Les Miserables Movie Release Christmas Day

The film "Les Miserables" based on the novels of Victor Hugo will be released in the U.S. on Christmas Day.

Cast List and More on IMDB

Original Text by Hugo on Project Gutenberg

The movie is already earning kudos and award nominations:

Contact Music

Les Miserables has become the favourite to win Best Picture at the Oscars after being nominated for four prizes at the Golden Globes - a key barometer for the Academy Awards. Lead stars Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway received acting nods, Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil are shortlisted for their song 'Suddenly', while the movie itself is shortlisted for Best Motion Picture (Comedy and Musical).

Largely shot at Pinewood studios, Tom Hooper's Les Miserables cost around £38 million and featured the actors singing every song live on set. Speaking to the BBC after the Golden Globe nominations were announced, The Kings Speech director said, "I'm just pleased for the whole team who made Les Miserables. Making a musical is an intensively collaborative type of film-making, because it requires such an army of people. An army who aren't there on a conventional movie. The singing teachers who helped the cast, through to the onset pianists who played in the live duets with the singers."
Though musicals and comedies are often ignored by the Academy, Les Miserables has been installed as the 9/4 favourite to snatch the Best Picture Oscar away from the hands of Ben Affleck and Steven Spielberg in February. Hugh Jackman is now the third favourite to win Best Actor, though it would a huge shock should Daniel Day-Lewis not win the award for his turn as Abraham Lincoln. Anne Hathaway is favoured for an Oscar nomination, though the bookmakers still firmly believe Jennifer Lawrence will win Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook.
Les Miserables hits theaters in the U.S on Christmas Day, with a UK release following on January 11, 2013.

About the original musical on the Les Mis Official Website

Les Misérables is now the longest running musical in the world and, in October 2010, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a theatrical first – three different productions of the same musical staged at the same time in one city – the star-studded concerts at The O2, the acclaimed new 25th Anniversary Production (which completed its sell-out UK Tour at London’s Barbican Theatre) and the original production, which continues its record breaking run at the Queen’s Theatre, London.

From Wikipedia:

It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, original French lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, with an English-language libretto by Herbert Kretzmer. Set in early 19th-century France, it is the story of Jean Valjean, a burly French peasant of abnormal strength and potentially violent nature, and his never ending quest for redemption after serving 19 years in jail for having stolen a loaf of bread for starving relatives. Valjean decides to break his parole and start his life anew after a kindly Bishop inspires him to, but he is relentlessly tracked down by a police inspector named Javert. Along the way, Valjean and a slew of characters he becomes entangled with get swept into a revolutionary period in France, where a group of young idealists make their last stand at a street barricade.

The musical adaptation was originally conceived and produced in France, before its English language adaptation, which opened at the Barbican Centre in London, England, on 8 October 1985, where the production overcame bad notices through word of mouth, launching the beginning of what has turned out to be a global sensation.

. . . At the opening of the London production, critical reviews were negative, and literary scholars condemned the project for converting classic literature into a musical. Public opinion differed, the box office received record orders. The three-month engagement sold out, and reviews improved. The London production, as of late 2012, has run continuously since October 1985: the second longest-running musical in the world after The Fantasticks, the second longest-running West End show after The Mousetrap. It is the longest-running musical in the West End followed by The Phantom of the Opera.

Hans Christian Andersen Discovery

A new story by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen has been discovered in the attic of a neighbor. What a gift to the world! You can read the entire story here:
The Tallow Candle

From Smithsonian:

A historian in Denmark may have discovered Hans Christian Andersen’s first fairy tale ever. The story, called “The Tallow Candle,” was discovered at the bottom of an old box in Denmark’s national library. Politiken Denmark spoke with Ejnar Stig Askgaard of the Odense City Museum, who has been studying the discovery:

“This is a sensational discovery. Partly because it must be seen as Andersen’s first fairy tale, and partly because it shows that he was interested in the fairy tale as a young man, before his authorship began”, Askgaard says. “And I am in no doubt that it has been written by Andersen”, he adds.

The front page of the story is dedicated to a Madam Bunkenflod, who lived across the street from Andersen’s childhood home. Discovery writes:

Historians know that the writer visited her often as a child, borrowing her books.
“The fairy tale was a present. A present of thanks to a woman whose home had been very important to him,” Askgaard said.
The Bunkeflod family then sent the manuscript to another family close to Andersen, the Plum family, in whose archives the story was found. A dedication written on the document later in blue ink reads: “To P Plum from his friend Bunkeflod.”

Read more: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2012/12/is-this-hans-christian-andersons-first-fairy-tale/#ixzz2FMQOSZz3
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

Old-Fashioned Romance from the Bin

I know I'm out-of-step with modern culture in just about every way, especially when it comes to romantic literature. When others were reading romance books with pictures of Fabio on the cover, I woudn't have been caught dead reading those. Yet I promise you I won't be reviewing "Shades of Gray" here on this blog either. My fantasy life is much more simple and old-fashioned. And while others are downloading their books, my idea of a good time is to spend a few hours wandering around a library, a used bookstore, or a charity book sale. Those are the places where a person can find romance novels that aren't run-of-the-mill. These books were never major bestsellers, but might be just the cozy read you return to again and again. So that's what this post is about. These are actually some of my favorite books EVER, so I hope you can find them and enjoy them also. Look around the Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or your local library book sale.



1. The Enchanted by Elizabeth Coatsworth

I found this book on the rack in a drugstore back in the late 1970s, and it still seems miraculous that such a well-crafted story would find its way into the company of ordinary romance novels or mysteries. But there it was, and I finished half of it while waiting for my mother to finish her shopping that day because I couldn't put it down. It's the story of a young man living a rather lonely life in the deep woods of Maine who is befriended by the strange yet whimsical Perdry family. Soon he falls in love and marries one of the daughters, only to discover that his wife has a secret which is part of her "enchantment." I can't say much more without giving up the plot, but you won't be disappointed if you like a little magical realism - or simply magic - in your novels.




2. A Woman in the House by William Barrett

This must have been included in a book club at one time because I often see hardback copies for sale. William Barrett also wrote bestsellers such as The Lilies of the Field, and you'll find some of the same themes in this book - religious faith versus doubt, the relationship between the church and society, and the ways human beings find a sense of belonging. William Barrett was once a Catholic priest himself, so he understood the pull of the devout life, even while trying to balance the down-to-earth side of being human. This story is about displaced people after World War II trying to find their way through the wreckage of Germany. A young Russian Orthodox Monk has followed his elderly mentor to Berlin only to watch him die, and now he must make his way alone. That is, until he meets a young woman outcast in need of his help, whether she wants it or not. Slowly they learn trust each other and they form an alliance which naturally turns to a deeper emotional connection. While it sounds simple, this book doesn't pull punches about human sexuality or the horrors of war. Barrett  also captures the realistic survival skills of hard work and day-to-day life in a simpler simpler place and time. An inspirational story about people and society rising from the ashes.




3. The Two Farms by Mary E. Pearce

I found a well-worn copy of this book at a branch library, then later wanted to check it out again but it had been removed - patrons had loved it to death! I was so sad that my husband tracked down a copy online and bought it for my birthday. And now it's the book I read when I don't know what else to read, and I never get tired of it. Why? Well, Mary E. Pearce is a writer after my own heart - an eye for nature, love of just the right word, and characters with a droll or snarky sense of humor. The story is set in England in the mid-1800s, in a narrow valley with two farms on either side, one green and thriving, one fallen into disrepair. There are also two young men - one the spoiled son of the major landowner, and one an abandoned boy taken in and raised to run the farm. But you shouldn't think this is another Wuthering Heights. Jim Lundy is no Heathcliff, although he does seek revenge when the rich-man's son steals away his girlfriend. He takes a more positive route in making a deal to save the farm across the valley - a rattletrap known as "Godsakes" - but the contract involves marriage to Old Riddler's daughter, Kirren, with dark eyes and a sharp tongue. It's part Pride and Prejudice, and Part "Taming of the Shrew." And Old Riddler the farmer makes me laugh every time I read it. But the best part is watching the three main characters band together to bring the farm back to life again step by step.
If you like this book you can also try Apple Tree Lean Down



4. Conagher: A Novel

The best kept secret about western novels is that they are usually also romances - something macho male readers probably don't want anyone to know. Louis L'Amour liked the ladies and so do his strong-silent-type cowboys. This is one of the best of the genre, the story of widow Evie Teale who struggles to raise her stepchildren alone on the frontier. She deals with her loneliness by writing poems and tying them to tumbleweeds - one of the best literary images in any American novel! Down the dusty trail comes Con Conagher, a chivalrous but tongue-tied cowpoke who fights the urge to settle down with Evie. While there are subplots surrounding cattle rustlers and stagecoach attacks, the heart of the story is the developing love between these two strong characters.
If you like this, I recommend nearly everything else by L'Amour, including his excellent short stories, and you can often find them used or discounted. The excellent movie adaptation of Conagher stars Sam Elliot with his wife Katherine Ross, and was praised by L'Amour himself.

Dr. Seuss Too Political?

A school in Canada has banned Yertle the Turtle for being "too political." What is the world coming to? Dr. Seuss is probably rolling over in his grave!
From Huffington Post:

According to the Globe and Mail, an elementary school teacher in Prince Rupert was told she could not display the quote, "I know up on top you are seeing great sights, but down here on the bottom, we too should have rights” from the book in her classroom.
Dave Stigant, acting director of instruction for the Prince Rupert School District, stated the decision was based on the November, 2011 ban by an arbitrator on political messages in schools in the province, though the ongoing labour dispute between the teacher's union and the province played a role as well.

Whenever I read a story like this, I shake my head. Schools don't just exist to turn people into conformists, but to teach children to think about ideas. The flag that hangs in every classroom is just as political as Yertle the Turtle. Values such as equality are simple human rights and should be taught that way, and silencing a teacher sends a message to children that is just plain wrong. I think some of these school administrators need to read the book again. Are they going to ban Horton Hears a Who next? "A person's a person no matter how small."

However, there's no doubt that Theodore Geisel, alias Dr. Seuss, created stories as cautionary tales about political realities of the 20th century. Back in 2000 an exhibit of Dr. Seuss's World War II cartoons toured parts of the country. The Springfield Massachusetts Library Association website has a great essay called "The Political Dr. Seuss, which quotes Richard H. Minear, an expert on the worldly and satirical side of Seuss:

Minear said that there is "a disconnect between what we usually think of as Dr. Seuss and the content of the cartoons." However, many Dr. Seuss's whimsical children's books also contain serious themes. Yertle the Turtle, for example, is a cautionary tale against dictators. The Lorax contains a strong environmental message. The Sneetches is a plea for racial tolerance. Horton Hears a Who is a parable about the American Occupation of Japan. And The Butter Battle Book pillories the Cold War and nuclear deterrence. Even the Cat in the Hat's famous red-and-white-striped hat has a political predecessor in the top hat Uncle Sam wears in Dr. Seuss's wartime cartoons.

Some of these characters, such as a Sneetch-type creature and a prototype of Yertle the Turtle, made their first appearance not in Dr. Seuss's children's books, but in the some 400 political cartoons he drew for PM, a left-wing daily newspaper published in New York from 1940 to 1948. Dr. Seuss worked as an editorial cartoonist for the paper from 1941 to 1943, drawing cartoons that lambasted isolationism, racism, anti-Semitism, Hitler, Mussolini, the Japanese, and the conservative forces in American politics.

Take a look at this early version of Yertle the Turtle forming a "V" for victory during WWII which was included in Minear's book:


From Wikipedia