Article in Scientific American: "Because of the complexity of the problem, environmental skepticism was once tenable. No longer. It is time to flip from skepticism to activism."
Google censorhip
Go and check out the different search results if you search using google's main engine v. their China version. What do you think? Is Google selling out, compromising integrity in exchange for a chunk of the market? Or is it reasonable for a corporation to adjust its business practices to be in accord with the host country's sensitivities?
Where is the love? The Decline of the Romantic Comedy
This is about movies, but nevertheless scary for a romance author. "Perhaps the traditional romantic comedy with the happily-ever-after couple at its core is no longer tenable."
Is it really true? I actually believe that a lot of the Hollywood problem has been caused by crappy casting and poor actors - actors who look good, whose publicists make sure are promoted to the hilt in every media outlet for their affairs, their car accidents, their babies, their divorces and marriages, but who actually don't act very well.
But. There is a cynicism and a selfishness pervading our culture that perhaps is fundamentally antithetical to a romance. Is that why Harlequin Presents (a very traditional line with alpha heroes; think titles like The Sheikh's Reluctant Mistress; or The CEO and the Virgin - I made these up, btw) is dropping in popularity throughout North America? Interestingly, I understand this line does very well abroad. Apparently women in other countries still like to fantasize about Lawrence of Arabia types.
The most popular romances in North America at the moment are paranormal and/or erotic. As a colleague of mine pointed out, women are fantasizing about lovers who are not men. They're not even human. What is that about?
Have we become disillusioned with romance because we forgot that it's fantasy? Love is real. But that heady, romantic, falling in love, this is the best person in the world, feeling doesn't last. After that passes you need to work, to honor, to respect and to continue to love - even when the initial 'in love' feeling has faded. Too many people seem to expect that it will always be like that, and when it's not, when they're not getting that thrill anymore, they move on to the next person. Someone once told me that they thought romance novels were contributing to the problem by making women believe that all relationships should be like that - all passion and over the top emotion and a happily ever after ending. Yeah well. And they believe the cosmetics ads too - if you want to be gullible and naive, there's no cure for that.
But there also "Ain't No Cure for Love". I read and write romance because I enjoy the stories, and I think they are important stories. I prefer stories in which humour plays a large part. The Taming of the Shrew. Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth Peters' books, esp. both the Vicki Bliss and the Amelia Peabody series. But humour only works when it's really funny. Too many authors and movies have characters which bitch and put each other down for the entire story, and then they end up together anyway, because why? Well, just to wrap up the story, really.
What do you like? Do you like romantic stories and romantic movies? I've got Bringing Up Baby (with Carey Grant & Katharine Hepburn) on hold at the library. And I guess I'll go looking for Woman of the Year too. Any other great oldies you'd recommend for a romantic (family) film?
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3 comments:
Just about any of the comedies with Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers, anything with Cary Grant, the original "Philadelphia Story" (with, not so surprisingly, Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant...).
My parents saw Bringing Up Baby on their first date :)
Philadelphia Story, yes. But more recent ('80s): The Sure Thing. Light but clever, sweet comedy, with John Cusack and that girl who can't act. I need to watch that again.
I do like romantic comedies though I don'T go to the movies much these days and try not to inflict too many on my partner. When we lived in England I had a friend who also liked them (and whose partner didn't) so we would go together (also avoiding the babysitting problem).
I suspect my standards are lower. Almost anything with Meg Ryan will do (though not recently), Hugh Grant turns up in some not bad ones. I'll have to think harder about good ones.
Ah, there is a good Quebecois one you should check out -- Les Aimants (translated as Love and Magnets; lovers and magnets are both 'aimants' in french). I got it from Blockbuster but then I live in a bilingual city.
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