Call for beadwork!

Okay, this contest sounds interesting. If I were at all into beadwork, I'd consider it (thank goodness for lots of lead time). But if anyone out there does beadwork, or knows someone who does, this is a good opportunity. But if you do it, consider something having to do with the books, darn it! The Movie shouldn't get all of the Oz lovin', should it?

Today's Oz comic

Today, Lio has to deal with the aftermath of his actions. Read the comments, too, for more Ozzy insight. (Her name is GLINDA, you rampsey, not Glenda...)

UPDATE: Big fat stinking Oz reference in The Argyle Sweater today, too, but AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGH! They misspelled Glinda's name!

Today's Oz comic

The always bizarre Bizarro has a good and Ozzy one today, even if it evokes a mild cringe or two.

Today's Oz comic

Today's Nestheads raises a not-uncommonly-asked question about The Wizard of Oz (bright and sparkly movie edition) — and then comes up with a pretty good answer!

Movie sequels

I got word (from a Harry Potter site, of all things) of a list of the top 50 movie sequels. Much to my surprise...well, take a look at what actually made it to #31.

Oz in Jeopardy! daily calendar edition

In case you were wondering about the dearth of Oz-themed Jeopardy! clues lately, the show's in summer reruns right now. Nothing new until some time next month. (They usually start on Labor Day.) So to tide us over, my page-a-day Jeopardy! calendar has a category this week called Surrender, Dorothy. No, it's not really Oz related, as all of the correct responses are all famous people named Dorothy, but it's still fun. Here are the clues and their responses:

For $400: "The only thing I didn't like about The Barretts of Wimpole Street was the play," said this Algonquin wit. (Who is Dorothy Parker?)

For $1200: She appeared with her sister Lillian in the 1912 film The New York Hat. (Who is Dorothy Gish?)

For $2000: After appearing in a 1937 Marx Brothers film, she went on to become the first African-American nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for Carmen Jones. (Who is Dorothy Dandridge?)

I should probably add here that this is all copyright © 2008 Jeopardy Productions, Inc. No profit or violation of copyright is intended.

Happy birthday, Ozma!

Today is the official birthday of Ozma, the queen of Oz. (But, really, how can you tell when your birthday is when you're a fairy princess who's lived forever?) I'm sure right about now in the Emerald City the cooks are preparing for this year's banquet in the palace, while Ozma gathers her closest and dearest friends around her to celebrate. So let's all raise a glass of lacasa in her honor.

Follow-up

A quick follow-up to this post from back in June: Books of Wonder won!

Today's Oz comics, political division

I ran across an Oz-themed political cartoon today in the paper, so I asked my wife (she of the mighty Google-Fu!) to see if she could track it down online. Sure enough, here is Robert Ariail's cartoon from August 12. But wait, there's more! In the process of looking for that, she also found another Oz-themed cartoon, so here's John Sherffius from August 7.

Disclaimer: These cartoons are presented here for their Oz content only, and are not necessarily indicative of the views of the blogger. So if you disagree (or even aggressively agree) with the message of these cartoons, don't bother bleating to me about it in the comments. I'll just delete them. Thanks.

Today's Oz comic

I've seen variations on this theme before, but the use of GPS in today's Non Sequitur brings the idea up to date. And it's just funny, too.

HOW many Oz books???

I've had enough down time the past few weeks that I've finally gotten around to opening some of my Oz boxes for the first time since we moved here, and started sorting things out and figuring out where to put them. My major focus has been on the books, and while I was at it, I updated and revised my inventory.

I now have over 1,000 — yes, that's one thousand — Oz and Oz-related books. They range from Abducted to Oz to The Zen of Oz, from 2 1/2 inches tall (the miniature version of The Musical Fantasies of L. Frank Baum) to 22 inches tall (a Wizard of Oz poster coloring book), from two pages (Wizard of Oz Tattoos) to 760 (a compilation of all fifteen Baum Oz books, including The Little Wizard Stories of Oz, in one volume). The oldest books I believe I own are the bound editions of St. Nicholas magazine in which Queen Zixi of Ix were first published, and the most recent is one I just got from the publisher yesterday that I will review later. It's official publication date isn't for two more weeks! Most are in English, but I also have books in French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Spanish, and Welsh. I also have books originally published in French, Japanese, Russian, and Korean that have been translated into English. Most have been professionally published in some form, either for the general public or for a smaller niche audience, but some of my books have been privately printed, and some are (officially, at least) unpublished. Quite a few have been autographed, some have been given to me, and some I have paid more for than I probably should have. They are fiction, non-fiction, metafictional, or something in between, and some are just pictures. Three of the books I put in my inventory have now gone missing or otherwise unaccounted for (one just this week, after dealing with the inventory, so it couldn't have gone far). And on the shelves alone, I have out eighty-nine different editions of The Wizard of Oz.

I am truly surprised and impressed with my collection. Not bad for thirty-five years worth of work!

Pictures soon, I hope.