23 Saturday Feb 2013
Posted in Academy Awards, Movies
The following montage is created from the Academy Awards Best Picture Winners, starting with the first Academy Awards in 1929.
How many movie titles can you name?
Leave your Movie Maven score in the comments. The titles are listed at the end, but please, no cheating!
Academy Awards: Best Picture Oscar Winners from Nelson Carvajal on Vimeo. Music: “November” by Max Richter.
18 Monday Feb 2013
Tags
Charlotte's Web, Elizabeth Fais, Emma Walton Hamilton, Favorite Books, It Takes Two, Julie Andrews, Julie Andrews Collection, Mandy, Mary Poppins, NY13SCBWI, SCBWI, SCBWI Winter Conference 2013, The House at Pooh Corner, The Little Gray Men
Magic happens at writers’ conferences… So it was no surprise that the air was sparkling with it at the “Practically Perfect” NY13SCBWI Winter Conference. Seriously. How could it not, with Julie Andrews (a.k.a. Mary Poppins) and her amazingly talented daughter Emma Walton Hamilton as keynote speakers?
Julie Andrews has been writing wonderful books for children for forty years–on top of launching the Julie Andrews Collection–and has collaborated with her daughter on 27 titles. To read the SCBWI blog on their presentation, go here: “It Takes Two”. You won’t want to miss it. It’s awesome!
What I wanted to talk about today came from a question asked of Julie Andrews after the presentation…
A simple enough question … on the surface. But when I peeled back the layers of 
time and re-experienced the feeling that one book gave me, hooking me on reading for the rest of your life…
Four words: It rocked my world.
That book opened a doorway to magic, imagination, and adventure, and I could go there any time I just by opening the pages. Pretty powerful stuff.
For Julie Andrews, that book was “The Little Gray Men“. She loves that story so much, that she brought it back into print in the Julie Andrews Collection. For the person asking the question, it was Julie Andrews’ first book, “Mandy“.
For me it was “The House at Pooh Corner“. I was in the third grade, and the silliness of the story and clever misspelled words, like “rox” and “Wol” won me over instantly. And all the endearing characters were my new BFFs.
My fourth grade teacher read “Charlotte’s Web” to our class, and I fell in love with Wilbur and Charlotte. I’d never really cared much for pigs until then, and I’d been terrified of anything spidery. One story changed all that.
There have been many books since… But “The House at Pooh Corner” will always be my first; the book that was the key to a world of wonder.
How about YOU…
Don’t be shy. You’re among friends here.
And don’t be afraid to tell us about more than one treasured story that changed your life!
09 Saturday Feb 2013
Tags
David Arquette, Drew Barrymore, Elizabeth Fais, Gary Marshall, Leelee Sobieski, Michael Vartan, Never Been Kissed, Rom-Com, Romance, Shakespeare
Shakespeare was the first writer to popularize the Romantic Comedy (Rom-Com) with A Midsummer Night’s Dream and his other comedies. Who knew?
The invention of moving pictures brought back the Rom-Com craze, reaching new heights in the 1930’s and ’40s with such screwball comedies as Bringing Up Baby, Some Like it Hot, and It Happened One Night.
Rom-Com fever faded away for a few decades, then made a big comeback in the 90’s with Pretty Woman, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and While You Were Sleeping to name just a few.
Some people wish they could go back to high school, knowing what they know as an adult. Twenty-five year-old copy editor Josie Geller (Drew Barrymore) gets the chance to do just that, with the opportunity to nab a story on the state of America’s youth for her Chicago paper. The only problem is, Josie was a total geek in high school, which her brother Rob (David Arquette) reminds her of … along with her nickname: Josie Grossie.
Josie has no choice but to enroll in high school and face her nerdy demons. But she
soon learns that the seven years since her graduation didn’t bring her any closer to coolness. She quickly befriends Aldys (Leelee Sobieski) the bookish mathlete, and gets her handsome English teacher Mr. Coulson’s (Michael Vartan) attention by reciting a romantic except from Shakespeare in class. While Josie is geeking out, a rival paper scoops the underage drinking and teen promiscuity story, and Josie’s boss is livid.
To land the story that will save her job, Josie sets out to infiltrate the cool girls’ clique, only to end up making a bigger fool out of herself in front the cool kids and her English teacher at a local club. She’s left branded as a Loser. Literally.
Rob, the ultimate Cool Dude, hears of Josie’s latest escapades and intervenes by enrolling in high school. True to form, Rob instantly becomes Mr. Popular, giving Josie the street creds she needs to win over the cool girls and get Guy — the hottest boy in her class — crushing on her. Sparks start to fly between Josie and her English teacher, and as her feelings deepen for Mr. Coulson, her boss turns up the heat, demanding a defamatory article on inappropriate relationships between teachers and their students.
The path Josie takes to acing her story with integrity, and winning the guy of her dreams, is as empowering as it is satisfying.
We all have at least one Rom-Com we love to watch (over and over). I have several. In honor of Valentine’s Day, come clean and shout it out!
Don’t be shy.
To know you (and your rom-com fave) is to love you.
26 Saturday Jan 2013
Tags
A League of Their Own, Baseball, Damn Yankees, Elizabeth Fais, Geena Davis, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, Tom Hanks, Writing
If you’ve stopped by this blog recently, you’ll remember that I’m currently under a self-imposed deadline to finish the revision of my Young Adult (YA) novel. Now, I admit that I tend to get a little punchy at this stage of a long-haul. But no, I haven’t gone completely around the bend. Yet.
“There’s no crying in baseball” scene from A League of Their Own
20 Sunday Jan 2013
Posted in Bloggaversary, Cows, Tap Dancing
Today is the 1 Year Bloggaversary of my first blog post ever. Moonlight Serenade was a minimalist post, the sole feature being a video of an elegant tap dancing cow. To be honest, I was terrified of blogging and that was all I could eek out for a first post. I didn’t think about the statement the video was making at the time. But in retrospect, I see it as a symbol of dancing into a new endeavor where I’d meet a terrific group of new friends.
So that’s why I’m making it a bloggaversary standard. It’s a festive way to mark a truly life-changing occasion.
Thank you all for your enthusiastic support, making this past year (and the days to come) utterly AWESOME!
Now go grab a cup of hot chocolate, compliments of my tap dancing guest, sit back and watch her light up the dance floor in true Ginger-Rogers style. Eat your heart out Fred Astaire! [Image credit: Wikipedia]
06 Sunday Jan 2013
Posted in Animation, Perspective, Writing
This past year was a whirl wind of firsts, including a new job and blogging for the first time ever. I also started the final revision of my Work In Progress (WIP) — a Young Adult (YA) supernatural mystery. All good. It’s been terrific, really.
But… there was an itsy-bitsy snag in the midst of the newness. With all the new shiny things in my life, progress on my WIP revisions slowed to a negligible crawl. Which is why come November, when everyone else was NaNoWriMoing, I lead a NaNoRevMo Charge on revisions for my WIP.
It was great tapping into the NaNo synergy. I got back in the groove, and the revisions were going well.
And then … life happened. What’s that they say about “making plans is the best way to make the universe laugh. In your face.”? Well, the universe was rolling around on the floor laughing at me…
Well… ALMOST… I won’t bore you with the deets, but here’s the general rundown:
I’ve sailed well past the half-way mark of the WIP revisions, and can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. Yay, me! Since I’m driven by deadlines, real or self-imposed, to keep the momentum going I drew a deadline for final completion on the calendar. Then I started realigning priorities. I’m confident I’ll be able reach the finish line in a relatively short time. But that means … something’s gotta give.
Only for a few weeks folks… And that’s not to say I won’t post a funny video somewhere along the line. *wink, wink* Just no substantial content, as I need to focus my full attention on my WIP revisions … for now.
I have a great series of posts planned for the coming year. But before I can dig into
writing those awesome articles, I have to finish this WIP, so I can hop on the Literary Agent Submission Train.
I’ll see you all in a few weeks on the other side of the deadline! I’ll miss you guys, but this Revision Interlude will pass before we know it! [Image credit: Wikipedia]
31 Monday Dec 2012
Posted in Inspiration, Meg Cabot, Writing
Tags
Anne Hathaway, Elizabeth Fais, Encouragement, Gary Marshall, Inspiration, Julie Andrews, Laura Langlie, Meg Cabot, My First Sale, The Princess Diaries, Walt Disney Studios, When Lightning Strikes, Writing
The sweet strains of encouragement have been floating around the blogosphere of late. Encouragement on querying, handling rejection, and battling the insidious self-doubt.
I listed a few of these inspirational posts below, in case you missed them. They might be just the thing you need to pull out of the Pit of Despair, or plow through rejections to land an Uber Agent and sign a Shiny Book Deal. You never know. Stranger things have happened.
~ o0o ~
Today I’d like to share a true story that has encouraged me to stay the course on my writing journey and keep on keeping on…
Whenever we hear about an author that’s become a huge success, it’s easy to be fooled into believing that “it happened overnight”. Like that author drank some kind of secret instant-success formula and never had to work diligently on craft, or suffer the rejections of submission roulette. 99.99% of the time this is so not the case. And certainly wasn’t for Meg Cabot of Princess Diaries fame (and beyond).
I found out just how hard Meg Cabot worked to become a published author, in the article she wrote titled My First Sale. Believe it or not, she slugged through more than her share of rejections on the road to publication (never mind the getting famous part).
In her article, Meg honestly admits that it took her several years (yes, years!) of rigorous submissions, followed by subsequent rejections, before landing her agent, Laura Langlie, who she is still with today. Through it all, Meg saved every rejection letter (before email submissions were the norm) in a US postal mail bag that she kept under her bed. The rejection mail bag ended up becoming so full (with rejections from editors and agents) that it’s now too heavy for Meg to lift.
To this day Meg Cabot admits that she doesn’t know why she didn’t quit. But she didn’t! Much to the delight of her many readers world-wide.
After signing with her agent, Laura Langlie went on to sell one of Meg’s Victorian romances (Where Roses Grow Wild), written under the name Patricia Cabot. But to this day Meg considers landing her agent as her first sale. Other book deals followed, but three years later (at the age of thirty) Meg was still working her day-job and writing when she could make the time.
It was about the time that Meg began writing a book about a 14 year-old girl who discovers she’s a princess. When Meg told her agent about the story, Laura remarked that she thought it would make a great movie. Meg scoffed, but Laura went ahead and pursued Hollywood connections anyway.
Others soon saw the potential for Meg’s princess story too, like the assistant editor at Harper Collins Children’s Books who snapped up the manuscript. Not long after, a call came from Hollywood informing Meg that Gary Marshall wanted to direct the film version of her story and that Julie Andrews signed on to star as the grandmother. Level-headed Meg still wouldn’t believe the hype. That is, not until a check with an awful lot of zeros showed up in her mail box.
You know the rest… Walt Disney Studios produced two Princess Diaries movies, both directed by Gary Marshall and starring Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway. And lets not forget the nine bestselling sequels that followed in the Princess Diaries series, or the too-numerous-to-mention other bestsellers Meg Cabot has published since.
All because she didn’t give up!
What impresses me about Meg Cabot is that even after all the success, she hasn’t forgotten what it took for her to get there. I attended a San Francisco book signing of hers a year or so ago, and this is what she wrote in the book that (I told her) helped me find my writing voice. It doesn’t get much better than that!
What has encouraged you on your writing journey?
If you know of an encouraging blog post that’s not listed above, please add the link in the comments. I’m sure we’ll all benefit from it!
24 Monday Dec 2012
Christmas just isn’t Christmas without a little Muppet zaniness. If you’ve seen “The Muppet Christmas Carol” you know what I mean! If you haven’t, check out the trailer below. You’re in for a laugh-out-loud treat.
Here’s the Muppettized rendition of Carol of the Bells.
Enjoy! And have a very merry day!
21 Friday Dec 2012
Tags
Annabelle's Wish, Cary Grant, David Niven, Eloise at Christmastime, Get-In-The-Holiday-Mood Movies, Julie Andrews, Last Holiday, LL Cool J, Lorretta Young, Nicholas Cage, Queen Latifah, Tea Leoni, The Bishop's Wife, The Family Man, The Plaza Hotel
I don’t know about you, but there’s a set of movies I like to watch at time this year to help me get in the “holiday mood.” Today I thought I’d share some of my not-so-typical holiday favorites, in case you’re looking for new sparkle to make the season bright.
Right before Christmas, shy New Orleans cookware sales clerk Georgia Byrd (Oscar® nominee* Queen Latifah) receives the news from her doctor that she has less than a month to live. The reality forces Georgia to rebel against the timid life she’s lived, and jetting off on a dream vacation, living like there’s no tomorrow (because for her there isn’t). Georgia succeeds in shaking up a glamorous European resort spa with her new let-loose attitude, embracing a new look … new moves … and commanding the attention of senators and hotel staff alike! LL Cool J, Georgia’s handsome suitor in New Orleans, isn’t about to let Georgia slip away, and chases after to a surprise happy ending. Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, Alicia Witt and Giancarlo Esposito have rollicking roles in this comedy that’s deep with meaning and big with heart.
This movie delivers on the laughs, but it’s the lessons that keep me watching it again every year. It’s a great reminder about what’s important in life … especially how to live it well.
[This movie is available on Netflix, as well as on Amazon for a very reasonable price (under $10.00).]
Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) is king of the Wall Street sharks, scoring killer deals by day and cavorting with escorts by night. He “thinks” he’s happy, but his life of empty luxuries is turned inside out on a lonely Christmas Eve when a gun-packing punk (Don Cheadle)–an angel in disguise–responds to Jack’s altruistic gesture by giving him “a real-life glimpse” of the life he could have had. That is, if he’d married the girlfriend (Téa Leoni) he abandoned 13 years earlier, raised two adorable kids with her, worked in his father-in-law’s retail tire outlet, and lived in suburban New Jersey. Living this “glimpse” of the path not taken—Jack is an Armani-man in a Sears-special world—wondering if he’ll ever get back to luxurious life of callous wealth, or if he even wants to.
This story pulls back the covers on a high-rolling materialistic lifestyle and compares its emptiness with the fulfillment of an average working-class family. Without being preachy, this story conveys what really matters in life.
[This movie is available on Netflix, as well as on Amazon for a reasonable price.]
It’s Christmas, and the Yuletide spirit has yet to warm Bishop Henry Brougham’s (David Niven) Victorian home. Struggling to raise funds for a new cathedral, the preoccupied clergyman neglects his loving wife Julia (Loretta Young) until divine intervention is the only thing that can save their failing marriage. But the handsome and powerful angel (Cary Grant) that is sent in answer to the clergyman’s prayers has a mind of his own, and teaching mortal Henry an immortal lesson in romance isn’t the only surprise he’s got up his wing!
This is a true classic, with enough magic and charm to warm the Grinchiest heart. The recent remake, “The Preachers Wife” doesn’t come close to touching the original! The fact that I’ve had a life-long crush on Cary Grant has nothing to do with my avid recommendation of this movie either.
[This movie is available on Netflix, as well as on Amazon for a reasonable price.]
When Annabelle the calf is born on Christmas Eve, Santa comes and gives all the barn animals a special gift: they can talk on Christmas Day! Annabelle is good all year long and decides to ask Santa for a special wish the next year — to fly with his reindeer! But when Billy needs her, she postpones asking for her special favor … at least for a while.
This touching story has many lessons, the best of which is the beauty of unconditional love.
[This movie might be hard to find. It’s not available on Netflix, and the price on Amazon is totally insane. If it comes on TV, record it. If you know someone who has an old copy of this DVD, ask them if you can come over and watch it with them.]
Yes, that Eloise, and of course…The Plaza. This delightful story is set just before Christmas, when Eloise learns that Rachel, the daughter of Plaza owner Mr. Peabody, is returning after a long absence to marry mystery man Brooks Oliver. Eloise insists on helping with the Yuletide nuptials, all the while scheming to get Rachel, the true love of her best pal Bill (a free-spirited hotel waiter), together instead. Through all her shenanigans, Eloise infuses everyone with holiday spirit, especially her beloved Nanny, played “rawther” marvelously by Julie Andrews.
Seeing The Plaza resplendent in its holiday finest never fails to get me in a festive mood. Add zany Eloise and her wacky Nanny on top of a pull-at-the-heart-strings love story, and any bah-humbugging vanishes instantly.
[This movie isn’t available on Netflix either, but it is available on Amazon for a very reasonable price (under $10.00).]
15 Saturday Dec 2012
Posted in Inspiration, Music
Tags
Cateura Paraguay, Elizabeth Fais, Favio Chavez, Inspiration, J. S. Bach Cello Suite, Juan Manuel Chavez, KDFC, Music, Ray White, The Landfill Harmonic
This story takes place the slums of Cateura, Paraguay with a youth ensemble called The Landfill Harmonic. Their modest town is built on landfill, and the residents make their living recycling the garbage that is dumped there. In their town, a violin is worth more than a house.
Yet even in these harsh conditions, the beauty of music has become the main stay for a determined group of youth. Their instruments are made from recycled trash, but you wouldn’t know it by the pride they take in them or the beautiful music they produce.
Take nineteen year old Juan Manuel Chavez’s cello that is made completely of pieces found in the dump, built for him by the local men. Yet when Juan lovingly plays the J. S. Bach Cello Suite on this recycled instrument, the music is exalting.
The following quote by Favio Chavez, the Orchestra Director of The Landfill Harmonic encapsulates the power of the human spirit to rise above adversity:
The world sends us garbage. We send back music.
Watch the following video. Then if you’d like to spread a little joy this holiday season, share the video and its story with others. You can show your support for The Landfill Harmonic with a Like on their Facebook page too.
Caring is sharing! Pass on the love.
Elizabeth Fais 