Man-love, bromance, male-lationship, whatever you like to call it, Denny and Alan have it going on. Can you believe that the famous balcony scene (where most of the serious man-loving goes on) wasn’t written into the original script for Boston Legal? Rather, at the end of filming, somebody realised they hadn’t made use of the balcony part of the set and lo and behold, David E Kelley, wrote the first of the balcony scenes that have come to define the show.
They are not first TV male couple to have a bromance (I’m thinking Chandler and Joey!) but probably because of Kelley’s amazing writing and skillful character development, Denny and Alan do it best. Why does it work and why is it so captivating? I imagine it’s because Denny and Alan represent the impossible, two people worlds apart (one a Democrat and the other a Republican) and on completely different moral planes (one a hotshot lawyer for the money, the other in it to fight injustice) who despite their differences still come together at the end of the day to bear witness to each others lives.
These two guys shouldn’t ever get along, but they do so maybe it’s a case of opposites attract. I think it’s more complex than that. Despite those differences Denny and Alan have many similarites. Both are irreverent when it comes to authority and are self-assured about their own greatness, which Denny shows by repeating his name regularly and Alan more subtely with a silent stare complete with chin in the air. Both are skirt chasers, and the irreverence they show for authority also spills over into their attitudes to women, which probably explains why they can never manage to keep one … and here comes the clue to why their man-love works so well for them.
Strip away all the politics, the money, the misadventures with women and what’s left is two people sharing their humanity. It’s like, if you can accept me for all our differences, well then you deserve to know me and here I am on the balcony sharing myself with you. It’s a remarkable gift Denny and Alan give each other. Together they witness each others lives without judgement.
They have the perfect relationship, uncomplicated by sex. In fact, their adventures with women are often short lived or unfulfilling. Their womanly liasons are akin to the extra marital affairs -condoned and encouraged by each other. At the end of the day they do the important stuff, they come together as perfect soul mates to laugh together, affirm each other, hug, dream and smoke cigars. Now, who wouldn’t want that?
She may be 15 generations further along the line but Captain Kathryn Janeway has Irish roots. Virgin is running episodes of Voyager daily and today’s episode saw Janeway reflect back on the woman who inspired her scientific curiosity and ultimately her journey into space, her ancestor Shannon O’Donnell, who met and married Henry Janeway in 1999. And so began the Janeway line in the Captain’s ancestry!
The O’Donnell’s are an ancient Irish family who ruled the territory of Tirconnell for thirteen generations. So there you have it. The clue was also in Janeway’s choice of dog, Molly the Irish setter. You have to wonder just how much input Kate Mulgrew has on these small details in story lines such as character names and choice of dog.
On landing the role of Janeway, (after Geneviève Bujold quit, or was sacked … you guess!) Kate Mulgrew did request that the Captain’s name be changed from the original choice of Nicole to Kathryn. The Captain also fell in love with an Irishman, Michael Sullivan, in the episode, Fair Haven, in which Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill, also with Irish connections) created a holodeck program set in an Irish village. Janeway even killed off the wife Tom gave the character and considered the ethical dilemma of falling in love with a hologram!! I can’t believe I haven’t see this episode yet … another excuse to buy the boxset!
It’s well known that Kate Mulgrew is proud of her Irish heritage. In an interview with Matthew Lombardo back in 2002, when asked if she had been to Ireland she replied,
Certainly I have! Many times and this is for all of you Irish people: my husband’s and my dream is to retire on the west coast of Ireland. There is no more beautiful place in the entire world.
That’s a first .. the same movie being released into cinemas twice within 12 months. Amazing I know but it is Avatar so are you really that suprised? It’s on the cards to happen in the Autumn. Looks like James Cameron is not happy with his $2.6 billion (and still growing) profit from this movie. The big guy is hearing from the exhibitors that there was a couple of hundred million more to be had from screenings … had the movie not been pushed out of the cinema to make room for Disney’s 3D take on Alice in Wonderland.
So will the appetite be there for the re-release? Yep, I imagine so. It’s hard to believe, but I do know people who still haven’t seen it (that’s you Bernie) and I have no doubt that I’d go again, family in tow! Plus, according to Cameron, there are 40 minutes of cuts that didn’t make the movie, which will be included, with some action scenes of Jack Scully proving himself to the Na’vi. Can’t wait!
Of course, 3D TV’s are coming on sale in April so I can catch all the spectacular-ness of it from the comfort of my own couch too!
I didn’t think I could see Pierce Brosnan any worse than he was when he sang in Mamma Mia …. until I saw him playing an Irish immigrant in the 1981 mini-series, Manions of America. I’ve got one question? How can an Irish actor be so bad at doing an Irish accent? Kate Mulgrew (aka Captain Janeway) is pretty rubbish too … sorry Kate, you can fly a starship but you’re no nineteenth century English lady!
As a self-confessed Wiki addict, I spend too much time reading about celebs and I’m always amazed at just how many celebs have Irish roots and connections. Needless to say I was delighted to discover when reading up on one of my favourite Glee characters (my only favourite Glee character!), Sue Sylvester, that Jane Lynch who plays mean ole Sue, is Irish American. Get up the yard, Sue!
Oh, is everybody else as excited as me to see what new tracksuits Sue will be sporting next Glee series?
I’m a web designer, internet marketer, writer of very odd poetry, digital artist, film lover, mother of four, wanna be photographer, happy go lucky, agnostic dog lover. This is my blog.
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