Kidding, of course. News is slowing down a bit, but we found a couple pieces of interest.

First, this is a really different and interesting review–of the music.

This is a pretty album, full of lingering romantic passages and much character in places. Adrian Johnston imbues the film with a great deal of heart and soul and that is passed over to the album. The shadow of Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice lingers over the film’s marketing and the album cover is very similar to that of the Marianelli album. Of course comparisons will be made between the two scores and although both focus on the piano and embrace the period styles in similar ways, they are very different compositions.

Stephanie Kennedy of ABC Radio in Australia travels to Bath to try to figure out how much of Becoming Jane is true.

GLYNIS HALE: I didn’t particularly like it, I have to say.

STEPHANIE KENNEDY: Why was that?

GLYNIS HALE: Well it wasn’t actually…it’s not true, really.

The Jane Austen Society of Australia is holding a film party for Becoming Jane on Sunday, 15th April, at 1:30 p.m. at Roseville Cinemas, 122 Pacific Highway Roseville. Jon Spence, author of Becoming Jane Austen, and Susannah Fullerton, the president of JASA, will be speakers. Tickets are $22 for the film with drinks and snacks afterwards. Enquiries can be sent to books AT jasa DOT net DOT au.

EDITED to fix e-mail address. If you couldn’t get through–try again! *smacks self with Clue Trout*

Lin, creator of the Northanger Abbey-inspired earrings we posted last week, has come up with a line of earrings inspired by Persuasion, and also has created a site specifically for her Austen-inspired jewelry, Austen Inspirations. Ordering information is on the site.

The Bradenton Herald has an article on James Pasha, who is playing Mr. Darcy in the Asolo Repertory’s stage production of Pride and Prejudice, which opens Friday night.

That may be easy to achieve with Elizabeth. Even Sheehy instantly connected with her when she first read the book.

“Everybody loves Elizabeth, but everyone finds it hard to love Darcy,” Sheehy said.

Say what?

If you go, we would love a review–and yes, that is a hint.

Check out two advance reviews: first, a very favorable one from TV Scoop:

… trust TV Scoop, [Northanger Abbey]’s the best of the lot.

Both Mansfield Park and Persuasion are filmed with hand-held cameras, presumably to make them look more *real*, but neither this production, nor the novel it is based on, are interested in reality. And you know what? It makes for a fabulously fun two hours’ worth of television.

… All in all, this is a beautiful, imaginative and engaging production, and you really should Set The Video.

Next, a positive but less enthusiastic summary and review from Radio Times (click on the program title to open the review in a new window):

Andrew Davies wrote the screenplay for this latest Austen dramatisation, and you can tell, notably by some very racy, un-Austen-like scenes with strong suggestions of sexual awakening and (whisper it) actual sex.

… Jones makes a chirpy, if vaguely annoying heroine, but the whole thing lacks charm.

Classic FM’s behind-the-scenes NA podcast is up, featuring interviews with William Beck (John Thorpe), JJ Feild (Henry Tilney) and Charles Elton (executive producer). We were delighted to hear that JJ Feild read the book and liked it! (The West Coast Bureau also finds the ears-poking-out-under-the-hat rather adorable and Tilneyesque, but opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of the management.) We are less certain that we read the same Northanger Abbey, Udolpho, and The Monk as Mr. Elton apparently did …

Felicity Jones doesn’t plan to read the reviews, which spares Those Nasty Janeites the trouble of discussing her performance for good or ill, and frees up our day to corral the flying monkeys. (And you thought boiling kittens was time-consuming.)

Northanger Abbey airs on ITV1 this Sunday night, 25 March, from 9:00 — 11:00 pm.