Chuck & Gena Norris

Almost 30 awards were given to movies that held family values and positive messages.  The Grace Awards were given for Inspiring Acting in Movies and Television, and the Faith & Freedom Awards for Promoting Positive American Values. The grace awards offers scholarshipsto aspiring artists and the Faith & Freedom award to individuals who exemplify leadership in civic duties. The Gala centers itself on film and television industries that provide  audiences with entertainment with messages of hope and positivity. This award show occurred recently at the Bevery Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Ca.  $300,000 in cash prizes, were given out, and the top 3 prizes  were sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation. The John Templeton

Ally Mills & Orson Bean

foundation seeks to promote understanding of what it means to be human through philanthropic research. Many of the movie industries most considerable people attended.

$100,000 Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring Movie – THE BLIND SIDE from Warner Bros. Pictures.

·         $100,000 Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring TV Program – GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY, telecast by TNT and the Turner Entertainment Group.

·         $50,000 Kairos Prizes for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays by Beginning Screenwriters:

1.    “The Good Doctor,” written by Dwight Carlson and Gregory Carlson, $25,000

2.    “The Shoebox,” by Sherry Cook, $15,000

3.    “Lion of the North,” by Johnny Davis & “The Translator,” by Alan Sproles and Lizanne Southgate, $10,000

·         The Grace Award for Most Inspiring Performance in Movies – Albert Hall for NOT EASILY BROKEN

·         The Grace Award for Most Inspiring Performance in Television – Kimberly Elise for GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY

·         Best Movie for Families – UP from Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures

·         Best Movie for Mature Audiences – THE BLIND SIDE from Warner Bros. Pictures

·         The Faith and Freedom Awards for Promoting Positive American Values:

·         Film – (Tie) STONING OF SAROYA M. and INVICTUS

·         TV – BEDFORD: THE TOWN THEY LEFT BEHIND

"Green Zone" star Matt Damon

Universal Pictures & The Cinema Society,  in conjunction with sponsor Maestro DOBEL Diamond Tequila, hosted the February 25th premiere of Paul Greengrass’s new Iraq War flick, “Green Zone” in New York City.

The film marks the third collaboration between Greengrass and Matt Damon, following in the footsteps of 2004’s “The Bourne Supremacy” and 2007’s “The Bourne Ultimatum”.

The premiere of “Green Zone” was a star studded event, as celebrity attendees included Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Oscar nominee (Best Director) Darren Aronofsky, actress Amy Ryan, radio personality Howard Stern, and many others.

The after party at Nobu 57 featured Maestro DOBEL Spicy Mango Cocktails.

New Yorker actors Anthony LaPagila and Andrew McCarthy.

Julia Styles, Amy Ryan

Shrills, chills and thrills were had at the Chiller Eyegore Awards and opening night at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights.  Hosted by actor Cory Feldman, the awards show honored the people who scare us the best. The opening night event at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights kicked off its 16-night run on Friday, October 2.

Actors Tobin Bell and Noah Segan joined Oscar®-winning special effects makeup artist Rick Baker as honorees at Chiller Eyegore Awards. Tanedra Howard, co-star of “Saw VI”, an actress who won her role as part of a TV “Scream Queen” competition, presented a “Best Villain” trophy to the “Saw” series’ veteran star Tobin Bell.  Actress Danielle Harrison presented Rob Zombie with his “Filmmaker of the Year” award.

Director Rob Zombie celebrating with presenter Danielle Harrison.

Director Rob Zombie,

Eyegore Awards

Rob Zombie has emerged as the horror genre’s leading auteur with such films as his recent “Halloween II.” Tobin Bell’s character, Jigsaw, has gathered a huge audience for the “Saw” franchise and Noah Segan’s performance in “Deadgirl” has become a cult favorite. They will be honored in the categories of “Filmmaker of the Year,” “Best Villain” and “Best Villain in a Film Series” at the ceremony, was hosted by the silver pin-striped suit clad Corey Feldman and televised as interstitial programming by Chiller.

Tanedra Howard from Saw VI and Tobin Bell as Saw's Jigsaw.

Rick Baker recently worked on Universal Pictures’ “The Wolfman,” which opens nationwide on February 12, 2010.  Baker was responsible for the incredible transformation of Michael Jackson in his smash hit video, “Thriller”, along with a long history of masterful makeup accomplishments in film and TV. Baker will be honored with the “Jack Pierce – Lifetime Achievement Award.”

This year, Universal Studios Hollywood partnered with Chiller in the presentation of the newly expanded Chiller-Eyegore Awards, which will be broadcast on Chiller later in October. Previous Eyegore Award recipients have included Alice Cooper, Patricia Arquette, Janet Leigh, Roger Corman, Jennifer Tilly, Joss Whedon, Rob Zombie, Karen Black, Clive Barker, Julie Benz, Shawnee Smith, Sherri Moon Zombie, Tobe Hooper, Bill Moseley and Corey Feldman.

Who’s the Scariest?

Chiller and Universal Studios Hollywood have also partnered to sponsor the “Halloween Horror Nights-Chiller Scary Good Film Competition,” offering filmmakers an opportunity to have their scariest short film rewarded with a broadcast on Chiller of their work, a $1,000 cash prize and a trip for two to the Chiller Eyegore Awards ceremony, where their film will be honored as part of the event.  The ten finalist films can be viewed at http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/Chiller.

Best Halloween Frights

Sure to scare the living daylights out of you…this year’s all-new “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood features four new maze experiences including “Saw: Game Over”,  “Halloween: The Life and Crimes of Michael Myers”, “My Bloody Valentine: Be Mine 4 Ever,” and “Chucky’s Funhouse,” six new “scare zones,” a new live stage performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show:  A Tribute”, as well as a fully re-imagined “Terror Tram” backlot studio experience complete with a real airplane wreckage, Norman Bates’ house and a neighborhood that looks like a bomb just went off with “Night of the Living Dead” type characters jumping out of the dark every step of the way.  The all-new “Halloween Horror Nights” for 2009 is the most terrifying “live” horror event ever to be presented in a theme park environment.

Around every corner at Universal's Horror Nights is a ghoul waiting to get you!

Universal’s Horror Nights

“Halloween Horror Nights” will continue on consecutive weekends and selected weekday nights through Halloween, Saturday, October 31.  Event dates are: October 9-11, 15-18, 23-25, 28-31.  The event will begin nightly at 7:00 p.m.; closing hours vary by night throughout the event.  Tickets are now on sale at www.universalstudioshollywood.com/hhn.

Just one of the things you have to survive in the Halloween mazes at Universal.

New Chiller Channel

Chiller, the recently-launched channel from NBC Universal, is the only network devoted to delivering viewers round-the-clock scares.  Chiller’s eclectic slate of adrenaline-fueled, soul-stirring entertainment includes classic drama and anthology series (“Tales from the Darkside,” “Twin Peaks,” “Nightmare Café”), international programming (“Spine Chillers,”  “Strange”) and a broad offering of films, including feature-length premieres on the first Friday of each month.  Chiller is currently available in nearly 34 million homes.  To learn more, visit: http://www.chillertv.com/.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood is a unit of Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of NBC Universal. NBC Universal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.  Formed in May of 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks.  NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.

Photos by: Joel Lugavere (Universal Studios Hollywood)

Mauricio Zanotto

Mauricio Zanotto is a passionate filmmaker, producer and editor that understands that the exploration of film must lead to the perfection of the end result. With more than twenty years in the film industry, Mauricio Zanotto’s film work has received critical acclaim from industry professionals.

A winner of a 2008 Telly Award for his short film for Trikke Tech, Mauricio Zanotto is one of the hottest film-makers in his field. The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest film and video productions, and groundbreaking Web commercials. Mauricio was also a winner of a 2008 AEGIS Award which is one of the video industry’s premier competitions for peer recognition of outstanding video productions and non-network TV commercials.

Since 1986, Mauricio’s quest for perfection has led him from his native Brazil to the film making capital of the world, Los Angeles, California. Mauricio had the opportunity to broadcast The IndyCar Series to his native Brazil and most of South America for many years. The IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing.

This first hand professional broadcasting experience added to his skills as a video editor and film maker. As the famous Brazilian writer and singer Bianca Rossini once said, “Mauricio has been a Video Editor and TV Director since 1986. His creative style, technique and highly professional skills make him one of the hottest editors in his field.”

Mauricio also worked on an independent production of a Surf video that took him to Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Chile. Through this amazing journey through South America, Mauricio was able to film the best waves and beaches as well as capture professional surfers at their best. This beautifully shot film was edited with cool surf music and produced in association with ST2 music and H30 Television.

LAsThePlace.com caught up with Mauricio Zanotto to see how this truly artistic and perfectionist talent sees the film industry in the modern Internet world.

Read the Q & A interview below:

LATP: How do you see the film industry changing as more and more people turn to the Internet for entertainment?

Mauricio: The film and video distribution over the web now, is unparalleled. Perhaps because of the advance technology and the introduction of the online “speed humps” that would slow down or restrict the broadband access of people who illegally share copyrighted material, the film industry is adjusting to reach more and more viewers. Since 1890s when Thomas Edison from the grounds of his laboratories in New Jersey invented the first camera and projection equipment, to today’s instant access to many movies on a cell phone. The industry is always changing.

LATP: Your film work received a 2008 Telly Award for your short video for Trikke Tech. Was their good response from viewers on Youtube and other Internet based video sites?

Mauricio: Absolutely, the video was shot on amazing locations in Austria, Switzerland and Lake Tahoe, and the product, the Trikke Skki is unique. Was a combination of elements that gave me the opportunity to create the piece and put it together. Everybody love it.

LATP: Since search giants like Google, Yahoo and MSN have now entered into the video sector of the Internet, do you see future film students learning a different approach to film and production?

Mauricio: Definitely, is going to be much more affordable and easier for new generations to have this approach, today there is no need for very expensive High Definition cameras or a high tech facility to put a film on a web site or simply streamed over the internet. With a decent camera and some creativity you can have excellent results coming out from a edit station in your garage, and that’s why more and more companies are looking for inexpensive solutions, specially during this recession times.

LATP: The film industry has had rapid improvements in overall production due to the advancement of technology. Do you see an opening for more students of film since the Internet has broadened the market is now competing with cable television?

Mauricio: As we learn the immense demanding for entertainment on the Internet, and the simplicity and low cost that involves in producing a good quality material for its use, I understand that is a provoking and promissory field for anyone that has passion for film or video production. Pretty soon we will see new prime-time television shows produced exclusively for the web at a low cost.

LATP: What are your future plans in the film industry?

Mauricio: To continue to do my work and my contribution in this field that I love so much, entertain viewers with my videos, promote products, among other things… but my biggest dream is to have a non-profit organization to teach people that can’t afford very expensive film schools and have the same passion that I have, how to shoot, edit and tell stories on film.

Check out Mauricio’s Website Here at – http://web.me.com/mzvideography

Traverse City Film Festival, a charitable and educational non-profit organization, returns on July 28th and runs to August 2nd, with what Moore calls the best lineup of movies in its history.

Michael Moore and Madonna from the 2008 Traverse City Film Festival

The Traverse City Film Festival has become one of the largest film festivals in the Midwest, and one of the most respected in the country. “Last year we had over 80,000 admissions and we expect even more this year,” Moore said. “We’re bringing the absolute best in new films from around the world and here at home; films which have been overlooked but deserve the attention of a public starved to see a good movie.”

Last year, there were over 80,000 admissions to nearly 100 screenings, a number of them U.S. or world premieres.

Event Highlights
Traverse City Film Festival will feature filmmaker appearances, daily panel discussions, and an assortment of exciting parties. Free films will be shown nightly on a huge inflatable screen set against the backdrop of the Traverse City waterfront.

Attendees will be able to choose from a total of 71 features and short films representing more than 30 countries and five continents. Films include Valentino: The Last Emperor, Waltz with Bashir, Which Way Home, Outrage, Learning Gravity, The Answer Man, The Girlfriend Experience, The Greatest, Humpday and Sugar. The Traverse City Film Festival will also showcase several Austin films, including Winnebago Man, Registered Sex Offender and Harmony and Me.

Greetings from Tehran and Palestine and Vine are two sections of films from the Middle East, including the new documentary, Rachel, about the life and death of Rachel Corrie, an American who sacrificed her life to help the Palestinian people. Her parents will be in attendance at the film festival.

The festival in Traverse City, Michigan begins with Troubled Water. Norwegian director Erik Poppe’s film tells the story of a young man just released from prison after serving eight years for a terrible crime. While on the path to redemption, the young man must confront a woman whose life has been forever scarred by his past actions.

Julie & Julia
The closing night is highlighted by a sneak preview of Julie & Julia, the much-anticipated film starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams in the adaptation of the book from Julie Powell. The film examines the early days of renowned chef Julia Child and navigates Julie Powell’s attempt, 40 years later, to cook and blog her way through 524 recipes from Child in only 365 days. Nora Ephron directed and wrote the screenplay for Julie & Julia. Ephron’s previous credits include screenwriter for When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle.

Stirring Retrospectives
The Traverse City Film Festival celebrates the 40th anniversary of Woodstock with a screening of never before seen footage from the concert and special guests who performed at Woodstock live on stage at the State Theatre.

The event will also include a Paul Mazursky Tribute. The legendary writer and director will appear with a presentation and discussion of his classic films; Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Enemies, A Love Story and An Unmarried Woman. Moore himself will host a special 20th anniversary screening of his first film, “Roger & Me”. Special guests from the film will also attend.

Other Notables
Film Festival board member Larry Charles will present a one-time only screening of outtakes from Bruno, which stars Sacha Baron Cohen. Comedian Jeff Garlin of Curb Your Enthusiasm fame will give a sneak preview of a surprise title. Other filmmakers attending include Jim Czarnecki, who will bring his new film, Soundtrack for a Revolution. Comedian Patton Oswalt will show his new movie Big Fan. Traverse City will also host Harmony and Me director Robert Byington and Winnebago Man’s Ben Steinbauer.

New to the festival will be the TCFF Kids Fest, offering independent films for young people. Additionally, the annual master class for student filmmakers is being expanded to a weeklong film school for anyone interested in the art of cinema.

Attending The Festival
Those interested in attending the Traverse City Film Festival may view an entire schedule at www.traversecityfilmfestival.org. Admission prices to all festival events will remain the same as last year with tickets to regular movies priced at $9. Opening and closing night films are $25, with opening and closing night parties ticketed separately at $50. Friends of the Traverse City Film Festival receive half off opening and closing night party tickets, according to their benefit level.

In order to keep ticket prices the same, a limited number of tax-deductible $2,500 Producer’s Passes are also available. The passes, offered as a fundraiser for the festival, are non-transferable and give the bearer a guaranteed seat at, and early access to, all festival films and events.

View the 2009 Film Festival Guide online at: www.traversecityfilmfest.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide.

The contest is limited just to six cities, and your local NBC affiliate is sponsoring the event. The LA deadline for entry is May 15, 2009.

A special “magic word” will be aired, beginning May 4, during the NBC programs “The Bonnie Hunt Show”, “Ellen” and “Extra”. To enter, visit the following link and enter your Zip code, then follow the on-screen instructions for the specific show you watched: Click here…

Daily prizes will also be available including Harry Potter movies on Blu ray and DVD, video games, toys and more. The prize packs from NBC include various apparel and memorabilia from these shows, as well as an exclusive Harry Potter pendant: Check it out here…

Also, LA’s The Place has been presented with the opportunity to give our readers the chance to win a Harry Potter Blu-ray movie, DVD movie or video game as an Amazon gift for the winner of our own contest. Just subscribe to LA’s The Place here, and several lucky winners will be chosen!

Shows to watch for your chance to enter:

New York, WNBC   5/4 – 5/22                     
Los Angeles, KNBC  4/20 – 5/8                                 
Chicago, WMAQ    5/4 – 5/22                                 
San Francisco, KNTV  4/20 – 5/8                     
Dallas, KXAS  4/20 – 5/8                                 
Miami, WTVJ  4/27 – 5/15                                
*1st week is pre-promotion
 
Show Tune-in Info by Market and Affiliate URL

•         NY WNBC: Bonnie: 2 pm, Ellen: 3 pm, Extra: 7 pm – www.NBCnewyork.com
•         LA KNBC:  Bonnie: 12 pm, Ellen: 4 pm, Extra: 7 pm – www.NBCLA.com
•         CH WMAQ:  Bonnie: 2P, Ellen: 3P, Extra: 4 pm – www.NBCchicago.com
•         DL KXAS:  Bonnie: 11 am, Ellen 3 pm, Extra 6:30 pm – www.NBCbayarea.com
•         SF KNTV:  Bonnie: 2 pm, Ellen: 4 pm, Extra: 7 pm – www.NBCdfw.com
•         MI WTVJ:   Bonnie: 3 pm, Extra 4:30 pm, Ellen: 5 pm – www.NBCmiami.com
 
Prizes being given away daily:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on BluRay
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Videogame—Wii (available to public on 6/30)
HP20Q (Electronic Trivia Game)  
Harry Potter Clue Games
Harry Potter Soundtrack
Chicago Only:  Harry Party Exhibit Family 4-packs 
Harry Potter Jibbitz
Harry Potter Tshirts

Winners
2009 Best Film: “The Offsiders” by Kasia Adamik
2009 Best Documentary Award: “Three Buddies” by E. Stankiewicz & Anna Ferens
2009 Best Animation Award: “Chick” by Michal Socha
2009 Kodak Award: “The Another Day” by Cinematographer Pawel Chorzepa
2009 Best Indie Film: “The Ruby Wedding” by Andrzej Mankowski

Matt Ilczuk and Sean Dubravac, owners of Royalty Rope Events surround Vladek Juszkiewicz, founder and director of the 10th Annual Polish Film Festival.

Posh Party

Pola Negri (named after a Polish silent film star) Industry Night held at the stunning Kress Event Center rooftop was the official celebration of the festival, awarding Scott Wilson, the American actor most recently seen in “Junebug”, the 2009 Pola Negri recipient for collaboration with Polish filmmakers. The smash hit event was produced by Royalty Rope Events, Inc. and sponsored by the Kress and Marani Vodka.

Marla Maples, Lina So

Film Fest History
The Polish Film festival, is a labor of love and dedication by Vladek Juszkiewicz, of Polish birth, who has made it his mission to introduce the films of his native land to American audiences since 1999. The festival offers an infrequent opportunity for many Polish-Americans who live scattered all over LA to gather in celebration of their artistic heritage.  Some even come from as far away as San Diego, San Francisco and Arizona. Each year the festival grows with more exposure, screenings and prestgious attendees.

Film director Mario Milano, Polish actor Ivo Krankowski

Royal Treatment

Matt and Sean of Royalty Rope Events, Inc. know how to throw a high-octane party with hip atmosphere, daring DJ’s and the hottest in live entertainment. They are the premier event management and nightclub promotional group in Hollywood. Since its origination in 2007, the company has skyrocketed to the top among its competitors in the Los Angeles area and has successfully branded several Hollywood venues. Attracting the most sophisticated Hollywood and European elite; Royalty Rope signature events include Film Industry Night, Fashion Industry Night and EUROPA, as well as other ad hoc events.

Actor Harrison Held (left)

Beautiful People

The A-List attendees of the Pola Negri Industry Night were:  Grammy award-winning rapper Lil’ Kim, Actor Jeffery James Lappold, Actress France Nuyen, Actress Sabrina Parisi, Actor Martin William Harris, Actress Lina So, Actor Patrick Kilpatrick, Actor/Director Marek Probosz, Producer Jeff Rice, Royalty Rope Owner’s Matt Ilczuk and Sean Dubravac, Founder of Polish Film Fest Vladek Juszkiewicz, Musician Andy Stavas, Actress Vergi Rodriguez, Actress Donna Spangler,  Actor Harrison Held, Actor Richie Benveniste, Model Deventrya, the Jeremiah James Band, Actress Nadia Dawn, Actor Jay Tavare, Musician Ilona Europa, Actress/Producer Marca Naples, Tiffany Ariana Trump, Producer/Director Ivo Krankowski, Actress Claudia Delemora, Actress Natasha Mira Todd, Director Greg Strasz, Producer Jonathan Emery, Director Robbie Henson, and Actor Andre Vaughn Gibson.

Web Resources:
Royalty Rope Events, Inc. – www.RoyaltyRope.com
Polish Film Festival – www.polishfilmla.org
The Kress – www.TheKress.net
Jeremiah James – www.jeremiahjames.com
Marani Vodka – www.maranispirit.com

BritWeek2009 Events at a Glance

Thursday, April 16 The Race for Green held in the margins of the Long Beach Grand Prix

Tuesday, April 21 Formal start of BritWeek. Tony Blair Gala Dinner Benefiting Malaria No More

April 21-22 Jeff Beck Live at the El Rey Theatre

Thursday, April 23 The Organic Pharmacy / Smythson celebration in Beverly Hills

Thursday, April 23 Red-carpet Champagne Launch Reception hosted by the British Consul
General

Thursday, April 23 Joss Stone Live at Club Nokia

Thursday, April 23 UB40 Live at the House of Blues, Sunset Strip

April 23 – 30 UK Features at the Newport Beach Film Festival

Friday, April 24 Filmmaker’s Forum: Over There 

Saturday, April 25 Karen Millen In-store Event

Saturday, April 25 Music Industry Reception

Sunday, April 26 Sunday Roast at Palihouse

April 26-29 MUSEXPO 2009 Conference

Monday, April 27 British Astrophysicists Lecture at Griffith Observatory

Monday, April 27 Book signing by Oscar-winning film producer Michael Deeley

Tuesday, April 28 Poetry is in the Streets: Stunning wall art from around the world

April 28 & 30 Pub Darts Tournaments

April 29 – May 13 Alan Aldridge Opening Reception and Exhibition

Thursday, April 30 Sweet Live at the House of Blues

Friday, May 1 Emma Ferreira Gallery Artist’s Reception

Saturday, May 2 BritNight with the LA Galaxy Celebrity Soccer: Britain vs. the Rest of the World 

Saturday, May 2 Genlux Magazine Event

Sunday, May 3 British American Business Council, Orange County Garden Party

Sunday, May 3 Katie Melua Live at Hotel Cafe

Wednesday, May 6 Cool Britannia: From Classic to Contemporary, the BABC LA/BritWeek Party
at the Petersen Automotive Museum

Thursday, May 7 BABC OC Golf Tournament at Tustin Ranch Golf Club 

Thursday, May 7 Keith Emerson Live at the House of Blues

Friday, May 8 BAFTA/LA British Comedy Festival

Saturday, May 9 Cricket: Britain vs. Australia 

May 14-16 Classical Mystery Tour / Music of the Beatles

The Reel Recovery Film Series is one of the many fundraising events sponsored by Writers In Treatment (www.writersintreatment.org),

The eight classic films selected for the series include:

April 7:  “Permanent Midnight” with American novelist Jerry Stahl presenting and U.K. director Bernard Rose scheduled to attend.

April 14   “The Lost Weekend” (Won Academy Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay)

April 21:  “Leaving Las Vegas” (Academy Award to Nicholas Cage for Best Actor. Nominated for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress and Best Screenplay).

April 28:  “Sid and Nancy”

May 5:   “Days of Wine and Roses” (Won Academy Award for Best Song. Nominated for Best Actor (Jack Lemmon) and Best Actress).

May 12:  “Less Than Zero”

MAY 19:  “Barfly”

MAY 26:  “Ivan’s XTC”  Director Bernard Rose will present with special guests.

Directors, writers and cast members will be invited to speak before each film. Comedian Ritch Shydner, co-founder of Yuckaholics, actor Jack McGee and special guests will lead an open discussion with audience members following each screening. Celebrity guests Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., and Danny Huston have been invited.

“This series isn’t just for addicts or alcoholics. It’s for anyone who has ever been impacted or just wants to learn more about the disease and its treatment in a less traditional and entertaining environment”, said co-founder Leonard Buschel. “We hope to raise both money and national awareness so that indigent writers can learn that there is free help available.

Founded in 2008 W.I.T has a volunteer advisory board of substance abuse counselors, therapists and psychologists who offer free counseling for their clients.
 
Attendees will be treated to live jazz preceding each screening and free popcorn all evening. Beverages courtesy of HINT water (drink water not sugar!), TeaZazz (sparkling tea), Peet’s Coffee from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Writers In Treatment has partnered with top tier rehabilitation facilities including the Betty Ford Center, Hazelden and Caron Treatment Centers so our writers will receive the highest quality care available in America.

For additional information about the film series or W.I.T, please contact:

Debbi Berlin
Berlin Media Services, llc
323-528-2352
Debbi@BerlinPublicRelations.com

REEL Recovery Film Series~2009″

REEL Recovery Film Series

April 07, 2009 7:00 p.m. through May 26, 2009 7:00 p.m.
 
The Silent Movie Theater
611 N. Fairfax St.
Los Angeles, CA 90036 [map it!]

Donation: $10.74
 
Info Line (818)762-0461
Website:  www.writersintreatmen.com
 
Contact:  Leonard Buschel
12059 Hoffman St. #201
Studio City, CA 91604

(818) 762-0461

LA’s The Place: Tell us about how you feel your career has progressed since DOND.

Hayley Marie Norman: I try to be the best “me” I can possibly be and work towards my dreams and becoming a better person every single day. I have been very blessed and the hard work has started to pay off in that I’ve been able to do not only “Deal Or No Deal,” but several other TV and films projects including “Fired Up.”

LATP: What was it like on the set of “Crash”?

HMN: So much fun! We shot the series in New Mexico. It was my first time there and it’s just really a beautiful place! And, it’s seriously one of the coolest and most fun cast and crew that I have ever worked with! Definitely one of my best experiences yet!

LATP: Was it fun shooting “Fired Up”? What was your favorite part of working on the film?

From suitcases to cheerleading camp, Hayley Marie Norman’s dollface is plastered everywhere these days. LA’s the Place catches up with this firecracker.

Over the past year, actress Hayley Marie Norman has steadily climbed her way up the entertainment industry pyramid. Most recognizable as the holder of briefcase #25 on NBC’s “Deal or No Deal.” Now, Hayley’s charm, beauty and acting abilities have given her the opportunity to open more than a suitcase filled with money; they have opened up doors up and coming actors vie for. With roles in the big screen films “Hancock”, and “Norbit” and recurring roles on the television series The Young and the Restless and Crash, Hayley is making her mark in the world of entertainment.

Actress/Personality Hayley Marie Norman

HMN: More than fun! What’s a word that means “fun” but to the umpteenth degree?? [Laughs]. First of all, I just love working so it’s always fun for me to be on set, and second, it was a cheerleading movie…how could that not be fun? My inner high-schooler who always wanted to be a cheerleader totally came out and it was awesome!

LATP: What do you prefer TV or movies, and why?

HMN: Both are great, however I really like movies because you never know where they’re going to take you and there’s just something so adventurous and wonderful about going from movie set to movie set. Which is funny that I like that- because I am such a creature of habit and can be a bit apprehensive about change in general…But I guess I just love the excitement!

LATP: What is your favorite thing about living in LA?

HMN: My family! I’m born and raised here and so I’m aware of how lucky I am to be in this town and have my family right by my side. LA is really all I know long term living-wise, but almost every day I look around at the eclectic people, the beautiful palm trees, the wonderful weather, and think about what a great place it is. Yes, it is easy to lose yourself in this town, or perhaps feel a bit lonely at times, but as long as you don’t have a tenuous grip on your true self, you’ll be just fine and can enjoy it for all its worth! I am, however, also in love with New York and plan on being bi-coastal one day in the hopefully not too far future.

Photos by Larissa Underwood

The 2009 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards were held Saturday, February 21, at picturesque Santa Monica, CA. Film Independent is an organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. The Spirit Awards is the premier awards event for the independent film community.

Set up in a large tent which was all-encompassing, The Film Independant Spirit Awards took place at the beach in Santa Monica.

Excitement was in the air as the On 3 Productions Gift Lounge, held just a day before the Oscars for Spirit Awards participants, opened up to celebrities. Jessica Alba, Christina Applegate, and Cameron Diaz were among the guests eagerly waiting backstage to customize their own unique gift collections from vendors.  On 3 Productions, the official Independant Spirit Awards Gift Lounge producer, has shown a keen intuition for finding gifts celebrities love.

These following vendors wowed the crowd with these fabulous goodies:

PALM Pre

Lucky celebs who attended the 2009 Film Independent’s Spirit Award Gift Lounge including Jessica Alba, Sandra Oh, and Taraji P. Henson, were overjoyed to be among the very first to receive the limited and highly anticipated Palm Pre, along with 6 months of complimentary service from Sprint, since the Palm Pre is only available exclusively with Sprint.

Eliza Dushku with Palm Pre (Sprint)

In fact, Sandra Oh was so thrilled with her new gift that she immediately requested that Palm call the Grey’s Anatomy propmaster on Monday so that her character on the show could be brought up to speed with the hottest technology! The Pre was previously unveiled in January at the in Las Vegas, where it received much praise and acclaim due to it’s superior capability and design that enable it to be harmoniously in sync with the user’s needs. By gracefully compiling information from the user’s phone, work, and the web into one simple, integrated view, the user can keep multiple applications open, simultaneously flip from one to another, and maneuver easily between activities without losing they’re current place. Alongside all those fore-mentioned desirable phone qualities, the Pre also has the advantage of a smooth, rounded ergonomic design with a touch screen and a slide-out keyboard. www.palm.com

On top of doling out handfuls of Pre’s, which are not yet on the market, Palm also made a noteworthy contribution to Project:Involve, the Film Independent’s signature diversity program, for every celebrity that entered the Gift Lounge. Once there, celebs took the liberty of leaving messages of encouragement on the new Palm Pre’s for all the filmmakers who benefit from the program. Here are a few of the messages that were left:

“Hi, this is Michelle Monoghan calling, I just want to say keep up the good work, keep doing what you’re doing!  What you’re doing is a labor of love and that’s what we all do!  And God bless indie film and keep up the good work and keep making them!”  ”Hi, this is Justine Bateman and I just want to say to you do not quit!  Do not quit because if you do we won’t hear your voice and we need it!” “Hi, this is Kerry Washington:  I can’t wait to see you guys at the awards next year or the year after so keep up your indie thing and never be anyone else, always be who you are!”

AMC Entertainment Exclusive AMC Signature Pass:

AMC, who brings independant films to communities at their theatres all over the country was also delightfully on hand to offer each glamorous star and one guest of their choosing the amazing opportunity to see movies for free at more than 350 AMC Theatres around the world for an entire year. Legendary song crooner Michael Bolton sang a funny, new tune saying “it’s Christmas in Santa Monica” when he received his AMC Theatres Signature Pass, and Indie sovereign Ileana Douglas promised she would take her grandmother to the matinees at the AMC in Century City that she loves with her passes.

Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson with AMC Theatres

Oscar’s Best Actress nominee Taraji P. Henson said she looks forward to taking her son to the movies as she chomped down on some concession-style Gummi stars, while Jessica Alba commented that the movie passes were “fresh” and her absolute favorite gift in the lounge. Eric Roberts, who catches a movie every Friday morning at AMC, said he’s very excited and that his wife will probably die when she finds out that they’ve got a year of free movies! www.amctheaters.com

ST. Regis Monarch Beach Resort 1-Night Stay in Monarch Suite

Stars were also graciously gifted an exclusive one night stay in a St. Regis Monarch Suite, the only Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond Resort in California, which is located on 172 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Dana Point between Los Angeles and San Diego.  The Monarch Suites are located on the 7th floor of the main building with full ocean views, with 3 bay suites that are 1,466 square feet each and have lovely private key access elevators, butler service, a living room, 2 balconies, a dining table with seating for 10, a wet bar, pantry, fireplace, guest bathroom and master bathroom with Jacuzzi. Michael Bolton spoke nonstop of his love of golf and how he especially loves the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course on the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort property.  He says that he’s really looking forward to a night at the resort!  Robin Wright Penn and Sandra Oh, who are already huge fans of the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort and have stayed there before are looking forward to yet another trip, while Best Actor winner Mickey Rourke plans to take a break after the “craziness of the award-show season.” While walking away with his one gift from the Gift Lounge he murmured, “I wonder if they allow pets?”. www.stregismb.com

GLOWELLE Beauty Drink Dietary Supplement – 1-Year Supply

Glowelle, whose motto is to “drink in beautiful skin“, was also at the Gift Lounge to make celebrities who were already radiant glow even more. A years worth of Glowelle’s new ingestible skincare supplement that promotes natural, radiant beauty from the inside out was generously given to each celebrity.

Melissa Leo trys Glowelle Beauty Drink.

As they were gifted they asked, “What makes you glow?”. Here’s what they replied: “Love makes me glow because it comes from within” -Taraji P. Henson, as she sipped on a delicious Glowelle smoothie; “My daughter, Honor” -Jessica Alba; “Laughing everyday” -Rose Perez; “Writing something good” -John Waters; “I think you know the answer to that….hmmmh!” -Alec Baldwin; “Joy in my heart”-Melissa Leo, Best Actress winner for “Frozen River”; “Free stuff!”-Richard Jenkins; “My wife of 17 years, Eliza Roberts”-Eric Roberts. www.glowelle.com

Arm & Hammer Advance White Toothpaste and Whitening Booster “Last Minute Smile Kit”

Arm and Hammer, onhand to ‘brighten up’ their day, was a vendor of the Gift Lounge committed to equipping star’s with the must-have essentials to ensure bright smiles by donating special kits that included certificates for a one-year supply of Advance White Toothpaste. Furthermore, when Dana Delany and Bryan Cranston dropped by the Arm & Hammer Advance White Toothpaste and Whitening Booster station, the Arm and Hammer attendants decided to have a little fun and asked them, “What movie made you smile?”. They both grinned and replied that “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” made them beam from ear to ear! Advanced White Toothpaste, specially created to supply deep-cleaning, leaves users with white “red-carpet worthy” smiles, a fresh from the dentist clean feeling, and teeth that are 3x whiter! www.myoralcare.com

Blue Notch Denim Jeans

The number one supplier of premium Japanese Denim for men and women, Blue Notch Denim Jeans, was also at the Gift Lounge to outfit celebs in one of a kind, great-fitting jeans. Rosie Perez could not stop commenting on how much she loved how stretch of Blue Notch Jeans denim accentuated her curves and booty! To boot, Jessica Alba, who is really into Japanese denim and was unaware of the origin of Blue Notch Denim, was ecstatic to find out that’s where Blue Notch Denim is from. However, no one was as ecstatic as Mena Suvari, who loved the custom ripped jeans that the rep from Blue Notch was wearing so much that she made a special request and ordered two pairs. Even “30 Rock” star Alec Baldwin couldn’t resist out a pair of Blue Notch Jeans for his daughter Ireland, while Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins said he’ll be living in his new Blue Notch Jeans! Lastly, the always beautiful, Andie McDowell officially launched Blue Notch Denim Jeans into the Hollywood stratosphere when said she plans to wear her new Blue Notch Jeans home on the plane! www.bluenotchjeans.com

Koolaburra Genuine Australian-made Sheepskin Boots

Koolaburra, the brand that features gorgeous boots with embroidered leather appliqués and Swarovski crystals that are actually made in Australia, showcased the hottest, newest styles from their Fall ‘09 collection for men and women at the Gift Lounge. As soon as she saw them, Jessica Alba quickly snatched up a pair of Koolaburra’s “Crystal Flock” Genuine Australian Sheepskin Boots in black from their not yet released Fall ‘09 collection that features Swarovski crystal birds.

Justine Bateman with Koolaburra boots

Meanwhile backstage, Mena Suvari slipped into a pair of her very own new Koolaburra boots- the “Erika Short”, which feature beautiful adornments of gold studs and fringe and Taraji Henson fell in love with a pair of double fringe boots, the crème de la crème of boots among young Hollywood starlets like Jessica Biel and Vanessa Hudgens. Blair Underwood even scooped up a pair of boots for himself, while remarking that his wife simply adores the Peace Sign boots he picked up from Koolaburra in January for her because she wears them all the time!  Illeana Douglas promised to wear her Koolaburra’s on stage while performing with her rock band and Justine Bateman found it so hard to settle on just one pair of the in-demand Koolaburra boots that she got two! www.koolaburra.com

Carlos Falchi Evening Bags

Even the renowned international handbag designer, Carlos Falchi, was there to lend his iconic style and fashion advice by helping celebs choose the absolute perfect Red Carpet evening bag, many of which featured luxurious exotic skins. While at the Gift Lounge, Eric Roberts sweetly picked out a blue and brown small snakeskin Carlos Falchi clutch for Emma Roberts and Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson, who was visibly excited for the Oscars the next day, scooped up a green square Carlos Falchi clutch with jewels, mentioning that the bag always makes her outfits! Tara Riggs and Eliza Dushku both picked up one-of-a-kind python Carlos Falchi clutch bags; Tara opting for the pink and Eliza’s for the gray and white. Afterwards, Jessica Alba, who had the hardest time choosing between two python Carlos Falchi clutches, happily opted for a daring leopard print python clutch, while Mena Suvari rewarded herself with a mint green python Carlos Falchi clutch.  Surprisingly, many of the stars decided to be animal friendly and opted for the Carlos Falchi microfiber clutches, versus the more expensive cayman and python styles on display! Andie McDowell and Melissa Leo both showed their love for animals and went with the bronze microfiber purses, with Misty Upham later going for the silver microfiber. www.carlosfalchidesign.comTLC Laser Eye Center & AMO, INC.

iLASIK Procedure Performed by World Renowned TLC LASIK Surgeon Alan Berg, M.D. and a 1-Year Supply of Blink Tears: The iLASIK procedure, one of the most advanced laser vision correction procedure available today, was made available to stars at the Gift Lounge in the form of a gift certificate, delighting many.

No more dry eyes for Blair Underwood with Blink Tears.

Blair Underwood, a self-proclaimed, “eye drop addict” scooped up a certificate, as well as Bradley Cooper, who he batted his baby blue eyes playfully after stopping at Blink Tears to refresh his dry eyes. Taraji P. Henson complained that the Santa Ana winds dry her eyes out and said that she can’t wait to receive her year supply of Blink Tears, another goodie complimentary of TLC! Blink Tears are advanced eye drops that relieve dry eyes and replenish tears with every blink.  (Advanced Eyedrop that Replenishes Your Tears with Every Blink). www.TLCvision.com / www.yourhealthyeyes.com / www.iLASIK.com

CRUNCH 1-Year Gym Membership & Private AntiGravity Yoga ‘Wings’ or BodyWeb w/TRX Class for up to 8 Guests

Anthony Mackie, who portrayed Tupac Shakur in “Notorious” was overjoyed when he picked up his an annual membership to Crunch Gym at the Gift Lounge and happily commented, “I’ve worked out at Crunch in NYC and I want to go back, so this is perfect!” Furthermore, Eliza Dushku, whose man is an unmentionable NFL player, said she was more than ready and willing to work out with her man at Crunch and “Hairspray” director John Waters sarcastically shared with a laugh, “I’m the only gay man who hasn’t been to a gym. Maybe Crunch will turn me into a Gym bunny?”. The Crunch AntiGravity Yoga ‘Wings’ allow users to stretch further than ever before and hold challenging postures longer by using a flowing fabric hammock as a prop. By using the fabric as a soft trapeze, users are enabled the use of simple suspension techniques allowing them to move into seemingly impossible inverted poses, relieving compressed joints and aligning the body from head to toe. On the other hand, the BodyWeb with TRX system hangs from the durable TRX system ropes to push, pull, lift and lower the user’s body through Spiderman moves for a total body suspension workout that will also super-strengthens your core. www.crunch.com

WACOAL Shapewear and Lingerie from B.Tempt’d by Walcoal

Never to be outdone, Wacoal, the brand featuring the most coveted seamless shapewear, “Lace Yourself”, gifted celebs with a table pant set (3 tangas) from the newly launched and imaginatively pulsating intimates collection from B.tempt’d, as well as a $100 gift certificate for a special, complimentary fitting and intimates from the latest Wacoal and B.tempt’d collections. B’temped which was launched in February 2009 by Wacoal, entices the young vivacious woman to “be tempting” and express her unique style in fun and flirtatious designs, all while reveling in exceptional fit, trusted quality, and comfort.

Dana Delaney with B.Tempt'd by Wacoal

“Mad Men” star John Hamm, who loves his wife, Jennifer Westfeld in lingerie, winked and nodded to her as he asked, “Did you get some of these? Nice!”. It seems he and Dominc Monaghan of “Lost” are new fans of the new B.tempt’d by Wacoal line of lacy bras & panties. Before leaving, Monoghan asked, “Are these edible?  They look delicious!”. Find them at: www.b.temptd.com  and www.wacoal-america.com

SAKROOTS Limited Edition Eco-Friendly Weekender Tote Designed Exclusively for the Gift Lounge Featuring Signature “Peace Print” by Graffiti Artist Gilles Jourdan

Sakroots, a creative, soulful, and dynamic collection of sustainable and stylish bags introduced by The Sak, demonstrated that “peace & harmony among all things” is possible in today’s society by introducing celebs at the Gift Lounge to their products created with the use of environmentally-friendly materials, dyes and processes.  The bags from the ECO Harmony collection made from 100% bamboo string, which feature messages such as “happy & free” on them and are meant to bring merriment to each bag owner were given to celebs at the Lounge. Sandra Oh of “Grey’s Anatomy”, who selected a bag from the Sakroots new Indio crochet bamboo collection, exclaimed, “This bag is a must-have, I’m gonna rock this, it’s fabulous!”. Later when “30 Rock” star Alec Baldwin was asked who he’d like to give his Sakroots limited edition weekender tote featuring a signature “Peace” print by Graffiti artist Gilles Jourdan to, he humbly admitted “I don’t have anyone special in my life, but I wish I did.” Then, Robin Wright Penn snatched up a crocheted Sakroots Indio Tote and shared her love of Bali! “I frequent Bali quite often.  I’ve seen the hand-crochet process and it’s amazing-the work that goes into it.” Even new mom, Jessica Alba got into it- declaring that she likes her bags eco-friendly. While choosing her new Sakroots Eco Harmony Black Space Dye drawstring bag, she commented, “It’s nice to see a company who is making something that is actually good for the planet.”
www.thesak.com, www.sakroots.com

ALTOIDS SMALLS Mints:

Altoids, the tiny breath mints that “go where you go” and are apart of  The Original Celebrated Curiously Strong Altoids family of mints, were on hand to keep celebrities breath smelling lusciously fresh. Celebs were delighted to learn that the mints that they so love are now smaller, sugar-free, and available in three flavors – Peppermint, Wintergreen & Cinnamon. www.altoids.com

Promax Nutrition PURE:
PURE, the scrumptious organic snack bar that’s raw, vegan, gluten free, and contains 1 1/2 serving of fruit and nuts that topped the cake as they served delicious, healthy treats to all the attendees. www.promaxnutrition.com

On 3  fashioned the Official Ceremony Gift Bag distributed to all ceremony guests. Host, Steve Coogan, Honorary Co-Chair, Alec Baldwin, Justine Bateman, Michael Bolton,  Maria Bozzi, Joey Cassata, Steve Coogan, Bradley Cooper, and Frank Corraci were all elated to receive their very own Official Ceremony Gift Bag with top-notch goodies such as the special Film Independent Publication, Film Independent Magazine; Alacer Corp. Emergen-C, Altoids Smalls Mints, an AMC Eco-friendly Reusable Water Bottle, ELLE March Issue, GARNIER FRUCTIS Wonder Waves Enhancing Spray, a one-month supply of Glowelle Beauty Drink Dietary Supplement, an IFC Custom Designed 2009 Spirit Awards Bag, Jessie Steele Tea Towels, a tube of Maybelline New York Lash Stiletto Ultimate Length Mascara,  No Nonsense Shoe Solutions, Popchips all-natural popped potato chips, ProMax Nutrition Pure, the Robyn Hitchcock “Goodnight Oslo” CD, The Container Store Oli Sticky Notes Notebook, a $1000 Gift Certificate from TLC Laser Eye Center& Amo, Inc. toward an iLASIK procedure performed by the world renowned TLC Lasik Surgeon Alan Berg, M.D, Blink Tears, the Wahl Lithium Ion Grooming Tool, and many more amazing treats!

The talent that received their On 3 Productions organized gifts also included Kerry Washington, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Bateman, Zooey Deshanel, Teri Hatcher, Anne Hathaway, Taraji P. Henson, Emile Hirsch, Sandra Oh, Mary-Kate Olsen, Blair Underwood, Evan Rachel Wood, Bryan Cranston, Dana Delaney, Chris Donovan, Illeanna Douglas, Eliza Dushku, Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Hamilton, Teri Hatcher, Taraji P. Henson, Robyn Hitchcock, Dawn Hudson, Richards Jenkins, Rachel Lefevre, Melissa Leo, Andie MacDowell, Michelle Monaghan, Dominic Monaghan, Sandra Oh, Mary-Kate Olsen, Rosie Perez, John C. Reilly, Jeremy Renner, Giovanni Ribisi, Tarra Riggs, Eric Roberts, Mena Suvari, Jeffrey Tambor, John Waters, Michael Winchester, Robin Wright Penn, David Zablidowsky, Paul Zablidowsky, Diana Zahn, Anthony Mackie, Misty Upham, Tom Noonan, and Jon Hamm.

Film Independent is an open enrollment and non-profit membership organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps fimmakers make their movies, builds the audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, film industry leader, or a film lover.

Spirit Award Winners

Despite worthy competition, Spirit Award winners earned their awards. The winners?

BEST FEATURE
“The Wrestler”

BEST DIRECTOR
Tom McCarthy, “The Visitor”

BEST FIRST FEATURE
“Synecdoche, New York”

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
“In Search of a Midnight Kiss”

BEST SCREENPLAY
Woody Allen, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black, “Milk”

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”

BEST MALE LEAD
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
James Franco, “Milk”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Maryse Alberti, “The Wrester”

BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Man on Wire”

BEST FOREIGN FILM
“The Class

Best Actress Oscar nominee Kate Winslet sits down with ABC News “Nightline’s” Cynthia McFadden and shares her thoughts on her sixth nomination and how she prepared for her Oscar-nominated role in the film “The Reader”.

Winslet can currently be seen in her two incredible Golden Globe–winning performances, in “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader”. “The Reader” could yield a long-overdue Oscar win for her. She has been nominated six times, a record for someone her age.

As part of “Nightline’s” Inside Hollywood series leading up to the Academy Awards, Ms. Winslet talks about how she prepared for her role as a Nazi prison guard, the busy awards season, and the challenge of juggling her career and motherhood.

On her nomination:

McFadden:  Nominated for the Oscar again. Sixth time’s a charm, do you think?
 
Winslet:  I can honestly say, for a start, I’m tremendously lucky that in my life I have received these nominations and got to play these extraordinary parts but I think this year more than any other year that I have been aware of it feels very, very special. 
 
McFadden:  Will you expect you’re not going to pretend you don’t want it? That you do want to win this year?
 
Winslet:  Well, I said I’d like to at some point in my life.
 
She continues:   But now it would be a feeling for me if it were to happen at some point in my life on just personal satisfaction. What an amazing feeling that would be for me to have been doing this for 15, 16 years and to now what it feels like to lose a great many times. It would be nice to know what it feels like in that situation to win sometime.
 
McFadden:  Indeed, if you don’t win this year you’re going to get a distinction all of its own. The most-nominated non-winner.
 
Winslet: The most-nominated loser, which is what I’ve been hearing people saying.  Yes, no, I don’t really want to be the most-nominated loser…
 
McFadden:  Did it hurt a little bit not to get nominated for “Revolutionary Road”?
 
Winslet:  I can’t say that — I am so genuinely happy that I have been nominated for “The Reader”. I really, really am. I mean, it was a huge turning point for me, that film, because I — when I first read the script, you know, I really thought, oh, no, no, I can’t do this. I mean, I really don’t think I’ve got the stuff to do this. I don’t have enough — I don’t have enough tools with which to play this part.
 
On her Golden Globe win:
 
McFadden:  We all know you were surprised by the second win… So when you got to the podium, unprepared we might say.
 
Winslet:  Completely unprepared. She continued:  So you win some, you lose some. I mean — the one thing that has surprised me about this thing of winning awards is that I thought that people just reviewed the films. I didn’t realize that they reviewed speeches, too. I mean, I really didn’t know that. Call me stupid but I had no idea. I don’t tend to read reviews of things but when people are reviewing a speech and being somewhat unkind about it,  well, what can you say, but no, I wasn’t prepared at all. I really didn’t think I was going to win and I was genuinely overwhelmed…
 
On Her Role as a Nazi Prison Guard:
 
McFadden:  How did you come to feel about her at the end of the day? 
 
Winslet:  I can’t say that I liked her, no. But I can say that I understood her fully…I do think it is crucial as an actor to understand the role that you’re playing, really, and to empathize with them and the choices that they do or they don’t make.

On Body Image:
 
Winslet:  I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t look at herself in the mirror before she walks out, whether it’s for a date with her husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever, red carpet event… I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t stand up and check the tushie before she walks out the door and those women will go, uh. You know? Most do. I’ve decided I am going to start loving my backside, really just saying, yes. Because I don’t know anyone who does that, you know? And for my daughter I want to be able to say to her, I love this, I love this, look, my belly does this because I had you guys and this is what happens to breasts when you nurse two children. Gravity and nature takes its toll and I don’t want to be batting her away, saying, no, no, no, no, no. I don’t want to do that. I want her to say, yeah, yeah, great. No one ever did that for me. Never.

“Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Martin Bashir. James Goldston is the executive producer. “Nightline airs at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT) weeknights on the ABC Television Network.

You may recognize Ginger from the film “Spiker,” directed by Gerry Lively (“Hellraiser,” “Friday”). The DVD release came out over the holidays. Ginger starred as “Nikki McLean,” a sassy high school senior who made the mistake of spending the weekend in the woods with five friends. However, after “Spiker” and “Notorious,” Ginger still has several projects in the works and even more stirring up.  She has a supporting role in the feature film “Made for Each Other,” a comedy starring celeb brothers Danny and Chris Masterson, due out in this spring. This girl keeps busy as she will also star in the film “SubHysteria” with G-Train productions and Cantera Films.  She plays “Hannah,” a law student with a hidden past. Due out theatrically March 13, 2009 in Venezuela, the film co-stars popular Spanish soap stars Osvaldo Benavides and Rebeca Aleman. Currently there is no definitive date for a US release but we will definitely be on the lookout!

Also, “Secrets” is another project Ginger has signed on for, again with G-Train productions. The film starts production in March 2009. Ginger stars as “Carol,” a young actress with a dark secret. But it doesn’t stop there. Ginger is set to star in season two of the web series “Horrible People.” Fun fact– she was handpicked to play Danielle by creators A. D. Miles and Joe Lo Truglio (MTV’s “The State”). “Horrible People” had a successful first run co-starring Mather Zickel (Rachel Getting Married) and Kristen Schaal (Flight of the Conchords). She also stars in a Bollywood film titled, “New York” with the supporting role of character Sarah. The film is directed by one of Bollywood’s top directors, Kabir Kahn and stars the “Johnny Depp” of Bollywood, John Abrams- swoon much? The film is set for theatrical release this March.

We got a chance to ask this lovely lady some questions about her busy career… Check it out!

LA’s The Place: What was it like working on “Notorious”?

Ginger Kroll: It was real honor to work on a film so important in pop and urban culture. There was so much passion and dedication to making the film as authentic as possible and a real representation of Christopher Wallace’s life. Mrs. Wallace was often on the set showing her support, and  letting everyone know how proud she was of the film and of us honoring her son’s name.   The cast is so talented and the music in the concert scenes was done live, listening to Naturi Naughton perform as Lil Kim gave me chills! She has such a beautiful, powerful voice.
 
LATP: So you did your own fight scene stunts, tell us more about that!

GK: It was a lot of work and really fun! Initially the production had hired a stunt double for my role, but the actor hired had hair color that didn’t quite match my own and they asked me on the spot, “can you do it?” and I just said, “absolutely, let’s go!” Both myself and Antonique Smith (Faith Evans) had a stunt choreographer and we just went for it. There’s a lot of flying fists, hair pulling and smacks in the face, and a few times Antonique would throw a punch that would accidentally follow through and we’d stop in the middle of the heated scene and say, “oh my god! Are you alright?” and then just get back into beating each other up! It was really funny!

LATP: What was it like working on a Bollywood film?

GK: Bollywood is a completely different world where production seems to come together in a freer fashion. Bollywood isn’t under union jurisdiction, so hours can be longer. But it really was a wonderful experience and the production team was like one large extended family.  I’m excited to see the Hollywood’s reaction to Bollywood in the years to come and what collaborations will come from such large industries working together.
         
LATP: What projects do you have coming up in 2009 that you are most excited about and why?

GK: The film I’m most excited about is called SubHysteria, it’s a small project, but unique and exciting because it was shot in the style of the Blaire Witch Project – sequentially and with complete improvisation. In the film, sixteen people get stuck in a subway car in NYC for 36 hours, without communication, food, way to escape, and a fatal sensation that they are going to die. It’s a raw display of human behavior when one confronts the possibility of death. Myself and 15 other actors worked for weeks training with improvised scenes, in-depth character analysis and then we were given an outline and were told to just go!

And I have a lot of other projects in the works! I have a supporting role in the feature film “Made For Each Other,” a comedy starring Danny and Chris Masterson, which is due out in the spring of 2009 and “Spiker,” a film directed by Gerry Lively (“Hellraiser,” “Friday”) is a direct to DVD release due out December 11, 2008 where I star as Nikki McLean,  a sassy high school senior who makes the mistake of spending the weekend in the woods with five friends. Secrets also signed on with G-Train productions (SubHysteria) starts production in March of 2009. I play the role of Carol, a young actress with a dark secret, that I can’t tell you about!

And it It doesn’t stop there! I am also set to star in season 2 of the web series “Horrible People.” I was handpicked to play Danielle by creators A. D. Miles and Joe Lo Truglio (MTV’s “The State”). “Horrible People” had a successful first run co-starring Mather Zickel (Rachel Getting Married) and Kristen Schaal (Flight of the Conchords).

To learn more about Ginger Kroll, please visit www.gingerkroll.com.

“Slumdog Millionaire” ruled the night. The low budget film with subtitles and no stars pulled in 5 awards for Best Picture, Best Director (Danny Boyle), Best Writer (Simon Beaufoy), Best Young Actress (Dev Patel) and Best Composer (A.R. Rahman). The film also won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival.

Although Heath Ledger is gone, his legacy of brilliant work sustains as he won Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight. This was a first, as it is the first posthumous win in the award show’s history. He is said to be the favorite to win the Golden Globe on Monday.

Diane Lane presented Richard Gere with the Joel Siegel Award, which honors members of the film community whose work on and off screen contributes to the good of humanity.

He acknowleged it wasn’t only for him. “I’m very clear about that. I’m happy that this highlights people on the ground who do civil rights work.” Asked about his thoughts on the Barack Obama’s inauguration, Gere explained that he won’t attend the festivities because he “doesn’t like crowds. But I’ll be watching on the TV. It’s an extraordinary moment for all of us. We actually elected two real people who are just like us, after eight years of aliens.”

Immediately after the show, the stars made their way over to the 14th Annual Critic’s Choice Awards afterparty at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica.

Photos by Greg Tidwell.

UPP Entertainment Marketing produced the excellent official afterparty at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica. UPP has been doing business since 1978, and is the original product placement company! www.UPP.net

Critic’s Choice Awards nominees and winners:

BEST PICTURE
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

Nominees:
• Changeling
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Doubt
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire
• Wall-E
• The Wrestler

BEST ACTOR
Winner: Sean Penn – Milk

Nominees:
• Clint Eastwood – Gran Torino
• Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
• Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
• Sean Penn – Milk
• Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Tie: Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married | Meryl Streep – Doubt

Nominees:
• Kate Beckinsale – Nothing But the Truth
• Cate Blanchett – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
• Angelina Jolie – Changeling
• Melissa Leo – Frozen River
• Meryl Streep – Doubt

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Nominees:
• Josh Brolin – Milk
• Robert Downey, Jr. – Tropic Thunder
• Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
• Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
• James Franco – Milk

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Kate Winslet – The Reader

Nominees:
• Penelope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Viola Davis – Doubt
• Vera Farmiga – Nothing But the Truth
• Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
• Kate Winslet – The Reader

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Winner: Milk

Nominees:
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Doubt
• Milk
• Rachel Getting Married

BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees:
• Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
• David Fincher – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
• Christopher Nolan – The Dark Knight
• Gus Van Sant – Milk

BEST WRITER (Original or Adapted Screenplay)
Winner: Simon Beaufoy – Slumdog Millionaire

Nominees:
• Simon Beaufoy – Slumdog Millionaire
• Dustin Lance Black – Milk
• Peter Morgan – Frost/Nixon
• Eric Roth – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• John Patrick Shanley – Doubt

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Winner: WALL-E
Nominees:
• Bolt
• Kung Fu Panda
• Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
• Wall-E
• Waltz With Bashir

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS (Under 21)
Winner: Dev Patel – Slumdog Millionaire

Nominees:
• Dakota Fanning – The Secret Life of Bees
• David Kross – The Reader
• Dev Patel – Slumdog Millionaire
• Brandon Walters – Australia

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Winner: The Dark Knight
Nominees:
• The Dark Knight
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• Iron Man
• Quantum of Solace
• Wanted

BEST COMEDY MOVIE
Winner: Tropic Thunder

Nominees:
• Burn After Reading
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall
• Role Models
• Tropic Thunder
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Winner: John Adams
Nominees:
• John Adams
• Recount
• Coco Chanel

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Winner: Waltz With Bashir

Nominees:
• A Christmas Tale
• Gomorrah
• I’ve Loved You So Long
• Let the Right One In
• Mongol
• Waltz With Bashir

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Winner: Man On Wire

Nominees:
• I.O.U.S.A.
• Man On Wire
• Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
• Standard Operating Procedure
• Young At Heart

BEST SONG
Winner: “The Wrestler” (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen) – The Wrestler

Nominees:
• “Another Way to Die” (performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, written by Jack White) – Quantum of Solace
• “Down to Earth” (performed by Peter Gabriel, written by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman) – Wall-E
• “I Thought I Lost You” (performed Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, written by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele) – Bolt
• “Jaiho” (performed by Sukhwinder Singh, written by A.R. Rahman and Gulzar) – Slumdog Millionaire
• “The Wrestler” (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen) – The Wrestler

BEST COMPOSER
Winner: A.R. Rahman – Slumdog Millionaire

Nominees:
• Alexandre Desplat – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Clint Eastwood – Changeling
• Danny Elfman – Milk
• Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard – The Dark Knight
• A.R. Rahman – Slumdog Millionaire

Literally hundreds of gifted and hungry filmmakers entered the contest, all hoping to secure the number one spot, which was carefully selected out of a pool of ten finalists chosen by a special panel of Sundance festival programmers. The fate of each filmmaker was then left in the online hands of the global Youtube community, who then personally selected their favorite films and voted for them.

“Perfecto!”, the short film created by Blake Edwards of Charlotte, North Carolina took the grand prize, deservingly granting Edwards with $2,500 and five engaging days at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, where his film will be screened at an exclusive festival event. Ben Goldenberg and Jason Gossbee, the second place winners hailing from Toronto, Canada will also receive $2,500 for their film, “White Collar Criminals” and third place winner, Avery Auer of Santa Monica, California will receive $1,000 for her film, “Good Deeds and the Damage Done”. Supplementing the cash prizes awarded from Moviefone, both the grand-prize winner and the two runner-ups will have their film dispersed to industry executives and major Entertainment power players attending the Sundance Film Festival.

Sara Pollack, Product Marketing Manager of Film at YouTube remarked, “We are thrilled that YouTube Project:Direct once again attracted the crème de la crème of rising filmmakers worldwide, giving them the unique opportunity to reach hundreds of millions of new fans and industry executives”. She then commented that, “With entrants this year ranging from first time filmmakers to last year’s grand prize winner, Project:Direct continues to highlight the creativity that exists throughout the YouTube community. Having created new landing pages for engaging with film on YouTube – youtube.com/movies, youtube.com/projectdirect, and youtube.com/screeningroom – we remain committed to unearthing new talent and connecting fans with new and classic favorites”.

Grand-prize winner Blake Edwards said, “It’s a great thing for a friend to say your work is good, but it’s an entirely different thing to be recognized by a panel of Sundance Film Festival programmers and an audience as vast and creative as YouTube’s. It’s an honor to receive this award and I’m grateful to our friends, family, and supporters for voting us into the top! Thanks to YouTube, Moviefone, and Sundance as well for hosting an international platform for filmmakers like Project:Direct”.

The 25th Sundance Film Festival will take place January 15 – January 25, 2009 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. YouTube audiences can view the winning Project:Direct films and additional contest entries  here.

More on the Winners:

“Perfecto!” grand-prize winner, Blake Edwards returned to Charlotte, North Carolina after journeying around the world to Spain, Los Angeles, and New York eagerly seeking film and stage opportunities. Ironically, he discovered a source of inspiration in aspiring writer and actress Erin Fede, a co-worker who dwelled a mere cubicle over. Fede, who was both the writer and star of “Gone in a Flash”, last year’s Project:Direct first runner up, wrote this year’s winning script surrounding an international spy who falls in love in the country. She decided her co-worker would make a great director for her new short and together they rushed around downtown Charlotte, transforming it into a very believable France, Middle East, India, and Russia, all while managing to maintain the film’s distinct southern cinematic twinge.

Watch “Perfecto!” Here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

First runners up for “White Collar Criminals”, Benjamin Goldensberg, who attended the NY Film Academy in Los Angeles, and Jason Gosbee, who attended Toronto’s Film School, managed to write a screenplay in one night and shoot and edit it over a mere three days despite their 2,000-mile distance apart. Their stylized, storytelling black comedy, “White Collar Criminals”, has been viewed over 150,000 times and has entertained audiences worldwide. Goldenberg and Gosbee are already set for many more future film collaborations that appear destined to do just as well.

Watch “White Collar Criminals” Here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Although she worked as a freelance copy editor for advertising agencies and magazines, third place winner for “Good Deeds and the Damage Done”, Avery Auer simply wanted to write and produce films as her grandfather had done decades before. Therefore, when she heard about YouTube’s Project:Direct, Auer took it as a great opportunity to start up a career in film. Auer amazingly incorporated all 25 of the Sundance props into her film, although only two were required in each filmmaker’s entry, and used her knack for sharp dialogue and dark comedies to create “Good Deeds and the Damage Done”. Director Joe Pascual was so impressed by Auer’s work that he extended her a contract to write for his forthcoming TV show, which was the first in a slew of writer/producer offers thrown at Auer. It seems Avery Auer is well on her way to following in her grandfather’s footsteps.

Watch “Good Deeds and the Damage Done” Here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

YouTube is currently the forerunning online video community where millions of people have discovered originally created videos by joining the popular online network. It serves as a place where original content creators and advertisers can easily obtain distribution, whether they are small or large and people can connect, inspire, and inform others globally with their creativity. YouTube, LLC is a subsidiary of Google Inc. and is based in San Bruno, CA.

The Sundance Film Festival is the top showcase for independent U.S. and international film. The Festival is one of the core programs of the Sundance Institute, a cultural nonprofit organization founded in 1981 by Robert Redford and it’s held each and every January in Sundance, Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, Utah. With approximately 80 short films and dramatic and documentary full-length films presented in nine different categories each year, Sundance has become an American source of introduction to the most innovative films created in the last two decades. The festival has since expanded its repertoire to include music, dialogue, and art. Furthermore, short films, filmmaker interviews, video episodes, podcasts, photos, and news stories can now be found on the Sundance Film Festival website:

http://www.sundance.org/festival

Moviefone, the internet’s largest and most popular movie website is the one stop shop for movie tickets, celebrity and movie news, and exclusive, original interviews including “Unscripted”, Moviefone’s web series where celebrities interview other fellow celebrities using fan submitted questions. Moviefone also owns and operates the Moviefone Interactive Voice Recognition service, which can be accessed by dialing “777-FILM”.
Website: www.moviefone.com

Presented by Cartier, The Awards Gala will salute Clint Eastwood’s impressive career, which includes his most recent films, “Gran Torino”, which he stars in and directed, and “Changeling”, which he directed and produced and which stars Angelina Jolie.

Festival chairman Harold Matzner stated, “Clint Eastwood is a living legend who continually raises the bar of artistic expression with each new film, whether he is acting, directing, or producing.  The Palm Springs International Film Festival is honored to present Eastwood with the Career Achievement Award for his extraordinary body of work.”

In 2007, Eastwood earned dual Academy Award® nominations, in the categories of Best Director and Best Picture, for his acclaimed World War II drama “Letters from Iwo Jima.”  In addition, the film won the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, and also received Best Picture honors from a number of film critics groups, including the Los Angeles Film Critics and the National Board of Review.

In 2005, Eastwood won Academy Awards® for Best Picture and Best Director (his second in both categories) for “Million Dollar Baby“.  He also earned a nomination for Best Actor for his performance in the film.  Eastwood’s critically acclaimed drama “Mystic River” debuted at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, earning him a Palme D’Or nomination and the Golden Coach Award.  “Mystic River” went on to earn six Academy Award ® nominations, including two for Eastwood for Best Picture and Best Director.  In 1993, Eastwood’s foreboding, revisionist western “Unforgiven,” received nine Academy Award® nominations, including three for Eastwood, who won for Best Picture and Best Director and was nominated for Best Actor.  Eastwood was also honored with the Academy’s Irving Thalberg Memorial Award in 1995.

Other career highlights include, Eastwood receiving the Thalberg Award and DeMille Award, as well as receiving numerous tributes from the Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild, the American Film Institute, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the French Film Society, the National Board of Review, the Henry Mancini Institute (Hank Award for distinguished service to American music), the Hamburg Film Festival (Douglas Sirk Award), and Venice Film Festival (Career Golden Lion).  He is also the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor, awards from the American Cinema Editors and the Publicists’ Guild, an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Wesleyan University, and is a five-time winner of Favorite Motion Picture Actor from the People’s Choice Awards.  In 1991, Eastwood was Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatrical Society’s Man of the Year and, in 1992, he received the California Governor’s Award for the Arts.

Eastwood’s next project will see him directing and producing a post-apartheid drama set in South Africa, starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival (founded by then Mayor Sonny Bono in 1990) will include over 400 screenings of more than 200 films from roughly 60 countries. The Festival presents a majority of the films submitted for consideration in the Best Foreign Language category for the Academy Awards, as well as a large number of American independent and international features and documentaries marking their world, North American or U.S. debuts.  Screenings are held on 15 screens throughout Palm Springs.

The Palm Springs Inervational Film Festival runs from January 6 – 19, 2009. The Festival’s 20th Annual Awards Gala is presented by Cartier and sponsored by Mercedes Benz and Entertainment Tonight.  Renewing sponsors of this year’s Festival are Title Sponsor, The City of Palm Springs and Presenting Sponsors, The Desert Sun, the City of Indian Wells, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Spencer’s Restaurant, and Wessman Development.  Major Sponsors include Bank of America, Integrated Wealth Management, Guthy-Renker, Regal Entertainment, Wells Fargo, Palm Desert National Bank, KPSP, Ocean Properties Development, Ciroc, Johnnie Walker and Don Julio.

For more information go to www.psfilmfest.org.

Liz Adams, a pioneer in the world of  “women in horror“, is finding much success with her new short film titled SIDE EFFECT, which is affecting horror fans around the world. Never shying away from deep psychological suspense or gory money shots, writer/director Adams admits that she is a true horror junkie who loves to shock her audiences.

Set in a world where the pressure to perform is at an all time high, and everyone seems to be on some kind of medication, Adams’ SIDE EFFECT poses the question, ‘What if EVIL were a side effect?

A recent participant in AFI’s prestigious Directing Workshop for Women, Liz Adams is forging her own path as a maverick female director working in the male dominated horror genre. Adams’ hit horror festival flick SIDE EFFECT most recently screened at the New York City Horror Film Festival and at the Denver International Film Festival to rave reviews after winning the Pretty/Scary Award for Excellence in Horror Filmmaking at the 8th Annual SHRIEKFEST Film Festival in Hollywood.

With a multitude of international film festival screenings on the calendar, SIDE EFFECT has already garnered the Best Screenplay Award at the Chicago Horror Film Festival, Best Short at Germany’s Oldendburg Film Festival and the coveted chainsaw statuette in the Cutting Edge Short Film Competition at the Dead by Dawn Film Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

SIDE EFFECT is the first act of Adams’ upcoming full-length feature film BLOOD LEVEL, is which is ramping up pre-production.

LA’s The Place:  Hi Liz, thanks for chatting with us today. Your short film SIDE EFFECT has been making noise at all kinds of film festivals especially in the horror genre. I must say, the film is pretty intense and horrific in a non-traditional and conventional way. How did SIDE EFFECT come about?

Liz Adams:  The script for the short film SIDE EFFECT is the first ten pages of a feature length script called BLOOD LEVEL, which I have written. The project was further developed and then shot during the AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women.  SIDE EFFECT was inspired by some research I did on the side effects of SSRI anti-depressants and other medications that are being given to kids. I came across a side effect called “homicidal ideation” – where certain drugs have been linked to both homicidal and suicidal impulses in a small amount of people who had taken the medications. As a storyteller that’s a tidbit that I really wanted to explore. To me a side effect called homicidal ideation is “true horror” – the idea that a pill could cause the kind of chemical imbalance that would make a sane person murder. That lead me to the question, what if evil didn’t come from some unseen world of devils, ghosts or demons, but instead there was a scientific formula for it. What if evil came in a pill?

LATP:  Why horror?

LA:  As a fan of the horror genre, I have always been fascinated by the way horror reflects back the collective nightmares of a society, and how the changing subject matter of what is considered horror mirrors the changing fears and worries of a culture.  Horror subjects range in themes from nuclear accidents that create monsters, to the threat of a fifty-foot woman, to brain eating zombies that could describe a culture eating itself.    Despite all the positive things that science has done to benefit humanity, there is still a deep distrust of the pharmaceutical industry and I think this is represented in the sub-genre that SIDE EFFECT falls into – “science gone wrong”.

LATP: You went through AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women. It’s quite an accomplishment to be accepted to such a hugely competitive program. What do you believe sets your skills apart from other female directors out there?

LA: Participating in AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women was a huge honor and a privilege for me. I’m not sure why they chose me from such a large pool of applicants. I think that the ideas in the script interested them. I also think that they like to have a diverse group of women in the program. My guess is that my background as an entrepreneur brought some diversity as well as the subject matter of my film.  There isn’t that many women horror directors out there, this may have played a part in my selection.

LATP: Who are your favorite directors that you count as your heroes?

LA: There are so many… I’m going to stick to my horror influences here. My favorite horror movies are George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD & DAWN OF THE DEAD,  Kubrick’s THE SHINING, Polanski’s ROSEMARY’S BABY, DePalma’s CARRIE, and Wes Craven’s NIGHMARE ON ELMSTREET. In my opinion the best horror movies are really scary and fun – if that is what the viewer wants – but also offer more if the audience wants to think more deeply either about human nature or about our culture as a whole. The directors I look up to reflect those values in their films.

LATP: What is coming up for SIDE EFFECT?  Will you be screening in Los Angeles anytime soon?

LA: Unfortunately, I’m not screening in LA right now. I’m getting pretty close to the end of my festival run. SIDE EFFECT is still out to some festivals around the country. I’ve been getting some offers for distribution for both television, DVD and even Internet. I’m in the process of evaluating the offers right now. Hopefully, SIDE EFFECT will be available on DVD or the web soon for anyone who wants to see it.

LATP: As you stated earlier, SIDE EFFECT is the first ten pages of your feature script titled BLOOD LEVEL. Can you tell us a little about BLOOD LEVEL?

LA: BLOOD LEVEL picks up the next day at a nearby high school where the kids are clamoring for the new achievement-enhancing drugs to help with test scores. A slacker named Lucas discovers that the drugs are turning the kids into killers. But it is too late – before anyone can stop the murderous teens, Lucas and the killer kids get locked into the school on test day, leaving Lucas to battle for survival against his former friends in a school turned death trap. BLOOD LEVEL is a tale of science gone wrong set in the twisted world of Generation Rx.

LATP: Have you begun any production on the full-length feature BLOOD LEVEL?

LA: Yes, there is a staged reading scheduled for this Friday, December 5th. I will be using this reading to go over the script for any tweaks. Then we will start looking for financing and talent to attach to the project.

LATP: Is there anyone on your wish list to play the leading roles?

LA: Linda Phillips Palo is the very talented casting director who has joined the team and she will be on the lookout for the young talent needed to play the teens. That’s all I can really say right now.

LATP: As a female director in Hollywood and the film festival circuit, has their been any challenges crossing your path to success?

LA: I don’t think I’ve experienced any special problems due to my gender. Although I am in the minority as female director and even more so as a female horror director – it really doesn’t faze me at all. If I’m the only woman at a festival I use the opportunity to stand out from the crowd. If there are other women filmmakers there I love to meet up and make new friends.

I’ve been really thrilled with the support I’ve gotten from the other women I come across in the horror community, their support has been instrumental for me to get some of the early exposure that I’ve gotten. I’ve also gotten a great response from male fans and male festival programmers, and it makes me happy to know that both men and women enjoy the short.

LATP: At the Chicago Horror Film Festival, you were the only woman to have submitted a film. How does this experience compare to other horror film festivals?

LA: One of the strangest things that happens to me at festivals is when people approach me and comment that I must be “a sick/twisted individual”. I have to laugh at that. I’m really a very sunny, positive person. SIDE EFFECT did not come from a “dark place” in me, I really just want to entertain people and horror is such a fun way to get a response from an audience.
I love horror fans. It’s funny but, there are no “romantic comedy” film festivals, but there are horror festivals all over the world. The horror fans really support the genre and the filmmakers who set out to entertain them. Horror fans are very supportive of independent filmmakers and will embrace films without known actors and with lower production values.

LATP: What other projects do you have your sights set on?

LA: I’m currently working on a new script for a horror/psychological thriller that takes place in the corporate world.

LATP: How have horror films evolved and in what way?

LA: I think to look at how horror films have evolved is to look at a history of everything that our civilization fears and seeks to repress and suppress.There are so many sub-genres of horror, this is a huge subject to tackle, but I guess at its core horror is a very personal genre, what horrifies oneperson may not have an effect on another, but as long there are human beings
with fears there will always be someone out there exploiting those fears for entertainment purposes.

LATP: Is there a tried and true formula that makes for a successful horror flick?

LA: One of the longest-lasting conventions of the horror genre is the unknown as a source of horror. No matter how far our society advances, I think that there is just something about the unknown or the unexplainable that makes the hair stand up on the backs of the audience’s necks.

I think a careful balance of suspense, gore, and character motivation is the true formula for a successful horror flick – of course a baby in the oven never hurts, either.

LATP: On that note, thanks for spending time with us today Liz!  Best of luck with everything.

For more information on SIDE EFFECT and Liz Adams please visit: www.sideeffectthemovie.net and www.imdb.com.

Greatness Recognized

The Palm Springs International Film Festival, in its 20th year, is recognizing Howard’s 50-year contribution to film with this special honor. Howard has directed some of our most memorable films, from dramas such as A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Cocoon and Backdraft, to comedies like Splash, Parenthood, and Night Shift.

Wholesome Was Gold

Howard’s career began in 1959 as a child actor playing opposite Yul Brynner in the film The Journey, then The Music Man. His breakthrough role was as Opie on the much-loved Andy Griffith Show. Howard credits the unusually supportive atmosphere on the show, where actors were permitted to express views and thoughts on scripts and dialogues, with his current ability to reach out to people.

After the Andy Griffith Show Howard continued acting, through his years as wholesome Richie Cunningham in the well-known series Happy Days to his part in the iconic teen film American Graffiti. Afraid of being type-cast into one particular role, Howard later moved into producing and directing, and founded Imagine Entertainment  in 1986 with his Academy Award® winning business partner Brian Grazer. Imagine Entertainment  has produced a variety of popular films, including hits such as the recent Changeling, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie, American Gangster, Inside Man, Curious George, Flightplan, Friday Night Lights, 8 Mile, and The Nutty Professor I and II, Bowfinger, The Paper, Inventing the Abbotts and Liar Liar .

Since his directorial debut in 1976 with Grand Theft Auto, Howard has acted as producer or director (and sometimes both) for many of our best-known films. His movies span a wide variety of genres and styles, including Cinderella Man (Russell Crowe), Far and Away (Tom  Cruise and Nicole Kidman), Ransom (Mel Gibson), the animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Willow (Val Kilmer). He received his first Best Director of the Year award from the Director’s Guild of America for the film Apollo 13 (starring Tom Hanks) in 1995. Howard has also served as executive producer on award-winning television shows such as FOX’s Arrested Development, an Emmy award winner for Best Comedy that he also narrated, and the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.

What He is Working on Now

An active producer/director, Howard is currently promoting his new film Nixon/Frost, which depicts the battle between President Nixon and famed newsman David Frost. He is also in post-production on the sequel to The Da Vinci Code – Angels and Demons – both films starring acclaimed actor Tom Hanks.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival

The 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival will be held January 6-19 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. It was founded in 1990 by then-Mayor Sonny Bono. The Festival will showcase over 450 screenings of more than 220 films from approximately 65 countries.  Screenings are held on 15 screens throughout Palm Springs.

The Festival’s 20th Annual Awards Gala is presented by Cartier and sponsored by Mercedes Benz and Entertainment Tonight and will be hosted by Mary Hart. The Festival itself is sponsored by The City of Palm, "The Desert Sun", the City of Indian Wells, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Spencer’s Restaurant, and Wessman Development, Bank of America, Integrated Wealth Management, Guthy-Renker, Regal Entertainment, Wells Fargo, Palm Desert National Bank, CBS2, Ocean Properties Development, Ciroc, Johnnie Walker, and Don Julio.

Past recipients of the prestigious award include Stanley Donen, Milos Forman, Ridley Scott, Franco Zeffirelli, and Jim Sheridan
 
For additional information call                      (760) 322-2930           or                      (800) 898-7256           or visit www.psfilmfest.org

Very rarely does an acting student land a role directly following graduation, but Joe Manganiello, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native, made the transition look like an everyday occurrence. Joe received a BFA in acting from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama and within a week from graduating, auditioned and eventually landed the role of  “Flash Thompson” in the mega hit “Spider Man” which he reprised 5 years later in “Spider Man 3“. Since his break-out role, he has starred in many movies, including the film “Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia“.

Not limiting himself to feature films, Joe took the television world by storm. In between shooting for movies, Joe appeared in back-to-back roles on many top-rated series. Aside from guest starring roles on “Jake in Progress”, “Las Vegas“, “Scrubs”, “Close to Home“, and “CSI“, Manganiello also plays some reoccurring characters in multiple television favorites. This year, he will be returning as “Stu” on “Til Death”, and the producers of “How I Met Your Mother” have contacted Joe several times trying to work out scheduling to bring “Brad” back… so expect that sometime in the near future.

“One Tree Hill” fans will be excited to hear that his character “Owen” is back in a big way this season. Any avid watcher knows that “Owen” has some serious apologizing to do to “Brooke”!

On top of juggling his re-occuring guest star roles, Joe will soon be seen in two upcoming films. Henry Jaglom’s “Irene in Time” is a movie dealing with the relationship between fathers and daughters. “Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia” stars Joe as the leader of a Navy SEALS squad that is wrongfully accused of a crime against the Colombian government. Each film is completely different in terms of content and style, and both stand as a testament not only to Joe’s acting ability, but also to his diverse taste in material.

After speaking to Joe about his experiences on set he offered some interesting insight on the film industry. “Irene in Time” was shot over three years ago, and we will see Joe sporting a full beard and a shoulder-length haircut. Joe described Henry Jaglom’s directing technique as an “unorthodox approach to filmmaking”, relying heavily on the actors’ improvisation skills. “He basically explains the scene to you right before, whispers a few things privately into each of the actor’s ears and rolls camera…it was a blast!”

Unlike the fly-by-your-seat ways of Henry Jaglom, shooting “Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia”, a studio action film, proved to be a much more structured and designed experience. Joe trained for 6 weeks with a trainer/nutritionist, worked out in a gun range, learned Filipino knife fighting from a martial artist, and consulted with Navy SEAL Geoff Reeves at a gun range and in a classroom environment. With such a high level of production and a rigorous shooting schedule, there was not much room for improvisation.

So how does Joe balance creating drama on “One Tree Hill”, making people laugh on “How I Met Your Mother”, and kicking ass as a Navy SEAL? Joe credits his Alma Mater, The Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. There he learned almost every acting style, the historical significance of every time period, and even how to pick up foreign languages. Joe admits that, at first, casting directors viewed him very one-dimensionally. They saw him only playing the role of a bully. However, taking a look at Joe’s recent credits proves that he is much more than merely an athlete who can do his own stunts.

Acting jobs in Hollywood are some of the most difficult jobs to get and also the most difficult to keep, but don’t say goodbye to this actor…it’s obvious that the powers-that-be are onto this hot talent.

Available right now, is a RARE special VIP ticket offer which includes 2 tickets to the premiere of “High School Musical 3” live, with the entire cast! Watch the film premiere for the first time and attend the after-party and mingle with your favoritie stars. Premiere VIP Services will also donate 15% of the ticket sale to charity!

You must act fast, as this popular star-studded event is Thursday, Oct. 16th, 2008, in Los Angeles, and only 6 tickets are available.
  
The Film’s Synopsis

As seniors in high school, Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.

Starring: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, et al.

Watch the High School Musical 3 trailer here…

Cost: $3,700 FOR TWO TICKETS

Only 6 tickets available! For information, please call:                      (818) 312 – 1702            or email info@premierevipservices.com.

Romantic comedies are so frequently chewed up and spit out of the Hollywood box office machine lately, that it’s become hard to distinguish them apart. Always gushing with the hopeful ideas of a quirky, unexpected romance, they sometimes seem to exploit any remains of the old sentiment of “true love”. “The Neighbor”, a new film by Eddie O’Flaherty, cannot be assigned to any other genre, but somehow the acting and use of setting in this film have allowed it to allude to more than just the average ooze of love, life and how funny it can all be.

Matthew Modine (“Le Divorce”, “Birdy”), portrays the free-spirited artist, Jeff, who lives upstairs. Architect by day, painter by night, Jeff is introduced as the dreamer of the film, who at times is challenged by his own tender heart. Jeff has recently divorced but his obvious jealousy of his ex-wife’s new relationship is painfully entertaining to watch. Jeff’s 14-year-old daughter played by Gina Mantegna (daughter of actor Joe Mantegna) shines as an insightful and humorous old soul in the film. The devotion she shows for her father teamed with her teenage sass allows for an underlying love story between family.

Christine, played by French film star, Michele Laroque, lives below Jeff. Her character wasn’t an overall surprise in the film, as she portrayed the powerful, sexy businesswoman who sets out to take over the world, in a sense, as a real estate developer. With all clichés aside, Laroque was able to put a charming spin on what would have been a character today’s film audience knows all too well. Modine and Laroque should be given credit for their ability to transform this old formula into an entertaining story.

Although never truly topping the Hollywood “A list”, Modine has remained true to his timely and natural delivery and his ability to continually connect to a sometimes hard-to-reach audience. We were crushed with his character in some scenes, and uplifted in others. Aside from his boy-next-door charm, Modine proves himself once again to be able to carry a film with his solid acting abilities.

Ultimately, Christine’s (Laroque) goal in this film is to evict Jeff from upstairs so she can continue on with her plans to renovate and expand her apartment. Shot over five weeks during the early part of 2007, the film unravels into a cat and mouse chase whose storyline is held up with confident acting and extraordinary use of the downtown Los Angeles skyline. The city was used as a surprisingly down-to-earth backdrop of corner stores, and familiar faces. Skyscrapers, bustling streets and impatient car horns magically portrayed Los Angeles as cozy, theatrical and romantic.

Hot off his critically acclaimed feature length directorial debut, “Fighting Tommy Riley”, Eddie O’Flaherty helms the film, which also stars Ed Quinn (“Eureka”), Ann Cusack (“Stigmata”), Patrick Breen (“Boson Legal”), Richard Kind (“Spin City”), Meredith Scott Lynn (“Legally Blonde”) and David Youse (“Chicago Hope”).

Adapted from the 2003 French TV show, “Mon voisin du dessus” (which also starred Laroque) by O’Flaherty and J.P. Davis, “The Neighbor”, although daunting at times with sappiness, was more often funny and charming. The cast excelled in character and remained deeply amusing, even as the plot grew shallow.

“The Neighbor” is running in limited release now until August 22nd with the DVD available on September 23rd.

www.theneighborfilm.com
www.myspace.com/theneighhbormovie

The gambling theme doesn’t stop at the movie, as the W Los Angeles will provide viewers with a Vegas-themed menu from The Backyard Restaurant, as well as poker under the stars.

In addition, guests will be have a chance to win a Vegas Prize Package which will include:

*Three days, two nights in a Planet Hollywood suite
*Dinner for two at KOI or Strip House
*2 one-hour spa treatments at Planet Hollywood Spa by Mandara
*One-day private cabana rental at the Planet Hollywood pool (seasonal)

The W Los Angeles is located at 930 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Seating starts at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public. For more information call 310.208.8765.

www.whotels.com/losangeles

Bernie Mac
This 50-year-old comedian turned actor didn’t get his break until he was 30 years old when he became a hit on the Chicago stand up comedy circuit. After winning the Miller Lite comedy search in 1992, he was given an introduction to the rest of America on HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam.”

His observational humor, honest look at life and unusual delivery struck a chord with audiences and Mac was tapped to make his debut in Hollywood with a role as a club doorman in 1992’s “Mo’ Money.” He of course went on to play Pastor Clever in the stoner flick, “Friday’, starring Chris Tucker and Ice Cube, as well as small parts in “Booty Call”, “How to be a Player” and “What’s the Worst That Could Happen?” among other films.

Mac also appeared on the TV show “Moesha” for several episodes before landing his very own series aptly titled, “The Bernie Mac Show.” For his work as the put upon family man who looks after his sister’s children and where he also made his observations on life directly to the camera, Mac received a Peabody Award for “transcending race and class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion – and cool.” He also won a BET Comedy Award and was nominated for several Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.

His television show ran from 2001-2006 and in that time he made his comedic mark in films such as “Ocean’s Eleven”, “Ocean’s Twelve”, “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle”, “Mr. 3000”, “Guess Who” and “Bad Santa.” Once his show wrapped, Mac continued making hit movies including, “”Pride”, “Ocean’s Thirteen” and “Transformers.”

Mac had been living with the immune disorder sarcoidosis, which affects the organs and causes fatigue, skin lesions and a dry cough, but had been in remission from this ailment since 2005. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment of pneumonia in late July of this year in his beloved city of Chicago and passed away at Northwestern Memorial Hospital from complications on August 9th, 2008 leaving his wife Rhonda and daughter Je’Niece behind.

Isaac Hayes
This cultural icon began his music career in high school where he played in “doo-wop” and jazz bands. He was offered, but turned down several college scholarships in order to play piano with saxophonist Floyd Newman’s band in West Arkansas. From there he landed a job playing keyboards at Memphis’ Stax Records recording studio and played with the likes of Otis Redding. During his time at Stax Records, Hayes wrote over 200 songs with David Porter including the hit, “Soul Man.”

He soon broke out on his own, recording a solo album entitled, “Hot Buttered Soul.” It stayed at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard R&B chart for 10 weeks and catapulted him to stardom. During his successful recording career, Hayes solidified his pop culture status when he wrote the music for the movie “Shaft” and won an Oscar and Grammy for the theme song and score. He later won another Grammy for his work on the album “Black Moses.” 

Hayes introduced himself to a new generation of fans when he voiced the character of Chef on the controversial and wildly popular cartoon, “South Park.” In addition, he appeared in films “I’m Gonna ‘Git You, Sucka”, “Shaft” and “Hustle & Flow”, as well as the TV shows, “Miami Vice”, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and “Girlfriends.”

Influencing music of all genres throughout his career, Hayes was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. In addition to his career, Hayes was a human rights activist founding the Isaac Hayes Foundation which supports global causes and serves the needs of the community, as well as served as the international spokesman for the World Literacy Crusade and the Shepherd Foundation which researches alternative treatments for degenerative diseases.

Hayes was found in his home in Memphis, Tennessee on Sunday, August 10th. The cause of death is unknown. Hayes was 65 and leaves behind his wife Adjowa, 12 children, 14 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

Their Spirits Live On
Aside from the many contributions they’ve already made to the entertainment world, both Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac have projects in the works to be released later this year or next.

According to his IMDB page, Mac has a couple of films in post production including “Old Dogs”, also starring Robin Williams and John Travolta and “Starting Under,” which he stars as the lead. He also narrated a reality TV show called, “Welcome to the Family.”

Hayes is listed as having filmed the completed, “Return to Sleepaway Camp” and was attached to the still “in production”, “Knight Fever”, also starring Jeff Fahey. 

Both men were involved in the film “Soul Men”, which centers on two former band mates (one of whom is Bernie Mac) who reunite to take a road trip to pay tribute to their former front man who has died. Isaac Hayes appears as himself in the film that also stars Samuel L. Jackson. “Soul Men” is slated for a November release.

Both men will be remembered for their humor, talent and generous spirits. They will be most definitely missed.
 

It came to a dramatic and cheerful ending on Monday July 21 as festival-goers packed into the Orpheum Theater one last time.

Oh my!

Everyone’s favorite Star Trek Captain, George Takei, walked on stage to deafening applause. He is loved by all. But tonight he was here to show his love to another Starfleet officer, Nichelle Nichols, who was honored with the ACLU’s Liberty and Honor Award.

Showtime

“Tru Loved” is remarkable on many levels. As a straight reviewer who only really sees a handful of gay films each year, I’m looking for a good story first, regardless of gay themes. Often times, even some of the best gay films never get past the “Hey, we’re gay” factor. While I respect the pride behind it, it may drag down mainstream audiences.

This is where “Tru Loved” absolutely hits a home run. Maybe even a grand slam. While it certainly deals with plenty of GLBT themes, for the most part, it all feels organic from within the story. And what a story it is.

Najarra The Great

Najarra Townsend leads the film as “Tru”, a girl in conservative suburbia with her lesbian mothers. She struggles like all teens to fit in and find love, but her quest is complicated by sexual politics, closed minds, and closeted friends.

Miss Townsend proves in every frame that she is more than just a star. She has the potential to be a superstar. Magnetic eyes, superior beauty and an alluring presence.

There are two fantasy scenes early on which lets the audience know that this won’t be your average little movie. And it certainly doesn’t disappoint that notion.

The first forty-five minutes, writer/director Stewart Wade delights in shredding every pre-conception you can have. Who’s gay, who’s straight. Each character is smarter than the next.  It leaves the audience constantly chasing after the plot. And it’s a fun race.

Around halfway in, there’s a brief, but very fitting musical number inspired by “West Side Story”. It’s reminiscent of Woody Allen’s “Everyone Says I Love You”.  The characters are clearly not professional singers nor dancers, yet their spirits carry the sequence.

The second forty-five minutes lowers from an A+ to an A-. There’s still plenty of heart and the pacing doesn’t suffer, but the strong drive is replaced with a confidence. Less plot, more character.

The last ten minutes unfortunately falls onto tired cliché. One wonders whether Wade’s stellar opening act ended up painting himself into a corner that even he couldn’t escape.  He shouldn’t be penalized for this, but celebrated for the initial head-fakes and twists.

But, the last scene of the movie ends with a bang and establishes Tye Olson as a major scene stealer. If I was given a repeat viewing, I’d keep my eyes on the young thespian much more. Clearly, Outfest agrees, as he won Outstanding Lead Actor in a feature for “Watercolors”.

To be fair, there are many outstanding supporting performances in this production. Matthew Thompson’s innocence, Alexandra Paul’s chemistry with Cynda Williams, Jake Abel portrays a delicious twist; and fan favorites Bruce Vilanch, Jasmine Guy, Elaine Hendrix. Each brought their A-game to Producer Antonio Brown.

Someone needs to give this team more money for another movie. Send Wade back into the kitchen to cook up another story full of even more twists and turns. Then beg Townsend to shine with him again. After all, she’s a star now.

The 2008 Outfest Award Winners

Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature (Heineken® Red Star Award):
WERE THE WORLD MINE directed by Thomas Gustafson
Outstanding International Dramatic Feature:
XXY directed by Lucia Puenzo
Outstanding Documentary Feature:
SEX POSITIVE directed by Daryl Wein
Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film:
Tye Olson in WATERCOLORS
Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film:
Nicole Bilderback in THE NEW TWENTY
Outstanding Screenwriting:
James Bolton, screenwriter, DREAM BOY
Outstanding Dramatic Short:
COUNTERTRANSFERENCE directed by Madeleine Olnek
Outstanding Documentary Short:
LA CORONA (THE CROWN) directed by Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega Special Programming Awards
Outfest Freedom Award:
FOOTBALL UNDER COVER directed by David Assmann and Ayat Najafi
Outstanding Emerging Talent ($5,000 product grant from Kodak):
Dave O’Brien, director, EQUALITY U
Outstanding Artistic Achievement:
Matt Wolf, director, WILD COMBINATION: A PORTRAIT OF ARTHUR RUSSELL
Audience Awards HBO Outstanding First Dramatic Feature ($5,000 cash prize):
WATERCOLORS directed by David Oliveras
Outstanding Dramatic Feature:
HAMLET 2 directed by Andrew Fleming
Outstanding Documentary Feature:
A PLACE TO LIVE directed by Carolyn Coal
Outstanding Dramatic Short:
I’M JIN-YOUNG directed by Lee Sung-eun Outstanding Documentary Short:
LA CORONA (THE CROWN) directed by Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega  Outstanding Soundtrack:
HAMLET 2

Her endless love and commitment to Frank keeps her on edge as she questions her own decisions and soon can’t decide if she can handle the marriage or not.

Horror 88 is produced by Hassan Medina and directed by Joaquin F. Palma. Writing credits go to Joaquin F. Palma and Alexander Fitchett. Mystery Inc. Entertainment is using Goldmine Pictures for distribution.

Read the story line below to get a first hand look at this new movie. 

More about Horror 88

A circle of six 20 something year old friends gather around a campfire in the backyard of one of their parents’ home and begin to tell strange occurrences and stories rumored from the past. In the first story, two couples take a weekend trip to California City to camp in the desert.

In the cover of darkness, the two guys plan to drive down to a secret research facility in the hope of capturing a glimpse of what goes on inside. When they arrive at their destination, the guys quickly pitch their tents and take off leaving their girlfriends behind at camp only to find that someone or something has escaped.

The second story involves three guys returning to Los Angeles after visiting a high school classmate who now lives in Arizona. While driving along on the highway, it’s realized they’re just few miles from an empty gas tank. They soon pass a billboard that reads FOOD GAS LODGING 2 MILES and take the exit. The exit turns into a dirt road leading to an abandoned old town. Hoping to find a gas station open, they cruise around the old town. Out of gas, the car rolls to a complete stop. Two of the guys decide to get out of the car in search of help while the one decides to remain behind in the car. This town appears abandoned as they begin to disappear, one by one.

The third story concerns a young newlywed couple driving home following again, she calls her husband’s name, and again, receives no reply followed by another long silence. Suddenly she looks down to see a pair of heavy boots outside her stall facing her, and as she cries for her husband the stall door slams open and she is snatched out. She wakes up in a dark room restrained to a bed, manages to free herself and peak into the hallway of a hospital. Screams from behind closed doors are heard, while at the same time she witnesses a man pulling a body along the floor. She tries to hide by escaping to a room which turns out to be an operating room. Several men wearing white jackets stand over a body with its torso surgically cut open;the body is her husband. Running in terror, she attempts to escape.

The fourth story is about an unfaithful husband on what turns out to be the worst day of his life. Suspecting her husband is cheating on her, the wife confronts her husband and tells him she’s leaving him. Stressed out, believing everything is going wrong in his life, he enrages a motorist at a liquor store lot by intentionally cutting him off to steal a parking space. Ignoring the outraged man, he walks away and ducks into the store…when he returns to his car, the man is gone.

On his lunch break, he drives to a local hotel to rendezvous with his mistress. After making use of the room he walks out to his car only to find that its driver’s window is shattered, the glove box open, and the registration gone. Knowing a police report involving a seedy hotel parking lot would not go over well with his wife, he takes his car to an auto repair shop to get the window replaced. Arriving home late, he and the wife begin to argue, as he finally prevails in persuading her that he has not been unfaithful and is willing to work on their marriage. Reaching an understanding, they makeup and start to make love on the living room couch when, suddenly, the wife sees a man watching them from outside their window.

Startled, the wife screams. The husband goes out to investigate, but finds no one there. Convinced his wife is imagining things, they continue their evening, and then go to bed. Later, in the middle of the night, his wife is woken up by something outside, and wakes her husband. He goes downstairs to investigate, once again, and as he passes through the kitchen he notices something that makes him realize they are no longer alone.

Everyone around the campfire has become a bit uneasy, and so they move the party into the house. As they settle in, the focus is centered on one of the girls, as the story she previously told comes back to haunt her in an unexpected ending written by Hassan Medina during their elopement in Las Vegas. The husband pulls off the highway and drives to a vacant rest stop, hops out and disappears into the Men’s restroom while his young wife waits in the car. She notices the parking lot is empty except for a van parked at the far end.

After a few moments, she gets out of the car to check on her husband. She calls his name, but receives no answer. Instead, there is dead silence. Thinking it’s just like her husband to pull something like this, she goes into the Women’s restroom. After sliding the latch inside the stall’s door, she hears footsteps entering the restroom.   

More Info: 

Veronica Diaz on LAsThePlace.com

Mystery Inc. Entertainment
http://mysteryincentertainment.com/

More on Horror 88 at
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1207689/
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809998258/info

Check out the Horror 88 MySpace Page here
http://www.myspace.com/horror88movie