Back in the days when I worked in the education department at a major book publisher (you know the one; the one with all of the flyers), a big part of my job was choosing read-aloud books for our language arts resource for grades K-8. It was less exciting (albeit less time-consuming) to read, read, read all of the picture books when I was working on grades 1 or 2, but became more interesting to me as we moved up in grade and up from picture book to chapter book and then finally to novels. I read some great books all in the name of research. Three years ago, I'm fairly sure, one particular book was passed around our office and read by every single person. It was called The Hunger Games, and it was deemed the right mix for both boys and girls in grade 7.
My kids were young at the time.
And then I switched jobs. Three times.
And then there was THE BUZZ.
And my son wanted to read it. And my daughter wanted to read it.
And my heart, well, it swelled.
A book that both my son and my daughter wanted to read? It's some sort of literary miracle! They each got a copy of the book—Josh chose the Kobo version, Emily chose the paperback. And it was a race to the finish, as I told them I would take them to see the movie once they were both done. And then something happened? My children started talking to one another. They were discussing the book. They were critiquing. They were asking each other questions. They had both hopped on The Hunger Games 4Eva! love train.
I remembered, though, being just kind of 'meh' about the book. I read it, I enjoyed it. But that was about it. It was a kid's book, after all. And so, with all of the hullabaloo I kept hearing and seeing on various social media outlets, I re-read The Hunger Games, hoping that this time I'd fall head-over-heels obsessed with the book, like EVERY SINGLE PERSON I KNOW.
But then, I didn't.
The idea of the book? Fantastic. A new version of Stephen King's Running Man. I thought, "Wow! Intriguing. Make us fall in love with many, many characters even though we *know* that only one can survive! That's new! Exciting!"
And it was most definitely a page-turner. I finished the book in a few hours. I was both pleasantly surprised by Katniss Everdeen, the anti-Bella Swan. She is strong, she is a survivor, she is a warrior. She is no Hermione Granger, of course, but very few are, I realize. Several other characters intrigued me—Peeta, Haymitch, Rue—no matter how ridiculous their names are. I remember thinking how much potential this book had.
So much.
But then? Nothing.
The writing was poor. I mean, beyond poor. I kind of had to sit on my hands so as not to pull out my red pen. I'm kidding. Mostly.
The characters were developed, but only somewhat. I wanted, nay, I needed more. I understand that The Hunger Games is a trilogy and that I probably have to read on to get more insight into Katniss and Effie and Peeta and Gale, but I shouldn't have to. Those characters, at least for me, needed the depth in book one. I needed to be emotionally invested full stop into all of them.
The story was developed, but only somewhat. Yes. Only one person survives. Until, of course, they ever-so-conveniently change the rules on us. (COP OUT). Katniss is thirtsy, she's suffering, she's in pain. Until, of course, parachutes fall out of the sky to save the day. (COP OUT). I feel like Katniss was too lucky.
And then I remember that it's a book written FOR CHILDREN. And that's why the characters and the story went so undeveloped. But one could argue that Harry Potter, too, was written for children...
I'm still pretty just 'meh' about it, but I think I might really like the movie. Which, interestingly, is exactly what happened with Twilight for me. The books were fairly awful page-turners for me, but the movies sort of left all of the stuff I didn't like back on the pages—sparkly vampires translated much better on the big screen.
I'm fully hoping that distopian teenages tributes will translate better on the big screen too.
And if they don't, I know a brother and sister team who are going to LOVE it.
And that makes it 150% worth it.
Last night, my son took the stage in his very first stage production. He played the title role in Peter Pan. He was fantastic.
And he was over-the-moon when I told him that THE Peter Pan would be making a guest appearance on one of the shows we watch—often—at our house, Jake and The Never Land Pirates. It's true! Thanks so Astral's Disney Junior, the Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Peter Pan Returns 45-minute special will be making its way onto Canadian televisions this Friday. March 23rd at 6 p.m. ET.
And he was also pretty excited (and by 'excited' I really mean 'envious and jealous') that I got the chance to speak with Colin Ford (who plays Jake), Madison Pettis (who plays Izzy) and Jonathan Morgan Heit (who plays Cubby) about the new special.
When I asked the three to tell me a little bit about what fans (and I) can expect from the special, Colin was quick to say that as Jake, it was cool for him to go back to the roots. When the series begins, Jake and his crewmates are already ON the island, so "it was cool to take it back to the early days. And, of course, to go on an adventure with Peter Pan."
Jonathan tells me that Peter Pan losing something important. "I don't want to give anything away, but I will tell you that it's pretty cool because instead of him helping us, we help Peter Pan find the thing he has lost." I asked him about Cubby. "Cubby is a leader in his own way because he has the map, so whenever the crew goes anywhere, Cubby knows where to go. But, you know, he can get scared of things. I'm like Cubby. And he's like me. He's very intelligent!" (And very funny, obviously.)
Apparently Madison was okay telling me what Peter loses. "Well, Peter comes to Never Land to check on Jake, Izzy, and Cubby but he lost his shadow and needs everyone to help him get it back from captain hook. And well, as Izzy, I try a little bit too hard to impress Peter Pan with my pixie dust and Peter Pan teaches us that you don't need to show off; you just need to try your best and focus and you will succeed."
Colin, Jonathan, and Madison are no strangers to the small and big screens.
You may recognize Colin Ford from his role on Supernatural and his role as Matt Damon's son in last year's We Bought a Zoo. He told me about his experience on the film. "I mean, it was such an amazing cast. I got to work with Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson and Cameron Crowe. There's something in it for everyone. Kids can relate to my younger sister, adults can relate to the adults in the movie, and the teenage audience can relate to Elle [Fanning]'s and my characters. Also, I got to hang out with animals all day!" When I asked him who he'd love to work with in the future, he said he actually had A LIST which includes Reese Witherspoon, Leonardo di Caprio, Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock. "I actually worked with Reese a little bit on Sweet Home Alabama," he says. "I'd love to work with her again!"
You may recognize Jonathan Morgan Heit from his roles in Date Night and Bedtime Stories. For a little kid, he has certainly worked with some high-profile actors, which is why it didn't surprise me at all that he said he'd love to work with the amazing Morgan Freeman. Jonathan is pretty busy these days because between Jake and the Never Land Pirates and auditions and new movies coming out, he's actually going to Haiti with Soles4Souls, an organization that makes sure underprivileged kids in Haiti have shoes to wear.
You may recognize Madison Pettis from her role on Cory in the House and as Allie on YTV's Life With Boys. Madison and I spoke about social media and how it has really connected actors to fans. "I don't really use Twitter to talk to my friends—I use it to talk to my fans. When they tweet at me, I always DM them back! It's an instant way to talk to my fans, to let them know what I'm doing." It's way different, I said, than it used to be when I was a kid—sending fan mail through an agent, not knowing if the celebrity ever got the letter. You can follow Madison on Twitter. You never know, you may get a tweet back!
I certainly know where my son and I will be this Friday night. We hope you will too!
Shannon Tweed, the Canadian actress and model who is most currently well-known for playing herself (she's a mom of 2!) on the A&E reality show Gene Simmons Family Jewels, is in Toronto this week as she prepares to hit the red carpet tonight for the fifth anniversary of The Heart Truth FashionShow. I have been to the fashion show before, and I absolutely love everything the show is about—Canadian designers and celebrities joining forces with The Heart and Stroke Foundation to raise awareness about women’s risk for cardiovascular disease. I got to sit down and chat with Shannon this week about fashion and style and about her role in this show.
Shannon says that she absolutely loved the idea of doing this fashion show because back in her modeling days, there was nothing she loved more than doing the shows, and, she admits, she kind of loves the idea of walking down that runway with her husband, Mr. Gene Simmons. She says that even though her father died from Angina when she was 24 and her husband Gene isn't exactly the healthiest when it comes to diet, as a young person heart health for her never really occured to her. She loves the idea of raising awareness to a younger, more female audience—the people who take care of everyone but themselves.
Shannon will be wearing Arthur Mendonca tonight. She didn't really have too much of a say when it came to her dress—they are building her a surprise—but she did get to give some input in what she wanted (sexy!) and what she didn't want.
Here's a little sneak peek for you:
I talked to Shannon a little bit about her personal style, and wondered if she had any advice for other moms. She loves basics, pieces built with easy-to-manage fabrics. She says she loves a little trailoring, dresses that doesn't wrinkle, a light blazer with a little bit of structure. She loves to wear long tops and leggings. She loves clothing that travels well. She loves Aritzia and Lululemon. She had two really great pieces of advice for our mom readers. Number one: Don't overthink your clothing. If you like it, it's probably right for you. Number two: Don't forget to accessorize. You can built a great outfit with some boots, a necklace and a great handbag.
When I asked about what it's like to live her life in such a public way, Shannon had a lot to say about her reality TV show. She said that she was at a point in her life where she was raising kids and being a mom and doing her own thing, and when Gene came to her and said that the idea of a reality show would be fantastic for him to get his message out, to tell people about all the amazing business things he's doing, Shannon admits that she didn't think it would work. "I told him that no one will watch this," she says. She agreed to three episodes, and assumed that people would lose interest pretty quickly. But people didn't lose interest and somehow, before she knew it, she signed on for an entire season. People just kept watching; they were very interested in the family dynamic. Shannon secretly hopes, even season, that it gets cancelled, because it's hard to live her life so publicly.
She admits that when something particularly dramatic happens when the cameras aren't rolling, like a fight, the producers ask them to recreate the scene, because, obviously, people like to see both the good and the bad of family life. Because of this, Shannon is forced to relive some of the stuff that she doesn't even enjoy living through the first time around. And then she lives it all over again when they do press. And then she has to watch it another time when it's aired on television. So, essentially, she says, "I am living the awful things four times!" But, on the other hand, she gets to relive the good stuff four times too. (Silver lining!) Also, she gets to explore all sorts of different things that she wouldn't normally get to do. Because TV viewers don't really want to watch Shannon and her family sittng around watching tv in their yoga pants, the producers encourage her to try new things, and that's a personal little bonus for her.
I asked Shannon to tell us something that people would be surprised to know about her. She told me that she does needlepoint, sews, and knits. She is a really great cook. And she loves to read...her current read is 50 Shades of Grey, by E.L. James.
You can watch a live feed of Shannon Tweed and Gene Simmons, along with several other Canadian celebrities, live on the red carpet tonight at 8pm ET here.
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