I know the Brits are going to be pissed about this one, but hey US West Coast? I have news for you.
We’re getting a second Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park, at Universal Studios Hollywood!
The news was first announced by the Wall Street Journal, and shortly after The Los Angeles Times released a statement containing a tentative opening date of 2015. Unlike the format of Universal Studios Orlando, the park in Hollywood isn’t built with various worlds and theme parks inside, so rumors are spreading about where exactly the Wizarding World will go. Clearly it will be unplottable… right? *wink*
Either way, I am a huge fan of the Orlando version, and I couldn’t be happier knowing soon I wont need to fly across the country to go to Hogwarts. I’ve got my robes and wand ready.
Have you been to the Orlando theme park? If so, what aspects of the Harry Potter world are missing from that park you’d like to see in the new one?
I’m way too excited for this. The only thing that caught me off guard were the Tributes’ outfits during training. I know this takes place in a dystopian future, but I picture really basic outfits made of cotton for the training, not those snazzy tracksuit things.
Have you read The Hunger Games? Are you looking forward to the movie?
I’ve been kind of bad lately when it comes to posting on Zaxy – but I have a (fairly) legit excuse! I’ve been diligently trudging through NaNoWriMo, and I am happy to report I am right on track, nearly at 15,000 words today. :)
On that note, I thought it only fitting to share this cute web series I found called “Month of the Novel”. It’s about a girl attempting NaNoWriMo for the first time, and it’s interesting because you get to watch as her fantasy characters come to life and struggle with the fact that their writer isn’t quite positive what she’s doing with them.
Here’s the first episode:
If you’ve ever tried to write a novel, I’m sure you’ll be able to relate. :)
It’s NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month! I’m posting this for Kristina, because she is busybusy working on her novel. (Plus it features me as a backup dancer! Whee!)
Are you writing a novel for NaNoWriMo? What about?
Neil Gaiman’s telling you to give and read scary books this Halloween. So you should probably listen. (Also, wtf is happening in the background of this video?)
What’s your favorite scary book? I read tons of ghost stories when I was younger, but can’t say I’ve read any truly scary books in a really long time. Leave some recommendations below!
My own experience was pretty emotional when all of the craziness was happening with the end of the Harry Potter films — but I’ll admit I was a little teary even thinking of how the actual actors in the films must feel. We’ve been with Harry for all these years, but can you even imagine how it was for them? Waking up every morning to head into Leavesden to LIVE Harry Potter?
Well, now we actually can get a small taste of what that was like. If you buy the 4-disc box set at Target (when Deathly Hallows Part 2 comes out on November 11th) you can watch the 48 minute documentary made on set of the filming of the last two films.
I’m going to be a mess. Even the trailer has me weeping.
Fans of the book Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card probably know a movie has been rumored and talked about for the better part of the last… twenty-five years. But this time, it looks like it’s really happening! It’s been announced that Gavin Wood (who directed Wolverine) will be directing it, and recently a bunch of casting calls were put out for the film, including all the major roles (including Ender himself!)
There has been a call for ten characters to be cast, and according to an exclusive look on i09, the character descriptions and what we’ve been able to see of the script all look pretty solid in terms of this film following the book closely. The book tackles some hard topics like how dangerous and intense war can be and how important it is to understand your enemy, and as far as can be told now, the movie isn’t shying away from these more difficult themes. Thank goodness.
As always, nothing is 100% set in stone, but this is a lot more than we’ve ever been given before with regard to Ender’s Game becoming a movie. So for now, we sit and wait with fingers crossed that they do everyone’s favorite sci-fi book justice and give us the movie we’ve all been waiting for.
Since my last post on the subject, we’ve waited while the owls gathered. We’ve gone through the magical quill nonsense of staying up all night to register for the beta-testing. We’ve sat and twiddled our thumbs while we waited for our welcome emails to appear. And then, with baited breath, we finally, finally entered the site.
Though we’re still in the beta of the site right now and no official release date has been announced (just a vague and ominous promise of “October”), they’re currently letting people into the site as testers on a daily basis. And while I’ll be the first to admit that Pottermore is pretty freaking cool, it’s also been the breeding ground for a lot of serious complaining as of late. From “waaah I didn’t get my email yet” to “waaah I got sorted in the wrong house” to “waaah potions are hard to brew”, I’ve seen people run the gamut of magical belly-aching. Did you think being a wizard was going to be EASY? Did you think it was always going to be fun?
Essentially, the point of Pottermore, as I’ve since found out from playing through Chapter One, is to get to re-experience the Harry Potter books in a more interactive manner, complete with stunning illustrations approved by JKR to depict the aspects of the book that only ever existed in our minds. You get to go shopping for your school supplies, click on things in the castle to read more about them and hang out with your friends in your house common room. All in all, it’s a pretty awesome experience.
But I’m finding out why muggles never got to go Hogwarts before — they’re all a bunch of babies! Waiting to get your owl admitting you to school TAKES too long? You waited about a month, you ungrateful little skrewt! Wizard kids waited ELEVEN YEARS for theirs! You wanted Gryffindor but the hat placed you in Ravenclaw? Tough cookies! This is the magical world, folks, and maybe the hat knows you better than you know yourself. Or maybe it’s just an online reading/roly-playing experience that’s supposed to mirror the experience of Harry and the other kids, and you should be thankful you even get to play.
I think it’s great that JKR gave us something new that’s Potter-related to keep us busy. The movies could have just been the end, but she wanted to bring it back to being about the books, which I think is admirable and wonderful. And I know that for the most part, the people who got into the beta already are enjoying themselves on their Pottermore journey, but I’m personally tired of all the complaining.
Just make your potions and be quiet, you squibs. 10 points from Slytherin.
So… funny story. About a month ago, I was asked to review an “official Supernatural novel by Christa Faust called Coyote’s Kiss”. I said “Sure! That sounds good!” I like sci-fi/paranormal stuff, so I’d probably enjoy this book.
Then the book arrived. And it’s an “official Supernatural novel”. Like, from the show Supernatural. A show that I have never seen. Welcome to a review on a book based on a show the reviewer has never seen.
First, the synopsis, according to the release: “When a truck full of illegal Mexican immigrants is found by the side of the road, the occupants slaughtered with violent and unnatural force, Sam and Dean are compelled to investigate. Guided by the tattooed, pistol-packing bandita on a motorcycle, Xochi Cazadora, the brothers are plunged into the terrifying world of Aztec gods and monsters. Soon their explorations lead them deep into the dark heart of Mexico City.”
Sounds good, yeah?
So, I gathered that Sam and Dean are the main characters of the show, and I referred to the picture on the cover often. Apparently this book takes place during season 6, in which Sam is soulless. There were a lot of mentions of going “to Hell and back” and I think some of them were metaphorical and some were literal.
I haven’t read a book based on a TV series before, and it was an interesting experience. Writing the book instead of a screenplay for an episode made sense in this situation, because the monsters sounded very cool, but would have probably blown through the season’s special effects budget. In addition, the book allowed the plot to take place over a longer period of time and include more details than an episode could.
The one weird thing to me about a book based on a series, is that it always felt a bit like fan fiction. I don’t know if Dean’s a major womanizer in the series, but holy cow, he was in the book. The entire book explored the sexual tension between him and every other woman, specifically the main (and usually half-naked) female character they introduced.
If you like Supernatural and are interested in Aztec legends, I’d recommend you pick up the book. If you’re not, I probably wouldn’t.
Supernatural: Coyote’s Kiss is available on Amazon for $7.99.
Do you watch Supernatural? Like books based on TV shows? Let me know in the comments!
By now you all know that The Hobbit is in production, and will be in theaters in 2012. But do you know the story of The Hobbit? The Brothers Grim and Grimy are here to help!
I had to read The Hobbit in elementary school. It was the first book I couldn’t finish. I’m sorry! I know! I’m an awful geek. Sci Fi > than Fantasy any day, in my opinion.
for $7.99.
