Halò @fateliveswithin - Tumblr Blog

Posts

As Daisy Edgar-Jones takes flight in an earthy new spin on ‘Sense and Sensibility’, the London actor models a past-meets-present preview of

Sense and Sensibility star Daisy Edgar-Jones 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 for @ britishvogue.

📸: Szilveszter Makó 🇭🇺 👌🏻

cant-resist-temptation

I need that fan 🥵

fateliveswithin

Me two...and be like...

Highlander (2027) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏰 ⚔️

NB: The photo below is thought to be fan-made, AI-generated:

Highlander (reboot for the franchise) is a fantasy action film about a 16th-century (1518) Scottish warrior, Connor MacLeod 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (Henry Cavill 🇯🇪). It is said to be a prequel to 'The Gathering' as a trilogy-spanning event.

In 1536 in the village of his birth, Glenfinnan, a hamlet on the shores of Loch Shiel, in the Lochaber area of the Highlands of Scotland, Connor's clan is in conflict with the Clan Fraser. Connor begins to feel strange sensations when he comes across a single (Russian) warrior, The Krugan 🇷🇺 (Dave Bautista 🇺🇸).

Angus MacLeod 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (Drew McIntyre 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿) is Connor's distant cousin by adoption & chieftain of Clan MacLeod, a Highland Scottish clan associated with the Isle of Skye.

After the battle, Connor is exiled from his home. Connor quietly settles into a new life in Glencoe as a blacksmith & in 1539 marries a mortal woman named Heather MacDonald 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (Karen Gillan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿).

Kevin McKidd 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 perhaps plays Father Rainey 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, the village priest, OR his 'latent Immortal' son, Jacob Kell, OR Dougal MacLeod 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, Connor's cousin, OR Heather's father, Angus MacDonald 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (TBC).

In 1541, a centuries-old 'Immortal' wanderer & skilled fighter of Egyptian origin, Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez 🇪🇬 (Russell Crowe 🇳🇿), advises Connor that he is not human, but rather an ageless Immortal who cannot die unless he is beheaded. Ramirez teaches Connor the history of the Immortals, that there are others like him, and trains him to wield a sword. He also advises Connor is destined to fight with others of his kind for 'The Prize' - all the power of all the Immortals who ever lived, and what else eg mortality & the ability to have children (TBC)? "There can be only one!"--The first rule of 'The Game'.

After Heather dies of old age in 1590, Connor wanders the Earth for centuries, up until the reboot's modern day in London.

Sunda Kastagir 🇿🇦 (Djimon Hounsou 🇿🇦🇫🇷) is an African Immortal & Connor's long-time friend.

In the modern-day, Marisa Abela 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 plays an immortal love interest & swordplay teacher.

Nassim Lyes 🇫🇷 plays an Immortal actively hunting Connor.

Grigori Orlov (Wil Coban 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿) has to be another Immortal baddie!

Jeon Jong-seo 🇰🇷 plays Aris, a new character to the franchise.

DI Cox (Dan Li 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿) & DI Doyle (Charlie MacGechan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿) are alongside Brenda Wyatt (Siobhán Cullen 🇮🇪), a police psychiatrist.

The Watchers is a secret group of mortals who observe & record the deeds of the Immortals, but who are pledged to never interfere with them. The leader of The Watchers is played by Jeremy Irons 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 & Jin / Max Zhang 🇨🇳 plays a sect member (James Horton?). Do they view the Immortals as a threat to humanity & / or those who should be protected, not eliminated? Do they have a higher agenda?

Will we be introduced to 'The Hunters', a faction of renegade Watchers formed by James Horton, who sought to wipe out all Immortals, whom they considered abominations who had to be destroyed.

Ultimately, Connor must face the most feared of the Immortals said to be the last of a tribe of vicious barbarians who seeks 'The Prize' at any cost, the cruel & sadistic The Kurgan (Dave Bautista), in an epic confrontation.

Potential cameos by Christopher Lambert 🇺🇸 & Clancy Brown 🇺🇸?

Written by Mike Finch 🇺🇸 & Kerry Williamson 🇮🇪. Directed by Chad Stahelski 🇺🇸. 7 Producers + 6 Executive Producers listed.

Prep started late Aug-25. The start of filming was delayed, then took 114 days from Wed 28-Jan-26 to Mon 15-Jun-26 (22 wks over 4.5 months), inc 15 weeks of night-shoots. Locations:

1) Scotland: i) Eilean Donan Castle for castle MacLeod, ii) Glen Coe, where the MacLeod & Fraser clans battle, iii) Glen Nevis for clan MacLeod scenes eg village fair, iv) Isle of Skye for Connor & Heather's home: Trotternish, Kilt Rock, the Quiraing (RC's tweet below), & the Storr;

2) London: i) a black cab / taxi ride in Canary Wharf, ii) St. Paul's Cathedral, iii) St. Augustine's Church, Kilburn matches the 1986 film on 'Holy Ground' scene where Connor battles The Krugan with Ramírez's katana /Japanese sword, and iv) studio work (TBC);

3) Poland: i) Lodz Fabryczna train station for fictitious "London Central Station" for a battle, ii) Częstochowa [Częstochowa Metallurgical Plant heavy plate rolling mill transformed into a massive, industrial-themed film set], iii) St. Joseph's Church in Zabrze, iv) action-packed night scenes near the Riviera Shopping Centre in Gdynia & the Port of Gdynia.

Music: Queen's soundtrack from Highlander (1986), "but in a different way." Composer: Tyler Bates 🇺🇸.

It can’t be that much longer until we discover the biggest secret in the world of cinema.

The Scotsman's latest Bond predictions according to the bookies only has 1 Scot on the list - Jack Lowden.

Can I just add, No to: Aaron Taylor-Johnson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, Arty Froushan 🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, Callum Turner 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, Dónal Finn 🇮🇪, Josh O'Connor 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, Theo James 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (too old now).

That leaves: Harris Dickinson 4:1 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, Henry Ashton (RCS) 8:1 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, Jack Lowden (RCS) 12:1 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, Jacob Elordi 5:1 🇦🇺, Leo Suter 10:1 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, Tom Francis 10:3 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, OR..., if it was down to Barbara Broccoli, someone up & coming with proven acting chops we barely know.

PS, The bookies want yer dosh...

PPS, Debbie McWilliams 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ran casting on the Bond franchise for 40 yrs, from 1981 - 2021. She worked on 13/25 films alongside Cubby Broccoli then BB. She rejects all on the list + Jeff Basos' 🇺🇸crowdsourcing. McWilliams wants the next 007 to arrive completely out of the blue. "The actor has to carry danger. He has to feel like a weapon before he ever picks one up." Ehhh, DM didn't until Daniel Craig & even then he missed the mark when announced!

The decision now runs through Director Denis Villeneuve 🇨🇦, Producers Amy Pascal 🇺🇸 & David Heyman 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, and current Casting Director Nina Gold 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 has an impressive CV inc Game of Thrones, The Crown, Slow Horses & Hamnet, to name but a few. Some of those non-woke names on the list align with Nina's prior casting decisions. Looking at Nina Gold's history for casting, I'd put money on Amazon MGM Studios picking a known, big name eg Wuthering Heights pulled in $241,601,072 against an $80m budget...

UK Weather Forecasts

Another hot & humid day to come for most of the country.

We see a risk of thunderstorms developing across parts of the western Isles of Scotland & northern Scotland in particular this evening.

A further risk of heavy thunderstorms developing across Ireland & parts of Northern Ireland Thu evening & through the early hrs of Fri a.m.

Any thunderstorms developing in & around N. Ireland will extend into southern parts of Scotland / in & around the Scottish Borders & extend into eastern / south-eastern parts of Scotland through the early hrs of Fri a.m.

Plenty of weather to keep an eye on today & overnight into Fri with some very lively storms & HEAT!

The heatwave conditions will gradually subside from the west overnight, however, many central, southern, eastern, northeastern & south-eastern areas will still hold onto heatwave conditions Friday. We will actually see the highest temperatures for eastern areas tomorrow (from this heatwave) with 35-38°C / 95-100°F possible.

Whilst by Saturday it will be fresher for many of us, eastern & south-eastern areas in particular, will still hold onto very warm temperatures, with the mid to high twenties, before we see the plume & warm air fully shunted away by Sunday.

Fresher conditions then prevailing for many of us apart from the extreme south-east, where we could still push 25-26°C / 77-78°F on Sunday.

We will also see further storm risks over the coming days.

View this post on Instagram

royal_scottish_academy

A familiar face for the final weekend of our 200th Annual Exhibition! ⭐ RSA president Gareth Fisher welcomed Stanley Tucci into the galleries on Saturday. A great contributor to the cultural scene in the UK, we we’re thrilled to have Stanley join us and explore the show!

18K Followers, 928 Following, 1,407 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Edinburgh Life Magazine (@edinburghlifemag)

As the final season of critically acclaimed television series @ outlander_starz aired, @ bonhamsscotland showcased a preview of original props and costumes from the landmark production that are due to go on sale at @ bonhams1793 London this August.

Based on Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling books, Outlander follows Claire Fraser (@ caitrionabalfe ), a former World War II nurse who travels through a mysterious stone circle to 18th-century Scotland, where she falls in love with Highland warrior Jamie Fraser (@ samheughan ).

A preview exhibition of selected items was free to view at @ bonhamsscotland until 31st May with free tickets bookable at their website.

cant-resist-temptation

Happy 100th birthday to our greatest living Briton.

fateliveswithin

An iconic Piccadilly Lights takeover for a true global icon 💚 Happy 100th birthday, Sir David Attenborough! Revisit unforgettable moments

Luv luv luv our greatest living Brit.

The perfect gift for anyone who wants to try our range of classics. One can each of our Pocket Negroni, Prêt à Boire Boulevardier, Classic

Whitebox Cocktails 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🍸 🍹

Whitebox Cocktails was born out of Covid lockdown. Founded in 2021 by industry experts inc Alex Lawrence 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 from Edinburgh, WC creates premium, ready-to-serve, single-serve, canned, full-strength / ABV cocktails designed for bar-quality taste at home. Being based in Edinburgh, the Pocket Negroni has been very visible around the city for years. [Other Co-Founders: Ben Iravani 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, Pietro Collina 🇺🇸 and Josh Rennie 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿]

Their range focuses on classics e.g. Pocket Negroni, Freezer Martini, Classic Cosmo, Espresso Martini and Squeezy’s Margarita. There's also the Mai Tai, Prêt À Boire Boulevardier, Clover Club, Spicy Marg, Straight Up Daiquiri, XO Vieux Carré, Tiny Tee's Dirty Martini and Chipper's Old Fashioned. All made with premium spirits, packaged in 100ml cans designed for quick, 5-second serving.

The design is a big part of their brand, each with its own personality and that bucks the dull, old industry standard where all the packaging is a variation of the same.

Growth:

YR1-2022: 200 independent UK retailers

YR2-2023: 400 independent retailers + 84% revenue growth to £1.45M + Increased capacity to the potential to produce over 6M cocktails p.a. + raised >£820K from 575 investors on Seedrs, an equity crowdfunding & private investment platform

YR3-2024: Produced 25,000 canned cocktails every day + 1,000 UK distribution points + started looking at international markets > expanded into a total of 7 export markets + 1M cocktails sold + raised >£262K on Republic Europe (formerly Seedrs)

YR4-2025: Sales: 2-3M cans.

Markets: Canada, China, Denmark, France, Ireland, Normay, UAE, UK (£5.20-£6.00 or £36 for 6-can Classic Cocktail Selection Box), USA (high-end retailers inc Selfridges - $6.50 per 100ml can or $23 for four-pack sets).

e-Gift Voucher: £10-£50.

Seasonal: I particularly liked the 'Cocktails Advent Calendar' inc 24 drinks!

Instagram | TikTok

cant-resist-temptation

The Birds Nest Returns. 🤣

I telt him not to play with the electrical sockets.

fateliveswithin

MySelfie be like..

Six Nations Rugby 2026 Results Table as @ Sat 7-Mar-26 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏉

Next Sat 14-Mar, Ireland 🇮🇪 -v- Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 14:10 GMT, then France 🇫🇷 -v- England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 20:10 GMT in the final match of the tournament.

All Scotland needs to win the tournament now is a win over Ireland to give us a chance of a 1st title since 1999! BUT, we're the underdogs with a history of a 9-yr, 11-match winless run against the Irish. 😓

A bonus-point win would mean the French need the same to deny them.

But Ireland, too, could still claim the title with a victory of their own & a favourable result in Paris.

Table Headings (Key): Pos/Rank: Position in the table. Pl=Played: Matches played. W=Won: Matches won. D=Drawn: Matches drawn. L=Lost: Matches lost. F=Points For (total points scored by the team). A: Points Against (total points conceded by the team). Pts: Points Difference (Points For minus Points Against). B: Bonus Points (accumulated during matches). Pts: Total match points. Scoring System: Win: 4 points. Draw: 2 points. Loss: 0 points. Try Bonus Point: 1 point (awarded for scoring 4 or more tries in a match). Losing Bonus Point: 1 point (awarded for losing by 7 points or fewer). Grand Slam Bonus: 3 bonus points are added if a team wins all five of their matches.

'Don't Fall Asleep' - Jacob Alon 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🧑🏻‍🎤

From the debut album In Limerence (2025) which was nominated for the Mercury Prize and Scottish Album of the Year Award, and led to Alon winning the Critics' Choice Award at the Brit Awards 2026.

# Limerence is an involuntary state of intense romantic infatuation & emotional obsession with another person (the "limerent object"), often characterised by a desperate, one-sided desire for reciprocation.

Opening 23 January 2026

The Last Letter of Mary, Queen of Scots 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 👑 ✍🏻

The last ever letter written in French by Mary, Queen of Scots (born Tuesday 8-Dec-1542 in Linlithgow Palace – her execution on Sunday 8-Feb-1587, aged 44) has been moved from the National Library of Scotland’s secure storage facilities in EDI for the 1st time in a generation & is on display at Perth Museum, in the city of Perth in central Scotland, until Sunday 26-Apr-26 (admission free). This marks the longest period the letter has been on public view in more than 20 yrs.

When Mary was 5 yrs old she was sent to the French court, where she received a French education. Ten yrs later she married Francis II of France, 1st of 3 husbands, who would soon become King of France. Within 3 yrs, Francis had died aged 16 & Mary, who was just old enough to become queen, returned to Scotland.

Mary spent considerable time in Perth & Kinross, and both her & her family have many links to the region. Mary spent time at Huntingtower Castle & Edzell Castle (now a ruin). Mary reigned as Queen of Scots from 1561 to 1567. A Catholic queen at a time when Protestants were calling for reform, Mary delivered stable policy & government until involvements with Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 14-Feb-1567, aged 20 yrs, 2nd husband m. 1565), and the Earl of Bothwell created problems.

Most famously, Mary was held prisoner in Lochleven Castle (now also a ruin on an island in Loch Leven, east of Kinross) for 11 months in 1567-8. This is where she finally signed her forced abdication (1567) from the throne of Scotland in favour of her son, James VI of Scotland. After an unsuccessful attempt to take back her throne (Battle of Langside, 13-May-1568), Mary fled south to England under cover of darkness, crossing the Solway Firth into exile in England by fishing boat on 16-May-1568, and would never see her homeland again.

Mary's 1st cousin once removed was Elizabeth I of England. Elizabeth I was a moderate Protestant who re-established the Church of England as the national church, breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church & the authority of the Pope.

Initially hoping her cousin would help her regain her throne, Mary instead was imprisoned for the murder of her English-born 2nd husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley though she was neither found guilty nor acquitted of the charge. Over the course of almost 19 yrs in captivity, she was moved from castle to castle in England & kept under house arrest & under close watch by spies set up in her household by Elizabeth's advisors. Elizabeth saw her as a threat to her rule as Mary, the great-granddaughter of Henry VII of England through his daughter Margaret Tudor, was seen as a potential successor to the crown of England.

In a successful attempt to entrap Mary, Sir Francis Walsingham, principal secretary to Elizabeth, had deliberately arranged for Mary's letters to be smuggled out of Chartley Castle. Her secretaries Claude Nau & Gilbert Curle & the clerk Jérôme Pasquier were taken to London for questioning. Mary was misled into thinking her letters were secure, while in reality they were deciphered & read by Walsingham. From these letters it was clear that Mary had sanctioned the attempted assassination of her cousin, Elizabeth I on 17-Jul-1586. On 11-Aug-1586, after being implicated in what became known as the Babington Plot (Anthony Babington, a Catholic nobleman who wrote the letter to Mary), Mary was found guilty of plotting the assassination of her cousin, Elizabeth I (she also requested that she be rescued simultaneously) & arrested whilst out riding & taken to Tixall Hall in Staffordshire.

Mary was moved to Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, in the East Midlands of England, in a 4-day journey ending on 25-Sep-1586. In October, she was put on trial for treason under the Act for the Queen's Safety before a court of 36 noblemen. The proceedings were held in the Great Chamber, where an empty throne represented Queen Elizabeth & Mary was seated in a subordinate position.

Mary denied the charges, telling her triers, "Look to your consciences & remember that the theatre of the whole world is wider than the kingdom of England." Mary protested that she had been denied the opportunity to review the evidence, that her papers had been removed from her, that she was denied access to legal counsel, and that as a foreign anointed queen she had never been an English subject & therefore could not be convicted of treason.

Mary was convicted on 25-Oct-1586 & sentenced to death with only one commissioner, Lord Zouche, expressing any form of dissent. Nevertheless, Elizabeth hesitated to order her execution, even in the face of pressure from the English Parliament to carry out the sentence. Elizabeth was concerned that the killing of a queen set a discreditable precedent & was fearful of the consequences, especially if, in retaliation, Mary's son, James VI of Scotland, formed an alliance with the Catholic powers & invaded England.

In late 1586 & early 1587, James VI instructed his diplomats, William Keith of Delny, the Master of Gray, and Robert Melville, to travel to London to urge Queen Elizabeth I to stay his mother's execution, and plead for her life, and spare her. The ambassadors were actively negotiating in early 1587, with a critical, more threatening letter from James to Elizabeth being sent on 26-Jan-1587. France also intervened in early 1587 - Henry III of France & Catherine de' Medici sent Pomponne de Bellièvre to England to plead for Mary’s life.

Finally, on Sunday 1-Feb-1587, Elizabeth signed the death warrant, and entrusted it to William Davison, a privy councillor. On 3-Feb-1587, 10 members of the Privy Council of England summoned by William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, an English statesman & the chief adviser of Elizabeth, without Elizabeth's knowledge, decided to carry out the sentence at once.

On the evening of Saturday 7-Feb-1587, Mary was told she was to be executed the next morning. Mary spent the last hours of her life in prayer, distributing her belongings to her household, writing her will & a 3-page letter. Mary wrote her final & powerful letter at 2am, a mere 6 hrs before her execution at 8am, to her brother-in-law by her 1st husband, Francis II, King Henry III of France (19-Sep-1551 – Assassinated 2-Aug-1589, aged 37). It was a farewell steeped in faith, defiance, and reflection.

Denied the Catholic rituals that should have accompanied her death, Mary used her final words to reclaim the sacred acts denied to her in life & captivity.

In her letter, Mary explains her situation in brief. Having thrown herself "into the power of the Queen my cousin", she writes, "I have finally been condemned to death by her and her Estates". "I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning".

Mary complained that she had not been given access to the paperwork needed to complete her will. She hoped her physician, Dominique Bourgoing, would be able to tell her story.

Mary wishes she could plan for her burial, which she wants to take place in France, and says she isn't allowed to see her chaplain either. This means she can't make a final confession of her sins or receive the last rites, both important actions for a Catholic to complete before they die.

She asked Henry III to pay her servants & and to organise a mass for her. She sent him 2 precious stones that served as talismans against illness.

The execution of Mary was the 1st legal execution of an anointed European monarch.

Later in 1587, Dominique Bourgoing delivered Mary's request to pay the arrears of wages & pensions of Mary's "unfortunate servants" to Henri III in France, but the French crown did not take on the responsibility of the payments partly due to his own financial & political constraints during the French Wars of Religion (1562-1598). It was ultimately Philip II of Spain who honoured her last will & testament.

Carlos Acosta's Nutcracker In Havana, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Wed 4-Feb-26 🇨🇺🩰🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Christmas, and indeed religion, was forbidden in communist Cuba for nearly 30 yrs from 1969. Carlos Acosta's CBE 🇨🇺 Nutcracker in Havana show follows Clara (Thalia Cardin) in her humble home in Havana getting ready to celebrate Christmas with her family in 1998, the 1st Christmas after the ban was lifted as the result of a visit to Cuba by Pope John Paul II. The beer cans are on the tree & Cuba is suitably hot. When Clara is gifted a Nutcracker doll she embarks on the journey of a lifetime, to defeat the Rat King & travel into the world of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Anette Delgado) accompanied by her Nutcracker Prince (Dani Hernandez). It takes the traditional story & infuses it with Cuban flair, including, conga lines & tropical setting, fusing this festive treat with a little Havana heat.

Set to an exuberant Cuban reimagining of 19th century Tchaikovsky’s 🇷🇺 magnificent score by Cuban composers, Pepe Gavilondo Peón 🇨🇺 & Yasel Muñoz 🇨🇺, this new production features choreography by Carlos Acosta & >20 dancers from his acclaimed Havana-based company, Acosta Danza. Ballet lies at its heart, brought vividly to life with Acosta Danza’s signature style & the rhythms & spirit of Cuban dance woven through this much-loved Christmas family tale. Set design & video projections are by Nina Dunn.

Click <here> for more details.

cant-resist-temptation

Purv is at it again except this time she’s found an old photo from SUA and posted it as Stephs hand wearing matching rings to Sam as proof she made him the rings he has worn for years, when in actual fact it’s Sam’s hand wearing his own rings 😂😂 But hey she insists Steph made them for him when her husband was alive and happily married and when he was sick too. What a love story she is selling.

She said she wasn’t going to post any further photos from a private account.

Once a liar, always a liar.

His hand. His rings. Dodgy timeline.

fateliveswithin

In a new twist & turn of The Playbook, something was afoot...