Super Great. Extra Gatsby.

Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet came out when I was a senior in high school and let me tell you, it was an event. We had just finished reading Shakespeare's play in English class, and our whole class went to the movie together. (Our teacher refused to come along). We all bought the soundtrack. It was the first time a piece of literature we had to read for class had been made into a movie that didn't seem like the first movie ever made. Honestly, my heart beats fast thinking about it. All those bright colors and lavish sets and ungovernable passions. Dude's movies get mixed reviews, but that film, at that time, with that cast, in those colors left an impression on me. It left an impression on all of us.

Jordan Baker was always my favorite.

AND YOU GUYS, it could happen to you. Lots of people will probably go to see Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby this spring. Some will love it, some will hate it. But YOU folks, YOU are the ones who will get to experience a Baz Luhrmann treatment of a book you may be slogging through in English class. YOU will get to see the story (which, full disclosure, is one of my favorite stories of all time) (I'm sure you couldn't tell by the breathless nature of this post) you are reading, not by choice, on a giant screen, in a giant way. It's kind of special.

Anyway, the movie doesn't come out until May, and we've already posted the trailer, but take a look at these character posters they've released. I love the way they all have a quote from the book attached to them.

Sometimes you just need to get excited.

Weird and Worrisome Wikipedia

There's a huge display of terrifying books in the Teen Room right now. Do monsters scare you? We've got monsters. Do aliens scare you? We've got aliens. Do ghosts scare you? We've got ghosts. Do demons scare you? We've got demons. Do your fellow humans scare you? We've got plenty of humans who are up to no good.

If you want to read about real life scary things (or at least things that scare people in real life), just click on over to The Hairpin! They've made an amazing list of Wikipedia Entries to Read in the Dark. Dang. And here you thought Wikipedia was just for finding out where Channing Tatum grew up, or cramming as much knowledge about Alexander the Great into your head as you can before the big test. Oh, no, no, guys. It's also for being scared out of your pants.

The ones about haunted pets shook me up the most (especially the one about the haunted bridge where dogs commit suicide! Ahhhh!). But read through and decide for yourself. You think it's going to be like homework, then you're not going to be able to sleep....

The Oldest High Schoolers

Have you ever been watching a teen movie, especially one from back in the day (meaning before, like, 2002), and wondered why all the teenagers look so OLD? Have you found yourself wondering if high schoolers in the 80's and 90's just looked older than teens do now?

You're not alone! Or crazy! Movie-makers try to get away with some amazing business when they cast movies. Enjoy this slideshow of some of the oldest high schoolers to ever grace the screen.

And just in case you think this is just a way-back-then problem, let me point out that Channing Tatum is only one year younger than me, and Step Up only came out a few years ago. Mmmhmmm...