Can Amanda Hocking's Switched be the next big troll thing?

In Amanda Hocking's first of three YA fantasy novels called the Tyrlle Trilogy,Switched, Wendy Everly is your typical moody teenager who has never felt like she belonged anywhere in the world.

That gloomy outlook is enhanced by the fact that her mother tried to kill her on her sixth birthday,claiming that Wendy was an inhuman monster who stole her true son.

Despite reassurances from her older brother Matt and Aunt Maggie,Wendy holds a nagging doubt about whether her mom was right about her all along in the back of her mind.Many factors point to her not being like everyone else,with her strange habits of selective eating and constant need to go barefoot,plus a growing ability to make others do her will,makes Wendy consider the worst case scenario.

A new boy in her new school,Finn Holmes,seems all too aware of how different Wendy really is. After some time together,Finn reveals to Wendy that she is a changeling(a child of magical beings who replaced a human baby at birth)and it is time for her to rejoin her people. That news is both a shock and a relief to her but that doesn't make the choice to leave the only family she's ever known any easier:





Wendy does go off with Finn to meet her real mother,who happens to the Queen of the Trylle(more commonly known as trolls)which makes Wendy the heiress to her throne.

Even though her birth mother Elora is a formidable and far from warm hearted figure,Wendy is eager to know more about the ins and outs of their world. While many questions are answered on that front,more crop up and plenty of secrets are still being kept from her.

To distract her from learning too much too soon,as well as establish her royal status amongst the Trylle,a "christening" ceremony is planned for Wendy and a complete makeover of her manners and appearance is in order. The transition from ugly duckling to revered princess overwhelms Wendy emotionally yet some of these new changes are to her liking:





Making new friends,such as Rhys,the human boy she was exchanged for,and fellow changeling returnees Willa and Tove,is truly helpful to Wendy's adjustment but what really makes her want to make things work is her bond with Finn.

He's assigned by Elora to be her personal bodyguard but his birthright as a tracker is a social boundary that prevents them from pursuing a real romance,at least on his side.

The main danger to all of them comes from a rebel tribe called The Vittra. They are out to capture changelings and recruit them as soldiers in their increasing army. With Wendy not only being a Princess but possibly one of the most powerful Tyrlle to come along in a great while,the Vittra are heedless to risk and exposure in claiming her for their side:





Author Amanda Hocking originally released her Tyrlle Trilogy in e-book form and their popularity grew to the point where she was offered the chance to turn them into print books. Each one will contain a especially written short story(my review copy from Library Thing doesn't have that bonus feature)and the second title,Torn,is set to be out in February.

While Switched is an entertaining read,so far this young adult series doesn't have the emotional resonance that a saga like Twilight or The Hunger Games possesses in abundance. However,Hocking does have a strong narrative voice and a sure knack for engaging the reader into wanting to see what happens next,no easy thing to do.

Switched is a charming delight and for a light and lively read,you can't go wrong by picking up the physical version at a bookseller near you. The Tyrlle Trilogy is a welcome treat for genre weary folks to simply curl up with and enjoy,so have at it then!:

It may taste like an adaptation but the film flavor says butter

In the most recent issue of Entertainment Weekly,the main story was a preview of major movies for 2012 and naturally the third Christopher Nolan directed Batman film took center stage.

While the article didn't give away anything too major,it was mentioned in passing that the screenplay for The Dark Knight Rises was heavily influenced by the classic Dickens novel,A Tale of Two Cities. Given the sociopolitical undertones of TDKR's latest trailer,that does seem fitting in more ways than one.

The timing for such a timeless tale to be in the background of a such a big league commercial film is beyond perfect,since 2012 happens to be the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens and many pop culture events will be occurring to celebrate the continual power of his works.

With The Dark Knight Rises boasting of it's TOTC connection,getting more folks to read this novel(either for the first or the hundredth time)should be a snap. You might think that comic book fans are an unlikely lot to check out something that sounds like required reading but you would be sadly mistaken. Dickens wrote for the masses and a comic book tie-in would be right up his alley:





Also,this is not the first comic book based movie to showcase the inspiration of a time honored novel upon it's characters. The masked leading man of V For Vendetta was a big fan of The Count of Monte Cristo,especially the 1934 film version starring Robert Donat.

Other literary contributions to the plot,based on the Alan Moore graphic novel,included Orwell's 1984 and the French classic The Phantom of the Opera. However,the spine of the storyline was strengthened by Dumas' saga of hard earned revenge and the stylish treatment it received in the Donat depiction:





Comic book adaptations are not the only place where classic literature is used as a template for the plot. While Disney's The Lion King is not directly based on any previously published work,the film makers did acknowledge that the seed from which the story sprang forth came from Shakespeare's ultimate family drama,Hamlet.

Naturally,the Disney folks watered down most of the play's adult content there,making Scar's desire to overthrow his brother based more on sibling envy rather than an illicit romance with the queen,for example.

Yet,it is a good introduction for young people to Shakespeare that makes it more lively than your standard stage production:





Classic novel have also lent themselves to live action genre films as well,with some influence being more deliberate than others.

Amy Heckerling made no bones about her teen comedy Clueless being a modern day twist on Jane Austen's Emma and those familiar with the book can easily connect the dots between Austen and Heckerling's shared social satires.

What makes Clueless such a excellent film on it's own merits is that anyone can enjoy without having to read Emma first. Mind you,the film does serve as a great incentive to new readers and knowing the basis for some of the movie's character developments and set-ups is a nifty bonus.

Yet,it has to be first and foremost work as a comedy that can deliver enough original punchlines without over relaying on Austen and on that level,it succeeds rather handily:



So,it looks like the influence of classic lit to genre films is going to get a pretty sweet charge to it's pop culture engine this season. Who knows what the future may bring,if this reliable source is continually drawn upon and what kind of interesting new media mergers will be born from this loosely acknowledged alliance. Could be fun for some or a nightmare to others,we'll just have to wait and see:

Open Letter to Kim Novak,RE:unreasonable reaction to The Artist

Dear Ms. Novak,

As someone who is well aware of your talents as an actress and who has enjoyed your work over the years,it is sad to see your name make headlines recently due to an inappropriate expression of a creative difference.

Your full page ad in Variety was a declaration of your disapproval of the usage of a piece of the score from the Hitchcock film Vertigo(which you were the leading lady of) for the soundtrack of The Artist.

For some reason,you feel that this addition of Bernard Hermann's music takes something away from your contribution to the original film and for an even more odd reason,you chose to word your objection in this manner:


“I WANT TO REPORT A RAPE”:

I FEEL AS IF MY BODY—OR, AT LEAST MY BODY OF WORK—HAS BEEN VIOLATED BY THE MOVIE, “THE ARTIST.”




Putting aside your shocking language for a moment(but we will get back to it soon),a few points must be made here. For one,since you had no hand in writing or creating the score for Vertigo,any complaints about sampling that score rightly belong to Bernard Herrmann's people.

With that segment of the Vertigo soundtrack not only being legally acquired but properly listed in the end credits for The Artist as well,your claim is strictly a matter of personal preference here.

You might also like to know that that portion,"Scene D'Amour" was meant to be used temporarily and that the composer,Ludovic Bource,did write original music for that crucial sequence in The Artist.The decision to stick with Herrmann's music was made by the directer during the rushes,which should be no surprise to you, given your experience with film makers over the years.

Sampling previously created music into new compositions has been going on for quite some time now and you should really update your knowledge of changing media. I'm not the most musically adept person and even I know plenty about that. Using that portion of the Vertigo soundtrack was meant to be a compliment to Bernard Herrmann and should be taken as such:





Secondly,taking that bit of music does not affect your contributions to Vertigo in any conceivable way. You were not robbed;no one took the dialogue you recorded or use any of your images from the film for The Artist. No crime,real or imaginary,was perpetrated against you at all.

There are many other actresses out there,both still with us and not,whose iconic appearances are being exploited for advertising purposes and you should be thankful that this hasn't happened to you. Even though such licensing can be profitable and legally done,seeing a cut and paste version of classic stars hawking perfume or other sundry items due to digital manipulation is a tad disturbing:





Speaking of disturbing,your calling this tempest in a teapot a "rape" is beyond the pale. Insensitive doesn't even begin to describe your truly reprehensible appropriation of that word in this situation,which is a complete non-situation to start with.

Granted,you are not the only celebrity to do this within the past couple of years but at least those who did had the decency to apologize publicly and not have their PR person make a ridiculous statement in their defense such as the one you had someone on your staff make as this:

"There are all kinds of rape including the rape of one’s soul. All rapes are violent acts and all victims should be supported.”

Seriously,Ms. Novak,what the hell is wrong with you? Are you that desperate to reclaim a moment in the spotlight that you are willing to damage your artistic reputation with cheap and distasteful antics like this?

Not to mention make a bad impression on those not familiar with your work who'll be less inclined to do so after such a disgraceful use of your celebrity influence and status? The harm that you've done to actual victims of rape is immeasurable here and for that,you should be ashamed of yourself and make your own damn apologies or excuses.



No doubt,you're unhappy to hear that The Artist won a Golden Globe award last night for Best Score and has a very good chance of obtaining an Oscar this season. Part of that may be due to your pathetic publicity stunt,a rather bitter pill to swallow there,I'm sure.

Despite all of this,I do respect you as an artist,Ms. Novak and sincerely hope that you come to your senses and make amends to all concerned. It would be a shame for something like this to be part of your legacy.

Sincerely,

Lady T and rest of the old school Hollywood fans

P.S. Some might think that you're simply being a diva here but I would like to think that you know the difference between being dramatic and being a drama queen. Please prove me right in this regard:

I'll take Scary Little Girls for 1300,Alex!

Happy Friday the 13th,folks and since this is the first one of the year(the next time this date will occur is in April),I thought that a special horror themed post would be in order.

For today's special topic,we celebrate a frightfully feminine cliche;the scary little girl. Yes,boys can be just as menacing yet there is nothing like a sweet young miss for whipping out the unexpected monster face and causing grown people to curl up in the fetal position.

Whether they are supernaturally inspired or just plain mini mean girls,these dangerous darlings are no one's helpless maiden. In fact,they're more likely to help themselves to whatever and whoever is up for grabs at any terrifying tea party:



CLAUDIA(INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE)

When it comes to child vampires,Claudia is the queen of them all. Although her status in both the Anne Rice novel and film version was as a supporting player ,the impact of Claudia was not soon forgotten.

Her emotional growth,from innocent child to angry adolescent and reluctant adult,was hampered by her lack of physical change and as most kids tend to do,one of the parents had to take the blame.

That fit of vengeance was aimed rightly at her maker Lestat but it ultimately lead to her destruction. However,watching her bring down such a powerful immortal, with only her wits and a knife just as sharp as those,was a wonderfully terrible sight to see on screen:





RHODA PENMARK(THE BAD SEED)

This naughty girl with the nice smile and mommy calming mantra of "I've got the sweetest mother" first appeared in the mid 1950s as the focal character of a novel by William March which was later turned into a stage play and two film adaptations.

The 1956 version of the story tries to make up for Rhoda's sociopathic sweetness with an ending that punishes for her killing ways but that wasn't enough to mellow out the censors of the day. An after the credits sequence has Rhoda getting spanked by her mother,in what was meant as a humorous tension breaker(if you find corporeal punishment funny,that is).

There is talk of director Eli Roth making a modern day version of The Bad Seed,which could be fun,but the biggest challenge there will be trying to top Patty McCormack in the pivotal part of Rhoda. That precocious pig tailed predator is a hard act to follow:





THE GRADY GIRLS(THE SHINING)

Although their sad demise is mentioned in the Stephen King novel,these doomed daughters of the previous caretaker of the haunted Overlook Hotel do not make an appearance within it's pages.

Thanks to Stanley Kubrick,this pair of ghostly gals are major horror icons due to their all too memorable meeting with Danny Torrence in the 1980 film adaptation. Their eerie appearance is said to be a reference to a Diane Arbus photograph and according to other Shining film theorists,there are other hidden meanings attached to those gruesome girls as well.

While this sinister sister act doesn't actually try to harm anyone,taking up their offer to join them for play time is really not a good idea:





REGAN MACNEIL(THE EXORCIST)

The best known of these pre-teen terrors is the tormented heroine of the classic 1970s demon possession film(based on William Peter Blatty's popular novel)that set the horrific high bar for other similar scare flicks to hurdle over.

Despite the fact that the voice of Captain Howdy,aka Panzuzu,was provided by the mature actress Mercedes McCambridge, young Linda Blair was credited for the full film performance as Regan and even received an Oscar nomination,plus a Golden Globe win for the part.

McCambridge did eventually get the credit she deserved(after a lawsuit which left bitter feelings between her and the movie's director William Friedkin)yet Blair's natural innocence was essential to the role and made her transition from good to evil that much more frightening and believable:



Fearsome females come in all shapes and sizes,as do their male counterparts,and it's good to remember that appearances can be deceiving, particularly when it comes to horror films. It's also good to keep in mind that no matter which side of the splatter spray they're on,underestimating women of all ages in this genre is something that you do at your own peril:

Top Chef TX goes to Restaurant Wars,Downton Abbey 's take on WWI and The Vampire Diaries ships out a major player

A Quickfire challenge was not given on this week's Top Chef Texas as it was time for Restaurant Wars to begin. To make things a little more interesting,the teams were divided into guys vs. gals and each group took over the same space for one night only.

The requirements for RW were that each eatery offer a three course meal(with two choices per course)and have enough servings for a hundred people. One team member had to be the front of the house and everyone had to be responsible for at least one dish.



In addition,each team would dine at the other one's restaurant,along with the judges. Both Emeril and Hugh Acheson were on deck for this along with Judge Tom and Padma. While both teams had trouble with service and in the kitchen,the decision on which one was best came down to the food.



The ladies named their restaurant "Half Bushel" but their food was full price in terms of quality. Sarah made a great first impression with her appetizer plate of a mozzarella filled ball called an arancino that had a celery salad with eggplant on the side.

Emeril adored this dish,pleased beyond belief that it was steaming hot when it arrived at the table. The cheese was perfectly melted,which made it sing on the palate.



Grayson also served a top notch appetizer that went over well. Her peach salad with
pickled shallots and a bacon vinaigrette sounded a little strange and deceptively simple at the same time.

However,that flavor combo turned out to taste like the porridge that Goldilocks chose;just right. Both the judges and the diners loved it to pieces.



Although the ladies' team won Restaurant Wars,only one person could be named the all over winner and that honor went to Beverly.

Granted,she's done ribs before in this competition but when you know how to do something to perfection,it's hard to stop.Beverly received a bottle of wine and a trip to that brand's vineyard,which I'm sure irked both Sarah and Lindsay that much more.

Both of them took turns picking on Beverly in the kitchen,with Lindsay being extra mad due to the fact that Bev was cooking the halibut for her entree(Lindsay had front of the house duties)and complaints about the fish being dry came from all sides.

Grayson tried to defend Bev,saying that it was Lindsay's technique that was the problem. I'm not a fish cook so I can't tell who was right on this debate. However, that win speaks volumes about Beverly's skills despite all the bitching being sent her way,in my opinion.



Meanwhile,the guys wound up on the Bottom for their "Canteen" concept that didn't pan out. Even their desserts had difficulties.

Edward's Almond Joy cake was delicious except for the fact that you couldn't taste any coconut in it. Dude,when you model your end of the meal treat after a well known candy bar,you have to make sure that all of the flavor components are there. Ed did have coconut powder in one of the sweet purees on the side but it needed to be present in every bite.



The other dessert was a homemade Cracker Jack mixed with cherries and peanut butter ice cream. Not only did it look a mess,it tasted like one too.Chris made that dish and it was the only one he worked on. True,he fulfilled the minimum requirement for this challenge but clearly this wasn't much of an offering that would showcase his talents to the highest level.

Plus,his other team mates did double duty for the entree and app courses,with Edward in the front of the house position,and by that standard,Chris didn't seem to be a real help to his group there.



Sadly,it was Ty-Lor who was sent off to pack his knives. Despite his hard work in creating at least two dishes(one was a collaboration with Paul) and helping to expedite during service,the food was so under seasoned that the judges couldn't let him stay on. Particularly with his shrimp and crab salad,Judge Tom was disappointed in how bland it was.

Ty-Lor was one of the folks that I've been rooting for this season and I wish him good luck and hope that perhaps we'll see him again,if things go well for him in Last Chance Kitchen(Nyesha seems to be really kicking ass on that front).

Next week will be wickedly wonderful as the chefs have to prepare a scrumptiously sinister feast for Charlize Theron,the Evil Queen in this summer's Snow White and the Huntsman. Will this be a fairy tale ending or a Grimm elimination?:





Season two of Downton Abbey started off in the early years of World War One,as Matthew was given a break from the trenches and went home to introduce his fiance Lavinia to the family.

Everyone on the estate was adjusting to the new changes in their world in different ways,as little sister Sybil became a nurse,big sis Mary paraded around her new beau,a newspaper tycoon, and Edith's newly learned driving skills lead her to a possible,yet illicit, romance.



The situation in the servants' quarters was troublesome as well,with the reemergence of Thomas who allowed himself to be injured in order to be shipped home from the front and the departure of Mr. Bates,due to the vicious blackmail threats from his far from loving wife. Poor Anna,she was so heartbroken there! Let's hope that their parting is not for too long.

With a few new staff members and the possibility of Downton being opened up to house the war wounded,this insular world is expanding at quite a speedy pace. Not fast as some would like there but finding a dull moment around this place is about as easy as searching for a needle in a haystack:





On The Vampire Diaries,the Gilbert family circle is going to get smaller as little brother Jeremy is being shipped off to friends in Colorado. This is being done,courtesy of a compulsion command from Damon,at the request of Elena whose concern for his mental well being is growing.

Considering all that this kid has been through just in the past few months,this is pretty much an act of kindness here. During this season so far,Jeremy has taken meetings with the ghost of his vampire girlfriends,been nearly killed by Klaus and his pack of hybrids as an intimidation tactic against Elena and had to chop off the head of a hybrid on his front doorstep.

On top of that,his new buddy Tyler may have set him up to get slaughtered(smooth move there,Ty!)and he's still not over his break-up with witch girlfriend Bonnie. Speaking of Bonnie,she may not take Jeremy's leaving all that well but then again,she does have other distractions to deal with. Perhaps by the time he comes back,Bonnie's plate will be cleared enough to work things out there:



RANDOM NOTES:

THE GOLDEN GLOBES: Award show season officially kicks off with another round of trophies and eyebrow raising remarks from returning host Ricky Gervais. Hopefully,there will be more to talk about the day after than which celebrities will want to discuss Ricky's jokes with him in the parking lot with no witnesses:

The bittersweet taste of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2.0

The debut of the U.S. version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has come and gone,leaving in it's wake a trail of respectable critical reviews and a few industry award nominations,including three noms at the upcoming Golden Globes.

However,the take at the box office has been less than rewarding. The film landed in fourth place on it's opening weekend and so far has made about $60 million(the budget was 90 mil)and while it may cover the studio's overall cost for the movie,this remake is not quite a bomb but it's certainly a dud,money wise.

Of course,financial success isn't a true measure of worth for any artistic endeavor but when you consider that the original made for Swedish TV film of TGWTDT easily took it over 100 million,you do have to wonder what went wrong here.

Part of the reason for the low attendance at theaters could be due to the overemphasis on the "mythology" surrounding the central heroine Lisbeth(played by Rooney Mara)that the film makers were so intent on showcasing. The slick graphics created for the opening credits alone are more indicative of David Fincher's directorial style than the gritty tone of the Stieg Larsson novel:





There's no doubt that quality folk were enlisted for the American edition of The Girl With...yet they did have to compete with the earlier foreign film and it's stunning leading lady,Noomi Rapace,who many of the book's fans believe is the true incarnation of Lisbeth Salander.

Another factor to consider here is that Fincher and friends made no secret about their changing of certain plot elements to suit their take on the story.

Even those who haven't seen the Swedish adaptation but loved the book and it's sequels were bound to take umbrage with that. What motivates readers to watch any visual depiction of a novel they've enjoyed is to see if some of the inner emotional development of the characters can be captured well on screen and it seems as if the first rendition did that much better:





Despite the lackluster profits,the studio swears that they are committed to making the second book in the trilogy,The Girl Who Played with Fire,into a movie that may possibly be filmed back to back with the third volume of the series,The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

It would be a rare instance in Hollywood for them to do so,since the track record for debut adaptations of book series that don't catch fire,so to speak,is pretty grim. Then again,it could be a blessing in disguise as it may encourage those who haven't even picked up the other two books to give them a chance.

My own reading of TGWPWF has been stalled after the first hundred pages and since I've held off on seeing the Swedish made sequel until finishing the book,this development is a nice little motivator for me to get cracking on that front:



Hopefully,if Hollywood does persist in making the rest of the Millennium Trilogy, the next set of behind the scenes people will concentrate more on the character arcs than developing another set of gloomy goth gloss looks. The hyped up trailers for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo quickly became a joke in pop culture circles and can be counted as another indicator of why the film failed to lure movie goers in.

It will also be a big help if the first film grabs a few major trophies during this season of film awards. Otherwise,the ultimate punchline will be at the expense of the future sequels that may rightfully fear to follow in it's cinematic footsteps:

Feeling Absolutely Fabulous about the return of the AbFab gang

This was a very British weekend for TV viewers in the U.S., as not only season two of Downton Abbey premiered on PBS but both Logo and BBC America aired the first of three anniversary specials for Absolutely Fabulous,the cult comedy classic from the 1990s.

All of the regular cast was on deck and the humor was,as always,spot on with Edina and Patsy bemoaning the current state of celebrity along with aging less than gracefully,plus a hilarious take on last summer's royal wedding by Bubble,with Jane Horrocks giving her best wacky performance on this series to date:





As a fan who happily discovered this show on Comedy Central back in the day,it's wonderful to welcome back those awfully charming reprobates,Edina Monsoon(Jennifer Saunders),the desperate to be trendy party girl and Patsy Stone(Joanna Lumley),her zonked out catty companion. It also gives me a chance to go over some of my favorite things about Ab Fab and relive some of those laughs again.

To start with,my favorite character is Saffron,Edina's long suffering somber daughter who has had to put with both Eddy and Patsy's flamboyant approach to life and been made the butt of many jokes(not to mention a pawn in various schemes). One of the delights of any AbFab episode is seeing Saffy go off on her mother and/or Patsy(who hates her especially)and giving out as much grief to them as she gets in return.

It's also fun to see Julia Sawalha in a very different mode from her role as the flirty Lydia in Pride & Prejudice. In some ways,she's a lot more like Mary Bennett when playing Saffron,only without the attempts to sing in public(that bit of public embarrassment gets left to Eddy):





The writing on this show is what made such horrible selfish people a joy to be around. Jennifer Saunders was a well established comedienne before she created Ab Fab,with her success on the Saunders & French skit series(teaming up with fellow comedy writer Dawn French).

Saunders has appeared on other shows,including a guest appearance on Friends, and done voice work for animated features such as Coraline and Shrek 2.She's been the sole writer for the Ab Fab series and clearly her knack for snappy one liners and daffy dialogue has paid off brilliantly.

Despite the golden opportunity to turn the show into a one woman affair,her scripts have handed out plenty of scene stealing goodies for all of the cast to share at one time or another:





The true silliness spine of the show,however, is the friendship of Eddy and Patsy who bring out the best and worse in each other,more times the latter than the former. What makes this gruesome twosome stick together is their mutual love of glamor,fashion,getting wasted and social climbing. Quite a shallow foundation for a long lasting relationship but fortunately,neither of them are ones to look too deeply into anything.

You could drop Eddy and Patsy down in just about any corner of the world and they would manage to find the trendiest people to mix and mingle with. The gals even made an appearance on the last season of Roseanne and rather easily stole the show from the regular leading ladies,which shows their satirical strength there:



The return of Ab Fab to our shores is a glorious sign of greater things to come this year and goodness knows we are in dire need of some solid laughs. Not all blasts from the past are worth reliving but in this case,Edina,Patsy and the whole wacky crew are gifting us with a bubbly breath of fresh air:

Brewing up a batch of historical British tea laced with India intrigue

One of my current reading choices this winter is Lauren Willig's Betrayal of the Blood Lily,which is the sixth volume in her Pink Carnation series of historical romance spy novels(I'm totally reading these books out of order,but that's a whole other story).

The heroine of the historical portion of the book is Penelope,a young lady who found herself in a socially compromising circumstance and wound up entering into a hasty marriage with someone she barely likes,let alone love.

She and her new husband are sent off to India,where his new posting is at a small royal court that is on the brink of breaking off with England due to the schemes of a Napoleonic spy known as The Marigold. Teaming up with Captain Alex Reid,Penelope finds purpose in thwarting the bad guys and perhaps a taste of true love as well:





Reading this book has been a delight so far,and it makes me think of other titles with a British in India setting that I have enjoyed in the past or would love to check out sometime in the near future.

While many smart and serious novels,such as A Passage to India,have been written about the troublesome times that both countries have had with each other and the cultural consequences of those days,the ones that seem to resonate the most with readers are the steadfast saga versions. One trait that England and India still share in the fictional realm is the allure of epic storytelling.

The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye is a prime example and it can be considered the Gone With The Wind of this genre. This tale of truly star crossed lovers,the British officer who was raised as an Indian boy and the princess that loved him since their mutual childhood,stirs the blood and keeps those pages a-turning. From palace schemes to the threat of suttee,the risks that Ash and Anjuli take for love are universally understood:





Author Bernard Cornwell has written several series of historical novels,with the most popular being the Richard Sharpe series. Three of the Sharpe books take place in India beginning with Sharpe's Tiger,where our hero starts his military career by stopping an alliance between a ruthless local leader and occupying French troops.

His adventures in that part of the world are followed up in Sharpe's Triumph and Sharpe's Fortress,where old scores are settled and new enemies halted in their tracks.

The three books were combined to make one made for television movie entitled Sharpe's Challenge,starring Sean Bean with Top Chef hostess Padma Lakshmi as one of the villains. I've only watched a couple of the Sharpe films but that was enough to peak my interest at least reading the first novel:





While Paul Scott's look at the last years of the British empire in India is called The Raj Quartet,most folks know this set of four novels by the first one,The Jewel in the Crown. That title was used by the TV miniseries version that played well to audiences in England and the United States.

The books chronicled the life and times of the British soldiers and their civilian counterparts residing in India during WWII,with part of the main plot dealing with an intimate assault that changes more than one person in the process.

The tone of this series is far more realistic in nature but it is an epic story of the changing of the social guard that some will heed and others will ignore to their peril:



The blending of cultures is always an engaging topic for fiction and hopefully exploring the similarities as well as the differences will give people more of an insight into each society.

Sadly,there are just some who prefer to focus on the outer finery of another culture instead of truly appreciating what makes this way of life tick but that shouldn't stop you from seeking the real splendor that other civilizations have to offer beyond the dance floor:

Book yourself a fractured fairy tale vacation of the mind

With the first of the two Hollywood revisions of the classic Snow White story,with Julia Roberts as the Wicked Queen and Lily Collins as Ms. Fairest of Them All entitled Mirror,Mirror,due to arrive in March,your best bet for an enchanting twist on these time honored tales might be at the local library.

Based on the trailer and advanced press for the film,this take on Snow White appears to be campy in the worst sense of the word. If you're looking for a more inventive and thoughtful rendition of this and other well known "happily ever after" stories,there are a couple of authors who specialize in this realm of imagination who know how to make real magic on the page.



Most folks connect Gregory Maguire to his series of Wicked novels that follow a very different Yellow Brick Road into the world of L. Frank Baum but he's also made a few pit stops with the Brothers Grimm as well.

His Snow White novel also happens to be called Mirror,Mirror but that's where the comparisons end. The heroine of this book is named Bianca de Nevada,a the beloved daughter of a wealthy farmer in the Italian countryside of the year 1502.

Her life is happy until her widowed father is sent off on a quest by Cesare Borgia and she is left to the care of his sinister sister Lucretia. By blending the true history of the Borgias into the familiar framework of this coming of age mythology,Maguire brings a whole new sensibility,along with sense of place, to this retelling:





Maguire also took a similar approach with his remodeling of the Cinderella story a few years earlier. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister was set in 17th century Holland,where the focal point of the novel was Iris,the youngest sister who followed her mother and mentally handicapped sister into a better situation in life via marriage to a tulip tycoon with a beautiful yet strange daughter.

The reception that this offbeat story received from fans lead to the book being adapted for a TV movie in 2002. Stockard Channing played the scheming stepmother and Iris was portrayed by Azura Skye,no stranger to twisted genre fare with small screen appearances on Buffy the Vampire Slayer,Smallville and most recently,American Horror Story.

Since the film took a more traditional tact than the book did,reading the novel first should give you more of a different flavor to the usual fairy tale sweetness that the author intended:





Telling a fairy tale through the eyes of a supporting character is a theme of Carolyn Turgeon's as well. Her novel Godmother cast Cinderella's magical guardian as Lil, a lonely old woman in modern day New York who works in a bookstore.

Lil believes herself to be a banished fairy godmother and she seeks redemption by playing matchmaker to a young couple who cross her path.

The true beauty of this engaging novel is that it works on both levels, where this notion of a lost fairyhood is either the sad delusion of an elderly woman or the sincere regret of a magical being forced to live out the rest of her existence amongst misunderstanding mortals:





Turgeon embraces Hans Christian Anderson with her latest work,Mermaid,where the leading lady here is the princess who discovers the rescued from the sea prince and openly vies with his aquatic savior for his love.

While I haven't read the book yet,it does seem as if the plot is fixed more along the darker lines of the original tale than the popular peppy Disney animated version.

The compare and contrast of the human princess with her underwater rival is a clever twist,not to mention a nice interplay of characterization there. It may not have catchy song and dance numbers but Mermaid seems bound to make a splash in the reinvented pond of fantasy delights:



So,if you wind up buying a ticket to Mirror,Mirror and regretting as soon as the end credits roll,you might want to check out a couple of these books to make up for that loss. At the very least,one of these novels should whet your appetite for what promises to be a real fairy tale cinematic wonder,Snow White and the Huntsman.

You do have to be careful with tinkering with fairy tales,as it's not as simple as it seems. Mixing up genres can become old hat very quickly in pop culture circles and can wear out it's welcome,plus run a few unexpected risks for the characters who only want their usual happy ending there:

Top Chef TX has a BBQ battle,the status of 2 Broke Girls and a new chapter of The Vampire Diaries

The guest judge on Top Chef Texas this week was Nathan Myhrvoid,one of the authors of a huge culinary encyclopedia entitled Modernist Cuisine,which was offered up as a prize to the winner of the Quickfire Challenge.



The chefs were tasked to make their own version of modernist cuisine,aka molecular gastronomy,and Ty-lor won this round with a watermelon treated with olive oil powder and vanilla bean honey.

He also received immunity,which complicated matters as the Elimination challenge happened to be another team situation.



The challenge was to cook a barbecue meal for 300 diners of the famous Salt Lick restaurant. Each team of three had to make three proteins(chicken,beef brisket and pork ribs)and serve two side dishes.

They were sent to a secluded nearby wooded area to cook all night,with a smoker and a huge cooking pit to work with,plus trailers that had small kitchens and beds. I mention the beds because frankly,it's foolish of these chefs to not sleep in shifts in order to be alert for the next day's service in a situation like this. For goodness sake,people,don't be so competitive that you're afraid to take a nap!



The team that took top honors here was made up of Grayson,Lindsay and Paul,who chose to go the Asian style route. Their sides were fried Brussels sprouts,which Judge Tom said were undercooked,and a watermelon salad.

The only other complaint was that the brisket wasn't seasoned enough but beyond that,the food was tasty and this trio got kudos for daring to use a flavor profile not usually found in Texas. Fifteen grand was awarded to the three of them to divide up and Paul now has a nifty chunk of change so far this season,about 35 grand. Nice going there,buddy!



Ed,Ty-lor and Sarah had trouble from the outset,as Sarah came down with a bad case of heat exhaustion during the morning's heat wave(see what I mean about taking a nap?)and had to go to the hospital.

That left Ed and Ty-lor on their own for the most part and the guys decided to cut up their meat before going to the restaurant so that they wouldn't get bogged down during service.

That early slicing dried out some of the meat but Sarah's chicken was still moist as she was able to return in time to help serve the judges. Ed had a really nasty attitude about her ordeal,being curt with her when Sarah asked how she could assist with the food and then making snotty remarks after she needed to take a break.

I've got news for you,Ed;it takes at least twenty four hours to fully recover from heat exhaustion(consulted my own personal medical expert there) and despite what you say,that condition is not something you can "power through",okay? I'm glad that at least Ty-lor was enough of a gentleman to have some concern for his team mate and be supportive.



The chef who was sent off to Last Chance Kitchen this time came from the team of Chris C,Chris J and Beverly. They went with beer can chicken(that Judge Tom does not consider to be barbecue style),ribs with Dr. Pepper sauce and a brisket that was overloaded with salt.

Chris C. thought that the sauce could dilute the excess salt but that decision turned out to be a poor one and sent him off to pack his knives. Next week brings us Restaurant Wars and it's boys vs. girls to boot.

The stress levels are high all around and even the judges are not immune to irritation. Should be pretty foodie and furious there(please excuse my weak pun,couldn't resist).


2 Broke Girls came back from their holiday hiatus and I'm happy to report that this first season is shaping up to be a solid one. With snappy quips and satirical swipes taken at such trends as flash mobs,pop up sales and extreme couponing,this sitcom keeps itself pretty fresh with the funny.

Also,the relationship between Max and Caroline is developing nicely,even more so with their having to house beloved horse Chestnut with Max's snooty babysitter boss during the winter.

That forces them to build more of a personal connection as they struggle to make that cupcake business money and while I do hope that the ladies don't have to wait too long for their financial dreams to come true,the journey is rather fun so far. It seems to me that these broke girls are in for the long haul of laughs and that we are all the happier for it:





Also coming in from the cold,The Vampire Diaries left us last time with Elena and friends trying to deal with Klaus and his new band of hybrid followers. Stefan's big plan is to play dirty as he holds the rest of Klaus' kinfolk hostage and is apparently willing to stand his ground even if that means death and destruction for the entire town.

The developments this season have been interesting,as Damon is forced to become a voice of reason while Elena's feelings for both brothers fluctuate at an alarming pace.

There's also Caroline and her now hybrid boyfriend Tyler who is totally Team Klaus in his loyalties(which doesn't surprise me at all,given that he strikes more as a willing follower than a leader)and Bonnie's breakup with Jeremy over his torch holding for the ghost of his vampire girl friend(very soap opera,I know).

Most of that is going to be on the back burner for the moment as the whole Stefan/Klaus showdown is heading towards DefCon One and I can hardly wait until tonight for that crazy train to take off:



RANDOM NOTES:

DOWNTON ABBEY: Another long awaited delight will soon be upon us,as season two begins this Sunday. With the start of WWI and many romantic tensions left unresolved,there should be quite a few fireworks on display indeed: