Learning | Natchitoches

Did you ever see the movie, Steel Magnolias? If you saw the original 1989 version, starring Julia Roberts, you saw a cameo of my niece, playing a newborn baby in the hospital--because she had just been born in the building they were using as a movie location.

I'm in northern Louisiana visiting family this week, in a city called Natchitoches; that's where Steel Magnolias playwright Robert Harling was born and raised.  Julia Roberts' character is based on the tragic story of Harling's sister, Susan. 

I've been thinking about that movie, because I always seem to be passing the house that was featured in the film. I hear it is a bed and breakfast now. It's just a few blocks from the Natchitoches Parish Library.

The city of Natchitoches is the setting for the motion picture, but its name has been disguised as the city of Chinquapin. For many years, it was believed that the word Natchitoches meant the same thing as chinquapin (chestnut tree,) or perhaps eaters of chinquapins.  

Just like the fictional Chinquapin, Natchitoches has a Christmas festival that draws visitors from great distances.  If you have a taste for Christmas light displays, you might consider putting a visit on your bucket list.

Facts about Natchitoches:

It is the oldest continuous settlement in the Louisiana Purchase. It's 300th birthday will be celebrated throughout the year 2014.

Its name is hard to pronounce, because it's a French transliteration of a Native American word.  Residents pronounce it either NACK-a-tish or NACK-a-dish.

The city was established on the banks of the Red River, but the river changed course, leaving behind a long, skinny lake that is now known as the Cane River Lake.

Natchitoches is famous for its meat pies.

Miss Moneypennypincher | REALLY Cheap TV, Contract Free

I hate cable.  I hate how much they charge.  I hate how arbitrary the prices seem.  It really burns me when you sign up for a promo price and then the promo period ends and the price goes up, but I'm pretty sure the cable company made money either way.  I know I am a cheapskate, but I just really hate cable.  And I really hate cable contracts, because there is nothing worse than being FORCED to pay someone with the threat of a cancellation fee.

So, I cancelled cable.  For a couple days my family was in shock, but here's the thing:  I use the library.  We have free DVDs. My kid can watch all the Thomas the Tank Engine I want her to, and my husband and I can rent Skyfall for our weekend movie, free.  Plus we all read (shocker!!!).  So, we made it awhile with no cable.  Then How I Met Your Mother and Modern Family started up in the fall, and football season began, and I knew I had to figure out how to get TV cheap, without contracts.

This is what I did:

Courtesy of blurokr.deviantart.com

I kept the internet service in my home. (It was $19.99 per month)

I bought a digital antenna (it was about $36). +
I bought a Roku, a device to stream internet onto my TV.  ($94.99, even cheaper if you have a warehouse membership) +
I signed up for Netflix app on the Roku (no contract) $7.99/month +
I signed up for Hulu app on the Roku (no contract) $9.99/ month +
I got a Playon subscription for $39 per year (it was on sale, no contract required. This is a great way to watch HIMYM, since CBS is not available on Hulu.) = 

If we did this for only a year, calculating the price of the Roku device, and the Playon, we would pay $31.22 per month for TV.  No contracts required.

For any show that we absolutely MUST have (like Mad Men), we can buy them per episode ($1.99) on the Amazon App on the Roku.  We don't have to have a cable contract for the whole year just to watch one show.  Plus when our shows are not on, we can cancel Hulu, cutting an additional $7.99 out of our budget.  We can still catch TV, through the digital antenna.  Netflix is also optional, since the library carries most movies and television shows, either at the library or through Link+.
To put this in perspective, it is predicted that in 2015, the average cable bill will be $123 per month.  Not internet, just TV.  With that price, someone can save approximately $92 per month by streaming TV and using the library for free DVDs.  You can get $1104 back in your pocket every year just by changing the way you watch your TV.

 Knock Knock
---Who's there?
Will
---Will, Who?
Will you take me with you on your family vacation that you got to go on because you just saved $1104???  You will?  YAY!!!!  I can't wait!

Books On Film | War of The Worlds

The Martians are coming! Run for your life!


The War of the Worlds (1898) by H.G. Wells is one the most famous alien invasion stories in history. The science fiction novel is a first person narrative of a Martian invasion of Earth set in late 17th century England. Two book is split into two parts after a significant introduction, Book One: The Coming of the Martians and Book Two: The Earth under the Martians.

The book has been adapted into a motion picture twice. The first time in 1953 (LINK+) and the second time in 2005 (starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning). Both films are fairly loose adaptations of the novels. They use some themes from the book, but veer very far from the source material on many of the main plot points.

The most famous adaptation of the novel was as a radio play for CBS Radio which aired on October 30, 1938. Howard Koch, co-writer of the famous film Casablanca, and Anne Froelich adapted Wells' novel for radio as part of the Mercury Theatre On Air program series. Wells narrated and directed the radio drama.

The radio play caused a huge uproar during and after it's broadcast, because a good number of people who listened to the program thought it was either a real attack by aliens or a attack by German soldiers due to the US involvement in World War II. The radio drama was designed to tell the story by emulating new bulletins frequently put on the during the war. It was enough to send some of the public into a panic.

Despite having been an internationally known event, repeated performances by radio stations in Equador (1949) and New York (1968) also produced panic among the public. To hear more about the original broadcast, as well as subsequent broadcasts, and the public reaction consider listening NPR's Radiolab broadcast on The War of the Worlds below.

Radiolab: Season 4 Episode 3

Books On Film | The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid is a fairy tale published by Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen in 1837. It tells the story a young mermaid who falls in love from afar and tries to leave the sea behind.

The most well known adaptation of the fairytale is the Disney animated musical The Little Mermaid (1989). The plot of the movie follows the fairy tale closely (minus the singing sea creatures), but like all Disney fairy tales the ending was dramatically changed. In the animated film the mermaid marries the prince, but there is no happy marriage for the original Little Mermaid. Her fate is much sadder in the original tale. Take a look at the original to find out how the real story ends.

Covers courtesy of LibraryThing

 

Books On Film | Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood is a French fairytale first published in Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals by Charles Perrault in 1697. It was intended to be a cautionary tale which emphasized the danger in children trusting strangers. In Perrault's version, the book ends with the little girl and her grandmother being eaten by the wolf. 

A later version of the tale published in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm introduces a huntsman who saves the little girl and her grandmother from the wolf. This is probably the most well known version of the story. There are many other versions of the story however, including international ones like Lon Po Po (a Chinese Little Red Riding Hood story).

There have also been many stage, television, and film versions of the tale. The latest of which included Red Riding Hood (2011), set in medieval Europe and geared toward the Twlight-loving crowd. Little Red Riding Hood, her grandmother, and many other fairytale characters are featured in the Stephen Sondheim's musical Into The Woods and in ABC's television show Once Upon A Time.   

In Into The Woods all of the characters live in the same kingdom and follow their respective stories, until the kingdom is "invaded" by the wife of the giant who Jack, from Jack and The Beanstalk, kills. In Once Upon A Time all the fairytale characters live in a little town in the Northeast US after being put under a spell by The Evil Queen. Once Upon A Time takes a lot of liberties with the stories, as part of the mystery is figuring out which towns person is which fairytale character!

 

Covers provided courtesy of LibraryThing

Books On Film | Snow White

For the rest of this month, we'll talk about a couple of classic fairy tales that have been turned into films.

Snow White (originally titled Sneewittchen) is a German fairytale collected and published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. There are several Snow White stories that originate in Europe, including ones where the heroine meets knights or dragons, but the German version is the most well known.

The story is about a young girl whose beauty obsessed step-mother wants to be rid of her because she will one day surpass her in looks. The tale was popularized in the Disney animated film Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937). It was one of the earliest film adaptations of the fairy tale and is probably the most well known version. Although, the premise of the movie is the same as the book there are differences. For instance, true love's kiss in nowhere in the original fairy tale and golden dancing shows make no appearance in the animated film.

Last year we saw two live-action adaptations: The first, Mirror Mirror (2012)  was based on the novel by Gregory Macguire (author of Wicked). It starred Lilly Collins and Julia Roberts. The second, Snow White and The Huntsman (2012) later became a novelized book. It starred Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, and Chris Hemsworth. Like the Disney film, both live-action movies take liberties with the story. They are very different from each other and from the book, but they are still very much Snow White films.

Covers Courtesy of LibraryThing

Books On Film | 2013 Adaptations

Let's ring in the new year with a list of 13 books that have adaptations scheduled to be released in 2013.

[January] 

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arteton, is a twist on the classic fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. The movie will feature Hansel and Gretel as adult witch bounty hunters.

Watch movie trailer on youtube

 

[February]

Beautiful Creatures will star Emma Ronsom, Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons, and Viola Davis. The YA book of the same title explores the love between two teens in South Carolina with a psychic connection and a secret.  

Watch movie trailer on youtube

 









Warm Bodies, starring Nicholaus Holt and Teresa Palmer, is based on a post-apocalyptic YA tale of the same title (link+) about a zombie named R who falls in love with a human.
 

Watch movie trailer on youtube

[March]
There's already one classic adaptation of this book. The newest, called Oz: The Great and Powerful (James Franco and Michelle Williams), will be a prequel inspired by the book. It will follow the man who becomes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz on his first journey into the land that L. Frank Baum created. 

Watch the movie trailer on youtube

[May] 
The fourth movie adaptation of The Great Gatsby will star Leonardo Dicaprio. The book follows Jay Gatsby on his journey through 1920s America and the perils of love. For a full review of The Great Gatsby as well as a view of the movie trailer, visit this Book Bucketlist post.


Watch the movie trailer on youtube











The newest Iron Man film, Iron Man 3, will feature The Mandarin as it's villain and some sort of homage to the Iron Patriot. The Mandarin originally appeared in a 1964 issue of Iron Man. Iron Patriot appeared in the Dark Avengers [link+] comic. He was Norman Osborne of Spiderman fame (the Green Goblin) in a new suit and up to no good. The version of Iron Patriot which will appear in Iron Man 3 seems to played by Rhodes (War Machine), so who knows how closely they will stick to the story.

Watch the movie trailer on youtube

 
[June]
The new Superman reboot film starring Henry Cavill, Man of Steel, is titled after the six-series comic collection from 1986 which rebooted the Superman origin story. 
 

Watch the movie trailer on youtube
 












World War Z will star Brad Pitt. The book is written as a collection of first person stories released by the UN Postwar Commission ten years after the Zombie Wars. It's is a sequel to The Zombie Survival Guide

Watch the movie trailer on youtube

[August]
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is the first book in The Mortal Instruments series. It follows the adventures of a teenage girl who becomes involved in the world of demon-hunters. More involved then she even realizes.

Watch the movie trailer on youtube











 
Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters is the second book in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. Teenage demi-god Percy and friends have to save their satyr friend from the clutches of the Cyclops Polyphemus.

Be on the lookout for the movie trailer! If you want to read the whole series, start at the beginning with The Lightning Thief.












[November] 
Ender's Game will star Harrison Ford, Abigail Breslin, and Asa Butterfield. The movie is based on a science fiction novel set in the future where children are recruited by the government to train to fight an alien enemy.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the sequel to The Hunger Games. The book is set in a post-nuclear America in which the country is divided into 12 districts. The districts send two tributes each year to fight in the annual Hunger Games.

The second book follows Katniss and Peeta as they return home as winners of  the 74th Hunger Games. 
 

  

[December]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the second of three Hobbit movies to be released. The book follows hobbit Bilbo Baggins on his journey out of The Shire, where he has a much bigger adventure than he bargained for. The Hobbit is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings series. To read more about The Lord of The Rings universe visit this Book Bucklist post.












Movie Information: IMDB
Release Date Source: Movie Insider 
Covers courtesy of LibraryThing
For more information about borrowing through Link+, please visit this page.

Books On Film | How The Grinch Stole Christmas

How The Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss,  is a holiday favorite. Originally published in 1957, the book tells the story of a bitter creature who steals all the toys and trappings of Christmas from Whoville in an attempt to ruin the holiday. 

In the process, The Grinch learns the true meaning of the holiday, which is family and togetherness. The book was written as a critique of the commercialization of Christmas.

It has been adapted into film twice. The first, a 1966 animated movie which is still widely watched. The second, a 2000 live action film starring actor Jim Carrey.

The book has also been adapted into a stage play. The play has been performed by various local musical theater groups and as a Broadway production since 1994. The story was also incorporated into a 2010 Christmas episode of the musical television show Glee and was included on their first Christmas album.

 

One of the best things about How The Grinch Stole Christmas! is the famous You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch. Who doesn't love that song? Well, now it's time to test your knowledge. Do you know the missing words from the first verse of the song? 

You're a    1    one, Mr. Grinch.
You really are a   2   .
You're as    3    as a cactus,
You're as charming as an    4  ,
Mr. Grinch.
You're a bad banana with a    5    black peel.

Find out if you were right by listening to the song (1966 cartoon version) or checking out the answers below! 

[source: youtube]

Answers:

1. mean

2. heel

3. cuddly

4. eel

5. greasy

Covers Courtesy of LibraryThing

IMDB: Movies 1966/2000

Books On Film | A Christmas Carol

How many of these actors have played Scrooge?
[Answer at bottom of the post]

1. Jim Carrey
2. Kelsey Grammer
3. Vanessa Williams
4. Tim Curry
5. Walter Matthau

*   *   *

Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol is a Christmas classic. It was originally published in 1843. It's the story of Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge's discovery of the meaning of Christmas with help from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.

The book has been adapted into film many, many times. According to IMDB, there have been at least 140 film adaptations of A Christmas Carol. The first known adaptation was a short film called Scrooge made in 1901. In addition to the films, there have been multiple radio and stage performances of the book since the first CBS radio production premiered in 1934.

The most frequently watched version of A Christmas Carol is probably 1951 adaptation, starring Alastair Sim. It is frequently played on television during the Christmas season.

There have also been many kid-friendlier adaptions, including A Sesame Street Christmas Carol, Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure, and more. 


Answer: All of them!

Sources: IMDB/Wikipedia
Covers courtesy of LibraryThing 

Books On Film | The Polar Express

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg is a Caldecott Award winning children's fiction book originally published in 1986. It is the story of a boy who takes a magical train ride headed to the North Pole. On board he finds other children also seeking Santa and encounters much more adventure than he bargained for.

It is considered by many to be a holiday classic. Perfectly fitting to read with all of your other holiday favorites. The book was adapted into an animated movie in 2004. All of the characters are computer animated and the father, as well as other characters, are voiced by actor Tom Hanks. 

The movie is frequently re-released for the holidays (including in 3-D), so if you haven't seen it on the big screen it may not be too late!

Check out the book and then watch the movie! 

                                                         ***

The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento offers a Polar Express Train Ride (FAQs) every year in November and December. The 2012 tickets are already sold out, but take a peek and keep an eye out next year. It's a fun ride with storytime, dancing waiters, hot cocoa, a view of the North Pole, a meet and greet with Santa, and a complimentary day pass to the railroad museum. 

[Book/Movie Cover Source: LibraryThing]
[Movie Information Source: IMDB]

Books On Film | Nancy Drew

Here's a mystery for you! Who is Carolyn Keene?

Everyone has probably heard of the amateur detective Nancy Drew. The series has been in publication (off and on) since 1930. However, while the books list the author as Carolyn Keene in reality there is and never has been such a person! Since the creation of the series, the books have been written by different freelance writers using the same pseudonym. The brainchild behind Nancy Drew was actually writer/publisher Edward Stratemeyer, who had previously used the same technique to launch The Hardy Boys series in 1927.

The original Nancy Drew (1930-2003) has a total of 175 books to it's name. Nancy Drew, Girl Detective (2004- ) was created as it's replacement and still going strong today.  There have also been several teen-oriented Nancy Drew series, including The Nancy Drew Files #1-124 (1986-1997) and Nancy Drew on Campus #1-25 (1995-1998).  Of course, there were also series aimed at younger kids. The Nancy Drew Notebooks #1-69 (1994-2005) and it's replacement series Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew (2006- ) feature a pre-teen Nancy Drew and crew solving mysteries.

 

Nancy Drew has also made several big and small screen appearances since it's launch. Warner Brothers made four Nancy Drew movies starring Bonita Granville in the 1930s, and one movie, Nancy Drew (2007), starring Emma Roberts in the 2000s. There was also a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys television show in the 1970s and a television movie in 2002, both on ABC.

Some would assume that the kids these days only gravitate towards the newer version of Nancy Drew, but we've found that the kids enjoy them all. If your child likes mysteries then check out Miss Nancy Drew!

[Publishing Info Source: series-books.com - Nancy Drew / wikipedia.org - Nancy Drew]
[Covers Courtesy Of: Librarything]

Books On Film | Holes

In 2003, Walt Disney Pictures adapted Louis Sachar's book Holes into a film starring a young Shia LeBeouf (Transformers, Indiana Jones). The story follows a boy named Stanley Yelnats IV (LeBeouf) who is sent to Camp Green Lake, a correctional camp for youngsters, after being falsely accused of a crime.

At camp, Stanley and his fellow camp mates spend days on end digging holes in the desert at the behest of the camp warden. It's supposedly to "build character," but does the warden have hidden reasons? And what does it have to do with the Legend of "Kissin' Kate Barlow?"

If you like Roald Dahl's books, like Mathilda and James and the Giant Peach, or Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events then you may like this book and movie, too. It has a similar theme of following an adolescent character through some harrowing, fantastic adventures. 

And don't miss out on one of the best things about Holes, it's soundtrack! The title song, "Dig It," is sung by the cast of the movie.

You may also like these two popular children's series by Louis Sachar:

Marvin Redpost

Wayside School

[Covers courtesy of Library Thing]

[Bibliography Source: LouisSachar.com]
[Film Information: imdb.com - Holes (2003)]