At BlogCritics: Reinventing Fairy Tales: An Interview with Once Upon a Time's Jane Espenson

Here's a short bit of Reinventing Fairy Tales: An Interview with Once Upon a Time's Jane Espenson, which by the way, is a very long, newsy article and is a must for fans of the show. This is only a small excerpt from the five page article (rather short pages, but there are 5!).

I read a poll the other day on some fansite, and interestingly Rumpelstiltskin was far in the lead as favorite character. He's certainly my favorite character, but I'm not sure why that is. I don't usually find myself drawn to "villains," but is Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold a real villain? After all, he did bring Henry to Storybrooke (and helped Snow White and the Prince save their baby).

We are fortunate to have two amazing villains in The Evil Queen/Regina and Rumple. And I really love how both of them can justify their own actions. Regina has a yet-to-be-revealed beef against Snow, and you're going to learn a lot more about the source of Rumple's dark energy soon. And, yes, you're onto something. Rumple's agenda is very complex. Look not just to episode 8, but to episode 12 and beyond to learn more about it. You'll have to decide for yourself if it's evil or not.

You probably won't tell me, but I have to ask: how much does Mr. Gold actually know about the curse?

Regina retains all her memories. Mr. Gold certainly seems to know something, but we won't be telling you more than that for a while.

Spinoff Online: Once Upon a Time Creators Talk Willingham, Lindelof and Icons

From Once Upon a Time Creators Talk Willingham, Lindelof and Icons, another article you should read in its entirety if you are a fan.

But what has it been like to have that very specific base for characters and world to build on. People really know the ins and outs of these versions of things. Does that make storytelling any easier for you, or do you want to go in and reestablish a bunch of the ground rule?

Kitsis: I think it’s a mixture of both. What Adam and I really tried to set out and do was not just tell the stories you already knew but tell the ones you didn’t know. That’s why we started the pilot with the end of Snow White and then saw what took place after. It’s the perfect example in how we open on the glass coffin since it’s the most iconic image ever, but then we take you into the relationship between her and Prince Charming. There are certain stories like Cinderella or Hansel & Gretel that have such iconic elements to them, but then the challenge becomes revealing a piece you never knew before or putting a fun twist on it.

Bill Willingham on "Fables" vs "Once Upon A Time"

   

This article has been referenced a lot this week, but I don't want to neglect it here, so here's a short excerpt from Bill Willingham on "Fables" vs "Once Upon A Time":

Is "Once" influenced and at least in part inspired by "Fables?"

My best guess, based upon the same scanty evidence is, yes, it probably is, but perhaps not on more than a "this is the type of thing that's in the air these days" level.

Why do you say that? The characters from "Fables" live in modern times, in a secret community called Fabletown, more or less hiding in plain sight, and the characters from "Once" live in modern times, in a secret community called Storybrooke, more or less hiding in plane sight. That seems pretty close to me.

That's hardly damning. Our fantastic literature is rife with "they've been hiding amongst us all along" scenarios. There were plenty of such tales long before "Fables" came along. There will be scads of them long after "Once" has aired its final episode and "Fables" shipped its final issue. If you start with the notion of fairy tale characters still alive in the modern world, the next step of placing them in a secret community seems almost axiomatic.

What about the network? Long before "Once" was aired from ABC, didn't that same network have a deal to produce "Fables" as a TV series?

Yes, but that by itself doesn't prove anything. First of all, I am and always was on the outside of any deals between DC/Warner and any studio regarding a "Fables" adaptation. DC didn't want me as part of the deal making and paid handsomely not to have me directly involved. So it was their baby all along. As such, I was never privy to the details of that supposed deal with ABC. I heard the same rumors you did, that the writers of that project weren't supposed to have made the big announcement when they did. In any case, the ABC "Fables" project went no further than creating an unproduced pilot script. I eventually got to read that pilot, and it was a far cry from anything to do with "Fables."

Willingham is, as always, wonderful. And, yes, the article is Bill interviewing himself. There's lots more and he is quite positive about OUAT, so don't fret if you are a fan. Just go to the full article and read. Yes, the fairy tale playground is big enough for us all to play in!

And while we are here, if you are curious about Fables, the compendium hardcovers are the best place to start. Try the images at the top of this post to explore them.

Jack the Giant Killer (2012) First Movie Poster

A few of you were quite excited about the trailer for Jack the Giant Killer (2012) yesterday, so I thought I should share the poster. Well, I would anyway, because that's why I'm here, but I am looking forward to more exciting iterations of the poster, I admit.

Advertising: Listerine Toothpaste

Put the tooth fairy out of business.

Advertising Agency: JWT, Australia
Writer: Jay Benjamin & Andy Dilallo
Art Directors: Andy Dilallo, Jay Benjamin
Executive Creative Director: Jay Benjamin & Andy Dilallo
Typographer: Jeffrey Oley, Myles Allpress
Photographer: Gary Sheppard
Retoucher: Electric Art

Via Ads of the World.

How Big Brands got their Names

 How big businesses actually got their names — 24 more brands after the break...

Continue Reading.......

High-Rise Cities in the World

Hong Kong - 7.685

Interesting data on the number of houses taller than 35 meters. For the record - the usual panel five-storey building - about 18 meters. more cities after the break...

Creative Wooden Handbags

Handbags made of wood, 12 more images after the break...

Control your Accelerator Pedal

Control your Accelerator pedal, 33 more images after the break...

Riddle of the day

Try to guess how many people are in the selection picture?

Visually, it seems smaller.

Continue Reading.......

The Cloud Buildings — Seoul

Seoul, South Korea’s ‘The Cloud’ buildings are immediately offensive — The buildings are called ‘The Cloud’ and they are being built in Soul, South Korea by Netherlands-based architectural firm MVRDV. The two 850+ foot towers are connected in the middle by an explosive looking “cloud”. 07 more images after the break...

Funny Lawyers — Billboards

Funny Lawyers — Billboards, 16 more images after the the break...

Continue Reading.......

Full Series of Once Upon a Time Streaming on ABC for Limited Time

I received this alert a few days ago and just remembered to post it. Sorry, crazy holiday week and all... Unfortunately, this only applies to U.S. readers, but the show should be coming to other countries based on its success!

MEDIA ALERT

ABC.COM CELEBRATES THE HOLIDAYS WITH FULL SERIES STREAMS OF PRIMETIME DRAMAS “REVENGE” AND “ONCE UPON A TIME”

ABC Entertainment is making all full episodes of two of its most popular new dramas, “Revenge” and “Once Upon A Time,” available to fans throughout the holidays on ABC.com and on the ABC Player for iPad. ABC.com regularly premieres ABC shows the day after they air, with up to 5 of the most current available at one time. This will make additional episodes available so that fans can view the entire season to date.

“For fans who missed an episode or for those who are late to discover the shows, this is the perfect way to catch up,” said Karin Gilford, senior vice president, Digital Media for the ABC Television Network. “It is part of our ongoing goal to super serve fans meaningful experiences, while also making two really amazing shows available to new audiences.”

All full episodes of “Once Upon A Time” will be live at www.ABC.com/Once and on the ABC Player for iPad after the last new episode of this year on Dec. 11 and will be available until the primetime return on January 8, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold, Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen/Regina, Jared Gilmore as Henry Mills, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David and Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket/Archie Hopper.

Fairy Tale Gifts Winners

Using Random.org, the winners of the books in the  December Giveaway: Favorite Fairy Tale Things are:

Fairy Tale Gifts 7: Paula Richey wins the copy of Cinder by Marissa Meyer

and since I have another copy, albeit the one I gently read--I thought I'd give away another copy, so Fairy Tale Gifts 1: Karly Noelle Abreu also receives Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I don't think you'll realize I read it first, Karly!

Fairy Tale Gifts 11: Davina wins the copy of Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen

and while we are here, I never announced the winner of The Enchanted Screen by Jack Zipes from a few months ago. The winner is Rachel Ayers.

I will be sending emails to you, but if you read this first, please send me your mailing address. I hope to ship everything on Monday--I have other things to mail for the Magick4Terri auction, too.

Congrats and happy holidays everyone! And thank you for sharing your lists.

Fairy Tale Gifts 12: Pambelina

We ended up with 12 entries for the December Giveaway: Favorite Fairy Tale Things with a great ending from Pambelina. Thanks to everyone who participated!

In her words:

From pambelina:

I debated whether or not to send this email, Heidi. I assumed that everyone loved the same fairy tales that I love and it would be redundant. But with this being the last day I realized that I couldn't sit idly by while some of my favorite fairy tale things were overlooked! So here is my list. (Let me know if you would like me to send specific links, etc.)

  

1. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (and the rest of the Bayern series) and Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. I've loved Ms. Hale's books since the day that The Goose Girl fell on my head at a bookstore where I was looking for a new book (true story).

 

2. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and Fairest by Gail Carson Levine. These two books, along with The Goose Girl inspired me to start researching fairy tales and trying my hand at writing my own.

3. Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales Around the World edited by Kathleen Ragan with a foreword by Jane Yolen. This exposed me to so many tales that I had never heard before

4. Fairy Tales by James C. Christensen jigsaw puzzle. So hard, but so fun!

5. Any fairy tale figurines by Jim Shore (they're Disney characters, but SO gorgeous).

6. The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry. My ten-year-old niece can't get enough fairy tales (it's my fault, I'm happy to say), so I'm always excited when I find one that's age-appropriate for her. (Heidi's note: This is currently bargain priced in hardcover for $6.80 on Amazon.)

  

7. The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde. You've never seen Rumpelstiltskin's story quite like this collection of short stories, all re-imagining the original tale. (Heidi's note: I'd add her Cloaked in Red while we're here!)

8. The gorgeous artwork of Emma SanCartier. (Heidi's note: I didn't have time to research more, just found one book, but I will see about doing a post later.)

9. The Better to Stick to You tape dispenser from shopruche.com.

10. And, for that person who has everything, a Don't Piss off the Fairies yard sign.
Thanks for your blog, I read every day!
pambelina

Jack the Giant Killer (2012) Trailer

In theaters: June 15th, 2012

"Jack the Giant Killer" tells the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittinglyopens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack, into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend--and gets the chance to become a legend himself.

Genre: Action and Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Official Site: http://www.jack-the-giant-killer.com
Director: Bryan Singer (Yes, of X-Men fame, among others)
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor
Writers: Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie, Dan Studney

And while we are here, here is a trailer from the original film from which the new one drew inspiration. Watch for the magic cloak effect that my John loved.



So what do you think?

Advertising: Cinderella and Hanes Hosiery

I actually remembered this one. I was a kid and it stuck once I saw it again. Scary...

New Graphic Novel: Jim Henson's The Storyteller Volume 1

 

Jim Henson's The Storyteller Volume 1 was released this week. (And appeared on Davina's fairy tale wishlist, too.) This is not a new DVD release, but a book release of graphic novel interpretations of folk and fairy tales, not just the ones in the original tv series either. I have previews of some pages below as well as a description of the book.

From the publisher:

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Jim Henson's the Storyteller

The much-loved, live-action/puppet combination TV show is now a graphic novel series! Archaia and The Jim Henson Company are proud to present ALL-NEW tales of fantastic wonder and extraordinary myth, as told from the tongue of The Storyteller and his loyal canine companion! Witness worded wonderment from a cavalcade of craft creators, including Roger Langridge (The Muppet Show comic, Thor the Mighty Avenger), Marjorie Liu (Black Widow), Ron Marz (Green Lantern, Artifacts), Jeff Parker (Thor, Thunderbolts), Francesco Francavilla (Detective Comics), Chris Eliopoulos (Franklin Richards) and Janet Lee (Return of the Dapper Men). Plus: a never-before-seen story adapted from a screenplay by The Storyteller's original author, Academy Award® winner Anthony Minghella (The English Patient).