In the first chapter of Alice Sebold's new novel,The Almost Moon,Helen Knightly is visiting her aging agoraphobic mother who is quickly slipping into dementia. Becoming frustrated with trying to take care of her mother's physical needs,Helen impulsively kills her on the front porch of the former family home.
How Helen attempts to deal with that act of murder and it's possible consequences,along with the emotional demons of her past,makes up the bulk of the story. She calls her ex-husband,Jake,to get some help but does herself no favors by moving her mother's body to the basement and indulging in a dark whim by cutting off the huge braid of hair on Mom's head to take home with her.
As Helen goes over the memories of her childhood,we watch as her mother's growing mental probelms overwhelm the entire family while Dad retreated into his own private despair as a coping mechanism. One of the most sadly moving sections of the book is when Helen,in her teen years,is made to go outside to deal with a angry group of community fathers outraged at her mother over her failure to help a seriously injured child who was dying in front of their house.
You might think that Helen is just playing the blame game here to justify her actions(which she is ,at one point) but over the course of the book,you see the real core of the probelm which is the notion of "Let's handle our family business in our own private way. We don't need any outsiders."
By allowing yourself to drink that slow poison of internalized personal pain,Sebold shows us how a person can easily surrender themselves over to others without so much of a sign of open struggle. Instead of dealing with her traumas,Helen let them fester over time and subtly corrode her adult life until the dam finally broke,spreading a river of lived out lava that threatens to destroy everything in it's path.
In many ways,this book is much darker than The Lovely Bones-Helen's fantasies about killing her mother and the levels she's willing to go to for attention and acceptance are fully on display here. You may not want to wade in these intensely deep waters but if you do,Sebold makes the journey worthwhile.
The Almost Moon is an all too real portrait of the dark despair that not dealing with your inner turmoils directly can produce,tranforming a person into a reflection of the very being they rail against in their heart. The dark poignancy of this novel reminded me of Marsha Norman's play," 'night,Mother" and should be considered an artistic counterbalance to that work:
On a more cheerful note,The Almost Moon Jingle Contest is still going strong and my thanks to those who have entered so far. There's plenty of time to send in your entry but a few reminders,folks-please send in your entries to livingreadgirl@yahoo.com and not post them in the comments section(that way,no one can copy off of you). Also,please let me know what your favorite TV commerical is(that info is interesting and does not make you a runner up automatically,I promise) when you send me your line. Thanks,and I look forward to more of your great lines.
First off,let me just say congratulations on winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. I can guess by your initial reaction that it's not a big deal for you and I for one am in awe of your take on the whole thing:
It's not everyday that folks get to see such an open and honest response to news like that,which I think will get more folks to go out and read one of your books much more than winning the Nobel will. I have to confess that I haven't read any of your work but have known of you(and stocked The Golden Notebook at my former bookselling position). I'll be joining the stampede to get one of your books to try and make up for that loss in my personal library(it might be tricky,since supplies tend to run out fast for recent award winners,but I should grab a copy of The Golden Notebook eventually).
In reading about your life,there's plenty to admire-you are a self made person who champions the cause of women without the need to trample men in the process. You speak out against things that you see to be wrong in this world without fear of reprisal. You've written books in several genres,including science fiction,and are still putting out work to this day. Forgive my gushing,Ms. Lessing,but you are the kind of person that I hope to become when I truly grow up,in my own way.
So,I hope that the media gives you a bit of a break(they seemed to swarming all over your doorstep the other day and would it have been too much to atleast let you get inside to put away your groceries before barging you with interview requests?) and that you get to have a nice private moment of triumph over this well earned win.
Sincerely,
Lady T and a good number of readers around the world
Open Letter II:
Dear Harold Bloom,
I have read a few of your books on the subject of literature and while I respect your opinions on the classics,you seem to be very ungenerous when it comes to the current literary scene. I don't think I am the only one who found your reaction to Doris Lessing winning the Nobel Prize for Literature to be rather rude:
"This is pure political correctness," American literary critic Harold Bloom, commenting on Lessing's Nobel, told The Associated Press. "Although Ms. Lessing at the beginning of her writing career had a few admirable qualities, I find her work for the past 15 years quite unreadable ... fourth-rate science fiction."
Now,it is one thing not to be a fan of her books,or to have lost interest in her writing over the years(that happens to many readers with certain authors,genres,etc) but to say that she is the beneficary of political correctness is insulting and absurd. This is a lady who has refused to become a mouthpiece for strident members of the feminist movement,who said in 2006:
"I think a lot of romanticizing has gone on with the women's movement,...Whatever type of behavior women are coming up with, it's claimed as a victory for feminism — doesn't matter how bad it is. We don't seem go in very much for self-criticism."
If you're implying that the Nobel commitee went the P.C. route by choosing a woman this time out,give me a break. You've been around long enough to know that the reasons behind anyone winning any award in the arts is highly subjective. It's no secret that you would've preferred someone like Phillip Roth to win but hey,I wanted Brokeback Mountain to win Best Picture instead of Crash at the Oscars. You can't always get what you want there,buddy. Sure,I was mad about that but life goes on.
You do have the right to your opinions but would it kill you to be less of a snob everytime you offer one up? Your record on this is pretty harsh;you called Stephen King's getting an award for literary contribution from the National Book Foundation an example of "dumbing down" the culture,you pour out the haterade on J.K. Rowling like she did something to your mother and there are plenty of folks still bristling about your comments about Adrienne Rich,Alice Walker and others.
I'm not saying you have to be Mr. Nice Guy,but when someone like Doris Lessing is being given a major honor for her lifetime of achievement,it might help you to remember that old saying of "If you don't have anything nice to say,don't say anything at all." The media does accept "no comment" as an official reply,you know.
Sincerely,
Lady T and those of us who are happily reading what ever the hell we want to,without your say-so!
With Top Chef over(I so have to catch that reunion special,totally forgot about it last night! Thank TPTB that Bravo loves to replay shows quite abit there)and since Project Runway won't be on until mid-November,I thought that it would be fun to give Food Network's search for the Next Iron Chef a try. Wow,do these guys have it tough!
In the first challenge,the eight contenders were split into teams of two and each team member was given fifteen minutes to do the following:break up a whole chicken,fillet a salmon,milk a couple of coconuts,shuck six oysters,slice a daikon paper thin and french some chops(no,that's not a naughty joke-frenching just means to slice most of the meat off of the bone,making the chop look like a lamb lollipop). It reminded me of the mise en place QF challenge on TC this season but I think that only Hung could've kept up with these folks. The quality of the cuts counted as well as the speed,which made Aaron Sanchez the winner of that round.
Next up was a double dessert challenge-the chefs had to make one "freeform" dessert using any of the ingredients supplied in the kitchen(however,they were not given any butter,sugar or cream-if they wanted any of that,they had to make it themselves)and the other had to use a savory food as the main focus.
The choice of meats included tripe,beef shoulder,duck and squid. John Besh managed to make catfish and grape truffles that the judges liked(I recall seeing him compete on the regular ICA,with the secret ingredient being apples). Traci Des Jardins picked salmon roe but she really made a beet salad with it,rather than a dessert so she was eliminated.
I have to admit that was pretty impressive,so it looks like I'll be tuning to see who wins for awhile. The over the top theatrics of ICA just crack me up to no end and they do whip out some mighty interesting dishes(my favorite IC is Kat Kora),so this competition should be fun.
ANTM had their big makeover round this week,and bitchy Bianca's hair was in such bad shape that they had no choice but to shave most of her locks off. They really did her a huge favor since over processing can destroy your hair(Bianca not only had dyed it to death,she also had a perm and a weave tossed in there)down to the roots.
The photo shoot theme was flowers and plants-Bianca's sunflower shot didn't wow the judges but neither did Chantal's baby breath. Chantal was so busy fussing at both the photographer and Mr. Jay that she totally screwed it up for herself. Sometimes,you have to deal with multiple feedback,honey-just learn to roll with it!
Heather once again did very nicely,as a portrait of weeds. She looked amazing,like a character out of a Tolkien novel. The girl sent home this time was Victoria,who seemed to be "slumming" here as a model and kept picking fights with Twiggy,of all people!
Why would you,a newbie, argue with Twiggy about fashion modeling,especially since she's not the least bit bitchy? That's like debating with Michael Jordan about moves on the basketball court-when someone speaks from actual knowledge and experience,you're the one who looks like a loser!
On Heroes,Sylar is back,but not able to truly go on the attack as he's slowly recovering from that little sword business last season. I don't blame the Illusionista for trying to distract him from his troubles but Sylar is more of a goal orientated kind of fella. Poor guy,kind of felt sorry for him(yes,he's evil but I still like him,okay? Gotta have my villian lust sated somehow):
We also saw Nikki drop Micah off at his grandmother's(RIP D.L. but hello,Lt. Uhura!)and Claire find out why West is so keen on outing her in public. Hey,dude,maybe if you did the Superman bit earlier,that would've cleared some things up sooner,you know? Teenagers are too much:
So,here are a couple of possible ideas I have about this season's plot arcs. I think what Sauron's(the old school Hero going after Mama Petrelli and her gang)power is. Based upon the fact that he's able to detect Molly when she does her seeker ability and haunt her dreams,plus that the person who tossed Hiro's dad off of the roof was covering up their face and could possibly be able to fly,Sauron may have the ability to take over a person's mind and body telepathically.
Years ago,I read a novel by Dan Simmons called Carrion Comfort,in which "mental vampires" used their body snatcher skills to play some pretty twisted games and feed off of the folks they controlled. Would it be so surprising that Nathan was taken over and killed Papa Nakamura while Peter's former mentor Claude attacked Mama Petrelli at the police station(no one saw anyone enter or leave during that assault)?
Also,I wouldn't be surprised if Kensai was an ancestor of the Petrelli clan. Given his self healing powers and that the "Godsend" symbol is a logo of the family's corporation,it does make sense. It would also explain the close ties between the Nakamura and the Petrellis,especially if Hiro's time meddling gets more intricate.We shall see.
Random Notes:
Nip/Tuck: The show is returning at the end of October and I can hardly wait. The promos have been decent but the tattoo ones are so gimmicky. I like the new one with the Weezer song and plenty of clips from the upcoming shows but alas,it is not on YouTube yet. The Wicked Game number is rather arty but strange enough to fit right in with the whole vibe of the series:
Along with the race for the Oscars(which gives us an onslaught of serious minded movies at the multiplex),this time of year is also a big one for book awards to be handed out. Two of the biggest have released their shortlist of nominees,while one has just finished accepting votes for Book of the Year. Let's take a look at them(I'm sticking to the fiction noms,in interest of space and time)and see if we can pick a winner or two:
I have to give credit where credit is due;usually one of the big complaints about the National Book Awards is that most of the nominees are books that even folks who are deeply invested in the current crop of literature available have never heard of. Atleast three of the novels on this list have gotten some decent press and good reviews-Fieldwork got a nice push(and criticism of it's cover art) from Stephen King in his Pop of King semi-regular EW column,Tree of Smoke has been tons of love from the critics and Then We Came To The End is one book I really need to catch up on.
If I was placing a bet in Vegas on one of these three,the smart money would have to be on Tree of Smoke. Why? Mainly due to the subject matter,which is the Vietnam War. With current events since as they are on the international scene,plenty of folks will and have taken a look back at that conflict quite a bit.
However,Fieldwork might be the Little Engine That Could(and I'd rather read that than Tree of Smoke). A true underdog would be the Ferris novel because of it's humor(which holds back many movies from getting serious consideration for Oscar wins and sadly,the book world follows suit). I wouldn't be shocked if TOS won,but if either Fieldwork or TWCTTE takes the prize, that would be sweet.
I really wish that they would go back and just call this award The Booker,like they used to. Man Booker is so awkward sounding and Booker flows right off the tongue,not to mention has more of a British tone to it. Anyway,here is this year's Shortlist:
* Darkmans by Nicola Barker (Fourth Estate) * The Gathering by Anne Enright (Jonathan Cape) * The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (Hamish Hamilton) * Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (John Murray) * On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape) * Animal’s People by Indra Sinha (Simon & Schuster)
People do bet on the Man Booker prize(thru online sales)and while On Chesil Beach is clearly the frontrunner,nipping at it's heels is Lloyd Jones' Mister Pip. Mister Pip uses Dicken's Great Expectations as an inspiration tool for many of the characters in the story,so I can see the appeal of that.
Plus,some people view Ian McEwan in the same way that Mets fans look at the Yankees;"Why does he have to win all the time?!". Complaints have been made that On Chesil Beach is not "long enough" to qualify as a novel,which is silly to me. OCB is 208 pages long,much longer than Of Mice and Men and only a bit more than Animal Farm. Last time I checked,those two were considered to be novels good enough to be assigned reading for high school/college students. Quality vs quantity,need I say more?
Voting for the Quill's Book of the Year ended today(I kept having trouble voting on the website for it-don't know if the probelm is with me or them)but winners in the rest of the catagories have been announced and will recieve their awards on October 27,in a ceremony to be broadcast on NBC. Here are some of lucky literary recipents:
Debut Author of the Year:
Diane Setterfield/The Thirteenth Tale
General Fiction:Cormac McCarthy/The Road
Mystery/Suspense:
Laura Lippmann/What The Dead Know
Romance:
Nora Roberts/Angels Fall
I'm glad to see The Thirteenth Tale get it's due-it's one of those great books that gets overlooked at prize giving time. I was surpised to see that Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows was not amongst the nominees for children's books(perhaps it didn't come in time to qualify for the catagory). No doubt that the books that did win for middle school(The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick) and young adult/teen(Sold by Patricia McCormick) are excellant books worthy of praise but I also have no doubts that a few folks sighed with relief at not having to compete with Rowling's finale.
If I remember correctly,Book of the Year is selected from all of the nominees in every catagory,so this is a pretty open playing field. Perhaps Thirteenth Tale will be a two time winner,perhaps not. Whoever does,it's a win-win-win situation for authors,publishers and readers. We all get to bask in the glow of clever creative minds putting out their best.
Meet Jasmine "Jaz" Parks,whose official job description includes being the partner and protector of an 400 year old vampire,Vayl, who uses his powers for good as a special agent for the CIA. Jaz prefers to think of herself as an "Assistant Assassin",since most of their duties involve eliminating major league bad guys perminantly from the playing field.
In Once Bitten,Twice Shy,we encounter the deadly duo on assignment in Miami as they're on the trail of a plastic surgeon named Assan, who is currently raising funds for terrorists via a children's charity as well as giving out those much needed facial makeovers to folks on the Most Wanted lists. What looks like a simple hit turns out to be much more complicated when Jaz runs into Cole while scouting around the charity event. Cole's a private detective hired by Assan's wife,Amanda,to find out what secrets her husband's been keeping from her.
Jaz,Vayl and Cole stumble onto an elaborate scheme that involves a destructive new virus which may or may not be fatal to both humans and vampires,summoning up an ancient deity to create havoc and repeated attempts on Vayl's life. In addition to the brewing chaos around them,Vayl's former wife Liliana shows up,for some payback and a family ring that Vayl has seen fit to bestow on Jaz.
While work is hectic,to say the least,Jaz's personal life is anything but a calm day at the beach. She's human but has psychic abilities which enable her to detect the prescence of vampires and after giving Vayl an emergency blood feeding(upon discovering that his carry-on supplies have been tampered with),her powers of otherworldy perception increase.
Jaz is still getting over the death of her friends and fiance after a gruesome massacre which may be responsible for the reoccuring blackouts she's been having lately. To top it all off,her retired military father,Albert,is not watching his health like he should and Jaz has to do some long distance monitoring of his condition,since her sister Evie doesn't need the extra stress while she's pregnant.
This is volume one of a series and while many of us vampire fans might be abit burned out on the copious number of bloodsucker themed titles floating about these days,Jaz Parks may change all of that.
For one thing,she's a quick witted and stubborn gal who's not afraid to go into a situation with literally both guns blazing but Jaz is not a kill happy lady. She has her doubts about her real strengths and weaknesses(one of the biggest is her growing attachment to Vayl)and yet when things get at their worst,knows when to focus on the main target at hand.
Rardin is quite the literary juggler here,keeping up some fast paced action along with the character development and portions of backstory that will,no doubt,be much more enhanced in the later books. We won't have to wait long for a follow-up,the second Jaz Parks book is due out in December,Another One Bites The Dust,and volume three will be available in February of '08,Biting The Bullet.
So,should you give the Jaz Parks series a try? I know that I'm certainly looking forward to see more of her and if you're in the mood for a mix of Buffy The Vampire Slayer,Kill Bill and Underworld,this book is definately your place for one stop shopping,folks. However,don't just write Jaz off as an Anita Blake wannabe-Rardin has truly created her own original world here and may soon become a force to be reckoned with in the paranormal lit arena. It's always a plus to have another smart and sassy leading lady take the genre field and Jaz Parks is an ideal heroine who deserves to have her day in the sun,or moon.
Well,I was able to get a good girly movie fix this weekend by going to see The Jane Austen Book Club(which finally came to a theater near me). The movie was just as smart and sweet natured as the novel was,plus I adored seeing Emily Blunt as Prudie,the uptight French teacher who longed to shake things up alittle with her love life.
If you haven't read the Karen Joy Fowler novel or are not too familar with Austen,don't worry-this movie will still entertain you and teach some interesting life lessons. Also,if it makes you want to go out and read,consider that a pre-DVD extra. Here are a few tips that I picked up during the movie that make for excellant suggestions for any reading group:
10)Being accident prone can be a good way to find a new love.
9) If someone's willing to give Jane Austen a try,it wouldn't hurt to read some Ursula K. Le Guin in return.
8) Reading Jane Austen is a freaking mine field,at times.
7) Comparing Mansfield Park to Star Wars is not a bad idea,but it's best to have your notes in order before doing so:
6) Fanny Price and Horton Hatches the Egg are two of a kind:
5) In a group discussion of Northanger Abbey,bonus points must be awarded to the person who also took the time to read The Mysteries of Udolpho.
4)When considering whether or not to take a romantic risk,just ask yourself: What Would Jane Do?
3) When driving a lady to a dinner party,you really should clean up your front seat before she does it for you:
2) Jane Austen DID NOT write sequels:
1) Let us never underestimate the power of a well written letter:
This is the true story of two women,Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstern,who ,on paper, seem to be a pair of ladies that normally wouldn't run into each other in the daily course of the lives. Elyse lives in Paris,where she writes about film and has been involved in making a couple of film shorts,one of which was featured at the Telluride Film Festival.
Paula also writes about film,for such publications as The Village Voice and Redbook amongst others and was a reporter for Variety as well as a CNN contributor. Paula lives in Park Slope,with her daughter and husband,while Elyse has never been married.
So,how did their paths cross? Elyse is an adopted child and in her mid thirties,decided to get some information about her biological mother. On one of the follow-up calls from the agency who handled her case,Elyse learned something that she never even considered to be a possibility-that she has an identical twin sister.
Her twin is Paula and the tale of these two reunited sisters is told in tandem in their memoir Indentical Strangers:A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited. Elyse and Paula not only face their mixture of joy and anxiety about finding each other but also team up to uncover the reason behind their separation which is a story that affects more than themselves.
It turns out that the reason the girls were divided from each other as part of a psychological experiment being run out of the Louise Wise agency that also separated a number of other twins and triplets.
The adoptive parents were not told that the child they were given was a twin but were told that a "child development" study was being done and that they needed to allow researchers to visit the home and even film their child over the years. Since this was done before any disclosure laws were written,many of the families complied with this and were ignorant of their adopted child's other half.
Even tho Elyse and Paula were not full particpants in this study(due to one girl developing faster than the other in infancy),they were still placed with different families that were not told or given the option of taking both of the twins. Both ladies suffered from bouts of depression over the years,which motivated Elyse to find out more about her birth mother,and in trying to get to the real reason behind this experiment,it is a strong possibility that this research was meant to gauge the inheritability of schizophrenia,which their biological mother may have had.
Apart from the mystery behind the intent of the study(most of the research has been donated to educational institutions such as Yale and not to be released until late in this century,even to those who were test subjects)and finding out who their birth mother was,it's the emotional journey that both women take here that is the driving force of this book. The honesty of both sisters who are,at times,conflicted over how they are supposed to relate to one another and on the best course of action to take while persuing the truth about their origins,is boldly admirable. It's hard enough to be open about your feelings with and about a sibling on a one to one basis,let alone to write about it for all the world to see. Ladies,I sincerely salute you.
Identical Strangers is told in two very distinct voices that refuse to sugarcoat raw emotions and provides the reader with loads of interesting info regarding the known facts and theories surrounding twins over time. It's also a wonderfully moving true life story about family,identity and feeling like a completed person. This book is out and about now and a better duel narrative will be hard to find,in my opinion. No matter what place you hold on your family tree,Identical Strangers highlights the strong roots that keep a good one going.
The second half of the Top Chef finale took the Final Three up to a mountain top resort,where they were given their last challenge: cook a three course meal with the ingredients provided as well as the special ones each chef brought with them. However,a couple of loop-de-loops were tossed in. Instead of each person serving their dishes separately,all of the courses would be going head-to-head at the judging table.
There was a knife drawing to see in what order each finalist would get a pre-selected sous chef for three hours of prep work. Usually,this is the time when the former contestants show up but no,another surprise! The sous chefs were celebrity cooks-Hung got Rocco DiSpirito,Casey had Michelle Bernstein(who I remember from last season's Final Two showdown) and Dale was placed with Todd English.
The prep seemed to go well(the celebrity sous chefs had one day only to work with everyone)and during the next day's cooking,Judge Tom took everyone outside to spring yet another little surprise on them(it's like Batman villians were planning this season,with all of these traps set for the chefs to stumble and fall into,I swear!). With only an hour to go,they had to add a fourth course and now,they could get help from former contestants Sarah M,Howie and CJ. Their choice was determined by knife pull and Hung got Sarah,Casey wound up with Howie and CJ went with Dale.
So,how was the food? Let's start with the weakest link,which was Casey. She was pretty flustered in the kitchen(the high altitude was playing havoc with her breathing and with temperature control for cooking). She had Howie cook the last minute fourth course(a steak strip) and focused on her other plates,like a foie gras and scallop with apple number but the biggest stumbling block for her was the pork belly with roasted peach. Pork belly? Even Michelle Bernstein had her doubts about that during prep(the celeb sous were not allowed to make any major cooking suggestions). The pork belly was dried out,along with Casey's chances of winning.
Dale did much better-his fourth course was a scallop seared with sweet corn and grapes,that everyone at tableside flipped over. Dale's best dish of the day was a Colarado lamb with a ratatouille blend that he had never before made. It went over like gangbusters and the judges gave atleast two of the four courses to Dale while going over their decision. The only bad plate of Dale's was a lobster with gnocchi that didn't pan out due to the potatoes not boiling(damn high altitude!), Judge Tom really got nit picky on that one.
Hung's fourth course was a chocolate cake with raspberies,which made me pause since desserts have been the downfall for many of the contestants this season. He managed to turn it out bigtime,which made Judge Tom grumble about how it didn't "go with the theme" of Hung's meal. Uh,hello,it was a last minute addition to the challenge there,buddy! You announced it,remember? Geez,Judge Tom would fault with a banquet prepared by God his/herself-"I found this dish to be too salty and this one,not enough seasoning,Creator!". Hung's best dish was his duck,which Todd English declared was "four star Michelin" and even special guest(and Final Four contender)Brian had to admit that it was flawless.
The winner was Hung,which is fine. I was really pulling for Dale there but my hunch is that Judge Tom just couldn't get over that failed lobster dish of his. Sigh! Never mind that Dale pulled off an excellant scallop plate at the last minute and how phenomenal everyone(including Tom)thought that lamb was,it was just not enough to please Judge Tom for the win. Hung did do a good job there,so atleast it was a win that was well earned there. Congrats,Hung!
I may tune into the TC reunion next week(mainly to see who won the Fan Favorite-hope it's Tre)but I'll probaly wait for Project Runway to start up again(November 14)before keeping Bravo on my speed dial when I channel surf.
Heroes got into gear,as Peter started to realize that while he has no memory,he does have super powers,Hiro starts to rebuild the Kensai legend and Claire starts to experiment with the limits of her Wolverine abilities:
Still no sign of Sylar or Nikki yet(those promos are very misleading,in my opinion)but we did see more of the Wonder Twins in action. Poor Maya,no wonder that she wants to keep her brother around her at all times. He seems to be her off switch for her black ooze that apparently is strong enough "to kill the Devil". Glad to see the Haitian back in the game(thanks to Mohinder's magic blood)and hope that Claire's potential new love interest is truly out to help,not hinder,her.
Moonlight debuted last Friday and while I found it amusing to see Rudolf Martin(who is no stranger to the vampire genre)as a college professor/self proclaimed "vampire" running a little Goth Girl circle of student body groupies and Jason Dohring as Josef,a 400 year old vamp who comes across as Logan Echolls in Nosferatu mode,the show just seemed a tad lightweight to me.
Maybe it's the leading man or maybe it's the loosey-goosey story structure but Moonlight didn't grab my very easy-to-reach vampire lover lapels,not in the way that Blood Ties did(which is returning to Lifetime on October 12,yah!). I'm not giving up on the show,however. Pilot episodes are not always good indicators of how a show will ultimately turn out and to be fair,I should watch a couple of more episodes. I gave Dirt more of a shot after all,and Friday nights are rather thin on shows I like.
I do think that adding Dohring might help keep the show alive for awhile. He's got a strong fan base and is entertaining as hell:
Random Notes:
ANTM: Heather's been doing well so far but Tyra's heavy handed handling of Asberger's syndrome is a tad annoying. Last week,when she told Nigel that austistic kids are going "wow" over Heather being on the show was ten shades of stupid and her quizzing Heather about how people with her condition usually have lack of eye contact didn't sound friendly-she sounded more like Benson and Stabler on SVU. Atleast some of the other girls are trying to be nicer to Heather for the moment:
Not Bianca,of course,who is quickly becoming this season's bitch-in-residence. Ebony was a front runner for that position at first but quickly dropped out of the running there. Speaking of dropping out,Kimberly went home after a face hugging the rock wall photo which means she'll miss the big makeover show next week. That should be fun,always lots of hair drama on those episodes.
Ugly Betty: I watched the season two premiere online and loved many of the new plot points set in motion(especially Justin getting to junior intern at Mode,yes!) but what is up with that half assed fat suit of Amanda's? Come on,guys,if Tyra Banks can get a believable big girl makeover on her daytime talk show,you should certainly be able to do better than making Amanda look like she's hiding Miss Piggy under her dress there! Hope that Betty's dad gets to come home soon,especially for poor Hilda's sake:
On one of my bookstore shopping trips,I spotted a new reprint of Shirley Conran's Lace(the 1980's novel that lead to a miniseries in which Phoebe Cates spouted the immortal line,"Which one of you bitches is my mother?")and just had to have it.
I'm not sure if I've read Lace before-I distinctly remember enjoying one of Conran's later novels,Savages(which recieved a nice shout-out recently in Lisey's Story),but this one is a tad hazy in my memory banks.
The main reason that I bought Lace is a hankering for a genre in women's fiction that pops in and out of style over the decades but never truly dies;the saga novel. Sagas may seem like soap operas in book form(and many of them are classic beach books)but a really good one can just suck you into a whole other realm of possibilities that give the reader a welcome relief from everyday worries like paying the bills or what to make for dinner.
Those concerns fade into the background when you're faced with such dilemmas as keeping control of the vast fashion/perfume/industrial empire you've created while being haunted by the memories of the past or being blackmailed over that brief but sexually fulfilling one night encounter that may or may not have spawned a bastard child as the end result.
Granted,I haven't read all of the big players in this catagory(Judith Krantz,Sidney Sheldon and Harold Robbins,to name a few)but the ones that I have are strongly female centered which leads me to divide them into two basic templates: sexy and steadfast.
Sexy sagas would be the Lace/Hollywood Wives/Scruples kind of story that has just as much emphasis on the leading lady's strengths in the bedroom as well as in her workday world while the steadfast is more in line with the Woman of Substance/Thorn Birds/Best of Everything style that's very character driven. Steadfast sagas are not the buttoned up repressed Victorian cousins of the sexy-they can be just as juicy but without having to wipe up the drippings.
Many folks would argue over what book belongs in which catagory(you can make a strong claim for Thorn Birds to be considered more of a Sexy selection,for example)while some would simply turn up their noses at the very idea of these stories being given any sort of serious thought other than what trash barrel would be best to throw them out in.
They're same bunch that sneer at Chick Lit displays in bookstores and grumble about how "important" women writers get overlooked. My feelings about those charmers are no secret but I wouldn't be surprised if during a spring cleaning at one of their homes,one of the books that I've mentioned(or the type I've been discussing)just happened to turn up. Ten to one,their reaction would be to blush or say"Oh,someone-sister/mother in law/friend-must've left it here after that time they stayed over". Maybe..or maybe not! Check to see if that so-called "trashy" novel makes it to the Toss pile at the end of the day,that's all I'm saying.
So,do we have to keep plundering those old school treasures to soothe our saga cravings? No,but it's nice to indulge in alittle nostaglia,especially when it's out in nifty new packaging(it would be nice to get my hands on a reprinted edition of Savages-hint,hint,whoever has the rights to do that!).
Those who are rolling with the new include Tilly Bagshawe,with Adored and Showdown,along with Penny Vincenzi,whose Spoils of Time Trilogy is truly intoxicating. The Brits are going strong with the sagas but don't count us Yanks out just yet. Jennifer Donnelly is holding the fort with The Tea Rose,which is about to have it's sequel debut in January of '08,The Winter Rose. Donnelly's books are pretty much in the Steadfast camp,with Vincenzi and Bagshawe's more of a Sexy but I'm as eager as a Marvel fan awaiting the premiere of the Iron Man movie for both of these authors to hit me with their next shot. Variety is the spice of life,even in a genre zone.
It's horror movie season and even tho most of the flicks I'm about to mention will be out well after All Hallow's Eve,this is the time of year to keep an eye out for those fresh new fright films on the scene. First up on the docket is the long awaited adaptation of Stephen King's novella,The Mist(due to hit theaters in November).
This terror tale of folks having to fight for their lives and sanity in a supermarket after the title moisture cover cuts them off from the world they know first appeared in a 1980's anthology called Dark Forces and later in one of King's own collections,Skeleton Crew.
It's also been made into an audio play version,complete with 3-D sound,which has been highly praised by many fans. Will this movie be able to do the story justice? We shall see,certainly more clearly than the poor souls hiding out in the frozen foods section:
Another literary adaptation coming much sooner to a multiplex near you is 30 Days of Night,based on the graphic novel by Steven Niles and Ben Templesmith. The title time frame takes place in a small town in Alaska where a thirsty band of vampires decide to turn the place into an all-you-can-eat bloody buffet. Josh Harnett stars as one of the local law enforcers making his stand against the monster mob. Good luck,buddy-you're really gonna need it!:
More adaptations abound,as Broadway's most gory musical,Sweeney Todd, gets the Tim Burton treatment. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter play the merry meat pie makers and the cast also includes Sacha Baron Cohen(Borat himself)and Alan Rickman.
While there's no official trailer or teaser available just yet,this delightful re-enactment of one of the play's big numbers"God,That's Good!" from the underappreciated Kevin Smith film,Jersey Girl,should give you an idea of how fun this murderous music fest can be:
Update: There is now an official trailer for Sweeney Todd that you can view here. It looks pretty damn amazing,folks.
And finally,as the tag line says,if it's Halloween,it's time for Saw(part 4,that is). I have to admit that this series of twisted morality plays has been holding up well so far,but the last movie was starting to show some signs of wear and tear with keeping up the main premise of the plot. If this is the last Saw movie,let's just hope that it ends with a hell of a bang instead of a sorry sequel whimper:
Today begins the month of October,and the start of my very first blog contest. To catch up everyone up to speed,I'll just recap some of the details that I mentioned in last week's October book preview(please forgive me if I sound like Repeat-o Girl). The grand prize will be a copy of Alice Sebold's new novel,The Almost Moon, for the person who can write the best line to complete this original jingle of mine:
"Alice Sebold made her Lovely Bones, with readers both near and far. Now,with The Almost Moon approaching...."
My inspiration for this contest comes from The Prize Winner of Defiance,Ohio by Terry Ryan(which was adapted into a lovely yet underrated film starring Julianne Moore). Ryan,who has recently passed away,wrote a touching and interesting portrait of her mother who managed to keep a family of ten afloat in troubled times by her creative writing skills that enabled her to win dozens of contests.
That whole world of jingle writing women who found a way to make their brain power work for them while still keeping the home fires burning was one of the best aspects of the book and it got me to wondering if some of that old school ad campaign style would still fly in this ultra modern day and age.
Okay,enough backstory-on with the details! First off,this jingle is NOT part of any official advertising for the book. Your winning entries will only appear on this blog. This is strictly for fun,kids.
Next,this contest starts today and ends on October 30,2007. Please send your entries to livingreadgirl@yahoo.com and title your e-mail as "Almost Moon Jingle Contest". Sorry,but I can't accept mailed in entries at this time-this is an online only gig.
Please do not send your mailing address with your entry;I will contact the winner via e-mail a couple of days before the end of the contest and ask for an address then.
Runners-up will have their entry posted on October 31,with the Grand Prize winner announcement,and will have a clip of their favorite TV commercial added with their line. You can let me know what your favorite TV ad is,when you send in your entry but please keep in mind that a)I need to be able to either embed or link to it(YouTube is preferable) and b) that the content be of a PG-13 nature. Yes, I find some of those "adult" European commercials to be amusing(much more than Paris Hilton pretending to like hamburgers while doing a bad Tawny Kitaen impersonation) but let's keep things work safe,okay,guys?
I'm proud to be starting this contest at the beginning of Banned Books Week,which runs until October 6 and is one of the most important times of the year. Readers of all ages should cherish the freedom of choice that we have,thanks to democracy. Alice Sebold's moving first novel,The Lovely Bones,was recently challenged at a middle school library in Westport,Conn(and later won the right to stay on the shelves),an honor that it shares with many other great books of our time.
Since a picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words,here are some videos that can best express my feelings on this subject:
THE TOP TEN BANNED BOOKS OF 2006/07
DO YOU EVER READ THE BOOKS YOU BURN?
AND NOW,A FEW WORDS FROM RIF SPOKESWOMAN RORY GILMORE
While fan merchandising is a big industry and something that many of the diehard love to hate(and vice versa),you can still make your own personal touchstone for the Tv show/movie/book that you adore as unconditionally as some would love their firstborn child. Sure,you can be all DIY about it(as with this Gilmore Girls qoute mug currently on sale at EBay)but for those of us who are all thumbs with the creative skills,shopping is so much easier and safer for society at large.
For example, let's do one for The Whitest Kids U Know. Now,a ouija board may seem like a traditional occult party game for giddy teens but to Trevor Moore's cranky demon on the graveyard shift,this is his own personal form of hell on earth. You might even want to have a magic 8 ball as well for some extra inside laughs:
If you're enjoying the latest Ken Burns documentary,The War,you might want to put in a pre-order for Fantagraphics's upcoming Bill Maudlin collection due in February of 2008 entitled Willie & Joe: The WWII Years. This edition is edited by Todd DePastino who is also coming out with a bio of Maudlin around the same time. Pretty snazzy stuff for your coffee table there,folks!
Sure,most fans of Knocked Up can easily recall the Spiderman 3 reference but how many can truly get the joke when he/she spots that Back to the Future poster on your wall? Exactly! That is a real test of pop culture cross referencing there,my friends.
Are you a fan of The 4400 but feel underappreciated next to those big Heroes getting all of the attention and magazine covers? Well,just hop over to Cafe Press where you have your pick of 4400 related tops. You can ask What Would Jordan Do? or announce your status as one of the Marked or your level of Promicin intake. There's even a few Heroes related crossover jokes,too-see,no need to player hate!
Last but not least is this seemingly unusual tie-in to the Jane Austen Book Club. "Uh,Lady T,wouldn't that be one of Austen's novels?" Yes,of course,but folks who have already read the Fowler novel know of one member's devotion to sci-fi classics that lead him to meet one of his future Jane-ites while attending a convention. Ursula K Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness leads to rather a nice meet-cute in the film version as well:
