Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

Tonight PBS will show the second installment of Emma 2009, and Laurel Ann and I will once again co-host the Twitter Party along with the staff from PBS from 9-11 PM EST. (This week west coasters will have their own party from 9-11 PM PT with Kali and Laurie (Viera-Rigler). Remember to use the hashtag #emma_pbs. For more details, click on this link.

This week we ask you: Which bachelor from Highbury suits your fancy? You can take the quiz on PBS's website to see who will best suit your personality!

Mr. Churchill

Mr. Elton

Mr. Weston

Mr. Martin

Mr. Woodhouse

Mr. Knightley

Which Bachelor of Highbury Do You Like?
	Mr. Churchill
	Mr. Elton
	Mr. Weston
	Mr. Martin
	Mr. Woodhouse
	Mr. Knightley
pollcode.com free polls

Follow Friday: The 18th-Century Gossip Girls – Heather and Lauren

Here are two clever and sassy ladies to follow this week: Heather of The Duchess of Devonshire’s Gossip Guide and Lauren of Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide. These two talented team bloggers are devoted to English and French royalty, history, art, fashion and gossip in the 18th-century. Their beautiful blogs are resplendent with the most fascinating facts, dug up from the stacks of some dusty library no doubt, detailing the tragic, the shocking and the hilarious lives of upper-crust society. I dote on The Tart of the Week on the Devonshire Gossip Guide and What Would Marie Do? on Antoinette Gossip Guide and would not miss them.

You can also follow Heather and Lauren on Twitter where you can catch them dropping gossip about the most scandalous subjects and a few important historical points of interest on the web.

Visit Heather at The Duchess of Devonshire's Gossip Guide
Visit Lauren at Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide

Enjoy! Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Emma Twitter Party Redux on Sunday, January 31st 9-11 PM

Emma (2009), the new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Emma premiered last Sunday and continues for the next two Sundays on Masterpeice Classic PBS. (check local listings) The Emma Twitter Party during the broadcast was such a screaming success that it will be duplicated in a bi-coastal celebration on January 31st 9-11 PM ET & PT at TweetGrid. Use hashtag #emma_pbs.

In conjunction with Masterpiece Classic PBS, Vic & I will be hosting the east coast party and Laurie Viera Rigler and Kali Pappas will be hosting the west coast party. In addition to all the great commentary and reactions by Tweeters, Masterpiece PBS and your co-hosts, there will be an Emma quiz and giveaway contest of Jane Austen Action Figures drawn from Tweeps who answer correctly. PBS is also offering a special 25% off merchandise at ShopPBS.org for the participants of the event. The special purchase code will be revealed during the event, so you can pony up and buy that Emma (2009) DVD which is released on February 9th, 2010.

Visit the Emma Twitter Party page at the Masterpiece Classic for details.
Join us at TweetGrid or your favorite aggregator for the Emma Twitter Party.
Vic tweets as janeaustenworld
Laurel tweets as Austenprose
Kail tweets as magicskyway
Laurie tweets as austen_addict
Masterpiece tweets as masterpiecepbs

Don’t miss out on all the merriment. “Seize the pleasure at once” and join the fun!

Cheers, Laurel Ann Austenprose

Emma 2009 in Print

Last October, when Emma 2009 was shown on BBC in the UK, the Times Online reviewed the film, which A.A. Gill felt came up short. He sounds like a curmudgeon, for he practically wished Jane Austen's work to perdition.

Last week in this newspaper, I read that Mark Twain had said if he knew where Jane Austen was buried, he’d dig her up and beat in her skull with her own femur. My sentiments entirely. The world can be, and indeed should be, split between those for Jane and those for Twain.

However, the article did leave us with this memorable graphic. Click on this link to read the scathing review.

Radio Times, in a more flattering portrait, showcased Emma on four pages and discussed the end of the bonnet costume dramas on BBC. Click on the images to read the article.

Click on the images to read the article.

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Want to Make the 2009 Emma Wedding Cake?

At Miss Taylor's wedding, Mr. Woodhouse had earnestly tried to dissuade the guests from having any wedding cake at all, and when that proved vain as earnestly tried to prevent any body's eating it ...
To create this cake, take a Nordic Ware Cathedral Bundt Pan, conveniently available at Amazon.com. And find another round pan for the bottom layer.

For the top layer, use a recipe popular during Jane Austen's day, such as Mrs. Perrot's Heart or Pound Cake, which is a pound cake recipe that includes nutmeg, cinnamon, and currants. And for the bottom layer use a plainer version of the recipe, to give it a lighter color. Embellish with flowers and leaves, and frosted grapes. And voila! Any other suggestions for making this cake? Is that frosting between the two layers? And what do you think the little white rolled up bundles are made of?

Recipe for sugar frosted grapes

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Pride and Prejudice 2005 released on Blu-ray

Pride & Prejudice 2005 was released on Blu-ray today!

Description from distributor: Academy Award® nominee Keira Knightley stars in the greatest love story of all time. When Elizabeth Bennet (Knightley) meets the handsome Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), she believes he is the last man on earth she could ever marry. But as their lives become intertwined, she finds herself captivated by the very person she swore to loathe for all eternity. Jane Austen’s masterpiece novel comes to the screen in the film critics said “makes you believe in true love and happily-ever-after” (Stephen Holden, The New York Times).

Follow this link to read a review for the Blu-ray edition of P&P 2005 at Monsters and Critics
Buy two DVD’s, including Blu-ray and get the 3rd free at Barnes & Noble (limited time offer)

Enjoy! Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Ask The Austen Expert

If you have questions about Emma, Masterpiece Classic has arranged for Dr. Joan Klingel Ray, author of Jane Austen for Dummies and Jane Austen scholar, to answer them from January 25 to January 29, 2010. Click on this link, which leads to Barnes and Noble's Book Club Classics and post your questions.

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

Emma 2009 airs tonight on PBS at 9 PM EST! Oh, what joy for Jane Austen fans. Laurel Ann from Austenprose, Kali from Emma Adaptations, and I (Jane Austen's World) will be hosting a twitter party in conjuction with PBS. Click on this link for details. In tonight's broadcast, three mansions in Highbury will be showcased. Which one catches your fancy?

"Emma Woodhouse’s home, Hartfield, was filmed at Squerryes Court, just off the M25 in Kent, and Mr Knightley’s Donwell Abbey at Loseley Park, near Guildford. Both houses were intended by Austen to represent the solidity of the old landed gentry as opposed to flashy new Regency fashions." - Times Online

Hartfield, Mr. Woodhouse and daughter Emma Woodhouse (Squerryes Court, Kent)

Donwell Abbey, Mr. Knightley (Loseley Park, near Guilford)

Randalls, The Westons (Can anyone help to identify this wonderful house? Is that an oast house attached to the outbuildings?)

More on the topic:

• Historic homes in the BBC version of Emma
• Country Houses in Jane Austen's Emma

Which house in Emma 2009 catches your fancy?
	Hartfield, The Woodhouse family
	Donwell Abbey, Mr. Knightley
	Randalls, The Westons
pollcode.com free polls

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Great new Emma (2009) music video

Beautiful montage video of stills from the new Emma (2009) miniseries which begins tomorrow night on Masterpiece Classic set to soundtrack music The Last Dance by Samuel Sims from the production. Amazing! Created by Katherine of November's Autumn. Enjoy!

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Follow Friday: Kali of the Emma Adaptations Pages

Kali Pappas is the preeminent online authority of movie adaptations of Jane Austen’s novel Emma. On her lovely and informative website the Emma Adaptations Pages, you will find a hub of resources including production information, casting, images, reviews and her insights and impressions on all of the Emma adaptations and variations such as Clueless.

Be sure to take her popular Austen Heroine Quiz to discover if you could be an Elizabeth Bennet or Elinor Dashwood. (I am Fanny Price! Surprised?)

You can follow Kali on Facebook, Twitter and at her strangegirl blog. She will also be co-hosting the Emma Twitter Party along with Vic and myself on Sunday, January 24th, 9:00-11:00 PM ET on Twitter and Tweetgrid brought to us by the great folks at Masterpiece Classic PBS.

Visit the Emma Adaptations Pages
Read Kali’s post here on Fashionable Emma Woodhouse
Visit the official Emma Twitter Party page at Masterpiece Classic

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Emma (2009) Music Video to Crystallised Beauty

This week is all about Emma (2009) the new adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 novel of the the same name which begins on Sunday, January 24th on Masterpiece Classic/PBS. Enjoy this music video by cherrycakesbaybee featuring scenes from the mini-series set to the beautiful music Crystallised Beauty by Philip Sheppard.

"Why not seize the pleasure at once?" and join the red carpet premiere Emma Twitter Party on Sunday, January 24th 9:00-11:00 PM ET on Tweetgrid and Twitter presented by Masterpiece Classic. Use hashtag #emma_pbs to join in the fun.

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

His Firthness on The Daily Show

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Colin Firth
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Absolutely no explanation required!

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Emma (2009) begins next Sunday on Masterpiece Classic

The wait is almost over! Emma (2009), the new 3 part mini-series adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel staring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller will premiere on Masterpiece Classic next Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 9:00 pm on PBS. Read a preview and see a slide show of the production stills at Austenprose.

Visit the official Emma website at Masterpiece Classic
Join the Masterpiece Classic red carpet premiere Emma Twitter Party

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Win a copy of a Naxos Audiobooks recording of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Did you enjoy the conclusion of Return to Cranford last night on Masterpiece Classic? Would you like to listen to an audio recording of the original novel that inspired it? Enter a chance to win one copy of a Naxos Audiobooks recording of Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell by following this link to Austenprose and leaving a comment by January 24th, 2010 stating which character in Return to Cranford was your favorite, or which Victorian-era author you have read and would like to see an audio book recording made of. Winner to be announced on January 25th, 2010. Shipping to US and Canadian addresses only. Good luck!

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Jane Austen Actors Shine at Golden Globes

While the Brits came up empty-handed at the Golden Globes, they sparkled as nicely in their dress up clothes. Last year's winner for Happy Go Lucky, Sally Hawkins (Anne Elliot, 2007), looked fit and sassy in her short gown.

Colin Firth (Mr. Darcy, 1995) and wife Livia managed to keep dry on the red carpet. He was nominated for A Single Man.

Caret Mulligan (Kitty Bennet, 2005 & Isabella Thorpe, 2007) brought her mom, and sported a cute hair band. Sadly, she did not win for An Education.

Kate Winslet (Marianne Dashwood, 1996) looked regal and spectacular in an Yves St. Laurent gown. She presented a Golden Globe to Jeff Bridges for Best Actor in Crazy Heart.

And although Emily Blunt (nominated for Young Victoria) has not yet portrayed a Jane Austen character in a film, she is removed by only one degree of separation, having performed opposite Anne Hathaway (Becoming Jane) in The Devil Wears Prada and as Prudie in the Jane Austen Book Club

Addition:
Mention must be made of Janet McTeer, Mrs. Dashwood, 2007, (Thanks Deborah) for HBO's Into the Storm. Unfortunately, I could find no image of her at the Award Ceremony.

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

PBS Masterpiece Classic will be showing the new adaptation of Emma with Romola Garai from January 24 - February 7 . Jane Austen declared her to be her favorite heroine, yet observed: " I am going to take a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like."

Indeed, this intrusive, interfering and meddlesome woman dominates Jane's longest novel. Jane described her as "handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition...[she] seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her." She is pretty, but she is not vain about her looks, for her faults lie in an entirely different direction.

This week we ask you: How much are you looking forward to watching Emma?

How much are you looking forward to watching Emma next week?
	Very much. I love the heroine.
	Somewhat. I don't like Emma, but I do like the story.
	I'm curious to compare it to the other film adaptations
	A little. She's too meddlesome for my taste. I can take it or leave it.
	Not at all. Emma and the book turn me off.
pollcode.com free polls

Win a copy of Jane Bites Back, by Michael Thomas Ford

Giveaway!

Enter a chance to win one of two copies of Jane Bites Back, the new paranormal Austen inspired novel by Michael Thomas Ford by following this link to Austenprose. Leave a comment revealing which Jane Austen character you would like to see turned by January 24th, 2010. Winners to be announced on January 25th, 2010. Shipping to US and Canadian addresses only. Good luck!

I loved this book. It is clever, witty, peppered with Janeite lore and completely original - not a mash-up.

Read my review of Jane Bites Back
Read an interview of author Michael Thomas Ford
Read an excerpt of Jane Bites Back

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

John Lithgow Tweets About Jennifer Ehle and Their New Play

Gentle Readers: On February 22, Jennifer Ehle (Elizabeth Bennet 1995) and John Lithgow are slated to star in the off Broadway production of Mr. & Mrs. Fitch, The Second Stage Theater, New York. The play, which is penned by Beane (The Little Dog Laughed, Xanadu), centers on two gossip columnists. A press release grandly announces: "When the social circuit no longer provides any scandalous news, they find that great celebrity can appear out of thin air." According to Playbill, the new comedy promises "a scathing look at who is in, who is out and who may not even exist at all."

John Lithgow's Tweets describe the rehearsals, which he says are going well. He has nothing but praise for Jennifer:

Questions about my play: MR & MRS FITCH by Douglas Carter Beane at 2nd Stage in NY, 1/26 to 3/21, with Jennifer Ehle. She and it are tops. - Jan 14

Just realized our first preview is in 13 days. Lines! Lines! - Jan 13

Rehearsals with Jennifer Ehle going great, and Richard Eyre's CARMEN at Met last night just tremendous, good NY dayz. - Jan 9


I"m such a sucker for CRANFORD on PBS, and I don't care who knows it. Haven't shed such tears since TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. - Jan 3

MR & MRS FITCH, that is. A new play at 2nd Stage Theatre in NY, starting on January 26. The entire cast is Jennifer Ehle and I. - Jan 3

1/3 of FITCH staged in a 5 hour rehearsal. Jennifer E. is fast, smart, and fabulous, Scott Ellis terrific. This is going to be some fun. - Jan 3

Saw pals Fey, Armison, S.Martin, J.Gleason, P.Wilson, C.Nixon, D.H.Hwang, F.Oz, et al in last 48 hrs. NY rules! (w. apologies for namedrops) - Jan 1

In NY, 3rd day of M/M Fitch (great!) Last night a great B'klyn: Vinegar Hill House followed by BRIEF ENCOUNTER at St. Anne's Warehouse. - Dec 31

Purchase the tickets at this site: Click here.

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Jane Austen Adaptation Actors in the News

Colin Firth (Mr Darcy 1995) as George VI and Helena Bonham-Carter as Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in The King's Speech, Colin's latest movie which he is currently filming. No images of Jennifer Ehle yet, but we'll post them as soon as they are available.

Why is Carey Mulligan (Kitty Bennet, 2005) the new "It" girl British import in Hollywood? This Daily Mail article spells it out: She's fresh and she's hot,' said Peter Rice, the head of Fox Searchlight. a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences opined,'There's a certain type of British actress we embrace - like Kate Winslet, Emily Blunt or Keira Knightley. Carey's the new girl and people are falling in love with her.'

Gemma Arterton (Elizabeth Bennet, Lost in Austen) makes her London theatre debut in The Little Dog Laughed, a satire on the hypocrisy of Hollywood. Gemma should know something about the topic, having appeared as a Bond girl in Quantum Of Solace. She will also be seen in Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia, both coming out this year.
Last but not least. What does the incomparable Anna Massey have in common with Helen Jerome's classic play interpretation of Pride and Prejudice, Celia Johnson, and Raymond Massey?

Find out in this article from Jane Austen's World.

Anna, who played Mrs. Norris in 1983's Mansfield Park, revealed a wit as acerbic as Jane Austen's in her autobiography,Telling Some Tales. She describes one New York Theatre gathering with this delicious observation: "The room was full of egos, many of whom wrote their own notices as they shook your hand."

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Follow Friday: Becca of the Jane Austen Centre Giftshop

Becca Hemmings is the manager of our favorite online emporium for all things Austen, the Jane Austen Centre Giftshop.

Imagine going to work everyday and being surrounded by Austen inspired merchandise, creating marketing strategies and playing on Facebook, Twitter and eBay? Sounds like the dream job to me! Lucky Becca.

You can follow Becca on Facebook & Twitter as she posts updates on new merchandise and sales and chats about her favorite author – you guessed it – Jane Austen!

Visit the Jane Austen Centre Giftshop online
Visit the Jane Austen Centre Giftshop on eBay

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Lost in Elliot Cowan?

Can't get enough of British actor Elliot Cowan since he emerged from the Pemberley pond and into our hearts as Mr. Darcy in Lost in Austen, the 2008 twisted bonnet parody of Pride and Prejudice? Here's some eye candy video for you from Littleviper. Enjoy!

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Jane Bennet in Annie Get Your Gun

Not really -- but doesn’t actress Rosamund Pike aka Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice 2005 look like Annie Oakley the famous sharpshooter of the American west in this photo?

Actually, Rosamund will play the title role in Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, considered one the greatest dramatic roles in theater where guns play a major role – thus the need for the publicity people to emphasize the violence in Ibsen’s story to connect a classic play to a modern audience. For all you lucky Brits, the UK tour will begin at the Theatre Royal Bath, running February 23 - March 6 and continue to Brighton March 8-13, Richmond March 15-20, Nottingham March 22-27, and Oxford March 29 - April 4. It is expected that the production will then transfer to the West End.

Along the way Miss Bennet will be having tea with Catherine Morland in Bath, Lydia Bennet in Brighton, Mrs. Churchill in Richmond, Mr. Darcy the Sheriff of Nottingham in Nottingham and Edmund Bertram in Oxford. Honestly, we couldn’t be more pleased for her, but advise her leave the guns at the theater.

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

PBS Movie Throwdown

Have you watched the first episode of Return to Cranford? If not, the episode will be shown online for the next two weeks on PBS's website. If you did, how did you think this episode stacked up to the original Cranford?

How do you like Return to Cranford, Episode One?
	Loved it
	Liked it
	Not sure yet
	It did not stack up to Cranford, 2008
	I disliked it
pollcode.com free polls

Facts About Jane Austen's Letters

Trivia found in this link from Following the Trail of Jane Austen's Letters:

Who cut the signature or parts of Jane Austen's letters and sent them to Austen admirers? (Answer: Francis Austen, Jane's brother, among other relatives.)

Who sold Jane Austen's letters and for how much? (Answer: This depends. In May of 2005, a fragment of a letter advertised by Bauman's Rare Books for $7500, sold. To whom and for how much? Bauman's would not disclose. However, one representative of the company explained that, unlike an auction house, Bauman's generally sells such an item for very close to the asking price.)

Where might an Austen admirer travel to find the largest group of original Austen letters in the world today--more than five times the number gathered in any other single place? (Answer: With fifty-one, the J. Pierpont Morgan LibraryPierpont Morgan Library, originally the private library of J. Pierpont Morgan, in 1924 made a public institution by his son J. P. Morgan.)

What do Sandy Lerner, Jerome Kern, Amy Lowell, J. P. Morgan and William Randolph William Randolph Hearst all have in common? (Answer: They all once owned one or more of Jane Austen's letters.)

Where did the National Library of Scotland get the money to pay for the Jane Austen letters, which the library recently acquired? (Answer: As part of a 17.7 million [pounds sterling] lottery grant.)

• Click here to read more about Jane Austen's Letters on Jane Austen's World

Follow Rebecca Smith – Writer in Residence at Jane Austen's House Museum

Rebecca Smith is the first official Writer in Residence at Jane Austen's House Museum in Chawton – that is if you do not count Jane herself who revised or wrote all of her six major novels under that roof from 1809-1817. Follow Rebecca on her blog as she journals about her experiences presenting writing workshops, organizing school essay competitions, heading up writing and reading groups and writing her own novel – or if you are lucky enough to be in the neighborhood visit her in person on Mondays and Wednesdays. Here's and interesting tidbit about her from Jane Austen's House Museum website.

During the residency she will be finishing a novel that follows five generations of a family from Hampshire to India and back again. It was partly inspired by Chawton - Rebecca is Jane Austen’s great great great great great niece!

Even with blood ties, Rebecca has big shoes to fill, if that could evah be possible. She does however, in my estimation, have the ultimate dream job.

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Love Story - a celebration of Jane Austen Couples

Enjoy this great montage of Jane Austen couples from the recent adaptations of Mansfield Park 2007, Persuasion 2007, Northanger Abbey 2007 and Sense and Sensibility 2008 included in "The Complete Jane Austen" on Masterpiece Classic in 2008, by PBouvma at YouTube.

The endearing ladies of Cranford return on Sunday

The new season on Masterpiece Classic begins on Sunday, January 10th, 2010 at 9:00 pm with Return to Cranford, the continuation of Victorian-era author Elizabeth Gaskell's stories about Cranford, an English village in Cheshire populated by endearing characters with traditional views facing the challenge of change during the industrial revolution in England during the 1840's. Here is a preview at Austenprose of the new two episode series which premieres on PBS. Since this is the last bonnet drama that the BBC/WGBH will be producing for some time, don't miss it!

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose