cheapest cialis>It’s not Halloween, but apparently it’s a bit of a week for vampire news anyhow–although the story of Kristen Stewart having cheated on Robert Pattinson is more like sordid vampire gossip, and you’ll also find people around here who will argue that the word vampire doesn’t properly apply. Anyway, less sordidly and perhaps more vampirically, MSNBC has the news that Jonathan Rhys Meyers has been cast as Dracula in an upcoming NBC series. What I find funny, however, is that they claim this:
“In the world of “Twilight” and “True Blood” and all the contemporized stories, we thought we’d go back to the original”
…but then, the plot summary reads like this:
The series, which bypassed the traditional pilot stage, takes place in the 1890s and finds Dracula living a double life in London as an American businessman interested in bringing modern science to Victorian society. His true plan to exact revenge on those who burdened him centuries ago, however, is derailed when he falls in love with a woman who seems to be his reincarnated wife.
I’ve read Dracula, and I don’t remember any of that.
In weird news minus the vampires–at least, I assume Peter Jackson isn’t going to use vampires to stretch out the story, though I’ve no idea what he will use–there’s talk of splitting The Hobbit into three films now, instead of just two.
In other sci-fi and fantasy linkstuff:
- Fantasy faction has an interview with Christopher Paolini, author of The Inheritance Cycle.
- Rob Bricken at Topless Robot picks Seven Great Morally Dubious Characters in Sci-Fi TV.
- The Digital Reader’s Nate Hoffelder finds and posts an amusingly messed-up infographic on the best-selling sci-fi novels ever sold.
- Shannon Hale is blogging a read-through of her fantastic Newbery honor book, Princess Academy, with detailed authorial comments. The sequel comes out next month.
- Entertainment Weekly’s cover story this month is on Doctor Who and other cult TV shows.
- Mayfair Games has announced a Star Trek version of Settlers of Catan.
In general fiction:
- Jacob Wonderbar author Nathan Bransford put up an interesting post this week on violence in American culture, with particular concerns about violent content in YA lit.
- Flavorwire picks ten of the best YA series of all time. That is, ten of the best not counting Narnia, Harry Potter, and The Hunger Games–no, seriously, the author of the list excepted them on the basis that everyone already knows.
- You can make a similar set of picks; NPR is hosting a poll to choose the top 10 teen novels ever (from a list of 235). It’s voter-submitted and therefore clearly skewed toward the currently popular (for all of you wondering how Bridge to Terabithia isn’t on there.) Harry Potter made the cut, thank goodness. I’m not sure how Princess Bride counts but Ender’s Game doesn’t, though.
And in Harry Potter:
- J.K. Rowling apparently plans to build Hogwarts-style treehouses for her kids.
- Rupert Grint carried the Olympic torch for a leg through London. PopWatch disagrees with him on whether or not he’s prone to running. I’ve got to side with Rupert; I don’t normally run for anything, either, but I will always run to escape spiders (let alone dragons and Nagini).
- Meanwhile, Dan Radcliffe goes on to take the lead role in the movie adaptation of Joe Hill’s novel Horns, which sounds perfectly terrifying, if you like that sort of thing.
Finally, Doctor Who actress Mary Tamm and Encyclopedia Brown author Donald J. Sobol both passed away last week, Tamm after eighteen months with cancer, Sobol after a brief illness. May they rest in peace–and in ever brighter and more wonderful mysteries.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Whoa–loads of great links, Jenna!
I. Love. That. Treehouse…. (but sure got massive sticker shock on the price!).
Carrie-Ann, no joke on the sticker shock! We just paid less than that for a house in one of the most inflated housing markets in America. Though ours admittedly doesn’t have turrets.
Jenna said, “I’ve read Dracula, and I don’t remember any of that.”
That’s because you were just reading on the surface level.
It’s sadly been confirmed there will be a third Hobbit movie. Ugh!
I’ve been so behind on commenting on posts, but I just wanted to comment on the deaths of Mary Tamm & Donald Sobol.
Sobol’s Encyclodpedia Brown books were around way back even when I would be considered young. That is to say, I was reading them in elementary school which is 35 to 40 years in my past now. Not that I was introduced to them in elementary school; no, I found them in the juvenile section of my local library. Ah, the good old juvenile section; spent many a time in there.
Perhaps Encyclopedia Brown started my long love affair with mysteries. And even though the mysteries would be considered simple, I could never figure them out & even when I reread the books today it’s only because I’ve read them so often that I’m able to know the solution beforehand.
It’s that way with most mysteries I read or watch. I see but do not observe. I’d make a good Watson.
Ah, Mary Tamm. She only played Romana for that one season of Doctor Who, but she was in the first Doctor Who episode I ever saw, The Ribos Operation. I can still remember the first time I saw it. Staying up late on a Sunday night, watching TV in my room, because my mom’s room was clear across the house from mine so I could usually get away with it.
Anyway, I can’t remember my exact age but it was upper elementary school. Sunday night was a great night to stay up & watch PBS because back then we only had the four channels or so. First, there was Monty Python, then Doctor Who, then Blake’s 7 or Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I never was much of a fan of The Young Ones but they were usually on too as well as comedian Alexei Sayle.
Sure, I probably wasn’t properly rested for school in the morning, but I think my time watching Doctor Who et al was more productive & probably better for my spirit and imagination than anything that went on in school.
revgeorge, your comment #3 made me laugh really hard.
I could never figure out the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries! I’d make a good Watson, too.