Monday night, feeling silly

[cleolinda]

Spent the day reading The Queen's Fool, which is far better than The Virgin's Lover in that at least you have someone to root for. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Queen E, but Philippa Gregory's Elizabeth--no matter which book--is more "fascinating bitch" than anything, which means that there is pretty much no one in The Virgin's Lover that you don't want to slap upside the head at least five times, absolute minimum. I think Gregory tends to do better when she writes about events we already know through an outsider's point of view--in the case of The Other Boleyn Girl, Mary Boleyn is such a cipher to history that she might as well be a fictional character, and Hannah Green is not only fictional but extremely well-chosen for her setting. I mean, before you even crack the book, you read on the back cover that she's a Spanish Jew in an uncomfortably Christian England, a "holy fool" in boy's clothes, during the rapid shifts in power between Edward's death and Elizabeth's accession. If you are capable of dreaming up such a juicy premise, you are probably just as capable of seeing it through. And, bonus: no first-person sex scenes between historical figures, which is what set me howling through much of Boleyn Girl, The Virgin's Lover and The Constant Princess. Because, as I have said elsewhere, you can't start talking about how Elizabeth "gasped at his strength and power," or how Mary Boleyn instructed Anne in the fine art of blowjobs, and expect me to keep a straight face. I'm sorry, I just can't do it.

P.S. If they ever make a movie of The Queen's Fool, I kind of want Ivana Baquero to play Hannah.

And now that I've had a couple of days' break reading, I need to get back to the Comedy Mines for the book.



Fiery crash collapses vital California highway.

From mustang_bex1126: ‘Drunken Pirate’ sues school that nixed degree.

Drunk groom's brother takes his place.

Baby robots!

Ryan Gosling teaches Ellen to salsa.

Doohan Ashes Beamed Up.

Whale Rider's Keisha Castle-Hughes Has Baby Girl.

MTV Movie Awards nominees. Looks like it's pretty much 300 and POTC2 going head-to-head.

FINALLY, a decent shot of Tonks.

(Clearly, this cat is ready for the Potterdämmerung.)

The Full-Length Fantastic Four Trailer.

Brace Yourself for the 'Bloodrayne 2' Teaser.

A talk with POTC3 production designer Rick Heinrichs.

Aronofksy Writing Noah Screenplay. Oh God.

Old Clive Owen Miniseries, 'Second Sight' Will Get Feature Treatment.

James McAvoy touted to play Grant Stoddard. I would be far more excited about this if I had ever heard of Grant Stoddard before.

Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott doing new Robin Hood. Only, it's from Nottingham's point of view--"with Nottingham as a noble and brave lawman who labors for a corrupt king and engages in a love triangle with Maid Marion and Robin Hood." I demand--DEMAND--that Orlando Bloom be cast for Robin Hood. Ridley Scott has used Orlando Bloom twice before, so obviously he likes him well enough, and he was BORN FOR IT. I mean, yes, we will be throwing him to the tender mercies of Russell Crowe, but on the upside, he's already trained in pretty much every medieval art of war you can throw at him. I will march on the production offices if I have to, and I'm assuming all of you will come with me. Y'all bring the pitchforks, I'll bring the torches.

Comments

[jenni-talula.livejournal.com]

Jenni: *readies pitchfork*

[gwenmary.livejournal.com]

I'm with you! p.s-your icon=the shiznit, ..I actually laughed out loud when I saw it...

[pseudoblu.livejournal.com]

:joins with pitchfork:

[bluebythebook.livejournal.com]

Have you read A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray? If not, I think you would love it. Victorian gender politics + good ol' supernatural fantasy = a book I read in about 20 hours.

[caerbannog.livejournal.com]

I agree, that's a pretty good book. (I want to get the sequel Rebel Angels, if just for the title alone.) Part of why I liked it is that for some reason it reminded me a lot of The Little Princess, but if Sarah Crewe had magical powers. Which isn't a bad concept :)

[amaelamin.livejournal.com]

Re: Tonks: Oh dear. Oh dear. Could they have made her hair look any more unnatural? Couldn't they get a better wig? Tonks has always had shortish, spiky hair in my head (also pink) but I think I'd settle for anything that flattered the actress in the slightest.

[gwenmary.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I thought. That is not how I pictured Tonks at all.

[last-archangel.livejournal.com]

Orlando Bloom as Errol Flynn would be cracktastically awesome.

[vkitty.livejournal.com]

My pitchfork has been sharpened since early morning, dude.

[vampirepig13.livejournal.com]

*also joins with pitchfork*

Also, the baby robots link keeps taking me back to the no-teaching-certificate-for-drunx article.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Fixed.

[quasar360.livejournal.com]

*prepares giant balls of twine*

... yes, those.

[scornedsaint.livejournal.com]

I demand--DEMAND--that Orlando Bloom be cast for Robin Hood.

Ha! You're so right, although I must say, I've gotten really attached to the Emo Hood of the new BBC version (have you seen any of that?)

People keep on giving me the Phillipa Gregory books. I have three I need to finally get around to reading this summer. I guess I'll finish with The Queen's Fool so that I can end on a high note.

[koritsimou.livejournal.com]

*loves on Ryan Gosling very much*

[lilgoala.livejournal.com]

Did you click the link to the Mickey Mouse Club clip on that page? I don't know whether to swoon or go into hysterics.

[etherealshores.livejournal.com]

Orlando Bloom as Robin Hood...

The mental image just KILLED me! Holy Orligasm!!

I can't imagine a better choice for Ridley to make! *Brings pitchfork*

[r-a-black.livejournal.com]

*Grabs a pitchfork* Okay, but I have to be home by eleven.

[stardustmajick.livejournal.com]

Baby robots! links to Drunken Pirate. Thought you'd like to know. :)

[undying-rose17.livejournal.com]

*wonders who gave her the pitchfork*

I agree with the liking of The Queen's Fool and the way it was told and the uproarious laughter at historical figures having first person sex.

Something else that I liked more about The Queen's Fool and The Other Boleyn Girl, as well as The Boleyn Inheritance was the triumph of the woman who was pressured into bad situations by her family and how they fell in love despite the odds being stacked against them. I haven't read The Virgin's Lover yet, but reading the back of the book made me kind of not want to read it, since it doesn't seem to have the same kind of triumphant ending that you want to root for.

Um. Yeah.

completely unrelated but...

[gryvnos.livejournal.com]

when the beer starts talking, you've reached a good level :D

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

"which means that there is pretty much no one in The Virgin's Lover that you don't want to slap upside the head at least five times, absolute minimum. "

WORD. And that is all :D

[caerbannog.livejournal.com]

Revisionist Robin Hood, ugh ugh ugh. Please to not be killing my childhood, Ridley Scott. If it's not Errol Flynn or talking animals, it just doesn't feel the same. Although I grant you, Orlando would totally be awesome casting. Just not with Russell Crowe beating up on people as a misunderstood Sherriff. Blah.

[nimlotbradamant.livejournal.com]

I agree with you so very, very much. If the revisionist King Arthur wasn't bad enough, they have to go and mess with Robin Hood. Dude, you don't do that and expect to live.

Still, if his ORLY-ness is in it...I know it may sound hard to believe, but I became a ravening fangirl of him briefly after POTC2, and still retain a slight affection.

Your icon owns, by the way.

[poinsley.livejournal.com]

Your baby robot link goes to the story about the "drunken pirate", fyi

[poinsley.livejournal.com]

Aaaaand....I should have hit refresh. Sorry about that.

[youngcurmudgeon.livejournal.com]

Alas, I don't think I can get with your Orli-as-Robin-Hood campaign. My loyalty to Errol Flynn won't let me. However, perhaps the shot of him as the Dread Pirate Legolas from the POTC3 trailer will do?

[elendiari22.livejournal.com]

The mental image of Orlando Bloom is so awesome that I'm laughing my head off. Seriously though, maybe if we started an online petition or something...

*breaks out the pitchfork*

[skyblade.livejournal.com]

If I had to guess, I'd say Borat wins. MTV viewers like their their gross-out/immaturity comedies. (Weddding Crashers, Napoleon Dynamite, There's Something About Mary...)

[eruvadhril.livejournal.com]

Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott doing new Robin Hood.

There can never be enough Robin Hood. I hope that new BBC series makes it to America. Unless it has already, and I'm woefully uninformed.

[elendiari22.livejournal.com]

It's on BBC America. At least, it has been for a few weeks now. I'll bet it's on YouTube as well, although the quality wouldn't be that great.

[queenofattolia.livejournal.com]

No no NO -- James McAvoy should not play some sleazy sex guy, he should play Eugenides (aka King of Attolia). He'd be so perfect the thought makes me weep.

And word to Orlando as Robin Hood, although Crowe would probably slap him around in various drunken snits. I love Orlando now that he's made fun of himself on Extras.

[lissa-quon.livejournal.com]

Are they actually making a movie of The Thief?

[guinevere33.livejournal.com]

Jennifer Roberson has forever altered my perception of Robin Hood, but I have to admit that Orlando has the looks to pull off her cover (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n1/n6699.jpg).

[thyroyalmajesty.livejournal.com]

For the VERY FIRST time since I moved to LA from San Francisco, I'm glad I don't live there right now. Those pics of the collapsed freeway are B-A-N-A-N-A-S. I used to live in San Francisco and work in Emeryville; I can't imagine how shitty that commute would have been.

[elsajeni.livejournal.com]

Those Harry Potter pictures -- gosh, Neville is starting to look like Wee Stephen Fry, isn't he?

[amaelamin.livejournal.com]

That was my thought too.