Coming Soon, to a Fine Arts Theater near you

"I am coming: wait for me ...
Where are you?"

The latest film adaptation of Jane Eyre

Directed by indie filmmaker Cary Fukunaga, featuring Mia Wasikowska as Jane; Dame Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax; Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester; Jamie Bell as St. John Rivers; and an almost unrecognizable Sally Hawkins as Mrs. Reed

I already like this so much better than some of the other cinematic adaptations of this novel (ie. the 2006 BBC miniseries version), so what does that tell you?

One slight problem? I recently read Jane Slayre (a genre mashup ala Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) and as I was watching, I kept waiting for the vampires and zombies to make their appearance. Whoops.

Austenfest -- Veritable raptures of delight

Thanks, in large part, to the dumbing-down of American television in recent years, made even worse by the ongoing writers strike, I've found it increasingly difficult to find quality television programming ... even with the numerous basic cable channels I get with my subscription. If it wasn't for Animal Planet, FoodNetwork, HGTV, SciFi, the various Discovery Channels, and a very few minor exceptions on what used to be my default channel, TLC, I would be at a loss. My personal library of books and VHS (yes, I'm a bit behind in the ol' digital formats!) are getting more of a work out in recent weeks. So, imagine my delight when PBS announced that it was presenting what they are calling, The Complete Jane Austen during Masterpiece Theatre. To kick it off, there were even two weeks of Bronte, with a new production of Jane Eyre (my favorite book in life), with Toby Stephens, the very handsome son of Dame Maggie Smith, recently of Harry Potter movie fame.

I am in sheer delight.

Veritable raptures of delight.

Thank you PBS. THANK YOU!

So, my dear friends and family, if you endeavor to contact me Sunday evenings, please note that I am unavailable during these viewing hours:

9-11, Sunday, Masterpiece Theatre
Persuasion, January 13, 2008
Northanger Abbey, January 20, 2008
Mansfield Park, January 27, 2008
Miss Austen Regrets, February 3, 2008
Pride and Prejudice, February 10, 17, + 24, 2008
Emma, March 23, 2008
Sense and Sensibility, March 30 + April 6, 2008