Archive: November 2010 (21-29 of 29)

Nov 10 2010 01:14 PM ET

Brittany Murphy's mom to write tell-all biography

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Filed under: Books, Movies and tagged: , , ,

Sharon-MurphyImage Credit: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.comThe mother of the late actress Brittany Murphy (Clueless, 8 Mile) is ready to set the record straight with a biography of her daughter, according to E! News. Sharon Murphy (far left) announced her plan for the book on Nov. 10 — the day that would have been Brittany’s 33rd birthday if the actress hadn’t passed away last December from a combination of pneumonia and prescription drugs. The tragedy prompted a swirl of speculation about Brittany’s lifestyle, rumors that Sharon Murphy hopes to stamp out once and for all. “This book will be my way of celebrating and honoring her extraordinary life and career,” said Murphy, who promised to give part of the book’s proceeds to charity. “I am looking forward to everyone reading the accurate account about my daughter, her life, loves and career.”

Sharon Murphy’s goal is nothing if not noble; certainly someone ought to step up to the defense of her daughter after her reputation was savaged in the media frenzy surrounding her death. But a book like this will also invite a new wave of scrutiny. Would Brittany’s memory be better served by letting her legacy live on through her work rather than in a biography? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Nov 10 2010 11:46 AM ET

Adam Lambert loves 'The Hunger Games': Could he play Cinna?

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Filed under: Books, Suzanne Collins and tagged:

adam-lambert_240.jpg Image Credit: Larry Marano/Getty ImagesAs reported by the Hunger Games Trilogy Fansite, Adam Lambert has tweeted his love of The Hunger Games: “Anyone have any great BOOK recommendations? The Hunger Games Trilogy was great!” Coincidentally, the Fansite had a poll over the summer which asked if fans would like to see Lambert play Katniss’ stylist Cinna. I always pictured Cinna a little bit older, wiser, and quietly freaky-looking. (Especially since Suzanne Collins explicitly notes that Cinna is a minimalist dresser. Glambert might be a better fit for, say, Flavius.)

Nov 10 2010 10:54 AM ET

Grove Atlantic to relaunch the Mysterious Press

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Filed under: Books, News and tagged:

Grove Atlantic has announced that they will be bringing back the Mysterious Press, a mystery-specific imprint that was originally launched in 1975. What’s more, Otto Penzler, the well-known editor of mysteries and thrillers, as well as the proprietor of New York City’s The Mysterious Bookshop, is on board to help the imprint publish 10 to 12 books a year in both hardcover and paperback. The plot thickens, or at least the mystery-publishing business does.

Nov 10 2010 09:00 AM ET

Temple Grandin writing a new book: EW exclusive

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Filed under: Books, News and tagged: ,

Temple-GrandinImage Credit: Vera Anderson/WireImage.comEW has learned that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has acquired a new book by animal scientist and best-selling author Temple Grandin, probably the best-known person with autism (portrayed so vividly by Claire Danes in the Emmy-winning HBO biopic). According to the publisher, The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum,  written with Richard Panek, will be  a “cutting-edge account of the latest science of autism and Grandin’s groundbreaking new theory of how the autistic brain works.” HMH editor-in-chief Andrea Schulz, who signed the book, told EW, “Like her books on animals, which are landmark contributions to the understanding of behavior, this new project–the book she was born to write–will do nothing less than revolutionize our thinking about autism at a time when it affects more people than ever. And she’ll do it in her inimitably down-to-earth voice, the one so many millions of people have fallen in love with.” HMH plans to publish in Fall 2012.

Nov 9 2010 11:55 AM ET

Beyonce will be getting her own comic book

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Filed under: Books, Music and tagged: ,

fame-beyonceIt’s a Burberry coat…It’s a private jet…It’s Beyoncé! The pop superstar will be getting the comic book treatment in Fame: Beyonce, a 32-page special issue comic that will hit racks in January. Part of it will be an origin story, but since it looks like the narrative will be sticking pretty close to the real-life facts, we probably won’t see the singer receive the power of super-choreography after being bitten by a radioactive Bob Fosse. According to the press release, the book will illustrate her “rise through the music business, from her early days with Destiny’s Child to her booming solo career.” The comic comes from Bluewater Productions, the same company that has already put out comics based on the lives of Sarah Palin, Taylor Swift, Michelle Obama and Lady Gaga.

Nov 5 2010 12:28 PM ET

'The Hunger Games': An open letter to director Gary Ross

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Filed under: Books, Suzanne Collins and tagged: ,

Hunger-Games-directorImage Credit: Lee Roth/RothStock/PR PhotosDear Gary Ross: According to Variety, you’re all-but-officially the director of the Hunger Games movie. Congratulations! You haven’t directed a movie in seven years — Seabiscuit, saw it– and now you’re at the center of the next big young-adult franchise. Hooray! Now, I hope you won’t mind, but I have one minor request: Please, please, please, please, don’t make The Hunger Games gritty. Don’t shoot the movie with handheld cameras. Don’t bleach all the color out of the film stock until everything looks like rusted Depression-era gunmetal. Don’t forget: Katniss Everdeen is not Jason Bourne.

Now, I’m no snob. Gritty can be cool. Heck, calling a movie “gritty” used to be a compliment. Saving Private Ryan, The Lord of the Rings, and The Bourne Identity all took sainted genres known for glossy excess — the war film, the fantasy epic, the espionage thriller — and smeared them in mud. Actors spoke every line in an angry whisper. The color scheme was monochromatic, mostly hovering between comatose-blue and industrial-gray. It was awesome…for awhile. But now, “gritty” is everywhere. We’ve seen the Gritty James Bond movie, the Gritty Superhero movie, the Gritty Twilight movie, the Gritty Terminator movie. We’ve seen Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, the single muddiest movie ever made. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 3 2010 12:31 PM ET

Is 'Harry Potter' bad news for owls in India?

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Filed under: Books, Harry Potter and tagged: ,

hedwigImage Credit: Everett CollectionAccording to a BBC report, Harry Potter might be partly responsible for India’s endangered owl population. Quick clarification: Nobody’s accusing the boy wizard of zipping around South Asia on a broomstick, smiting birds with his wand… yet. But according to a respected wildlife trade watchdog group, Harry’s pet owl Hedwig has turned the birds into a popular pet for Indian children, leading to a spike in illegal capture and sales of the animals.

This is hardly the first time Harry’s had a finger wagged at him: J.K. Rowling’s books have been accused of inspiring everything from tension headaches to teenage drinking. And to be fair, Indian officials aren’t so much blaming Potter as they are pointing out a link between the books and the rising fad of owl pets in their country. But what’s a wizard to do in a situation like this? Release a magical PSA in which a concerned-looking Hedwig (no makeup, feathers down, very non-profit chic) calls for an end to owl capture? Send flocks of Hogwarts-educated owls to repopulate the Indian forests? If anyone has any better ideas, please leave them in the comments. And in the meantime, head over to the Traffic website to find out what you can do to help end illegal animal trading.

Nov 1 2010 02:44 PM ET

'The Hunger Games': Jodelle Ferland dresses as Katniss for Halloween

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Filed under: Books, Katniss Everdeen, Suzanne Collins and tagged: , ,

jodellemicah/Twitpic.com

Jodelle Ferland had a tiny part in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse as Bree Tanner, but for her Halloween costume, she set her sights on a lead role. The actress tweeted a few images of herself dressed up as Katniss Everdeen, complete with a Mockingjay pin, a bow and arrow, and the District 12 tribute’s iconic braid. Was this a stealth audition for the upcoming movie? Ferland insisted that she’s just a Games fanatic, tweeting, “I thought Katniss would be a really fun costume. Don’t take it so seriously…I’m not trying to say, ‘Hey, look at me. I should be Katniss.’ It’s not a competition.”

True, it’s not a competition. But with rumors circulating about other actresses receiving the Hunger Games script, this is an intriguing new development. I was operating under the mistaken impression that Ferland was roughly 10 years old, but she’s actually 16…the same age as Katniss in the first book. What do you think, Shelf Lifers? Should Ferland’s name be thrown into the running for Katniss? Or do you think she looks too young for the part? Shouldn’t she at least get points for dressing as Katniss two years before everybody else does?

Nov 1 2010 12:24 PM ET

Dutch novelist Harry Mulisch has died

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Filed under: Books and tagged: ,

Harry-MulischImage Credit: Robin Utrecht/EPA/CorbisHarry Mulisch, the Dutch postwar novelist, passed away on Saturday at his home in Amsterdam. A survivor of WWII who narrowly avoided the concentration camps — his mother was Jewish, but his father secured their safety by collaborating with the Nazis — the war played a major thematic role in his work, including his two best known novels, The Assault and The Discovery of Heaven. Both were adapted into films, the former winning the 1986 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Mulisch was 83.

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