Unwanted Twins, Prequels, and Giant Extinct Penguins. For Starters

• In a sense, this next news item is also happy.  We now have official permission to hate the upcoming The Dark is Rising movie. Yes yes yes. Judge not before ye hath seen, yadda yadda yadda. To that I submit the following evidence. First of all, we got wary when we heard that the director David L. Cunningham had also done The Path to 9/11. Shudders began low and in the base of the spine. Then we learned about the new scenes in the movie and we heard Harry Knowles malign the book. Shudders reached the small of our backs with the knowledge than The Walker would have a snuggle bunny in the film. But about the time the words "twin imprisoned by the Dark" reached our ears, all hell broke loose. Shudders are now running up and down our backs in a talented tarantella. As Leila at bookshelves of doom so eloquently put it, "Why even call it The Dark is Rising?" For a great response towards the film unfortunate (as it shall herein be named), run ye along and read the Oz and Ends piece on the matter. In a way, I feel kind of relieved. It’s been a while since a film took a children’s book and made a complete and utter travesty of it. And in truth, there’s nothing more fun than to pick apart and destroy a bad movie in a review. Whee!

• Speaking of movies, remember that brouhaha that crested briefly when Penguin decided that it would be a good idea to have a Canadian children’s author write a prequel to Anne of Green Gables?  Sounded like a bad way to go, right?  What could be odder?  Well, how about a movie prequel of Anne of Green Gables that has nothing to do with that suggested book in the first place?  It’s apparently happening as we speak.  Oh, Canada.  *sigh*  

• And finally, the saddest news of all.  Were you aware that once on this earth there walked giant penguins that are now extinct?  Who should break the news to Greg Fishbone?  Should it be you or me?  Link via Shaken and Stirred.

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