MY FAVOURITE AUTHOR.

[LindyG]

I empathize with you, Mariana.
I fear I won't get to your beautiful country again. And I love it so.
My memories of time in England still give me happiness when I reflect on them. So, if you don't go to America again, at least you are living in one of the most glorious places on Earth.

I hope your traveling that you have done bring you happy reflections as well.

Thinking about all the world traveling that Matt did....WOW! Seems impossible now!
Most people never travel in their entire lives what he did in any single year.

[mariana44]

Thanks Lindy--I am so glad I got to these places while I could, when I was working---and I have such great memories of these places, and more.

What parts of England did you visit---although not a huge country, like US, there is such a lot of difference in the various part of the country.

In Us, the West Coast and East Coast were so different--scenery, buildings, the people--you could almost believe that you were in 2 different countries.

[LindyG]

Why Mariana,
I do believe you've given me a segue back to the topic of this post, "My Favorite Author(s)"....

When I was little I lived in the books of Beatrix Potter, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, the Brontes and at age 10 I devoured Bram Stoker's Dracula. I was born fascinated with England, it seems. (And it wasn't until I was in my 30s that I learned my paternal Grandfather was a professional cellist from London (he moved to Hollywood and became a silent film orchestra cellist...I often wonder if he ever played at Charlie's movies!)...I didn't even know I had English blood till then! Kind of eerie?)

So there is one of my answers to "My Favorite Author(s)". I have read all of their works as an adult (including all of Beatrix's books last year...still haven't got my hands on the Fairy Caravan...all copies in every American library where I've tried to get it, has gone missing, it's quite valuable now...) and I admire all of these authors even more now.

So when I went to England, I visited London (where I heard The Smiths/Morrissey for the first time and became a fan!), Yorkshire, the Lake District, and Whitby (had to have my Drac experience, and it was fabulous!). It was all WONDERFUL! The people were so friendly and funny and gentle everywhere I went. I have hoped to go back and visit Jane Austen's homeplaces and Cornwall. For now, visiting in books is more likely.

[Eman]

Mariana, I loved Wicked and saw the play about 5x since it opened. Yep my fave song from it is "Defying Gravity". I think Wicked was much more better than The Wiz. Wicked gave an insight into why the Wicked Witch became the way she was. Awesome!!!

[mariana44]

Oh Eman--I just wrote a longish reply to Lindy about England, and we must have both posted together--and my post has just vanished !!

I have had that happen before on here,2 posts clashing, and it is really annoying !!

[Eman]

Mariana, that is so true..I've had that happen or sometime it double posts and I have to delete one. Oh well technology at it's best. Important thing is we are sharing things we like and love!!

[mariana44]

Lindy, I was born and lived in London for many years, but I now live in Kent, which is a beautiful county.

And believe it or not, there is a connection between where I live and Jane Austen. Tonbridge, about 6 miles from here, where I do my shopping every week has a Jane Austen walk--see link

http://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure_and_cult ... _walk.aspx

Also our WI had a day trip to Bath, and visited Jane Austen's house, but I did not go on that trip.

[LindyG]

How lovely to live in Kent, Mariana! You are surrounded by beauty and history, charming villages, how wonderful.
You get some of the mildest weather in the UK, too, don't you?

So you have in common with Matt the city of your birth and upbringing, and that you are both Monday's Children, fair of face.
Do you sing well, too?

[Eman]

Wow Mariana, Jane Austen? I loved her book Pride and Prejudice. One of my faves. I really loved the mini-series/movie over here Lost In Austen. That was soooooo good!!!

[ROBERT M.]

Lindy, just read in the Marion Davies book that she met Charlie Chaplin for the first time during the making of the 1925 film "Zander the Great" ..............Marion had a scene in a cage with a live Lion, where she had to climb out of the cage when the Lion a gave a loud roar, but rehearsals didn't quite work out right, so Charlie Chaplin who was filming nearby was brought in...........he put on Marions clothes and the scene was shot from a longish distance....................then Marion put her clothes back on for the close ups.................so that was Marions first ever meeting with Charlie.............an interesting first meeting

[LindyG]

Wow Mariana, Jane Austen? I loved her book Pride and Prejudice. One of my faves. I really loved the mini-series/movie over here Lost In Austen. That was soooooo good!!!

Me too, Eman! P&P is still the greatest novel ever written. And the best movie adaptation of it stars Mr. Colin Firth. Have you seen that one? Very faithful to the book and great performances from the entire cast.

[LindyG]

Lindy, just read in the Marion Davies book that she met Charlie Chaplin for the first time during the making of the 1925 film "Zander the Great" ..............Marion had a scene in a cage with a live Lion, where she had to climb out of the cage when the Lion a gave a loud roar, but rehearsals didn't quite work out right, so Charlie Chaplin who was filming nearby was brought in...........he put on Marions clothes and the scene was shot from a longish distance....................then Marion put her clothes back on for the close ups.................so that was Marions first ever meeting with Charlie.............an interesting first meeting

WOW! Robert, Charles didn't mention that in his book. THANK YOU for sharing this, Robert! I need to share this with my sister too (who adores Charlie and Matt as I do). Great account of their first meeting. No wonder they became such good friends, I'm sure Marion was so grateful to Charlie.

Have you read Chaplin's autobiography? I highly recommend it.
I also watch all of his masterpieces, again and again and again.
I wish I could get a copy of the set that has Matt singing "Bound for Texas", but have had no luck getting it.
Charlie and Matt together, SWEET!!

[Eman]

LIndy, yes I saw that one. There is a also another one that I like and one of the charachters was named "Col. Brandon". I loved the movie but can't think of it right now. Oh and yes Armais does smell good, but I prefer Burberry.. LOL

[LindyG]

LIndy, yes I saw that one. There is a also another one that I like and one of the charachters was named "Col. Brandon". I loved the movie but can't think of it right now. Oh and yes Armais does smell good, but I prefer Burberry.. LOL

I can help you. The movie you speak of is from Jane Austen's second greatest novel, or maybe her third, Sense and Sensibility. Emma is great too. The novels are fantastic, and we are fortunate that great teams have brought them to film. Emma Thompson's S&S starred the delicious Alan Rickman as Col. Brandon. There are always great slimy arrogant self-righteous villains in Jane's novels, humble sweethearts and incredibly dreamy heros of both genders. Jane Austen is the finest lampooner of human posing and hypocrisy and goodness and good intentions running amok. But most important, her great novels are about COMMUNITY, which we don't have in the U.S.

I think our best novelist, nearly as great as Austen, was Hawthorne. I've read all of his several times, and I've visited his "House of Seven Gables" in Salem Mass, and the house where he lived and wrote "The Scarlet Letter"....he's America's Austen, I think. He expertly skewered the self-righteous, as Austen did.

[LindyG]

LIndy, yes I saw that one. There is a also another one that I like and one of the charachters was named "Col. Brandon". I loved the movie but can't think of it right now. Oh and yes Aramis does smell good, but I prefer Burberry.. LOL

Burberry "Summer" is my favorite fragrance for me! What a riot.