michelle ward

monumental

Watching morning tv, I learned of some new books and of some movies being made from books.  There is so much I want to read, and so much to see!  (By the way, did you see Frozen?  I loved it!)  One that caught my attention is The Monuments Men.  Did you read this one?  Men and women risking their lives to save art during the war.  I clicked around and found the movie trailer.  It comes out in February.   Check your theaters for this one.  I'm looking forward to it.  I think I will send out for the book too.  Speaking of books....that's a little clue for my campaign you are invited to join in.  Might even call it a crusade.  Details later this week :) 

Links:  MonumentsMen.com, MonumentsMenFoundation.org  Lots of fascinating stuff, I was caught up on these sites for quite a while.

 

 

not so Anonymous anymore

Have you seen it?  We loved it.  I'm always in line for a period piece.  Particularly if it is set in England.  Beautiful visuals.  I know there are critics who dis this one based on historical inaccuracy and blah blah blah.  I enjoyed the story - it's a clever and artful interpretation.  But I'm not here to debate the plot.  I'm here to wave the flag for Rhys Ifans.  I admit, I did not even recognize that it was him....how could you if you had only known him as Spike? And OMG, look at his writing desk.  Did you swoon over the shelves of leather-wrapped-quill-penned-on-parchment manuscripts?  Gah!  The sets, the scenery, the costumes!  That's it, I'm going to see it again.

In this interview at IMDb, you'll hear him say he created the image of his Earl of Oxford character after both Karl Lagerfeld and David Bowie.  Good call.  It worked.  When I googled the movie I was stunned to learn who played this lead role.  I never saw it coming that that guy was this guy.  Forget about *was Shakespeare a fraud*, this actor was real....good.  You've seen him before....

I WISH we could see the new Neverland film in the states.  I haven't investigated whether it will be available here.  Did anyone see it? 

I also love the mother/daughter team covering the role of Queen Elizabeth in Anonymous.  I prefer Dame Judy Dench's monarch like in Shakespeare in Love, but who doesn't love Vanessa Redgrave?  Did you see her in Letters to Juliet?  I wanna be her when I grow up. 

 

 

got Poe?

Some of our Halloween decorations.  Very Poe-ish this year.  Once upon a midnight dreary.  Feels alot like that right now...heavy snow falling and tree branches dropping everywhere.  No room on the sideboard for my Poe-inspired theater but I was revisiting photos this week so I'll show them here.

 

 

 

 

 

Somerset Studio will be hosting Poe themed art in the September/October 2012 issue.  I'm already conjuring up a few projects.  Why don't you consider submitting too?  Due April 15.  You'll be able to watch The Raven, opening March 9, in plenty of time to get inspired.  Can't wait for this one!

 

 

harmonic connection

Loved the movie....have you seen it?  So charming.   I think Robin William's "Wizard" could be a brother to Bono's "Dr. Robert" from Across the Universe.  I also recommend Once - another great film about music.  (A reader told me to see it - now I can't remember who ....but thank you!)

Mom came for a visit for our Spring Break and it ended up being a marathon of movies - at the theater and at home.  We even rented Sleeping Beauty - Fallon's choice.  Yep, saw Enchanted too.  Fun that she still enjoys the fairy tales (even when I'm dyeing her hair goth black tonight.) 

H.B.O.

What do you do when you're both sick and playing nurse?  Watch tv, more specifically movies.  I see that tonight is the launch of The Gates documentary I told you about at an earlier time.  I won't see it until wake up tomorrow as I set the tivo for the 1am showing - we'll be watching L.A. Ink at 10.

I'm sure it will be fabulous - just as experiencing them was.  I can't believe it's been three years but this photo is proof - the kids look so young! 

EDIT:  There was a scheduling mishap on TLC so I quickly switched over to HBO and caught it.  FABULOUS!!!  Very cool that they took you through the early days of proposing The Gates.  And showed all the pessimists, so you could really appreciate what a huge feat it was to get this art installed.  (I so wanted to be on the volunteer team, had the application....couldn't swing the schedule.)  See it!

BRAVO TO OPTIMISM!!! 

I caught this one over the weekend:  Bernard and Doris.  I was interested to learn more about Doris Duke.  We've visited her wonderful estate here in NJ but I admit I didn't know much about her.  You can catch through mid-march.

And if you haven't been, visit Duke Farms.  They have guided tours all year long but definitely go when it's warmer so you can appreciate not only the gardens, but all the grounds, including man-made lakes and remote-controlled waterfalls.  (My own photo below!)

And a head up for this, coming in March:  Autism - The Musical.  I don't know anything about it but will tune in for sure!

Hope you are all staying well!  Wash your hands and take your Vitamin C.

rent it, buy it, SEE it

PulseGirl told me about this one, like before it came out....and then she reported back on it's amazingness merely a nano-second after she left her seat (might have texted me before she stood up). 

I missed it in the theater, but got to watch it, and all the terrific extra footage on the dvd from the comforts of home.  Didn't even have to worry that the movie house might be out of popcorn because I could make my own.  (Yes, it happened to us at Sweeney Todd, can you believe THAT?)  LOVE LOVE LOVE Julie Taymor and her passion.  (We saw her Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera on New Year's Day, 2007). I always feel it's a privilege to go behind the scenes to see the REAL people involved in making a film and to hear their vision and witness their enthusiasm.  If you saw it in the theater you might want to get the dvd just for that All Access Pass.

Did you love the whole strawberry painting scene and his studio room?  Swoooooon! 

Makes me wish I had a paint ball gun and a big canvas wall.  Did you see The Princess Diaries?  Loved when the mom had balloons filled with paint hanging above a canvas and she threw darts at them so they'd pop and spill out and splatter randomly.  Tried to find a photo for you but came up empty.  Maybe this summer I'll try it outside and show ya.

it's a date

Last Friday I thought I would be clever and pick up tickets early for the Hannah Montana movie.  Like, I thought we would be going later that night.  Wrong.  All that was left was 9:40 tonight, or 5:20 AM, 7:20 AM and 1:00 AM on SCHOOL DAYS.  Hello?  Sam hates to miss school, even for Miley.  So tonight, while the whole neighborhood is glued to the tv for the outcome of the Superbowl starring our own Giants, I'll be watching a Miley Cyrus concert in 3-D. 

Don't forget the Jane Auten series on Masterpiece Theater tonight.  They are running a special, "Miss Austen Regrets".   

Oh, and about the craft paper journals:  I have no clue where I got them.  I have several, all with varying weights of paper.  One source I can think of is Paperchase brand, found at Borders.  The paper is kinda thin for painting on.  Even harder to find, and cooler than craft paper, is a black page journal.  If I figure out where I got them I'll post, but if you happen to know feel free to share in the comments.

While I'm on the subject of Clever.......

Wasn't Jane the most cleverest?  I can read her over and over.  Great wit.  Just came across the trailer for BECOMING JANE and thought I missed the movie.....GASP.....apparently it has been moved back to August.  Whew!  Time to get my Jane Journal back out.  Made some pages a few weeks ago.....will show you soon.

Have you taken the quiz to see what Austen character you are?  HERE  or HERE.  Both times I came up as the same character.  You never know if these things are rigged, so I went back and answered  differently, yet was still the same girl.  Forget the quiz, who is your favorite?

Some years ago I spoke with the woman who was head of the Jane Austen Society and asked her if they ever challenged the members to certain things....things that I wonder about.....like what would a map of the towns look like, as you see it in your mind, or did Mr. Darcy know Mr. Knightley?  Don't you think about those things?  She thought I was a little nuts. 

There are scores of sequels, prequels, and spin-offs of Jane's books.  Some are really good, some not so much.  Love having the characters come back to life, if it's been written with a Jane wit.  The movies have been good too.  P&P (both of them), S&S, and Emma.  Looking forward to BECOMING JANE, as well as the PBS series on Jane in 2008.