This Joan Miro inspired lesson is a one day project.  First grade students had a good laugh as I explained shapes and lines, and drawing lines on shapes and lines over lines that sit on shapes…. you get the idea!  We looked at various examples of Miro’s work and talked a bunch about different ideas for our own crazy people!

Mrs. Meader’s  class click here

Mrs. Charette’s class  click here

Mrs. DeCarolis’ class click here

Mrs. Wentworth’s class click here

Today is a very big day in the history of science: it’s the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s monumental work, The Origin of Species. Its beautifully simple hypothesis–that life evolves through the natural selection of adaptive traits–was supported with multitudinous data that Darwin collected on his world travels and in his studies at home.

Though today’s evolutionary theory has altered some of Darwin’s original hypotheses–for example, we now understand the role genes play in natural selection, something that had not yet emerged in Darwin’s time–Origin’s central thesis remains highly relevant to our lives, even if we don’t always realize it. Our understanding of mutating viruses and how to combat them, for instance, would not be possible without Darwin’s insight.

Our reference department has done a great job of pulling together a list of resources related to Darwin’s life and his most influential work, and I encourage you to check it out. Beyond those resources, I recommend reading Jonathan Weiner’s The Beak of the Finch, a remarkable book about two scientists’ observations of evolution-in-action amongst the finches of the Galapagos Islands.

And if you thought you could avoid talk of brain-eating in a blog post about evolution, think again. Very interesting research about ritualistic brain-eating and what it tells us about recent human evolution was published recently, and it’s quite an addition to the ever-expanding story of our species.

Thanks again, Mr. Darwin, for providing the framework to that story.

–Wes

We looked at Gustav Klimt’s artwork and used his style and technique to create these wonderful sleeping children. Each student learned how to draw a face so that it looks realistic and three-dimensional. The rest of the work needed to look flat and full of decorative patterns.

Click here to see Ms. Nichol’s class

Click here to see Ms. Card’s class

Click here to see Mrs. Lavoie’s class

Ms. Merrill’s class is in an earlier post

It’s nice to have Wes here full-time. After dismantling computers yesterday for our office move, I drove my dusty self home an hour early, thanks to the kindness of our general manager. Along the way, I tried to contact Wes to see if he wanted me to meet him in Sarasota, where he’s currently working. I finally got in touch with him and since he was working later, I flung off my Pigpen disguise and upgraded my clothes to something much more suited to a dinner out.

We had a lovely dinner at Stingray’s Grill, which included free dessert due to our server’s error of misordering our entrees – key lime pie, delicious and creamy.

We haven’t had a “date night” in a while, so it was worth the drive, even though my darling mother thought it was a waste of time and gas to drive a little over an hour.

Today sucked, in so many ways. I feel like many of my blogs will say that same thing.

First of all, I had to give my speech today.  Stupid speech class.  It’s getting old really fast.  Anyways, we were assigned to find a Grim’s fairy tale then tell it to the class in 6-10 minutes.  I chose Rapunzel. When I read over it, I read it in about 6 minutes and 30 seconds.  I figured I was in the safe zone.  I was wrong.  I gave my speech and went 2 minutes over! Doesn’t seem like a big deal right? No, wrong!  You see, my speech teacher counts 5 points off for every 30 seconds that you dont make your time.  So.. 2 minutes over is equivalant to 25 points off.  So.. I automatically made a 75.  Fuck my life.  Speech class is full of stupid rules.  5 points off for every 30 seconds is so stupid.  I mean, if you miss your time by 1 second, you get 5 points off! Someone who misses their time by 29 seconds also gets 5 points off.  That’s not fair! Ugh.  Also, if you miss a day.. you have to double the time limit.  Maybe I should start doing that.  I should start skipping a day so i can get more time.  I always go over my time.  ALWAYS! I have not made my time a single time during this stupid storytelling chapter.  It’s killing my GPA.  I wish i could drop that stupid class.

I never realized how stupid fairy tales were by the way.  My story said that the witch locked Rapunzel up in a tower with no door.  How the hell did Rapunzel  get up there in the first place? D<   Did she fly or something?  Seriously.. stupid.

Secondly,Wes said he was gonna come visit me tomorrow.  I was super pumped to hear that he was coming over, until i realized that my rents weren’t gonna let me leave the house tomorrow.  I got so frustrated in trying of ways to hang out with him.  Nothing seemed promising, so he decided to not come at all.   It bummed me out, big time. However, Wes was able to reschedule so .. It’s fine now.  Hopefully, we’ll have better plans next time and it won’t be a spur of a moment thing.

Also, I talked to Tyler today.  I went off on him bad. Really BAD.   I’m not even sure why. For some reason, I got really mad and just started saying nonsense.  I feel really bad now cause I said some things I never should have said.  Like .. “I hope you die from cancer.. soon.” You probably think that was a silly comment, but .. Tyler has cancer..  I don’t even remember saying that. He’s such a sweetheart and I totally just .. bashed him today.    I’m turning into a monster :|

Lastly, I procrastinated all afternoon.  I know its the weekend, but I still had some things I should have done.  Like.. clean the center tables and write some news stories.  I did nothing.  I suck.  Bad. :[

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.  My brother has a game tomorrow against Monette.  I hope they win, but it’s definitively gonna be a struggle without their best player. I’ll cheer my brother on tomorrow to the best of my ability if i manage to get up early enough.

As the stupid Grim’s brothers would say: A mouse did run, my story is done (for today)

I’ve had this theory about The Fantastic Mr. Fox ever since it popped on to IMDB.  If stop motion animation didn’t work for Wes Anderson nothing would.

Since the Royal Tenenbaums, or even before,  Anderson has surrounded himself with actors, crew, and writers that love him like the benevolent micro managing dictator of a South American island. And because no one is saying No to him anymore, Anderson’s quirks and flaws have magnified to the point of eclipsing the movie itself. Wes Anderson had become a style rather than a filmmaker. I told anyone who would listen 3 years ago, that I didn’t know why Wes hadn’t just made all of the Life Aquatic animated. It would have been his best movie to date.  So after waiting for The Dajeeling Limited to come in a lil red envelope, I thought Mr. Fox might be worth the $12.50.

Now right off, an aside in movie etiquette. The wife and I entered the freshly swept and now popcorn free theater, behind maybe eight people waiting at the door before us. We like the stadium seating first row  with the clear view and the railing to put our feet up and easy access to the exit for when my invitable bathroom break. So naturally when we turn to our right and start to go down the row we were not expecting to be met with a demure little peasent clothed gatekeeper who promptly told us.

Bitch: Um actually I was trying to save those seats.
Me: The whole row?
Bitch: Actually Im trying to save both these rows for my friends.

Both. Rows. 12 seats. 12.

I’m willing and prone myself to saving a seat or two, but it takes some nutsack hairier then her petulie stankin legs, to just claim up and claim the primest 2 rows in the theater like it was a Risk board and her armies were a scarf and her hippy communal sense of World Peace.  The only thing that kept me from lowering a dumptruck worth of attitude, plopping down, and setting the rest of the row on fire was the fact that the row across from us was still mostly available and I don’t like to hit girls unless they hit me first.

The rest of her water and vinegar compadres wouldn’t begin arriving for another 20 minutes in a stressfully packed room and I did take an elevated level of satisfaction watching her fend off every third movie goer from taking the seats she reserved for her ascot and designer baseball hat wearing amigos.

By the way, this also goes for all you cocksocks that love getting in line for big movies (the Harry Potters and Twilights of the world) and letting all your giggly sorority sisters trickle in ahead of me so that the line, that had 5 people when I got here 45 minutes early, suddenly bubbles up like a stepped on garden hose to about 17-18 tards. If I see this at Avatar, I will pee on you.

That being said, when I came out of the theater I couldn’t have been happier. I was right; the genre worked like a charm for him. His quirks and nostalgia, instead of seeming over done, read like attention to craft. The normally wooden deadpan performances became whimsical and charming behind the smiles and wide eyes of animals in clothes.

Adding a new first and third act onto the story seemed surprisingly natural to the Dahl story.  The heist film resetting felt especially comfortable in the voice of Danny Ocean himself, George Clooney. (BTW saw Men Who Stare At Goats last week.  Wow what a waste of time.  Nothing happens.  And not in a good existential way. It’s a waste of actors, waste of decent subject matter and worst of all: a waste of Jeff Bridges.)

What at surface seems like, and is heavily promoted as, children’s faire, Mr. Fox harkens back to the Bluth and Watership Down 70’s that weren’t scrubbed to bubbly Disney perfection.

I know Wes Anderson will probably go immediately back to making live action movies that I have no interest of watching until they stream on Netflix, but I hope that he’s at enjoyed the process enough to continue to push the Wes Anderson style into new paradigms.

Cause who doesn’t love paradigms.

We ended the First quarter with a project that helped us review what we had learned. This project helped me look at what I might need to continue working on in future lessons.

The kids really enjoyed drawing turtles using the lines we have learned about. We also used line and shape to create patterns in our turtle shells. The final part of the project was using cutting and gluing skills to paste our turtles on colored paper.

Peyton

Addie

Mrs. Newell’s Class click here

Mrs. Merrill’s Class click here

Mrs. Smith’s Class click here

Ms. Wilkey’s class coming soon!

Mrs. Sabin’s class coming soon!

Clay is not the easiest medium to use when you are not in an ideal classroom…..but we made it work because those wonderful Fifth graders deserved to use the clay!  It always amazes me when I see the excited look on their faces when they first squeeze the clay between their hands.  Gosh, I love my job!

Here is a look at a few of the Face Jugs!

Click Here to look at the rest!

The wonderful thing about Personal Learning Networks is that you don’t need to know very much…as long as you are connected to learning-oriented people who tell you lots of things and stretch everything you thought you knew.

So, today, I can’t yet say what I’ve learned, but I know where I’m going to go to learn whatever it is.

Wes is back! And already the stories abound with things I never knew before.

For example, did you know that fruits and vegetables are scarce in Burkina Faso. They have meat at most every meal, and you’d better fancy the goat version if you want to eat. There are poisonous snakes, specifically cobras and vipers and there are guards who watch all the time just to make sure the kids are safe. The guards have guns…but the guns are not loaded. Instead, the ammo is on a belt and the guards access it quickly if need be.

I have no idea what other things I’ll learn, but today has the potential for lots of new lessons.

Grateful for:

• Air France
• brown paper bags for all the leaves that fell in our yard

Curious about:

• how the 450 kids in the village learn and what is their curriculum? How does it compare to Ontario curriculum?
• how do their teachers get trained?

Today is a drizzly, windy day which requires a thorough game plan.

I don’t have one but Wes is always on the ball.

Today is the birthday of the great Russian novelist Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoevsky (1821-1881). If Dostoevsky’s big books have been on your “classics-to-read” back burner for awhile, make today the day you finally pick one up.

Though I started reading Dostoevsky with Crime and Punishment, you might prefer reading The Idiot or Notes from Underground first. Or, maybe you’ll want to start with the big one, The Brothers Karamazov, right off the bat; I’d be willing to bet it lasts you through the winter (or several years, if you’re me).

Once you’ve gotten that far, you might want to try an adaptation of Dostoevsky’s work next, such as the graphic novel The Grand Inquisitor. Or, perhaps you’ll want to take your reading in a more scholarly direction. In that case, a new biography called Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time looks promising, and Harold Bloom’s various critical interpretations are always winners. And, if you really want to get serious, you can visit our reference department and skim through a copy of The Dostoevsky Encyclopedia. 

By then you should be able to impress your friends with profound discussions of “Dostoevsky and existentialism,” and if their eyes start to glaze over, you can take your newfound knowledge to another level by rubbing elbows with members of the International Dostoevsky Society!

Baby steps, you say? Ok, fine, but don’t squander Dostoevsky’s birthday reading something piddly — at least read one of his short stories or something. 

–Wes

Remember when you brought your child to see an animated movie just to make him happy? Well now, go check out Fantastic Mr Fox and make yourself happy.

I saw this film on a Wednesday night at the 8pm show. The theater was full, but there was no children. In fact, I didn’t spot anyone who looked under 18 in there!

You can’t deny, Mr Fox is a children’s story. In fact, the movie was made out of a 1970 children’s book written by Roald Dahl. So what exaclty would attract you adults to such a film?

Well first off, Fantastic Mr. Fox might take you back to their childhood memories of bedtime stories. But it’s not only that. It’s also a wonderfull piece of stop-motion animation and the action moves along perfectly enough to keep you interested every minute. 87 minutes almost feels too short. The humour leaves you with a smile on your face at the end of every scene and the music sounds just great.

There are many reasons why I think Fantastic Mr Fox is worth it. Here are 3 of them:

- Wes Anderson. He keeps on impressing with his creativity.

- The Cast. George Clooney gives a voice to Mr Fantastic. It fits perfectly. Along with him: Meryl Streep and Bill Muray…

- The animation. Never have I enjoyed as much such a movie with talking animals.

Após o sucesso com a série “Twilight”, a autora Stephenie Meyer, lançou o livro “A Hospedeira”. Um misto de ficção científica e romance (o seu ponto forte).

Quem já leu algum livro que compõem a série “Crepúsculo” já percebeu porque Meyer é um fenômeno na literatura mundial.

Muitas pessoas tem a tendência de comparar as obras literárias de um autor quando ele faz muito sucesso, mas, para mim, isso é totalmente incorreto e injusto. Ouvi pessoas dizerem coisas do tipo: “A Hospedeira é bom, mas Crepúsculo é muito melhor”. O tema da saga “Crepúsculo” não tem nada a ver com o que rodeia “A Hospedeira”. Ambos são excelentes, mas agradam públicos de gostos diversos. Há quem prefira a temática dos vampiros e lobisomens, mas há também aqueles que têm mais afinidade com o grande mistério da existência humana: vida extraterrestre.

Aqui a história se baseia em uma invasão de alienígenas ao planeta Terra, denominados “Almas” que necessitam de corpos hospedeiros para sobreviver.

Após terem vivido em diversos planetas em corpos de hospedeiros como flores, plantas, aranhas, ursos e morcegos, as “Almas” decidem vir para a Terra porque acreditavam que os seres humanos não mereciam viver em um planeta tão belo quanto o nosso. Meyer critica todas as atitudes e características do lado ruim que nossa espécie possui através do olhar de um ser que vem de fora. A destruição do planeta pela poluição, pelo uso indiscriminado dos recursos naturais, a exploração do homem pelo homem, a violência contra os da sua própria espécie e o pouco caso que as pessoas fazem pela dor e sofrimento do outro. É um tapa na cara a todo o momento.

As almas vieram para a Terra aos poucos e foram se misturando aos humanos, mantendo o mesmo tipo de vida que eles com tamanha perfeição que as pessoas não percebem o que está acontecendo e o que virá pela frente.

Seres extremamente pacíficos, gentis e possuem verdadeiro pavor à violência. Não precisam pagar pelo que comem ou vestem, mas por outro lado, todos exercem um trabalho para a sociedade, às vezes em sistema de rodízio, às vezes com uma profissão fixa. Eles consideram que a Terra se tornou um planeta melhor após a vinda deles.

Organizados, eles possuem nomes para funções específicas em sua sociedade. Os Buscadores são os seres responsáveis por localizar os seres humanos que ainda resistem à invasão. Os Confortadores conversam e dão conselhos as almas que estão com qualquer tipo de dificuldade, seja de adaptação ao novo hospedeiro ou enfrentando problemas com eles. Se pudesse corresponder as profissões dos humanos, seriam como os psicólogos e terapeutas. Os Curandeiros são os que ministram os cuidados físicos aqueles que estão doentes e controlam os usos de medicamentos. Como os médicos humanos. Os Curandeiros não utilizam os remédios humanos que foram todos descartados. Possuem remédios próprios, tais como Curar, Corta Dor, Fechar, etc (a parte em que Meyer fala e descreve os medicamentos e como eles funcionam e devem ser aplicados é interessantíssima e extremamente criativa). Os Curandeiros não apenas cuidam dos problemas de saúde, eles realmente reabilitam as pessoas totalmente, deixando-as com a saúde perfeita. Com a vinda das almas para a Terra as pessoas morriam de velhice, nunca mais de doenças ou acidentes, pois além dos medicamentos eficazes, eles eram extremamente cuidados e respeitavam todos os tipos de leis e normas, inclusive as de trânsito.

O livro começa com a inserção da alma Peregrina no corpo de Melanie Stryder, uma remanescente da resistência humana. O que quer dizer que Melanie seria uma hospedeira extremamente difícil de controlar e exigia que a alma que fosse inserida seja muito forte e com uma vasta experiência. Como Peregrina já havia estado em oito diferentes vidas e gozava de uma reputação excelente, considerada a alma mais excepcional e valente, ela foi a escolhida para tentar descobrir pela exploração das memórias de Melanie onde se escondiam os outros humanos integrantes da resistência.

Após ser inserida, Peregrina nota que aquela hospedeira é bem diferente dos hospedeiros de outros mundos em que ela havia vivido, já que ela controlava a maior parte dos sentimentos, pensamentos e emoções do corpo em que elas habitavam.

Peregrina acredita que Melanie não foi restabelecida corretamente e algo saiu errado no processo, justamente por causa dessa força que ela demonstrava ter. Peregrina não conseguia acessar todas as memórias de Melanie, que as controlava criando um muro, uma barreira intransponível.

Melanie a princípio odeia Peregrina e o seu povo e ambas faziam de tudo para desagradarem-se. A hospedeira tem um irmão mais novo, Jamie e um amor, Jared que ficaram para trás quando ela foi procurar por Sharon, sua prima que ela tinha certeza estar viva ainda. Ao entrar em um local proibido, Melanie é perseguida por Buscadores e ao ter consciência do que aconteceria com ela, se joga em um poço de elevador para se matar. Mas, apesar de muito machucada, ela não morre e os Curandeiros conseguem restabelecera. Melanie a todo momento pensa em Jamie e Jared, relembra momentos deles juntos e Peregrina acompanha tudo, todas as lembranças e emoções de Melanie. Apesar de pensar neles a todo momento, ela não deixava Peregrina saber onde estavam Jamie e Jared.

Melanie se comunicava com Peregrina através dos seus pensamentos e, angustiada, achando que a hospedeira estava cada vez mais forte, a alma busca apoio e ajuda em uma Confortadora. Bem a contragosto pois ela sempre acreditou que só quem se consultava com uma Confortadora eram os fracos. Procurar uma Confortadora era admitir para si própria que ela não era mais tão forte. A Confortadora fica muito preocupada com a situação de Peregrina e aconselha que ela procure um Curandeiro para que eles revejam a hospedeira, pois ela parece estar com defeito.

Peregrina pensa nas vantagens de abandonar o corpo de Melanie e ir para um hospedeiro mais calmo. Ela poderia ter um corpo só para ela, sem ter que dividir memórias e ouvir alguém se metendo o tempo inteiro na sua vida e nas suas decisões.

Concomitantemente aos conflitos vividos por Peregrina com a sua hospedeira, uma Buscadora designada para este caso, pega no pé da alma e cobra o tempo inteiro agilidade sobre as informações. Ela passa a infernizar a vida de Peregrina, persegue ela por onde ela vai, fica sentada no fundo da sala de aula que Peregrina dá aula, acompanha ela até sua casa… Isso irrita a alma mas irrita ainda mais Melanie. Peregrina achava não ser possível a hospedeira odiar mais um ser do que a ela, mas ao conhecer e conviver com a outra, Melanie mostra o quanto tem um verdadeiro horror e ódio a Buscadora.

Peregrina estava muito indecisa entre sair do corpo de Melanie e pular para outro hospedeiro ou continuar com ela. Melanie não gosta da idéia. E passa a odiar porque a Buscadora informa que já conversou com outras almas e elas disseram que a Buscadora tem carta branca para ser inserida no corpo de Melanie para ter as informações que eles tanto precisam se Peregrina não obtiver sucesso.

Peregrina então viaja para outra cidade para se consultar com um Curandeiro, mas a hospedeira sempre enjoa em aviões, restando a Peregrina ir de carro, o que irrita bastante a Buscadora, porque ela vai de avião e esperará pela outra alma em uma outra cidade, que seria a parada de Peregrina para descansar.

Mas a viagem solitária da alma e da humana, faz com que elas fiquem mais próximas e passem a se entender. Melanie revela para Peregrina parte de seus segredos, um esconderijo onde possivelmente Jared e Jamie estariam, se ainda estivessem vivos. Peregrina já tem consciência que ama aos dois e decide ajudar a humana. Melanie revela que tem um tio chamado Jeb que deu um mapa de um possível esconderijo e descobre onde fica: no meio do deserto. Elas passam em uma loja no meio caminho e pegam água e um pouco de comida.

Começam a busca pelo local. Mas acabam se perdendo no deserto e desidratada, Peregrina acaba se encostando em uma sobra de uma árvore e espera a morte. Mas no meio da noite a alma sente alguém mexer nela e lhe dão água. Melanie, através de Peregrina, grita o nome do tio e ele olha em seus olhos com uma lanterna e pede que ela não saia de onde está e some.

Quando Jeb volta está rodeado de outros humanos, o que deixa Melanie encantada por saber que existem outros humanos vivos e resistindo. Mas eles na verdade quando vêem os olhos dela percebem que ela não era mais humana. Pois toda vez que uma alma era implantada em um ser humano seus olhos ficavam com um círculo prateado, a marca de que ali não existia mais um ser humano. As pessoas que rodeavam Jeb e Peregrina estão se sentindo ameaçados pela presença da alienígena e querem matá-la, afinal ela era uma inimiga. Aos olhos de Peregrina, eles pareciam hostis e violentos.

Jeb consegue convencê-los a não matá-la e a leva, vendada para o esconderijo. Lá ela é mantida como prisioneira em um buraco nas rochas do vulcão em que eles viviam. O local antes era usado como depósito de produtos que eles usavam e se alimentavam.

Melanie quando reencontra Jared corre para lhe dar um abraço, mas ele revida com um tapa no rosto e a olha com desprezo e ódio. O que acaba machucando não apenas Melanie, mas Peregrina também.

Jared e Jeb se revezam como sentinelas de Peregrina e a princípio todos querem a sua morte. Ian e Kyle, irmãos truculentos, tentam matá-la, mas Jeb a defende.

Jamie aparece para ver Peregrina e conversa com ela. A alma conta a ele como era sua vida em outros planetas e aos poucos o garoto vai se encantando pela alienígena. Eles se tornam amigos e Peregrina revela que Melanie estava viva dentro dela e, com essa revelação conquista três grandes aliados, Jamie, Jeb e Ian, que após machucá-la passa a perceber como estava agindo errado e demonstra ao longo dos dias que o que sente por Peg era muito mais do uma amizade fiel.

Os mantimentos estavam acabando e Jared lidera uma incursão. Essa foi a oportunidade de Melanie ser transferida de loca, conhecer o esconderijo, conviver com as pessoas e se aproximar de Jamie. Ao descobrir que Peregrina é professora, Jeb decide que ela dará aulas informais para os habitantes do esconderijo. Ela conta para eles os planetas em que morou, as aventuras que viveu e tira dúvidas sobre o que eles queriam saber.

Ao retornarem da incursão, Jared e Kyle se irritam com as novidades e Jared decide que chegou a hora de matar Peregrina. Mas Jeb declara que Jamie também tem direitos sobre a decisão sobre o corpo de Melanie e Jamie não quer a morte de Peregrina de jeito nenhum.

Kyle, inconformado com a decisão de Jeb decide agir por conta própria e arma uma emboscada para Peg. Enquanto ela estava tomando banho ele aparece e tenta matá-la, jogando-a onde ficava a água fervente. Mas Peg não se entrega e luta com ele para conseguir continuar viva. O resultado é que Kyle cai, bate a cabeça e desmaia. O local em que ele cai a pedra está se soltando e ele está a beira da morte, pois a alma não tem força suficiente para conseguir arrastar Kyle do perigo. Ian aparece e salva Kyle, mas fica com muita raiva do irmão ao perceber o que ele tentou fazer, mesmo sob as negações de Peregrina.

Há um julgamento e Kyle é considerado inocente, porque a própria Peregrina defende ele. Mas Jeb deixa claro que a próxima vez em que alguém tentar matar ou agredir Peg, não haverá um julgamento e sim um enterro.

Após alguns dias Kyle agradece a Peg por ela ter salvo a sua vida, apesar de ele continuar achando que ela deveria ser morta. Peregrina fica muito confusa nesse período em que mora com os humanos e descobre neles qualidades e características que nunca imaginou.

Peg considera o ser humano a vida mais difícil que ela já teve, ao mesmo tempo em que eles são geneticamente violentos, são capazes de gestos de amor e compaixão que a tocam profundamente. Através do amor que ela sente por Jamie, ela entende o que quer dizer e o que representa a maternidade, o amor incondicional e o sentimento de dar a vida para salvar o outro. Jamie fica doente e Peg se sacrifica por ele. Sai em uma incursão com Jared para roubar remédios.

O doutor Doc fica maravilhado com a capacidade da atuação dos medicamentos das almas e gostaria muito de aprender as técnicas delas.

Peg descobre em Ian o que ela levou nove vidas para descobrir: o amor verdadeiro e um companheiro, mas a ironia é que foi justamente com um ser que nem é da sua mesma espécie.

Peg decide revelar a Doc o segredo que ela guardou por todo o tempo que passou na caverna: como retirar as almas dos corpos humanos e promete revelar a ele com uma condição: que ele a retire do corpo de Mel e a enterre ao lado dos seus amigos, Wes e Walter. Ela não quer ir para outro planeta, ela considera e escolheu a Terra como seu mundo e quer ser enterrada ao lado de duas pessoas que sempre foram amigas e a defenderam. Doc diz que não pode concordar com isso, mas Peg diz que eles dois já sabiam que ele não tinha escolha.

Melanie fica revoltada com a decisão de Peg, mas ela sabe que não tem solução. Peregrina é altruísta demais e sacrifica a sua vida para devolver a de Mel. A hospedeira e Jamie querem que ela aceite ir para outro corpo, mas Peg não quer fazer esse tipo de coisa de novo, não quer fazer com que um humano se torne um fantasma sem corpo.

A operação de retirada de Peg de dentro de Mel é feita, mas Doc não cumpre o prometido e Jamie e Mel escolhem um corpo de uma adolescente linda para ser o novo corpo de Peg. A alma revive e fica ao lado de Ian tentando se adaptar ao novo corpo que é mais frágil e menor do que o seu anterior.

Diante de tantas histórias sobre alienígenas, essa é a mais doce e com a visão mais romântica de como seria esse convívio entre espécies.

Meyer transmite uma mensagem de esperança e mostra com toque de mestre os conflitos e características dos seres humanos, o lado bom e o lado ruim. E o sentimento de esperança não seria assim, tão exclusivamente, da espécie humana.

Stephenie Meyer está entrando no rol dos escritores que tem as suas obras literárias adaptadas para o cinema, pois além de ter todos os direitos autorais comprados para a adaptação de todo os volumes da série “Crepúsculo”, o de “A Hospedeira” também já foi comprado. Agora é aguardar para ver e não vou negar que estou curiosa para saber como será o filme, porque o livro é simplesmente maravilhoso!

“É um livro de ficção científica que não parece ficção científica – é sobre um triângulo amoroso com apenas dois corpos. O que mais gostei nesse livro foi de explorar o amor de ângulos tão diferentes. O amor pela comunidade, pelo próprio ´eu´, pela família – o amor romântico e o amor platônico.” – Stephenie Meyer

just so we all know, I’m getting more & more psyched about new movies coming out based around my childhood books!!
Roald Dahl was amazing as a kid. Read his books all the time, over & over.
so, thankyou Wes Anderson.

Tonight on MTV Canada premiere’s the all new Real World/Road Rules challenge The Ruins. Set in Thailand, former cast members of the Real World and Road Rules compete in teams to win a cash prize.

Pat seasons have seen the contestants put in large teams, teams of two or playing for themselves. For this challenge, the contestants are placed in two teams. One team full of people who have won previous Challenges ans the other team is filled with people who have yet to win.

I love these challenges because it’s all the drama from within their respective seasons of Real World and Road Rules, drama from previous challenges and drama that spills over into real life.

The last challenge saw Diem and CT’s love life get the best of CT and got him kicked off yet another challenge in the first episode for punching someone.

This challenge the main drama is brought from personal lives. Real World Austin cast members Johanna and Wes (previous challenge winner) met during their season, but didn’t become romantically involved until after the taping of their season. They would later become engage and then later break up. Kelly Anne and Cohutta met on their season in Australia and would later start dating. They would eventually break up as well. But during the reunion episode of one of the challenges it came out that Kelly Anne went after Wes and Johanna found out about it and people were not to pleased.

Well guess who are cast members for this season’s challenge? Wes, Johanna, Kelly Anne and Cohutta. Wes and Johanna are on the same team and Kelly Anne and Cohutta are on the other team together. Oh, i forgot to mention that Kelly Anne and Wes were dating when the challenge was being filmed? Competing on the same team as your ex-fiance against your current girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend. Wes has a challenge of his own other than the one MTV has created. I can’t wait.

MTV’s RW/RR The Ruins airs Sundays @ 10/11c.

Appearing on just one teen drama? Psht. Two? Forget that. If you’re Matt Barr, you have a trifecta going and will settle for nothing less.

Barr is perhaps best-known for playing Ian “Psycho Derek” Banks on One Tree Hill, but has two other teen drama roles under his belt: a young Keith van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl’s 80s flashback episode and Wes, a college student on The O.C.

What could make it even better?  This: Barr couldn’t have been nicer–or funnier–in our interview.  See for yourself below.

TeenDramaWhore: When you were cast on One Tree Hill, were you aware of all the twists in store for your character? Specifically, did you know you weren’t really Peyton’s brother and did you know you were going to go down the ’stalker’ route?

Matt Barr: I really did go into it pretty blind.  The only information the producers shared with me in the beginning was that Derek had a dark side.  What that meant, I really had no idea.   Little did I know I was going to have time of my life!  I had no clue it would escalate the way it did, and to the degree it did.  I remember, towards the end of that wild character arc, I told creator Mark Schwahn, “Man, you’re really not afraid to go for it!”   Loved every minute of it.

TDW: How did you channel all the craziness you had to display?

Barr: Ha Ha.  Good question.  You know, truth is we all have this instinctual dark side to us.  I’m not saying it’s evil; it’s just this raw survival technique that, when placed in extreme circumstances, or faced with desperate measures, we are all capable of some pretty crazy things.   Ha ha. I remember when I was like 6 years old, it was my birthday, and as my mom brought my birthday cake to the table, my little brother jumped up and blew out all my candles.   I was so mad; I screamed and said something like, “I’m going to kill you, Luke!” Needless to say, I didn’t kill my brother that day.  He’s now 22, and bigger and stronger than me.  But you could say as I tapped into that angry craziness of Derek, it all started with my little bro.  I guess you just have to reach down inside yourself and pull it out.   Thanks, bro.

TDW: What goes in to coordinating fight scenes like the ones you had on the show? You had ones with Chad Michael Murray (Lucas), Hilarie Burton (Peyton) and Sophia Bush (Brooke). Is it different to do them with female costars versus the males?

Barr: So much coordination!  But I have a blast with that suff.  Although I did feel the pressure at times. I remember the stunt crew and the producers saying, “Please don’t injure or kill the stars of our show!” So we practiced plenty.  Funny story, though: at one point in a fight sequence, Sophia jumps on my back hitting me and I’m supposed to slam her into the wall [ed. note: Episode 4.16,  You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love].  Well, during filming, I’m trying to be extra fragile with Soph; I’m really acting here.  But Sophia was really selling it, because she was just beating the living crap out of me.  She’s so physical and athletic. So finally on one take, I got really into it, and slammed Sophia into that wall.  We fell down, and as I was checking to see it if I had accidentally killed Sophia, the director runs over and says, “Looked great guys.  So real!  Yeah, do it like that. OK, let’s go again.”    Sophia and I laughed.  We were pretty bruised by the end of the day.

TDW: Everyone always talks about the “tattoo” of Peyton you had on your back. How long did it take to apply?

Barr: You ready for this……like 2 mins.  It’s basically like the ones you get out of a pack of bubblegum.  Just stick it on, wet it, and peel it off. Well, a really big one of those.  Does that ruin the magic?

TDW: Are you recognized often as “Psycho Derek”?

Barr: All the time.  It blows my mind.  One Tree Hill fans are most loyal, hardcore fans on the planet.  They’re great.

TDW: I don’t know if this is too ‘out there’ but has the “Psycho Derek” rep affected your–let’s say–romantic life at all?

Barr: Ha ha.  Now that’s a question!  Lets just say the the whole “is that tattoo real” debate has come in handy a few times.

TDW: Are you still in touch with the cast?

Barr: I am.  Love those guys and gals.  They really made me feel like part of the family during my time on the show.  Lee Norris [Mouth] really took me under his wing.  Showed me the One Tree Hill ropes.  He’s probably the most genuine guy you’ll ever meet.   In fact, I owe him a call. (Note to self: call Lee back.)

TDW: You’ve actually guest-starred on 3 teen dramas: The O.C. (Episode 3.22, The College Try), One Tree Hill (seven episodes in season 4) and Gossip Girl (Episode 2.24, Valley Girls).  Any interest in joining one of them, or a similar show, for the long-term?

Barr: Well we actually shot the GG episode as a spin-off pilot.  Had the network picked up the series, it had the potential to be long-term. But yeah, if the right opportunity presents itself, I’ll jump at it.

TDW: Everyone expected your GG episode to lead to the spin-off.  Alas, that’s not happening.  Do you know what they had in store for your character and the show, had it been picked up?

Barr: Van Der Woodsen was going to be introduced as a relatively trivial character, but there was more substance to him than we perceived.  I was looking forward to going back to the 80’s.    My experience in the 80’s pretty much consisted of Ninja Turtle underwear, and threatening to kill my younger brother.

TDW: Any chance we’ll see more of you via flashbacks? Or any chance Ian will come back to Tree Hill to taunt Brooke?

Barr: Hey, this is Hollywood.  There’s always the possibility!  There’s worse things in life than taunting Sophia Bush!

TDW: You also starred in the serial killer mystery show, Harper’s Island, which was one of the “it” shows this past spring/summer. What was it like working on a show where you have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen in future episodes?

Barr: It was such a unique experience.  We, the actors, as we read the scripts from week to week, really experienced the show “in the moment.” Just like the audience does. Made it exciting and scary.  We had no clue who was going to live or die week to week.  I think it served us as actors, because just like our characters, we were living moment to moment, fighting for survival.

TDW: You also recently starred in Pedro, the made-for-TV film about a former Real World cast member who died of AIDS.  Was that just another acting project for you or did it have a special meaning/impact?

Barr: It was both.  I play this character named Puck.  One of the most colorful characters you’ll ever meet.  An actor’s dream.  I really wanted this part.  But also, Pedro Zamora’s story is important.   Even as the antagonist, I wanted to help tell the story of this real-life hero.

TDW: What projects are you working on now?

Barr: I’m heading to San Francisco in a couple days to work on this new show Trauma, for NBC.  [Ed. note: The episode will now air Nov. 2]  But I’ve also been producing a movie called Twelve Mighty Orphans, based on the book by Jim Dent.  I optioned the film rights a year ago.  A true story, it’s a Depression-era story set in an orphanage in Texas and this visionary coach/math teacher genius comes there and creates this football program, and inspires a sense of pride and excellence.   Similar to Seabiscuit, and Jim Braddock, this team of underdog orphans goes on to dominate high school football during the 1930s, and in the process, inspires an entire nation that was looking for heroes.   It’s the greatest human interest story I’ve ever read.  It’s going to make a fantastic movie.

TDW: Lastly, are you on Twitter or any other social networking site, such as Facebook or MySpace?

Barr: I’m not.  I’m a face-to-face kind of guy.

Come back next Sunday for another exclusive interview.

Complete TDW Interview Index

We’ve recently added some great new books to our horror collection, just in time for Halloween!  Check them out:

Frostbite: A Werewolf Tale by David Wellington – Since vampires are currently everyone’s favorite creature of the night (thanks a lot, Stephenie Meyer), we don’t see many books about werewolves these days. Fortunately, Frostbite fills in the gaps pretty well with its fairly traditional take on lycanthropy.

Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published edited by Otto Penzler — This monster (no pun intended) weighs in at 1,034 pages, and includes vampire tales from masters like Arthur Conan Doyle, Ray Bradbury, H.P. Lovecraft, and Clive Barker.

Bite Marks: A Vampire Testament by Terence Taylor — Believe it or not, Taylor has come up with a fairly unique take on the modern vampire tale. This one involves a young girl who is forced to vampirize her newborn baby; the vampire baby then terrorizes New York City. 

Red Tree by Caitlin Kiernan — This book quickly caught my attention because its description is quite Lovecraftian: a woman moves to a creepy house in Rhode Island and discovers a weird manuscript written by a parapsychologist obsessed with a huge oak tree.

–Wes

Rainy. Late. Hurry. Girls. Movies. Highball. Old Fashioned. 2 100s. Dark. Tacos. Baking.

We created wonderful leaves with fall colors and stamps. The leaves were precut and each student used various shapes to stamp with fall colors. I decided at great way to showcase to work was to create a tree. The leaves look at home on the tree!

Duration: 3:40 | Made: 10.4.09

SPOILER WARNING! This video gives away the killer.

The editing is relatively more slow and simple that I’d be able and have done – but I didn’t think there were too many moments in this film fitting the lyrics of this song without getting too random because this song is about two certain characters.

I think this came out ok in general but I like the best the last third, from the moment this video literally reveals the killer.

VIEW/DOWNLOAD:
http://peterpanthimbles.net/?video=247

Video/Editing by me – (bendaimmortal/peterpanlegend/TheVampireOutlaw)
My YouTube Account

Duration: 6:23 | Made: 05.6.08

SPOILER WARNING! This video gives away the killer.

This is a bit random ’cause the song doesn’t really exactly fit any of the characters but… well, I think this is at least worth watching. I’m gonna make more meaningful fan vids to this movie sooner or later. I have couple of ideas already — just need to find the songs.

VIEW/DOWNLOAD:
http://peterpanthimbles.net/?video=233

Video/Editing by me – (bendaimmortal/peterpanlegend/TheVampireOutlaw)
My YouTube Account