Dashwood Sisters 2010...

A few months ago, my friend Ruth invited me to join her in signing up for a Photography club at one of the super cute boutiques here in Silverlake called ReForm School.

I'm a novice shutterbug at best, but being around so many talented photographers is inspiring. The group is a good mix of skill levels. Some are professionals looking for inspiration and camaraderie, but there are a few like me, who are looking to learn everything they can while not completely embarrassing themselves. So far, so good.

Our last club assignment was to take portraits. Now, when I hear the word portrait, I either think of the Sears Portrait studio blue background, or the old gothic Victorian portraits of families who are wearing all black and not smiling. Needless to say, I was unsure about how to proceed until I thought about my beautiful nieces, who are the modern day equivalent of Marianne and Eleanor Dashwood from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.

Samantha, the eldest, qualifies as Team Marianne. Passionate and artistic, she sings like an angel, and designs and sews her own Regency, Victorian, Renaissance and Civil war costumes.

Sarah, the youngest, is Team Eleanor. Even though she is younger than Samantha, she is definitely the sense to Samantha's sensibility. Prudent and wise beyond her years, Sarah has her own channel on Youtube, where she dishes out make-up and fashion advice to over 11,000 subscribers.

I ended up spending the day with them last week. Samantha's pictures, were taken at Roger's Gardens. For Sarah, we stopped at the Anti-Mall. I tried to capture the essence of both girls; their similarities and their differences.

Georgette Heyer...

Last year, I was introduced to the work of Georgette Heyer.

It happened quite by accident and truth be told, I owe it all to Jane Austen and a pack of rabid 18th century zombies.

I should probably explain.

Reading "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" reminded me how much I loved and missed the work of Jane Austen. So, after re-reading Miss Austen's six novels I began hunting for something-- anything-- that would take me back to the wit and elegance of Regency England.

A few of the Jane Austen blogs I follow online began mentioning the Sourcebooks re-issues of the Georgette Heyer catalogue, so while I was browsing the shelves at Barnes & Noble one day, I purchased, and then devoured, "The Grand Sophy" in two days.

I was prepared for wit. I was also prepared for elegance and meticulous detail. What I was not prepared for, however, was just how funny and engaging a book about the Regency era (that wasn't written by Jane Austen) could be.

I knew immediately I had discovered something huge-- something infinitely special.

Forgive the cliche, but if my life were a J-Lo* movie, this would be the moment where the musical montage cut to "Walking on Sunshine" would kick into high gear.

I became a woman obsessed. I read "Black Sheep" next, and then "Cotillion." It wasn't enough. Like an addict, I made an Amazon.com binge order: "Frederica," "The Convenient Marriage," "The Corinthian" -- I couldn't stop myself.

I wanted to read every single one of her 50+ novels, and I wanted everyone else to know about them, too. It has become a mission of sorts.

I'll be posting excerpts from her novels every week in the hopes of meeting others who share my madness. Maybe I'll even introduce a few people to Miss Heyer, the same way that Jane Austen and a pack of brain hungry zombies did for me.

So without further ado, please enjoy this excerpt from "The Talisman Ring," available at Amazon.com, Sourcebooks, or your favorite book store.

"Oh, that is famous!" said Miss Thane. "We can now promote her betrothal to him with clear consciences. But it is vexing for you to be obliged to look about you for another lady eligible for the post you require her to fill. Are you set on marrying a young female?"

"I am not set on marrying anyone, and I beg that you--"

"Well, that should make it easier," said Miss Thane. "Very young ladies are apt to be romantic, and that would never do."

"I certainly do not look for romance in marriage, but pray do not let my affairs--"

"It must be someone past the age of being hopeful of getting a husband," pursued Miss Thane, sinking her hand in her chin again.

"Thank you!" said Sir Tristram.

"Not handsome-- I do not think we can expect her to be more than passable," decided Miss Thane. "Good birth would of course be an essential?"

"Really, Miss Thane, this conversation--"

"Luckily," she said, "there are any number of plain females of good birth but small fortune to be found in town. You may meet a few at the subscription balls at Almack's but I daresay I could find you a dozen to choose from whose Mamas have long since ceased to bring them to the 'Marriage Market.' After a certain number of seasons they have to yield place to younger sisters, you know."

"You are too kind, ma'am!"

"Not at all; I shall be delighted to help you," Miss Thane assured him. "I have just the sort of female that would suit you in my mind's eye. A good, affectionate girl with no pretensions to beauty, and a grateful disposition. She must be past the age of wanting to go to parties, and she must not expect you to make pretty speeches to her. I wonder-- Would you object to her having a slight-- a very slight squint in one eye?"

"Yes, I should," said Sir Tristram. "Nor have I the smallest desire to--"

Miss Thane sighed. "Well, that is a pity. I had thought of the very person for you."

"Let me beg you not to waste your time thinking of another! The matter is not urgent."

She shook her head. "I cannot agree with you. After all, when one approaches middle age--"

"Middle-- Has anyone ever boxed your ears, Miss Thane?"

"No, never," said Miss Thane looking blandly up at him.

"You have been undeservedly fortunate," he said grimly.

*SEE ALSO: KATE HUDSON, KATHRYN HEIGL, OR ANY OTHER MOVIE DIRECTED BY NORA EPHRON

Billy Dee Williams...

Mr. Billy Dee Williams put in an appearance at Wizard Entertainment's Anaheim comic con to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back and all things Star Wars on Saturday, April 17th.

At a panel devoted entirely to Mr. Williams and the Star Wars saga's most beloved chapter, fans learned that director, Irvin Kershner, and screenwriter, Lawrence Kasdan, worked together for an entire year on the script ALONE. (Hear that, Mr. Lucas?)

Billy Dee Williams spoke to the delighted crowd about how proud he was to be a part of the Star Wars universe and to have played the role of Lando Calrissian, saying that the experience was "very rewarding."

For him, Lando Calrissian was a "good looking, rogue-ish character," he added; "When I got that cape-- I said: 'Yeah!"

When asked by one earnest fan what the logic was for having his character wear Han Solo's costume in the attack on the Death Star in Return of the Jedi, Mr. Williams chuckled and replied: "I was not aware I was wearing Han Solo's clothes until I run into people like you."

Always the gentleman, Billy Dee Williams would not say what his craziest fan experience had been, however, he quickly added: "But, I love the ladies!"

Aside from his work in movies and television, Mr. Williams is an accomplished artist and painter. His website gives a detailed biography of his work and looks at past exhibitions as well as prints currently available for purchase.

One fan asked how it felt as an African-American to play such an important role in a cultural phenomenon like Star Wars, but Mr. Williams was quick to point out that his approach was devoid of the question of ethnicity, "When you start doing the whole ethnic thing, you put limitations on yourself. I've always tried to present myself as an individual with special qualities."

Here's to 30 years of The Empire Strikes Back, Billy Dee Williams and the character Han Solo described like this: "He's a card player, gambler, scoundrel. You'd like him."

And indeed we do!

Worker Bees...

Spring has sprung.

A recent trip to my parent's house in Orange County yielded these pictures of several bees going to work on the orange trees near their home. I couldn't help but admire their work ethic.

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle

Twisted Nerve...

If the overall premise of a hypothesis is flawed, can the outcome of that hypothesis ever bear fruit?

It does in the case of Twisted Nerve. Released in 1968, this psychological thriller manages to rise above the filmmaker's false premise which tries to link anti-social behavior to Down's Syndrome, of all things.

A handsome, keenly intelligent young man named Martin (the amazing Hywel Bennett) has a terrible home life. His stepfather hates him, his overbearing mother treats him like a two-year-old, and his older brother has been institutionalized because he has Down's Syndrome. Martin isn't entirely alone, however. Another personality, that of six-year-old "Georgie," has manifested itself in Martin's psyche and both Martin and Georgie become obsessed with a pretty, young librarian named Susan.

Hitchcock-ian elements are applied here to great effect. The script is sharp, the dialogue cuts like a pair of scissors, and the fantastically creepy score has even found a second life thanks to Quentin Tarantino and "Kill Bill."

Hayley Mills shines as the naively beautiful Susan, and Billie Whitelaw is terrific as her single, sexually frustrated mother, but Hywel Bennet is the movie's true star. His finely crafted portrayal of a young man slipping further into madness is positively arresting.