace Craig.

I need to take screencaps from my Season 2 DVDs...get some eyeliner!Antony pics up in here!

Ditto! I'm re-watching it as well, only have the final episode left. HBO always delivers tried and true quality.. I can't decide which I like more, Rome or Game of Thrones. I only wish they had made many more seasons of Rome, which they originally meant to do until a catastrophic fire burned down much of the set. Apparently the costs to rebuild the whole thing would've been too high, so we didn't get to see young Caesarion's rise to power, or the political intrigues of Egypt, or the rise of the Messiah in the Middle-East (all of this was in the pipeline for later seasons).
Yeah, Atia was tough to love right until the very end, but even I felt a small pang of empathy for her in that scene. The culmination of her misery seemed fitting and played well with the curse Servilia cast upon her.

Who is your other favorite Roman? Dare I guess.. Titus Pullo? I loved his character progression; evolving from a simple drunken brute to a much more multifaceted character with a heart of solid gold.

David Caruso, 'Nuff said.

Hey, cool! Must be the season for ROME re-viewing! I had been re-watching I, Claudius as I wrote my final papers and it just seemed fitting to pop in ROME also. Haven't seen Game of Thrones sadly, but I've heard great things about it. Sorta looks like it'd appeal to the Elder Scrolls fan in me.

I too lament the lack of more ROME seasons. They really had an amazing thing going and truly, the scene with Octavian's triumph really tells you everything that's in store history-wise. They would have done an incredible job with the Julio-Claudian dynasty had they gotten that far into it. Alas....we only have Octavian's cold, calculating smirk in response to Atia's genuine grief to leave off with. However, in some ways, it's almost more poetic that way. I only wish they had ended the series with that triumph scene and not the next one with Pullo and Caesarion, only because I felt like it detracted from the deep and troubling emotions they had built on just previously. But, meh. That's just me.

Haha, in addition to Antony, my other most favorite historical Roman is actually Nero. I love him, I've been fangirling his goofy ass for years. And a great deal of my research in grad school and as undergraduate has been related to him or the Julio-Claudian family in general. I'm an early Roman empire historian/fangirl, you see. I've read that HBO's ROME was actually originally going to be set during Nero's reign, but they changed it to the time of Caesar because they thought more people would recognize the persons and events of that period than those in Nero's. Would have been fascinating to see done though!

Series-wise though, I did also love Pullo, for all the reasons you mentioned! Something about Vorenus and all his angryness I loved too. Octavia was pretty cool as well. Antony's my main man though. I've never liked Cleopatra, in history or in any media. And this series was no exception. I'm always just like, "SNAP OUT OF IT, ANTONY!" For the love of the gods, lol...

But yeah, amazingness all around.

Must be the season! This is my third run through the series, and something tells me there's room for a fourth somewhere down the road. I was left with the impression that the final scene with Pullo and Caesarion was made when they still thought they'd be continuing the series. Bloody shame, that!
I'm pretty sure you'd be an instant fan if you checked out Game of Thrones, btw. It sucked me in at episode one.
I'm also interested in ancient Roman history, though my knowledge of it is undoubtedly much more patchy and random than yours, i.e. just bits and pieces from here and there. What I know of Nero is limited to his lunacy, and the allegations that he set Rome ablaze in order to blame the Christians and get a pretext to persecute them. Other than that, I've educated myself on the later periods of Roman history when the empire was declining, but I do have some knowledge of the earlier eras as well.
I was actually inspired by the show to visit the city of Rome, which I did for the first time in the spring of 2010. Marvelous weather, grand vistas. One of the most impressive big cities I've ever visited without a doubt!

I hear ya! Vorenus always reminded me of my older brother when he got angry (they even look exactly alike ) when we were growing up. Even with all his anger and edginess he was still a sympathetic character. I couldn't stand Cleopatra, either.. one of the greatest moments of the show was when she was getting on Antony's case and he finally lost his nerve, flipped around and said "why don't you SHUT YOUR MOUTH?!". I was like "yeah Antony, put that bitch in her place!"

I'm sure you're right about the Pullo and Caesarion scene. Really, it wasn't terrible...I just ended that final episode with really clashy emotions because of the juxtaposition of those scenes. Alas, I do not have HBO currently, but I'll look to maybe watching through iTunes or something if it's available. I am curious, given all the great reviews.

Roman history, FTW! Rome has always fascinated me, always will. I've always been totally in love with history in general, but ancient history - nay, ROMAN history - has totally seized hold of my heart. As for Nero, yeah, he's an interesting case. Contradictory in some ways. The long and short of it is that I think he was in over his head, not genuinely interested in being emperor (rather, mommy dearest, Agrippina, sorta pushed him into it after intriguing on his behalf - he was not quite 17 at the time of his ascension), he was too concerned with popularity and being loved, which left him open to manipulation by less than honorable people, and his proclivity for acting/singing got him into real trouble with the aristocracy and ancient historians, who did not record those aspects of his reign favorably. The Great Fire of 64 AD and the persecution of Christians is sort of a hazy topic even today among historians. There are different "angles" to it, if you will. I don't wanna ramble on too long, but it's interesting how even today we're trying to piece together what might have really happened with all that and what the underlying reasons actually were. Or could have been, anyway.

I'm thrilled you got to visit Rome too! I first went there in 2006 while in Italy for an excavation, and after stepping out of the Colosseum subway stop and going up those steps and seeing the Colosseum appear there before me...I'll be honest, I had tears in my eyes. The "Now We Are Free" song from Gladiator played in my head. I've been to Rome many times since then, it's become like a second home. I can't wait to go back again. Everyone should get to go there at least once before they die. Did you explore the Palatine Hill while there? I went there early in the mornings when it was clear and crisp and tourist-free. I seriously was communing with everything there. The spirits of long-dead Romans were whispering everywhere I went. Was like a religious experience! It's by far my favorite place in Rome.

And thank the GODS someone else despised Cleopatra! I've been feeling like the odd one out for so long in that regard! Couldn't stand her...and was glad to see Antony yell at her! I really loved when Vorenus threatened her after Antony killed himself. Vorenus...for all that baggage and emotional turbulence, he was a loyal man and you could tell that Antony's state of being really affected him so. I'm a huge fan of their dynamic, of their relationship. Taking turns having to snap the other out of it, or at least attempt to do so. Vorenus dressing Antony's body, wiping off the eyeliner and making him "Roman" again after the suicide...that always got to me too. GUH, this show!

Kimbra. Because I thing for cute singers

Or If I have to settle for a swimsuit model Jessica Gomes

Plus it looks like shes into the Dark Brotherhood

True.. it did end on a conflicting note. Multiple endings rarely work: case in point, the final LotR movie (it worked in the book, but felt somewhat dragged out on the screen).
I highly recommend you check out GoT! Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Hear hear! It's cool that there's another Roman history aficionado lurking around on these boards. History in general has always fascinated me, but there's something particularily captivating about the Roman era. Thanks for enlightening me on Nero; never knew those details about him!

Man, I'm envious of you, getting the chance to visit Rome so often! I definitely agree, everyone should visit the cradle of western civilization at least once before they die. The 4 days we spent there felt like a teaser that left me hungry for more, even though we tried to do and see as much as possible. Including of course the Palatine & viewing the spectacular sights over the Forum Romanum etc from its summit. And the colosseum left a lasting impression.. like you said, it was powerful enough to evoke auditory sensations.. I could almost hear the swords clashing and the lions roaring.

You're not the only one, trust me.. if Atia was hard to love, Cleopatra was even worse. A doped-up, manipulative she-wolf with the temper of a banshee!
Whoa, you took the words right outta my mouth! That was one of my favorite character dynamics in the show, the relationship between Vorenus and Antony. Antony always gained huge amounts of respect in my eyes when he was willing to give Vorenus another chance after Vorenus failed or abandoned him (even though Antony wasn't a forgiving man by nature). And in the end, Vorenus stood loyally by his side during his final hours. Damn powerful storytelling, that!

KATE UPTON

Haha, do you have a PS2? Because I would recommend Shadow of Rome, if you do. It doesn't concern itself with being especially historically accurate, but it's a lot of fun nonetheless, particularly for Roman history nerds who are also gamers. I love the hell out of that game and still play it from time to time. I think you'd enjoy it, especially given that you loved the ROME series.

Man, Rome is...unlike any other place in the world for me. There's such a magical vibe there. I know it might sound silly to describe it that way, but it's honestly the most apt way to do so. I got chills when I stood at the spot in the Forum where Caesar was cremated - I felt so...privileged to be able to pay my respects there. It was such a strange feeling, like I straddled historical dimensions. Not to mention, I had some strange/spooky things happen to me while in Rome, things that make me suspect that the rumors of Nero's ghost still haunting the city are true. Rome is just...all kinds of epic and awesome. I WILL live there someday, I promise myself that.

Antony and Vorenus...man, I love tragic characters. The pair of them were just so awesome individually, but then when their dynamic came into play the storytelling, as you said, got all the more incredible. They, together, are honestly one of my favorites aspects of the show, no doubt.



Damn, now I'm sad about no more ROME seasons!

Penelope Cruz

Sadly I've never owned a PS.. I wonder if that game is available on PC or Xbox360? I bet I would enjoy it. I remember one on the first Xbox where you played a Spartan warrior and fought off legions of foes.. that was pretty awesome (can't remember its name, though)!

I don't think it sounds silly at all.. there's definitely magic in the air there, something archaic and deep that resonates through the city. Never did catch that story about Nero's ghost still haunting Rome! What kind of spookiness did you experience?

Yep, tragic anti-heroes always make for the most interesting characters. And Rome was rife with them! We can only hope their plans of making a full-length Rome movie featuring the original cast will come to fruition!

Must I be honest? Alright then.

I'm going to be very picky about this. It's not just a celebrity crush. It's more like I have a crush in the person they portray in the movie. So let's get this short list started. It's going to go from my highest ranking crush to lowest:

1) Loki - Tom Hiddleston
I don't care what anyone says about his hair. I don't care about what he looks like without the Loki appearance. Loki will forever be my ultimate, insane obsession.

2) Hawkeye - Jeremy Renner
So far two characters from the same movie! I'm just going to say that when you say "Hawkeye" it really does sound like you're saying "Hot guy."

3) Bill Gates
No, not a movie character. Don't judge me either. I think he's sexy. Does he count though? He's not really a celebrity in terms of the other two, but everyone does know him.

And so that concludes my list. Some say it's odd, others agree. Now, I'm very curious. What does this list say about me?

By no means a crush and a bit off topic but I just love Betty White. Why couldn't I have a grandma like her?

Maybe I'm just like any other teenage girl...


but Taylor Lautner makes my heart pounding faster. I can't help it!