Joe M. O'Connell

Jim Sanderson evokes 3 San Antonios in new novel

2012-01-29T08:24:00.005-06:00

I talked with Jim Sanderson about his new novel Dolph's Team for today's San Antonio Express-News. I had previously reviewed Sanderson's story collection Faded Love in the Austin American-Statesman.

Austin Film Society snaps up 'Slackerwood'

2012-01-26T12:03:00.003-06:00

This is a fascinating development. I'm a fan of Jette Kernion's blog Slackerwood. Here's the scoop in a press release from the Austin Film Society (which was founder fittingly by Slacker director Richard Linklater):

The Austin Film Society is excited to announce that it will become the publisher of Slackerwood, Critic's Pick for "Best Austin Movie Blog" in The Austin Chronicle's 2011 Best of Austin. Supplanting AFS's longtime journal, Persistence of Vision, Slackerwood will continue to cover the Texas movie scene with Founder and Editor-In-Chief Jette Kernion remaining at the helm.

"Jette has built a great resource for our regional film community, we all read Slackerwood every day," said AFS Executive Director Rebecca Campbell. "This partnership will allow us to promote our community in new, dynamic ways." AFS Director of Marketing Agnes Varnum will serve as Managing Editor and the publication will host an editorial committee comprised of local filmmakers, journalists, and AFS Board Members. In addition, AFS staff and interns will contribute to the website.

"Over the last 5 years, Slackerwood has grown from a personal blog to a dedicated group of volunteer contributors," said Kernion. "Being published by AFS will mean a home for Slackerwood long into the future and exciting new ways for us to reach out into the community we serve."

Slackerwood and AFS will host a party on February 1, 2012 at 6 PM at Red's Porch (3508 S. Lamar Blvd.) to celebrate the transition. All media are invited to attend. Snacks and beer provided by Red's Porch and NXNW.

Slackerwood began 5 years ago as the personal movie blog of Jette Kernion, focusing specifically on the Austin film scene. Today, Slackerwood has an 10-person staff of writers devoted to reporting and reviewing all aspects of the Austin film scene. Slackerwood provides coverage of all the local film festivals, promotes upcoming special screenings and reviews movies made in Austin or by Austin filmmakers, and strives to share the latest news about films in production in Austin and Central Texas. The name "Slackerwood" was chosen to emphasize the independent DIY spirit of Austin and local filmmakers' tendencies to follow their own path.

Dude, "Lone Ranger" uncooly nabbed for pot brownies

2012-01-26T10:21:00.004-06:00

Yes, The Lone Ranger is mostly filming in New Mexico, but at least Texas got to arrest Armie Hammer, who stars as the masked man, for trying to bring pot brownies into Mexico from the Lone Star State.

'Tree of Life' gets Oscar noms

2012-01-24T08:00:00.007-06:00

Yes, Smithville-shot The Tree of Life got nominated for best picture, best cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki) and best director Academy Awards. Will director Terrence Malick show up? Did Bridesmaids really get a screenplay nomination and Life didn't? That's another story...

Oh, and Brad Pitt got nominated for best actor--not for Life but for Moneyball.

Oh, and Belgium film Bullhead was nominated for best foreign film. Why should you care? Austin's Alamo Drafthouse's distribution arm snapped up right to the film and will distribute in theaters soon. Party at Tim League's house tonight, right?

Oh, and good to see high-school-football doc Undefeated up for best documentary. I saw it at the South By Southwest Film Festival and loved it.

'Lone Ranger' starts New Mexico shoot in February

2012-01-24T07:13:00.012-06:00

It looks like big-budget The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp as Tonto will be almost entirely a New Mexico shoot, according to this New Mexico newspaper report and this report that says filming will be in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and elsewhere through August. No mention of any Texas shoot despite earlier scouts in the Marfa/Alpine area. Also no mention of Louisiana, which had been in the filming mix.

Elizabeth Gabel, a casting agent in New Mexico, has more info, including that extras will first be used in March.

Also of interest, this site lists some cast names I hadn't seen before, including Tom Wilkinson, Dwight Yoakam, Barry Pepper and Timothy Hutton. Armie Hammer is the Lone Ranger.

It also appears the working title (which could just be an attempt to lower the film's profile while shooting) is Silver Bullet.

My top 10 stories of 2011

2011-12-31T14:31:00.009-06:00

I did some interesting nonfiction writing in 2011, but also found the opportunities for a free-lancer to be teasingly ephemeral like a batch of bright fake flowers appearing from a magician’s sleeve then as quickly evaporating. Here are my highlights from the year:

10. I’ve been penning a The Dallas Morning News column about the film industry for the past six years and previously wrote similar columns for the Austin American-Statesman and The Austin Chronicle dating back to 2000. It was a long run, but I decided to stop with my December column. I need to focus my energies elsewhere, in particular on my fiction writing.

9. Writing about writing was a hallmark of the year. My long interview with Tom Grimes appeared in The Writer's Chronicle, the magazine of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), and I got to talk to some writers I admire a lot, including A.G. Mojtabai.

8. The Austin Chronicle was kind enough to ask me to do some pretty extensive coverage during this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival. And, yes, I got to meet both Pee Wee Herman and Elmo!

7. I've been reporting on the Texas Film Hall of Fame festivities forThe Dallas Morning News for years, but I know you'd really rather see the photos.

6. Austrian filmmaker Barbara Eder told me about how her dangerous experience as a foreign exchange student led to the film Inside America.

5. I've tended to do more book interviews than reviews, but I somehow managed to transform myself into the Austin American-Statesman's go-to reviewer of Texas fiction. At least until the bottom dropped out and the paper pretty much stopped generating its own reviews and replaced them with wire service reviews. And then the editor changed (see my note above). Ouch! My favorite book to review? Mat Johnson's Pym.

4. Actor Paul Giamatti is a cool guy, but interviewing Win Win director Tom McCarthy along with Giamatti was a double treat.

3. My wife Tiffany is a big fan of the TV show The Waltons, so I planned a surprise trip to Schuyler, Virginia, the home of the very autobiographical story’s author, Earl Hamner. The Dallas Morning News asked me to write this piece about the small town intrigue surrounding the show's local roots and also ran a lot of my photos.

2. I’ve been blogging at The Austin Chronicle about the Texas Longhorns football team for a few years now. I shared the chore this year and tried to advise my counterpart to write as if no one is reading, to play with the form, to never ever make it boring. My favorite sports piece this year actually had a point to make about coaches training their defensive players to lead with their helmets.

1. The writing I’m most proud of from this past year wasn’t officially published anywhere, and it wasn’t necessarily my best work. It was instead personal and it had to do with loss. Jacob Payne lived much of his life in a wheelchair and had many lessons to offer all of us about living fully. I have now written obituaries for both of my parents and my brother Casey, who died in an accident on Halloween. I’m still processing it all, Last night I dreamed I was dreaming about my mother and Casey. No doubt Casey enjoyed the trick of visiting me in that complicated fashion. Casey’s friend, the singer/songwriter Bob Livingston, said Casey’s death is a reminder to all of us to hold tight to this “sweet, sweet life.” I couldn’t say it better.

My top 11 photos of 2011

2011-12-31T12:16:00.007-06:00

I rediscovered a love of photography in 2011, had a photo displayed on Texasmonthly.com and in the Houston headquarters of Stage Stores, put together a small coffee shop photo show and generally had fun with it. See all eleven of my favorite images here.

My favorite photo of the year is of an older gentleman I spotted at the Dairy Queen in Karnes City, Texas. I stopped him on his way out the door, and he looked amused by the notion of posing.

I worked to get a bee in action above some Texas sunflowers that stayed hearty through at least the early stages of our Texas summer drought.

In a non-dry period in Austin, I turned off my windshield wipers on the upper deck of Interstate 35 to catch this dreamy scene.

More to come in the new year...

SHOT IN TEXAS: TV replaces films as local moneymaker

2011-12-27T22:14:00.005-06:00

After a 12-year run--the last six in The Dallas Morning News, but previously for both The Austin Chronicle and Austin American-Statesman--this is my final Texas film industry column. I'll still be blogging, but I want to spend more time concentrating on fiction writing and other projects.--Joe

BY JOE O’CONNELL
Special to The Dallas Morning News
Filmnewsbyjoe@yahoo.com
Joeoconnell.com
@joemoconnell

Janis Burklund was in full action mode last week. Khloe Kardashian had, without notice, posted online that she was organizing a toy drive for the Children’s Hospital of Dallas, and Burklund’s Dallas Film Commission office was suddenly besieged with phone calls.

It’s a clear sign of the present and likely future of the Dallas film scene: television rules and reality TV buzzes. Feature films? Not so much.

Lamar Odom’s trade from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks brought his Kardashian wife and reality show Khloe & Lamar to town. More than 2,000 people crowded Dallas City Hall to donate toys after her web shout-out.

Meanwhile TNT’s Dallas is bringing some old-school attention to the city with its 10-episode shoot—production is on hiatus until 2012 with three episodes to go.

Burklund’s three-person office can’t afford a proper media tracking service these days, but it only takes a quick web search to see interest in the show that doesn’t air until June.

“It’s been ongoing for about a year with constant news and publicity about the show,” she said. “There’s lot of interest overseas.”

The Dallas Film Commission tracks its fiscal year from September to September, and Burklund is just now getting solid numbers for the last year and slightly more of both plusses and minuses: network television series shoots came and as quickly went with the quick cancellations/non-renewals of Lone Star, The Good Guys and Chase.

The controversial Dallas-set show originally known as Good Christian Bitches, later as Good Christian Belles and most commonly as GCB produced a pilot in North Texas but then retreated to Los Angeles for the series shoot.

“When all three shows didn’t stick, we had to wait for new ones to create again,” Burklund said. “We had to go through another cycle, and luckily Dallas was already in the cycle.”

The commission tracked 292 projects in its last fiscal year, including $73.6 million in direct spends on television and film, plus another $26.3 million in videogame projects. The way that money reverberates around the economy leads to an estimated almost $230 million economic impact.

“It was a good year,” Burklund said. “It was well above the last six or seven years.”

But feature films continue to be a no-show both in North Texas and the state as a whole. Texas film incentives haven’t slowed the flow of projects to states like New Mexico and Louisiana that offer a lot more.

“Our incentives program works best for television,” Burklund said. “Television understands in a different way about having the good crew base, good talent base, diverse locations and easy access through DFW (International Airport). They may be here for years, so they have to think, ‘If all incentives went away today, where would we want to be?’ ”

Feature filmmaking in Texas has thus turned into a mix of low-budget independents and higher-profile projects by primarily Austin-based Texas auteurs like Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater and to a lesser extent Mike Judge and Tim McCanlies.

Perhaps add to that list reclusive Austin resident Terrence Malick, who is quickly losing his rep for waiting a decade or more between projects. He shot likely Oscar nominee The Tree of Life largely in Smithville (and partly in Dallas) in 2008 and took three years to release it, but actually shot another as-yet-untitled film starring Ben Affleck in Oklahoma in 2010.

Now Malick has publicly announced two more upcoming projects: Lawless and Knight of Cups. In September he shot scenes with Christian Bale during the Austin City Limits Music Festival, and followed that in November filming Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara at Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest. The shots have been reported to be for Lawless, but Malick never releases plot details or future filming plans if he can help it.

Can the Texas Longhorns beat the Baylor Fire Bolt?

2011-12-02T08:52:00.005-06:00

I've been blogging the University of Texas football seasons for The Austin Chronicle for about four years now. This Saturday is the last game of this season. Here's my latest blog post (which doesn't mention unsubstantiated rumors that Mack Brown will retire as Texas coach after Saturday's game):

Texas fans nibbled on Thanksgiving turkey and expected the worst. The Aggies could taste this win. They wanted to end the rivalry with forever bragging rights as they shuffled off to the SEC and leave the Longhorns with the beer-soaked, early-morning regret that is the Big 12.

My die-hard UT fanatic brother-in-law feared a blowout. “It’ll be close,” I said. He shook his head with a grin that spoke of my naiveté. You know what happened next.

Aggies complained of a bad call, of the injury that kept Cyrus Gray out of the game. But the truth is the Texas defense finally rose to the level necessary to offset the befuddled Burnt Orange offense. Special teams did, too. We’re talking points off of turnovers. Quandre Diggs’ 81-yard punt return. A defense that battered the Aggies and their seasoned quarterback Ryan Tannehill, capped by a Kenny Vaccaro interception that led to a rare touchdown.

The rag doll named Case McCoy did the rest with a gutsy gallop into the Texas A&M defenders, who smacked him this way and that as he struggled for any yards they’d cede. Enough to get Texas in field-goal position. It worked. Justin Tucker made up for a night of horrendous punts by finessing the ball through the uprights from 40 yards out as time ran out.

In College Station you can find billboards still up in summer heralding the last win over the t-sips. In Austin, we marvel at the strange traditions: the overalled cheerleaders with their odd gang signs, the incessant “howdy,” the constant standing and swaying at Kyle Field. That cute little dog they worship. We’ll miss every bit of it.

Read the rest here.

Walking into the night

2011-11-27T09:57:00.003-06:00

I took this photo last night as we were leaving a Dallas nightclub in the wee small hours.

My favorite recent street photo by far.

Saying goodbye to my brother Casey

2011-11-06T14:18:00.009-06:00

I created the photo above by taking an older photo of my brother Casey and shooting it in the same spot in what was my late father's house this past week. In a sense it allows Casey to come home one last time. Casey died this past week in India when he fell from a train platform. The photo is featured on the web site Dearphotograph.com.

My sister Clare and I wrote the following obituary for Casey, which appeared in the Austin American-Statesman.

Casey John O'Connell died in an accident at a train station in Kerala, India, on Oct. 31.

He was born in Austin on June 11, 1956, to William Robert O'Connell and Wylma Louise “Cassie” O'Connell Ruelke, who both preceded him in death.

Casey graduated from Austin High School where his great joy was acting in plays as part of the Red Dragons. He later appeared in local productions, including at Zachary Scott Theatre, and was an occasional movie extra. He taught himself to juggle and ride a unicycle, and he rode his bicycle everywhere, including a cross-country trip with his oldest brother Wroc.

He received his LVN degree from Austin Community College and took great joy in working with newborn babies at Seton Hospital. He went back to school to earn a degree in chemistry and physics from Southwest Texas State University where he worked in the chemistry lab. Early on he commuted to campus by bicycle from Austin and liked to tell of his collision with a house (it was on wheels and being transported down I-35).

He had lived for many years in India, where he taught math and science and met his wife Magali.

Casey could fall asleep sitting up while doing a crossword puzzle and still have a semi-coherent conversation with you (though he wouldn't remember it later). He liked to play card games into the night or until he started winning. He was a vegetarian who could eat endless amounts of food and never gain weight. He remained as limber as a teenager. He liked to talk and talk and talk. He was a kind and gentle soul who truly cared about people and always had a smile. He was mischievous, funny and could tell a great joke, but only a mathematician would get the punch line. He somehow managed to keep alive the joy in life that fades for most of us with our first gray hairs, and what was left of Casey's hair was solid white. Most of all he was a great brother to five siblings who will forever feel his absence.

He is survived by his wife, Magali O'Connell; sisters, Mary Ann O'Connell and Clare O'Connell of Austin; brothers, William Robert “Wroc” and Lorie O'Connell of North Carolina, Daniel Pius O'Connell and wife Tarla, and Joseph Matthew O'Connell and wife Tiffany of Taylor; a niece, Shanthi O'Connell; and nephews, Russell Harvey, Will Harvey and Nicholas O'Connell.

Memorials can be made to the Zachary Scott Theatre at Zachtheatre.org.

Shot in Texas: '12 Mighty Orphans' first up for new film company

2011-10-26T18:45:00.007-06:00

By Joe O'Connell Special Contributor
The Dallas Morning News
filmnewsbyjoe@yahoo.com
joeoconnell.com
@joemoconnell on Twitter

Todd Allen hopes Fort Worth’s Mighty Mites are the start of something big for the Texas film scene.

Allen, an Austin native who has worked for decades as an actor, has formed Presidio Pictures. The company plans to first shoot 12 Mighty Orphans, an adaptation of Jim Dent’s true story of the Masonic Home of Fort Worth’s Depression-era Mighty Mites football team.

Preproduction for a spring Fort Worth shoot would start a string of Texas-made Presidio features with budgets ranging from $8 million to $30 million.

“The financing for most independent films is cobbled together with duct tape,” said Allen, who is raising funds in Texas for not just the cost of film production but also much of the distribution. “I think [Presidio] will have a substantial impact on the industry here. If it works, it’ll put a lot of people to work.”

Robert Duvall , Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, Aaron Eckhart and Andy Garcia are already attached to a planned second Presidio feature, The Last Full Measure, a true story of a father’s efforts to honor his son killed during the Vietnam War.

Presidio — with former Sundance Institute chairman, Orion Pictures director and Imagine Entertainment chairman Jack Crosby on its board — could prove a shot in the arm for the Texas film industry as major films choose locations offering larger financial incentives. Jerry Bruckheimer told The Hollywood Reporter this week that his revived The Lone Ranger movie starring Johnny Depp will shoot in New Mexico and possibly Louisiana because of those states’ heftier incentives. Texas had been looked at as the movie’s shooting location.

“My fear is it’s going to be a hokey cartoon,” Allen said of The Lone Ranger. “It’s going to cost $200 million and, if it doesn’t make its money back, it’s going to be another nail in the coffin of the genre.” (Bruckheimer says it will cost $215 million to be exact, trimmed back from $260 million.)

Allen knows the Western genre well, having acted in such films as Wyatt Earp and Silverado. “I can’t think of a single actor I’ve met who didn’t want to do a Western,” he said. “I think that’s where my mojo is at.”

Thus he’s also planning Rio Grande, a feature adaptation of Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson’s memoir co-written by David Marion Wilkinson; a television miniseries of Wilkinson’s early-Texas novel Not Between Brothers made in partnership with Kevin Costner; and the big-screen film noir Western The Deserters based on Luke Short’s novel.

Allen got his start when he happened upon the ranch set of Honeysuckle Rose (1980) in Johnson City and was mistaken for the ranch owner’s son. Director Jerry Schatzberg asked if he wanted to be an extra, and Allen caught the acting bug.

Throughout his career, Allen said he tried to stay out of his trailer and on the set figuring out the film business.

He moved back to Austin from L.A. with the expectation that acting would take a back seat to producing. But Quentin Tarantino, whom he met in a Los Angeles acting class 25 years ago, tapped him for a role in Django Unchained, a Western about slave traders featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell.
“When I first talked to Quentin he said he wanted to shoot in Texas,” Allen said.
But his acting gig starts in February in Louisiana, the land of attractive film incentives.

'Lone Ranger' lives, but not in Texas

2011-10-25T11:20:00.006-06:00

Jerry Bruckheimer has managed to revive Johnny Depp-starrer The Lone Ranger with its budget tightened, ahem, from $260 million to $215 million.

There were rumblings earlier of a joint New Mexico-Texas shoot for this tale of a TEXAS Ranger, then talk of Utah, but the final words is New Mexico and possibly Louisiana. Why? Do you even need to ask?

Here's what Bruckheimer told The Hollywood Reporter:

"We found that Louisiana gave us a better tax incentive than New Mexico -- that was another $8 million. We're still shooting in New Mexico, and we might [also] go to Louisiana. We're asking New Mexico to come closer to the Louisiana incentive.
We dropped our California location not because they didn't offer a tax break but because it was another production office that we had to open. Every time you have a new location, you have to use crew time setting it up for you. There are a lot of expenses."

Early rumblings had the film shooting some in the Alpine-Marfa area, which goes completely unmentioned here. Granger was also scouted for train scenes, probably because they were shot there for True Grit.

When the hippies and the rednecks met in Austin

2011-09-28T17:57:00.004-06:00

This review ran a week or so ago in the San Antonio Express-News, but never showed up on their web site, so I'm posting it here for folks to read.--JO

Comic Cowboys and New Hicks
By Travis Stimeling
Oxford University Press, $35

REVIEW BY JOE O’CONNELL

Who has the right to wear the cowboy hat?

That symbol of all that is Texas is at the core of Travis Stimeling’s Cosmic Cowboys and News Hicks, which examines the Progressive Country music phenomena that first put on its Stetson in 1970s Austin.

Stimeling focuses on that moment when old-school country butted heads and commingled with long-haired rock ‘n’ roll via a convergence that was all about being at the right place at the right time: The drinking age was lowered to 18, marijuana possession became a misdemeanor instead of a felony, the University of Texas student population was growing and the ragtag Armadillo World Headquarters opened in an old armory near downtown.

But, perhaps most important, musicians like Willie Nelson, Michael Murphey and B.W. Stephenson, had burned out on the music industries in Los Angeles and Nashville and hightailed it to Texas.

“Many of the people I spoke with made a point of telling me that rent in Austin was so cheap that it made perfect sense to move there,” said Stimeling, a West Virginia-born professor of music at Milliken University in Decatur, Illinois, who grew up listening to Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker.

The book covers ground well trod already in Jan Reid’s 1974 The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock (a new version came out in 2004), but Stimeling takes a different, more academic approach in his book that began as a dissertation in musicology.

“My book has the benefit of nearly four decades of hindsight, so I could be more objective in my approach to the scene,” Stimeling said.

The book’s strength is in its examination of the push and pull of the cosmic cowboys and a musical culture they rejected, embraced and transformed.

Stimeling goes in depth into how Alvin Crow and the band Asleep and the Wheel reached back to honor and revive Texas swing music that once had been a staple in dance halls across the state. And he gives props to Joe Gracey, who took over KOKE-FM and turned it into a progressive country haven. The station’s goat roper bumpersticker quickly became every bit as iconic then as a Lone Star longneck beer bottle.

Stimeling also shines when exploring how individual songs like Murphey’s “Cosmic Cowboy” cemented this new cultural identity. The song was born from Murphey’s playful nickname “Cosmic Bob” for Lost Gonzo Band member Bob Livingston, but resonated at a larger scale with fans.

“The cosmic cowboy sprang forth, therefore, from a bundle of cultural conflicts, including not only those resulting from the merger of the drug culture and the cowboy symbolism but also from the intersection of communal music making and the national music industry, the ongoing debate about civil rights and the invocation of rural romanticism in an American metropolis,” Stimeling writes.

If that sounds a bit highfaluting for a discussion of music, it perhaps is. And Austin wasn’t really the first locale for this musical debate. Country rock had already been cooking in Los Angeles and Capricorn Records was promoting acts like The Marshall Tucker Band in the true South.

But Austin seemingly produced a musical movement from the ground up without a corporate control that left it often messy, but ever interesting. Its mystique led us to the city’s modern-day, perhaps over-the-top slogan “Live Music Capital of the World.”

“What's really striking to me about Austin during the progressive country era is that the musicians who were involved in the scene explored so many different musical approaches, yet they all seemed to be genuinely concerned about how music might be used as a tool to understand the roots of Texan culture," Stimeling said.

Remember the Alamo (is on fire)!

2011-09-27T20:15:00.005-06:00

Yes, as I type this there are reports that the set of the movie The Alamo near Dripping Springs, Texas (on the outskirts of Austin) is engulfed by a major brush fire is super dry Central Texas. This report says six structures have burned to the ground. In my memory there aren't more than six. Frankly it's a surprise that the buildings still exist this many years since the 2003 shoot. There was talk at one point of making it a tourist attraction. I know the set has been used for television commercials since.

Here's my report from the set during filming.

The Note Bob Stoops’ Brother Should Have Sent, but Didn’t Dare*

2011-09-22T17:26:00.005-06:00

My latest Austin Chronicle sports blog begins thus:

Dear Bob,

I love you like a brother, man. In fact we are brothers, aren’t we? That’s why it pains me to write this note. I’m proud of you, Bob. You do our Stoops family name proud. Your Oklahoma Sooners are No. 1 and we’re not, dammit.

Just kidding, bro, but I harbor no ill will for your 23-13 win over my boys at Florida State this past Saturday. You did it with pounding defense, the kind Dad taught us in his 30 years at Cardinal Moody High back in dear old Youngstown, Ohio (round on the ends and high in the middle!). Dad was all about the D. You’re all about the D. Heck, after growing up sharing a bedroom with you as an older brother, I had to be all about the D. Same with Mike. You two were terrors and taught me a lot. I was proud to bear the bruises of brotherhood. I’m proud to be the Seminoles’ defensive coordinator. I’m proud to be a Stoops.

That’s why it pains me to say this, Bob. My team would have taken the lead in the first half if Kenny Shaw could have held onto that ball. Heck, at this point I’m glad he can hold onto anything. Your boys Javon Harris and Tom Wort rammed their helmets into Shaw’s helmet and soon Kenny was looking like roadkill shaking on his back there in the end zone with his paws curled toward the heavens. He was back on the sidelines by the third quarter, thank the Lord above.

Read the rest here.

Oh,and it's worth noting that Stoops at his weekly post-game press conference honored Harris and Wort for their play against FSU. Nuf said.

Friday Night Lights: Book, movie, TV series, movie based on TV series?

2011-09-20T13:01:00.006-06:00

Yes, there is still serious talk about a movie based on the Austin-shot TV series Friday Night Lights, which is based on the big-screen Friday Night Lights, which is based on the book Friday Night Lights, which is based on a real-life high school football team.

Read more about this latest development here, with details on the cast's reunion at the Emmy's after party celebrating the series' writing Emmy and Kyle Chandler's nod--held at a place fittingly called Dillon's.

The coach wins an Emmy!

2011-09-19T15:02:00.004-06:00

Big congrats to Kyle Chandler for his upset win of an Emmy for his role as Coach Eric Taylor on television's Friday Night Lights. The show also got yet another writing Emmy. Alas, Connie Britton did not win best actress (but you can read more about her here). All the same, a fitting end for the beloved Austin-shot series.

What Chandler said:

"Let me thank the people of Austin, Texas, who welcomed us into their homes ... and brought the show to life."

I first met him on the set the first FNL season. You can read that piece from The Dallas Morning News here.

Our trip to Walton's Mountain aka Schuyler, VA

2011-09-19T13:37:00.006-06:00

I wrote this travel piece after our trip this past summer to Schuyler, Virginia, to celebrate my wife's birthday. It ran Sunday in The Dallas Morning News. It's behind a pay wall, so here it is in full. The DMN web site also has about 15 of my photos, so try the link. Enjoy.

By JOE O’CONNELL Special Contributor
Published: 16 September 2011 06:32 PM

SCHUYLER, Va. — Fiction collides with fact for fans of television’s The Waltons amid a gentle feud in this tiny community deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains foothills.

An escaped sheep bleats from the middle of rural Rockfish River Road as we pull up to the Walton’s Mountain Country Store in search of the holy grail: series creator Earl Hamner’s childhood home, a two-story restored testament to the enduring power of John-Boy, Mary Ellen, Mama and Daddy, Grandpa and Grandma and all the kids.

The show is a nostalgic touchstone of an iconic and dirt-poor Depression-era Southern family of fantasy that was very much based on the true-life Hamner clan.

For $10 cash a person or $8 each for two or more, store owner Dave Pounds hands over a key so we can tour the boyhood home next door, which a local owner refurbished and opened to the public in 2010. Six steps lead up to the white wooden home, which is smaller than in the show but of the same austere style. The long kitchen table topped with a fake Bundt cake awaits a family supper, while upstairs in Hamner’s/John-Boy’s room a pair of spectacles rests next to a quill pen on a desk by the window.

Hamner’s novel Spencer’s Mountain was published in 1961 and spawned a film of the same name. The Homecoming, his 1970 novel also loosely based on Hamner’s family, was made into a television movie and spawned The Waltons, which ran on television from 1972-81.

“The average Waltons fan walking through the door has a very personal relationship to either the program or a cast member,” Pounds says.

Entering the door are Junior and Suzi Wiant of West Virginia. She’s a homemaker, and he’s a coal miner. A coal mine depicted in the television show was inspired by the Alberene soapstone quarry that was once the heart of Schuyler. The Wiants count the cantankerous grandmother as their favorite Walton.

“I just love that old woman,” Suzi Wiant says with a wide grin. “She’s so outspoken.”
The Wiants have already been down the road to the Walton’s Mountain Museum, which was once the town’s school. Hamner graduated from high school there in 1940. It was later an elementary and opened as a museum and community center in 1992 with the full support of Hamner.

Inside is a more elaborate re-creation of John-Boy’s room, the family kitchen, Ike Godsey’s store and the still used to make the Baldwin sisters’ “recipe” (moonshine). The Baldwins were inspired by real-life mother-and-daughter moonshiners in a nearby town.

“You’re a little bit late for the free samples,” museum director Leona Roberts jokes in a deep Virginia drawl. “You believed that story, didn’t you?”

The $7 admission fee buys access to a brief video about the making of the show, a look at town photos and Waltons collectibles, including miniature reproductions of the Waltons home and fan-painted pictures of the cast.

But Hamner’s early support for the museum has waned. In his 2006 memoir Generous Women, Hamner writes, “Unfortunately, because of an injury done to a member of my family, I no longer support the museum and am in no way associated with it.”

When actress Mary McDonough — Erin Walton on the show — tub-thumped her memoir Lessons From the Mountain in May, she did it at the store, which also sells signed copies of Hamner’s books.

Pounds five years ago took over operation of the store in what was once a shed where a teenage Hamner wrote. But he says of the museum, “They hate me. They absolutely hate me.”

Roberts puts the museum’s attitude toward the store bluntly: “We were here first. They were supposed to be a bed-and-breakfast, and they’re not from here.”

Indeed, the Walton’s Mountain Country Store lists itself as a bed-and-breakfast perfect for the ultimate Waltons fan, but my repeated calls and emails seeking a reservation for my wife’s birthday were unanswered.

Instead, we stayed two miles away at the White Pig, a B&B and animal sanctuary that takes its name from the first of the owner’s assortment of rescued potbellied pigs, which join a former racehorse and a gentle pony on a beautiful 170-acre spread. The breakfast is vegan, and guests are asked not to eat meat on the premises during their stays.

Confession: We drove into Schuyler from Richmond without having eaten dinner, and our only option was Ike’s, a combo convenience store and fast-food joint on the spot that once housed the inspiration for the television show’s Ike Godsey’s General Store. The grill was closed, but they gifted me with a few delicious last pieces of fried chicken. I guiltily stowed the bones in our rental car’s trunk rather than sully the White Pig with my carnivorous ways.

SHOT IN TEXAS: Texan Nick Krause gets breakout role in film with Oscar buzz

2011-09-15T17:40:00.006-06:00

BY JOE O'CONNELL

Special to The Dallas Morning News
filmnewsbyjoe@yahoo.com
Twitter: @joemoconnell
joeoconnell.com

It was a surreal moment for young Texan Nick Krause as he stepped on the red carpet for The Descendants during the Toronto International Film Festival last week.

Krause, 19, portrays Sid, a goofy beach bum friend to George Clooney’s on-screen daughter in the film. The Hawaii-set and -filmed tale of a father in crisis, directed by Alexander Payne (Sideways), is already getting Oscar buzz.

He was 17 when the film began a four-month Oahu shoot, so he brought along his agent, Denton native and University of North Texas grad Liz Lyons Atherton. She also happens to be his mother.

Atherton woke him at 5 a.m. to make an audition tape that led to a meeting with Payne. Krause figured the laid-back character Sid would be a Cheetos fan and gifted Payne with a small bag of them. He got the part.

“The audition process had taken months, and we weren’t sure if Nick was still even in the running,” Atherton said. “We set up a Hawaiian shrine by the phones, hoping the call would come. When it did, not only did we celebrate, I’m sure the neighbors are still talking about the screams.”

He’s not the only actor in the family. His sister, Kate Krause, played Tabby Garrity for three seasons on Austin-shot Friday Night Lights, and two older brothers dabbled in acting when they were young.

It marks a major leap for Nick Krause from small roles in films such as How to Eat Fried Worms. Atherton believes it was his involvement in Richard Linklater’s ongoing 12-year independent project, Boyhood, that piqued Payne’s interest.

On the set of The Descendants, Krause said, Clooney lived up to his jokester reputation, amusing film extras by using his cellphone to play the sound of gas being passed.

“He’s a very cool guy,” Krause said. “He’s super professional but down-to-earth. One minute he’s joking around with extras and hanging out with crew. Five minutes later, he’s in character and on time.”

Krause also scored a role in the Dallas-shot Good Christian Belles television pilot but was written out of the series when it moved to Los Angeles, where he is now living and riding this wave wherever it takes him.

“It’s really about sticking with it,” he said. “When you get turned down at your first audition, you just have to forget it and keep going.”

Atherton, who 15 years ago bought an existing Central Texas talent agency that counted her other sons as clients, worries that Krause will have a hard time furthering his career in Texas.

“I think we are at risk of losing film and TV as an integral part of our economic fabric: Plain and simple, our incentive program is not competitive enough,” she said. “I recently spoke at length with a high-profile producer friend of mine who is presently packaging his next film — a film centered on a Texas theme — and he will likely film in Louisiana. Why? Because it just makes more business sense.”

Film studios get haunted

Filming wrapped this month in North Texas on The Ghost of Goodnight Lane . The horror tale starring Billy Zane (Titanic) claims to be based on reality, in the tradition of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The kicker is this new film is about ghosts purported to haunt Alin Bijan’s Media World Studios; most of the film was shot in the studios themselves. The studio’s ghosts have been said to move heavy equipment and once slapped someone’s face. Also in the cast are Lacey Chabert ( Mean Girls), Danielle Harris (Halloween), Matt Dallas (Kyle XY) and Richard Tyson (Black Hawk Down). J.D. Sanders’ FTG Media Group served as executive producer on the film. Check out a production blog at ghostofgoodnightlane.com.

Joe O’Connell is an Austin-based freelance writer.

Disney kills 'Lone Ranger'

2011-08-12T20:56:00.005-06:00

Apparently disagreements with producer Jerry Bruckheimer over the budget led Disney to pull the plug on the Johnny Depp-starrer Lone Ranger that may or may not have been about to film partially in Texas (or New Mexico? or Utah?). Shades of The Alamo and Pearl Harbor, both Disney projects where the studio sought and got major budget cuts that many have blamed for turning those films into boring messes.

Lone Ranger was set to film this fall and had scouted West Texas in the Alpine/Marfa area. Word also filtered out of studio shoots in New Mexico, and at one time there was serious talk of shooting in Utah.

Shot in Texas: Mike Norris moves into spotlight

2011-08-12T07:21:00.005-06:00

Mike and Valerie Norris.

By JOE O’CONNELL
Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

As a maker of independent faith-based films including the upcoming I am Gabriel, Mike Norris has moved out of his iconic father’s shadow.

“I’m proud that Chuck Norris is my father,” he said. “I’m proud of his accomplishments. I just happen to make films that are a little different.”

Gabriel starts production next week in North Texas. It’s the story of a dying town awakened by miracles when a mysterious 10-year-old boy arrives. The cast includes a couple of “super” names: John Schneider (Clark Kent’s dad in TV’s Smallville) and Dean Cain (Superman in the ’90s TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman).

“It’s a very simple story, but it’s a good story,” Norris said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what we can make out of it.”

It’s the third faith-based film for Norris and his wife Valerie’s 2nd Fiddle Entertainment, which has also produced Maggie’s Passage and Birdie and Bogie. Despite the company name, the filmmaker is no second fiddle to his father, most famous for Walker, Texas Ranger.

Mike Norris grew up in Los Angeles as his father’s career turned from martial artist to action film star.

His father is in on the joke of “Chuck Norris facts” that have spawned T-shirts with messages like “Chuck Norris turned water into whiskey” — and even spotted one such message in a latrine while visiting troops in Iraq, Mike Norris said.

“I learned a lot from him: a work ethic, how to treat people,” Mike Norris said. “It’s only been a blessing to me to be his son.”

Mike moved to Flower Mound 15 years ago when he was directing episodes of Walker after a successful career in action films. He recently did stunts on the Dallas-shot series Chase for which his brother Eric Norris served as a second-unit director and stunt coordinator.

Gabriel came about after a chance encounter with Janis Thompson, who with her husband, Steve, owns Mom’s Café in tiny Justin. They had a general idea for a film. Norris caught the bug and wrote it out as a script. The 15-day shoot will take place entirely in Justin with Norris directing.

Norris works with MPS Studios in Dallas during production and post-production, then counts on Pure Flix Entertainment to get his films out to the Christian market. He has higher hopes for Gabriel.

“What I want to do is cut a nice trailer and send it out there,” he said. “You never quite know what is going to happen.”

Next up for Norris is Blind Faith, a film about a piano prodigy who loses his sight. And he’s in development on a faith-based horror film that may stretch the boundaries of both genres.

“I will do them all right here in North Texas,” he said.

‘Breakfast Club’

Barry “Bazza” Wernick was once the student body president at St. Mark’s School, which makes him the perfect choice to write and produce an adaptation of his and Matt Spradlin’s graphic novel Bad Kids Go to Hell, which recently wrapped production both in North Texas and at Spiderwood Studios outside Austin in time to make a splash at San Diego’s Comic-Con.

The horror-comedy focuses on a group of prep schoolers stuck in detention who get killed off one by one. Appropriately, Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club) stars as the headmaster. Also in the cast is Ben Browder (Starscape).

Bonus footage

Mission Park, which stars Jeremy Ray Valdez and Vivica A. Fox, is being touted as the first major feature to shoot in San Antonio in a decade. The drama, directed and written by Bryan Ramirez, has just started filming. … Look for Austin-shot series The Lying Game to premiere on ABC Family on Aug. 15. The series pilot was shot in New Mexico.

Lifetime says no to 'Meet Jane'

2011-07-30T08:58:00.005-06:00

Deadline.com is finally confirming what we have long suspected: Lifetime will not pick up the series Meet Jane, for which a pilot was filmed in Austin with Molly Parker and Rick Schroder starring. This despite reshoots for the pilot done in the spring.

So count this as the last cute Ricky photo on this blog...

'The Lying Game' comes to Austin

2011-07-25T07:49:00.007-06:00

I've been remiss in reporting the arrival of an ABC Family series to Austin. What's even more interesting is the pilot shot in New Mexico, but they chose not to stay there for the series shoot. The show titled The Lying Game premieres Aug. 15. It's based on on the novel by Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars)!

And, yes, there is an open call for extras (or better yet go straight to the Third Coast Extras Facebook page). Here are the details:

The Lying Game follows Emma, a kind-hearted foster kid who learns she has an identical twin sister, Sutton. Sutton, unlike Emma, was adopted by wealthy parents and is seemingly living an ideal life. After their initial meeting, Sutton talks Emma into stepping into her life for a few days while she pursues a lead on the mysterious identity of their birth mother. After Sutton inexplicably fails to return to the girls’ designated meeting place, Emma must decide whether to come clean about her identity and risk her own safety in the hope of uncovering her twin sister's whereabouts, along with the truth about why they were separated in the first place.

Adrian Pasdar of Heroes has just joined the cast, I'm sure as "The Old Guy."

The Lying Game also stars Alexandra Chando (As The World Turns) as Emma/Sutton; Andy Buckley (The Office) as Ted; Helen Slater (Supergirl) as Kristin; Blair Redford (90210) as Ethan; Sharon Pierre-Louis (Lincoln Heights) as Nisha; Kirsten Prout (Kyle XY) as Char; Alice Greczyn (Lincoln Heights) as Mads; and Allie Gonino (10 Things I Hate About You) as Laurel. Charles Pratt, Jr. (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, All My Children, Melrose Place) serves as executive producer and writer; Leslie Morgenstein (Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries) and Gina Girolamo will serve as executive producers. Produced by Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television.

'Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D' shooting in Louisiana

2011-07-11T14:21:00.007-06:00

In the category of horror film sacrilege, the latest remake/sequel/re-imagining of the seminal horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is being shot in Shreveport, Louisiana. If we can say anything about the various versions that have come before, most of them (I can't think of an exception but I'm sure it's out there) have shot in Texas.

The latest is titled Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D. And, yes, they are looking for extras--rednecks and hillbillies to be exact. I'm sure they've found plenty in Shreveport.

TNT will indeed shoot the series 'Dallas' in Dallas

2011-07-11T13:50:00.004-06:00

Yes, TNT's Dallas will indeed shoot in Dallas. Read more about it in my Dallas Morning News column from last Friday.

Here's the official press release from the Dallas Film Commission:

Warner Horizon Television has selected Dallas, Texas as the location for TNT’s Dallas, an all-new series based upon one of the most popular television dramas of all time. TNT announced Friday that it has ordered a full season of 10 episodes and will give viewers their first look at the new Dallas tonight, Monday, July 11, with a sneak peek during the season premieres of the network’s blockbuster hits The Closer, which starts at 8 p.m. Central, and Rizzoli & Isles, which airs at 9 p.m. Central. The new series will show off the vibrant city that Dallas is today.

TNT’s new Dallas brings a new generation of stars together with cast members from the original drama series. The new Dallas stars Josh Henderson (90210), Jesse Metcalfe (John Tucker Must Die), Jordana Brewster (Fast & Furious), Julie Gonzalo (Veronica Mars) and Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives), and they will be joined by iconic stars Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing.

Executive producer Cynthia Cidre, who wrote the acclaimed film The Mambo Kings and executive produced the television series Cane, wrote the pilot for the new Dallas. TNT’s series is based on the original series created by David Jacobs. Michael M. Robin (The Closer) directed and executive produced the pilot.

The original Dallas aired from 1978 to 1991 and centered on the Ewing family, a cattle and oil dynasty occupying the expansive Southfork Ranch in Texas. A long and bitter rivalry between brothers J.R. Ewing (Hagman) and Bobby Ewing (Duffy) eventually led to J.R. losing control of most of the Ewing industries. In the new Dallas, this explosive rivalry now lives on through another generation, with the future of the family fortune in the hands of the Ewing offspring: cousins John Ross Ewing (Henderson), the son of J.R. and ex-wife Sue Ellen (Gray), and Christopher Ewing (Metcalfe), the adopted son of Bobby. Brewster stars as Elena, who is involved in a love triangle with Christopher and John Ross. Gonzalo stars as Christopher’s fiancée, Rebecca. And Strong stars as Ann, Bobby’s wife.

The series is expected to have a significant financial impact on the city; create many jobs for crew, actors, extras and vendors; and increase tourism.

"The City of Dallas is very excited to once again have an iconic television series named after our City and pleased that we could assist in making Dallas not only the obvious location choice, but a good choice for the bottom line too," said Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano. Now that TNT has officially placed the series order, Warner Horizon Television can move forward with contracts to finalize the Dallas shoot. Pre-production and production on the series are expected to begin later this year.

Tobe Hooper plays himself in new novel featuring a swarm of zombies in Austin

2011-07-09T21:57:00.005-06:00

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre's Tobe Hooper has a new novel out called Midnight Movie starring a guy named Tobe Hooper and a bunch of zombies swarming the South by Southwest Film Festival. An Austin Chronicle film writer helps our host battle the baddies.

Read my Austin American-Statesman review here.

TNT picks up 'Dallas'; to give sneak peek Monday

2011-07-09T06:06:00.006-06:00

As predicted, TNT has picked up Dallas to series for a 10-episode shoot to premiere in summer 2012. No confirmation yet of a Dallas shoot in Dallas, but after the city of Dallas' grant to upgrade a warehouse for the show, it looks more than probable.

TNT will give viewers a sneak peek of the show Monday during the season premieres of The Closer at 8 p.m. and Rizzoli & Isles at 9 p.m.

Also a web site is up with more info on the show.

Here's what they said in a press release:

TNT has given the greenlight to Dallas, an all-new series based upon one of the most popular television dramas of all time, about the bitter rivalries and family power struggles within a Texas oil and cattle-ranching dynasty. Famous for its ratings-grabbing cliffhangers, the original series was known for its wealth, seduction, scandal and intrigues. Set in the big state of Texas, TNT’s new Dallas — from Warner Horizon Television — also lives life large and in the fast lane and brings a new generation of stars together with cast members from the original drama series.

The new Dallas stars Josh Henderson (90210), Jesse Metcalfe (John Tucker Must Die), Jordana Brewster (Fast & Furious), Julie Gonzalo (Veronica Mars) and Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives), and they will be joined by iconic stars Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing.

TNT has ordered 10 episodes of DALLAS, which is slated to premiere in summer 2012.

SHOT IN TEXAS: Decision on 'Dallas' series looms

2011-07-08T06:18:00.006-06:00

Larry Hagman and Linda Gray at the Texas Film Hall of Fame (crappy photo by me).

UPDATE: TNT PICKS UP DALLAS.

My SHOT IN TEXAS column from today's Dallas Morning News

Verdict on ‘Dallas’ TV series should come soon

By JOE O’CONNELL
Special to the Dallas Morning News
Filmnewsbyjoe@yahoo.com
@joemoconnell on Twitter
joeoconnell.com

When will TNT decide the fate of the new Dallas television series? The standard reply is “any day now,” and that day is looming.

A North Texas shoot is looking more than probable given a $235,000 economic development grant from the city of Dallas to add air conditioning to a property at 2901 S. Lamar in exchange for six months of free rent for a television or film project. Developer Jack Matthews owns the property.

The agreement asks TNT and Warner Horizon to let the city know about a North Texas shoot by July 15 and sets an Aug. 1 deadline, says Janis Burklund of the Dallas Film Commission.

“They’ve always said the show wouldn’t air until July 2012,” Burklund said. “People shouldn’t get too excited that there’s not an official announcement yet.”

The city agreement requires a TV or film project to go in by July 2012 or the grant will not be paid.

“It’s difficult to find a warehouse in the right part of town that has air conditioning and is not too loud,” Burklund said. “We wrote [the grant] obviously with Dallas in mind, but it could work for other television or film projects.”

The Dallas Film Commission estimates that each TV episode shot on location brings in $1 million in direct local spending. TNT has not said how many episodes of Dallas will be ordered.

The grant agreement rankled the Studios at Las Colinas management, particularly comments that their facility in Irving doesn’t have the space to accommodate Dallas. Burklund said she heard the size complaint from producers of both Dallas and Good Christian Belles. Pilots for both shot in North Texas, but the latter series will lens in Los Angeles.

“That is exactly what we are: a soundstage development,” said Jennifer Loeb King, vice president of business affairs for the studios. “Secondly, we are a private studio facility with no city dollars given ever to us in 30 years. With the economy the way it is, it just seems that the owner of South Lamar should foot the bill privately or get a loan or whatever but not use city tax dollars to put in air conditioning on a building he owns and can benefit from into the future even if the series is cancelled.”

The Studios at Las Colinas previously has rented space for production of Prison Break, The Deep End and Lone Star.

“We recognize that all projects will not utilize the Studios at Las Colinas,” Loeb King said. “We believe in fair competition and would have preferred an opportunity to show all that we have to offer.”

“The more we build the business in general, the more that will be here for everyone,” Burklund said of an additional studio facility. She added that additional projects continue to seriously consider North Texas as a location for shoots as early as fall.

Bonus footage

Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse’s annual Rolling Road Show brings the inflatable screen poolside to the Day’s Inn on I-35 East in Hillsboro for a showing tomorrow of Bottle Rocket , the 1996 Wes Anderson film that shot at the location. It’s also part of efforts to keep the location from closing. More information is at drafthouse.com/movies/rrs_bottle_rocket/Austin. … One project that appears unlikely to shoot in Texas is Lone Ranger , a Disney film that scouted primarily in West Texas. The reinvention of the classic tale focusing on Tonto as portrayed by Johnny Depp is likely bound for Utah, sources say. More generous filming incentives appeared to tip the deal. … Carol Pirie steps down this summer as deputy director of the Texas Film Commission after 23 years — including multiple stints as acting film commish. She notes that Lonesome Dove was in production when she started, and she leaves just after rooting for Texas-shot The Tree of Life as it won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival.

Saying goodbye to 'Friday Night Lights'

2011-07-07T21:23:00.006-06:00

The final episode of Friday Night Lights airs on NBC on July 15. I was in the neighborhood of the football stadium set today in Austin, Texas, and stopped to see what was left of it (filming ended long ago). You can see the full set of photos here.

Oh, and for old time's sake, here are some pieces I wrote from the set in season one and season two of the show.

The dividing line between the Dillon (blue) and East Dillon (red) football fieldhouses.

The front of the Panther Fieldhouse.

'Lone Ranger' now looking to Utah shoot

2011-06-27T08:00:00.011-06:00

UPDATE: LONE RANGER IS OFFICIALLY DEAD AS A PROJECT!

UPDATE: These decisions are still forming apparently, with a lot of studio work in New Mexico looking likely (along with the Utah shoot?) and some train shots in Texas.

Despite early casting reports that Disney's Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp as Tonto would land in Texas and New Mexico, extremely reliable sources in the know say it will go to Utah. And it's a decision based entirely on the incentives that state will offer. Texas just plain doesn't offer enough.

Jerry Bruckheimer tweeted this past week that he was heavy into preproduction meetings on the project, and apparently this location decision was the result.

Of course, this means the film's Texas may better approximate the television series that ran from 1949-56 and filmed in Kanab, Utah, and California, thus keeping the myth of that particular Lone Star State alive.

TNT to decide on 'Dallas' pickup this month

2011-06-19T10:35:00.003-06:00

That's the word from Patrick Duffy, who says the Dallas series would start shooting in October if picked up. He doesn't say whether the series, like the pilot, would lens in Dallas.

'Lone Ranger' another Texas-New Mexico project?

2011-06-16T06:39:00.010-06:00

UPDATE: LONE RANGER IS OFFICIALLY DEAD AS A PROJECT!

I've got confirmation of scouts both in Texas and New Mexico for Disney's Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp as Tonto. This casting call actually says both states are in the mix.

Are we looking at a repeat of True Grit, which split filming between the two states with a slight edge to Texas to qualify for Lone Star State filming incentives? Looks that way. The casting call also indicates an October start to filming. Armie Hammer of The Social Network will portray the Masked Man.

For more on the project and recent scouts, read here.

Johnny Depp plays Tonto; world ends

2011-06-13T09:14:00.009-06:00

The Mayan calendar ends on Dec. 21, 2012. That's also the date Disney has schedule the release of Lone Ranger, the film starring Johnny Depp as Tonto (the story is about him, not the masked man this go around). Oh, and as I told you before, they're scouting Texas locations...

UPDATE: LONE RANGER IS OFFICIALLY DEAD AS A PROJECT!

UPDATE: Our source Carla confirms filmmakers recently scouted White Sands, New Mexico, as well.

Texas film incentives survive; 'Lone Ranger' lurks

2011-06-10T15:36:00.004-06:00

UPDATE: LONE RANGER IS OFFICIALLY DEAD AS A PROJECT!

My column from today's Dallas Morning News.

SHOT IN TEXAS: Legislature approves $30 million in film incentives

By JOE O’CONNELL Special Contributor

Published 09 June 2011 04:48 PM

The Texas film-incentives program appears to have survived the
legislative session, but with a lot less cash to throw at potential
projects like Johnny Depp’s Lone Ranger.

The incentive program, which is aimed at attracting film, television
commercial and video-game projects to the state, will have $30 million
to spend in the next two years. That’s exactly half of what the
Legislature approved two years ago. Another $2 million will fund program
administration and a state film archives program.

“It’s a big victory and something that we’ll have to build back up on in
the future,” said Don Stokes, president of industry lobbying group the
Texas Motion Picture Alliance. “At least it keeps the program alive at
this point.”

Most film-industry leaders are keeping their lips tight about the
allocation, perhaps concerned about unlikely changes to it during the
Legislature’s special session. But it could have been worse: An original
plan had two-year funding at $10 million and at one point the Senate
considering cutting all film-incentive funding.

The funding uncertainty kept at least one unnamed network television
series pilot from filming in Texas, Stokes said. North Texas did land
two pilots — Dallas-set Good Christian Belles , which will shoot as an
ABC series primarily in Los Angeles, and TNT’s version of Dallas, which
the network has yet to pick up as a full series.

The incentives program has been less successful competing for feature
films with other more incentive-rich states such as Louisiana and New
Mexico. The next big-name film in Texas may be a remake of The Lone
Ranger , with emphasis on the character Tonto to be portrayed by Johnny
Depp. The Disney film is expected to have a fall shoot and has been
scouting locations in West Texas, Austin and the small town of Granger
where much of True Grit was shot in 2010, Gary Bond of the Austin Film
Office confirmed.

The alliance group estimates the incentive program has generated more
than $600 million in new in-state spending and 56,000 jobs since it was
first funded in 2007.

“These incentives will keep our crew and talent working in Texas and
economically impacting our entire state,” said Waxahachie-based talent
agent Linda McAlister. “Talent live and work all over Texas, not just in
the metropolitan areas. The money is filtered throughout the communities
through production as well as individual spending.”

The Legislature clearly wants to see bottom-line results. The Texas Film
Commission has until November 2012 to come up with a 10-year plan for
the film industry to “grow beyond its traditional funding.” That
includes asking cities to get involved financially and asking colleges
and universities to bolster crew training.

“Our goal is to leverage the assets we have in the state — our talented
crews, infrastructure and location variety,” Stokes said. “We can do it
all in Texas.”

Last year the incentive program was instrumental in attracting a lot of
television series to the state — The Good Guys, Chase and Lone Star in
North Texas and My Generation and Friday Night Lights in Austin, but all
of those shows have since closed shop.

To keep either television or films from gobbling up much of the
incentives allocation, the legislation requires no more than 40 percent
of funds go to either TV, film, video games or commercials and
industrial films.

“We want to make sure all segments of the industry have a chance to grow
and prosper under the program,” Stokes said.

Texas motel breakfast

2011-06-03T18:30:00.002-06:00

Our air conditioner conked out last night so we fled to a nearby motel. As far as I know, the Texas-shaped waffle is only available at Texas motels. It's a make-it-yourself thing.

Yes, your day could be worse

2011-06-01T17:16:00.003-06:00

Spotted on Burnet Road in Austin, Texas at 5 p.m. today.

Alex Jones inspires zombies to action!

2011-05-30T07:47:00.007-06:00

First radio conspiracy theorist Alex Jones took on the Robert Rodriguez film Machete leading the Texas Film Commission to deny film incentives for it, then he helped kill TV's Two and a Half Men (or at least the Charlie Sheen version), now comes word that his radio rants actually led to the creation of a Zombie movie from fine musician Jesse Dayton. Here's what Jesse says about his film Zombex, which wraps filming today in Austin and features appearances by both Corey Feldman and Malcolm McDowell:

While on a 40-city arena tour opening for horror director/rock star Rob Zombie (a close friend who cast me as Capt. Clegg in his Harvey Weinstein-produced film Halloween 2 for which I also wrote and recorded an original soundtrack which Rob was the executive producer), I was listening to a radio show by libertarian conspiracy theorist host Alex Jones. This was purely for entertainment on the tour bus. On the third of the tour, Alex shouted “Don’t people understand that big pharmaceutical companies are in bed with the health insurance companies and the government and this Xanax is turning our country into zombies”!

Boom! Light bulb! I immediately wrote the outline for Zombex. A film that would be mostly set in New Orleans, LA but ending in Austin, TX about a greedy pharmaceutical company CEO who sells a Xanax-type pill to post Hurricane Katrina stress victims which turns them into zombies. An hour and twenty minutes fun ride with a big idea behind it. A down and out local Zydeco music star, lead character Charlie Thibideaux, brings down this Gordon Gekko-type greed head and his whole empire while zombies are simultaneously destroying everything around them.

'Good Christian Belles' goes to LA; 'Dallas' awaits verdict

2011-05-18T15:15:00.005-06:00

This just in: Dallas-set Good Christian Belles (formerly Good Christian Bitches and also GCB) will shoot in Los Angeles, according to Janis Burklund of the Dallas Film Commission. The pilot shot in Dallas, and the show was picked up this week by ABC. "We always knew this one would be more difficult to keep here given it’s large cast and that it will be heavily shot on interior sets," Burklund said.

An ABC spokesperson said an official announcement of the filming location could come next week.

TNT did not mention the modern-day Dallas pilot at its upfront today. Burklund says no need to worry, but there are some rumblings it too may film in LA.

"The Dallas pilot just finished shooting and was produced for next season," she said. "They didn’t intend to have it in time for this season, so I wouldn’t have expected it to have been mentioned in TNT’s upfronts today. Believe we’ll know before too long about a series pickup, but can’t say exactly when. Can assure you Dallas isn’t out of it, and we are still working hard to ensure it stays here.

Sneak peek at 'Good Chrisitan Belles' pilot

2011-05-18T08:42:00.004-06:00

Thanks to Scott who steered me to this look at the Dallas-shot pilot formerly known as Good Christian Bitches and GCB and now under the assumed name of Good Christian Belles. Annie Potts' hair is truly frightening!

Still no official word that the series will shoot in Dallas, but there are rumblings it will instead land in Los Angeles. Stay tuned.

'Good Christian Bitches,' er 'Belles' picked up by ABC

2011-05-15T13:07:00.004-06:00

What I failed to tell you while my internet was down: Good Christian Bitches--now Good Christian Belles--was picked up by ABC to series.

Read more about the show here.

NOTE: We do not have confirmation yet of a Dallas shoot for the series. The pilot was shot in Dallas and the show is set there, so one can hope. Stay tuned.

Cannes can: 'Dallas Buyers Club' comes back to life

2011-05-11T21:32:00.000-06:00

This just in from the Cannes International Film Festival: Matthew McConaughey and Hilary Swank are looking set to star in the long-planned The Dallas Buyers Club.

Here's what Deadline.com sez: "Content Film has acquired The Dallas Buyers Club for international sales. That puts the picture on track to finally happen ... McConaughey will play a Texas electrician named Ron Woodroof. Given six months to live by his doctors in 1986 after contracting AIDS, he hung on and lived another six years by illegally smuggling medicine into the US. He made sure a lot of other sufferers got them. The spirit of the drama paints a picture at the time of powerful and unyielding bureaucrats at the Food and Drug Administration."

'Little in Common' won't shoot in Austin

2011-05-11T21:04:00.000-06:00

If you read my post earlier this week musing on whether Rob Thomas' Little in Common will shoot in Austin if picked up as a Fox series, the answer from show line producer Patricia Fass Palmer is "nope." The shoot for the show, which is set in Austin, would take place in Los Angeles. Expect word on whether the show is picked up next week. My gut says it will be given its strong cast and easy comparisons to Modern Family.

NEWS FLASH: Some sources (including Variety) say the series pickup is eminent.

Duplass sez help send 'Kevin' namesake out to world

2011-05-10T10:42:00.010-06:00

Jay Duplass's doc Kevin is about Kevin Gant, an Austin musician in the '90s who vanished without a trace until the filmmaker tracked him down and set out to tell his story. The film premiered at SXSW and is on the film festival circuit. Duplass wants your help making sure Gant can make the journey as well since most festivals can't afford the expenses. Go to Kickstarter to see how you can donate and receive cool prizes like signed CDs and a DVD of the film.

This is what Duplass says about his doc:

"In Austin, TX in the early '90s, Kevin was my hero. He was the purest, most inspired artist I had ever seen. His fusion of all-American folk-poetry with a wild flamenco guitar style was completely original, and I went to every show of his I could.

But in 1995, Kevin disappeared completely from the music scene, and I had no idea why.

Two years ago I finally tracked him down, and we began a friendship. I learned about the painful events back in ’95 that shattered his lifelong dream of making and sharing music. I learned he had barely touched his guitar ever since, and had forgotten how to play almost all of his songs.

But then, thanks to a magical twist of fate I could never have imagined, Kevin and I found ourselves traveling halfway around the globe and back. And along the way, I watched as Kevin’s dream reignited right before my eyes.

KEVIN, my documentary debut, is that story."

By the way, Dan Eggleston reports that Duplass has asked him to portray a homeless man in a scene from the upcoming group-effort recreation of Richard Linklater's Slacker.

UT audience gets sneak peek at Linklater's 'Bernie'

2011-05-10T09:40:00.012-06:00

Jack Black on the 'Bernie' set in Lockhart.

Word on the streets is John Pierson's Master Class at the University of Texas had a big treat last week: a full viewing of Richard Linklater's upcoming film Bernie. My tipster says the film starring Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine is impressive. Linklater said we should look for the movie to premiere at a film festival soon.

Based on a true story as chronicled in Texas Monthly, it also stars Matthew McConaughey as the district attorney out to nail Black in the title role of Bernie Tiede for the murder of MacLaine as wealthy widow Marjorie Nugent.

My source sez Linklater indicated the film had fought for financial backing and ended with a slew of executive producers (aka investors). Financing has been a continuing problem for Linklater, who of late was reported to be circling a remake of The Incredible Mr. Limpet in exchange for financing for more of his 12-year project, which should be, what, in year eight now?

There are also rumblings about Liars (A-E), Linklater's almost adaptation of screenwriter Emma Forrest's book about a breakup that semi-mirrors her real-life one with Colin Farrell. Telephone-tosser and producer Scott Rudin recently said the project is still alive and may yet be made. In 2009, changes at Miramax reportedly killed chances for the film.

Here's a description of that project, which was about to shoot a while back before financing collapsed: "Liars (A-E) follows a girl who’s so swept up by President Obama’s supposedly perfect marriage to Michelle that she travels across America to the inauguration."

Can Rob Thomas bring network TV back to Austin?

2011-05-10T08:48:00.010-06:00

No, I'm not talking about the guy from some band (or at least that band). I'm talking about Rob Thomas, the guy who grew up in San Marcos and was a teacher before some middle-school novels changed his life. The guy from the Austin band Hey Zeus. The guy behind Veronica Mars. The guy who fairly recently moved back to Austin from Los Angeles.

Most important, I'm talking about Rob Thomas the guy whose single-camera Fox pilot Little in Common is set in Austin, but didn't shoot here (that's him on the pilot set above). Here's how it's described:

"With three families united through their kids’ Little League sports, it centers on the Wellers (Rob Corddry, Paula Marshall), who move from San Jose, Calif., to Austin, Texas, but find that their adjustment won't be quite that easy considering their Latino neighbors, the Pachecos (Lombardo Boyar, Alanna Ubach), have a radically different approach to child-rearing than they do, while their other new neighborhood acquaintances, the African American Burlesons (Kevin Hart, Gabrielle Union), take sports very seriously.

The question now is whether the show will be picked up (which seems likely given the cast, the folks behind it and similarities to Modern Family) and how much of the series will shoot in Austin. The first question will be answered at Fox upfronts--a dog and pony show for new shows--this coming Monday. The second is murkier. Yes, the show is set in Austin, and, yes, Thomas lives here now. But consider Kyle Killen whose short-lived Lone Star shot in Dallas and was set in Houston. Killen lives in Austin and made a last-minute attempt to move the shoot to Austin. It failed. Sometimes the creator doesn't have that much power.

But with a trained crew left over from Friday Night Lights and still no word on whether reshoots of Lifetime's Meet Jane will reap a series pickup (Lifetime had its upfronts in April), Austin is ripe for another network series. This could be it. Stay tuned.

FYI: We should also get word next Tuesday on ABC's Dallas-shot Good Christian Bitches (or whatever it's going to be called) and next Wednesday on TNT's Dallas reimagining as those networks stage upfronts.

San Antonio-set 'Desperado' disappears into development hell

2011-05-09T14:52:00.005-06:00

I keep meaning to mention that Desperado, the San Antonio-set CBS pilot in development shall at this time remain in development. In other words, don't look for filming to commence along the Riverwalk any time soon. That's the word from the San Antonio Film Commission.

It's too bad since the show sounded promising: "Desperado is about a band of lawmen who enact cowboy-style justice on modern-day criminals in San Antonio."

And, no, San Antonio native son Robert Rodriguez had nothing to do with it, despite the title. Instead it was from CSI creator Anthony Zuiker.

Cornish is 'The Girl'; don't tell Reese Witherspoon

2011-05-09T14:25:00.006-06:00

Call it a return to the scene of the crime. Abbie Cornish (that's her armed and dangerous in the Sucker Punch poster) is set to star in The Girl, which lens in Austin in June. The story is about: "Ashley, a young Texan mother who loses her child to foster care and begins smuggling Mexicans across the border. When her quick money scheme fails, she ends up traveling across Mexico with an orphaned eight year old girl from Oaxaca for company." It's a SAG film written and directed by David Riker (La Ciudad).

Cornish was in Austin back in 2006 to film Stop-Loss with Ryan Phillippe, who was then married to Reese Witherspoon. Cornish and Phillippe apparently hooked up and the marriage was kaput. As of last year, the hookup ended, and Cornish appears to be on the market again and back in the Capital City.

And that's the most celebrity gossip you're likely to ever find in my blog!

Metalhead in a wheelchair

2011-04-29T10:06:00.006-06:00

I used to teach this odd mini-course for the University of Texas. It was a last chance grammar boot camp for students trying to pass the grammar-spelling-punctuation test and thus get into the Journalism Department. One day, a long-haired guy in a motorized wheelchair rolled into class. His name was Jacob Payne. His head lolled to the side, drool dripped on his beard and his eyes were all smile.

Jacob had a notebook on which he could slowly, meticulously scrawl out notes. His first to me was, "Can we talk in the hall?" I followed as he zoomed out of the class. He had two requests: "Can you lift my head?" and "use the cloth to wipe my drool." I nodded OK, did both, and we went back into the classroom. Every once in a while I'd lean over and adjust his head or wipe a little drool. No big deal. Jacob seemed to appreciate that I just did it, gave him a thumbs up and moved on.

My plan for the class was blown to shreds by Jacob. He couldn't get on the computer to do exercises. He didn't write quickly enough to do the practice tests. I ended up stuffing his backpack with work to do at home. I was left wishing someone had warned me so I could find a way to better serve him. Then I realized this is what it's probably always like to be him.

After a while I began to notice this guy was funny--and smart (funny people are always smart; it's a law). He asked me about music (Jacob was a MAJOR metalhead). He asked me about writing. He wanted me to hook him up with The Austin Chronicle for music review gigs. At home I Googled his name and read an essay he'd written for The Daily Texan about how he'd scam his way backstage at metal shows by bumping people with his wheelchair until they parted like the Red Sea and he found himself at the stage. Then, the natural scammer scrawled a one-word note (Backstage?) to the band that he'd love to be just a little closer. Soon he was backstage.

Jacob still failed the GSP test, but he showed up again the next time I taught this class. This time I felt like I was greeting an old friend. I purposely put him in a study group with a young woman he thought was cute. She was very nice to him, and Jacob's squeal of a laugh came out often. He had a great time. He seemed to be getting it.

We became friends on Facebook, and I loved the photos he posted of a trip to New York City. He invited me to parties, but I was too busy being a dad with a young son. But I talked about Jacob a lot to everyone. He taught me something important, one of those lessons we're supposed to get early on but never seem to completely stick. It's about not seeing the chair, but seeing the person. I know Jacob had a lot more challenges that most people, but he seemed to revel in life. A band recorded his song lyrics. His articles were published. He rocked out. He traveled. He had a whole lot of friends. He lived. What more could you ask?

Jacob died this week at 27. I'm happy to have grazed against his sparkly life. Rock on, dude. I'm better for having known you.

A 'Slacker' remake?

2011-04-28T14:49:00.004-06:00

Well, sort of. More like an homage 20 years later from filmmakers:

Miguel Alvarez
Bradley Beesley
John Bryant
Bob Byington
Mike Dolan
Sam Wainwright Douglas
Jay Duplass
Chris Eska
Paul Gordon
Amy Grappell
Duane Graves
Berndt Mader
Geoff Marslett
Spencer Parsons
PJ Raval
Bob Ray
Elisabeth Sikes
Karen Skloss
Ben Steinbauer
David & Nathan Zellner.

The sad thing is it can't premiere at the late Dobie Theater where I saw Richard Linklater's original Slacker all those years ago (yikes!).

Confused? Here's the skinny from the Austin Film Society:

The Austin Film Society and The Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas are excited to announce that 23 of the most celebrated Austin filmmakers will remake vignettes from AFS Founder & Artistic Director Richard Linklater’s seminal film SLACKER. This homage project was conceived by The Alamo Drafthouse team to celebrate SLACKER's 20th anniversary year by bringing the film community together to honor one of Texas' best homegrown films. AFS came aboard with a stellar group of filmmakers and a Kickstarter-like campaign to raise an additional $60,000 toward the 2011 Texas Filmmakers Production Fund (accepting applications until June 1).

Each scene will be recreated, using the original dialogue and locations (whenever possible), and individual scenes will then be compiled to create the remake, presenting the city’s changing face while showcasing some of its most exciting talent. Donations of $50 or higher to SLACKER 2011 will receive a ticket to the World Premiere on August 31st with the remake filmmakers and Richard Linklater in attendance for Q&A. More details on the event will be released when finalized. Project details and updates can be found at austinfilm.org/slacker2011

The levels of support for SLACKER 2011:
$25,000 – Executive Producer credit on SLACKER 2011, the option for an walk-on speaking role, an autographed DVD of SLACKER & the remake, and VIP seating for 10 at the World Premiere screening.

$10,000 – Producer credit on SLACKER 2011, the option for a featured extra role, an autographed DVD of SLACKER & the remake, and VIP seating for 6 at the World Premiere screening.

$5,000 – Get a walk-on speaking role in SLACKER 2011, Special Thanks on the finished film, an autographed DVD of SLACKER & the remake, and 4 VIP tickets to the World Premiere screening.

$1,000 – Be a background extra in SLACKER 2011, get Special Thanks credit on the finished remake film, an autographed DVD of SLACKER & the remake, and 2 VIP tickets to the World Premiere screening.

$500 - Get Special Thanks credit on the finished remake film, an autographed DVD of SLACKER & the remake, and 2 VIP tickets to the World Premiere screening.

$100 - Thanks credit on the finished remake film, a DVD copy and 2 tickets to the World Premiere screening.

$50 - $99 – One ticket to the World Premiere screening and thanks on our website as a valuable donor to the Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund.

'Lost in Austin' brings 'Jersey Shore' to Texas

2011-04-25T12:02:00.005-06:00

Or at least the drunken inane part of it. What? I think that's all of it!

Here are the details:

Giddy up Texas, time to show the rest of the country what getting REAL is all about!

When they say Don't mess with Texas, they're talking about you. Wherever you go, you make a name for yourself. You've always had the personality, the looks, the charm, and the style to stand out.

One of the Executive Producers behind Jersey Shore in conjunction with Badaddy Productions is now casting Texans who are at least 21 years old who have moved to Austin (or want to) for the party of a lifetime! We’re rounding up the biggest and baddest personalities to live it up in the ultimate Austin pad for a brand new docu-series.

Do you rule the bar scene, rope in the hottest of the hot, drink anyone under the table? We want to hear from you!

Is everything really bigger in Texas? Prove it. Time to go big, because going home isn’t an option.

Let’s show the country how Texans do it. Are you ready to get Lost in Austin?

NOW CASTING guys and girls who are from TEXAS to live it up in the heart of Downtown Austin!

SHOT IN TEXAS: ‘Dallas’ pilot begins 12-day shoot

2011-04-22T15:19:00.006-06:00

My Dallas Morning News column (which actually runs Saturday but is already up on the Web site--oddly minus my byline).--Joe

NOTE: Larry Hagman on Sunday at 8 p.m. will be at the Texas Theatre, where the original Dallas series is being screened two episodes at a time weekly.

SHOT IN TEXAS: ‘Dallas’ pilot begins 12-day shoot here next week

BY JOE O'CONNELL
filmnewsbyjoe@yahoo.com
joeoconnell.com
@joemoconnell on Twitter

The TNT series pilot for Dallas begins a 12-day North Texas shoot next week. The pilot follows the next generation of Ewings led by Jesse Metcalfe, Josh Henderson and Jordana Brewster. Larry Hagman, Charlene Tilton, Steve Kanaly, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy from the original series are also on board.

“Just because a pilot shoots here doesn’t mean it’s going to stay if picked up,” warned Janis Burklund of the Dallas Film Commission. She has seen network shows such as Fox’s Good Guys come and go. Indeed, most of the original Dallas series was shot in Hollywood.

Dallas-set and Dallas-shot ABC pilot GCB, starring Leslie Bibb, Kristin Chenoweth and Annie Potts, recently wrapped production. Word of a series pickup is expected by mid-May.

A couple of canceled series shot in North Texas are also staging small-scale comebacks. The five unaired Chase episodes shot in Dallas will be broadcast beginning Saturday on NBC. And Lone Star creator Kyle Killen is staging a free screening of the fourth through sixth episodes of the canceled Fox series this Sunday in Austin at the Alamo Drafthouse-Ritz.

In 2009, Hagman, Dallas’ J.R. Ewing, wandered the Texas Capitol giving out fake $10,000 bills with his photo on them, successfully prodding legislators to increase filming incentives funding. But incentives are no longer such an easy sell.

With six weeks to go in the session, the Texas Legislature is hashing out the future of a filming incentives program that in 2009 awarded two-year funding of $60 million — with another $2 million for operating expenses and funding of a state film archive. This time the Senate is looking at two-year funding of $10 million, while the House is considering increasing that two-year figure to $30 million plus that spare $2 million for operations and film archive. The decision will likely be up to a House-Senate conference committee.

The industry, in a study expected to be released next week, contends the film, television and video-game industry has had a $1.1 billion impact since incentives were first funded in 2007, and a direct in-state spend of just less than $600 million. The study commissioned by the Texas Association of Business with the help of the University of Texas considers spending through 2010.

“It shows how effective we are at creating jobs,” said Don Stokes, president of the lobbying group Texas Motion Picture Alliance. “It shows the Texas program is the most efficient program out there.”

Competing states also are looking at either cutting back or eliminating filming incentives in this tight budget year. Still, New Mexico is considering a $45 million per year cap, far more than ever offered in Texas.

“Our program was designed from the beginning to be very conservative,” Stokes said, noting Texas’ strengths in trained film crews and varied filming locales. “As other programs across the country pull back and come back into reality, it makes Texas that much more competitive. We hope we end up with enough to keep Texas in the game.”
Burklund agrees. “We all know we’re going to take a cut,” she said. “I’m not panicking about it. We’re doing the best we can given the circumstances.”

Bonus footage

Dallas filmmakers Barak Epstein, Adam Donaghey, Jason Reimer and Eric Steele, working together as Aviation Cinemas, are launching what they term “crowd-funded” indie films and producing them directly from Oak Cliff’s Texas Theatre. The first project is The Verdigris, a music documentary executive-produced by Bradley Beesley (Okie Noodling) and featuring music by Beau Jennings. A donations-only performance by Jennings opened the effort at the Texas Theatre on Friday.

Cine Las Americas film passes are half price

2011-04-14T10:27:00.003-06:00

Get them quickly. Film passes for the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival are more than half off ($29 as opposed to $75) if you buy them here. Looks like this is only good until Friday. The best runs April 21-28 here in Austin, Texas.

Malick's 'The Tree of Life' to premiere at Cannes

2011-04-14T09:54:00.003-06:00

Yes, Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, just a year later than expected and in competition. It's the only film from a U.S. director in competition this year. Largely shot in Smithville, it stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.

Bill Hader eyeing script from Austin's Chris Mass and Owen Egerton

2011-04-14T09:29:00.006-06:00

I posted this on Twitter a good while back, but forgot to blog it: Bill Hader of Saturday Night Light is attached to a script from Austin's own Owen Egerton (Mr. Sinus) and Chris Mass (Chalk).

From the Saturday Night Live blog:

Henchmen is based on a script written by Russell Sharman, Owen Egerton, and Chris Mass, with Akiva Schaffer and Hader currently reworking it. “The film is about two guys who don’t realize it, but they’re two henchman for like the badguy in a Bourne movie and then they slowly figure who that they’re working for the wrong guys, but like doing it in the actual style of a Bourne movie,” said Hader.

David Koresh says 'Waco' still swirling

2011-04-14T09:06:00.004-06:00

That's actually John Leguizamo, who is set to portray David Koresh in Waco, the movie about the seige on Mount Carmel near Waco. In an interview this month, he describes the film as "still in the development process." Recent reports had it filming soon in Detroit utilizing Michigan's film incentives. The cast--if this controversial film ever gets made--is expected to include Kurt Russell, Adrien Brody and Sharon Stone.

'Spy Kids 4' sends post production to Michigan

2011-04-07T14:45:00.006-06:00

Want to know Robert Rodriguez's reaction to the Texas Film Commission denying incentives to Machete? Read this from The Detroit News:

Spy Kids 4 has been approved for post-production work in Michigan and has qualified for the Michigan film incentives, the Michigan Film Office announced today.

The film, which already has been shot, will be converted from 2-D to 3-D at Speedshape, a post-production facility in Birmingham. The Film Office reported that around $4.5 million will be spent on the process, and the production will receive around $1.8 million in tax credits.

Austin-shot 'Meet Jane' remains not-so aloof

2011-04-06T08:07:00.010-06:00

Little Ricky sez "pick up my show!"

UPDATE: New shoots of the pilot apparently have been taking place of late in Austin! An extras notice dated April 1 (no fooling) sought upscale business and model types ages 40-70 for a shoot this past Sunday. Also sought was a photo double for Schroder, so he's still on board and apparently 5'10" tall and weighing int at 160 lbs.

OK, I'm finally checking back on the status of Meet Jane, and the potential Lifetime series remains moored in the land of perhaps. According to Deadline.com "Meet Jane remains in contention and may be retooled." The pilot shot in Austin and starred Molly Parker and Rick Schroder.

Apparently that retooling is a go...

Allen Shamblin wins song of the year again

2011-04-04T16:33:00.008-06:00

Just how many country music awards are there? At any rate, Allen Shamblin's song "The House that Built Me" as sung by Miranda Lambert won again as song of the year. This time it was the Academy of Country Music awards. He also won song of the year at the CMAs. If you want to know Allen's story (and figure out who that other guy is in the photo above), go here.

The real 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High'

2011-04-04T12:56:00.009-06:00

The 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High is based on Cameron Crowe's experiences posing as a student at San Diego's Clairemont High School in 1979--he wrote a book about the experience first. Here are a few pages from the school's 1979 yearbook. Is that Jeff Spicoli I see lurking in one shot?

For more on the film, check out this Facebook page.

Palicki's 'Wonder Woman' outfit

2011-03-23T07:37:00.002-06:00

Seems former Friday Night Lights star Adrianne Palicki's duds for Wonder Woman are already causing a stir for not being patriotic enough.

What I saw during the SXSW Film Festival

2011-03-19T12:55:00.010-06:00

Or more accurately what I wrote about for The Austin Chronicle:

* Dana Wheeler-Nicholas, who starred in fest films Five-Time Champion and blacktino.

* Pee-Wee Herman aka Paul Reubens.

* Rainn Wilson talking about Super.

* Austrian director Barbara Eder about her film Inside America.

* First-time director Kyle Smith about Turkey Bowl.

+ The films Fly Away, Undefeated, Kumaré, Incendies and Being Elmo.

SHOT IN TEXAS: TV series poised to begin shooting in D-FW

2011-03-18T13:25:00.007-06:00

My Dallas Morning News SHOT IN TEXAS column from today.

BY JOE O’CONNELL
Special to the Dallas Morning News

ABC is expected to begin production in the Dallas-Fort Worth area Monday on the pilot of Good Christian Bitches, and TNT’s reboot of the Dallas TV series will start production in April.

The pilots are positive signs for the North Texas film and television industry, which went from hosting production on three network series—The Good Guys, Lone Star and Chase—to none.

Dallas seems like a lock to be more than a pilot since original Dallas stars Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray signed on. The new show follows their grown-up children, with two Desperate Housewives stars leading the cast--Josh Henderson as John Ross and Jesse Metcalfe as Christopher.

Good Christian Bitches follows the “high school mean girl” (Leslie Bibb) who returns to Dallas after her divorce and runs into the old gang, which includes Kristen Chenoweth (Glee), Annie Potts (Designing Women), Miriam Shor (Damages), and Marisol Nichols (24).

The show’s title, taken from Kim Gatlin’s book on which it is based, is likely to change, but not before it has generated some national controversy. Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association sent out an email to members seeking petition signatures protesting the show even before it shoots.

“Disney-owned ABC has no reservations about creating hate speech against Christians,” Wildmon wrote, “but you can be sure they would never consider a show called Good Muslim B-tches or Good Jewish B-tches.

ABC spokesperson Erin Felentzer said every show in the pilot stage is considered to have a working title and offered no comment on the protest.

“I never thought that name would stick,” said Janis Burklund, head of the Dallas Film Commission, who remains more concerned about how much the Texas Legislature may cut funding for filming incentives program aimed at attracting networks to shoot in the state from the current two-year $60 million total to as little as $10 million.

“We’re more concerned about the future,” said Burklund, since the current batch of pilots will fall under current funding. “At least one if not more series have backed off while they wait and see what happens.” Details on productions needs for both shows are at the commission’s web site, filmdfw.com.

The Good Christian Bitches pilot from Darren Starr (Sex and the City) is actually what’s called a “pilot presentation,” essentially half a pilot that showcases its potential as a full series. But the current star power behind the show gives it a strong shot of making ABC’s fall schedule.

Earlier this month during Texas Film Hall of Fame ceremonies in Austin, film and television producer Scott Robbe said a clause barring incentives for projects showing Texas in a bad light may be what’s really keeping many investors away at this point.

“That’s got to go!” said Robbe, who recently moved to Austin where he is working on an upcoming Austin shoot of a nursing home-set horror thriller called The Home. It’s expected to feature Elijah Wood, Michelle Rodriguez, Ed Asner, Hal Holbrook, Louise Fletcher and Cloris Leachman. Robbe is also working with Gus Van Sant on a documentary about the AIDS advocacy group ACT UP.

TNT's 'Dallas' will indeed shoot in Dallas

2011-03-16T18:12:00.002-06:00

This just in from the Dallas Film Commission:

Warner Horizon Television has selected Dallas as the location for the pilot of TNT’s new incarnation of the popular television drama Dallas. Executive producer Cynthia Cidre, who wrote The Mambo Kings and executive produced the television series Cane, wrote the pilot based on characters created by David Jacobs. Michael M. Robin (The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles, Nip/Tuck) who also executive produces will direct.

The original Dallas ran from 1978 to 1991 and followed the Ewing family of Southfork. The new version will focus on the Ewing offspring; J.R. Ewing’s son John Ross (Josh Henderson of Desperate Housewives), and Christopher, the adopted son of Bobby and Pam Ewing (Jesse Metcalfe of Desperate Housewives) — as they clash over the family dynasty’s future. Jordana Brewster (Fast & Furious) stars as Elena, who is involved in a love triangle with Christopher and John Ross. Julie Gonzalo (Veronica Mars) stars as Christopher’s fiancée Rebecca. The updated Dallas will feature original series stars Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray. Hagman gained worldwide fame for his portrayal of oil baron J.R. Ewing. Gray played J.R.’s wife Sue Ellen Ewing, while Duffy portrayed J.R.’s younger brother Bobby.

"We are so excited that we get to shoot the pilot episode of Dallas in Dallas,” said Cidre and Robin. “The city has changed so much since the original series and we can't wait to show our audience the fun, the culture, the architecture, the restaurants, the landscapes and the people that make Dallas such a vibrant and cinematic city." The pilot alone is expected to have a significant financial impact on the city and create many jobs for crew, actors, extras and vendors. Pre-production will start immediately, with shooting set to begin in late April.

The Dallas Film Commission is the official film commission for the Greater Dallas area. It mission includes marketing and promoting the area to content creators; serving as the primary liaison between the industry, government and the community as well as educating, promoting and advocating for growth of the local industry. In November 2009 the film commission transitioned to the City of Dallas Office of Economic Development to provide a more synergistic approach to growing the City’s targeted media industries, which has resulted in an unprecedented increase in production, particularly in television.

Warner Horizon Television (WHTV) is one of the industry’s fastest-growing television companies, specializing in the creation of scripted series for cable and primetime reality series for both network and cable. Founded in 2006, this second production entity allows the Warner Bros. Television Group to expand its programming offerings and explore creative options made possible under a new business model. WHTV is currently producing more than a dozen projects. Its unscripted shows include The Bachelor; The Bachelorette; Bachelor Pad and the upcoming Take the Money and Run for ABC; The Voice for NBC and Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew for MTV, among others. Scripted programs from WHTV include Rizzoli & Isles and Memphis Beat for TNT, Pretty Little Liars and the upcoming The Lying Game for ABC Family.

Weinstein Co. buys SXSW doc 'Undefeated'

2011-03-14T21:22:00.001-06:00

High school football doc Undefeated has been purchased by the Weinstein Co., the film's co-director Dan Lindsay announced to a small group of viewers at the Westgate following Monday's screening. The film premiered Sunday night with some of the players in attendance. It follows an inner city Memphis team as it aims to win district and then win its first playoff game ever in the school's more than 100 year history. The filmmakers said the project began after they spotted an article about a football player who had moved in with a coach a la The Blind Side. Instead they found their main focus in a charismatic and chubby redhead who volunteered to coach the team. Lindsay said they watched other sports docs while spending eight months immersed in the high school team's season, but their greatest inspiration came from the film Glory and its powerful third act.

The film that was shown was just completed Thursday night, Lindsay said.

Pee Wee Herman live at SXSW!

2011-03-13T16:12:00.004-06:00

Paul Reubens, aka Pee Wee Herman, talks at South By Southwest.

A ragtag group of bicyclists hawks the Pee Wee experience at SXSW.

Pee Wee's bike!

Chase the magic Pee Wee Herman van!

Outside the Austin Convention Center, Rollergirls got in the act, too, promoting something I never figured out.

Saturday at SXSW

2011-03-12T19:29:00.009-06:00

Kevin Clash sat quietly checking his email prior to the start of the doc Being Elmo. An almost full house at the Austin Convention Center’s Vimeo theater scooted past him unaware that they had just had an Elmo experience. Clash, the voice and hands behind the puppet, proved accommodating after the screening to odd requests such as to actually tickle Elmo. He also stuck around for a slew of photos with fans.

When Ellen Page missed her flight and thus a standing-room only talk about the film Super, co-star Rainn Wilson picked up his cell phone and put Page on speaker phone to chat with the crowd of more than 650. Director James Gunn called her part in their very human superhero flick is far from her usually wise young soul parts and instead “a twenty-three year old with the mind of a twelve year old.” On the phone, Page confirmed the shoot was “Rad as hell.” Gunn signed Wilson for the lead role at the suggestion of his ex-wife Jenna Fischer, who told Wilson about the script in a break on the set of The Office. Oh and don’t walk out on a panel featuring Wilson. His retort to early leavers: “Gotta go? Is Jake Gyllenhaal taking a dump down the hall?”

Does any photo exemplify SXSW film better than this? The woman is urging all to “tap this,” while the film geek talks blissfully unaware on his cell phone. And the University of Texas personalized Hilton license plate just adds to the intrigue.

The registration line awaits with badges, lots of stinkin' badges.

Poster? We got posters...

Texas Film Hall of Fame awards

2011-03-11T00:12:00.014-06:00

Renee Zellweger

Rip Torn

Connie Britton

Kyle Chandler

Britt Daniel of Spoon

Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights

Ted Nugent plays "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Tattoos on Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson's head

Beth Broderick in the crowd

Emcee Wyatt Cenac

Richard Linklater

John Hawkes of Winter's Bone

Robert Rodriguez

Liz Smith

Actor Shiloh Fernandez and director Catherine Hardwicke

Gary Dourdan of CSI

Britt Daniel

Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson

Ted Nugent and John Pierson

Joey Lauren Adams

Ted Nugent, Shemane Nugent and their son

Birds?

Why the 'True Grit' eye patch is on the other eye

2011-02-28T19:49:00.007-06:00

Probably one of the most common searches that bring people to my blog is the question of why Jeff Bridges wore the eye patch on the right side in the Coen brothers film while John Wayne wore it on the left eye in the original True Grit.

Here's the answer. According to Walter Scott in Parade, Bridges says, "There was no specific reason. We tried it on both, and it just javascript:void(0)looked and felt better on the right eye."

Oh, and if you want to see tons of photos of the True Grit set, do a search above.

Photos from the set of 'When Angels Sing'

2011-02-28T18:31:00.007-06:00

Thanks to the lucky person who made it onto the set of When Angels Sing in Bastrop this past week and granted me permission to post these photos. In the photos you can see Willie Nelson, Connie Britton, Turk Pipkin and--if you squint--director Tim McCanlies.

Connie Britton chats with tall guy Turk Pipkin, on whose story the film is based.

Willie talks to the crew.

Willie Nelson peeks out at the set.

Willie strides into the action.

That's Tim McCanlies in the blue shirt and khaki baseball hat in the middle facing the camera.

Alex Jones kills 'Two and a Half Men'?

2011-02-24T19:40:00.006-06:00

First his tirade led to Machete being denied Texas film incentive bucks, now Austin access TV/internet radio kingpin/conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has apparently led to the end of the top-rated TV show Two and a Half Men after walking-disaster Charlie Sheen came on Jones' show and went off on Men creator, Chuck Lorre. The show is now shut down for the season. Somebody give Alex his own TV series. He'll have Oprah retiring before you know it. Wait a minute... Do I smell a conspiracy?

Book review: 'Nights of the Red Moon'

2011-02-23T15:22:00.003-06:00

My review of Milton Burton's latest mystery novel Nights of the Red Moon was in Sunday's Austin American-Statesman.

Teen w/ acne and braces? 'When Angels Sing' wants you now...

2011-02-17T11:20:00.005-06:00

This just in (note the date; you have to respond TODAY only):

Third Coast Extras is seeking a teenage male with acne and braces for a featured extra role on When Angels Sing for Tuesday, February 22nd. Pay is $101.5/hr. We are casting for this role today. Please submit photos and contact numbers to thirdcoastextras@gmail.com.

The film has been actively shooting around Austin and Bastrop with Harry Connick Jr. and Connie Britton leading the cast.

'Friday Night Lights' Palicki is new 'Wonder Woman'

2011-02-16T20:09:00.002-06:00

Friday Night Lights and Lone Star star Adrianne Palicki is the new Wonder Woman in David E. Kelley's pilot for NBC. More here.

Uh, and that's not her in the photo...

Darko's Richard Kelly headed to 'Corpus Christi'

2011-02-16T19:46:00.005-06:00

Certainly the next big film to be made in Texas, Richard Kelly, the guy behind Donnie Darko, is writing and directing the thriller Corpus Christi, Variety reports. And, yes, the film is set in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The story is about: " a mentally unstable Iraq war veteran named Paciencia "Patience" De La Rosa, who forges a strange friendship with his boss Ralph Salverson, the wealthy and politically ambitious owner of a supermarket chain."

It's expected to shoot in Corpus in July, with casting happening right now.

Sounds like potentially the best art about Corpus since Bret Anthony Johnston's short stories.

Divine image in Play-Doh?

2011-02-16T11:09:00.001-06:00

This mysterious image appeared in some Play-Doh yesterday. Is the universe calling me to sell it for $1 million on eBay?

Pee Wee Herman coming to SXSW!

2011-02-15T14:18:00.004-06:00

Yep, it's official. Pee Wee Herman will be at SXSW in March. He announced it on his Twitter page today with the comment "The stars at night, are big and bright..."

More on panelists here.

Rip Torn, Renee Zellweger, 'Friday Night Light' in Texas Film Hall of Fame

2011-02-15T13:44:00.004-06:00

The Texas Film Hall of Fame is a semi-swanky celeb-gazing fest put on by the Austin Film Society that opens the South By Southwest Film Festival every year. The names of honorees are released in drips and drabs in advance of the March 10 event at Austin Studios.

Our first names for 2011 are Rip Torn, Renee Zellweger and the TV show Friday Night Lights (not to be confused with the movie and the book). Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton are accepting and Jesse Plemons, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson and Brad Leland are in attendance for Lights as it celebrates its swan song.

Along with them, presenters will include usual suspects Catherine Hardwicke, Luke Wilson, Richard Linklater and Thomas Haden Church.

The host is seemingly non-Texan Wyatt Cenac of The Daily Show fame. But wait! He grew up in Dallas and attended Jesuit College Preparatory School.

More names will be released soon, I'm sure. My next guess is Owen Wilson. Wanna take odds?

'Chase' stops running, what's next in Texas film/TV?

2011-02-12T09:24:00.003-06:00

They've made my SHOT IN TEXAS "premium content" on the Dallas Morning News site, but here it is from today's paper...

'Chase' shuts down after NBC pulls it from schedule

By JOE O’CONNELL

NBC pulled Chase from its schedule just days before production on the show officially ended in North Texas this week. Five episodes remain unaired, and the move means the series probably won’t be back for a second season. The network earlier reduced the episode order from 22 to 18 after poor ratings.

Chase was the last of the major network series shot in Texas to close shop. It follows North Texas-shot Lone Star and The Good Guys, and Austin-shot My Generation and Friday Night Lights. Lights ended it fifth season on DirecTV this week, though the season won’t air on NBC until April.

All of the series faced ratings woes while also proving the mettle of Texas crews and bringing money to the state. Each episode is estimated to bring in at least $1 million in local spending.

If North Texas officials get their wish, the television production frenzy will continue.

“We do have projects that are looking,” said Janis Burklund of the Dallas Film Commission. “And that includes television pilots — plural — and features.”

Certainly the possibility with the highest profile is TNT’s modern-day take on Dallas . It was recently announced that Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray have all signed on for the series pilot, which will focus on the original characters’ children.

There was no word at press time that Dallas would shoot in Dallas, but Burklund remains cautiously optimistic. “They’re looking at their options,” she said of TNT reps. “I think we will know fairly soon.”

Also possibly on the horizon is the Dallas-set Good Christian Bitches , based on Kim Gatlin’s book of the same name. ABC has ordered a pilot presentation for the soap-like show from Sex and the City’s Darren Star.

The television floodgates opened after the 2009 Texas Legislature made its filming incentives payment more flexible and upped overall two-year spending to $60 million. The increase was seen as too little to attract a lot of major films, but perfect for network television. The current budget crunch is likely to shrink that amount considerably. An early proposal dropped it to $10 million for the next two years.

This week, Gov. Rick Perry proposed adding another $20 million on top of that for an even $30 million, as well as opening the possibility that additional funds could be added to the program if they could be freed up elsewhere.

The new session also brought a new leader to the Texas Film Commission, Dallas native Evan Fitzmaurice, who is keeping a politically low profile and letting legislators handle the politics of film incentives.

“There’s a process at work, and as a film commission, we are eager to answer their questions as we have in the past,” he said.

Don Stokes, president of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance, said cutting incentive funding now could halt the flow of television series to Texas.

“We’re prepared to look at a smaller appropriation,” he said. “We just feel it merits more than $30 million because of the jobs we bring to the state.”

The film group has commissioned an economic impact study aimed at proving that . The study is due March 1 from the Texas Association of Business.

Bonus footage

Fitzmaurice spent five years in Los Angeles as an entertainment attorney before joining Perry’s legal staff. He’s a graduate of Greenhill School in Addison. While attending the University of Texas, he wrote music reviews for The Daily Texan and played bass in the band Second Season. … When Angels Sing, a Christmas story directed by Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions ) and based on Turk Pipkin’s book, is currently shooting in Austin. The cast includes Harry Connick Jr., Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights ), Willie Nelson , Kris Kristofferson and Lyle Lovett.

Fionnula Flanagan in 'When Angels Sing'

2011-02-11T08:45:00.008-06:00

Winner of the award (given out by me) of the sexiest older woman, Fionnula Flanagan is another interesting name to join the cast of Tim McCanlies' directed/Elizabeth Avellan produced When Angels Sing, which is currently filming in Central Austin. The film is based on the book by Turk Pipkin and has a very interesting cast including Harry Connick Jr., Connie Britton, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson (he's been on the set this week), Sara Hickman (singing with her daugther Lili!) and Lyle Lovett. Oh, but unconfirmed reports have that spare Jonas brother out of the film.

See more about the film here. It shoots through March in Austin and Bastrop.

Oh, and for you Connick fans: He will end his film shoot with a show at the Long Center on March 26. Tickets are available here.

Book review: 'Kings of Colorado'

2011-02-08T14:39:00.003-06:00

I enjoyed reading David Hilton's Kings of Colorado. You can read my review of this story of kids at at remote, and quite brutal, reformatory in the Austin American-Statesman.

Connie Britton starring in 'When Angels Sing'

2011-02-06T14:16:00.007-06:00

One name I hadn't heard associated with Tim McCanlies' film adaptation of Turk Pipkin's book When Angels Sing is Friday Night Lights alum Connie Britton. Sounds like an interesting cast, headed by Harry Connick Jr. and featuring such musical actors as Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Sara Hickman and Kris Kristofferson.

You can read more about the film, which is shooting through March, here.

I listened to Britton talk about FNL a while back. You read about that here.

Alert! Snow attacks Austin, Texas!

2011-02-04T16:10:00.003-06:00

And, no, we don't have the right shoes for it. Here are more photos taken right outside of Austin.

Justin Bieber sez: "Beavis and Butt-head' is back!

2011-02-02T19:59:00.006-06:00

Yes, you read that right. MTV somehow let Justin Bieber break the news that Beavis and Butt-head from Austin resident Mike Judge will be back on the channel that seems to be all lame "reality" shows all the time. Heh. Heh. I said Bieber....

'My Sucky Teen Romance' with SXSW

2011-02-02T15:45:00.009-06:00

Count young Austin filmmaker Emily Hagins (that's her above) as among the Texans whose films will be shown at the South By Southwest Film Festival in March. Her My Sucky Teen Romance made the cut. Emily is 18 and this is her third film!

Other notables:
Wuss, a comedy from Clay Liford, who recently moved from Dallas to Austin.
Where Soldiers Come From, a war doc that Heather Courtney has been working on for a few years.
blackinto from Aaron Burns with heavy assistance from producer Elizabeth Avellan.
Incendiary: The Willingham Case from Steve Mims.
Building Hope, more good world vibes from Turk Pipkin.

Here's the full list.

ABC semi-hot for 'Good Christian Bitches'

2011-02-02T14:30:00.004-06:00

Yes, the Dallas-set show Good Christian Bitches based on the Dallas-set book by Kim Gatlin is getting a semi-pilot from ABC or at least it "ordered a pilot presentation." I don't know what that code talk means, but it's clearly a start (if not a full pilot).

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

Executive produced by Darren Star and Aaron Kaplan, Bitches, is a primetime soap set in Dallas that asks: Is it possible to start over in a town that thinks they already know you? Robert Harling wrote the script and will exec produce.

According to the synopsis, it focuses on Amanda, the "mean girl" in high school, who returns home after her marriage ends in scandal. Her old classmates reacquaint themselves with the new, humbled Amanda, but will they give her a second chance or seek revenge?

J.R. does 'Dallas'; will 'Dallas' do Dallas?

2011-02-01T20:34:00.005-06:00

This just in from The Hollywood Reporter: Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray will reprise their Dallas roles in TNT's reboot of the series, which this time is focused on the kids. Also in the cast are Josh Henderson (Desperate Housewives) and Jordana Brewster (Fast & Furious) as a couple of those crazy Ewing kids.

Earlier reports had Hagman, aka J.R. Ewing unlikely to join the crew after money haggles. Now the big question remains: how much of Dallas will shoot in the actual Dallas? Don't be surprised if that's the clarion call for efforts to keep the Texas film incentives program fully funded by the Texas Legislature.

Moviemaker mag names Austin #4 best film city

2011-01-31T20:35:00.006-06:00

In its yearly tradition Moviemaker has named Austin the fourth best place to "live, work and make movies." Boston leads the list this time, followed by Albuquerque, NM, and a resurgent New Orleans, La. Last year, Austin was fifth on the list, and has been known to claim the top spot in previous years. Gary Bond of the Austin Film Office said he believes the Capital City may well have been on the list more than any other city, but don't quote him on it. Oops.

The usual suspects are credited with the Austin praise: Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater and a strong crew base. Also heaped with praise in the Texas film incentives program, which may not get so much lauding next year if the Legislature follows through on talk of scalping the program.

Dallas did not make the list this year.

Kids, adults sought for Harry Connick film

2011-01-29T08:29:00.004-06:00

More info on When Angels Sing, the adaptation of Turk Pipkin's Christmas story to be directed by Tim McCanlies, produced by Elizabeth Avellan, and starring Harry Connick Jr., Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Sara Hickman and a spare Jonas brother. It's shooting in Austin and Bastrop:

"Seeking homeschooled kids or w/ extremely flexible schedules for Feb. & March for When Angels Sing" Email contact number, photo, ages, height, weight, shirt size, pant size + shoe size to thirdcoastextras@gmail.com. LABEL SUBJECT "HOMESCHOOLED KIDS- WHEN ANGELS SING."

For your older folks:
We are seeking all types for our new project When Angels Sing. Please make sure your file is up to date by emailing your photo, contact number, height and weight to thirdcoastextras@gmail.com or mailing a new registration (download from bethsepkocasting.com) to Third Coast Extras, 501 N. IH-35, Austin, TX 78702. PLEASE INDICATE YOUR AVAILABILITY FOR FEBRUARY AND MARCH. Thanks and see you on set!

Good luck out there...

See more about the film here.

Harry Connick, Kris Kristofferson, a Jonas brother and Willie Nelson make a film?

2011-01-27T13:56:00.013-06:00

UPDATE: That should be "a" Jonas brother, as in the youngest one. and Sara Hickman and her daughter are also likely to have a role in this very musical cast.

Extras info is here.

I've been hearing rumblings about the film adaptation of Turk Pipkin's story When Angels Sing, and it looks like it's about to start filming in Bastrop.

A casting call from Beth Sepko Casting & Third Coast Extras for photo doubles today asks for:

Adult Male- light-gray hair 5'9 - 5'11 thin to medium build
Adult Male- brown hair 6'2 - 6'7 medium build

The first is likely Kris Kristofferson, the second Lyle Lovett, (or perhaps extra-tall Pipkin, who surely will have a cameo role at the least) who are both set to star with Harry Connick Jr. and Willie Nelson. Hometown hero Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions) is directing and Elizabeth Avellan is among the producers. Oh, and the Jonas brothers are somehow in this one, too.

Looks like a February and March shoot.

The story:
Michael was eight years old on the Christmas Day he lost his brother David. The day had started out well-Michael and David opened their presents and, much to their delight, they both received ice skates from Santa. With great excitement they set out to the pond behind their grandparents' house in New Mexico to try them out. But the pond wasn't safe, and David never made it out from its icy cold depths. For Michael, the meaning of Christmas changed forever that day.

Thirty years later Michael (Connick) is the neighborhood Grinch. "To me the only wonder of Christmas is not why that tragedy marked me so," Michael says, "but how the rest of my family can seem so completely unscathed." He scowls at his neighbors' fervent holiday traditions and at his own children, who want nothing more than to string Christmas lights through their front yard. But when another holiday disaster strikes and his own cherished young son loses his spirit to live, Michael searches deep within himself to root out the anger, the fear, and the pain of the past. Can he bear to remember exactly what happened that Christmas day? And will he make peace with this past for the sake of his own children?

Hailee Steinfeld wins Acadamy Award...Wait a minute!

2011-01-25T10:19:00.005-06:00

OK, it's just a nomination at this point, but Hailee Steinfeld lucked out to be put in the supporting actress category, and should be a major favorite to win for her role in True Grit (which was really a leading role).

Oh, and, yes, True Grit is also up for a few other awards, including best picture and best director(s) for the Coen brothers!

Remnants of 'True Grit' remain in Granger

2011-01-23T21:08:00.008-06:00

Granger, Texas, is Fort Smith, Arkansas, in the Coen brothers' True Grit. I took a lot of photos of the set during its formation and right up until filming. (You can also find photos of the filming on my site if you look around. Just do a search for "Granger.")Today, I again visited the town to see what remnants of the filming remain and to provide a bookend to earlier photos. You can see some of the Old West signage remains on the mostly vacant buildings in the one block of downtown Granger. Buildings constructed specifically for the film are gone--most were only facades.

Take a look and compare to earlier photos here that were taken right before filming began.

Signs for the undertaker remain on this building, which is quite vacant.

This funky shop looks as out of place in modern-day Granger as it would in the film.

More of the signage from the film. Granger's red brick was covered with dirt for the filming and is now returned to its original state.

This bank is next door to where the film's gallows were.

The Granger post office was hidden behind a facade during filming, though customers were led into it by crew to do business during filming.

You can see why the filmmakers liked the look of the wide road.

More signage remaining from the shoot.

This mural was painted over the filming in such a manner that they could restore it to its original look. Nice trick!

A funky antique store was in the thick of things during filming when the sign outside read "post office."

A church is near the corner where antique wagons were stored for the shoot.

Some more film signage.

Joe Lansdale to make film of his Xmas zombie tale

2011-01-22T20:30:00.009-06:00

Joe Lansdale is one of Texas' finest writers (here's an interview I did with him in 2009, and he's got a little cred in the movie biz as well after Don Coscarelli made his short story "Bubba Hotep" into a film of the same name a few years ago. Now Lansdale is beating the filmmakers to the punch. His son Keith Lansdale is adapting Joe's about-to-be-released story "Christmas with the Dead" for the big screen. Joe will executive produce and they'll do it all in his hometown of Nacogdoches in June with students from Stephen F. Austin State University assisting.

Here's the story: "“It was a foolish thing to do, and Calvin had not bothered with it the past two years, not since the death of his wife and child. But this year he decided, quite suddenly, that tomorrow was Christmas Eve. And zombies be damned, the lights and decorations are going up…”

An entire film shot on an iPhone4?

2011-01-19T07:50:00.007-06:00

That's what Austin filmmaker Elizabeth Spear and other folks behind Brokedown Films claim is the case with Afghanistan war feature Little Gods, which was shot on an iPhone4 in a Georgetown, Texas, quarry. She is offering the film for $3.99 as a download.

Here's what she says about it: "Little Gods has done what has never been done before - making a movie with no perceived cost. What does this mean for Apple and its iPhone4 users? Everything."

UPDATE: Apparently South Korean director Park Chan-wook also has made a film on an iPhone. Who was first? I dunno.

Rob Thomas sets little league pilot

2011-01-19T07:36:00.005-06:00

Austin resident Rob Thomas has sold a pilot to Fox titled Little in Common. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it's about families whose children play little league sports.

It's not all the guy behind Veronica Mars has in the works.

Jeff Nichols' 'Take Shelter' sold to Sony

2011-01-18T16:56:00.004-06:00

Even before his film Take Shelter is to bow at the Sundance Film Festival later this month, Austin filmmaker Jeff Nichols (Shotgun Stories) is celebrating its sale to Sony Pictures Classics.

In the film, "Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Boardwalk Empire) and Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life) star as two parents living in Ohio with a six-year-old deaf daughter. When Shannon starts to have nightmares, he keeps his fears and anxieties to himself and obsessively erects a storm shelter in the backyard. His concerned family and community come second to his unspoken fears of what his dreams signify."

Austin-shot 'Forgiveness' returns as 'Esther's Diary'

2011-01-16T15:24:00.003-06:00

I had a nice chat with Mariusz Kotowski in 2007 on the Austin set of Forgiveness. He was shooting at Austin Community College, where I teach, so I literary ran into the film.

The former dance instructor and choreographer also shot a documentary about Polish actress Pola Negri, who spent her last days in San Antonio. Forgiveness is about two women, one Jewish and the other Christian, who discover their families' histories are intertwined through events of World War II.

Now comes word that the film has been recut and retitled Esther's Diary. A screening is planned in Austin later this month. Here's some good insight into the film.

Decoding Malick's 'The Tree of Life'

2011-01-16T14:56:00.004-06:00

Very interesting interview with Emanuel "Chivo" Lubezki, the cinematographer on Terrence Malick's mostly Smithville-shot The Tree of Life. He talks about shooting more to convey an emotion than to present a scene and how the camera often stayed off of the actors as they spoke. Fascinating stuff.

If you haven't seen the trailer yet, this explanation puts it very much in focus.

How to get Texas incentives? Give Rick Perry a cameo

2011-01-16T11:32:00.005-06:00

That's right, Texas Gov. Rick Perry this past Thursday appeared as himself in Deep in the Heart, a film we recently told you about that is shooting in Austin. According to this report, the film stands to get 29 percent of its small budget back from Texas film incentives if approved. Film incentives run through the Texas Film Commission, which is housed in Perry's office. I'm guessing they'll get the bucks...