Britons' 100 favourite books - I've actually all of them except for the "His Dark Materials" Trilogy by Philip Pullman:-) It used to be I'd get these lists and maybe have read one or two. I must be getting old!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6405737.stm
or
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070301/wl_uk_afp/britainliteratureculturepoll;_ylt=Al6jlrTv2bx8z6WSZzpbMyYDW7oF
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Jane Austen Season!!
http://janeausten.itv.com/jane_austen_season.html#
A Jane Austen season including remakes of Northanger Abby, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park will be shown this spring in Great Britian. Lucky for us, these movies will be coming to PBS on Masterpiece Theatre this fall. As well as a BBC remake of Sense and Sensibility. YEAH!!! I love Jane Austen films!! For a sneak peek, please view the link above.
A Jane Austen season including remakes of Northanger Abby, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park will be shown this spring in Great Britian. Lucky for us, these movies will be coming to PBS on Masterpiece Theatre this fall. As well as a BBC remake of Sense and Sensibility. YEAH!!! I love Jane Austen films!! For a sneak peek, please view the link above.
Nacho Libre
I know what you are thinking . . . Nacho Libre does not seem like a Laura kind of movie at all. Ben really wanted to watch it, and it was his birthday so I watched it with him. Having no expectations at all for the movie, I found myself pleasantly surprised and entertained. It was definitely not the world's best movie, but it was an enjoyable movie to watch - and one that you could enjoy with your whole family.
The movie tells the tale of Nacho (Jack Black) who was an orphan raised at a Mexican monastary. He grows up and becomes a cook and friar, but dreams of being a wrestler. He also has a forbidden love for a nun.
If you watch this movie, don't expect a masterpiece, but do expect to be entertained.
The movie tells the tale of Nacho (Jack Black) who was an orphan raised at a Mexican monastary. He grows up and becomes a cook and friar, but dreams of being a wrestler. He also has a forbidden love for a nun.
If you watch this movie, don't expect a masterpiece, but do expect to be entertained.
New Star Trek Movie!
The new Star Trek movie has a release date of Christmas 2008. I am so excited! It is being directed by J.J. Abrahms - one of the creators of Lost so I am VERY excited to see what direction he takes it in. It is going to be about Kirk and Spock in Starfleet Academy and then on their first mission. It's been rumored that Matt Damon will be Kirk. I was bitter about this for awhile since he is too old to be a young Kirk, but Derek Stewart pointed out that he does have that baby face and is a good actor - so I should be willing to go with it:-)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070228/film_nm/abrams_dc;_ylt=Ai9UBgtVD6clUaJzWCmgt_5xFb8C
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070228/film_nm/abrams_dc;_ylt=Ai9UBgtVD6clUaJzWCmgt_5xFb8C
Friday, February 23, 2007
The Boy Next Door by Meggin Cabot
I started this book yesterday . . . and finished it today. And I've been super busy with work! It's an enjoyable fast read chick lit novel that is really hard to put down once you get into it! The Boy Next Door is a novel told exclusively by emails - kind of like an old novel that is told by letters. I was wary of the format at first, but it actually worked out quite well.
I also enjoyed the Star Wars quotes in it, but they assigned the quotes to the wrong movie! The famous, "I Love You," Han Solo, "I Know" Princess Leia occurs in Empire Strikes Back, not Return of the Jedi! I know it's chick lit, but you think someone would have checked that during editing:-)
What is this book about? Here is the Publisher's Weekly summary of the story:
In her debut adult novel, Cabot (known for her extremely successful young adult fiction series the Princess Diaries, published under the name Meg Cabot) relies entirely on highly amusing e-mails to tell a fetching meet-cute story. New York City gossip columnist Melissa Fuller is known for being obsessive about Winona Ryder, dating the wrong men and being tardy for work. Arriving particularly late one morning, she explains to her colleagues at the New York Journal that she was detained by the attempted murder of her elderly next-door neighbor, Mrs. Friedlander, who is in a coma. Always the good girl, Mel has volunteered to take care of Mrs. Friedlander's many pets until the neighbor's nephew Max, a famous fashion photographer, can be reached. Her co-workers warn her about Max, a notorious lady's man. Contrary to the gossip, when she meets Max he is down to earth, funny and kind. Despite the strange fact that he likes to be called John and appears to be between photo shoots, she begins to date him and learns that he shares her love for Stephen King novels and natural disasters. It doesn't take long for her to fall head over heels, or for Mel's mom to write, "Get a ring on your finger before you uncross those legs, sweetie." When a mysterious e-mail arrives explaining that there is more to her beau than meets the eye, she is duly upset and uses the power of her pen to get even. But when Mrs. Friedlander's attacker returns, will Mel and Max be able to put their differences aside to catch a killer? Full of clever e-mail banter and tongue-in-cheek humor, this cheeky novel should be enjoyed in one sitting.
I also enjoyed the Star Wars quotes in it, but they assigned the quotes to the wrong movie! The famous, "I Love You," Han Solo, "I Know" Princess Leia occurs in Empire Strikes Back, not Return of the Jedi! I know it's chick lit, but you think someone would have checked that during editing:-)
What is this book about? Here is the Publisher's Weekly summary of the story:
In her debut adult novel, Cabot (known for her extremely successful young adult fiction series the Princess Diaries, published under the name Meg Cabot) relies entirely on highly amusing e-mails to tell a fetching meet-cute story. New York City gossip columnist Melissa Fuller is known for being obsessive about Winona Ryder, dating the wrong men and being tardy for work. Arriving particularly late one morning, she explains to her colleagues at the New York Journal that she was detained by the attempted murder of her elderly next-door neighbor, Mrs. Friedlander, who is in a coma. Always the good girl, Mel has volunteered to take care of Mrs. Friedlander's many pets until the neighbor's nephew Max, a famous fashion photographer, can be reached. Her co-workers warn her about Max, a notorious lady's man. Contrary to the gossip, when she meets Max he is down to earth, funny and kind. Despite the strange fact that he likes to be called John and appears to be between photo shoots, she begins to date him and learns that he shares her love for Stephen King novels and natural disasters. It doesn't take long for her to fall head over heels, or for Mel's mom to write, "Get a ring on your finger before you uncross those legs, sweetie." When a mysterious e-mail arrives explaining that there is more to her beau than meets the eye, she is duly upset and uses the power of her pen to get even. But when Mrs. Friedlander's attacker returns, will Mel and Max be able to put their differences aside to catch a killer? Full of clever e-mail banter and tongue-in-cheek humor, this cheeky novel should be enjoyed in one sitting.
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak
Since I was on a mystery/Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys kick from my last book club meeting, I thought I'd read Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women who created her, a non-fiction book that's been on my to-read list since it came out last year.
I liked this book, it was very interesting. It tells the story of the Stratemeyer Syndicate and how it started such classic children's book series as the Bobsey Twins, the Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. Specifically the book tells the story of Harriet Statemeyer Adams, a housewife who became the CEO of the Syndicate in the 1930's after her father's death, and also Mildred Wirt Benson, the original ghost writer for the Nancy Drew series. Both women were extradinary women for their times and I had fun reading about them.
It was also interesting that there is or ever has been a Carolyn Keene. Harriet, her sister, and her father came up with the names for the Nancy Drew novels and also the outlines for the storys. Mildred then wrote in the story. Without both parts, you wouldn't have the Nancy Drew that we know today.
Also of interest was that in the 1950's and 1960's, the early Nancy Drew stories were edited and changed. They made them more PC by taking out racial slurs, and also more up to date by taking out antiquated expressions. It would be okay if they stopped there, but they also shortened the novels considerably - and in some cases, totally rewrote them. So the Nancy Drew stories that I read are not the same as what Grandma Arlt read! I'm really interested in reading both versions. You can buy the old versions online, but sadly my library system doesn't have them:-(
I've always wondered why they still sell the old Nancy Drew's as hardbacks. It turns out that in 1980, Harriet broke off from her old publisher, Grossap and Dunlap, and moved over to Simon and Schuster for a bigger pay check. I guess Grossap had not changed the rates maybe ever for the Nancy Drew books through the passage of time and popularity. There was a giant court battle and Grossap won the right to sell the old titles only in hard back forever while all new titles would be at Simon and Schuster. So that's why they are still hardback in our paperback world!
I enjoyed the book, except for a lag in the first quarter where the author was setting up the history of women's rights and society in general before the introduction of Nancy. I could see what she was getting at, but I really just wanted to read about Nancy!
It's a good book for anyone who ever loved Nancy Drew as a child.
I liked this book, it was very interesting. It tells the story of the Stratemeyer Syndicate and how it started such classic children's book series as the Bobsey Twins, the Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. Specifically the book tells the story of Harriet Statemeyer Adams, a housewife who became the CEO of the Syndicate in the 1930's after her father's death, and also Mildred Wirt Benson, the original ghost writer for the Nancy Drew series. Both women were extradinary women for their times and I had fun reading about them.
It was also interesting that there is or ever has been a Carolyn Keene. Harriet, her sister, and her father came up with the names for the Nancy Drew novels and also the outlines for the storys. Mildred then wrote in the story. Without both parts, you wouldn't have the Nancy Drew that we know today.
Also of interest was that in the 1950's and 1960's, the early Nancy Drew stories were edited and changed. They made them more PC by taking out racial slurs, and also more up to date by taking out antiquated expressions. It would be okay if they stopped there, but they also shortened the novels considerably - and in some cases, totally rewrote them. So the Nancy Drew stories that I read are not the same as what Grandma Arlt read! I'm really interested in reading both versions. You can buy the old versions online, but sadly my library system doesn't have them:-(
I've always wondered why they still sell the old Nancy Drew's as hardbacks. It turns out that in 1980, Harriet broke off from her old publisher, Grossap and Dunlap, and moved over to Simon and Schuster for a bigger pay check. I guess Grossap had not changed the rates maybe ever for the Nancy Drew books through the passage of time and popularity. There was a giant court battle and Grossap won the right to sell the old titles only in hard back forever while all new titles would be at Simon and Schuster. So that's why they are still hardback in our paperback world!
I enjoyed the book, except for a lag in the first quarter where the author was setting up the history of women's rights and society in general before the introduction of Nancy. I could see what she was getting at, but I really just wanted to read about Nancy!
It's a good book for anyone who ever loved Nancy Drew as a child.
BSG - A Day in the Life
I got a bit behind on my favorite show this week as Ben was out of town for work so I had to wait until he returned to watch it. This episode was another "slow" one that didn't have any Cylons in it, but focused on "a day in the life," or a "normal" day on the ship.
I liked the episode a lot, mostly as I think it apealed to me emotionally as a Mom. Cally and the Chief are having marital woes mostly to do with both of them working too much and not spending enough time with their young son. Chief assigns Cally to work with him on an air lock, which does not make Cally happy. (She'd rather be with their son). While they are at work, a leak is detected in the air lock and the doors are automatically locked. They slowly, and then quickly start losing air and it is up to the BSG crew to save them. SPOILER - I must say, the action sequence where they open the air lock to space and are able to get Cally and the Chief into the ship was pretty exciting. I was also touched when Chief had the baby and they were looking at Cally in the hypothermia chamber. They were a family together and it made the Chief realize what's really important in life. I was ready to cry (I've turned into my mother!), but didn't want Ben to see the tears so I held back!
The other storyline in this episode was that it is Adama's anniversary. He has his ex-wife Caroline in his head as he thinks about the problems with their marriage and goes about his day. I didn't really care for him talking to the Caroline in his head. It reminded me too much of Balter. An interesting development was that we learn from a heated conversation with Lee, that although we had assumed Lee had Daddy issues only in the past, it turns out he had Mommy issues too. Adama left Lee with Caroline and it turns out Caroline was an abusive alcoholic. This made me wonder about Lee's attraction to Starbuck. Maybe a bit of Oedipus syndrome?
Two points annoyed me during this episode even though I try not to be too picky. One was the fact that there was no safety overide on the airlock to allow for the even that people may get trapped in it. I know the airlock was in rough shape - but still - they made it out like this is the way it would always be even if it were working correctly. The other point was, why was Helo in the briefing room with the pilots? I thought last week he was the Mayor of Dog City? And before that he was working on the bridge. I am so confused . . . !
Laura
I liked the episode a lot, mostly as I think it apealed to me emotionally as a Mom. Cally and the Chief are having marital woes mostly to do with both of them working too much and not spending enough time with their young son. Chief assigns Cally to work with him on an air lock, which does not make Cally happy. (She'd rather be with their son). While they are at work, a leak is detected in the air lock and the doors are automatically locked. They slowly, and then quickly start losing air and it is up to the BSG crew to save them. SPOILER - I must say, the action sequence where they open the air lock to space and are able to get Cally and the Chief into the ship was pretty exciting. I was also touched when Chief had the baby and they were looking at Cally in the hypothermia chamber. They were a family together and it made the Chief realize what's really important in life. I was ready to cry (I've turned into my mother!), but didn't want Ben to see the tears so I held back!
The other storyline in this episode was that it is Adama's anniversary. He has his ex-wife Caroline in his head as he thinks about the problems with their marriage and goes about his day. I didn't really care for him talking to the Caroline in his head. It reminded me too much of Balter. An interesting development was that we learn from a heated conversation with Lee, that although we had assumed Lee had Daddy issues only in the past, it turns out he had Mommy issues too. Adama left Lee with Caroline and it turns out Caroline was an abusive alcoholic. This made me wonder about Lee's attraction to Starbuck. Maybe a bit of Oedipus syndrome?
Two points annoyed me during this episode even though I try not to be too picky. One was the fact that there was no safety overide on the airlock to allow for the even that people may get trapped in it. I know the airlock was in rough shape - but still - they made it out like this is the way it would always be even if it were working correctly. The other point was, why was Helo in the briefing room with the pilots? I thought last week he was the Mayor of Dog City? And before that he was working on the bridge. I am so confused . . . !
Laura
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Lady in the Water
I watched Lady in the Water, M. Night Shymalan's new movie last weekend. I am a fan of Shymalan's previous movies, but I felt rather indifferent about this one. Ben didn't like it at first, but by the end, he enjoyed it - more than I did. The story just didn't capture me, which is strange since I usually like anything to do with fairy tales.
This movie was about an apartment superintendent that discovers a lady who he thinks is sneaking into the pool to swim. Instead he discovers that she is a nymph who inspires a writer and is part of a fairy tale that an all knowing Chinese lady tells.
If you liked this movie, why did you? Would you recommend I watch it again some other time or think about it in a different way?
This movie was about an apartment superintendent that discovers a lady who he thinks is sneaking into the pool to swim. Instead he discovers that she is a nymph who inspires a writer and is part of a fairy tale that an all knowing Chinese lady tells.
If you liked this movie, why did you? Would you recommend I watch it again some other time or think about it in a different way?
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
The Devil Wears Prada
I just watched The Devil Wears Prada over the weekend and enjoyed it. I had listened to the book on tape a couple of years ago when I was doing some rather boring HEC-2 (a DOS based hydraulic program) at work and needed to be entertained so I could stay focused. I really enjoyed the book on tape. The characters in the movie were not exactly how I pictured them, but I was willing to go with it.
This is basically the story of a newly graduated journalist, Andy (Andrea), who can't seem to get a job for any of the magazines she'd love to work for, like The New Yorker. She interviews for a job at a fashion magazine, Runway, and amazingly gets the job. The bad thing is, she is not actually writing any articles - she's an assistant to the boss from hell, Miranda Priestly. Much hilarity ensues. Andy (who is played by Anne Hathaway) eventually goes through a transformation from fashionless fun loving girl, to fashionista who's only life is her job. I did enjoy seeing her new outfits and look . . . but since it was Anne Hathaway, I kept thinking about The Princess Diaries during those scenes.
I must admit, I am not a Meryl Streep fan. She seems highly overrated to me. As I watched the movie, I was confused on why she got a best actress nomination. Then I got to the end of the movie. At the end, you finally saw the Ice Queen's vulnerable side . . . and her strengths. It made me actually like Miranda in a way (what a strong woman!), something I didn't do when only listening to the book. I was surprised!!
One thing I didn't like . . . it's the running joke throughout the movie that Andy is "fat" because she's a size six and all of the models are size 0-4. At the end, they actually have Andy lose weight and become a size 4 which one of the designer applauds her for doing. Hello - leave it that it's a joke that size 6 is not fat - don't have her cave in! And we wonder why people are anorexic!
Overall, it was a good chick flick. I watched it without Ben because it didn't really seem like a Ben kind of movie:-)
This is basically the story of a newly graduated journalist, Andy (Andrea), who can't seem to get a job for any of the magazines she'd love to work for, like The New Yorker. She interviews for a job at a fashion magazine, Runway, and amazingly gets the job. The bad thing is, she is not actually writing any articles - she's an assistant to the boss from hell, Miranda Priestly. Much hilarity ensues. Andy (who is played by Anne Hathaway) eventually goes through a transformation from fashionless fun loving girl, to fashionista who's only life is her job. I did enjoy seeing her new outfits and look . . . but since it was Anne Hathaway, I kept thinking about The Princess Diaries during those scenes.
I must admit, I am not a Meryl Streep fan. She seems highly overrated to me. As I watched the movie, I was confused on why she got a best actress nomination. Then I got to the end of the movie. At the end, you finally saw the Ice Queen's vulnerable side . . . and her strengths. It made me actually like Miranda in a way (what a strong woman!), something I didn't do when only listening to the book. I was surprised!!
One thing I didn't like . . . it's the running joke throughout the movie that Andy is "fat" because she's a size six and all of the models are size 0-4. At the end, they actually have Andy lose weight and become a size 4 which one of the designer applauds her for doing. Hello - leave it that it's a joke that size 6 is not fat - don't have her cave in! And we wonder why people are anorexic!
Overall, it was a good chick flick. I watched it without Ben because it didn't really seem like a Ben kind of movie:-)
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is probably my third favorite TV show. During Season 2 it started to lose me, but Season 3 has been excellent. Did anyone else think that Sunday's episode seemed like the Season finale. I know they needed to ty up Marcia Cross' story line because of her pregnancy, but what do they do now that the mystery is solved? I loved the episode though, and I'm glad that Orson is innocent!
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