For my
storybook project I modernized fairy tales by bringing them
into current day settings and situations. In a world where "fairy
tales" are seen on the pages of US Weekly and celebrity gossip is big
business, I thought it would be interesting to bring these princesses
into
a modern era. Speaking for myself, I am obsessed with celebrity gossip
(ask my roommates!), and I check out all of the gossip news outlets on
a
daily basis and thought it would be nice to be the one writing the
stories for once!
I used fairy tales such as Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. I
chose these fairy tales because the heroines are
strong and independent women who are able to rise above adversity to
achieve their goals.
The oldest known version of Cinderella goes back to 1st century B.C.
where we meet a Greco-Egyptian girl named Rhodopis. Her sandal is taken
by an eagle from her while she is washing clothes in the river and
given to the Pharaoh Amasis. He tries the sandal on every woman in his
kingdom and when it fits Rhodopis he falls in love with her and marries
her.
Beauty
and the Beast is a fairy tale that originated in France and
was published in 1740 by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve.
In her version of the story, Villeneuve delves into the background of
Belle and the Beast. In her version of the story, Villeneuve shares all
kinds of good gossip
about the former life of the Beast, including how his childhood nanny
was an evil fairy who tried to seduce him - and Beauty turns out to be
the secret love child of that evil fairy and a king! This isn't the
version of the story I will be using, but what great gossip!!
In addition to Beauty and the Beast I also modernized the
story of Snow White. Who doesn't love a story of jealousy,
manipulation, attempted murder and the royal family?
Now that we've learned a little about the past, let's jump to the
present and enter the blog of Gossip Girl.
Good morning, Hollywood! For those of you who don't know me, let me
introduce myself. My name is
"Gossip Girl." I am your ticket to all of the scandal that goes on
within the Hollywood Hills. I run with an elite crowd of up-and-coming
socialites and potential 'it' girls and I bring you all the gossip that
LA has to offer. Before we get to the juicy details about Britney's
latest
misstep and Lindsay's latest relationship rumor, let's move on to the
latest edition of Gossip Girl.
Spotted:
Elle Snyder living with her step-mother and working for her at
Interscope
records as an intern, when she really wants to be a recording artist.
Late one night she finds herself alone and decides to step into the
booth. Little does she know that a recording super star is listening.
Will she decide to stay in the shadows and out of the spotlight? Or
will she find her voice and raise it for everyone to hear?
Across
town, Bella is a Senior at USC and
is competing in the upcoming Lambda Chi White Rose Pageant. Wonder what
she will do when she learns her father has bribed a judge by promising
him a date with her in order to ensure she gets the rose? Will she
commit
social suicide in order to
please her father? Or will she run away from him before she finds the
beauty on the inside?
Spotted: Shannon White competing to become America's Next Top Model.
Too bad the Queen B of the house sees her as competition. Careful
Shannon, mess with B and you won't be the fairest of them all.
And
who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell. You know you love me.
XoXo. Gossip Girl
Image Information. Gossip
Girl. cwtv.com