. . . . normal news.

Depending on your definition of "normal".

Depending too on your definition of "news".

• From Cynopsis: Kids!:  Ballet Shoes (1x95) is a family drama produced by Granada for the BBC . Based on author Noel Streatfeild's 1936 book Ballet Shoes , the movie stars Emma Watson (ya know Hermione from Harry Potter) as the oldest of three orphaned girls adopted by an explorer uncle and raised by his niece. Victoria Wood also stars.

Never read them myself.  So I didn't initially get that reference in You've Got Mail where Meg Ryan starts sobbing in the huge corporate bookstore about the series.  And Emma Watson is acting outside of Harry Potter?  I thought she said publicly that she wasn't interested in the field?  Huh.

• I can't remember if I've blogged about this before, but there's a fun blog out there called Crooked House. I'm particularly fond of the continually updated news from other blogs on the right-hand side blogroll under the name "Elsewhere". How smart is that? They're not dated, so I'm not sure how often they are UPdated, but I love the idea. If I had a blogroll I would sooooo steal that idea. Thanks to Sara O'Leary for the link.

• Some of you may read the New York Post regularly, but I'm not sure why you would want to. In any case, I'm in it. In case any of you want to be schooled in the ways of Guitar Hero (an oddly important topic for many YA librarians out there) you can find my picture in the post Hero Worship: Geeks, Chicks, Anyone Can Be a Guitar Hero. Just click the "Previous" button on the pictures and voila. There I be.  I only got the gig because of my friend Sarah WHOSE MOTHER READS MY BLOG!  Be sure to thank your daughter, Sarah's mom.  She has swell contacts.