This is one of my favorite fan vids of Mr. Darcy. It’s a great split screen comparison of the 2 most recent versions. There will never be an equal to the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle 1995 version, however, the 2005 version does have some interesting interpretations!
This article from The Scotsman (free subscription may be required) starts out saying …
WHAT’S the matter with Hollywood? Things just aren’t what they used to be in Tinseltown. A string of box office flops this year has produced the worst slump in a generation and left studio executives wondering what they can do to recapture the movie-going public’s imagination and interest. For its part, the public simply wonders if Hollywood can still produce movies worth seeing.
So could it be that people are just not going to see movies?
“It’s too early to say if this [slump] is something endemic. The most apparent answer still seems to be the movies themselves have lacked the same excitement, to put it mildly,” said Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, an online site that tracks movie grosses. “But the audience is still there, as evidenced by Revenge of the Sith breaking nearly every record in its first week. If Hollywood builds it, audiences will come. But Hollywood hasn’t been building it lately.“
Hmm. Hollywood is completely baffled that most people are expecting more from their movies now. The same tired addition of left politics and innuendo in the movies is no longer brushed off as normal. With all the public campaigning done by celebrities and millions of dollars spent … a lot of it from their personal wealth … for the Kerry Campaign and yet it was all for naught. Bush won by what many considered a landslide and he barely lost some very blue states. Completely defeated and now put in their place, Hollywood celebrities and executives are now scrambling to find out how to make a movie that will pull in more ticket sales. Of course, they do not see it this way. Hopefully, they will realize they need to pay attention to the customers … what movies have made money and which ones have failed. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what kinds of movies have the best chance to make money. 
for fans of Harry Potter that is. The latest installment … Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is now out (or will be in mere moments). I am not going to buy it any time soon, but I do plan on reading it. I have been disappointed that Rowling feels that killing off main characters is the only road she can travel. Above all this was supposed to be a children’s series and it is becoming a series for much older “kids.”
The right people start moving into their preordained paths: Foreshadowed romances begin (though not before a certain Weasley dallies with an inamorata who calls him “Won-Won”). Villains cast off their cloaks, and more secrets than usual are revealed. Darkness and bleakness are settling over the land, with even cozy Potter standards like Hogsmeade trips and Diagon Alley shops now shadowed with fear. Mr. Ollivander of Ollivander’s Wands is gone; no one knows if he left on his own or was kidnapped. Zonko’s Joke Shop has been boarded up. There is Quidditch again, but there are things now for Harry that mean even more. ►
The article also includes 5 spoilers, which if true, are spoilers indeed. The article makes you click a link for the spoilers and then click “Yes, I do.” So you can read the good article without fear of finding out something you didn’t want to know yet!
The fantasy weekend for a select number of kids was a success. I wrote about that earlier.
It could be said that Rowling’s one serious shortcoming lies with her pedestrian prose style. She lacks the lyrical grace of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis or Frances Hodgson Burnett, or the literary discipline of Madeleine L’Engle or Ursula K. LeGuin, all authors of bona fide modern children’s fantasy classics. ►
Maybe this book will be better written, many are claiming it is better than the last one. We shall see!
Do you know any kids between the ages of 8 and 16 that are citizens of Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada? If you do and they like Harry Potter … tell their parents/guardians to check this out quick!!
CANOE (Canadian Online Explorer) had the article “Win a trip to Scotland with Harry Potter” that caught my attention. The contest winners will receive a weekend at Edinburgh Castle for a Harry Potter extravaganza. “Selected English-speaking newspapers from around the world, including newspapers in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, will run Harry Potter competitions to find the lucky young journalists.” ~ reports the Edinburgh Castle news page for the event. (I guess we were not invited!) But wait … “There was initially disappointment in the USA that there was not a contest for them, but we are publishing details here of the American contest … ” 
Well, late is better than never, I guess. However … this contest seems to be Scholastic’s way of making up for Rowling’s shunning of our fair colonies. 10 grand prize winners, on July 15, will be on NBC’s Today Show and then be flown to London and just after midnight receive a copy of the new Harry Potter novel.
The special weekend for the 70 lucky children (who live in the right countries) will spend the weekend (with one adult parent/guardian each) at Scotland’s famed Edinburgh Castle. At the stroke of midnight, J. K. Rowling will read an excerpt from the latest Harry Potter novel. Shortly thereafter, the children will receive their signed copy of Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince and have the rest of the day to read the book in a specially prepared reading room inside the castle. Various other events will take place.
If I knew any children that qualified for the weekend in Scotland, I would still urge their parents to allow them to compete. The chance to spend a weekend in Scotland at the historic Edinburgh Castle is a fabulous opportunity for any child. Meeting Rowling would surely be a disappointment, but sacrifices must be made to enjoy some historical monuments.
Edinburgh News: Edinburgh Castle Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! Sat.16 July 2005
Canada’s Indigo Books & Music Inc ~ Contest Rules and Deadline
Scholastic ~ Try to include the scorned American kids contest rules
Possible Spoiler ~ This article
I was “channel surfing” through some blogs and saw a picture of Obi-Wan on this site. Naturally … this caught my attention!
The posts links to a “What Star Wars Character Are You?” quiz that has 6 brief questions.
Turns out I am Obi-Wan! 
Who are you?
Well today at 5:00pm, I finally got to see the final episode of Star Wars on the big 75 feet screen at my local Cinemark theater. I was very impressed with this movie and believe it is the best of the first three, though I actually liked the first two!
The graphics are impressive. Usually, at least for me, when a movie uses tons of digital effects … it takes away from the story and is somewhat distracting … this was not the case here … again, at least for me. I am still old school enough to miss the puppet-Yoda, even though the digital-Yoda has the same enduring spirit and spunk mixed in with his wisdom.
I know some people want to know nothing about the movie before they go so I will say no more in this post … however, the post below this one is more detailed without giving too much away … except one spoiler (that depending on how much you have paid attention to the hype, you may already know). It is password protected so that you have to want to see it. Type in starwars to see more.
Be warned: With these movies, because they have been part of my earliest memories … I went into the theater expecting to like the movie (which I did), to be sad when it was over (which I was), and not to over-analyze or pick alleged holes in the storyline (which I won’t). Critics of the movie are more than welcome to their opinion, however for me, this whole series is a happy place. Whenever I watch Episodes IV, V, VI .. I find myself being able to quote every line, even though I have not seen them in years. There are a few movies from my childhood that stay with me and Star Wars will always be included. I am not going to stomp on the roses of my happy place, there is no need!
Oh, and to answer the age-old question (or at least my friend, Will’s question) …
What lightsaber color would you pick?
Before I saw the purple lightsaber, I would have definitely chosen the blue lightsaber … now I am all confused so … short of creating a pink one 
… I would have both blue and purple and use them alternately!
Computer/gaming people have their own language sometimes referred to as l33tspeak. This slang language is used in games, chat rooms, forum boards, and recently in the subtitles of a popular Star Wars: Episode III trailer that was subsequently banned by Lucasfilm Ltd. last month for “copyright infringement, trademark infringement and unfair competition.” 
I found out about the trailer this afternoon and had to see it! So, I googled it (l33t trailer), and the fourth entry hit paydirt for me. The trailer was downloaded over 500,000 times from the original site, so it’s all over the place.
It is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It is not a grainy, pixilated trailer but one of great quality and perfect when played at full screen. (I use Winamp.) I cannot link it here because many of the links get overloaded or die. The trailer is 2 minutes, 30 seconds long and is a very good one on its own, highlighting the story of the movie.
For example…
Mace Windu: I don’t think the boy can handle it. I don’t trust him.
L33t Translation: That kid has no skillz. I think he haX.
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine: Learn to know the Dark Side of the Force and you will achieve a power greater than any Jedi.
L33t Translation: Go d/l those hacks I showed you and you’ll be teh roXXorz!!!
To see more about what I mean by l33tspeak or “leet speak,” the cease and desist e-mail from Lucasfilm Ltd. is now on the original website with a “l33t” translation.
If you want to see the trailer and cannot find it (or need a translation of the translation) leave a comment to this post and I will help ya out. 
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith premieres in 10 cities tonight and each will benefit a different charity. Attendees will be treated (for $500) to a viewing of Episode III and a dinner/party hosted by each respective charity. All but one of the charities targets the well-being of children in their area, both physical and emotional. If I had the choice of any of the premiers to attend, I would choose the one in Chicago because I have wanted to visit that city and its train station ever since I saw The Untouchables and the pre-party is hosted by Wolfgang Puck Catering (yum!).
For those who found Episodes I & II lacking in the Star Wars mojo, Episode III tends to have much more support. Critics are praising this movie above and beyond what the first two received.
The advance reviews of Revenge of the Sith, the sixth – and final – Star Wars film, have been mostly positive – and in some cases outright effusive.
cbc.ca news
I grew up watching all three of the Star Wars movies. Along with other movies, I could not understand how they were not part of every child’s raising. I do not remember when we first starting watching the movies, but they were always there. Not understanding that everyone didn’t love these movies, I tried to show Episode IV: A New Hope at a slumber party for my 11th or 12th birthday party… I don’t remember the year but I can remember who was there and one girl (no name will be mentioned!) freaking out in the first scene when Darth Vader boards the ship. We (my parents and I) were at a loss as to why? hehe, I can’t remember what we watched instead, something too inferior to remember I guess. These movies never claimed to be the most dramatic or the best science fiction movie ever … yet they set the stage for many movies to follow and will always be some of the most successful and loved movies of all time.
For the rest of us … Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith opens Thrusday, May 19, 2005.
With the hundreds of articles already on the web about this movie and probably just as many more to come … here are a few that I think are worth a glance. 
‘Star Wars’ Created a Galaxy All Its Own Expect the unexpected in Episode III (this one includes a nice interview with Mr. Lucas) Star Wars flick may see dramatic spike in staff absenteeism Lucas reimagined movie tech, then sold it The end is nigh-But was Star Wars good for cinema? I say yes!!
A couple of years ago my aunt (the one that lives down south) introduced me to the Amelia Peabody series of historical mystery books. These books follow the life of Amelia Peabody Emerson and her family. They are completely fiction though they are written as fact.
The history of Mrs. Amelia P. Emerson (also know as Amelia Peabody) is an amazing family saga, encompassing three generations, a world war, and thirty-five years of turbulent history.
These are not “chick flick” books. There is always a mystery to be solved, usually a murder. Amelia always feels it is her duty to do the solving and Emerson feels it is his to beat her to the solution keeping her out of trouble as they go. There is humor, suspense, action, love, happiness and tragedy … everything a good series needs. The series’ newest addition was released a little over a month ago and was the 17th installment!
Yes, the series is a long one but it makes it all the more worth reading. I love books and always have one that I am reading (currently - some friends of mine insisted on me reading Memoirs of a Geisha, and I am finding it quite interesting). This series is my favorite, thought I have other books that rank among my favorites, this series is amazing to me. If you are not wanting to know more about this family and their adventures by the end of the first book, you are just silly.
Along with loving these books comes an interest in Egyptology. Many of the discoveries made by the Emerson’s are real (borrowed from real archeologists). Research into the tombs and mummies found in the various locations in the books is ongoing currently. Ms. Peters is an Egyptologist earning her degree from the prestigious Oriental Institute in Chicago. Everything about the books that has to do with archeology and the discoveries made can usually be found somewhere in archeological records, including many of the supporting characters.
Recently a new mummy was found just south of Cairo. New mummies in good condition are rare and ones found in great shape and extremely well preserved and ornately decorated are practically unheard of.
A superbly preserved 2,300-year-old mummy bearing a golden mask and covered in brilliantly colored images of gods was unveiled Tuesday at Egypt’s Saqqara Pyramids.
This new mummy is believed to be from the Thirtieth Dynasty which was between 380 - 343 BC. It was found in at the bottom of a shaft covered by sand. Tomb raiding was and still is an active profession by thieves in Egypt and this mummy was possibly stolen and hidden in the shaft, somehow surviving all this time unharmed. Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, was quoted as saying “We have revealed what may be the most beautiful mummy ever found in Egypt.” More tests are being done to see if any information as to the identity of the mummy can be revealed and how he died. As impossible as it may sound, current technology has ways of discovering the cause of death in some cases.
More information on the new “beautiful” mummy:
Egyptian Archaeologists Announce ‘Beautiful’ Mummy Found
‘Beautiful’ mummy found (good picture)
‘Most beautiful mummy ever found’?
‘Most beautiful’ mummy found in Egypt
More information on the Ameila Peabody series: I really hope you enjoy them as much as I do!! !!
The official site
A cool fan site
Amazon’s list of Peabody books
Alienware has released “The Ultimate Jedi Weapon” in Light Side and Dark Side versions of a … well a really cool computer. Those who know me know I do not know much about the inside of a computer but the specs look really cool. My favorite is the Light Side one (pictured below) because I <3 Blue !!
I got a new computer recently and if I hadn’t … I would put this on my Christmas list!
Hat tip to Chris, Thanks !!
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