Review: The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

Title: The Emerald Atlas
Author: John Stephens
Genre: Juvi, fantasy, adventure, friendship
Perfect for: Middle school kids who like long fantasy tales
Star Rating: 4/5 stars

Taken from Goodreads, "Kate, Michael, and Emma have been in one orphanage after another for the last ten years, passed along like lost baggage. Yet these unwanted children are more remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about.


Until now. Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey to dangerous and secret corners of the world...a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and mayhem. And—if an ancient prophesy is correct—what they do can change history, and it is up to them to set things right."


'The Emerald Atlas' by John Stephens is a fun fantasy adventure that is sure to please readers of Cornelia Funke's 'Inkheart' series, as well as fans of Lemony Snicket's 'Series of Unfortunate Events'. 'The Emerald Atlas' has a great cast of characters and some really great dialogue. And the funny thing? This juvi friendly story was dreamed up by someone who usually works on WB shows like Gilmore Girls or Gossip Girl!


I've found that in-between YA reads, it's always nice to delve into a good juvi fantasy adventure. If you're in need of a Juvi fix, this book just might be what you're looking for. The standout feature of this novel, which is the first in a trilogy, has to be the characters.


We've seen plenty of books that star orphan children, but this set of kids seemed a little different. I found all three siblings unique, likable, and, actually, quite real.  My favorite character of the three is Emma.  She's the youngest of the trio.  She's a tough, spicy girl who you don't want to mess with.  Middle brother, Michael, is obsessed with knowledge, especially that on fantastical things.  And then there is big sister Kate, who at a very young age was entrusted by her mother to keep her siblings safe.  Each child has their own journey to take and that is one thing I really liked about this story.  Because each character had their own thing going on, we got to see a bit of development in each of them, not just one.


This book has some great dialogue.  The lines are fun and have a life of their own.  Stephens did a wonderful job at inserting a touch of everyday humor into his dialogue and story.  One running gag in particular made me laugh out-loud (note to future time travelers-- you may need to explain who you are to the same person a lot depending on the timeline!)


The only thing that bugged me a bit in 'The Emerald Atlas' was that the descriptions were a bit blocky.  That's a big pet peeve of mine because I don't do well with long involved paragraphs about things.  I like them to be broken up with dialogue.  Many time Stephens would use a line of description (instead of dialogue) to describe what people were discussing.  I would have loved for him to just show us, as opposed to telling us what was happening.  Plus, then it would have cut down the page count a bit-- this is quite a long read!


Other than that minor issue, I enjoyed 'The Emerald Atlas'.  No spoilers, but the ending had me grinning from ear to ear.  It was very well done! 'The Emerald Atlas' is a fun, fantasy read that should catch young readers interest quickly and even some older readers (like me!).  I'm looking forward to the next installment of this series!

Charlie Sheen

I am positive if you search the web you will find a jillion astrologers weighing in on Charlie Sheen. I guess I might as well add my own notes since I have time with the cancellation of an event today due to weather(could be the first time I have heard snow reports for the Hollywood Hills!)

Charlie is a Virgo with Moon in Sagittarius and Gemini Ascendant. All three are mutable signs and a way to remember mutable is that it they are moveable. The mutable signs are constantly moving, they don't settle down easily. It takes awhile to tame their energies, if they can even be tamed.

With Gemini, the brain is constantly ticking off thoughts, a mile a minute. The brain can't settle and the thoughts and ideas come so fast and quick that sorting through them is difficult or as my friend describes, "it's like I have monkey brain". Virgo is also mental but on a more practical level, they like to be 'doing'. Do, do, doing and Virgo can easily become obsessive compulsive. Know any? Then you know what I am talking about. And of course, Sagittarius is THE traveling sign. It is constantly on the move. With Sagittarius, when they are pushed and are not up for the work--they run. Add all these energies and you get one giant feral cat.

I have seen people with two of the three mutables pronounced in their chart and they are pretty wound up. When you activate three of the four mutable it is a force to be reckon. Of course the signs themselves are not troubled it is the aspects that push the tension. And with Charlie, his Sun in Virgo has Pluto on top of it. Although, he was a few years older than Sheen, Michael Jackson also had Pluto on his Sun in Virgo. Jackson's OCD and weird habits totally speak to the intensity of Pluto on Virgo Sun. And like Sheen they both have an intense need and drive for work. A functioning alcoholic is how people like Sheen are described as he was evidently able to show up at his job no matter how hard a bender he went on the week prior. This speaks to Pluto.

However, twisting everything up even further is Uranus in Virgo on top of Charlie's Sun and Pluto. And both of these are oppose his Saturn in Pisces. Ding, ding, ding--that bell you hear ringing is the fact that Pisces is the fourth mutable sign and Charlie has got Saturn in it oppose Uranus. Let's take a moment and talk about this aspect. We have spoken a great deal about Saturn oppose Uranus since we just wrapped up our own pass it.

Between 2008-2010, Uranus was in Pisces and Saturn was in Virgo. But when we talk about what has been going on lately we have had to discuss the last time these two were in opposition which was in the mid 60's. Civil unrest, disorder, rumblings, breaking away from the staid, that was the environment that Charlie and all his peers were born into in the mid 1960s. And that unrest is inside Sheen and everyone born in that two year window. If you need more of a visual consider inside Sheen is a Tea Party movement. Of course, not everyone born in the 1960's is prone to hookers, porn stars and a mountain of cocaine. But then not everyone has that kind of astro tension that Charlie has in his chart. Of course, even people who were born on the exact same day as Charlie could still use the energy in a completely different manner than Charlie. A lot of them are in the press, are active bloggers, helped further technology and certainly a lot of them are in health and medicine.

An additional personal discomfort to Charlie's chart is Saturn in Pisces opposing his Sun in Virgo. Saturn is structure and insecurity. It is weakness but out of the weakness can come strength. And of course, Saturn is Dad. At the same time his Moon, the planet of Mom trines Mercury which brings good luck and fortunate opportunities especially around communication. But also the Moon is opposed Jupiter which exaggerates emotions and situations. And as cliche as "too much too soon" is, it fits perfectly his Moon in Sag Oppose Jupiter in Gemini. The drive for more can be insatiable. And his Venus trine Jupiter which brings great opportunity around money and believe it or not love. God knows he has no problem earning millions easily and getting women to marry him. But again, the feral cat when given too much room gets lost.

Also Sheen's Mars in Scorpio trine Venus square Neptune makes him a perfect companion to Porn Stars. And his Moon in indulgent Sag in his 8th house, means MORE porn stars is better.

Of course, all of these aspects with Pluto and the 8th house energies are begging for something more. They are begging for depth and transformation. Unfortunately, the Gemini, Virgo and Pisces are standing their ground. Charlie continues to ping pong back and forth in the land of shallow.

On many ways it seems like it would have beenn better if Charlie he had not gone into his father (Saturn)'s line of work. If he had worked through his insecurities and found his way in his own different (Uranus) world. Or even if he did go into the entertainment business it would have been so much better for him if it had been behind the scenes. Perhaps writing or producing. I would also guess (strongly) that there is an undiagnosed ADDHD in the mix.

What is going to happen to him astrologically? Well, Uranus is wrapping up torturing his moon so I believe he will start to feel some relief next week when Uranus moves into Aries further distancing from the square to his Moon in Sag. Although it is going to take another year or so to get away from the square with Jupiter. Pluto in Capricorn will not be trining his sun for several more years but if he is not out of trouble by then, I hope Pluto will help get him there by that time. But, before we get there Neptune will be moving into Pisces dissolving a lot. It might actually get worse before it gets better but under that Neptune energy is a deep need for spiritual connection. I hope he is able to find it.

Kareena Kapoor Last Diwali during the promotion of her film “Golmaal 3

Kareena Kapoor

She promptly clams up the moment the word marriage is mentioned. Last Diwali during the promotion of her film “Golmaal 3” she stated that she will tie the knot in 2012.

With numerous projects in her hand this year, looks like Kareena will not enter wedlock before 2012 draws to an end.

She had earlier stated “Saif will marry me the day I say I am ready.” To the list also includes Barbie doll Katrina Kaif, who is ready to tie the knot, if Ranbir proposes.

A source stated “Ranbir’s playboy image definitely precedes him. But it is safe to say that for the moment Kat has him hooked.”

The source said further, “Their holidays overseas are becoming frequent. And their public display of affection on flights and functions is now there for the people to see.”

The source added “Not only did she break into peals of laughter watching Ranbir’s antics on stage, at one point she couldn’t contain her excitement and even blew him a kiss.”

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Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Randhir Kapoor was born on 21 September 1980 in Mumbai. Her father is the Punjabi Randhir Kapoor, an actor and her mother is Babitha, a Sindhi. Her parents separated when she was quite young. Her older sister is Karishma Kapoor, an actress. Her family tree reads like the who’s who of Bollywood. Her great grandfather is Prithviraj Kapoor and her grandfather is Raj Kapoor. Her uncles are Rishi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, while her maternal aunt is Sadhana.Kareena did her schooling partly in Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and later in Welham’s Girls Boarding School in Dehra Dun. She was in Harvard briefly to study Information Technology and Microcomputers. On returning back to India, she studied law for a year at the Government Law College at Churchgate, after which she enrolled in Kishore Namit Acting School.She was dating Shahid Kapoor since 2004 but they broke up just when they landed their first hit together in Jab We Met. She is now dating actor Saif Ali Khan.She is involved in several humanitarian causes. In 2005, she joined NDTV by visiting the jawans in Rajasthan. She was part of the Marco Ricci Each One Reach One benefit concert, for World Youth Peace Summit. She donated the prize money she won in Kaun Banega Crorepathi in 2007 to St.Anthony’s Old Age Home and Mount Mary’s Bandra.

In 2007, she appeared in Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hai? The money she won was donated to St.Anthony’s Old Age Home.Kaho Na Pyaar Hai was supposed to be her debut but she walked out of it and instead starred with Abhishek Bachchan in J.P.Datta’s Refugee in 2000, in which she played Naaz, a Bangladeshi girl who falls in love with Refugee. This won her the Filmfare Best Debut Award. In 2001, she worked with Tusshar Kapoor in Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai which was one of the successes of the year. Yaadein did not do well. Her fiery Kaurwaki act in the epic Asoka with Shahrukh Khan won her a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Her fourth film was the multi-starrer Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham in which she played the part of the haughty yet adorable Pooh. The film was her biggest commercial success.
The next two years saw her in a few films like Mujhse Dosti Karoge, Khushi, and Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon which ranged from flops to moderate successes.Just when you thought Pooh was as far as she could go, she started experimenting by portraying different characters in her films that released in 2004 and it paid off. She stepped into the shoes of a sex worker in Chameli with Rahul Bose, earning a Filmfare Special Performance Award. The other critically acclaimed film was Dev with Amitabh Bachchan, in which she played Aaliya, a victim in the communal riots in Gujarat. She won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. She played the villainous Neha Mehra in Fida. She had three releases in 2005: Bewafa, Kyun Ki, and Dosti: Friends Forever, of which the latter did well in the United Kingdom.The year 2006 saw her in a thriller 36 China Town and a comedy Chup Chup Ke which were average performers at the box office. It was her role as Dolly in Omkara that clinched the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. The film was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello and Dolly was based on Desdemona. She also appeared in an item number in Farhan Akhtar’s Don, which was originally done by Helen.Imtiaz Ali’s romcom Jab We Met with Shahid Kapoor was a runaway hit in 2007. Her portrayal of the spontaneous and fun-loving Geet was applauded. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for that role. In 2008, she came out with Tashan with her new boyfriend Saif Ali Khan and her size zero figure, but that failed to live up to the hype. She lent her voice to Laila in the animation flick Roadside Romeo and was part of Golmaal Returns, a sequel to the comedy hit Golmaal.In 2009, Kareena was seen in a guest appearance in Luck by Chance and an item number in Billu. After her role as a super model in Kambakkht Ishq she became a style icon though the movie was trashed by critics. Main Aur Mrs Khanna also did not score well. Kurbaan with Saif Ali Khan did a decent job while her role as Pia in 3 Idiots made sure she ended the year on a high note.

Book Blogger Hop/Follow Friday/Update

Hello Hoppers! Welcome to the blog! Today was a very slow week at the blog. *My apologies!* I wish I had some really good reason-- like school work or work, but in reality, I had a head cold that rendered me useless a few days this week! As far as reviews, I'm playing catch up and will have a review of 'The Emerald Atlas' up within the next few days.


Check out Small Review's latest post on 'The Iron King'.  She compares a handful of blogs reviews on the popular title, mine included!  


This Week on the Blog:
Mini Fantasy Cast- Across the Universe
Review: Lego Star Wars: Save the Galaxy


Onto the Hops!






The Question of the Week is: Share your current fav television show! Tell us a bit about it...


Answer: This post could get *very* long! I love television and have a ton of favorites. Here's a few of them!


Doctor Who:

My mom brought home the first series of the 'new' Who (starring the ninth doctor) on a whim. I had seen some Doctor Who before, mostly with Tom Baker. Watching Christopher Eccelston as the ninth doctor was a totally different experience from watching those older episodes. I was hooked on the whole Doctor Who universe after two episode and have been a dedicated, slightly obsessed (in a healthy way!) fan ever since! It amazes me how seamless the cast changes are when the Doctor regenerates. I've never seen anything like it before and doubt I ever will from any other show.


Avatar: The Last Airbender:

Don't write this off as any old cartoon. Avatar is ten times better. The story is addicting and pretty complex for a kids show. And the animation? So well done! This is something you'll want to check out if you haven't already!


The Vampire Diaries:

This is a fantastic show. Seriously, it's so good! First, we have the hotness of the Salvator Brothers. (I'll take whichever brother Elena doesn't want!)  Then, we have some great storylines that really do keep you guessing. (Like this week, who saw all those plot changes coming?! This show is just perfect!)


The Amazing Race:

If there's one show I need to make plans around, this is it. The Amazing Race is the only reality show I really follow. It's fantastic, smart tv. This season should be great as it's an all-stars season. My picks for top three? The Globetrotters, The Cowboys, and the beauty pageant girl/father team (who's names I forget at the moment)!

The Question of the Week is: Do you ever wish you would have named your blog something different?


Answer: The name of my blog? No, I still like 'Brooke's Box of Books'. I've always liked alliteration. Call me a kid if you like! Plus, I can picture some cute graphics if I ever get to giving this a proper, unique layout. My little avatar opening a crate of new books... It could be cute!


That's it for this week. Thanks for hopping by!!!

Review: Lego Star Wars: Save the Galaxy by Scholastic

Title: Lego Star Wars: Save the Galaxy
Author/Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: Board Book, Star Wars (yes, it IS a genre sometimes!)
Perfect for: Star Wars fans of all ages!
Star Rating: 5/5 stars

Taken from Goodreads, "Our heroes must evade Stormtroopers, outwit Darth Vader, and steal plans to the Death Star. With a little luck, they might even manage to save the galaxy! Readers can explore the Death Star, a Jawa Sandcrawler, the Tantive IV, the Cantina, and the Millennium Falcon!"


This is a bit of a mini review because, well, this is a review for an oversized board book based on the Lego Star Wars universe, specifically 'Episode IV: A New Hope'. I picked this up on a whim when it arrived on my shelving cart at work and was sold on it instantly.

The illustrations are based off the popular (and entertaining) Lego Star Wars games, which mean they have a cuteness level of adorable! The story is told in comic form with various actions going on in fun comic squares accompanied by thought bubble dialogue. One of the best things about this title?  Lines of dialogue aren't verbatim from the movie. Some are, but many are tweaked in very clever ways. (For example, did you know C3PO speaks dishwasher?) None of the lines make fun of the saga, but they definitely poke fun at it, which is something us Star Wars fans tend to do a lot ourselves!

So, while this isn't the usual fare you find here on the blog, look at this book. It gets 5 out of 5 stars! You'll probably find it in the kids dept, along with some other fun Star Wars books you may have missed!

alicia witt television actress and singer

Alicia Roanne Witt born August 21, 1975 is an American film, stage, television actress and singer.
Contents
* 1 Early life
* 2 Career
* 3 Filmography
o 3.1 Television
* 4 Theatre
* 5 References
* 6 External links
Early life
Witt was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her mother, Diane (née Pietro), is a junior high school reading teacher, and her father, Robert Witt, is a science teacher and photographer. She has a brother, Ian. Witt was discovered by David Lynch when she appeared on the television show That's Incredible! in 1980; she had recited Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He cast her in the movie Dune (1984), where she played Paul Atreides' young sister Alia. She turned eight during filming. Afterwards, she left Hollywood to concentrate on her studies and music. She was home schooled by her parents. She won several national and international classical piano competitions, including the "Bartok-Kabalevsky International Piano Competition".
At age 14, Witt earned her high school diploma. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Hollywood with her mother (who was noted from 1988–93 in the Guinness Book of Records for the world's longest hair) to pursue a career as a full-time actress. Soon, Lynch, to whom she refers as a mentor, created the role of Gersten Hayward especially for her in his successful series Twin Peaks. He cast her again in Blackout, a segment in his short-lived HBO series Hotel Room.
career
During this time, Witt supported herself by playing piano at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. She went on to play small parts in Mike Figgis' Liebestraum (in which her brother Ian also appears), the Gen-X drama Bodies, Rest & Motion and the TV movie The Disappearance of Vonnie. In 1994, the red-haired Witt landed her first lead role in a film, playing a disturbed teenager in Fun. She received the Special Jury Recognition Award at the Sundance Festival and was nominated for Best Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards. This performance inspired Madonna to recommend Witt to be cast as her daughter in the first segment, "The Missing Ingredient" of Four Rooms.
Witt was introduced to a larger audience playing the role of Zoey Woodbine, daughter of actress Cybill Shepherd's character in the sitcom Cybill from 1995 to 1998. Between seasons she starred in films: Mr. Holland's Opus, Alexander Payne's abortion comedy Citizen Ruth, Passion's Way and Bongwater. After Cybill was cancelled, Witt received a leading role in the horror film Urban Legend and the animated feature Gen¹³ which was never released because the studio stopped funding before the completion of the movie.
In 2000, Witt had starring roles on the television shows Ally McBeal and The Sopranos; the lead role in the comedy Playing Mona Lisa, a supporting part in John Waters' Cecil B. Demented, and her stage debut in Robbie Fox's musical The Gift at the now-closed Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles, in which she played a high-priced stripper with a disease.
In the years following, Witt's acting career slowed. She had a small part in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky, which was intended as a reference to her roles in Dune and Liebestraum. She also played a college graduate who discussed losing her virginity in the experimental Ten Tiny Love Stories and the trailer-trash "Barbie" in American Girl, which was released to video in 2005.
She appeared in the 2002 romantic comedy Two Weeks Notice starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. In 2003-2004, she lived primarily in the UK, filming The Upside of Anger opposite Kevin Costner; and she starred as Evelyn in a stage-production of Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things. Between these two projects, she went to South Africa to shoot the German TV movie Kingdom in Twilight which also goes by the names The Sword of Xanten and The Ring of the Nibelungs. She played Kriemhild in this film interpretation of the epic poem Das Nibelungenlied, which was released in the US as Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King. On June 14, 2004, Witt modeled what is believed to be the most expensive hat ever made, for Christie's auction house in London. The Chapeau d'Amour, designed by Louis Mariette, is valued at $2.7 million (US) and is encrusted in diamonds. In September 2006 she returned to the London stage, portraying the piano-playing Abigail, a role in which she demonstrated herself an "outstanding pianist" of "formidable skill", in Piano/Forte at the Royal Court Theatre.
Witt joined the cast of Law & Order: Criminal Intent for the 2007-08 season as Det. Nola Falacci, a character who is a temporary replacement for Megan Wheeler, played by Julianne Nicholson who was away on maternity leave. She is a recurring character in Friday Night Lights for the 2009-10 season.
Witt currently resides in Los Angeles and New York.
Beside her work as an actress, she is working on her music career. Her self-titled EP with four songs was released on iTunes in July 2009.
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1984 Dune Alia
1993 Bodies, Rest & Motion Elizabeth
1994 Fun Bonnie
1995 Four Rooms Kiva
Mr. Holland's Opus Gertrude Lang
1996 Citizen Ruth Cheryl
1997 Bongwater Serena
1998 Urban Legend Natalie Simon
1999 Gen¹³ voice of Caitlin Fairchild
2000 Playing Mona Lisa Claire Goldstein
Cecil B. Demented Cherish
2000 The Sopranos Amy Safir
2001 Vanilla Sky Libby
2002 Two Weeks Notice June Carver
2002 American Girl Barbie
2004 Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King Kriemhild
2005 The Upside of Anger Hadley Wolfmeyer
2006 Last Holiday Ms. Burns
2008 88 Minutes Kim Cummings
2010 Backyard Wedding Kim Tyler
2011 Bending the Rules Roslyn Wohl
TBD Peep World Amy
Television
* Twilight Zone as Liz
* The Sopranos "D-Girl" as Amy Safir
* Ally McBeal as Hope
* Cybill as Zoe
* Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Det. Nola Falacci
* Twin Peaks as Gersten Hayward
* The Mentalist as Rosalind Harker
* Blue Smoke (2007) as Catarina Hale
* Two and a Half Men (2008) as Miss Pasternak
* Friday Night Lights (2009) as Cheryl

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alison lohman several television

Alison Marion Lohman September 18, 1979 is an American actress. She has had lead roles in the films White Oleander, Where the Truth Lies, Flicka and Drag Me to Hell as well as smaller parts in Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Gamer (film), and Beowulf. She has also been on several television shows including 7th Heaven, Crusade, Tucker, and Pasadena.
Contents
* 1 Career
* 2 Personal life
* 3 Filmography
* 4 Awards and nominations
* 5 References
* 6 External links
Career
In 1997, after graduating from high school, Lohman moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue her acting career.For the next few years, her work consisted of science fiction B-movies (such as Kraa! The Sea Monster and Planet Patrol), television productions (including the made-for-TV movie Sharing the Secret) and children's films (such as Delivering Milo and The Million Dollar Kid). Also included was the dark urban drama White Boy.
Lohman starred in White Oleander, an adaptation of Janet Fitch’s novel, alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, Robin Wright-Penn and Renée Zellweger and directed by Peter Kosminsky. Though the film was unsuccessful at the box office (it opened to $5.6 million in 1,510 theaters), it received generous reviews and Lohman's performance met with wide critical acclaim, being described as her "breakthrough role" by media sources.
The following year, she appeared in Matchstick Men, directed by Ridley Scott. She starred with Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell, and though it was not a box office success either, Lohman continued to receive critical praise. Later that year, she appeared in Tim Burton’s Big Fish, which continued her trend of appearing in acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful films.
She appeared in no films in 2004, though she did voice the lead character in the re-dubbing of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. In 2005, she appeared in Atom Egoyan's Where the Truth Lies. The film originally received an NC-17 rating for its graphic sexual content, and failed at the box office afterwards. Some critics (such as Roger Ebert) felt that she was well-suited for the role. Her next feature, The Big White, featured her alongside actors Robin Williams, Holly Hunter and Tim Blake Nelson, but nevertheless went direct-to-video. In the same year, Lohman voiced the title character in the English language re-dubbing of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
Lohman's next film was the drama Flicka, which was released on October 20, 2006. In the film, Lohman plays a 16-year-old girl who befriends a wild mustang. Lohman had never ridden a horse prior to filming and trained rigorously for a month. She said that she was "constantly thrown emotionally and physically" while working with the horses for this role. Flicka went on to become a surprise hit in DVD market.
She then played a recovering heroin addict in Things We Lost in the Fire.
Drag Me to Hell director Sam Raimi, actors Dileep Rao, Lohman, and Justin Long discussing the film at San Diego Comic-Con International in 2008.
The actress was then signed to replace Oscar nominee Ellen Page in Sam Raimi's critically acclaimed horror film, Drag Me to Hell, which was released on May 29, 2009.
Lohman, who is frequently cast as a teenager, has said that she believes she "look[s] younger and act[s] younger" than her age.
Personal life
Lohman was born and raised in Palm Springs, California, the daughter of Diane (née Dunham), a patisserie owner, and Gary Lohman, a Minnesota-born architect. She has one younger brother, Robert (born 1982). She has two cats, Monk and Clint. Her family had no industry connections, but at age nine, she played Gretyl in The Sound of Music at the Palm Desert's McCallum Theater. Two years later, she won the Desert Theater League's award for "Most Outstanding Actress in a Musical" for the title role in Annie. By the age of 17, Lohman had appeared in 12 different major productions and had been a backing singer for the likes of Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and the Desert Symphony.
As a senior, she was an awardee of National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and was offered the chance to attend the Tisch School of the Arts, but declined.
Lohman married director Mark Neveldine Watertown, New York on August 19, 2009, at St. Anthony's Catholic Church.
Filmography
Film Year↓ Film↓ Role↓ Notes
1998 Kraa! The Sea Monster Curtis
1999 Planet Patrol Patrolman Curtis
1999 Auteur Theory, TheThe Auteur Theory Teen Rosemary - Elliot's Film
1999 Thirteenth Floor, TheThe Thirteenth Floor Honey Bear Girl
2000 Million Dollar Kid, TheThe Million Dollar Kid Courtney Hunter
2000 Sharing the Secret Beth Moss Made for television film
2001 Alex in Wonder Camelia
2001 Delivering Milo Ms. Madeline
2002 White Oleander Astrid Magnussen
2002 White Boy Amy
2003 Big Fish Young Sandra Templeton
2003 Matchstick Men Angela
2005 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Nausicaä Voice, English re-release
2005 The Big White Tiffany
2005 Where the Truth Lies Karen O'Connor
2006 Delirious K'harma Leeds
2006 Flicka Katy McLaughlin
2007 Beowulf Ursula
2007 Things We Lost in the Fire Kelly
2009 Gamer Trace
2009 Drag Me to Hell Christine Brown Nominated — Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actress
Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Frightened Performance
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Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem Wed

The Year of the Tiger Pays off for Penelope Cruz!

As I predicted in the March 2010 issue of 'The Star Prophet,' Penelope Cruz has married Javier Bardem in a quiet little ceremony in the Bahamas.

Cruz, born in a Tiger year according to Chinese Astrology, has been doubly lucky earlier this year with her second Oscar(r) nomination.

More Tigers born this year include Tom Cruise, Leo DiCaprio, Demi Moore and Hilary Swank. Here are a few prophecies for these celebs from our March issue:

Tom Cruise seems as if he’s always lucky, even when he’s not particularly so.  Unfortunately for Cruise, he could see some heavy bills mounting this year that may put him under stress. However, as good luck would have it, these events will prompt him to forge new partnerships that could be the beginning of a new mega-media empire.  Continued below...

Leonardo DiCaprio would be well advised to curb his urge to gamble this year as luck of that nature is not on his side.  If he’s not careful, he could lose much of his fortune.  The good news is that he’s not likely to gamble when it comes to marriage, but instead, could end his on-again, off-again relationship with Israeli beauty, Bar Rafaeli.

Demi Moore –This is a great year for Moore to get pregnant or adopt a little boy.  In doing so, she would make hubby, Ashton Kutcher, extremely happy!

Hilary Swank –As lucky as Swank has been with her career, she’s been unlucky in love.  But, near the end of 2010, she’ll be surprised to find the man who could very well be the love of her life.

Penelope Cruz finds Depp funny

London, Jan 8 – Actress Penelope Cruz says Johnny Depp is ‘a funny person’ and found it hard to stop herself from giggling on the sets while filming serious scenes for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’.

‘Johnny is such a funny person, he has created this amazing character,’ contactmusic.com quoted her as saying.

‘The main problem is that he’s so funny it was hard to film the dramatic scenes, because I could not stop laughing. You never know what will happen next.’

Penelope previously starred with Johnny in 2001 movie ‘Blow’ and says they always have a good time together.

‘Both times have been amazing. The funny thing is, we were saying to each other, we get along so well but we play characters who always fight.’

Penelope Cruz Pregnant

Question of whether Penelope Cruz is pregnant or not has finally been answered. “Penelope is 4 1/2 months pregnant,” reps for Penélope Cruz and husband Javier Bardem confirm.

The star’s agent released a statement saying: “Penelope Cruz is four-and-a-half months pregnant. At the moment she is on her way to London where the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 4 is almost finished,” it read.

The couple began dating in 2007, but have rarely spoken of their relationship. Javier shocked many by referring to his lover when collecting Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

“I share this joy with my friend, my companion, my love: Penelope: I owe you a lot and I love you so much,” he said.

Penelope has spoken of her desire to be a mother in the past, saying: “When I [have babies], I want to do it really well. I want it to be my best project in life. I believe in family, love and children.”

How about that Jupiter and Pluto?

As you know a couple days ago I wrote about the upcoming Jupiter Pluto square and in passing I said:

Wherever Jupiter goes it expands. Pluto is deep and looks for a real solid connection. Pluto is our foundations and Jupiter wants to move us. Both energies are strong but clearly can cause conflicts. Ask those people who live near a fault zone how movement and foundations go together and they will say, 7.1 on the Richter is a bitch.

And no surprise--New Zealand had a strong earthquake yesterday. I did go back and look at the original quake in the fall September 4, 2010 because experts indicate this was an aftershock. The original quake was of course was just after the 2nd square between Pluto and Jupiter. So, here we are again on the 3rd round.

Along with this sad news we heard that the pirates killed the four Americans captured last week. These pirate troubles have been exasperated during these last couple of years of Uranus's harsh aspects in in Pisces. It is my hope that Uranus's move into Aries next month will change some of these stories. Knowing Aries as I do expect a lot more military action off the Barbary Coast.

And on the Libya front. Yesterday there was more violence and hostile rhetoric from mad dog Gadhafi. I predict out by the Jupiter Square Pluto on Friday.
Don't let the door hit your ass, Moammar

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY CLONES HERSELF

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY CLONES HERSELF FOR THE GOOD OF ALL MEN

March 4 2009

London, England - In 1996 the first mammal, Dolly the Sheep, was cloned and though scientists likely had high hopes for the future of the science, few could have predicted the impact their advance would have on the libido’s of men all over the world. Now with the announcement of Keira Knightley signing on to star in ‘Never let me go’ the fantasies of every heterosexual male has been realized. Knightly’s character will be cloned in the film.

“In 1996 Keira Knightley was only 11 years old. It’s very unlikely that those scientists had the idea of her growing into an adult and starring in a movie about cloning, but I wouldn’t doubt there’s some spectrum of truth there. After all there’s very little other reason to get into genetics and biology other than women,” said Scrape TV Entertainment analyst Tracey Temple. “In that respect to that there was probably some hope of cloning beautiful women someday.  Of course more than likely they were hoping for real clones rather than Hollywood manufactured ones but maybe in time we’ll see that. Hopefully for their sake Knightley will keep some of her DNA on file.”

Traditionally young men play music or aspire to positions of power in order to attract women. Science has rarely been a major draw for attracting the opposite sex and many have speculated that the rise in cloning technology was not so much to attract women, but replicate those which the scientists could not attain through legitimate means.

“There’s definitely a segment of the heterosexual female population who are drawn solely by intellect by they are few and far between and the numbers don’t even come close to the number or working scientists in the field,” said Scrape TV Science analyst Dr. Howard Poe. “There are a fair number of attractive male scientists working today, much more than there have been in the past, but unfortunately for them the expectation of dourness or being downright ugly is something not even the most intelligent of scientists have been able to overcome. For the future of science cloning may be the only way to keep bloodlines vital.”

Scientists predict that they are a number of years from cloning a human being despite successful attempts both in scientific and commercial fields with lower animals such as pigs and dogs. Adding to the scientific obstacles are the moral, ethical, and religious concerns that impede progress towards human cloning.

“It’s a very difficult argument to make for a lot of people, even those who are progressively minded. Issues like personality, memory, and even the soul are all obstacles that many people have difficulty overcoming and they are things that are going to take a lot of debate and philosophical study to overcome. One would wish the argument would be as simple as doing it for the chicks, but it seems unlikely most people will buy that argument,” continued Poe. “Cloning to bring back a lost pet or even a beloved family member is one thing but cloning to get laid, that’s something else entirely.”

Knightley, who has starred in such movies as ‘Love Actually’, ‘Atonement’, and the ‘Pirates of  the Caribbean’ trilogy, is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world.  It is not expected, despite her role in ‘Never let me go’, that she would allow herself to be cloned in real life to be used as a sexual plaything.

“Would you be having sex with Keira Knightley or some version of her? Would you know? Would the clone be property or an individual? Those are just some of the ethical questions facing cloning advocates and cloning protestors alike. Is a soul unique to a person or is it something that can be replicated. The same question needs to be asked of vaginas,” continued Poe. “It also brings up the question of slavery and sexual abuse which opens up a whole new avenue for discussion among ethicists, lawmakers, and theologists and one that won’t be easily solved. Regardless, we are a ways away from cloning a human and in the meantime my recommendation is learning to learning to play the guitar. Chicks dig the guitar.”

Mark Romanek will direct ‘Never let me go’ from a script by ‘Trainspotting’ scribe Alex Garland. Knightley meanwhile has 5 movies slated to shoot before being cloned, which perhaps will motivate her to assent to the procedure when it does become available.