Ok, who new that Google News actually allows you to search “news” from up to 20 years ago? I just had to type in Shakespeare and start poking around.
Here’s the first interesting article I found, showing the most popular required reading lists for high school (broken out by private, public, Catholic).

I don’t think there are many surprises (Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Hamlet show up on every list), but it does remind me a bit of our Catcher in the Rye discussion from a few weeks back. What was required reading when you were in high school?

I never read Scarlet Letter, Of Mice and Men, or Gatsby. But I did read some Thomas Hardy, I don’t see him on the list. And some Kafka, Hemingway and a few others.

I’m surprised that we’ve never talked about BardBox before. It’s not new, has quite a bit of content, and at least for the subcategory I’ve linked, every post contains an original video. Sometimes animation, sometimes actors. I’m going through them now. It’s very cool.

I’d like to come up with a snappier title for this exciting news, but I’m going to be out of town and thus I’m rather jealous.  We all saw Patrick Stewart and David Tennant do Hamlet earlier this year (well, on television. Those of us not lucky enough to see the live version).  Now we get to do it again, this time with Stewart’s Macbeth, which will be previewed on PBS October 6.

They’ve got a preview up:  http://www.pbs.org/arts/gallery/shakespeare-three-tragedies/macbeth-preview-video/

It looks …. weird. I get a strange sort of “Sweeney Todd” vibe, and I’m not sure why.

No word yet on whether Stewart also plays the ghost of Banquo ;).   (Inside joke).  But I swear, if he shrugs when Macduff says that he was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped, I’m taking him down.

Seriously, this is awesome and I will no doubt DVR it (I’ll be on a cruise for my anniversary that week).  What I will miss that was so fun the first time was “live tweeting” it.  Some geeks do it for award shows, some for sports events. Shakespeare geeks? We live tweet PBS Great Performances.  I feel like Frasier Crane’s brother Niles for some reason.

Anyway, set your DVR now so you don’t forget!

“Five Hollywood Actors That Are Excellent Stage Actors”, the title read. Sounds like potential Shakespeare connection.  Let’s check it out.

“Patrick Stewart!” you scream. “Patrick Stewart Patrick Stewart Patrick Stewart!”

Not on the list.  The short list is written from the author’s perspective of who he personally saw on stage, and I think perhaps he was going for more of the “perhaps you didn’t know….” angle.  Who doesn’t know that Patrick Stewart is an excellent stage actor?

Anyway, here’s the list : Liev Schreiber, Hugh Jackman, Ed Norton, Denzel Washington, and Catherine Zeta Jones. I know that that Liev Schreiber’s got some Shakespeare cred, and Denzel Washington of course was in Brannagh’s Much Ado movie, but how about the others?

Or for the more interesting game, tell us what role you think they’d be perfect for.  I like Ed Norton, I’m wondering how he’d do as Edmund.  Makes me think of Fight Club.

A long, long time ago, 1950’s science fiction movies gave us Forbidden Planet, based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest. There’s a new Tempest coming out this year, and I notice that there’s a remake of Forbidden Planet in the works, scheduled for 2013. But it makes me wonder (maybe this is a good question for Keith @ Bardfilm, if he’s listening), is that it? Anybody got any other true science fiction movies that have more than a passing nod at Shakespeare?