Book Updates

News has been arriving lately pertaining to pending releases in two of my fandoms: Harry Potter and Twilight (I'm a new member of this second fandom, and not as fanatical about it as I am about HP, but I'm still excited). Here are the updates:

Twilight:

Breaking Dawn, the last book in the series (or at least the last book featuring Bella in the storytelling role) is coming out in less than two days. Stephenie Meyer was on Good Morning America today, and the only thing she revealed (which she also revealed in a Entertainment Weekly article) was that she DID write a Bella/Edward wedding in BD (big surprise). Other than that, all the teasers we have for the next day and a few hours are the BD quotes on www.stepheniemeyer.com.

Malinda and I are going to a midnight release party at Barnes and Noble. Costumes, of course, are involved: Malinda will go as Bella and I will be dressed as Victoria (yes, I decided to go over to the Dark Side this time).

Yes, we're big nerds. SO SUE US.


Harry Potter:

Today is the birthday of both J.K. (Jo) Rowling and her brainchild, Harry Potter. In honor of this (I assume), Jo announced that The Tales of Beedle the Bard will be released to the public in December, and all the proceeds will go to charity. The book will include the tales (translated from the original runes by Hermione) and notes from the private collection of Albus Dumbledore. Clearly, this is awesome. Short of the promised encyclopedia (or Scottish Book, as it is now referred to), this is the best gift we in the Potter fandom could hope for.

Other news: The teaser trailer for HBP FINALLY came out. I think its incredible. Not only did it give us our first glimpses of little Tom Riddle, but it also made a point of showing how the thoughts of little Tom influence grown-up Voldemort: "I can hurt people who are mean to me," as we see Dumbledore battling in the center of the ring of fire (!). I can tell they've changed some things, but already I can sense that the important things - the theme, the coherent thread of the story - were left intact. That's why I love Yates as a director: I just get the feeling that he GETS it, you know? He understands that the important part of the story isn't always the magic. More often, the important part is the underlying emotion.

Favorite Fictional Females Countdown #3: Captain Kathryn Janeway

Beam on in to the cafe and have cup of coffee, black, in honor of the stellar number 3 on the countdown, Captain Kathryn Janeway.




Name: Kathryn Janeway
Rank: Captain (later, Admiral)
Played by: Kate Mulgrew
Special Skills: Captain Janeway has intelligence, scientific knowledge, strategic abilities, and diplomatic skills in spades. These skills help Janeway keep her crew together (with remarkably few fatalities) throughout their journey home. Janeway also has a distinctly commanding presence and great skills as a leader. Both of these things help Janeway lead her crew through the long journey.
Why She Rocks: Of course, she is the FIRST FEMALE STAR TREK CAPTAIN EVER (in a serires, at least), so that gives her major points. But it isn't just that fact that she broke the gender barrier - she's also the best captain of them all (yes, I said it. I know the Kirk and Picard supporters will be screaming in outrage, but I stand by my opinion). Let's put it this way: If all the Star Trek captains had a winner take all, no-holds-barred fight, Janeway would wipe the floor with all of them. She combines sharp intellect with the gut instincts of a natural leader, the rational, skeptical thinking of a scientist, and fierce determination to get her crew home. Janeway is not one to second-guess herself. She is confident, strong, and determined, but she is also compassionate and caring especially when it comes to her crew. These last two traits are particularly important because Janeway is in the unique position of captaining an isolated crew that must work together and turn to one another for support and friendship. Other captains might not be up to turning a crew into a family, but Janeway is.
Of course, Janeway's awesomeness is not confined to her intellectual or emotional abilities. No, Janeway can definitely kick some ass when she needs to. Just watch the episode "Macrocosm" if you don't believe me. And Janeway's authoritative, commanding presence cannot be denied. The fact that she is able to communicate that commanding presence while still maintaining her femininity makes it even better. So what if she is a petite woman with soft blonde/brown hair? Janeway proves that women can be tough and authoritative too. There is not a moment on Voyager when it is not absolutely clear that Captain Kathryn Janeway is in charge, period.

My favorite Janeway moment, which also happens to illustrate my last point nicely - unfortunately, I don't know what episode it's from: Janeway is on the bridge, and a conversation via viewscreen with a hostile alien has just ended badly - the alien essentially hung up on the captain (baaaad move). A battle is imminent, but Janeway keeps her cool. She glares at the screen, then turns, walks in a slow, controlled manner back to her chair, and sits down very composedly. The entire bridge is silent. Then: "Battlestations." Instant action. The hostile aliens won't know what hit them. THAT is the power of Janeway, my friends.

Check out some kickass Janeway clips right here:



And this one is just for fun - it's all about the many hairstyles of Kathryn Janeway:

Favorite Fictional Females Countdown #4: Lorelai and Rory Gilmore

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Number four on the Favorite Fictional Females Countdown is a tie, because who could split up this fabulous mother/daughter duo? Let's all have a cup of STRONG coffee (so strong only a Gilmore could love it), a burger from Luke's, and some quadruple chocolate brownies to celebrate our favorite girls from Stars Hollow.

Names: Lorelai Gilmore and Lorelai (Rory) Gilmore
Featured in: Gilmore Girls
Portrayed by: Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel (respectively)
Special Skills: Both girls have a superhuman tolerance for coffee, chocolate, and junk food. They are also both blessed with brains, humor, and an unbelievable knowledge of culture, popular and otherwise.
Why They Rock: Many, many reasons. They have the sort of mother/daughter relationship that almost anyone would envy. Both women are strong, intelligent, and driven individuals who are great role models for girls today. Lorelai has an independent, rebellious spirit that has helped her go her own way and create a happy, successful life for herself even after becoming pregnant at sixteen. Rory has intelligence paired with humility and a kind heart that endears her to everyone in Stars Hollow. Plus, the girls have THE BEST QUOTES EVER. A few examples:

Lorelai: So, apparently, I'm now the Reigning Lorelai.
Rory: Huh. I guess you are.
Lorelai: It's a lot of responsibility.
Rory: Well, sure.
Lorelai: I mean, it's mostly ceremonial stuff nowadays. Declaring knighthoods, opening supermarkets. But now and then, you get to banish someone or pose for a stamp.
Rory: Neat. And coins.
Lorelai: Yeah, and coins. You know, someday you'll be the Reigning Lorelai.
Rory: I don't like that idea!
Lorelai: Why not? You get a cape.
Rory: Because if I'm the Reigning Lorelai, then that means you'll be gone.
Lorelai: Gone? No, not me. I'll step down way before that. I'm not going to pull a Queen Elizabeth on you, make you wait around forever, force you to develop interests in polo and architecture.
Rory: I am scared of horses.
Lorelai: I know that.
Rory: So there's a cape, huh?

Lorelai: Mom, it's just a pretend wedding. J-Lo has them all the time.

Lorelai: [at the town meeting, when everyone is talking about the bad things that Jess has done] I hear he controls the weather and wrote the screenplay to Glitter!

Rory: [talking about Paris] Can you say crazy anal micromanager?
Lorelai: Not five times fast.

Lorelai: Can I use the fun cutter thingy?
Luke: Not if you call it the fun cutter thingy.
Lorelai: Please?
Luke: Cut the boxes, not your hands.
Lorelai: Good tip, you should teach!

Rory: So, is this party Grandma's having going to be a big deal?
Lorelai: Not really. The government will close that day. Flags will fly at half-mast. Barbra Streisand will give her final concert... again.
Rory: Uh-huh.
Lorelai: Now, the Pope has previous plans, but he's trying to get out of them. However, Elvis and Jim Morrison are coming and they're bringing chips.

Emily: You were on the phone?
Richard: Long distance.
Lorelai: God?
Richard: London.
Lorelai: God lives in London?
Richard: My mother lives in London.
Lorelai: Your mother is God?
Richard: Lorelai...
Lorelai: So, God *is* a woman.
Richard: Lorelai.
Lorelai: *And* a relative. That's so cool. I'm gonna totally ask for favors.
Richard: Make her stop.
Rory: Oh, that I could.

Lorelai: [to Rory] I have to know where you are at all times, especially when you have my shoes on.

Lorelai: Okay, I think we just found the first room in the history of the world that would've made Liberace say 'Whoa. Step back. No one's that gay.'

Lorelai: Hey, I have kind of a crazy idea.
Rory: Those are never comforting words coming from you.

Lorelai: Hey, you didn't wake me up.
Rory: I set the clock.
Lorelai: Yes, but see, the clock stops ringing once I throw it against the wall giving me ample time to fall back to sleep. You, however, never stop yapping no matter how hard I throw you, thus insuring the wake up process.

Lorelai: Heh, you know what I just realized? "Oy" is the funniest word in the entire world.
Rory: Hmm.
Lorelai: I mean think about it, you never hear the word "oy" and not smile. Impossible. Funny, funny word.
Emily: Oh dear God.
Lorelai: "Poodle" is another funny word.
Emily: Please drink your drink, Lorelai.
Lorelai: In fact, if you put "oy" and "poodle" together, in the same sentence, you'd have a great new catchphrase, you know? Like, "Oy with the poodles already."
Rory: Hehe.
Lorelai: So from now on, when the perfect circumstances arise, we will use our favorite new catchphrase:
Rory: Oy with the poodles already.
Lorelai: I'm telling you, it's knocking "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" right out of first place.

Mamma Mia! Here I go again...

For your listening pleasure: "Dancing Queen," the ABBA hit sung in the movie (and play) Mamma Mia!



I make a point of seeing the every new movie that is based on a Broadway play (since I will likely never see the show on Broadway), so I saw Mamma Mia! with my mom and my Aunt Louise last night. Let's just say that the exclamation point at the end of the title is completely justified. The movie is an explosion of color, song, dance, and breath-taking scenery. Is the acting Oscar-worthy? Not even close. I laughed myself silly every time Pierce Brosnan put on his "I am a sexy singer" face. However, the so-so acting matters little in light of the jaw-dropping song-and-dance numbers and the fact that the actors are all obviously enjoying themselves.

On the topic of movie musicals, Entertainment Weekly has counted down its picks for the top 25 movie musicals of all time. I haven't seen all of the movies, but nearly all of my favorites made the list. The movie I was happiest to see on the list was Beauty and the Beast, my all-time favorite movie, which Entertainment Weekly described as "one of the great love stories in any medium"(heck yes it is!). Other spot-on picks by EW: Once, The Music Man, The Sound of Music, Chicago, Mary Poppins, Singin' in the Rain, and The Wizard of Oz (a well-deserved #1).

"Kicking It, New School": Entertainment Weekly gets it (mostly) right

Entertainment Weekly online has a new article that lists the 25 top new classic death scenes. In this case, "new" means '80s on up, and while I haven't seen all of the movies on the list, a few of the picks are completely justified. Here are the ones that made me say "YES!! Of course!" when I saw them on the list:

• Mufasa's death at the hands (er, paws) of his brother in The Lion King. This was the scene in which Disney scarred me and the rest of my generation for life. Seriously, this is the one moment in a Disney movie that most people will admit to crying to.
• Jack's death in Titanic. Jack tells Rose to "never let go" of her promise to not only survive, but to live her life to the fullest; later, when Rose must decide between being saved by the lifeboat or staying with Jack's frozen body, she says a heartbreaking goodbye by telling Jack that she will never let go of the promise she made. And while it is a sad and terribly beautiful scene, there is one thing that has always bugged me. A Facebook flair says it best: "Surely there was room for one more on that door, Rose?"
• Cedric Diggory's death in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." I remember the shock of Cedric's death when I read the book for the first time. It marked the first major death to occur on the page in the Harry Potter books and on screen in the Potter movies. For the first time, we believed that death was a real possibility in the Potterverse, and that none of the characters were safe.
  
• Westley's "mostly" death in The Princess Bride. Because who didn't feel the need to shout "NOOO!!" when they saw wonderful Westley tortured and killed by that machine?

To read the entire list, check out the article at Entertainment Weekly.

Smile

I heard a cover of "When She Loved Me" (from Toy Story 2) while I was shopping at Joann's today. I admit, it made me smile.

Just wanted to mention that.

Favorite Fictional Females Countdown #5: Thursday Next

Yes, it's finally back! After a long delay, I've finally gotten around to continuing the countdown. So lets all celebrate with a cup of coffee and a slice of Battenburg cake (scratch that, make it TOAST!) in honor of lady number 5 on our countdown: Thursday Next!

Name: Thursday Next (NOT Thursday1-4 or Thursday5)
Featured in: The Thursday Next series, by Jasper Fforde. The series features the books The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, The Well of Lost Plots, Something Rotten, and First Among Sequels.
Special Skills: The big one - she can jump into books and navigate her way through the BookWorld. She uses her considerable strength, smarts, and instinct to face - and conquer - situations that few humans have ever even considered.
Why She Rocks: She. Kicks. Ass. Seriously. Let's look at the facts. Thursday is member of SpecOps, the organization that handles crimes that are too strange or too specialized for the normal police force to handle, and Jurisfiction, the police force within books. Both jobs require detective skills, street smarts, quick thinking, and lots of physical strength. I mean, think about it: you have to have your wits about you to beat the Hades family, outsmart a rogue member of the BookWorld, evade the grammasites, and get your husband uneradicated. In addition, Thursday never shrinks away from the chance to join Spike on his highly dangerous missions. Thursday does not back down from wrongdoers or dangerous situations. When the world (or the BookWorld) is in danger, Thursday is the one you want on your side.

For more information about this awesome character, check out her Wikipedia page.
Also be sure the visit the official Thursday Next website, with links to the Goliath, SpecOps, Swindon, Skyrail, and Toast board websites.

"Don't Talk About Religion and Politics"

In my Intro to Mass Media class, the topic of politics came up frequently, mainly because our first group project focused on the presidential campaign. One day, our professor mentioned something about church-going liberals. A guy in the front of the class snorted in disbelief. "There are church-going liberals?" he scoffed. "I didn't think those existed."

I wanted to raise my hand and say, "Here's one! Take a good look!" His comment touched a nerve. More importantly, it reminded me of one of the many things in my life that seem (to others) to be contradictions - I am an art-loving, Harry Potter-reading, liberal-leaning moderate who also goes to church and tries to follow the morals taught to me by the Bible. Others - like the guy in my class - seem to think these things are irreconcilable. I don't believe that.

The reason I'm thinking about this is because I saw a piece on CNN about religion and how the two parties are trying to connect to religious voters. Which party relates better to church-goers? It really depends on your view of religion. My roommate is a dedicated liberal as well as a devout Lutheran. My aunt and uncle are also very devout Christians, though they are confirmed conservatives.

In my personal opinion, a lot of the values on the liberal side of the coin coincide with those taught by Christ. He tells us to love one another and to love our neighbors as ourselves - liberals have a history of pushing for inclusion. He tells us to care for the poor - liberals are known for working to set up programs that help the poor and get universal health care for those who can't afford it. We are called to be stewards of the earth - the Democratic party has a good record on environmental issues.

These are just my opinions. I know there are many ways in which the Republicans also embody Christian values. And I haven't included the ways in which the different political parties relate to other religions, mostly because I don't know enough about other religions to give an opinion. I welcome any other comments/ideas/opinions on this topic.