.: StrangeBlog :.

Producer Rhea Kapoor, sister of star Sonam, announced yesterday that the Aisha official site is live.  There doesn’t appear to be much there at the moment, though you can register for email announcements while you’re there.

Rhea Kapoor is updating the Aisha Facebook page with production stills and other information as it’s available.  On the wall, she recently wrote, “Register with your email address at www.AishaTheFilm.com and something interesting might come your way tonight ”

According to the Facebook, the original August 6 premiere date is still a go.  I haven’t heard whether or not the film sneak-previewed last weekend as initially hoped – my guess is that it wasn’t ready.

Twitter twits can find the official film account at @AishaTheFilm …

BollySpice.com reports that Ayesha may be ready in time to premier at the International Indian Film Awards in Sri Lanka during the first weekend in June.

“I am trying my best to complete the film,” says Ayesha producer Anil Kapoor, father of star Sonam.  “We are running against time. If we are done with it we might screen it at this year’s International Indian Film Awards.”

The piece continues with quotations from director Rajshree Ohja, who has said, “Emma, like Shakespeare’s works, is a human story. As for the satire on society, I’ve touched upon that. That’s the reason I based the story in Delhi, where the caste divide has given way to class divide. In Delhi you can find a young girl dressed in a Calvin Klein or Versace who discusses matchmaking with her neighbour. Like in Emma, marriage is about elevating your social status. I’ve hinted on these things but remember, it’s a commercial rom-com.”

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

Through May 16, the Jane Austen House Museum is displaying a selection of costumes designed by Rosalind Ebbutt for the recent BBC Emma adaptation starring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller.  The museum itself is housed in Chawton Cottage, Austen’s home from 1808 until her death.

While many of the fashions worn in the miniseries were actually created for other productions, Ebbutt was responsible for a majority of the pieces worn by the production’s principal actors. The current exhibit includes pieces designed for Romola Garai as Emma, Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley, Sir Michael Gambon as Mr. Woodhouse, and Laura Pyper as Jane Fairfax.

The Jane Austen House Museum’s website lists a May 7 event featuring Rosalind Ebbutt herself – wish I could go!

More information about the exhibit:

• Emma costume photos by Rebecca Smith, Jane Austen House Museum Writer in Residence
• More Emma costume photos by Rebecca Smith, Jane Austen House Museum Writer in Residence
• Jane Austen House Museum website
• AustenOnly’s report on the exhibit

More information about Emma adaptation costumes:

• 2009-2010 BBC Emma costume trivia (IMDB.com)
• Emma DVD review (the DVD special features include interviews with Rosalind Ebbutt and various cast members regarding costuming in the miniseries)
• Rosalind Ebbutt at IMDB.com
• Recycled Movie Costumes
• Heather’s Jane Austen Movie Gowns site
• Costuming Emmas 1-3

Other links of possible interest:

• 209-2010 BBC Emma section at the Emma Adaptations Pages
• Learn more about Chawton Cottage and other places relevant to Jane Austen’s life at SeekingJaneAusten.com.

OneIndia reports that Ayesha, starring Sonam Kapoor, is scheduled for an August release:

Anil Kapoor Films Company and PVR Pictures’ much awaited Sonam Kapoor-Abhay Deol starrer Aisha will be released on August 6, 2010. Aisha, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s famous novel Emma, is being produced by Ajay Bijli, Sanjeev K Bijli and Rhea Kapoor. The film is directed by Rajshree Ojha.

Besides Abhay and Sonam, the film also stars Cyrus Sahukar and Ira Dubey. Music of the film has been composed by Amit Trivedi while Diego Rodrigues is the director of photography (DOP).