Summer Giveaway Hop- Contest: Win 'Queen of the Dead' by Stacey Kade, plus extra's!

Come one, come all to the 'Summer Giveaway Hop'! The blog hop is being hosted by Bookhounds. As a thank you to all the followers who have stopped by, commented, or passed on links, I thought that it was about time to surprise you all with a giveaway!!!! Details are below!


What can you win? I'm giving away (at random) a single ARC of 'Queen of the Dead' and 5 promotional light up 'Queen of the Dead' keychains. If I get over 100 entries for this contest, I will give out another keychain per each additional 15 entries. (Example: 100 entries or below- total of 5 keychains, 115 entries- total of 6 keychains, 130 entries- total of 7 keychains, and so on!). Note: I reserve the right to cap the extra keychains if I run out of extras!

How can you enter?
1- Because this is a thank you for all your support, being a follower is required.
2- Fill out this form below.
3- Extra point: Leave a comment on THIS blog post answering the question, "What one thing means 'summer' to you?"  Check the comments for my answer to this question!


Don't forget, the hop runs Aug. 1st-7th, so get your entries in! Feel free to spread the word, too, b/c the more entries, the more prizes!


THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.  Winners will be announced later this week.  I'll contact you by e-mail if you won!


Win more at the other participating blogs!  Links under the cut!

Updates/Book Blogger Hop/Follow Friday

Hello, my friends. How are you all this week? I've been in a Doctor Who'y sort of mood, myself. It's my own fault. I ordered the 10th Doctor doll (made by Tonner) and it arrived this week. Which then made me have to watch 'The End of Time Parts 1 +2' (aka the final two episodes of David Tennant as The Doctor). Do you want to see the doll that started me in this mood? You do? Okay, let me pull up a picture....

The factory version of this doll looks different than this one. Tonner styled his hair really funky right out of the box. I bought this from a kind seller who was willing to fix his hair. It really helps in seeing the resemblance between this face mold and David Tennant's face, I think.


And keeping on this Whovian tangent, if you have watched the entire David Tennant era, watch the video below. It's quite funny!



And This Week on the Blog...
SDCC 2011: Merlin, Being Human
SDCC 2011: Avatar: Legend of Korra
SDCC 2011: Doctor Who, Supernatural
Review: Illusions
SDCC 2011: Vampire Diaries
SDCC 2011: Breaking Dawn
Friday Five Favorites


And the Hops...
Book Blogger Hop:



The Question of the Week is:
Highlight one book you have received this week (for review, from the library, purchased at the store, etc.) that you can’t wait to dig into!


Answer: Well, I just borrowed 'Wolfsbane', sequel to 'Nightshade'. While I highly doubt I'll be able to start it anytime soon, it's good to *finally* have it in my hands!


Follow Friday:

The Question of the Week is:
Let's step away from books for a second and get personal. What T-Shirt slogan best describes you?


Answer: Well, I've always liked the t-shirt that says, 'I used to be schizophrenic, but we're okay now'. While I'm not schizophrenic, I do have a tendency to talk to myself and you could say that writers themselves have their fair share of schizophrenic tendencies. :-)

See you all next week!

SDCC 2011: Being Human, Merlin Panel

And the US reboot of the 'Being Human' panel is up live on youtube in one long piece!
Find it HERE.


And 'Merlin had a panel, too!
Complete Panel
I apologize for making these all separate posts, but hopefully you all don't mind!!!  I don't want to lose any of the links!

SDCC 2011: Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legend of Kora

I'm a huge Avatar fan and would have totally loved to see this panel in person!  Korra's airtime is still so far away!!!!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Upon watching this panel, I have to say it is one of the more informative ones I've sampled thus far!  Totally something you'll want to watch!

SDCC 2011: Doctor Who, Supernatural Panel

As you may know already, I'm a huge Doctor Who Fan.  A high quality video of the Doctor Who panel (with Matt and Karen) has popped on youtube!  You can find the whole long thing in one part HERE!


Supernatural's panel is also on Youtube.  Shot by the same guy who did Doctor Who, you can find it HERE!


The poster, Gonturan74, has many other panels on his youtube page, so check them out, too!

Review: Illusions by Aprilynn Pike

Title: Illusions (US), Wild (elsewhere)
Author: Aprilynn Pike
Genre: YA, Supernatural, Romance, 3rd in series
Perfect for: Readers who have read the first two books. This is *not* a standalone!
Star Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Taken from Goodreads, "Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.

But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail."


Being as this is the third in the series, this review will be short and sweet. I don't want to spoil anything for readers who might have stumbled upon this review and have not yet read the first two books, 'Wings' and 'Spells'. It is essential to read the first two novels in this series to get anything out of 'Illusions'. It's not a series book that could stand alone.


Just like the Fallen series, I find these books infuriating sometimes. They're addicting and really easy to get sucked into, but because of that, I always get frustrated by the characters actions and plot points. While the plot is executed much better than 'Spells', 'Illusions' still made me just as frustrated.


What did I like about 'Illusions'? I really enjoyed seeing Tamani and David in scenes with Laurel *together*. It always bugged me how Laurel was either with one or the other, but in this novel, we saw the whole crew interacting and I loved it. Adding Chelsea to the mix was a great idea. Her sarcasm was spot on and a nice break from the boys rivalries and Laurel's worrying.


The introduction of Yuki was a welcome plot point, too. While I still don't know enough about her to know if she's good or bad, she helped round out the group in 'Illusions'. I am looking forward to seeing what she brings to the table.


What bothered me about 'Illusions'? My main problem with 'Illusions' is that aside from Laurel taking an active interest in really figuring out her love life, not much more happens. Yes, we meet Yuki, but we don't learn anything about her. Yes, we see a troll, but we don't learn anything about it. The book suffered from 'Empire Strikes Back' syndrome-- it sets up the next book in the series, but on its own, it has no standalone story. Questions aren't answered. I finished the book trying to figure out why Pike couldn't have just created a trilogy.


'Illusions' gets 3 out of 5 stars. The scenes with Laurel and Tam were great, but not enough to really sell me on this book.  Still, I'm looking forward to the final book in the series!

SDCC 2011 Vampire Diaries Panel

The Vampire Diaries Panel
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5


The audio isn't fantastic, but Ian and Paul look great!

SDCC 2011: Twilight- Breaking Dawn Part 1 Panel (links!)

Being the dork I am, I would have loved to be at San Diego Comic Con this year.  SDCC is one of the largest entertainment/comic/media conventions in the States.  (And is SO Much fun to attend!)  I even made a fantasy panel list. With the con just ending, I'm sure more videos will come up soon.  For right now, here's clips to the Breaking Dawn panels from this year!


'Breaking Dawn: Part 1' Press Conference:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3


It's nice to see them all smile. Hopefully, they brought that into the movie....


'Breaking Dawn: Part 1' Panel:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5


You can't see them in the video very well, but the audio is good. Rob and Taylor are funny people!

Friday Five Favorites

I stumbled upon this new meme and thought I'd try it out. I love meme's that let us talk a little more about who we are and not just book related facts. Friday Five Favorites can be found at Living like the Kings blog.  Join in on the fun!

Favorite cuisine: I am very addicted to perogies (with cheesy mashed potato's inside) and Pepperoni Pizza. Yum Yum! Other than that, I eat a lot of deli sandwiches.


Favorite vacation: Florence, Italy. I studied there for a month and LOVED it. Florence is such a beautiful city. It's located in a perfect place because you can venture out to so many adorable Tuscany towns, including Siena. Siena is my favorite place in the world.  If you can go there, go there!


Favorite hobby: I love taking photos and, oddly enough, re-rooting doll heads. Check out last weeks FollowFriday/Book Blogger Hop meme for links to my doll collection/photography. :-)


Favorite Holiday tradition: Christmas Specials. There are a select few specials that I need to watch prior to Christmas for it to really feel like the holiday. The Muppet Family Christmas is a must watch every holiday season!


Favorite “the-baby’s-asleep-the-chores-are-done-now-what-shall-I-do” pastime: Well, I don't have a baby or a husband yet, but as far as past-times, I am prone to turning on the TV or hopping on the internet.  I tend to obsess about certain shows, one being Doctor Who. If there is a marathon, I am there.  

Updates/Book Blogger Hop/Follow Friday

Happy Hop! This week has been crazy hot in the midwest. We hit 103 degrees in our garage yesterday. Yikes! Thankfully, our air conditioning is kind of working-- keeping it at 80 degree's, which isn't great, but is better than 95!


Looking ahead, make sure to stop by the blog August 1-7th. I'll be participating in the August contest hop. :-) I have some fun things to giveaway. While I'm not going to give away any spoilers just yet, I'll give you a hint. The prizes have something to do with Stacey Kade's 'Queen of the Dead', the sequel to 'The Ghost and the Goth'. More details to be posted soon!


I'd like to post my condolences to Borders Books and Music. I worked at a Borders for six months. It was my introduction into retail, actually. While I was there for a short time, I will always have fond memories of my time spent there. Borders differs from Barnes and Noble in a few key ways. I'll miss the fantastic manga section that most Borders have. In the same respect, I'll miss the little extra bobbles that Borders sold-- anime figures, t-shirts, purses, Pocky, etc. I spent most of my paychecks on the extra's that my Borders sold than books, I think! Even today, I go in and buy some of their 'extra's from time to time. And let's not forget the Hand Crafted Black Cherry Soda...  Yum.  Whatever happens, I hope that the thousands of Borders employees who are eventually losing their job aren't shafted and end up where ever they have to end up to be happy.


This Week on the Blog:
Review: Ashes, Ashes
Top Ten Tuesday: Required Teen Reading
Borders Liquidation


And onto the hops:
Book Blogger Hop:

The question of the week is:
What’s the ONE GENRE that you wish you could get into, but just can’t?

Answer: I'm not very good with contemporary fiction, teen or otherwise. There are some times I wish I could venture from my traditional suit of supernatural genre's, but nothing ever works out in my favor when I do that, so I've pretty much stopped.

Follow Friday:


The Question of the week is:
Name 3 Authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from.


Answer:
Susan Cooper- b/c she rocks. Seriously, The Dark is Rising Sequence is far too underrated here in the States. I would love to just hang out with her for a while and talk about Wales, writing, and The Old Ones!


Laura Whitcomb- b/c she seems like a pretty interesting lady. Her blog is filled with some great posts, including those on her Supernatural Tea Parties. All in all, she seems like a fun person to hang with for an hour. (Author of 'A Certain Slant of Light')


Stephenie Meyer- Yes. Make fun of me all you want, but I would love to meet Stephenie Meyer. And believe it or not, I would probably ask far more about 'The Host' than the Twilight Saga! Stephenie seems far more down to earth than other writers, so I think she'd be a blast to hang with. Plus, it would give me a chance to ask some questions about 'The Host' that have bugged me since reading it!


And that's this week in a nutshell.  See you all next week!

Top Ten Tuesday- Required Reading

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by 'The Broke and the Bookish'. These weeks theme is required Required Teen Reading.

Now, my own high school reading experience was not my favorite. Reading has always been a fun thing for me, but the books we had to read in english? So.... Boring.... Couldn't.... Stand.... Any.... Of... Them! The list, I kid you not, was the exact same list that my father (who attended the same high school) had to read. And that is the problem with reading in your teens-- most kids only find themselves reading stuffy classics, which then turn them off of reading in general. At least, that's my take on it.


This list was particularly hard!!!!!


Top Ten Five Teen Reads:


1-Enders Game by Orson Scott Card: I'm still surprised when people haven't read this book. It's an amazing story with so many elements that could very easily mirror what we see in society today.


2-Oedipus Rex by Sophocles: Why read this? Because it is a 'classic' that has an interesting story told in a more user friendly style than most Shakespearean tragedies. (No offence to those who actually enjoy Shakespeare intended!)


3-Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Such a good story and one with a fantastic message.


4-Luna by Julie Anne Peters: This story is about a transgender male and his sister. It really is quite touching and opens the door to discussions on being okay with who you or others are.


5-The Outsiders by SE Hinton: Just like Enders Game, I'm surprised to hear when people haven't read this novel!


And there's my Top Five Teen Reads. These books are a handful of favorites. They all have some great messages and storywise-- they're spot on!

Review: Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari

Title: Ashes, Ashes
Author: Jo Treggiari
Genre: YA, Dystopian, romance, survival
Perfect for: readers who don't mind stories with very little resolution
Star Rating: 1/5 stars

Taken from Goodreads, "Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her."


Forgive my frankness, but I didn't enjoy 'Ashes, Ashes' at all. And you know what? That disappoints me a bit. This is one instance where I really liked the cover and the title, but not the words or story inside. I didn't get into book blogging to 'bash' books, but I feel that I owe it to my readers to give my honest opinion of this title.


There were many flaws in 'Ashes, Ashes'. The most major flaw I found after reading the book beginning to end was that it didn't seem complete and I don't mean in a cliffhanger/series sort of way. I never felt like I knew enough about anything (characters, society, ethics of new world) to really care about the eventual conflict at the end of the novel. Even the anti-climatic conflict at the end of 'Ashes, Ashes' left me wondering, 'that's it?' and not in a good way. There was an undercurrent that was missing from the storytelling, is the best way I can describe it. It was like turning on a movie somewhere in the middle, watching 20 minutes of it, and then turning it off before the end. No real resolution anywhere.


The concept sounded (and still sounds) amazingly entertaining, but the execution of the novel just didn't work. If you're looking for a dystopian read, there are better choices out there. Try 'Enclave' by Ann Aguirre, 'The Big Empty' by J.B Stephens, or 'Life as We Knew It' by Susan Beth Pfeffer.


By no means do I want you to cast this off your 'to read' list. I don't recommend buying it, but if you see it at your local library and think it sounds interesting, then by all means, go for it. You never know, you may love it. I, however, did not. 'Ashes, Ashes' gets 1 out of 5 stars and can be found at your local library or bookstore.


(One last odd thing about this title-- the cover image posted here is not the final cover.  The final cover has a model completely different looking.  Ironically, the character from the tossed away cover is far more accurate to the book! Both images can be found on goodreads.)

Bad News For Borders!

Attention Borders shoppers, you may want to read this article. I hope that something will happen that keeps Borders open, but the news isn't good...  From what I gather, if a sale doesn't arise by Sunday, July 17th, the company will have to start a major (and quick) liquidation of all its stores.


Update:  And it looks like Borders will be liquidating...

Updates/Book Blogger Hop/Follow Friday

After an interesting week of having very little electricity, we are finally on the grid again. This week was originally dubbed 'Harry Potter Week', but it was cut short due to the power outage. I will be continuing to update with my scheduled Harry Potter updates, however!


This week on the blog:
Review: Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Kids
Harry Potter Meme Fun!
Video Rewind: Sorcerer's Stone
Fun Harry Potter Facts: Movie's 1 and 2
Funny or Die Trailer for Field of Dreams 2


I saw this video on Yahoo! and it made me laugh... I thought I'd share it here!

And on to the Hops!

The question of the week is:
How/Where do you get your books? Do you buy them or go to the library? Is there a certain website you use like paperbackswap?


Answer: I usually get my books from the library first. I hardly ever buy debut titles from a store until I've read them and decided I want to collect the series.



The question of the week is:
What do you do when you're not reading?


Answer: Tons. I usually will chill in front of the tv watching something on Netflix (currently: re-watching old school Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the K-drama Boys Over Flowers) or be on the computer killing time doing this or that. Aside from staring at screens, I love shopping, re-rooting dolly heads (aka giving them new hair), or taking photos of things! You can see my some of my re-roots/photos on flickr! Recently, I've decided to go back into directing short documentaries and oral histories for fun...


Happy hop!

Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Genre: YA, Supernatural, Adventure, slight romance
Perfect for: male readers, fans of x-men type supernaturals
Star Rating: 4/5 stars

Taken from Goodreads, "A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive."


The first thing that grabbed me about 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' were the pictures. The cover, to start off with, is an attention grabber. The black and white photo of the levitating girl is macabre, haunting, and intriguing. If that cover isn't compelling enough to grab your attention, than no cover is! The photographs inside are equally compelling. They're just so neat to look at. To say the least, this book has made me more interested in sifting through vintage photographs if ever I see a bin of them. You never know what gems you may find... Or what stories may come from them.


As this book has a male protagonist, it is one you'll want to add to your 'books for reluctant readers' list! I found Jacob to be a great protagonist. He's a relatively older YA character, 16, but is a fine voice for those newer, younger YA readers. Author Ransom Riggs takes a pretty straight forward approach in telling his story about this group of supernaturals. It works well, the style, because with so much going on and so many discoveries being made, this story could have been lengthy and confusing, but somehow isn't. I found this story to be quite addicting, actually.


I'll admit that I did skim over some of the actiony bit's, because those (in almost every book I read) never keep my interest to the point of reading every word.


As this is the first in a series, not everything is answered. I'm still unsure of what I think of these 'time loops', the purpose of keeping these supernaturals hidden, or 'The Birds' intentions... Of course, a sign of a good book is that the reader forms opinions or wonders about certain future events, right?


I'm looking forward to the next installment of 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'. This is going on my list of books to recommend to those looking for a fun, unique, supernatural read! 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' gets 4 out of 5 stars.


Not convinced that this read is for you?  Watch the book trailer!


Or for a bit of a making of....


I highly recommend watching both videos. This Riggs fellow seems like a really neat guy!

Heads Up! My Power's Out!

Hello readers,


Just a little heads up, my power has been out since Monday morning due to the windstorms that came through Illinois earlier this week. 


Since I didn't pre-set any of my posts for the week, Harry Potter week, reviews, and any normal meme's are going to be delayed until the power is restored. Com Ed has no idea when that might actually happen, though! Being that we have a down pole in the yard three houses down, I don't see this being fixed soon...

Brooke's Box of Book will be back soon! Until then, I've placed a picture of a candle in this post, so you may experience what I have had to deal with for the past few nights... :-)


Till next time (which I hope is soon)!

Harry Potter Memes

Harry Potter Meme of All Memes by Osaku
Name/Username
Age
Gender
House	Gryffindor
Wand	Maple, 9", Phoenix Feather
Best Course	Defense Against the Dark Arts
Worst Course	Care of Magical Creatures
Pet	Eastern Screech-Owl
Patronus	Dragon
Quidditch Job	Security Wizard
Wizard Candy	Bertie Botts every Flavour Beans (Mmm! Earwax!)
Profession After School	Auror

And a few questions found via Tumblr. (Little fact, I had no idea those images with crazy captions were considered meme's. Made this a little harder to find than I thought it would be!)


• Least favorite character in the series? Wormtail.  He was such a worm throughout the whole series!!!

• How do you feel about the movies compared to the books? It depends on the book. I think the movie version of Prisoner of Azkaban was completely off. Too many things made too little sense in that adaptation (ie: Lupin knowing the marauders map, not telling harry why his patronus is a stag, far too little Ron, etc). However, I prefer watching Order of the Phoenix to reading it. I love, love, love the movie adaptation of Goblet of Fire, as well as the school year portion of the book.


• Which character do you most compare yourself to? Of the main three, I'm more like Ron. He seems to have a cool, funny attitude about him. Though to be totally honest, I'm probably more like Colin Creavey. His up beat nature and love for photography are very me. I should add a bit of Ginny, too. I'm an odd mixture of outgoing and shy.


• What would your Patronus be? A raven. And it's all due to my weird love for 'The Grey King' by Susan Cooper and her character Bran, the Raven boy.

• Would you rather have an owl, toad, or cat as your pet? Owl, hands down. They can be very helpful in two ways-- companionship and mail service!
• If you could invite seven characters from the series to a Hogwarts dinner party, who would they be?


• Pick your mode of transportation: Thestral, Broom, Floo, Apparation, Portkey, Hippogriff, or Dragon. I'd apparate. Floo would be my second option. I'd probably keep a flying car around, too.


• What would you see if you looked in the Mirror of Erised? I'd see me surrounded by my family-- husband, children, dog, etc.




• Which Deathly Hallows object would you like to have? The Cloak of Invisibility. That thing is so cool!


• Which character would you attend the Yule Ball dance with, if you had the chance? Harry, but I'd save a dance for Neville if he looked like Matthew Lewis!


• What would be your favorite Hogwarts class? Charms, Flying, and Care of Magical Creatures!


• Which Quidditch position would you play: Chaser, Keeper, Beater, Seeker, Referee, or Spectator? Probably spectator!

Quick Memories of Reading:
Sorcerers Stone: Loved the story. I had no idea that it would turn into the huge deal it has since the ARC arrived...
Chamber of Secrets: Liked it. It was a quick read.
Prisoner of Azkaban: LOVED it. My favorite book in the series. Sirius and Lupin are two shining stars in the Harry Potter Universe.
Goblet of Fire: Could stand to skip most of the Quidditch World Cup (and usually do upon re-reading). That was just too long. Loved the Hogwarts portion of the book, though. It was a very upbeat, even with the whole Cedric thing.
Order of the Phoenix: Ew... Too long. Too angsty. Too much of stubborn Harry. And above all, too many sentences in capital letters!
Half Blood Prince: The best parts of this were between Ginny and Harry. Such a cute love story.
Deathly Hallows: Wordy. I'm not a huge fan of the parts that take place outside of Hogwarts and not a huge fan of treasure hunts... The battle was great, though. Loved seeing everyone return to save the wizarding world. The epilogue was, er, interesting, to say the least.

There's my answers, how about yours?  Leave them below or if you blog them, leave a link!

Video Rewind: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone

I'm re-watching all the Harry Potter movies as a lead in to the final film July 15th.  This post is dedicated to the movie adaptation of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone'. 

My earliest memories of the film are watching the pre-release clips of the mail scene with the Dursleys and Harry. I think I had that entire scene memorized by the movies release!  As with all the Harry Potter films, my original viewing was in the movie theater, sometime during opening week.  There are certain series you need to see in the theater, and this is one of them!

The Best Moments:

• Love the classroom scenes.  They ground this movie.
• Of all 7, this is the one movie that really shows off Hogwarts, both in terms of the school and the culture.
• Oliver Wood!  Oh, why oh why, did you go away?  So darn cute with that accent!
• On a similar note, love the flying class scene.
• Oh, seeing Little Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Neville is so refreshing!  
• The Ghosts-- sadly, these guys got cut out of some of the other movies.  I miss them.
• Love watching the staircases and paintings move.
• Hagrid's "I shouldn't have said that" still makes me laugh.
• Great Christmas scene

That Could Have Been Better:

• Harry's pretty talented, being able to turn himself into a cartoon like CG version of himself when he's in danger.  :-)  Thank goodness they fixed the CG for future movies
• Harry's eyes blink unevenly throughout this movie.  I've gotten used to it, but it bugged the heck out of me originally.

Now, it's your turn.  What are your favorite scenes in this first movie in the Harry Potter series?

Fun Harry Potter Facts- Part 1

Think you know all there is about Harry Potter?  Here's a few fun facts about the movies!  I skowered IMDB and picked up a few good bits of triva for you to impress your friends with!  More can be found on the IMDB website.

Sorcerers Stone Movie Trivia:

• Did you know Hufflepuff Susan Bones (played by the prominent red headed extra from the first two movies) is actually Director Chris Columbus's daughter Eleanor Columbus?  Sisters Isabella (Chamber of Secrets, girl in bookshop) and Violet (Chamber of Secrets, girl with flowers) and brother Brendan (Chamber of Secrets, boy in study hall 1) can also be seen in the films, though not as prominently.
• JK Rowling insisted on British leads.
• If you want to visit the filming location for platform 9 3/4, you should really visit innercity platform 4 and 5.  Supposedly, platform 9 3/4 is actually marked at King Cross Station between the real platform 9 and 10, though that is not where the movie filmed.
• The trouble-making poltergeist Peeves (played by Rik Mayall) does not, in the end, appear in the movie.
  
• The only sets that were built for Hogwarts were the Great Hall, the Grand Staircase, and the Gryffindor Common Room. More were built for later movies
  
• Among the portraits on the shifting staircase, you can clearly see a painting of Anne Boleyn (King Henry VIII's second wife, mother of Queen Elizabeth I), who was condemned to death as a witch.

Chamber of Secrets Movie Trivia:

• Hugh Grant was cast to play Gilderoy Lockhart, but had to drop out at the last minute.
• Fourteen Ford Anglias were destroyed to create the scene where Harry and Ron crash into the Whomping Willow.
  
• Flourish and Botts is a redress of Olivanders Wand Shop (seen in Sorcerers Stone)
• Shirley Henderson, who played the fantastic Moaning Myrtle, is the oldest actress (age 37) to portray a Hogwarts student.
  
• The "Let's just hope Mr. Potter will always be around to save the day" dialogue (see quotes) was improvised by Daniel Radcliffe and Jason Isaacs.
  
• Foreign language translations had to change Tom Marvolo Riddle's name so that an appropriate anagram could be formed from "I am Lord Voldemort." In Spanish, his name became "Tom Sarvolo Ryddle," which transforms into "Soy Lorde Voldemort." In French, his name is "Tom Elvis Jedusor," which becomes "Je suis Voldemort." In Dutch, his name is "Marten Asmodom Vilijn" which is an anagram for "Mijn naam is Voldemort". In Turkish the name is "Tom Marvoldo Riddle" which makes up "Adim Lord Voldemort".
  
• The script originally said that Hermione would hug Harry and Ron in the final scene. As the then 11-year-old Emma Watson was embarrassed about having to hug the boys in front of the entire cast, Chris Columbus allowed her to change the scene so that Hermione just hugs Harry then starts to hug Ron but the two get embarrassed and resolve to only shake hands. Watson also stated in a recent interview that she kept letting Daniel Radcliffe go too quickly, so the film was "frozen" for a few seconds to make the hug look like it lasted longer than it actually did. Her hesitation with Ron is also taken by fans as a precursor to the relationship that will develop between the two characters.

Trivia from movies 3-8 will be posted a little later this week!  Enjoy the rest of the Harry Potter Week posts!

In Celebration of Harry Potter!

Happy Harry Potter week!  

With the final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, debuting July 15th, 2011, this little blog will be celebrating all that is Harry Potter!  While I was a reader well before Harry Potter, I can't help but agree that the Harry Potter books have made a huge impact on readers and writers, both young and old.

And in terms of the movies?  The Harry Potter movies are perfect examples of what all movies adapted from stories should strive to be.  Smart adapting, perfect casting, and a talented production crew have truly made these movies worthy of the term 'classics'.  And the impossible feat of getting the same cast members back year after year?  I only hope that when I succeed in the entertainment world, I can find such a wonderful cast of actors who care about my project so much that they keep their ego's in check and stay with the production!


Harry and his story will be alive for years and years to come and I'm very happy that I got to experience the whole 'Harry Potter' era from beginning to end.  And literally I mean from seeing the ARC of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone', to attending special midnight events, working midnight events, and finally, to soon seeing the final movie!


So, stay tuned for more fun filled Harry Potter posts!

Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout

The Funny or Die trailer for 'Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout', starring Jacob Black himself, Taylor Lautner.

Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout with Taylor Lautner from Taylor Lautner

Happy 4th of July

To all those reading this little blog,

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Update/TGIF

As promised, it was a bit busier on the blog this week!  With July here, pitch meetings are getting closer and closer!!!!


This week on the Blog:
Review: Wonderstruck
In My Mailbox
At the Movies: The Host
Review: Steel

The Question of the Week:
Mr & Mrs: Who are your favorite book couples?


Answer:
1: Harry and Ginny (Harry Potter)- They're just too cute for words. I love how their romance blossomed in the HP books.


2: Bran and Jane (The Dark Is Rising Sequence)- Okay. Bran and Jane never really hooked up. However, it was hinted at and they would be so cute together! A certain webmistress may have even started a fanfic about their eventual relationship...


3: Wanderer and Ian (The Host)- I love this couple even more than Edward and Bella. Yes, Ian was a jerk in the beginning, but once he saw that Wanderer was more than just a body snatcher, he became such a good guy!


4: Sophie and Archer (Hex Hall)- Both characters are so strong that they make a great couple.


5: Suze and Jesse (Mediator)- My first foray into a human/ghost couple.  They're perfect for eachother!


And that's it for this week! Happy Hop, all!