Countdown has begun for Downton Abbey's Season Two premiere on PBS Sunday night at 9 p.m.

Watch Downton Abbey: Behind-the-Scenes with the Cast in New York on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Watch Downton Abbey: Bridging Season 1 to 2 on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

PBS video: Downton Abbey Co-creator and Executive Producer Gareth Neame explains the dramatic changes that take place in Season Two as the series picks up in the summer of 1916, with British soldiers in the trenches of northern France during WWI.


In 1969, his grandfather, Ronald Neame, directed Downtown Abbey star Maggie Smith in her Academy Award-winning performance of "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie."


PBS video: Downton Abbey: The cast comes to New York City to meet their devoted fans http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch/downtonabbey2_newyork.html



PBS video: Downton Abbey, Season 2: A Special Q&A with the Cast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsP_Rw8FA9A



Press Association video: Some of the stars of ITV1's Downton Abbey discuss their hopes for Series 3 in 2012, which begins filming in February.
http://youtu.be/6asjGH6PZWc


Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times reviews the new season with her oh-so predictable mixture of faint praise and mock disdain. 
(But if it was about Obama, then watch out for the flow of superlatives!)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/07/arts/television/downton-abbey-stokes-flames-for-season-2-review.html

As for those photos of Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay) dressed as a nurse, that's the most intense and longing shot of a nurse since longtime HBB favorite Juliette Binoche in The English Patient. More use of Jessica in season three next year, PLEASE! 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2046800/Downton-Abbey-Jessica-Brown-Findlay-shakes-Lady-Sybil-shocking-lead-movie-role.html 

Series Two runs Sunday January 8th to Sunday February 19th
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/season2.html

Twitter: #downtonPBS


Inside Downton Abbey: 
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/inside-downtown-abbey-277442

Promo for Downton Abbey, Season 2, premiering on PBS on January 8th, 2012

PBS video: Promo for Downton Abbey, Season 2, premiering on PBS on January 8th

http://youtu.be/qYKmcolMqZ4

Digital Spy video: 'Downton Abbey': The stars chat about Season Two http://youtu.be/XVnZRfrEfpM

ITV's promo for Season Two looked like this

ITV promo for Downton Abbey, Season Two

http://youtu.be/yoe3CoxcYm0

My last two blog posts filled with interesting videos and links about the wonderful Downton Abbey were both on September 19th, 2011, titled Quality writing & acting wins again!

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/quality-writing-acting-wins-again.html and

Brilliant! Mary-Jess - Did I Make The Most of Loving You? ("Downton Abbey" theme); Mary-Jess Leaverland

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/brilliant-mary-jess-did-i-make-most-of.html

Reminder: In the U.S., the first year of Downton Abbey re-airs on PBS beginning Sunday, December 18th at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific.

Season 2 of Downton Abbey premieres on PBS on Sunday January 8th, the second day of the NFL Wild Card Weekend, but the second game will be over by the time 9 p.m. rolls around.

Watch Downton Abbey: Surviving the Wait for Season Two on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

PBS Masterpiece video: Downton Abbey: Surviving the Wait for Season Two. Masterpiece's Rebecca Eaton on how to survive until Downton Abbey season two premieres. http://video.pbs.org/video/2156589433

The new CD containing the soundtrack of Season 2 of Downton Abbey produced by John Lunn is at Amazon.co.uk., and this website has a selection of the 19 songs.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005EW4MS0/ref=nosim/

If you're in the U.S., I urge you to buy it via Amazoncom UK as an Import, even at $28.68 plus shipping, since according to Amazon's U.S. website, it won't officially be available in the U.S. until December 31st, which is pretty weird given how many people might wish to get it for the holidays. Not so smart marketing there!

http://www.amazon.com/Downton-Abbey-Various-Artists/dp/B005EW4MS0/ref=sr_1_1

And use the Amazon Currency Converter to prevent your bank from screwing you with additional fees.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=200224510

Decca Music video: Theme to "Downton Abbey" (Mary-Jess). September 2011. http://youtu.be/uCa-Bxl1s1c

When I first mentioned this video on September 19th, it had received 1,727 views, and now it's up to 13,367.

Mary-Jess - Did I Make The Most of Loving You? ("Downton Abbey" theme) 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0AbTiBYrbg&feature=colike

Yes, English singer Mary-Jess Leaverland is one very talented 21-year old!

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

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/

http://www.mary-jess.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary-Jess_Leaverland

Brilliant! Mary-Jess - Did I Make The Most of Loving You? ("Downton Abbey" theme); Mary-Jess Leaverland

Mary-Jess - Did I Make The Most of Loving You? ("Downton Abbey" theme) 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0AbTiBYrbg&feature=colike

Owing to the fact that my last post here had so many Downton Abbey-related videos, and my desire to make sure that this performance by English singer Mary-Jess got the amount of attention it deserved, I'm repeating some of the relevant parts of it so that it's on its own and you can hear this amazing talent, whose personal and professional back-story is pretty damn amazing, if largely unknown outside of England and... China.

Especially for a 21-year old!

-----

Thanks to my observant friends, loyal confidantes and trend-spotting spies around the world, I got tipped-off to this video and can tell you that TODAY, Sept. 19th, is the first day that you can pre-order the new CD containing the soundtrack of Season 2 of Downton Abbey produced by John Lunn via Amazon.co.uk.

In the U.S., you can also now pre-order it thru the American office of Amazon.com but it comes as an Import and runs $28.68 plus shipping.

The CD will be released September 27th, 2011.

See the British link above to see and hear the selection of songs.

If you can, please click the YouTube link at the bottom of each of these videos and watch it there instead of on the blog, so that you can also see the other songs Mary-Jess has done in the right-hand column.

Plus, we can send those viewing numbers up!

Right now, as of 6:23 p.m. Eastern U.S., the total number of views for the first video is 1,727.

Decca Music video: Theme to "Downton Abbey" (Mary-Jess). September 2011. http://youtu.be/uCa-Bxl1s1c

(In my opinion, in this still-shot of the video above, Mary-Jess looks a bit like delightful actress Shiri Appleby, whom we last saw in a guest-starring role last month on USA Network's "Royal Pains," which I always watch.)

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

http://www.mary-jess.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary-Jess_Leaverland

Reminder: In the U.S., the first year of Downton Abbey re-airs on PBS beginning Sunday, December 18th at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific.

The second season of Downton Abbey starts on PBS on Sunday January 8th!

Quality writing & acting wins again! Downton Abbey scores 4 at Emmys, as U.S. eagerly awaits Season 2's melodrama amidst WWII on PBS January 8th

ITN's The Showbiz 411 video: Downtown Abbey scores Emmy success, nabs 4 awards, including Best Mini-series, Best Supporting Actress (Dame Maggie Smith), Best Writing and Best Directing at 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, ATAS, telecast on Fox-TV, September 18, 2011. http://youtu.be/YM_g9hxdYMU

Downton Abbey ITV1 promo

http://youtu.be/2M3moEeErr8

Quality writing & acting wins again! Downton Abbey scores 4 at Emmys, as U.S. audiences eagerly awaits Season 2's melodrama amidst WWII on PBS January 8th

I loved everything about this show and saw each episode at least twice -uninterrupted and non-distracted. (Like I was watching game film!)

Already being seen on ITV1 in the U.K., I can't wait for the second season to finally get to PBS!

Just under 15 weeks from yesterday -January 8th!

And if you didn't see it earlier this year, the first year of Downton Abbey re-airs on PBS beginning Sunday, December 18th at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific.

Trust me, you will hear about that as you know that PBS will be mentioning it every five minutes after Thanksgiving, and maybe even do a print ad campaign to create some synergy with the new season starting in January.

Downton Abbey - Series 1 promo

http://youtu.be/Sb0L3KH6YGY

Downton Abbey - Series 2 promo

http://youtu.be/1fwab6S6IWA

PBS video: Elizabeth McGovern on Season 2 of Downton Abbey

Watch the full episode. See more Masterpiece.

PBS vids with the cast of Downton Abbey are here:

http://www.pbs.org/search/?q=%22Downton%20Abbey%22

Australia's Channel Seven video: The hosts of Better Homes & Gardens went to Highclere Castle where Downton Abbey is filmed to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at upcoming Season 2, the amazing castle and meet the very talented cast.

http://youtu.be/VltkmtmNBl4

Thanks to my observant friends, loyal confidantes and trend-spotting spies around the world, I got tipped-off to this video and can tell you that TODAY, Sept. 19th, is the first day that you can pre-order the new Decca Music CD containing the soundtrack of Season 2 of Downton Abbey produced by John Lunn,via Amazon.co.uk.

And it features the series theme, Did I Make The Most of Loving You?, being sung by Mary-Jess, a.k.a. Mary-Jess Leaverland, which I have videos of below.

In the U.S., you can also now pre-order it thru the American office of Amazon.com, but it comes as an Import and runs $28.68 plus shipping.

The CD will be released September 27th, 2011.

See the British link above to see and hear the selection of songs.

Decca Music video: Theme to Downton Abbey (Mary-Jess) 2011.

http://youtu.be/uCa-Bxl1s1c

Mary-Jess -Did I Make The Most of Loving You? ("Downton Abbey" theme) 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0AbTiBYrbg&feature=colike

If you really watched the first season you ought to get the inside jokes and references here in this parody.

It's cracking good!

BBC video: Uptown Downstairs Abbey Part One - Red Nose Day 2011 - BBC Comic Relief Night. May 2011.

http://youtu.be/r5dMlXentLw

Thanks to its Emmy win last night, Amazon.com is offering a great deal where you can purchase the Original U.K. Unedited version for only $15.49 for over six hours.

New film trailer for Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe & Cate Blanchett; Matthew Macfadyen & Keeley Hawes

Below, the TV commercial that'll be running during the
Super Bowl 44 telecast on Sunday.
Robin Hood opens nationally May 14th, 2010.

Starring: Russell Crowe as Robin Hood, Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, William Hurt as William Marshall, Mark Strong as Sir Godfrey, Mark Addy as Friar Tuck, Oscar Isaac as Prince John, Danny Huston as King Richard, Eileen Atkins as Eleanor of Aquitaine, with Max von Sydow.
Directed by Ridley Scott

http://www.robinhoodthemovie.com/

Below, the longer trailer I previously posted here.

Matthew Macfadyen, who plays The Sheriff of Nothingham in Robin Hood is an actor I've been following for quite a while, as he is almost always pitch-perfect in every role he plays.
He first came to my attention when he was so compelling as the brilliant but emotionally conflicted MI-5 agent Tom Quinn in TV's Spooks (MI-5), and then played Mr. Darcy in the terrific 2006 film production I loved of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, opposite the beautiful and beguiling Keira Knightley.



More recently he was fabulous as the lead of Arthur Clennam in the Andrew Davies adaption of the BBC-1 TV miniseries of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, which was telecast here on PBS as part of Masterpiece Classic, which, in my opinion, may've been the single best thing on TV last year. It deserved to win the 2009 Emmy for Best Miniseries it garnered.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/littledorrit/index.html

The quality of every single episode was so amazing that I just hated when it came to an end on Sunday nights and I had to wait another week to see what happened.
I may've even loved it more than I did Cranford, which is saying something.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/cranford/index.html

Months later, I was somewhat surprised to discover how many people I knew who confessed to me that, while they don't "usually watch PBS," they got hooked on this production because it was so damn believable.

If you agree, be sure to watch writer Andrew Davies discuss the characters and his adaption of Dickens here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/littledorrit/slideshow.html

Next Masterpiece Classic program is Northanger Abbey,
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/northangerabbey/index.html

As if being so good in top-rate TV shows and films wasn't enough to create envy, Matthew Macfadyen is also the husband of the fabulous actress Keeley Hawes, who was MI5 agent Zoe in Spooks and who more recently starred in BBC America's Ashes to Ashes.



Keeley, as a brunette, is exactly like the girl I married in a recurring dream I had when I was in high school in North Miami Beach, and life here in hum-drum South Florida was just too boring to contemplate when I wasn't involved with sports or politics.
In my dream, she and I lived in Essex but commuted to the City for our great jobs, me in advertising and her in film/TV.
In later dreams, we had a daughter that looked a bit like, well, Romola Garai -who just played Emma- but who sings more like Essex's own adorable Pixie Lott.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/emma/index.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/emma/watch.html


Thanks a Lott, Pixie: Students in her home town get a music lesson in the form of a free gig
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1248806/Thanks-Lott-Pixie-students-home-town-music-lesson-form-free-gig.html