Category Archives: Pop Culture

Sadie Hawkins’ Day, not a Leap Year Event, But Fun, Nevertheless

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

(Image from Sadie Hawkins’ cards at http://www.postcards.org) When I was a teen girl, I enjoyed the school-sponsored Sadie Hawkins’ dances. We didn’t exactly go for the girl asking the boy to the dance (like a date). But we did follow some … Continue reading →

Posted in America, American History, Appalachia, Austen Authors, customs and tradiitons, dancing, film, giveaway, history, holidays, legends and myths, marriage, marriage customs, Pop Culture, romance, tradtions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

What If I Gave “Pride and Prejudice” an “& Juliet” Style Makeover?

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

& Juliet is a 2019 coming-of-age jukebox musical. The story focuses on a “what if” scenario [Geez! Are not all Austenesque literature also “What If” scenarios?] where Juliet does not die at the end of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In it, Juliet … Continue reading →

Posted in Always Austen, film adaptations, Jane Austen, music, Pop Culture, Pride and Prejudice, romance | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What If I Gave “Pride and Prejudice” an “& Juliet” Style Makeover?

“Emma” 1995’s Depiction of Social Class

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

I just wanted this version of Jane Austen’s book this past weekend on Starz.  Emma 1995 – Columbia/Miramax feature film (120 minutes); Directed by Douglas McGrath; Screenplay by Douglas McGrath; Produced by Patrick Cassavetti and Steven Haft Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow…………………………….Emma … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen actors, film, film adaptations, Georgian England, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Pop Culture | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Anatomy of a Janeite

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

Anatomy of a Janeite Do You Fit the Bill?                                   In 2008, JASNA put together a survey of the “typical” Janeite. I was wondering … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, England, film adaptations, Georgian England, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Persuasion, Pop Culture, Pride and Prejudice, reading habits | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Anatomy of a Janeite

Are You Familiar With These Words and Phrases?

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Spillikin ~ The Oxford Living Dictionaries gives us: [treated as singular] A game played with a heap of small rods of wood, bone, or plastic, in which players try to remove one at a time without disturbing the others, while Wikitionary … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, language choices, Pop Culture, tall tales, vocabulary, word origins | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Do You Remember the Yankee’s Farewell to the “Iron Horse”?

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Regina Jeffers

For the last few weeks in August, those of us in the States have been bombarded with images of common folks and celebrities pouring buckets of ice water over their heads in the name of fundraiser for ALS. But what … Continue reading →

Posted in Do You Remember?, film, Pop Culture, real life tales | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

From Where Does That Phrase Come? A Bit of Slang

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Regina Jeffers

Slang, consists of a lexicon of non-standard words and phrases in a given language. Use of these words and phrases is typically associated with the subversion of a standard variety (such as Standard English) and is likely to be interpreted … Continue reading →

Posted in language choices, Pop Culture, word play, writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Do You Remember? When Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti Committed Bigamy

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Regina Jeffers

In February 1965, an Italian court in Rome declared the 1957 nuptials of Sophia Loren and her producer husband, Carlo Ponti, invalid, saying his Mexican divorce from his first wife, Giuliana Fiastri was not legal. Oddly enough, it was not … Continue reading →

Posted in Do You Remember?, Pop Culture, real life tales | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why Austen’s Works Easily Translate into Modern Adaptations

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Regina Jeffers

Jane Austen’s works are often classified as “romances.” The assumption comes from the premise that if the heroine meets a handsome man in Chapter One, he must be the hero. Fitzwilliam Darcy is the romantic hero of Pride and Prejudice, … Continue reading →

Posted in film, Jane Austen, language choices, Living in the Regency, Napoleonic Wars, Pop Culture, Pride and Prejudice, Regency era, Regency personalities, word play, writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Doo Wop Quiz – Are You Old Enough to Pass This One?

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Regina Jeffers

Doo Wop Quiz – Are You Old Enough to Pass This One? My special friend, George Arnold, sent me this in an email. I know not its source, but for me, it was a fabulous trip down memory lane. George earned … Continue reading →

Posted in film, music, Pop Culture | Tagged | 3 Comments