'Psychobilly' and Gary Kent collide

I spent Friday night outside a raucous nightclub near Paleface Park where the bikers were revving their engines, a blues band was playing passable Stevie Ray Vaughan covers and a fight was slowly breaking out. The fight in question was part of Psychobilly Saturday Night, Lane Law's local independent film staging a scene that would shoot later in the evening. Famed stuntman Gary Kent helped block out the scene and offers tips from his long career. Camera jockey Jacob Peirce and I did our best to catch the action for the documentary I've been slowly putting together on Gary and his illustrious stunt career.

'Mandy Lane' may finally get release?

Yes, I loved All the Boys Love Mandy Lane when it screened at the South By Southwest Film Festival in 2007. Shot is Bastrop, it seemed to me an update on Heathers mixed with the sort of horror film that has come back in vogue in the last decade or so. And star Amber Heard, an Austin native, shines in the film, which was inexplicably shelved by the Weinsteins.

But the film got a secret screening at Comic-Con recently and there are hints it may finally get a release in the U.S. (It's already out on DVD overseas). Thanks for the tip from Slackerwood.com

Mandy Lane director Jonathan Levine (The Wackness) told me in 2007 that he looked for inspiration from two very Texas efforts, the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and NBC's series Friday Night Lights, as well as John Hughes' teen films from the 1980s.

"We thought it was interesting to take that [teen film] model and graft a horror film onto it," Levine said.

'Tree of Life' doesn't grow (yet) in Venice

The Venice Film Festival announced most of its competition films today. Not included was Terrence Malick's Texas-shot Tree of Life starring Brad Pitt. But there is still hope: The fest's surprise “in-competition” film, won’t be announced until Sept. 6.

Making the Venice list was Robert Rodriguez's Austin-shot Machete, the film that came from a fake film trailer.

'Lone Star' tries to go viral

Lone Star's Adrianne Palicki, James Wolk and Eloise Mumford

Fox is doing some interesting early promotion to get the word out on new Dallas-shot series Lone Star (see info on being an extra below). That includes putting DVDS of the first episode in issues of Vanity Fair, and a glitzy premiere of the show last week at The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. (Here are photos of the cast from the event--including a now-dark-haired Adrianne Palicki (Palicki talks about a return to Friday Night Lights here).

Other avenues include cruise ships and hotels. Plus Vanity Fair will also stream Lone Star through its iPad app.

Note that the show's title again is two words instead of Lonestar. The pilot shot as Midland. Why can't TV shows pick one name and stick with it?

Here's a description of the show:
“Robert/Bob Allen” (newcomer James Wolk) is a charismatic and brilliant schemer juggling two identities and two women. As "Bob," he lives in Houston and is married to "Cat" (Adrianne Palicki, Friday Night Lights), the beautiful daughter of “Clint” (Jon Voight, 24, Midnight Cowboy), the patriarch of an ultra-wealthy Texas oil family. More than four hundred miles away in the suburban west Texas town of Midland, he's "Robert," living a second life with his naive girlfriend, “Lindsay” (Eloise Mumford, Mercy, Law & Order: SVU).

And here's the extras casting call for Friday:


Lone Star (FOX) starring Jon Voight, David Keith, and James Wolk is seeking the following extras for scenes shooting this Friday, July 30. If you fit the specs and are available, send photo and contact info to lonestarextras@yahoo.com. DO NOT SUBMIT IF YOU CAN'T COMMIT TO THE ENTIRE DAY!

Detective and Police Officer types - Men and Women late 20s-50s. All ethnicities. Previous law enforcement or military experience a plus, but not required.

Shoot Date:
Friday, July 30

Call Time:
TBD (you should make yourself available for the ENTIRE day which means morning,
afternoon and evening)

Location:
DFW

Pay:
$58/8 plus time and half for overtime

Send you photo and contact info to lonestarextras@yahoo.com

'Spy Kids 4' is in production?

I'm used to the secretiveness of the Robert Rodriguez camp (I even had to sign one of those ubiquitous confidentiality agreements when my nephew was an extra in the first Spy Kids), but it's always surprising how quiet the ramp up of production of a new film is. Here's a little hint from The Hollywood Reporter that the production of Spy Kids 4 is under way for the Weinstein Company with a release date set for August 2011. (IMDB.com lists the complete title as Spy Kids 4: Armageddon.) I know that casting has been active. Anyone know anything else?

Here's what Rodriguez told me in May:

Rodriguez said the “Spy Kids” reboot is for the Weinstein Co. and will include new child secret agents with actors — whom he did not identify — already in line to play the roles.

“I thought it could be good to reboot my own series,” he said. “That's my most loyal audience — not the film geeks, but the kids.”

The film's script already has been turned in.

“The Spy Kids Division has been closed down seven years ago,” Rodriguez said. “We will see some of the characters from the previous films.”

'Chaos' TV series lives, but probably not in North Texas

Here's the latest in the on-again, off-again, now on-again sage of the TV series Chaos via my Dallas Morning News column. Word now is the series is on, but probably won't shoot in North Texas.

Extras for Austin-shot 'My Generation'

I get a lot of questions about how to become an extra on Austin-shot ABC series My Generation. The answer these days is almost always, go to Facebook. On Location Casting is handling extras chores for the series (and a lot of other shoots) with info there first. For instance, they've got a rush call for TODAY for 9-11-year-old extras. Yes, you're probably already too late!

Speaking of My Generation. Here's the cast: Michael Stahl-David as Steven Foster, Jaime King as Jacqueline Fox, Keir O'Donnell as Kenneth Finley, Kelli Garner as Dawn Barbuso, Mehcad Brooks as Rolly Marks, Daniella Alonso as Brenda Serrano, Julian Morris as Anders Holt, Sebastian Sozzi as The Falcon, Anne Son as Caroline Chung, and Elizabeth Kenner in a recurring role.