More Kevin, extras and workshops

Excuse my need to do a little inbox housekeeping. Below are a few items of interest to actors, nonactors and, well, me:

• Locally connected actor Kevin Rahm, who's now on "Desperate Housewives," also appeared on the season premiere of "Scrubs." Click here to watch the episode at NBC.com, and one cheer for Kevin. Thanks for the tips, AC.
  
• The feature film "Feast 2: Sloppy Seconds" is currently shooting in Plain Dealing and needs extras. Since this movie is about a ferocious hungry monster, you might get lucky and get eaten. Log on to Glorioso Casting to register, and two cheers for sequels. Yum, yum.
  
• Local theater actor/director Mary Thoma also acts in movies. She will teach a character-crafting workshop for young actors on Saturday, Nov. 3, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Bossier Arts Council's East Bank Theatre. It is open for actors ages 10 to 15. For info, email Mmatters3@bellsouth.net or call the East Bank Theatre at (318) 741-8310. Cost is $80. Three cheers for Mary.
  
• Local movie actress Megan Brown is teaching two-day intro to film acting workshops for child and teen actors on Saturday, Nov. 3, and Sunday, Nov. 4. Ages 7 to 12 meet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. Ages 14 to 18 meet from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Workshops are presented by Acclaim Talent Agency. For info, contact Megan at me@meganbrown.net or call (813) 690-2230. Cost is $150 each and $100 more for an extra sibling. Four cheers for Megan.
  
• If you need full info about these workshops, check the comments below, where I've posted the full text from their emails. Hip-hop hooray ... ho, hey, ho.

Movie releases galore

Leave for a weekend fishing trip and what do I get? Emails galore about new movie releases. I should fish more often.

"Mad Money," which was shot in Shreveport and stars Diane Keaton, Katie Holmes and Queen Latifah, will be released Jan. 18, 2008. Click here to visit the website, see the trailer and find the pictured desktop wallpaper.

"The Great Debaters" appears to be arguing for Oscar consideration. It was shot in Mansfield during the summer and stars Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker. That's going to get a Christmas Day release, according to The Weinstein Company.

And don't forget "The Mist," which was shot mostly inside the soundstage/studio StageWorks Louisiana in downtown Shreveport. That gets a release on Nov. 21. Click here to explore the official website.

NOTE TO READERS: I'm always looking for links to trailers and official websites for movies shot in Louisiana. If you come across any during your Web travels, send me a link and I will feature it on the links that run down the left side of my blog.

Gone fishin' ... back Tuesday

Calling all techies, scribes

LSU in Baton Rouge will sponsor a Digital Media Education Forum on Nov. 1 and 2, plus a Screenwriter Story Development Workshop on Nov. 3 and 4.

According to a press release, "the Forum will involve lectures and roundtable sessions that will allow collaboration and brainstorming between representatives of industry and faculty and administrators from universities. In addition, there will be an opportunity to share curricula, and curriculum plans with industry leaders and academic experts."

Basically, if you're keen on the gaming industry or you're an animator, you need to go to this forum to, at the very least, make some contacts. It will take place at the Lod Cook Conference Center.

Speakers include:

Raquel Benitez, President, Comet Entertainment, Inc.
Susan Gold, GarageGames, Chief of International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Education Framework
Philip Holt, General Manager Electronic Arts - Tiburon
Dan Kelly, Sparter, and formerly THQ Games
Jason Leigh, Director, Electronic Visualization Laboratory
Carman Llanos, COO Comet Entertainment
Peter Raad, Founder and Director, The Guildhall at SMU
Hans Rijpkema, Lead Technical Director Rhythm & Hues Studios
Dawn Rivera-Ernster, Director Talent Development, Walt Disney Animation Studios
Barbara Slade, Walt Disney Development, United Kingdom
Barry Weiss, Senior Vice President, Sony Imageworks
Chris Williams, Director of Animation Program, University of Teesside, Animex International Festival of Animation and Computer Games

Registration is $125. For more information, log on to http://www.cct.lsu.edu/dme/ or call (225) 389-7182 to speak with Stacey Simmons or Amanda Liddell at the Baton Rouge Area Digital Industries Consortium.

...

The screenwriters' workshop will be hosted by Barbara Slade, a Disney Development Executive who has credits with Nickelodeon, Disney, ABC and Fox. It will take place at the Shaw Center for the Arts.

Workshop space is limited to 20 participants, and the registration fee is $195. For more info, call (225) 389-7182.

WSJ covers The Shreve

Another big newspaper found their way to Shreveport's movie industry. Check out page B6 in today's Wall Street Journal. (I can't link to the full story because WSJ.com is subscriber-based, but here's a teaser link.)

Anyway, the article is another overview of what's happened in Shreveport since Katrina. It talks about the new studio going up for Nu Image/Millennium Films in Ledbetter Heights. It provides info on how many flicks have shot here since the storms, and how they are impacting the economy.

Most interesting for readers in The Shreve is this excerpt: "Nearly every sector of the commercial and residential real-estate has benefited from the influx. The industrial market, which has struggled in recent years, perhaps has had the most to gain. The vacancy rate in industrial space has dropped to 20% in June from 26% in 2006, according to a report by the Center for Business and Economic Research at Louisiana State University in Shreveport."

Source: Sadovi, Maura Webber. "Unlikely Star Gets Ready for Hollywood Close Up." Wall Street Journal. Oct. 27, 2007. B6.

Celebrity Theater at the Robinson Film Center

Celebrity Theater Update, October 24, 2007
Originally uploaded by Robinson Film Center

Here's a photo of the Celebrity Theater at the Robinson Film Center, which is under construction in downtown Shreveport. The nonprofit film center is hoping to open in early 2008, at last word. I say skip the seats, throw down some bean bags and start screenin'! All those modern refinements are lost on the simple likes of me.

O lucky me!

If you've ever had the displeasure of chitchatting with me about favorite films, I've undoubtedly mentioned "O Lucky Man!" (1973), a Lindsay Anderson film starring Malcolm McDowell ("A Clockwork Orange," 1971). It is far and away my favorite.

(And I'm thoroughly suspicious of anyone who can't name a single favorite film. You have one, but you just like being enigmatic.)

At long last, the three-hour masterpiece (and I don't use that term lightly) is on DVD. My copy of “O Lucky Man!” shipped yesterday from Amazon.com.

I've been waiting to get this “O Lucky Man!” DVD since my parents bought the double VHS set in the mid-1990s. I stole that copy, and I think the tape is about to break.

"O Lucky Man!" is part two of a Anderson-McDowell rebellion trilogy, where all three protagonists played by McDowell are named Mick Travis. The characters, in my view, are loosely related. They don't share the same histories, apparently, but they are all connected through acts of rebellion.

Part one is "If...." (1968), a story about students revolting against an authoritarian administration. The boys ultimately terrorize the campus of the British Boys School. If you're going to study violence and the moving image, you best start with this one and work your way back through the gangster films of the 1930s. The film has worn very well and resonates powerfully in an era when school shootings are getting more and more puzzling.

Part three is "Britannia Hospital" (1982), a messy film where Mick Travis is an investigative reporter. He secretly tries to document horrific human experiments at a state hospital just as the Queen Mother is set to make her visit. Watch this film last, because it's disappointing compared to the others.

Part two, however, is a brilliant, mysterious work. "O Lucky Man!" is best described as an absurdist satire about a coffee salesman who sets out to conquer his sales district. He discovers a speakeasy and strippers at a grand first-class hotel. A freakish experiment at a hospital. And all sorts of surprises you won’t believe. His salesman credo prevents him from seeing clearly the "world outside," which crumbles more and more as he roams farther away from a life schlepping java.

Alan Price’s score, for which he sings "live" musical interludes, is one of the most perceptive bits of social commentary you'll ever hear in cinema.

These three films typify the free, rebellious tone of art house cinema that gained currency while American studios were struggling to regain dominance. I desperately wish there were more films like them. They are worthy of cult status, partly because their narrative and moral ambiguities reward repeat viewing.

A word of caution. If you didn't get "A Clockwork Orange," or if you view screen ultra-violence as deplorable in any form – cerebral or sensational – don’t bother with this trilogy. You'll hate me for ever mentioning it.

But if you like movies with satirical bite, queue up your Netflix now.

Kevin Rahm takes on 'Desperate Housewives'

Actor Kevin Rahm (left), who has family and a spa in Shreveport, now finds himself working as a recurring character on "Desperate Housewives." He is the self-described "bitchy one" of the new gay couple, which is rounded out by Tuc Watkins.

Here's a link to an article I just filed.

The oddest anecdote from the interview, which I couldn't work in, was that the actors who play husbands park their cars in their on-screen spouse's parking spots. Intentionally sexist? Yes. Funny? Doubly yes.

So far, Rahm's character has battled Susan (Teri Hatcher) twice. Most amusingly, when she introduced herself and said she "watched a lot of cable" and that gay couples were "just great," Rahm (who plays Lee) smiled and retorted, "I hope we can live up to your stereotypes."

MTV's 'Cheerleader Camp' gearing up?

Unconfirmed word is that MTV will shoot a TV pilot here called "Cheerleader Camp." BAM Casting is already seeking extras, so it looks like a go. Click here for more info.

Variety called it a mash-up between "Scream" and "Mean Girls," so that sounds fun.

Here's an overview from Hollywood Reporter, which does not mention Shreveport. The Shreve could use a little campy horror project.

Start date is supposedly Nov. 5, and I'll work to confirm that.

According to a BAM email, here's what's needed for extras:

We are seeking the following:

• REAL HIGHSCHOOL/COLLEGE CHEERLEADERS-Male & Female, must be 18 or over
• ASIAN FAMILY MEMBERS-Various ages
To apply visit our website at www.bamcastingla.com
OR Email a picture, your experience and contact info to:registration@bamcastingla.com

Watch the new 'Mist' trailer

'The Mist' was shot largely inside StageWorks of Louisiana in Shreveport. It's set for a release on Nov. 21.

'Mr. Brooks,' 'Meet the Robinsons' set for DVD releases

Two DVDs with Shreveport connections will be released Tuesday.

Disney’s "Meet the Robinsons," brainchild of Shreveport children’s author William Joyce," tells the story of a boy inventor who travels to technology-driven future to meet a more inventive family and battle the evil Bowler Hat Guy.

"Mr. Brooks," a thriller starring Kevin Costner and William Hurt, was shot in Shreveport in mid-2006. Costner plays a family man with a devilish alter ego: a serial killer driven to dangerous risks by a Mephistophelean inner voice.

When you see them, let me know what you think about the extras.

John Goodman out of Malibu rehab center, says he will stay sober

From the Associated Press

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) - John Goodman has checked out of rehab after being treated for an undisclosed reason.

Entertainment Tonight reported on its Web site that the actor left Promises Treatment Center in Malibu.

It was unclear how long Goodman was in rehab, or when he was released.

The 55-year-old Goodman, a Metairie resident, is best known for playing Dan Conner on the hit sitcom "Roseanne" in the 1980s and '90s. His film credits include "The Big Lebowski," "The Flintstones" and "The Babe."

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

TV, movie studios coming to Alexandria

From the Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA (AP) - Alexandria has been granted $1.7 million in state money to be used partly for the creation of television and movie production studios at England Industrial Airpark.

Receiving the money for a capital state outlay funding project would enter the city into a cooperative endeavor agreement with the state in which a building at the industrial park would be renovated to house both the studios and a medical business incubator.

City officials, who made the announcement at the Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority's regular meeting, were reluctant to say exactly where the studios would be, fearing that releasing too much information could jeopardize ongoing talks with production companies.

Alexandria Economic Development Director Bill Hess estimates leasing the studios could generate $1.9 million to $2.3 million for the city. Hess says as many as 150 jobs per production could be created by the studios.

Officials say one syndicated television show has already signed on to film in Alexandria, and another one is seriously considering Central Louisiana as a filming location.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Bertrand Tavernier disgusted by new '3:10 to Yuma'

French director Bertrand Tavernier dished out some well-earned wisdom during 90-minute public talk with New Orleans documentary filmmaker Michelle Benoit. The talk was among the last events I attended at the New Orleans Film Festival. Tavernier just finished shooting “In the Electric Mist” (which he refused to talk about) in New Iberia and St. Martinville.

Why should you care about Tavernier? He directed “The Clockmaker” (1974), “Let Joy Reign Supreme” (1975), “Clean Slate” (1981), “A Sunday in the Country” (1984), and the very important jazz film “’Round Midnight” (1986). He is also president of Institut Lumiere in Lyon, France.

Below are random excerpts from his talk.

On actors who make distinct character choices: “To me, there are actors you can test in a job and those who are problems. … It’s (about) making them work and bringing me ideas.”

On working with a classroom full of kids for “It All Starts Today”: “To be a teacher to those kids is to be an actor. You have to grab their attention.”

On not writing down ideas: “I’ve never used any kind of storyboard. I have it in my head.”

On the camera and focusing on characters who are trying to hide something (like being drunk): “Close-ups can be immoral.”

On “3:10 to Yuma,” both the original and James Mangold’s remake: “The first version showed that killing was important, that it had consequences. (In the new version) killing is like in a videogame. You can kill 20 people like that. I found that horrifying. That disgusts me … people who live without any consequences for their acts.” (He also hated “The Brave One” for similar reasons.)

On younger viewers and violent imagery in today’s movies: “They have to learn how not to be totally submissive to those images.”

'Mr. Schneider' comes to New Orleans to beat up Washington

NEW ORLEANS -- My favorite conversation so far has been with documentary filmmaker Jonathan Neil Schneider (the bald dude), who is screening "Mr. Schneider Goes to Washington" today at the Prytania Theatre. It's a send-up of campaign financing, lobbyists, and political influence.

This is Schneider's first film festival, and he made his film after becoming sick of his own political apathy. After producing "America's Next Top Model" for four seasons, he decided to throw his producing muscle into pushing for change.

Schneider's decision to bring his doc to New Orleans was simple. "Can you name another city that has been more damaged by the ineffectiveness -- I'm trying to be nice about it -- and the corruptive influences of the lobbyists?" he said. Hopefully he'll find an engaging audience tonight. What's perhaps of second-most importance to filmmakers at festivals -- behind getting a distributor -- is meeting like-minded artists who've thrown themselves into works with limited distribution potential.

"It's people who are passionate about their issues and doing what they can," Schneider said. "You typically find artists at the forefront of the movement. ... This has been the best experience of my life."

Good docs, good discussions so far

NEW ORLEANS -- Screenings for the New Orleans Films Festival have been well attended by both filmmakers and the public. Yesterday, I went to an intriguing dialogue with filmmakers Vince Morelli (pictured below) and Jason Berry. They spoke about their stellar documentary, "Left Behind: The Story of the New Orleans Public Schools."

The investigative work charts the lives of three students during a two-year period. They all graduate and pass the LEAP test, but not without some serious struggles. One student in particular was shot five times and passed the LEAP on his fifth and final time.

Perhaps most shocking about the film was when students brought cameras into the classroom surreptitiously after the filmmakers were repeatedly denied access. In one instance, a teacher wandered disinterestedly in and out of the classroom, flashed his middle finger to the camera and then playfully (or not) double-kicked a student’s butt to get him moving down the hall.

Documentary filmmaker Vince Morelli addresses questions during a panel discussion that followed a screening of the film, “Left Behind: The Story of the New Orleans Public Schools.”

Patrons chat in the lobby of Canal Place Cinemas before a screening.

Screenings at Canal Place Cinemas appear to have been well attended.

REVIEW: Vince Vaughn's comedy doc is warmly funny

NEW ORLEANS -- It's hard to identify anyone in Hollywood with a cooler image than Vince Vaughn. Last night at the New Orleans Film Festival, he showed he has genuine heart, too.

Vaughn and his producing partner in crime, Peter "You'll shoot your eye out" Billingsley, hurried into Canal Place Cinemas to promote their new concert documentary, "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Tour: 30 Cities in 30 Days - Hollywood to the Heartland." The documentary is long on both title and laughs. It also provides a refreshingly honest and humble examination of the insecurities comedians face in taking their acts to new audiences and new heights.

Vaughn plays the tour's emcee, introducing his stable of talent to auditoriums from California to Texas to Ohio to Illinois. Joining him and Billingsley are comedians John Caparulo, Ahmed Ahmed, Bret Ernst and Sebastian Maniscalco and actors Keir O'Connell (the "gay guy"from "Wedding Crashers"), Jon Favreau and the ever-awkward Justin Long.

All except Favreau make the unwise but amusing decision to travel the country on a tour bus, bunks stacked on top of each other, beer bottles and junk strewn everywhere, and all travelers sharing a single toilet.

"You started to feel like you were being Federal Expressed from the next show to the next show," Vince told the audience Friday night during a post-screening Q&A.

In the documentary, highlights from their stage acts are almost all funny, and often gut-bustingly so. The bits are often foul-mouthed and crude, but also endearingly self-effacing.

After the screening, an audience member asked Vaughn why the featured comedy wasn't political, implying the film might have edited out any controversy.

Vince responded by saying a lot of the featured comedy "straddled the line" between political and personal, and that his intent in making the film was, by and large, personal. "Laughing should always bring us together," he said. "So much comedy now is so dividing and acidic."

He drew a comparison to everyone's memory of that kid who was teased in grade school and made to cry. "That never felt good, seeing those tears."

What's most rewarding about this film is that the abundant laughs are secondary to the compelling portraits of the comedians. Cameras stick close to them backstage before and after sets. You see them getting angry about hecklers, their own fumbled words, botched tellings of jokes and what they perceive as near "suicidal" breakdowns in craft.

You see Ahmed Ahmed, an Egyptian, talk about how the stage and post-9/11 xenophobia has basically forced him to tell jokes about being Arab and too frequently suspected as a terrorist. You don't really know if he's telling the truth, but you can sense he's not lying when he confesses that comedians are all messes and joke about their insecurities to take ownership over them.

You also see Sebastian Maniscalco, who's been asked to come out on tour by Vaughn as a break from waiting tables in Hollywood. The film nearly turns this cliche into schmaltz by keeping the camera on him just before they take the stage for night 30 in Chicago. The comedians gather around in a circle, and Maniscalco gradually breaks down into a blubbering baby. He wants to stay on the road forever. He's grateful to Vaughn for the big break, and Vaughn, showing a gentle, brotherly, nurturing side, just holds Miniscalco's shoulder while he gets choked up and they all get teary-eyed. It's a corny moment, but bravely honest.

Undoubtedly meaningful to many in the New Orleans audience was the tour's time frame. As the tour was pushing into Texas, Hurricane Rita was surging up the Gulf. They were forced to move the tour away from evacuation zones, and Vaughn and the gang decided to donate proceeds from many of their concerts to hurricane relief.

It was a small gesture, providing evacuees with money, and in many cases, a free night of entertainment. But the gesture was shown to be heartfelt as the comedians at first begrudgingly headed to a campsite filled with evacuees and ultimately came away learning how fortunate they were to be able to tour the country in the luxuries of a dirty tour bus.

On Friday, Vaughn was also asked if he would change anything about the comedy tour if he were to do it again. Besides scheduling a night off every once in a while, "Nothing. That's the thing about making documentaries. It is what it is."

That willingness to let it be might be Vaughn's key to maintaining a grip on a genuine cool celebrity image. He might, in truth, not be an image. Vince Vaughn just might be who he is. Funny. Charismatic. And warm if we allow him to be.

P.S. If anybody ends up seeing this documentary, let's talk later about the Dwight Yoakam/Bakersfield segment. Yoakam's king!

Ugh, talk about snail mail

I just spent the last 90 minutes trying to send an image to The Times for my story, which runs in the paper Saturday. Cell cards stink! It drops the connection every single time I send large attachments.

Anyhow, I finally succeeded in sending one that's a bit smaller. It’s not what I want, but I’ll make up for it tomorrow. That’s just part of filing stories from the field.

Here are the top few graphs from tomorrow’s story. I’m on Vince Vaughn watch now, so can’t dally:

NEW ORLEANS – Something funny happened to Allison Bohl and Connie Castille on the way to the 18th New Orleans Film Festival. Their car died at the corner of Rampart and Esplanade.

The two documentary filmmakers weren’t sweating a bad battery, though. They hoofed it to Canal Place Cinemas, made time for an interview and casually set a new plan.

Skip a documentary by a favorite filmmaker, jumpstart the Mazda and head to the Prytania Theatre before 9 p.m. screening of their project, “I Always Do My Collars First.” The documentary film earned the festival’s Louisiana Filmmaker Award.

“We’re not really sure what it means, but I like it,” said Bohl, a Bossier City native.

They've arrived! ... and they're gone again

Allison Bohl (top) and Connie Castille arrived for an interview before the New Orleans Film Festival. Their film "I Always Do My Collars First" screens at 9 p.m. tonight. When they stopped chatting, they left again.

Right now they’re fixing their Mazda, which crapped out on Rampart and Esplanade in the French Quarter.

Let's hope they're an AutoZone in the Quarter!

New Orleans Film Festival is No. 1!

Just got a call from Allison Bohl and Connie Castille. Their car's battery died. Auspicious beginnings. No worries, though. They'll hoof it over for the interview.