Casting Announced for Peeta and Gale in Hunger Games Film

April 5, 2011 by 8 Comments

We’ve been hashing our thoughts about Jennifer Lawrence as the film makers’ choice to play Katniss in the forthcoming cinematic adaptation of The Hunger Games. Now Effie Trinket has reached into the big glass ball (after all, she always chooses the boy after the girl—ladies first!) and selected Lawrence’s co-stars: Peeta Mellark will be played by Josh Hutcherson and Gale Hawthorne by Liam Hemsworth.

Not surprisingly, they are both appealing to the eye, but, like Miss Lawrence, perhaps they will bring far more to their roles than attractively mussed hair and melting stares.

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Filed Under: Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Hunger Games, Movie Thoughts Tagged With:

Hogwarts Coming to a Kindle near you?

April 4, 2011 by 8 Comments

For those of you who have been captured by the e-book craze, the sheer number of books available in this format is rivaled only by the books that are not available, or at least, which haven’t been available yet. Though we may enjoy Harry Potter’s adventures via audiobook, they have not yet been released to the e-reader crowd. J.K. Rowling now appears to be considering the possibility of releasing our favorite wizard to the e-book world. In this article, she is described as exhibiting some interest in the electronic market. While some of us may have loved the fact that our shared text could only be read on a printed page, others may be thrilled that we can take all seven books with us on airplane (really, if I could have any one object from the Wizarding World, it would be Hermione’s purse/self-storage unit, but I still like “real” books). What are your thoughts on the potential e-book release of the Hogwarts Adventures? Are you howling in indignation, laughing with delight, or scratching your head wondering what all the fuss is about?

Filed Under: Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Shared Text, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Deleted Scene to Whet Appetites for Deathly Hallows: Pt. 1 DVD out April 15

March 29, 2011 by 8 Comments

April 15 is usually a day to strike fear in the hearts of Americans. If the IRS doesn’t scare you (and really, those folks always look like Death Eaters in my imagination), maybe Voldemort will! So the movie folks are releasing the DVD of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 on that resonant date. If your tax woes are few (or so bad you need an escape), April 15 is looking like a good movie night (I’m looking forward to the big-screen release of The Conspirator that same day)! In anticipation of the big release, here is a sneak preview of a deleted scene (with embedded version after the jump).

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Katniss Casting: Hunger Games Filmmakers make Controversial Starlet Choice — Something Like the Capitol’s Gamesmakers?

March 18, 2011 by 42 Comments

After much anticipation, the Gamemakers behind The Hunger Games film adaptation, due out next year, have chosen a Katniss Everdeen. I’m sure we all have a Katniss in our minds, and no actress could satisfy every readers’ expectations or wishes. The official choice is apparently Jennifer Lawrence, who was just nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Winter’s Bone. Despite that evidence that she has the chops to carry such a demanding and complex role, there are a number of issues that many readers will doubtless see as problematic in the casting.

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Filed Under: Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Hunger Games Tagged With:

Attention Literary Potter Readers! Leaky Con Academic Proposal Deadline Extended to March 10!

February 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This cartoon from this week’s Monterey Herald serves as a reminder that there are still folks who need reminding of our shared text’s literary value!

On that note, the deadline for academic programming proposals for Leaky Con 2011 is now March 10. I’m really looking forward to some amazing academic presentations, as well as the opportunity to confer with my brother wizards in the steamy Florida sunshine! If you’ve not gotten your proposal in yet, and your Time Turner is broken, get cracking! Even if you don’t want to present, but you have some ideas for academic programming that you’d like to see, email the fine folks planning the academic schedule.

Filed Under: Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Potter Fandom