Every year my family does a sort of Secret Santa. It’s slightly different, more similar to the Dutch tradition of ’surprises’ (which you pronounce the Dutch way: so soo-pree-sez). I’ll blog about that more when the Christmas season really starts.

For now, I wanted to share with you two cool things I’ll be participating in this Christmas:

The first is a Secret Santa for the book blogging community and its readers. Each person has to get a book for someone else. Cool, right? I know it will be even trickier getting something for someone you don’t know than someone you do, but it sounds like it could be great fun! Check out the details on The Neverending Shelf.

The second is similar: the Book Blogger Holiday Swap. I wasn’t really sure if I should enter or not; I do write a lot about books, but also about loads of other stuff. Still, it sounds like a great idea, and it would be brilliant to surprise someone on the other side of the world with some cute gifts!

Yesterday it was announced that the Terminator franchise rights are up for sale, and now Joss Whedon has written a hilarious letter to the franchise owners to buy the rights for $10,000. The piece is just so funny I had to repost it here (you can find the original on Whedonesque):

An Open Letter to the Terminator Owners. From a Very Important Hollywood Mogul

Dear Sirs/Ma’ams,

I am Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind Titan A.E., Parenthood (not the movie) (or the new series) (or the one where ‘hood’ was capitalized ’cause it was a pun), and myriad other legendary tales. I have heard through the ‘grapevine’ that the Terminator franchise is for sale, and I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up. This is not a joke, this is not a scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a check TODAY for $10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.

No, you didn’t miscount. That’s four — FOUR! — zeroes after that one. That’s to show you I mean business. And I mean show business. Nikki Finke says the Terminator concept is played. Well, here’s what I have to say to Nikki Finke: you are a fine journalist and please don’t ever notice me. The Terminator story is as formative and important in our culture — and my pretend play — as any I can think of. It’s far from over. And before you Terminator-Owners (I have trouble remembering names) rush to cash that sweet cheque, let me give you a taste of what I could do with that franchise:

1) Terminator… of the Rings! Yeah, what if he time-travelled TOO far… back to when there was dragons and wizards? (I think it was the Dark Ages.) Hasta La Vista, Boramir! Cool, huh? “Now you gonna be Gandalf the Red!” RRRRIP! But then he totally helps, because he’s a cyborg and he doesn’t give a s#&% about the ring — it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he’s doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it. (I will also offer $10,000 for the Lord of the Rings franchise).

2) More Glau. Hey. There’s a reason they’re called “Summer” movies.

3) Can you say… musical? Well don’t. Even I know that’s an awful idea.

4) Christian Bale’s John Connor will get a throat lozenge. This will also help his Batwork (ten grand for that franchise too, btw.)

5) More porn. John Connor never told Kyle Reese this, but his main objective in going to the past was to get some. What if there’s a lot of future-babies that have to be made? Cue wah-wah pedal guitar — and dollar signs!

6) The movies will stop getting less cool.

Okay. There’s more — this brain don’t quit! (though it has occasionally been fired) — but I think you get my drift. I really believe the Terminator franchise has only begun to plumb the depths of questioning the human condition during awesome stunts, and I’d like to shepherd it through the next phase. The money is there, but more importantly, the heart is there. But more importantly, money. Think about it. End this bloody bidding war before it begins, and put the Terminator in the hands of someone who watched the first one more than any other movie in college, including “Song of Norway” (no current franchise offer). Sincerely, Joss Whedon.

Okay, okay, I know, I’ve been really lax in posting trailers lately, and I haven’t done a Trailerrific Thursday for ages! Hopefully I’ll manage to catch up this week, but for now you have to check out this awesome trailer from Prince of Persia.

Prince of Persia was the one of the first computer games I played, and when I heard there would be a movie, I had my fingers crossed that they wouldn’t mess it up. The casting of Jake Gyllenhaal as the prince had me slightly worried, and I’m still not sure whether it would have been smarter to have gone with someone different. He looks the part, but it’s not how I imagined the Prince to be. One thing that has me optimistic though is that the man behind the original game, Jordan Mechner, is also behind the script of this movie (and he was also involved in the fourth Prince of Persia on which this movie is based).

So, here’s the trailer (although there is a way better high quality one on IGN):

It’s feeling a lot like The Mummy meets Pirates of the Caribbean set in Persia. I am liking it, but then, I loved the first installments of The Mummy and Pirates of the Caribbean. I’m a sucker for dusty, period set adventure movies, and Prince of Persia seems straight up that alley.

What do you think? Is it what you imagined a movie version of Prince of Persia would look like? Discuss in the comments.