Once Upon a Time Season 4 Blooper Reel

Click here!!!

Beauty and the Beast cast Goofing Off Between Shooting

Emma Watson (Belle)
Dan Stevens (Beast)
Luke Evans (Gaston)
Josh Gad (Le Fou)
Kevin Kline (Maurice)

Beauty and the Beast Live Action 2017 Pictures

OUAT Spring Episodes Line Up

Sounds like they're going to the underworld....

1) "Souls of the Departed" March 6, 2016
2) "Labor of Love" TBA
3) "Devil's Due" TBA

Once Upon a Time Season 5 Spring Premiere

It will come back March 6, 2016, exactly 3 months after the winter finale.

Episode Title: "Souls of the Departed"

More to come with interviews, episode titles, and promos

Interview with Once Upon a Time Cast

 

San Diego Comic Con

Once Upon a Time Mid-Season Finale

The end is near!  For the winter anyways...

The mid-season finale of Once Upon a Time will air on December 6th on ABC at 8pm!!

Episode Title: "Swan Song"

Sneak Peek!



Live Action Jungle Book Hits Theaters Spring of 2016

That's right!  The live action version of Disney's 1967 classic The Jungle Book will be released April 15, 2016.  Get ready to learn about the bear necessities in a whole new way as you follow Baloo, voiced by Bill Murray, and Mowgli, played by newcomer Neel Sethi, in this live action thriller.

Official Cast List

Neel Sethi as Mowgli



Bill Murray as Baloo (voice)



Ben Kingsley as Bagheera (voice)



Scarlett Johansson as Kaa (voice)



Idris Elba as Shere Khan (voice)



Christopher Walken as King Louie (voice)

Read Stories to Your Kids!

Parents have been reading their kids bedtime stories for decades.  It's always been said to strengthen the parent-child relationship and help them fall asleep.  But, what researchers are finding out is that it actually helps children's brain development, as well.  There are studies underway at Yale University and the University of Texas to see the difference between a child whose parents read to them regularly and a child whose parents don't.  The research has found, so far, that the child who isn't read to often has far less activity in the verbal-processing areas of the brain than the child who is read to often.   

The Child Development Institute says that reading to a child before bed has a plethora of benefits including, but not limited to: development of language skills, improved memory, and imagination development.  G. Reid Lyon, Ph.D., chief of the child development and behavior branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development says "neural research shows that when parents and caregivers interact verbally with children -- which includes reading to them -- kids learn a great deal more than we ever thought possible."  

Who knew something as simple and as fun as reading with your kids could do so much for them?

For more information on the studies going on and the science behind these benefits visit:

Parents.com

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Once Upon a Time: Twists on Classic Fairytales

Once Upon a Time is an ABC original series that takes all the classic fairy tales we've grown up with and weaves them all together, adding an interesting twist.  The Evil Queen (from Snow White) becomes fed up with watching everyone else, except her, get a happy ending.  So she casts a spell on their world called the Dark Curse, sending everyone in it into the real world in a town called Storybrooke, Maine.  Everyone who lives in the town is from the fairy tale world, but none of them remember who they really are, except for the Evil Queen of course. 

Once Upon a Time shows the fairy tale character each person in the town is using backstories of their lives in the fairy tale world.  These stories are still recognizable but not in the classic sense.  Let's take Snow White for example.  The classic story goes that the Evil Queen, Snow White's stepmother, orders her huntsman to kill Snow White, but he can't bring himself to do it.  He tells Snow White to run away so the Evil Queen can't find her.  That's when Snow White meets the seven dwarfs who she stays with.  Then, the Evil Queen finds out that she is still alive and gives her a poison apple making her fall into a deep sleep that cannot be broken...except for true love's kiss.  Prince Charming finds her and kisses her, waking her up and they live happily ever after.

Now for the Once Upon a Time version...SPOILER ALERT!!!

After Snow White's father suddenly passes she has a feeling that the Evil Queen wants to get rid of her as well.  When she is going for a walk in the forest the huntsman that the Evil Queen sent tries to kill her but is struck by how nice she speaks of the Evil Queen, understanding that she must do this, and let's her go.  She runs away into the woods only to find the house of Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, befriending them.  When the Evil Queen finds out Snow White is still alive she has wanted posters hung up all over the kingdom, Snow White was now a wanted criminal.  She became a bandit to survive, stealing food from markets and the Evil Queen's carriages passing in the woods, which is how she met Prince Charming, accidentally robbing his carriage, thinking it was the Evil Queen's.  He chases after her but she is able to get away to sell the jewels she stole from him.  He finds her again and throughout their journey together to find his mother's ring that she sold, they fall in love.  The problem is that the Prince is set to marry another women who he doesn't love.  The prince finds his way out of the marriage while Snow runs from the Evil Queen until they finally meet again--after Snow White is poisoned from the Evil Queen's apple.  Prince Charming kisses her and breaks the curse.  I would say they live happily ever after but Once Upon a Time is still in production, in the midst of releasing their 5th season, so you never know.

As you can see, the general plot of the classic fairy tale of Snow White is still there but with a lot of twists and turns along the way.  All of the characters' stories are like that, different and overlapping with one another's.  It is interesting how the same story about the same person can be so drastically different, but still true to the plot at the same time.  That just goes to show you how many different ways there are to tell the same story.

On a side note: I'm a huge fan of Once Upon a Time, so if any of the storytelling or the fairy tales interests you I highly suggest watching the show.  The pilot trailer is above so you can see for yourself.  It's a really interesting show that will keep you guessing who is who and how people are connected throughout the whole show.  The first four seasons can be found on Netflix.

Country Music Tells a Story

Country.  Yes, country.  Don't scroll down just yet.  I'm not here to tell you that you need to listen to country.  I'm not saying that it's the best music genre.  No.  Just read and keep an open mind.

Country music is looked down upon and made fun of in today's mainstream society.  Honestly, it's underrated.  The popular reason people discredit and don't listen to it is because they say "it's all about tractors and beer," says Ricardo Cortez of El Iluminador.  Now, this isn't completely untrue.  I'm not going to lie.  Yes, some songs might mention these things, but saying that tractors and beer encompasses what the entire genre of country is all about is a little ridiculous.  Another thing that people stereotype country music as is that it's all about hillbilly's and rednecks, so why would anyone who isn't one want to listen to it right?  That one particularly gets under my skin because then the people who do listen to country music are looked down upon in this stereotypical way.  The reason people generalize country as being these things is because country music doesn't talk about the "flashy," high-end, rich and famous lifestyles that most types of music do.

Country music talks about the everyday life of the "average Joe."  The hardships and rewards of a common, simplistic lifestyle that most people live.  This is what makes it so easy for country to tell a story because artists are able to draw from their own lives and experiences that those listening will be able to relate to.  I'm not dissing other genres of music in any way for their inability to do this because they are all unique in their own ways, I'm just saying that country's way of being unique is this ability to tell a story.

Here are some examples of country songs telling a story.

You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift

You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins

Letters from War by Mark Schultz

Leave a comment below telling me what story you think each song is telling.  Their isn't necessarily one right answer, the other great thing about country is that it's all up to interpretation.

Sarah Dessen will not have a new book out anytime soon

As much as it pains me to say it, Sarah Dessen has decided she needs a bit of a break from writing, for now.  This in no means necessary is the beginning of the end.  She fully intends to write another book and even more after that but, as she stated in her most recent tumblr post, she doesn't have the right idea yet to keep her writing much past page three.  Understandable.  Anyone who's tried to write nearly anything has been there.  I know I definitely have.  But, thankfully, her new book, Saint Anything, did release in May, so we have that to hold us over for a little while.  According to Dessen it is "one of [her] best."  All the more reason to run out and pick it up ASAP! I can't wait to read it!

 

"Peyton, Sydney’s charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion’s share of their parents’ attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton’s increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?
Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time."
                                 -Saint Anything book jacket
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Looking for Alaska Movie

John Green's first book Looking for Alaska is finally getting adapted into a movie.  The script was in development for quite a while before The Michigan Film Office announced on August 6, 2015 that the filming would begin in the fall.  But filming has been delayed until January 2016 because they are having trouble casting, particularly the role of Alaska. 

There has been no official release of the cast, as of yet, because the director and producers are looking for a more established actress to play Alaska, rather than the newcomers they were considering.  It's rumored that some actresses being considered for the role of Alaska include Taylor Swift and Chloe Grace Moretz. 

The casting of Pudge is also being taken very seriously.  Some rumored possibilities include Mitchell Hope and Logan Miller.  There's no information on the exact release date, and probably won't be one until Paramount Pictures chooses the cast.

About Looking For Alaska:

"Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words–and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps.” Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps."
                                                    -Looking for Alaska book jacket

Live-action Beauty and the Beast retelling

Filming is already underway for the live-action retelling of the animated Disney movie Beauty and the Beast.  This film is set to release March 17, 2017. 

 

The Cast:

 

Emma Watson as Belle

 

Dan Stevens as the Beast

 

Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts

 

Luke Evans as Gaston

 

Kevin Kline as Maurice (Belle's father)

 

Josh Gad as Le Fou

 

Audra McDonald as Garderobe

 

Ian McKellen as Cogsworth

 

Ewan McGregor as Lumiere

 

 

 

It will be interesting to see how these actors portray these beloved characters on the big screen, as well as seeing how director, Bill Condon, alters the story of the original The Beauty and the Beast for this live-action adaption.

 

Photos courtesy of Hollywood Reporter.

 

Marlon James wins the Man Booker prize 2015

At age 44, Marlon James has become the first Jamaican writer to win the Man Booker prize for his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings.  This novel goes into detail of the fictional history of the attempted murder of Bob Marley.  One of the chair judges for this award, Michael Wood, said the novel based in 1976 was "an extraordinary book."



James hopes that this win will shed some light on Caribbean writing as a whole.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

It's nearly impossible for an entire book to make it to the big screen when making a movie adaption.  More often than not, fans of these books are discouraged or disappointed with the final product after they leave the movie theatre.  Many times saying they cut the "most important part" or the "best scene."  But movies would be entirely too long, up to 6 hours in some cases, if the movie contained everything from the book.  As much as it might kill book lovers everywhere, some things simply must be cut.  The highly anticipated adaption of the popular sci-fi book "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" is no exception.

The star of the movie, Dylan O'Brien, talks about the changes made from book to movie in an exclusive interview with Screen Rant.  O'Brien says that since the telepathy storyline never made it into the first film, the relationship between Thomas (O'Brien) and Theresa (Kaya Scodelario) is a little different than what fans of the book might be expecting.  In the beginning of the book, Thomas doesn't try to call for Theresa telepathically and she doesn't respond to that for the "first time."  Essentially, ignoring each other.  O'Brien says, the same thing is done in the movie,  just without the telepathy aspect.  There is still a "disconnect" between the two characters that will later help them "start to understand one another" later in the story.  That aspect of the book still made it to the film even though the telepathy part didn't.

Giving the new movie fans and long-time book fans nearly a full year to anticipate the second installment of the series after the first movie came out September 19th of last year, The Scorch Trials will be in theaters this Friday, September 18th.  After the movie comes out and reviews begin to flood the internet, we'll take a look at the differences that fans found most important and whether or not the movie held true to the book despite those differences.

 

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials movie trailer:

 

First Blog Post

     Once upon a time there was no paper, no quills, no pens, no printers—no books.  No video cameras, no film, no televisions, no theaters—no movies.  There was only people.  People with imaginations that ran so wild that stories ran right out of their mouths.  And people listened.  Then those people told other people, and so on and so forth.  Eventually those stories were written down so that more people could hear them.  And now—read them.  Now, many of them have found their way to the big screen.  But have they lost something along the way? This is one of the many questions I intend to explore in this blog.
     I chose stories as the topic for my blog because I love reading, as well as learning about what makes a good story, well, a good story.  Also, when a movie based on a book comes out, I find it really interesting to compare them.  For example, why they took out certain scenes and thought they weren't as important as ones they used in the movie or who they chose to cast as a certain character and why?
     We all live in the commercialized, body-centric world of the entertainment industry.  Movies are all around us.  Movie theaters are everywhere.  And even when all else fails we will always have the internet keeping the movie world alive and well.  That's why people should care about stories, because even though they aren't told the same way as all those years ago, books are still stories.  Movies are still stories.  Our world is still centered around stories to distract us from reality for a little while just as much as they were then.  The only difference being the way they are "told."