Once Upon A Time's Rose McIver Cast in Petals on the Wind
I've never seen OUAT and I know nothing about Rose McIver, but from her
photos she does bear a faint resemblance to Heather Graham minus the
crazy eyes, so at the very least, it seems we're getting a good physical
type.
So far we know that the Petals movie is set ten years after Flowers. In book-time, this involves skipping over Paul, so I wonder if he's going to be in this at all or if we're going to get him in flashbacks to explain how the kids survived after their escape. Lifetime doesn't generally get squeamish about sex, but Cathy and Paul's May/December romance (even if it's really more April/Labor Day romance) might cause some pearl-clutching. I wonder if Julian's going to make it in?
If I squint, I could see how one might narrow the whole focus of the film to a straightforward revenge story, but let's face it: 90% of the book was Cathy's madcap romances with increasingly inappropriate men and it's going to feel empty if we don't get a peek at that. And of course, it's all worth nothing if Cathy doesn't bleed on her feet.
Showing posts with label relevant to our interests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relevant to our interests. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Buzzfeed: The Ghost of V.C. Andrews
The Ghost of V.C. Andrews: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Mysterious 'Flowers in the Attic' Author
A really good overview of the relationship between Andrews' editor, her publishers, and Andrew Neiderman as they all worked to sustain Andrews' writings after her death, this also includes what might be a couple of "new" photos (at least, I'd never seen 'em) of Andrews and a hint that we may be at the end of the Andrews era so far as ghostwritten sequels are concerned.
As of late, Ann Patty (Andrews' editor) has been coming forward a lot more. I don't know if this has anything to do with the upcoming film attracting more attention. I suspect, too, that she may be on the verge of retirement. She's also said in a few interviews that she'd like to publish a memoir on her relationship with Andrews, so she might be establishing her presence in anticipation of that move.
Either way, an interesting read, with some especially insightful info on Neiderman.
A really good overview of the relationship between Andrews' editor, her publishers, and Andrew Neiderman as they all worked to sustain Andrews' writings after her death, this also includes what might be a couple of "new" photos (at least, I'd never seen 'em) of Andrews and a hint that we may be at the end of the Andrews era so far as ghostwritten sequels are concerned.
As of late, Ann Patty (Andrews' editor) has been coming forward a lot more. I don't know if this has anything to do with the upcoming film attracting more attention. I suspect, too, that she may be on the verge of retirement. She's also said in a few interviews that she'd like to publish a memoir on her relationship with Andrews, so she might be establishing her presence in anticipation of that move.
Either way, an interesting read, with some especially insightful info on Neiderman.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Lifetime Orders Flowers in the Attic Sequel, and Other Less Impressive Updates
Lifetime Orders Flowers in the Attic Sequel
I never thought I'd say this...but Lifetime loves us.
The real news is in the headline. The remainder of the article is just a summary of the upcoming FitA remake. I hope that this level of optimism mean that the film is going to be great.
While I'm here and since it's on topic, the next Petals on the Wind post will be up on Saturday. It, too, is going to be long, since I'm trying to cover Cathy's entire first marriage in a single entry. The pacing is just weird in this section. Keep an eye out!
I never thought I'd say this...but Lifetime loves us.
The real news is in the headline. The remainder of the article is just a summary of the upcoming FitA remake. I hope that this level of optimism mean that the film is going to be great.
While I'm here and since it's on topic, the next Petals on the Wind post will be up on Saturday. It, too, is going to be long, since I'm trying to cover Cathy's entire first marriage in a single entry. The pacing is just weird in this section. Keep an eye out!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Flowers in the Attic Remake, Long Trailer
At the request of an anonymous reader, I've uploaded a copy of the longer trailer for the new Lifetime remake of Flowers in the Attic, which comes out 18 January. As of the last week of December, Lifetime was sending out C&D orders to websites hosting the leaked long trailer, so this video's stability is in some doubt. Likewise, let me know if there's trouble watching the video here. I've never used Blogger's video upload function and can't vouch for its reliability.
I have the trailer saved to my hard drive and can shoot you a copy on request. It can also be found for now at DailyMotion. If someone knows a different source, or if there's other trailers available (other than the official 32-second promo), please let us all know!
Sunday, December 29, 2013
The Suspense!
Watch this space on New Year's Day for a surprise!
A big surprise.
::side-eyes the ever-growing Word file::
A big, big, twenty-seven-pages-and-counting surprise . . .
A big surprise.
::side-eyes the ever-growing Word file::
A big, big, twenty-seven-pages-and-counting surprise . . .
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
"Dance, Ballerina, Dance . . . "
I'm still working on the next section of recap, so to fill some time, please welcome Mr. Nat "King" Cole, singing the song Chris quoted to Cathy during their incredibly awkward semi-nude pool-party in Flowers in the Attic!
Fun Fact! This song topped out at #18 on the charts in 1957, the year Flowers in the Attic begins. Now you can imagine twelve-year-old ballet-obsessed Cathy playing this single over and over on her plastic portable record player and driving everyone in the family nuts.
Fun Fact! This song topped out at #18 on the charts in 1957, the year Flowers in the Attic begins. Now you can imagine twelve-year-old ballet-obsessed Cathy playing this single over and over on her plastic portable record player and driving everyone in the family nuts.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
A Possible Influence? The Works of Margery Lawrence
While working on the next entry for this blog, I came across this quote: "he forced upon me what should only be given in love." This line regards Julian raping Cathy in the upcoming section and is--I thought--a classic example of Andrews' strangely coy descriptions of all things sexual.
Except I took a closer look, and it isn't.
In fact, this line is a direct quote from a 1930 novel, The Madonna of Seven Moons, by Margery Lawrence. The only difference between Madonna and Petals is that the Madonna quote is in third person, while Petals is of course in first person. Criterion describes the film adaptation of Madonna of Seven Moons as a "lurid tale of sex and psychosis" about a woman who was raped by gypsies.
The little I found on a quick research of Margery Lawrence is that she was a writer of occult mysteries in the 1940s. She was very much into spiritualism and published a couple of books on the subject; she prefaced some of her (obviously fictional) Gothic works with a disclaimer stating that they were true stories with the names changed for privacy. Cambridge University's Orlando index, which catalogs the works of female British authors, describes her work thusly: Female sexuality looms large in her work and she often places female characters in impossible predicaments, often involving social convention, money, or class.
It's too little info to make a connection to Andrews, but I did find it interesting that the most outstanding conventions of this woman's work sound like things that could be said of Our Gal Ginny. It sounds as if Lawrence could have very well be an influence on Andrews, and the direct quote strongly implies that Andrews read The Madonna of Seven Moons.
I feel it necessary to point out that I do not imply Andrews may have plagiarized this other author. One lifted line does not a plagiarist make. Writers brains are like flypaper for unique phrases, which tend to get regurgitated without our realizing it. Recently in my own fiction, I had to go back and edit the opening of a scene when I realized it too closely resembled the opening of a similar scene in a published novel. I'm sure that if I had to bear down to catch a whole three paragraphs, a line or two here and there has probably slipped under my radar. That's how we writers roll.
Margery Lawrence's works are sadly out-of-print, and the few copies available are antiques far out of my price range. She seems to be well-known enough to have a Wikipedia article, but obscure enough that I can't find any scholarly papers on her work--and believe me, us desperate English majors will dig up writers you've never heard of in order to stand out in our field. I do not have quite enough time to do any in-depth research investigating other potential links between the two authors. But if there's a thesis anywhere in this, I call dibs.
Except I took a closer look, and it isn't.
In fact, this line is a direct quote from a 1930 novel, The Madonna of Seven Moons, by Margery Lawrence. The only difference between Madonna and Petals is that the Madonna quote is in third person, while Petals is of course in first person. Criterion describes the film adaptation of Madonna of Seven Moons as a "lurid tale of sex and psychosis" about a woman who was raped by gypsies.
The little I found on a quick research of Margery Lawrence is that she was a writer of occult mysteries in the 1940s. She was very much into spiritualism and published a couple of books on the subject; she prefaced some of her (obviously fictional) Gothic works with a disclaimer stating that they were true stories with the names changed for privacy. Cambridge University's Orlando index, which catalogs the works of female British authors, describes her work thusly: Female sexuality looms large in her work and she often places female characters in impossible predicaments, often involving social convention, money, or class.
It's too little info to make a connection to Andrews, but I did find it interesting that the most outstanding conventions of this woman's work sound like things that could be said of Our Gal Ginny. It sounds as if Lawrence could have very well be an influence on Andrews, and the direct quote strongly implies that Andrews read The Madonna of Seven Moons.
I feel it necessary to point out that I do not imply Andrews may have plagiarized this other author. One lifted line does not a plagiarist make. Writers brains are like flypaper for unique phrases, which tend to get regurgitated without our realizing it. Recently in my own fiction, I had to go back and edit the opening of a scene when I realized it too closely resembled the opening of a similar scene in a published novel. I'm sure that if I had to bear down to catch a whole three paragraphs, a line or two here and there has probably slipped under my radar. That's how we writers roll.
Margery Lawrence's works are sadly out-of-print, and the few copies available are antiques far out of my price range. She seems to be well-known enough to have a Wikipedia article, but obscure enough that I can't find any scholarly papers on her work--and believe me, us desperate English majors will dig up writers you've never heard of in order to stand out in our field. I do not have quite enough time to do any in-depth research investigating other potential links between the two authors. But if there's a thesis anywhere in this, I call dibs.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
This Is the Greatest/Geekiest Moment of My Life
Dear Mr. Burt Reynolds:
If you are reading this, it means your publicists have passed along my letter seeking your personal endorsement for this blog. As you can see, we* are a small-scale operation here at the VCA Blog-O-Rama, but I assure you, we take our mission as seriously as any professional publication. I like to think that what we lack in credibility, we make up in baseless speculation.
But you may be asking yourself, why me? And why V.C. Andrews? What could a tanned, taut, venerable silver fox such as myself have to do with the late author of the best-selling novel Flowers in the Attic?
Not going to lie. It's the moustache.
Moustaches not only play a large part in the works of V.C. Andrews, but I have determined, based on my extensive literary analysis of her novels, that the moustache is, in fact, a critical thematic element. The moustache motif arches like a protective umbrella, sheltering and encompassing Andrews' entire literary canon. You and your moustache have become our mascot, our muse. At times, your name has comprised up to 20% of our search hits.** I would further like to note that the main writer of this blog is based in Alabama, one of the settings for your classic 1977 action-comedy Smokey and the Bandit.
Previous familiarity with V.C. Andrews and/or the content of this blog would be considered a bonus, but is not necessary. Your endorsement would receive a prominent placement immediately below the header, with all proper attributions appended. We would appreciate a single catchy, upbeat, positive quote reflective of your devil-may-care screen personae. Any mention of moustaches, mice, or doughnuts would also be welcome. You will of course be compensated for your contribution.***
We thank you for your consideration, and we eagerly await future correspondence.
Yours sincerely,
The Fifth Dollanganger
*And by 'we' I mean 'me."
**Specifically, on 5 January, 2012, this blog received 77 unique hits, 15 of which came from searches for "Burt Reynolds porn."
***Do you accept baked goods?
If you are reading this, it means your publicists have passed along my letter seeking your personal endorsement for this blog. As you can see, we* are a small-scale operation here at the VCA Blog-O-Rama, but I assure you, we take our mission as seriously as any professional publication. I like to think that what we lack in credibility, we make up in baseless speculation.
But you may be asking yourself, why me? And why V.C. Andrews? What could a tanned, taut, venerable silver fox such as myself have to do with the late author of the best-selling novel Flowers in the Attic?
Not going to lie. It's the moustache.
Moustaches not only play a large part in the works of V.C. Andrews, but I have determined, based on my extensive literary analysis of her novels, that the moustache is, in fact, a critical thematic element. The moustache motif arches like a protective umbrella, sheltering and encompassing Andrews' entire literary canon. You and your moustache have become our mascot, our muse. At times, your name has comprised up to 20% of our search hits.** I would further like to note that the main writer of this blog is based in Alabama, one of the settings for your classic 1977 action-comedy Smokey and the Bandit.
Previous familiarity with V.C. Andrews and/or the content of this blog would be considered a bonus, but is not necessary. Your endorsement would receive a prominent placement immediately below the header, with all proper attributions appended. We would appreciate a single catchy, upbeat, positive quote reflective of your devil-may-care screen personae. Any mention of moustaches, mice, or doughnuts would also be welcome. You will of course be compensated for your contribution.***
We thank you for your consideration, and we eagerly await future correspondence.
Yours sincerely,
The Fifth Dollanganger
*And by 'we' I mean 'me."
**Specifically, on 5 January, 2012, this blog received 77 unique hits, 15 of which came from searches for "Burt Reynolds porn."
***Do you accept baked goods?
Friday, January 27, 2012
Back to the Big Screen?
From Variety, 13 January 2012:
Pair Nabs Rights to V.C. Andrews Library
Pair Nabs Rights to V.C. Andrews Library
Dan Angel ("Door to Door") of the Hatchery has purchased rights to the V.C. Andrews library and teamed with Jane Startz ("Ella Enchanted") to develop and produce feature films, TV series and telepics based on Andrews' works. Angel and Startz announced the partnership Friday.
There are currently 70 Andrews books, launched in 1979 with "Flowers in the Attic," with worldwide sales of over 106 million copies in 95 countries in 26 languages in stories combining elements of Gothic horror and family secrets. Andrew Neiderman, who's penned 44 books under his own name, has been the ghostwriter of Andrews' books since her death in 1986. The latest addition is "Family Storms" and its sequel "Cloudburst," released in the fall. Paranormal love story "Into The Darkness" will be published in March and "The Forbidden Sister will be published in the fall 2012, followed by its sequel "Roxy's Story."
"V.C. Andrews is such a major cultural icon and has been for the last three decades," Startz said. "Her collected works are a treasure trove of genres--romance gothic, paranormal -- with highly original and often outré stories that have enormous multigenerational and multicultural appeal."
Angel's credits include "The Haunting Hour," "Dan Vs." and "Gifted Hands." Startz produced "The Indian in the Cupboard," "The Mighty" and "Tuck Everlasting." Simon & Schuster UK, long-term publishers of V.C. Andrews, said in a statement, "We are delighted that Virginia Andrews will find a new audience through this exciting collaboration with The Hatchery and Jane Startz Prods., taking this global brand to even greater heights."
In 2007, the Hatchery and Jaffe/Braunstein announced plans to develop a miniseries for Lifetime based on the Andrews' "The Landry" but the project didn't come together.
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