the roots of Harry Potter: magic in myth and folklore

I'm MaryAnn Johanson, writer and editor, and this is my scratch pad, idea-jotter-downer, portfolio and resume, and general hang-out blog.

• film/TV/pop culture critic at FlickFilosopher.com
• contributor, Film.com
• member, Online Film Critics Society
• member, Alliance of Women Film Journalists
• member, International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences

Location: New York City
[email me]

photo by David Speranza

• daily open thread
• Towelhead (review)
• watch it: “tess has a stain on her dress”
• trailer break: ‘State of Play’
• question of the day: How are you changing your entertainment spending in the crashing economy?
• won’t you watch the merely very-good movies of 2008?
• daily open thread
• added screening: ‘Coraline’
• watch it: “Chad Vader Goes Turkey Bowling”
• trailer break: ‘Terminator: Salvation’
• the oh-no! DVD of the week: ‘Postal’ (Director's Cut)
• question of the day: Do you have a blu-ray player?
• North American box office: top 10 moneymakers of 2008
• North American box office: ‘Marley & Me’ sits and stays at the top
• my week at the movies: ‘The Unborn,’ ‘Bride Wars,’ ‘Hotel for Dogs,’ ‘Notorious,’ ‘Yonkers Joe’
• alert! ‘The New York Times’ picks the 10 bestest movies evar!
• deleting comments left and right
• daily open thread
• giveaway: ‘The Wackness’ Region 1 DVD and book
• giveaway: ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ soundtrack CD
• latest contest winners
• watch it: “Tales of Mere Existence: How to Cope With Depression”
• trailer break: ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’
• why ‘Seven Pounds’ is unethical
• question of the day: What’s the first movie you remember seeing?
• Good (review)
• deep thought
• watch it: the weekly address from President-elect Barack Obama
• Matt Smith is the new Doctor Who
• Gran Torino (review)