Origami Unicorn

Bait N Switch

Five for five.

Ollie Johnston, 95

Probably the last of Disney's golden age animators, Ollie Johnston died April 14th. One of his most famous scenes was of the death of Bambi's mother:

He also was a directing animator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Bambi, and Pinocchio, among others, and wrote several books, one of which, The Illusion of Life—coauthored with Frank Thomas—documents the techniques the studio used.

Rowling Trial Wraps Up

Amid all sorts of signs that various aspects of the case had been dealt with backstage, something urged by the judge, the courtroom proceedings ended. Since both parties have several weeks to file additional papers, it may be some time before the judge—there was no jury—announces his decision.

Drawing the "Fair Use" Line

Upon being told parts of his lexicon had been refuted by previous testimony by J. K. Rowling, defendant Vander Ark immediately became enthusiastic about the new information. The New York Times blog is filled with the struggles of lawyers with terms not entirely to familiar to them. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal notes the case has important implications for copyrights.
MTV News has an analysis that hits the major points in the matter plus a link to the original filing.

The most recent statement for Rowling and Warner Brothers is that: "A fan's affectionate enthusiasm should not obscure acts of plagiarism. The publishers knew what they were doing. The problem remains that the Lexicon takes an enormous amount of Ms. Rowling's work and adds virtually no original commentary of its own. As we've said in court, it takes too much and adds too little. Authors have a duty to prevent the exploitation of their works by people who contribute nothing original, creative or interpretive."

Vander Ark Calls Rowling "Genius"

Librarian, fan, and would-be author Steven Vander Ark cried for a few moments during his testimony in the Manhattan courtroom where he and his publisher, RDR Books, are facing the Warner Brothers and J. K. Rowling. He stated that he had been approached by RDR about making a book based on his website, established in 2000, and had initially had doubts about there being copyright problems. The case appears to turn on the question of whether a reference work is held to the same standards as other publications, or may quote more freely and without specific permission.

London Book Fair

Wretched though the surroundings were felt to be last year, the London Book Fair appears to have settled in, complete with tech trapping like agents leading publishers to a web center to watch an author's YouTube video. Publisher's Lunch seemed somewhat bemused by this. Apparently they are not regular YouTubers or they would have known, if it's for sale, it's for sale on YouTube.

In the more traditional events, the short list for the Orange Prize was announced:

Nancy Huston, Fault Lines; Sadie Jones, The Outcast; Charlotte Mendelson, When We Were Bad; Heather O'Neill, Lullabies for Little Criminals; Rose Tremain, The Road Home; and Patricia Wood, Lottery

The floor was buzzing with the news that Borders' late filling with the SEC revealed how exceedingly cash-poor the corporation is. They were hardly alone. Most publishers are proceeding conservatively in a year when the world-wide economy is struggling.

Harry Potter Lexicon Trial Begins

Author J. K. Rowling began her testimony in the lawsuit intended to stop publication of a lexicon developed from an online website that she herself used when writing the later books in the series. The New York Times quotes Rowling as saying, ''If RDR's position is accepted, it will undoubtedly have a significant, negative impact on the freedoms enjoyed by genuine fans on the Internet,'' she said. ''Authors everywhere will be forced to protect their creations much more rigorously, which could mean denying well-meaning fans permission to pursue legitimate creative activities.'' RDR's position is not to defend against charges of copyright infringement but rather to assert that The Harry Potter Lexicon is a scholarly work and so legitimate. Court proceedings are expected to last about a week, with Rowling secluded in a jury room when not testifying.

The House of Flame

A story, which by the costumes is set about a thousand years ago in Japan, when Buddhism was the religion of aristocrats. The background of the tale is much the same as that of Genji Monogatari, considered the first Japanese novel. The characters are aristocrats, acting according to a complex and rigid social code, which includes sending messages—they would be poems—folded into a knot and presented on a branch of flowers.

High Five

I'm not a big fan of this style of animation—it looks too stiff and too obviously computer-generated to me—but the action is paced right along with the entirely suitable music. The plot, well, the plot kicks.

Tag

This is technically well done. However I think you may guess too soon where the story's going, although the final scene is deft.