Support Our Hiddles!!!

As you know, this blog is about the darker side of fandoms...but today, I wish to spread a little cheer.

My page, Team Hiddleston, has launched a t-shirt campaign to honor Tom Hiddleston's upcoming birthday. This is the second year we have done this and we would appreciate your support. All of the proceeds from our sale go to UNICEF UK in honor of Tom and his generosity...our gift to the man who has selflessly given so much of himself and his gigantic heart to the Earth.

As we all know, UNICEF supports children everywhere in areas of the world that need our help. Our donations turn into opportunities for education, clean water, food, and medicine. As we have seen in Tom's images from his time in Africa, our money is going to a very worthy cause.

There are regular t-shirts, long sleeved shirts and women's t-shirts available with some of Tom's many words of wisdom.

Please unite with us as Team Hiddleston and purchase a shirt! Click on the link below to get started!

http://www.teespring.com/supportourhiddles2015

*Insert name here*, You Saved My Life!

We've seen it on Facebook...we've seen it on Tumblr...we've seen it on YouTube.

There are actually people out there who credit actors, actresses and athletes for "saving" their lives. My response to that is...ummmmm how?

One fangirl, aptly named Bennysgirl (cue eye roll) said once "I am having a really tough year with family and everything...but Benedict has saved my life."

How can a single individual, famous or not, save the life of someone they've never laid eyes upon or even met?

A borderline creepy declaration, is it not? How would Benedict Cumberbatch react to that? He would more than likely be more than just a little confused and scared.

Numerous fangirls have declared to Tom Hiddleston that he has saved their lives. After saying thank you, he has modestly told them "I haven't done anything".

And, that's true...what have Tom and Benedict done besides provide entertainment to us?

I'm certain that Tom and Ben haven't gone to each and every fangirl and helped them out with anxiety or family issues. They have brightened our lives with their smiles and talent, that's for sure...but they haven't solved any of our life's problems...they have problems of their own. They can't play superhero to us.

I will admit that Benedict's kindness has touched my life recently in the form of an autograph during a dark time in my life, but I will never say that he saved my life. In gratitude of his kindness, I wrote a thank you letter to him and donated to three charities in his honour, including the ALS association.

What possesses these fangirls to say such things? Don't they live in the real world and realize that they can only change their lives themselves?

To say that a stranger who films movies has saved their lives is extremely delusional and childlike. Nothing against fantasy, but there are times when reality needs to sink in. We don't live in a world full of rainbows and unicorns. We live in a world full of pain, corruption and peril.

The only way we can end any of the negative things is to live in the now and use our brains to come up with solutions...not live in a permanent fantasy world.

So, fangirls....the next time you have a problem, how about you look into yourself and see what you can change instead of turning to your heartthrob for help and guidance?

Time to move on from Sherlock

I was on Facebook, scrolling through my news feed, when a particular post caught my eye. A Sherlock fan complained that Benedict Cumberbatch was being casted in everything. He/She was tired of not seeing him work on Sherlock.

Let me make one thing clear. There are several people who work on Sherlock who are keeping other commitments. Some work on movies and some even work on other television series. Martin Freeman was doing Fargo and the last Hobbit movie. Steven Moffat is writing episodes of Doctor Who. Benedict has been working on the Hollow Crown part II, the last Hobbit movie, and several other projects he chose to work on...including his three month stint as Hamlet later on this year.

So boohoo if Sherlock is on the back burner. That fan should be happy that Benedict is in so many projects. He doesn't just like being remembered for Sherlock. He is such a talented thespian that it would be a waste to just have him work as Sherlock Holmes.

It's about as ridiculous as Firefly fans condemning Nathan Fillion for doing Castle and other projects. They are the ones who choose to be casted in the end. It's not up to us to control what they can and cannot choose...we are just along for the ride...and we should be damn happy to be able to see all this other work.

Celebrity Role Playing...Is It Worth It?

We've all seen it on Facebook and Twitter...and, in the earlier days, on Yahoo Messenger. There are people out there who role play as their favourite celebrity.

While it may sound innocent enough, not everyone who does it is honest enough to let people know that they're just role playing.

Most who do these role plays do it just for fun...or maybe they do it because it makes their lives more interesting. Unfortunately, there are those out there who also do it to cause harm to others.

In reality, there are laws against impersonating another person. Some would consider it mild identity theft. While some would be flattered that another would find them interesting enough to impersonate them, the rest would find it to be a twisted, deluded behaviour.

Also, there are also naive people out there who would truly believe in the lie. As an admin, I have certainly encountered some of these fans asking me if I was Tom Hiddleston because I talk like him. Never in any capacity have I ever claimed, or said that I was Tom.

But, if these hapless fans encounter someone who does pretend to be Tom...and they extend that lie further, people will be hurt. Everybody wants to meet their favourite celebrity, but at what cost?

Role playing seems harmless but it causes problems for the person being impersonated. What happens if someone roleplaying Tom or someone else hurts a fan's feelings? Then Tom or the celebrity impersonated would be blamed. Is that fair? Of course not.

I'd say that role players should stop living vicariously through celebrities and do things to enrich their lives. Sure, it's fun to pretend to be someone else, but it's much better to focus on your own life and make it better.

Quite possibly, role playing is a way of compensating for a lack of something in a person's life. If a man pretends to be Tom Hiddleston, it's quite possibly because Tom is cultured, handsome, and attracts all the ladies. Instead of pretending to be him, a person can introduce himself/herself to the works of Shakespeare, improve on their appearance and personality.

We are but lumps of clay that can be molded into anything we want ourselves to be. Why sell ourselves short by pretending to be someone we're not?

The new year is approaching us and we have New Years resolutions to make and uphold. Why not make a resolution to improve yourself?

The Re-Emergence of Tom Hiddleston

Images of Tom Hiddleston at LAX Airport have surfaced and have been circulated around the internet.

The celebrated thespian has completed his work on "I Saw The Light" and has also taken part in an adorable Christmas video with his mentor on the project. It is plain to see that he is on his way home to celebrate Christmas with his family.

Cue the "Awww", right?

WRONG!

It is obvious that a fangirl or fanboy snapped the impromptu image of Mr. Hiddleston as he was on his way to the gate his departure would be at.

Honestly, the poor guy was trying to return home for Christmas. As anxious as all of us are about how he is doing and what he is up to, is it really our business?

Would you like a camera shoved in your face when you're trying to get home for Christmas after a long period of filming abroad? Would you like people snapping images of you rushing through the airport?

So why is it okay for you to snap images of him doing the same thing?

Don't let the smiling face fool you. He knows how to mask his annoyance well. He was probably tired and anxious to get home. The last thing he needed was to be approached at the airport by star-spotting fans.

Keep in mind that he is not a toy...he is a human being...and human beings deserve dignity and privacy!

And anything that happens in their lives is none of our business!

People Magazine Awards...Seriously?

Awards season for film is beginning in January and we are all looking forward to seeing our favourite films, actors and actresses win awards.

I was watching Saturday Night Live last night and an advertisement for the First Annual People Magazine Awards came on during the commercial break. Although People Magazine has had some very decent human interest articles with real people over the years, it has sadly fallen in with the likes of OK! Magazine and others who post rumors, photos of and personal things about celebrities that have no business being published. They also include situations that occur on and off Reality Television screens.

During this particular commercial, they named some of the categories and I was floored by the fangirl reminiscent titles. Sexiest Actress? Sexiest Actor? Seriously???!!

I am not going to take away the honor of being named Sexiest Man Alive from Chris Hemsworth but I think such an honor is childish. Why not comment on his acting? While he may not entirely be an Oscar contender, he is an excellent actor.

Above all, I am fairly sure that these awards are voted on by fans, so guess what is going to happen? The fangirls and fanboys are going to flood the cables and vote and also fill Facebook and Twitter with links and pleas to vote for Tom Hiddleston or Benedict Cumberbatch for Sexiest Man Alive or Sexiest Actor.

On both of my pages, I will not be allowing multiple postings for the People Magazine Awards asking for votes because I think it is offensive to the actors and actresses involved. They want to be taken seriously for their craft, not for their appearance.

In addition, there are also extremely talented actors and actresses who  may never make those Sexiest lists. Nobody will nominate Steve Buscemi although his work in Coen Brothers films and Boardwalk Empire is amazing. What about Billy Bob Thornton? He is one of the most underrated talented actors out there and he never gets the credit he deserves.

So instead of harping upon appearances, these magazines should be promoting talent and one's ability to morph into their characters. Let the childish ogling and fangirl voting be reserved for Teen Choice Awards or People's Choice awards.

Those who are on the real voting committees for the Academy Awards, the Emmys and Golden Globes do not look at an actor or actress's appearance when they choose a winner. They go by talent. If they choose Benedict Cumberbatch as Best Actor, it's not because he is a sex symbol. If they choose Reese Witherspoon as Best Actress, it's not because she is one of the most beautiful actresses in the industry.

So why should we let two-bit publications create their own awards ceremonies to indulge fangirls and fanboys? It promotes the bad behaviours I have previously described.

How about they leave the honoring to the professionals and quit while they are still ahead?!

The Disparity of Films

I'm going to take a breather from ragging on the fangirls as a new, more serious problem has emerged in the realm of film.

Canada may be famous for the Toronto Film Festival, but Canada is NOT Toronto...Toronto is PART of Canada, not ALL of it. Just because they call themselves the "center of the universe" doesn't mean that they actually are.

I am not from Toronto...I'm not even from Ontario. I hail from Western Canada.

When talking to a friend of mine from Bathurst, NB, it became known to me that quality films like "The Imitation Game" are released in limited locations. I was fortunate enough to be able to see it due to a fluke error by Cineplex, but several other people in my city were disappointed because there was only one screening at only one theater. (There are several theaters in the area)

As it happens, my friend blasted her local theater for not screening "The Imitation Game". Just because a movie is more independent than others, it doesn't deserve to be excluded from having multiple screenings.

This particular film has already been critically acclaimed but they refuse to show more screenings other than in Toronto. Why? There are plenty of other fans living in the rest of Canada who have been clamoring to see "The Imitation Game" but are left out because Toronto gets everything.

But it's not just that.

Could it be that there is a conspiracy against "The Imitation Game" and possibly against Benedict? "The Theory of Everything", the critically acclaimed Stephen Hawking biopic, is being screened multiple times in multiple theaters in multiple cities. It has less Oscar buzz than "The Imitation Game" but has been in theaters for more than a week.

In fact, I am quite certain that more people would flock to see "The Imitation Game" than "The Theory of Everything", but they are being paid no heed. How is that fair for film enthusiasts?
We live in North America, the center of democracy and freedom, but yet we cannot see all of the films we want to see.

There should be an equal filming distribution among cities, not that a bigger city gets a screening and a smaller city gets nothing. There are also places around the world that are unable to screen the film as well due to "censorship" laws and prejudice.

Do you think Benedict and the other people working their hardest on this film would like hearing that fans were unable to see it because of limited screenings? Either way they earn their money but I know for a fact that Benedict loves his fans and would be upset that they couldn't see his work.

If film companies are heavily against bit torrent sites like The Pirate Bay for distributing film and television shows and music for free, perhaps they should release their films EVERYWHERE instead of being choosy about where they screen. The film industry needs to remind itself that it's because of everyday people that they make their money...these everyday people spend their money on admission to these movies, as well as the food at the concession counter.

If it weren't for the everyday people paying this money at the box office, the film industry would not be where it is today. Perhaps it's time the film industry gave back!