Fairy Tale Holiday Viewing Gifts From ABC & NBC

 

 
You should already be aware that ABC is offering free viewing over the holiday break of ALL of the full Once Upon A Time episodes - first to most recent via their website.  

BUT did you also know you can watch FULL EPISODES FOR FREE WITH CAST AND CREATOR COMMENTARIES as well?

(Woo-hoo!)

Not to be left out of the party, NBC has joined the spirit of giving and is also offering free holiday season-to-date catch-up viewings - again, first to most recent - of ALL the full Grimm episodes during the break too.

Yay!

While there are no commentaries per episode for Grimm as for Once (boo-hoo!) BUT there are many video interviews of the cast and behind-the-scenes production, writing and actor preparation for many of the stories that have been available all along, as well as some nice additional fairy tale, creature feature and real life parallel stories info on the site too.

So if you haven't had the chance to explore the site yet, the holiday break is a good time to indulge.

Here are the episode titles for both shows to date:

(If you click on the show title you'll be taken to where you can view the episodes for free during the holiday season/winter break period. If you click on "synopsis per episode" underneath you'll be taken to a longer list for each show, including completed episodes due to air with synopsis for each episode included.)

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Once Upon A Time

(Synopsis per Episode HERE)

Ep 1 - Pilot

 Ep 2 - The Thing You Love Most

Ep 3 - Snow Falls

Ep 4 - The Price of Gold

Ep 5 - That Still Small Voice

Ep 6 - The Shepherd

 

Ep 7 - The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter

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Grimm: 

(Synopsis per Episode HERE)

Ep 1 - Pilot

Ep 2 - Bears Will Be Bears

Ep 3 - Beeware

Ep 4 - Lonelyhearts

Ep 5 - Danse Macabre

Ep 6 - The Three Bad Wolves

Ep 7 - Let Your Hair Down

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I'm psyched with the opportunity to catch up and do a little closer viewing and analysis of both shows (and oh heck - just enjoy them all again)! I just hope I can get me some time blocks to indulge at least a little before the opportunity passes... (which I'm guessing will be the week that the shows start airing again - Sunday January 8th for Once & Friday January 13th for Grimm).

Happy holiday viewing!

"Lost Girl" Coming to Syfy

There are even more fairy tale based creatures coming to TV but the premise for these ones is quite different to anything we've seen yet, despite that the series has been described as a fairy tale/crime drama.

The name of the series is Lost Girl and it's coming to Syfy in the US on January 16, 2012.

Lost Girl caught my eye when it premiered in Canada with all the surprisingly good reviews it received - as in, the critics were surprised they liked it, as was everyone else. Initially, the series hit my radar because of the urban fantasy connection (a genre I read and write a lot of) but it took very little digging to uncover the fairy tale connection.

Ready for the premise? (Note: If you find yourself rolling your eyes at it, keep reading as I know exactly how you feel!)

Raised by human parents, Bo had no reason to believe she was anything other than the girl next door -- until she "drained" her first boyfriend to death. She then discovers she is one of the Fae, creatures of legend and folklore, who pass as humans while feeding off them in secret, as they have for millennia. Bo herself is a Succubus, a supernatural seductress who feeds off sexual energy. She is faced with choosing an allegiance between the Dark or Light Fae clans. Bo decides to take the middle path between humans and the Fae while embarking on a personal mission to unlock the secrets of her origin, protecting humans along the way.

I must admit, when I first read the premise I rolled my eyes. Despite the fact I read a lot of urban fantasy I'm picky about anything to do with Fae or faeries and anything to do with succubi I tend to gloss over. What made me look twice in this case though, was a girl who was fighting her heritage, not wanting to lose her humanness, even as she learns to use her very non-human powers for good.

While I'm not really interested in Succubi (or Incubi) I am fascinated by Rusalki, fox women and La Belle Dame Sans Merci, something which, from the extended descriptions, this character has a lot in common with. But there's even more fairy tale connection than that. You can already tell Lost Girl has a lot of "dark fae" in the mythology/world so we can expect lots of mythological creatures (expect sirens, wolf-people and banshees among others) but there's also Morrigan ('The" Morrigan, if I understand correctly) who is described as the leader of the Dark Fae, while Baba Yaga makes an appearance in a second season episode title Mirror, Mirror. This episode is described as not only being quite true to the fairy tale character of Baba Yaga but also has different fairy tale elements to it (eg Snow White, Hansel & Gretel) as well. If you want more details, but with spoilers, you can read this blog entry HERE.

The folklore creature aspect is going to be a lot of fun. They even have a glossary ready to go (A-Z!) with this description:

The Fae represent the reality behind many of the myths and the folklore of global cultures including Irish, Native American, African and Chinese. Read on to discover a lineup of legendary creatures you'll be meeting during Bo's adventures in the world of the Fae.

Click to read the "FaeQ" HERE. (Seriously - don't you want to give the series a chance just because of this? FAQ/FAeQ - heh.)

I have a feeling the creators were trying to tap into the vampire trend (as you may be able to tell from the Showcase promo posters - sheesh!) and catch some of those viewers and fans but it turns out they were also tapping into the current fairy tale zeitgeist (gotta love that word!) that is all the rage at present. It's likely to interest fans of Buffy, Angel & Underworld with the paranormal PI angle too.

The first two seasons have already aired in Canada, garnering excellent reviews and a solid fan base and should make a good fit for US viewers whose current post-vampire-shifting-to-reworked/darker-fairy-tales focus is still building momentum.

I'm hoping it lives up to the reviews and delivers a layered urban fantasy rich with folklore and fae that isn't cheesy. I guess we'll find out in January!

You can read more info on the series and the characters (with pictures) HERE  and the Syfy home page for Lost Girl is HERE.

Article: Making Fairy Tales Realistic With Fables Creator Bill WIllingham

Fables Issue 1 Cover

"All of the folklore and fairy tale characters from the stories you know so well, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Snow White, the Big Bad Wolf...are still alive today, living in our world, after having been chased out of their own very magical worlds by the vast armies of a wicked conqueror known only to them as The Adversary," explains series author Bill Willingham of the initial premise. "Now, these refugees have banded together in an underground community in New York City."

 Since I've just posted on Bill Willingham's Fables  - the premise of which I've included above in the creator's own words - I thought it'd be interesting to look back on his approach to fairy tales and how he adds his own dose of realism (before Once or Grimm appeared).

This article is from io9.com in June this year to coincide with the release of the anthology Happily Ever After which Mr. Willingham wrote the introduction to, and has a lot to say on Mr. Willingham's thoughts about fairy tales and about writing based on them.

K: Why do you feel that fairy tales continue to be popular through the years?

  W: One, because they belong to everyone, and not just everyone in terms of group or national ownership, which is a silly notion, but every single individual who wants to do something with them, or simply read along, or watch along, as someone else does something new and wonderful with the material.

Two, because fairytales are powerful...

(you can continue reading HERE).

I like that Mr. Willigham has a self-imposed rule on how he uses tales too, to keep a solid grounding:

...The original tale of each character I use happened just the way the old tale states it. Then I work on what's happened since then, and how I can justify the changes I make in the character, in reasonable story terms. Now there is some wiggle room there, since many of these old stories have multiple versions, and so I can pick the version that works best for my plans, and still remain true to the governing rule.

 Check the images below for a quick summary of how the Fables story started (or at least where Bill Willingham starts writing his version of the characters).

 You can read the whole article on how Mr. Willingham writes reality into fairy tales, as well as a little more on the anthology HERE.

Between the Pages: Video Discussion on Fairy Tale TV, Movies & Fables

With all the recent fascination in fairy tales being updated and twisted, Bill Willingham's Fables have come up in discussion since day one of the Once & Grimm TV premieres, the concern being that his long popular idea has been "ripped off" (with special finger pointing at the Once Upon A Time producers).

Bill Willingham himself met with the Once Upon A Time producers to sort out any misunderstandings (a meeting which went very well) and has assured fans in a self-interview/essay that there is no "rip off" in progress but instead more of a "fairy tales in the zeitgeist" situation. You can read all about it in this article HERE from earlier in the month which has the "self-interview" and a more recent one HERE in which the Once creators are interviewed on their view of the meeting (this is the one The SurLaLune Blog linked to this week).

I have to post an excerpt because no matter what gripes and niggles I have about anything based on fairy tales, this is my main feeling too. Mr. Willingham asked himself this (and I'm posting the "general" answer part, though he gets more specific in the article):

"Do you like (the ABC series) Once?" 

I like anything that raises the awareness of fairy tales and folklore as the raw stuff from which some of our best stories are being told today. The mercenary part of me hopes that every single fan of "Once" will also check out "Fables." Remember, stories aren't automatically in competition with each other. If I like Batman, it doesn't mean I have to dislike Captain America. I'd hate for "Fables" to be the only fairy tale-based story out there. If that were the case, I'd have nothing to read or watch for pleasure in this genre I love. I want more of what I want. Snacks are nice, but a feast is better.

Not all fans are so accepting of this trend though, particularly comic book enthusiasts, despite Mr. Willingham's plea to fans to back-off with the accusations:

As grateful as I am to discover so many loyal Fables readers, willing to man the barricades, to help protect a story they love; as much as it moves me to realize I’ve been part in creating something that clearly moves you, affecting your lives in ways only a good story, well-told can, I think it’s time to lay off.

Some of the fan responses haven't been nice at all, calling Mr. Willingham a "coward" (among other things!) but I think it's clear that despite it all, Fables is very likely to attract a whole new slew of fans because of Once. (Maybe that's the fan-plan after all. :D ) As far as I can tell Mr. Willingham hasn't responded to these comments and personally, I don't think he should have to. I think he said it all incredibly well in his interview/essay.

This leads me up to today's actual post topic (apparently I had more preamble in me than planned!) which is a new web show called "Between the Pages". It discusses issues going on in the comic book world with a guest and right now, fairy tales are the hot topic. This week they discuss everything from comics to TV series to the variety of movies coming out based on fairy tales. Take a look:



What do you think? Do you agree with their assessments for the TV series? How about their movie success (or lack of) predictions?

While we're on the topic of comparisons, I thought I'd throw this is in for some extra fun. Here is a "pre-Once" article from October which pits Disney characters against their Fables counterparts to see who wins. Here's the idea:

The idea of fairytale characters exiled into the real world appeals to readers because of their familiarity with the characters -- or at least the kid-friendly version from Disney. But how would the Vertigo revamps stack up against their all-ages counterparts? We've asked Invincible Super-Blogger Chris Sims to put some of our favorite Fables against their Disney counterparts for a head-to-head comparison to find out!

It's a recommended read and should leave you smiling. :) Check it out HERE.

"The Thorn & The Blossom: A Two-Sided Love Story" by Theodora Goss

 

Writer/poet, Theodora Goss

We have a new book to look forward to in January from Theodora Goss, whom you may know from her gothic-styled fairy tale short stories of her book The Forest of Forgetting.

This particular work The Thorn & The Blossom: A Two-Sided Love Story is more legend than fairy tale, being loosely based on the legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but it's unique form - and I mean physical form here - is making even those people completely won over to e-books and digital formats sit up and take notice.

 

You can read and see more about the construction and format of the book on Ms. Goss' blog HERE. (Bonus - she has her book propped up on some lovely William Morris pillows. Nice.) She also mentions she was going to write about her challenges with this particular story construction but I haven't managed to find that yet in my already-borrowed-more-than-planned computer time today!* I do recommend having a browse and read through her blog if you're interested in writing. She has a lot of interesting observations on life, myth and much much more that will appeal to fairy tale people.

You can choose to either read  side of the star-crossed lovers story: Brendan's version or Evelyn's. They're both incorporated into the binding on opposite sides by being printed in an accordion-style.

Check the images in the post and the book trailer below and you'll see what I mean.



 I have a feeling this will be a big seller for Valentine's Day. :)

*My apologies: I'm SO behind on fairy tale news and emails this week with hardly getting any time online. I will have to do a catch up post if I possibly can. There's too much good stuff happening right now to not at least comment on it. I can't promise I will but I do promise to try.

Su Blackwell Designs Sets For "The Snow Queen"

Poster for The Rose Theater's 2011 Production of The Snow Queen, with designs by Su Blackwell.

Yesterday, fantastical paper-and-more artist Su Blackwell posted her designs for a theatrical production of "The Snow Queen" and, as you might expect, her magical touch with paper cutouts rules the set.

In an interview Ms. Blackwell talked about her approach to set design, something which she hasn't tackled before. Here are some excerpts:

"It starts off with an industrial, Victorian, brick town in Denmark, which is quite bleak and then as Girder travels through the seasons, it becomes a magical, fantasy world," says Blackwell. "My favourite scene is Mrs D's garden, which is quite surreal and topsy-turvy. I had fun playing with the scale of props for that and planning explosions of colour for the stage."

...When it came to the set designs, each one was made by hand, on a small scale out of paper first before being turned over to the production team to recreate, scaled-up in canvas. "It was quite a restrictive way of working because the Rose is a circular theatre, so everything is on view and you haven't got the advantage of hiding part of the set away," she says.

You can read the whole article HERE.

And here's a very important piece of fairy tale news from the same article:

She's also illustrating a book of fairytales that will be out next autumn.

I'm putting that on my fairy tale wish list right now! :)

You can read a full review of the production by The Guardian HERE, which, as you might also suspect, has some lovely things to say about Ms. Blackwell's design.

A nice theatrical addition to this production is The Snow Queen Christmas Trail. From the Rose Theater website:

The Rose Theatre presents a selection of free performances of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales on the streets of Kingston to celebrate our adaptation of his most loved work, The Snow Queen. (Dates indicated here) ...The Snow Queen Trail project is supported by the Mayor of London's Outer London Fund which aims to strengthen the vibrancy and growth of London's High Streets.

The Rose Theater has been posting some images from the traveling players on the "Trail" on their Twitter account too. For instance:

 The Snow Queen went out into Kingston last night

to find a child to fix her broken mirror.

 

 Our travelling players get to work in Kingston...

The Trail runs from December 7th through to the 23rd and look like a wonderful way to build interest in the production, the story and help people enter the fairy tale world. I wish I could see it in person.

Nick Frost Interviewed on "Snow White & The Huntsman" & Going To Dwarf School

 

With filming now wrapping up on Snow White & the Huntsman, British actor/writer Nick Frost was recently interviewed by Huffington Post on the various film roles he's working on and the unique challenges he's facing in each. Despite the being put through his paces with unique CG capture work and additional training to add to his already substantial skill set, according to Mr. Frost, nothing compares to preparing for Snow White And The Huntsman.

"We had to attend dwarf college for, like, two weeks before we started shooting, to learn how to move like a dwarf," Frost told The Huffington Post of the preparation for his role as Nion, one of seven warrior dwarfs. "It's very, very weird and quite tough, because you have to stick with it for the whole thing. You can't forget and suddenly start walking quickly or your arms get long. You have to stay with it all the time. It was a great shoot -- I got to hang out with Bob Hoskins for three months."

Joining Frost and Hoskins, who played the dwarf Muir, were Ian McShane, Toby Jones, Eddie Izzard, Ray Winstone, Eddie Marsan and Stephen Graham, composing quite the distinguished group of dwarf college alumni. But things didn't get much easier for the crew once they were handed their diplomas.

 Read the whole article HERE.

I do like that they made an effort with this particular attention to character detail. Dwarfism is a medical condition with a unique set of challenges for those born with it and, with the rigorous training reported for the role of Snow White's companions for this movie, I'm hopeful this has been respected and treated with sensitivity.

 One of the things I like about reading the Grimm's Little Snow White is that the dwarfs never seemed like "funny, magical fairy people" to me but just a group of down-to-earth people with similar physical challenges (symbolically the idea of dwarfs in tales was specifically to do with nature and the earth and I think I got that, even as a child). Their perspective and way of life not only provided Snow with shelter and safety as she grew up but also gave her solid roots for her future. Can you imagine if she had somehow survived growing up within in the castle? Apart from oppression and the likelihood of abuse from an 'untrue parent figure', the worst thing would be that history repeated itself and Snow White's own vanity - which gets her into trouble three times - ends up mirroring her stepmothers, continuing the cycle and very likely exacerbating it when she moves into power herself.

But back to the movie. :) I really like this new trailer they're showing, although Snow White herself remains very quiet. I'm beginning to like that too.

 The Queen, played by Charlize Theron is obviously a force to be reckoned with and is looking more and more like the Queen of my imagination, perhaps not exactly in looks but definitely in spirit. I'm actually starting to look forward to this movie.

For something fun I found this invitation to the Snow White & the Huntsman wrap party. (Found HERE.) Neat stamp, huh? I can see fans making good use of it.