“I have always maintained that the best person to write for is yourself–and what better place to start than in a journal.” -E L James
Vintage Books announced today that fans will soon be able to add a journal inspired by the bestselling Fifty Shades trilogy to their collection.
Please note that this is NOT a new novel or a ‘how-to’ guide. It is, however, a creative collaboration between the author and her U.S. publisher that will offer readers and aspiring writers a place to record their innermost thoughts.
Journal includes:
Foreword written by E L James
Excerpts from her books
Writing tips based on the author’s own writing experience
Playlist of music that inspired her own writing and running song counts
Journal features:
Foil-embossed, bonded-leather cover
Red-ribbon marker
Color printing, endpapers, and illustrations throughout
Lined pages for writing (divided into sections inspired by her protagonists, Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey)
“As E L James traveled and met with readers, there was a great curiosity about how she got started writing,” said Vintage/Anchor’s Anne Messitte, the acquiring publisher of the Fifty Shades series. “Her personal story is inspirational to many women, and journaling was an important part of her writing process.”
The 192-page journal designed by Chin-Yee Lai will go on sale May 1, 2013. Priced at just $16.99 (U.S. $), it would make a great Mother’s Day Gift!
As we told you here, artist Jennifer Trouton’s artwork was featured in the trilogy by E L James, who is not only a fan of the artist’s work but also a friend.
FSoG fans have a unique opportunity to WIN this limited edition (only 850 exist!) print.
DESIGN
EACH PRINT NUMBERED & SIGNED BY ARTIST
FRAMED ARTIST PROOF ”LOOKING AT THE OVERLOOKED”
Jennifer will be joining Real Sisters Talk Radio for a special program this Wednesday (12/5) at 1:00 pm PST/4:00 pm EST to discuss the exclusive release of her print, Fifty Shades of Grey, and giveaway details.
So… who do you want to play Christian Grey in the movie?
Here’s your chance to tell the author herself who your favorite for the role is! Just find the Tweet in her Twitter timeline and reply if you haven’t already.
Each year, Entertainment Weekly publishes a special issue featuring the winners of their Entertainers of the Year polls. Our very own Fifty Shades of Grey author E L James has deservedly been nominated in the Favorite Author of the Year category!
Polls close tomorrow (Monday, November 19th) at 12 pm ET, so hurry! You can vote as many times as you like.
Have the end-of-summer blahs set in yet? It’s inevitable. After all, summers are usually Greyt, but this summer was even better because Fifty heated things up! Well, summer may be over but with so much Fifty everywhere, we don’t expect the discussion of all things #50Shades to cool off! So there’s no reason to feel blue…only Grey!
RECAPS & UPDATES
Limited Edition Hardback Set Available in UK – Order via AmazonUK (here). We’ve been told there are plans for the set to be released in the States soon, so we’ll keep you updated. You can also look forward to a chance to win an autographed set, as tweeted by the author. We’re also excited about her new website coming soon!
E L James @E_L_James
@osieperez @50ShadesMontage I will do a competition when I launch my new website… not sure when that will be though – so keep an eye!
Fifty Shades of Grey: The Classical Album Released – For more information, go here.
E L James’s Husband Niall Leonard’s Promotes New Young Adult Book Crusher – He did interviews with Today show here and CNN here and wrote a “day in the life” style article for the Huffington Post here.
FSoG Inspired Fashion Week – A lot of black and leather was seen from designers Lubov and Max Azria! Check it out here.
Web Video BOOKD: 50 Shades of Grey Episode (@radical.media) – We were asked to be a part of this episode, but due to logistics and timing, it just didn’t work out. But Crissy from the fansite Laters, Baby! makes an appearance :) Watch it here.
FSoG Parody Song Developments! Chris Ward dropped in to let us know his FSoG parody song has been getting radio air time in Ireland! Congratulations, Chris! You can leave him a comment/review on his Amazon page by clicking here.
@50ShadesofGrey Parody Becomes Book – This very fun(ny) parody Twitter account has 80,000+ followers and is even retweeted by the author. For more information on the book, go here.
FSoG Illustrations – WOW! Beautiful illustrations from The Stir depicting “scenes” from the books here. We highly recommend taking a look at these, especially if you enjoy graphic novels. Let us know if you were ‘pulled’ right into the books by these like we were!
Emma Watson Asked About Ana Rumors – While promoting her new film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, she admitted she still hasn’t read the books but thinks being considered for any role by fans is “flattering.” In a much more informal situation, she was on a plane with her Perks co-star Nina Dobrev (Elena on the Vampire Diaries and girlfriend of Ian Somerhalder), and the two did an on-air interview with Ryan Seacrest. He asked if Emma was going to play Anastasia Steele, as per the rumors of her being paired with Ryan Gosling as Christian Grey. Nina, helming the phone, relayed, “She [Emma] would be FAR more interested if he were playing Christian Grey.” Isn’t it nice to hear when stars are fans of another star? You can hear the full on-air interview here.
Ryan Gosling Asked About Christian Rumors – While promoting his new movie The Place Beyond the Pines at TIFF, @IamBenLyons for @extratv asked, “Any chance of Fifty Shades of Grey? Everybody wants to know.” Ryan’s response as he walked away was, “I haven’t… What is this book everyone’s talking about? Seems very popular.” You can watch the video here. That was not a direct answer from someone who is usually very quick-witted. Let’s respond appropriately, shall we?
From: 50 Shades Movie Fansite
Subject: Evasive Red Carpet Tactics
Date: September 16, 2012 5:17 PM EST
To: Ryan Gosling, Actor/Director and potential Mr. Grey
Sir,
Congratulations on your new film, The Place Beyond the Pines, which was picked up by Fifty Shades franchise distributors Focus Features during TIFF. We wish you much success with that project, as well as your upcoming directorial debut with How To Catch A Monster. However, we would be remiss if we didn’t point out that we felt your answer to Mr. Lyons’ question about Fifty Shades of Grey was a bit evasive, coy, and almost like you were hiding something (all ESSENTIAL QUALITIES of Christian Grey.)
Perhaps you’ve had to sign some paperwork on the topic, one of those NDAs? If so, well played, and we do understand about these things. Next time, just give us a wink or “oh-so-secret smile.”
50 Shades Move Fansite xoxo
Author to Appear on Katie! Yes, we’ve mentioned it before, but we are just so excited for this! Tune into Katie! on Monday, September 17th! The @katieshow airs M-F at 3pm ET on ABC.
Ms. James has begun her second US book tour! Dates and locations are listed at the top of our blog or you can find them here.
Summer might be over and the weather cooling, but #50Shades fans can count on topics related to the books and information about the movie to continue to be a sizzling-hot topic!
Fans of SOAPnet will recognize this promo from July and August that boasted ’50 Shades of Summer!’
Did the tease work?
More teases have surfaced over the past few weeks from some of our favorite television stars. Since Fifty Shades of Grey dominated our summer reading, we eagerly expect references to the book to pop up all over this Fall’s television lineup!
Actor Paulo Costanzo teased us about a scene in an upcoming episode of his hit show Royal Pains while talking about his directorial debut on the series.
“When I read that scene, I was really like, ‘Oh boy. We’ve never seen this side of her before.’ It gave me shivers. It was a little bit of 50 Shades of Grey. It’s a little bit dangerous and sensual with underlying sexuality and fear. [Reshma] nailed it.”
Max Greenfield talked to Celebuzz about upcoming episodes for his show New Girl saying, “I haven’t read anything in any of those scripts about Fifty Shades of Grey, but I’m sure that it’s going to come up. If we were going to do it, we’d have to dedicate an entire episode to it and go all out. Slowly but surely, everyone in the apartment will be reading it. It will be like a sexual awakening!”
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Max Greenfield, Jake Johnson, Zooey Deschanel, Lamorne Morris
***
We decided to ponder what other TV shows might be influenced by our summer reading.
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Grey’s Anatomy:Working in the double meaning of ‘Grey’ is a definite no-brainer for the show! This show has always brought on the hot and steamy, but perhaps favorite couple McDreamy and Meredith will seek to spice up their marriage with the use of a few toys?
Hawaii Five-0: Many of you have suggested Alex O’Loughlin as a potential candidate for Christian Grey. Wouldn’t it be Greyt if his character had to go under cover as a Christian Grey-type for a sting operation? Well first, McGarrett and Danno would probably argue over who is the better man for the job.
Two Broke Girls: Hmmm…maybe a dream sequence where Max and Caroline each dream that they meet their very own Christian Grey-type but have to sign paperwork saying they will no longer be friends. One signs, and the other refuses. When they wake up, will they share with each other who signed on the dotted line?
Glee:What would Sue say? Inappropriately threaten the Cheerios with a spanking? Give a pep talk in which she assures students and teachers alike that she can handle pain better than any sub Christian Grey has ever had so bring it on? Or sing a song dressed in leather and taunting a riding crop? Whatever reference, we know Jane Lynch will deliver it perfectly as Sue!
Go On: This is Matthew Perry’s new show about a guy who is forced to go to group therapy. Not sure if there will be guest stars who attend the group, but if so, there’s bound to be a dark, brooding handsome man who shows up for group admitting he was seduced by his mother’s best friend when he was 15 years old into a life of a BDSM, right?
Family Guy and The Simpsons: Both of these shows thrive on pop culture, so we won’t be a bit surprised if references, though slightly twisted, are made! Marge might surprise Homer with a Yellow Room of Donuts!
Modern Family: It’s anyone’s guess how #50Shades will be worked in on this show or with which couple! That’s okay. Surprise us!
SNL: They had a great Mother’s Day Gift parody skit that even E L James thought was funny! Can they top it? We’re sure they’ll try this season.
And, of course, what we’re really hoping for are nods to the upcoming movie worked into the shows of fan favorites for Christian Grey – Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries) and Matt Bomer (White Collar).
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But as it stands now, the one television show we can definitely report will be chock full of #50Shades will be Katie Couric’s new talk show named simply, Katie, when Ms. James is her guest on September 17th. It’s not too early to set your DVRs!
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If you want to take part in a 50 Shades poll for the show, go here.
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Where do you hope you’ll be viewing Fifty Shades of Grey’s influence on your TV this Fall?
In this nearly hour-long British documentary from Channel 4 – 4oD, you’ll find something for everyone, regardless of which side of the RRoP door you’re standing on. Woven throughout the video are RRoP scene reenactments beautifully shot in black and white, featuring actors Edward Lewis French as Christian Grey and Rosie Violet Wiseas Anastasia Steele.
Below are a few highlights that we transcribed for you.
David Quantick, Writer: “The amazing thing about these books, which is sort of played down, which I think is wrong, is they’ve come out of fan adoration. They’ve come out of the internet. They’ve come out of this big morass of supposed lack of talent and lack of imagination. It’s a fantastic leap of imagination to go from reading someone else’s books to creating a completely different world.”
Jonny Geller, Literary Agent—Curtis Brown: “They probably should just change the shout [tag] line to, ‘This book will change your wife.’”
Rowan Pelling, Columnist (Former Editor—Erotic Review): “People very often go, ‘I don’t like that vulgar terminology,’ just meaning, you know, a medical term for a body part. And it’s funny how confused we still are about sex. And I think what’s unintentionally clever here is that for the readership, vastly female, she’s made it ok by sort of taking out all of the scary language.”
Geller: “Famously, there is a [Literary Review's] bad sex [in fiction] award because it is so difficult to write sex well in books. But as many authors will point to the classic novelists, sex is not about writing the act. It’s about the feeling. It’s about the tension. It’s about the erotic, which is not necessarily the stated.”
Professor John Sutherland, UCL: “One of the things that E L James does terribly well is gradually turn up the sexual pressure. Now, it’s very hard to do. Pornography usually…makes the mistake of cutting to the chase too soon, but she doesn’t.”
Kathy Lette, Writer: “He’s spending so much time on her body. He worships her body…every inch of her body he kisses and caresses and strokes and titillates; and so it’s really about just being the center of his erotic, you know, fancy. And we all crave that. I mean, that’s what women want. So if men learn anything from this book at all, it’s, you know, ‘Worship me, darling.’” So who do some of the participants of the documentary think should play the pivotal role of Christian Grey?
Michael Fassbender – “That makes sense on one level because we already know from the movie that he did called Shame that he is quite well endowed.”
Christian Bale – “He’s quite attractive with a little hint of evil, isn’t he?”
Ryan Gosling – “Guys really like Ryan Gosling, and he could make him [Christian Grey] cool for men.”
There are several topics covered in the documentary, including the author’s use of brand names and music. As we know, brands like Apple, Audi, BlackBerry, and Bollinger are now synonymous with the trilogy; and Fifty’s iPod playlist helped immerse us even deeper into his world.
Set to the backdrop of the infamous song Sex On Fire by Kings of Leon, narrator Miranda Richards states, “E L James’s eye for detail doesn’t stop with the phone, the car, or the wine. Christian sets Ana’s spin cycle off to a soundtrack of everything from Kings of Leon to the sixteenth century…Thomas Tallis.”
Writers are admittedly envious of E L James’s quick rise to fame and fortune. Perhaps they should also be envious of the relationship she has forged with her fans through social media and book signing appearances. (A/N: For a list of upcoming book signings, click on the tab at the top of our site.)
As fans of the author since its humble beginnings as Twilight fanfiction, we can tell you that she has changed very little, continuing to be both approachable and appreciative. Armed with a warm and ready wit, you can find her most days trying to maintain that connection via Twitter at @E_L_James.
Here we go! Another fanmade video intentionally acted out based on the book by E L James, which the videographer, Nick Acosta, sent to us directly. Nick is kind of a brave guy taking on this project just for the fun of it, don’t you think?
We’ve watched it, and we really liked it. Is it exactly as we had imagined? No, but we think it strives to fairly represent the book in many ways. Well, except for maybe that pocket door to the RRoP. How do you lock a pocket door exactly? ;) But we give a lot of props to all who were involved in making this video (and the mock movie poster) and greatly appreciate how effectively it brings to life the book’s dialogue and highlights some of the beloved details of the story!
In addition, we really like the scenes he chose to recreate as well as the #50ShadesMontage of clips at the end that tie in to the overall story.
Nick provided us with some background info in case you were wondering!
Has he read the books?
“I’m a young, ambitious filmmaker trying to make my mark and build a career in the industry. I read the books and found the story and characters very interesting.”
Why did he choose FSoG?
“I like to challenge myself as a filmmaker and do things I’ve never done before. Like Christian, “ANOTHER FIRST.” I wanted to tackle the story and shoot a scene. Actually, I wanted to shoot the entire film but just didn’t have the budget for it. I wish we could have done more, but this is the best we could do with the budget, time, and resources we had.”
Is he ready for the criticism of such a task? After all, everyone who loves FSoG has their own opinions.
“We knew (given the popularity) some people would love it and others would probably find it offensive, not being able to let go of what THEY believe the story should be. But to that I say, ‘Hey, you can’t please them all.’ And I’m happy with what we accomplished. Is it EXACTLY how the book SHOULD be as a movie? NO, but given what we had, I’m VERY pleased with it. I would do stuff differently, of course, if I had more time and money. But I have to admit this looks pretty good for low budget. Also, to answer those who ask why we did this, well as Christian would say, ‘BECAUSE I CAN.’”
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We love that Nick is such a fan and invested so much of his heart and time into creating this without any backing from a big studio or popular actors. He really DID aim to please in creating this, and we ask that you be respectful to the filmmaker in your comments!
So tell us what your favorite parts of the video are and if any piece of it made you think a little bit differently about how the actual Fifty Shades of Grey movie might actually look.
Does submersing yourself in a fanmade video like this one make you more excited for the movie?
Thanks to Chris Ward for emailing us about his Fifty Shades-inspired song! We’re happy to help get the word out there to fellow fans. Knowing the great sense of humor that E L James has, we think she’ll find it as entertaining as we did.
We’ll let Chris tell you about it in his own words…
Hi,
Here’s a little song I wrote after reading the book. It’s about a man who’s wife won’t stop reading the book…..entitled ‘Fifty Shades of Grey (Have Taken Her Away)’.
Here’s the lyrics – hope you enjoy
Best wishes
Chris Ward Co Donegal
Ireland
Well I am just a simple man and I lead a simple life
But lately I’ve been wondering what’s happened to my wife
She used to keep me company – we used to do OK
But now it seems she’s left me for a man called Christian Grey
She’s upstairs in the bedroom, I’m down here on my own
I hear the heavy breathing and a loud ecstatic moan
You’d swear she had a man up there but every time I look
She’s underneath the covers with that bloody book.
Fifty Shades of Grey have taken her away
Each and every day – reading Fifty Shades of Grey
She went down to her mother’s, I went through all the drawers.
I found that bloody book and read it till my eyes were sore
And even though the story was too silly to be real
I followed the shenanigans of Anastasia Steele
For those who have not read it perhaps I should explain
This book comes with a message – ‘there’s pleasure in the pain’
So tie me to the bedpost, get out your whips and chains
And let’s all have a party – reading E.L. James
Fifty Shades of Grey have taken her away
Each and every day – reading Fifty Shades of Grey
I went onto the internet and I was quite surprised
At all the different places selling kinky merchandise
So I got out my credit card there was no time to waste
I ordered everything I could, delivery with haste
I bought restraints and handcuffs and all kind of bondage gear
Some paddles and some nipple clamps, I think you get the idea
And when it was delivered I wrapped it all in red
Tied it with a ribbon and left it on the bed
Fifty Shades of Grey have taken her away
Each and every day – reading Fifty Shades of Grey
She came back from her mother’s, she went upstairs to change
Then she came back down again looking very strange
She came right out and asked me – ‘was that really you’?
And when I told her ‘Yes’ she said – ‘my God I never knew
That you like pina colada and walking in the rain
Standing in the ocean, knocking back champagne!’
Now upstairs in the bedroom we’re at it every night
And I may not be Christian Grey but I think we’re doing alright
Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades of Grey
Fifty Shades, Fifty Shades, Fifty Shades of Grey
It helps to keep life interesting I think you will agree
But who is doing what to whom remains a mystery…..
Fifty Shades of Grey – another game to play
Fifty Shades of Grey – what more can I say?
We’ll have plenty of glimpses of Mr. Grey from stills and clips of the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey movie long before it’s released in theaters, but discussions here have us in agreement that Fifty will be making his first impression on fans when Ana tumbles into his office and looks up at the hand extended to her.
You know what they say: You only get one chance to make a good first impression. Hence the reason men are encouraged to wear a suit on a job interview. We think this would be good advice for any actor who auditions for the role of Mr. Grey, too! But fair warning guys — some men just wear a suit better than others, and fans are expecting the actor to be perfectly tailored to the role of Christian Grey!!
If our first view of Mr. Grey, seen through Ana’s eyes, is as described, “So young–and attractive, very attractive. He’s tall, dressed in a fine gray suit, white shirt, and black tie with unruly dark copper-colored hair and intense, bright gray eyes that regard me shrewdly,” it is imperative that the actor look impeccable in a suit. (Fifty Shades of Grey, page 7)
The suit is Christian’s armor and establishs his dominating power as a succesful businessman of highly sophisticated tastes.
We look forward to that onscreen first impression of Mr. Grey and revel in the hopes that it will be a cinematic lasting impression.
We thought we’d have a little fun with the Christian Grey composite sketch (source). Below are some of your favorite candidates for Mr. Grey, but we’ve hidden their faces. Based solely on just how well the man makes the clothes, tell us who YOU think is bestsuited for the role by voting in our poll! Answers and results will be revealed in a future blog post.
“I have always maintained that the best person to write for is yourself–and what better place to start than in a journal.” -E L James
E L James @E_L_James
David Boreanaz 
