Happy 235th Birthday Jane Austen!

Reposting this here (slightly edited), from my similar post last year (since I can't think of anything better to write than what I wrote last year, lol) for this very special occasion, a birthday tribute post to the lovely, genius and way ahead of her time, beloved English novelist, the one and only Jane Austen.

Remembering and celebrating her birthday today, Jane Austen, the woman who wrote the original Pride and Prejudice novel (which had been made into several TV and Film adaptations including the 2005 film, Pride & Prejudice), which was her first (can you believe unsuccessful?!) submission to a publisher back in 1797 (213 years ago) titled "First Impressions" (later changed to "Pride and Prejudice"). She revised "First Impressions" and published it entitled "Pride and Prejudice" in 1813 (197 years ago). 

Jane Austen was born on this day back on December 16th, 1775 (she would've been 235 years old!!! today...) to the local rector, Rev. George Austen (1731-1805), and Cassandra Leigh (1739-1827). She was the 7th child amongst 8 children. She had one older sister, Cassandra.

Her only six published novels (Pride and Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey) were all popular (esp. Pride and Prejudice, of course) and made into several TV and film adaptations for over 71 years (since 1938) to this day.

HAPPY 235th BIRTHDAY
JANE AUSTEN!!!

Without her, P&P wouldn't have existed (nor this blog)...we wouldn't have read P&P novel or seen various TV and film adaptations including the Oscar nominated 2005 film version, which is my absolute (and all-time) favorite film adaptation based on this classic novel. So, yeah, JA rocks (and so ahead of her time) deserves to be recognized and remembered today on her birthday.

Here are some interesting Jane Austen trivia (via JA's profile on imdb.com)...

Jane Austen Trivia

• Listed in "People Weekly"s "Most Intriguing People" list. (December 25, 1995/January 1, 1996 issue)
• Was fluent in French.
• The Prince Regent was such a fan of her work that he asked her to dedicate her next book to him, which she did.
• In July of 2002 a first edition of "Pride and Prejudice" was auctioned and sold for £40,000, nearly doubling the previous record set for an Austen novel in 2001 of £23,500.
  
• Her books have never been out of print since they were first published.
  
• Between 1900 and 1975, there were more than 60 radio, television and stage productions of Austen novels. The first film adaptation was in 1940.
  
• Her brother Edward's descendant married the daughter of Louis Mountbatten (aka Lord Mountbatten; assassinated in 1979 by the IRA), who in turn was a descendant of QueenVictoria.
  
• Anne Hathaway portrayed her in Becoming Jane (2007).
  
• Seventh generation aunt (through her brother Edward) of actress Anna Chancellor, who appeared in Jane's favored romance "Pride and Prejudice" (1995) mini-series and who also narrates the documentary The Real Jane Austen (2002) (TV).
  
• The film Clueless (1995) is based on Austen's novel Emma.

See/read a list of all Jane Austen movies on IMDB!

Jane Austen Related Links of Interest

• Jane Austen - IMDB Profile
• Jane Austen on Wikipedia
• The Republic of Pemberley (the largest Jane Austen site on the web)
• The Jane Austen Society of Australia
• The Jane Austen Society of North America (aka JASNA)
• The Jane Austen Society of United Kingdom
• Jane Austen.Org
• Timeline results for Jane Austen
• Austenprose (Laurel Anne's Jane Austen Blog)
• Austen Authors
• The Jane Austen Centre 
• Jane Austen Today
• Jane Austen World

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Anne Hathaway and James Franco to co-host the 2011 Oscars?

Yes, it's true and confirmed that actors' Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs, Becoming Jane, The Devil Wears Prada, Princess Diaries) and James Franco (127 Hours, Eat Pray Love, Spider-man movies, Tristan & Isolde, James Dean)  co-hosting the 83rd Academy Awards, Oscar telecast on February 27, 2011! Quite an interesting and handsome pair! Love both Hathaway and Franco! They're both multi-talented actors and will surely be fun and interesting to watch come Oscars night in 2011!

Here's the official press release from the official Oscars website:

Franco, Hathaway to Host Oscar® Show

Beverly Hills, CA (November 29, 2010) – James Franco and Anne Hathaway will serve as co-hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards®, Oscar telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today. Both have previously appeared on the telecast but not in hosting capacities.

"James Franco and Anne Hathaway personify the next generation of Hollywood icons— fresh, exciting and multi-talented. We hope to create an Oscar broadcast that will both showcase their incredible talents and entertain the world on February 27," said Cohen and Mischer. "We are completely thrilled that James and Anne will be joining forces with our brilliant creative team to do just that."

Franco, who currently can be seen in "127 Hours," will be making his second appearance on an Oscar telecast. His other film credits include "Eat, Pray, Love," "Date Night," "Milk" and "Pineapple Express." Franco is also known for his portrayals of Harry Osborn in the "Spider-Man" trilogy.

Hathaway will be making her fifth appearance on an Academy Awards telecast. She was recently seen in "Alice in Wonderland" and currently can be seen in "Love and Other Drugs." Hathaway's other film credits include "Bride Wars," "Becoming Jane," "The Devil Wears Prada" and "The Princess Diaries." She was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for her lead performance in "Rachel Getting Married."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

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