Living in New York City, I see celebrities fairly often.

Sometimes they are simply walking down the street in my neighborhood.  Jerry Seinfeld, John McEnroe, and Kevin Bacon live within 2-3 blocks of me, so it’s not uncommon to see them with their kids.

Other times I see celebrities in the Times Square area in a bar or restaurant. I saw Daniel Radcliffe of “Harry Potter” fame get carded at a bar — by my friend Lucas, who was bartending — one of my favorite New York moments.  And, of course, I have seen them from time to time when I do extra work on a movie or TV show.

But this week, I have discovered a new venue for celebrity sightings, and I wanted to pass this along to anyone coming to Manhattan for a visit.

A great place to see celebrities in NYC?  The horse path in Central Park between 7-8am.

The past two mornings, the weather has been cool and brisk, and Rory Dog and I have been up early with all the other dogs and their people in the park.  On Thursday morning, I saw a group of four runners go by, and one of them — I’m darn certain — was actor James McAvoy, who starred in “The Last King of Scotland,” “Atonement,” “Becoming Jane,” and “Wanted.”

I’m guessing the other runners were a combination of trainers/bodyguards in case a fan like me decided to take chase.

I don’t know that I would thought much about it except this morning, as Rory and I were walking along in the sunshine, I noticed another group of four runners similarly dressed coming towards me, and I wondered if it might be McAvoy again.  But when I looked closer, I realized one of the runners was Adrien Brody, who won an Oscar for “The Piano.”

Maybe both actors are staying at the same hotel or working with the same gym;  I don’t know.  But they are sending the celeb’s out in the park on the Upper West Side for their early morning runs.

Just so you know.  In case ya wanna take a gander.

That’s New York City.  Always something to see.

Esse filme conta o romance vivido por Jane Austen com o jovem advogado irlandês Tom Lefroy. O relacionamento com ele inspira a criação de personagens, incluindo Orgulho e Preconceito.

PS1: Nesse filme, é possível entender esse comentário aqui.

Last year, I put together a vision board.  It was electronic, and I put it as the background on my computer at work.  I also printed it and put it on my refrigerator at home.  Since that time, I have accomplished two of the items on the board.  One was the purchase of a particular big blue couch-potato couch, and the other was to get published.  Granted, it was a short story that was published, but the magazine that it’s published in was picked up by our local downtown Borders, so, it is receiving some distribution.  I think I can safely say that the board worked  in that it kept me focused on my goals, and the things I want.

Other things on the board have not come to fruition, but I’m coming to understand that the timing wasn’t right.  When I put the board together, I wasn’t really ready for them to happen.  One of those things was falling in love.  I thought I was ready when I was seeking out images that spoke to the things I wanted a new love relationship to involve.  The images came from romantic movies I’ve seen where the scenes were very powerful and spoke volumes about intimacy, intensity, affection, laughter and comraderie.  One scene is from The English Patient, where Almasy is claiming a particular part of Catherine’s body.  It’s a simple thing, but it was powerful.  Another comes from Becoming Jane, where the two first realize their depth of feeling, and there is an intensity about the scene that translates beautifully, even in an image.  One comes from a scene out of Stranger than Fiction, where they are just sitting on the couch watching TV, but the way they are touching is both sweet, and intimate.  Yet another comes from The Holiday, where Jack Black and Kate Winslet’s characters are just being silly and funny in their easy friendship.

I knew what I wanted my next love relationship to look like and feel like and be like.  I just hadn’t quite done all the work I needed to do in order to allow it into my life.  I can say now, I’m ready.  And when I look at those images, I know now that I deserve those things.

Then not long ago, my friend, V, showed me her vision notebook.  She puts images and thoughts in it about how she wants to see her life playing out.  She looks through it and reads it at least once a day.  So, I decided that in addition to my electronic vision board, I would also start a notebook.  I’ve gone through some of the magazines here at home that I needed to get rid of and pulled out all kinds of images of what I’d like to see happening my life, like more travel, the furniture that I want to have, or the types of jewelry I’d like to receive from a lover.

Don’t think that these boards/notebooks are just about “things” though.  It’s much more than that.  They are about understanding that I deserve to be treated well, adored, loved.  I deserve to live well, and enjoy my surroundings and my life.  They helped me focus on and define the way I want my life to look and feel and be.  They are also about holding stead to and attaining goals.  They are powerful tools, and I’ve come to understand just how powerful in the last year, as things have started to happen.

- Catherine

Okay, maybe it’s more like fitted pants tucked into riding boots, with white ruffled shirts and velvet waistcoats. It’s a sunny Thursday evening, hence, I thought it might be fun to celebrate hottt actors in Jane Austen period pieces.  Swoon!

Firstly, we have Colin Firth as the ONLY Mr. Darcy.  I said it.  I’m sorry nothing comes close to the BBC mega-series Pride & Prejudice.  Sure there’s a remake with Kiera Knightly but who’s kidding who?  She’s not Natalie Portman.  Anyhoo, I acknowledge that you will be trading a few hours of your life to watch this series but it’s definitely worth it.  SPOILER ALERT:  You watch as Elizabeth Bennett has disdain for the arrogant and wealthy Mr. Darcy but then grows to love him because of his estate in Pemberley…haha.  I mean, his appreciation and love for her.  He also looks great wet after swimming in a pond.

The look of love: Mr. Darcy admiring Elizabeth as she plays the piano.

Next up is the incomparable James McAvoy.  Not gonna lie.  I have ownership issues with James.  He’s great in everything and he’s Scottish.  Boys are so much cuter when you can barely understand them. He is break your heart awesome with Anne Hathaway in Becoming Jane.  Get ready to go through a tissue box from sob-sob-sobbing.  Perhaps stop the dvd 75% through for a happy ending.  Hrmm, I will try this next time.  Or just pause on a scene where James is looking particularly fine.  (Writing down both good ideas)

Are you tired James McAvoy? Because you've been running through my mind all day.

And to appease your Jane Austen addiction, try BBC’s The Buccaneers or Sense and Sensibility with Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson.  For a more authentic experience, try reading the books.  Quite lovely.

I realize that it is only Friday night but I think the best part of my holiday weekend has already passed. I believe that the highpoint will be having watched Becoming Jane. How can you not love a movie with James McAvoy’s naked ass? No matter how brief the scene was.  Naturally I thought today would be a good day, being Friday and all. I should’ve known when the 2 year old woke me up screaming. Nothing was wrong, except that Nina and Star weren’t on the TV. She still operates under the assumption that time stops when she sleeps and since they were on when she fell asleep…She was not happy with whatever her sisters had on. Anyway…So then I had to play referee all day between the two older ones. Not that this is anything new either. They are 7 and 5 and fight all day long. I wish Icould just go to sleep tonight and wake up Wed morning as the bus pulls away…oh dare to dream! Then, it was the first good hair day I had in about 2 weeks. Of course it was. I was cleaning all day for the dinner party from hell (scheduled for tomorrow) then off to soccer practice. Got eaten alive by damn mosquitoes. But I had the second best hair of all the soccer moms tonight!  Tomorrow I have to clean up whatever mess the kids made tonight and make eggplant parm for my unwanted guests. I would call them uninvited guests but hubby invited them. I really have no desire to cook for any of them or sit and listen to them complain all night but apparently I have no choice.  And they really are a bunch of complainers. I considered putting a layer of ground glass in the eggplant but I love it too much to not have any (didn’t really consider it till just now but…hmmm).  Guess I’ll just get drunk. Then, being a holiday weekend, hubby is off sun and mon to drive me nuts. Finish tiling the bathroom? no. Help me move the kids furniture to accomodate the third bed and dresser for the littlest to join the big girls room? no. Drive me insane with hunting shows and DIY? absolutely. Complain that I am reading and listening to my Ipod to avoid hunding shows and DIY? absolutely. He’s a complainer too.  Thanks for listening–is anybody? Gonna go blip some stuff now and cheer up before bed. hahaha Sweet dreams of Cookies & Rob!!!

—————-
Now playing: Alkaline Trio – Good Fucking Bye
via FoxyTunes

Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.  – Jane Austen

A few months ago my friends Caroline and Adora came to my house around 11:00 in the morning on a Sunday in sweat pants, messy hair, and with junk food in hand.  This day was Austenfest.

We sat in the living room and watched “Sense and Sensibility,” Kiera Knightley’s “Pride and Prejudice,” Colin Firth’s “Pride and Prejudice,” and “Becoming Jane.”  It was glorious.  We ate Godiva chocolates (courtesy of Adora’s mother-in-law), ordered Indian food (I can’t get enough Saag!), and only removed ourselves from the living room to use the bathroom or get more soda.

After watching nearly 12 hours of Jane Austen films we thought it would be great to start our own Jane Austen book club.  Our plans are to read the books in the order that they were written, which would make my favorite, “Sense and Sensibility” first and our last book will be “The Jane Austen Book Club.”  We will start meeting next month and I will document our book club meetings here.

Have you been a part of a Jane Austen book club?  Have any general advice/information I should know about running a book club?

Hai.

Bertemu lagi. Okey, sebelum ini saya ada mengeposkan satu pos tentang filem “My Sassy Girl”. Filem ini antara filem yang paling saya minat. Untuk kali ini, saya akan mengeposkan satu pos tentang filem yang kedua saya paling minat tonton. Iaitu, “Becoming Jane”.

Poster Filem

Untuk filem “Becoming Jane” ini pula, saya akan menceritakan bagaimana saya boleh minat untuk menonton filem ini. We start now. Filem ini adalah salah satu tayangan yang ditayangkan di Astro, “Star Movie” saluran 413 pada bulan Julai 2009. Sama dengan tayangan filem “My Sassy Girl”. Masa itu adalah masa pertama dalam hidup saya menonton filem yang diadaptasikan dari kisah seorang penulis buku yang terkenal dengan buku seperti Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1816), Northanger Abbey dan Persuasion (both 1818) dan yang terakhir Sanditon (unfinished). Hanya 2 buku dari 6 buku saja yang saya baca iaitu Sense and Sensibility (1811) dan Pride and Prejudice.

Saya minat menonton filem ini kerana jalan ceritanya yang menarik, klasik, setia serta memaparkan kisah cinta yang tidak pernah padam hingga akhir hayatnya bagi watak Jane Austen lakonan Anne Hathaway terhadap Tom Lefroy lakonan James McAvoy. Selain itu, filem ini berlatarkan pada sekitar tahun 1800. Banyak babak – babak yang saya minat dalam filem ini.

Antaranya, ketika majlis tari menari di rumah makcik Mr. Wisley lakonan Laurence Fox serta babak antara Tom Lefroy ingin memberitahu kepada pakciknya tentang keputusannya untuk berkahwin dengan Jane Austen. Itu adalah antara babak – babak lain yang saya minat dalam filem ini. Sebab itulah saya suka tonton filem ini.

Filem ini juga senasib dengan filem “My Sassy Girl” kerana DVDnya tiada di pasaran Malaysia. Jadi

Poster Filem

kenalah beli dari laman web luar negara seperti Amazon.com dengan harga jualan USD12.90. Kalau tidak silaplah. Hehehehe. Tapi, apa yang penting, filem ini adalah filem yang paling saya minat menontonnya kerana jalan ceritanya tidak bosan dan jemu. Banyak babak – babak yang menarik. Filem ini adalah filem jenis Romance, Drama dan Classical (Klasik).

Saya hanya ada koleksi buku dari filem ini, dimana saya membelinya di Kedai Buku Kinokuniya, KLCC dengan harga RM52.62 yang diedit oleh Anne Newgarden. Buku itu banyak menceritakan tentang perjalanan hidup Jane Austen serta memuatkan patah – patah kata yang menarik serta mendalam maksudnya yang diambil dari semua buku – buku tulisan Jane Austen.

Pesanan saya yang terakhir, tidak rugi menonton filem ini kerana apabila anda menontonnya sekali, mesti nak tonton banyak kali. Percayalah. Jadi kepada sesiapa yang belum menonton filem ini, tontonlah yea. Adios. Roger and Out.

Gražus savaitgalis Vilniuje pralėkė greitai, bet įveikėm užsibrėžtą tikslą – susiradom patį nuostabiausią butą visame Vilniuje! Tad laukit pakvietimų į įkurtuves

Klaidžiojimai po sostinę išvargina, tad vakarais su Indre nejudėdamos gulėdavom lovoj ir žiūrėdavom filmus.

• Regin Over Me – apie draugystę ir gyvenimą, po šeimos praradimo tragišką rugsėjo 11- ąją.

• New In Town – vos pradėjęs žiūrėti, žinai siužetą, o juolab pabaigą. Bet būna dienų, kai norisi lengvų filmų, tad tokiomis dienomis jis kaip tik!

• Confessions of a Shopaholic – idealus filmas mergaitiškam vakarui, išsidrėbus lovoje, valgant bandeles, geriant arbatėlę ir pletkinant apie vaikinus.

• Becoming Jane – filmas apie mano mylimos rašytojos Jane Austin gyvenimą.

I am quite ecstatic to say that I’ve just signed up for another reading adventure — the Everything Austen Challenge, hosted by Stephanie’s Written Word! Running from July 1 through Jan. 1, 2010, this challenge asks participants to pick out six Austen-themed items — books, films, audio books, whatever — and complete them before New Year’s Day.

I’m a mega Austen-o-holic, so I’m thinking this isn’t going to be too challenging for me — especially since I already have two ARCs of Austen fiction to review by August! (Those could be very famous — and public — last words, I know.)

Here’s my tentative list of the Jane-related books I hope to complete:

• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (need to buy)

• Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange (ARC, review to come in August)

• Cassandra and Jane by Jill Pitkeathley (own, TBR)

• Rude Awakenings Of A Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler (need to buy — out June 25!)

• Darcy and Anne by Judith Brocklehurt (ARC, review to come in September)

• Letters From Pemberly by Jane Dawkins (own, TBR)

And I’m sure I’ll be watching more than a few adaptations of Jane’s beloved novels, not to mention a marathon session of “Becoming Jane” — one of my favorite films of all time! Though I’ve enjoyed Austen since first stumbling across Pride & Prejudice in high school (and seeing the BBC adaptation — le sigh), “Becoming Jane” was what really ignited a major obsession with her work and learning more about her life.

Want to join in the fun? Sign up now!

Provavelmente o nome em português, “Amor e Inocência”, tenha sido escolhido para entrar no mesmo cenário de títulos como “Razão e Sensibilidade, “Orgulho e Preconceito” e tal. O fato é que “Becoming Jane” (título original) é bem mais adequado à trama deste belíssimo longa de Julian Jarrold contando como teria sido a vida da escritora Jane Austen pouco antes de começar sua carreira literária (ainda que o mote central possa ser ficcional).

É um filme bem cuidado, calcado num excelente texto e em interpretações arrebatadoras. Quando se junta Julie Walters, Maggie Smith e James Cromwell num mesmo filme já se pode esperar grandes momentos, mas os nomes mais novos do elenco não ficam atrás.

O talentoso James McAvoy brilha ao contracenar com uma impressionante Anne Hathaway, em papel anterior às suas indicações ao Oscar e ao Globo de Ouro mas igualmente brilhante (Hathaway concorreu ao British Independent Film Awards pelo papel, perdendo para Judi Dench por “Notas sobre um escândalo”). Já vimos as personagens de Austen imortalizadas (ou não, em alguns casos…) por atrizes do porte de Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley e Kate Beckinsale: agora, vendo a própria autora vivida por Hathaway, percebemos que esta não deixa nada a dever àquelas. Vale também uma menção a Anna Maxwell Martin, que interpreta Cassandra, irmã da escritora.

Fico aguardando a resenha de minha sócia cine-literária, dedicada admiradora de Jane Austen. Um filme emocionante (sim, prepare-se para lágrimas) e sensível, bem ao estilo da própria escritora retratada. No próximo fim de semana chuvoso, não deixe de procurar na sua locadora.

Site oficial:
http://www.amoreinocencia.com.br/

Becoming Jane – m-a surprins atat de mult incat sa ma determine sa il cotez cu 10 pe imdb, prin faptul ca m-am regasit mai mult decat ma asteptam in aceasta poveste, care, transpunsa intr-un alt timp , reprezinta un rezumat ce imi incheaga atat amintirile , visele legate de viitor, precum si cateva picaturi din esenta spiritului meu.

Yesterday, I had myself a nice night of James McAvoy movies. Actually, I watched only two, but still, it was quite pleasent. I had watched them both many times before, but I thought this was a good  opportunity to go through them again.

1. First, I watched Penelope, which is dated back to 2006. It’s about Penelope (Christina Ricci), a girl born into a high class, rich London family, but because of a curse, she has a snout, in other words, she has a pig nose. The only way to remove the curse is “one of her own kind to accept her”, so her mother tries her best to find her a husband of similar status. However, so far no one has accepted her and all the suitors fly out the window, literally, at the sight of her. One day, one of the suitors hire Lemon, a reporter who lost his eye because of Penelope’s mom, to tell the public about Penelope. They try to take her picture by hiring Max (James McAvoy), a blue-blood high society dude who has gambling problems. 

This movie has a supernatural fairy tale atmosphere about it, with clear-cut characters, and it can be quite fun. It also has surprises and nice plot twists, and good characters who develop through it. It also has messages about accepting yourself and motherhood etc, so it can be a tear-jerker if it touches a sour spot. But all in all, it’s a high-quality romantic comedy about finding yourself. Of course, James McAvoy is hot as ever.

The other movie I watched was Becoming Jane, from 2007, which, as you  might now, is about none other than Jane Austen. Since it is about  Jane Austen, it carries the same air as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Some people have cruelly dismissed it as being “too similar to Pride and Prejudice“, but hello, it is about its freaking author. So, Jane (Anne Hathaway) is a girl of small fortune, who writes deep in her country house, and one day, Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy) who’s “a lawyer with a reputation” from London. The clash of the characters is much like Pride and Prejudice, and it’s a known fact that Jane Austen was deeply influanced by Lefroy when she portrayed Mr. Darcy. Much of the movie is fiction, but much of it is not. For examle, it is known that Jane stayed in Lefroy’s house in London, just like in the movie. Also, on his deathbed, when asked about his biggest love, Lefroy said “Jane Austen”, and he named his daughter Jane. How romantic can you get?

When we went to watch this in the movie theater, me and my mother cried our eyes out. It was just that good. I think it’s a lot better than Pride and Prejudice, though it may come a close second. It also happens to be my favorite James McAvoy movie, who fits Lefroy so, so well. Your heart will stop at the dance scenes.

I am sure I will write about James in the future. How could I not? He’s like the next Ewan McGregor. Yum.

Din coloana sonoră compusă de Adrian Johnston pentru filmul ‘Becoming Jane’ (2007)

Becoming Jane este un fel de Shakespeare in Love despre Jane Austen, adica o fictiune cu trimiteri la realitate si, ca un facut, diferenta dintre cele doua filme este si cea dintre cei doi scriitori.

Shakespeare este grandios, Jane Austen este placuta ca stil.

Shakespeare are personaje puternice, mai mari decat viata insasi, Jane Austen are personaje schematizate, dar interesante.

Shakespeare e conflictual, Jane Austen e pasnica.

Shakespeare este perpetuu surprinzator, Jane Austen nu iti da frisoane prea multe si isi incheie romanele cu dulci happy end-uri.

Jane Austen e o scriitoare buna, Shakespeare e Shakespeare.

Shakespeare este barbat, Jane Austen este femeie (nu radeti, daca veti privi ambele filme in profunzime, ca si operele celor doi, veti putea remarca diferentele fundamentale dintre spiritul masculin si cel feminin).