Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Bryne
family owns a Christmas tree farm in Nova Scotia and all Christopher Bryne
(Tate Donovan) wants is to someday leave his hard earned tree farm to son Danny
(Michael Mitchell), who has other aspirations which, over time grows into a continuous
source of tension between father and son. Danny loves photography and each year
when the family packs up to sell trees in New York including younger sister
Bridget (Courtney Jines), Danny finds his passion for the hobby renewed by the
many sights and awe-inspiring city-wide scenes he finds. Right before they are
to return home, tempers flare, and both Christopher and Danny reach their
breaking point which inspires Danny to take his future into his own hands, and
he leaves in anger that same night.
Hey, Readers! So, I thought I'd again share with you two different book cover art concepts because doing Alex Flinn's Bewitching was kind of fun. *smile* Here we have Karen's latest novel chronicling yet another chapter in her much-loved heroine Bailey Flannigan's life. (I must tell you I have "issues" with how her story is shaping up thus far, but then you'll all be able to read about that in another day or two, so please keep an eye out!) The cover to the left is the one that actually made it to publication (it's the one you'll see if you pick up a copy), the right-side photo was a working concept.
I am going to be honest, I am so glad that the original cover was nixed because it... well... how do I put this... it makes Brandon seem like a bit of an immature "tweeny," wimp of a character in comparison to Bailey. The headshot is certainly not how I'd thought of the cause of Bailey's romantic emotional turmoil or the leading man in her life who complicates matters nor is it how I want to think of him. Thank goodness Karen's daughter Kelsey and her fiance participated in a beautiful beach side photo shoot that changed everything - and then, designers created a gorgeous design. Bailey's expression is perfect; the colors are pretty and Brandon leaning in to whisper something to her is so sweet! Everything about it is stunning - I <3 it! *smile*
Thoughts, anyone?
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
About the Book:
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Publication Date: 2011
Author: Michelle Madow
Series: “Transcend Time” (book 1 of 3)
Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Teen Fiction, Young Adult
Synopsis: high-school junior, Lizzie Davenport isn’t the
most popular girl in school but she is intelligent with good grades. Her
jock boyfriend wants desperately to change their “status” at school. He is now
on the soccer team and is a rising star amidst his senior peers – and he wants
Lizzie to ditch her closest friends and form new, less rewarding friendships with
his teammates girlfriends. Turns out, Jeremy’s petty grievances are going to be
the least of Lizzie’s concerns when she meets and feels an instant connection
to the new transfer student, Drew Charmichael… and his arrival triggers
memories in Lizzie’s sub-conscious mind that she never expected to feel… with
results she never would have imagined…
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Not only will Kendra get her due in a story but that February 2012 release is just the first in a series called "The Kendra Chronicles." There are conflicting reports that this will be a series... so it still might just be one novel. Anyway, the cover of the book was recently released, so I thought I'd share it will you all! Isn't it cool-looking? (Love that tagline, too - Beastly was just one of her curses.) Also, the one to the left is an earlier concept of the cover art and the right cover is the actual. I wasn't completely "sold" on Kendra's character in Beastly but for some reason I think I will be checking this one out.What do you think about Alex writing Kendra her own story? Which cover design do you all like best?
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Given that the
latest issue of Femnista is up-coming,
I have decided to share with you all, reviews on some of my favorite crime drama
television shows. I have a couple more current ones in-the-works, but for now,
here is the first season of just one of my most favorites. Premiering
in late 2003, this naval intelligence series is one of the more entertaining
shows I’ve yet to see.
Air Force One is getting ready for take-off
with President George W. Bush aboard. In a last minute replacement, a young
Navy commander is sent in as a replacement for the customary navel officer who is
out sick. After lunch with the President, the commander suddenly falls ill and
dies within seconds. Precautions are immediately implemented, the plane
grounded and after his speech, the President put onto another jet. While
grounded, swarms of people attend the body, including a medical examiner and
his assistants who were called as backup, only Secret Service agent Caitlin
Todd (Sasha Alexander) isn’t convinced this is just an ME and his team. Turns out they are Navel Criminal
Investigative Service agents, an exclusive agency for military related crimes.
Led by veteran agent Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), the team quickly realizes if
they have any expectations of investigating, they first must compete against
both the FBI and Secret Service over whose most entitled in calling first dibs
on the case, so… under unusual circumstances, their reaction is to casually
"kidnap" the plane.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
I was itching to get out to the cineplex to see something new since it’d felt like a loooong time
since last I saw something on the big screen (compared to average America, I
see very few movies in theaters). I had a choice of three movies. At the top of
the list was the latest re-make of the Dumas classic The Three Musketeers but because of unimpressive earnings, it was
gone from my theater after two weeks (they had a lot of nerve nixing it before I saw it! *grin*), so… that narrowed it down
to this title and the Christian-helmed Courageous.
Needless to say, I went with Footloose because
the show-time worked best for my day. Since I’ve not yet seen the “classic”
1980’s version on which this re-make was inspired by, I won’t be making comparison
observations... nevertheless I do know who stars in the prior version and have
heard of it. This recent theater release looked entertaining and given my recent
“love affair” with movies that feature dancing I decided it was high time I saw
this.
Publisher: Bethany
House
Publication
Date: 2010
Author: Tamera
Alexander
Series: “Timber
Ridge Reflections” (book 3 of 3)
Genre:
Christian Fiction, Historical
Synopsis: growing up as a Southern belle, she had enjoyed and lived a happy
life with her beloved husband and their two young sons… but that was before the Boyd’s moved out West to give
their sons a better life – to escape the horrors of a post-era Civil war. That
was before her husband was mauled to
death by a bear in the rugged Colorado wilderness. It was before anger and bitterness took root in her life...
Monday, November 14, 2011
Since I
primarily review movies and television series, and seem to open so many film-related posts of discussion,
I thought I’d share a little bit about my reason for watching movies and my
view on Hollywood’s constant bid to employ the filth they want to impress upon us
in attempts to make culture assume that is the “norm.” Some of you may already
have heard my opinion on this (or rather my “rant”) but if not, then I felt
like it’d be a good exercise to let you know my rule as regards movies in
general.
As a child, my parents guarded against any “adult” movies polluting my
mind – PG13 ratings were out without a question and movies that merely required
“parental guidance” (according to the MPAA) were still rented, viewed and
“researched” with caution. Raised in a household where Christianity was at the
forefront of the teaching and discussion, my parents were not about to let me
see anything that might promote something we didn’t believe in, and so unless
it was without too many blemishes, movies were pretty much limited to Veggie
Tales, Anne of Green Gables and the
Mary-Kate and Ashley direct-to-DVD movie collection. By the time I reached my
teenage years and being such a romantic, I always wanted to see the latest
romantic-comedy – movies that usually were always stamped with a PG13 rating.
My mom often watched them and if they were appropriate – which more often than
not, they weren’t, we’d watch it, if not, I’d contently put on The Parent Trap for the billionth time. As
an older teen, things started to shift and for whatever reason we began
“risking” movies: we’d read the synopsis, find something that sounded cute and rent
it for the night. Some of the movies turned out to be genuine treasures (even
with their faults), others turned out to be trash.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Even though I’d read a plot synopsis of this before seeing
a trailer, all I remember when it was released was how much charm it exuded; it practically radiated through the screen - literally. The innocence in the story’s notion is, for the
most part, missing from American cinemas today, which is why, when one does
come along, audiences often prove critics wrong and make a modest if not
blockbuster hit of the respective title. In this version, critics
didn’t bash this as they so readily have in the past. Whatever the reason I’m
pleased, since this is one of the most charismatic films to appear in a while.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The
fairy-tale life – romance and marriage is all Rae Carter (Lucy Liu) ever
wanted… and yet it seems just out of her grasp. Her committed relationship with
the person she thought was the man of
her dreams has just fizzled out. He has a big job opportunity, and so, Rae is
giving him an ultimatum – choose his career (which just happens to involve
photographing frogs) or her… he
chooses the first option and Rae finds her ideas of relationships and marriage
shaken. As an artistic soul, Rae has a very romantic view of life in general. Instead
of pursuing dreams, she is a dedicated social worker whose belief in love
hasn’t changed, but made her more cautious, which is why she finds it suspect
that the guy her former family pastor insists is wonderful is still single.
Eventually she begins seeing the pastor’s nephew...
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
In
the last year I was involved in a Jane Austen themed e-zine which celebrated
the iconic author. With so much talk of her and comparison to today’s
cultures, I got to thinking about the parallels between Jane’s world and ours. Each
of Jane’s stories follow a strict pattern, although I’ve only completed one of
her novels (Sense & Sensibility - and am currently trudging through Northanger
Abbey, off and on for goodness
knows how long), I do like to think of myself as a self-professed “expert” on
any and all her movie adaptations since in all likelihood the only versions
I’ve yet to see are the little-known spaghetti types. From a Mormon inspired
flick to the colorfulness of Bollywood, if I saw one, I’ve seen them all.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Ironically TNT’s Leverage has quickly become a favorite television show of mine. It doesn’t require a great deal of thought and that is part of what makes it so much fun. My idea of entertainment means watching something that won’t make me more aware of life’s heartaches but rather make us forget them for a couple of hours. That is what this show accomplishes – while still incorporating some poignant truths.
When your headquarters are blown to bits, it has a way of changing the dynamics in a team – even a group of thieves. As a result the Leverage team has disbanded. Six months later, the mastermind Nate Ford (Timothy Hutton) is listlessly going on various job interviews that will now seem mundane compared to the good works he was doing with the band of thieves that he was “forced” into leading. The one good thing that has come from Nate’s re-building his life is that he finally stopped drinking. Now, after walking out on a job interview, he is about to give in to that addiction until he spots a car careening out of control, flip on its top and crash with its two occupants inside. Frantically, he rescues the father and daughter only to learn from the young girl that the accident wasn’t that – the car was tampered with. Feeling a pull to help the pair, Nate shows up at aspiring actress Sophie’s latest show. What he gets instead in a reuniting of the entire team.
Released:
2011
Writing
Credits: Martina McBride, Brett James, Hilary Lindsey, Brad and Brett Warren
Label: Republic
Nashville
Genre:
Country
Number of
Songs: 11
Debut: #10
My thoughts: October eleventh + record number eleven + eleven tracks = Martina McBride’s Eleven.
Released on the eleventh of the month, in addition to all of these other factors and - naturally, Martina’s latest release would be titled… eleven. One of the
“leading ladies” in country music, this album is much the same of what we’ve
come to expect from Martina. It’s fun but yet has some funky tunes that are a
different sound for her. As usual, this artist is one of CMA’s finest. Her
voice sounds magnificent on every single track. Carrie Underwood is one of the
rare “new” artists that I even liken to Martina because her voice and its range
is true talent.
His loyal
first mate is in a boatload of trouble. This means that Captain Jack Sparrow
(Johnny Depp) must devise a clever plan to secure Master Gibbs’ freedom. The
only problem is… Jack is again without his beloved Black Pearl and a means of
transport… but never mind that – for now he has bigger problems at hand. Again
he is on the wrong side of the law after he escapes royal custody and his
audience with King George and his notorious enemy Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey
Rush). Now, Jack is busy eluding custody on the streets of London as reports
swirl that another is impersonating Jack Sparrow – and the only man who is
allowed to do that is Jack himself…
now he wants himself back! Finally coming face-to-face with the person who is sullying
Jack’s good name, he discovers that it is Angelica (Penelope Cruz) who just
happens to be an expert con-woman and Jack’s former flame – the woman Jack not
only ruined before she could take vows but also the only woman for whom he ever
had “stirrings.” Angelica and her father, the evil Blackbeard (Ian McShane) are
determined to find the Fountain of Youth, and since Jack is one of the most
famed pirates, Angelica sees to it that Jack is aboard their ship – whether or
not he likes it is not her problem.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
For two reasons am I going to "break the rules" as regards this award:
Album: Speak Now
Released: 2010
Writing Credits: Taylor Swift
Label: Big Machine Records
Length: 3:51
Genre: Country-Pop
Certification: Platinum - #1 Single
The story: after locking eyes with a guy working his way through college, a girl – who is cynical when it comes to love is smitten with him and imagines what their life would look like if they were together.
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