Jane '08 and the Austen Dream Team

Good things come in threes. Three Bears. Three Lord of the Rings movies. Three volumes of Pride and Prejudice. … And now, three Jane '08 videos.

Yes, it's a trilogy, and no, my candidate is not ready to concede.

Check it out. Tell your friends. Share, embed, and spread the word.

If you missed the first two videos, here's the first one. And the second.

Remember: It's not over till every vote is counted and the woman in the bonnet and spencer gets sworn in.

So onward to the White House! And I don't mean Mrs. Norris's sad little crib. I'm talking Pemberley on the Potomac. Bath on the Beltway. State dinners with English country dances. Cabinet members in knee breeches. Which reminds me…

The dream team is now being assembled:

• Vice President: Mr. Darcy (a favorite in both red states and blue, and not like the wild young men now-a-days, who think of nothing but themselves)

• White House Chief of Staff: Emma Woodhouse (never loth to be first)

• Press Secretary: Miss Bates (is sure to say three things very dull indeed as soon as ever she gives a press briefing)

• Secretary of Defense: Mr. Bingley (so complying, so easy, and so generous, that there will never be another war)

• Secretary of State:  Mr. Knightley (anyone who could live at Hartfield with Emma and Mr. Woodhouse must be qualified for high-level foreign relations)

• Secretary of Treasury: Mrs. Norris (because she shall not be ashamed to practise economy now)

• Attorney General: Lady Catherine de Bourgh (a most active magistrate).

• Secretary of the Interior: Mrs. Elton (her first act will be to organize exploring parties to all national parks with the Sucklings in their barouche-landau)

• Secretary of Commerce: Caroline Bingley (It's about time she faced up to the fact that her family fortune was made in trade)

• Secretary of Health and Human Services: Mr. Woodhouse (devising a universal healthcare plan that includes daily doses of gruel—thin, but not too thin—and  an egg, boiled very soft, by Serle)

• Secretary of Labor: Edward Ferrars (understands the consequence of ignorance of the world--and want of employment)

• Secretary of Transportation: Fanny Price (will ensure that everyone has her own horse)

• Secretary of Energy: Elizabeth Bennet-Darcy (if she can walk three miles to Netherfield, she's got energy to spare)

• Secretary of Education: Mrs. Bennet (it's about time she became a slave to someone's education)

If you have your own ideas about who should serve at the pleasure of President Austen (I rather like the sound of that), do enter your suggestions in the comments section below.

By the way, a little sidebar on author videos: Check out this hilarious one by Seth Greenland, , which came to my attention via Ron Hogan at Galleycat,  who is one of my favorite bloggers and who is always posting updates on the funniest and most innovative author vids. Like this one. And this one.
Does this have anything to do with Jane Austen? Not unless you count the fact that Ron definitely knows his Austen, as evidenced by the title of this post,  which featured the first Jane '08 video.

Happy Holidays

I hope this finds you well and happy and indulging in Austen!

Great news for all Austen lovers awaits us in the new year: Masterpiece Theatre’s Complete Jane Austen begins in January with four new adaptations, plus rebroadcasts of the Kate Beckinsale Emma and the inimitable 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries starring the man in the wet shirt, Colin Firth.

Canada's public station, TVO, has cool clips and commentaries   on these exciting new productions. (If you get TVO you don't even have to wait till January to see three of the new films. You can watch Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion on TVO beginning December 16, which also happens to be Jane Austen’s birthday.)

In the meantime, consider taking a break from holiday stress (or feigning work at your desk ) while eying an array of all your favorite Austen movie trailers and clips. And if you dearly love a laugh, watch some of these, too.

Wish you’d come to one of my readings instead of washing your hair that night? Check out this Authors @ Google’s video of a reading at Google’s Ann Arbor offices, which was one of the highlights of my book tour. Imagine working for a company that cooks you a delicious lunch every day and brings in authors to read you stories during the workday. Where can I sign up?

Speaking of unusual venues, how about a hair salon that’s also a bookstore? That’s Beauty and the Book, the Jefferson, Texas headquarters of The Pulpwood Queens Book Club, another exciting stop on the tour. What would Jane Austen say about such a place? Read my guest post on Book Club Girl and find out.

Coming up this month: Satellite Radio interview on XM 163’s Sonic Theater-“This is Audible.” If you don’t have XM, the interview will be available on audible.com for free download. Just type in keywords "This is Audible," "Josephine Reed" (the delightful interviewer/program director), and "December 2007" to find the download. Exact broadcast date will be posted here as soon as it’s available.

In the meantime, let’s all enjoy the holiday season and raise our glasses to Miss Austen on December 16. And while you’re making your lists and checking them twice, consider giving your favorite Austen addicts a round trip ticket to 1813 England for the mere price of a book (or six-CD unabridged audiobook, which just got a glowing review in Publisher’s Weekly).

May this holiday season and the coming year bring you much happiness,

Laurie

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict: The Book Trailer

Today I stumbled across a "60 Second Book Review" of  Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on YouTube, created by Lissa Staley of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. It's done with a playful sense of humor and is absolutely adorable. What more could I ask for than to find what amounts to an extremely cool book trailer circulating around--and one created by a librarian, no less. If it weren't for all the lovely librarians of my childhood feeding my insatiable need for books via the blessings of bookmobile and library bus, I don't know where I'd be. Thank you, Lissa.