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Rick Riordan Doesn’t Plan to See the Movie
Rick Riordan, the author the bestselling “Percy Jackson & the Olympians” series of books for young readers, paid a visit on Sunday to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to discuss some of his classical inspirations.
The first book in his series, “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” tells the story of a troubled young boy with ADHD and dyslexia who discovers that the Greek gods are real, and that he’s actually the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea.
Riordan kicked off his talk at the Met’s Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium by apologizing for the rainy weather outside. “Thanks for braving Zeus’s storm!” he told the audience, which was largely made up of young children and parents.
During the presentation, Riordan said he planned to launch a new “Camp Half Blood” series in the Fall of 2010, most likely in October, though the final details haven’t been set. In his books, Camp Half Blood is a special area that shelters and trains the children of gods and mortals.
He also talked about his coming book “The Kane Chronicles, Book One: The Red Pyramid.” The new series draws on the myths of Egypt, and is due out May 4.
“I was fascinated by how magic works in Egypt,” Riordan told Speakeasy in an interview after the event. He said he was intrigued by the 
section in the Bible in which Moses confronts Egyptian magicians. “I wanted to explore the Egyptian idea of magic,” he said.
Recently, a big-screen adaptation of “The Lightning Thief” was released into theaters. Riordan said he hasn’t seen the film and doesn’t plan to. “Books and movies are so different,” he said. He said he wanted to keep his own images of his characters in his head and didn’t want them to be replaced by someone else’s interpretation.
To read an excerpt from “The Kane Chronicles” go here.
What do you think about Rick Riordan not going to see the movie? Leave your comments below.
Maria Olsen Live Webcast
Maria Olsen (Mrs. Dodds/Fury) will be doing a Live Webcast to introduce to the world her Scary Scarves. It will be held next Wednesday, March 17th, at 7 p.m. pacific standard time. It will be held through her personal appearance manager’s website – www.coolwatersprods.com . Check it out by clicking on the ‘Live’ button. She’ll be talking about all sorts of fun percy stuff too. =)
Read about the Scary Scarves in our interview.
The Baltimore Sun Interview
I’ve already read all the comments eviscerating “The Lightning Thief,” which opened this weekend. And I completely understand the complaints and disappointments. But let’s be honest: This movie wasn’t given the time, the budget or the attention that the Harry Potter movies were. Comparing the two is just silly.
I went into this movie expecting a good time with some familiar characters, and that’s exactly what I got. I felt that the casting was brilliant, even with the older actors, and the basic premise remained: The Olypmic gods depend on their children and humanity to keep the traditions of Western civilization alive.
Was I disappointed that the Great Prophecy was ignored? Sure. But you know what made me happier? The fact that they didn’t set this movie up to be an automatic five-picture deal.
They’re giving people a chance to explore Rick Riordan’s world, and if this movie leads to a sequel, than great. (But I should note: Any sequel should include the more complicated villian arc. Hades being the bad guy is too pedestrian, even for a children’s movie.)
If not, we were given an entertaining film that stands well on its own. And what it lacked in plot, it more than made up for in special effects, in my book. In the future, they can bring more complex elements, but if they don’t I’ll still enjoy the gist of the highly imaginative world the author brought to us in the first place.
In my mind, this movie is the perfect example of staying true to the vision without treating the source material like an ironclad gospel. And if you are truly upset that a certain character is brunette instead of blonde, or that another is black instead of white, well …
We’ll always have the books.
Source: The Baltimore Sun
Written By: Nancy Knight
Maria Olsen Interview
Changing from a conservative- looking teacher into a flying Fury that crashes through a museum window was all in a day’s work for a former Eastern Cape actress who landed a role in Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lighting Thief.
Maria Olsen (nee De Boer), who was an integral part of East London’s amateur dramatics scene before she married her Los Angeles pen pal, Kevin Olsen, five years ago, has made a name for herself in Hollywood as a horror actress, having appeared in scores of scary movies.
Landing a role in Percy Jackson, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Uma Thurman, was a huge coup for the accountant turned actress.
“It was very exciting when I booked the role and I knew this would be a great step up in my career,” said Olsen. “This was my first film as a principal talent – all the others had been independent films.
“Hopefully, it will lead to other awesome roles.”
Olsen plays a Fury, one of the Greek deities of revenge, who has taken on the persona of substitute teacher Ms Dodds.
Once she has managed to isolate teen scholar Percy Jackson, she changes back into the Fury, giving young Percy (played by Logan Lerman) the fright of his life.
Thanks to her spine-chilling role, children who recognise her now give her a wide berth.
“Kids are now recognising me in the street – although some are too afraid to approach me! That’s just a whole new dimension for me.”
Working with Brosnan, who plays Chiron, the centaur teacher in the fantasy adventure, was “a joy”.
“Pierce is the epitome of an English gentleman – quiet, professional, always helpful and extremely dignified. When he found out I was South African he told me about his recent trip to Cape Town.
“I wasn’t on set when it happened, but I heard he saved Uma Thurman and others from a nasty accident when one of the vans on set rolled down a hill. Chiron the centaur turned into 007 the hero!”
Although she did not share any scenes with Thurman, Olsen said working under acclaimed director Chris Columbus, who rewrote the script to extend her role, taught her that “subtlety works best”.
“He brought my performance right down to the detached, creepy, but intense thing you see on screen. His directing style is simply wonderful. Just quiet little chats with us on set with no drama.”
Olsen is thrilled with the reaction the movie has received since opening in the US on February 12. “It shot to No2 spot at the box office on Valentine’s Day weekend and was exceeded only by Valentine’s Day (movie). At the moment it’s right up there with Avatar and The Wolfman and I’m very pleased it’s doing so well.”
Source: The Weekend Post Online
Writer: Barbara Hollands