.: StrangeBlog :.

IndianExpress.com recently published an interview with Aisha director Rajshree Ojha, highlighting both the challenges she’s faced as a female director in Bollywood and the striking social parallels within Emma’s and Aisha’s worlds.

Hope everyone’s having a great weekend.  Happy Fourth of July!

Laurie Viera Rigler’s wonderful Austen Addict timeswap novels have inspired a hilarious new Babelgum web series!  “Sex and the Austen Girl” premiered today with the first of twenty episodes.  Entitled “Meeting Men,” this series introduction features Austen Addict characters Courtney Stone (Arabella Field) and Jane Mansfield (Fay Masterson) discussing the dating differences and similarities between 1813 England and 2010 California.

How can you encourage men to call?

Jane, on 1813:  “You wait! You wait and hope!”

Which is pretty much how it goes in the 21st century, too.

How do you meet men?

Courtney:  “…you go to parties, you go to bars, you go to restaurants…”
Jane:  “…you marry your cousin…”

I guess it worked for Fanny Price.

Anyway, here’s episode 1:

The teaser:

Poking fun at everything from Helen Gurley Brown’s Sex and the Single Girl to crazed 21st century Austenites, “Sex and the Austen Girl” is the funniest, most relatable chick-centric web production I’ve seen in a long time.

More…

• Tubefilter Review: “Sex and the Austen Girl” Finds Original Twist
• Laurie’s Austen Addict site
• Buy Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
• Buy Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict

The SS United States Conservancy is raising funds to save the Big U from the scrappers.  Their SSUSPlankOwner.org fundraiser site reads:

Friends of American Maritime History: our national flagship, the legendary ocean liner SS United States is in grave danger of being sold for scrap — an unacceptable fate for this great symbol of American achievement. From 1952 to 1969 the ship was the fastest, greatest ship in the world, transporting American presidents, movie stars, business and military leaders, and foreign heads of state. Sadly, she has fallen out of the limelight and has passed through the hands of a variety of owners, all unable to restore her to a rightful place of dignity.

The SS United States Conservancy, a national non-profit organization, has been working hard to “Save Our Ship” for the past five years. We are rapidly running out of time, however. We have been in touch with the ship’s current owners, The Genting Group/Norwegian Cruise Line, and know they are unable to maintain the ship in her current berth in Philadelphia. Please help us establish a public-private partnership to re-purpose the ship as a stationary attraction while we continue working with government officials to homeport the ship in a large U.S. city.

Here’s the Conservancy’s latest fundraiser commercial – please pass along the good word, even if you don’t have money to contribute.  If you loved “Bon Voyage” with Fred MacMurray…if you think Hotel Queen Mary was a great idea…if you give a crap about human history and technological milestones and all that is good and right about civilization…help the Big U!

Well, I’m home from a lovely visit to Orange County and Los Angeles.  Yes, we went to Disneyland.  Yes, we stopped by Kiyonna.  Yes, I bought something.  One dress.  ONLY ONE. Really.

Anyway, here’s the latest scoop on Emma, which wrapped last night on Masterpiece Classic:

• If you were one of the #emma_pbs Twitter winners from last week, make sure you follow me/respond to my direct message so I can get your mailing info to the good folks at PBS.org and so you can get your awesome Jane Austen action figure.    Remember, I’m @magicskyway.
• Vic’s thoughts on Emma 2009/2010.
• Laurel Ann has posted some final thoughts on this latest Emma miniseries at Austenprose.
• The 2009/2010 Emma DVD is now shipping.  I can’t wait until it arrives!  TV.com’s Emma DVD review is fairly extensive.  Here’s another review of the DVD edition, from BlogCritics.  Remember, the DVD version includes unique special features and a few “deleted scenes” that aired on the BBC but not on PBS.
• Eventually, I’ll post a fashion review and screencaps from the third hour of the miniseries.

Compare this footage taken from a Market Street cable car just days before the 1906 earthquake with a similar perspective from 2005!

From Flixxy:

This film, originally thought to be from 1905 until David Kiehn with the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum figured out exactly when it was shot. From New York trade papers announcing the film showing to the wet streets from recent heavy rainfall & shadows indicating time of year & actual weather and conditions on historical record, even when the cars were registered (he even knows who owned them and when the plates were issued!). It was filmed only four days before the quake and shipped by train to NY for processing.  Amazing but true!

So much is different, yet it’s amazing to think how much the area hasn’t really changed.  There aren’t cable cars on Market anymore (unless you count the Powell turnaround), but Muni still operates vintage streetcars!  There is the Ferry Building, too, still acting as the beacon at land’s end.  And the modern bike rider who waves his cap at the photographer evokes some of the ebullience of the earlier footage.  Amazing how a simple, timeless gesture can echo the mannerisms of ages past.