Leo's "Braveheart?"

Leo DiCaprio and footballer-turned-actor Vinnie Jones are teaming up on a biopic about legendary Irish king, Boru, who led his people to victory against the Vikings in the 11th century. DiCaprio will also play a young Teddy Roosevelt next year in The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, based on the book by Edmund Morris and directed by (go figure) Martin Scorsese.

Test Your Knowledge

Alas, I was deemed only "semi-literate" (scoring a pathetic 5 out of 10) on this quiz about literary adaptations from The Guardian. See if you can do better.

Trailer Park

Here are the official trailers for Atonement and Beowulf. Is it just me, or is there something a little comical about Angelina Jolie's voice in the latter trailer? ("Beoooowulllff.....dahhhhlinggg.")

Jane On The Airwaves

Hear more of the true story about Jane Austen and Tom LeFroy in this radio interview with JASNA president Marsha Huff. (And yes, this post is really just an excuse to post a pic of McAvoy...but still, it's an interesting interview!)

Chain Mail: The New Black

We all know Cate Blanchett can pull off full body armor in any form (right), but when I saw this poster (left) for Elizabeth: The Golden Age as a full page ad in the L.A. Times on Sunday morning, I damn near jumped off the sofa, bowed in obeisance and pledged my undying allegiance to a piece of newsprint before charging off to battle. Release date: Oct 12!

"Duchess" Deets

Keira Knightley is starring in "The Duchess," a BBC film based on Amanda Foreman's biography of the scandal-icious Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Ralph Fiennes will play her hubby, the Duke of Devonshire, while Dominic Cooper plays her lover, Earl Gray. (Variety)

Hermione on Her Toes in Noel Streatfield Adaptation

Seventeen year-old Harry Potter star Emma Watson will play the orphan Pauline Fossil in a BBC Adaptation of Ballet Shoes (still from the set at left). Lucky girl.

In the very early years of elementary school I briefly took ballet, tap, and jazz for a year and, like many girls my age, I adored anything having to do with ballet (in fact, I may scan in a photo of me in a tutu as proof), including Ballet Shoes and young adult novels about anorexic ballet dancers falling in love for the first time. Even up into high school, I was obsessed with classical ballet and its superstars including my beloved Misha (Mikhail Baryshnikov). I poured over the monthly ballet magazine that our high school library subscribed to and even read Gelsey Kirkland's memoir. (Totally understanding how Mary Tyler Moore's fictional daughter in the three hankie movie Six Weeks could choose the opportunity to dance in The Nutcracker as her dying wish.) My junior year I took Modern Dance instead of the dreaded P.E. and very seriously practiced the steps my teacher had worked out to go along with--get ready for it--"The Streets Have No Name" (this was 19971987) for hours in my bedroom. (I was also obsessed with U2 at the time as well, so you can well imagine how ecstatic I was.) Anyway, I'm sure this will make a darling movie and inspire a new generation of little girls and boys to dream of starring in Swan Lake or The Nutcracker... --Kim