Remember when I suggested you watch the new show Community?  Remember how good that show is?  Ok, now that I’m holding that over your head, I’m going to try to go 2 for 2.  There’s a new show coming to the CW (formally known as the WB) in January called Life Unexpected.  I’ve already read that this show resembles shows from the good ol’ days of the WB.  Shows like Gilmore Girls, Dawson’s Creek, and Everwood.  (Yes, Jen, Everwood!)  Nothing against the current shows on this channel (because, man, do I love Gossip Girl) but they aren’t as happy-soul-bursting as they used to be.

Life Unexpected is about a teenage girl, Luz, who grew up in foster care and wants to be emancipated.  To do that, she must have the signatures of her biological parents, so she tracks them down to basically say “Surprise, I’m your daughter, and if you’d just give me your signature, I’ll get out of your life again.”  But things end up being a little more complicated than that.  Luz’s biological mom is played by Shiri Appleby aka Liz Parker from Roswell!  And her fiance is played by Kerr Smith aka Jack from Dawson’s Creek!  I didn’t recognize the actors who play Luz and her biological father, but I like them.  Here’s a preview.  Let me know what you think!

- Jill

I am a huge fan of almost every Disney movie.  I adore all of the classics like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid.  But the Disney animated movie that I have watched more than all the others has to be Robin Hood.  I ADORE Robin Hood.

A lot of movie snobs (like my dad) rip on Robin Hood because it is one of Disney’s laziest movies.  There are multiple scenes that are borrowed from other movies (the animated action is exactly the same as a sequence in a previous movie) and even some that are repeated within the movie itself.  It is also just supposed to be an all around not great movie.  Even Disney seems to acknowledge it as a “lesser” film because it didn’t even get a Platinum edition treatment…..just a lame Most Wanted Edition.

But I don’t care what any of those people say, because this movie is awesome!!!  I love all of the kid characters in the movie.  The little rabbit family and their friend Toby the turtle.  The littlest girl rabbit is sooooo cute.  She has some of the best lines in the whole movie!  I love it when Robin Hood brings her brother a gift and she says, “come again…….on my birthday.”  Or when someone asks Robin Hood if he’s gonna have any kids and she says “my momma gots a lotta kids.”  Hahahaahaaaaa!  Okay, they don’t sound so funny just typed out like that, but trust me, they are hilarious.

Maid Marian and Lady Cluck

I also really like Maid Marian.  She is so sweet and has the coolest outfit!  I totally want to wear her hat/veil/blanket thing that she wears all the time.  It looks like so much fun.

I also love the music in the movie (not the sappy love song in the middle though….yuck).  Roger Miller plays the rooster minstrel who tells the story and I love the songs that he sings.  I also really like the “Phony King of England” song.  It’s really different from music in other Disney movies, but I think that’s why I like it so much.

But I think the reason why I like this movie so much is because Robin Hood himself is so cool!!!  His accent is very dreamy and I would ALMOST count him as a fictional character that I would date except for the fact that a.) he is animated and b.) he is not even a human, he is a fox (and not a FOX fox, but a literal fox).  So I am not quite that creepy.  But when he is captured and all tied up and says “Marian my darling, I love you more than life itself.”  Wow…….most male characters in Disney movies have no personality whatsoever, but wow.  Here’s the video of it.  It happens at 1:15, but stick around for the fight because I love how he takes on all the prince’s cronies without breaking a sweat.

I was watching this movie again last night and I realized for the first time just how weird it really is.  First of all, I am pretty sure that I didn’t understand ANYTHING that was happening when I was a kid.  The movie is about outlaws, and taxes, and English history……..um yeah, I didn’t get any of that.  Also, it is really one of the only Disney movies that I can think of where animals walk around dressed as humans (this happens in The Great Mouse Detective, but mostly just mice).  (Monica from Friends would really hate this movie!!)  They are all wearing clothes, but most of them are just wearing shirts and no pants.  hmmmmmmmm.  And not just one type of animal…….there are elephants, foxes, lions, snakes, chickens, turtles, alligators, and dogs all hanging out together.  This is one very strange movie.

But I love it!!!  I can’t imagine that any of you haven’t seen this yet, but if you haven’t I would highly recommend checking this out because it is funny, cute, and highly suspenseful (at the end, is he alive? is he dead?????).

Jen

P.S.  Here is a cool video that shows how much Disney recycled action to make the dance sequence.  Some of the people in the comments on YouTube are really mad about it, but I think it is interesting to see.

I’ve been MIA for awhile because in the last month I’ve moved & started a job, but I’ve finished three more books on my list.  Yay!

I finished A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray just in time for the 6th annual Anderson’s Bookshop YA Lit Conference.   Like, literally, just in time.  I finished the last few pages the night before.  I didn’t get a chance to write about the conference earlier, and I’m feeling very lazy now, so I’ll just direct you to read Abby (the) Librarian’s write-up.  :)  Anyway, back to the book.  I didn’t love it (sorry, Amber).  I’m not sure I’ll get to the next two books anytime soon, but hopefully I will eventually since I own the 3rd one.  As I was reading it, I kept picturing it as a Lifetime or ABC Family movie.  It reminded me a TV movie I stumbled upon once called The Initiation of Sarah – a supernatural sorority movie with Joanna Garcia.  Even though I didn’t love the book, I still give it a solid 3/5.

the dead & the gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
I didn’t think this one was as good as Life As We Knew It, but it was really interesting to see the “moon disaster” in a different setting, this time in New York City.  At first life isn’t as abnormal as it is in the first book, but after awhile, Alex has to figure out how to take care of his two younger sisters in a city that’s falling apart.  I think I liked Life As We Knew It better because the plot was unique.  This is essentially the same plot in a different setting, and this time, I felt like the dialogue was flat & Alex wasn’t as believable as a character.  But I’ll still be reading the third book when it comes out next year – especially since I think it’s supposed to unite the characters from both books somehow.

The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson series #5) by Rick Riordan
Ok, I won’t gush too much about this one because Lindsay already did.  And I completely agree with it.  It was fabulous!  This whole series was SO good!  I’m really sad there’s only 5 & now I’m done.  I may have to start over soon because one of my co-workers is currently listening to The Lightning Thief audiobook & she said it’s great.  Seriously – if you haven’t read this series yet, go do it!  It’s all-around awesome — captivating plotlines, interesting & believable characters, adventure/action, male main character!, and secret learning!  I never knew much about Greek mythology, but now I am so interested in it AND I already know some things just from the series!  *sigh*  Now I need another fabulous series to fall in love with…

- Jill

Dear Glee,

First off, let me say that you are the only new fall show that I am still watching (I tried Community, but I found that I couldn’t handle Joel McHale outside of The Soup….he was too much of an ass).  I had such high hopes for you!!!  Everything about your premise seems to appeal directly to me (high school!  music!  outcasts!) and I was mesmerized and blinded by the shiny glare of your first few episodes.  I was also caught up in all the hype and love pouring out of everywhere (Twitterlove!  Entertainment Weekly cover stories!  Fantastic Reception With the Critics!) that it took me awhile to look beyond that and see you for what you really are.  And, as painful as this is to admit, what I finally see is something that I don’t really like.

Kurt, being awesome as usual

Now, before you get all upset, let me mention the things I LOVE about you.  I ADORE every time there is singing.  From the big production numbers down to the individual solo moments (HELLO Puck singing “Sweet Caroline”!!!!  My heart melted a little seeing him with that guitar) I love them all.  I also love Kurt.  Anything and everything he does is awesome.  I am also fond of Artie and Mercedes.  Jane Lynch is of course phenomenal, but that is to be expected.  Hmmm……..and that’s it.  When I think about the fact that most of the musical numbers are released online before the episodes air and my favorite characters only get five minutes of screen time an episode, this does not bode well.

Now I will go into the things that I am not so fond of.  Hopefully I will not come across as too mean, since I don’t want to hurt your feelings.

I cannot handle the pregnancy storylines!!!!!  Just the fact that I had to make that statement plural proves how ridiculous it is.  Oh wait, but one of them is fake, so it isn’t really that crazy (hopefully the sarcasm is registering here).  I despise Will’s wife.  She and her sister need to just leave the show.  They don’t even need to explain it, they could just disappear and I would be okay with that.  I am not a fan of Quinn or Finn as characters, so their whole part in the storyline is totally boring to me.  I was hoping when Quinn first announced she was pregnant that it was some kind of evil trick to make Finn pay attention to her and ignore Rachel, but alas, I was mistaken.  So, take note……both of these storylines are ridiculous and uninteresting.

This picture is almost too perfect

I really don’t like Will……….or Emma………at all.  One of the blogs I read labeled them as the “Next Jim and Pam.”  Whoa Whoa Whoa!  I may have broken up with The Office a long time ago, but even I still hold that title sacred.  I dislike Will more and more with each episode of the show.  First of all, his wife is so heinous that it actually reflects badly on him.  What kind of a person is he to be with her for so long and not know how awful she is?  Also, he has to be the worst, most unobservant husband in the world if he hasn’t figured out that she is totally faking her pregnancy.

He is also really cruel to Emma.  He knows that she totally wants him and he leads her on.  I hate guys like that……feeding their own ego at the expense of someone else.  Also, ummmm…….he treats the Glee kids like crap.  I kind of wonder why they are even still talking to them.  He got their hopes up and abandoned them in the first episode, them he abandoned them again for his own selfish reason (Acafellas anyone?), he doesn’t listen to their suggestions, he brought in a ringer…….need I go on?

Emma, looking extra creepy

Emma……………oh, Emma.  I really liked her at first.  I loved her quirky tendencies and thought she was really funny.  Then she started making really stupid choices and I just couldn’t handle it.  I totally understand that she is in love with someone she can’t have.  Been there, done that.  But why did she have to date Ken and then, splutter, gasp, agree to marry him??????  Does she live in a universe where Will and Ken are the only men available to her.  And then is she not confident enough in herself to be alone rather than be with someone she doesn’t even like????  I lost all respect for her because now she is not only hurting herself, but someone else as well.

And one other thing………I know I have been taking a lot of hits at you, but there is one more thing………Every episode seems to be about the exact same thing.  I think you would have been so much better as a limited series or a mini-series.  Your writers don’t seem to know what to do so they just repeat the same formula every week (someone abandons Glee!!!  someone interferes with Glee!!!!  Everything works out okay and they all come back together!!!!)  How will you keep going for multiple seasons??  Are we supposed to believe that these 20-somethings are high school juniors, or God forbid, freshman???

Okay…..I think I am done ranting now.  I think I am so disappointed in you because my hopes were so high.  Watching the promos still brings joy to my heart, probably because it includes the things I love most…..the songs and the dancing.  I think I will be getting my Glee fix from now on by watching the promos and I will be just fine.  I might watch next week’s episode because I know it revolves around Kurt, but after that I think I am done.

The Original Glees

I will listen to the soundtrack from the show and it will make me happy enough.  This might all sound harsh, but I am very hard on television shows.  My time is valuable to me and if a show is not living up to my expectations, I gain an hour of reading time every week (that’s why I said goodbye to The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, and Lost).

Hopefully you aren’t too upset.  I know you have millions of loyal followers who still worship at your feet, so you probably won’t even notice I’m gone.  I know many of my friends (and fellow bloggers) are big fans of the show, so I’m sure they will defend you in the comments.

Jen

We just got our shipment of Fancy Nancy readers in at the library (Yea!!!) and while thumbing through the books, I realized my new goal in life.  My dream is to own a chair that looks exactly like this:

It’s kind of hard to tell from the picture, but Miss Fancy Nancy is sitting in a chair that is upholstered with children’s book covers (well, not literally I hope, but with fabric that has children’s book covers on it).  From where I sit I can see The Giving Tree, The Story of Ferdinand, The Hobbit, and one of the Narnia books.  It is much better if you go look at the real cover of Fancy Nancy and the Dazzling Book Report.

So, when I live in my house in the English countryside, and I am sitting in my personal library, this is what I am going to be sitting on.

Jen

This was going to be a comment on Jen’s previous post, but I thought it’d be too long & I should just write an entry about it…  I’ve decided to finally Netflix the BBC 2-disc, 5(?)-hour-long version of Pride and Prejudice! Are you guys proud of me??  It always seemed so daunting before.  I haven’t had the attention span or time for movies lately, but Jen’s post put me in a British mood, and man, am I up for anything with Colin Firth right now.  And according to Netflix, I’m going to LOVE it.  :)

But do I need to re-read the book first?  I read it my senior year of high school, but I don’t think I got much out of it then.  Hmm, I really do sort of want to read it now.  Well, I can’t get the movie until after Halloween anyway, so maybe I’ll try to read it first.

Why do I have to wait until after Halloween?  Because you HAVE to watch scary, thrilling, and/or suspenseful movies on Halloween!  I’m trying to decide what I should watch.  I’m already planning on Wait Until Dark, a very suspenseful movie from the ’60s starring Audrey Hepburn & Alan Arkin.

Who doesn't love old movie posters?

I have a lot of Hitchcock movies on tape that I’m considering, but do you have any suggestions?  Feel free to suggest super-scary films, but I’ll admit in advance that I can’t watch any of those because I live alone.  I can only do those during the day.  And sometimes not even then.  I watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose one day last year in broad daylight & it freaked me out.  But I really liked it and I watched it again when I wasn’t alone.

So to sum up this very rambly post, BBC Pride and Prejudice after Halloween = a go!  Halloween movie suggestions?  Leave a comment!

- Jill

I am going through a phase now where I love all things British.  Actually…..it isn’t really a phase, because I’ve been obsessed with the UK ever since I went there eight years ago.  Well, if there is one thing the British know how to do, it is comedy.  Well, one of the funniest movies I have ever seen is Death at a Funeral.

It came out a few years ago, and I am really sad that I didn’t get to see it with a theater full of people, because that would have been an experience to remember.  I originally checked this out from the library because it has Mr. Darcy in it (Matthew MacFadyen not Colin Firth), and it was totally worth it.

Not only does it have the very gorgeous Mr. MacFadyen in it, but his real life wife, Keeley Hawes, plays his wife in the movie.  She is totally adorable and they are so cute together (she was also pregnant when they were filming so you’ll notice she hides behind a lot of pillows and is shot from the neck up).

Alan Tudyk is also in it for all of you Firefly fans out there.  He shows off his great British accent skills (which I first discovered when he was in A Knight’s Tale a million years ago) and walks around naked for most of the movie.  It also has the guy from Love Actually who goes to America and hooks up with all those Wisconsin girls.  He looks sooooo much cuter in this movie with his shaggy haircut.

Kris Marshall from Love Actually

This movie is so hilarious it is hard to describe.  I think one of the best parts about it is that everyone is so proper and British (and of course it does take place at a funeral) but there are so many outlandish things that happen.  There’s nudity, a bad drug trip, attempted murder, blackmail, and a very disgusting bodily function joke.

I think one of the reasons this movie is so hilarious is that it is directed by Frank Oz.  For those of you who don’t know, Frank Oz is also known as the voice behind Miss Piggy.  I can only imagine how much fun it must have been to be on that set.  There is an excellent gag reel at the end that shows just how fun it probably was.

I love this movie because it is nice and short so it is a good one to pop in if I am in need of a good laugh.  It also gives me my British fix for the day, which is much needed.  Here is the gag reel that I mentioned earlier.  It is funny how unprofessional and giggly the British actors are (I’m looking at YOU Matthew!!).  Oh, and it is not suitable for all audiences because British people like to curse (or maybe it’s actors).

Also, just on a side note, I ADORE the house that it is set in.  I’ve decided that when I make my millions being a children’s librarian I am going to live in a house just like it in the English countryside.

Jen

Oh gosh, I never really thought I would want a videographer at my wedding, but then I found these fabulous people:

HELLO SUPER 8!

So hip and nostalgic! (which is such a fabulous combination) I just get completely floaty and starry-eyed while I watch the demos on their website–it is as if they have somehow harnessed the power to capture weddings at their best–they are the cliche that is not cliched. How wonderful are their “Hello Guestbook” smiles?! Hmmm, maybe someday when I am a wealthy Reference Librarian I will hire them to follow me on a British Holiday where Steve and I will wear striped shirts and wave at the camera from a small dinghy.

I had to post about this because it is so closely related to my “Fictional Characters” series.  I really want to live in England because not only is it totally awesome, but they do fun things like take polls of the most romantic characters in literature!  Do we do fun stuff like that here and I just miss it?

So here are the results of the poll:

1. Edward Rochester of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre
2. Richard Sharpe of Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series.
3. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
4. Heathcliff of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights
5. Rhett Butler of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind
6. Mark Darcy, of Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’ Diary
7. Captain Corelli of Louis de Berniere’s Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
8. Henry DeTamble of Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife
9. Gabriel Oak of Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd
10. Rupert Campbell Black of Jilly Cooper’s The Rutshire Chronicle

Now as you know, I am a HUGE fan of Mr. Rochester………..but I am not sure if he could be described as “romantic.”  I found this poll on Entertainment Weekly, and I totally agree with Tina that there were times when Mr. Rochester was not all that nice to Jane and definitely not romantic.  I still adore him, but I don’t think he would be my #1 choice for this poll.

Mark Darcy

I think it is funny that Mr. Darcy is on here twice.  I would argue that Mr. Darcy of Bridget Jones fame is very romantic, and Fitzwilliam does do some pretty wonderful stuff for Elizabeth and her family, but is it romantic???  Also, I thought The Time Traveler’s Wife was an awful bore, so I would definitely strike him from the list.  And wasn’t that Sharpe guy a total womanizer???  I’ve only seen one of the movies, but that was the impression that I got.  And embarrassingly enough, I haven’t read any of the other books.  *hanging my head in shame*

Fitzwilliam Darcy

Here are some of the things I would add to the list.  I am not sure if my choices would be considered coming from “literature” but, well, tough.

I would put both Boris and Michael from The Princess Diaries series on the list.  I would also put Boris ABOVE Michael on the list.  WHAT?  I know that is a pretty blasphemous statement, but if you really think about it, Boris is kind of the ultimate romantic guy, which is why he ended up with the ultimate romance-seeking gal, Tina.  And he plays the violin, which, in my opinion, is the most romantic thing ever.  But don’t worry, I still love Michael the best.

Michael, Just Cuz I Can

I would also grudgingly put Mr. Edward Cullen on the list.  As emotionally manipulative and scarily possessive as he is, you gotta admit that he is a pretty romantic type of guy.  And, I have no doubt that if the poll was done in America he would come in first (at least with the 10-35 crowd, cuz that’s who seems to be reading it at the library).

I would also have to include Zach from Impossible by Nancy Werlin.  I adored this book and Zach really stuck with me.  He was a great romantic guy-next-door-friend-of-the-family character.  If only people like that actually did live next door the world would be a much better place.

Strangely enough, I would also put The Count of Monte Cristo on this list.  He is not really a romantic guy per se, but the whole time I was reading the book his character just had this mysterious confident aura that I find very, very sexy.  Wait, is sexy the same as romantic?  Did I just totally contradict what I wrote earlier??  Oh well, I don’t care, The Count of Monte Cristo has a romantic feel to me so I say it would make the list.

I almost forgot to add Peeta!!!!  Peeta from The Hunger Games is soooooooo romantic!  He manages to say and do the most romantic things in the most terrible of situations.  Can you imagine how sweet he would be if you were able to live a normal life with him???

So, what do you think?  Can you believe that Rochester beat out both Darcys??  This poll did give me some nice titles to add to my to be read list.

Jen

P.S.  In the EW post, she mentions that one of her co-workers suggested Logan from the Baby-Sitters Club.  Heehee!  But didn’t he actually join the club, which is a pretty romantic thing for a high school boy to do.

Yuuuummmm so Steve and I went to Dairy Queen tonight, and I was feeling a little saucy so I actually ordered a blizzard other than cookie dough. So what was this seductive temptress/seasonal flavor? It was none other than than that cheerful Girl Scout staple Tagalong cookie! (I was such a frazzled state as I frantically tried to make the decision–it wasn’t until the very last second that I blurted out “TAGALONG” to the cashier)

SO GOOOOOOD! Peanut-buttery, chocolaty, ice-creamy cookiely perfection! I would like to thank three important women for this heavenly treat: 2. Lou Hoover, for making Girl Scout cookies the best thing ever (for more on the Hoovers, see Jill) 2. Jen, for introducing me to Girl Scout cookie + ice cream, and thus, allowed me to believe in its possibilities. and 3. Eleanor Roosevelt, for telling me to scare myself.