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Today, we're looking at the less fashionable side of this partnership and focussing our attention on the creatures that mortals feared and heroes vanquished. Does your gaze turn others to stone? Do you prefer ignorance or vengeance? Have any wings? Take this short quiz to find out which mythological creature or being you would have been in the ancient world.

The post Which mythological creature are you? [Quiz] appeared first on OUPblog.

"We ultimately ran into creative differences on the direction of the project," Faust told Cartoon Brew.

The post Lauren Faust No Longer Directing ‘Medusa’ at Sony Pictures Animation (Exclusive) appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Sony Animation has posted this nicely produced nine-minute profile of Lauren Faust, who is developing their "Medusa" feature.

News broke yesterday that My LIttle Pony: Friendship is Magic creator Lauren Faust is going to direct Medusa, a full length animated feature, for Sony. This is awesome for many reasons.

¶ The film was co-developed and will be co-written by Beat contributor Todd Alcott (along with his writing partner Holly Golden.) Perhaps at some point we can persuade Todd to swing by in his Maybach and explain to us what the protagonist wants.

¶ Faust’s credentials for directing a movie are impeccable; MLP: Friendship is Magic is a cultural phenomenon and her DC Nation shorts Super Best FRiends Forever gained a cult following. She’s the Tumblr nation embodied. And as the success of Frozen and Maleficient shows, stories about young women coming of age appeal to a lot of people, including young women coming of age—and this is an audience that can make money for movie studios,and they realize it.

And now an actual director with experience in the target audience has been given the gig. Given all the setbacks and misconceptions about women directors and women in animation (ie. Brenda Chapman’s problems getting Brace made and then getting fired as director), this has to be seen as a real step forward, in part because it just makes so damn much sense.

The story involved a beautiful, young girl who transforms into Medusa, a gorgon whose gaze turns people to stone and has to deal with looking different.

“In recent years, with movies like ‘Tangled’ and ‘Frozen,’ and not to toot my own horn, the polarity of ‘My Little Pony,’ people are more open to [female protagonists],” Faust told TheWrap. “Just because something is about a girl, that doesn’t mean it’s not for them.”

Go, Lauren, Todd and Holly!

Sony Pictures Animation today announced that they've acquired an original comedy pitch entitled "Medusa" from screenwriter Todd Alcott ("Antz") and reality TV producer Holly Golden ("Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura"). More interesting: Lauren Faust ("My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic," "Super Best Friends Forever") is attached to direct.

As you can tell from my Medusa book (or if you've taken one of my Humanities courses), I'm a bit of a mythology junkie.
I thought I had looked upon almost every depiction of Medusa imaginable, but today, I just found another new one:

Now that one creeps me out. It's not just scary, but it's realistic, as if I'd be scared to get within a few feet of that dead head--and the snakes don't look dead at all! EEEk.
One look would indeed petrify me with fear.
Another creepy one that isn't as scary, but is more famous is by Caravaggio, the Baroque painter:



And then another fairly common image in relief sculptures:
.

There, your Medusa for the day.

Medusa!
I revised my Medusa book for Capstone press. It's Medusa's side of the story--with my Greek mythology obsession, it was a FUN book to write. It's moving fairly quickly through the editorial process, but I still don't know when it will be out on the market. I really like how the story turned out.

I think it will be in 2013, which means, at least, that I have had a publication in 2009, 2011, 2012, and maybe 2013. That also means I gotta get CRANKING on revising Slider's Son so there's a chance it come come out by the end of 2014!!!  I've also got some tips that this is not such a bad time for historical fiction as the last few years. Don't know if that's true or not, but I want to go with that thought! I have a three-day weekend. Maybe I can dig in and get something done. I've written so little this year since school started. It's easy to get disheartened, but at least I have great classes and students.

I'm teaching The Power of One in my South Africa Humanities class. I have been wondering for several years why the author Bryce Courtenay moved to Australia for the rest of his life. I JUST found out, doing some research, that it's because while he was a teenager, he started a school for Africans. Blacks were NOT supposed to learn to read under Apartheid, and he was labeled a communist as a result, and exiled from his country at age 17. Holy smoke. No wonder I love this guy. He just died three months ago. I'm sad I didn't make a pilgrimage to go meet the man. -->

Little Miss Medusa spends at least a couple of hours in the morning "maintaining" her hair.

~Meridth Gimbel
meridthgimbel.blogspot.com
www.OctopusInkIllustration.com

Thinking about the themes of Illustration Friday (June 27, 2008: fierce) and Monday Artday (June 30, 2008: hair). Well. Of course.

Thought about calling this "Fierce Despair" but I don't think the set of her shoulders or eyebrow is quite despairing. In fact, I'm not sure what she's about to do: look up? turn away? Fling out an arm but keep her eyes closed?

There's something off in the angle and shape of her front hand and forearm, but I can't quite pinpoint it; comments/advice welcome!!. And I think her earring should've swung forward a bit more.

Ink and pencil on sketch paper. Original is about 4 inches (10 cm) tall.

Copyright © 2008 Kirsten Talmage

Medusa is an old favorite monster of mine. Something about her hair-do can keep me doodling for hours.

www.peggyfussell.com

I'm pleased to announce that two of the four new Play Pages for our Spring 2008 titles are now available on line.

Word searches for both Jukebox and Sally and Dave can now be printed from your computer to create a more interactive way to use these two books, either in the classroom, or at home.

More Play Pages can be found on our website for Benny, Bobbie Dazzler, Half of an Elephant, Jack Russell: Dog Detective, Kali and the Rat Snake, Singing Shijimi Clams, and The Story of Cherry the Pig.

by Utako Yamada

Over the next few weeks, we'll also be updating the site to include Play Pages for Hannah Duck and No! That's Wrong!

Minji's Salon