Opinionated (ok, stubborn), vocal (ok, loud), and definitely discerning (ok, picky), I can easily be engaged for hours about either one of my two loves, books and movies.
So imagine my delight (albeit some mild terror), in being asked to espouse the virtues of literary celluloid in a handful of episodes for
Bravo! Canada’s Books Into Film, which debuted its third season earlier this month.
Produced by Calgary’s own entertainment juggernaut,
Pyramid Productions, the series looks at exactly what the title cleverly suggests: books that have been turned into films, both lesser and greater than the books themselves.
Bringing together a varying panel of experts, critics, actors, directors, pop culture aficionados and more, the series is filled with interesting commentary, clips, and interviews (sometimes with the authors themselves), all aimed at looking at the page-to-screen process.
As excited as I was to have the chance to be part of something
that I actually know and love, the lead-up to the filming process was an anxiety-filled nail-biter. Barring some contracted segments on morning talk TV discussing some of my past editorial work, the camera and I have had a tumultuous love/hate courtship over the years: love to be behind it, hate to be in front of it.
But as I quickly found out, herein lies the beauty of episodic television vs. the unforgiving ogre that is live TV. Your mind goes blank? Re-shoot. You stumble over a thought? Re-shoot. You giggle over an unwitting double entendre? Re-shoot. (If only real life was as charitable. Sigh...)
So as I chat (sans giggles) about books/movies like
Girl Interrupted,
I Am Legend, Fight Club, and
October Sky, (starting with the September 26 episode), I wilI try, (unsuccessfully to be sure), to not judge my screen inauguration too harshly.
That being said, is it too late for a re-shoot?
Books Into Film airs Saturday nights at 8:30 (ET), 5:30 (PT) on Bravo! Canada Check local listings.