Johannson Down the Rabbit Hole
Actress and new mom Scarlett Johannson recently stepped into Audible Studios to record Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The novel, an enduring favorite for a broad range of ages, celebrated its 150th birthday this year. Johannson’s sister, fellow actress and experienced audiobook narrator Vanessa Johannson, served as director on the project. The recording is scheduled for a Feb. 23, 2016, release.
There Ain’t Nothing like a Dame
Esteemed British actress and Downton Abbey scene-stealer Maggie Smith is the subject of a new biography, Maggie Smith by Michael Coveney, on sale from Macmillan Audio December 29. Actress Sian Thomas, who played Amelia Bones in the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix film, narrates this portrait, which draws from personal archives, as well as interviews with immediate family and close friends, and which was written with Smith’s blessing.
Lemoncello Author Reads and Runs
Chris Grabenstein, author of the puzzled-filled children’s book Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library (Random, 2013), is an avid listener of audiobooks who uses them for treadmill motivation, according to his publisher. Grabenstein’s cardio stamina likely proved an asset when he recently narrated his author’s note for the Listening Library audiobook edition of his forthcoming sequel, Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics, narrated by Jesse Bernstein and set for simultaneous publication with the hardcover on Jan. 5, 2016.
A Movie Memoir
Actress, screenwriter, and producer Ileana Douglas, an avowed film buff, recently gave voice to her memoir, I Blame Dennis Hopper: And Other Stories from a Life Lived in and out of the Movies, for the Tantor Audio production, being published December 22. Douglas uses humor as she describes how her parents, influenced by the 1969 movie Easy Rider, gave her a childhood filled with hippies and free spirits. She also gives her take on key roles and moments in her film career, including being discovered by Martin Scorsese.
