http://www.gettingpaidtowatch.com/2008/08/06/culture-archaeologists-find-ruins-of-early-shakespeare-theatre/ It’s early and I’m trying to fully understand this.  Apparently archaeologists have rediscovered the original footings of the Shoreditch theatre, where The Lord Chamberlain’s Men played before the owners dismantled it and used the timber to construct The Globe. Any historians in my audience want to fill in some details?  Sounds pretty cool!   UPDATE:  Alan is correct, Shakespearepost.com has much more detail.  Thanks for the heads up!

http://www.nerve.com/CS/blogs/screengrab/archive/2008/08/05/yesterday-s-hits-romeo-and-juliet-1968-franco-zeffirelli.aspx It’s not often these days that you get such a lengthy tribute to the “original” Romeo and Juliet on film, Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 version with Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey.  Worth a nostalgic look. (Yeah yeah it’s not the original, but it’s arguably the definitive screen adaptation.)

I was cruising YouTube looking for video this evening, and I ran across this clip that shows two different interpretations of the first Miranda/Prospero scene from The Tempest. What caught my attention is that the second clip is Patrick Stewart as Prospero.  

http://www.themovieblog.com/2008/07/hamlet-2-rock-me-sexy-jesus You guys know where I’ll be August 22! 🙂  Rock me rock me, rock me sexy Jesus,
We’re really amazed, you gotta believe us… Of course, it does not go unnoticed that a trailer for Hamlet 2 does not have any reference to Hamlet or any other Shakespearean topic. Don’t forget to check out the “enlightened” comments, too.  Those are always good for a hoot: “Its sad!  No wonder this nation is falling!”
     “The nation is falling due to Rock me sexy Jesus?”

http://emsworth.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/what-harry-potter-could-have-learned-from-hamlet/ I like this comparison of Harry Potter and Hamlet, which basically comes down to “JK Rowling had one of the grandest tragedies ever written shaping up, until she lost her nerve.”