skating, sewing, and Jane Austen movies

Oh, World Figure Skating Championships, I love thee. Worlds are actually more fun than the Olympics, because it's not so nerve-wracking. And you know, I completely forgot that when we get rid of our cable, that means losing figure skating too. It's all on ESPN now. The only thing they ever put on regular network TV is the ladies finals of the Nationals. I'm inexpressibly, dumbfoundedly devastated. Just when it was getting so exciting because you never know who's going to win anymore! Ice dancing is really the best now, and I'll never see that again. I'll never get to follow the careers of talented little Yu-Na Kim and Mao Asada, or any non-american skater, and quite frankly there really aren't that many American skaters that I like. If I weren't so light-hearted and cheerful because Spring has finally come, I'd cry. I need my figure skating!!!!

I think I've finally decided what Renaissance costumes I want to make this year, except now I don't know what fabrics to make them out of, because I was going to use velveteen, but if it's almost 80 degrees outside now, what's it going to be like this summer? I'm thinking velveteen will not be the best way to go! And I kind of wanted to use the silk for 18th and 19th century stuff, so hmm...what to do?!

I'm so jealous of people in the UK who get to see the new Jane Austen TV movies already. We have to wait till freaking November! But I'm only really excited about Northanger Abbey since there's never been a screen adaptation of it (I don't count the stupid 80's TV one) and it's my second favorite of her novels. I think it would make a really smashing film if it were done properly, so I've got my fingers crossed! I'm a little more ambivalent about Persuasion and Mansfield Park.

Persuasion is my favorite of the novels, and I'm devoutly attached to the 1995 movie version. Now, I grant you, despite the fact that the casting was perfect and it looked beautiful, the plot is honestly impossible to follow if you haven't read the book. So for someone who read the book and knows what's going on it's perfect, but as a film on it's own it doesn't hold up. For that reason and that reason alone am I even going to consider watching this new film, just to see if someone can succeed in making a more clear adaptation of it. (Which shouldn't be hard, if the '95 film had just been a little longer they could have fit everything in.)

Mansfield Park I'm not sure about, since the 1999 movie was pretty recent and pretty good, although I know a lot of people who hate it because it was so blatant in deviating from the book. I however, liked it probably for that reason, since I've tried to read the book twice, but was too hopelessly bored each time and couldn't get through it. And everyone seems to be so alarmed that Billie Piper is playing Fanny, but I like her, and she did The Ruby in the Smoke which was a period piece and was just fine in that.

I'm more worried that there are apparently plans to do Sense and Sensibilty too. Now THAT is pointless! The 1995 movie was a masterpiece, it's the definitive film adaptation, nothing will ever be better, let's leave it at that. Any time the '95 movie comes up in conversation, I warn people never to say anything against it, nor anyone or anything associated with it, in my presence. You just don't mess with an anglophile geek girl and her Jane Austen movies!