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January 18, 2015 2:37 pm  #1


Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

This is too much! 
Just heard that BC is going to be on my favourite interview show - The Tavis Smiley Show on PBS on January 21/15Here's the write up for it on the Tavis site...
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/actor-benedict-cumberbatch/

I am so excited!  Tavis is a great interviewer and usually has a real knack for putting his guests at ease while he draws them into conversations that explore a lot of depth.  My husband and I are enthusiastic watchers of his show.  It is on very late in our area (midnight to 12:30) so most of the time we tape it and watch it the next day. 

If you don't get PBS (or don't have a taping machine) the interviews are up in full on the site I linked to 24 hours after being aired. 

This is a dream come true for me personally.  It looks like BC was wearing the same clothes he was wearing on The Ellen Show so it was probably taped the same day before he flew back to England to join the Sherlock set.


-Val


"The only shipping I know is shipping containers."
                                           -Benedict Cumberbatch
 

January 18, 2015 2:56 pm  #2


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

Oh, great! Never heard of this show, but it sounds interesting. 


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January 18, 2015 3:00 pm  #3


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

I've never heard of it either, but can't wait to see!! 


Isn't it great, by being a fan of an actor you broaden your knowledge about such stuff?


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January 18, 2015 3:21 pm  #4


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

If you have seen the Charlie Rose interview, I would expect much the same type of interview from Tavis.  He only has one  (or two guest occasionally) on at a time and they get the full half hour to talk uninterupted (no commercials on PBS). 

Tavis is an experienced interviewer and a very smart man whose enthusiasm and intelligence shines through when he is talking to someone.  He also has an uncanny knack (which a lot of interviewers don't have) for listening to (really listening to) his guests and drawing subjects to talk about further from their answers (he doesn't usually rely on a checklist of questions that he rushes through to get them all in).  He also isn't afraid to disagree (always very politely though) with his guest when disgussing controversial topics (such as things like "states rights" with Mike Huckabee).   

To me Tavis is the best current TV interviewer in the business, followed by Charlie Rose.   A Canadian interviewer George Stroumboulopoulos was just as good as Tavis (and CR) when he started out on CBC (I loved his show The Hour) but he has moved on to be a hockey broadcaster on another network so he isn't around to enjoy in the same capacity. His shows were a little more "fan-ish" and noisy but man, could he do an interview!!  Shame he isn't around to interview BC.

-Val


"The only shipping I know is shipping containers."
                                           -Benedict Cumberbatch
     Thread Starter
 

January 18, 2015 3:57 pm  #5


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

I remember seeing Ben on Charlie Rose recently. I had never heard of him either, but was impressed by finally finding an intelligent interview with a host that seemed smart and honestly interested in their guests. If Tavis is anything like that, I'm really looking forward to it.


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"We'll live on starlight and crime scenes" - wordstrings


Team Hudders!
 
 

January 18, 2015 5:53 pm  #6


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

I love watching Charlie Rose interviews, they are so intimate. Just black around them, I think you are more open when you have the feeling it's just you and the interviewer


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Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from!


 
 

January 21, 2015 7:17 pm  #7


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

There's already a short clip on yt



 


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Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from!


 
 

January 21, 2015 7:27 pm  #8


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...


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January 21, 2015 7:39 pm  #9


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

I can't wait!  Tavis is a great person to interview Ben!  And I have to say, I think they are very proud of you Ben.

Thanks for the link to that preview!

-Val


"The only shipping I know is shipping containers."
                                           -Benedict Cumberbatch
     Thread Starter
 

January 22, 2015 3:58 pm  #10


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

The interview with Ben isn't up on the PBS Tavis Smiley archive yet but we watched the show last night live (and taped it and watched it a second time).  The archive (which I provided the link to in my initial post) should have it up soon (within a day or so).

It was a great interview with lots of details about his feelings concerning his father's encouragement following him seeing Ben in a uni play.  Tavis really likes to get into someone's motivations and of course BC is more than willing to talk about his love of his parents. 

They chatted quite a bit about how he decided to go into acting. 

I think he was just a bit nervous at the beginning (you know with him rubbing his thigh and all that) - since he had never met Tavis, but Smiley has an enthusiastic, intelligent manner that is really engaging and he gave Ben his full attention, so I think that really relaxed him as the interview went on. 

Tavis is especially interested in father/son relationships so he got deeply involved with the conversation Ben had with his dad following a play that he did early on - where his dad told him just how good he thought Ben was (better than he ever was even at Ben's young age) - his way of being totally supportive of Ben's acting ambitions. 

I especially loved that when Tavis said, during their conversation, that he (meaning Tavis) was still trying to live up to his own father's standard, Ben immediately jumped in with a comforting and kind comment, saying that he imagined that Tavis had probably done that, but just in other ways.  I think it really showed the soft side of Ben - that he wants to make sure that people - if he perceives any vunerablity on their part - feel good about themselves.  He genuinely cares about people in general - even folks he has just met. It was a really human moment. 

The interview definitely took place after the Oscar nominations occurred.  Ben talked about filming Sherlock for about a week and how he will be flying back to the set within a day.  

He talked a lot about TIG (most of this we have heard before).  Tavis had seen the film and was obviously really impressed by it. 

There were also some really funny parts in the interview - surrounding British actors taking over PBS!  All in good fun (and it was great to hear both Tavis' big roaring laugh and Ben's giggling).

There was a lot more but I will mention one thing stood out in my mind - Ben said that just before he came on Tavis' set he was checking the internet (and he said it was absolutely not a wise thing for him to do) about his appearance on the GGs to see how his bit with Jennifer A. went (he was worried because his plane had been delayed in London and he got there only an hour before the show started) and happened to see some rude comment about how if he should win an oscar he should dedicate it to his unborn child.  He said that he couldn't imagine anything more disgusting. 

He didn't dwell on that ignorant remark too long (thank goodness) but I can imagine it really had irked him to the point that he had to mention it.  I feel sad that he had to see something like that but he handled it well I thought.

I will have to watch it again (and again ) if not to just enjoy his beautiful voice, but also to absorb his remarks more fully. 

Oh, and one more thing - Ben said that he is really pushing for the Christmas Special for Sherlock to be broadcast simultaneously in the UK and USA (which mean Canada as well - Yay!). 

If anyone wants more detail (until the video is up on the web) I can provide more.  Just let me know.

-Val



 


"The only shipping I know is shipping containers."
                                           -Benedict Cumberbatch
     Thread Starter
 

January 22, 2015 5:53 pm  #11


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

Thanks so much for the run-down!  Often have trouble keeping up with what people are saying…
Awww…. he's always so sweet… 


_________________________________________________________________________

We solve crimes, I blog about it, and he forgets his pants.  I wouldn't hold out too much hope!

Just this morning you were all tiny and small and made of clay!

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January 22, 2015 7:55 pm  #12


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

Yes, but from what I understand he must have felt quite hurt by the things he stumbled into in the internet: I read the article he is probably referring to (lainey gossip) and it is incredibly mean and vicious.

 

January 22, 2015 8:02 pm  #13


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

Such a shame for him.


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January 22, 2015 10:18 pm  #14


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

I watched the interview last night (well, technically this morning, as it aired at midnight in NYC), and I thought it was very good...and that if Benedict just HAS to go on the internet, he should ask some nice person to filter first, to weed out the really rage-inducing pieces. (I'm sure he'd get a few volunteers!)


____________________

"Oh, you meant 'spectacularly ignorant' in a NICE way."
 

January 22, 2015 11:35 pm  #15


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

The tone of his voice when he talked about this really got to me.  He was obviously was so shocked and repulsed by what had been written.  I only hope that he hasn't actually read some of the other even more vile garbage so-called "truther fans" and gossip columnists have written about Sophie.  Disgusting indeed.  They ought to be ashamed.

I just don't understand people like this at all.  

-Val 


"The only shipping I know is shipping containers."
                                           -Benedict Cumberbatch
     Thread Starter
 

January 23, 2015 6:40 am  #16


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

'Truther fans', really?  Is this what they actually dain to call themselves?
How very dare they!
'Vile scum', would be my term of choice.
This really is the very worst of the so called fandom and I had been dreading it.
It wouldn't have mattered who Benedict fell in love with or if he'd started a family or not.
The amoeba at the shallow end of the gene pool, would still crawl out  of the slime anyway.

Last edited by besleybean (January 23, 2015 6:41 am)


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January 23, 2015 7:51 am  #17


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

besleybean wrote:

It wouldn't have mattered who Benedict fell in love with or if he'd started a family or not..

I think you are right, there is this insane part of "fandom" which is not really admiring him of his work but rather appropriating him and "using" him to their own personal fantasies. It probably happens to other actors, as well, but he seems a particularly vulnerable subject of this kind of entitlement.

Well, at it is always insane that he cannot even make a simple reasearch on google (he WASN'T looking for any gossip about himself) withut stumbling into this sham.
 

Last edited by miriel68 (January 23, 2015 7:51 am)

 

January 23, 2015 7:01 pm  #18


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!


----------
Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from!


 
 

January 27, 2015 8:41 am  #19


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

I just woke up to find an article in a Norwegian online newspaper about Ben apologizing. Wow, that was not expected! (I didn't think something like that would hit Norwegian front page anyway).

Turns out he had used the dated term "coloured" in the Tavis interview, and people are now having him chewed out for breakfast for it. So he's just flatlined completely and apologized, I feel so bad for him!

Here's the article the Norwegian one referenced: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2927166/I-m-idiot-m-devastated-caused-offense-British-actor-Benedict-Cumberbatch-issues-apology-calling-black-people-colored-television.html

Ok, so he really shouldn't have said that word - but what the he** is the point of bringing up his ancestors being plantation owners? That is really not his fault in any way, and not something he can do anything about. Do they think he got some racist blood in his veins or something? That just made me angry.

Last edited by Vhanja (January 27, 2015 8:45 am)


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"We'll live on starlight and crime scenes" - wordstrings


Team Hudders!
 
 

January 27, 2015 9:15 am  #20


Re: Ben is going to be on Tavis Smiley!!

I don't think he's a bad person for using the word and I can sense how mortified he is from his statement so I do feel sorry for him.
But - I've got to say this - I can't believe he was so ill informed as to say it.
He's an intelligent guy who is always willing to give his views on social/political issues, yet he's so out of touch as to use this outdated, and frowned upon, term?
Since stories emerged of his ancestral links around the time 12YAS was released, this is just the kind of story some people have been waiting for - and he's walked right into it.
I want to see so much more of his fantastic acting, but I really feel that he needs (or his PR team does) to cut back on all the interviews and appearances for a while; since the beginning of last year, he's been jetting around doing publicity stuff, even when there was no film or TV show to promote.
TIG promotion also could've been done a little more selectively, imo, to avoid the situation where his character is more of a story than his work.
Sorry if this sounds harsh, but lately I've been feeling that it's a real shame that his work is being overlooked while people focus on what he said/did on this red carpet, or in that interview.
And now, sadly, he's made one mistake too far and for a while this will mean that - again - his WORK is overshadowed.


"And in the end,
The Love you take
Is equal to the Love you make"
                                             The Beatles
 

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