Bryan Poyser's 'Lovers of Hate' gets Cassavetes nom

Austin filmmaker Bryan Poyser's Lovers of Hate is a nominee for the John Cassavetes Award given by the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Poyser was also nominated by the group in 2005 as "Someone to Watch" for Dear Pillow.

The awards are to be presented Feb. 26.

Zellner brothers want your holiday help

Austin-based indie filmmakers Nathan and David Zellner (Goliath) want your help to complete their film Kid-Thing. The word is shooting is done on the film, but they're trying to raise $10,000 for post-production. Donations get you such goodies as DVDs of their films and a hand-drawn caricature of you by both the brothers. Not good enough? For just a bit more you get the brothers' tap-dancing photo above with a personal inscription. Now that's tempting...

Here's their description of the film:

"Kid-Thing is a fever-dream fable about Annie, a rebellious girl whose existence is devoid of parental guidance. She spends her time roaming the land, shoplifting, vandalizing and making prank phone calls. Her routine is broken one day while playing in the woods; she hears an old woman calling from a mysterious hole in the ground, asking for help. Scared and untrusting of the unseen stranger, Annie deliberates on her course of action."

SHOT IN TEXAS: On the set of 'Boneboys'

That's Boneboy's co-director Justin Meeks on the left with writer/producer Kim Henkel on the right. In the middle is an actress starring in the day's scene.

My SHOT IN TEXAS column in The Dallas Morning News concentrates on Kim Henkel's Boneboys this month. Check it out.

CBS mulls modern-day western set in San Antonio

I've heard rumors of a potential TV series looking to shoot in San Antonio. I guess this is it!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Desperado is about a band of lawmen who enact cowboy-style justice on modern-day criminals in San Antonio. And, no, Robert Rodriguez has nothing to do with it, despite the title. Instead it's from CSI creator Anthony Zuiker.

Is 'The Good Guys' a goner?

The Dallas-shot Fox series The Good Guys airs its 20th episode on Dec. 10, but Fox has announced it will not order more episodes. Does that mean the show has been canceled? Not officially. On Facebook, the Dallas Film Commission is urging fans to sign a petition to save the show.

'Chase' gets new spring time slot

Dallas-shot Chase gets to keep running despite iffy ratings with new Wednesday 8 p.m. CST time slot beginning Jan. 12 on NBC.

That's good news in North Texas which has already lost Lone Star to poor ratings and is wondering about the future of The Good Guys, which is set to air on Dec. 10 the last of the 20 episodes shot amid predictions it will not be renewed.

Kim Henkel's 'Boneboys' chows down on human flesh

Kim Henkel's claim to fame is as co-screenwriter of the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Today he was on the set in Taylor, Texas, for the final days of shooting Boneboys, a comic horror film. He wrote the script based loosely on Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, which means there's some flesh-eating going on. The film is being directed by Duane Graves and Justin Meeks, Henkel's former students whom I last interviewed when they were tubthumping their ultra-low-budget horror flick The Wild Man of the Navidad. They've made a major step up with this film.


Co-directors Duane Graves and Justin Meeks.

Some other shots from the set...







Duane and Kim Henkel

Allen Shamblin wins song of year at CMAs

Allen Shamblin won song of the year for "The House that Built Me" as performed by Miranda Lambert at the Country Music Association Awards tonight. Guess who was the first person to ever interview him? (I sent him a copy of the interview tape a few years back. The interview was poolside at an apartment complex that no longer exists.)

That's Allen on the right in the photo with Tim Janecek, his buddy from days appraising houses in Austin. Allen was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame last year.

Jack Black hams it up in Lockhart

Rob Moreno took these pix of Jack Black during the filming of Richard Linklater's Bernie recently in Lockhart, Texas, at the restaurant Mr. Taco. You can see more about the shoot in this article. Thanks to Rob for allowing me to post them!

Unaired 'My Generation' episodes to show up on Web

Noah Hawley, the creator of Austin-shot My Generation finally announced the fate of the rest of the eight completed episodes of the short-lived ABC series--the Web. Here's his Tweet about it:

Off to the final sound mix on #MyGeneration. You'll be able to watch all eight episodes starting next week on iTunes, Hulu and ABC.com.

Marking our lives with pet sounds

Here's an essay I read on the air at KUT.FM in Austin, Texas, recently. It's all about how pets, and the loss of them, mark the passage of time for us. Warning: Listeners have been known to tear up after hearing this.

That's Spike in the photo. Yesterday was his birthday.

Texas Longhorns live the struggle

At 4-4, the Texas Longhorns football team is struggling, to put it mildly, as it travels to Kansas State today. Here's my take over at The Austin Chronicle.

Bob Hudgins to resign as Texas film commissioner

Bob Hudgins, Texas film commissioner for the last five years, will resign at the end of this month, he confirmed to me today. (This link is to an early blog post as the story was shaking out.)

He says he's basically burned out from the road and looking to perhaps get back into the film biz, but there is also a harassment investigation which he says he requested after allegations were made. He denies anything happened, but says he can't offer more specifics now.

Hudgins was a longtime locations scout prior to joining the Illinois Film Commission. In Texas he helped jump-start the industry by leading the way for a film incentives program. More from me on this in tomorrow's Dallas Morning News.

Here is my final article that appeared in the Morning News and includes discussion of the harassment investigation involving Hudgins.

When you know the TV show is really history

This just in:

Liquidation sale!!! Two days only!!!
Items for Sale:
Wardrobe
Props
Furniture

From Television shows Lone Star, The Deep End, and Prison Break.

Thursday, November 11th from 7am-7pm
and
Friday, November 12th from 9am-5pm
at
The Studios at Las Colinas
6301 Riverside Drive, Irving, TX 75039

Cash or money order only. All sales final.

Pix from the 'Bernie' set

Jack Black with Bastrop locals.


Shirley MacLaine arrives on the set and is greeted by Richard Linklater. (Photos from Bastrop Advertiser)

Richard Linklater has been filming Bernie, the story of foppish murderer Bernie Tiede in recent weeks in Bastrop (including a day at Spiderwood Studios) and Carthage--the spot of the murder of an 81-year-old woman whose body was stashed in a freeze for many months.

Interesting note not included in this article, which includes info about Matthew McConaughey shooting a scene: My source says Shirley MacLaine has received a number of letters from Tiede in which he proclaims his innocence. The actress is also said to be very impressed with Jack Black's portrayal of Tiede.

Also, is it true that Rip Torn was fired from the show? Send me your tips from the set...