Goodbye Rachelle, Hello Bryce!

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When I read this tweet by author Kaleb Nation last night, I thought it was some sort of sick and twisted late/early April Fools Day joke:


Bryce Dallas Howard Replaces Rachelle LeFevere



Then when I read that article, I knew they weren't joking. But I would love to know the story behind the story, you know? Other commitments? Scheduling conflicts? Rachelle was an integral part of what is currently one of the most lucrative frnachises out there! Why would she give that up? Granted, being in two movies is all the leg up she'll need for her career, but why leave the fans who have made her a success?

In an official statement, Rachelle admits that she had booked another project that hada 10 day shoot between New Moon and Eclipse, but that Eclipse's director, David Slade, moved up some timetables and suddenly a conflict existed. One source has said that the studio could have made it work, but didn't want to and cast Bryce instead.


Now, I have nothing against Bryce Dallas Howard. I loved her in The Village and everything I have seen her in since then. I just have trouble with changing actors halfway through a franchise without just cause. It ruins the continuity of the films for me. I even had trouble with the replacement of Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies and that change was UNAVOIDABLE!

However that being said, I think that as a Twilighter, I am going to get behind Bryce. First of all, she'll be catching enough heat from the rest of the community as it is for something that isn't her fault AT ALL. Second, I remember all that BS that happened almost 2 years ago when Rob and KStew were cast and everyone hated them--then they turned out to be not that bad...and now people loved them like there was nothing ever wrong (which I just find ironic and hypocritical, but whatev). Third, this is Summit's decision and since you and I don't work for them, we'll just have to trust their judgement and go with this. Bryce is a phenomenal actress. I think this is all hte from shock. It will blow over.

COMIC CON!!!!

Can we talk about how angry I am that I didn't get to go to Comic-Con? I missed David Tennant! I missed Johnny Depp!!! And I missed all the Twilight stuff!!!

New sneak peeks were released and I, for one, can now not wait for November. It looks SO amazing! The second scene is my favorite, but that's because I am an Alice Cullen Junkie and Alice is in that one.




So, Jacob looks good and that bike scene is like straight out of my imagination, though I have to admit, I don't recall New Moon as easily as some of the others because I hate it so.
Having problems understanding the audio in the second clip? Luckily we got some super HQ:




I love this scene. It is pretty darn close to perfect. And between that and the leaked Volturi pics (that Summit has recalled, so if you didn't see them, you are slightly SOL), I think Italy is going to be amazingly perfect!!! At least, I am stoked.

But I was stoked about Twilight...and it didn't live up to expectations.

Always Looking Up

Last Night I finished Michael J. Fox's latest book, Always Looking Up. After reading Lucky Man two summers ago and falling madly in love with it, when I saw this at my local bookstore, I knew I had to have it to read.

This book had everything about the first that I loved: humor (though sometimes I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to laugh, poingant moments (the scene at his dying sister's bedside made me cry like a baby) and a general sense of goodness.

People like MJF amaze me. They have every reason in the world to be bitter, but they choose to do good with what they have been blessed with and attempt to make a difference. Reading about his struggles with his foundation and the struggles he faced with legislation, he never lost faith and hope that one dayhe and the millions of people struggling with incurable illness won't have to suffer anymore.

It made me realize just how blessed I am that myself and my family are healthy.

I'm not sure where I am going with this...but the book is amazing, and I highly recommend it.

WIP-Hermione's Hat, Scarf and Gloves

Here are updated pictures of my works:

My hat is almost done and then I will start gloves in the same color.

My scarf has been a bit of an Odyessey and I think I finally have my pattern correct. Once I am 100% sure I will be posting it and the chart I am using here-SO STAY TUNED!!!

Knitting, Knitting, Knitting

I am currently knitting Hermione's hat and scarf from the 6th Harry Potter movie. I cannot wait until it's finished. I got the hat pattern off another blog (JL Yarnworks) and will be writing up the scarf pattern because I couldn't find it elsewhere.

The Greatest Actress You'll Never Understand

I am going to make a bold statement that, undoubtedly, most people will not agree with. But this is all about my random thoughts and this is one of them, so here we go:

Judy Garland was the greatest actress ever to grace the screen.

There-I said it. It's not because she made films of extreme consequence, because she didn't. It's not because her performances were the greatest things ever committed to film, because they weren't--but they were at the same time. However, not for the reasons you usually believe a great performance to be.

There is no doubt that Judy Garland led a tough life. Her addiction to drugs eventually had to get her through her days and the pain she felt had to be great.

This is where her ability for great performance kicks in. You'd never guess watching such MGM gems as For Me and My Gal, Easter Parade, and Meet Me In St. Louis (along with countless others) that there was anything but happiness going on behind those eyes and that smile plastered on her face. But this was the act. If you look close enough-the pain is there and it's evident and she is screaming for someone to help her. But all she got was MGM execs telling her she wasn't pretty or that she was fat-which drove her to more pills.

I truly believe the the Judy we see with dancing with Mickey Rooney and the Judy who dreamt of going "over the rainbow" and befriended a scarecrow, a tinman and a lion was truly happy. That's because this is Judy doing wat she loved to do, before she was famous and being hounded by the world and the people who essentially owned her.

Have you seen Judy's last three films? She dropped the mask in Judgement at Nuremberg, A Child is Waiting and I Could Go On Singing (especially in this film). Again, this is the real Judy and the performances in these films are absolutely gut-wrenching because you want to reach out and make Judy Garland happy again.

But between Oz and these three films was the finest performance of her career because you'd never guess she was unhappy. I only hope that she found the peace she never found in her life and knows that she still means something to a lot of people.

Brothers Trailer aka Natalie Portman is working again

HOLY CROW!

That was my reaction the first time I saw the trailer for Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman's new movie Brothers.

At first, I thought this film was going to be about a war widow, grieving the loss of her husband and trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces and raise their two daughters and her brother-in-law's help with this. I figured it was going to be one of those sappy, "I fell in love with the best friend/brother because my real husband died" kind of films-while in the back of my mind asking how Tobey Maguire is getting top billing as the dead hubby.

Then, Natalie gets a phone call informing her that her beloved husband is in fact still alive. So now the film is feeling a little While You Were Sleeping with a dash of Pearl Harbor and you get the feeling this film is going to be about Natalie deciding between these two men in her life.

Then Tobey Maguire goes postal. And you get the feeling this is going to be one of those thriller, "what is going to happen now?" kind of movies. And I am really excited about it.

The lead actors always have been strong, even if they have had their share of unfortunate mis-steps, and I am hoping this movie doesn't disappoint. But if the movie is as confused to its genre as the trailer is, it is doomed to fail to lie up to expectations.