Consequence TV has a lenghty profile and interview with Helen Mirren for the recent premiere of “Documentary Now”: It’s been five months since I spoke with Helen Mirren about hosting the IFC spoof series Documentary Now!, and I still haven’t gotten over her saying that she doesn’t think she’s funny. “I’m never comfortable with comedy,” she says, to be exact. “I’m so out of my depth with comedy. The only way I can deal with it is to be as serious as I possibly can be, if you know what I mean. I think if I was ever a part of a comedy team, I would definitely be the straight man. I wouldn’t be the funny one. I would be the one to set the joke up.” It’s an opinion that comes from her deep respect for the genre: “I think much too seriously so I love watching comedy. I’m very admiring, especially on film, comedy is very difficult. I’m very admiring of people who do comedy well on film. I think it’s easier to do it live because film is so technical to maintain the timing and the lightness of improvisational quality on film, it’s very difficult. But no, I’m not very good at comedy.” The complete interview can be read here.

The list of narrators for the audiobook version of Bob Dylan’s upcoming book has come to light, and it reads like a who’s who of Oscar contenders from the past few decades, along with the author himself doing some of the reading. According to Variety, the lineup of voice talent reading chapters from “The Philosophy of Modern Song” aloud includes Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Oscar Isaac, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Sissy Spacek, Alfre Woodard, Jeffrey Wright and Renée Zellweger. “The Philosophy of Modern Song” is a collection of essays about 66 different songs Dylan considers great pieces of songwriting. It comes out Nov. 8 from Simon & Schuster. Word of the audiobook readers follows the revelation last month of the 66 tunes Dylan is tackling in the forthcoming book. It will include his evaluations of classic songs written and/or recorded by greats like Jimmy Reed, Willie Nelson, Little Richard, Nina Simone, Elvis Costello and Townes Van Zandt, along with perhaps less expected picks like Cher’s “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves,” the Eagles’ “Witchy Woman” and Rosemary Clooney’s “Come On-a My House.” The audiobook will be released on November 1, 2022, and can be pre-ordered on Amazon..

There’s not much going on right now, which will surely change next month with the releases of “White Bird: A Wonder Story” and “Documentary Now!”. In the meantime, I went through my archives and have added additional pictures that are new to the site, including some wonderful new stills from “White Nights” and “Prime Suspect”, a new cover story from the promotional time of “The Queen” and a couple of new editorial pictures. Have a look at the list below for all latest additions. Enjoy your weekend.

TV Guide has assembled all latest cast additions and character information on Paramount+’s “1923”, which is currently shooting and scheduled for a streaming premiere this December. The newest cast member is Robert Patrick, who will play Sheriff William McDowell, a friend of the Dutton family, according to Deadline. Patrick’s casting comes the day after it was announced that Westworld actor Brandon Sklenar has been cast as Spencer Dutton, “Jacob Dutton’s (Ford) nephew, and John Dutton Sr.’s (Dale) brother, who has witnessed the horrors of World War I,” Variety reported. The spin-off, which was originally titled 1932, takes place during the Prohibition era following World War I, with Montana experiencing an economic collapse ahead of the Great Depression. This sets the story about 30 or 35 years before Kevin Costner’s character, John Dutton III, was born, and about 40 years after the events of 1883. The official show description reads, “1923 focuses on the Dutton family’s next two generations as they struggle to survive historic drought, lawlessness and Prohibition, and an epidemic of cattle theft; all battled beneath the cloud of Montana’s great depression, which preceded the nation by almost a decade.” Here’s the main cast list for 1923:

Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton, the patriarch of the Yellowstone ranch, husband to Cara Dutton, and brother of James Dutton.
Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton, the wife to Jacob Dutton and family matriarch.
Darren Mann as Jack Dutton, John Dutton Sr.’s son and great-nephew to Jacob Dutton. He is a dedicated rancher who is deeply loyal to his family.
Michelle Randolph as Elizabeth Strafford, a feisty and capable young woman set to marry into the Dutton family.
James Badge Dale as John Dutton Sr., the oldest nephew and right-hand man of Jacob Dutton.
Marley Shelton as Emma Dutton, the dutiful wife of John Dutton Sr. and the mother of Jack Dutton.
Brian Geraghty as Zane, a fiercely loyal ranch foreman.
Aminah Nieves as Teonna Rainwater, a young woman at a government residential boarding school.
Julia Schlaepfer as Alexandra, a British woman who meets one of the Duttons abroad.
Sebastian Roché, character details unconfirmed.
Brandon Sklenar as Spencer Dutton, Jacob Dutton’s nephew and John Dutton Sr.’s (Dale) brother. Spencer has witnessed the horrors of World War I.
Robert Patrick as Sheriff William McDowell, a friend of the Dutton family.

Helen Mirren is expressing her condolences after Queen Elizabeth II’s death at 96. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen “died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.” As reported by People, in a message on Instagram, Mirren called the late monarch the “epitome of nobility. I am proud to be an Elizabethan. We mourn a woman, who, with or without the crown, was the epitome of nobility,” wrote Mirren. At the “Helen Mirren and Hawk Koch Discuss the Magic of Movies” event back in 2019, the actress opened up about a “lesson in embarrassment” she was taught during tea with Queen Elizabeth. “She invited me for tea,” Mirren began. “I thought it was going to be in a room with 200 other people, which it often is. I’ve met her once before and it was in a room with 200 other people. So I said, ‘Oh, well, I can manage that.’ So it was at the horsey place and the message came to me that the Queen would like to invite you to tea, she knows you’re here.” “So I walk in, and there’s like eight people sitting around a table. Prince Philip, the Queen, a Sheik of somewhere or other and a couple of horsey people. I know absolutely nothing about horses, at all, and the Queen knows everything about horses,” continued Mirren, adding that she was “desperately trying to make polite conversation and it’s just coming out like gobbledygook.” She added of the meeting that “they were lovely, they were utterly gracious.” Mirren was appointed a dame by Queen Elizabeth back in 2003.

In a video posted on the Corriere del Mezzogiorno webiste yesterday, Helen Mirren asks for help to restore the last watchtower in the province of Lecce, which has been there for 700 years. The appeal for the renovation of the ancient Palane Tower, which overlooks the natural swimming pool of Marina Serra, in Tricase (Lecce), the only sighting tower in Salento that is still intact. As Helen says in the video, “this is Torre Palane, built seven centuries ago by the people who live in this beautiful land called Salento, in Puglia. Now we are in Marina Serra, and these towers were built along the entire coast to spot the invaders, mainly the Saracens, and to warn each other of the incoming Saracens, to plunder the territory. These towers have existed for centuries and are an important part of the history of Italy. Along this coast, most of it is falling into disrepair, but there is an exception: Torre Palane. It is so important to keep at least one tower in its original state along this beautiful coastline. The only way to do this is by renovating and restoring it. We need to restore Torre Palane. We are not asking you for money, we are asking you for a very simple thing: your signature on a petition asking the Italian institutions to finance the rescue of this tower. A thousand thanks”.

IFC today announced “Documentary Now… and Forever!”, a week-long cinematic celebration pairing classic documentaries and the landmark series. The in-person, retrospective screening series will play at The IFC Center located in New York, NY, from Wednesday, September 14 through Tuesday, September 20. For fans who cannot make it to the in-person screenings, a curated selection of documentaries will also be available on AMC+, AMC Networks’ premium streaming destination, beginning the same day. Hosted again by Helen Mirren, the two-part season premiere episode, “Soldier of Illusion,” written by John Mulaney and starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicholas Braun, and August Diehl, was inspired by the Werner Herzog-focused documentary Burden of Dreams. In the early 1980s, a visionary German filmmaker (Skarsgård) tries to will his magnum opus into existence while working in the remote, punishing conditions of the Russian Ular mountains. Screencaptures from the trailer have been added to the photo gallery.

A slew of A-list figures, including Jane Fonda, Adam McKay, Shailene Woodley, Helen Mirren, Michael Palin and Ted Turner, have demanded governments honor a long-awaited agreement to protect the world’s oceans. In the letter, dozens of celebrities and conservation groups have called for a High Seas treaty, which has been the subject of international talks for the better part of two decades. “We need our oceans. They keep our planet habitable. They provide livelihoods and livelihoods for billions, and are home to so much of our planet’s biodiversity,” the letter reads. “Currently there is no way for governments to protect the high seas, waters outside national jurisdictions. A strong treaty would solve this by allowing the creation of vast ocean reserves, off limits to destructive human activities. Urgent action is needed. Nearly two decades ago, governments first discussed a new treaty. As they have talked, the ocean crisis has worsened. Countless species and habitats have been destroyed or lost.”

Other signatories include actors Rosanna Arquette, Javier Bardem, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry and Mark Rylance; singers Alejandro Sanz and Grag Queen; comedian Sindhu Vee and TV presenters Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Fearne Cotton and Chris Packham. The leaders of environmental organizations including Greenpeace, Oceana, SharkProject International and Women4Oceans have also added their support. There is currently no legal protection for the “high seas” – the two-thirds of international waters that are not tied to one country and are open to shipping, fishing and research to all. But the ocean, which covers 70 percent of the planet and produces about 50 percent of its oxygen, is being attacked in multiple ways by the climate crisis, environmental pollution and human exploitation. The ocean has absorbed about 90 percent of the excess heat caused by greenhouse gas emissions, largely from the burning of fossil fuels. The higher temperatures affect almost all marine life. United Nations negotiations on new Global Ocean treaty stall, activists demand robust treaty be drafted by the end of 2022

“Give A Doubt” comes after new research by Cadbury revealed that over 74% of the nation’s 18–30 year olds are facing daily concerns around their future, with 34% having no confidence that they will be able to meet their personal and professional goals. Following the success of ‘Donate Your Words’ which sought to raise awareness of loneliness amongst older people, “Give A Doubt” seeks to tackle the record number of young people in the U.K. who are struggling with self-doubt every day, by asking the nation to “Give A Doubt”, open up, be more vulnerable and share their personal experiences of doubt. Cadbury believes that there is generosity in everyone and ‘Give A Doubt’ taps into this spirit. From Oscar winner Dame Helen Mirren to BAFTA winner Big Zuu, and from five-time gold Paralympic medalist Ellie Simmonds, to national football icon Ian Wright, the celebrities stretch across a range of varying industries and across different age groups to share their most powerful doubts. The campaign video was originally released on May 16, 2022 and can be watched below.

Helen Mirren was a special guest on last Wednesday’s “Luci nel bosco” festival in the wood-garden of Palazzo Baronale Serafini-Sauli in Tiggiano, in the heart of Salento, in the province of Lecce. Organized by Associazione Cinema del Reale, OfficinaVisioni and Big Sur with the contribution of the Municipality, Mirren told of the his love for Salento and the urgency to safeguard nature: “I grew up witnessing the phenomenon of consumerism and the consequences this has had on our society”, she said, “we are so lucky to be in Tiggiano, where the local administration and organizations such as Cinema del Reale they fight to defend the environment. I arrived here 16 years ago and I was able to immediately witness the growth of attention that not only in this country but in various municipalities of Salento is towards the environment. I think that each of us human beings, like animals, can instinctively understand the importance of protecting it. I have faith in young people. I think they can find methods, ways and ideas to preserve it more and more ”. Pictures from the event have been added to the photo gallery (credit to Cinema del reale, Martina Leo).