Simply Stacie Feature

Hey everybody, I was featured over at SimplyStacie.net yesterday, but since I had such an awesome post from Heather, I didn't want to step on her toes. But, if you want to head over there and read a bit about lessons you can learn from Twilight, I think it would be a good idea.

stepheniemeyer.com

Here's a sampling for you:
Lesson #4: When somebody says “Don’t look.” or “Cover your ears.” or “Run!”- they mean it. You don’t want to see. You don’t want to hear. You just don’t want to know. I promise. Heed the advice.

EDIT: Here is the text of the post, as it originally read on SimplyStacie.net: 

There's a lot of talk out there about how awful the Twilight Saga is, and I can understand it. People don't relate to the characters and the vampires aren't "typical" vampires (which is beyond strange to me, because vampires aren't real- there's no such thing as "typical" vampires, but whatever). However, I think most of the hate is out there for one reason, and one reason only: Twilight is popular. The most popular books/movies/TV shows will receive hate rivaled only by the amount of love they receive.

Think about it... how many people do you know who HATE Twilight, even though they've never read a single word of it? Or hated it before they read it, read 100 pages to silence their critics and claimed that they just "can't get through it!"

Now, all those people are perfectly entitled to their opinions. If modern paranormal romance isn't your thing, that's okay. I certainly won't force anybody to read anything, but I will point out that there are some lessons everyone can learn from Twilight. To save you the "horror" of having to actually read these immensely popular books (they have sold over 100 million copies in 38 different languages), I have compiled a list of lessons to be learned from Twilight.

Lesson #1: You don't have to "pretty" to be attractive. Bella is described- both by herself and by the author outside of the books- as being fairly plain. She isn't into makeup or trendy clothes. She doesn't obsess about her weight, and she certainly doesn't buy into any other false-beauty trends like tanning, hair coloring or acrylic fingernails. She's real. And the boys go crazy. There is literally a line of guys who are vying for her attention. Some are too shy to do anything about it, and some a mythical monsters, but the point remains that a real-life, normal girl is plenty attractive.

Lesson #2:  Having a lot of money isn't everything. The Cullens are loaded. 400 years of practicing medicine, no actual need for anything tangible and a psychic ability to predict the stock market has left them with more money than any human person would ever know what to do with. Yet, before Bella came along, Edward was depressed. Rosalie despises her lot, and Esme aches for the baby she lost as a human. They all experience pain and suffering despite their riches. In contrast, Bella's mother, Renee is lower middle class and entirely content with her life. The Blacks live in a very modest home on the reservation, with very little in the way of possessions, yet are also quite happy.

Lesson #3: You can choose to defy expectations. The Cullens are vampires. They crave human blood. When they drink human blood, they usually cannot stop themselves and end up killing the human in question. But, they don't enjoy being senseless murderers, and so they choose not to be. They choose a diet of less satisfying animal blood and live inconspicuous lives. Just because you are expected to be something: boring, exciting, mean, nice, prompt, forgiving, rude, busy, lazy- doesn't mean you have to be that way. You can choose to defy expectations and live your life exactly as you see fit.

Lesson #4: When somebody says "Don't look." or "Cover your ears." or "Run!"- they mean it. You don't want to see. You don't want to hear. You just don't want to know. I promise. Heed the advice.

Lesson #5: What you see may not always be the truth. When Bella reawakens as a vampire, her suddenly heightened vision shows her the world as it truly is. Her limited human vision left out prominent scars on a friend's body, minuscule life forms, extra colors and extensions of the light spectrum as well as a thousand other details. While most of us are never going to have the chance to become a vampire, we can recognize that things may not always be as they seem. We don't have all the information, and our limited field of vision colors our ability to understand things.

Lesson #6: Usually, the bad guy is lying. James (the villain of the first novel) gets Bella alone by lying to her. Victoria (the villain of the third novel) reaches her goals by lying to a young man and getting him to do all her dirty work for her. The Volturi (the villains of the fourth novel) lie in an attempt to discredit the Cullens, start a war, destroy an opposing point of view and remain in power. How often do we fall victim to the lies around us? You know that somebody doesn't have your best interest at heart, yet you believe what she tells you (or worse, says about you!) because you're afraid it might be true. Sometimes, we hope something is true, so we believe the lies. Don't be so quick to believe something that doesn't make sense. Think with your head, pay attention to the details and work things out for yourself.

Lesson #7: You have to give up something to get something. OK, so this is technically a lesson from economics, but it's played out well in Twilight, so I'm including it. Bella wants to be with Edward. Edward is immortal. Bella is not. In order to stay with Edward, Bella would have to give up everything that goes with a mortal life: her parents, her friends, the chance to have children and grow old. She would give up everything normal for the chance to have something special. We all face choices like this- not every day, but at least a few times in our lives. You want to go to an extra fancy college? You have to leave your friends and family behind. You want to marry the fabulous man who loves you? You have to give up the dating world. You want beautiful little babies? You have to give up your right to sleep whenever you want need to. Life is full of trade offs and choices. Which leads me to...

Lesson #8: The most difficult decisions; the ones that wrench your heart out, in one way or another, are usually worth the pain. The fancy college? Best education you could possibly attain. Marriage with the fabulous man who loves you? Wonderful. The fat little babies? Little pieces of magic and love looking up at you every single morning. For Bella, it was eternity with her soul mate, looking forever like a teenager. For you, it's probably more mundane. But, when you make the right choice, and you stick to it, it's worth it.

Lesson #9: Evaluate your choices. Really evaluate them before you make your decision. Critics complain that the Bella/Edward/Jacob love triangle lessens the validity of Bella's love for Edward. Stephenie Meyer pointed out (and I agree) that it actually strengthens Bella's love for Edward. Think about it: it's not like Bella fell in with the first guy to come along. She had another option. A viable one. One that wouldn't be so difficult physically or emotionally. A man who loved her and would fit into her normal, human life. A man who she cared about and could have been happy with. But it wasn't right for her. She made the difficult choice, she chose what was right for her over what was easy.


Gina blogs over at Fantasy Casting, where she's usually spouting her opinions about who should be cast in the movie versions of her favorite books. She wants to know what you think, and would love to see who YOU would cast. You can contact her here.

I Demand a Do-Over! Twlight Edition

Can we all agree on something here: the Twilight movies are total crap. The books were fun and addictive and are a total guilty pleasure of mine. I KNOW that these aren't "smart people" books, but I love them. Just like I KNOW cake pops are not "health food" but I love those too. This list could get long, so I'll just leave it at that.

I think the biggest problems with the Twilight movies are Catherine Hardwick and the casting. Maybe blaming Catherine Hardwick is too harsh, Melissa Rosenberg is responsible for a fair share of the steaming pile of shite that we saw on the big screen, too. But ultimately, the cast is where it falls apart. An indy, artsy-fartsy director taking the helm of blockbuster with a staunch feminist trying to write traditional family roles are both bad choices, but the bad choices for the characters are even worse.

I DEMAND A DO OVER! OK, so I know this will never be done again, but I wish they had picked different actors. So, I am going to pick the people who SHOULD have been picked the first time around.

Let's peruse the casting choices, and make some better ones, shall we?

First on the chopping block: Kristen Stewart. Ugh. I remember when she was announced, and a very dear friend of mine raved "Perfect!" and I thought in the back of my head, "Uh... she looks like she has a total 'tude, and I just don't see Bella as the rock n roll indie chick... but I'll withhold judgment." No, really, I thought that. OK, I can't ever withhold judgment, you all know me too well. I judged and I judged hard. And guess what? I was right. So there. Instead of Miss Mopes a Lot who thinks wearing designer clothes is just too damn hard:

I always pictured somebody softer, more lovable. Like Danielle Panabaker.

Edward. Edward. Edward. Argh. There was honestly no way to really get this right. I mean the guy is supposed to be inhumanly beautiful with yellow eyes, pale skin, red lips and bruise like shadows under his eyes. First, an inhumanly beautiful creature has to be portrayed by a human. Sorry. Strike one. Then, the rest of that? It all works in my head but in reality, you get this hot mess:

I know, with all the doofy pictures and idiotic interviews, we forget that Robert Pattinson really is a handsome young man:

But, he's sooooo skinny, and soooooo doofy, that it's really difficult to fall in love with him the way we should. I think this kid: Alex Pettyfer would have been a better choice. There's a lot of fan demand for him to play not only Peeta from the Hunger Games but Jace from the Mortal Instruments as well. He could have rounded out the YA-trifecta of hotness.

After being cast in Twilight, Robert Pattinson was told to start exercising; he needed a six pack by the time they started filming. However, because Summit was a low-budget film maker, they did not provide him with a trainer, and he did it on his own. So instead of bulking up as he was supposed to do, he lost weight and got too skinny. Alex Pettyfer wouldn't have that problem, look:

That would come in handy on the Island of Esme, am I right? ;)

Carlisle Cullen is supposed to look like Zeus' younger, better looking brother. Peter Facinelli, while a fairly handsome man, does not fit this bill. Two words: Paul. Walker.

Jasper. Ah, Jasper. This is unfortunate, because I just think this guy is a really bad actor. The accent comes and goes. He often sounds like he is chewing his tongue while he talks. And the hair.

Whose freaking idea was that? Ugh. No. Is it really weird that I wish it had been Chace Crawford instead? He looks dangerous.

Rosalie is supposed to be the most beautiful, perfect creature on the planet. She is the porcelain doll, the pale, blond, violet eyed vision of perfection. She's voluptuous and statuesque. Petite, dark and bubbly Nikki Reed does not quite match up:

She's very pretty. But, she is supposed to be pale before she became a vampire and then become the ice-queen kind of pale. For them to make Nikki Reed's skin that pale they had to paint her, and unfortunately, this beautiful young woman ends up looking ridiculous when all is said and done.

I wish it had been Estella Warren instead.

Or, if you think she's too old, at least Scarlett Johansson. 

Alice is the teeniest, tiniest, pixie like, perky and lovable little gal you ever saw. She's supposed to be almost child-like in her size, proportions and movements. She's graceful and lithe (the the literal interpretation of her grace- the "dance" steps was painful) Don't get me wrong, Ashley Greene is beautiful. But, she's taller than Rosalie, and the filmmakers did a terrible job disguising it. If possible, they made her look even taller.

Too bad Audrey Hepburn is dead. Is that not OK to say? Anyway.

Since that's not a viable option, does anybody know if Shawn Johnson did a good job on The Secret Life of the American Teenager? Because she is a-dor-a-ble! So bubbly and cute and teeny weeny!

Esme, Charlie, Jessica and Emmet were all perfect. I have no beef with any of them.

Please post your ideas in the comments- whether you agree with me or not!

Breaking Dawn

If you are not among the vampiricaly obsessed, you might want to skip this post, as it is all about Breaking Dawn casting announcements. This is a celebratory post of sorts here on fantasy casting, because Breaking Dawn was actually the first fantasy cast I ever put together. I recently dusted it off and re-posted it, and now I will be comparing my choices to the choices made by the actual casting directors.

Here we go!

For Irina, I chose Ashley Jensen:

Maggie Grace was actually cast:

 Busty blond gal from an ABC television series? Check and check. (Maggie Grace is from LOST, and Ashely Jensen is from Ugly Betty)

For Eleazar, I chose Luke Wilson:

Christian Camargo was actually cast:

Tall, brunette guys. AND- they are exactly the same age. HA! No, I'm not kidding, they're about two months apart. So much for my picks being too old *snicker*

Renesmee is being played by Mackenzie Foy. I made NO guesses about this for a lot of reasons. 1) this child is supposed to be between 0-3 months old during the film. 2) She is supposed to look like she is 1-5 years old. 3) She is supposed to have all sorts of freaky features: full set of teeth at birth, ability to walk at the age of one week, stuff like that. I will reserve judgment, but a part of me is very skeptical at the casting of a 10 year old in this part. Unless they go Gollum style and just do motion capture for everything.

For Tanya, I chose Rachel McAdams:

MyAnna Buring has actually been cast:

OK. So, young, blond, pretty. Kind of generic, but not really that close.

For Carmen, I picked Sofia Vergara:

They actually cast Mia Maestro:

Both are South American born actresses in their 30s. Eh, close-ish.

And for Kate, I picked Kristen Bell:

They picked Casey LaBow:

OK, so call me crazy, but I think there is something in Casey LaBow that looks a bunch like Kristen Bell. Now, remember, Kristen Bell has been in the Hollywood limelight for about 6 years. That's 6 years of stylists, photographers, makeovers and photoshopping. Casey LaBow? About 4 days. She's a little... underwhelming here, and this is about the only shot of her circulating the web right now. Give her a few more months and the high-price Twilight publicity team will have her looking like a Kristen Bell ringer in no time. Mark my words.

So, not bad, right? Given all the people in all the world to choose from, I think I didn't do half bad. What do you all think?

Please post your ideas in the comments- whether you agree with me or not!

I don't think you really read that...

Have you ever really looked at the reasons some books have been banned or challenged? Aside from being entirely subjective and ridiculously conservative (and THAT is really saying something, coming from a Mormon housewife who was raised in a red state) some of them are simply not true. 

I simply cannot believe that people who actually read these books got such a different message than I (and most of the world) did. For example:

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien was burned in Alamagordo, NM (2001) outside Christ Community Church along with other Tolkien novels as satanic. Satanic? I've read these books, I don't know, four or five times all the way through. I've read the Hobbit at least that many times. I've seen the movies twice that many times. Do you remember how many times I remember mention of Satan? Zero.

In fairness, Tolkien was a devout Catholic (and was primarily responsible for introducing C.S. Lewis to Christianity- though Lewis joined a different sect) and his religious viewpoints certainly color his writings. If you look close enough, you can see metaphors for creationism, the Atonement, resurrection and prophecy. And yes, there are shadows of Satan's adversarialism in the story as well. But guess what? In order for there to be a Satan-type character, there must also be a Christ-type character. And there is.

Not that our friends at Christ Community Church in New Mexico would know, though, as I'm quite certain that anyone who thought the main theme of this story was "satanism" did not read this series. Pity. They are considered to be the first great epic fantasy novels of the modern era, and Tolkien himself is often referred to as the grandfather of modern fantasy.

Not to mention they turned into some kick-butt movies.

wallpaperbase.com

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

This is great. Twilight has been banned in different places for different reasons. In 2009, and Australian public school system banned the entire Twilight series. All four books. They even went so far as to prohibit students from bringing their own copies or discussing them while on school property. Their reason? It's too racy.

Now, let's skip over to various school districts and libraries in the U.S., where Meyer's series has been challenged because it is religious propaganda. They claim that Meyer's chaste and virginal characters choosing to reserve sex for marriage was a strictly conservative Christian- and more specifically, Mormon- notion and that these books were being used to brainwash teenagers into not having premarital sex.

Which is it, book banners? Too sexy or too chaste? It can't be both. I happen to think it's neither. Again, these are books that I've read probably a half dozen times, cover to cover. These characters (who are either legally adults or immortal for 3 of the 4 books) are in love, but they do refrain from premarital sex entirely. As with Tolkien, Meyer's religious viewpoints color her writing. If you want, you can see Mormon doctrines of eternal life, eternal marriage and bodily health in several forms. But you have to really, really be wanting to see it.

The bottom line is, however, that the camp who thinks the books are too racy obviously has not read them. The sex between consenting, married adults is all "off screen". The camp who thinks the books are propaganda could not have read them either... there simply isn't enough "message" to find these to be brainwashing in any way.

The movies were a little less kick-butt. Maybe, kick-knee. Or kick-ankle.

movies.msn.com

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

A parent in Georgia challenged the entire Harry Potter series based on the fact that the books "promote the Wiccan religion."

OK, so I guess this one could be categorized as either "I don't think you really read that" or "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." Although, I think it's both.

Wicca is a religion (which, last I checked, we all have the right to practice however we choose) that bears about as much resemblance to Harry Potter as a kiwi does to a watermelon. Sure, you could find a few points of unimportant similarity, but in reality, nobody would ever confuse one for the other.

These books are also listed as some of the most banned books of the last two decades, with "satanism and occultism" listed as the main reason for the challenges. Satan? Other than the mention of Christmas and Easter, and a graveyard next to a church, there is no religion of any kind in these books. I should know. I've read all three thousand or so pages probably 10 times. The movies are in heavy, heavy rotation in our house, thanks to my son's obsession. He recently told me "I love Harry Potter movies, but I also love Harry Potter books." Me too, kid. Me too.

As for the movies, they alternate between kick-butt and kick-knee. Seriously, who else is totally and completely dying to see Deathly Hallows?




Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

This book about how statistics can be distorted and misused (basically) was challenged and nearly banned in 2006 in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The book does talk about some of the less-than-savory aspects of life, but it's presented in a watered-down documentary form, and I cannot think for the life of me why this would be so offensive as to have a school board try to have it removed.

I do KNOW for a fact that the woman who tried to have this book banned did not read it. She said so. She read a few excerpts on the internet and decided to crusade to have it removed from all public school shelves.

Lovely.


The best example I can find, though, is this: In 2005, the Wilsona school district in California presented a list of books they "recommended" to the elementary school children in their district. The parent-teacher committee requested that 23 of the books be removed. For some, they listed (weak) reasons for removal. Others were requested for removal because "they were books the members of the committee were unfamiliar with and didn't know whether they promoted good character or conflicted with textbooks."

Yup. The school district requested to remove books from the recommended list (not the required list, even) because they, personally, were not familiar with them. "We haven't read these, and we just don't trust the teachers, parents, former students, book store workers, book store owners, authors and critics who say these are good books."

I mean, honestly, isn't THIS the goal here, people:

guardian.co.uk

 For more information about challenged and banned books, please visit the American Library Association. For more information about Banned Books Week, please visit BannedBooksWeek.org. 


Please share this post, or write your own post about banned books.

Think for yourself and let others to do the same. - ALA

Read it or Watch it: Twilight

Book: Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer released in 2005


Just in case you are one of those people that just REALLY isn't paying attention to what is happening in the entertainment world around you, Twilight is the first book in a series by Stephenie Meyer.

Within a few weeks of meeting, Bella and Edward are openly declaring their love for one another. While you might write this off as typical teenage romance, it falls more in line with the Romeo and Juliet idea of young love: it feels heady and miraculous and it is only in retrospect that you realize it was so swift. Through the course of their whirlwind romance, Bella discovers Edward's big secret: he is a vampire, as is the rest of his insanely beautiful and aloof family. Don't worry though- they're vegetarians, and they sustain themselves on animal blood, not human blood.

Hanging out with vampires, though, comes with a distinct set of dangers and Bella, of course, comes face to face with these dangers. Bella meets James, Victoria and Laurant, three nomadic vampires and becomes the mouse in an elaborate and violent cat and mouse game. There is a whirlwind chase to Phoenix, deception and violence that seems to lead to absolute death for Bella.

The characters are the driving force of this story, absolutely no question about it. Readers can remember falling in love for the first time (or the only time, as the case may be) and the headlong rush into these emotions are written in a very realistic way. To those who are cynical, it will be viewed as saccharine, but the fine line of balancing young love, lust and everything that goes with it is perfectly achieved. The characters seem to literally breathe with every turn of the page. Even with the over-the-top romance, there is a constant danger lurking in the background, and the moniker of star-crossed lovers seems all to appropriate, forcing the reader ahead at a break neck pace to find out if Edward, Bella and their love will all still be in tact on the last page.

With all the focus on the characters, there really is little room for anything else in this NASCAR-paced novel. The foreshadowing is... rudimentary. The plot is simple, but that is part of what drives it forward at such an unrelenting pace- if it were any more complicated, readers would have to move more slowly to digest it, but as it is, they are free to read frenetically in pursuit of the resolution. The dialog is actually really funny. This is the big surprise to most readers: Stephenie Meyer is genuinely funny, and it comes out in Bella's sarcasm and the witty banter between the "siblings".

The first time I read this novel, I read it in about 10 hours, straight through, without a single break. I literally could not put it down. For an easy read, and a little slice of fantasy that you think just might come true, you cannot get better than this.


Movie: Twilight  (DVD)
starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart released in 2008
Rated PG-13 for violence, sensuality and light language.

This movie adaptation, handled by the semi-independent studio Summit, hardly lives up to the hype. When Summit began producing this film, Twilight was a popular book series with a hard-core following of loyal fans. When they finished production and released the film, Twilight was the second highest selling book series of all time, (the 3rd installment setting single day sales records) with a world-wide pandemonium of FANATICAL fans. Nothing can live up to the hype that was Twilight, especially not when it was conceived with low-budget goals in mind.



If this wasn't a big enough warning about exactly how bad the movie was going to be: 

then nothing would be. Honestly, a gorgeous Bella, in a shoulder-baring gown, and ugly Edward with a sideways belt? This has to be the worst-thought-out PR shot ever. EVER.

The hype was a huge hurdle to overcome. The Hollywood writer's strike was another. As a result of the strike, Twilight received virtually no "tweaks" after the initial script, and the director and actors wound up creating new lines, and it shows. There are several pieces of dialog that seem overly contrived and almost painful to watch as the actors seem to struggle just to put words together on the spot. Kristen Stewart in particular spends a lot of time huffing and rolling her eyes as she fishes around for what to say. Whether this is her doing, the director's doing or simply the result of trying to re-create lines is hard to say. Either way, it's hard to watch.

With the indy-ish budget to deal with, the CGI in this movie is far inferior to what most people were expecting. Most movie goers were expecting a Harry Potter type of film: where the CGI blends seamlessly with the live action and you are transported to a magical world where this is all just so real! Summit didn't have the money for that kind of seamless integration, and relied instead on a lot of old tricks: treadmills to make characters look like they're moving faster than they are, etc. Be prepared for this: when Edward is in the sun, he is supposed to be sparkling. Not sprouting rainbow fur. If I didn't tell you (or you didn't read the book) you would never know.

All that aside, this is still Twilight, and there are some fun characters and relationships to bolster the film. Charlie in particular is amazing, as is Carlisle. And despite the sub-par directing, the driving romance still pulls the film along. Some of Meyer's wit comes through, and in the end, the love between Bella and Edward is what really matters. This will probably be the only version of this film, as the hype as put it into the "unremakeable" (not a word) category. As such, it is good enough. Not good. But good enough. If you didn't read Twilight AND Midnight Sun, you probably won't get it.

Bottom Line:

Breaking Dawn

 Breaking Dawn is upon us! In honor of the announcement that the movie will be released in two installments, I thought I would dust off my old fantasy cast for the film and update it a bit. I mean, if there are going to be two films, then I am quite sure that a LOT of our vampire friends will make the cut.

OK, In the order that we meet people vampires: 



The Denalis 
The Denali Sisters are our first glimpse at other "good" vampires, and we see them for the first time at the big shindig. They aren't as young as our Cullens are supposed to be, their ages are left pretty vague, so we can just look to some of the most beautiful people possible: 


Kate- Kristen Bell Maybe this is influenced (in part) by her character in Heroes, but I think she culd zap the crap out of some people!
 

Tanya- Rachel McAdams
 

Irina- Ashley Jensen
 

Eleazar- Luke Wilson I don't know, something about this character seems soft-spoken (for a vampire) and a touch intellectual. Maybe Luke Wilson hasn't done this in the past, but I sort of think he could for some reason...
 

Carmen- Salma Hayek  or, if you think such a big name wouldn't stoop to doing a "Twilight" movie, perhaps you think Sofia Vergara would be a better choice?

The Romanians
Also known as Dracula 1 and Dracula 2, or "creeptacular", to quote one of the greatest lines in the book. 
Stefan- Malcolm McDowell
 

Vladimir- Frank Langella
 

The Amazons. 
The only one we really get to know very well, is Zafrina- Zoe Saldana There is no one better. Period.

And, for my favorite new character, Garrett- The American Revolution-era nomad. Young, hot, timeless, charismatic, adventurous. I call for: Ben Barnes
 

Alistair- James Frain Paranoid and oh, so, British!

 

Benjamin- Senddhil Ramamurthy OK, so I know this list seems a little "Heroes"-heavy, but that is just because 1) that show has nearly 200 people listed on IMDb. That's a lot of names to choose from. 2) the shows creators focused a lot on "pretty" people. 3) everyone on that show is super-powered already, so they seem a natural fit as these awesome vampires. 


And besides, this guy is really, really hot. Honestly- a better Egyptian vampire? 

I don't think so. 

And, before you get all bent out of shape at the fact he isn't Egyptian, keep in mind that The Mummy, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The English Patient, and Lawrence of Arabia all cast people of British, Spanish, Indian, Puerto Rican and Mexican descent to play Egyptians. But, I did spend a ridiculous amount of time to find a true Egyptian actor handsome and shady-looking enough to play  Benjamin's creator, the power-hungry but frustrated Amun- Amir Aboulela.

To all you authenticity-addicted people out there, you are welcome. 

Pictures: Google Images