This has always confused me. Women of nobility were raised to be chaste and pious to make a good marriage-except when the King decided he wanted you for a Mistress. What a perplexing position to be in. Bessie Blount fared better than Mary Boleyn only in the fact that she gave Henry his first viable son and she was given a good marriage. Mary Boleyn was already married and gave birth to atleast one if not two children by Henry and was totally shunned by Henry in every way. Once her husband died of the sweat even Anne’s begging Henry to provide for her did not matter. Henry told Anne that her father was to be her ward and provider and Thomas Boleyn was not at all interested in caring for her as her job was done and she was not as successful as Thomas Boleyn had hoped. She was on her own and when she did finally make a marriage for herself she was shunned by her family and considered a whore by those at court. For all my rambling here I just do not get it. It was a gamble to be the King’s mistress. Especially Henry’s and I can understand why Anne did not want to follow in her sisters shadow. She was getting old for marriage(since Wolsey put a stop to her and Percy) and she did not want to couple with the King and have bastard children Henry would not provide for as her sister did. But then again a woman like Anne was rare. Most women would not dare refuse. Duty was a HUGE thing back then and if your family told you had to bed the King you did it. Hoping in turn he would be tired of you soon enough and marry you off to a decent husband. YUCK! So I ask all the women here-would YOU be a mistress willingly, do it out of duty, or throw yourself into the Thames to avoid this scandalous situation? I know which of the three I would pick!

Jonathan Rhys Meyers was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1977. Casting agents looking for boys to star in the War of the Buttons spotted Rhys-Meyers in a pool hall in Cork City and persuaded him to audition for a part. Although he was passed over, he was encouraged to pursue a career in acting. He landed a part in the 1994 movie, A Man of No Importance and in 1996 as the man who killed Collins in Neil Jordan’s Michael Collins. Rhys-Meyers has starred in television series including the CBS 4 hour mini series Elvis (2005) as Elvis Presley for which he awarded a Golden Globe. He is currently starring in the Showtime cable series The Tudors as King Henry VIII. His film credits include Velvet Goldmine (1998), Bend it Like Beckham (2002), Woody Allen’s Match Point (2005) and Mission Impossible III (2006). Rhys Meyers was chosen as the face of Versace for the men’s collection of Autumn/Winter 2006 and Spring 2007 and has being the face of Hugo Boss men’s fragrance since 2005. In February 2008 he became an ambassador for The Hope Foundation, an Ireland based charity which seeks to provide shelter and supplies to Calcutta’s street children. He is expected to visit India and record a documentary for the charity in a bid to raise the profile of the charity and thus raise awareness of the issue.

by Russell Shortt

Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net

An outstanding season of the Tudors came to an end in June with the beheading of Queen Anne. Showtime has brought to viewers a television series that is beautifully crafted both in script and film.

The cast of this medieval series is dynamic with incredible acting skills. Jonathon Rhys Meyers as King Henry VIII does a magnificent job of bringing viewers into the world of Henry VIII. The scholar, Sir Thomas Moore, is played by Jeremy Northam. Henry Cavill plays Charles Brandon who held many posts in the royal household and was favored by Henry. Natalie Dormer plays Anne Boleyn, also known as Queen Anne and Henry VIII’s second wife. Queen Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife was played by Marie Doyle Kennedy. Diplomat and politician, Thomas Boleyn, was played by Nick Dunning while Thomas Cromwell was played by James Frain.

Each member of the cast of the Tudors did an incredible job of bringing history to reality. The range of acting and emotions shown in Queen Anne was portrayed masterfully by Natalie Dormer. The writers did a great job of alienating Anne Boleyn from the viewers as Queen Anne herself had been alienated by the people of England. Toward the end of the season Anne endeared herself to the viewers creating a likable character who many were sorry to see go at the end of the season. Natalie Dormer handled the execution of Queen Anne with grace and dignity as the true Queen Anne did during her time. The writers used almost the very same speech to the letter that Queen Anne gave on the scaffold bring reality to Showtime HD.

Season three of the Tudors will be premiering in high-definition on Showtime in 2009. Jonathan Rhys Meyers will be returning at King Henry VIII. Two newcomers to the series will be seen as the show will follow Henry as he marries Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves. Showtime has promised that this season will be full of the intrigue and drama seen in the tudor lifestyle making this royal drama nothing short of extraordinary.

Showtime provides full 1080p high-definition programming for series and movies. Satellite TV offers three Showtime channels available in high-def including Showtime HD, Showtime 2 HD, and Showtime West HD. Showtime is known for their original series such as Weeds, The Tudors, and Brotherhood.

Stay tuned for Showtime while awaiting the release of the Tudors Seasons 3.

By Beth Jameson

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