'DOCTOR WHO': New information revealed on Jenna-Louise Coleman's companion

Doctor Who TV is reporting that Steven Moffat, the showrunner and head-writer for Doctor Who, has released a few tidbits of information regarding Jenna-Louise Coleman's character (allegedly named Clara) in the second half of the seventh series of Who.

According to Doctor Who TV:

• Coleman will play a modern, human girl--despite rumors that she would be from Victorian times, and that she would be alien.
• She's very unique in the way she ends up with the Doctor
• She's got no connections to previous companions OR characters
• "The Doctor has never met anyone quite like her before"
• She's very effective on the Doctor/companion relationship, and her experience in the TARDIS is reportedly life-changing for the Doctor.

We're definitely discussing this on the next episode of the show! What are your thoughts? 

Review | 'Arise'

Arise 
Tara Hudson
eBook (Kindle Fire)
HarperTeen
Four stars | B+



From Goodreads:

Amelia—still caught between life and death—must fight for every moment of her relationship with the human boy Joshua. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally dematerializing. Looking for answers, they go to visit some of Joshua’s Seer relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up with more questions than answers…and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together.Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, and begins to seriously consider joining them. And then she meets Gabrielle. Somehow, against impossible odds, Gaby has found a way to live a sort of half-life...a half-life for which Amelia would pay any price. Torn between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the netherworld choose for her.


The first part of this review will be absolutely spoiler-free, but I will designate a paragraph at the very end for spoiler-filled goodness. Sound good to you? Sounds good to me. Arise is the sequel to Hereafter, so I recommend you have read the first book in order to read, and comprehend, this review. 
We'll start right off with the writing, because frankly, that's what's on my mind most about this book. I thought that Hudson's writing really improved from the last book, and I was not a huge fan of her writing in Hereafter at all. I thought that she was able to keep my attention better in this book better than she was able to in the first book. That said, I still think Tara Hudson needs to improve on her writing the most out of anything. It's very loose and I'm easily distracted from her writing, which is really sad, because I want to love this series, but I can't. The book was fast-paced, and I started it at 9pm Monday night and finished it at 11am the next morning, obviously with a break for sleeping in there.
Have you been aching to reread New Moon? Well, look no further, because here it is. The plot of this book was very New Moon-ish, but with the gender roles reversed, which I'll discuss more in the spoiler section. I think the fast-pacing really affected my perception of what was going on, because I feel like so many different things were happening without any warning, and it got a bit confusing. The plot centers around Amelia and Joshua traveling to Nola in order to meet the latter's Seer family, and then Amelia is conflicted about her future with Joshua and his safety, and this is where I think the plot trips up on itself. Amelia made a lot of weird, non-backed up decisions that I felt had no place in the book. The plot lacked originality, and I was tired of the whole graveyard feel of everything, and it was way too predictable. Some things I liked about the plot would include a lot of Amelia's internal thinking, even though I didn't get it, I thought it was very realistic to Amelia's character and to the plot development. I thought the plot developed well, but not nearly as good as I had hoped for, and not as poorly as Hereafter. It really need a lot more fluency and cohesiveness.
As far as characterization goes in this book, I think Amelia grows a lot in this book (for her character), which I really appreciated. The scenario that Amelia is placed in requires a lot of growth and change, and we didn't get that in Hereafter, but we did get it in Arise. She definitely went from being the timid, socially secluded girl she was at the beginning of Hereafter, to this curious, bold (perhaps not courageous, but bold) lady in Arise. I didn't see a lot of development from Joshua, who is practically the only other character in this book. There was Gabrielle and Alex, but there wasn't much development from them (especially since this was their first appearance) as their was exposition being revealed on their characters, and I think that their characters can develop from start to finish in the next book now that we know many characters' true colors. 

THE FOLLOWING SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ARISE

When the first chapter came around, I was really beginning to notice the drastic change in Tara Hudson's writing, and I was really pleased. And then I got to the second chapter. BAM! Sex scene. Okay, so it wasn't a sex scene, but a heavy makeout session, and Amelia constantly refers to her dress going to an "inappropriate height" on her thighs. It did nothing to the plot besides contrast to the ending, when Amelia can no longer touch Joshua. I mean they never even touch again in the story, so it was just so random and awkwardly intense. I hate to say this, but Tara Hudson could learn from Stephenie Meyer when it comes to adding subtlety to your characters' intimate scenes--see Breaking Dawn's honeymoon scene (Meyer doesn't describe the scene, only its aftermath). I mentioned that I would bring up the New Moon-ity of this book, and I will do so now. If you've read, or seen, the second Twilight installment, you'll know that Edward  Cullen leaves Bella Swan "for her safety." In this book, Amelia (in my opinion, very suddenly) leaves Joshua "for his safety." The difference between Twilight and this book, though, is that we do not see inside Edward's thought process, so we are left to infer that he had been contemplating this thought for a while. However, in Arise, where we do see the protagonists's thoughts, I didn't see her leaving of Joshua coming, and there's no excuse for that. There should have been more internal conflict with Amelia's decisions, but there wasn't, so when she left him, I was so confused. I mean, they were just getting it on at the beginning of the book, and her motivations for leaving (which were basically to "think things over" about her offer by Gabrielle) were stupid and pointless. BOO, AMELIA, BOO. I can't even put my anger for that section of the book into a coherent thought. I don't like Twilight, but Edward had good reasons for leaving, but Amelia didn't. Hudson did not provide enough internal struggles and NO thinking-over of the idea. Ugh. As far as predictability goes, I just knew that one of the new kids that Amelia meets would have to be a villain, otherwise there wasn't going to be a villain, which I actually would have preferred. 

I'm being very generous giving this book a four stars, and I suppose it's just because most of my nitpicks were just issues with the logic and common sense of the book, so...it's just so frustrating. The third, and final, book in this series, Elegy, will be released next year. 

Rumor: Philip Seymour Hoffman offered role as Plutarch Heavensbee in 'Catching Fire'

According to Hypable, a rumor is floating around that Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Big Lebowski, Moneyball) has been offered the role as the new Head Gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee, who later becomes the leader of the anti-Capitol rebellion in the third book. Hypable reports that a man called Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) tweeted about the news, but there is no confirmation from Lionsgate.

What do you guys think about the possibility of Hoffman portraying Heavensbee? I, personally, am not a big fan of the idea, for I pictured Plutarch very Finnick-y in the sense of being tall, slightly less muscular than Finnick, but still handsome and charming. Let us know in the comments below!

Review | 'Clockwork Prince'

Clockwork Prince
Cassandra Clare
502 pg., U.S. hardcover
Simon & Schuster
Four stars | B+



From Goodreads:

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

This review will be spoiler-free, and you won't really have to have read Clockwork Angel to get this review. There may be bits of spoilers, but I will drop warnings along the way.

I'll dive right in with Cassandra Clare's writing, which I wasn't that big of a fan of in this book. I feel like she took way too much time to pull apart such trivial events and describe them in depth, which wasn't really needed. I feel like certain vital scenes rushed by my eyes, and I had to go back and re-read those specific aspects, and I also feel like Cassandra Clare could have--should have--cut them down if she intended for emphasis to be drawn to these scenes. For these reasons, the pacing of the book was really slow, and I was tempted to begin skipping over certain parts of the book, but I know that would have been detrimental on my part.

The story line in this book doesn't coincide with the title as much as its predecessor did. I feel like it revolved a lot around the aspects of Mortmain and his existence and what he was up to rather than building the tensions between Tessa and Jem, and Tessa and Will, which obviously were supposed to have this big pay-off in the end. I also thought the plot was kind of all over the place, in the sense that at some parts, it was calm and they were training, and at some parts there were scenes discussing certain people's betrayals. I did like, however, how a lot of things were foreshadowed, and how a lot of new plot points were introduced in order to factor into later plot points, and also to bridge to the next book. I feel like this book was one big segue into Clockwork Princess.

The characterization in this review wasn't all that appealing to me; I felt like Will and Jem were both equally annoying, and that they didn't grow or change from the characters they were in Clockwork Angel. I thought that, since we get this huge bombshell on Will, he would be more likable and that his motives would be merited for, but I still was irked by him. As far as characters that I like go, I still love Magnus Bane, and I liked Camille's return. I also liked the leader of the werewolf back, Woolsey Scott, and I thought he lightened things up a bit, which I appreciated. I'm glad that Clare added a lot of variety and flavor to this dark book. 

I think the only reason I'm really rewarding this book four stars out of five is because I think it was a pleasing sequel to an otherwise amazing first book, so I was pretty satisfied overall.

The sequel, Clockwork Princess is due out March 2013. 

Fan Casting: My choices for Finnick and Wiress in 'Catching Fire'

The past few weeks have been studded with news and rumors about who's playing who in the upcoming film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is obviously the film adaptation of the book, Catching Fire. The second book in Suzanne Collins's beloved Hunger Games trilogy introduces many new, pivotal characters, two of which being Finnick Odair, the handsome Capitol-favorite from District Four, and Wiress, the zany, eerily silent Ravenclaw-type from District Three.

Seemingly the hottest franchise in Hollywood, Catching Fire is the sequel to this year's blockbuster, The Hunger Games, and will be directed by Francis Lawrence, has a completed script by Simon Beaufoy, and will feature the returning roles of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale. But perhaps the most highly sought-after role in the film industry right now is that of the green-eyed, sugar-cube hunk, Finnick Odair.

For almost years now, fans have been hitting social networking websites, namely Tumblr, with who they think should play the fictional heartthrob, and so I am going to try my best and provide my analysis on who I think should play Finnick Odair, and I'll even pipe in on my personal choice for the wacky Wiress.

The main three contenders for the seductive sailor were Taylor Kitsch, Garrett Hedlund, and Armie Hammer, for they were, and in some cases still are, believed to be the lead three actors being auditioned by Lionsgate. Kitsch, though, debunked and and all rumors that he'd be playing Finnick, leaving Hedlund and Hammer as the fan-favorites, among other actors.

My choice is:

• Garrett Hedlund
• Armie Hammer

For a while, I was beginning to like the idea of Hedlund (whom I've seen in Tron: Legacy and Country Strong), but then I found Hammer, and Garrett immediately became a shaggy, scrawny guy to me compared to Armie Hammer. 

Hammer, who can be seen in The Social Network, J. Edgar, Mirror Mirror, and the upcoming The Lone Ranger, really personifies my visualization of this beefy, tall, nice-smiled guy who also had this element of classiness, femininity, and real charm to him that Finnick has. I haven't actually seen any of his films, but he really looks the part in my opinion. When I read the book, I always pictured Finnick with the type of up-swept hairstyle that Armie Hammer has, and even that bright smile that Hammer comes close to possessing! I also constantly think of that iconic scene when Finnick is draped in ropes, but is fully nude, and you really have to remember that he's this built, athletic guy, and I've seen Hedlund with no shirt on in Country Strong, and he isn't quite as structured as I'd expect Hammer to be. Sure, Garret Hedlund could hit the gym like Taylor Lautner did, but I'm honestly just really starting to find myself incredibly fascinated by the possibility of Armie portraying my personal favorite Hunger Games character! I mean I was never really able to put a face to my interpretation of Finnick, and Hammer cuts close. I think with a little bit of glisten added to his hair, a heck-lot of teeth whitening, and that tan I know we all have associated with Odair, Armie Hammer could be the perfect Finnick.

I also wanted to bring up my choice for some casting that hasn't really been speculating, and that's for Wiress from District Three. I'm going to kind of jump to the chase here and say that I'm recently picturing...

Rooney Mara as Wiress.

I know, I know, many people are instantly picturing Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (and, admittedly, I also would like to see Mara as Cressida, the tatted reporter in Mockingjay), but when Rooney Mara isn't sporting multiple piercings and tight leather clothes, she's got this really soft, delicate look about her that I envision with Wiress. Sure, Wiress is obviously older than Rooney Mara is, but that's what the makeup department is for. I mean, it's really all about the acting, and Mara is undoubtedly an astounding actress, and she would bring a level of eeriness and emotional attachment to the role of Wiress, in my opinion.

Let me know what you guys think of my casting and my reasoning for my choices in the comments section below! Who do YOU want to see play Finnick, Wiress, and even other CF characters like Plutarch Heavensbee, Beetee, Johanna Mason, and Enobaria!

'Snow White and the Huntsman' sequel in works

Hypable, as well as Deadline, is reporting that the current blockbuster Snow White and the Huntsman is garnering a script for a sequel that has been in talks since prior to the film's release! The film, which I've seen twice now, stars Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron as the lead trio, but it is unknown if any of them will reveal in the second film, although *SPOILER* [highlight to read] Charlize Theron's character, Queen Ravenna, is killed at the end of the film *END SPOILER*.

What are your thoughts on the first film as well as a development into a series?

'Perks of Being a Wallflower' trailer finally released!

During tonight's MTV Movie Awards pre-show, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, and Ezra Miller presented the trailer for the highly-anticipated film, Perks of Being a Wallflower. You can see the trailer here. It features an added scene when Logan (Charlie) stands up in a pickup truck, as well as the book's renowned quote, "We are infinite."