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Merry Christmas, Michael!
17 December, 2011
- Michael's gifts have been sent! In the end, we gave him the following:
Book titled 'Montreal, then and now'
Mulled wine gift box
iTunes gift certificate for £50
iTunes Apps gift certificate for £25
iBooks gift certificate for £50
The book reached his agent last week. The rest is scheduled to arrive the first part of this week.
Many thanks to those who contributed. Your name is on the card we sent.
4 December, 2011
- We are collecting donations from fans for
Michael's present and we are inviting you to donate what you
feel comfortable contributing for his gift. Since Michael may read this, we don't want to give
this away, but if you attend Fanfare chat, you will probably hear
what we plan to get Michael for his Christmas present! If
you miss chat, just email Celeste at one of the email addresses
below and ask. (No Michael, not you!)
We'd like to get the money
collected in time to give it to Michael for Christmas, so we are
setting a deadline of Friday, 16 December. This should give
us time to order the present and get it to him.
Records will be kept so we have
the names of contributors to give to Michael. Please join
us.
Michael's
2011 Christmas present
Michael back in 'The Sound of Music'
11
October 2011
- Michael is back onstage as the Captain opposite Verity Rushworth
as Maria in 'The Sound of Music' at the New Wimbledon Theatre in
Wimbledon. Michael is filling in for Jason Donovan from 11
to 22 October.
Maria, a vivacious novice in
Salzburg's Nonnberg Abbey, isn't fitting into somber convent life.
To give her an opportunity to get away from the abbey to
reconsider her future, the Mother Abbess sends her to the
aristocratic household of Captain Georg Von Trapp, a widower with seven
children. Maria is to be the governess to his emotionally
neglected children. As Maria reconciles her growing love for the
children's father with her desire to become a nun, the looming Nazi menace in nearby
Germany threatens to overwhelm them all.
Please contact the
New Wimbledon Theatre
directly for tickets.
Michael narrates another Ben Kane novel
6
October 2011
- Following the success of Michael's narration of Ben Kane's 'Hannibal: Enemy of Rome', Kane's 'The
Forgotten Legion' was released on the 6th of October for
download with Michael reading the unabridged novel. You should be able to find it on various audio
download sources. Click here
for a link to our Merchandise page.
The lives of four characters are bound and interwoven in a
story which begins in a Rome riddled by corruption, violence and political enmities,
but ends far away, where Romulus, Brennus, and Tarquinius find themselves fighting
against the Parthians and overwhelming odds.
Michael back in 'The Sound of Music'
8 August 2011
- Michael is back onstage as the Captain opposite Verity Rushworth
as Maria in 'The Sound of Music' at the Theatre Royal in
Norwich. Michael is filling in for Jason Donovan from August 9th
to the 20th.
Maria, a vivacious novice in
Salzburg's Nonnberg Abbey, isn't fitting into somber convent life.
To give her an opportunity to get away from the abbey to
reconsider her future, the Mother Abbess sends her to the
aristocratic household of Captain Georg Von Trapp, a widower with seven
children. Maria is to be the governess to his emotionally
neglected children. As Maria reconciles her growing love for the
children's father with her desire to become a nun, the looming Nazi menace in nearby
Germany threatens to overwhelm them all.
Please contact the
Theatre Royal directly
here for tickets.
New audiobook by Michael available
19 July 2011
- Michael has a new audio download available. The unabridged version
of Ben Kane's 'Hannibal: Enemy of Rome' was released June
2nd by
Audible.uk.co
and Audible.com.
You should also be able to find it on various audio download
sources. Click here
for a link to our Merchandise page.
The story follows the friendship of two young boys,
one Roman and one Carthaginian, as their rulers head for brutal conflict.
Michael to return briefly to 'The Sound of Music'
11 July 2011
- The producers have just confirmed that Michael
Praed will be briefly rejoining the tour of 'The Sound of Music'
at the Theatre Royal in Norwich from August 9th through the 20th.
Michael, who played Captain Von Trapp all of 2010, will be
filling in for Jason Donovan, who has another commitment.
Maria will be portrayed by Emmerdale Farm veteran Verity
Rushworth.
16 July 2011
- We have a rare opportunity to offer one of Ebe
Kastein's wonderful pieces for sale here at Fanfare! This
lovely study of Robin in green (evoking Robin deep in the
protection of the Greenwood) is for sale for $110. Payment
is to be money order through through Western Union.
For more of artwork
and contact information, please visit her fan art page
here.
Introducing art by Bo Baird
27 May 2011
- Recently we've seen a lot of great new art pieces by a
number of people, some of whom are new to Fanfare. Among
them is artist Bo Baird, who, when not helping storm victims in
the American south file their insurance claims, can be found
creating drawing after drawing of Michael. We hope to have
a gallery up soon devoted to Bo's art, but in the meantime,
check out a couple of offerings on the
Singular Art page.
'Robin of Sherwood' on Blu-ray in the US
26 April 2011
- Last fall, Network DVD released the Michael Praed
episodes of the cult classic Robin of Sherwood
on Blu-ray in the UK. This June, Acorn Media will release
it in America. The series brought Michael to worldwide
attention for what many consider the definitive interpretation
of the Robin Hood legend. The series has been digitally
restored in High Definition from the best available film
elements and is presented at a quality level never before seen.
To pre-order, please visit
Amazon. There will probably be a link to order from
Acorn Media shortly. A link to the Blu-ray will be available on our Merchandise page. This is a limited edition, so get
this version while you can!
The Jason Connery
episodes will be coming at a later date.
26 April 2011
- In June of 2010, 'Dynasty Season 5' became
available in Europe, On July 5, 2011, the DVD will be released
in America.
Michael
Praed's character, Prince Michael of Moldavia, was introduced to the
viewers of world's most popular television series 'Dynasty' in 1985.
Capitalizing on interest in the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and
Princess Diana, Michael portrayed a royal who falls in love with a
commoner. A second cousin of the Prince of Wales, Catherine Oxenberg,
starred as Prince Michael's love interest Amanda Carrington. True to
the nature of soap operas everywhere, squabbling, jealousy, and
infidelity quickly ensued. Michael took part in seasons 5 (1985) and 6
(1986).
Watched
by 60 million people worldwide, glamorous and decadent 'Dynasty' was the
center of the world's fascinated attention. The deliberately campy
acting style and absurd plots ultimately cost viewers. The
disappointing dénouement of the bloody Royal Wedding in 1985 (the
"Moldavian Massacre") saw the series' ratings drop from first to
seventh. In the writers' scramble to find their way again, Michael's
character was abruptly cut from the storyline a year after he was
introduced. The drastic measure did not help. A year later 'Dynasty'
had dropped even further, to 24th position. After nine seasons,
'Dynasty' was canceled in 1989.
'Dynasty
Season 5' follows the action from Prince Michael's first entrance and
ends in the dramatic 'Royal Wedding', giving fans the chance to see one
of the most (in)famous cliffhangers in television history.
Check out the
Fanfare Merchandise
section for ordering information.
Michael's episode on 'The Gentle Touch' offered
26 April 2011
- Last year, Network DVD released 'The Gentle Touch -
Series 4 on DVD. Somehow, in the 50th birthday/chat
hoopla, we missed it at Fanfare! Although the baby-faced Michael Praed
only appeared briefly in one episode (the second episode of the
fourth series, 'Be Lucky Uncle') as a youthful cop, this is a
rare glimpse of Michael before Robin changed his life forever.
Note:
This DVD is currently available in
Region 2 only
,
and therefore may not be viewable outside Europe without a
multi-region DVD player. Check out the
Fanfare Merchandise
section for ordering information.
20 April 2011
- Here is the last
collaboration between Michael Praed fan Tanya Clegg and artist Ebe Kastein.
This monochromatic piece was done on commission by Ebe for Tanya in a in shades
of blue. It features a character created by Ebe for 'Lord of
the Rings' (Teniel) with a face inspired by Michael Praed.
It is a companion piece to an earlier work. Thanks go to both for providing the scans.
This will be the
last of Ebe's Michael-inspired artwork for a while... unless one
of you would like to commission Ebe to create something for
you! For more of Ebe's artwork
and contact information, please visit her fan art page
here.
Music of SAJV in limited release
8 April 2011
- On 8 April, Perseverance Records released a limited edition double CD set of
Nick Glennie-Smith's music from the 2000 steampunk television show 'The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne'. Michael Praed
was among the regular cast members.
Nick Glennie-Smith,
a long-time Hans Zimmer associate who worked with him on various
'Pirates of the Caribbean' scores, is responsible for
composing the
music of 'The Rock', 'The Man in the Iron Mask', 'We Were Soldiers',
'Ella Enchanted', 'Angels and Demons', 'Children of Glory', and
'Secretariat', among others.
Working closely with the composer and the creator of the
series, Gavin Scott,
Perseverance presents nearly 140 minutes of music from this great show, priced at
$19.95.
CDs can be purchased at
The
Forty-Two Trading Company. Orders will ship the last week of April 2011.
This is a Limited Edition of 1200 units with the first 75 CDs are signed by the composer.
To read a brief interview regarding the compilation and hear samples of
the tracks, please see the Hans Zimmer official fan site
here.
Hopefully, this is the start
of SAJV releases and we'll eventually see DVDs of this
innovative series!
Thanks go to
Michael Praed fan Geraline James and SAJV fan Davros72 for bringing our attention to this
news.
Michael is sent his birthday presents
1
April 2011 - Fanfare recently sent Michael his 2011 birthday
presents via his agent, courtesy of his generous fans. The
names of those donating were included on a card with every gift.
We sent Michael
'The Complete Far Side Collection', a book by Gary Larson,
since Michael is a fan of the satirical cartoonist's work.
We also sent a Starbucks gift card
worth £100 because coffee-addict Michael knows the location of
every Starbucks
near a UK theatre. Lastly, we sent an adventure gift voucher for 'Spy Academy'
as an homage to Michael's role as a CIA agent in the comedy
'Killing Castro' because we thought he'd enjoy it.
'Spy Academy' is a unique adventure holiday where they will show Michael the tools of
the trade for operating a covert operation. It is done for fun, but the
expert teachers are ex-Special
Forces officers in the UK. He can pretend to be a secret agent for a short while.
(Sean Connery, beware!) You'll find more information
here.
Note from Celeste: This was a group
effort. Fans came together to give Michael gifts that we could not have done by ourselves. I
like to thank
you each and every one of those who took part for your donations of money, time
and effort. I'm grateful to you all.
25 March 2011
- As promised earlier, we are displaying two new
collaborations between Michael Praed fan Tanya Clegg and artist
Ebe Kastein. This month, we are showing a commission Ebe did
for Tanya featuring Robin and Tanya's dog Tatty (you may
remember a companion piece done of Robin and Tanya's dog Joey
displayed in January). The other is a monochromatic piece done in shades
of blue. It features a character created by Ebe for 'Lord of
the Rings' (Teniel) with a face inspired by Michael Praed. Thanks go to both for providing the scans.
For more of Ebe's artwork, please visit her fan art page
here.
Josefina and Michael attend Olivier Awards
13 March 2011
- Josefina Gabrielle
and Michael Praed were
two of the many luminaries attending the Lawrence Olivier Awards of 2011
at the Royal Drury Lane on 13 March 2011. Josefina was nominated for 'Best
Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical' for her dual performances
as Nickie and Ursula in 'Sweet Charity' at the Menier Chocolate Factory and Haymarket Theatres.
As with the Whatsonstage Awards, the award went to Jill Halfpenny in 'Legally Blonde' at the Savoy.
We wish to express
our heartfelt congratulations to Ms Gabrielle for this
recognition of her dynamic
portrayals.
For a wonderful
photograph of the two arriving on the red carpet on the night of
the ceremony, please check out
this link on the official Olivier Awards website!
The prestigious awards were
sponsored by MasterCard.
Donations accepted for Michael's birthday present
2 March 2011
- We're in the process of collecting money from fans for
Michael's birthday present on April Fools Day. Once again, we are inviting you to donate what you
feel comfortable contributing for his gift. Since Michael may read this we don't want to give
it away, but, if you email Celeste at one of the email addresses
below and ask, she'll tell you what it is (unless you are
Michael).
We'd like to get the money
collected in time to get it to Michael for his birthday, so we are
setting a deadline of Friday, 25 March.
Records will be kept so we have
the names of contributors to give to Michael. Please join
us.
Michael's
birthday present.
Sue R. Sorel added to artists
2 March 2011
- Sue R. Sorel joins the list of artists to have
their work displayed here at Michael Praed's Fanfare. Sue
clearly enjoys self-expression and her many fantasy-inspired art
pieces are exhibited on her
Facebook page. We are honored
she allowed us to post this one of Michael as Robin.
By the way, she's
hinting she'd be willing to do a current depiction of
the man if there was any interest in it.
Stop teasing, Sue!
You know we want to see it!
Michael attends the Whatsonstage Awards
20 February 2011
- Michael Praed and Josefina Gabrielle were two of the
many stage celebrities attending the Whatsonstage Awards
of 2011. Josefina was nominated for 'Best Supporting
Actress in a Musical' for her performance in 'Sweet
Charity' at the Menier Chocolate Factory and Haymarket Theatres.
The award went to Jill Halfpenny in 'Legally Blonde' at the
Savoy.
You may remember Josefina from
2009 King's Head production of 'The Murder Game' with Michael as
her co-star.
Theatregoers in the
UK voted for their favorites across 26 different award categories between 3 December, when the nominations were announced, and 31 January.
Over 45,000 people logged on to vote in the only prize-giving event for the theatre industry
selected by the ticket-buying public.
For photos (including one of
Michael and Josefina) and more details on the event, please
visit the Whatsonstage website
here.
'Shades of Greye' rumors
15 February 2011
- You may have noticed a website announcing Michael's
participation in a film called
'Shades of Greye' with Sir Derek
Jacobi and Edward Hardwicke recently. His blurb and photo are featured
amongst the cast.
The producer
says it is in pre-production. When questioned, Michael told us he
talked to the director a few years ago and indicated his interest,
but hadn't heard if the financing went through. Although it could
be in pre-production as reported on the website, neither he nor his agent had been contacted.
He'll let us know if he hears anything definite. Keep your fingers
crossed!.
Fanfare has a Facebook presence
22 January 2011
- For those interested, Fanfare now has a presence on
Facebook to make it easier to keep up with all things related to
Michael and his fans. If you are already a Facebooker,
contact '
Celeste
At Fanfare' and ask for 'Friend' status. She will give
you group membership once you connect Also, all Facebook
Fanfare group (hereafter known as 'FB Fanfare') members can add THEIR
Friends from the group page. We hope to add a link
directly to FB Fanfare from Fanfare shortly.
For those wondering, although
he'd be very welcome, Michael is NOT likely to join us there!
Former co-star Susannah York passes away
15 January 2011
- Susannah York, who starred opposite Michael Praed
in the Daphne du Maurier play 'September Tide' in 1994 has
passed away. Bone marrow cancer claimed the life of the
actress less than a week after her 72nd birthday.
A multiple award winner and
nominee, York gained fame for her roles in 'Tunes of Glory',
'Tom Jones', 'The Killing of Sister George', 'They Shoot Horses,
Don't They?', 'Images', 'Jane Eyre' and as Superman's mother in
the movies of the same name, The outspoken actress also wrote and
directed.
In 'September Tide' Susannah York portrayed
Stella Martyn, a widow living on the coast of Cornwall.
Michael played artist Evan Davies, who is married to her
self-centered daughter Cherry, The newlyweds visit to
introduce Evan to his mother-in-law. Stella and Evan
gradually discover they are in love. Painfully, they struggle to find
a way to live with the situation. The 1994 production was
directed by Celia Bannerman (who acted with Michael in a 2007
Hindenburg docudrama) and was produced jointly by Dan Crawford
of the King's Head Theatre and Bill Kenwright.
New Ebe Kastein work on display
2 January 2011
- Estonian artist Ebe Kastein has added to her
considerable body of work featuring the face of Michael Praed.
Back in 2005 we did an interview with Ebe on her various
portraits. This month, we are showing a commission Ebe did
for fan Tanya Clegg, featuring Robin and Tanya's dog Joey. The
two new friends have more collaborations in the planning stages
and are very grateful that Michael brought them together.
Thanks go to both for providing the scan. For more on Ebe
Kastein, please visit
her fan art page.
Michael climbs the mountain one last time
2 January 2011
- Michael Praed's term as the famous father and ship's captain
Georg von Trapp is over. His final performance was on 2
January in Oxford. Michael joined the cast when 'The
Sound of Music' left London's West End to tour in July 2009.
The musical has broken several box office records in numerous
cities where it has appeared, garnering glowing reviews in the
process. Michael's poignant performance of 'Edelweiss',
accompanied by himself on the guitar, has been cited amongst the
show's highlights for the last year.
Michael said he will let
us know when his next project is all set. Stay tuned!
Michael receives his Christmas presents
1
January 2011 - Michael received his Christmas presents on the first
day of the New Year.
Those who contacted us asking what we were getting for him know
we originally planned to get him something else, but due to
unavailability, we went with our Plan B. Knowing his
enthusiasm for the shop, we got him assorted fragrances and shower
gels from Penhaligon's - and champagne to celebrate the end of his 1½
year commitment to 'The Sound of Music'.
Michael was very appreciative of his gifts from Fanfare and let our messenger
know it. (Thanks, "messenger". You know who you
are!)
Note from Celeste: This was a group
effort. Fans came together to give Michael gifts that we could not have done by ourselves. I
like to thank
you each and every one of those who took part for your donations of money, time
and effort. I'm grateful to you all.
