Student gets to test science behind Rapunzel fairy tale

Photograph by: Arlen Redekop, PNG

From Burnaby student gets to test science behind Rapunzel fairy tale at Science World:

Burnaby student Linette Ho had a serious scientific question: Would the handsome prince from the fairy tale Rapunzel have really have been able to climb the beautiful maiden’s hair to get to her tower room?

A Science World experiment Wednesday gave the 16-year-old Moscrop Secondary student her answer. It turns out, human hair is strong enough to hold a human.

Ho’s question was chosen as part of the B.C. government’s contest called “Choose Science, Go Far, Win Big” as part of the province’s Year of Science. Five more winners will be named in the spring.

In the experiment, Science World staff clamped a hank of long human hair (collected for use as a hair extension, but rejected) to a mechanical device, then attached a handle to the other end. Ho grabbed the handle and the rig lifted her off the ground. Then B.C.’s Minister of Science and Universities Ida Chong, followed by several spectators, took a turn.

“It didn’t break at all,” said Science World spokeswoman Amanda McCuaig.

Enchanted Conversation Giveaway/Promotion!

From KateW at Enchanted Conversation:

Enchanted Conversation Giveaway/Promotion!

In the spirit of creating buzz and gaining the interest of readers and writers, Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine is holding a giveaway for those who blog, tweet or post a comment or entry on a site that promotes EC for readers and writers. The prize is a $25 Amazon electronic gift certificate.

Details:
1. You can only enter once and you must be at least 18. If you are a current or former student of mine (Kate Wolford, editor), you cannot enter.
2. You may tweet at on your own account or blog on your own blog or post a message on someone else's site (but not EC or Diamondsandtoads.com). The message you create must include a link to the submission guidelines and/or let readers know that this year's first issue will be published on March 20, 2011 and have a link to this site. The message must promote Enchanted Conversation.
3. After you do your promotional effort, please copy and paste a link to your message or the full message into a comment under this post. [Note, not this post on SurLaLune!] You must also guess a number between 400 and 1,000 and make sure it is on your comment. You must also have information that makes you easily reachable via email.
4. The winner will be the person who gets the closest, numerically, to the number we choose randomly, between 400 and 1,000. Only one prize will be awarded.
5. The contest starts now and ends Feb. 18 at 11:59 p.m., EST.

Fun Take on Upcoming Fairy Tale Blitz from Hollywood

Okay, so in reading all this movie news to share with you--and I admit I am fascinated with it all--I found this blog on EW which entertained me and made me smile. I'll share my favorite part.

From Julia Roberts as an evil queen. Famke Janssen as a hunted witch. Fairy tales are going grim(m) by Kate Ward:

So you know what this means: This trend will carry on until the fat lady sings. You know, Strega Nona.

Now, I’m hardly complaining: The Princess Bride, a film that perfected the craft of fairy tale storytelling on the big screen, is one of my favorite films of all time. And, quite honestly, Snow White is way overdue for a new hairstyle. But, after Tim Burton’s dark fairy tale adaptation made bank, it seems filmmakers are becoming more attracted to the dark side of the tales — bringing them to the big screen, really, in the form they were originally written. Both The Brothers Grimm: Snow White and Snow White and the Huntsman are supposed to be more sinister versions of the tale, and Hansel & Gretel is pegged as an action film. (And as for Catherine Hardwicke’s upcoming Red Riding Hood — my my, what angsty it has!) And while that excites a Brothers Grimm fan like myself — who’d love to see the original stories, bleak endings and all — represented in some form, I wonder how it will pay off for filmmakers. Ignoring a happily ever after does allow them more creative license to challenge themselves and the viewer, but in our own bleak world — where moviegoers like to blow off steam with Shrek and its many sequels — is it a gamble to reveal to audiences what really happens on the final page of a Brothers Grimm tale? (Sure, Burton’s gotten away with dark storytelling, but that’s because the director has spent a career perfecting films with a mixture of dark themes and levity. Seeing his movies, you never walk out feeling defeated or robbed of a happy ending.)

I say, go ahead, Hollywood: Continue developing fantastical tales with melancholy overtones. Bring to the big screen The Little Mermaid Hans Christian Andersen created, with the title character (spoiler alert) committing suicide. Make an adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s original version of The Adventures of Pinocchio, which ended (spoiler alert) with the puppet being hanged for various crimes. Create the Brothers Grimm version of Rumpelstiltskin, in which the gnome (spoiler alert) literally tears himself in half in a fit of anger. (Kind of awesome, right?) And I’m still waiting for Burton to take on the petrifying title character of Heinrich Hoffmann’s children’s book, Der Struwwelpeter. Really, any of these would be better than, funnily enough, the comedic 2005 film The Brothers Grimm.

Anyone else digging the trend of grim fairy tales? Hey, it worked for 2006′s Pan’s Labyrinth, right?

Finally an entertainment writer who gets her info right and even shares many of my opinions. I am thrilled!

Film News: Hansel and Gretel (not a Snow White film!)

From Famke Janssen Will Bewitch 'Hansel and Gretel' for Paramount by Jay A. Fernandez:

Famke Janssen has joined Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton in the Paramount film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) is directing the action comedy, which picks up years after the fairy-tale siblings' childhood trauma at the gingerbread house, when they've become witch bounty hunters. Janssen will play the leader of the witches.

The Gary Sanchez-produced project is scheduled to begin shooting in Berlin in March.

I've only really seen Janssen in the X-Men movies and something else I am blank on at the moment.

More Snow White Film News

Here's some more bits about the Snow White films in development...

From 2012's Second 'Snow White' Scheduled by Ray Subers:

It's shaping up to be Snow White versus Snow White in 2012. Relativity Media just announced a June 29, 2012 release date for their Untitled Snow White Movie. They also revealed that Julia Roberts has been cast as the evil queen in the Tarsem-directed adaptation, which is the second Snow White project officially announced for next year.

The movie, which is being produced by Ryan Kavanaugh, Tucker Tooley and Brett Ratner, appears to be a reimagining of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale. It's plot is described as such: "After her evil stepmother kills her father and destroys the kingdom, Snow White bands together with a gang of seven quarrelsome dwarfs to reclaim what is rightly hers."

This release date is nearly six months ahead of Universal's Snow White and the Huntsman, which was scheduled for Dec. 21, 2012, over three months ago. That movie has already locked its three main leads, casting Viggo Mortensen as the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart as Snow White and Charlize Theron as the queen.

From "Toy Story 3" writer to tackle Snow White project by Boris Kit:

Oscar-winning "Little Miss Sunshine" scribe Michael Arndt is in negotiations to work on the script for Disney's "Snow and the Seven," one of three rival Snow White projects in the works.

Additionally production designer John Myhre, an Oscar winner for his work on "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Chicago," has been brought on board to begin creating the worlds of the fairy tale, which is set in 19th century China.

Yes, China.

The project, which Disney has been developing since 2002, centres on a 19th century Englishwoman who returns to her Hong Kong home for her father's funeral, only to discover that her stepmother is plotting against her. She escapes to mainland China, finding solace among a rogue band of seven international warriors.

Francis Lawrence has been on board to direct since early on, even as a slew of writers has taken turns at the script. Arndt last week picked up an Oscar nomination for co-writing "Toy Story 3."

With all systems go for "Snow," the big question is Natalie Portman's involvement. She has been circling the project since last year, but her pregnancy could hinder her ability to undertake a physically intense movie that will feature several different fighting styles.

From Julia Roberts to play Evil Queen in 'Snow White' by Kate Ward:

The Brothers Grimm: Snow White has found its Evil Queen. EW has confirmed that, as rumored, Julia Roberts will be playing the villainous role for the Brett Ratner-produced film for Relativity, which starts production in April. This project, of course, is not to be confused with Snow White and the Huntsman; that Universal film, which may feature Kristen Stewart in the role of Snow White, will likely star Charlize Theron as its Evil Queen. (Viggo Mortensen is in talks for the Huntsman role.)

New Book: Sleeping Helena by Erzebet Yellowboy

Sleeping Helena by Erzebet Yellowboy is a book that I missed in last year's new releases until Erzebet sent me notification of it this week. It really is hard to keep up with all of the new releases, so please send me your book titles if you are an author. The book is available in paperback and ebook.

Book description from the publisher:

What does a girl do with eight gifted and meddling aunts, one of whom can see into the future, yet who cannot escape the curses of the past? The answer is: not much, for someone has conspired to put the girl and her aunts to sleep for one hundred years. Unlike the traditional tale of Sleeping Beauty, however, Sleeping Helena's years flow backwards - back in time to a fateful day that changed not only the lives of her family, but of an entire nation. No prince, but a King's own lover will find the beauty in her chamber. While the fate of the nation has been decided and cannot be undone, the fate of the family rests on a lover's kiss, and what Helena will do should she awake.

The book has been well-reviewed so far. You can also read more about it on Erzebet's website. Congrats Erzebet on the new book. And what a lovely cover, too....

Short Film: The Hunter and the Swan Discuss Their Meeting

The Sundance Film Festival is over for another year. One of the official selections featured at the festival was The Hunter and the Swan Discuss Their Meeting, a short film by Emily Carmichael that draws inspiration from The Swan Maiden body of folklore.

The short is available for viewing in its entirety through Sundance on YouTube and I am embedding it below. Do be aware that it has nudity that is blurred out. The short description is:

A Brooklyn couple have dinner with a hunter and his girlfriend, a magical swan woman. It doesn't go well.

From Q&A w/ Sundance filmmaker Emily Carmichael “The Hunter and the Swan…”written by Jason Sondhi:

What kind of statement were you going for with the contrast between the two couples?

Well it’s definitely that the couple with the more magical origin story has the less stable relationship. Also that the Hunter and Swan are a very gender-classic couple, but the Other Couple is a little switched in that the guy is a little more gentle and sentimental than the girl. I’ve always known lots of very sensitive men and very outspoken women, so to me they feel like a very familiar pair.


Walk us through the development process of the story and the production.

I wrote some of the film when I was back at my parents apartment looking at this old Time Life book of “Fairies and Elves” that I had. I showed it to a few people, including Josh (Kid Can Drive Producer Josh Hetzler) who really wanted me to finish it so we could make the movie. I write a lot of little fragments of things that lie around in various ways, so it was good to have someone there saying “THAT one.” Most of the crew are longtime collaborators of Josh’s, he has a little team/family/biker gang that go with him from project to project. Cara Francis played a big role in helping cast–Elizabeth Stewart, Lauren Sharpe and Brendan Donaldson are all friends of hers. Ryan Link just responded to an ad and came in to read.

There's a lot more in the article so click through to read more if you are interested. You can also visit the official film site. For now, here is the film: