Podcasts about Duncan MacLeod

Travis was lucky enough to attend The Sword Experience Scotland Retreat in July, and had a few minutes to chat with Duncan MacLeod himself, Adrian Paul

This conversation with Alys Williams is where Survival Songs began.Ed first met Alys during the development of her one-woman show, The Lighthouse. The Lighthouse is based on a true story that involves one, lifesaving song. We were so delighted that Alys was up for recording this conversation with Ed and it's a real pleasure to share it with you.TW: The conversation includes conversations about a suicide attempt, mental health, struggle and survival. It's a beautiful listen, but please take care of yourself where you need to.Alys Williams is a writer, director and performer. based between Glasgow & Leeds. She makes work which is female-led, aesthetically and lyrically rich, and full of participation and connection. She is currently interested in how care and access can be built into creative processes, as well as exploring new modes of audience participation.Alys' debut play 'The Light House' ("a triumph of creativity and audience participation", Yorkshire Times) has just finished a national tour to critical acclaim. Her latest project 'Chu-chi Face' is now in development, in collaboration with Duncan MacLeod.Show notes:Alys' website: https://www.alyswilliams.co.ukInstagram: @thelighthouseplayHelp us a grow a community of survival song listeners by joining us on over on Substack:https://survivalsongs.substack.com/‘Song of Good Hope' by Glen Hansard can be found on our community playlist on Spotify along with our listener's Survival Songs. Check it out and add your own!https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5JBCcyJgMmYGRivsHcX3Av?si=92be50460fcf4590&pt=498b19d3d56cc7682fb37286285c9e48Find out more about Glen Hansard here:https://glenhansard.com/This episode contains small portions of 'Song of Good Hope' by Glen Hansard. Survival Songs claims no copyright of this work. This is included as a form of music review and criticism and as a way to celebrate, promote and encourage the listener to seek out the artists work.

Tel est pris qui croyait prendre, voilà qui pourrait être la morale d'une histoire d'Edgar Allan Poe, ou de cet article. Aujourd'hui, on parle d'Edgar Allan Poe et de son influence sur la bande dessinée américaine ! Quand je me suis dit qu'il serait amusant de vous parler du Masque de la Mort Rouge et de ses adaptations en comic books, je n'imaginais pas dans quelle spirale infernale je venais de tomber… Car, si l'Américain Edgar Allan Poe, né à Boston en 1809, est incontestablement l'un des pères de la littérature fantastique et horrifique moderne, il est aussi l'inspirateur d'une quantité absolument titanesque de bandes dessinées plus ou moins fidèles à ses œuvres. Publiée pour la première fois en 1842 dans Graham's Magazine, puis traduite en français par Charles Baudelaire dans le recueil Nouvelles Histoires Extraordinaires en 1857, The Masque of the Red Death, de son titre original, est une nouvelle s'inscrivant dans la tradition du roman gothique.  Dans cette courte histoire, la Mort Rouge, une maladie proche de la peste, aux effets visibles désastreux et à la mortalité fulgurante, décime brutalement toute la population d'une contrée. Le Prince Prospero, un homme de pouvoir dans la région, invite un millier de nobles dans son palais au cœur d'une abbaye fortifiée, interdisant à quiconque d'entrer ou de sortir, afin d'éviter toute intrusion d'une personne malade. Bien que barricadés, les convives de Prospero ne manquent de rien, ni de nourriture, ni de divertissements en tout genre.  Après plusieurs mois d'enfermement, un bal masqué est organisé et Prospero fait décorer chaque salle de sa demeure d'une couleur différente. Les six premières sont respectivement bleue, pourpre, verte, orange, blanche, et violette, les vitres des fenêtres de chaque pièce laissant passer une lumière dont la couleur est identique à celle des murs. Mais la septième chambre fait exception. Entièrement noire, elle est éclairée d'une lumière rouge, et on y trouve une énorme horloge sonnant à chaque heure d'une façon plus pesante. Lors de la fête, aux douze coups de minuit, un étranger grand et décharné, au masque semblable au visage d'un cadavre, et entièrement vêtu de rouge, se mêle à la foule, errant au milieu des danseurs. Prospero, en colère face à ce costume qu'il prend pour une provocation, demande à ce que l'étranger soit arrêté, puis pendu ! Mais nul n'ose l'interpeller pendant qu'il traverse le palais. Prospero se jette alors sur lui, poignard à la main. Mais, comme foudroyé, il s'écroule sans vie, tandis que les convives constatent que la créature n'est autre la Mort Rouge incarnée, avant de mourir un à un. Si la morale de cette histoire n'est jamais explicitement donnée par Edgar Allan Poe, on y voit souvent une allégorie de l'inéluctabilité de la mort. La Mort Rouge ; peut-être inspirée de la tuberculose dont souffrait Virginia, l'épouse de Poe ; se propage de façon inarrêtable, y compris entre les murs du lieu où la noblesse se croyait à l'abri. Aucun stratagème ne permet d'y échapper et vouloir la contrôler est aussi vain qu'illusoire, tandis que son avancée inexorable nous est rappelée par chaque sonnerie du carillon, qui laisse derrière lui un silence de mort, avant que l'activité des invités ne reprenne peu à peu. L'autre interprétation que l'on peut en faire est plus sociale, car Le Masque de la Mort Rouge met en exergue le dédain des riches et des puissants qui festoient à l'abri, alors que les pauvres et les paysans sont exterminés par la maladie. Mais le répit des privilégiés est de courte durée, car leurs richesses et leur condition sociale ne les prémunissent pas de trépasser dans les mêmes circonstances que les indigents. La nouvelle d'Edgar Allan Poe va inspirer un sacré paquet d'œuvres au fil des années : du Fantôme de l'Opéra de Gaston Leroux à l'univers de Donjons & Dragons, en passant par un skin pour le personnage de Faucheur dans le jeu vidéo Overwatch, mais aussi des ballets, des chansons, de nombreux films, et même des comics. Car, en plus de leur influence plus que conséquente sur la Pop Culture telle que nous la connaissons aujourd'hui, les écrits de Poe ont souvent été repris, de façon plus ou moins assumée, par la bande dessinée américaine. En ce qui concerne The Masque of the Red Death en particulier, on dénombre plusieurs dizaines d'adaptations sur le papier, parfois littérales et parfois beaucoup plus libres. Si je ne vais pas toutes les citer, certaines méritent qu'on s'y attarde, notamment celles publiées par Marvel Comics, éditeur étonnamment attaché aux travaux du romancier. Dès 1952, dans les pages du quatrième numéro de Adventures Into Weird Worlds, Bill Everett, l'artiste derrière Namor the Sub-Mariner et co-créateur de Daredevil avec Stan Lee, s'inspire du Masque de la Mort Rouge dans la courte histoire "The Face of Death", qui modernise le cadre et les protagonistes dans un style typique des comic books horrifiques pré-Comics Code. Le lecteur y est interpellé comme si cette situation pouvait réellement lui arriver, et la thématique sociale opposant l'aristocratie au petit peuple est remplacée par une rivalité amoureuse. En 1961, dans Strange Tales #83, Steve Ditko, qui deviendra plus tard l'un des pères de Spider-Man et du Docteur Strange, dessine "Masquerade Party". Là aussi, la nouvelle originale de Poe est largement modernisée, encore une fois sous le prisme d'une romance qui tourne mal, mais avec une chute beaucoup moins morbide, la censure du Comics Code Authority étant passée par là entre-temps. L'histoire sera réimprimée bien plus tard, dans Chamber of Chills #16, en 1975. Huit ans plus tard, en 1969, le scénariste Roy Thomas et le dessinateur Don heck présentent une nouvelle adaptation, "The Day of the Red Death", dans laquelle un Stan Lee transformé en narrateur à la manière du Gardien des Comptes de la Crypte nous raconte cette fois-ci une version futuriste du Masque de la Mort Rouge, mais remarquablement fidèle à l'esprit de l'originale en comparaison des publications précédentes. Plus récemment, toujours chez Marvel, l'anthologie en trois numéros Haunt of Horror, parue en 2006 sous son label MAX et dessinée par Richard Corben, a confirmé le curieux lien existant entre le nouvelliste et la Maison des Idées. Puisque l'on parle de Richard Corben, cet artiste complet, véritable légende de la bande dessinée américaine, va, tout au long de sa carrière, lier son travail aux œuvres d'Edgar Allan Poe.Dès 1974, il adapte The Raven, dans le numéro soixante-sept de Creepy. Il réalisera en tout trois versions dessinées de ce poème narratif, la dernière en date, publiée en 2013 par Dark Horse Comics, figurant au sommaire d'un numéro contenant également son adaptation du Masque de la Mort Rouge. Qu'il illustre directement les textes de Poe ou qu'il s'en nourrisse pour ses propres créations, Corben partage avec lui son amour des ambiances angoissantes et des univers vaporeux. Son style graphique se prête parfaitement aux cadres pratiquement oniriques des nouvelles, mais aussi à leurs révélations finales choquantes et à leur suggestivité parfois perturbante. Il est incontestablement l'un des auteurs de bande dessinée qui a le mieux capturé l'essence des écrits d'Edgar Allan Poe et, si ses travaux vous intéressent, l'intégralité de ses histoires publiées par Dark Horse est disponible en français en un seul volume intitulé Esprit des Morts, chez Delirium. Mais, bien avant Corben, d'autres artistes ont cherché à adapter plus fidèlement The Mask of the Red Death. En 1964 sort ce qui est sûrement l'adaptation cinématographique la plus célèbre de la nouvelle, réalisée par Roger Corman, avec Vincent Price dans le rôle de Prospero. Afin de transformer ce court récit de quelques pages en un long-métrage d'une heure trente, de nombreux éléments sont ajoutés pour préciser le contexte et donner du corps à l'intrigue. Prospero y est montré comme un individu détestable et violent, terrorisant la population vivant autour de son palais et vouant même un culte à Satan. Le culte satanique de Prospero est d'ailleurs omniprésent dans le film, alors que Poe n'en fait jamais mention dans son histoire, et le tout est agrémenté d'une rivalité amoureuse entre Juliana, la compagne de Prospero, et Francesca, une jeune femme kidnappée dans un village ravagé par le prince qui espérait ainsi éviter la propagation de la Mort Rouge. L'ensemble correspond quand même assez bien au texte original dans l'idée, même si l'interprétation sociale y est plus forte et si la figure féminine de Francesca apporte également son lot d'hypothèses, totalement inexistantes chez Poe. Le Masque de la Mort Rouge est le septième film d'un cycle qui en compte huit en tout, tous réalisés par Roger Corman entre 1960 et 1965, d'après les histoires d'Edgar Allan Poe. Et outre le statut culte de ce portage sur grand écran, il a la particularité d'avoir été adapté en comic book par l'éditeur Dell Comics. Cette adaptation, dessinée par Frank Springer, un artiste très prolifique chez Dell et que l'on retrouvera plus tard sur les séries Dazzler ou G.I Joe chez Marvel, est un travail de commande à caractère promotionnel typique de l'époque, mais reste plutôt agréable à lire.  On notera qu'en 1989, Corman a produit un remake de son propre film, avec Adrian Paul, alias Duncan MacLeod dans la série télévisée Highlander, dans le rôle de Prospero, pour un résultat beaucoup moins mémorable. Il faut finalement attendre 1967, dans les pages du douzième numéro du magazine Eerie, pour voir la première adaptation en bande dessinée vraiment fidèle à la nouvelle d'Edgar Allan Poe, écrite par Archie Goodwin et dessinée par Tom Sutton. Le format magazine adopté par Warren Publishing permettait à l'éditeur de passer outre les restrictions du Comics Code Authority, et donc de montrer beaucoup plus de scènes gores et scabreuses. Le style de Tom Sutton marche vraiment très bien dans ce type de récit qui, bien qu'horrifique, conserve des outrances grand-guignolesques. Il a d'ailleurs consacré une bonne partie de ses travaux à des comics d'horreur, à quelques remarquables exceptions, comme son intervention sur pratiquement tous les numéros de la série Star Trek publiée par DC Comics entre 1984 et 1988. L'autre adaptation marquante en provenance de chez Warren se trouve dans Vampirella #110, paru en 1982. Rich Margopoulos et Rafael Aura León y présentent une version également très fidèle au texte original, dont certaines cases flirtent gentiment avec l'érotisme. Ces deux histoires ont été réimprimées de nombreuses fois par la suite, et comptent parmi la multitude d'exemples de la façon dont l'œuvre de Poe a inspiré toute une génération de scénaristes et d'illustrateurs qui participent au regain d'intérêt pour l'épouvante classique et l'horreur gothique à partir de la seconde moitié du vingtième siècle. Au-delà des adaptations de ses œuvres, Edgar Allan Poe est avant tout un personnage historique majeur pour la culture des États-Unis, si bien qu'on le retrouve parfois mis en scène comme un personnage de fiction, de façon plus ou moins sérieuse, dans à peu près tout et n'importe quoi : de South Park aux Beetleborgs, en passant par les Simpson et Sabrina, l'Apprentie Sorcière. Évidemment, les comic books n'échappent pas à cette étrange coutume et le poète apparaît ainsi dans un nombre conséquent de publications. Dans le deuxième numéro de l'anthologie horrifique Spellbound, paru en 1952, il est transformé en vilain qui torture un acteur dans une mise en scène macabre digne d'un film de la saga Saw. Chez DC Comics, il croise la route de super-héros comme Superboy et The Atom, tandis que le vingt-sixième numéro de la série Ghosts, publié en 1974, va jusqu'à réinventer les causes de sa mort, restées troubles jusqu'à aujourd'hui. Enfin, avec ses séries Snifter of Terror ou Snifter of Blood, AHOY Comics revisite les classiques de l'écrivain sous un jour plus moderne, et parfois parodique, derrière des couvertures hommages aussi inattendues qu'amusantes. Une utilisation pas toujours du meilleur goût, mais qui révèle à quel point il a influencé par bien des façons les auteurs et les artistes derrière nos bande dessinées préférées, ces derniers nourrissant un besoin quasi-viscéral de lui rendre hommage d'une manière ou d'une autre. Honnêtement, en me lançant dans l'écriture de cet article, je ne m'attendais pas à avoir autant de choses à vous raconter. Et tout ça en ne traitant que d'une seule histoire écrite par Edgar Allan Poe, et pratiquement uniquement par le prisme de ses adaptations en comics… C'est dire quel terrier de lapin sans fond peut devenir le moindre sujet lié à la Pop Culture, au sens très large du terme, pour peu que l'on prenne la peine de se questionner sur chaque élément laissé çà et là par les différents acteurs de son développement… Alors, au regard de la ribambelle de productions tirées du Masque de la Mort Rouge, ma conclusion est la suivante : à quoi que Prospero ait pu espérer échapper en s'enfermant dans son palais, ce n'était assurément pas la postérité. N'hésitez pas à partager cet article sur les réseaux sociaux s'il vous a plu ! Recevez mes articles, podcasts et vidéos directement dans votre boîte mail, sans intermédiaire ni publicité, en vous abonnant gratuitement ! Retrouvez le podcast POP CULTURE & COMICS sur toutes les plateformes d'écoute en cliquant ici ! Get full access to CHRIS - POP CULTURE & COMICS at chrisstup.substack.com/subscribe

As we acknowledge our vulnerabilities and open up about our personal struggles with mental health, we can transform the story and inspire others with a spark of hope and empathy that guides us toward healing together. Join us as we delve into the gripping and inspiring life of Duncan MacLeod, an acclaimed author, film director, and musician. Duncan leads us on a transformative path where he shares personal insights into his mental health struggles. He delves into the innermost complexities he faced and the remarkable resilience he demonstrated to overcome them. Duncan also shares the inspiration behind his artistic works such as the documentary “La Lucha, the Struggle” and his novel “5150”. He also shares a sneak peek at his ongoing project, the autobiographical memoir titled "When Everything Cracks.” Which offers a candid and profound exploration of his experiences within psychiatric hospitals. By openly discussing his struggles with mental health, Duncan passionately seeks to rewrite the narrative and bring about greater understanding and compassion. Join us and discover the transformative power of sharing our truth.Where to find Duncan MacLeod online:Website: http://www.duncanwritesbooks.comTwitter: @DuncanMacFacebook: Facebook profileBlog: http://www.dunkablog.com Check out Duncan MacLeod's books here: https://www.duncanwritesbooks.com/Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here's How »Join the On Your Mind Community today:journeysdream.orgTwitterInstagramFacebookYouTube

A Los Angeles-based musician, filmmaker, writer, and podcaster. He was lead singer and autoharpist in a band called The Acres, which had a large following in Europe, Australia, and Latin America, and did a mix of bluegrass, hymns, and neo-folk. He still plays autoharp for guest appearances on albums, with his latest appearance being on an album by Omewenne. His film “La Lucha” was an official selection in the Reading, Pennsylvania, Mexican Film Festival. And, he has published five memoirs, with a sixth on the way.

This Englishman has had done many things thorough his career with over 30 films & 200 hours of tv.  whether playing a Russian Dancer on a US TV Show (The Colbys) but best known as Duncan Macleod on Highlander: The Series. He also has such a very extensive Martial Arts & Sword Expertise, which folks can check out the his seminars, called Sword Experience. Please Welcome, Adrian Paul! Adrian Paul Links Sword Experience (YouTube): www.youtube.com/@theswordexperience Sword Experience (Seminars): https://swordxp.com/sword-experience-academy/ Crazy Train Radio Facebook: www.facebook.com/realctradio Twitter: @realctradio Instagram: @crazytrainradio YouTube: www.youtube.com/crazytrainradio Website: crazytrainradio.us --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/crazytrainradio/support

When Amanda and Joe are kidnapped, Duncan agrees to give himself up in exchange for them. But during a scuffle, he is shot and "dies", where he is met in a form a purgatory by Hugh Fitzcairn, who shows the Highlander what the world would be like with out Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod

Highlander Returns With A New Sword Experience#highlander #sword #swordexperience #adrianpaul #actor Many call Adrian Paul a sword expert, based on his lead role as Duncan Macleod in the action series Highlander. The show spanned 6 seasons, 117 episodes and ran in over 90 countries worldwide. with Adrian performing hundreds of action and sword fights during that time. But Adrian knows it takes many years to become a swordmaster and dismisses this title saying we all have “sword experts” inside us, if are willing to work hard to achieve it.Having studied Hung Gar and Shaolin Kung Fu for over 25 years, (Kung meaning skillful work, hard training) this philosophy is apparent throughout numerous action films, including two Highlander films, performing and choreographing sword fights and action sequences for both television and film, during an entertainment career that has spanned 35 years. Adrian has also directed and produced projects for both television and film, hosted a radio for charity with over 600 hours of airtime, along with founding his own charity The PEACE Fund (Protect, Educate, Aid Children Everywhere).Website: https://swordxp.com/Website: http://adrianpaul.net/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrianpaulofficialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/adrianpaulofficial/Twitter: https://twitter.com/adrianpaul1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swordexperience/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SwordExperienceTwitter: https://twitter.com/swordexperienceSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1nTycgT2MMkvw2VpDDw3oKYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeGXDD5DR-SVGSTQJMBR2XgLinktree: https://linktr.ee/theswordexperienceThanks for tuning in, please be sure to click that subscribe button and give this a thumbs up!!Email: thevibesbroadcast@gmail.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/listen_to_the_vibes_/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thevibesbroadcastnetworkLinktree: https://linktr.ee/the_vibes_broadcastTikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeuTVRv2/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheVibesBrdcstTruth: https://truthsocial.com/@KoyoteTwo Chicks Talkin Flicks Podcasttwo chicks talking about their favorite movies and moreListen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifyFor all our social media and other links, go to: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/the_vibes_broadcastPlease subscribe, like, and share!

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 718, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Tv Facts 1: Star of 1984's "The Duck Factory", you can't "Mask" the fact he went on to a "Dumb" film career. Jim Carrey. 2: Beginning in 1961 ABC's "Wide World of Sports" captured "The thrill of victory" and this. the agony of defeat. 3: This former Cosby kid is the Malcolm in "Malcolm and Eddie". Malcolm-Jamal Warner. 4: Adrian Paul stars as Duncan MacLeod, an immortal in the series based on this movie. Highlander. 5: More than 20 years before Fran Drescher, she played a nanny in "Nanny and the Professor". Juliet Mills. Round 2. Category: February Datebook 1: Feb. 4, 1929:Carrying mail from Miami to Belize, this famed aviator inaugurates air mail service to Central America. Charles Lindbergh. 2: Feb. 10, 1846:This religious group begins its exodus to the American west. Mormons. 3: Feb. 26, 1980:For the first time these 2 Mideast countries exchange ambassadors. Egypt and Israel. 4: Feb. 1, 1790:John Jay presides over the first meeting of this body. U.S. Supreme Court. 5: Feb. 23, 1633:This future English diarist and secretary to the admiralty makes his first "entry". Samuel Pepys. Round 3. Category: A Proverbial Mess 1: What preach you practice. Practice what you preach. 2: At try don't you if again first try succeed. At first if you don't succeed, try, try again. 3: A is words picture a poem without. A picture is a poem without words. 4: The tune piper pays the he who calls. he who pays the piper calls the tune. 5: Never better than late. Better late than never. Round 4. Category: Can We Talk? 1: When having a casual conversation, you do this to "the rag" or "the fat". chew. 2: Speak slowly with -- pauses; -- "He who" -- does it "is -- lost". hesitates. 3: Change one letter in yabber, Australian for "to talk foolishly", and you get this, "to talk rapidly". jabber. 4: Add this letter to "utter" to get a word meaning "to utter in low, unclear tones". m (for "mutter"). 5: It means "to speak pompously and dogmatically" or, a little better, "to speak like a pope". pontificate. Round 5. Category: Waxes 1: It's thought that the ancient Egyptians used this insect wax as a cosmetic base. honey bees. 2: Spermaceti wax, an excellent lubricant, comes from a cavity in this animal's head. a sperm whale. 3: This white wax was once used to waterproof milk cartons. paraffin. 4: Derived from a Brazilian palm, this wax is an important ingredient in many auto waxes. carnauba. 5: Wool wax, which serves as a dressing for leather goods, is more commonly known by this name. lanolin. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia! Special thanks to https://blog.feedspot.com/trivia_podcasts/

An ancient demon is awoken after 1000 years, and the only one who can stop him is Duncan MacLeod. But, will anyone else believe the demon is even real? Anyone except for Richie that is. He has Duncan's back, no matter what happens...

Carolyn Marsh has written a new book, starring none other than Duncan MacLeod. But does she actually know about him? Or is he just a character she heard about over time?

There can only be one... more episode about Highlander this year. We are joined once again by Laura Magee of Skeptic Hangout to talk even more MacLeod. We talk about Christopher Lambert v Mario Van Peebles in Highlander 3: The Sorceror and the introduction of Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod in Highlander: Endgame. Join us as we try to find out if a great sex scene and an amazing bad guy is enough to redeem an average third entry. We discuss the introduction of Duncan MacLeod into the franchise and the passing of the torch as this franchise transitioned from movie to television. We break down one of the earliest American film roles for martial arts icon, Donnie Yen and fight amongst ourselves over the use of the song Bonny Portmore...Most importantly we give you the answer to our weekly question...Are Highlander 3: The Sorceror and Highlander: Endgame bloody good films?Make sure to follow and support Laura Magee and Skeptic Hangout on Facebook and YouTube for a ton of great content. We encourage everyone to watch along while you listen and make sure to comment and let us know what you think. If you haven't already please follow us on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram @bloodygoodfilmpodcast and remember...Keep it bloody buddies!!!...#BloodyGoodFilm #BloodyGoodFilmPodcast #Podcast #FilmPodcast #MoviePodcast #Film #Movie #Movies #Action #ActionFilm #ActionMovie #ActionMovies #HorrorFilm #HorrorFilms #HorrorMovie #ActionPodcast #HorrorPodcast #MartialArts #Highlander #Queen #ChristopherLambert #SeanConnery #ThereCanOnlyBeOne #AdrianPaul #DonnieYen #MarioVanPeebles

Blood Of Kings HIGHLANDER Podcast EP.162: Duncan MacLeod's Deadliest Immortal Opponents Want to watch the video of this episode on YouTube? Here is the Fandom Podcast Network Blood of Kings YouTube link: https://youtu.be/SPrcgVBGR7c Your Blood of Kings Highlander Podcast Hosts Kevin Reitzel and Lee Fillingsness discuss Duncan MacLeod's Deadliest Immortal Opponents! This podcast was inspired by an article on Screen Rant published and updated by Derek Draven on July 23rd 2021. Here is the link to the article: https://screenrant.com/highlander-series-duncan-macleod-deadliest-immortal-… Inspired by this article, Kevin & Lee discuss their own top seven Duncan MacLeod's Deadliest Immortal Opponents. Also discussed is the Duncan villains from each season of the TV series, Highlander Endgame and Highlander The Source! Kevin and Lee also read comments on the article by fans in the Blood of Kings Highlander Fandom Facebook Group. Blood of Kings Highlander Podcast Contact Information: - FANDOM PODCAST NETWORK YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/c/FandomPodcastNetwork - Blood of Kings Podcast Master Feed:  fpnet.podbean.com/category/blood-of-kings/ - Twitter: @BloodOfKingsPod / https://twitter.com/BloodOfKingsPod - Instagram: BloodOfKingsPod / https://www.instagram.com/bloodofkingspod/ - Facebook: Blood of Kings: A Highlander Fandom Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551389528504825 - Facebook: Blood of Kings: A Highlander CCG Collectible Card Game & Gaming Discussion Group Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/273198053027339 Blood of Kings Host & Guest Contact Info: - Email: BloodOfKingsPodcast@gmail.com - Kevin Reitzel on Twitter & Instagram: @spartan_phoenix - Lee Fillingsness on Twitter: @TheWayOfTheWay / Instagram: @the_way_of_the_way - Kyle Wagner on Twitter: @akylew / Instagram: @akylefandom TeePublic / Blood of Kings Store: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirts?query=fandom-podcast-network-blood-of-ki…

Blood Of Kings HIGHLANDER Podcast EP.161: ANTONIUS KALAS.  Your Blood of Kings Highlander Podcast Hosts Kevin Reitzel and Lee Fillingsness discuss one of the best villainous characters in the Highlander TV show... Antonius Kalas. Lee Fillingsness takes over main hosting duties this episode because he was very passionate about actor David Robb's portrayal of one of Duncan Macleod's most cunning foes, Kalas. In a five episode arch Antonius Kalas was an evil Immortal during season 3 of the Highlander TV series. He was the pupil of Brother Paul, and was responsible for nearly bringing not only Duncan MacLeod, but all immortal society to its knees, when he got a hold of a disc containing all the information of the Immortals and the watchers. Lee and Kevin also discuss a recent news article interview with actor Henry Cavill, where he mentions the Highlander movie reboot will begin filming in 2022. Henry Cavill has been cast as the main lead in this upcoming film. Blood of Kings Highlander Podcast Contact Information: - FANDOM PODCAST NETWORK YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/c/FandomPodcastNetwork - Blood of Kings Podcast Master Feed:  fpnet.podbean.com/category/blood-of-kings/ - Twitter: @BloodOfKingsPod / https://twitter.com/BloodOfKingsPod - Instagram: BloodOfKingsPod / https://www.instagram.com/bloodofkingspod/ - Facebook: Blood of Kings: A Highlander Fandom Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551389528504825 - Facebook: Blood of Kings: A Highlander CCG Collectible Card Game & Gaming Discussion Group Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/273198053027339 Blood of Kings Host & Guest Contact Info: - Email: BloodOfKingsPodcast@gmail.com - Kevin Reitzel on Twitter & Instagram: @spartan_phoenix- Lee Fillingsness on Twitter: @TheWayOfTheWay / Instagram: @the_way_of_the_way - Kyle Wagner on Twitter: @akylew / Instagram: @akylefandom TeePublic / Blood of Kings Store: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirts?query=fandom-podcast-network-blood-of-ki…

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the owners of Split Reed, a website devoted to delivering premium waterfowl content, Nick Costas and Duncan MacLeod. Nick and Duncan are in Canada waterfowl hunting so the guys discuss how the hunting as been for duo thus far, and how they are managing Split Reed from a different country.

Every hero's weapon deserves a kick ass origin story and Highlander's Duncan MacLeod is no different! Enjoy this week's ReRun! __________________________ Original Podcast Air Date: March 14, 2017 In this beloved fan favorite, Duncan must wrestle with an age-old promise and his own honor when a young mortal woman cuckolds (and attempts to murder) her immortal husband and flees to Mac for assistance. In their inaugural Season 3 episode, the Rewatchers meditate on the nature of honor, discuss Mac's transformation from a barbarian to stoic warrior that knows how to bathe, and rejoice in the rekindled bromance with Charlie.

Many call Adrian Paul a sword expert, based on his lead role as Duncan Macleod in the action series Highlander. The show spanned 6 seasons, 117 episodes and ran in over 90 countries worldwide. with Adrian performing hundreds of action and sword fights during that time. But Adrian knows it takes many years to become a swordmaster and dismisses this title saying we all have “sword experts” inside us, if are willing to work hard to achieve it. Having studied Hung Gar and Shaolin Kung Fu for over 25 years, (Kung meaning skillful work, hard training) this philosophy is apparent throughout numerous action films, including two Highlander films, performing and choreographing sword fights and action sequences for both television and film, during an entertainment career that has spanned 35 years. Adrian has also directed and produced projects for both television and film, hosted a radio for charity with over 600 hours of airtime, along with founding his own charity The PEACE Fund (Protect, Educate, Aid Children Everywhere). The PEACE Fund has been in existence since 1997, helping improve the lives of children in the US, Haiti, Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, Hungary and Romania. In June 2015 Adrian ran a Sword Experience workshop to raise money for one of the countries that the PEACE Fund supports. The sword fighting event went so well that Adrian decided to test the idea at other similar events across the US. The demand was surprising.. So eight months later, in February 2016, Adrian founded The Sword Experience, as a way to pass on some of the knowledge he learned while working with world-renowned action stars, stunt choreographers, and swordmasters. Although not charity based, The Sword Experience has raised money for The Peace Fund at several events that have been specifically used for that purpose. To date, the testimonials speak for themselves. Not only has it given people a chance to receive the best sword fighting tips and techniques, training with some of the best sword experts around, but it has also given people a chance to do something different, to improve their fitness, their communication skills, their abilities, along with the chance to do something they may have only dreamed about.

The BC Museum Portraits Project is an audio interview and photography initiative that will result in an online archive of the ‘institutional memory' of the Province's museums and archives. We're excited to preview this new collaboration between Spencer Stuart and the BC Museums Association on our website. In this episode, Spencer interviews Duncan MacLeod, Curator at the Vancouver Maritime Museum.

Jeff Stanfield and Andy Shaver are joined by one of the owners of Split Reed, Duncan MacLeod. The guys discuss Duncan's role within Split Reed, the steps they've taken to grow Split Reed into a much bigger online platform, striking a balance between edgy and controversial, rap music, and where he sees Split Reed heading the future.

We have Duncan Mcleod, a digital marketer and e-commerce business owner himself to break down Facebook and Tik Tok marketing.We dive into Facebook marketing trends and the current land grabs opportunities with Tik Tok ads.Join the Value Tips Tuesday newsletter!Explore more on Get The Bag Life here:InstagramTikTokBlogYoutubeTwitterLinkedIn

From their impressive compilation of media work with some of the top outfitters & guide services in the world, to their intriguing articles & waterfowl inspired recipes, Split Reed has rapidly become one of the leading hubs for all things waterfowl. Having a team with this many moving parts can be quite complicated; listen along as co-owner Duncan MacLeod joins us to talk about the early stages of Split Reed, to the team they have assembled to make this company grow so quickly. You will also learn about their plans for the upcoming season as well as what they hope to accomplish in the future!

Adrian Paul Hewett (born 29 May 1959) is an English actor best known for the titular role of Duncan MacLeod on the television series Highlander: The Series. In 1997, he founded the Peace Fund charitable organization

There can be only one, but Highlander's had a surprising number of media adaptations and spin-offs over the years. We take a look at all of them and even get some behind-the-scenes gossip about the infamous comic book tie-in: Highlander 3030. ----more---- Episode Transcript   Episode 05 [00:00:00] Mike: It's fine. It's fine. I'm not bitter. Mike: Welcome to Tencent Takes, the podcast where we make comics trivia rain like dollar bills on Magic Mike night. My name is Mike Thompson and I am joined by my cohost, the mistress of mayhem herself, Jessika Frazer. Jessika: Muahahaha! It is I hello, Mike. Mike: Hello. If you're new to the podcast, we like to look at comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to check out their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they've been woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. Today, we are traveling through time and talking about the 35 year legacy of one of the strongest cult franchises around, Highlander. But [00:01:00] before we do that, Jessika, what is one cool thing that you've watched or read lately? Jessika: My brother has some copies of classic Peanuts Comics, and it's so much fun. It's good, wholesome, fun. And Snoopy- related media always makes me nostalgic. And Mike you've mentioned before that we're in California in the San Francisco Bay area, but fun fact, I live right near Santa Rosa, which is the home of the Peanuts creator Charles Schultz when he was alive. So there's a museum there and an ice skating rink. Mike: Yeah. Jessika: Which is super awesome And Snoopy on ice was huge when I was a kid. And that is definitely the place I also learned to ice skate. By the way, they throw a mean birthday party, just saying, not right this second. Not this second. [00:02:00] We should do it is what I'm saying. Mike: We should do it for ourselves. Jessika: No, that's what I'm saying. Oh, I don't have children. Mike: But we do. Jessika: Yes, they can come with us, like they're invited. Mike: I mean, are they? Jessika: Look at you hesitating. Mike: We took the kids to the Peanuts museum right before the lockdowns happened. that really Jessika: That's really lovely that's nice got to do that. Mike: There’s a lot of cool stuff to do. It's really interactive. It's also just a really fascinating experience because there's so much about the Peanuts during their, what 50 year run give or take. It may not have been that long. It may have been 30 or 40, but it was a long time, and I really dug it, like there was a lot of cool stuff, so yeah . And also the cool thing about Santa Rosa is they've also got all those Snoopy statues all over town too. Jessika: They do. Yeah. All the [00:03:00] Peanuts characters actually. Cause they, the Charlie Browns and the Lucy's now and the Woodstocks. Yeah they're all over the place. But that used to be something fun we could do as a scavenger hunt, and actually that's something you guys could still do even with the lockdown. Cause most of them are outside is just find that list of where all the Snoopy's or whatever character is and go find them all. Cause we did that at one point, like as an adult, obviously. Well, what about you, Mike? Mike: The complete opposite of something wholesome. Jessika: Perfect. Mike: We didn't actually have the kids for a few days. They were with their dad and we couldn't find anything new to watch. So, we wound up bingeing the entire series of Harley Quinn on HBO Max. Jessika: Oh, you’re ahead of me then. Damn you. Mike: This is my third time going through the series. We've just gotten to the point where we turned it on when we want to watch something that's kind of soothing in a way, even though it is not a soothing TV show. But I still am [00:04:00] having these full on belly laughs where I'm breathless at the end and it's just, it's so smart and funny and absolutely filthy with the violence. And then there are these moments of sweetness or genuine reflection, and it's just so damn refreshing. I was never much of a Harley fan, but this show and then the Birds of Prey movie really made me fall in love with that character. Also side note, Michael Ironside who played General Katana and Highlander II. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: He shows up in Harley Quinn doing the voice of Darkseid, which is a character he's been voicing since the nineties when he first started doing it for the Superman animated series. Jessika: Oh, damn. Mike: So, just a little bit of symmetry there. Mike: All right. So before we begin, I have to say that this episode wound up being a rabbit hole full of other rabbit holes that I kept going down. So, I want to give a little credit where it's due for a ton of my research. I really wound up leaning on two books: John Mosby's Fearful Symmetry [00:05:00]; and A Kind of Magic: The Making of Highlander by Jonathan Melville. Likewise, there's a YouTube series called Highlander heart hosted by Grant Kempster and Joe Dilworthand, and an associated Facebook community with the same name that were just invaluable for my crash course. And finally, I want to give special, thanks to Clinton Rawls, who runs Comics Royale, and Matt Kelly for taking the time to chat with me because they didn't have to, and they provided me with some really useful information for this episode. Jessika: Yeah, I'm super excited about what lies in store. What's really funny is I've actually, I feel like a kid before it test. Mike: Right? Jessika: like I'm a little nervous because I've been cramming so hard for this Mike: We both have. Jessika: No, you, especially you, especially like you should be much more nervous than me, Mike. No, I’m just kidding, please don't take that on. Oh, but yeah, no I'm super excited and really ready to talk about all of this stuff and learn more because I've just been consuming the media and the [00:06:00] comic books. But, you’re going to give me some back knowledge that's gonna blow my brain and I'm excited. Mike: Oh, well, I'll try to live up to that high expectation. Let's assume that you didn't know what the topic of this episode was. And if someone asked you what cult property from the 1980s. Spawned five movies, two TV series, a Saturday morning cartoon, an anime film, several video games, multiple tabletop games, audio plays, roughly a dozen novels, and four okay, technically six different comic books. What would your first answer be? Jessika: Oh, goodness. What's funny is probably not Highlander. I'd probably I would say like Batman, honestly, Mike: Yeah I would've gone with something along the lines of G.I. Joe. Jessika: Oh, yeah. Mike: Or some weird Saturday morning cartoon, something like that. I never would have guessed Highlander. I never would have assumed that. but it's just, it's really surprising to see how [00:07:00] much has been generated out of this initial movie. Were you fan of the movies or the show before we started bingeing everything for this episode? Jessika: So I was actually a fan of the show via my dad who had it on hadn't watched the films before, because I was born in 1986 fun fact. Mike: Right. Jessika: I was born when this thing was sent into the world. We both were at the same time, apparently. I didn't have that exact experience of growing up watching it, but he definitely had the TV show on in the nineties Mike: Okay. Jessika: So that was what I was familiar with and I loved it and I would run around chopping things; I'd be at work, I was actually like when I got older I'd be like, there can only be one, and I’d like have to like swipe at someone. Mike: It’s such an iconic line. Jessika: iIt is! it transcends. Absolutely. Mike: Yeah. I was pretty young when the movie came out and the show was how I became aware of it. And then when the show was airing, I was in high school. And then I became [00:08:00] aware that there was a movie that had inspired it. And so I was able to rent that when I was old enough to be trusted, to go rent movies on my own by my parents. Back when we couldn’t stream everything. Jessika: Oh my gosh. Mike: And there were rewind fees, Jessika: Oh, my gosh. Be kind rewind. Mike: Speaking of things from the eighties: it’s funny we'll talk about it later on, but the show really brought in, I think a lot of people that otherwise wouldn't have been fans. Before we start talking about the comic books, I really want to take a few minutes to talk about all the media and content that spun out of Highlander because it's a lot. And it was honestly in a couple of cases, really surprising. I didn't know about half of this stuff before I began researching for the episode, and then. Like I said, it was just constant rabbit holes that kept on leading me down more and more research paths. And it was really fun. But I want to talk about all this now. Jessika: Perfect. This is exactly what we're here for, and I think that people want to hear it too. [00:09:00] Mike: I hope so. Okay. So why don't you summarize Highlander? If you had to give an elevator pitch, Jessika: The film follows the past and present of Connor MacLeod, an immortal who is just one of many vying to be the sole victor in an age old battle, where in the end, there can only be one. Like very simply a lot more to it, but like how much of an elevator pitch. Mike: I think that's pretty simple. It's about an immortal who basically keeps on fighting his way through history and there's these really wonderful catch phrases that get us hooked. The movies got actually a really interesting origin story of its own. It was written by this guy named Gregory Widen when he was in his early twenties. That was when he wrote the initial screenplay. But he had already had a really interesting life up until then. He was one of the youngest paramedics in Laguna Beach at that point in [00:10:00] time. And then he went on to become a firefighter while he was still a teenager. By 1981, he'd also worked as a DJ and a broadcast engineer. And then he signed up for a screenwriting course at UCLA and he wrote this feature length script called Shadow Clan. And it would go through a number of changes before it became Highlander. But the core theme of an immortal warrior named Connor MacLeod wandering across the centuries is there. He wound up getting introduced to producers Bill Panzer, and Peter Davis who decided to option the film. And then they hired the screenwriters, Larry Ferguson and Peter Bellwood to rework the script into what we eventually had wind up in theaters. And once the movie was green-lit, they brought in Russell Mulcahey to direct it. And I vaguely knew that Mulcahey had been doing music videos before this, for the most part, he had one other cult movie ahead of time. It was a horror movie, I think, called Razorback. But I didn't realize which music videos he'd been making until I started doing all [00:11:00] this research. So I'm going to give you a small sampling and you're going to tell me if you've heard of these. Jessika: Okay. Sure sure sure. Mike: Okay. The Vapors “Turning Japanese”. Jessika: Uh, yeah. Mike: Yeah, okay. The Buggles “Video Killed the Radio Star”. Jessika: Wow. Yes. Mike: Duran Duran Duran’s “Rio”. Jessika: Wow. Mike: And Elton John's “I'm Still Standing”. Jessika: Yeahwow. That's actually a variety of characters. Mike: Right? But also those all really iconic music videos. Like not only songs, but music, videos cause those were all in the very early days. And the dude's entire portfolio is just iconic. If you think about the music videos that really defined the genre Jessika: Yeah, sometimes you just got it, I guess. Huh? Mike: He has a lot of those music video elements. A lot of times in the movie, it feels like a music video, like when Brenda's being chased down the hall by the Kurgan and it's got all that dramatic lighting, or that opening shot where they're in the [00:12:00] wrestling match and you see the camera flying through everything. Jessika: Yes! Mike: That was wild. That was really unusual to see camera work like that back then. The movie was distributed by 20th century Fox. And I think at this point, We'd be more surprised of 20th century Fox did a good job of marketing weird and cool, because they really botched it. They wound up forcing cuts to the movie that created really weird plot holes because they didn't feel that audiences needed it or what would understand it, and they wanted to make it simpler, but it really made things more confusing. European audiences on the other hand, really embraced the film because they got a much better version. So case in point, I'm going to show you the two main posters for it. This is the American poster for the movie. Jessika: Mmhmm. Oh, wow, he’s scary. Wow wow wow, okay. Before I even say any of the words, what you first see is Connor [00:13:00] MacLeod, but it's this awful grainy picture of him. He looks like there's something wrong with his face, which he shouldn't necessarily. And he looks like he's about to murder someone. He's like glaring off into the distance. And at the top it says, Oh, it's in black and white, by the way. at the top it says, He fought his first battle on the Scottish Highlands in 1536, he will fight his greatest battle on the streets of New York city in 1986. His name is Connor MacLeod. He is immortal Highlander! Credits at the bottom, rated R, absolutely rated R. Mike: Also, I feel like featuring original songs by Queen does not get the billing that it should. Jessika: I agree. I jammed my way through that film and this just the whole series, [00:14:00] actually the whole franchise I jammed my way through. Mike: Yeah. And if you listen to the kind of Magic album that is basically the unofficial soundtrack to the movie, and it's so good I don't know how they got those perpetual rights to Princes of the Universe, did. Every time I hear that song, I get a little thrill up my spine. All right. So here's the poster though for the European release. Jessika: All right. So, Ooh, this is totally different. This is Whoa. This is way more exciting. Okay. First of all, it's full Color, my friends, right in the middle in red it says Highlander right under it “There can only be one” in yellow. Oh it's amazing. There's a little sticker at the bottom that says featuring original songs by queen. Look it, trying to sell it, I love it. And then there's Connor MacLeod in the center of the screen [00:15:00] dramatically head back eyes closed screaming his sword thrusts forward and behind him is the Kurgan, oh my gosh so good. It's so - Oh, and a backdrop of New York city. All in lights. It's beautiful. Mike: Yeah. It’s one of those things where basically, that documentary that we watched seduced by Argentina, they talk about that where they're just like 20th century Fox fucked us. Jessika: And I didn't realize how much until, because I did watch that as well. And I'm like how bad could it be? But I that's pretty bad. It's a pretty big difference. It's like watching, that'd be like going, expecting to see like psycho or something. Mike: Honestly, I keep on thinking of Firefly and Fox and how they just totally botched the marketing for that show and then the release, and issues with Joss Wheden aside. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: It’s one of those [00:16:00] things where again, it's a really beloved cult property with a really devoted fan base, even, 5 years after it was released, shit, almost 20. Jessika: And I do love Firefly, again, Whedon aside. Mike: I do too. Jessika: And it makes me a little sad think about it because it had so much potential. Mike: Yeah. Jessika: Oh, it's so rough. It's rough to see. Mike: Yeah. What were your overall thoughts on the movie now that you've seen it because you hadn't seen it before this, correct? Jessika: No. I had only seen the TV show and probably rightfully so, because that was much less violent. I mean, much less graphically violent. They were still beheading motherfucker every episode, but, versus the film, which is like blood and like half a head and wow, there, it goes the head. But I actually really liked the movie. It was adventurous, it was thrilling and told a fairly cohesive and interesting storyline which unfortunately had an ending. But it still took us on an emotional journey. [00:17:00] Mike: Yeah, and I feel the same way. Jessika:: And how all the camp that I love from the 1980s and the special effects are just chefs, kiss love it. Mike: There is something so wonderful about the special effects from the 1980s, because they're so earnest all the time. And at the same time they look so cheesy by comparison now. Jessika: But you can tell they were trying so hard. It's almost like a little kid who's just learning to finger paint and they walk up and they're like, I did this thing. It's so good. You're like, it is really good. It's really good for where you're at. Mike: Yeah, exactly. Highlander is very much a quintessential eighties film to me, and there's both that nostalgia factor, but also it's a pretty tight little film. It doesn't really try to do anything too grandiose or too world-building because I don't think they expected to really make the sequels that they wound up doing. Which speaking of which we should discuss the sequels. [00:18:00] Mike: Like, I feel like you can’t discussion without talking about the sequels. And honestly the first time I ever heard of Highlander as a brand really was when I was visiting family in Texas And we were watching a Siskel & Ebert episode where they were thrashing Highlander II. Jessika: Dude, Siskel and Ebert I'm sure hated this. This does not surprise me in the least. Mike: I don't remember much about it, I just remember being like, oh Sean Connery's in a movie, well that's cool. Because my parents had raised me on all of the Sean Connery James Bond movies. Jessika: Yeah casting, come on. Why? Why? They had a French dude playing a Scottish guy and a Scottish guy playing a Spanish Egyptian guy. It's. Mike: I believe label was a Hispaniola Egyptian. They kinda darkened up Sean Connery a little bit too. I'm not sure. Jessika: It felt that way. I was just hoping he had just been under the tanning beds, but no, I think you're right. [00:19:00] Mike: Highlander II was definitely the most infamous of the sequels. And I mean a huge part of that is because it had such a batshit production and there’d been so many different versions of it. It was so bad that Russell Mulcahey reportedly walked out of the film premiere after only 15 minutes. There's this great documentary that you and I both watched on YouTube, it's split up into a bunch parts, but it was a documentary they made for the special edition of Highlander II. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: It was the third release of the movie that they put out because the first one was basically the bonding company for the films. Investors took over the production and assembly of the movie due to the fact that Argentina, where they were filming. And they had gone to Argentina because a, it was gorgeous, but B because it was supposedly going to be a third of the cost Jessika: Yeah. Mike: To make a movie there than it would elsewhere. Argentina’s economy collapsed and went through hyperinflation. And as a result, everything just went haywire. But they went back years later and they not only recut the [00:20:00] movie, but they refilled or added in certain scenes I think four or five years later. And then on top of that, they did the special edition a few years after that, where they redid the special effects. And I don't know it's kind of funny because it's not a bad movie now. It's not terrible. I feel it's an enjoyable film in its own way. But it's also funny where you watch that documentary and they're talking about the stuff that they're so proud of. Russell Mulcahey was talking about how proud he was of that love scene. I'm using this in quotes, love scene between Virginia Madsen and and Christopher Lambert where they just decided to do it up against the wall of an alley? Jessika: That’s always an interesting choice to me. Like you really cannot wait. Mike: Yeah. And then he was like, I thought that was a really hot scene. And I got to sit there and I'm like, I don't, I can't view this through the lens of, a 20 something guy in the 1990s. I don't know what my interpretation of it would have been then, [00:21:00] but watching it now watching it for the first time when I was in my twenties and the, in the early aughts, I just was like, this is weird and sorta dumb. And also they don't really have a lot of chemistry, but okay. Jessika: Yeah, it just kind of happens. They're just like, Oh, here you are. Mike: Yeah Right I don't know. At the same time it was cool to see they did all those really practical, special effects where they actually had them whipping around on the wires on like the weird flying skateboards and stuff. I thought that was cool. Jessika: I thought that was neat too. And how he was like, yeah, I actually got on top of the elevator and he was excited. Now he got on top of the elevator. Mike: And then they basically just dropped it down, like that's wild. So how about Highlander three? Jessika: Ahhh… Mike: Yeah, that’s kinda where I am Jessika: It’s very forgettable in my book. Mike: I feel like you could wipe it from the timeline and no one would care. Really, it felt like a retread of the first movie, but with the shittier villain in a way less interesting love story. honestly, it was a bummer because Mario [00:22:00] Van Peebles, the guy who plays that the illusionist I can't even remember his name. It was that forgettable. Jessika: Yeah, no, I can't either. Mike: Mario van Peebles is a really good actor and he's done a lot of really cool stuff. And it just, it felt like he was the NutraSweet version of the Kurgan Jessika: I like that. Yes. Yes. Mike: All of the mustache twirling, none of the substance. Jessika: It leaves a little bit of a weird taste in your mouth. Mike: Right. Splenda Kurgan! Moving on Highlander, Endgame. Jessika: What I do like about this film is that in both the TV series, as well as the film, there is the actual crossover. Connor shows up in Duncan's world and Duncan shows up in Connor's world and there is that continuity, which is good. And I do appreciate that because, before I got into this, I assumed that the character was interchangeable and we were just seeing different actors James [00:23:00] Bond situation. And when I went back and realized like, Oh no, he's his own character, they're blah, you know. Mike: I dunno I saw this in theaters I love the show and I appreciated that it felt like an attempt to merge the movies in the series and of the movies, I feel like this actually has the strongest action scenes. There's that bit where Adrian Paul faces off against Donnie Yen. And I was like, that's gotta be really cool to be able to sit there and show your kids much later in life: hey, I got to do a martial arts scene with Donnie Yen and he didn't kill me in the movie. that's pretty dope. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: Again, it felt underwhelming. It just wasn't all that interesting. And also I spent years being mad at that movie because the trailer brought me into the theater expecting something way different than what we were going to get Jessika: Okay. And I don't know that I saw the trailer. Mike: It has, it has a bunch of scenes with Magic where Connor and Duncan jumped through a portal [00:24:00]. Jessika: What? Mike: And a sword gets thrown at Jacob Kell and he catches it midair. And then he does something else where he's holding a sphere where you see Connor's face screaming and then it shatters. Jessika: What’s with all this weird, extra scene stuff in these trailers. I don't understand. Mike: Yeah, it turns out that this hasn't, this has never really been officially confirmed, but reading between the lines yeah, it’s been confirmed. They basically filmed extra scenes just to make it more appealing for people. So they would show up to the theaters. Like they filmed scenes, effectively they filmed scenes just for the trailer the director when he was asked about it in Fearful Symmetry. He basically said, yeah, I know there was some stuff that they filmed for marketing afterwards, and I wasn't involved with that. And then I think it was Peter Davis that was asked about this for the book. And he basically said, Oh, this is a really standard practice. People, or accompanies [00:25:00] film stuff for for marketing purposes all the time. And that's where he left it. Jessika: Oh, okay. to know. Mike: I was really grumpy about that, but that said I've softened a little since then. Do we even want to talk about the Source? Cause I feel like that's something that we shouldn't talk about in polite company. Jessika: No pass. Mike: Okay. Jessika: It happened? Mike: It happened, it was a thing that happened that was going to be a trilogy. They were planning to make that into a trilogy of movies. Jessika: Ohh rough times. Mike: Oh it's real bad. I don't think you were able to watch this, but Highlander, the search for vengeance. It's the anime. Jessika: No, I couldn't find it. Mike: Yeah. It's not available for streaming and it really it's really a bummer because it's actually pretty good. I'm not quite sure how to qualify it because it's not a live action movie and it doesn't star Duncan or Connor, but it's a full length anime. It's a full length movie in its own right. It focuses on Colin MacLeod who he’s [00:26:00] an immortal, who's technically part of the MacLeod clan. He's born as a Roman Britain and then he's adopted into the MacLeod clan after he fights alongside them later on. They keep on doing this. They keep on going back to dystopian SciFutures, which I kinda like, Jessika: I love, bless their little hearts. Mike: Yeah. A lot of the story actually takes place in this post-apocalyptic 22nd century, New York. And I haven't seen this in about a decade because it's not available on streaming. I don't have the DVD anymore. I really should pick it up before it goes out of print. But the movie fucking slaps. It was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, he was really big in the nineties. He did Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust. He's known for really cool looking movies that are also really violent at the same time. Like you look at his characters and you're like, Oh yeah, no, they all look interchangeable because they're also similar one movie to another, Jessika: Oh, I see. Mike: But they're really cool. And the movie was written by David Abramowitz, who was the head writer [00:27:00] for the TV show. So it felt like a pretty legit Highlander story. Honestly, if we had to talk about this and ask which of these movies or the sequels were our favorites, I would probably say the Search for Vengeance. Because I loved it so much, but since that wasn't a theatrical release, we'll exclude that and you didn't get to watch it. Of the sequels, which did you enjoy most? Jessika: Mike, why don’t you go first. Mike: Okay. I'm a little torn, I guess I enjoyed Endgame mainly because it feels like part of he in quotes, real Highlander story, I guess it's the least terrible of the sequels. And it brought in my favorite characters. The final version of Highlander II, is I don't know. I don't hate it. It honestly feels like a cool dystopian cyberpunk story with some bizarre Highlander lore shoehorned in, but at the same time, it's not the worst thing I've ever watched. How about you? Jessika: Funny [00:28:00] enough, I was going to say Highlander II, but maybe just a bit more so if it were its own standalone movie and not try to be a part of the Highlander franchise. The idea of the shield is super interesting and I think they could have elaborated more on the lead-up and the resolution of that issue rather than having to also make it about the Immortals in their forever game. Mike: Yeah, I agree. How do you feel about moving onto the TV series? Jessika: Oh, I am pro. Mike: Okay. I personally feel like this is the property that sucks all the air out of the room when you're talking about Highlander. Jessika: Oh no. Mike: Yeah, I mentioned that this is how I really got introduced to the brand. I started watching it in high school, around season three, which was when it was really starting to get good. The first two seasons I feel were kind of when they were ironing out all the rough spots. But I wound up watching it through the end. So if you're listening to this podcast and you have never seen the [00:29:00] show Highlander, the series ran for six seasons, which is a good length of time for any TV show. And it followed the adventures of Duncan, who was another member of the MacLeod clan. He was a distant cousin of Connor. And the show bounced between Seacouver, which is a fictionalized version of Vancouver in Paris. And it basically retcon things so that the original movie didn't end with The Quickening, but that the battle between the Kurgan and Connor was it's implied, it was the start of The Gathering. That's my interpretation of it. Jessika: That was what I got too. Mike: Yeah. And Christopher Lambert, he shows up in the pilot to help set things up and get them moving. But I think that's the only time we ever really seen him on the show. Jessika: Correct. He's really just an intro. He's in that first episode only. Mike: You have rewatched it as a have I . We haven't watched the entire series all the way through, but we've watched a lot of episodes. Jessika: Correct. Mike: How do you feel [00:30:00] it measures up today? compared to that nostalgic view that we had before, Jessika: I had a lot of fun watching it, actually. definitely super cheesy. I don't love all of the characters I watched a lot of the first season, then I bounced around I think I did the top, like 25 on a list that you sent me. But Duncan’s just so codependent sometimes with his characters and it's like the one time the Tessa goes on a hike by herself, she gets kidnapped by an, a mortal and it’s like, oh my God, she can't even go on a fucking hike, are you joking me? And the one time he goes to the store by himself, he gets kidnapped and it's like, oh, come the fuck on you guys. Mike: Yeah, I feel like it generally holds up pretty well. It's a little uneven, but when it hits , it really hits. And it's a lot of fun. And considering that it was a relatively low budget show on basic cable in the early to mid-nineties, there's a lot of stuff that has aged way worse. [00:31:00] Jessika:: Absolutely. It exceeded my expectations on the rewatch, for sure. Mike: Yeah, and I have to say that one really cool thing about Highlander is it's got a really large female fan base. And I suspect that the show is really responsible for that. Jessika: I would agree. There's a few reasons. Mike: Are six of those reasons. Duncan's abs? Jessika: Like 10 of those reasons are all the times he gets surprised in a bathtub. I know I messaged you while I was watching them, because I was like Duncan got surprised in a bathtub again. Mike: I don't remember which episode it was, but there's one where he is surprised while he's in a bathrobe and he's got, it's not even tighty whities, it’s like a bikini brief, and watching that, I was just sitting there going, thank you for this gift. Thank you. Thank you for this visual treat that you have given us in the middle of my very boring work day. Jessika: It’s [00:32:00] also that there are such a wide variety of female characters. I would say, Iit’s not just the other female person he seeing or whatever, the love interest, there are other female Immortals and they a lot more frequently than they do in the films. I can't recall if they have any female immortals in the films. Mike: They do in Endgame. Jessika: Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I thought there was, there were some in there, but that’s tailing into, I mean yeah. Mike: Yeah. And the Source had them too, but meh. Jessika: Oh yeah. Mike: I will say that the show was pretty good about writing pretty strong female characters, I felt. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: And we'll talk about Amanda in a little bit, but I have to say that I really liked how she was written and how Elizabeth Grayson played her through the original series and then her own afterwards. I dunno. I, what do you think is the sexiest thing about Duncan MacLeod? I'm curious. Jessika: He seems [00:33:00] really like trustworthy, but like and sexy trustworthy. It's like, he'd be the dude. I called if some guys were fucking with me. Mike: Yeah. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: I kept on thinking about how there's this Tumblr post that's been going around the internet, regularly, and it's this discussion about which Disney men women find the sexiest guys always thinks it's Gaston. Jessika: Oh lord, why? Mike: It’s that male power fantasy thing where they're just like, oh no, like he's like really charming. And he's really muscly. And the counterargument from women is usually A no Gaston sucks and B we all like Roger from 101 Dalmatians. Jessika: Oh yeah. Roger. Mike: Which, Roger is very much my personal role model. The dude's a talented musician, he loves animals and he's got that great, a snark where he literally is trolling the villain when she comes to his house with a motherfucking trombone from upstairs [00:34:00]. And I think Duncan's a little like that. Like he's cultured and he's worldly and he's got this wicked sense of humor. And he's also the type of dude who has no problem reciting poetry in public or making his partner breakfast in bed. Jessika: Yeah, absolutely. Mike: So it just it was something that came to mind while I was rewatching all this stuff. Jessika: Yeah. just as like a wholesome guy. Mike: Right? Jessika: He always has good intentions. So that's actually what it feels like. He's always coming at things with good intentions. Mike: Yeah, and he's not perfect, but he's always trying to do the right thing, which I really appreciate. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: What was your favorite episode? Jessika: I went back and forth. I really like the Homeland episode, and like I said, I've really only watched a good chunk of most of season what I would say, and then so kind of bounced around, but season four, episode one. It was really sweet to see [00:35:00] Duncan take the obligatory trip back to his Homeland to pay respects. And it also had a good lesson in not judging a book by its cover as the main character assumes that Duncan is just an ancestry tourist, which was super interesting. She was super hating on it but I was like this is interesting instead of visiting what once was literally his home during formative years. So it was just such a wild thing to see her be like, what are you doing near those graves? And he can't really be like, they were my parents because you cannot even read them. They are so old. Mike: The funny thing is I didn't rewatch that episode during our refresher, but I remember watching that episode when I was about 15 or so. Because it's stuck out to me. Jessika: It’s really good. And of course, Duncan, he always has a good intention. The whole reason he went back was because he figured out that somebody had been [00:36:00] pilfering graves Mike: Yeah. Jessika: And he had to return what was in this grave. Mike: I know he's making the rest of us look bad. So mine is, it's unusual suspects. It's from season six, which I feel is actually pretty weak season overall. And it's this really silly one-off episode, starring Roger Daltry of the Who fame. He plays Hugh Fitzcairn, which is a character that he shows up in plays a couple of times throughout the series. And at this point in time in the story, he was dead, but it's a flashback to the 19 teens or 1920s. 1920s, because it ends with the stock market crash, but it's a take on the British country, house murder, mystery genre, and it's really fun. And it was just this really refreshing moment of levity after what I felt our run of really heavy, and in my opinion, not very good episodes. The end of season five and the beginning of season [00:37:00] six are all about Duncan confronting this demon named Aramon and it's weird and it's not very good. And I really don't enjoy it. This is all my opinion. I'm sure that I'm insulting some Highlander fan who absolutely loves this, but it's a fun episode in its own. And then it's a good moment after one that I didn't really enjoy. And so it's got that extra refreshing bonus. I just, I want to note, it's really funny to me how intertwined Highlander has always been with rock and roll and music in general, because they had Mulcahey who do it, doing all these music videos and stuff. And then they kept on having musicians show up as guest stars. I think it was there's a character named Xavier St. Cloud, I think who was played by one of the guys from, again, I think, Fine Young Cannibals? Jessika: Yeah, I think I actually watched that episode. Mike: I think he was using nerve gas to kill people. Jessika: Yes I did watch that episode. That was a wild one. Yeah. Mike: Yeah, and I think he shows up later on too. [00:38:00] I can't remember but anyway, I really appreciate that they gave Roger Daltry of all people, this character, and he just really had fun with it and they kept bringing him back. Jessika: Yeah. He was a good character every episode he was in my other favorites was the one where they had Mary Shelley and he was in that one too. I believe. Mike: I think so. Yeah. No, it was, the series was really fun, and I liked that we can sit there and pull all these episodes just from memory that we really liked. Jessika: Absolutely. Mike: So season six , they were trying to find a new actress who could carry her own Highlander show. And so they tested out a bunch of different actresses in season six and gave them either really strong guest appearances, or they were basically the main character for episodes. But they wound up not going with any of them. They went with Elizabeth Grayson and gave her the Raven where she reprised her roles Amanda. Did you watch any of that? Did you get a chance to? Jessika: I watched the [00:39:00] first and the last episode of season one, I can only find the first season. Is there only one? Mike: There’s only one season, it didn’t get picked up again. Jessika: Oh then there you go. Then I could have only, I know I was scratching my head. Worried about where else do I find this? Mike: Well, and it ends on a cliff-hanger. Jessika: Yeah, exactly. That's where I was like, let's go. Mike: It ends with Nick becoming immortal. Jessika: Oh, see, I didn't quite finish it. Cause I was hurriedly setting it up in the background. Mike: Yeah it was fine. I thought Elizabeth Grayson is really charming in that role, but at the same time, there wasn't a lot of chemistry initially between Amanda and Nick, I felt at the very beginning. Jessika: I agree, not in the first episode. Mike: By the end of the season, it was there, and I think they were also, as is the case with most shows first seasons, they were trying really hard to figure out what they wanted to do. And so originally it was a cop show with an immortal, which there are certainly worse pitches that I've heard. Jessika: Yeah. No, I agree. Mike: But yeah. sad that it didn't get to go further [00:40:00] Jessika: I'm tempted to go back and watch all of these things. I may have to do a pallet cleanse of something different. I may have to go back to my Marvel watching. Mike: On top of this, there was a Saturday morning cartoon called Highlander, the series or Highlander, the animated series, and it was set in the future. It's in a weird alternate timeline. It stars another MacLeod. It's fine It's a Saturday morning cartoon. I didn't even care enough to really go back and watch it because being that great. They did some interesting stuff. Like they brought Ramirez back if I remember, right. And then they also had a thing where instead of beheading other Immortals, the main character had an ability where he could be voluntarily given their power. Jessika: Oh. Mike: So he had all of their knowledge and power. And again, it’s again in a dystopian future where another immortal has taken over the world. Jessika: Wow. They just love their dystopian future. Mike: They really do. But yeah, it's fine. I think it's streaming on Amazon prime. I was just so focused on everything else that I didn't get a chance to go and [00:41:00] rewatch it. Jessika: Huh, good to know. Mike: We're going to go over all the other various pieces of media real quick. and then we've got one side tangent and then we're going to go through comic books, but. Jessika: I'm so excited. Mike: Books, Highlander wound up having a pretty substantial literary footprint. The original movie had the official novelization. There wasn't really anything after that until the show came out and then the show had 10 novels and an anthology and an official behind the scenes kind of book called the Watchers Guide and it's full of essays and interviews and photos. And since then, there've been a couple of non-fiction books, like Fearful Symmetry, which is about everything Highlander related. And it's almost like a textbook, but it's pretty good. And then there's also A Kind of Magic, which is more focused on making of the original movie. And those are both actually really good. I liked them a lot. They were really easy to read. [00:42:00] There were audio plays, which I keep on forgetting audio plays are a thing at this point, but it's by this company called Big Finish in the UK. They do tie-in audio dramas for television properties. Most famously they do Dr Who. They wound up doing two seasons of audio plays. The first had Adrian Paul reprise his role as Duncan and they take place after the series ended. And then also after the events of Endgame, you can't really find them anymore. Because they just, the license expired so they aren't selling them as far as I'm aware. Jessika: That's super interesting though. Dang. Mike: Yeah. And then the second season focuses on the four horsemen Immortals, remember Jessika: Okay. Mike: Do you remember them? Jessika: I sure do. Mike: Because we were talking about this a little bit, but it was all about Methos and the other guys that he hung out with when he was effectively, a comic book villain who would've if he’d had a mustache to twirl, he would have done it. Jessika: So quickly. Yes. Mike: I thought that was really interesting. There were a couple of people in the Highlander Heart [00:43:00] group who talked about it and they seem to really like them. I can't comment, but it was really neat. Games, this is the one that's really interesting. Highlander actually has been turned into a number of games over the years. There's a couple of tabletop games we're going to breeze through. So there was two different card games in a board game. One of the card games was released back in the nineties, it was a collectible card game. And this was right when Magic: The Gathering was really hot and everybody was trying to get in on that action. And then recently there's a new one called Highlander: The Duel. And it's a deck-building game where you play as Connor or the Kurgan going up against each other. And just a couple of years ago, there was a board game that got kick-started, it was in 2018 and it's this fast paced game for two to six players. The reviews across the web were pretty positive. And again, it's one of those things where it's Immortals battling for that mysterious prize. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: But it's cool. Jessika: Nice. Mike: I’m actually pretty surprised [00:44:00] we never got like a tabletop RPG because they are not precious about applying the license for Highlander to stuff. I'm amazed that nobody went to them and said, Hey, we can make this cool historical RPG where we sorta start having players wake up and then they have flashbacks or whatever. And Jessika: Yeah Oh that would have been cool Yeah Mike: Right? But yeah we never got anything like that which I was really I actually that was the one thing I expected and was surprised to see that we never got. Okay. So we're going to go into mini tangent with video games even though they aren't technically related to comics. The first game for Highlander was a 1986 tie-in release for home computers. It was a really simple fighting title. It wasn't well received. It was apparently pretty bad. So after that the animated series had a tie in called Highlander: Last of the MacLeods. It was released on the Atari Jaguar CD console. If you remember that. Do you remember the Atari Jaguar? Jessika: Oh my god, no. I don't. [00:45:00] Mike: It kinda got lost in the shuffle in the early to mid nineties of all the different consoles that were coming out. But you can find footage of this on YouTube and it's one of those early 3d games. And so it got a lot of praise for his exploration elements and animated video sequences, but it also got a lot of criticism for its controls in combat. After that there was actually going to be an MMO called Highlander, The Gathering. And it was in development by a French studio called Kalisto entertainment, which was honestly weird because Kalisto's catalog up until now were mostly middling single-player games. They'd gotten famous for a series called Nightmare Creatures, but they also did a Fifth Element racing game on PS2 that I had and was actually pretty fun. Anyway, Kalisto went bankrupt before the MMO could come out. Jessika: Oh! Mike: And none of the folks who, yeah, that's video games. Jessika: Fair enough. Mike: So they went bankrupt. The MMO hadn't come out yet. And the folks who wound up with the rights afterwards just decided to kill the project. There's [00:46:00] one other game. That's become the source of a lot of speculation. And it's only known as Highlander: The Game it basically came about because Davis Panzer productions that's, the guys who own the rights to Highlander, and SCI, which was this holding company that owned a bunch of video game groups. They decided to ink a deal, to make a Highlander game. They announced that they basically had done a partnership back in like 2004, 2005. And at the time SCI owned Eidos who was the publisher that gave us Tomb Raider. So they were a pretty big name. The game itself was formally announced by Eidos in 2008 and the development was being handled by another French developer called Widescreen Games. It was going to be an action role-playing game. It would star a new Immortal named Owen MacLeod. The story was going to be written again by David Abramowitz and that added some [00:47:00] serious legitimacy to the project for fans. Actually, why don’t you read the summary. Jessika: Would love to my pleasure. Summary: Owen is captured and enslaved by Romans who force him to compete as a gladiator. During this time, Owen dies only to come back to life. Methos, the oldest living immortal approaches Owen to be his mentor. He teaches Owen about the game and how he and other Immortals can only be slain by beheading. As with other immortal MacLeods Owen is pursued throughout his life by a nemesis. This enemy proves to be extremely powerful. One that Owen is unable to defeat Owen learns of a magical stone, fragments of which are scattered all over the world. Throughout the game, Owen embarks upon a quest to recover these fragments and restore the stone in an attempt to gain the power to overcome his foe. [00:48:00] So dramatic. I love it. Mike: What's Highlander without any drama? But that sounds rad right? Jessika: Oh, it sounds amazing. Mike: The game was announced with a trailer in 2008 that really only showed some of the environments from different eras and then it ended with an image of Owen, but it looked promising. And then there wasn't much else after a couple of years of pretty much nothing but radio silence, Eidos wound up canceling the game and that's where a lot of the speculation has started. There's not a lot of information on Highlander: The Game. I keep waiting for one of those gaming history YouTubers to get ahold of an old dev kit and then do a video with a build, but that hasn't happened yet. So really it's all kind of speculation and wishful thinking about what could have been. And it also seems like some of the details are getting muddied as time goes on. Like Fearful Symmetry talks about the game of it but they [00:49:00] have the segment. And again I want you to read this. Jessika: Sure sure. The gam was so far along in its development stages that segments including backdrops and some of the gameplay options were presented at a Highlander Worldwide event in Los Angeles 2006 and got a very positive reaction. The beautifully rendered backdrops were almost movie quality and included the likes of Pompei, a dark forest in the Highlands, New York, and Japan as gameplay locations and introduced us to another MacLeod, Owen, the same surname but a much earlier vintage. Mike: Yeah, so, I think Mosby is a little overly enthusiastic about all of this, and this is because I think Mosby doesn't have much familiarity with how game development works. It sounds like they had concept art on display and were discussing gameplay [00:50:00] rather than showcasing a build of the game. Concept art and design discussions are things that happen very early in game development. But if you're an outsider, looking in this stuff could easily be interpreted as things being much further along than they were. Jessika: Ah. Mike: Yeah. Now that said, I did work in video games for almost a decade, and a few of my coworkers were actually involved with Highlander the game. Jessika: What? Mike: Every one of them over the years has told me the cancellation was a mercy killing. And again, this is from multiple sources, so I'm not going to name or identify because, I don't want to make things awkward for them. But basically the game was garbage . It's not really surprising to hear cause widescreen never really made a good game, the best reception that any of their titles got was just kinda mixed. But earlier this week, I actually called one of my friends. Who'd been [00:51:00] attached to the project because I wanted to get more information about this game before we recorded. Jessika: We need to get you a new shovel, you dug so deep for this. Mike: With both hands. But, they confirmed what I've been hearing from other people the gameplay itself wasn't just bad. It was boring. The biggest problem was it didn't know what kind of a game it wanted to be. Basically, it was trying to do everything all at once. There were a bunch of traversal elements, which didn't really make a lot of sense. Like why would you climb a Manhattan skyscraper when you're a roided out dude with a sword? Couldn't you just take the elevator? Or I don't know the stairs? There was going to be a bunch of Magic elements in the gameplay, which, isn't really, that's not really a thing in Highlander. There's that fantasy element because we're talking about Immortals who can't die unless you cut off their heads, but generally Magic isn't a part of the accepted Canon. And then the combat, what they were aiming to do something like [00:52:00] God of war, which was really big at the time. But, it wasn't great. My friend also pointed out that Owen looked like a bodybuilder, but his fashion sense was from that industrial metal scene of the late nineties, which neither of those things really fits with the Highlander aesthetic because Adrian Paul was arguably the most in shape of the Highlander actors. But even that was, he was a dude who was like, yeah, I could achieve that if I was really good about my diet and then just worked out aggressively but not like Hugh Jackman does for his Wolverine roles. Jessika: Yeah, yeah. Mike: So I'm going to send you a screenshot of what Owen looked like in the key art the initial title it does. Jessika: What? It looks like Criss Angel. Mike: Right. And they're trying to recreate that iconic pose of The Quickening from the first movie that Connor does at the very end where he's getting raised up and, by the rails of Lightning, or the wires [00:53:00] of lightning. Jessika: Yeah, I get what they were trying to do. Mike: Yeah,I wanna know, what the fuck is up with those weird straps with rings that are going down his legs. Jessika: I don't really know, I was trying to figure that out myself. So just so that everyone can really get the picture that we're getting here and you'll, you might understand why it's taken me so long to describe it. I had to take it all in first. Mike: Yeah, it’s a ride. Jessika: It’s all very monochromatic. And the background is of course, a cut of the statue of Liberty, the backdrop of parts of New York that I'm sure aren't even next to each other, which is always funny. And then what is this? Is this the new guy, or is this supposed to be Duncan? Mike: Yeah, this is the new guy, Jessika: It’s Owen. Mike: Yeah. It's Owen. And then Connor and Duncan were supposed to appear, supposedly. I know Peter Wingfield was recording his lines for Methos. Jessika: Well, if they haven't killed off Methos that makes sense. And I don't know in the series if they have, and maybe Duncan makes [00:54:00] sense if he hasn't died yet, but. Mike: Yeah they can't kill off Methos, Methos was my first gay crush. Jessika: Yeah. He's. Slightly problematic in a couple episodes, but he's a great character overall. But he's very Chriss Angel, he's wearing like a trench coat and that has to be some sort of a lace undershirt or something. Mike: lAnd he’s got like a weird really, like baggy leather pants. Jessika: Yes. Which cannot be comfortable. It's doing this weird pooching thing in the front. Mike: Yeah, and then I think I saw another screenshot where it looks like he's wearing skater shoes tennis shoes as well. Jessika: Oh, Vans Off the Wall, man. Mike: Just once I want to see a MacLeod in the movies with a good fashion sense. Jessika: Yeah, I mentioned that I wanted to cosplay as Duncan, which overall would be a great idea. But then I was looking through his outfits and I'm like, what do I wear? Do I wear this weird white tank top with these like acid wash jeans [00:55:00] and a belt? Or is this the one where I'm wearing like five shirts and a long jacket? Is it that day? Mike: You know who he looks like that guy, Canus. Jessika: Yes! Yes, does. He has the lace shirt and everything. Mike: And the dog collar. Jessika: Oh my god, it was so funny. I told you, I think it was trying to be edgy. Mike: Yeah, and instead it comes off as really queer-coded. Jessika: It really does though. I know, my little queer brain was like bling. Mike: Yeah, It feels like they weren't really getting the essence of what Highlander actually was and who these guys were, because usually the Highlander characters are a little bit more believable and ordinary because that's the whole idea is that they're walking among us and we have no idea unless they tell us. Okay. On top of all this. So remember how I mentioned that trailer was just showcasing environments for the [00:56:00] game. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: There was a reason for that. The reason was that they couldn’t get the character models to work. Jessika: Oh! Mike: So the shot of Owen at the end it's actually just animated key art it's the same it's the same art that you just saw. It's that image. It was just slightly animated. And then they released a couple of screenshots for the game, but apparently they were really heavily photo-shopped well, beyond industry standards. So, it was one of those things where, this was a turd and it needed to be flushed. And it finally did. But Widescreen went under about a year after the game was formally announced. They were working on another big project and apparently that got taken away, and as a result, it just caused the studio to implode. By this point in time Square Enix the guys do all the final fantasy games had bought Eidos and they formally canceled it. We're not sure why exactly, my guess is that it was probably, they just looked at cost it would take to finish this game and then the [00:57:00] amount that it would need to sell in order to be profitable or to meet their sales expectations for it and they just thought it wasn't worth it. But yeah, my friend actually said they were embarrassed to work on it and they would have been fine even if it had been an average game, but it was just bad. Even one of those kind of middling average games, I think that would have been fine, that would have lived up to the Highlander bar. Finally, there's that Highlander game that spark unlimited was working on. I never even heard a whisper about this until. We watched that episode of Highlander Heart focusing on video games, and they brought Craig Allen on to talk about the project. Based on what we know now, I think this might be why Square Enix was holding onto the rights for another year after they shut down Highlander, the game, just because they had this other title, theoretically in development or very early development. Based on the footage that they have, it looks like they had at least done enough development work to put together a vertical slice that they could show for pitch [00:58:00] purposes and at conventions. But I thought it was really promising looking overall. What did you think? Jessika: I thought it did look really interesting the game play itself I did like the idea of having a female Highlander. That being said, they had this whole concept about what Craig Allen was calling beautiful damage. Mike: Yeah. Jessika: And it was this whole thing about, oh it was the first female Highlander and her looks go when she gets damaged, and that's her whole motivation is to stay pretty. And I just, that gave me a huge headache, and it of course was super male-gazey I mean, the game itself seemed that way. Mike: It was weird because I would love to see women and Highlander being built a little bit more like warriors, like a little bit more muscly, which would be in keeping with people who battle across the centuries. [00:59:00] They don't need to be super jacked like the Amazons in Wonder Woman, but making them look like stick thin suicide girl, punk rock chick from the late aughts. Didn't quite gel with me. I understood what he was talking about though, because that was the thing where they were starting to do permanent cosmetic damage in video games. That was something that was really big in the Batman Arkham games. Every time that you got knocked out, you'd come back and you'd have a little bit more of your outfit chipped apart. So, after a while Batman's looking pretty ragged and you realize maybe I'm not as good at this game as I think I am. Jessika: Yeah And the concept itself is really interesting It just I guess was the way it was phrased by this person. And it very much was he was so proud of the fact that it was the first Highlander female in a video game. And then everything was just like so incredibly sexist. I was excited that I wasn't Mike: We're also viewing it, with the lens of 2021 at this point. At that time, [01:00:00] that was before they had relaunched Tomb Raider, in 2013, 2014, where they made her much more realistic. She was still very fit, but she wasn't the Lara Croft that had generated a lot of criticism. I think possibly, I don't know, but I hope that it would have been marketed a bit differently if it had been done today. That said we also don't know exactly what it would look like as a final product. Jessika: Oh absolutely, yeah. Mike: It’s, I agree. It's a little bit problematic viewed through the current lens. At the same time, like a lot of the Highlander properties when it was being done, I think it was kind of just par for the course. Jessika: Yeah, fair enough. But, I did like the idea of having a female Highlander and having her have a whole story regardless of whether it's the first one to be completely [01:01:00] tragedy laden which was the other comment like her experience a ton of loss because she's female and experiences empathy unlike the male characters. Mike: I really didn't like that. Actually. I thought that was. I mean the, the whole thing where they were saying we wanted to focus on lifetimes of tragedy as opposed to enjoying multiple lives. And I'm like, that's the whole purpose of Highlander. That's what I really like is when you sit there and you watch them having fun and doing all this interesting stuff. Jessika: Women aren't allowed to have fun, Mike. Mike: Apparently. Jessika: We just have to have lives full of tragedy and pining for people that we've lost in our lives. Mike: Well, yeah. And we all know that the dudes don't have feelings, so we just, you know, go on and enjoy things. Jessika: That does suck that Hugh they don't give men the ability to have that capacity or give them the the credit to have that capacity. Mike: I will say, I am sorry that this one didn't get further along the development [01:02:00] stages, because it certainly seemed like it had a lot more promise than the title that was canceled right before it. Jessika: Yes, the gameplay itself looked more interesting, it looks more complex, it easier to navigate. What they were showing us was really intense. Mike: I really liked that whole idea of being able to view the environments in two different eras. It reminded me a lot of another Eidos game called legacy of Cain soul river, where there was a spiritual world and then a physical world. And you could flip back and forth between them, which was kind of cool. Jessika: Oh, that’s neat Mike: Yeah. I dug that. I liked the idea of exploring the same environment in two different areas. I thought that was really neat. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: Let's move on to Comics. Jessika: Sounds great. Mike: Okay, so, I’m curious. When do you think that Highlander got big enough to get a comic book? Jessika: I don't know maybe late nineties Mike: 2006. Jessika: Wow [01:03:00] That's later than I had expected. Mike: Yeah. There wasn't a comic adaptation of the movie when it came out, which is weird, there wasn't one here in the States. Highlander Heart, in their YouTube podcast, noted there was a series of five newspaper comic strips that were published as part marketing promotion. The hosts weren't entirely certain if they're exclusive to Europe or not. I don't know. I haven't been able to really find much reference to it. After the movie came out, though there was a two-part comic adaptation in Argentina. It was published through El Tony Todo Color and El Tony Supercolor they were sibling comic anthology magazines, and here's the weird twist. It looks like this was an unlicensed adaptation. Jessika: Mmhm, interesting. Mike: So now we're going to take another side tangent. The important thing that you need to know is that Argentina had just come out of a brutal military dictatorship that came about as part of Operation Condor, which is this horrific program the United States was involved in. And it isn't really taught about in high school history, at least it [01:04:00] wasn't when I was going through high school and I went to a pretty good one. did you ever learn about that? I'm curious. Jessika: No, I did not. Mike: Okay I'm giving you an extremely TLDR read of this, but basically this was a program in the seventies and eighties when the US backed military dictatorships across South America. So our country helped these groups, kidnap, torture, rape murder, thousands of political opponents, like Argentina was especially brutal. There were literally death squads, hunting down political distance across the country. It was a really horrific time. I want you to read this summary of what was going on during that time, actually. Jessika: Give me the really fun stuff I see. Mike: Sorry. Jessika: No you're good. It is estimated that between - 9,000 and 30,000 that's a huge span. Mike: I know, it’s such a margin of error I don't understand. Jessika: Lack of record taking will get you there quick, I think. I'm going to start over, but we’ll leave that in. It is estimated that between [01:05:00] 9,000 and 30,000 people were killed or disappeared, many of whom were impossible to formally report due to the nature of state terrorism. The primary target, like in many other South American countries participating in Operation Condor, were communist guerrillas and sympathizers, but the target of Operation Condor also included students, militants trade, unionists, writers, journalists, I don't love this, artists, and any other citizens suspected of being left-wing activists - well take me the goddamn way away. Mike: Right. Jessika: Including Peronist guerillas. I don't love that. Mike: No it's really awful. And based on that list of targets, it's not surprising that there was a lot of media suppression during this time. Democracy returned to the country in ’83, and there was this explosion of art across the mediums. Argentine Comics [01:06:00] saw this Renaissance period. A lot of them though, weren't really licensed and let's be honest. It's not like there's an internet where IP owners could monitor stuff like this and shut it down when they learned about it. There was also this drastic comics increase in the area due to create or publishing Zines because the eighties was the decade where personal computers suddenly became commonplace and all of a sudden pe

Xavier St. Cloud and Horton are on the run from Duncan MacLeod, who has tracked them to Paris. He heads there to end things once and for all. Along the way, Special Agent Delany shows up, and the Barge has been moved, and it has a new occupant. Maurice.

For Spear Talk 47, we had the honor to speak with Adrian Paul, the actor behind “Duncan Macleod” from the hit television show, Highlander! This was bucket list talk for us, as Adrian was responsible for my love of swords!In our discussion we covered his training and work on Highlander, the passing of the torch from Christopher Lambert, his background in martial arts, the amazing organization he started called The Sword Experience, and his incredible charity work!#adrianpaul #highlander #speartalkFollow @silverspearsecurity for all things Silver Spear Security, LLC. Follow @speartalkpodcast on Instagram for all things podcast!@johnsilverspear is the host / COO of Silver Spear Security, LLCFollow @adrianpaulofficial for all things Adrian! 

Tommy Sullivan is a boxing trainer with a short temper who believes in loyalty. Like that of his good friend Duncan MacLeod. But what happens when that loyalty is questioned?

A Scottish Podcast About Scotland!Here is the full interview with Aarron Duncan-MacLeod, the Marketing & Communications Officer of the Camanachd Association - check out his work at https://www.shinty.com/SláinteInstagram: thistledopodTwitter: @thistledopodFacebook: www.facebook.com/thistledopodEmail: thistledonicelypod@gmail.comwebsite & sources: https://www.thistledonicelypod.com/

Elizabeth Gracen joined Highlander the Series towards the end of the show's first season as Amanda Darieux. And she proved to be such a driving force for Duncan MacLeod, that she remained a recurring character throughout the series! In this episode of the Hollywood Experience, Adrian Paul talks with Elizabeth about all things Highlander and beyond. Here's to the first episode of the Hollywood Experience with a Highlander alum! We know it won't be the last.

This week, special guest Kyle Garabedian from the Highlander Rewatched podcast joins your hosts Justin, Eliz and Tyler for a quick stop at Highlander: The Series before heading back to the feature films. Can the television show answer all our burning questions about the Highlander mythology and finally set things straight?! Tune in to find out! Star ratings help us build our audience! Please rate/review/subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen, and share us with your on-call illusionist!! Email us at sequelrights@gmail.com with feedback or suggestions on future franchises! Check out Kyle's amazing podcast Highlander Rewatched here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/highlander-rewatched/id1035482837 If you want to check out the Highlander Rewatched episodes that go further in depth on the episodes covered this week, check out the links below! The Gathering https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-1-the-gathering/id1035482837?i=1000351715941 Duende: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/5-14-duende/id1035482837?i=1000448414475 The Valkyrie https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/5-10-the-valkyrie/id1035482837?i=1000444553886 Leader of the Pack https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/4-4-leader-of-the-pack/id1035482837?i=1000412030482

The world of Highlander changes forever in this bananas season finale! When an ancient Zoroastrian demon awakens after a millennium of slumber, it has nothing better to do than confuse Duncan MacLeod into screwing up his own life. In flashback, a hermit sits in a cave for 600 years so that he can have an incomprehensible 90-second chat with Mac, that ends with an improbable self-decapitation. The Rewatchers wonder why Joe and Methos are such bad friends, watch Fox News to figure out the monster’s plan, and bid a tearful farewell to a friend of the pod.

Mr. Adrian Paul is a martial arts practitioner and instructor who's popularly known as Duncan MacLeod in the Highlander TV series. One of the fundamentals of martial arts is respect and training. The more you train, the better you get. It doesn't matter what talent you have, it's a known fact. Mr. Adrian Paul - Episode 280 Our guest needs no introduction. Having acquired the popularity of a great swordsman in the '90s TV show, Highlander, Mr. Adrian Paul or popularly known as Duncan MacLeod is a more of a martial artist than an actor. Mr. Paul worked with different individuals that train in different martial arts which prompted him to train everyday while filming or not. He had extrensively trained with weapons and martial arts so he could perform on screen at a high level. Mr. Adrian Paul has a lot of stories and substantial insight into the martial arts so listen to find out more!

Arrow is back and we're having any more questions about what goes horribly wrong to give us the future we see in the flash forwards. William says he never knew about Mia because Oliver and Felicity stopped contacting him when he moved in with his grandparents but we see that Oliver tried to contact William (a lot) but never got a call back. And why is Connor saying he's Diggle's adopted son and not his biological son? And why is Diggle the only one that knew that Felicity had a daughter? Throw in the fact that in the present time we find out that Dante is played by Adrian Paul aka Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod and well...the rest of Arrow's run is shaping up to be very very interesting. Team Arrow is all bout family which is why all their families are fucked up. Meanwhile, Oliver & Argus find out Dante is Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod so they’re completely fucked Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: Mailbag@MTRNetwork.Net   Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Dpalm66 @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts are now on TeePublic:  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!

The proverbial chickens come home to roost when the Watchers decide to punish Joe for his reckless fraternization with his subject, Duncan MacLeod, by locking him in a cartoon fun house and scheduling him for summary execution. Mac and Methos dust off their favorite reused clips of previous episodes in an effort to save Joe's life, while a mysterious rider in a Canadian Tuxedo goes on a Watcher assassination spree. The Rewatchers discuss Joe's sham trial in the poorly lit basement of Watcher HQ, whether Joe is trapped in a surprise bottle episode, and how this episode holds up as an unintentional Season 4 finale.

Our guest this week is Adrian Paul, Duncan Macleod from Highlander The Series. Top Nerd News covers Thor: Ragnarok, Activision, Justice League, and more.Skungy's Pick of the Week is Shadow of War, Assassin's Creed Origins, and some additional holiday game release mentions.This Week in Geek History and Celebrity Birthdays closes out the show.

He is fragile. Born in the Highlands of Canada 38 years ago. He is not alone. For over a year he has brought you the greatest podcast guests on planet Earth. He is Stephen Kramer Glickman, the Podcaster. Today he brings you Adrian Paul, best known as Duncan MacLeod in the television series Highlander. Adrian tells us all about his time on the show, gives tips on swordfighting, and talks about his initiative to help the recovery efforts for the recent hurricanes. (Find out more at: https://www.thepeacefund.org)While there are plenty of podcasts you can listen to, in the end there can be only one. Make it THE NIGHT TIME SHOW!

Highlander, Podcast, Tv, TV Show, Fantasy, SciFi, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Swords, Immortals, Duncan MacLeod, MacLeod, Adrian Paul, Alexandra Vandernoot, Stan Kirsch, Jim Byrnes, Elizabeth Gracen, Lisa Howard, Peter Wingfield, Philip Akin, Michel Modo, Peter Hudson,

Ken and Wayne are back to full strength and back on the main broadcasting rig agian this week. This last week, Ken has been playing Party planner for his department at work. Then he became an enforcer for his classroom. At home Ken and KF had to save Tank from the grapes of wrath. Wayne didn't do much Halloween celebrating on the actual night, but did give out candy to Trick-or-Treaters. Wayne also spent a day at Rocky Mountain Con and got to see some great constume and famous geek stars, including Duncan Macleod, the Highlander. Wayne and Fork are trying to get their cats to tolerate each other... It isn't going well. In Geek Cred, both Ken and Wayne went and watched the new Dr Strange movie and they share their impressions of the film. They even manage to not really spoil anything. Ken and others are playing the heck out of WoW still. Wayne and friends are playing a lot of 7 Days to Die on the VtW Server. In the Geek-O-Scope, the guys talk about Blizzcon 2016. Show Notes: http://media.vtwproductions.com/forum/index.php?topic=11666.0 Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgC8yH316C8 Audio Link: http://media.blubrry.com/showx/media.vtwproductions.com/archive/showx/vtw-showx-2016-11-06.mp3

There Can Be Only OneThe Cigar Nerds Podcast Episode 47: There can be only one. This week we do a little head hunting and talk about thirty years of Highlander. From Conner MacLeod to Duncan MacLeod we cover it all. In Science we talk about robot dogs, killer cars, stoned sheep, and big glasses. In […]

Steve Cooper talks with actor Adrian Paul. Adrian is an actor renowned for his lead role, as Duncan Macleod, in the action series Highlander. The show spanned 6 seasons, 117 episodes and ran in over 90 countries world wide. As well as starring in numerous action films, including two Highlander Films, he has also choreographed numerous sword fights and action sequences for both television and film during his 30 year entertainment career. During that time he also directed and produced TV and Film along with founding his own charity The Peace Fund. (Protect, Educate, Aid Children Everywhere). The Peace fund has been in existence since 1997, helping improve the lives of children, in the US, Haiti, Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, Hungary and Romania. In June 2015, Adrian ran a Sword Experience workshop, to raise money for one of the children the Peace Fund supported. The event went so well that he decided to hold other similar events at venues across the US. At this once in a lifetime experience, he will be hands on to pass on some of the knowledge he learned whilst working with world renowned action stars, stunt choreographers, and sword masters.

In a very special bonus episode, the Rewatchers sit down with the immortal Adrian Paul to discuss the evolution of Duncan MacLeod, what it was like to take over the mantle of the Highlander from Christopher Lambert, the rigors of shooting, charity work, and so much more! Don't forget to subscribe so you can join the Rewatchers every week for more interviews and insights as the gang examines a new chapter of the Highlander universe.

Join host Jeffrey Ferguson as he ventures deep into the immortal world of HIGHLANDER starting with a review of seasons 1 and 2. This hit TV show brought strong continuity to the entire original story line as seen in the first HIGHLANDER movie that premiered back in 1986. The HIGHLANDER television series lasted a cool 6 years on the air with a top notch cast, big guest stars and of course Adrian Paul as the lead. So grab your sword and watch your head. It's time to remember the Princess of The Universe. 

Doctor Who is turning 50 this week, so the 3 Drunk Geeks sat down with Duncan Macleod and James Richardson, the lord-presidents of the largest Doctor Who fan club in America: AZ TARDIS!  Together, they reminisce over past Docs, argue over their favorite stories, talk about the many virtues and vices that come with building your own TARDIS and discuss what YOU can do to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who in Arizona and beyond!  And on top of that, they dream of where they would go if the Doctor invited them on a trip through time and space. All of this plus all the Chex Mix you can eat on EPISODE 42: GUESS WHO'S 50?!Cheers and enjoy!Check us out on the interbutts!www.facebook.com/3drunkgeekswww.twitter.com/3drunkgeekswww.instagram.com/3drunkgeekswww.youtube.com/3drunkgeeksAlso check out www.gnnaz.com for MOAR content!