The New Alex Cross is Tyler Perry!

Photo taken from Variety

Photo taken from Deadline

Morgan Freeman, give way to Tyler Perry - the new Alex Cross.

Perry would be playing Cross for the movie adaptation of I, Alex Cross, part of the Alex Cross series originally played by Freeman in Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls.

August of last year, it was announced that Idris Elba would be playing the role of the detective cum psychologist in the movie version of Cross, the twelfth book in the series, with David Twohy directing. Now, Rob Cohen is set to direct the movie for the 16th book I, Alex Cross for QED International, with James Patterson and Kerry Williamson to write the first draft of the script. Patterson would also be an executive producer, along with Steve Bowen. Filming would begin in June.

According to Patterson, "Plain and simple, Tyler Perry is a movie star! He has talent and likability, and he said to me, 'I wouldn't take on the role of Alex Cross if I didn't think I could do a great job.'"

"Tyler Perry's biggest successes came when he played the female alter ego, the stereotypical matriarch Madea. He last directed For Colored Girls, an adaptation of the iconic 1975 play by Ntozake Shange. His movies usually have a strong female following, and the Cross mysteries are action mystery which appeals to a male viewing audience. It is a radical departure for Perry, who usually stars in the films he writes and directs (Star Trek was an exception). Lionsgate recently acquired Take My Wife, a comedy that will star Perry and Dwayne Johnson. Cohen is an interesting choice as director, and has a franchise track record: he launched both the XxX and The Fast and the Furious franchises. I'm told that the plan is for Perry to star in a trilogy. QED partners Bill Block and Paul Hanson will produce. WME reps both Perry and Cohen. " (Deadline New York)

So what do you think of this latest development on the new Alex Cross movie?








Sources:

Bierly, Mandi. “Tyler Perry in, Idris Elba out of Alex Cross reboot: Producer explains why – EXCLUSIVE”. PopWatch. February 1, 2011. February 12, 2011 http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/02/01/tyler-perry-alex-cross-idris-elba/

Fleming, Mike. “Tyler Perry As Alex Cross In James Patterson Franchise Reboot”. Deadline New York. January 31, 2011. February 12, 2011 http://www.deadline.com/2011/01/tyler-perry-as-alex-cross

Kroll, Justin. “Tyler Perry to play Alex Cross in reboot”. Variety. January 31, 2011. February 12, 2011. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118031257

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

(Photo Taken from Goodreads)

Title: Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas
Author: James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Language: English
ISBN - 10: 0316969443
ISBN - 13: 978-0316969444
Rating:







Wow. Imagine James Patterson abandoning Alex Cross for a while to lend the most sensitive voice possible to a woman! In this book, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, Patterson crosses over to romance with natural ease, as if he is merely writing another adventure for Alex Cross. At least now, I know that this cuddly grandpa is not just into writing gruesome murders, he can also be as sappy as the next person too.

Katie was a beautiful, successful woman living in New York. She met Matt Harrison through her job, when her company became interested in Matt's collection of poetry. Soon, their relationship blossomed into love. However, on a night when Katie was to give Matt a party and a big surprise, Matt suddenly breaks up with her, and leaves her broken and confused. Soon after, he sends her a diary - apparently of his wife to their baby boy.

To avid romance readers, this may sound typical and very predictable, but still very good at the same time. To read a romance novel from an author who's known for his psychological thrillers, this is a pleasant trip to the romantic genre, showing the author's sensitive and emotional side. Reading this novel with no knowledge who the author is, I would think this was written by a woman, as this book captured the accurate nuances, emotions, and reactions of a woman.

This book alternates between a first-person and third-person point of view, and the transition from each other is seamless and smooth. Each character was given a unique personality, and a unique voice to boot. As with his other novels, the author maintains a snappy, economic narration and pace, with crisp dialogue and vivid scenes. There are no loopholes in the story-telling, every conflict and issue addressed and resolved at the ending.

Reading through Suzanne's diary entries is as heartbreaking as it was an exciting experience, and at the risk of including spoilers, readers definitely would not be able to stop from crying towards the ending, as a heart-wrenching climax will open the floodgates. On the other hand, one could not help but feel sorry and root for Katie, who appears very likable, despite acting depressed for at least 75 percent of the time in the story.

With regard to Matt, he sounds like your Jack-of-all-trades-all-American-hero ready to sweep you off your feet, but with the author's talent for spinning a yarn, Matt suddenly looks pathetic and creepy towards the first part, then boom! Surprise, surprise towards the end. I was not really surprised about the ending, because as far as romance novels go, there is only one type of ending, but the way it all came full circle was so touching it still blew me away.

Definitely, this book would not be favored by Patterson's male fans, but if some do, I won't blame them - this is good stuff. Something to feed your James Patterson craving while waiting for his next thriller.

Third Sentence Thursdays

Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Sniffly Kitty's Mostly Books for glorifying the number 3 as in, sentence 3 of a book.

This week's theme is pick a third sentence that best describes your mood this week.

1) Find a third sentence that describes your mood.
2) Post a link to your sentence here or if you don't have a blog, just post it in the comments!
3) Find out how other people are feeling this week.
4) Prepare for next week's theme: Third Sentence Review!

My third sentence:

"Sometimes it just plain sucks." -page 104, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

Lots of stuff happened today, and most of them are exactly as that sentence above.

And if you haven't entered yet, Sniffly Kitty has a 150-follower giveaway going on. You might want to check that out.

Kiss the Girls by James Patterson

(Photo taken from Amazon)

Title: Kiss the Girls
Author: James Patterson
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Language: English
ISBN - 10: 0446601241
ISBN - 13: 978-0446601245
Rating:







A dedicated policeman and psychologist. A killer in the West coast who calls himself, "Gentleman Caller," and a killer in the East coast who calls himself, "Casanova." Several females murdered and missing. Gruesome killings and tortures in graphic detail. Ah, classic James Patterson indeed.

Every time I read books from the likes of James Patterson, Thomas Harris, and John Sanford, I can't help thinking: "They all look like sweet, cute, huggable grandpas, and they write really scary stuff like this. Are they for real?" Of course they are. And they totally rock!

This story is the second installment in the Alex Cross series. This time, Alex hunts down two killers whom he suspects to be working together with each other, what he calls "twinning". Alex's niece is one of those missing women that one of the killers may have taken, and he comes rushing to help solve the case and on the way encounters familiar friends and new characters that gives this novel its thrilling, snappy appeal.

I like the novel's fast pace and economic dialogue. The flow of the story is precise, creative, and suspense-filled, that you can't help but hurry to the next chapter. However, for maximum appreciation, you must savor every detail in this story and let it come to you - just be sure to lock all your doors and windows, and keep the lights in your room open. I did all those things in the middle of reading this. I was totally hooked but paranoid! But, although the story is very action-packed, I just can't resist thinking that it's very predictable/unpredictable in that, if you are like me who reads and thinks about this book at the same time, you can already figure out some of the twists but you still get this strange feeling that when you get to a predicted twist, the author turns the tables on you and surprises you with stuff you haven't thought of. It's like he's telling you, "Gotcha there, didn't I?"

But as much as I would love to rave about this book, there is one quirk though, that I didn't like much: the romance between Alex Cross and an escaped victim. I mean, come on, they've only known each other what, a few weeks? And then there's the trauma the victim went through. Was it really that easy to get over and decide that you're in love again? No matter how strong a person is, stress will still be stress. It's not just something you take for granted - you have to deal with it first before you can get on with your life. And I'm talking about really heavy stress here.

Overall, I really liked this book and it certainly got me curious about the other ones on the series. Other readers have their vampires and what-not. I have psychotic killers and gruesome murders. Bring it!