Sunday, July 19, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Congratulations BEAR MCCREARY On Your 2015 EMMY Nomination!
Bear McCreary has been nominated for scoring "Sassenach", the first episode of the first season of Outlander on Starz.
Partial audio below. Listen to full audio on Bear McCreary's site here.
Partial audio below. Listen to full audio on Bear McCreary's site here.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Kristen Stewart + Culloden = Ain't Gonna Happen
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| Mhairi Calvey Photo Credit Unknown |
This May 14th article in the Scotsman explains that while Kristen Stewart was considered for the role, the part of FLORA MACDONALD went to Mhairi Calvey. Calvey is the Scottish actress who - as a child - played the young Murron MacClannough (the little girl whose character grew up to be William Wallace's love interest) in Braveheart.
POLDARK: Droughtlander Methadone
on PBS. If you are not watching - and/or reading Ross Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall, 1783-1787
by Winston Graham, you have no idea what intrigue/adventure/romance awaits you! And luckily for us, there are many more books where that came from. (I believe there are 12 in all but if I am incorrect, please let me know.)
The setting of the show reminds me of The Winter Sea
by Susanna Kearsley, with its angry seaside bluffs and air of passionate angst that runs as an undercurrent through much of the story. I cannot speak to the book yet, as I'm only about a chapter or two in, but I will tell you this: as with most books (except Outlander, of course!) small details may be overlooked in the TV show and you'll have a lot of fun digging them up in the books.
by Susanna Kearsley, with its angry seaside bluffs and air of passionate angst that runs as an undercurrent through much of the story. I cannot speak to the book yet, as I'm only about a chapter or two in, but I will tell you this: as with most books (except Outlander, of course!) small details may be overlooked in the TV show and you'll have a lot of fun digging them up in the books.
Already reading/watching? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!!
Monday, June 8, 2015
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Diana Gabaldon: "No Two People Read The Same Book"
“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time." ~John Lydgate
THIS is a FANTASTIC interview with Diana Gabaldon by Alicia Lutes over at Nerdist. Diana talks about her feelings on the Outlander series on Starz, her writing style, and how she feels about fan reaction. I positively LOVE this commentary:
"In terms of popular culture and media and entertainment and so forth, everybody says “Who is the audience for this?” I didn’t really care who the audience was. The audience was me. And since that worked, I’ve always proceeded on that assumption: I don’t care what the audience thinks. Basically, it’s going to be the way I think it should be written. But the other thing is that there is no audience, there is no reader. If you’re going to have more than one person read your book, they’re going to have totally different opinions and responses. No person — no two people — read the same book. It’s always based on their perceptions, their background, their experiences, their expectations of the moment. You know, what side of the bed they got up on that day. I read some books and I thought, “This is better than sliced bread!” and a month later I couldn’t remember thinking about it. And I’ve read others that were kind of a slog and I’ve put them down and come back six months later thinking, “Wow, this is great.” So, you know, things change all the time."
This is exactly how I feel. We're are never all going to agree...and why would we want to? What a boring place the world would be.
This is also what I love about Diana Gabaldon; she gives interviewers and audiences insight into her writing, and what goes on inside her head about this situation or that. When I've seen her speak at various events, I've loved hearing her talk about Outlander, but the info she shares about her writing experiences is what has had me on the edge of my seat. If you've never seen Herself speak live, I highly recommend you do so at the next available opportunity.
THIS is a FANTASTIC interview with Diana Gabaldon by Alicia Lutes over at Nerdist. Diana talks about her feelings on the Outlander series on Starz, her writing style, and how she feels about fan reaction. I positively LOVE this commentary:
"In terms of popular culture and media and entertainment and so forth, everybody says “Who is the audience for this?” I didn’t really care who the audience was. The audience was me. And since that worked, I’ve always proceeded on that assumption: I don’t care what the audience thinks. Basically, it’s going to be the way I think it should be written. But the other thing is that there is no audience, there is no reader. If you’re going to have more than one person read your book, they’re going to have totally different opinions and responses. No person — no two people — read the same book. It’s always based on their perceptions, their background, their experiences, their expectations of the moment. You know, what side of the bed they got up on that day. I read some books and I thought, “This is better than sliced bread!” and a month later I couldn’t remember thinking about it. And I’ve read others that were kind of a slog and I’ve put them down and come back six months later thinking, “Wow, this is great.” So, you know, things change all the time."
This is exactly how I feel. We're are never all going to agree...and why would we want to? What a boring place the world would be.
This is also what I love about Diana Gabaldon; she gives interviewers and audiences insight into her writing, and what goes on inside her head about this situation or that. When I've seen her speak at various events, I've loved hearing her talk about Outlander, but the info she shares about her writing experiences is what has had me on the edge of my seat. If you've never seen Herself speak live, I highly recommend you do so at the next available opportunity.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Free Standard Delivery ($30 and over) in the MOP Shop Through 6/5/15!
Visit the Mop Shop for *free standard delivery on fun Outlander-themed merchandise through June 5th, 2015!
Just use coupon code FREESUMMER at check out!
*orders of $30 or more
Monday, June 1, 2015
Monday Night MOP Outlander Chat TONIGHT!
GET READY, Y'ALL...it's going to be one helluva conversation!
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
No Monday Night MOP Chat This Week
Be brave, stay strong, and get ready for one heck of a Monday night MOP chat next week after the finale!
Happy Memorial Day
Then and now...We will never forget.
"Over here...over there...it's the same everywhere. A boy cries out for his mama before he dies for his home." ~Barbra Griffin / Leah Cooney
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| Patriots - American Revolution Howard Pyle; 1906 |
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| U.S. Army National Guard photo Credit Sgt.Brett Miller, 116th Public Affairs Detachment |
"Over here...over there...it's the same everywhere. A boy cries out for his mama before he dies for his home." ~Barbra Griffin / Leah Cooney
Monday, May 18, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
MOP VIDEO: Happy Birthday Jamie Fraser 2015!
If you want to have quite a laugh - at our expense - check out our Jamie Birthday videos from 2010. Yup, that's right! Made FIVE years ago today!
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Finding Fraser
How cool is this new book from KC Dyer?? Even Diana Gabaldon, HERSELF has great things to say about it:"Jamie Fraser would be Deeply Gratified at having inspired such a charmingly funny, poignant story--and so am I." --Diana Gabaldon, author of the New York Times Bestselling OUTLANDER series
Canna wait to read it, sassenachs!
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Outlander Cast Interviews My Outlander Purgatory!
Dish...Outlander...DISHLANDER! I like it! ;)
Come have a listen to Mary and Blake's awesome podcast at the Outlander Cast page.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Tobias Menzies to zap2it: "It's All Me."
It's not even TOBIAS TUESDAY, and yet...it's ALLLLLL about Tobias today!
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
MOP's TOBIAS TUESDAY!
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| Tremendous Getty Images/MJ Kim shot of Caitriona Balfe, TOBIAS MENZIES and Lotte Verbeek |
Monday, April 20, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
PattzR's Chocolate Icing Recipe (that is almost as good as JAMMF goin' downtown.)
Your wish is my command!
You guys - this is the easiest recipe EVAH. Tracey and I have been having this icing since we were wee bairns. When my mother makes it, she will save some in tupperware, freeze it, and present it to us when she brings the cake on our birthday.
There is nothing better on this planet.
(Except for the first five minutes of the 10th episode of Season 1 of the Outlander series on Starz, entitled "By the Pricking of My Thumbs.")
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| A wee bit of "OMG!!!" |
1 pkg. (16 oz) Powdered Sugar (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter or Margarine, softened
2 tsp Vanilla
1/3 cup Milk
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| Tracey's birthday was just a couple weeks ago. Bet she didn't get anything as good as Episode 10 as a gift. :) |
ADD sugar, butter and vanilla. Gradually add milk, beating with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. If frosting becomes too thick, beat in addition milk by teaspoonfuls until frosting is of spreading consistency. (You can use coffee if you don't have more milk.)
That's it! VERY simple...no fancy ingredients (although I'm sure you could get fancy and see what happens.) Just amazingly flavorful, chocolatey goodness (that still isn't quite as good as the first five minutes of Ep 10.) :)
Monday, April 13, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The return of MOP's TOBIAS TUESDAY!
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| Tobias Menzies channels James Dean at the Ziegfeld Theatre on April 1, 2015. |
Monday, April 6, 2015
Monday Night MOP Outlander Chat!
WHAT A WEEK!!! There is much to discuss! Bring your thoughts on Episode 9...and your Tartan Affair stories! :)
It's Tracey's birthday (happy birthdayyyyy toooo youuuuu!) so she will most likely only make it in for a few minutes toward the end.
I am on vacation in Florida...but I should be able to get there with no issues (crossing fingers!) If you get there and neither of us is there, just GET THE PARTY STARTED and we'll be along shortly!
Sunday, April 5, 2015
MOP Interviews the Cast of Outlander at the Ziegfeld!
As I'm sure many of you know, many heavy hitters from the cast of Starz' Outlander series were at the Zeigfeld theatre in NYC on Wednesday night for the show's mid season premiere. And as you may *not* know, Tracey and I were lucky enough to be on the red carpet! (Thank you, Starz!)
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| My amazing, Outlander-loving friends who put up with my MOP rambling on a daily basis |
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| Tracey, Third Sister Jill, Carol & PJ |
We then spent the next 2.5 hours in our little spot in the press area, waiting for the stars of Outlander and kabitzing with our fellow bloggers/journalists. (We have to send a shout out to Beth from That's Normal for being fabulous and giving us some pointers on what to expect on the red carpet.)
First, we were treated to a conversation with the seriously stunning Lotte Verbeek (TALK about cat eyes!) about the psycho-licious Geillis Duncan. And as cookoo as Geillis is on the written page and on your tv set, that's how absolutely lovely Lotte is in person. Not only was she gracious and answered our questions, but she actually asked to have her picture taken with Pocket Jamie. You have no idea how that made our day. Can't say enough about this fantastic actress. (I only wish I'd told her how amazing she was in The Fault in Our Stars):
Was I right? Lotte Verbeek is a doll. And an old Hollywood-style star. I absolutely adore her.
NEXT we were treated to the dynamic duo of Graham McTavish and Gary Lewis. These two were quite a hilarious tag team...and a ton of fun to meet. We discussed sibling rivalry...among other things!
TELL me you wouldn't want to hang out with these two? Forget the castle, they are seriously down to earth fellows...and EXUDE Scottishness from their pores. We were in awe.
NEXT - after I saw him coming and had to regain my composure - we spoke with Tobias Menzies about how much time he spends with Sam off screen during filming, as well as the possibility of plans to bring The Fever to New York.
I had to bite my tongue to stop from fangirling when Blake from OutlanderCast asked about Tobias' role as Brutus in Rome. My sincere apologies go out to Blake because I know I jumped his train when I spit out, "he was conflicted!" as he was telling Tobias how much he loathed Brutus. LOL I can't stand when people steal others' celeb moments, but Tobias Menzies brings out the feisty in me.
NEXT we all gasped when Caitriona Balfe came along. As beautiful as she is on the show, you canna imagine how pretty she is in person. And I think it has to do with her friendly personality. She's so easy going and fun to talk to - like hanging with your BFF at the mall - and quite hilarious. We had a lot of laughs while discussing the three P's: Her version of Purgatory, Pranks on set (or lack thereof!), and who else? Pocket Jamie!
What did I tell you? The woman is positively adorable. I have never felt more comfortable around an actor. She is seriously the real deal.
LAST but as far from least as one could possibly get, we spoke with Sam Heughan. Sam was so gracious and answered all our questions about his own version of Pocket Jamie, Purgatory, and how Jamie Fraser would feel about the modern day world (those of you who come to chat know how I obsess over that concept; I had to know how he felt about it, too!)
Squee, right? I mean, seriously. How do you follow that up? What in the world do you say after having a conversation with this man? He's beyond description. "Nice" is just not going to cut it, although that's what he is. A very sweet person who doesn't put on airs or give off any feelings of pretense. Oh and an amazing actor. So yeah...he's got that going for him, too. :)
Soooo....after the red carpet, Tracey and I were seated in the theater while the show was already well in progress. I'll give you a hint as to where it was; "You're tearing my GUTS out, Claire!" I was in stare-at-the-screen mode instantly. The episode was fantastic, as all are...and our feelings were thoroughly discussed in our recap video which you can watch here.
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| The cast of Outlander at the Ziegfeld Theater on April 1, 2015 |
behind schedule (undoubtedly because the actors were so sweet about not rushing us and answering all of our questions!)
I would be lying if I said I wasn't already dreaming about the Episode 1 premiere of season 2...and if we'll get an invite to that premiere, as well. Whistle, whistle...looks at the sky...
Hope you've enjoyed our red carpet recap! And stay tuned for more interesting conversations with some other Outlander folks who gave us some pretty important info about what's to come!
Friday, April 3, 2015
Lotte Verbeek and Pocket Jamie!
New dress: $100
The STUNNING Lotte Verbeek asking us for a pic with The Original Pocket Jamie?
PRICELESS!!!!
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Outlander Mid-Season Premiere: TODAY'S THE DAY!
We tried out Periscope over the weekend and had a blast (although had no clue what we were doing!) Check out the video!
Looking forward to reporting back to you guys tonight! We hope to see some of you there...and spend a few minutes with the cast!
Got questions for the cast? Ask 'em in the comments!
Monday, March 30, 2015
Monday Night MOP CHAT!
We'll be discussing what we should ask the Outlander cast members on the red carpet on Wednesday night! So COME PREPARED! :)
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Outlander on Etsy: Gift Box Sale
Make sure you check out the awesome Outlander Gift Box Sale on Etsy over at SincerelylEunice!They are selling a fantastic assortment of Outlander-related goodies for only $55 for the whole box!!
What a deal! :)
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
goodreads: Top Five Outlander Quotes on Goodreads
Ye might be surprised, sassenachs!
Monday, March 23, 2015
Droughtlander Reads?
THANKFULLY, Droughtlander comes to a close next Saturday, April 4th...but in the meantime, I've been looking for a book to read in its absence. 
I am currently reading The Secret (Highlands' Lairds Book 1)
from Julie Garwood, on advisement from those awesome Book Bosses, Hildy and JJ. I just started...but I have high hopes since The Book Bosses always hit the mark.So what about you? What has been keeping you busy until Jamie and Claire grace our presence with THEIR presence on Starz next week???
NO MOP Outlander Chat Tonight
We're taking the night off from MOP CHAT tonight y'all...but we'll be back next week to discuss YOUR predictions about the upcoming 9TH EPISODE of Outlander on Starz!! Have a great week!
Today on HYPABLE: 'Outlander' Superfans Sound Off
Laura interviewed Outlander fan site owners - including Tracey and myself - about our feelings on the Outlander series on Starz...and whether it's measuring up to the books.
Want to know what we thought? Go check out the article! I'll wait! :)
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
A Sad Day in MOPville: New Jersey's Sergeantsville Inn, Host to President George Washington, Destroyed in Fire
Tracey and I went to the Sergeantsville Inn last year and had the greatest experience with our family.
The bar was SO aged (and awesome) and the doorways were all so low from back in the 18th century when George Washington's height was certainly not the norm. You could feel the presence from centuries ago.
It was the quintessential Revolutionary wartime tavern. I hope they are able to rebuild. :(
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Droughtlander Methadone
"I've read Outlander...NOW WHAT am I going to read?!?"I'll tell you what... THE BRONZE HORSEMAN
by Paullina Simons. THAT'S what. Trust me. Have I ever steered you wrong??? AND - not only is it a PHENOMINAL series, but the Kindle version is only $3.00 right now on Amazon!
Shura is waiting...
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
"Towering in Gallant Fame, Scotland my Mountain Hame..."
My friend Hugh's view this AM from his house in Scotland. Stunning!!
New Season 1/Part 2 OUTLANDER STARZ Art!
LORDDDDDDDD the awesome artwork. What a FANTASTIC concept. Whoever thought of changing the poster (and adding Black Jack!) to reveal the evolving storyline is genius. Gene-YUS. Seriously. Couldn't have asked for a better or more creative surprise before part deux. Kudos.
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