Top 10 books made into movies – by EmJ

#1 Lord of the Rings

#2 Harry Potter

#3 Twilight

#4 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

#5 Eragon

#6 Interview with the Vampire

#7 X-Men

#8 Bram Stoker’s Dracula

#9 Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

#10 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Top 5 books made into TV-series

#1 True Blood

#2 Alice in Wonderland

#3 Smallville

#4 Vampire Diaries

#5 The Little Vampire

EXCL: Saw 7 Producers Talk Actual Title, Traps, 3D

Source: Ryan Turek, Managing Editor -shocktillyoudrop.com

Fans of the Saw series were divided this week when Shock Till You Drop broke the news about a title change occurring to Saw VII, due for release on October 22. The sequel is significant in that it marks the return of Cary Elwes, picks up where part six left off (a chapter that appeared to tie up many loose strings) and is, of course, in 3D.

If you missed our previous report, we were informed the title of the new entry would be Saw 3D The Traps Come Alive. However, I got on the horn with producer Mark Burg and Oren Koules today to discuss the moniker change.

Burg clarifies, “The title of the movie is Saw 3D.”

“The Traps Come Alive” is simply a tagline. Koules notes, “It’s a tagline that was added in and misinterpreted. Most of our movies have taglines. One of the things we talked about during the campaign – especially with shooting in the 3D process, the traps really do come alive and we wanted that clear in the campaign. But the title of the film is Saw 3D.”

READ MORE HERE

Avatar To Re-Release Worldwide With Extra Footage On August 27

Source: thaindian.com

July 12, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster 3D sci-fi epic Avatar is going to be re-released on August 27 with some extra footage, which were never seen earlier.

The Academy award winning movie will be released again in 3D and IMAX theatres all over the world. The extra eight minutes will have some new creatures and action scenes.

On the addition of only eight minutes, the officials informed, “IMAX has permitted a maximum run time of 170 minutes. The original Avatar released in December 2009 had a run time of 162 minutes so the new version could add only eight more minutes”.

Audiences always wanted to see more of Pandora and hence the filmmaker came up with this new version.

READ MORE HERE

Brad Pitt Beats R Pattz To Be Named Hottest Vampire

Source: mtv.uk

Brad Pitt has topped a poll of hottest vampires, beating Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson to the er, prestigious title.
Pitt played Louis de Pointe du Lac in Interview With a Vampire and it seems that over 15 years since the film’s release fans still remember his sexy blood sucking character.

READ MORE HERE

Edward Norton responds: Losing Hulk role “makes me sad”

Source: scifiwire.com

So Edward Norton won’t play the Hulk in The Avengers. We heard Marvel’s side. We heard from Norton’s agent.

But what does the actor himself have to say?

Here’s what Norton posted earlier today over on his Facebook page.

READ MORE HERE

Watch men become monsters in Adrien Brody’s prison experiment

Source: io9.com

We’ve been waiting for news on this film forever, and finally the trailer has been released. The Experiment recreates the infamous Stanford prison experiment in 1971, documenting what happens when college students are transformed into prisoners and prison guards.

To be fair, this isn’t the first film to recreate Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Experiment. A German film called Das Experiment, which this American film seems to have been directly inspired by, was based loosely on the experiments.

READ MORE HERE

I LOVE Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment. That, and Stanley Milgram’s work are by far my favourite social psychology experiments as they show a very interesting part of the human psyche, and paved the way to understanding  how environment and authority figures influence people’s behaviour. I’m not sure on how it’ll translate into movie form, though! It really could go either way. What do you think of Edward Norton’s facebook message? I love Edward Norton, but never saw him as Bruce Banner – I was looking forward to seeing him in The Avengers.

Anything you’d like to comment on in today’s movie news?

Join us in the forum to discuss!

We have a tie! You voted for Interview with the Vampire and Twilight as your favorite vampire books!

Check out our book reviews for the winners: Interview with a Vampire here and Twilight here!

And don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the December Book Face Off: Fairies

The voting for the November Book Face Off: Vampires ends this Sunday, so don’t forget to vote for your favorite vampire book! The winner will be announced on Monday, November 30th and you’ll find out what the December book face off category is.

Right now Interview with the Vampire and Twilight are tide for first place. Think a different book should win? Vote!

Dracula by Bram Stoker
Carmilla By Sheridan La Fanu
Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles) By Anne Rice
The Historian By Elizabeth Kostova
Vampire Tapestry By Suzy McKee Charnas
Vampire Diaries By LJ Smith
Twilight Saga By Stephenie Meyer
House of Night Series By PC & Kristin Cast
Sookie Stackhouse Series By Charlaine Harris
Sunshine by Robin McKinley

VOTE HERE

Read the Book Details here

Don’t forget to vote for your favorite vampire book/series! OBS picked 10 books to choose from. Tell us which one is your favorite and if your favorite isn’t on the list, let us know!

See the book details here

And VOTE here

By Krista Simmons at the Los Angeles Times: On the Trail of Vampires

Vampires have long been objects of fascination in history, literature and lore. With the Nov. 20 release of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” HBO’s “True Blood” and their countless imitators, Americans are welcoming vampires into their homes again. Though many consider Transylvania to be the lair of vampirism, there’s plenty of vampire culture right here. Whether you have just come out of the coffin or long thirsted for night life, these locations offer plenty of opportunities to explore the dark side.

Exeter, R.I.: In the late 18th and early 19th centuries in New England, many believed vampires were the source of the rampant transmission of tuberculosis. According to folklorist Michael Bell, author of “Food for the Dead,” there are at least 40 documented cases in which corpses were exhumed and their vital organs burned and stakes driven through the hearts in attempts to halt the alleged vampires from spreading the disease.

The most famous case of exhumation is that of Mercy Brown of Exeter, whose brother Edwin had contracted tuberculosis. Because of the cold temperatures and the fact that she had recently died, Mercy’s heart still contained blood that was not frozen or blackened. It was decided that she was a vampire, Edwin was forced to drink her blood, and Mercy’s vital organs were burned. H.P. Lovecraft, who’s buried in Providence’s Swan Point Cemetery, wrote about Mercy’s case in “The Shunned House.” It’s also said that Bram Stoker used Mercy as reference for “Dracula.”

See More places here

via DNA India: Vampire genre never goes out of vogue, expert says

The release of New Moon, the latest in the popular Twilight series and the recent comedy Cirque du Freak: The Vampire Assistant proves that the genre of vampire films and books is a trend that will never be out of vogue, says an expert.

Amy Smith, an English professor at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, who studies and writes about vampires in literature, has said that the vampire genre is a natural for the big screen.

“That’s because the films about the mythical undead creatures also share an ability that vampires have – they can take on many forms, from horror films to romantic dramas and even to goofball comedies. The vampire has really resonated in film and literature because the vampire is probably the most sinister and yet human-like evil creature in modern literature,” she said.

Smith, who teaches the popular course ‘Living Dead: Vampires in Film and Fiction’, added, “They look and act like humans, which allows them to live among us and trick us into becoming victims.”

Read More here

The story about the vampires in Rhode Island is really interesting. It’s nice to see vampire destinations other than Louisiana and Forks. And vampire classes at universities are getting more popular; I took one in college and more and more schools seem to be offering them. I agree that vampires never really go out of style, they just have high points; though now seems to be exceptionally high. I read Interview with the Vampire in 1999, and the only other person in my school who had read it was my best friend (I think that’s how we became friends, actually).  I really enjoyed looking at vampires from an academic stand point, it makes you appreciate the genre.

What vampire spot do you want to visit? Would you take a vampire lit class?