Trashionista

TELEVISION NEWS: May Contain Nuts

John O'Farrell's satirical novel, May Contain Nuts, has been adapted for ITV. It focuses on Alice, an over protective parent of the extreme variety, who wants only the best for her children. She is worried about their diet (are they eating too much gluten?) and the cars on the road but most of all she is worried that her eldest is going to fail the entrance exam to the exclusive school where every parent's hopes are pinned. So, she decides to take the exam in her daughter's place...

This two parter stars the wonderful Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and Jude in Bridget Jones) and will be shown in the UK in June.

Related posts: Television News | Marina Lewycka on funny women writers (it's related, honest!)

TELEVISION NEWS: Dollhouse

Okay, so this isn't chick lit, but it is Joss Whedon - one of our favourite screenwriters and creator of the kick ass heroine Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Whedon is currently shooting a new series titled Dollhouse. In it, 'dolls' are people who have had their personalities wiped clean so that they can be imprinted with new ones for special assigments. The dolls are hired out for jobs, crimes, fantasies and occasional good deeds. Creepy, no?

Creepier still,  in between tasks they are mind-wiped into a child-like state and kept in a hidden facility known as 'the dollhouse'. The story follows a young female doll called Echo who begins, in her mind-wiped state, to become self-aware.

Echo is played by Eliza Dushku - Faith from Buffy for those who aren't as Whedon-obsessed as I am - and Angel actress Amy Acker (Fred) will also feature.

Related posts: Reading Buffy | Chick lit authors' favourite TV shows | Reading Angel

Bad Mother's Handbook casting news

ITV adapted Kate Long's Bad Mother's Handbook last year, but it's also being made into a pilot for a TV series by ABC in the US.

Alicia Silverstone has been cast as the mother (who has a sixteen-year-old daughter). She seems kind of young for the role to me; what do you think?

[Via TV Squad]

Related posts: Author interview: Kate Long | Top 10 chick lit film adaptations

Jennifer Weiner's TV deal

Author Jennifer Weiner has signed a two year deal with ABC Studios.

Under the deal - which is worth "seven figures" - she will create and executive produce series projects for the studio.

"Jennifer's work is loved by legions of fans," ABC Studios president Mark Pedowitz said. "Millions have read her books, seen the film and will soon have another source to enjoy her humor and heart on television."

[via The Hollywood Reporter]

Related posts: Jennifer Weiner interview | Cecelia Ahern's television show

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Buffy v Wonder Woman

In the last grudge match, we had a battle of the side-kicks and Lula won out. Well, she's pretty handy with a Taser... This week, we turn to comic books for two female super-heroines; Buffy (the vampire slayer) and Wonder Woman.

Buffy

The comic books: Buffy (created by Joss Whedon) was originally a terrible film and then a wonderful, seminal TV series and, finally, a comic book. The books continue where season seven of the TV series finished, with young women around the world waking up to Slayer strength.

Likes: Shoes, shopping, her friends (the Scoobies) and pointy sticks.

Dislikes: Bumpy foreheads, The Master, math.

Loves: Angel (yum!), Spike (bad boy yum!) and Giles (in a totally platonic Watcher-Slayer kind of a way).

Preferred Method of Kicking-Ass: Kick-boxing, karate, slayer-strength, amazing jumps and, of course, the sharp pointy stick.

Wonder Woman

The Comic Books: Created by William Moulton Marston and first published in All Star Comics in 1941, Wonder Woman is looking pretty damn good for her age. In 1975, Wonder Woman got a TV series starring Lynda Carter and in 2006 the comic book incarnation got a relaunch with some of the stories written by Jodi Picoult.   

Likes: Animals, Greek mythology (Wonder Woman was often described as "beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, swifter than Hermes, and stronger than Hercules" and her friend Etta Candy.

Dislikes: Bad guys. Wonder Woman has had a fair few enemies over the years, including Doctor Poison, Doctor Psycho, and the Duke of Deception.

Loves: Steve Trevor, her crime-fighting partner.

Preferred Method of Kicking-Ass: Well, she has super-human strength and throws some painful-looking 'kapow' punches and flying kicks, but Wonder Woman has another trick up her sleeve... The Lasso of Truth. Oh yes.

Conclusion: It's a very tough call. Both Buffy and Wonder Women are strong women with more ass-kicking power in their little pinkies than the rest of us put together.

Wonder Woman has been around a long time and been credited with too many powers and weapons to list. However, Buffy is a resourceful fighter and tough-as-nails; as well as saving the world several times, she has died twice. Will Wonder Woman's show-stopping costume tip the scales in her favour? You decide...

TELEVISION NEWS: The New Famous Five

I admit I was kind of horrified when I saw this picture of Disney's new, updated Famous, um, 5 series, but I know that I have to accept that things move on and classics have to keep up with the times in order to find a new audience.

Don't worry, though, pictured aren't the characters you grew up loving, no - Jo, Max, Allie and Dylan are the children of Enid Blyton’s original characters and together with their pet dog Timmy embark on a new series of adventures. The new series starts in May.

What do you think? A relevant update or Blyton blasphemy?

Related posts: Thursday Trailblazer - Enid Blyton | Helen's Heroines - George Kirrin | Best children's book of all time

TELEVISION NEWS: No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Do you remember we told you about Alexander McCall Smith's No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series being turned into a film?

Well, we were right about it being directed by Anthony Mingella and about jazz singer Jill Scott playing Mma Ramotswe, but the film failed to materialise at Christmas (sorry, but Trashi does not rule the world... I admit, it would be so much better if it did.)

Instead, the adaptation is now going to be followed by a thirteen-part-TV-series, with the film-length pilot to be broadcast this Easter. According to the BBC, anyway...

Related posts: Blue Shoes and Happiness review | The Good Husband of Zebra Drive review

TELEVISION NEWS: Tess Gerritsen

A couple of weeks ago, Helen raved about Tess Gerritsen's character Jane Rizzoli and now she's tipped me off that TNT Entertainment have just announced that they are planning to make a TV series out of the Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles series of books. [via Tess Gerritsen's blog]

Any casting suggestions? Helen? Anyone?

Television news archives

TELEVISION NEWS: The Tenth Circle

Wow, Jodi Picoult's work is certainly adaptation-friendly. In addition to a TV movie of Plain Truth and the Hollywood version of My Sister's Keeper, Lifetime has made a movie of The Tenth Circle.

It stars Kelly Preston, Ron Eldard and Brittany Robertson and it airs on television in June this year. Jodi has put a couple of photos from the set here.

Related posts: Author Interview: Jodi Picoult | Jodi Picoult spotlight

TELEVISION NEWS: Octavia

We picked Jilly Cooper as one of our Top 10 chick lit precursors on the basis of her "name" books and now I hear that one of those very books - Octavia - is being brought to life on ITV.

Tamsin Egerton is Octavia. Richard Coyle (who* I love) is Gareth. And Patrick Baladi (who* everyone loves, don't they?) is in it too. [via Phillipa Ashley]

*I think these "whos" should probably be "whoms", but I write the way I talk (mostly) and I would never say "whom"...

Related posts: Wicked! by Jilly Cooper review | Wish You Were Here by Phillipa Ashley review

Writers go back to work

Yay! An agreement has been reached and the 100-day Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike is officially over. A back-to-work order was approved by 92.5% of the WGA members.

The Oscars ceremony can now go ahead as planned, TV shows such as House and CSI will be back in production, and, most importantly, writers get a fairer payment deal for their work.

[Via Variety]

Related posts: Latest WGA strike news | Golden Globes ceremony cancelled

TV & MOVIE NEWS: I Was a Teenage Popsicle

Bev Katz Rosenbaum has announced that her young adult book,  I Was a Teenage Popsicle, has been optioned for film and TV. (The plan is to produce it as a film then spin it into a series.)

For any writers reading (and I know there are lots of you), this came about as the result of Bev sending a copy of her book to the production company after watching one of their shows and realizing the tone was similar to her book!

Bev's advice is to take note of which shows and indie movies are similar to your books and send the producers (you can almost always find the production companies' websites on the net) a copy of your book along with any endorsements/reviews (good ones would probably be best...).

Great advice and good luck, Bev!

Related posts: Heather Wells series optioned for TV | Angus, Thongs & Full-Frontal Snogging trailer!

Latest WGA strike news

Vanity Fair has cancelled its famous after-show Oscars party in support of the Writers Guild of America strike.

This latest blow comes just as hopes are raised for an agreement between the WGA and the Hollywood film studios. The word on the net is that a deal is taking shape to end the three-month-long strike and that meetings are being set up for this Saturday.

[Via Reuters]

Related posts:  Golden Globes ceremony cancelled | Writers and producers resume talks

Heather Wells series optioned for TV

It's official, Meg Cabot really is taking over the world... And hurrah for that! Her Heather Wells series (Size 12 Is Not Fat,  Size  14  Is Not Fat Either and Size Doesn't Matter*) has been optioned by ABC Family for a TV series.

Heather Wells is an ex-teen-pop-star and amateur sleuth and, like most of Meg's fabby ideas, I think it will translate well to the screen...

* Titled Big Boned in the US

Related posts: Little Women interpreted by Meg Cabot | Meg Cabot's new Scholastic series

MORE ON MONDAY: The Psychology of Joss Whedon: An Unauthorized Exploration of "Buffy', "Angel" and "Firefly"

Joss Whedon is the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it's spin-off series Angel, Firefly (another series, which sadly only ran for one season) and Serenity (a film inspired by Firefly).

There has been lots of study - both light-hearted and academic - of Whedon's worlds and the amazing characters that inhabit them.

This latest collection of critical essays delves into the psychology of Joss himself, as well taking an analytical look at his creations.

Written by a variety of authors - all of whom have strings of letters after their names -  and with frequent reference to psychological theories and methods, this book had the potential to be very hard-going indeed.

Luckily, it's very readable, and the essays are well-researched and cogent. They cover topics such as neuroscience in Firefly and Angel's relationship with his mother. My personal favourites are the essays that refer to feminism in both Buffy and Whedon's own personality (Joss often refers to himself as a 'radical feminist', just another reason he is one of my personal heroes).

A couple of words of warning, however; this book is definitely not at the 'light' end of the fan-essay-market. Although by no means impenetrable, you really do need to have an interest in psychology as well as in Whedon and his works.

Also, the essays refer widely to the episodes of Buffy, Angel and Firefly, so there are plenty of spoilers.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try: Serenity Found

Adopt A Writer

No. Not literally. Supporters of the Writers Guild of America strike have come up with a genius idea. They have pulled together writers who blog to create the Adopt A Writer website. Featuring working writers, it aims to give an insight into writer's lives, finances and experiences of the strike.

Writing is such a misunderstood profession. People either picture the super-rich and successful or someone living penniless in a garret. Hopefully, Adopt A Writer will give a more balanced, infomed view, as well as rallying support for the strike.

Related posts: More WGA strike news | Golden Globes ceremony cancelled

TELEVISION NEWS: Murder Most Famous UPDATED!

A new BBC Two reality show will see six celebrities learning about murder (from police and pathologists) before writing a crime novel with the help of author, Minette Walters. The winner's novel will then be published.

I must admit I read this yesterday and today thought I'd dreamed it since it seems so random, but it's apparently true and will be broadcast in March.

Only one celeb has been named so far and that's my guilty crush, Strictly Come Dancing's Brendan Cole, so I'll be watching...

UPDATE! Lovely Jill Mansell has advised that the other contestants have been named as Sherrie Hewson, Angela Griffin, Kelvin MacKenzie, Matt Allwright and Diarmuid Gavin. So that's nice, isn't it?

 

Related posts: Crime archives | Television archives

Richard & Judy's 2008 Book Club

Being featured on Richard & Judy's book club is a guaranteed sales-boost for the author, and the ten lucky writers for 2008 have been announced.

The list includes the already-bestselling writer Khaled Hosseini with his (admittedly wonderful) A Thousand Splendid Suns and Master Pip by Lloyd Jones, which won the Commonwealth Writers' book of the year award.

Continue over the cut for the full list.

Blood River  by Tim Butcher
A Quiet Belief In Angels by RJ Ellory
Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
Notes From An Exhibition by Patrick Gale
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
The Rose of Sebastopol by Katharine McMahon
Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann
Visible World by Mark Slouka

The first instalment of 2008's Book Club will be shown on January 9.

[Via Guardian]

Related posts: Richard & Judy book club to continue | Richard & Judy book club 2007

TELEVISION NEWS: Gods Behaving Badly

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips has been optioned by Ben Stiller. Apparently, he's keen to develop it as a television comedy.

I am not at all surprised: The book features Greek Gods living in modern-day London, which gives plenty of scope for a series (as well as being an utterly fabulous idea). We will keep you posted...

[Via Yahoo]

Related posts: Pushing Daisies | Chick Lit authors' favourite TV | Screenwriters on strike

TELEVISION NEWS: Books on TV over Christmas

The (British) TV schedules are crammed with book adaptations this Christmas. Here are those I think will be of most interest to Trashionista readers...

Vanity Fair - Sunday, 23rd December, ITV1, 9pm

The film version starring Reese Witherspoon. I couldn't make it through the book and I love Reese, so I might well give this a go.

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield - Boxing Day (26th), BBC One, 8.30pm

I haven't read the book (I know, can you believe it?!) (and it's Helen's favourite), but I'll definitely be watching this version, which stars Harry Potter's Emma Watson, along with Emilia Fox and Victoria Wood.

Shadow In the North by Phillip Pullman - Sunday 30th December, BBC One, 8.55pm

Billie Piper reprises her role from Ruby In the Smoke.

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen - New Year's Day, BBC One, 9.10pm

Yes, another Austen adaptation, but this one is by Andrew Davies who created probably the most popular Austen adaptation of all time, the Colin Firth Pride & Prejudice, so it'll be well worth a look.

And if that's not enough for you, there's also a documentary on a year in the life of JK Rowling on ITV1 at 7pm on Sunday 30th December.

For more TV news and reviews, check out our fabulous sister site, TV Scoop.

Authors on Coronation Street

No, not actually appearing, writing about it.

Our sister site, Corrieblog, is now edited by Sue Haasler, author of Time After Time, True Colours and more and the latest Coronation Street fan of the week is author Christina Jones (pictured), revealing why she'd like to see Norris in a pole-dancing club... (the mind boggles).

Related posts: Tickled Pink by Christina Jones | By Jack Rosenthal by Jack Rosenthal (former Coronation Street scriptwriter - I'm on linking fire today!) | Chick lit authors' favourite TV shows

INTERVIEW: Jane Espenson (interviewed by Shanna Swendson)

A doubly exciting author interview this week since we've not only writer and producer of shows such as Buffy and Gilmore Girls, Jane Espenson (right) answering questions, the questions were set by one of our favourite authors, Shanna Swendson (left).

Jane recently edited the essay collection, Serenity Found - about Joss Whedon's TV series Firefly - so some of Shanna's questions relate to the show, but even if, like me, you've never seen the show, there's plenty here to enjoy.

A lot of your TV writing career has involved science fiction and fantasy (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica), but you're also a big fan of Jane Austen (and contributor to Flirting with Pride and Prejudice) -- that seems like a complete opposite, but do you see any similarities or parallels between those vastly different genres?

Parallels! First off, is life in Jane Austen's England any less exotic and strange than life on Galactica or Serenity? But the real parallel is a set of characters who seem completely fresh and real and identifiable no matter how alien the world they're inhabiting.

You know what current show I also see as having this quality? Friday Night Lights. It's a gorgeous show that consistently reminds me of Battlestar Galactica and Firefly -- it creates/reflects a real world filled with lots of real and complex characters with consistent but constantly-changing relationships, shot as if the camera just happened to be catching slices of real lives... the fact that FNL is set in small-town Texas instead of on a spaceship doesn't matter one bit to me. Both worlds are a little bit strange to me -- what does it matter that one requires artificial gravity and other artificial turf?

What do you think Firefly fans will get out of reading this essay collection?

They will not just be educated and entertained, but also delighted and outraged!  Actually, I think they'll get a couple different things. Several of the essays, including the fine ones by Nathan Fillion and Loni Peristere, give an insider's look at the show, that I think fans will find fascinating. Others, like Orson Scott Card's outstanding contribution, discuss the show's place in the history of this kind of production/literature. I found that particularly interesting. Still others analyze the show from a wide variety of social and political points of view that highlight how much viewers can draw from this show to support or challenge their own opinions.

I think everyone is going to come away from the collection with a different favorite essay, and probably a different disfavorite too. (I know, but it COULD be a word.) It's not just a paean to the show -- it actually adds to the experience of watching. At least I hope so. Read it, watch, and then let me know.

Do any of these essays change your perception of the series in any way?

I was fascinated to read about the history of the SciFi-Western as discussed in the essay by Bruce Bethke. I had no idea this had been a pre-existing model and CERTAINLY no idea that it had been a disrespected one and why. I was riveted by this. I also adore the essays by Natalie Hayes and Maggie Burns, both of which shed intelligent light on Joss's treatment of female characters. But the two that most literally changed how I watch the show are probably those by Loni and Nathan -- it's the inside knowledge that these two bring that actually pulls me INSIDE the scenes.

Why do you think this series has had such enduring popularity, in spite of being cancelled midway through its first season?

I'm starting to think that it's as much "because of" as it is "in spite of." There's something about a life tragically cut short that stokes fascination because of the sense of what might have been. "Firefly" is James Dean, you know? But that's only a small factor. I think the show, with its crystal-clear vision, simply gave people something they were hungry for: a show with a point of view, with something to say, and very human characters to say it.  Audiences now are enjoying shows with moral complexity, and "Firefly" had that. The wonderful thing about flawed and complex characters is that you never feel like you've fully gotten to know them, so you keep wanting more. And there you are, around at that James Dean thing again.

What more "girly" stuff (books, TV, movies) would you recommend for the Austen side of the brain?

I think it's all the same side of the brain, but I have to recommend Margaret Atwood's classic "The Handmaid's Tale" and Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let You Go," both books that take a scifi-ish premise and then install strong female (Austeny, if you will) characters that project utter reality.

What are you reading now (or most recently)?

Roots -- "reading" it in the unabridged audio book form, with Avery Brooks from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine doing the reading. It's wonderful and long... fills weeks of commuting time and makes me sorry to leave the car! I'm also reading (actually reading this time), Stephen Colbert's book, "I Am America (And So Can You)". Hilarious -- the marginalia stuff is just the kind of thing that most amuses me.

Your Flirting with Pride and Prejudice essay was a follow-up to Pride and Prejudice. Have you found yourself coming up with additional story ideas for the TV series you've worked on after you've left the staff or the series has been cancelled? Do those characters keep living in your head, or do you have to move on for the sake of your own sanity?

I generally move onto a new show right away, and I always think the characters have gone away, but I have to say that at least once a week I'll think of some little joke or funny observation that references pop culture and I'll think to myself, "Ooh, maybe I could work that into my next script -- Anya or Willow could--" And then I'll remember that there's no way to joke a pop culture joke into Battlestar.

If you were going to suggest a topic for another pop culture book, what topic would you choose?

Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert and their fake news empire. I'd love to read more about the backstage workings of putting together those shows, and more about their impact, too. I'm baffled by the way they put those shows together four nights a week. Genius!

Is there an essay you're dying to write about some aspect of pop culture?

I want to write a book about how to write for television, but that's not really the same thing. An essay about pop culture? Well, I'm very interested in the evolution of joke styles in broadcast comedy -- from radio to classic television to today. Not just the topics of the jokes, but the way the information is presented in the joke.  I think there's an interesting analysis to be done there.

Thanks, Jane and Shanna for a fascinating interview!

Pushing Daisies

Pushing Daisies is a romantic black comedy with a fantastic premise. It features Ned, a man with a gift; his touch brings the dead back to life. Problem is, his next touch kills them again... Permanently.

PI Emerson Cod convinces Ned to help him by bringing murder victims back to life - briefly - so that they can name their killers.

It's airing on ABC in the US at the moment and since I don't live there - and it isn't on DVD, yet - I haven't seen it. I am, however, going to go right out on a limb and recommend you look out for it.

Why? Because Jennifer Crusie loves it and that, for me, is enough.

(FYI: Things I have watched and loved on Crusie's say-so: Buffy, Angel, Firefly, 10 Things I Hate About You.)

So. There you have it.

Related posts: Chick Lit author's favourite TV | Reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer

BOOK REVIEW: Coffee At Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest, edited by Jennifer Crusie

I have mixed feelings about this book since I wanted to have an essay in it and they turned me down - Me! Don't they know who I am? Ahem - but, at the same time, American TV show Gilmore Girls is one of my total obsessions. In fact, I'm watching it in the corner of my screen as I'm writing this ("The Festival of Living Art" from season 4, in case you're interested).

Plus the book is edited by Jennifer Crusie and we do love Ms Crusie here at Trashionista. Like other SmartPop books including This Is Chick Lit, Flirting With Pride & Prejudice and Perfectly Plum (which I do feature in - yay me!), Coffee At Luke's is a collection of essays about Gilmore Girls by a wide range of writers and pop culture experts.

Subjects range from personal relationships (including looks at fabulous secondary characters Kirk and Paris), to parenting (with a spirited defence of Emily Gilmore), to the wonder of Stars Hollow and Gilmore fixations food, books and sex. The last section is on Gilmore Girls and the real world and that, for me, was the least successful. I don't know if I'd just had enough GG at that point (doubtful) or whether I'm just not interested in how the show relates to the real world since I'd rather pretend it's all true.

My favourite essays were Television Without Pity writer Sara Morrison's analysis of how Stars Hollow businesses would fare in the real world. It doesn't sound particularly thrilling, but it's both interesting and really good fun. I was also totally blown away by Gregory Stevenson's Dining With the Gilmores, a jaw-dropping exploration of food as metaphor in the show. I never noticed it before reading this essay, but it makes perfect sense and served to underscore the complete brilliance of Amy Sherman-Palladino's writing.

Clearly only for fans of the show - despite the glossary (Coffee At Luke-isms) at the back, if you hadn't seen Gilmore Girls you would be flummoxed by most of these essays - Coffee At Luke's is interesting, entertaining and made me both want to watch certain episodes again and made me lament the show's cancellation.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Serenity Found edited by Jane Espenson

Writers and producers resume talks

Although the WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike continues, there is hope this week that an agreement will be reached.

Yesterday, for the first time since the strike began over three weeks ago, writers and producers resumed talks. They met again today,  but thanks to a media blackout, neither side gave any comment.

[Via Variety]

Related post: Screenwriters on strike

TV NEWS: How to Kill Your Husband

Kathy Lette's novel (no, it's not an instruction manual) How to Kill Your Husband (and Other Handy Household Hints), has been optioned by Andy Harries, producer of The Queen. Apparently it's going to be a series for ITV.

"I am driving around town with a casting couch strapped to my roof rack," Kathy Lette told The Guardian's Browser column, "Would you like a lie-down part?"

I've only read one of Kathy Lette's books (and I didn't love it), but she's certainly an entertaining character.

Related posts: Sarah Waters TV news | Cecelia Ahern's Samantha Who? | Lipstick Jungle coming to Living

Marian Keyes on It Takes Two (2007)

Remember how I moaned about missing Marian Keyes on Strictly Come Dancing's sister show, It Takes Two? Well I forgot about YouTube! Hurrah! Those of you who get Marian's wonderful newsletter and have been wondering about her haircut (which she said was a "disaster"), you won't be surprised to find ... it's lovely.

Related: Marian on Strictly It Takes Two (2006)!

Book News: Richard & Judy Book Club to continue

Recently, Richard and Judy announced that their Channel Four teatime chat show would end next year.

If you just felt a slight breeze upon your cheek, that was the collective sigh of relief from the book trade on the news that R&J intend to carry on with their hugely successful book club.

Also, Cactus TV, the producers of Richard & Judy, have stepped forward to say that not only will the book club continue "in some form", but that they are keen to work with the publishing industry on new book-related TV programmes. That's good, then.

[Via PublishingNews]

Related posts: Richard & Judy bookclub 2007 | Richard & Judy Christmas Book Party

TV News: Sarah Waters

I loved the BBC adaptation of Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet, completely missed Fingersmith (my favourite of her books - how did I miss that?!) and now I hear that Affinity and The Night Watch will both be on TV next year.

Scheduled to be shown on ITV in April 2008, Affinity's screenplay is by Andrew Davies (Pride & Prejudice ... and loads more) and the cast includes Anna Massey and Julia McKenzie.

BBC2 are adapting Sarah's latest book, The Night Watch, for screening in March.

Related posts: Booker Prize shortlist predictions proved wrong (again) | Best women authors of all time

Screenwriters on strike!

Meg Cabot and Neil Gaiman are among those who have laid down their pens this week for the Writers Guild of America strike.

The action only affects screenwriting and concerns the residual payment made to writers for internet distribution and the sale of DVDs. Knowing how much money the television and film industry makes and how little most writers get paid, I can't see a problem. Can you?

FYI, the last time Hollywood writers went on strike was in 1988. It lasted for 22 weeks and cost the industry $500 million.

[Via AOL]

Related post: A little bit of politics

Marian Keyes on It Takes Two

It's a source of great happiness to me that each year I get to enjoy two of my favourite things - Marian Keyes and Strictly Come Dancing at the same time. This year, Marian is appearing on Strictly's sister show, It Takes Two (presented by the marvellous Claudia Winkleman), on Thursday 8th November (i.e. this Thursday).

Of course, I won't get to see it because I'll be on a plane, but I hope you all enjoy it (no, I'm not bitter).

Related posts: Marian Keyes news - she's on Strictly and on film! | Marian Keyes interview

TV News: A Room With A View

Yep, it's another classic novel plundered for our televisional delight. Just how many period dramas does it take to fill a television schedule, anyway? It's a good thing there are a lot of classics... Which begs another question; why choose a book that has already been made into a successful Merchant Ivory film?

Anyhoo. This two-hour ITV adaptation of E.M. Forster's comedy-of-manners stars Elaine Cassidy, Sophie Thomson and Timothy Spall and is on Sunday night at 9pm.

So, what do you think? Another adaptation can only be a good thing? Or not so much...

Related posts: Adaptation: tricky, but worth it? | Friday Flick: Pride and Prejudice

Is anyone watching Samantha Who?

I've seen the first two episodes and I really like it, mainly because Christina Applegate is so engaging.

I'm not a huge fan of Cecelia Ahern's novels, but I'm on board with the screenwriting (which I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear!). She's good!

Related posts: Cecelia Ahern's television show | Where Rainbows End | P.S. I Love You

TV NEWS: Cecelia Ahern's Samantha Who? trailer

Thanks to fab new Australian chick lit website, Chicklit Club, I've learned that Cecelia Ahern's TV show, Samantha Who?, is to debut on US TV this month. Yes, they've changed the name *again* - it's previously been known as Samantha Be Good and Sam I Am.

It stars Christina Applegate as a psychiatrist who suffers from amnesia and is forced to find out who she really is, but I'm most excited about the fact that it also stars Melissa McCarthy, Sookie from Gilmore Girls!

Lipstick Jungle coming to Living

Lipstick Jungle, the TV series based on Candace Bushnell's book of the same name, is coming to Living in the UK. Here's the trailer. What do you think?

[via TV Scoop]

TV NEWS: Secret Diary of a Call Girl

You've probably already seen this is the papers (which are obsessed with Billie Piper), but just in case you haven't ...

Belle de Jour: The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl is an eight-part series (based on the book) will be shown (in the UK) on ITV2 from 27 September.

Learn more at our square-eyed sister site, TV Scoop.

Related posts: ITV's Jane Austen season | Celebrity memoir mania

TV NEWS: Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series

Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under, will produce the vampire series True Blood, based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire novel series.

The pilot was shot earlier this summer with Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse, along with Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Stephen Moyer and Brook Kerr (whoever they are).

"Charlaine has created such a rich environment that's very funny and at the same time very scary," Ball told Daily Variety after first selling the project in 2005. "I bought the book on impulse, and I just couldn't put it down." [via Romantic Times and Variety]

Related posts: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris | Television archives

PREVIEW REVIEW: Laid Bare by Gail Porter

Out tomorrow, this book just manages to squeeze in as a Preview Review... (and yes, I am leaving, I just have a few loose ends to tie up first!)

Most people (in the UK at least) know Gail Porter. Or know of her, anyway. Short, bouncy, blonde Scottish TV presenter who married a rock star, had his baby, went through a bitter divorce and lost all her hair from the stress. After all that (not to mention an overdose that nearly killed her, years of self-harm, anorexia and undiagnosed bipolar disease and a difficult relationship with her dad) it was probably inevitable that Gail write a book about her experiences. Laid Bare is that book, and there's the inevitable reference to hair loss in the title, although it could have been a lot worse...

I was fairly interested to read this but really hoping that it wouldn't be a self-indulgent wallow. Because, to be honest, if I'd been through a lot of this stuff, it probably would have been!

Luckily, Gail is a charming and charismatic narrator as she tells the story of her first fascination with the entertainment business (an obsession with the first Star Wars film) right up to... well, I won't give it away, but the book ends on a poignant note.

She writes about her days at school (she was a super-swot, who became a black belt at Karate - and so was never really picked on!) and college (in Watford, which she didn't find very exciting...) and her early jobs in TV, including a lot of time as a runner/general dogsbody. What comes across is a strong work ethic, a lot of determination and the ability to bounce back from any rejection. I was impressed. After getting to know TV production inside and out, Gail realised that her dream job was to be in front of the camera, so she made a show reel dressed as Wonder Woman (of course) and started auditioning. Soon (after a few ups and downs along the way) she was presenting Scottish kids' TV, then national kids' TV in London, then iconic programmes like Top of the Pops, where she met her husband, Dan Hipgrave of (former) band Toploader.

When she writes about her relationship with Dan, it's clear that their marriage was a whirlwind mistake, and that there's no love lost between them! She is however, grateful to him for their daughter Honey (although her post-birth pain, which lasted for months, made me seriously wince). It seems that Gail has never done things the easy way, even when she sometimes could have done. She seems to have barreled her way through life without thinking too much about her actions. When she's diagnosed with bipolar and a thyroid problem, and admits to her anorexia and self-harm, it comes as almost as much of a relief to the reader as it must have to Gail herself. However, contrary to my fears, she doesn't wallow. In fact, she sometimes could do with wallowing a bit more, and with asking for help - as it doesn't come across that she's fully dealt with her problems and I was a bit disappointed with that although maybe that's more about my own control freakery than the book itself! It's also a shame that the book ends on the aforementioned poignant note, but it is also a sweet ending, and a realistic one.

I can't see any mention of a ghostwriter anywhere, so am choosing to believe Gail wrote this herself. In which case, she has talent as a writer, as the reader definitely becomes involved in her experiences. I found this a quick read, but not a dumb one, and I learned a thing or two about someone who's been in the news a lot.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn. 

TV News: Famous Five

I was never a big Famous Five fan - I was always more of a Secret Seven girl - but I was still intrigued to hear that plans are afoot for a new television series, described as a "reimagining" of the original books.

Julian, Dick, Anne, George - with a descendant of the original Timmy the dog - will be drawn together 30 years after their original exploits to solve "contemporary mysteries". [via BBC]

It's one of those ideas that could be brilliant or could be awful (or possibly even brilliantly awful). No dates yet so we'll just have to wait and see.

Related posts: Thursday Trailblazer Enid Blyton | Inspired by Nancy Drew |  Five books

TRASHIONISTA RECOMMENDS: Some lad-lit blogs

How could I not know that Nick Hornby had a blog? Perhaps because it's fairly new - that's my excuse anyway... If you're as in the dark as I was, read it for yourself here. He hasn't updated in a little while, but the rest of his website is a worthwhile browse, and hopefully he'll blog more soon...

Non-fic lad lit fave Dave Gorman, on the other hand, has been updating like billy-o (as my mum would say). Read his blog here, and find out all about what he's been up to, the music on Homes Under The Hammer and the deterioration in quality of a well-known chocolate egg. It's good stuff.

Finally, sometime Gorman collaborator Danny Wallace has a website, where he doesn't blog, but does post occasional news and... 'titbits' might be the right word. There's also the chance to download some video podcasts of the author/TV presenter/head of the Karma Army...

Related posts: Top 10 lad lit | From book to blog. 

TV NEWS: Gossip Girl

Last August we brought you news that Cecily Von Ziegesar's controversial teen series Gossip Girl was to be made into a TV series by OC creator Josh Schwartz.

Now we have some more information for you and (over the cut) a video clip!

The series centres around a group of spoilt rich girls at an exclusive Manhattan boarding school, whose antics are immortalised by an anonymous blogger, Gossip Girl. As Catwalk Queen editor Kim says, "The words 'guilty pleasure' spring to mind..."

Look out for the show in the US from 17 September on the CW. And in the UK... hopefully soon!

Carry on over the cut for a sneak preview... (and if you recognise that narrator's voice, that's cos it's Kristen Bell, aka: Veronica Mars!)

[Via Catwalk Queen].

MOVIE NEWS: The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

I know I keep saying this, but I love the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series, and I'm really looking forward to the movie.

It's being directed by Anthony Minghella (who directed The English Patient and The Talented Mr Ripley) and stars jazz singer Jill Scott as Mma Ramotswe.

Scott is pictured with the author Alexander McCall Smith who has written an excellent piece about the experience of seeing his book brought to life in the Daily Mail.

The film will be shown on BBC1 this Christmas.

BOOK NEWS: Julian Clary's Murder Most Fab

Following the success of his double entendre-stuffed memoir, A Young Man's Passage, Julian Clary is the latest celeb to bring out a novel - Murder Most Fab has a Janet Evanovich-esque cover and according to Janet Street Porter in Marie Claire is, "A very funny novel that charts the progress of a gorgeous boy from drama school, through to working as a rent boy and telly stardom. En route there are several murders, loads of drugs and masses of sex..."

It's out today.

[Via Woman magazine and Amazon.co.uk]

Related: BOOK REVIEW - How I Paid For College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theatre by Marc Acito.

More Shiny employees catch the book bug

We Trashionistas are not the only book-obsessed Shiny Media employees, you know - oh no.

John of Shiny TV site TV Scoop was even on BBC Four book programme The Book Quiz last night, talking intelligently about literary thriller Perfume as part of one of the programme's featured book groups. Unfortunately, watching it back didn't make for a fun experience, as he reports...

In happier news, Alex of Shiny Shiny is writing a new column for our sister site Dollymix about Women in Fiction, and it's fascinating reading.

TV NEWS: Jpod

Douglas Coupland's novel about the digital generation, jPod is to be made into a TV mini-series by Canadian network CBC, reports Bookninja. Coupland (who is Canadian) also wrote the series, which will air in Canada in January 2008.

No news yet on whether it will cross over to Britain but sounds like it could be good!

More TV news: Women's Murder Club | Gentle men & Players set for TV | Chick lit on TV

FRIDAY FLICK: State and Main

Like About Last Night (which Keris has lent me and I must watch soon!), State and Main is based on a play by David Mamet. There's both a Sex and the City and a Desperate Housewives connection, as it stars Sarah Jessica Parker and husband of Felicity Huffman William H. Macy. It's an ensemble piece and the massive cast also includes Julia Stiles, Alec Baldwin and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

The film's about a Hollywood film crew who descend on a small American town and turn the whole place upside down. It's a satire on the silliness involved in filming on location, and therein lies a bit of a problem, as the film's basically an in-joke for anyone who's ever been in that experience (i.e. not most of us!) It's really not as funny as I wanted it to be but has moments of great wit and charm. One to smirk along with rather than laugh out loud at, perhaps.

Friday Flick archives.

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week, the film and literary worlds were all-a-flutter with the news that Sex and the City is to be made into a movie - after years and years of rumours and speculation it is (apparently) really going to happen. I guess Kim Cattrall decided to just grit her teeth and make nice with SJP... or something. (I'm just speculating, that's not libel!) Anyhoo, what I want to know this week is whether you think it's a good idea.

Should a good thing be left well enough alone? Or are you chomping at the bit to find out what happened next for Carrie and co.? Do TV series ever make good films - if not, will this be the exception? And if you are keen on the idea, what should happen next? (Hey, you never know who might be reading!)

In other words: SATC - the movie: is it a Yay or a Nay, and why?

Yay or Nay archives.

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Dollymix, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

'How to Shop' - EXCLUSIVE Mary Portas giveaway!

The brilliantly savvy fashion/shopping expert Mary Portas, also known as Mary, Queen of Shops after her fabby BBC programme, has released a new book: How to Shop with Mary, Queen of Shops . It's a beautiful hardback, jam-packed with useful information from a mistress of retail.

And we have a copy to give away to one lucky Trashionista reader!

If you'd like to win, carry on over the cut to find out how...

To be in with a chance of winning:

Simply email us at editor@trashionista.com with your name and address and MARY in the title. Please also put 'no' in the body of the email if you wouldn't like to receive further information from Ebury/BBC books. I'm sorry, this giveaway is UK only.

And that's not your only chance to win: until the end of July there's the chance  for 5 people to win £100 Oasis vouchers over on Mary Portas's website, which is well worth a look in any case.

Good luck!

TV News: The Book Quiz

Our sister site, TV Scoop, has alerted us to the news that a new reading-related quiz is starting soon on BBC4.

Chaired by David Baddiel and with Germaine Greer as one of the panellists, it's a show that brings together a love of books, a slew of quick wit and good humour, and a chance to test your book knowledge (which you know we love to do!).

It starts on Tuesday 17 July at 11pm (oh dear, that's my bedtime; I'll have to tape it).

Related posts: Cecelia Ahern's television show | Television Without Pity review | Chick lit authors' favourite TV shows

MOVIE NEWS: Sex and the City

Woo! And indeed hoo!

According to IMDb, the long-awaited Sex and the City TV movie will start shooting this autumn.

All four of the original women have signed up: Kim Cattrall, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis and the film will be directed by the show's longtime director Michael Patrick King, based on a new script he's written.

Related posts: Reading Sex and the City's Samantha | Thursday Three: Bridget, meet Carrie | Love Walked In review

TV News: Lost in Austen

According to Gareth McLean of The Guardian, ITV are planning a series called Lost in Austen, about Amanda, who lives in a rented flat in Hammersmith with her boyfriend Michael and escapes from her troubles with a glass of wine and Pride and Prejudice.

After an argument with Michael, Amanda discovers a bonnet-wearing woman in her bathroom who introduces herself as Elizabeth Bennet. Soon the two women swap places and Amanda finds herself living Pride and Prejudice for real - including meeting Mr Darcy. [via Feeling Listless]

Sounds marvellous, don't you think?

Related posts: ITV's Jane Austen season | Austen week | The Austen backlash begins

BJD TV: What would Bridget watch?

All is revealed (thanks to the power of conjecture) over on TV Scoop!

Related:  Review: Bridget Jones's Diary | WIN! Bridget Jones's Diary.

JK Rowling honoured with Blue Peter special!

Surely all wannabe women writers relate/aspire to JK Rowling's rags to riches story, especially as she seems like such a jolly nice lady (sorry, went a bit Enid Blyton there).

Blue Peter obviously thinks highly of her too as they're honouring the famously reclusive author with a special edition of the kids's programme (but you can watch it too, we won't tell..) Children can even enter a BBC competition to attend the filming - find out how here if you know someone who might be interested.

The programme will air on 20 July, the day before the next Harry Potter is released.

[Via TV Scoop].

Oprah's book news - a new book club pick and a traitorous relative

After much speculation, Oprah has picked the not-exactly-new (but critically acclaimed) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides as her next book club pick. Anyone read it? I hear great things...

Also, you may have heard this already but it bears repeating: Oprah's Dad is writing a book. About Oprah. That he "forgot" to tell her about. Nice man. [Via Galleycat].

Related: Oprah chooses The Road.

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week, I asked if you were excited about the swathe of upcoming Hillary Clinton biographies. Most of you said NAY, but my co-ed Keris admitted she'd be intrigued if they raked up new dirt. (Me too!)

This week: from one betrayed woman to several more - The Other Woman is a new collection of real-life stories from women about love and betrayal. Authors include Mary Jo Eustace, whose husband Dean McDermott left her (and their children) for 90210 star Tori Spelling. She spills all the details of her husband's betrayal - but should she? Is it a great form of revenge, or a little undignified perhaps?  [Via Mamapop]

And would you want to read this book?

Tell it to us straight: Yay or Nay - and why?

Yay or Nay archives.

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Dollymix, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

MOVIE NEWS: The Old Curiosity Shop

A good old-fashioned British film, this adaptation: Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop will star Derek Jacobi, Zoe Wanamaker, Martin Freeman and Gina McKee.

And, as our sister site Corrieblog reports, Bradley Walsh, aka: Danny Baldwin will also star.

Movie news archives.

TV News: David Duchovny's 'novel' (ha ha) new series, Californication

Those crazy US TV stars just keep on recycling themselves! First Dharma and Greg's Jenna Elfman is lined up to play a literary agent, then Will and Grace's Debra Messing is a Starter Wife, now The X-Files's David Duchovny is starring in Californication (steal a title from The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, much?) a series about a troubled novelist. Not that troubled though - it's a comedy. Five has snapped it up, so we'll keep you posted about when they'll be showing it...  [Via TV Scoop].

More TV news.

TV NEWS: Women's Murder Club

Yes, yet another book to television adaptation. This time it's not a chick lit book ... but it is a show featuring a bunch of "chicks", so I figured it counted.

Based on the novels of James Patterson, Women's Murder Club features four San Francisco friends combining their talents to solve murder cases. Sounds like the Famous Five (well there's five in the photo anyway) or Scooby Doo.

[via TV Scoop]

Related posts: US date for The Starter Wife |  Lipstick Jungle news