http://wherethelongtailends.com/archives/chimes-at-midnight I don’t think Matt is in the habit of blogging about Shakespeare, but after a post like the above I wish he was.  After admitting that he prefers adaptations to originals (“Why watch King Lear when you can watch Ran instead?  Or read Dream when Gaiman’s Sandman beckons me?”), he confesses that his initial introduction to Shakespeare is, in fact, the Taming Of The Shrew episode from Moonlighting (everybody remember that show?) So when he starts in on his praising review of Chimes at Midnight, I was hooked.  As I mentioned previously, I had a copy of the film on my iPod but never watched it and eventually let it get deleted.  Well now I want to see it again.  You’d think it difficult to review a film like this.  Not only is it Welles’ own version of the several Henry plays (so it’s not like you can say “Oh, ok, I know this play…”), it is considered by some (Rosenbaum among them) to be one of the greatest Shakespearean performances ever put on film.  None of that scares Matt away.  His review is a well balanced combination of professional movie reviewer (noting particular directorial choices and camera shots he likes), just enough story telling to not give anything away, and praise for Welles’ Falstaff, all while keeping the same tone as the guy who just a minute ago was singing the praises of Bruce Willis as Petruchio.  The final “Perhaps its time I give ‘ol Billy another try,” seems to sum up just how much Matt liked the film. I can’t wait to see it.

http://www.getthebigpicture.net/blog/2008/5/19/new-king-lear-to-star-hopkins-paltrow-and-knightley.html Straight out of Cannes comes the announcement of Lear, starring Anthony Hopkins (nice!), Gwynneth Paltrow (maybe now she’ll start pinging my radar for something other than every time somebody calls her the Shakespeare in Love actres), and Keira Knightley … who is famous for the Pirate movies?  Not sure what else she’s been in. I look forward to seeing this one!

http://junk-foodaholic.blogspot.com/2008/05/doing-shakespeare-in-park.html What’s better than getting your kids interested in Macbeth?  Taking them outside to perform it in public, even if the only people there to see it are classmates and a couple of parents.  You might even get in the paper…

http://bitsydungaree.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/the-search-for-celia/ Not being an actor myself, I do enjoy reading the thoughts of actors who get to portray Shakespeare’s characters.  Here the author muses on her experience playing Celia in As You Like It. 

http://www.classicreader.com/read.php/bookid.1970/sec./ I’m really not sure what this is, but it looks worth reading.