Betwixt-and-Between Proofers

So where the heck is

Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between?

I know, I know, I'm sorry.  The best laid plans of mice & fairies...

I'm in that proverbial waiting game right along with y'all.

I've got a couple more people scouring it for errors.  The typo kind, not [I hope!] the story-logistics kind.  So far story-wise hasn't been an issue at all.  That is not including the initial run-through and suggestions made by Anon*.

So, I'm at the mercy of others.  Not any sort of complaint.  After all, they're doing me a huge favor by proofing it.

I want you to be able to have it as soon as possible.  So just hang in there.

The day WILL come...




...meanwhile, the days of the hardcover Peter Pan's NeverWorld are now numbered.  Soon only the paperback version will be available.  So if you want the extra pictures by way of the dust jacket, now is the time to order one!

* Barrie enthusiast and my faithful reader and #1 fan

Non-HEINOUS NEWS!

Most triumphant!

Whaddya say, babes n' dudes?

Are you ready for more of the time-traveling doofus duo?

Way back on September 3 2010, I mentioned that they've been kicking around ideas for a third installment into their wacky escapades. Well, it now seems as if it really is going to arrive from within the Circuits of History. The four of them (that being Alex Winter [Bill], Keanu Reeves [Ted], Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon [the writers]) have finalized not only the premise with which they wish to go, but the script for the next chapter of Bill & Ted. Not Bad!

If you're a little worried about the prospect of squeezing another movie out of these two... I say don't be. After all, it's not like they just picked it up on a whim, said "What the hell, why not?" and cranked something out. Far from it. All along they've been wondering what Bill & Ted would be like in "middle age." And the way I see it - if the creators want to explore it with full gusto, then I certainly do, too. Thus, they've (as mentioned) had a bunch of concepts they've toyed with...and came up the one they all agreed upon. Chris & Ed took a crack at the story on paper and it went through many years of tweaking. Well, now, as said, they have it hammered out. And they assure us it's excellent. I mean, hey, if the authors/actors of the creation are happy with their venture and full-on want to produce it for us... who are we to kibosh it?

I do, however, have a few cents I'd like to throw in!

First off... it's likely best that it include Lil' Bill & Lil' Ted (their kids - sorry if I spoiled the tail end of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey for you) somehow. I imagine they'd either want to follow in their father's footsteps or land themselves in some sort of "need saving" trouble.

Second, I still would like it to have time travel. I mean, come on, it had been central to the first two films. There's no reason to throw it out now. (And it's what attracted me to the original film in the first place!) I'm not sure how it would factor in exactly...especially since I've got an idea as to where/what the next installment should tackle. I just think it should remain a key element in the third movie.

Thirdly, where to take the dudes? Well... I say outer space. Yes, really. Sound a bit far fetched? No, not when we look at the facts. They've been all around the globe. They've been around Time. They've been through the Afterlife and visited both Heaven & Hell. Where ELSE can they venture? If that's not enough to convince, consider this: Their music is supposed to align the planets. They have two Martians (or one big, depedning!) in their band. See it now? Wyld Stallyns needs to be traveling through the vast oddities of the universe!

Lastly, the title. Alex Winter has made it know that there is one. Oh dear lordy my how I wish I knew it!  But I have one of my own. Not that I'll be at all disappointed if it's not the one they pick. And it's actually not too far a stretch that they might have!

You see, I just re-watched both films.  (I've lost count of the amount of times I've seen Excellent Adventure, but it definitely exceeds 30) For my buddy Gil it had been a long time. Gil never saw the sequel though, so he and I watched that one as well. Needless to say, Gil found it excellent. Well, you see, in that movie, Bill says, "I have a feeling we are about to embark on a most unprecedented expedition." And boom. Title. Bill & Ted's Unprecedented Expedition. I love it. Or else Bill & Ted's Outstanding Odyssey. But I'd prefer it to be directly derived from the previous movie.

And the final thing to say is something concrete from Winter. Reportedly the story will still have Rock n' Roll as part of its structure. He says it had always been about Rock n' Roll. And given that a full quarter of a century of it has happened since Bill & Ted thought they needed Eddie Van Halen in order to be a super band, the creators are exploring how Rock n' Roll has developed or changed over the years. How does it affect Wyld Stallyns...or how can Wyld Stallyns affect IT?

Maybe a little shout out to Rufus and an explanation of what became of his character, too?  [Rest in Peace, Mr. Carlin!  We love & miss you!]

My best friend Laughter texted me saying he "needs" to see it with me.  Excellent!  And I think it's only fitting that Gil come with us if he's able.  Not bad!

Of course, the guys are "shopping it around" right now and it needs a 'Green Light.'  But at least we're one step closer!  STATION!

To all of this, I say:
PARTY ON, DUDES!

Wouldst He Be Pirate?

Here's a passage from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens [The Little White Bird]:

If I were to point out all the notable places as we pass up the Broad Walk, it would be time to turn back before we reach them, and I simply wave my stick at Cecco Hewlett’s Tree, that memorable spot where a boy called Cecco lost his penny, and, looking for it, found twopence. There has beena good deal of excavation going on there ever since.

Suppose that said Cecco is the same Cecco of the Jolly Roger.

I'm not saying it is.  Since it's not actually relevant to my stories (as of yet, at least [and I have no plans to work with the pirates of Peter and Wendy beyond the snippet mentions in Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between]) I don't really want to spend the time to research the logistics of it... but I couldn't not mention it, either.  Could just be a "re-used" name from Barrie.  But it's intriguing nevertheless. 

Perhaps Ms. Jones (who does deal with the pirates of the Neverland) might have an idea about it?

A Tiger Lily Book?

As we all know, the Peter Pan mythos has quite the grasp on us.  People just can't leave it alone.  Way to go, Barrie!

Yes, folks, there is yet another variation on Peter Pan headed our way.

But this time the focus is on one of the underused characters.  How about the story from Tiger Lily's point of view?

I have to say, I like this idea quite a bit.  It has potential.  It could easily open up a wealth of hitherto unexplored nuances of this classic tale.  It could also easily become a sappy mess.

A couple of bits worry me thus far from the description below: "teenage Peter Pan" and "boy who loves her." Now, that's all fine and good if we're truly dealing with a re-imagining.  After all, Pan could certainly love her in a book like that.  But if it's meant to be the same story only from the perspective of the "Indian Princess" I call foul.  I'm not really sure at this point.  As always, I hope for the best.

Tiger Lily is by Jodi Lynn Anderson and is due out this July.

15 year old Tiger Lily, proud and fierce, wild and misunderstood, doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland, and immediately falls under his spell. Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, big-hearted but hard to reach, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything - her family, her future - to be with the haunted, hunted, courageous boy who loves her. When - as a punishment for her rebellious ways - she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter. With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

Jeopardy! Loves This Boy

I'm running out of ways to say "They did it again..." -

Yes, folks, the beloved eternal boy showed up once more on Jeopardy!

And yes, folks, I am still behind on my viewing of the episodes.

(Though now only by about a week and half!)

Nothing special to report this time regarding the delivery of this answer or question.

But here they are:



Category



"Answer"







Do we reckon there's no shadow of a doubt that someone on the staff loves Peter Pan?

A WORD, please?

Just learned from the online Dictionary that an oft used word had been coined by Dr. Seuss. Today is the anniversary of when he is born. I’ve a much better acknowledgement of this event here. Anyway, back to this word. Whole foundations of characters and movies have been built upon this word. I’ve been called this word. What is it? Nerd! Imagine that. Who’d have thought it to have been just a fraction of his wonderful nonsense?

I also want to take a quick moment to say that I am disgusted and appalled. Yes, both. At what? The movie of The Lorax. It makes me utterly sad. I’ve only seen the ads, but that’s enough to loathe it. It’s clear from these snippets that they’re flushing an important book down the toilet. It’s a very serious character within an equally serious book. They’ve turned it into cheap humor and cutesy-ness. As if this weren’t bad enough, they have a myriad of product tie-ins for stuff that goes against the very fiber of what the book preaches. No, it does not make it okay that a fast food chain provides seeds with your purchase.

Besides the affront to the story and point of The Lorax, are they even aware that Dr. Seuss did not wish to have his characters used for product placement or to endorse anything at all? Sure, he drew for some companies in the past... but his personal characters? They’re not to be used in this manner. So WHY are they?

To make it even worse, these computer animated films based on his books do not rhyme ‘constantly.’ Excuse me... did they even READ Dr. Seuss? What - do they consider it too difficult to convert their “expanded” script into “verse”? How can this even be something they overlook? Why, it’s integral to every Dr. Seuss book! Is it really beyond their reach and skill? Or do they just like going against his will? I can’t fathom the reason, but I consider it treason. No matter how one looks at the situation it’s just one big aberration! I do not like it, Peter I Am. I do not like this Seussian sham!

The crown jewel in all of this horror, which I just realized before I set down to type all of this, is that they’re releasing this monstrous crap of one of the books dearest to his heart (and with majorly vital message) on the date of his birth.

What a freaking sacrilege.

Otherwise, take a moment to be silly today, okay? It’s what the good “doctor” would have wanted.

A Little Too Far East?

Can you believe?


No, I’m not talking about belief in fairies, rather how much “everyone” seems to want to play with Barrie’s classic characters.

Once again, reader/fan ZZ has sent news my way.  [Thanks again ZZ!]

There’s an independent Peter Pan movie in the works. Sadly, it’s not an adaptation of the play or novel. No, once again, it’s a variant tale. Also once again, it seems to contradict Barrie right from the description. Why do people do this? How can they just ignore what’s in the original?

It's called East of Kensington.

Here’s the blurb:

Years after Peter Pan and the Lost Boys have overthrown the pirates, Peter visits London to return Wendy to Neverland when he is kidnapped by a mysterious Stranger who dwells in the dark decaying remains of the Darling house.

Okay, granted, it COULD be in accordance if we assume that Pan comes back MANY years, as in generations upon generations, as it is in my novel. But given that Wendy seems to be a character in it (which I learned from poking around online) there’s little room for anything to fit within Barrie. Sorry, Jane and Margaret... your adventures have been negated.

What I can respect is that this grew out of a Senior Thesis, much like my novel had. It’s not entirely the same, since my became a senior Honors Project from an Independent Study for college credit. However, I wish that whomever oversaw their thesis had raised some questions about it and wanted the project to remain true to the source material.

I’m also curious about this “Stranger” - I, of course, fear that they’re using brother Michael. But then, unless a ‘device’ is used like my own, Michael would be a wrinkly old man or dead. Could be cool, I think, to have a spry elderly fellow thwarting Pan. But then, that wouldn’t be how Barrie envisioned Michael. Andrea Hook & Jill Jones speculates that it’s a variant of Hook. Perhaps, but then, as I might have said before, why use Hook again? Besides having to get around the fact that he’d been eaten by the crocodile, it would only rehash rather than advance the themes of Barrie. No way of knowing just yet who this Stranger is, but why do I fear that it’s something incongruous? Maybe because every other Pan-related tale has failed to be anything close to Barrie’s. (Hook & Jill is the only one that is both an exception and a following of this rule - that story is MEANT to veer away from the original tale but at the same time upholds the might behind the myth in more ways than one. In other words, H&J is not a sequel.)

Apparently, though, the filmmakers claim it is a retelling and not a sequel. A dark (Barrie IS dark, people!) re-imagining of what we know of the story. I don’t see how it can’t be a sequel given the premise and how they talk about it. Also, a tagline reads When Peter Pan returns to London he is kidnapped by a Stranger far worse than Captain Hook. which would mean it’s not Hook as Jones thought - or is she right about a variant? (I joked about a CrocoHook hybrid!)

I am also worried because in the sketches, Pan is shown sporting pointed ears. No. Just no. See here.

Also troublesome: The “donor titles” have such monikers as Captain Codfish, Loyal Lost Boy (as dollar amounts raise) but among them is Prideful Pixie. Really? REALLY??

And yet, they claim to want to dispel the Disney version that most people know by being more faithful to Barrie.  Doesn't appear that way to me.

As always, I am not trying to be a jerk about all this... I just don’t understand the misuse and blatant disregard. That goes for anything, not just works of Peter Pan and Barrie.

I certainly hope it's not as it seems and we get a fresh perspective.  As Ms. Jones always says - at least it just goes to show that Barrie is so rich and deep that we never tire of tinkering with it.  What an enduring masterpiece, eh?  "Everyone" wants a part of it.  Like me, though, she wishes people would pay more attention to their craftings.

I guess Time will tell. And don’t get me wrong. I’m always willing to re-invent this story. Retool it all you wish - just don’t try and make it connect to the original story and contradict it, please?

More if you wish to venture further:

East of Kensington


East of Kensington- Indiegogo Promo from Kellen Moore on Vimeo.