Posts tagged Fantasy
Twilight And The Urban Fantasy Phenomenon
1Twilight And The Urban Fantasy Phenomenon
The huge success of the Twilight books, written by Stephanie Meyer, and the subsequent feature film adaptation starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, has brought the Urban fantasy genre to the forefront of genre publishing. SF and fantasy purists may disapprove, but we must all appreciate the fact that Twilight, and things like Buffy before it, have been excellent for genre publishing as a whole. Why? Because series such as Twilight, Harry Potter and similar franchises are bringing more readers to the genres that spawned them. While these books may not be the best written or best plotted things on the market, they are opening up the minds of young readers to the realms of fantastic fiction in all its forms. Look at it this way: The Twilight books are finite, and once young readers have finished reading the series, they will look for similar titles to read until the next Twilight book comes along. These could be the dark fairy-tales of Neil Gaiman, the vampire hunter books of Laurel K Hamiltion, the varied urban fantasy of Kelley Armstrong, or the brilliant vampire novels of S. Roit (aka Sherry Roit), such as the impeccable Paris Immortal. Many bookshops now contain a dedicated Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance section, and while SF and fantasy purists such as myself may have our issues with their contents, these books are bringing a new audience into an industry that desperately needs new readers. Some argue that this is not the case, with Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy readers sticking to similar titles once their favourite series comes to an end, but many of these people will go on to other titles as they mature and their tastes change. The paranormal and fantasy genres have always gained from the addition of well loved movie tie-ins and movies themselves, and rather than being empty, vapid pieces of trash fiction, they are the doorway to a universe of wonder for new readers to learn. The same goes for movie and TV tie-in merchandise and tie-in novels from franchises such as Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Buffy and so on- they help strengthen the publishing industry by offering brand familiarity to people who may not usually read. Twilight has brought a number of young teenaged readers new icons in Edward and Bella, but there are so many other characters and tales for them to learn. See Twilight as a stepping stone to greater things, and welcome the new fans that stick around into the genres of fantasy, science fiction and horror with open arms.
Andrew is a renowned pop culture columnist for the STARSTORE blogs and movie merchandise site as well as being a globally published music journalist and SF writer. For the latest news on films, comics, movie and TV collectibles and more, check out===> http://starstoreblog.com
Gay Fantasy Alert! Zac Efron And Taylor Lautner To Deliver At Oscars
0Gay Fantasy Alert! Zac Efron And Taylor Lautner To Deliver At Oscars
Gay fantasy figures Zac Efron and Taylor Lautner are giving The Oscars a hand presenting awards at this year’s ceremony.
Lautner and Efron are immensely well loved with gay men and straight women around the world – regularly topping hottest hunk polls.
In an attempt to bring some youthful heat to the show, producers this year have approached Efron and Lautner along with Kristen Stewart and Miley Cyrus to hand out the gongs.
Efron became a world wide star thanks to the Disney Channel’s High School Musical movies in which he played teen pin-up basketball captain Troy Bolton. The 22 year ancient actor has since gone on to star in the films 17 Again and Me and Orson Wells.
Lautner, currently the highest paid teenage actor in Hollywood, skyrocketed to fame in the Twighlight movies. He bought teen-hunk status after gaining more than 30 pounds of solid muscle for his starring role in The Twighlight Saga: New Moon. A martial arts expert, Lautner recently presented at The Golden Globes.
Lautner’s Twighlight co-star Kristen Stewart similarly has become world well-known via the film’s outstanding success around the globe. In her next movie role she plays rock’n'roll icon Joan Jett in The Runaways.
Myley Cyrus, daughter of Ache Breaky Bill Ray is also making a name for herself in tinsel town. Her next film The Last Song is set for release on March 31st.
In right Oscar’s tradition three of last year’s winners, Penelope Cruz, Sean Penn and Kate Winslet returning to present awards.
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, which takes place on March 7, will be Cyrus and Efron’s second appearance and Twighliters Lautner and Stewart’s first.
For weekly gay news, chat and soundbites visit http://www.maleforce.com/
Gary Cosby is company copy, media and technical writer. His weekly news blogs Mand8 Out-Takes and Maleforce Flasher feature international news articles. Gary also provides site copy for social networking websites mand8.com and maleforce.com
Related “Taylor Lautner” Articles
Twilight And The Urban Fantasy Phenomenon
0The huge success of the Twilight books, written by Stephanie Meyer, and the subsequent feature film adaptation starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, has brought the Urban fantasy genre to the forefront of genre publishing. SF and fantasy purists may disapprove, but we must all appreciate the fact that Twilight, and things like Buffy before it, have been excellent for genre publishing as a whole. Why? Because series such as Twilight, Harry Potter and similar franchises are bringing more readers to the genres that spawned them. While these books may not be the best written or best plotted things on the market, they are opening up the minds of young readers to the realms of fantastic fiction in all its forms. Look at it this way: The Twilight books are finite, and once young readers have finished reading the series, they will look for similar titles to read until the next Twilight book comes along. These could be the dark fairy-tales of Neil Gaiman, the vampire hunter books of Laurel K Hamiltion, the varied urban fantasy of Kelley Armstrong, or the brilliant vampire novels of S. Roit (aka Sherry Roit), such as the impeccable Paris Immortal. Many bookshops now contain a dedicated Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance section, and while SF and fantasy purists such as myself may have our issues with their contents, these books are bringing a new audience into an industry that desperately needs new readers. Some argue that this is not the case, with Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy readers sticking to similar titles once their favourite series comes to an end, but many of these people will go on to other titles as they mature and their tastes change. The paranormal and fantasy genres have always gained from the addition of well loved movie tie-ins and movies themselves, and rather than being empty, vapid pieces of trash fiction, they are the doorway to a universe of wonder for new readers to learn. The same goes for movie and TV tie-in merchandise and tie-in novels from franchises such as Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Buffy and so on- they help strengthen the publishing industry by offering brand familiarity to people who may not usually read. Twilight has brought a number of young teenaged readers new icons in Edward and Bella, but there are so many other characters and tales for them to learn. See Twilight as a stepping stone to greater things, and welcome the new fans that stick around into the genres of fantasy, science fiction and horror with open arms.
Andrew is a renowned pop culture columnist for the STARSTORE blogs and movie merchandise site as well as being a globally published music journalist and SF writer. For the latest news on films, comics, movie and TV collectibles and more, check out===> http://starstoreblog.com
