This is just a note to remind you of the ways you can keep in touch with what’s up in the land of Strangegirl.com.

The email updates list is still active, but I use it primarily to post major updates only – stuff like new site features, discontinuations, and so on.

For more detailed web updates and new content, I suggest you watch this site blog.

If you want up-to-the-minute updates regarding the subjects I find interesting (Emma, Disney theme parks, &c.), then I strongly recommend that you follow me on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/magicskyway

To get in touch with me via email, use this form (and ONLY this form – none of my previous emails are functional).

Thanks, everyone!

~ Kali

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…

• Patti Murin Is Emma, Singing an Austen Song, at Old Globe Jan. 15-Feb. 27 (Playbill.com)
• Official Old Globe Emma site – Includes articles, a program in .pdf format, cast biographies, related events, and notes on the production!
• KPBS “These Days” Interview with Emma director Jeff Calhoun and show writer Paul Gordon
• Globe plans fresh take on Jane Austen’s Emma – Pam Kragen, North County Times
• Perils of romance come to the stage in new musical Emma at The Old Globe in Balboa Park – Diana Saenger, La Jolla Light
• Ageless Emma – James Hebert, San Diego Union-Tribune

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!

"This is Haunted Halloween" collection CD art...

- A festive two hour collection of holiday tunes, debuting on October 1, 2010!  -

Disc One is packed with a selection of macabre party hits, from a new extended mix of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to Sheb Wooley’s campy “The Purple People Eater.”  Disc Two follows with pieces reflecting the darker side of Halloween.  Here, spooky film themes, ghoulish classical favorites, and other grisly tunes mix it up with creepy sound effects perfect for a stormy night.

Produced by Jason Pittman and Kali Pappas, this collection offers new presentations of old classics alongside several fun surprises.  But beware — this is not your average Halloween mix tape.  Listen and share!  If you dare…

Available for download NOW:

Audio files:

- Disc 1 – 17 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps LAME MP3)

- Disc 2 – 14 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps LAME MP3)

Expanded notes on the collection and the various tracks:

– Liner Notes.pdf

- Liner Notes.rtf (text only)

Artwork:

- 3 .psd files, complete with gutters and ready for conversion/printing (CYMK)

- 5 .jpg files, at screen resolution for viewing (RGB)

- 1 .jpg file, 800×800 pixels, for use as cover art in your preferred media player

LINKS:

http://tinyurl.com/hauntedhalloween

http://bit.ly/hauntedhalloween

Mirror:

http://tinyurl.com/strangebeat

http://bit.ly/strangebeat

The strangest sight you’ve ever seen
The Monster Tree on Hallowe’en …

~ Ray Bradbury, The Halloween Tree

More to come!

Hey #emma_pbs fans! Unofficial Northanger Abbey group chat on Twitter during Masterpiece Classic on Sunday! 9pm ET start… Laurie and I will be there!

Since the first Emma Twitter party was such a success, PBS.org is presenting another for Part Two!  There will be an “east coast” party beginning this Sunday, January 31, at 9pm ET and a “west coast” party to follow at 9pm PT at Twitter hashtag #emma_pbs.

You can use the official PBS Emma TwitGrid (it’s a new one!) to help you navigate all posts to the #emma_pbs hashtag.  Check the PBS.org Emma Twitter page for details and updates.   In the works:  another quiz with Laurel Ann and me, more prizes, and special discounts for party participants at ShopPBS!

In other news, Vic explains how to make Mrs. Weston’s wedding cake (as seen in the most recent Emma adaptation).  The key tool?  A Nordic Ware Cathedral Bundt Pan!  Also, don’t miss her thoughts on Emma 2009/2010 as reviewed by print media.

Catch author and #emma_pbs Twitter Party co-host Laurie Viera Rigler’s Emma review, posted at the PBS Remotely Connected blog.

And, in Persuasions Online, Laurie Kaplan discusses negative critical responses to the latest Emma in Adapting Emma for the Twenty-first Century: An Emma No One Will Like.

Also, Style Court discusses decor in the various Emma adaptations and Austen Only covers Mr. Knightley’s Strawberries.

For those who Tweet, PBS has organized a “Twitter Party” to accompany the January 24th U.S. premiere of Emma 4.

• More information from Masterpiece Classic
• More information from Vic at Jane Austen’s World

ETA:  Now I DO Tweet – I was asked to help out with the Emma Twitter party this sunday, so I registered a Tweetname.  I’m magicskyway.  FOLLOW ME, YO.