Latest news with #NancyDrew
New Indian Express
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
The Powerpuff girl
My process is—I have no process,' says Sonakshi Sinha with a laugh, as she steps into the role of a super sleuth in the upcoming supernatural thriller Nikita Roy. 'It was a very interesting premise,' she says, her eyes lighting up with childlike nostalgia. 'You know, when we were kids, we used to read Nancy Drew books. She'd solve all these mysteries—and this script took me right back to that. I was like, 'Whoa, that's pretty cool. I'd love to do that.' Directed by her brother Kussh Sinha, Nikita Roy might look like a family affair on the surface, but Sonakshi is quick to clarify that her decision to join the project came from a place of artistic curiosity, not familial obligation. 'It could've been made by anyone, not necessarily my family. That's not a reason I would say yes to a film,' she says, as candid as ever. 'I told Kussh, 'Show me the script.' I read it and I liked it. It was a film that had come to me a long time back, but you know how sometimes people just disappear? And then it circled back.' And as for supernatural elements like those in Nikita Roy, where does she stand? 'I'm on the fence. Sometimes I do believe in it, sometimes I don't,' she says.
USA Today
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The case of the missing funding: Nancy Drew filmmaker turns to fans after feds cut grant
The Trump administration cancelled millions in arts funding. A film about the beloved Nancy Drew series was on the chopping block. Cathleen O'Connell didn't need a flashlight or an amateur sleuth to grasp what it meant when the Trump administration pulled her funding for a film about fictional crime-solver Nancy Drew. Her project about the fearless detective, who was authored by multiple writers under one pen name, was all but over. The National Endowment for the Humanities terminated hundreds of grants in April, citing belt-tightening and a re-aligning of "priorities." O'Connell saw her prestigious $600,000 award disappear like a phantom in the books she adored as a child. She despaired. Then she thought: What would Nancy do? "Nancy Drew wouldn't give up," she said of the beloved literary heroine who would always crack the case. "Having had so much support of people along the way, I didn't want to let them down either." Now the filmmaker has turned to a Kickstarter campaign to make up some of the difference in funding. She lost $350,000 in federal grant money and is hoping to raise at least $95,000 by July 30 to finish the documentary she started, "Nancy Drew: The Case of the American Icon," she said. The campaign met O'Connell's original $50,000 goal in 11 days, she said. The response convinced her she could raise more and make the film she first envisioned. "Kickstarter let us get in touch with our audience, tap the fan base and get them excited about the project," she said. To the more than 400 people who have donated, she said, "I've written a thank you note to every one." 95 years of mysteries solved This year marks Nancy Drew's 95th anniversary. The series debuted in 1930 (with "The Secret of the Old Clock") and has sold more than 70 million copies over nearly a century, according to publisher Penguin Random House. Curious details tied all the books together: the luncheons with her father Carson Drew, her trusty female side kicks Bess and George, a blue roadster and a tenacity that always led Nancy to solve the mystery. In her research for the film, O'Connell found that the amateur detective – an icon of fearlessness and female ingenuity in the 20th century – was still inspiring readers in the 21st, with updated storylines, illustrated versions and new videogames. Hundreds of arts grants cancelled O'Connell won the federal humanities grant on the back of a 106-page proposal that took nearly a year to write and edit. Landing the grant was like winning the Pulitzer Prize or earning a PhD, she said. Then, at President Donald Trump's direction, billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency began searching for ways to slash federal spending. The email hit her project inbox at 11:30 p.m. on April 3. "Your grant no longer effectuates the agency's needs and priorities," said the email signed by Michael McDonald, NEH acting director, a portion of which was shared with USA TODAY. He added: "The NEH is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President's agenda." Early on, DOGE was "still in chainsaw mode," O'Connell said. Her grant was among roughly 1,000 cancelled by the NEH. The federal agency didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. A box in the attic O'Connell, 60, grew up in rural Maine. She'd save her 25-cent weekly allowance to buy a Nancy Drew book – then $1.25 – each time a new one came out. Then she'd bury herself in the sleuth's latest adventure. Years ago, O'Connell found a box in her attic filled with yellow-bound volumes with titles like The Secret of the Forgotten City and Mystery of Crocodile Island. She knew author "Carolyn Keene" wasn't a real person but a pseudonym for a slew of hired writers. She wanted to learn more. "I wanted to watch a documentary," she said. "There wasn't one. People have asked me, 'Why are you doing this?' The question is, why hasn't this been done before?"
Irish Examiner
12-07-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Books are my business: Dublin Unesco City of Literature director Anne-Marie Kelly
Anne-Marie Kelly is director of Dublin Unesco City of Literature. How did you become a librarian? I was a big reader, but there weren't many books in my house growing up in the 1970s and '80s, like most people of that generation. When I was about seven or eight, my dad took me down to the local library in Malahide; it was closed at the time for renovations, and there was a mobile library service instead, in a van beside the tennis club. I could not believe that a truck had books on it. I used to go in to the library after school, I would run up the stairs to see if I could get a Nancy Drew or Enid Blyton. When I left school, I didn't know what I wanted to do and I fell into the library service. I realised I liked it, especially dealing with the public. I worked in the busiest library in the country, the Central Library in the Ilac Centre in Dublin; I was sent there as a relief library assistant to sign up people when it opened to the public 40 years ago. In 2021, I was assigned to my current role. I had previously worked as a library manager assigned to the development section of the city libraries, with responsibility for programming events. I had experience of working with many partners, practical skills, in terms of understanding budgets and processes, and also an understanding of the cultural impact our services have on the local community, as readers, but also as users of public library spaces. What does your current role involve? I help to promote Dublin as a city of literature, support the literary community, and strengthen links between the partners. I also represent the city on the Unesco Creative Cities Network. The office celebrates our great writing traditions and heritage, but also brings the talents of writers to the readers as well. I'm well placed within the libraries, but I also have a city-wide bird's eye view of what's happening in other organisations, such as Poetry Ireland, the Irish Writers' Centre, the Museum of Irish Literature, and the National Library, which we involve in initiatives like the One Dublin One Book programme. Another one of my briefs is overseeing the Dublin International Literary Award. There is a lot of time involved in terms of events, organising programming, venues, capacity, ticketing, and so on. We try to identify themes that will make a programme interesting and attract an audience. We will select a book for One Dublin One Book during the summer, so I will always find time for reading, on the bus or train, on the way to work or going home. Today, we were linking in with the deputy lord mayor of Lyons in France, which is another Unesco City of Literature team. We are always looking at potential contacts and how those can benefit our own literary community. We also use our online platforms to promote what is available to our own writers and poets internationally, in terms of residencies and so on. What do you like most about what you do? Giving opportunities to writers. At the end of the summer, I will be contacting someone about being selected as the One Dublin One Book author next year. That is something that comes out of the blue for them and I love to see their reaction. What do you like least about it? What can be quite frustrating is when you get a programme together, people have booked in for events and they don't show up. It has made me more aware that when I book something, I will email if I can't make it. Three desert island books My favourite book of all time is a tiny paperback by Carson McCullers called The Member of the Wedding. It took her six years to write and there isn't a word out of place. It is set in the Deep South in the 1940s, and the main character is a young girl, who sees her older brother getting married and thinks that she can go off and live with him and his new wife. It is sweet, but also very knowing, capturing the turbulence of neither being an adult or a child. The next one would be Walk the Blue Fields, the collection of short stories by Claire Keegan, which are jewels of writing. I cannot believe her talent. The third one would be Solar Bones by Mike McCormack, another writer that I really love. The character is talking about his own life from the other side of the grave, and it's just wonderful, really original. Read More Books are my business: Librarian Mary Conway
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Nancy Drew Inspired Lisa Scottoline's Recent Splurge
In an email interview, the author shared how her mother first discouraged, then championed, her wish for a literary life. SCOTT HELLER How do you organize your books? The only thing organized in my house are my books. I have over 5,000, divided into signed books, fiction and nonfiction. I even have brass plaques of the subject areas, like Dogs and Horses. I'm basically a book fetishist. Do you prefer books that reach you emotionally, or intellectually? Both. Extra credit for a book that reaches your soul, too. Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine? Nancy Drew. The character of a young woman driving a roadster anywhere she wants, doing anything she wants, grabbed me and didn't let go. She speaks to me still. I just bought a roadster. What's your favorite book no one else has heard of? I adored 'History,' by Elsa Morante, which is about a woman living through wartime Rome. Morante is underappreciated here, but you could draw a throughline from her to the terrific Elena Ferrante, who wrote 'My Brilliant Friend.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
She starred in iconic 90s teen drama that made household names of her co-stars... can you guess who it is?
This actress embodied the quintessential girl-next-door in a fictional Massachusetts coastal town on a legendary 90s teen drama - a groundbreaking series that catapulted many of its stars into lasting Hollywood fame. Think you know who it is? Born in Texas and raised in Illinois after her parents' separation, this star discovered a passion for the performing arts early on and went on to pursue a modeling career in New York City after graduating high school. Before ever stepping onto a film set, she quietly built a presence behind the scenes - appearing on product packaging like a Conair hair crimper and on the covers of five books in the iconic Nancy Drew mystery series. In 1996, she finally made her television debut in a Tylenol Sinus commercial, a small but significant step that opened the door to future roles on screen. That same year, her modeling career soared as she landed spots in a wave of television commercials and magazine ads for major brands, including L'Oreal hair-care, Disney Resort, Huffy bicycles, Ford cars, and Mattel toys. Her early modeling success quickly led her to a real film set, where she stepped into the role of a confident, determined young teacher facing the harsh realities of a tough inner-city school in an episode of ABC's Dangerous Minds. Her growing exposure soon earned her a small recurring role on the short-lived 90s drama Sunset Beach, where she played a pregnant teenager navigating life in a tight-knit California town where everybody knows everybody's business. However, it wasn't until her sun-kissed blonde hair, approachable smile and all-American charm landed her a series regular role on a beloved '90s drama that she truly cemented her place in television history. This actress portrayed a cheerful, high-achieving blonde teenager who, beneath her sunny, determined exterior, wrestled with profound personal struggles - including anxiety, depression and complex family trauma. Navigating Capeside High School alongside her friends as they transitioned to college and adulthood, she quickly became a fan favorite over three seasons - her character playing a pivotal role in reshaping how television addressed mental health. With a career spanning over 25 years, this star has amassed more than 80 acting credits across a diverse array of films, television shows and guest appearances. Have you been able to guess who it is yet? It's Meredith Monroe! The now 55-year-old actress masterfully captured the vulnerable and emotionally layered essence of 14-year-old Andie McPhee - the somewhat stubborn, preppy blonde teen at the core of the hit 90s drama, Dawson's Creek. Running for six seasons, the series saw Monroe become an essential presence after joining the main cast in season two, where she was introduced as fiercely intelligent but troubled girl with an unrelenting drive for success. Her arrival at Capeside High School added a new layer of emotional depth to the series, as she stepped into the story while grieving the loss of her brother, Tim, and caring for a mentally ill mother. Andie was one of the earliest characters on mainstream TV to openly grapple with mental health struggles - a bold and groundbreaking departure from the norms of TV at the time. She embodied the kind of character who tries to fix everything - when she's quietly unraveling herself. Though she cared deeply for her group of friends, Andie brought a layer of realistic complexity to the teen series, as the show portrayed her own gradual downfall under the weight of family trauma and the pressure to maintain good grades. Monroe's character also marked a turning point for Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson), whose relationship with her sparked significant emotional and academic growth, helping him mature in ways the series hadn't previously explored. She also played a legendary role in one of the most revolutionary LGBTQ+ storylines on television at the time, with her unwavering support for her brother Jack after he came out. Throughout Monroe's time on the show, her character's mental health steadily deteriorated, ultimately leading her to push Pacey away at times. Her notable departure from the show come Season 4 was intricately aligned with her character's arc, as she chose to study abroad after years of grappling with her own emotional well-being. She also played a legendary role in one of the most revolutionary LGBTQ+ storylines on television at the time, with her unwavering support for her brother Jack after he came out serving as a powerful message of acceptance After leaving the show in 2000, she returned to the Dawson's Creek universe to film the graduation episode. The beloved show served as a launching pad for several actors who would go on to become household names including Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson. While Monroe didn't achieve the same level of Hollywood fame as some of her co-stars, she has maintained a steady and consistent television career since her departure. Since then, she has found success with the ABC film The One, a major role in ABC series Married to the Kellys, and a small appearance in Minority Report. More recently, she has landed recurring roles on Criminal Minds, Hart of Dixie and 13 Reasons Why, along with numerous guest appearances on a variety of popular shows. In 1999, Monroe married Steven Kavovit, a massage therapist. Together, the pair have two children together and reside in Calabasas, California.
