In case the holiday music, ornament-laden store windows, and decorated classrooms haven’t already tipped you off, I’m here with a public service announcement for all Kidsmomo readers: It’s almost Christmas! Did you know? Surprise!

Last year, we dedicated a theme to holiday books and came up with a whole list of suggested reads. So this year, I’m focusing on just one story for the season: Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies.

Yes, the classic movie is also a book! It was penned by the same guy who wrote the original screenplay, and it was published as a novella at the same time that the film came out (in 1947). And as you can imagine, if you’re a fan of the movie, I guarantee you’ll enjoy the book. The novella is a close match for the movie, almost scene for scene — and you’ll find that even exact dialogue is represented! I was particularly delighted to see that the book closes with the precise words that Fred speaks at the end of the movie.

And this year, I was especially happy to have the book because for the life of me, I can’t find the movie playing on TV! What’s wrong with this world when they show the 1994 remake instead of the beloved 1947 original?! Thankfully, the book saved me from becoming a Grinch!

— Karen

Karen actually has a copy of the movie — but on VHS. (Do you guys even know what that means?) Now that she no longer has a VCR, perhaps it’s time to invest in a DVD of the film…

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A while back, we reported the news that the Disney Channel would be making a movie based on the much-loved children’s book Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. What we should have said was that Disney would be taking the original story, twisting it all around like the world’s craziest pretzel, and stomping all over it with steel-toed boots — and then sweeping up the mess, throwing it out onto the street, and running it over with a monster truck. Yes, it was that bad.

Yeah, we know the trailer looks fun. And if you really want to, you can catch the movie when it reruns on the Disney Channel tomorrow night (April 4th) or Monday afternoon (April 5th). Watch it if you must. But you’ve been warned! And we’ve got plenty of proof — in the spirit of Harriet and her notebook, we documented our observations of the movie in real-time over IM.

Things seemed promising at the start as the setting and characters were introduced:

Karen: Okay, it’s starting!

Nancy: OK, I see the titles

Nancy: the city?

Karen: Manhattan!

Karen: The title!

Nancy: HARRIET THE SPY BLOG WARS!

Karen: YES!

Karen: I like how this really looks like NYC.

Karen: Hey, it’s the girl from Degrassi!

Karen: Hey, it’s another girl from Degrassi!

Nancy: “Sport” looks like JTT to me

Nancy: that’s former teen heartthrob Jonathon Taylor Thomas for all you non-old people out there

Karen: Since I’m an old person, I knew exactly who you meant. But I didn’t respond because I disagree.

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On Friday, Nancy and I were among the crowds lined up to see the new Alice in Wonderland movie on opening night. How was it? Well, you’ll have to wait a little longer for our KidsmomoMO movie review, but I’ll give you a hint: one of the most exciting things on screen came before the film even started… the premiere of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole movie trailer!

Entitled Legend of the Guardians, the film is due out in September and will cover the first three books in Kathryn Lasky’s popular book series*. Of course, like every other movie these days, it will be in 3D. And while I’m not always the biggest fan of 3D, in this case I think it’s going to make a HUGE difference. Because I’m sorry to say that this online trailer isn’t nearly as breathtaking as what I saw in the theater. But check it out anyway, and leave a comment with your thoughts! What do you think — did they get it right?

— Karen

* If you’re not familiar with the books, check out these 5-star reviews from Ayra (age 10) and Milo (age 9).

Unless you’ve been living in a hole*, then you know that on March 5th, Alice will visit Wonderland once again — this time in Tim Burton’s cinematic interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s classics, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.

Nancy and I have already marked our calendars for opening weekend**, but it’s still quite a while to wait. Luckily, Avril Lavigne has provided some entertainment to tide us over: a new music video for her song, “Alice (Underground),” which will play over the opening and ending credits of the upcoming movie. Check it out:

So, what do you think of the video? I love that Avril’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt when she falls down the hole and is suddenly rocking a huge goth dress when she emerges on the other side. But I’m definitely NOT a fan of Avril’s face being superimposed everywhere, especially when she’s sitting at the Mad Hatter’s table. Also, how does she escape Wonderland at the end? She just runs on out of there?

Well, at least there’s a juicy montage of scenes from the new film!*** The movie looks like it’s going to be WAY different from the books, but that’s not going to stop me from following the White Rabbit all the way to my local movie theater. Leave a comment if you’re planning to see it too!

— Karen
 
 
* A hole such as the one Alice falls into, perhaps?

** What, you think we have other social engagements? Sadly, no.

*** For more, check out the official movie site.

The wait is over. Back in August the first teaser trailer hit theaters, but today the full film will finally shine down from the silver screen… It’s opening day for the Lightning Thief movie, based on the first book in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series! Oh my gods, I’m excited!

Of course, Nancy and I are planning to see the movie this weekend, and we’ll report back to you with a KidsmomoMO video review in the next week or so. But in the meantime, calling all PJTO fans — please, talk amongst yourselves! Leave a comment with your thoughts on the movie adaptation:

Whoa, go Logan Lerman -- use that Poseidan Power! (Squee!)

Haven’t seen it yet? What are you expecting? Do you think it will be faithful to the book? OR just saw the film? Post your opinion! How did it measure up? (Just be sure to put “SPOILER ALERT” at the beginning of your comment!)

Here are some of my thoughts: What’s up with the first scene in the trailer? Grover’s not wearing a hat, but I don’t see any horns! And I heard that Percy and Annabeth are already 16 years old in the movie version, so they had to push back the age of the big prophecy too, to age 21. Not sure I like that…

Agree? Disagree? The comments are now open for demigod discussion!

And be sure to check out these reviews for Book 2 and Book 4 in the Percy Jackson series, sent in by Sydney (age 12) and Christian (age 11)!

— Karen

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

In Louise Fitzhugh’s beloved book Harriet the Spy, the main character doesn’t hesitate to write down all her observations in a secret journal — no matter how mean or nasty. From her best friends to the neighbors, nobody escapes Harriet’s critical eye. So you can imagine the uproar at school when Harriet’s classmates discover the notebook. Let’s just say, they are NOT happy.

And neither am I. Not because someone’s been jotting down notes about how pathetic I am — at least, not that I know of! No, I’m displeased because I just heard that the Disney Channel is planning a TV movie based on Harriet the Spy, to air in 2010.

Now, you’d think that I’d be excited about that — and I was at first. But then I learned that they’re planning what they describe as a “contemporary interpretation.” And I’m all for updating the story for the 21st century (the original was written in 1964). But this new version sounds totally different from the book. Check out this description from the press release:

High schooler HARRIET “THE SPY” WELSCH is determined to become her class blogger. Competing against her nemesis — the very popular Marion Hawthorne — Harriet sets out to do whatever it takes for the honor. So when Harriet’s father, movie producer Roger Welsch signs a deal to make a sequel to the smash hit teen-musical, SPY HIGH, Harriet senses her perfect opportunity. Harriet, despite her disdain for him, decides to blog about Skander Hill, the movie’s popular teen heart-throb with hilariously catastrophic results!

Say what?! That doesn’t resemble the book at all! Well, her name is the same anyway…

Here’s the thing: I loooooooove Disney Channel original movies. And I’m not just talking the super popular High School Musical. I mean, I’ve watched Stuck in the Suburbs and Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off several times each, so you know I’m serious. And this movie sounds like exactly the kind of thing I’d enjoy if it were just some totally new film. But when you say it’s based on Harriet the Spy, then I expect it to be, you know, actually based on the book.

Of course, this is a really short summary of the movie, so maybe I’m totally off base and it’s going to be much closer to the original than I imagine. Or, even if not, maybe it will still be awesome (I mean, seriously, a spy musical — what could be better?). I guess it’s too early to tell… You’ll just have to check back sometime in 2010 for my review!

Btw, I’m sure you all know that there was already a film adaptation of Harriet the Spy released in 1996, starring Michelle Trachtenberg as Harriet. I never did watch that version, but it seems like it’s more faithful to the book. Anyone out there seen it? Leave me a comment!

— Karen

Nancy and I are huge Harry Potter fans, so we of course made plans to see the new movie on opening night. Then a miracle happened and we got tickets to an advance screening. (Yes, there was literal jumping up and down in joy. Don’t judge us.)

The only problem, as I learned later, is that by seeing an advance screening with no previews, Nancy and I missed out on what sounds like a pretty awesome book-to-big-screen pre-show: the theatrical release of the trailers for New Moon (based on the second Twilight book) and The Lightning Thief (based on the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series).

Thank goodness for the internet! When I realized that the trailers were out, I immediately dropped everything to search for them online (uh, please don’t tell my boss, since I did this at work). Well, not only did I locate the previews, but I also came across plenty of commentary from viewers.

The reaction to the New Moon preview was predictably fanatical. For example: MTV.com posted a shot-by-shot recap of the trailer — even though the full video is less than 2 minutes long! (The re-cap even includes commentary on how impressive Bella’s gigantic birthday cake looks. Now I’m not saying that makes you obsessed, but… actually, yes I am.)

But I was surprised by the online response to the Percy Jackson trailer. Basically, lots of people thought it looked like a rip-off of the Harry Potter movies. What do you think?

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