The National Portrait Gallery commissioned a painting of Dame Maggie Smith that makes the Dowager Countess look like a condescending mummy overlord.

Ever wonder how Dame Maggie Smith manages to play her part as Downton Abbey's Dowager Countess so perfectly?

Warning: There are spoilers below for a show that won't officially air in the U.S. until next year.

Carnival Films, the studio behind popular period drama Downton Abbey, issued a statement categorically denying a Daily Mail report that actress Maggie Smith asked to be written out of the show so she could focus on her film and stage careers.

I usually don't give a fuck about casting news, but when I saw that Shirley MacLaine was cast on Downton Abbey it seemed so awesomely perfect I thought for sure it had to be a prank. It isn't.

Harry Potter and The End of the Gravy Train, Part Nine premiered in London today along with most of the British cast, a handful of celebs, and JK Rowling herself. Let's have a look at the festivities, shall we?