PopCulture No.5

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ENTERTAIMENT IN ENGLISH, FIRST TIME IN SCANDINAVIA!

Cover page image: Lotte and Søren Hammer, hammerhammer.com Other images in this issue: Discovery Networks // Viasat //The Walt Disney Company Nordic // Universal Studios // Nordisk Film // Warner Bros Fox International Channels // Fox ICB // Twentieth Century Fox // Nordisk Film //Pexels.com POPCULTURE MAGAZINE ENTERTAINMENT IN ENGLISH, FIRST TIME IN SCANDINAVIA! SUITED FOR EXPATS. Published monthly Issue 05, April - May 2016 Published by

Founder & Editor-in-chief MARIN MILOSAVLJEVIC Art Director GORDANA BAKIC Proof reading TANJA MILOSAVLJEVIC Cover Story MILJAN TANIC Contributing writers MICHEL PETKOVIC // MARIN MILOSAVLJEVIC // BRANISLAV VILOTIJEVIĆ// MILJAN TANIC

All About Digital Tåsingegade 51 2100 København Ø Denmark Contact Phone: +45 60 544 303 E-mail: info@popculture.dk Web: www.popculture.dk Digital distribution

Marketing & PR ALL ABOUT DIGITAL Language support MILJAN TANIC Web & Digital Development

MIHAILO MILOSAVLJEVIC

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PopCulture Magazine is digital only magazine and no part of it can’t be reproduced in any form without the written permission by the publisher. All the articles in this publication are intellectual property of their authors and publisher cannot accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the information included.

#EditorsWord SPRING ARRIVED IN SCANDINAVIA As a friend of mine – an expat in Norway – once said: “It’s easy for you guys in the South of the North, you have no idea how happy we in the North of the North are for every ray of sunlight we get.” I remembered that a lot during this winter, whenever it happened that more than 10 days without any sunlight passed by.

Just last week I found myself explaining some friends how much I took the seasons for granted when I lived in Serbia. The natural change from one to another wasn’t anything special and had no influence on my lifestyle or mood. But in Denmark I feel – literally – the awakening of spring like in the movies. I feel the light, the nature, the people and the blooming life. I feel the positive energy people suddenly generate from the mere fact that it’s (relatively) nice outside. And I’m thankful for that. It’s been a long time since I needed something as badly as this spring.

This spring brings a flood of good books, comics, movies, TVshows, music, events and everything else in popculture. PopCulture Magazine will, of course, cover all that for Scandinavia, and the next issue comes out in June as a summer guide for everything fun in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

To love books I learned from my mother and my late grandfather. She makes a living with books and he lived for books. With them I learned that there are no good and bad books – just those we read in the right or wrong moment. The Hammers bring us more than just one good book for long spring evenings in Scandinavian parks, woods, gardens and balconies. It’s the right moment to – if you still have not – give these Danish masters of crime a chance, who we present you as the fifth cover story of PopCulture Magazine.

Marin Milosavljevic Editor in Chief

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CIVIL WAR II: CHOOSE YOUR SIDE

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#ThisMonth

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10 SWEDISH POP ARTISTS:

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Music you need to know about

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BEN DEHLHAUS:

The real life Thor

58 LUCIFER 32 MUSIC TO MARVEL BY:

The Mighty Thor 52 DANISH CORNER: In The footsteps of the Danish Girl 53 SWEDEN CORNER: Josef Frank p책 Millesg책rden

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THE HAMMERS:

Crime masters from Denmark

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ULRICH THOMSEN:

Danish star in Hollywood

53 NORWAY CORNER: Night Jazz 2016

64 ALLO, ALLO

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by: Michel P.

#HOT START

michel_p@popculture.dk

10 SWEDISH

POP ARTISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT RIGHT NOW!

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SCANDINAVIA HAS BECOME A HOTBED FOR FORWARD-THINKING ARTISTS IN POP SENSIBILITY AND EXPERIMENTAL TENDENCIES. WHEN IT COMES TO POP MUSIC, IT SEEMS THAT SCANDINAVIA CAN DO NO WRONG. NORDIC POP ARTISTS ARE CURRENTLY DOMINATING THE GLOBAL MUSIC SCENE. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN POP HISTORY THEY ARE COLLECTIVELY OUTSELLING THEIR UK AND US PEERS. IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE DANISH MUSIC SCENE HAS RISEN SHARPLY AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF BANDS, SOLO ARTISTS AND PRODUCERS THAT BEG TO BE DISCOVERED OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY’S BORDERS. IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE WE BRING YOU THE FIRST PART OF OUR MUSICAL JOURNEY WITH A VIEW OF THE BEST MUSIC ACTS IN SCANDINAVIA. BELOW ARE TEN DANISH POP ARTISTS WHO ARE CURRENTLY TOP OF THE POPS. ENJOY!

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LITTLE DRAGON

LITTLE DRAGON PLAY THIS! SIMPLY CEMENTED THEIR PLACE AS EXPERIMENTAL POP DARLINGS WITH 2011'S "RITUAL UNION"

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Photo by Marco Van Rijt Klappklapp

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ittle Dragon are a Swedish electronic music band from Gothenburg, formed in 1996. The band consists of Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion), Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik K채llgren Wallin (bass) and H책kan Wirenstrand (keyboards). For many people, Yukimi Nagano's star turn as a vocalist on SBTRKT's "Wildfire" was the first introduction to the vocalist from Little Dragon, but those lucky enough to be familiar with the four-piece from their first two albums would already have fallen in love with the dreamy soundscapes, experimental electronic production, and effortlessly cool voice of Nagano. Little Dragon simply cemented their place as experimental pop darlings with 2011's "Ritual Union", making fans of everyone from Questlove to Big Boi, and they're back with new album Nabuma Rubberband.

KATE BOY

THE BAND'S SUCCESS IS BUILT ON THE PROPULSIVE, SYNTH HEAVY PRODUCTION

Photo by Eric Hart & Tatiana Leshkina

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ith The Knife leaving behind the sound that made them famous and moving towards ever more brutal, challenging sounds, someone needed to take up the mantle of making dark, moody, but incredibly catchy electro-pop, and it looks like that someone is Kate Boy. Consisting of three Swedes and one Australian (lead singer Kate Akhurst), the band's success is built on the propulsive, synth heavy production, which is the perfect foil for Akhurst's powerful vocals.

PLAY THIS!

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MIIKE SNOW

WHEN THE PLAY THIS! THREE STARTED THE PROJECT, THEY DIDN'T EVEN ANTICIPATE TOURING OR GETTING MUCH ATTENTION 12 12

Photo by Nick Zinner, Joachim Belaieff and Henrik Korpi

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ehind the name Miike Snow are the power producers Bloodshy & Avant, know how to make pop music. They've produced for Sky Ferreira, Britney Spears, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Kelis, and other big names, but for Miike Snow project, they took a different route. They partnered with New York-based singer Andrew Wyatt for electronically driven pop music that's slightly less radio friendly, slightly more experimental, but just as catchy. When the three started the project, they didn't even anticipate touring or getting much attention, but after recording a self-titled debut album in Stockholm and releasing "Animal" as a single, it was clear that Miike Snow was something special, and people took notice. The group now has three albums to their name and played a role in the launch of the INGRID label with Lykke Li, Peter Bjorn and John, and Coco Morier.

ICONA POP

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Photo by Fredrik Etoall

aroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo, the Swedish synthpop duo better known as Icona Pop, immediately drew a global audience when they dominated radio playlists, iPods, and dance floors with their smash hit "I Love It" breaking the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. If, you heard Icona Pop's "Manners" back at the beginning of 2011, you could have predicted that the Swedish duo would have a solid career ahead of them. Now the duo finds themselves in an interesting position, with both critical acclaim from the early-movers and mainstream success with radio plays, song placements, and hit singles. It will be interesting to hear what their next move is.

They're just released a brand new single "Someone Who Can Dance".

BOTH PLAY THIS! CRITICAL ACCLAIM FROM THE EARLYMOVERS AND MAINSTREAM SUCCESS WITH RADIO PLAYS 13 13

LYKKE LI

AFTER RELEASING HER LITTLE BIT EP IN 2007, LYKKE LI STARTED GETTING NOTICED

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PLAY THIS!

Photo by Daniel Jackson

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i Lykke Timotej Zachrisson, known as Lykke Li, is a Swedish indie pop singer, songwriter and fashion model. Her music often blends elements of indie pop, alternative and electronic. After releasing her Little Bit EP in 2007, Lykke Li started getting noticed, but it wasn't until her debut album "Youth Novels" (EMI, 2008) that she really took off. Proving herself capable of melodically striking hits, mournful ballads, pouty pop, and retro-tinged doo-wop and soul, the Swedish songstress served a little something for everyone. Her captivating live performances solidified the deal, she's known to cover hip-hop songs, pound away with a drum stick, and let loose with some dance moves accentuated by her usual get-up of flowy black garments. As far as Scandinavian pop goes, Lykke Li is one of today's most popular and respected artists, and for good reason. In 2015, she released a video for "Never Gonna Love Again", directed by Philippe Tempelman.

ELLIPHANT

Photo by Corey Olsen

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llinor Miranda Salome Olovsdotter, better known by her stage name Elliphant, is a Swedish singer, songwriter and rapper. She stunned us with her self-titled EP which she dropped at the beginning of the year, and since then she's continued to blend pop, hip-hop, and electronic styles with consumate ease, calling to mind the wild eclecticism of M.I.A. at her most punishing. Calling Elliphant the Swedish M.I.A. might even be doing her a disservice though, as she has proved (on "Live Till I Die" for example) that she can more than hold her own as a straight-up singer, with a voice that is as likely to soar through a chorus as it is to spit through a verse. She's just released first single "Step Down" from her forthcoming album which is set to be released on 25 March 2016.

CALLING PLAY THIS! ELLIPHANT THE SWEDISH M.I.A. MIGHT EVEN BE DOING HER A DISSERVICE THOUGH

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AXEL BOMAN

2010 LANDED BOMAN HIS BIG BREAKTHROUGH WITH HIS EP HOLY LOVE

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PLAY THIS!

Photo by Kalle Gustavsson

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our friends based in Copenhagen, Iceage formed back when they were 17 and 18 years old. Signed to Dais, What’s Your Rupture? and internationally known Danish label Tambourhinoceros, they received Pitchfork’s renowned “Best Album Of The Week” title for every one of their three studio albums (2011, 2013, 2014). October 2014 saw them release Ploughing Into The Field Of Love via Matador, further confirming their place as Denmark’s punk rock band to watch. Fueled by messy guitars, almost cacophonous drums and frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt’s slurry vocals (reminiscent of Mark E Smith), there’s beauty to be found in the chaotic, rugged sound.

PETER BJORN & JOHN

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YOU COULDN'T GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT HEARING ITS FUN, QUIRKY BEAT, AND PB&J HAD OUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION

Photo by Press Here Publicity

eter Bjorn and John are a Swedish indie pop/rock band, formed in Stockholm in 1999 and named after the first names of the band's members: Peter Morén (vocals, guitar and harmonica), Björn Yttling (bass guitar, keyboards and vocals) and John Eriksson, known in his solo work as Hortlax Cobra (drums, percussion and vocals). It wasn't until Peter Bjorn & John's third LP that they gained some traction in North America with "Young Folks". Yeah, remember that song?

You couldn't go anywhere without hearing its fun, quirky beat, and PB&J had our undivided attention. For many, it was your first taste of music crafted by a Swedish band, made popular by the mainstream, and from then forward, Swedish music would be forever associated with that poppy sound. In some ways, PB&J could be considered as pioneers of the current landscape of indie pop, dominated by a wildfire of Swedish music.

PLAY THIS!

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TOVE LO

WITH A CO-SIGN FROM MARINA & THE DIAMONDS BEHIND HER, TOVE LO IS DEFINITELY A NAME TO WATCH OUT FOR 18 18

PLAY THIS!

Photo by Johannes Helje

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bba Tove Elsa Nilsson, better known by her stage name Tove Lo is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Tove Lo has made it on to this list off the strength of one song, the infectiously catchy "Habits". It's a track that stays just the right side of corny, and has the kind of hook that worms its way into your head without you even noticing, and then never leaves. With a co-sign from Marina & The Diamonds behind her, Tove Lo is definitely a name to watch out for if you love good, wholesome pop music. Deemed "Sweden's darkest pop export" by Rolling Stone,Lo is known for her raw, grunge-influenced take on pop music.

NERVOUS NELLIE

YOU CAN HEAR IT IN THEIR CHORUSES, IN THE CLEAN, CRISP PRODUCTION, AND IN THE WAY THEIR SONGS ARE CAREFULLY PIECED TOGETHER.

Photo by Eric White

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he Swedish outfit borrows a hot cup of swaggering classic rock influence to pour over its flashy synth-driven hooks, a confident sound that leaves tracks such as "Gloves" sounding like Phoenix and M83 crossed with the Stones’ Some Girls. Nervous Nellie, a fourpiece made up of two sets of brothers, could write straightforward, chart-topping indie-pop songs if they wanted. You can hear it in their choruses, in the clean, crisp production, and in the way their songs are carefully pieced together. But rather than going down that route, the band combines anthemic choruses with interesting twists and turns, little human touches that make the music connect, never more than on the brilliant "Gloves". As catchy and current as "Gloves" sounds, the band found some of its inspiration on an oldies station ans the idea for the song came after hearing an old Tom Petty drum pattern.

PLAY THIS!

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FREE CphPost APP IN EVERY EXPAT'S POCKET!

Denmark's leading source for news & events in English is now also available as practical service-information App on your smartphone and tablet.

Scan code or find CPHPost App on:

DISCOVER MORE: 20 20 CphPost.dk

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#HOT START

CIVIL WAR II Choose Your Side!

IMAGE: Courtesy of Marvel Comics

THIS IS IT! WAR COMES TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE THIS JUNE AS THE EARTH-SHATTERING COMICS EVENT OF 2016 COMES TO COMIC SHOPS WITH A JAM-PACKED DOUBLE-SIZE ISSUE!

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ATTENTION! CIVIL WAR II #1 on sale in June 2016! Written by Brian Michel Bendis, art by David Marquez, cover

by Marko Djurdjevic.

DO YOU STAND WITH IRON MAN? OR WILL YOU SIDE WITH CAPTAIN MARVEL? Last month, Marvel was pleased to present us exciting look inside CIVIL WAR II #1 – from chartbusting creators Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez! The fan-fave creative team that brought us Invincible Iron Man join forces once more to bring us a tale of hero against hero – and a Marvel Universe divided in two!

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IMAGE: Courtesy of Marvel Comics

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lysses – a young Inhuman with the power to profile the future has emerged. His new abilities send shockwaves through the superhuman community. Divided amongst themselves, will they use Ulysses to prevent danger before it happens? Or should they allow the future to unfold unaltered?

As his new powers send shockwaves rippling across the Marvel Universe – battle lines will be drawn. Do you stand with Iron Man? Or will you side with Captain Marvel?

Will the heroes of the Marvel Universe wield the power of “predictive justice” to change the future or battle to protect tomorrow? Battle lines will be drawn. Lives will be changed.

Heroes will fall. The comic book event that will have the world talking kicks off on June 1st in the double-sized CIVIL WAR II #1.

and MORE...

Plus – don’t miss two opening salvos of CIVIL WAR II this May! Head to your local comic shop on Free Comic Book Day for an exciting prologue to Civil War II

by Brian Michael Bendis & Jim Cheung. Then, pick up CIVIL WAR II #0 by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel later that month!

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#HOT START

INTERVIEW WITH

J.J. ABRAMS

IMAGE: Instagram

The story is wonderful because it doesn’t go as planned

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11.22.63 IS THE LATEST ON A LONG LIST OF STEPHEN-KINGADAPTATIONS. JAKE EPPING (JAMES FRANCO), A RECENTLY DIVORCED ENGLISH TEACHER FROM MAINE, IS PRESENTED WITH THE CHANCE TO TRAVEL BACK IN TIME TO TEXAS IN 1960

BY HIS LONGTIME FRIEND AL TEMPLETON (CHRIS COOPER). HE IS CONVINCED INTO GOING AND ATTEMPTS TO PREVENT THE ASSASSINATION OF JFK IN NOVEMBER OF 1963.

However, he becomes attached to the life he makes in the past and this could be his mission's undoing. The series is executive produced by J. J. Abrams, King, Bridget Carpenter and Bryan Burk, and premiered on February 15, 2016 on Hulu. We had a chance to sit down with J. J. Abrams and talk about the show.

Q: HOW DID THIS SERIES COME ABOUT? A: I read the novel and was a big fan and loved the story. I let Stephen [King] know as much. I've known him for some time and he sent me an email one day asking if I would like to get involved, bring it to the screen. I was very enthusiastic about that.

I asked if he was okay doing it not as a feature because the book was pretty large and it felt like instead of trying to jam it into a two hour piece, it might be something well suited for a series format.

Anyway, he was open to that idea and we went out and approached Bridget Carpenter, who was the first person we went to. Luckily, she signed on and we were off to the races.

Q: WHAT’S THE INHERENT APPEAL OF THE IDEA? A: Well I think that the brilliance of the conceit is it's a very simple idea. It's what happens if you could go back in time. We've seen that done a million times. But what Stephen King did that was so ingenious I think, was create a mission that we all know from history, certainly American history, a fateful day in Dallas, Texas. The idea was what if someone went back in time with the sole purpose of preventing the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

The story of course is wonderful because it doesn't go as planned. There are all sorts of obstacles that are thrown in the main character's way. Time itself is, as Stephen King says in the book, is obdurate.

It's stubborn, it pushes back. The notion of going back in time to right a wrong is so well tread and so, in a sense, familiar and common place but because it was done with a style, the ingenuity, the emotion and the thrill ride approach that Stephen King took, it made that story feel brand new.

Q: HOW CLOSELY WAS STEPHEN KING INVOLVED? SOMETIMES IT CAN GET IN THE WAY HAVING A WRITER WHO IS ABLE TO CALL THE SHOTS… A: Well we were all incredibly grateful for his involvement. I mean there was no sense of someone calling the shots. He was a wonderful collaborator, was open to, and very quick, to understand why certain things were being adjusted. His involvement was complete. He would re-draft the scripts, look at cuts, multiple cuts of the episodes. He was a producing partner, not in name or pedigree but in actuality.

Q: WERE THERE ANY PARTICULAR STICKING POINTS, DISCUSSION POINTS, THINGS YOU HAD TO CHANGE? A: No. I mean there are certain things. Bridget who was obviously, as the showrunner of the piece, much more hands on in dealing with Stephen about adjustments but there were characters that she had to, because it was an adaptation and not everything in the book wants to be brought to the screen and many times you find that you lose subplots or add subplots or take a minor character and make them more major or create a character from scratch… there are all sorts of versions of that that happened along the way but there were never any disagreements or heated arguments. There seemed to be a lot of support. Stephen was a fan

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of Bridget's from her work on 'Friday Night Lights' so it was a mutual admiration society as far as they were concerned.

Q: TELL ME HOW YOU CAME TO CAST JAMES FRANCO AND ALSO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT WHY HE'S RIGHT FOR THE ROLE OF EPPING, OF JAKE? A: Well it's funny. I didn't know James but I read an article that he had written or an interview he’d done I guess about this book, and how much he loved it and how annoyed he was that I was producing it. So I reached out to him to say, "Would you like to be in it?"

He was immediately very excited about the prospect and signed on to star and actually also to direct an episode. He was very excited about the story for I think all the reasons I was. I think he's right for the part because I think that, in a lot of ways, the story is about a character who is in a tricky sort of moment in his life where things are not quite where he wants them to be.

The beautiful thing about the character is his finding his purpose and ultimately finding a passion. It's a terrific love story. I think that what James Franco brings to the story is that he himself, at least for me, is a cipher. He is someone who...he's a chameleon.

I don't quite know who he is. He's played a multitude of roles. He does so many things.

He's a professor, he's a director, he's a producer.

He's a painter. He is in a way someone who is a little bit hard to pin down and it felt more character like Jake Epping who is a wonderfully lost guy, that in a way James Franco's...his great smile, his amazing charm, his great looks is a little bit like it could be in any place at any time in any moment. In that way he's hard to pin down. I love the idea that when he goes back to the 60s, he looks a little bit like he could be James Dean in that place. He's got this kind of timeless look. I just felt like his manner, his look, his energy reminded me a little bit of Christopher Walken in 'The Dead Zone', which is to say he's a little bit hard to pin down. You feel something because of that and the fact that he gets caught up. In many ways, that story is a sister story to this one. They're both about young heartbroken men, teachers, who get involved in an extraordinary, almost supernatural

IMAGE: Courtesy of FOX ICB

WHEN HE GOES BACK TO THE 60S, HE LOOKS A LITTLE BIT LIKE HE COULD BE JAMES DEAN IN THAT PLACE

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circumstance in which both characters are faced with, in the one case, saving a president and in the other case killing or being the catalyst for the destruction of a potential president. They're very similar. I just felt like James felt like he...there was a then diagram between James and Walken in those stories.

Q: HAS WORKING ON THIS SHOW OFFERED YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION OR IN ANY WAY CHANGED WHAT YOU THINK HAPPENED? A: No. It's such a crazy tragedy in that it obviously is such a horrible event but the fact that there are still so many active, passionate conspiracy theorists, the fact that it hasn't been unequivocally solved or understood is that strange meshness of historical tragedy and mystery. Working on this didn't convince me, as Stephen King himself was convinced, that it's a single shooter, nor did it convince me that my friends, some of whom are rabid conspiracy theorists, are right either. But it really is a...the story, one of my favourite things about it is that it is a wonderfully told pulp conceit intertwined with this amazing and tragic event.

Q: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE PITFALLS OF PERIOD AND, ON THE OTHER HAND, WHAT DOES IT GIVE YOU FOR FREE AS A PRODUCER? A: Well I mean part of the trope of having a character from now going to then, wherever then is, is the immediate connection and vicarious journey that you're going on with the main character. I mean that goes to say that there's a terrific kind of...when a character is still a fish out of water and is suddenly in another time and doesn't know what to do or how to react or where to go exactly. The reason that the trope the reason it has been used so many times is it's a wonderful place to go or a way to go with a character because the audience is almost forced or handcuffed emotionally, intellectually to that character because you're in a new place as well.

I think that the upside is having a production designer like Carol Spier to work on the show and provide amazing detail in set design or costume design as well. The whole team did a great job. It's fun to play on conventions of the era and play on moments and details and acronyms in that time. The advantages are the double edged sword of the disadvantages because you've got the issue of well if you're going to do it, how do you do it so it's new and it's now? How do you not feel like you're doing a retread? I think that's part of the thing I felt reading the book is that Stephen King again took something that is very familiar and it felt fresh and new.

I DON'T KNOW IF WATCHING EVERY EPISODE IN A SERIES OVER THE COURSE OF A DAY OR A NIGHT OR A WEEKEND IS NECESSARILY THE BEST WAY Q: AS SOMEONE WHO'S WORKED ON SOME OF THE MOST ADDICTIVE TV SHOWS EVER MADE, WHAT'S YOUR OPINION ON THE WHOLE NOTION OF THE WAY A SHOW IS RELEASED - EITHER RELEASING IT ALL AT ONCE FOR SO CALLED BINGE WATCHING OR FOR MAKING PEOPLE WAIT WEEK ON WEEK TO DRUM UP EXPECTATION? A: I feel like both are worthy and I can understand of course, given the age of immediacy that we are in, people's desires and in some cases senses of entitlement that they want to just have it all right now because they can, it's what we are increasingly accustomed to. I think there's something wonderful about, whether it's the old Saturday morning serials or the traditional TV model where you have to wait a week and in that week it lives with you and in that time you really think about it. It becomes, in some cases, a deeper and more meaningful entertainment experience because you didn't just get...I mean even the term binge watching implies something that's unhealthy. That's not to say that it is but I don't know if watching every episode in a series over the course of a day or a night or a weekend is necessarily the best way. The good news is, if you're someone who loves that, all you have to do is wait a little bit and then you can do it all when it's available to you. Or, in the case of some shows, watch them as they're released all in one day. I think that both models make some sense. The one thing I would argue I guess in the approach that 'Hulu' took with this series is that you get the push, you get the build every week and then when they're all out you can push it again because now they're all available. So I see both making sense and frankly neither being particularly the obvious winner.

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all eyes on him!

ULRICH THOMSEN 06.12.1963. • DANISH ACTOR ABOUT KAI PROCTOR IN BANSHEE He had a good psychology to him, I think, because of the Amish and because of the fact that he was shunned. And he wanted, basically, just to talk to his family, so I thought there’s a good chance that you can get a human being out of the guy, because he is pretty badass.

ABOUT PLAYING THE BAD GUY if I’m dealing with a bad guy, in terms of the character, I try to pull out the good side of him, act the softer side whenever it’s possible. I think it gets a better character out of that, more nuanced. But, people always like the bad guys for some reason.

ABOUT HITTING THE GYM It’s part of the work, for my part anyway. I go there three or four times a week and it’s good. It’s nice to be in shape, you feel better by the end of the day. … And also, you know, you take off your shirt now and again, you’re in the shower, so you want to look good

IMAGE: Courtesy of Nordisk Film

ABOUT BIGGER PRODUCTIONS In a big movie, like Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, where I had a small part, you realize your task is to support everything that has to come together. You’re just a piece of the puzzle. You’re the guy in the hat.

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ON FOLLOWING YOUR HEART I planned to study law, when I auditioned, on impulse, for a summer theater production of West Side Story and was casted as one of the Jets. The director realized I couldn’t sing or dance, but I rehearsed like crazy! That was it for law school. I went on to study at the Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance, and I also performed on stage.

1 topic, 2 stories about…

THOR MUSIC TO MARVEL BY: THE MIGHTY THOR RUSSELL DAUTERMAN, COVER ARTIST OF THE MIGHTY THOR, GIVES US A PLAYLIST OF MUSIC TO LISTEN TO WHILE READING THE SERIES! Writers and artists recommends the perfect tunes that embody the character, decorate the background, or inspired them to create the book you're reading. Check out the playlist below!

Solange - "Losing You" "This song is comfort food for me! From just hearing the first few seconds, my mood is lighter. I love how the melancholy lyrics are paired with the bubbly production, and the whole thing ends up being upbeat. Especially when I'm working, I like to listen to music like this, that makes me feel good. If I'm relaxed and mellow, I'm in a much better space to draw.

The songs on this playlist all do that for me, and are some of my all-time favorites."

General Public - "Tenderness" Ms. Lauryn Hill - "Doo Wop (That Thing)" Starchild - "Relax" Janet Jackson - "Got 'Til It's Gone (ft. Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell)" The Notorious B.I.G. - "Juicy" MGMT - "Electric Feel" Dolly Parton - "Jolene" TLC - "Diggin' On You" Beyoncé - ***Flawless (ft. Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche) Whitney Houston - "It's Not Right But It's Okay (Thunderpuss Mix)" [4:16 version] Ghostown DJs - "My Boo"

IN THE MENATIME: THE REAL LIFE THOR Look at that hair. Look at that beard. No, he’s not actually the God of Thunder, but Swedish male model Ben Dahlhaus is pretty darn close to real life Thor.

The 25-year-old Swedish model, who has been also compared to Jesus, Jared Leto and Brad Pitt, now has more than 70,000 followers on his official Facebook page, and he shared happy news with his fans in Scandinavia and all over the world.

When Kelebek magazine asked him why did he start to grow his famous beard and to extend hair, he answered: “There was no purpose. He didn't have a beard long period fashions Sakallarımı. I was in my 18, that was from me in accordance with my lifestyle. Sakallarımı and being free. Today such a fashion , and still I don't understand why a beard came into fashion. 7 years I didn't cut my beard and I'm happy to live with him.

But I'm not looking for fashion or beauty.”

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#COVERstory by: Miljan T.

miljan_t@popculture.dk

IMAGE: Courtesy of Hammerhammer.com

Lotte & Søren Hammer:

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THE CRIME MASTERS FROM DENMARK

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT FAMILY. LOTTE AND SØREN HAMMER ARE SIBLINGS WHO ONE DAY DECIDED TO TRY AND WRITE CRIME NOVELS TOGETHER AND TODAY, ONLY A FEW YEARS AFTER THEIR FIRST BOOK WAS PUBLISHED, WE CAN CALL THEM CRIME MASTERS. Lotte was born in 1955 and is actually a nurse. She finished her training in 1977, after which she worked in lived almost everywhere in Europe – from sunny Greece, to Germany and all the way up to the North in Greenland, where she worked in the American Air Force bases. From 1995 to 2010 she was head of the Public Eldercare in Halsnaes, Denmark. From 2006 to 2010 she was actively involved in local politics Søren was born in 1952, and although he holds a teaching degree, he has mostly worked at Copenhagen University College of Engineering, as a programmer and a lecturer. He and his sister are both politically active.

It all started in 2004, when Søren moved into the building where his sister already lived with her family. One day, he suggested that they write a crime novel together. Though they started just for fun, soon it became serious work and before you know it, they had 1000 pages of manuscript. The book – Svinehunde (the English version is called “The Hanging”) – was published in spring 2010 by Gyldendal. The manuscript was polished and trimmed down to 350 pages.

Even before it was published, the book was already a hit and was sold to 16 countries. For the publisher, this was the first time something like that ever happened, and as of this moment, the book has been published in 22 countries.

That was the moment, 2010, they decided to leave their dayjobs and begin writing full time.

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Lotte & Søren Hammer

THE HANGING

A

young brother and sister reach school early and discover the mutilated bodies of five men hanging in the gym. Enter Konrad Simonsen and his team of detectives to try and solve this crime. It seems a more than usually difficult task since the identities of the victims are hard to determine considering that their hands and faces have been hacked off with a chainsaw. The story moves slowly and painstakingly through a morass of police procedure and yellow tape towards its inevitable conclusion even as the readers are made aware of the identity of the killers very early in the book.

This book is far from the traditional Nordic thriller - not a page-turner at all; instead it raises issues on child abuse. It was extraordinarily thought provoking; can this sort of abuse justify the victims taking the law into their own hands? It considered the public response to the murders of the perpetrators, the majority of the public do not want to assist the police.

Simonsen doggedly pursues those involved in the murders, using some questionable methods to achieve his aim. However, once the safety of his daughter is threatened, he finds that his anger leads him to behaving in a totally unacceptable way.

If you are looking for a quick-fix thriller, then you are in the wrong place. Its almost like following an investigation live, as the detectives work hard to collect evidence and look for links between the murder victims.

What is more interesting than the murder mystery is the underlying theme of right and wrong, public outrage, vigilantism and revenge. Very soon in the story it becomes known that the murdered men were all pedophiles. This presents a moral dilemma for both the people in the book and the reader. The authors have shown the Dane police force as being highly moral

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and incorruptible. Even as the rest of the country is up in arms in defense of those who may have been the murderers of these monsters, the police stick to the belief that since a murder has been committed the fact that these men were criminals or child molesters is besides the point, and that the perpetrators must be brought to justice. Tough call.

The book presents an interesting conundrum. I have to say that I was with the Danish public on this one on moral sides. I was also extremely surprised to find that according to the book, crimes against children drew a lesser prison sentence that those against adults in Denmark. Somehow, the West has always appeared so advanced in matters such as these that it was hard to imagine that there is a country that actually distinguishes between the rape of a minor and of an adult in such an impractical, not to say completely insensitive, way.

The book can get slow and at times meandering, but the basic premise of the story is solid. Simonsen and his team are good characters and even if the Nordic humor is a little difficult to understand and tends towards the dark side, it works very well with the overall picture. As for all Scandinavian crime fiction some essence of the book always seems to be lost in translation. It is not so severe in this book but one can feel it all the same. The story is more inclined towards 'thought-provoking' than 'sensational thrilling' and does take some getting used to. So if you’re not the type of reader looking for quick, cheap thrills, this is exactly for you – it is thrilling, but also thought-provoking and needs you to stay focused.

and MORE...

Be sure to check out the Hammers’ new book THE VANISHED, also from the series about Konrad Simonsen!

At first glance, his death appears to be a tragic accident. However, when Detective Superintendent Konrad Simonsen is called to investigate, he notices that something doesn't add up. Did he fall?

When life-sized images of a vanished girl are discovered plastering the walls of the dead man's attic, the case takes a new and sinister turn. Who is she? Could she be alive? Soon the homicide team find themselves delving into the past, but as they approach the truth, Simonsen is forced to confront long-hidden skeletons in his own cupboard.

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IMAGE: Courtesy of Hammerhammer.com IMAGE: Courtesy of Nordisk film

THE KONRAD SIMONSON THRILLER SERIES Lotte and Søren Hammer debuted in 2010 with the bestselling crime novel THE HANGING, which is the first volume in the series about Detective Chief Superintendent Konrad Simonsen and his team from the Murder Squat in Copenhagen.

Published in 23 countries around the world, with more than 200,000 copies sold in Denmark alone, the Konrad Simonsen series have taken the thriller world by storm. Fast-paced, suspenseful, and brilliantly written; a stunning crime series from two Danish authors whose international fame has exploded.

THE HANGING (SVINEHUNDE) Volume no. 1 (2010)

One early Monday morning before school begins, two children make a gruesome discovery: In the school’s gymnasium, they find the bodies of five naked and heavily disfigured men. They are hanging from the gymnasium ceiling placed with mathematical precision. It looks like a public execution. For Detective Chief Superintendent Konrad Simonsen and his team from the Homicide Division in Copenhagen, the case is a puzzle.

As the disfigured men are gradually identified, Simonsen realises that the motive behind the murders is regular vigilantism and that the victims are all pedophiles so, despite already having an awful relationship with the press, he tries to put a lid on the case to prevent the sensationalist press whipping up public opinion. But without success. Behind the bestial killings is a small group of “avengers”, all victims of pedophile attacks. In a carefully orchestrated campaign, the group feed the press as well as the public with emails, newspaper advertisements and video recordings of the executions, with the goal of directing attention to the mild sentencing practice towards pedophiles.

THE GIRL IN THE ICE (ALTING HAR SIN PRIS) Volume no. 2 (2010)

“There is a price for everything.” Thus begins the second installment of Hammer & Hammer’s explosive crime series featuring Copenhagen police investigator Konrad Simonsen; a sentence that simultaneously strikes the theme of the nerve-wrenching follow-up to The Hanging.

Following a sensational opener in which the German Chancellor stumbles upon the corpse of a young woman while on a fact-finding trip to Greenland’s ice-cap, Konrad Simonsen is dispatched to the Arctic to sort things out. The woman, Maryann Nygård, turns out to have been murdered a quarter of a century before, and for Simon, the killer’s MO brings back memories of a previous case, memories he’d rather be without. Not only are there remarkable similarities between the two victims and the manner in which they were killed, this new case moreover provides incontestable evidence that Konrad’s previous main suspect was innocent. Small comfort in view of the fact that he committed suicide ten years previously, just as he was about to be detained.

The realisation that he drove an innocent man to his death deals another blow to the hardened policeman’s already failing health.

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THE VANISHED (ENSOMME HJERTERS KLUB) Volume no. 3 (2011)

Set in Copenhagen in August 2008. Detective Chief Superintendent Konrad Simonsen returns to the Homicide Division in Copenhagen after a severe heart attack. Due to his health, he gets assigned a low priority case concerning a postman, Jørgen Kramer Nielsen, whose death at first sight seems to be an accident, but new forensic evidence points towards murder. Konrad Simonsen finds, as the case and Nielsen’s life begin to unravel, a link to an English girl who disappeared during six Danish high school students’ reading period back in 1969. The event has left deep traces in the students, including the postman, who converted to Catholicism.

This problematizes the investigation as Nielsen’s pastor, bound to confidentiality, knows a lot more about the young girl's disappearance than he is telling.

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PIGEN I SATANS MOSE (THE LAKE) Volume no. 4 (2012)

One day in early spring a small group of people are driving a dark blue Audi to a remote hunting cottage in a forest north of Copenhagen. In the car is a young African woman, a prostitute. The woman is not delivering to the clients, as she is expected to, and must therefore be punished. But the brutal punishment goes terribly wrong, and when the young woman dies, her body is hidden in a nearby lake.

Only by coincidence her remains are found by a straying hunting dog. No one knows who she is and no one has reported her missing. After months of fruitless investigation by the local police the case is handed over to Konrad Simonsen. Konrad and his team follow the few leads from the unknown girl, and it soon turns out that she is the key to a world of trafficking, prostitution and violence. A world where everything comes with a price and no mistakes go unpunished. A world where the upper class is deeply connected to human trafficking. And where everyone knows how to keep a secret. Konrad’s investigation leads them to suspect the manager of the nearby manor house, who turns out to be linked to several gruesome – and unsolved – cases of assault and rape. But there is a lot more to the case and the investigation is turned upside down when a young, beautiful woman suddenly appears to play a central part. Her name is Benedikte Lerche-Leth, she was also in the car that day where the young African woman was killed – and she has her very own agenda.

DEN SINDSSYGE POLAK (THE NIGHT FERRY) Volume no. 5 (2014)

On a hot summer day a Copenhagen canal tour boat catastroph cally collides with the Oslo boat in the harbour of Copenhagen. During the rescue of the many dead bodies it soon turns out that not everyone died from drowning. Four of the passengers were murdered.

Konrad Simonsen and his team are put on the spectacular case, whitch hits the very core of the group. The

crime is quickly linked to a young woman’s death a few years earlier. A death which no one in the police found suspicious, except for the young detective Pauline Berg who determinedly tried to solve it – with fatal consequences.

The investigation of the case tracks back to a secret mission in Bosnia in 1995, in which Danish UN soldiers were involved. To solve the case it is crucial that The Homicide Division gets help from the Danish veterans, but many of them only wants to forget and have their own demons to fight.

Konrad Simonsen sees only one solution. He himself must travel to Bosnia in hope of finding an answer. However others have a whole different agenda for his trip.

ELSKEDE HEIDI (THE REVENGE) Volume no. 6 (2015)

One cold February day, a four-year girl is kidnapped from a kindergarten. The girl is the granddaughter of the Deputy National Commissioner of Police and Konrad Simonsen reluctantly takes on the case. Two days later the girl is found murdered – strangled – in an elevator shaft in a block of flats in the suburb of Bellahøj. Three days after the first murder, two teenagers are kidnapped; one of them is the daughter of a police officer. A disturbing pattern begins to emerge: someone is deliberately, and exclusively, harming police employees and their families. Konrad Simonsen has nothing to go on.

No one can predict when the perpetrator will strike next and fear is spreading like wildfire among his closest colleagues. In the meantime, the Man and his assistant are planning their next move ...

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IN ADDITION TO PRESENTING THE HAMMERS AND THEIR WORK AS OUR COVER STORY IN THIS ISSUE OF POPCULTURE MAGAZINE, WE HAD THE LUCK TO CATCH THEM IN A BREAK OFTHEIRWORKANDASKTHEMAFEWQUESTIONSDIRECTLY. IF YOU NEED ADVICE ON WRITING, OR IF YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW WHAT IT’S ACTUALLY LIKE WHEN TWO PEOPLE WRITE ONE BOOK – HERE ARE YOUR ANSWERS. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

IMAGE: Courtesy of Hammerhammer.com

Q: HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO STOP DOING YOUR "DAY JOBS" AND BECOME FULL-TIME WRITERS? A : We decided to quit our jobs when it became too difficult for us to both travel to promote our books, and have full time jobs.

But of course also because we could do it financially.

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Q: SINCE YOU'VE BECOME FULL-TIME WRITERS IN A CERTAIN AGE, WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST TO STRUGGLING YOUNG WRITERS WHO THINK THEY CAN NEVER MAKE IT? A: Write because you have something you want to write about, not because you would like to reach a certain position. Write ever yday, read every day – and learn. Write for yourself, not for an audience. Then everything else will follow.

Q: ARE YOU GOING TO CONTINUE THE KONRAD SORENSEN SERIES INDEFINITELY OR WILL YOU TRY SOMETHING ELSE SOME OTHER GENRE MAYBE, TOO? A: We will certainly not continue the Konrad Simonsen series forever. Eight novels, perhaps ten, then it’s over. In June we’re publishing a stand alone novel, separate from the series.

It’s called “Rosa”, and is about a young high school girl in Jutland during WW2.

Q: HOW DOES THE WRITING PROCESS LOOK LIKE WHEN TWO PEOPLE WRITE? AND IS IT EASIER BECAUSE YOU'RE SIBLINGS? A: We talk a lot before we start working on the novel. We have both to decide on the plot of the novel, and last but not least the overall theme of the novel. Yes, I think it’s easier because we are siblings: we are close, because we are family, but we still have our separate lives. So it’s a bad environment for literary indifferences to get a chance to grow out of proportions. The worst that can happen, if we on a rare occasion disagree completely, is that we don’t want to see each other for a few days.

Q: ARE THERE ANY NEWS ON THE MOVIE ADAPTATION [OF THE HANGING]? WHEN CAN WE EXPECT IT IN CINEMAS? A: We (and Gyldendal Group Agency) have a very good subagent for film, Anette from Fiddler’s Green, so we are confident that there will be a film one day. But it’s nothing that keeps us awake at night. If our novels are adapted into a film or TV-series it would be wonderful, of course, and if not, it’s also fine.

Write because you have something you want to write about. Write for yourself, not for an audience.

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IMAGE: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

#BIGones by: Miljan T.

miljan_t@popculture.dk

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BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE HEROES IN THE CLAWS OF CRITICS GONE WILD

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IMAGE: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

THE MOVIES BIGGEST SUCCESS IS WHAT EVERYONE FEARED MOST: BEN AFFLECK AS BATMAN

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If someone had told me just a short while ago that I’d be very soon in the position to defend Batman and Superman (from DC fans, no less), I would have said they’re mad. I’m a total Marvel-fan, why would I of all people defend them, I don’t even like them!

Hollywood works in a very weird way – sometimes critics literally buries a movie, it flops, the franchise stops and we wait for a new reboot. Sometimes not even critics can stop a bad movie – the Transformers movies made a truckload of money – especially the last two – although the critics (and free thinking fans) panned them. Deservedly so. And there was no drama about it.

But when it comes to the second movie of the DC Extended Universe – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – the movie didn’t even open wide in the US yet, but the critics already buried it. On sites like Rotten Tomatoes the score for the movie is terribly low in comparison to movies which have higher scores and shouldn’t have. What’s the problem, then?

First off – the expectations were too high. Batman and Superman on the big screen, together for the

first time, but Wonder Woman is there too, the Justice League is born and DC makes its own movie universe and the excitement reaches the boiling point! When a movie doesn’t meet its expectations (which it even set itself in the marketing campaign), people turn into a mob and can’t wait to tear it apart.

We love to polarize things – one person throws a stone, everyone throws a stone and no one wants to go against the masses.

There is absolutely no one who is over the moon about the movie, but many fans (those who aren’t childish geeks who cry because some director “ruined their childhood”) admit there are many good parts in the movie, that the movie has its problems, but that it’s also only a way station on the road to a bigger movie universe. Just like we, Marvel-fans, accept the fact that there is an Iron Man 3, where Pepper Potts saves Iron Man. But we have to remember that Batman v Superman is a very, very important way station.

The main problem of this movie is the task to use its two and a half hours to set up what Marvel needed four or five movies for. DC decided to go the other way, start with a group movie (except the first movie in the DCEU, Man of Steel), and then branch off into solo movies. That’s why in this movie we have several movies actuall – a Man of Steel 2, a solo Batman movie, Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman, The Justice League and in-between a few teaser trailers for the rest of the Justice League. The editing of the movie is off, but I think it’s a result of shortening the movie from the initial four hours to three and then to two and a half for the theatrical release. We’ll see if I’m right when the R-rated DVD/BluRay cut comes out. The movie has a phenomenal introduction, a long winded middle part and a grand action scene at the end with a somehow brave ending, though it is futile, since we know the Justice League is about to start shooting. But hey, it’s hard to set up a whole universe in just one movie. But the movies biggest success is what everyone feared most: Ben Affleck as Batman. When the casting was announced, the internet exploded with hate. I was one of those thinking, knowing his previous work, that he’d do a good job.

And guess what – EVERYONE likes him. For me, he’s at least the best Bruce Wayne so far, and probably the best Batman, too. Not to mention the brilliantly choreographed fight sequences – we’ve never seen Batman fight so spectacularly, or the good solution for the “Batman-voice” (I HATED Christian Bale’s Batman-voice) and the dark void of his personality that really makes him The Dark Knight. Many people object that he’s so violent, but hey, this is a Bruce Wayne who’s lost a lot

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IMAGE: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

and he’s been pushed over the brink of having scruples and he has no mercy for the bad guys. That’s why I think Affleck is the best Batman ever and I can’t wait for the Batman solo movie. And that’s something I haven’t said since 1989. Henry Cavill as Superman is great in what little he’s been given to do in the movie, and I sure hope no one takes the role from him for some time. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is fabulous and I don’t agree with critics saying she could easily have been left out of the movie – her appearance here just created a huge hype for her solo movie next year. And that’s something where DC already beats Marvel – a female-lead solo adventure. The MCU has been around since 2008 and the first “female” Marvel-movie comes out not before 2018 and Captain Marvel.

Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor… depends on your taste. I like him. Granted, I would like to see him in some other role than another variation on his Zuckerberg, but I understand people not liking this version of Lex. I want to see his motivations for everything he does in the movie, because it seems nonexistent. I’m afraid that even in the extended cut, the answer will be “because he’s crazy”, but that would be fine by me. The trailer-reveal of Doomsday doesn’t ruin the action that much.

At least not as much as we expected. I must point out that I love the cinematography of everything Zack Snyder does, though some people call that “instagram-filter-movies”, but I don’t mind. It’s a movie, not a documentary. We didn’t whine about those same filters in Lord of the Rings, did we? It’s worth mentioning that Christopher Nolan is one of the executive producers (as he was in Man of Steel), and though the movie has nothing to do with his Batman-trilogy, the influence of his narrative is clear.

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Though the critics panned it, the movie still made over 850 million dollars as of this moment and I don’t think we have to worry about the DC slate of movies. Justice League starts shooting these days, Suicide Squad is in cinemas in August and we even got the announcement for a solo Batman movie, written and directed by Ben Affleck. And though the fans are in open war, it’s clear that Marvel and DC root for each other, because if one side has success, so will the other, because then they know that people still want to see superhero movies.

The final verdict? Go see the movie. In the theater. You can’t even get a glimpse of the real perspective on your home screens. And don’t expect a funny, witty movie – it’s serious and depressing even at times, but you all whined anyway that you’re tired of typical superhero movies, right? So here you got something different. And just one more thing: see it in 2D, the 3D-conversion isn’t really the best ever.

THE TRAILER-REVEAL OF DOOMSDAY DOESN’T RUIN THE ACTION THAT MUCH. 51 51

#DoNotSkip DANISH CORNER

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE DANISH GIRL 5 MAY, 2016 ALICIA VIKANDER WON AN OSCAR IN SPRING 2016 FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN THE FILM THE DANISH GIRL, WHICH IS FILMED IN CENTRAL COPENHAGEN.

ATTENTION!

Tour starts at 6PM. Tickets and more information here.

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Movie is built on a partly fictional novel about the Danish couple Gerda and Lili Wegener and their unusual and dramatic cohabitation. Starting in front of their residence in Nyhavn, we take a stroll in the spring Copenhagen and looks at the key locations in the movie.

NORWAY CORNER

NIGHT JAZZ 2016 26 MAY – 4 JUN, 2016

NATTJAZZ (NIGHTJAZZ) IS THE LONGEST JAZZ FESTIVAL IN NORTHERN EUROPE AND IS ARRANGED ANNUALLY IN LATE MAY / EARLY JUNE IN BERGEN. Nattjazz was founded in 1972 and is despite its age, now stronger than ever. Every year approximately 80 concerts are presented throughout the festival period. The main festival area is an old sardine factory, USF Verftet (United Sardines Factory), which now contains several concert venues plus exhibitions, theatre, cinema and artist studios. The music profile

of Nattjazz spans through a wide range of styles, with a main focus on modern jazz. During Nattjazz the borderlines between jazz, rock, ethno and electronica are explored and often wiped out. The children also get their share!

ATTENTION! More info about Night Jazz here.

SWEDEN CORNER

JOSEF FRANK PÅ MILLESGÅRDEN 21 MAY – 2 OCTOBER, 2016 IN MILLESGÅRDEN’S MAJOR SUMMER EXHIBITION, THE DESIGNER AND ARTIST JOSEF FRANK (1885-1967) IS PLACED IN AN ART HISTORICAL CONTEXT. THE EXHIBITION COMPRISES FOUR SECTIONS. IN THE LARGE SPACE OF THE ART GALLERY, JOSEF FRANK IS PRESENTED AS DESIGNER WITH FOCUS ON THE FABRICS.

A large number of watercolours by Josef Frank, a previously unknown side of the designer’s creativity, are presented in the inner gallery and also in a new book. Anne’s House, featuring interior design by Swedish Tenn and Josef Frank, will be open and provide visitors with access to the rooms.

Here, Frank’s interior design ideas will be presented in texts. The fourth section of the exhibition, on the Lower Terrace, is the summer flower beds and flower arrangements inspired by Josef Frank’s designs and paintings and created by landscape architect Ulf Nordfjell.

ATTENTION! More info about the exhibition here.

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#RATEthis by: Branislav V.

IMAGE: Pexels.com

branislav_v@popculture.dk

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THE MAGIC OF WHITE COATS A LONG, LONG TIME AGO, THE AMERICAN TV-NETWORK CBS STARTED THE SHOW CITY HOSPITAL WHICH CAUSED AN AVALANCHE STILL ROLLING TODAY. DR. KATE MORROW AND DR. BARTON CRANE BECAME SO POPULAR THAT VERY SOON THERE WERE MORE AND MORE DOCTORS ON THE TV-SCREENS. MONDAY NIGHTS IN 1963 WERE A HUGE DILEMMA FOR MANY AMERICANS – ARE THEY GOING TO WATCH GENERAL HOSPITAL (STILL RUNNING TODAY, FOLKS!) ON ABC OR THE DOCTORS ON NBC? THE RIVALRY, STARTED BACK THEN

BY PUTTING SIMILAR SHOWS IN THE SAME TIMESLOT, LASTS STILL TODAY.

Every network has at least one show with cardiologists, internists, psychiatrists, plastic surgeons and all other kinds of doctors. Although most people don’t like to visit doctors, many people enjoy watching them in their work and (mis)fortunes.

The TV-doctors don’t only save people’s lives, they’re beautiful, handsome, charming and funny, so it was just a question of time when they’d find themselves on Hollywood-lists of the most popular and sexy actors.

In the eighties, the ladies would sigh every time the screen was graced by Dr. Philip Chandler in the show St. Elsewhere (1982-1988), played by Denzel Washington. He charmed the audiences not only with his looks, but with his character, morality, idealism and dedication to his work. Denzel’s career took off after the show.

Another actor who became a star in the white coat is George Clooney, who played one of the leads on the Chicago-based E.R. from 1994 to 1999. His pediatrician and heartthrob Doug Ross was known for flirting with everyone save his patients. It’s interesting that after the show, Clooney said he would not like to have kids and even thought of vasectomy. The show ended after 15 years on-air and Clooney appeared in the last episode.

His colleague from the same hospital, Luka Kovač, broke many a female heart, but made work for the croatian actor Goran Višnjić a problem, since he had his problems with the medical terms and even needed to hire a coach for that.

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In Chicago Hope (1994-2000), the coats were worn

by Thomas Gibson (Dharma &Greg, Criminal Minds), Mark Harmon (NCIS), Hector Elizondo (Monk, Grey’s Anatomy) and Adam Arkin (West Wing, Sons of Anarchy, Boston Legal).

We have to mention the duo of best friends and colleagues, Christian Troy and Sean McNamara from Nip/Tuck (2003-2010). Plastic surgeons, both of them womanizers – one very aggressive, the other a bit more discreet about it – in six seasons of the show they made the TV-screens all around the world sizzle.

Christian Troy excels at work, but fails at everything else – he lives glamorously, but neither expensive cars nor Gucci suits help him feel better in his own skin.

Juian MacMahon got a Golden Globe nomination for this role, as well as the opportunity to shoot eight sex-scenes in one day. Dylan Walsh got a few movie roles and a spot in the TV-show Unforgettable.

Oh (who left after season 10) and Sara Ramirez. The Korean Sandra Oh is Christina Young, a dangerous, cold and competitive woman and the Mexican Sara Ramirez is the smart, confident and “chubby” Callie Torres. Sara says she was never teased on set – on the contrary, they asked to dance in her underwear.

She always liked being the representative of big girls in the show. Interestingly, in the show, she’s bisexual, appealing thus to all members of the audience.

Katherine Heigl, nowadays known for her romantic comedies, started her career exactly on this show, as Izzie Stevens. The main male lead, Patrick Dempsey, who was killed off in Grey’s Anatomy season 11, shot a few movies off-season, all thanks to the white coat.

The Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Private Practice brought us the sexy Dr. Addison Montgomery, played by Kate Walsh, who is cold but good with the scalpel, and the perfect and seductive Taye Diggs played by Sam Bennett. Special charisma points go to Dr. Violet House was declared the most-watched show in the Turner, played by Amy Brenneman, who used to play world. The adventures of the handsome and sarcastic Judge Amy in the show of the same name. genius, played by Hugh Laurie, were regularly watched by 80 million people in 66 countries by the The fact that sexy doctors grace our TV-screens for end of its original run. The success was helped by more than half a century says that there is some many a beauty in a white coat – Jennifer magic in the white coats.

IMAGE: Courtesy of TV2

Morrison (Dr. Allison Cameron), Lisa Edelstein (Dr. Lisa But – scientists say that people who like to watch medical Cuddy) and Olivia Wild (Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley).

TV-shows are people who are too concerned about their health and rare diseases. What do you think?

Grey’s Anatomy is in its 12th season now and its representatives on the hottest-doctors list are Sandra

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ALTHOUGH MOST PEOPLE DON’T LIKE TO VISIT DOCTORS, MANY PEOPLE ENJOY WATCHING THEM IN THEIR WORK AND (MIS)FORTUNES. 57 57

#RATEthis#HOT START

by: Marin M. marin_m@popculture.dk by: Miljan T.

IMAGE: Courtesy of FOX Norge Photographer: Jason Goodrich

miljan_t@popculture.dk

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LUCIFER IN CSI: THE DEVIL ON VACATION IN L.A. RARELY HAVE I BEEN SO PERPLEXED BY SOMETHING LIKE LUCIFER. I LITERALLY NEEDED FIVE DAYS TO WATCH THE FIRST THREE EPISODES OF IT AND I STILL (TWO DAYS AFTER THAT) DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY ABOUT IT. WHATEVER I SAY, IT FEELS WRONG, OFF-THE-MARK. JUST LIKE THE SHOW. ALL THE PARTS ARE FINE, BUT WHEN YOU TAKE THEM ALL TOGETHER, SOMETHING IS JUST OFF.

So the Devil himself (Tom Ellis) decided to leave hell and go on vacation in Los Angeles, open up a nightclub and enjoy life among the mortals, granting them favors (yes, yes, the whole sellyour-soul-to-the-devil-thing) and having them owe him one. His magic power is their desire and their need to tell him everything they long for. Until he meets a police detective, Chloe (Lauren German), who is immune to his powers, and starts solving murder cases with her. That’s where the show rails off and becomes the devil-edition of CSI I mentioned in the title. Apart from the run-ins with angels (or in the first three episodes – one angel, Lucifer’s “brother” Amenadiel), which is – for me – the only real problem in the show. Since I’ve studied theology, I’m naturally inclined not to like Hollywood’s take on the matter, and it’s always just off and inaccurate in comparison to what Christianity really teaches. And that’s really no problem, anyone can tell any story they want (and yes, I think protesting against such shows and even just getting offended as a Christian is stupid), but it just doesn’t sit well with me. I simply don’t like Hollywood telling me what I supposedly believe in.

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IMAGE: Courtesy of FOX Norge

Tom Ellis is just brilliant. I have absolutely no issues with his portrayal of Lucifer and in fact, I would watch a show which consists only of his interactions with humans. He has that perfect mix of charme, good looks, a devilish (pun very much intended) smile and crazy anger (when needed) to make him believeable and seductive. And of course, everything he says on screen comes from a script, but the way he delivers it – that sparkle in his eye? – one could believe he is actually Lucifer, convincing us to stay tuned and watch the otherwise half-baked show.

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And there is absolutely no problem with the rest of the cast, either. It was nice to see Jeremy Davies of LOST-fame again, though he looked and acted just like in one of the LOST-episoded where his character lost his mind and looked like a hobo.

And they all play well together.

There is no problem with the stories, either. Murder cases among the stars and starlets in Hollywood.

Amenadiel trying to convince Lucifer to go back to Hell (because otherwise someone else will have to assume the role of the Hell-lord).

But the most interesting part of the overall story is Lucifer’s development towards humanity, him losing control of things and now knowing what comes next, just like the rest of us. Somehow I felt reminded of Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, where the devil is kind of more human than the humans themselves.

And again, Ellis’ performance delivers all of it 110 %.

But what is the problem, then, you may ask. Well, set Lucifer himself aside and you got yourself just another crime procedural show. Nothing more. And I’m not a fan of crime procedural shows. They’ve tried to make an interesting mix, but that’s what’s lacking – the mix. There is no essential reason for Lucifer to be there and play detective. So if you like crime procedural shows, you will like this one. If you like crime procedural shows and a hint of fantasy (or religious mystery, to put it that way), you’ll like it. But if you’re in it for the SF/Fantasy part and aren’t really into crime drama… well then this won’t be such a fun ride for you. Except if Tom Ellis works his charms on you.

ARE YOU DONE WITH FILMING SEASON 4?

NO, WE’VE GOT AN EXTENDED SEASON THIS YEAR. WE’RE OVER HALF WAY OF FILMING, BUT WE’LL FINISH IN FEBRUARY.

ATTENTION! Watch Lucifer in Norway on Fox channel, every Wednesday at 21:55.

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#BackAndForth by: V. V. by:Viktor Branislav viktor_v@popculture.dk

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat

branislav_v@popculture.dk

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'ALLO 'ALLO! THE SHOW RAN FROM 1982 TILL 1992 AND MANY ACTORS IN IT HAD THE ROLES OF THEIR LIVES. MANY OF THE CATCHPHRASES FROM THIS LEGENDARY BBC-SITCOM, LIKE "LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY, I SHALL SAY 'ZIS ONLY ONCE!" OR “YOU STUPID WOMAN!” CAN STILL BE HEARD FROM THE TV-SETS ALL AROUND THE WORLD, EVEN 20+ YEARS AFTER ITS WRAP. THOUGH THE SHOW GOT ONLY ONE AWARD IN ITS TEN-YEARCOURSE (IN SWEDEN!), IT’S STILL AS POPULAR AS EVER. THE SHOW RAN FROM 1982 TILL 1992 AND MANY ACTORS IN IT HAD THE ROLES OF THEIR LIVES. MANY OF THE CATCHPHRASES FROM THIS LEGENDARY BBCSITCOM, LIKE "LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY, I SHALL SAY 'ZIS ONLY ONCE!" OR “YOU STUPID WOMAN!” CAN STILL BE HEARD FROM THE TV-SETS ALL AROUND THE WORLD, EVEN 20+ YEARS AFTER ITS WRAP. THOUGH THE SHOW GOT ONLY ONE AWARD IN ITS TEN-YEARCOURSE (IN SWEDEN!), IT’S STILL AS POPULAR AS EVER.

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INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, GERMAN TV-STATIONS DIDN’T WANT TO SHOW THE SERIES FOR YEARS, OUT OF FEAR THEY MIGHT OFFEND THE VIEWERS. 2008 PRO7 BOUGHT THE RIGHTS TO THE SHOW, BUT THE BROADCAST WAS DELAYED. THE SHOW WAS FIRST BROADCAST IN GERMANY IN 2010 ON THE PAY-TV CHANNEL SAT1 COMEDY. IN THE MEANTIME, IT WAS ALSO SHOWN O FREE-TV, ON COMEDY CENTRAL DEUTSCHLAND.

Set during the Second World War,'Allo 'Allo! tells the fictitious story of René Artois, a café owner in the town of Nouvion, France. Military from the Axis powers have occupied the town and stolen all of its valuable artefacts. These include a painting of The Fallen Madonna by Van Klomp (known to those who have seen it as The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies). Two officers, Colonel Kurt von Strohm and Captain Hans Geering, have decided to keep the paintings for themselves after the war, and they coerce René into hiding them in his café. Hitler also wants the paintings, and sends Herr Flick of the Gestapo to the town to find them. Flick, in turn, conspires to keep them. The paintings are duplicated by a forger, get mixed up, lost, found and are put in knackwurst sausages, and hidden in the cellar of Café René. At the same time, the café is being used as a safe house for two brave but clueless British airmen, Fairfax and Carstairs. René is forced to work with the French Resistance, led by Michelle Dubois, who threaten to shoot him for serving Germans in his café. The far-fetched plans of the Resistance to get the airmen back to Britain repeatedly fail. These are some of the main running gags of the series. As part of these plans, the Resistance have placed a radio in the bedroom of René's mother-in-law, Madame Fanny La Fan, as this is the only room nobody enters unless they have to. René is also trying to keep his affairs with his waitresses secret from his wife, Edith, who regularly sings in the café. But she is such an appallingly bad singer (which she does not realise herself) that visitors to her café often put cheese in their ears to block the sound. In addition, the communist resistance is plotting against René for serving Germans and for working with the Gaullist Resistance.

However, the communist resistance only blow things up for money. The only reason they do not shoot René is that their leader, Denise Laroque, is in love with him, a fact he has to hide from both his wife and the waitresses, Yvette Carte-Blanche, Maria Recamier and Mimi Labonq. Furthermore, the seemingly gay German Lieutenant Gruber is also continually flirting with René and finding him in embarrassing situations. Meanwhile, Edith is wooed by the Italian Captain Bertorelli and by Monsieur Alfonse, the undertaker who is torn between his love for Edith and his admiration for René, whom he considers a true hero of France.

These few plot devices provide the basic storyline throughout the entire series, upon which are hung classic farce setups, physical comedy and visual gags, ridiculous fake accents, a large amount of sexual innuendo, and a fast-paced running string of broad cultural clichés. Each episode builds on previous ones, requiring viewers to follow the series to understand the plot fully. The series revolved around individual story arcs spread across several episodes, where typically a far-fetched scheme by the Resistance to repatriate the British airmen would become intertwined with the Gestapo's attempts to

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EACH EPISODE BUILDS ON PREVIOUS ONES, REQUIRING VIEWERS TO FOLLOW THE SERIES TO UNDERSTAND THE PLOT FULLY. recover the missing paintings and the German officers' corrupt activities, which would culminate with the three groups' plans frustrating one another and leaving them in an even worse situation than before. At the start of each subsequent episode, RenĂŠ summarises the plot to date for the audience (breaking the 4th wall); a gag based on the "As you remember..." device commonly used in serials.

On 22 March 2007, a one-off special episode entitled The Return of 'Allo 'Allo! was filmed in Manchester, and was broadcast on 28 April 2007 on BBC 2. The storyline involves RenĂŠ writing his memoirs after the war, and the events from the final episode in 1992 have been overlooked. The new scenes were interspersed with clips from the original series and new interviews. The actors who reprised their roles were: Gorden Kaye, Vicki Michelle, Sue Hodge, Kirsten Cooke, Arthur Bostrom, Guy Siner, Robin Parkinson, John D. Collins and Nicholas Frankau. In addition, Richard Gibson and Sam Kelly are interviewed, although they are not reprising their respective roles. The only main characters who did not appear in the reunion at all (where the actor or actress who played the character originally was then alive) were Private Helga Geerhart (played by Kim Hartman) and Herr Engelbert von Smallhausen (played by John Louis Mansi). Jeremy Lloyd wrote the new material.

In 2007 Gorden Kaye, Sue Hodge and Guy Siner reprised their roles in a production of the stage show in Brisbane, Australia.

They were joined by Steven Tandy as Colonel von Strohm and Jason Gann as Herr Flick.

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and MORE...

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GORDON KAYE got into acting by accident and the biggest role of his life was René. It’s interesting that, though he plays a womanizer in the show, he was one of the first celebrities to come out as gay. Last year he was in the documentary Beyond a Joke and his last role on TV was 2001 in the comedy Revolver, where he played a farmer.

VICKI MICHELLE, who played one of René's lovers got her fame with the show, too. She started her career in theater in Coventry, and in the last years she appeared on the British soap Emmerdale.

KIM HARTMAN lives in London with her husband and children and owns a production company.

GUY SINER, who played Lt. Gruber, still works, though he is in his sixties. Though the show portrayed him as gay, Siner is quite the lady-killer in private life.

KIRSTEN COOKE, who played Michelle Dubois has retired over a decade ago.

RICHARD GIBSON, who played Otto Flick, ist still acting, though he’s already in his sixties.

ARTHUR BOSTROM, Officer Crabtree, whose English we’re never going to forget (Good Moaning!) is the only cast member who speaks fluently French and he’s also still active.

SUE HODGE, who played Mimi, didn’t have any big roles after the show.

CARMEN SILVERA, who played Edith, René's wife, died in 2002. Only a year later, her on-screen mother, Rose Hill, died too.

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TECHNICAL PARTNER