Emma Thompson has spent a decade writing the Nanny McPhee musical with composer Gary Clarke, aiming for a Victorian steampunk, Tom Waits-meets-dark-circus sound. It is finally coming to the West End.
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At 53:23 · chapter starts 50:40
Will notes that Emma is credited as the writer of Sense and Sensibility — something both he and Sean genuinely did not know. Emma corrects them gently: she adapted it, Jane Austen wrote it, and she 'plagiarised mercilessly'. But the real revelation is how the commission happened. [1] — Emma Thompson "A feminist sketch Emma Thompson wrote about a Victorian woman encountering a penis for the first time led producer Lindsay Doran to ask her…" 50:50 Emma wrote a feminist comedy sketch about a young Victorian bride returning from her honeymoon baffled by a 'small woodland hairy creature' in her husband's lap that 'changes shape'. The sketch was about sexual ignorance — the fact that women in that era were married off without any knowledge of sex whatsoever. Producer Lindsay Doran, who began her career with Spinal Tap, saw the sketch and wrote to Emma saying: 'I've seen your sketch about the Victorian penis. I wonder if you would fancy adapting a Jane Austen novel.' Emma called it an 'interesting segue'. She said yes, gave it a go, and eventually took home an Academy Award.
A feminist sketch Emma Thompson wrote about a Victorian woman encountering a penis for the first time led producer Lindsay Doran to ask her to adapt a Jane Austen novel. The result: an Oscar-winning screenplay.
Emma Thompson's Oscar-winning Sense and Sensibility screenplay came about after a producer saw her feminist sketch about Victorian sexual ignorance and invited her to adapt a Jane Austen novel.
Robby Hoffman isn't fearless — she's terrified all the time. The difference is she does it anyway, because not doing it feels worse than the fear itself.
John Mulaney texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere saying he'd been a fan for a while and wanted to make a Netflix special with her. Robby called it 'shocking, horrifying, anxiety-inducing, surreal and thrilling' — and said yes.
Mulaney is buttoned-up, suit-wearing, classy. Robby is gritty, raw, and undefined. Together they made the collab nobody expected. Batman and Robin. Eminem and Dido.
Music had Pope Gregory forcing notation. Comedy has had 'magical thinking' — he's just got funny bones. But jokes work through discoverable, teachable mechanics. Writing down the rules doesn't kill the magic; it gives more people access to it.
Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.
The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.
The anonymous French artist Invader has hidden 1,500 pixelated mosaic artworks across Paris alone, with thousands more scattered across 80+ cities — affixed to the Eiffel Tower, the Hollywood sign, and even sent to the International Space Station. He might be even busier than Banksy.
The Flash Invaders app turns city streets into a treasure hunt, letting players scan Invader's hidden mosaics for points. Players have collectively logged over 47 million flashes. Unlike most mobile games that glue you to a screen, this one forces you to look up and engage with your surroundings.
New York draws thousands of young, talented performers every year chasing Broadway stardom — but the hard truth is that most of them never make it. Zelig Williams was one of the rare exceptions.
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