Don't PANIC - It's HERE!

Peter Pan's NeverWorld

is now available in PAPERBACK!

Just in time for the Holidays...

It's slicker, less expensive and has extra pix!

Fly on over for your copy here...

Crow...You'll Feel Better

On my TiVo’s WishList is, you guessed it, Peter Pan.
Using it, I am able to check and see what programs have anything to do with Barrie’s eternal boy. Usually I just get a list with the movies that aren’t worth their salt.

But sometimes there’s a little gem like this program.

On an episode of Mork & Mindy, “Mork in Never-Never Land,” Mork visits his pen pal, Peter, in the mental hospital. Mork from Ork, of course, doesn’t get the concept of an asylum. His pen pal reveals himself as the real Peter Pan. It’s actually quite charming. He tells Mork you have to grow taller, but you don’t have to grow up. Peter tries to spread cheer and laughter among his fellow inmates. But he seems to have lost his sense of adventure, having put himself away because no one believes in him anymore. Mork believes, of course, and breaks Peter out to face the world – but more importantly, help Mindy out of the doldrums from not getting a much wanted scholarship. “Pan” tries to make Mindy crow. He says it will send away the bad feelings. Just let the little person inside out, and crow, be silly and refuse to not have fun. In the end, it works. The show also has the obligatory scene where this Peter Pan is actually flying at their window to say goodbye.

The exchange between Mork & Mindy rushing to the wndow:

Mindy: I don’t believe it! We’re on the second floor! He flew up here!
Mork: I know!
Mindy: Did you help him to do that?
Mork: Do you really want to know?
(Pause)
Mindy: (with a smile) No.
Mork: Me either.

All in all, a fun and meaningful use of Barrie’s character.
Dash a bit of Don Quixote into the mix…and enjoy.*

* What leapt to mind immediately as I typed that: this post. Interesting.

At What COSTume?

Hey, look, it says here in the book he’s supposed to be wearing leaves.
Oh. Okay. Put some on at the last minute.
Wait a sec. We’ve got his tunic way too short. With those tights? It’s obscene.
Ah, yeah. Okay, put some shorty shorts with hasty jaggedness.
But he doesn’t wear shorts.
Who cares?
I wish we could jazz up his outfit some.
Yeah, yeah, all right. We’ll throw on some hideous stitching down the front and stuff.
In the movie he’s got pointed ears. We should give him -
Eh, s’good enough. Just send him to the parade.
But -

Even as a child, I’d been a stickler for making characters look the way they’re supposed to in the film. For instance, I rarely wanted plush Disney characters because the rendition just didn’t look the same as the character I loved. More like an unreasonable facsimile. Sure, I understand that it doesn’t always “translate,” so to speak, as a toy or real-life outfit. But to me it looked like they never even tried. “Eh, s’good enough.” Not that I wanted it perfect, but I didn’t want something that only vaguely resembled the character either.

So here we have Disney’s Pan at the park, spruced up a little? I think it not only looks ridiculous, but the inconsistency is troublesome for me. (Imagine that!) They could at least have given the actor pointy ears! There’s bound to be some precocious child who’s disappointed as hell.

(Of course, Peter Pan doesn’t really have pointy ears. See here.)

Fright...Delight?

You probably know by now that I love remakes.

But you probably already know that sometimes, just sometimes, it seems warranted.

Well, I've known about the remake of Fright Night for some time now.

I've not been happy about it, until now.

Maybe I'm okay with it.

In the original movie, Charlie Brewster watches a late night horror show (the kind with a host who bumpers the commercials.) Much like Svengoolie or Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. When Charlie believes a real vampire (played by Chris Sarandon) has moved in next door, his only hope is to seek the help of Peter Vincent, the Great Vampire Killer (played by Roddy McDowall) - the host of the late night horror host program, "Fright Night." Peter Vincent tries to tell Charlie that's just a character he plays. But when Charlie is proven correct - the neighbor is a vampire - Peter Vincent must step up to the role. It's a great little movie. Very well balanced between comedy and horror. Personally, I think that's a difficult genre to pull off.

It doesn't need a remake, though.

Unless you put a twist on it...? Such as... the "meta" approach.

In the new movie, the Charlie Parker character will be a fan of Fright Night. As in, having seen the movie. The movie I just spoke about. Well, wouldn't you know it but a vampire moves in next door? Since the late night horror host format is not as popular as it had been during the first movie... who can he turn to? The only person who can help him is Chris Sarandon... after all, he played the undead dude in the first movie...

Last night visiting at Banky's, I told both Banky and Clara this idea.

They agreed. It's just silly enough to work.

A Clarification in the Pan Novel

My faithful reader “Anonymous” (both of this site and my work), who now posts as “Anon” brought up something when re-reading Peter Pan’s NeverWorld (for the third time.)

If Michael is in the Navy, why is he called private and why is there a general? Very good question. I suppose my little scheme didn’t work as well as I hoped. There are two answers. First, my own.

As told in the book, Michael has bounced around, so to speak, between varies countries and various military groups and fought in many wars and conflicts. Perhaps it should have been more clear that in his own mind, it all blends together. To him, one is the same as the next. By having both types mentioned (group and terminology) it’s supposed to represent his eternal amalgamation of it all. As for why his superior officer uses the “wrong” terminology, Michael’s been bleary-eyed, overtired from staring at the blip on a screen, as well as sinking into his own thoughts, haunted by them. Michael’s not hearing properly.

The second reason, as might be guessed, is meant to be an allusion to Barrie. When giving us information about Captain Jas. Hook, he never quite delivers a straight answer as to the whole. What I mean is, whenever one thinks information is pinned down, it pops undone by another. Not that it’s contradictory. It just doesn’t all fit, giving you the feeling that you’re missing a major piece of the puzzle. For example, Barrie tells us Hook was not his true name. To reveal who he really was would even at this date set the country in a blaze; but as those who read between the lines must already have guessed, he had been at a famous public school; and its traditions still clung to him like garments, with which indeed they are largely concerned. Okay, then who is he? Take all the other evidence/facts from Barrie and real history and there’s a pretty good candidate. Here’s the thing: Who I’m thinking of did not have a formal education. And there is no doubt that Hook attended Eton. Thus, I wanted to give a sense of “not-fitting” mystery to Michael as well.

I liked the idea of coupling the “non-fit” with the above, so that he himself feels awkward and “out of place” in the world.

Sorry for not making it more clear in the actual text.

Snuffed Out!

Well, I recently read that one of my new favorite shows has been cancelled. The rather clever and charming Eastwick apparently just doesn't have the desired viewership .

RATS.

Why do I have the feeling that the two new shows that I rejected after one viewing will have a long and happy life?

Farewell, fair Witches. You'd well wishes from me.

Should We PANic?

Time to report on more Pan-derings.

Andrea Jones, author of the marvelous Hook & Jill, informed me of a book that is meant to be Tinker Bell centered. However, for all of you who just went “awwww” be aware that the Tink in this book is reportedly a brazen drunk. (Barrie’s Tink may be bitchy, for lack of better word, but I don’t think she deserves to be a full-on drunken tart.) There’s no word on when and if this story will ever be released. I’ll keep you posted. The author is Martha O’Connor and the book is Tink. Please note that I am not slamming her with my comments. Just my knee-jerk reaction. It could very well be that she justifies her spins on Barrie. But I’m also a harsh critic as you’ve probably figured out by now if you’ve been following along with me. (The picture is not associated with the book!)


There’s also one that's been out for some time now, but I have not yet made mention of here until now. But since I’m on the subject… It's a re-telling, of sorts, of the Peter Pan story, Tigerheart, by Peter David. I’ve not read it myself, to be honest. Since it is a completely new re-working of the story and not meant to be an adventure in the direct timeline of Barrie’s world, I didn’t pay much attention to it. I’ve read mixed reviews, however. This also harkens back to this post of mine. But by that I don’t mean this is doing that exact idea of a “Novel Remake.” For in order to be what I describe, the character names and situations would not be changed, just the way in which it’s told.


Never After is another “re-telling” of the story is by Dan Elconin. From the description, this one deviates greatly from the original tale with zombies and penis jokes. Yes, you read that correctly. I do like that “The Island” isn’t quite what it’s touted as… that’s true of Barrie’s island, too, and a fact that I like to emphasize myself. You can read more about it here. Call me a purist even when it's a re-envisioning, but zombies and penis jokes? No thanks.