New this weekend, the latest ITV1 trailer is available for download from The Guardian’s media blog (.wmv format). The trailer does a nice job of stirring up excitement for the new Jane Austen films, with quick flashes of some very lovely images and choice little bits of dialogue. Very much amuse-bouches, but since I’m not really that cultured, my first comparison was to those “fun size” mini candy bars haunting the stores during Halloween.

Judging from the media focus (and my own bias), Persuasion looks to be the showpiece of these three new adaptations. We may not get to see Catherine Morland running to Milsom-Street, but there appears to be more than enough Anne Elliot sprinting through the streets of Bath to compensate. Our new Captain Wentworth certainly possesses the “glowing, manly, open look” mentioned in the novel. That’s not Gowland’s Lotion. I want his aesthetician’s number.

Mansfield Park could be a surprise hit. The little we’ve seen in the previews looks good. The Northern Echo reports that much of the film was shot using a handheld, which should be a fresh, interesting approach. I liked most of the handheld work in the 2005 P&P, but it could also go horribly wrong and leave us with COPS: in Mansfield.

Last but not least, Northanger Abbey looks lovely. This is our first peek at several cast members, and they’re a very attractive group. In particular, this trailer features some gorgeous shots of Felicity Jones. She looks quite a bit like C.E. Brock’s Catherine. Carey Mulligan has a nice resemblance to Brock’s Isabella as well. I also like this adaptation’s decision to cast a younger, prettier Mrs. Allen — more of a mother/aunt figure than the grandmotherly type seen in the Brock illustrations and in some of the other stage or film adaptations. Finally, a quick note on the acting: Henry’s glare in the theater scene is fantastic. (P.S.: Nice use of dim theater lighting plus top hat to disguise the helmet hair.)

I bought an inexpensive little region-free DVD player so I can watch these films almost as soon as they’re available from the UK. Enjoying the tastes, but growing more impatient to learn when dinner will be served.

ETA 6 March: First course begins 18 March. See my site for more details.

Editor’s note: During Thing One’s mid-winter break from school, he accompanied The Gimlet on one of his day trips to the state legislature.

On Monday Daddy and I went to Olympia. I went to one of the buildings to have lunch. Then I went to a hearing, where people support a new bill or say why it shouldn’t be made a law. Daddy’s company was going to go first, but they ended up 3^rd, and eventually it got slightly boring when everybody else was talking about the bills, so I read a book for a while. Then, we went to the Capitol dome and up to the 3^rd floor (the highest floor you could go to because they blocked off the floor above the chandelier). We were going to go to the Supreme Court, but they were closed for the holidays. Then we went to see the Winged Victory statue and Daddy took a picture because the sculptor used my great-grandpa as a model for the soldiers.

I thought the state capitol was interesting and my favorite part of it was seeing the dome, which is pretty and has a really large chandelier.

We’ve been informed that our server is being upgraded and IP address changed. This will take place 17 February, so the blog may not be accessible that day.

Other news:

• We’ve started hanging drywall. Rather than provide wall-by-wall updates, the Gimlet will summarize the drywall experience at its conclusion. Meanwhile, pictures are being uploaded to the Gimlet Gallery’s basement remodel album, so readers can always check there for mini-updates.
• The Moondance Film Festival has been postponed from June to September, as the director was a victim of a serious traffic accident. We send her our best wishes for a speedy recovery. Meanwhile, I’m seeking representation for NR, and have been working on my query letter and synopsis, as well as researching legitimate and well-suited agencies. Blogging has taken a back seat until I can get those letters out.
• Thing One is looking forward to the mid-winter break, snow camp with the Scouts, and a day trip to an orchestra festival in Gresham. Thing Two has discovered the thrill of “lift-the-flap” books, and as of last night, is recovering from a messy 24-hour bug. I needed to mop the floors anyway.