Off With Their Heads!
Happy Halloween! Click on through (on the photo) to see my costume, which I made myself. Hurray!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Spaced in America?
Spaced is one of the best shows of all time. Unfortunately, due to music rights (or so I've heard), the likelihood of it being released on DVD in the US is about nil. Those of us with region-free DVD players can watch the UK DVDs (we've got 'em and have watched the series many times), but that means it's a big bummer for the many people who don't have the equipment (and access to the UK DVDs).
Spaced isn't the only TV show like this - there are a lot of UK shows that haven't made it to DVD in the US, and one of the things that seems to happen to many of these shows is that someone decides to remake the show in the US. NBC was going to bring The IT Crowd here this season, but it never materialized (rumors say it was because it didn't work at all, which with Joel McHale as Roy doesn't surprise me completely - Richard Ayoade is friggin' hilarious but he's only one man). The Office has obviously been a huge success, but in my book the US version wasn't anything compared to the UK version until it came into its own (and finished copying the UK scripts verbatim).
Anyway, back to Spaced - it looks like Fox is going to try to remake it here in the US. Sigh. The original is Just So Awesome - it seems like, for the money that'll be spent to redo it, it would just be better for everyone if they paid for the rights to bring the original as is. With a show as good as Spaced is, it seems nigh impossible that a remake could be anything but pale in comparison.
via TV Squad
Doctor Worm
ParticleMen have posted a treasure trove of They Might Be Giants videos to YouTube, including this spectacular vid for Doctor Worm, one of the all-time greatest They songs ever. Such a terrific song, such a terrific video - I can hardly describe how much joy this brings me.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, from the imagination of Gris Grimly
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, from the imagination of Gris Grimly (original story by Washington Irving)
Originally uploaded by annethelibrarian
Monster Art
Dave DeVries is an artist who uses children's drawings of monsters as inspiration for highly nuanced, detailed pieces. You can see lots of examples at the site linked above. My favorites include (I may be taking liberties with the titles here - not all of the pieces are overtly titled) The Good Man, Art Love, and By Kimberly. The Superheroes are extra-creepy and extremely cool, too.
via Bookshelves of Doom
The Alphabet from A to Y With Bonus Letter Z! by Steve Martin and Roz Chast
The Alphabet from A to Y With Bonus Letter Z! by Steve Martin and Roz Chast
Originally uploaded by annethelibrarian
I read about this new book, The Alphabet from A to Y, With Bonus Letter Z! and was, despite my interest in both author and illustrator, still skeptical. Then I heard an interview with Martin on Morning Edition on the way to work the other day, and my skepticism receded. From what I can gather having not seen the book itself, it sounds absurd and silly and fun and all the things you'd expect (in a good way) from either Martin or Chast. I'm anxious to actually see it for myself!
via Finding Wonderland
Rat Life by Tedd Arnold
I hadn't heard anything about this book when I picked it up (aside from the fact that it was nominated for the Cybils), and when I flipped to the back flap to see the author bio I realized that the author is the same Tedd Arnold (is this really his official site? hosted at Geocities? really?) who wrote Hi! Fly Guy. Wow! Interesting! I didn't realize he was writing for teens, but apparently this is his first book for that audience.
Rat Life is not a book I thought I'd love based on the blurb:
The dead body found in the Chemanga River has nothing to do with Todd. He's been busy making beds at the family motel and writing alien stories to entertain his friends. Sure, a murder is big news, but what would really interest him? A paying job and a story line free of UFOs and poop jokes. And then he meets Rat.
Just a little older than Todd, Rat's already been to Vietnam and back. He's got a tattoo and a messed-up family life. And when he offers Todd a gig at the drive-in theater, Todd takes it. After all, it pays actual money. But hanging out with Rat leads to a host of strange experiences and perplexing questions. More and more, that corpse from the river is on Todd's mind, and no matter how he shifts the pieces around, Rat is always part of the puzzle.
I'm not particularly into war fiction, and the fact that Vietnam is mentioned made me wonder how big a part it would play in the story (not huge but definitely integral to Rat's character). The blurb also doesn't really do much for the book at all (not that all or even most blurbs do) - the book is so much more, especially the narrator Todd.
The story is all about Todd, who is sensitive and thoughtful and likable, and a pretty good writer who recognizes that he's good at relaying a story. The mystery of the dead body and the circumstances Todd sees around him carry the reader through the story, but really it's Todd and his thoughts and feelings at the forefront. His life isn't that different from those of a lot of kids who grow up in small towns, and it's easy to identify with him. Arnold has done a great job creating a believable story with a compelling narrative, and characters that really work. Rat Life feels like a sleeper - it's not flashy and it's probably not going to jump off the shelf by the power of the cover alone (though the cover really is a good representation of the book), but I can see a lot of tween and teen readers really getting into it.
This book has been nominated for the Young Adult Fiction category of the 2007 Cybil Awards.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Brodie snuggled up
Brodie has coopted several of the blankets I've knit for the living room - this one is his favorite, and he manages to get himself all wrapped up in it on a fairly regular basis. It's so adorable, especially when you can't hear the ridiculously loud snoring that goes along with it. :)
Goodwill goes upscale
Goodwill is opening the first of what will hopefully become a chain of upscale retail shops called William Good. The stores will reuse materials like vinyl records, books, and found art in the decor, theoretically creating a more stylish environment than the typical thrift shop. The clothing sold there will be reconstructed, repurposed, or recycled, with the goal of minimal negative environmental impact and contemporary, hip styling. Cool!
via Green Daily
Girlie Skull One-Piece
MacBook
Last night I was surfing on my MacBook when Flock suddenly flaked and the rainbow beachball just kept spinning. I forced a reboot and then a scary blank screen with nothing but a question mark showed up, meaning that the lappy couldn't find the OS. I attempted the troubleshooting techniques from the manual but the disk repair utility couldn't even see the hard drive. Uh oh! I jumped online and made an appointment with the Genius Bar at Twelve Oaks and was in dropping off the lappy within about an hour. The Genius determined that the culprit was indeed the drive and put in an order for a replacement (they didn't have one in stock).
This morning I got a call letting me know that they decided to replace the drive with one they did have in stock (an 80G rather than the 60G that flaked - fine by me!), so it was ready to go. We waited a few minutes for the store to be open, headed over to the mall, and picked it up! So now I'm spending a chunk of time reloading my favorite software and reapplying my preferred settings. I'm also so mega glad that I didn't have any un-backed-up files on the lappy. Hurray for planning ahead!
Friday, October 26, 2007
They Might Be Sims
They Might Be Giants are, in addition to friggin' awesome, involved in a wide variety of projects, ranging from Dunkin' Donuts ads to TV show theme songs. Flans has just announced that They've recorded a special Simlish version of Take Out the Trash for the next edition of the Sims (I'm not sure if this is an edition that's specific to a particular platform?). Sounds cool!
Rampage Baby One-Piece
My kickass mega talented sistrah has created some absolutely freakin' adorable baby shit. If you like what you see, get on over to our Etsy shop and have at it!
AC for Wii!
There aren't a lot of details (like almost none) available yet, but it looks like the forthcoming Wii version of Animal Crossing will be classified as an MMO/social networking game. As a big AC fan, I'm really geeked to see what changes and improvements they make for the Wii version. It would be great to be able to interact with other players, especially if there are fewer limits than exist in the DS version. There's no release date, or even an official title or anything available yet, but this one is definitely on my must-get list.
via Game|Life
Thursday, October 18, 2007
30 Days of Night
Last night we went to a sneak showing of 30 Days of Night, the vampire flick adapted from the graphic novel. It was okay, but not great. The vampires were neat in that they had a pretty unique look and were different from most other movie vampires. They were sort of birdlike, and they didn't have any of the seductive charm (or sparkle) of most of the vampires in recent pop culture.
The plot, though, had a multitude of giant holes in it, due in part to the face that sections of the film seemed to be edited out of order (continuity flaws as well as things in the story that didn't quite make sense). Josh Hartnett was just alright - he seemed to be trying, but I'm not sure a role like this is really right for him. The movie didn't provide any back story on the vampires, and the other characters were hardly different - we got the slightest bit of info on Hartnett's character and that of his estranged wife, but beyond that the others were just placeholders, waiting to get offed.
What 30 Days of Night does have is good gotcha moments and a few really terrifically grisly death scenes. It'd be worth renting or waiting for cable.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Tin Man
The Sci-Fi Channel has announced a new mini-series, Tin Man, which will begin in December. I'm a bit skeptical but it looks like it could possibly be decent.
via Fuse #8
Sunday, October 14, 2007
compost
Yesterday morning I spent some time taking down the last of the scarlet runner beans and the tomatoes. The beans had one last big hurrah with the recent heat wave, but now that it's frosting (coming very close to freezing) at night, the time had come to finish up.
I also spent awhile clearing out the crap behind the garage and unburying the compost bin (left by the previous owners). There was a lot of branches and brush back there, which wasn't too hard to get cleaned up. I was excited to see that the compost bin was intact enough to use, and it was full of really nicely composted soil. There were even some parsnips growing in there! They looked pretty past their prime, so I just tossed 'em back in with the first layer of stuff I put in the bin.
The next big project will be hacking down the tree branches back there.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
How to Get Suspended and Influence People by Adam Selzer
How to Get Suspended and Influence People by Adam Selzer
Delacorte Press, 2007
It all starts with an assignment. Leon's "gifted and talented" class has to make educational videos for the sixth and seventh graders. Leon originally chooses "sex ed" as his subject in the hopes of showing a flash of boob. But as time goes on, his project starts to mean something. He wants to tell the younger kids that puberty is tough, but what they're going through is normal.
After researching the avant-garde movement, Leon crafts his video in the style of Fellini: La Dolce Pubert. It's deeply disturbing yet comforting.
But when the gifted program's director sees it, she suspends Leon—and he finds himself at the center of a townwide debate over censorship. Who gets to decide how far is too far? (publisher blurb)
It's not often that a book makes me laugh out loud. Sure, I'll smile or grin or chuckle or whatever, but real laughing hardly ever happens. Adam Selzer's first novel made me laugh out loud repeatedly, which I consider to be a high compliment. Selzer ranks right up there with Gordon Korman, David Lubar, and Frank Portman, having successfully created a hilarious yet true-to-life story with eminently likable, weird characters. I grew up with the same social group Leon did, the gifted pool (it was known as G&T - gifted & talented - in my hometown), and the book completely rings true. We didn't get the opportunity to create health ed films for sixth and seventh graders, but we did a lot of other off the wall creative assignments (home video equipment wasn't as accessible when I was that age, either). One of my favorite things in this book was the inclusion of Un Chien Andalou, the surrealist short film created by Salvador Dali and his cohorts. I have such fond memories of this weird-ass film, though it's probably too long and too you-had-to-be-there a story to do justice to here. Shout-outs to Dan and Michael will have to suffice. Anyway, this book kicks mega ass. It's not only a quick read, it's funny, clever, and genuine. Highly recommended.
I'm truly excited to see that Selzer has a lot more in the works: he's got no fewer than seven other book projects listed on his website, not even including the sequel to HTGSAIP, Pirates of the Retail Wasteland.
also noted:
Bookshelves of Doom
The Edge of the Forest
Required Reading
Writing and Ruminating
This book has been nominated for the Young Adult Fiction category of the 2007 Cybil Awards.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
the Mesopotamians
One of my favorite songs on the new They Might Be Giants album, The Else, now has a video:
They Might Be Giants - The Mesopotamians
Top 100 meme
Here are the rules (changed slightly):
Red = I loved it!
Black= meh
Green = I hated it!
List of songs from this site
Top 100 Songs of 1992:
1. End Of The Road, Boyz II Men
2. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A-lot (still know all the words!)
3. Jump, Kris Kross
4. Save The Best For Last, Vanessa Williams
5. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
6. Tears In Heaven, Eric Clapton (I probably slow-danced to this, but ugh, the sappiness!)
7. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue
8. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers (Bloodsugarsexmagick is one of the all-time most influential albums for me)
9. All 4 Love, Color Me Badd (very sadly, the first live pop concert I ever attended)
10. Just Another Day, Jon Secada (never heard of it)
11. I Love Your Smile, Shanice
12. To Be With You, Mr. Big (this was the B-grade "More Than Words by Extreme)
13. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred (or "I'm Too Healthy" as rendered by my Foods and Nutrition class for some stupid contest)
14. Black Or White, Michael Jackson
15. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus
16. I'll Be There, Mariah Carey
17. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
18. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
19. Remember The Time, Michael Jackson
20. Finally, CeCe Peniston
21. This Used To Be My Playground, Madonna
22. Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough, Patty Smyth
23. Can't Let Go, Mariah Carey
24. Jump Around, House Of Pain
25. Diamonds and Pearls, Prince and The N.P.G. (This album was H.O.T.)
26. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, George Michael and Elton John
27. Masterpiece, Atlantic Starr
28. If You Asked Me To, Celine Dion
29. Giving Him Something He Can Feel, En Vogue
30. Live and Learn, Joe Public
31. Come and Talk To Me, Jodeci
32. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana (Nevermind was another most influential album)
33. Humpin' Around, Bobby Brown
34. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
35. Tell Me What You Want Me To Do, Teven Campbell
36. Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg, TLC
37. It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday, Boyz II Men
38. Move This, Technotronic
39. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
40. Tennessee, Arrested Development
41. The Best Things In Life Are Free, Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson
42. Make It Happen, Mariah Carey
43. The One, Elton John
44. Set Adrift On Memory Bliss, P.M. Dawn
45. Stay, Shakespear's Sister
46. 2 Legit 2 Quit, Hammer
47. Please Don't Go, K.W.S.
48. Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes), Mint Condition
49. Wishing On A Star, Cover Girls
50. She's Playing Hard To Get, Hi-Five
51. I'd Die Without You, P.M. Dawn
52. Good For Me, Amy Grant (never heard of it)
53. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket (saw them live at Pine Knob with the Cranberries - it poured rain but was still awesome fun)
54. When A Man Loves A Woman, Michael Bolton
55. I Can't Dance, Genesis
56. Hazard, Richard Marx
57. Mysterious Ways, U2 (chalk up Achtung Baby as another most-influential album)
58. Too Funky, George Michael
59. How Do You Talk To An Angel, Heights
60. One, U2 (another from Achtung Baby)
61. Keep On Walkin', CeCe Peniston
62. Hold On My Heart, Genesis
63. The Way I Feel About You, Karyn White
64. Beauty and The Beast, Calms Dion and Peabo Bryson
65. Warm It Up, Kris Kross ("that's what I was born to do")
66. In The Closet, Michael Jackson
67. People Everyday, Arrested Development
68. No Son Of Nine, Genesis
69. Wildside, Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch
70. Do I Have To Say The Words?, Bryan Adams
71. Friday I'm In Love, Cure
72. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
73. Blowing Kisses In The Wind, Paula Abdul
74. Thought I'd Died and Gone To Heaven, Bryan Adams
75. Rhythm Is A Dancer, Snap
76. Addams Groove, Hammer
77. Missing You Now, Michael Bolton
78. Back To The Hotel, N2Deep
79. Everything Changes, Kathy Troccoli
80. Have You Ever Needed Somone So Bad, Def Leppard
81. Take This Heart, Richard Marx
82. When I Look Into Your Eyes, Firehouse
83. I Wanna Love You, Jade
84. Uhh Ahh, Boyz II Men
85. Real Love, Mary J. Blige
86. Justified and Ancient, The KLF (Tammy Wynette + Techno = Awesome)
87. Slow Motion, Color Me Badd
88. What About Your Friends, TLC
89. Thinkin' Back, Color Me Badd
90. Would I Lie To You?, Charles and Eddie
91. That's What Love Is For, Amy Grant
92. Keep Coming Back, Richard Marx
93. Free Your Mind, En Vogue
94. Keep It Comin', Keith Sweat
95. Just Take My Heart, Mr. Big
96. I Will Remember You, Amy Grant
97. We Got A Love Thang, CeCe Peniston
98. Let's Get Rocked, Def Leppard (Not quite as classic as Pour Some Sugar on Me, this song was fun)
99. They Want EFX, Das EFX
100. I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt (I have no recollection of this song being from 1992. I think it only actually exists in bad movies.)
via Big A little a
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Originally uploaded by annethelibrarian
Alfred A. Knopf, 2007
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is one of my all-time favorite books, so I was very excited to see another collaboration between teen lit superstars Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. While I didn't connect with this book like I did with Nick & Norah (due to the specific music and scene), I did very much enjoy this one. Naomi and Ely have the kind of friendship everyone wants - they grew up together, know each other better than anyone else, have a ton of hilarious inside jokes, and completely understand each other. Except that Naomi is sort of massively in love with Ely despite the fact that she knows he's gay. This big secret wears on Naomi as she and Ely grow in and out of relationships with other people and their friendship goes through some serious changes. The book uses a lot of symbols interspersed with the text, which at first took me out of where I was in the story (I'm probably just old enough to find it slightly jarring) but it was easy to get used to and it completely fits the characters. Cohn and Levithan are both extremely strong character-creators and Naomi and Ely are no exception, as both are strong and believable. It is easy for the reader to identify with them and feel immersed in their world. I highly recommend this book.
Also noted at:
Dawn of the Read
Propernoun
Worth the Trip
This book has been nominated for the Young Adult Fiction category of the 2007 Cybil Awards.
A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
David Fickling Books, 2007 (US)
I first read about this book at Big A little a and it sounded interesting but not so much that I jumped right up to grab it. However, the reviews stuck with me and when it crossed my path again I was excited to read it. For me, the reading started off slow. The story is beautifully written with lyrical prose that truly captures the sometimes bleak, sometimes rich landscape of Ireland. Dowd's written brogue is absolutely effective and really made the characters come to life for me. That said, I didn't really care that deeply about them until about two-thirds of the way through, when several mysteries come to a head. At that point, I couldn't wait to finish it. The thing that kept me reading up until then, I think, is Dowd's ability to craft narrative that tells the reader so much without being explicit about tangible details. The protagonist Shell describes things in a dreamy, interpretive way that often leaves out the concrete specifics a reader is used to having laid out. That, to me, is the best thing about the book: the writing is exquisite.
A Swift Pure Cry is also noted at: Reading, Writing, and Chocolate
This book has been nominated for the Young Adult Fiction category of the 2007 Cybil Awards.
A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian
A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian
scheduled for publication March 2008 by PUSH
Ruby's turning sixteen . . . but the day doesn't turn out to be as sweet as it's supposed to be. Her long lost father shows up, and Ruby doesn't want to have anything to do with him. Instead, she wants to hang out with her friends - loyal Beth, dangerous Katherine, and gossipy Maria. They have plenty of advice for her - about boys, about her dad, about how she should look and what she should be feeling. But really, Ruby doesn't know what to think or feel. Especially when a new boy comes into the picture . . . and Ruby discovers some of her friends aren't as truthful as they say. (blurb from Amazon)
That summary doesn't do much to describe how really good this book is. The characters are much deeper than one word can express; they're all well-developed and realistic and seem just like the friends you grew up with (or wish you did). Ruby's struggle to deal with her father's sudden reappearance is compelling and the "new boy" she meets is so much more than that. Charlie is a creative guy, the kind of good-looking-but-not-in-a-yearbook-way, talented fella that every Angela Chase-identifying gal hopes to meet. The protagonist, Ruby, is true to herself in the way that really good characters are. She makes crappy choices sometimes, and not everything wraps up neatly for her. She's also creative (though she probably wouldn't describe herself that way) and imaginative and fallible and she rings completely true.
I was also geeked to see that teen lit rock stars Cecil Castellucci and Maureen Johnson both blurbed the book. Great minds think alike, right?
Siobhan Vivian seems like such a cool person, not only because she created this great book, but she's also creative in other ways! She created these so-cute and so-slick buttons, just like the buttons Charlie makes in the book. I so want these! I actually have a mini-button maker that I haven't used in ages, so maybe I'll make some of my own.
This book is so, so awesome. A Little Friendly Advice will be out in March 2008, so keep your eyes peeled!
Also noted:
Modern Day Ramblings
My Nose in a Book
full disclosure: received this ARC from the author
Slam by Nick Hornby
Slam by Nick Hornby
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2007
I'm admittedly a big fan of Nick Hornby's writing. I absolutely love High Fidelity (for the record, yes, I love the movie, too), and I've re-read several of his other books more than once. I haven't read too many books about sports or the teens who love them that have really captured me (Dairy Queen would be a major exception), but this one definitely did. Sam is obsessed with skateboarding and with Tony Hawk in particular, and though my skateboarding success is pretty much limited to Tony Hawk's videogames, Hornby has created a compelling character whose story goes far deeper. Sam is absolutely realistic and his interactions with his friends and family are completely believable. He's funny at the same moment he's facing the most desperate time of his life, as his ex-girlfriend tells him she's pregnant. All this sounds like a typical Problem Novel, but Hornby's skill makes it so much more. I heartily recommend this book.
previously posted about here
also noted:
Dawn of the Read
Propernoun
Reading Rants!
This book has been nominated for the Young Adult Fiction category of the 2007 Cybil Awards.
ARC provided by the publisher
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Rock of Love Two: Electric Boogaloo
The post-season shocking tell-all reunion show for the first season of Rock of Love just aired and boy, were the results not very shocking at all. We saw in the finale that Bret chose Jes, who was not only pretty smart about the competition but also the most likable of the contestants (not to mention less batshit than several of the others who lasted more than a few episodes). However, on the reunion show (oddly hosted by apparent friend-o-Bret Riki Rachtman), Jes showed up and ditched Bret with the tell-it-like-it-is-and-why-bother-being-bothered-about-it attitude we got to know throughout the season.
So, not surprisingly, Bret will be back for another season, hoping to really find love this time around. I just hope that he hires a new stylist, because those friggin' braids (and do-rags and pancake make-up - and I'm sure Bret can afford to buy some higher-quality wigs) have Got To Go. Let's hope the second time's the charm, because I'm not sure a third season would be bearable for anyone. (Wanna bet Rodeo has already sent in her app?)
via Idolator
Thank You For Smoking on TV
USA surprised me earlier this year with the summer stand-out Burn Notice - I hadn't really expected much and the show has turned out to be one of my favorites this year (waiting until next summer for more episodes seems like a really long time, but I'm glad that they're not hurrying up to make more. BN works so well as a summer show and it's refreshingly awesome to have new episodes of a good show on during the summer only). Now USA has a TV version of the 2005 movie Thank You For Smoking in the works, though it will probably go by a different name.
via TV Squad
rally the troops
Growing up I always thought that plants were kind of boring. They didn't do anything and, as opposed to animals, they didn't make any kind of connection with me. Little did I know, plants can communicate - with each other.
Clover plants warn each other via the network links if enemies are nearby. If one of the plants is attacked by caterpillars, the other members of the network are warned via an internal signal. Once warned, the intact plants strengthen their chemical and mechanical resistance so that they are less attractive for advancing caterpillars.
How cool! I've gotten more interested in plants over the years, for various reasons (growing stuff is fun and rewarding, taking photos of plants is easier than photos of animals and other things that move a lot, etc.). This communication thing is just plain neat.
via Boing Boing
Coming soon to a screen near you: Nick & Norah!
Awesome fucking news! Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is set to become a movie! Rachel Cohn blogged it earlier today, and the news is out. Some of the cast has been announced: Kat Dennings will be Norah and Michael Cera will be Nick (he'll also be Nick Twisp in the upcoming Youth in Revolt flick). Nick & Norah rose quickly to the top of my all-time favorite books list, and I'm pretty geeked to see how the movie turns out.
via Cinematical
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Good luck storming the castle
The 20th anniversary DVD edition of The Princess Bride will be released in November, and there'll be a demo of the forthcoming game, "True Love and High Adventure: The Official Princess Bride Game" included on the DVD. The actual game will be for download only - no retail release whatsoever. The game sounds like it has potential.
via Game|Life
Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol
I somehow hadn't heard of this game before, but Nintendo's got a new (just released yesterday) DS game called Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol, the object of which is apparently to stop pollution, save flowers, and accomplish other tasks with the goal of restoring the titular park. It sounds like the type of game I'd totally dig, and IGN rates it 7.8 overall, which is not too shabby.
On the upside, Nintendo is being a bit green and shipping seedlings to 500 random customers who register their games, but on the downside, the game is only available at less-than-socially-responsible retailer Wal-Mart.
via Game|Life
Return of Cupid
Holy crap! Cupid is coming back. It'll be different than the canceled-far-too-soon Jeremy Piven version, of course, but creator (and author of the kickass all-time-LibrariAnne-fave Rats Saw God, among other things) Rob Thomas will still be helming the re-envisioned show. I'll be very curious to see what changes are made and who takes Piven's place.
via TV Squad
Twilight
Teen lit supernova Twilight will be a movie! I think it has real awesomeness potential but also a whole lotta room for fucking up a really good thing. Not too many names are attached yet, but Dexter co-executive producer Melissa Rosenberg will write the script. Dexter rocks but it's hard to say if her involvement there would translate to having skills as a writer.
Variety article
via Cinematical
Monday, October 01, 2007
Cybils-O-Rama
I was lucky enough to get in on the awesomeness that is the Cybils last year (fiction picture book nominating panel) and this year I'm just as lucky, being a member of the young adult fiction nominating panel.
The Young Adult Fiction category is being organized by Jackie Parker (Interactive Reader) and along with me, the nominating panel includes Stacy DeKeyser , Trisha (The YaYaYas), Charlotte Taylor (Charlotte's Library), Becky Laney (Becky's Book Reviews), Eisha (Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast) and Jackie Parker (Interactive Reader).
The Judging Panel is Liz Burns (A Chair, A Fireplace & a Tea Cozy), Jennifer Laughran (Not Your Mother's Bookclub), Sarah Miller, Maureen Kearney (Confessions of a Bibliovore), and Jen Robinson (Jen Robinson's Book Page).
Nominations are open as of today, so get on over!