Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Book Trailer for A Knight of Passion

I'm absolutely thrilled to announce the creation of my very first book trailer of my debut novel, A Knight of Passion.

Enjoy!



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Thursday, April 12, 2007

Thursday Thriteen #5


13 Things I can't live without:



1. Tacos, Burritos, and Enchiladas – Oh my!

2. My laptop

3. A good romance novel

4. Friends

5. Potato chips

6. My mother’s homemade
ice cream

7. Curled up on the couch with a good movie

8. A quarter pounder with cheese and
a large fries

9. My dog

10. Writing my next novel

11. The Internet (okay, I admit it, I’m
a web junkie.)

12. Pizza and beer

13. Bacon



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Movie Review: X-men: The Last Stand


I really enjoyed the X-men movie series, and not just because Hugh Jackman makes the sexiest Wolverine ever, but because I am a comic junkie... *gasp* Yes, I know, shocking isn’t it? Though X-men was never my forte, I still knew enough about them and I just had to see the movies (Batman is more my style).

As with most movie series these days, there is always a weak link in the bunch. X-men (the first movie) was an excellent introduction to all the fantastic characters. And the actors chosen to play each superhero fit their character to a tee—which is rare in such adaptations—Wolverine being the most popular in the comics and the movies.

Then came X2: X-men United...and the weak link. What went wrong? I don’t quite understand what happened with this movie. It was almost like the producers thought they had everyone hooked with the first movie and therefore could get cheap with the second. Did you know that in the second flick, we rarely see Wolverine’s metal claws actually come out? One moment his hands are normal, and then he puts his arms down (below camera view) and we “hear” the claws come out, and the next he’s slashing at people with the claws out—what’s up with that? What, they couldn’t find enough computer nerds to work the CGI program? Also, there was a considerable lack of violence shown in the second one, the fight scenes were constantly being cut so you really couldn’t see what was happening... just a lot of jumping around from this punch to that kick... What, did the producer’s suddenly gain a conscious, concerned with all the violence they had shown in the first one? Come on! That’s all the X-men are about—violence—a little too late for that. The second movie had a low budget feel—lower than the first one, though the storyline was good as we got to see how Wolverine came into being.

And now we come to the pièce de rèsistance - X-men: The Last Stand. Having seen the second one, I wasn’t sure if I should get excited about the third, and watched with a very critical eye. It was in one word: FANTASTIC! The special effects were great, we got to see Wolverine release his claws many times (LOL), the storyline had lots of surprising twists, like killing off main characters—it was beautifully done in my opinion.

*SPOILER* DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE YET!
Killing off Professor Xavier was a complete surprise, not to mention the fact that it was Jean Grey, his protégée, who did the killing, made it even wilder. Hell, turning Jean into a evil mutant and siding her with Magneto was pretty shocking in itself. I honestly kept on waiting for her to “wake up” and turn against him, but she never did. But what really tugged at the heart was Wolverine being forced to kill the love of his life to save the planet, and being the only mutant capable of doing so.
*END OF SPOILER*

This was truly a movie packed with action, adventure and a tragic love story which brought the X-men franchise to a perfect end, while leaving the viewer with hope for the future of mutant-kind.

Whether you have seen the other two X-men movies or not, you have got to see this potent, and exciting film, sure to please the whole family – from comic-crazy kids to grunting husbands, and romantic wives... X-men: The Last Stand is a must-see in this romance author’s opinion.

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Thursday, April 05, 2007

Thursday Thirteen #4


13 TV Shows I use to watch as a kid:

1. Mr. Dress-up: This is strictly a Canadian
show, I really liked Mr. Dress-up, but I
think Casey needed to be bitch-slapped!

2. Spiderman: I think the only reason kids
watched that cartoon was for the theme
song – was it cool or what?!

3. The Adventures of Hercules (cartoon):
Does anyone remember Hercules’ annoying
satyr friend who played the panpipes, and
said: “Hi ya Herc, hi ya Herc!” in that really
winy high-pitched voice? No wonder it was
cancelled!

4. The Hulk: Okay, I admit, I USE to watch
the Hulk! *hides head in shame* The only
good thing about the show was Lou Ferrigno
shirtless and painted green...

5. The Friendly Giant: Another Canadian
kid’s show. I think I loved that show for
it’s miniatures, it was so neat.

6. Fragle Rock: Why did they take it off
the air??? It was such a great show – my
favorite characters were the all-knowing
garbage heap and Traveling Matt.

7. Sesame Street: Who hasn’t watched
Sesame Street??? My favorite was the
Cookie Monster, because he liked cookies
and he looked so cuddly.

8. Lavern and Shirley: Do NOT make
me go there!

9. Taxi: Yeah, I watched a lot of “adult”
shows with my parents. Hard to believe
Danny Devito started out there, and
became one the biggest celebrities in
Hollywood. I thought he was such a
jerk until I saw Throw Mama from the
Train (one of my favorite movies).

10. Star Trek (the original series): Okay,
I admit it, I had a crush on Spock. Maybe
it was those pointy ears, or those bangs...
I’m not really sure. I think I had a thing
for those intellectual, unemotional alien
types...

11. Family Ties: Yes, it was sappy and
sweet, but I liked it for a time...at least
it had Michael J. Fox.

12. Who’s the Boss?: Does anybody
really care???

13. The A-Team: Lt. Templeton
“Faceman” Peck – enough said!




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Romancing the Silver Screen: Robert Montgomery




I love movies! Almost as much as I love books. But recently I have been rather disappointed by the actors and movies which Hollywood has been churning out. I don’t know how many times I have sat down and watched a much-anticipated movie only to come away throughly unhappy or down right disgusted. With CGI all the rage, movies have become more flash than substance, always pushing it to the next level... Where’s the drama, the comedy, the romance, the charm?

And then I discovered B&W movies... Yes I know, they have been around for a long, long time. As a kid, I never really paid much attention to them. My attitude was: “...the world IS in color after all, why would I want to watch something in black and white?” But I have discovered that there is something just so charming about all those old movies, especially those from the ‘30s and ‘40s. Something that touches you in a way that few modern flicks do. Maybe it’s because at the time they were made life was so much simpler than it is now. Maybe it’s the innocent quality of the stories, the actors, the movies themselves. I’m not exactly sure what it is that has made me fall in love with them, but I’m hooked on all those wonderful actors from days gone by...
Thanks to the Turner Classic Movie Channel (now my favorite channel), I have admittedly fallen in love with a great actor named Robert Montgomery. He was more than just another handsome face in Hollywood, he had something unique about him, and could be very funny or dramatic, as the role demanded. He had a certain presence which is no doubt one of the reasons why he became such a big star in the 30s and 40s. He was paired with some of the most beautiful leading ladies of the time, like Norma Shear and Rosalind Russell. And what’s more, he had an irristitiable charm ,and dare I say a sarcastic wit, which made him so loveable. But he was more than the playboy roles he was so often cast in, much more. He had tremendous skill which he was finally able to display in the movie Night Must Fall, where he plays a charming physcopath who has a propensity to kill older women. And Robert certainly delivered. Try watching that movie at night with lights off, and you’ll see he could be downright chilling—when he wanted to be.


Though I love his dramas, and his thrillers, it is his comedies which I have to admit I love most. No one could quite pull off a romantic comedy like him, with his oozing charm, and lightening wit. Even as the perpetual drunken, skirt-chasing, work-avoiding playboy (a role in which he was cast over and over again) he was loveable.

Not only was he a great actor, but his personal life reads like a hollywood “rags to riches” script. He was born in 1904 in a well-to-do family. When his father died in 1922, his family suddenly found themselves penniless. To support them, he worked various jobs, from mechanic’s helper with the railroad, to deckhand on an oil tanker. And the funny part is, he had intended to be a writer, not an actor, yet he made his stage debut in New York in 1924.

In 1929 he got his first film roll in The Single Standard. But it wasn’t until Untamed and Their Own Desire, that Montgomery became typecast as the “playboy”. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild on four separate occasions, and was one of the many actors who wanted a union. In those days, actors worked 6 days a week for only $65, and producers were threatening to slash their salory in half... No wonder the SAG was founded.

And then, during the height of his career, Robert enlisted in the Navy and served in WWII much to MGM’s dismay. He was sent to the Intelligence Section in the U.S. Naval Attache office, and set up a naval operations room in the White House. It was after his time served in the war that Hollywood began to take this leading man a lot more seriously, even allowing him to try his hand at directing with the film Lady in the Lake, which Robert also starred.

But despite his yearning to be recoginized as an actor of considerable talents (which he indeed was), I think he will always be remembered and loved for his comedic rolls, like the suave, don’t-give-a-damn, skirt-chasing writer in Ever Since Eve, and the quirky, charming, starving artist in Live, Love, and Learn.

Robert Montogomery was more than a handsome actor with a wonderful talent, he was a real person, and it showed through in every role he played.

To learn more about Robert Montgomery and his plethora of movies, be sure to check out The Earl of Hollywood – Robert Montgomery, a throughly comprehensive website about the man and his movies.

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