I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot about Entertainment Weekly's "The New Classics" issue which hit stands last week. (In fact, if you watched She Made Me Watch This you already got Lori, Sarah and Dee's take on the New Television Classics.)

Basically, “The New Classics” issue is a list of the 1,000 best movies, television shows, albums, books and more of the last 25 years, and it is — quite frankly — exceptional. Sandwiched between the lists are little tidbits that will make you smile, like: the movie with the most number of kisses? Brokeback Mountain and Pretty Woman, tied with 27 kisses each. The movie with the most F-bombs? Pulp Fiction with 269, followed by Good Fellas with 265, followed by South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut with 140, followed by that night Bette Porter read Jenny Schecter's Lez Girls for the first time. (Just kidding, I made up that last one.)

My favorite list is New Classic Books, and because I love nothing more than talking about books and making lists, I am going to give you Entertainment Weekly's top 5, then my top 5, then you can give me your top 5, OK? OK.

Entertainment Weekly's New Classic Books:

1) The Road, Cormac McCarthy

2) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling

3) Beloved, Toni Morrison

4) The Liars' Club, Mary Karr

5) American Pastoral, Phillip Roth

Not bad, Entertainment Weekly. I mean, if you think people will be reading The Road over Harry Potter in 20 years, you've lost your mind. But it's a good start. … continue reading

It's kind of a David-and-Goliath struggle: Multibillionaire Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling is using her might to protect her empire and stop the little guy from making any minor incursion.

Well, at least that's how the publisher of the Harry Potter Lexicon would like you to see it. Of course, there's another side to the story. Rowling feels “betrayed by a fan” for his role in trying to publish an unauthorized Harry Potter companion book.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here's the basic story. You may have heard that J.K. Rowling wrote a series of very popular books about a teenage wizard, Harry Potter.

The insane popularity of these books spawned an enormous fan online universe, one that Rowling encouraged and supported. In fact, she singled out praise for one site, The Harry Potter Lexicon, saying:

“This is such a great site that I have been known to sneak into an internet café while out writing and check a fact rather than go into a bookshop and buy a copy of Harry Potter (which is embarrassing). A website for the dangerously obsessive; my natural home.”

Rowling's support and praised waned, however, when Lexicon creator Steve Vander Ark and publisher RDR Books decided to print and sell a copy of the Lexicon. The book was scheduled for release last November when Rowling (and copyright holder Warner Bros.) obtained an injunction which delayed publication until the intellectual property issues were resolved. Rowling says that a print version of the Lexicon constitutes copyright violation and that it would undermine an official Harry Potter encyclopedia that she plans to write. Both sides are entrenched, and it appears to be going to the court for resolution. … continue reading

Or perhaps that should be "to glow in the moonlight." The protagonist is, after all, a human in love with a vampire. For those of you not familiar with the series, Twilight will follow in the footsteps of the Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia franchises in attempting to turn a bestselling young adult fantasy series into a multimillion-dollar cinematic spectacle. Kristen Stewart will star as Bella Swan, one half of the starstruck lovers.

She's done some growing up since playing Jodie Foster's daughter in Panic Room.

I've never read the Twilight series, which is a recent phenomenon (the first book came out in 2005), but here's the premise, according to MTV.com. Teenage girl Bella falls for what she thinks is a normal boy, but finds herself in an abnormal situation: The object of her affections is a vampire. But not just any vampire, according to Stewart:

“He's so good and he's so soulful and he's just not a liar — you can feel pain from him. The cool thing about the story is that it's a seemingly wonderful fantasy — let's fall in love with vampires and live forever — but it's so much harder than that. Imagine living forever. Living one life is hard enough.”

If you were paying attention to TV in the 1990s, you've got to be thinking the same thing I am. Is the author of this series paying royalties to Joss Whedon? … continue reading

I should state up-front that I’m not a Harry Potter expert. I’ve seen all of the films, and I’ve read one of the books, which I enjoyed — but I’m not the person to go to if you want a detailed exposition as to what makes a Slytherin different from a Hufflepuff. (Are those the right names?)

Consequently, I’ve never been an expert on J. K. Rowling. I mean, I know what she looks like, and I vaguely knew the parts of her story that have filtered through to the general public consciousness — the fact that she wrote the first Harry Potter book as a single mother living in Scotland, the fact that she’s now married and has more children. If you’d asked me to describe her, though, the first thing that would have sprung to my mind would probably have been this funny, but as it turns out very unfair, parody that Brit comedian Jennifer Saunders did of her for a French and Saunders Potter parody in 2003 (Jennifer first appears in Rowling-drag at 0:44): … continue reading

I'm a geek worshipper. It's really a form of positive self-esteem, since I am kind of a geek myself. I always love to find women in entertainment who seem to be geeks, not only in the characters they play, but also in real life. GeekSugar.com shares that sentiment and has kicked off a poll of the most popular female geeks of 2007.

First candidate: Mary Lynn Rajskub, Chloe O'Brian on 24.

The pictures are from her spread in Geek Monthly earlier this year. Although Chloe is an übergeek on 24, always able to hack into secret data just in time to save Jack's life, Rajskub herself is not too technically savvy. But in my opinion, she has geek cred because she does things like appear as a troubadour on Gilmore Girls and volunteer for the Young Storytellers Program. I do have one geekish issue with Chloe & company, though. Are we really supposed to believe that a government agency is smart enough to use Macs? … continue reading

This Christmas, U.K. viewers will get their first chance to see Emma Watson in a non–Harry Potter role. According to Watson’s official website, the BBC’s one-off film adaptation of Noel Streatfeild’s classic book Ballet Shoes will air Dec. 26 at 8:30 p.m. on BBC One. Watson will play Pauline, the eldest of three girls adopted by an eccentric old explorer, Matthew Brown, in 1930s London.

Fans of the book will know that Pauline’s character is actually not a million miles away from Watson’s in real life. A beautiful blonde girl, Pauline is sent to stage school and soon has success as an actress, first on stage and then in films.

A few clips from Ballet Shoes are included in this BBC preview of their upcoming Christmas season: … continue reading

You know when you're having one of those WLT days? No, not a craving for a wombat, lettuce and tomato sandwich — 'cause, ewww. No, I mean a Wishful Lesbian Thinking day. Well, I had one of those the other day when I read the plot description for the new film The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. Robin Wright Penn, Winona Ryder and Julianne Moore have signed on to star in the new drama which, according to Variety, is about Pippa, “a dutiful wife whose husband falls for a younger woman, freeing her to explore her buried sensuality and leading to a very quiet nervous breakdown.” Robin plays Pippa, Winona plays the younger woman, and Julianne plays a place Pippa explores her buried sexuality ... hopefully. See, ain't WLT delicious?

Now, I'm not sure if this case of WLT will pan out. My gay Spidey sense says yes, especially after reading this plot description. But even without a payoff, this is the kind of thinking that has launched a million shippers sites. There are the gold standards (Xena and Gabrielle), the wishful turned wish fulfilled (Willow and Tara) and the just plain awesome (Daria and Jane).

So with that, I thought I'd share a few more of my most recent WLT daydreams, culled from current TV and film. … continue reading

Unless you've been sequestered as part of jury duty or marooned on some deserted island for the past two weeks, you've already heard about the recent Hogwarts outing. On Oct. 19, author J.K. Rowling outed Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. She didn't decide to wave a rainbow flag and shout it from the mountain tops or anything. She simply answered a question regarding whether Dumbledore ever found true love. Rowling answered by saying, "Dumbledore is gay." She went on to explain that he had been smitten with Gellert Grindelwald.

Naturally, entertainment reporters (being reporters) have felt it necessary to seek out reactions to this announcement from the folks who embody Rowling's characters on the big screen. Daniel Radcliffe found it amusing. Rupert Grint was surprised. But my favorite reaction came from the face of Hermione Granger, Emma Watson.

Watson seems to think this really shouldn't be any big deal.

"This is the 21st century! I just could not believe the amount of fuss that was being made over Dumbledore being gay." … continue reading

Earlier this week, while lying in bed bemoaning an obviously alien virus that had found its way into my system, I began having what many would consider hallucinations. I like to call them figments of my imagination. Seems my twisted brain was bored with the mundane routine I was participating in while trying to recuperate from said illness. When my brain is bored, strange things begin to happen.

In this particular instance, my brain chose to conjure up images of some famous fictional characters in what I can only assume was an effort to nurse me back to health as quickly as possible. Because my therapist says acknowledging and sharing my issues are the first steps in overcoming them, you have unwittingly been invited to tour the odd recesses of my cerebrum. Here then are the fictional women who wandered through my semi-conscious mind in an effort to re-invigorate my ailing body.

1. Mary Poppins — Yes, I said Mary Poppins. I know she's a nanny. She's not a doctor or a nurse or anything else related to any kind of medical professional. But I can't help it. Every time I'm ill, there is a little voice in the back of my head that sounds disturbingly similar to Julie Andrews singing about a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down. I'm sure my mother is somehow to blame for this.

… continue reading

You've probably heard the news by now. On Friday night, J.K. Rowling told a packed Carnegie Hall audience that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is (was?) gay. More specifically, in response to the question of whether Dumbledore had ever found true love, Rowling responded that he was gay and that he had a thing for onetime friend and then mortal enemy Gellert Grindewald. (You can read a full transcript of the question and answer session here.)

I had hoped to be at this event, but my sweepstakes entry was not one of the 1,000 selected. Like the other 49,000 rejects, I had to read about the big revelation the next day. From both a character and big-picture perspective, this posthumous outing is significant. Not only did Rowling disclose that the most influential and talented wizard in the modern magical Harry Potter world was gay, but she affirmed something that was not at all clear in the books — that GLBT folks (or at least “G” wizards) exist in that world.

… continue reading

I find it encouraging that the audience reacted with applause (and some shock). And Rowling's response to that was, “If I'd known it would make you so happy, I'd have announced it years ago.”

Tina Fey and her mateys may yet be the cutest bookaneers around, but they're no longer alone: Sept. 29 marked the beginning of Banned Books Week 2007, and this year they're riding on First Book's raggedy coattails with the salty theme, "Ahoy! Treasure Your Freedom to Read and Get Hooked on a Banned Book."

Sponsored in part by those crazy intellectual freedom–loving folks over at the ALA (American Library Association; see a full list of sponsors here), Banned Books Week celebrates freedom of expression and freedom of access. It's the perfect time to say thank you to your local Maria Bello — I mean, librarian — and this year it's also a good excuse to say Arrrr and Avast!, especially if you forgot to observe Talk Like a Pirate Day like I did last month.

On its site, the ALA provides lists and graphs, including information about the ten most frequently challenged books of the preceding year. The 2006 crowd welcomed a newcomer in the top spot, children's book And Tango Makes Three. … continue reading

Last week, E! Online's Reel Girl posted her "Incomplete Top 10: Great Cameos." The list ranges from obvious (Marshall McLuhan in Annie Hall) to random (this must be the only best list on which Dumb and Dumber appears, courtesy of Cam Neely) to wrong (Meryl Streep, yes, but in Stuck on You? No).

While I understand Reel Girl's "good lighting" theory (a well-done cameo makes everyone look better), I prefer scene-stealers to film-stealers, special moments of brilliance rather than lone moments of brilliance; even Streep doesn't make a lame comedy worth my time. Also, while blink-and-you-miss-it cameos are fun (see Cate Blanchett in Hot Fuzz or Julie Delpy in But I'm a Cheerleader), they don't require much, so they're not included.

My favorite bit parts fall into a few categories, and I'm sticking with the ladies exclusively. I'm also sticking to film — sifting through all of the Simpsons and Will & Grace cameos is daunting enough; add The Muppet Show and it's nigh impossible. Since the following is therefore an unscientific bunch of personal observations, discuss away!

The Hat-Tip Cameo: Chita Rivera, Chicago

Hollywood producers are far too obsessed with remakes, but if they must go there, I appreciate it when they doff their proverbial caps to original stars. Respect wins points every time, and as the creator of Velma Kelly on Broadway, Rivera deserves every ounce of respect she gets and then some. Her cameo as cell block diva Nickie in the 2002 movie adaptation is too brief, but any more would be unfair to successor Catherine Zeta-Jones — can't have the new star too far in the shadow of her elder. … continue reading

SPOILER ALERT: There are no Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows spoilers in the body of this post, but the video at the end is chock full of them. And please don't post spoilers in the comments. My girlfriend hasn't read the book yet, and I want her to continue to like me.

In mid-October, J.K. Rowling will be bringing her magic to the United States for the first time since 2000. She's published four books since her last tour but was too busy being pregnant and raising babies to tour in support of them. Somehow she managed to sell books anyway: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold 105 copies per second at Barnes and Noble during its first hour of sales in 2005, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 126 copies per second in its first hour of sales last month. This fall, she has scheduled three events with school groups in Los Angeles, New Orleans and New York. More importantly, she'll have one all-ages event at Carnegie Hall. And I live in New York. So, yay!

And here's what she looks like Simpsonized. Just because. … continue reading

Not to have his Oscar thunder stolen by the monarchy again, Martin Scorsese is currently producing 19th-century biopic The Young Victoria, and Miranda Richardson has just signed on as Duchess of Kent to Emily Blunt's Victoria.

Richardson is a great reason to look forward to the film, which starts production this month. Another reason: Devil Wears Prada star Blunt — who actually resembles her filmic mother-to-be even without movie magic — is absolutely made to wear a crown.

The woman just emanates royalty, doesn't she? … continue reading

Have you finished Deathly Hallows yet? Had a good cry? (And if so, for the love of Hagrid, don’t tell me why! Still reading!) How about taking a step back and getting some casting news for Harry Potter film No. 6 instead. Naomi Watts has signed on to play Narcissa Malfoy in the upcoming film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, due out next year.

Narcissa is one nasty piece of work. The wife of Lucius Malfoy and mother of Draco Malfoy (Harry’s Hogwarts nemesis), she is also sister of Bellatrix LeStrange and Andromeda Tonks and the cousin of Sirius Black. Wow, that’s a lot of familial connections; do I need to break out the flow chart? Readers first met Narcissa briefly in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but her character was left out of the film. … continue reading