The strangest sight you’ve ever seen
The Monster Tree on Hallowe’en …
~ Ray Bradbury, The Halloween Tree
More to come!
This is Halloween…
T h i s * i s * H a l l o w e e n
Goblins on the doorstep,
Phantoms in the air,
Owls on witches’ gateposts
Giving stare for stare,
Cats on flying broomsticks,
Bats against the moon,
Stirrings round of fate-cakes
With a solemn spoon.
Whirling apple parings,
Figures draped in sheets,
Dodging, disappearing,
Up and down the streets,
Jack-o’-lanterns grinning,
Shadows on a screen,
Shrieks and starts and laughter
This is Halloween!
~ Dorothy Brown Thompson
Stay tuned for something special…
Celebrate Georgette Heyer with Austenprose.com
During the month of August, Austenprose.com is hosting a tribute to legendary Regency romance novelist Georgette Heyer. Join Laurel Ann and the gang for thirty-one days of Georgian-by-way-of-the-20th-century fun!
“Pride & Prejudice Without Zombies” event begins this Tuesday!
Austenprose.com is sponsoring a zombie-free, non-mashup look at Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. The festivities begin this Tuesday and continue through mid-July. Participate in the group read and discuss this perennial favorite with Laurel Ann and other Austen fans!
“Austen Addict” novels spin off into web series!
Laurie Viera Rigler’s wonderful Austen Addict timeswap novels have inspired a hilarious new Babelgum web series! “Sex and the Austen Girl” premiered today with the first of twenty episodes. Entitled “Meeting Men,” this series introduction features Austen Addict characters Courtney Stone (Arabella Field) and Jane Mansfield (Fay Masterson) discussing the dating differences and similarities between 1813 England and 2010 California.
How can you encourage men to call?
Jane, on 1813: “You wait! You wait and hope!”
Which is pretty much how it goes in the 21st century, too.
How do you meet men?
Courtney: “…you go to parties, you go to bars, you go to restaurants…”
Jane: “…you marry your cousin…”
I guess it worked for Fanny Price.
Anyway, here’s episode 1:
The teaser:
Poking fun at everything from Helen Gurley Brown’s Sex and the Single Girl to crazed 21st century Austenites, “Sex and the Austen Girl” is the funniest, most relatable chick-centric web production I’ve seen in a long time.
More…
Sonam Kapoor’s Ayesha still in post-production
No new news is forthcoming on the “Bollywood” Emma-based film adaptation. There’s a listing for the film at the IMDB (as “Aisha”), though, noting its “post-production” status. As I hear more, I’ll post it!
ETA: Cinthia found this 4/9 India Express interview with director Rajshree Ojha, confirming the film’s post-production status. In the interview, Ojha explains that her “first director’s cut” of the film is done and that “it lies in the producers’ hands.”
Cinthia comments:
It is surprising to know that the project began in 2004, but she and
the scriptwright could not find a back-up production company because
it had female-centered plot.At the end of the interview there some interesting details. For example:
“There are places where I’ve curtailed the role of certain characters,
like that of Emma’s friend Harriet Smith, or combined two characters
into one, like the Woodhouse sisters.”I find it intriguing, what does she mean by ‘curtailed’? Does it mean
that the Harriet character has been completely deleted or her role’s
importance has been diminished? And what about the Woodhouse sisters
being combined in only one character? I hope it is a confusion and she
meant Mrs. Weston and Isabella.
Austenprose’s Sanditon event and Emma onstage in Ohio…
Remember, Austenprose.com is presenting a group read of Jane Austen’s unfinished Sanditon, starting tomorrow – March 15! The Ides of March! Join Laurel Ann and the gang for some fun discussion of the novel and Regency-era seaside culture.
And now I feel like I should be quoting Ovid or something on the ascention of Julius Caesar to the heavens as a star. Yay, emperor cultism.
Anyway. I’ve also got a roundup of articles pertaining to Michael Bloom’s stage adaptation of Emma, which premiered last month at the Cleveland Playhouse in Ohio. It’s running now at the Drury Theatre through March 21:
- Playbill: World Premiere of Bloom’s ‘Emma’ Begins in Cleveland
- The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Tony Brown: Cleveland Play House’s ‘Emma’ expected to be a hit in an already successful season
- The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Tony Brown: Cleveland Play House’s joyful ‘Emma’ easily will win your heart; a review
- The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Tony Brown: Cleveland Play House plans its final shows at historic venue
- Cleveland Scene’s Christine Howey: The Love Doctor: Emma plies romantic first aid at the Play House
- Cleveland Jewish News’ Fran Heller: Play House’s ‘Emma’ is pure delight
- Cleveland News-Herald’s Bob Abelman: Play House’s ‘Emma’ is no plain Jane
- The San Francisco Examiner’s Kate Miller: Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ is wittily charming
- More coverage of Michael Bloom’s Emma at The Emma Adaptations Pages
Sanditon Group Read @ Austenprose!
Join in the fun! Laurel Ann is hosting a Sanditon group read at Austenprose.com, March 15-21!
