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Netflix plans to create a new original series based on A Series of Unfortunate Events. Lemony Snicket wrote 13 installments for his popular children’s book series so there is plenty of material to source for story lines.

According to Deadline, “Netflix is producing the project, which is being fast-tracked, with Paramount Television. Paramount was behind the 2004 movie starring Jim Carrey, which grossed $209 million worldwide.”

Netflix has a track record for using books as inspiration for its original series projects. House of Cards debuted in February 2013 and Orange Is the New Black came out in July 2013.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Photo by Vicky Lorencen

Yes, I’ve been on the back of a motorcycle (once). I floated in the gondola of a hot air balloon, sat in the front seat of a whirling helicopter, cuddled with a Burmese python, sang an original song to hundreds while wearing a helmet with horns and even walked the streets of Chicago’s north side, but those were exceptions to my usual play-it-safe life. Oh, and once, I even used a public restroom without putting one of those paper doilies on the seat first. So, yep, I guess you could say I’ve sauntered on the wild side a time or two. (I saw you roll your eyes, by the way!)

But here’s what I know: you get what you risk for (or at the very least, you up your chances exponentially).

This spring, comedian Jim Carrey addressed the graduating class of Maharishi School of Management in Iowa. In a rare moment of transparency, Carrey shared how his father had the potential to be professional comedian, but opted to become an accountant because he thought it was the safer choice. It was not. He lost his job.

“So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality,” Carrey said. “I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which, was that you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”

Is there a polished manuscript that’s “circling the airport” because you’re afraid of rejection? Submit it.
Is there an agent you want to query? Do it.

Feel the fear, but do what you want to do anyway. You can do this. (And I will join you.)

A ship is always safe at the shore, but that is not what it is built for. ~ Albert Einstein

Here are some literary events to pencil in your calendar this week.

To get your event posted on our calendar, visit our Facebook Your Literary Event page. Please post your event at least one week prior to its date.

Heidi Boghosian will headline a conversation event about her new book, Spying on Democracy, at the Hillside Club. Join in on Tuesday, October 1st starting 8 p.m. (Berkeley, CA)

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Actor and author Jim Carrey self-published his kid’s book this week, and posted a photograph in character for Dumb & Dumber To to promote the book.

In the photo, Carrey reads How Roland Rolls upside down with Jeff Daniels–both of them dressed as characters from the hit 1994 comedy, Dumb & Dumber.

Earlier this year, Carrey spoke about his decision to self-publish:  “I’m going to self-publish, because that’s just the world right now and I think it’s cool.” (Via Gawker)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective actor Jim Carrey will self-publish a “metaphysical children’s book” entitled How Roland Rolls.

During an interview with HitFix, (embedded above, book discussion at 2:20 mark), Carrey explained: “I’m going to self-publish, because that’s just the world right now and I think it’s cool.” He also promised that the book will be “beautifully-illustrated,” telling the story of a little wave named Roland.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone star plans to release the book in September. Yahoo! News reports that Carrey wrote the book “in part for his grandson.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Dear Film industry: Your metadata is not granular enough. The MPIAA ratings G, PG, PG-13, and R do not fulfill my needs.

I need information relevant to my particular disinterests. I need to know ahead of time if a movie contains elements that I consider unacceptable. I’m not talking about sex, drugs, or violence. I need to know if a movie contains cannibalism, synthesizers, or Jim Carrey.

Here is the film rating system we really need:

Rated A for An Animal is Harmed

As far as I’m concerned, decapitated human heads can roll across the screen but if a Golden Retriever gets a hurty paw you had better warn me up front.

Rated B for British Accent Faked by American

I’m looking at you, Andie MacDowell.

Rated C for Creepy Child Singing

You know things are going to get bad when a little girl starts pushing flowers around and singing quietly to herself.

Rated D for Dialog by Committee

“Oh aspiring teen heart-throb, I am attracted to your emergent yet non-threatening sexuality!”

Rated E for Escape in front of Fireball

You know that scene in every action movie ever where the actors run very fast from some sort of physics phenomenon which approaches at exactly running speed? Rated E.

Rated F for Fun Filled Frolic

If a review or worse the movie poster itself describes a “fun filled frolic for the whole family”, Flee.

Rated G for Grab My Hand

Oh no, that character is falling off a building! Grab my hand! DON’T LET GO!

Rated H for Hearts Pulled Out

A little warning before the monkey brains is all I ask.

Rated I for Italian Stallion

Does this film contain excessive amounts of Sylvester Stallone or Jim Carrey? Librarian Avengers have determined that it will be Rated I or J.

Rated J for Jim Carrey

I need advanced notice so I can start running.

Rated K for Keyboard Hacks Network in 2 Clicks

Did you know space aliens use Mac peripheral drivers?

Rated L for Lead Actors in Real-Life Romance

Real-life chemistry rarely translates well to the big screen.

0 Comments on The Librarian Avengers Film Rating System as of 1/1/1900

Fox has released the official trailer for the film adaptation of Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Above, we’ve embedded the full-length trailer.

What do you think? As we previously noted, the film stars Jim Carrey and is directed by Mark Waters. It will hit theaters on June 17th.

Some parts of the film were shot inside New York City’s historic Flatiron Building, home to several Macmillan offices.  (via Shelf Awareness)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The first book I ever remember reading on my own, for a school assignment, was Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Jim Carrey has reportedly signed on to star as Mr. Popper in the film adaptation of the classic. Here is the release directly from The Hollywood Reporter:

The popular 1938 children’s book “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” finally is marching toward the big screen, with Jim Carrey starring as a businessman who inherits a flock of penguins.

Carrey’s casting follows a search for a lead actor that seemed to last longer than a forced march to the South Pole.

Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Owen Wilson were among those who circled an updated adaptation that will be produced by John Davis for Fox before talks with Carrey heated up this summer.

The film is on the fast track at Fox and will begin production in October in New York.

Mark Waters is on board to direct a script by Sean Anders and John Morris that modernizes the whimsical story.

In the book, a house painter who dreams of traveling writes a letter to Admiral Drake, who answers him on a radio show and then sends him a penguin captured near the South Pole. Then he gets a second penguin, and that leads to a dozen more and chaos at the painter’s house.

To pay for all this, the painter trains the birds to perform, but his adventure in showbiz doesn’t go well and he eventually travels with the admiral back to the North Pole to release the birds into the wild.

In the new version, Carrey plays a New York businessman who receives a half-dozen penguins who wreak havoc on his business and apartment before he finds important life lessons in their presence.

Carrey most recently was heard onscreen as the voice of Scrooge in the CGI remake of “A Christmas Carol,” which opened in December. His most recent live-action role was in Warner Bros.’ “Yes Man” which opened in late 2008 and grossed nearly $100 million in the U.S. and about $226 million worldwide, good for anyone else but only average for Carrey.

Carrey also has completed a starring role as a gay man in “I Love You Phillip Morris,” which screened last year at Sundance and Cannes and has opened overseas but does not have a U.S. release date.

Carrey had been rumored to be considering a half-dozen or more other movies, but his publicist said Friday that there are no other movies to which he is attached.

Guess which celebrity has "a children's book in him?" You'll be glad to hear it's Jim Carrey.

Joel Stein writes, for Time, "he's also got a children's book in him. 'It's called Cynthia's New Friend. It's about how we hate change. We hate people to change because we're afraid they'll fly away.'"

Sounds like a good one, no? It has a message! We all love that.