Favorite Romantic Scenes of All Time: Love Actually

Today's special guest is one of the funniest ladies I know. Jill Monroe is the author of "Wet and Wild" in the upcoming ENDLESS SUMMER ANTHOLOGY (Harlequin Blaze, July 2009), and her novel SEALEd AND DELIVERED will be on a shelf near you this November. She's also one of the creators of Author Talk. I had the joy of filming one of these hilarious (and certainly now infamous!) Author Talk skits with her and her partner in crime, Gena Showalter, for my GODS OF MIDNIGHT series. Without further ado...

When Deidre asked me which romantic scene from a movie was my favorite, I only had to narrow it down to...which Colin Firth movie. So many choices, Colin in a wet shirt in Pride and Prejudice bumping into the woman who'd rejected him months earlier - charming and awkward and sexy...just the way I like my men. And of course there's Colin Firth telling Bridget Jones he likes her just the way she is - charming and accepting and sexy...even more ways I like my men.

But then it hit me, my all time favorite romantic scene is from Love Actually, which stars Colin as Jamie. As he tells Aurelia, in butchered Portuguese, that he loves her, tears are streaming down my face (although it has been pointed out that I'm an easy crier - I sobbed watching Mama Mia, which also stars you know who).

Thus started a three day quest to find the video of that scene. It's not anywhere. I tried YouTube, Google and IMDB, although I could find it in another language, which may have been Italian, but without the English subtitles, the humor of the scene was lost. BUT here it is in plain text (courtesy IMDB):

"Beautiful Aurelia, I've come here with a view of asking you to marriage me. I know I seems an insane person - because I hardly knows you - but sometimes things are so transparency, they don't need evidential proof. And I will inhabit here, or you can inhabit with me in England."

Her response, in butchered English is just as romantic because it shows to Jamie that in their separation she'd been thinking about him just as much, even trying to learn his language:

"Thank you. That will be nice. Yes is being my answer. Easy question."

The scene below is when they part. To me, it's romantic because it's heartbreaking. Brilliant actor that Colin is, his face shows so much - his hope and yearning, but also his pain and frustration. This is followed by the physical comedy of almost walking into each other, which proves great comedy is emotional. It's the second most perfect romantic scene!

*Technical Note* This video cannot be embedded. You'll have to make a trip over to the You Tube theater! Click here. It's so worth it ;).

Michelle Buonfiglio Picks BUTTERFLY TATTOO as a Top Ten Beach Read!

If you're aching to dive into the perfect summer read, Michelle Buonfiglio of Romance B(u)y the Book's Unabashedly Pleasurable Beach Reads will steer you in the right direction. The article is featured on BarnesandNoble.com, and guess what's at the top of her list? BUTTERFLY TATTOO!

Here's what Michelle said about the book:

After his lover's tragic death, Michael finds unexpected solace in the arms of a woman whose ability to overcome her own pain might calm his - and reunite him with his daughter. A brilliant exploration of the fluidity of sexuality - and the tenacity of the human spirit. Sure to grace many Best of '09 lists.

Click here to read the rest of the Top Ten list.

Favorite Romantic Scenes of All Time: Love in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Today, I have a special treat! Agent Nephele Tempest is sharing her most beloved romantic scene of all time for our summer film festival! So grab your popcorn, and get ready for the show!

I have a thing for bad boys. I also prefer my romantic couples with a little bit of snark, some witty banter back and forth, a healthy dose of teasing, and preferably a few sparks flying before they get to anything too mushy. No simpering heroines waiting to be rescued, thank you very much. They need to be feisty enough to keep those bad-boy heroes on their toes. So it probably comes as no surprise that one of my favorite onscreen couples ever is Han Solo and Princess Leia.

When THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK first hit theaters, I was eleven years old and perfectly primed for the Han and Leia romance. When they started snapping back and forth in the frozen hallways of the Rebel base on Hoth, I sighed happily. I smirked when Han got jealous over Leia kissing the injured Luke. And when the base was under attack and Han insisted on getting Leia out safely, I grinned from ear to ear. But nothing made my little pre-teen heart go pitter pat quite like their first kiss scene on the Millennium Falcon. A quiet corner, a little bit of welding, some hand rubbing and whispered banter. And that kiss. Han didn't even let her finish her sentence. I was hooked. Several decades later, that scene still makes me melt. After all, every girl needs a scoundrel or two in her life.

Guest Blogging @ Romance Reader at Heart's Novel Thoughts Today!

Come check me out at Novel Thoughts and Book Talk today! I'm talking about the phases of a writer's life and, of course, there's a great book giveaway!

Radio Star!

Deidre's interview with BlogTalkRadio's Cat Johnson live from the Romantic Times Convention in Orlando is now available. Click here to listen! (First interview, lasts 20 minutes)

Favorite Romantic Scenes of All Time: The Greatest Love of All

If we didn’t love it, we wouldn’t do it; we might even run from it. And I’m not talking about my addiction to Scrabble or scratch off lottery tickets or even TIVO.

I mean writing. My calling, my unshakeable gift. Yep, if we didn’t love it, would any one of us do it? The long hours, the angst, the self-doubt…but ah, the occasional soaring highs when breakthrough comes.

As it happens I spent this weekend following the #RWAChange chatter on Twitter—and working toward two separate deadlines. What a perfect backdrop for having watched one of the best writer movies of all time, and one that really captures our love affair with the writing life, WONDER BOYS. My favorite moment is when Katie Holmes character has just read most of Professor Tripp (Michael Douglas)’s 2700 page manuscript. He asks what she thinks; she hesitates then says, “You know how in writing class, you say that writers have to make choices?” He nods. “Well, and I could be wrong, but it sort of seems like you didn’t make any choices.”

Isn’t that our life story as writers? Struggling to make the choices—what to put on the page, what to leave off, what to leave in our twisted brains, what to share. I couldn’t find that clip, which pains me (if anyone else can, please post a link!), so I opted for the trailer which certainly captures the film’s pathos and writing humor. What are your favorite movies, books or television shows that look at the writing life??

Favorite Romantic Scenes of All Time: Bull Durham

One of my fave author friends, Maria Geraci, is carrying the torch today in the next installment of our mini summer film fest. Take it away Maria!

Oh My!

Anyone who’s read my recent debut novel, BUNCO BABES TELL ALL, knows that my main character, Kitty, has a slight problem. Eighteen years ago, she fell in love with Crash Davis, the character played by Kevin Costner in the film Bull Durham, and unfortunately for Kitty, her movie crush has interfered with her finding a real live, flesh and blood man who can compete.

So, I have to admit, as Kitty’s creator, her crush is my crush. And it all began with the famous “I believe” speech. Maybe it’s not terribly romantic, but honestly, is there anything sexier than Kevin’s (er, I mean, Crash’s) speech?

It Just Isn’t Summer Unless…

What movie says “summer” to you?? For me, and this may seem just a tad perverse, but that movie is Jaws. Every summer I have to break out the DVD, much like I must watch Christmas Vacation and It’s a Wonderful Life in December. So last night, I watched the movie and tweeted about my annual tradition.

Guess what I found out? Thanks to some of my Twitter friends, I learned that I am not alone! That there are other oddballs like me who equate watching JAWS with summer or Fourth of July weekend! So that got me thinking about my series featuring favorite romantic moments in flicks, and I KNEW I had to post the below. I’ve featured it before, a few years ago, but I think it’s perfect for our Most Romantic Moments series!