Contest for Teachers Only: Toy Story 3 Art Book

Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:00 am

I have one copy of this gorgeous book about the artwork behind “Toy Story 3” for some lucky teacher. Little kids will enjoy seeing pictures of their favorite characters, older kids will appreciate the behind-the-scenes information and everyone will learn a lot from the way the people at Pixar, well, learn a lot as they try many different ways to tell the story before they finally get it just right. The fact that the movie itself is about the power and importance of imagination and story-telling makes that lesson even more compelling.

Write me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with Teach in the subject line and tell me about your classroom. Just a sentence or two will be fine! I look forward to hearing from you and I wish I had enough books for everyone. (I have another teachers-only prize coming up soon, so stay tuned!)

My policy on conflicts and accepting promotional items is available on this blog.

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Behind the Scenes Books Contests and Giveaways
Ask Amy’s ‘Book on Every Bed’ Project

Ask Amy’s ‘Book on Every Bed’ Project

Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:00 am

Amy Dickenson has a wonderful idea for Christmas, “A Book on Every Bed.”

Take a book. Wrap it. Place it on a child’s bed so it’s the first thing she sees on Christmas morning (or whatever holiday you celebrate). That’s it.

I’m working with the Family Reading Partnership, a literacy organization in my home town of Ithaca, N.Y., to spread the word about the importance of reading with children.

A million stories: Our goal is for a million American children to wake up to a wrapped book on their beds.

This is not a fundraising appeal. This is not about buying books (the book you give can be passed down).

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“A Book on Every Bed” is an appeal to spread the love of reading from parents to children. We also want to encourage families to share books by reading aloud.

Dickenson recalls her own love for Green Eggs and Ham and the life-long love for reading it inspired.
Reading Rockets has some good ideas to get you started. Long after the electronic gizmos and fads are forgotten, the gift of books and the learning and imagination they inspire will be a sustaining force in the lives of children. Start the tradition of waking up to a book on Christmas morning for the children in your home — and — why not — add books for the adults as well. Letting children see the people they love enjoying a book will be a gift to them as well.

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Interview: Matthew Litt of ‘Christmas 1945: The Greatest Celebration in American History’

Interview: Matthew Litt of ‘Christmas 1945: The Greatest Celebration in American History’

Posted on November 5, 2010 at 7:36 am

Matthew Litt is the author of the new book, Christmas 1945: The Greatest Celebration in American History. It is the story of the first Christmas following the end of WWII, with the soldiers coming home and President Harry Truman declaring an unprecedented four-day federal holiday.
The U.S. Military launched “Operation Magic Carpet” to get tens of thousands of GI’s in Europe and Asia home for Christmas, and at home, the U.S. Army and Navy launched “Operation Santa Claus” to process those thousands of GI’s for discharge in time for Christmas. The newly-discharged veterans set out for home, clogging rail depots, bus stations and airports creating, at that time, the greatest traffic jam in the nation’s history. Some of the more fortunate were driven thousands of miles home by grateful citizens doing everything they could to show their gratitude and create a happy homecoming.
Across the nation, people reached out to wounded veterans, children who lost fathers,and neighbors who lost sons. Americans in big cities and small shared their renewal of spirit and prayers for peace. Mr. Litt answered my questions about his project.
How did you get started in researching the first post-WWII Christmas celebration?
I didn’t intend this to be a book at first. Back when I started my research in 2004, I was practicing a different type of law – white collar crime / insurance fraud. I was on the good guys’ side, but I was dealing with a disappointing element of human nature on a daily basis. I had trouble leaving my work at the office, and needed something to help me unwind when I rode the subway home at the end of the day. I set out to find the best in human nature, and came up with the idea to research Christmas of 1945. I started printing out newspaper archives from the week of Christmas 1945 for my ride home, and became hooked.
What were your primary sources?
Mostly newspapers from December, 1945. I did everything I could to diversify the sources, drawing from papers from big cities, small towns, the east and west, north and south, etc. I also used Church bulletins from across the country, period magazines and Army and Navy newsletters.
Were you able to conduct interviews with veterans and their families?
I was able to conduct interviews with many veterans and their families thanks to the cooperation of senior communities throughout New York and New Jersey. These were indispensable in giving me an accurate context for Christmas 1945.
How many military were able to make it home?
“Home” is a loaded word relative to Christmas 1945. The military tried to get as many men as possible to their homes, but were overwhelmed by the sheer number. Storms at sea delayed transport ships, and delayed countless thousands. The services did a good job getting men home in the sense that they were on U.S. soil for Christmas, but countless thousands didn’t make it to the family dinner table in time for Christmas. There’s a great quote in the book from a soldier who had just hung up the phone with his mom. He exclaims to the newspaper correspondent that she’s holding Christmas dinner until he gets home; Christmas this year would be whenever he makes it back, whether that was Dec. 25, 26, 27 or beyond. The traffic jams were the worst in history, and there’s no telling how many men made it back to U.S. soil, but celebrated Christmas somewhere in-between their point of debarkation and home.
What led to Truman’s decision to declare a four-day holiday?
The federal employees had earned it. The War meant that new and plentiful jobs were available in Washington, which drew people from all across the country. Every job was viewed as critical during the War, so these people could not be spared during the wartime Christmases for the amount of time it would have taken them to go from Washington to their hometown and back again meaning that it had been as many as 4 years since many of these men and women had been home for a proper Christmas. With the War over, they could finally be spared for a four-day holiday.
How well did public transportation and communications work during this era?
Public transportation worked well, all things considered. They were packed far past capacity which caused fantastic delays. But they figured it out as they went along and plowed through. There were no major incidents.
What did communities do to welcome the soldiers home?
There are stories of communities welcoming their boys home with huge celebrations. But more often than not at Christmas 1945, the winter weather, over-crowding at military separation centers and traffic jams meant that no one knew precisely when their soldier was getting home. I came across many great stories of soldiers who snuck into their homes late at night – their parents found out they were home when they found their coat or shoes on the mat when they woke up the next morning.
Do you have a favorite incident in the book?
My favorite is a story about a young veteran in Philadelphia. He bought an engagement ring and planned to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve, but had an idea for a unique proposal. So he bought a box of chocolate from the local candy store and asked the clerk to wrap the ring box within the box of chocolate. The clerk brought the ring and the chocolate and the box to the basement to be wrapped. She dropped the box, but didn’t realize that the ring had fallen out. No more than 10 minutes later, the clerk’s mom was in the basement and found an engagement ring lying on the floor! The clerk was mortified, but she had no way to find the soldier who had just left the store. She contacted the newspaper, and the paper ran a story with the hope that the soldier would read it and return to the store. The solider didn’t see the multiple articles, but it seemed as if the rest of the city of Philadelphia (and much of the country) had. At a few minutes past midnight on Christmas morning, the soldier proposed. His girlfriend opened the box of chocolates and saw the ring box. With bated breathe she opened it, and it was empty. The commotion that followed woke up the young woman’s little sister who had been reading the stories in the newspaper and explained what happened. The soldier didn’t know what to do, so he called the candy store and, at a few minutes past midnight, the clerk was there and answered the phone! She had resolved to spend Christmas Eve and morning in the store until he called so that she could answer the phone.
What did people in the US have to give up during the wartime Christmases?
Meat, coffee, sugar, gasoline (and other related commodities that limited private auto travel), shoes, rubber goods, canned goods.
What are the most important lessons we can learn from this moment in history?
I love this question. The most important lessons are that there is nothing this country cannot accomplish, and no challenge or divisions so great that we can’t come together to meet it. The domestic challenges facing this country at Christmas 1945 were unprecedented in scope, and nearly as great as the international challenges during the War. After four years of wartime selflessness, America had to deal with labor strife, issues of re-employment and unemployment, extreme housing shortages, clothing shortages and civil rights issues. At Christmas 1945, America was able to put these things aside, if just for four days, and come together as one for a curtain-call of sorts of wartime unity. I don’t want to minimize the domestic issues we face in this country in 2010, they are not insignificant, but they are nothing compared to what the nation faced at the end of 1945. If they could come together, then so can we.

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Books Interview Writers

Interview: Stephen Simon of ‘The Old Hollywood’

Posted on October 16, 2010 at 8:00 am

Stephen Simon grew up in Hollywood, the son of a movie director and studio executive. He worked in movies as well, including films with Tom Cruise, Madonna, and Christopher Reeve. His new book is The Old Hollywood and he was nice enough to answer my questions about the movie business.
What’s the biggest difference between the “old Hollywood” and the “new Hollywood?”
The single biggest difference is that New Hollywood is almost entirely focused on films for people under thirty; that is, those who are experiencing Act One of life. The Old Hollywood focused on Acts One, Two, and Three of life. When we bring back the Old Hollywood, we can leave Act One to the New Hollywood and focus on Acts Two and Three.
Are there some film-makers who work with the same crews and cast repeatedly to create the old Hollywood sense of community and continuity?
As to key crew members, yes. Most filmmakers like to work with the same core crew. As to cast, only a few people like the wonderful Christopher Guest (“Best in Show,” “Waiting for Guffman,” etc.) maintain a kind of rep company so he can work with the same actors. There are other ways that some directors honor the Old Hollywood. Many years ago, I worked with Sam Raimi who went on to direct the Spider-Man films. In honor of an Old Hollywood tradition, Sam wore a coat and tie on the set every Friday.
How does the increasing role of the international box office affect the subject matter and script quality of Hollywood movies?
I have heard some foreign sales agents say that “action rules, comedy drools.” Action films translate all over the world but humor often doesn’t. In addition, international distributors put a huge emphasis on so-called “name” actors so they can have a better chance at DVD and television pre-sales. So, action films with name actors have ruled the international marketplace for many years. Doesn’t leave a lot of room for films like “Sideways,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” and other story-oriented films, does it?
What can independent producers do that studios cannot?
Nowadays, not much. Sadly, “independent” today usually means out of work. One of the biggest casualties of the New Hollywood has been the decline of independent films. In fact, one of the main goals of my book Bringing Back The Old Hollywood and www.TheOldHollywood.com is to prevent independent movies from becoming an extinct species.
Why are movies all directed at teenagers?
I address this woeful state of affairs in my book: Murder At MGM. The corporate mentality that now rules every studio has also led to a single-minded reliance on Madison Avenue demographics. Whereas the giants like Mayer and Thalberg would make films they believed in and order their marketing divisions to come up with ways to sell them, the situation is reversed today.
Marketing executives are consulted on whether the under thirty year-old audience can be lured to theaters by a film. If the marketers are dubious, the film will, in most cases, never see the light of day.
If Indiana Jones were sent to find The Holy Grail in the New Hollywood, his assignment would be to come back with the secret of how a fifteen-year-old boy decides which movies to attend over and over again.
Imagine for a moment Louis B. Mayer in a meeting with his MGM marketing team about Gone With The Wind in 1939. The head of marketing cautions Mayer not to make “Gone With The Wind.” “Sure, it’s a big best seller and all, Mr. Mayer, but the teenagers will never go for it and there are no fast food tie-ins.” The next day’s headline in Variety would have been: “MGM’s Mayer Murders Marketer.”
The tail is not wagging the dog. It has replaced the dog altogether.
Do you agree with the “auteur” theory that it is the director who is the author of a film?
Absolutely, positively, 100% not! One of the reasons that the New Hollywood is in so much trouble is that it has so marginalized writers and canonized directors. Screenwriters are hired and fired indiscriminately. As a result, the majestic power of story telling has become a lost art in the New Hollywood. And that’s another reason that we’re Bringing Back The Old Hollywood.
What is it like to vote for the Oscars?
It’s a wonderful honor and also a significant responsibility. So much Oscar voting is about politics, personalty, and jealousy. 2009 is a perfect example. While “The Hurt Locker” was admired by many, “Avatar” is one of the great achievements in film history. The only reason James Cameron didn’t win was because many people in the Academy felt the film’s success was a big enough reward and others were just jealous of Cameron’s success. Politics aside, being a member of the Academy is a great honor for which I am deeply grateful.
When did you say no to Steven Spielberg?
Well, for one, I’m obviously no genius. The story is related in great detail in my book but, in short, Spielberg was at one time interested in developing a script for “What Dreams May Come.” For various reasons, I eventually decided to go in another direction. It’s one of the more interesting and bizarre chapters both in my book and also in my life.
What do you mean by niche being the key to bringing back old Hollywood?
The New Hollywood is on a relentless hunt for movies that appeal to the widest possible audience under 30. As one studio executive said to me, they are no longer even looking for films that could be modest or even solid successes. They want blockbusters. (The fact that the video chain Blockbuster is itself teetering on bankruptcy seems lost on them.) Niches have been the key to cable television’s meteoric rise at the expense of the so-called mainstream networks and it is the key to making films for targeted audiences over 30 as we Bring Back the Old Hollywood. In fact, if the classic film “The Graduate” was made today, the word whispered to Benjamin as the key to future success would be “niches”, not “plastics.”

(more…)

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Books Understanding Media and Pop Culture
Harry on Facebook, Draco on Twitter

Harry on Facebook, Draco on Twitter

Posted on September 29, 2010 at 8:00 am

hermionegrangerfacebook.jpgMy friend Dan Kois has created social media for the students at Hogwarts for New York Magazine’s Vulture blog and it is one of my favorite kinds of funny — not snarky but imbued with a deep knowledge of and affection for the underlying material — including the conventions and culture of social media as well as the Potter books. If you are a Potterphile, you have to take a look. Wait until you see what Peeves has done to Ron’s FB page!

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