The magnificent formula

VIA «Shampoo-conditioner for care UGG»

VIA Cannes Film Festival 2011: Salma Hayek in a wacky Gucci dress

Not a good look: Cheryl teamed the tracksuit with a pair of heeled boots
And the only hint of Cheryl's now-renowned sense of style came with the black boots she teamed the outfit with, as well as her designer white handbag.
But Cheryl seemed happy enough with her outfit, keeping her head down but managing a smile for photographers as she made her way through Los Angeles' LAX Airport.
In disguise: Cheryl tried to go incognito in a pair of huge sunglasses
And it's no wonder the singer is smiling, as she has won rave reviews already for her part on X Factor USA.
Cheryl flew out to LA the day after it was announced that she would be joining the judging panel alongside Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and LA Reid.
Can't you see anything? Cheryl, who was wearing dark sunglasses, is guided through the airport
Glamour girl: Cheryl's dressed-down look was in sharp contrast to her appearance at the X Factor USA auditions last week
And while Cheryl's involvement in the show has already been a success, she met criticism from some viewers when she sat next to Simon on the panel - the seat usually reserved for Paula Abdul.
An insider told MailOnline: 'The fans are angry because Cheryl is sitting next to simon.
'They call Paula and Simon "Saula" and think that Cheryl is splitting them up.'
Chic: Cheryl went for huge hair and a vibrant outfit for her first day of work Stateside
Cheryl Cole at the first 'X Factor USA' live taping

Cheryl Cole: Live From Studio Five 09.05.2011 - US X Factor Launch

source: dailymail

VIA Cheryl Cole makes a fashion faux pas in unflattering grey tracksuit

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Scarlett Jagger(born March 2, 1984 in New York City) is an English-American model and actress. She is the oldest daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall, and the paternal half-sister to Jade Jagger.

Lizzy Jagger strips off bare for latest playboy photo shoot. Its interesting to mention here that she was once banned from her parents for such kind on photo shoots.

Lizzy Jagger on Playboy Cover

But now her father Sir Mick Jagger and her mother Jerry Hall have given their resentful approval as their eldest daughter reveals (almost) all in a nude photo shoot.

Lizzy Jagger wearing just a pair of thigh high boots and bunny ears (Playboy Photo Shoot)

 Lizzy Jagger is completely nude, wearing just a pair of thigh high boots and bunny ears with only her long locks to cover her modesty in her sizzling photo shoot for Playboy magazine.

VIA Elizabeth "Lizzy" Scarlett Jagger strips off bare for Playboy photoshoot

In each of our interviews this Fortnight, Misty and I have been asking the authors a series of fun and silly questions. Then, we asked you the same questions in one of our giveaway (enter! enter!)
We thought it would be a great to ask each other the same questions. So now you get to experience the inner (possibly twisted) workings of mine and Misty's minds. Misty's answers are here, and you can hear what I had to say on Misty's blog.

So Misty, as you know, I got crazy excited when you announced Fairy Tale Fortnight. So now, I'd like to know why. ~Why fairy tales?

I could go on and on with this answer. I don't think it was until I started going through things for this event that I even realized the extent of my fairy tale obsession. I mean, I knew; I've always known. In my Adv. Comp. class in college, when we had to pick something to do a huge research project on, and were told to pick something we wouldn't get sick of, when everyone else around me was choosing a topic that would impress the teacher, I chose fairy tales. I've hoarded my fairy tale books from my childhood, and read essays and research on fairy tales for fun. They hold my fascination like nothing else.

But why?

I'm going to say there are many reasons, and I couldn't begin to touch on them all. But for me, the biggest reason is that they are communal and ingrained in our pysches as a result. Fairy tales are interactive. Yes, now you can read them all alone, curled up in bed. But for centuries (and beyond, if you expand "fairy tale" to include all original oral mythology), they were told in groups around campfires, or between parent and child at night before bed. They connect people, and they provide these common tropes for the rest of our lives. You say glass slippers and everyone knows: nothing more need be said. That's powerful.

Beyond that, I love the contradiction of them. They are thought of mostly as kids stories, but they can be incredibly dark. They show us people at their weakest and meekest, becoming something great. Nothing is ever what it seems, and yet you know just what it will be. I love the magic of that.

I love that your research project was on fairy tales! That's so awesome!

~Rapunzel is named after lettuce; what odd thing would you be named after if you were in a fairy tale?

I haven't the foggiest. That's the thing about naming — we have no control over it. So I'm going to go with the name I almost had (in real life. Don't ask me how this was even a possibility): Blue. Forgive me... All I can think of is Little Boy Blue. (Come blow your horn...)

~ Using that name, give us a line from your life as a fairy tale:

Blue sat tucked away as always in the tiny little garret room; she knew her wicked stepmother was looking for her, and that the longer she dallied, the worse it would be — so for now, Blue was content to stay curled up with one of her favorite books, her rat Faustus on her shoulder, both of them dreaming of a different world.

Aww. Poor little Blue. You should send the rat and his buddies into step-mother's bed at night... Teach her what it's like to be on the short end of things.: P

~Best fairy tale villain and why?

Tough one. I like the villains. (Or, I like to dislike them.) I like to try to figure out their motivations. I'd say Rumplestiltskin. He's just so bizarre and hard to understand, and that's always creepy. I always wanted to know why he wanted the baby? (???) And then, anyone who tears themselves in half when they're angry = serious cray cray. Close second would be Snow White's stepmom, who wants to cut out her heart and eat it.

I almost picked Rumpelstiltskin too! He's so creepy! But, cursing babies to die and eating the heart of young girls won out over dancing baby snatcher. (although, putting it light that, maybe not. Ugh.)

~Favorite tale from childhood? Favorite tale as an adult? Least favorites?

As a child I was obsessed with The Elves and the Shoemaker and the 12 Dancing Princesses (and occasionally, Puss in Boots). I can't say why I loved the Elves so. I just wanted them, I think. And I wanted to make them tiny little clothes. The 12 Dancing Princesses is easier to say why: I had an absolutely beautiful
copy of it (still do!), and I just wanted to dress up in those gowns and see that underground world with the silver-leafed trees and the 12 princes and their boats. (And Puss in Boots had a kitty.)

As an adult, I tend to like the darker stuff. I have a fascination with Little Red Riding Hood (did as a kid too), but I really find myself drawn to the lesser known or seriously distrubing tales, like Donkeyskin or The Rose Elf (which I rewrote in poem form for a creative writing class. I think it's probably too long to repost for you guys, but it was fun. I'd love to do an actual story with it some day.)

Least favorites... I always had questions about some. Jack and the Beanstalk made me indignant. I mean, he's basically a thief. That is not his hen, and he had no business climbing that beanstalk anyway! Plus, what the hell was he doing with the magic beans? Who trades their cow, their only source of income, for beans? I always wanted to shake him.

Jack always did strike me as a bit of a skeeze.

~If you could be any fairy tale character, or live through any fairy tale "happening," who/what would it be?

I would be one of the 12 Dancing Princesses — I really want to see that underground world with the trees made of silver and gold and jewels. That was such a stunning image to me when I was a kid, so awe-inspiring, that I've been a little obsessed with it ever since. I'm not much of a dancer, though... (see answer to last question)

Misty, do you realize — if we are both among the 12 Dancing Princesses... We must be, sisters! Hello to my sister in fairy tales! Let us flee from the creepy Evil Queen together!

~Would you rather:
- — live under a bridge with a troll, or all alone in a high tower?

I bet that trolls got stories to tell...

I bet that troll really smells...

- — ride everywhere in a pumpkin carriage (messy) or walk everywhere in glass shoes (uncomfortable)?

Pumpkin carriage. Glass shoes freak me out. Unless they were the ones from Ever After, and then I'd have to reconsider.

Oooh. Ever After!

- — have a fairy godmother or a Prince Charming?

Um... the prince, I guess. I find the godmothers a little dubious...

- — eat magic beans or golden eggs?

Eggs! I don't even want to know what eating magic beans would do to a person... O_O

I'm definitely with you on that one! And, you know how I feel about golden eggs... Makes the outside match the insides, if you know what I mean.;) (still humble...)

- — style 50ft long hair or polish 100 pairs of glass slippers?

I bet you could do some pretty awesome couture things with 50ft of hair. I wouldn't want to wear said hair, but style it?

Sure.

- — be forced to spin straw into gold for hours on end, or dance every night until your shoes are worn through?

Spinning and weaving fascinate me, and spinning straw what certainly be an interesting skill — and one hell of a party trick. Alchemy, anyone? And though I'm sure it'd be pretty mindless after awhile, I could listen to audiobooks or something while I did it. I'm not really much of a dancer (sober, anyway), so I think I'd have to go with spinning. Couldn't be much worse than most jobs, right?

Until creepy Rumpelstiltskin pops up, asking if you need help!! Uber creepy villain, remember? Are you going to offer him your first born?! Come to the enchanted ballroom with me Misty. I'll teach you to dance. (or ply you with liquor until you can't tell the difference!)

*Misty reconsiders*

I want to take a second to say thank you to Misty. I saw her post about Fairy Tale Fortnight, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of it, knew I wanted to do as much with it as I could. So, when she asked me to co-host with her, I gave a very, very enthusiastic YES! I have had so much fun preparing for this event with Misty. We've had some awesome email exchanges, and some very definite Twilight Zone moments. I don't think there has ever been a time when we weren't on the same page about things, and our ideas for certain elements of the Fortnight were eerily similar.

It's been such a blast working with you Misty! You've been amazing! It's a little bit sad to see the Fortnight end, but this just means we get to start planning for next year! I can't wait!

Flawless: The actress, who is serving as a jury member this year, was attending the screening of Midnight in Paris by director Woody Allen on the festival's opening ceremony
With that she did a twirl and much leg and thigh was revealed.
'I had to have it made because you know how it is for us tall girls. It's impossible to find anything in a store,' she said with a giggle.
The sheer whiteness of the dress was off-set by a pair of dangling emerald earrings from Chopard.
Flashbulb frenzy: Uma told MailOnline that she she felt sexy in the dress and was hoping to get a chance to dance in it later

Dressed to impress: The actress joins jury members (left to right) Martina Gusman, Robert De Niro, Olivier Assayas, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Jude Law, Linn Ullmann and Nansun Shi
White theme: Uma started the day in Dolce & Gabbana, right, before switching into Versace for the evening
The hem of the dress was decorated with fine white feathers.
Asked about the provenance of the plumage, Uma joked,' I don't know. Maybe somebody lost their feathers', before proffering, 'maybe chicken'
She added: 'I feel so good wearing the dress, I hope I get a chance to dance.
Glamorous: Rachel McAdams, who stars in Midnight in Paris, wore a flesh-coloured gown with red embroidery, pictured right, Indian actress Aishwarya Rai
'It's a dress that moves well when you dance. I was doing a quiet little dance all by myself on the carpet just now,' she explained.
Uma was in Cannes as a member of the festival's main jury.
She arrived with the panel's chairman, Robert De Niro and other jurors who included Jude Law and Linn Ullmann, daughter of Liv Ullmann.
Stunning: Salma Hayek slipped into an off-white pleated dress as she lit up the red carpet this evening
Distinguished: Jury Members Nansun Shi (left), Law and Linn Ullmann chat at the opening ceremony
The stars were attending the festival's gala ceremony and opening film, Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen and Carl Bruni, although Bruni did not attend.
Others at the red carpet event included Salma Hayek ,wearing a shimmering Gucci gown and Antonio Banderas with wife Melanie Griffith.
Bandares was in Cannes to launch the animated film Puss 'n' Boots.

Posing for the cameras: Melanie Griffith and husband Antonio Banderas and, right, actress Lea Seydoux and Midnight In Paris director Woody Allen
Happy couple Rachel McAdams and Michael Sheen kept their romance off the red carpet but shared a romantic moment once they were way from the cameras.
The actors, who star invAllen's Midnight In Paris, which is a sublime love letter to the city, stole a kiss as they walked into the opening night party overlooking the Cannes beach.
They met last year while filming Allen's film in Paris.
Rachel looked divine in an embroidered red silk organza dress with a tulle ruffle skirt with a long train.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival - 2011

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - Cannes Day 1 - 2011

Tapete vermelho de Cannes

Cannes (11/05/11) : Envers du décors de la montée des marches de Wody Allen

Hollywood Goes Cannes Crazy as Rachel, Jude, Angelina, and More Get the Festival Underway!

Lady Gaga à Cannes quitte la plage du Martinez après les répétitions

#114 - Cannes Tag 1 - Midnight in Paris

source: dailymail

VIA 'It's sexy isn't it?': Uma Thurman is in fine feather as she sweeps down the red carpet at Cannes in Versace gown

Red alert: Cheryl looks stylish in a red jacket and jeans as she gets into her waiting car
Accompanied by her assistants, she wore yellow harem pants, towering buckled ankle boots and a blue striped T-shirt.
Following months of speculation, Cole was confirmed yesterday as a judge on the new U.S. version of the hit British show alongside Simon Cowell and Antonio 'LA' Reid.
Cole has already voiced her excitement about the new role searching for the talent America has to offer and said she is ready to battle it out against Cowell on the first series.
Cole said: 'I’m so excited to be taking part in the American version of The X Factor. I absolutely love it here in the UK, and with the talent they have out in America, I’m sure we’re going to find someone very special.'
Alreet America! Cheryl Cole arrives at Heathrow Airport to board a flight to Los Angeles ahead of her new role on X Factor USA
She added: 'I can’t wait to get started. I just can’t decide whether I am more excited to find and nurture the talent or for the unbelievable amount of amusement and entertainment I will have watching Simon doing everything and anything he can to beat me.
'He’s tried to beat me for three years in the UK, and hasn’t even come close. His ego must be so bruised. America is gonna love this.'
Cowell, who has championed the Geordie singer in the U.S., said: 'I’m thrilled for Cheryl. She is massively excited about this show, and has been fantastic to work with.'
He added: 'She is also a complete brat! Most importantly, this girl can spot talent.'
I'm in! Cheryy, seen in new promotional stills for the show, is excited to be heading Stateside for the X Factor USA where she will sit next to Simon Cowell and LA Reid on the judging panel
Ready for battle: Cheryl can't wait to get the first series of the American version of the X Factor show underway and is looking to beat Simon Cowell as she has in the U.K. show
Great chemistry: Fox bosses have praised Cheryl's talent as a judge and have said America will love the way she interacts with Simon Cowell
The confirmation about her X Factor role comes only days before auditions are held this Sunday, May 8, in specially-built high-definition recording studios in Honolulu, Phoenix, Nashville, Anchorage, Kansas City and Denver.
Auditions will continue in Dallas on May 26.
The U.S. version of The X Factor is set to be the biggest and best yet with the winner scooping a recording contract worth $5 million.
source: dailymail

VIA Welcome to your new life Cheryl! New X Factor USA judge

This Fairy Tale Fortnight post is from author Laura Lond. Laura's books take an interesting twist, offering a main character who, according to the Goodread's summary, is a villain, but still quite capable of being the hero of his own story. I think it sounds delightful! Misty will have more stuff from Laura about her books (Sunday, I believe) but for her, here is an excerpt from book 2.

Excerpt from My Royal Pain Quest, book 2 of The Lakeland Knight Series
by Laura Lond
The Tenebrous Valley greeted us with a chilly breeze. The place deserved its dreary name. It was misty and damp, fog rose from the wide river in the middle and spilled out onto the bank. The hills on both sides quickly grew into mountains, blocking the sun more and more as we went deeper in.

The prince was clearly nervous, constantly glancing over his shoulder. I knew exactly how he felt.

Some time later I noticed him look at Cassandra again. And again.

“Your face seems familiar,” he said. “Have you been to Dalvanna?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“What’s your name? Archibald?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, Your Highness! I will not have a villain’s servant disregard my title!”

“He will skip Your Highnesses if he so desires,” I interfered, “and I wouldn’t recommend retaliation. He is excellent with the sword.”

Kellemar sneered at that. “He won’t dare raise it against me.”

“He will if he has my permission. And as of this moment, he does.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. For whatever reason, you need me alive. You won’t let your servant kill me.”

I smiled. “Of course not. But chopping off an ear or a hand is a different story.”

That shut him up for a long time.

We kept walking, the unpleasantness between us seemingly fading as long as neither one of us said a word. I hoped Cassandra was reassured about the prince possibly recognizing her. Yes, he thought Archie looked a little familiar, but it was clear he had no clue of her identity. Her disguise was too good.

A couple of hours passed. I was beginning to think about a snack when we heard the growl.

I wish I could say ‘the forgotten growl,’ but it wouldn’t be true. I’d never forget that sound.

Kellemar’s face turned white. He stopped in his tracks, frantically searching the reeds where the menacing rumble had come from. I knew he wanted to run—which would be the end of him.

I grabbed his arm; he nearly jumped out of his boots, eyes wild.

“Stay here,” I urged. “Don’t leave my side.”

The reeds moved and parted. The lizard-like monster slithered out, fangs bare, glowing red eyes locked on us. Slowly, he lifted one paw and dragged it over the ground, long claws leaving deep marks.

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Brooklyn, 12, was not so bashful however and braved the rainy weather with a bare face.
The comical scenes had shades of the days when the late Michael Jackson's children Prince, Paris and Blanket used to go out in public with scarves covering their faces.
Spidey style: Cruz Beckham was also wearing a face-covering hoodie as left the Volcom store with his mother and brothers this week
The jackets also have a full-face zip and mesh lining in the hood, allowing the wearer to see through them - so the boys weren't in danger of tripping down the steps of the Soho shop as they left.
And Cruz's top almost made him look like Spider Man, with its web-style detail on the side and Spidey-style eyes on the face.
It's a Volcom Boys 2-7 Action Team Slim Youth Jacket and sells for around £40.
The Californian clothing company is a huge favourite with celebrities and hip hop stars, including Ashlee Simpson, Black Eyed Pea singer Fergie, Megan Fox and Avril Lavigne - as well as little boys wanting to look like superheroes.
I'm a big kid now: Older brother Brooklyn was clearly too mature for those kind of shenanigans as he left the shop with his pregnant mother Victoria
Pregnant Victoria, 37, meanwhile covered her baby bump in a loose black top and a gigantic black handbag for the spree, while wearing killer black suede Louboutin ankle boots, black leggings and a black leather jacket.
In disguise: The late Michael Jackson with Paris, left, and Prince, right, in 2002 when they used to go out with scarves over their faces
source: dailymail

VIA Who goes there? Victoria Beckham's sons disguise themselves with face-covering hoodies

Based on such images and conversations with some looters whose confidence they gained, archaeologists try to follow the trail of stolen pots and other artifacts to traders and buyers. They hope to get a better understanding of the black market and perhaps stop future plunder.

It's sophisticated detective work that stretches from the site, not far from the famed Dead Sea in Jordan, to collectors and buyers the world over.

The aerial photography detects spots where new looting has taken place at the 5,000-year-old Fifa graveyard, which can then sometimes be linked to Bronze Age pots turning up in shops of dealers, said Morag Kersel, an archaeologist at DePaul University in Chicago. Kersel, who heads the "Follow The Pots" project, also shares the data with Jordan's Department of Antiquities, to combat looting.

On a recent morning, team members walked across ravaged graves, their boots crunching ancient bones, as a tiny, six-bladed flying robot buzzed overhead. In recent years, drone use in archaeology has become increasingly common, replacing blimps, kites and balloons in surveying hard-to-access dig sites, experts said.

Chad Hill, an archaeologist at the University of Connecticut who built the drone, piloted it over a part of the graveyard that had not been mapped yet. The drone snapped photographs that allowed Hill to see in great detail how looting altered the landscape.

"We can see the change through time, not just of `a huge pit has been dug' but where different stones have moved," Hill said. "It's a level of resolution of spatial data collection that's never really been possible until the last couple of years."

As the drone's batteries ran low, Hill overrode the automatic pilot and guided the landing with a remote control. Flipping the drone on its back, he checked the camera, nodding approvingly at the afternoon's work.

The cemetery in Jordan's Dead Sea plain contains about 10,000 graves, part of the vast archaeological heritage of the region.

It looks like a moonscape as a result of looting, with about 3,700 craters stretching to the horizon and strewn with shards of skeletons and broken ceramics. Looters typically leave human remains and take only well preserved artifacts.

"I spend my days stepping on dead people," said Kersel, picking up a broken shell bracelet, presumably from ancient Egypt.

An underlying cause for looting is high unemployment, said Muhammed al-Zahran, director of the nearby Dead Sea Museum. "Looting happens all across the region," he said.

In Jordan, unemployment is 12 percent, and it's twice as high among the young.

Yet stolen antiquities rarely enrich local looters, said Neil Brodie, a researcher at the University of Glasgow's Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research.

Rather, the profits end up in Europe or America, Brodie said, describing high markups as the artifacts move from looter to middleman, dealer and then customer.

Brodie studied looting at another site in Jordan, the ruins of the early Bronze Age community of Bab adh-Dhra, though without the help of drones.

He estimated that diggers were paid about $10,500 for 28,084 pots that were subsequently sold in London for over $5 million, sometimes marketed as "Old Testament" artifacts.

An artifact that later sold for $275,000 was initially traded for a pig, Brodie's research showed. And he also found that a dancing Hindu deity bought for about $18 sold eventually for $372,000.

Some of the artifacts stolen from Jordan's sites, including tombstones, end up in neighboring Israel, said Eitan Klein, a deputy at the Israeli Antiquities Authority's robbery unit.

Kersel, from the "Follow the Pots" project, said looters told her they sell their goods to middlemen from the Jordanian capital of Amman or the southern town of Karak. She said the trail stops with the shadowy middlemen, but that she can sometimes pick it up on the other end, by comparing the looting timeline with what eventually ends up on the market all across the world.

In addition to monitoring the cemetery, Kersel also teaches local workshops on profiting from antiquities legally, including by making and selling replicas, to discourage robbing graves.

Yet, looting will be difficult to stop as long as demand remains high, she said.

"People don't ask the sticky questions about where artifacts come from," said Kersel, standing inside a robbed grave in Fifa. "They just want to own the piece regardless of what kind of background the artifact has, and that is what causes people on the ground to loot."

Author: Sam McNeil | Source: The Associated Press [April 03, 2015]

Not Your Average Retelling By Marissa Meyer
Fairy tales and folk tales have been around for hundreds of years, being re-shaped, re-twisted, and re-told again and again. And yet readers continue to hunger for more, as is evidenced by not only the deluge of fairy-tale retellings in the book market, but also Hollywood’s current obsession with them. (Have you heard of the three Snow White movies coming out in the next few years?) How do writers continue to work with the same material, yet give us such vastly different renditions?

Here are some ways that today’s writers are keeping our beloved tales alive and new.

Lesser Known Tales
There are some tales that pop up again and again. How many Cinderella remakes can you list off the top of your head? How many Beauty and the Beasts come to mind? While there are good reasons these tales have stood the test of time and popularity, there are also a lot of great stories that, in the past, went ignored in our Disney culture. Not the case anymore! As the market for fairy tales becomes more saturated, more writers are delving deeper into the works of Grimm, Andersen, and even non-European cultures, and seeking out stories that haven’t yet received their due.

Tales that once would have been considered fringe (such as “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” or “East of the Sun, West of the Moon”) have received more attention lately with books such as Entwined by Heather Dixon and East by Edith Pattou, and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more and more non-Disnified tales on the rise. After all, the Grimm brothers alone had over 300 tales collected, so writers have plenty of material to choose from.

Examples of Lesser Known Tales Retold:
Matchless by Gregory Maguire (based on “The Little Match Girl”)
The Swan Kingdom by Zoë Marriott (based on “The Wild Swans”)
A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (based on “Rumpelstiltskin”)

Original Settings
Another way authors are setting apart their fairy-tale retellings is by choosing interesting times and locations for them to take place in. Writers are no longer trapped in fantastical, make-believe worlds just because they lend themselves so easily to the original stories. From ancient Greece to futuristic space colonies, the options are endless, and (lucky us) writers are taking advantage of that! Will we soon be watching Puss in Boots in the court of Louis XVI? Will the next Frog Prince hop out of Cleopatra’s Nile? We’ll just have to wait and see where authors are willing to take us.

Examples of Retellings with Original Settings:
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (“Sleeping Beauty” set during the Holocaust)
Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson (“Diamonds and Toads” set in pre-colonial India)
Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire (“Snow White” set in 16th-century Tuscany)

Unique Twists
No matter how rare (or common) a tale is, or what fascinating time and place it’s set in, the best retellings still have one thing in common: the author has made it strictly their own. There is still something that sets that story apart from the Grimm Brothers’ or Hans Christian Andersen’s or any other author who may choose to re-spin the same tale.

Gregory Maguire is renowned for telling fairy tales from the villain’s perspective (see Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister). Gail Carson Levine turned the classic Cinderella story upside-down in Ella Enchanted, when she gave Ella an unusual curse—she must do whatever she is told to do. These “retellings” are almost more like “re-envisionings”—they may use the bones of the classic tale for inspiration, but then the author took the story in a new direction that we’d never seen before.

I believe it’s these new twists on the old stories that keep readers hungry for more retellings, because you just never know what an author is going to do next. How will tomorrow’s fairy tales differ from today’s? I, for one, can’t wait to find out!

Examples of Retellings with a Unique Twist:
Ash by Malinda Lo (“Cinderella” with an LGBT romance)
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (a modern “Little Red Riding Hood,” in which two sisters become werewolf hunters)
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (a collection of tales, including “Hansel and Gretel,” strung together into one continuous storyline)

~*~*~*~*~*~

Marissa Meyer’s debut novel, Cinder (“Cinderella” set in the future), re-imagines our princess as a teenage cyborg faced with the task of saving the world. It’s scheduled for release in early 2012. You can find her online at: Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Youtube

I'm in! Cheryy, seen in new promotional stills for the show, is excited to be heading Stateside for the X Factor USA where she will sit next to Simon Cowell and LA Reid on the judging panel
Following months of speculation, Cole was confirmed yesterday as a judge on the new U.S. version of the hit British show alongside Simon Cowell and Antonio 'LA' Reid.
Cole has already voiced her excitement about the new role searching for the talent America has to offer and said she is ready to battle it out against Cowell on the first series.
Cole said: 'I’m so excited to be taking part in the American version of The X Factor. I absolutely love it here in the UK, and with the talent they have out in America, I’m sure we’re going to find someone very special.'
She added: 'I can’t wait to get started. I just can’t decide whether I am more excited to find and nurture the talent or for the unbelievable amount of amusement and entertainment I will have watching Simon doing everything and anything he can to beat me.
'He’s tried to beat me for three years in the UK, and hasn’t even come close. His ego must be so bruised. America is gonna love this.'
Ready for battle: Cheryl can't wait to get the first series of the American version of the X Factor show underway and is looking to beat Simon Cowell as she has in the U.K. show
The confirmation about her X Factor role comes only days before auditions are held this Sunday, May 8, in specially-built high-definition recording studios in Honolulu, Phoenix, Nashville, Anchorage, Kansas City and Denver.
Auditions will continue in Dallas on May 26.
The U.S. version of The X Factor is set to be the biggest and best yet with the winner scooping a recording contract worth $5 million.
Great chemistry: Fox bosses have praised Cheryl's talent as a judge and have said America will love the way she interacts with Simon Cowell
source: dailymail

VIA Welcome to your new life Cheryl! New X Factor USA judge

I recently received the Happy 101 Award thanks to Helen Loves Books. The rules are: List 10 things that make you happy and then give this award to 10 book blogs that brighten your day.

So 10 things that make me happy are:
1. Reading

2. Working out

3. Sandwiches

4. Decorating

5. Piano Rock

6. Boots

7. My amazing boyfriend

8. Naps

9. Diners

10. Owls

And now I am going to pass this award on to:
1. Sasha and the Silverfish
2. Chasing Empty Pavements
3. Regular Rumination
4. In Spring It Is the Dawn
5. Miss Remmers' Review
6. Laura's Reviews
7. 1330OV (Vasilly)
8. Midnight Book Girl
9. Bloggers Heart Books
10. The Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object

Once again thanks all of you for your support of my blog! I couldn't do it without you guys.

Today I also have Kristin Tracy vising the blog. She is the author of Sharks and Boys, which I reviewed a short time ago (click to read review). I gave her a list of 15 pairings and asked her,

This or That

Spring or Fall Fall: I like leaves. But I’m allergic to leaf mold. When I visit New England, this is a real problem.

Past or Future: I can smell a trick question a mile away. PRESENT.

Paperback or Hardcover: If I’m mobile, I want paperback. If I’m adding it to my library or having an author sign it, I want hardback.

Pen or Pencil Pen: I am a permanent kind of person.

Hot Dogs or Hamburgers: Neither. I like fruit salad. And falafel.

Marvel or DC Comics: I cannot choose.

Black or Brown: Brown boots. Black dress. But not together.

Tweety Bird or Woodstock: I like real-life falcons. They are my new favorite. I now consider cartoon birds inadequate.

Legos or Lincoln Logs: Legos.

Detailed planning or spontaneous decisions: BOTH. Because my detailed planning usually leads me right into bizarre conditions that require spontaneous decisions.

A one room library or Books in every room in the house: One central place. But smaller bookcases throughout house.

Ocean or Mountains: Both. It’s called Maine. Or Ireland. Or Big Sur.

Painting or Sculpture: I only buy paintings at this point. But this could all change. Because I really want to buy a totem pole.

Gum or Breath Mints: I chew gum. And sometimes I add a breath mint to it.

Snow White's Evil Queen or Sleeping Beauty's Malificent: Ooh. I don’t like evil, robed women. They terrify me.

Thank you so much Kristin! I loved your answers! Robed women are definitely terrifying!