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Paul Gordon Emma at San Diego Old Globe Theatre and more…

Kali — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 11:00:49 +0000

I tend to tweet most of my minor updates these days, but here’s a roundup for the sake of completeness.

Emma comes to the Old Globe in San Diego.

Paul Gordon’s Emma – A Musical Romantic Comedy is now running at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre! The show – which has already enjoyed successful runs in the Bay Area, Cincinnati, and St. Louis – previewed earlier this month and officially premiers this weekend. The run will continue through February 27 (with an extension to March 6).

Emma is directed by Jeff Calhoun and stars Patti Murin as the eponymous heroine and Adam Monley as Mr. Knightley. For more…

In other Emma adaptation news, Romola Garai’s Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television did not result in a win. Still, it was nice to see her nominated for her starring role in the 2009-2010 BBC Emma miniseries.

In non-adaptation Emma news, Maria Edgeworth’s presentation copy of Emma was sold last month at auction. According to Sotheby’s auction house, it fetched 79,250 pounds sterling. Edgeworth was a bit of a novelist idol of Austen’s and an acquaintance of the James Leigh Perrots, Jane Austen’s aunt and uncle. You can learn about Edgeworth’s opinions on Emma in this roundup of period responses to the book.

Happy new year, everyone!

Michael Gambon nominated for Emmy; Emma vampire mashup released

Kali — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:27:43 +0000

Sir Michael Gambon received a nod during last week’s Primetime Emmy nomination announcements for his portrayal of Mr. Woodhouse in the 2009 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma.

In other Emma news, a new Jane Austen horror mashup novel hit Kindles last week. Emma and the Vampires, written by Wayne Josephson, takes another stab at the novel of manners-meets-horror movie literary genre.

Aisha opens to generally favorable reviews

Kali — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:18:07 +0000

Sonam Kapoor as Aisha.

Aisha, starring Sonam Kapoor, opened this past weekend to fairly positive reviews and strong box office receipts. Opinions on this film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma ran the gamut from “meh” to glowing. Have you seen it? What did you think? Was it the Clueless rehash some people expected? Does it matter?

Bits and bobs from around the net relating to Aisha‘s premier:

Interview with Aisha director Rajshree Ojha – again!

Kali — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:05:13 +0000

Here’s another interview with Aisha directory Rajshree Ojha, this time presented by Yahoo! India. In the piece, Ojha addresses the fact that viewers will be consciously comparing the film to previous Emma adaptations…

“I am prepared for all the comparisons that are going to come my way but ‘Aisha’ is very Indian. If you remember Jane Austen said ‘Emma’ is a heroine only she is going to love. As a filmmaker when I read something I imagine it and that inspires me to make a film. A good literature, if you adapt it well makes a very good film,” says Ojha.

And for those interested, here’s the Aisha IMDB entry.

Interview with Aisha director Rajshree Ojha

Kali — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:04:41 +0000

IndianExpress.com recently published an interview with Aisha director Rajshree Ojha, highlighting both the challenges she’s faced as a female director in Bollywood and the striking social parallels within Emma’s and Aisha’s worlds.

Hope everyone’s having a great weekend. Happy Fourth of July!

Aisha Music Video

Kali — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 02:49:14 +0000

It’s been out for a few days, but I thought it was cute enough to post anyway. Here it is, a tune from the Aisha soundtrack with video clips from the film… “Suno Aisha”…

The film stars Sonam Kapoor as the eponymous main character. It’s set to release in August. It’s also shaping up to be a humongous Clueless ripoff, but that’s okay.

Aisha trailer is out!

Kali — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:16:12 +0000

An Aisha teaser is out! The film is still set for an August 6 release.

Keep up with the latest Aisha promotional activities at the official site, on Twitter, and on Facebook. Those who are registered with the official website have been receiving digital postcards introducing the various characters from the film…

Those interested in reading more about the production might enjoy this short Times of India piece featuring young co-producer Rhea Kapoor:

Aisha is a ‘young’ film

Ayesha/Aisha website and Facebook page up now!

Kali — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:14:42 +0000

Producer Rhea Kapoor, sister of star Sonam, announced yesterday that the Aisha official site is live. There doesn’t appear to be much there at the moment, though you can register for email announcements while you’re there.

Rhea Kapoor is updating the Aisha Facebook page with production stills and other information as it’s available. On the wall, she recently wrote, “Register with your email address at www.AishaTheFilm.com and something interesting might come your way tonight ”

According to the Facebook, the original August 6 premiere date is still a go. I haven’t heard whether or not the film sneak-previewed last weekend as initially hoped – my guess is that it wasn’t ready.

Twitter twits can find the official film account at @AishaTheFilm …

Ayesha may debut at film fest in early June…

Kali — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:05:46 +0000

BollySpice.com reports that Ayesha may be ready in time to premier at the International Indian Film Awards in Sri Lanka during the first weekend in June.

“I am trying my best to complete the film,” says Ayesha producer Anil Kapoor, father of star Sonam. “We are running against time. If we are done with it we might screen it at this year’s International Indian Film Awards.”

The piece continues with quotations from director Rajshree Ohja, who has said, “Emma, like Shakespeare’s works, is a human story. As for the satire on society, I’ve touched upon that. That’s the reason I based the story in Delhi, where the caste divide has given way to class divide. In Delhi you can find a young girl dressed in a Calvin Klein or Versace who discusses matchmaking with her neighbour. Like in Emma, marriage is about elevating your social status. I’ve hinted on these things but remember, it’s a commercial rom-com.”

Emma 2009-2010 costumes on display at Chawton!

Kali — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:42:07 +0000

Through May 16, the Jane Austen House Museum is displaying a selection of costumes designed by Rosalind Ebbutt for the recent BBC Emma adaptation starring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller. The museum itself is housed in Chawton Cottage, Austen’s home from 1808 until her death.

While many of the fashions worn in the miniseries were actually created for other productions, Ebbutt was responsible for a majority of the pieces worn by the production’s principal actors. The current exhibit includes pieces designed for Romola Garai as Emma, Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley, Sir Michael Gambon as Mr. Woodhouse, and Laura Pyper as Jane Fairfax.

The Jane Austen House Museum’s website lists a May 7 event featuring Rosalind Ebbutt herself – wish I could go!

More information about the exhibit:

Emma costume photos by Rebecca Smith, Jane Austen House Museum Writer in Residence
More Emma costume photos by Rebecca Smith, Jane Austen House Museum Writer in Residence
Jane Austen House Museum website
AustenOnly’s report on the exhibit

More information about Emma adaptation costumes:

2009-2010 BBC Emma costume trivia (IMDB.com)
Emma DVD review (the DVD special features include interviews with Rosalind Ebbutt and various cast members regarding costuming in the miniseries)
Rosalind Ebbutt at IMDB.com
Recycled Movie Costumes
Heather’s Jane Austen Movie Gowns site
Costuming Emmas 1-3