Editor’s note: The following is an exclusive excerpt from “Film Censorship in America: A State-by-State History” by Jeremy Geltzer. The book, which follows Geltzer’s previous effort “Dirty Words & Filthy Pictures: Film and the First Amendment,” will be released on December 19. In this excerpt, Geltzer explores the forgotten legacy of pioneering female filmmaker Nell Shipman.
Far from the soundstages of Hollywood, Nell Shipman ventured into the wild to produce movies that celebrated independent women in exciting scenarios. Although Shipman’s name may no longer be familiar, she deserves to be remembered as one of cinema’s important female pioneers.
Nell Shipman was born in British Columbia and arrived in Southern California by 1912. She found success as a writer—winning both first and second prize in a scriptwriting contest. In the early days of Hollywood before corporate structure was set in place, several women were able to develop behind-the-scenes power.
Far from the soundstages of Hollywood, Nell Shipman ventured into the wild to produce movies that celebrated independent women in exciting scenarios. Although Shipman’s name may no longer be familiar, she deserves to be remembered as one of cinema’s important female pioneers.
Nell Shipman was born in British Columbia and arrived in Southern California by 1912. She found success as a writer—winning both first and second prize in a scriptwriting contest. In the early days of Hollywood before corporate structure was set in place, several women were able to develop behind-the-scenes power.
- 11/8/2017
- by Indiewire Staff
- Indiewire
Actor Christopher McDonald was arrested on DUI charges over the weekend, Et has learned. Public Information Officer Cindy Bachman of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department tells Et that the 62-year-old character actor was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on Saturday at 9:27 p.m. Bachman confirmed that McDonald was booked at the Big Bear Jail at 11:40 p.m., on charges […]...
- 10/30/2017
- by Shakiel Mahjouri
- ET Canada
Actor Christopher McDonald was arrested on DUI charges over the weekend, Et has learned.
Public Information Officer Cindy Bachman of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department tells Et that the 62-year-old character actor was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on Saturday at 9:27 p.m.
Bachman confirmed that McDonald was booked at the Big Bear Jail at 11:40 p.m., on charges of driving while intoxicated and driving while intoxicated with over 0.8 blood alcohol content.
News: Tiger Woods Pleads Guilty to Reckless Driving in DUI Case
The actor -- best known for his roles in Happy Gilmore, Thelma & Louise, the NBC series Harry's Law and, most recently, as the owner of the owner of the Dallas Cowboys on HBO's Ballers -- allegedly veered off the highway and crashed into a gas meter, TMZ reports.
Et has reached out to McDonald's rep for comment.
Photo: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
Photos: Busted! Hollywood's Most Memorable...
Public Information Officer Cindy Bachman of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department tells Et that the 62-year-old character actor was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on Saturday at 9:27 p.m.
Bachman confirmed that McDonald was booked at the Big Bear Jail at 11:40 p.m., on charges of driving while intoxicated and driving while intoxicated with over 0.8 blood alcohol content.
News: Tiger Woods Pleads Guilty to Reckless Driving in DUI Case
The actor -- best known for his roles in Happy Gilmore, Thelma & Louise, the NBC series Harry's Law and, most recently, as the owner of the owner of the Dallas Cowboys on HBO's Ballers -- allegedly veered off the highway and crashed into a gas meter, TMZ reports.
Et has reached out to McDonald's rep for comment.
Photo: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
Photos: Busted! Hollywood's Most Memorable...
- 10/30/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
The following contains spoilers from this Friday’s Once Upon a Time.
ABC’s Once Upon a Time this Friday night not only checked in on the status of Rumplestiltskin and Belle’s happy beginning back in Storybrooke, it proceeded to chronicle the couple’s epic journey from there — leading right up to their very happy (if bittersweet) ending.
RelatedOnce Upon a Time’s Emilie de Ravin on Rumbelle’s Happy Ending: ‘Prepare to Have a Lot of Emotions’
As they readied to celebrate son Gideon’s first birthday, Rumple gifted his wife with a scrapbook, which he said...
ABC’s Once Upon a Time this Friday night not only checked in on the status of Rumplestiltskin and Belle’s happy beginning back in Storybrooke, it proceeded to chronicle the couple’s epic journey from there — leading right up to their very happy (if bittersweet) ending.
RelatedOnce Upon a Time’s Emilie de Ravin on Rumbelle’s Happy Ending: ‘Prepare to Have a Lot of Emotions’
As they readied to celebrate son Gideon’s first birthday, Rumple gifted his wife with a scrapbook, which he said...
- 10/28/2017
- TVLine.com
It premiered as something of an underdog, but after four seasons the AMC drama “Halt and Catch Fire” emerged as a cult and critical favorite, mining unexpected depths of drama from its depiction of the computer industry’s nascent days. And two of its biggest fans, from beginning to end, were computer experts Jim and Janet Miller, who had an intimate connection with the world depicted by the show — because the show’s journey directly tracked with their own lives.
Jim and Janet began their careers in Texas during the early 1980s, Aka the “Silicon Prairie” era, before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988 to work for companies including Apple, Hewitt-Packard, and Sap. (Along the way, they also raised two children: my brother Eric and I.)
As they’ve done for previous seasons, Jim and Janet (who still live in Silicon Valley) agreed to share their thoughts on...
Jim and Janet began their careers in Texas during the early 1980s, Aka the “Silicon Prairie” era, before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988 to work for companies including Apple, Hewitt-Packard, and Sap. (Along the way, they also raised two children: my brother Eric and I.)
As they’ve done for previous seasons, Jim and Janet (who still live in Silicon Valley) agreed to share their thoughts on...
- 10/20/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
While Halloween is a holiday that most of us horror-loving adults have claimed as our own, that doesn’t mean we should overlook how much kids look forward to October 31st each year. That being said, I put together 10 different delicious recipes I’ve collected over the last year from Pinterest that your young ghouls and goblins will enjoy during October. Plus, if you’re throwing the little monsters a Halloween-themed party in the coming weeks, most of these ideas are super easy to do, and shouldn’t cost you a lot to make, either.
Candy Corn Hot Chocolate
Candy Corn might be a controversial treat amongst us older folks, but I know kids still love those sugary snacks, which is why I thought this Candy Corn Hot Chocolate (via The Magical Slow Cooker) would be a fun drink to serve at a party or after a long night of trick-or-treating.
Candy Corn Hot Chocolate
Candy Corn might be a controversial treat amongst us older folks, but I know kids still love those sugary snacks, which is why I thought this Candy Corn Hot Chocolate (via The Magical Slow Cooker) would be a fun drink to serve at a party or after a long night of trick-or-treating.
- 10/11/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
2017-08-10T13:49:26-07:00Katy Perry Had a Disgusting First Kiss
Not exactly her teenage dream. Katy Perry opened up about her first kiss — and it wasn’t as romantic as you may think.
“My first French kiss was in sixth grade in Big Bear, California. I was hanging out with this girl form church who had a bit of a reputation. She had a coed party and I was not allowed to go to a coed party until eighth grade. But I went anyway,” the “Swish Swish” singer, 32, told W Magazine on Thursday, August 10.
Perry recalled playing spin the bottle at the party and when it was her turn to lock lips, she felt like there was a “wet fish” trapped inside her mouth. “That was my first kiss,” she told the outlet. “When you’re in sixth grade, there’s no art to French kissing.
Not exactly her teenage dream. Katy Perry opened up about her first kiss — and it wasn’t as romantic as you may think.
“My first French kiss was in sixth grade in Big Bear, California. I was hanging out with this girl form church who had a bit of a reputation. She had a coed party and I was not allowed to go to a coed party until eighth grade. But I went anyway,” the “Swish Swish” singer, 32, told W Magazine on Thursday, August 10.
Perry recalled playing spin the bottle at the party and when it was her turn to lock lips, she felt like there was a “wet fish” trapped inside her mouth. “That was my first kiss,” she told the outlet. “When you’re in sixth grade, there’s no art to French kissing.
- 8/10/2017
- by EG
- Yidio
Big Bear, Lady Bird, Sirens Of Titan, And Other Film And TV News Big Bear, Lady Bird, Sirens of Titan, and other films and TV shows have made recent production news. These productions come from studios based primarily in the United States. The production information within is subject to change. Sirens of Titan Dan Harmon [...]
Continue reading: Film & TV News: Big Bear, Lady Bird, Dan Harmon To Produce Sirens Of Titan...
Continue reading: Film & TV News: Big Bear, Lady Bird, Dan Harmon To Produce Sirens Of Titan...
- 7/19/2017
- by Reggie Peralta
- Film-Book
The Guild announced on Thursday nominations for the 21st Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards across a multitude of categories covering features, TV, commercials and music videos.
Among the film nominees were Café Society, Manchester By The Sea, Hell Or High Water and Arrival.
TV nominees encompass Game Of Thrones, The Night of and Silicon Valley, while Beyonce’s Lemonade visual extravaganza is a heavy-hitter in the music videos section.
The awards show is set for February 11 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland.
Excellence In Production Design For A Feature FilmPERIOD Film
Café Society, Santo Loquasto
Fences, David Gropman
Hacksaw Ridge, Barry Robison
Hail, Caesar!, Jess Gonchor
Hidden Figures, Wynn Thomas
Jackie, Jean Rabasse
Fantasy Film
Arrival, Patrice Vermette
Doctor Strange, Charles Wood
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Stuart Craig
Passengers, Guy Hendrix Dyas
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Doug Chiang, Neil Lamont
Contemporary Film
Hell Or High Water, Tom Duffield
[link...
Among the film nominees were Café Society, Manchester By The Sea, Hell Or High Water and Arrival.
TV nominees encompass Game Of Thrones, The Night of and Silicon Valley, while Beyonce’s Lemonade visual extravaganza is a heavy-hitter in the music videos section.
The awards show is set for February 11 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland.
Excellence In Production Design For A Feature FilmPERIOD Film
Café Society, Santo Loquasto
Fences, David Gropman
Hacksaw Ridge, Barry Robison
Hail, Caesar!, Jess Gonchor
Hidden Figures, Wynn Thomas
Jackie, Jean Rabasse
Fantasy Film
Arrival, Patrice Vermette
Doctor Strange, Charles Wood
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Stuart Craig
Passengers, Guy Hendrix Dyas
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Doug Chiang, Neil Lamont
Contemporary Film
Hell Or High Water, Tom Duffield
[link...
- 1/5/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Art Directors Guild has announced the nominees for this year’s Adg Excellence in Production Design Awards, with “Jackie,” “La La Land” and more among the contenders. Adg’s awards are different from most others, as it has categories for Period, Fantasy and Contemporary Films; this has led to a wide array of winners in recent years, including the likes of “Her” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.” This year’s ceremony, the 21st, will take place in Hollywood on Saturday, February 11. Full list of nominees below.
Read More: Writers Guild Awards Nominations: ‘Moonlight,’ ‘Arrival,’ ‘Manchester by the Sea’ and More
Period Film
“Cafe Society” (Production Designer: Santo Loquasto)
“Fences” (Production Designer: David Gropman )
“Hacksaw Ridge” (Production Designer: Barry Robinson)
“Hail, Caesar!” (Production Designer: Jess Gonchor)
“Jackie” (Production Designer: Jean Rabasse)
Fantasy Film
“Arrival” (Production Designer: Patrice Vermette)
“Doctor Strange” (Production Designer: Charles Wood)
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them...
Read More: Writers Guild Awards Nominations: ‘Moonlight,’ ‘Arrival,’ ‘Manchester by the Sea’ and More
Period Film
“Cafe Society” (Production Designer: Santo Loquasto)
“Fences” (Production Designer: David Gropman )
“Hacksaw Ridge” (Production Designer: Barry Robinson)
“Hail, Caesar!” (Production Designer: Jess Gonchor)
“Jackie” (Production Designer: Jean Rabasse)
Fantasy Film
“Arrival” (Production Designer: Patrice Vermette)
“Doctor Strange” (Production Designer: Charles Wood)
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them...
- 1/5/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Lucy Hale is ready to ring in 2017!
The Pretty Little Liars star has been named the host for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest's first-ever live Central Time Zone countdown, from New Orleans.
"I'm so excited!" the 27-year-old actress gushed to Et. "I've only been to New Orleans once so I get to explore the city and host this iconic show, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Ryan Seacrest will lead the traditional countdown to midnight live from New York, with Jenny McCarthy reporting live from Times Square, while Fergie returns to host the Billboard Hollywood Party in Los Angeles.
Exclusive: Lucy Hale Assures 'Pll' Fans That Finale Will Have 'Happy Moments'
Hale said she's thrilled the central time zone will be "finally" represented with their very own fleur-de-lis drop near Jackson Square to ring in the new year. "I am beyond thrilled to jump on board in New Orleans...
The Pretty Little Liars star has been named the host for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest's first-ever live Central Time Zone countdown, from New Orleans.
"I'm so excited!" the 27-year-old actress gushed to Et. "I've only been to New Orleans once so I get to explore the city and host this iconic show, so I'm really looking forward to it."
Ryan Seacrest will lead the traditional countdown to midnight live from New York, with Jenny McCarthy reporting live from Times Square, while Fergie returns to host the Billboard Hollywood Party in Los Angeles.
Exclusive: Lucy Hale Assures 'Pll' Fans That Finale Will Have 'Happy Moments'
Hale said she's thrilled the central time zone will be "finally" represented with their very own fleur-de-lis drop near Jackson Square to ring in the new year. "I am beyond thrilled to jump on board in New Orleans...
- 12/17/2016
- Entertainment Tonight
An eye-opening, or should I say door-opening, Q&A with the director of Never Open the Door courtesy of our very own Derek Anderson kicks off today's Horror Highlights! Also, we have trailers for both Pitchfork and Red Hollow and a call for submissions for Popcorn Fright Film Festival 2017.
Never Open the Door Q&A: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Vito. When did you first come up with the idea for Never Open the Door?
Vito Trabucco: Thanks for having me. The idea first came from Chris Maltauro, my producer and co-writer, our camera operator Mike Bates, and me one night in a parking lot when we wrapped on another shoot. A few months prior I completed my first feature, Bloody Bloody Bible Camp. We were just eager to do another one.
Where did filming take place and what did that environment add...
Never Open the Door Q&A: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Vito. When did you first come up with the idea for Never Open the Door?
Vito Trabucco: Thanks for having me. The idea first came from Chris Maltauro, my producer and co-writer, our camera operator Mike Bates, and me one night in a parking lot when we wrapped on another shoot. A few months prior I completed my first feature, Bloody Bloody Bible Camp. We were just eager to do another one.
Where did filming take place and what did that environment add...
- 12/12/2016
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Angelina Jolie Pitt just couldn't bear the idea of missing out on this sale. The 41-year-old mother of six recently made a pit stop with her daughter Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, 10, in Toluca Lake, California, and purchased an 8-foot teddy bear from two boys hawking it from the curb, according to TMZ. In the video captured by Tim Alexander, his twin sons encourage people to stop and purchase their giant bear. Little did they know that after an hour of unsuccessful advertising, the massive plush toy would be snapped up by the Kung Fu Panda star, who happened to be passing by in her vehicle.
- 9/2/2016
- by Blake Bakkila, @bcbakkila
- PEOPLE.com
Angelina Jolie Pitt just couldn't bear the idea of missing out on this sale. The 41-year-old mother of six recently made a pit stop with her daughter Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, 10, in Toluca Lake, California, and purchased an 8-foot teddy bear from two boys hawking it from the curb, according to TMZ. In the video captured by Tim Alexander, his twin sons encourage people to stop and purchase their giant bear. Little did they know that after an hour of unsuccessful advertising, the massive plush toy would be snapped up by the Kung Fu Panda star, who happened to be passing by in her vehicle.
- 9/2/2016
- by Blake Bakkila, @bcbakkila
- PEOPLE.com
A pair of 8-year-old twins are a few dollars richer after Angelina Jolie stopped to buy a giant teddy bear from them. The boys, along with their dad, were attempting to sell an eight-and-a-half foot teddy bear nicknamed Big Bear for $50 on a Toluca Lake, California street corner. Jolie and daughter Shiloh saw the […]...
- 8/30/2016
- by Rachel West
- ET Canada
[[tmz:video id="0_e7bj3ti0"]] Angelina Jolie combined her love for kids and gigantic stuffed animals ... and a couple of 8-year-old entrepreneurs made out big time. It all went down Sunday when Tim Alexander and his twins, Allen and Brandon, were in Toluca Lake, CA trying to sell "Big Bear" ... an 8 1/2 foot tall teddy bear for $50. After an hour, they had no takers. Then suddenly, Tim says a Cadillac pulled up with Angelina and Shiloh inside, and Boom ... they had a taker.
- 8/30/2016
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Christopher Fowler has won the feature award in the 2016 Feature Screenplay Competition at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s Professional Programs for his horror-comedy script Miss Miskatonic. Also an improv comic and actor, Fowler earned the same award in 2014 for Dead Run. Henry Ortlip received the Screenplay Honorable Mention for his drama-comedy The Big Bear. The program also announced writer-director Naomi Fryer as the recipient of the 13th annual…...
- 7/6/2016
- Deadline
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Despite an underwhelming finale, The Big Bang Theory is still showing welcome signs of creativity, even this late in the game...
This review contains spoilers.
9.24 The Convergence Convergence
We started this season of The Big Bang Theory with a wedding and logic dictates that we should really be ending it with one. Yes, maybe that wouldn't have been my prediction back in September, but last week's episode set up the prospect of a second ceremony for Leonard and Penny, and that's what I thought we'd get.
But we didn't, and instead the show opted to serve up a penultimate episode masquerading as our finale. While by no means bad or unentertaining, I can't help but feel slightly cheated by the first half of a story we're going to have to wait until next season to finish.
But the good thing about that approach is that we avoided...
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Despite an underwhelming finale, The Big Bang Theory is still showing welcome signs of creativity, even this late in the game...
This review contains spoilers.
9.24 The Convergence Convergence
We started this season of The Big Bang Theory with a wedding and logic dictates that we should really be ending it with one. Yes, maybe that wouldn't have been my prediction back in September, but last week's episode set up the prospect of a second ceremony for Leonard and Penny, and that's what I thought we'd get.
But we didn't, and instead the show opted to serve up a penultimate episode masquerading as our finale. While by no means bad or unentertaining, I can't help but feel slightly cheated by the first half of a story we're going to have to wait until next season to finish.
But the good thing about that approach is that we avoided...
- 5/16/2016
- Den of Geek
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An average episode of The Big Bang Theory this week, based around a surprise screening of Joss Whedon's The Avengers...
This review contains spoilers
9.23: The Line Substitution Solution
Since Penny and Leonard's surprise wedding at the beginning of the season, there's been a curious lack of commentary on it. Whether that commentary concerns the wedding itself or the fact that the show's two romantic leads are now married, rather than merely dating, the season has been largely quiet on both their relationship and them as characters. It's been a Sheldon-heavy season, but it's still noticeable.
This week splits time between the two central pairings – Penny and Leonard and Sheldon and Amy – a little bit more successfully, without resorting to introducing conflict to the former. That's the trick to dealing with your 'Ross and Rachel'-style pairing when you've been running as long as The Big Bang Theory...
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An average episode of The Big Bang Theory this week, based around a surprise screening of Joss Whedon's The Avengers...
This review contains spoilers
9.23: The Line Substitution Solution
Since Penny and Leonard's surprise wedding at the beginning of the season, there's been a curious lack of commentary on it. Whether that commentary concerns the wedding itself or the fact that the show's two romantic leads are now married, rather than merely dating, the season has been largely quiet on both their relationship and them as characters. It's been a Sheldon-heavy season, but it's still noticeable.
This week splits time between the two central pairings – Penny and Leonard and Sheldon and Amy – a little bit more successfully, without resorting to introducing conflict to the former. That's the trick to dealing with your 'Ross and Rachel'-style pairing when you've been running as long as The Big Bang Theory...
- 5/11/2016
- Den of Geek
Most people around Piketon, Ohio, knew the Rhodens. They were a large family who had lived in the area for generations. Many of them had attended Piketon High School. "They were good people," says family friend Joseph Ray. "Down-to-earth, generous, a very close family." But now, eight members of the family are dead, killed in last Friday's massacre. According to the coroner, many of the family members were shot multiple times. Some of them had bruising. Police say that the victims were shot "execution-style," and none appeared to be a suicide. The killer - or killers - are still at large.
- 4/27/2016
- by Steve Helling and K.C. Baker
- PEOPLE.com
Most people around Piketon, Ohio, knew the Rhodens. They were a large family who had lived in the area for generations. Many of them had attended Piketon High School. "They were good people," says family friend Joseph Ray. "Down-to-earth, generous, a very close family." But now, eight members of the family are dead, killed in last Friday's massacre. According to the coroner, many of the family members were shot multiple times. Some of them had bruising. Police say that the victims were shot "execution-style," and none appeared to be a suicide. The killer - or killers - are still at large.
- 4/27/2016
- by Steve Helling and K.C. Baker
- PEOPLE.com
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The Big Bang Theory lot watch Game Of Thrones in its latest episode, which proves a pleasant surprise...
This review contains spoilers.
9.21 The Viewing Party Combustion
I really wasn't looking forward to this episode. With the exception of The Opening Night Excitation - a tour de force for The Big Bang Theory of the variety it hasn't seen in years, whenever the show tries too hard to be topical, or calls on a piece of geek culture that isn't Star Trek and Leonard Nimoy, it almost always comes off as desperate and cloying.
But The Viewing Party Combustion was actually a really good time – one of those semi bottle episodes that brings everyone together and just plays around with the relationships built over the last nine years. It proves that, when the show realises it's a stupid sitcom about which very few people care (despite its gargantuan...
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The Big Bang Theory lot watch Game Of Thrones in its latest episode, which proves a pleasant surprise...
This review contains spoilers.
9.21 The Viewing Party Combustion
I really wasn't looking forward to this episode. With the exception of The Opening Night Excitation - a tour de force for The Big Bang Theory of the variety it hasn't seen in years, whenever the show tries too hard to be topical, or calls on a piece of geek culture that isn't Star Trek and Leonard Nimoy, it almost always comes off as desperate and cloying.
But The Viewing Party Combustion was actually a really good time – one of those semi bottle episodes that brings everyone together and just plays around with the relationships built over the last nine years. It proves that, when the show realises it's a stupid sitcom about which very few people care (despite its gargantuan...
- 4/25/2016
- Den of Geek
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Raj oversteps the line when it comes to the group's newest arrival in this week's episode of The Big Bang Theory...
This review contains spoilers.
9.20 The Big Bear Precipitation
There are two schools of thought regarding the latter half of The Big Bang Theory – one that it should have just stayed as it was and that the introduction of first Bernadette and then Amy served to dilute the show's humour. The other is that said additions were actually good for the show, especially the female viewers who would have likely grown tired of the four guys and one girl dynamic long ago.
This episode, The Big Bear Precipitation, showcased just what it's become, for better or worse. Not only were Sheldon, Amy, Penny and Leonard all together on a couples retreat to the wilderness, but Howard, Raj and Bernadette's storyline was dedicated to the changing dynamics a...
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Raj oversteps the line when it comes to the group's newest arrival in this week's episode of The Big Bang Theory...
This review contains spoilers.
9.20 The Big Bear Precipitation
There are two schools of thought regarding the latter half of The Big Bang Theory – one that it should have just stayed as it was and that the introduction of first Bernadette and then Amy served to dilute the show's humour. The other is that said additions were actually good for the show, especially the female viewers who would have likely grown tired of the four guys and one girl dynamic long ago.
This episode, The Big Bear Precipitation, showcased just what it's become, for better or worse. Not only were Sheldon, Amy, Penny and Leonard all together on a couples retreat to the wilderness, but Howard, Raj and Bernadette's storyline was dedicated to the changing dynamics a...
- 4/12/2016
- Den of Geek
“So bears that size really exist? I’m guessing you’ve got to do more than win a carnival game to get something like that.” That’s what I spent most of this episode thinking, after I saw the giant bear for the first time. It was a little distracting. The Big Bang Theory is now in its final string of episodes for the season, and while “The Big Bear Precipitation” certainly had its moments, it mostly fell flat, trying to hit emotional beats that weren’t there. This week on The Big Bang Theory: Howard and Bernadette try to figure out how to draw boundaries with Raj,
The Big Bang Theory Review: Babies & Cabins & Bears. Oh My!
The Big Bang Theory Review: Babies & Cabins & Bears. Oh My!
- 4/8/2016
- by Nick Hogan
- TVovermind.com
In two years, Boris Berian went from working at McDonald's to becoming a global star in track and field. On Saturday, the 23-year-old won a gold medal in the 800-meter race at the Iaaf world indoor championships in Portland, Oregon. Berian built a 10-meter lead during the first quarter mile of the race and finished in 1:45.83, according to Runner's World. "It was simple. Just take the lead right away and then hang on," Berian told reporters afterward the race, according to the Denver Post. "That's how I feel most comfortable racing, and that's exactly what I wanted to do.
- 3/21/2016
- by Tiare Dunlap, @tiaredunlap
- PEOPLE.com
In two years, Boris Berian went from working at McDonald's to becoming a global star in track and field. On Saturday, the 23-year-old won a gold medal in the 800-meter race at the Iaaf world indoor championships in Portland, Oregon. Berian built a 10-meter lead during the first quarter mile of the race and finished in 1:45.83, according to Runner's World. "It was simple. Just take the lead right away and then hang on," Berian told reporters afterward the race, according to the Denver Post. "That's how I feel most comfortable racing, and that's exactly what I wanted to do.
- 3/21/2016
- by Tiare Dunlap, @tiaredunlap
- PEOPLE.com
Later this month, my father will be in La, and Toshi is already asking me what movie he's going to get to watch with Grandaddy this time. As we covered in an earlier Film Nerd 2.0, my dad shared some John Wayne films with Toshi and Allen during a vacation to Big Bear a few years ago, and they both connect John Wayne to my father now, exactly the same way I did when I was their age. Today, my father turns 76 years old, and one of the things that I love about our relationship was the way he defined certain icons of cool for me because I saw what they meant to him. Steve McQueen, for example. I can't think of McQueen without thinking of my dad. On more than one occasion, I was able to get him to stop cold in his tracks simply by flipping past a cable...
- 3/2/2016
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
There's nothing quite like meeting your husband's … new wife.
On the newest episode of Seven Year Switch (produced by the same team behind Married at First Sight), Danielle Wolf and Rachel Farris come face-to-face for the first time on the Santa Monica Pier.
In an exclusive clip, the two women seem excited at first to finally connect, but the situation quickly turns emotional – and awkward – when Wolf begins to reveal what she and Farris' husband CW McGee have been up to during the experiment.
Farris tells Wolf, "Last night, I did have a really weird thought, like, 'What if...
On the newest episode of Seven Year Switch (produced by the same team behind Married at First Sight), Danielle Wolf and Rachel Farris come face-to-face for the first time on the Santa Monica Pier.
In an exclusive clip, the two women seem excited at first to finally connect, but the situation quickly turns emotional – and awkward – when Wolf begins to reveal what she and Farris' husband CW McGee have been up to during the experiment.
Farris tells Wolf, "Last night, I did have a really weird thought, like, 'What if...
- 8/4/2015
- by Melody Chiu, @chiumelo
- People.com - TV Watch
For most married couples, going back to the place you tied the knot should be a happy occasion.
But for Seven Year Switch's Danielle Wolf, it was a cause for lots of tears.
In an exclusive clip from Tuesday night's episode, Wolf breaks down during a session with the show's resident psychologist, Dan Shapiro.
Sitting next to CW McGee, her new "partner" for the duration of the experiment, Wolf gets emotional – and angry – when Shapiro suggests they travel to Big Bear, California, where she wed husband Eric four years prior.
"Out of all the places we could've gone, we have to go there.
But for Seven Year Switch's Danielle Wolf, it was a cause for lots of tears.
In an exclusive clip from Tuesday night's episode, Wolf breaks down during a session with the show's resident psychologist, Dan Shapiro.
Sitting next to CW McGee, her new "partner" for the duration of the experiment, Wolf gets emotional – and angry – when Shapiro suggests they travel to Big Bear, California, where she wed husband Eric four years prior.
"Out of all the places we could've gone, we have to go there.
- 7/21/2015
- by Melody Chiu, @chiumelo
- People.com - TV Watch
As busy as he is, multi-tasker Duplass ("The League," "Cyrus," "Your Sister's Sister") enjoys collaborating with young filmmakers--in this case recent Cal Arts grad Patrick Brice, whose thesis film "Maurice" played Rotterdam and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Doc at the Florida Film Festival. They co-wrote and filmed this found-footage two-hander off a ten-page outline. Instead of writing a long script, they skipped to the shooting phase, spending a few weeks at a remote cabin near Big Bear, California. Their first footage was "terrible," admits Duplass. And then they reshot. And reshot, "shooting as we go." Obsessed with watching the odd behavior of real people, Duplass never forgot his own three-hour experience dealing with breaking down a loft bed that he was buying that was supposed to be unassembled: "This guy talked about his divorce, how 'Star Wars'...
- 7/17/2015
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
A new psychological short film, "Seeking Valentina," is currently in post production. The film is an intelligent psychological thriller that deals with many current hot button social issues. It is cast largely against type. Seeking Valentina wants us to not only be entertained by a great story, but to think for ourselves, as well.
Check out the details and some exclusive stills below.
From The Press Release
Much of "Seeking Valentina," was shot in Big Bear CA. Seeking Valentina, written and directed by Armin Nasseri, follows Benjamin (played by Ali Bavarian), a Jewish Iranian-American writer, in the pangs of grief. When Benjamin takes in a whimsical and an engaging tenant and she mysteriously disappears, it is for the audience to decide is she a ghost, a hallucination, a dream or a runaway.
Kristin West (Hell's Kitty, Circus of the Dead), Nasseri's producing partner, also plays the title role of Valentina.
Check out the details and some exclusive stills below.
From The Press Release
Much of "Seeking Valentina," was shot in Big Bear CA. Seeking Valentina, written and directed by Armin Nasseri, follows Benjamin (played by Ali Bavarian), a Jewish Iranian-American writer, in the pangs of grief. When Benjamin takes in a whimsical and an engaging tenant and she mysteriously disappears, it is for the audience to decide is she a ghost, a hallucination, a dream or a runaway.
Kristin West (Hell's Kitty, Circus of the Dead), Nasseri's producing partner, also plays the title role of Valentina.
- 5/30/2015
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Despite the numerous opportunities out there, most aspiring filmmakers looking for support and mentorship know that the Sundance Institute’s January Screenwriters Lab and June Directing Lab have been two of the most important talent development initiatives in the independent film world for over 30 years. The great quality of the projects that have been workshopped and propelled through these programs have given us some of the most iconic films and filmmakers in recent memory.
But the institute’s commitment to provide opportunities for new voices that represent an eclectic array of background and experiences goes even further with other, lesser known, initiatives that have the potential to become turning points in the artists' careers. Of these, one of the most exciting programs is the Screenwriters Intensive, which is part the Sundance Institute's Diversity Initiative. This is of course a resource that is not only valuable, but crucial as we try to become a more inclusive society that is appreciative and welcoming of stories that exist beyond the mainstream, homogenous noise.
The Screenwriters Intensive is a 1 1/2 day workshop for writers whose work has been encountered by the institute as part of their outreach for the Labs and which they find especially promising. The writers of 10 projects take part in a program whose elements include a hands-on writing workshop led by creative advisor Joan Tewkesbury (“Nashville”), a screening of a recent Sundance film followed by a candid conversation with the filmmaker, a reception with Sundance staff and the extended Sundance community, and one-on-one meetings with two creative advisors to get feedback on their script. With the Intensive, the Sundance Institute aims to present participants with creative tools that they can take back to their own work, provide a space for dialogue and information sharing about the creative process of making a film (and all of the joys and challenges therein), and foster community among storytellers and an ongoing connection with Sundance.
This year the film screened was Rick Famuyiwa’s “Dope,” which premiered earlier this year in Park City and won a Special Jury Prize for Editing. Following the screening Famuyiwa shared anecdotes about the film’s production and the perseverance needed to stand by the core values of his project in spite of outside opposition. Later that evening, during a casual and highly interactive reception, the fellows had the chance to discuss their latest breakthroughs and newly found questions regarding their personal projects with the institute’s staff and other members of the independent film community. Chatting with them, and having witnessed some of the poignant exercises Ms. Tewkesbury uses in the past, there is not doubt in my mind that this was a groundbreaking experience for the entire group.
The following morning the fellows returned to the institute’s L.A offices to have on-on-one conversations with two advisors from a group of talented and achieved professionals that included Kyle Patrick Alvarez (“The Stanford Prison Expriemnt”), Patricia Cardoso (“Real Women Have Curves“),the aforementioned director Rick Famuyiwa (“Dope”), Deena Goldstone (“Identity Theft”), Tanya Hamilton (“Night Catches Us”), Felicia Henderson (“Gossip Girl”), Elgin James (“Little Birds”), Craig Johnson (“The Skeleton Twins”), Kyle Killen (“The Beaver”), Adam Bhala Lough (“Bomb the System”), Joan Tewkesbury herself, and Ligiah Villalobos (“Under the Same Moon”).
The Screenwriters Intensive fellows come from uniquely different backgrounds, and their projects bring original stories that are sure to showcase new and inventive perspectives on the world. Get to know them and their stories as they are on their way to giving us a great batch of new independent films.
To learn more about the Sundance Institute's programs visit Here
Tara Anaise
Project: "Bombay Stories"
Tara Anaïse is an award-winning writer/director whose first feature, "Dark Mountain," was released by Gravitas Ventures in August of 2014. Other recent work includes the upcoming thriller "Housekeeping," on which she’s a producer, and which is set to be released by Lions Gate in late March of 2015. Her short films have screened at festivals worldwide. Tara is currently developing several new projects, including a post-apocalyptic road movie with a female lead who drives a muscle car and kicks a**, and a romantic drama set in Mumbai in both 1968 and the present day that’s loosely based on her own family’s history. She holds an Mfa in film production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She can make a mean pumpkin mezcal cocktail and according to an Amazonian curandero, her spirit animal is the black jaguar. She lives and works in Los Angeles
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Bombay Stories" is a drama centered around an Indian man returning to the city of his birth after decades of living abroad. When tragedy strikes, he recalls the summer of 1968—at that time, he was twenty-one and having a heartbreaking affair with a married woman right before leaving Bombay, and his entire family, behind for his new home in New York. It’s a story about the complexities of familial relationships and the question of whether or not it’s possible to return home.
It’s very loosely inspired by my own family’s history—my father’s side fled Sindh during the Partition of India in 1947 and rebuilt their lives in Mumbai (which at the time was called Bombay). Then my father left Mumbai (of his own volition) for the U.S. And then I fled the east coast for Los Angeles. I like to say I come from a long line of fleers.
The project is in the development stage. Currently working on a rewrite of the script and I’m planning on directing.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Don’t take the easy way out. There are certain things I know about my characters and I can write them easily and I can write them well. But the most interesting aspects of a character come from the places we know the least. Don’t be afraid to go down the path that’s half in shadow, this is the kind of exploration that leads to the heart of the thing. I’ll definitely be using Joan’s writing exercises to further develop all of my characters. I’ve never done anything like what we did during her seminar. She had us make lists of things drawn from our own personal experiences – three times in your life you’ve known something was wrong but did it anyway, three places to which you never want to return, three times you’ve felt lost, and so on—and then take one item from each list, put the items on our protagonist, and quickly write a short story about the whole thing. It’s a concrete way to use instances from one’s own life to get to the root of the character.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Going into day two was exciting but nerve-wracking. I woke up at 5am wondering how my advisors were going to react to my script (I tend to expect the worst.) Luckily, no one ripped my script up into tiny pieces and threw it back at me. Adam and Tanya were both really great. They had good things to say about the script, along with insightful suggestions for improving it, which I’m going to explore in the next draft. We talked about the writing process. We talked about production. We talked about navigating the industry. Getting advice from two talented, experienced filmmakers who’d been through this many times before was incredibly helpful, not just for this project, but for my career as a filmmaker as well.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
The first thing I’m going to do is take some time to really get at the heart of each and every character. Then I’ll tackle the rewrite and when the script is ready, I’ll reach out to producers.
Shelby Farrell
Project: "Deidra and Laney Rob A Train"
Shelby Farrell is a screenwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. She is a graduate of Emory University where she was awarded the Kikag screenwriter award and the American Film Institute Conservatory where she finished an Mfa in screenwriting. She was recently featured in the Tracking Board's 2014 Young and Hungry List. She currently writes interactive games for Pocket Gems and is in preproduction for her feature "Deidra and Laney Rob A Train." She is repped by Gersh and Principato-Young.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Deidra and Laney Rob A Train" is a dramedy about two teenage sisters who start robbing freight trains to support their family after their mother goes to jail. This script was my thesis screenplay for AFI and was featured on the Tracking Board's 2014 Young and Hungry List. Sydney Freeland (Sundance Alumni, "Drunktown's Finest") is attached to direct. Currently our reps are approaching select producers with the project, and we are really excited to see where it goes from here.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
All of the writers and I were pushed to find inspiration from our own past experiences during writing exercises. Through this process, I think we all realized that our screenplays are more autobiographical than we perhaps wanted to believe. Not that I've ever robbed a train, but I could.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Having professional advisors is always a blessing. Their feedback was especially useful in this stage because so many people I work with have read multiple drafts. Having fresh eyes on the script really gave me a new perspective. Also since the advisors are independent filmmakers and Sundance alums they really know what we are going through at this stage of development. I also got great advice on what's coming in the next few months as we get this story off the page.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
As far as this project goes, I feel like the script is in a really good place, but I also know that rewrites never end, and I'm excited to use the notes I received for future drafts. I'm also planning on using the writing exercises we learned in Joan Tewkesbury's workshop as I develop my newer projects. Joan taught us some character development tools that can be applied to any project in any stage.
Jared Frieder
Project: "Three Months"
Jared Frieder is a graduate of the Columbia University fiction writing program and his stories can be found in The Collective Press and The Newer York. His screenplay, "Three Months," has taken the top screenwriting prizes at the Austin Film Festival, the Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Contest, and the Big Bear International Film Festival Screenplay Contest. "Three Months" was also chosen for the 2014 Outfest Screenwriting Lab and was the featured script on The Black List online last November. He is currently developing his animated half-hour pilot, "Marathoners," with Bento Box Entertainment. He was accepted to USC’s Screenwriting Mfa on the Edward Volpe Endowed Scholarship before leaving to work on the ABC Family drama, "Chasing Life."
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My project, "Three Months," tells the coming-of-age story of Caleb Kahn, a queer Ziggy Stardust-loving teenager from Miami who is exposed to HIV the weekend of his high school graduation and has to wait three months to be tested for the disease. It's a comedy, it's a love story, it's a tale of resilience, and it's a deconstruction of how people in crisis sludge through great periods of waiting. The screenplay has been a passion project of mine and I am very grateful to the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition, the Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Contest, and the Big Bear International Film Festival Screenplay Contest for awarding "Three Months" their respective grand prizes. I've also been spoiled by the Outfest Screenwriting Lab and the Sundance Intensive for allowing the script to be workshopped with their brilliant advisors (and some of my all-time heroes.)
After Austin, one of the festival judges (screenwriting phenom, producing master, and all around baller, Oren Uziel) came on board to help bring the script to the screen, along with my management company, Haven Entertainment. We're in the beginning stages of seeing this story come alive and it's pretty much the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The most important lesson I learned from the Intensive's first day is that Joan Tewkesbury is my spirit animal. The second most important lesson I learned from Ms. Tewkesbury (sweetly nicknamed Tewks by the generous souls of Sundance) is that I tend to use jokes as a means of concealing truth and authenticity (something my protagonist does as well. Let's just say I was channeling.) She helped me crack the comedy facade and delve deeper into character, getting in touch with Caleb's fears, insecurities, and dreams. I'm confident that Tewk's direction will not only take Caleb and "Three Months" to the next level, but also elevate my storytelling in the future. And for that, I will forever be in Ms. Tewkesbury's debt.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Sitting down with Kyle Killen was intimidating at first (he's a certifiable story genius who wrote "The Beaver" and created shows like "Lone Star.") But Kyle tapped into my protagonist in ways that previous advisors couldn't. He helped me dissect Caleb, bringing out deeper layers of his character. We then discussed and determined the most effective way of braiding these emotional undercurrents into the narrative. It's safe to say that my mind was blown.
Kyle Alvarez (esteemed director and fast friend) took a different approach and guided me through "Three Months" from a director's perspective, helping me think about casting, locations, and how aspects of the script would translate on screen. Having mentors come at the project from different angles was really enlightening. Again, I feel incredibly spoiled and grateful.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Post-Intensive, I'm taking another pass at "Three Months" (because apparently you're never done writing, or that's what they keep telling me.) I'm stoked to take my Sundance notes and weave them through the script where I see fit. Then it's off to the producers for feedback and hopefully the hunt for a director and cast will commence. Also, there will be thank you notes. Lots and lots of thank you notes: to Sundance, to Tewks, to the Kyles, and to the universe for giving me this opportunity.
David J. Lee
Project: "Found"
David J. Lee spent years as an It professional who dreamed of becoming a performer. He finally made the leap and began working as a professional actor who curiously kept getting offers to direct. Finally he gave in, dropped it all, and proceeded to pursue his Mfa in Film Production at USC where, of course, everyone became more interested in his writing. Dave received USC’s First Film Screenwriting Award in 2013, and his thesis script, "Found," was a top 50 Academy Nicholl semi-finalist. His university-produced short, "Paulie," directed by Andrew Nackman, went on to win the Best Film, Audience Award, and Best Writer prizes at the 2014 NBC Universal Short Cuts Festival. Dave was a 2014 Cape New Writers Fellow; he is working on the feature version of "Paulie" while making eyes at the TV world.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My feature film script is a crime thriller called “Found”. It’s the story of a night worker at a storage facility whose odd, illicit habit of breaking into storage lockers – and her talent for understanding people's lives through their belongings – force her into action when she discovers evidence of a child abduction in one of the units.
“Found" was my thesis script at USC and was a top-50 Nicholl semi-finalist in 2013. Prior to being accepted into the 2015 Sundance Intensive, it had been selected for the 2014 Cape New Writers Fellowship.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Obviously, at this point I'm many drafts into my script, which means that I'm in a much different mindset than I was when I was originally coming up with the story. It’s a very analytical, left-brain process. Joan Tewkesbury led us through a series of writing exercises which brought me back to that original creative place, which helped me get a new perspective on my characters.
I guess if you’re looking for a specific lesson, it would be, “If you need a fresh perspective, don’t be afraid to put your characters in seemingly irrelevant situations, just to see how they play out, because you’ll be surprised at the relevant places you end up. At the very least, you often end up learning something new about your characters."
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
I was amazed and honored at how much time each advisor had put into their notes. Time is gold for these folks, and they gave us so much of it. It seemed that most of them had received tremendous support from the Sundance Labs or from programs similar to them when they were younger, so they were all there that day out of a desire to give back.
It’s valuable to receive notes from professionals in that these are folks who have more experience than you and a valuable perspective from having worked within the system, and I received some fantastic, insightful feedback that day. At the same time, they’re only perspectives. A note from a working professional may warrant extra consideration, but ultimately, if it doesn’t resonate with you, then it just doesn’t. In the end you weigh those comments against all the other feedback you’ve received over time.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Keep writing. I’m encouraged by the attention this script has received. When I get it to a place where I’m happy with, then I’ll start looking into getting it made.
Channing Godfrey Peoples
Project: "Miss Juneteenth"
Channing Godfrey Peoples received her Mfa from USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Originally from Texas, she spent her childhood in community theater and has been storytelling ever since. Her films are character driven stories that focus on the resilience of the human spirit, often featuring African-American women at a turning point in their lives. At USC, Channing was awarded funding to direct her documentary, “Carry Me Home”, about the celebratory aspects of African-American Funeral Traditions.
Her narrative Thesis Film, “Red”, is a King Family Foundation Recipient, Jury Award Winner for Directing at the Directors Guild of America Student Film Awards, Panavision New Filmmakers Grant Recipient and nominated for Best Short at Pan African Film Festival and the Africa Movie Academy Awards. Channing won “Best Director” at the Nevada International Film Festival and was honored at the Lois Weber Film Festival in Texas. She wrote, directed and starred in “Red”, which is currently on the festival circuit, most recently screening at Champs-Élysées Film Festival in Paris, France. Channing served as a Time Warner Artist-in-Residence at Howard University in Washington DC. She believes in community involvement and mentors children interested in the arts. Channing is developing her first feature film, “Miss Juneteenth."
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
In Texas, slaves were informed they were free, two long years after 1863's Emancipation Proclamation declared American slaves free. That day was June 19 th, 1865, also known as “Juneteenth”. Today, many communities celebrate the Juneteenth holiday with beauty pageants acknowledging young African-American women who are the descendants of slaves. My story, "Miss Juneteenth," is about one of these women.
Turquoise Jones is a former beauty queen, “Miss Juneteenth 1999”, who lost her pageant's top prize of a college scholarship when an unplanned pregnancy lands her back home tending bar at an aging juke joint. Today, she is a single mother to a teenage girl, who she struggles to keep from going down the same wrong path that she took. She has enrolled her disinterested daughter in this year’s Miss Juneteenth pageant and is fighting to keep her in it.
The project is in development and is based in my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Neil Creque Williams ("David’s Reverie") is attached as Producer.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
On our first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab, Joan Tewkesbury lead an incredible writing workshop that challenged me to look deeper into the emotional journey of my story. I was seeking a way to take my script to a deeper emotional level and the workshop certainly aided that endeavor. The lesson for me was to connect to my characters through personal experience and emotion and not be resistant to other possibilities for my story.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were incredible and I am in awe of their insight and accomplishments. I was delighted to receive feedback from professionals whose work I have long admired. They provided constructive feedback and challenged me to think of the script in new ways. I also enjoyed exchanging ideas with the other fellows at the Intensive and I was delighted to be surrounded by such diverse talent.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I am now revisiting the script with a renewed intensity. I will be directing my film, "Miss Juneteenth," so my producer, Neil Creque Williams and I have identified our locations and begun preliminary casting. Our next step is crowdfunding and to continue to apply for support.
Maya Perez
Project: "Umwana"
Maya Perez is a screenwriter and fiction writer. She is a consulting producer for the Emmy Award- winning television series "On Story: Presented by Austin Film Festival," now entering its fifth season on PBS, and co-editor of the book On Story: Screenwriters and Their Craft (University of Texas Press, October 2013). She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College and is a Michener fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. She grew up in Kenya, Zambia, and the United States and lives in Austin, Texas.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My project is a feature script, "Umwana," a domestic drama about an American teen who goes to rural Zambia to meet and live with her father and his family. More foreign to her than the cultural differences is the experience of being a member of a family.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
It was great to be reminded of the importance of specificity when depicting characters, and also, how to pull from personal experience without making your characters reflections of yourself. In the workshop we were assigned numerous writing exercises and, though initially intimidating, it was stimulating to be assured there's no limit to the new stories we can quickly craft from scratch. We often think of time as the enemy, in that we don't have enough of it in which to do the work. But sometimes I think I give myself too much time. Some of my better, more visceral writing has been generated under the gun, so to speak.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
One of my advisors hit me with a barrage of questions as soon as I sat down - What is Cassie feeling here? What does Joseph look like? Is it what she expected? What if this happened? What if that happened? So many questions that I started doubting the story's weight altogether. But she kept on and wouldn't let up, so I just wrote them all down until I finally had an answer and then another and eventually realized I know exactly what this story and these characters are about. I had to be sort of beaten down and thrown off balance in order to find the railing. It was terrific. Another advisor - who fortunately came right after - grabbed my shoulders and said he would stalk me until I made this film. He offered to make introductions to agents, managers, producers, and to be there for every draft and question I might have along the way. It was an invaluable experience, to sit down with these talented, professional writers who had read my script so closely and had such constructive questions and encouragement. It felt as though they were as invested in its success as I am.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
My proposed new opening to the script was met with enthusiasm, so I'll make that change, do another revision on the script, and then submit it for the Screenwriters Lab. It was a finalist last year, so hopefully it will go through this year and I'll be able to take advantage of a full week at the Lab to prepare it for production. One of my advisors generously sent me the look book he's using for his current project, and I'm making one of those for "Umwana" as well as researching what shooting on location in Zambia will entail.
Rodrigo Reyes
Project: "Charlie"
Rodrigo Reyes was born in Mexico City in 1983. Supported by the Mexican Ministry of Film, his acclaimed 2012 feature documentary "Purgatorio" featured visceral and intimate portraits of the Us- Mexico border. The film premiered in competition at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival and Guadalajara International Film Festival, touring more than 40 festivals including MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight, and winning several jury prizes including the Michael Moore Award for Best Documentary at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. "Purgatorio" has been released theatrically on over 100 screens throughout Mexico, touring Latin America, Spain, and over 30 American cities. In 2013 Filmmaker Magazine named Rodrigo one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film, and in 2014 he was awarded the Tribeca Film Institute Heineken Voices Grant for his upcoming documentary "Sanson And Me," as well as the Canon Filmmaker Award for his hybrid peach picker portrait "Lupe Under The Sun," currently in post-production. Rodrigo attended Uc San Diego, as well as colleges in Madrid and Mexico City, earning a degree in International Studies. He currently lives in California’s Central Valley where he works as an interpreter in the California Superior Court.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Charlie" is a story about a mother and son living in the heartland of America, who hide a dark secret that is tearing them apart, threatening them with destruction. It’s a twisted, existential fairy-tale that tackles estrangement, loneliness and violence in a unique way. Aside from Sundance, the film has received the support of Nalip’s Latino Media Market.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
I was surprised by some of the tools used in the labs. There was an element of tapping into the subconscious using semi-dada techniques that really clicked with me. The key was coming in with an open mind.
Before the Labs, I felt the project was close to a final draft. That has since been atomized and torn apart at the hinges, which is fantastic, actually. The Intensive helped me pull away from the rut I didn’t know I was in and look at my script with a naked, honest perspective.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Often as independent filmmakers we feel threatened by the industry, their perspectives are senses as criticisms instead of critiques. The Lab did a great job of inviting you to a conversation, not a lecture or a dictate. I felt I could take the advice that honestly connected with me and integrate it with my script, while also fielding key questions to the advisors in a safe space.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
It’s all in my hands now. I have to integrate the conversations, critiques and perspectives gleaned from this process into a new draft.
Luke Uriah Slendebroek
Project: “Sophia/Gordita”
Luke Uriah Slendebroek is a graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television Mfa directing program. While at UCLA, Luke's films have been awarded The Hollywood Foreign Press Award, The Four Sister’s Award, The Carroll Sax Award in Motion Picture and Television Production, the Edie and Lew Wasserman Film Production Fellowship, and two Motion Picture Association of America Awards. Luke has directed a short documentary for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and he has directed a short film for the Oscar-winning producer and director Robert "Bobby" Moresco as part of an interdisciplinary collaboration at UCLA. He has also directed a number of industrial films for Fortune 500 companies. Luke's films favor the underdogs, involve fantastical worlds, and tend to explore that brief period between childhood and adulthood.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
“Sophia/Gordita” is a coming of age western based on the incredible true story of teenage madam that served the migrant farming communities of the midwest.
Aleksandar Marinovich has stepped on board to help produce the film. Currently we are raising money to finance the film with a goal of shooting in September, 2016.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The Sundance Intensive was an amazing and immersive experience. The writing techniques I learned during the two days will be crucial as I dive into the next draft of my screenplay entitled “Sophia/Gordita”. Through this workshop, I feel confident to tackle the issues of my screenplay and to dig deeper into motivations that drive my lead character, Sophia.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Patricia Cardoso and Ligiah Villalobos were incredibly generous to offer their guidence and direction on my screenplay “Sophia/Gordita”. Their feedback, although at times challenging, pushed me to dig deeper into the character of Sophia. What really drives her to make the choices in act one that sends her life into a downward spiral during the subsequent acts? As I work through these issues, the outcome will hopefully be a character that no one has ever seen before on the screen, an anti-hero for a new generation.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I plan on doing another rewrite utilizing the tools and techniques I learned from the Intensive. After the next draft, I will get more feedback from my producer and my film collective, Vices of Reason. Once I get a draft that I’m comfortable with, I’m going to get the script in the hands of anyone that’s willing to read it as well as continue to raise money to finance the film.
Vivian Tse
Project: "These Animals"
Vivian Tse is a filmmaker making both narrative and documentary films. She was a Colonist at the 2013 Nantucket Screenwriting Colony with her feature script "Joe Boy," which was also selected for the 2014 Ifp Transatlantic Partners Program. Tse participated in the 2014 Pov Hackathon with the transmedia documentary film "The Angola Project." Originally from San Francisco, she graduated from the University of Southern California.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"These Animals" is the story of an astronaut's last year on Earth after she agrees to crew a one-way mission to Mars. It's about what the last year of someone's life would be like if she made a decision with stakes that high, what happens to her family and the people around her, the people she loves and who love her.
We're currently in the development stage, trying to put the financing together. Sundance and the A3 foundation was kind enough to give us a grant. And we're in post on a short version of the project which we shot late last year.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
It took a bit of processing but the most rewarding lesson, or at least the one that stuck with me most, was using yourself to dig deeper into your character's journey. Which sounds obvious and certainly its something you're already doing as a writer with everything you write, but you can always go deeper. learning that there is always more to dig up, more of you to add, which is horrifying and invigorating at the same time.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were amazing. They're very passionate - it's great. i found it invaluable, even when I didn't agree with the notes. it lets you know how people are reading, understanding and thinking about your story. their perspective was so helpful and it helps to look at my characters and my story in a new way. writing can be very isolating so it's always great to talk to someone who is doing what you're doing. and they share their war stories, telling you to reimagine a scene because they did something similar and it went to shit so don't forget to think about this or that, or that space ships are expensive so maybe try to stay out of a ship as a location. i don't have any space ships in the film but you get my point.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
A re-write for one, casting, financing the rest of the film. Keep pushing forward, hustling, like everyone does, until you make your film.
Diego Velasco & Carolina Paiz
Project: "Los Invadidos"
Diego Velasco and Carolina Paiz, a husband and wife writing team, are currently working on "Los Invadidos," a thriller which Velasco will also direct.
Writer/director Diego Velasco was born in the Us and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Diego’s short, "Cédula Ciudadano," got him invited into the Fox Searchlab program after winning the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival. In 2003, Diego moved to Los Angeles and formed Open Studios with his wife, a production company meant to make the films they wanted to see in the world. In 2010, Diego made his feature debut with "La Hora Cero" (The Zero Hour). Set in Caracas during the 24-hours of a controversial medical strike, the film followed La Parca, a tattooed hit-man, as he takes an elite hospital hostage in an attempt to save his wounded girlfriend and her child. The film became the highest grossing Venezuelan film of its time. It has won over 35 awards at International festivals and secured distribution in five continents. Currently it has been optioned for an English language remake. In November of 2011, Diego was featured as one the Ten Mover and Reshapers of Latin American Cinema by Variety Magazine.
Growing up in Guatemala during the civil war, Carolina Paiz spent much of her time indoors, reading and watching television, escapes which later provided the foundation for her career as a writer for film and TV. At 15, she left Guatemala for Kent, a boarding school in Connecticut, where she was the first non- native English speaker to be awarded the Robert S. Hillyard award for her achievements in creative writing. Carolina went on to study English and Latin American Studies at Tulane University. The short stories she wrote there were later published by the Caribbean Writer. One of these, Sleep Comes Suddenly, was honored with the Canute A. Brodhurst Award. In 2006, she landed a position as a staff writer on ABC’s "Grey’s Anatomy." She later went on to write on NBC’s "Lipstick Jungle," CBS’s "The Defenders," Fox’s "Gang Related" and currently, Fox’s "Runner." She also developed a series for Fox, "Queen Of the South," based on the hugely successful Spanish novel. Between television projects, Carolina co- wrote and produced the Venezuelan feature "La Hora Cero," the highest grossing Venezuelan film in history.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
The film follows a couple that has just lost their only child and now find themselves on different sides of the spiritual debate. They’re forced to face their problems when they inherit a remote farm in the Venezuelan plains. Hoping for a new start, they soon learn the farm has been invaded by squatters and that there’s more to reality than what you can see…
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The first day was revelatory. By doing exhaustive and highly personal writing exercises that we then shared with the entire class, we both realized that we hadn't fully tapped into our own fears and desires in writing the characters in our feature. We realized there was far more of us in these characters than we'd anticipated and that embracing that would actually deepen them. Rewriting the script now, the characters have come to life by simply putting ourselves in their shoes.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Our advisors were completely different and had very different points of view on the script, yet both sets of notes complimented each other quite well at the end of the day. Their points of view were enlightening. We had exhausted our resources by asking for notes from every trusted friend and colleague that we knew, and we'd gotten to the point we were afraid they'd stop taking our calls for fear that we'd make them read the script again. We were desperate for fresh eyes from people that didn't know us, didn't know the project, and had no emotional stake in any of it. But what made it truly amazing was the fact that we got to dive in with such skilled writers, and such generous people, and that they truly took the time to give us deep and insightful notes.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
We are currently rewriting the script as per what we've learned and hope to begin our search for financing soon!
But the institute’s commitment to provide opportunities for new voices that represent an eclectic array of background and experiences goes even further with other, lesser known, initiatives that have the potential to become turning points in the artists' careers. Of these, one of the most exciting programs is the Screenwriters Intensive, which is part the Sundance Institute's Diversity Initiative. This is of course a resource that is not only valuable, but crucial as we try to become a more inclusive society that is appreciative and welcoming of stories that exist beyond the mainstream, homogenous noise.
The Screenwriters Intensive is a 1 1/2 day workshop for writers whose work has been encountered by the institute as part of their outreach for the Labs and which they find especially promising. The writers of 10 projects take part in a program whose elements include a hands-on writing workshop led by creative advisor Joan Tewkesbury (“Nashville”), a screening of a recent Sundance film followed by a candid conversation with the filmmaker, a reception with Sundance staff and the extended Sundance community, and one-on-one meetings with two creative advisors to get feedback on their script. With the Intensive, the Sundance Institute aims to present participants with creative tools that they can take back to their own work, provide a space for dialogue and information sharing about the creative process of making a film (and all of the joys and challenges therein), and foster community among storytellers and an ongoing connection with Sundance.
This year the film screened was Rick Famuyiwa’s “Dope,” which premiered earlier this year in Park City and won a Special Jury Prize for Editing. Following the screening Famuyiwa shared anecdotes about the film’s production and the perseverance needed to stand by the core values of his project in spite of outside opposition. Later that evening, during a casual and highly interactive reception, the fellows had the chance to discuss their latest breakthroughs and newly found questions regarding their personal projects with the institute’s staff and other members of the independent film community. Chatting with them, and having witnessed some of the poignant exercises Ms. Tewkesbury uses in the past, there is not doubt in my mind that this was a groundbreaking experience for the entire group.
The following morning the fellows returned to the institute’s L.A offices to have on-on-one conversations with two advisors from a group of talented and achieved professionals that included Kyle Patrick Alvarez (“The Stanford Prison Expriemnt”), Patricia Cardoso (“Real Women Have Curves“),the aforementioned director Rick Famuyiwa (“Dope”), Deena Goldstone (“Identity Theft”), Tanya Hamilton (“Night Catches Us”), Felicia Henderson (“Gossip Girl”), Elgin James (“Little Birds”), Craig Johnson (“The Skeleton Twins”), Kyle Killen (“The Beaver”), Adam Bhala Lough (“Bomb the System”), Joan Tewkesbury herself, and Ligiah Villalobos (“Under the Same Moon”).
The Screenwriters Intensive fellows come from uniquely different backgrounds, and their projects bring original stories that are sure to showcase new and inventive perspectives on the world. Get to know them and their stories as they are on their way to giving us a great batch of new independent films.
To learn more about the Sundance Institute's programs visit Here
Tara Anaise
Project: "Bombay Stories"
Tara Anaïse is an award-winning writer/director whose first feature, "Dark Mountain," was released by Gravitas Ventures in August of 2014. Other recent work includes the upcoming thriller "Housekeeping," on which she’s a producer, and which is set to be released by Lions Gate in late March of 2015. Her short films have screened at festivals worldwide. Tara is currently developing several new projects, including a post-apocalyptic road movie with a female lead who drives a muscle car and kicks a**, and a romantic drama set in Mumbai in both 1968 and the present day that’s loosely based on her own family’s history. She holds an Mfa in film production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She can make a mean pumpkin mezcal cocktail and according to an Amazonian curandero, her spirit animal is the black jaguar. She lives and works in Los Angeles
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Bombay Stories" is a drama centered around an Indian man returning to the city of his birth after decades of living abroad. When tragedy strikes, he recalls the summer of 1968—at that time, he was twenty-one and having a heartbreaking affair with a married woman right before leaving Bombay, and his entire family, behind for his new home in New York. It’s a story about the complexities of familial relationships and the question of whether or not it’s possible to return home.
It’s very loosely inspired by my own family’s history—my father’s side fled Sindh during the Partition of India in 1947 and rebuilt their lives in Mumbai (which at the time was called Bombay). Then my father left Mumbai (of his own volition) for the U.S. And then I fled the east coast for Los Angeles. I like to say I come from a long line of fleers.
The project is in the development stage. Currently working on a rewrite of the script and I’m planning on directing.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Don’t take the easy way out. There are certain things I know about my characters and I can write them easily and I can write them well. But the most interesting aspects of a character come from the places we know the least. Don’t be afraid to go down the path that’s half in shadow, this is the kind of exploration that leads to the heart of the thing. I’ll definitely be using Joan’s writing exercises to further develop all of my characters. I’ve never done anything like what we did during her seminar. She had us make lists of things drawn from our own personal experiences – three times in your life you’ve known something was wrong but did it anyway, three places to which you never want to return, three times you’ve felt lost, and so on—and then take one item from each list, put the items on our protagonist, and quickly write a short story about the whole thing. It’s a concrete way to use instances from one’s own life to get to the root of the character.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Going into day two was exciting but nerve-wracking. I woke up at 5am wondering how my advisors were going to react to my script (I tend to expect the worst.) Luckily, no one ripped my script up into tiny pieces and threw it back at me. Adam and Tanya were both really great. They had good things to say about the script, along with insightful suggestions for improving it, which I’m going to explore in the next draft. We talked about the writing process. We talked about production. We talked about navigating the industry. Getting advice from two talented, experienced filmmakers who’d been through this many times before was incredibly helpful, not just for this project, but for my career as a filmmaker as well.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
The first thing I’m going to do is take some time to really get at the heart of each and every character. Then I’ll tackle the rewrite and when the script is ready, I’ll reach out to producers.
Shelby Farrell
Project: "Deidra and Laney Rob A Train"
Shelby Farrell is a screenwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. She is a graduate of Emory University where she was awarded the Kikag screenwriter award and the American Film Institute Conservatory where she finished an Mfa in screenwriting. She was recently featured in the Tracking Board's 2014 Young and Hungry List. She currently writes interactive games for Pocket Gems and is in preproduction for her feature "Deidra and Laney Rob A Train." She is repped by Gersh and Principato-Young.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Deidra and Laney Rob A Train" is a dramedy about two teenage sisters who start robbing freight trains to support their family after their mother goes to jail. This script was my thesis screenplay for AFI and was featured on the Tracking Board's 2014 Young and Hungry List. Sydney Freeland (Sundance Alumni, "Drunktown's Finest") is attached to direct. Currently our reps are approaching select producers with the project, and we are really excited to see where it goes from here.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
All of the writers and I were pushed to find inspiration from our own past experiences during writing exercises. Through this process, I think we all realized that our screenplays are more autobiographical than we perhaps wanted to believe. Not that I've ever robbed a train, but I could.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Having professional advisors is always a blessing. Their feedback was especially useful in this stage because so many people I work with have read multiple drafts. Having fresh eyes on the script really gave me a new perspective. Also since the advisors are independent filmmakers and Sundance alums they really know what we are going through at this stage of development. I also got great advice on what's coming in the next few months as we get this story off the page.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
As far as this project goes, I feel like the script is in a really good place, but I also know that rewrites never end, and I'm excited to use the notes I received for future drafts. I'm also planning on using the writing exercises we learned in Joan Tewkesbury's workshop as I develop my newer projects. Joan taught us some character development tools that can be applied to any project in any stage.
Jared Frieder
Project: "Three Months"
Jared Frieder is a graduate of the Columbia University fiction writing program and his stories can be found in The Collective Press and The Newer York. His screenplay, "Three Months," has taken the top screenwriting prizes at the Austin Film Festival, the Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Contest, and the Big Bear International Film Festival Screenplay Contest. "Three Months" was also chosen for the 2014 Outfest Screenwriting Lab and was the featured script on The Black List online last November. He is currently developing his animated half-hour pilot, "Marathoners," with Bento Box Entertainment. He was accepted to USC’s Screenwriting Mfa on the Edward Volpe Endowed Scholarship before leaving to work on the ABC Family drama, "Chasing Life."
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My project, "Three Months," tells the coming-of-age story of Caleb Kahn, a queer Ziggy Stardust-loving teenager from Miami who is exposed to HIV the weekend of his high school graduation and has to wait three months to be tested for the disease. It's a comedy, it's a love story, it's a tale of resilience, and it's a deconstruction of how people in crisis sludge through great periods of waiting. The screenplay has been a passion project of mine and I am very grateful to the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition, the Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Contest, and the Big Bear International Film Festival Screenplay Contest for awarding "Three Months" their respective grand prizes. I've also been spoiled by the Outfest Screenwriting Lab and the Sundance Intensive for allowing the script to be workshopped with their brilliant advisors (and some of my all-time heroes.)
After Austin, one of the festival judges (screenwriting phenom, producing master, and all around baller, Oren Uziel) came on board to help bring the script to the screen, along with my management company, Haven Entertainment. We're in the beginning stages of seeing this story come alive and it's pretty much the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The most important lesson I learned from the Intensive's first day is that Joan Tewkesbury is my spirit animal. The second most important lesson I learned from Ms. Tewkesbury (sweetly nicknamed Tewks by the generous souls of Sundance) is that I tend to use jokes as a means of concealing truth and authenticity (something my protagonist does as well. Let's just say I was channeling.) She helped me crack the comedy facade and delve deeper into character, getting in touch with Caleb's fears, insecurities, and dreams. I'm confident that Tewk's direction will not only take Caleb and "Three Months" to the next level, but also elevate my storytelling in the future. And for that, I will forever be in Ms. Tewkesbury's debt.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Sitting down with Kyle Killen was intimidating at first (he's a certifiable story genius who wrote "The Beaver" and created shows like "Lone Star.") But Kyle tapped into my protagonist in ways that previous advisors couldn't. He helped me dissect Caleb, bringing out deeper layers of his character. We then discussed and determined the most effective way of braiding these emotional undercurrents into the narrative. It's safe to say that my mind was blown.
Kyle Alvarez (esteemed director and fast friend) took a different approach and guided me through "Three Months" from a director's perspective, helping me think about casting, locations, and how aspects of the script would translate on screen. Having mentors come at the project from different angles was really enlightening. Again, I feel incredibly spoiled and grateful.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Post-Intensive, I'm taking another pass at "Three Months" (because apparently you're never done writing, or that's what they keep telling me.) I'm stoked to take my Sundance notes and weave them through the script where I see fit. Then it's off to the producers for feedback and hopefully the hunt for a director and cast will commence. Also, there will be thank you notes. Lots and lots of thank you notes: to Sundance, to Tewks, to the Kyles, and to the universe for giving me this opportunity.
David J. Lee
Project: "Found"
David J. Lee spent years as an It professional who dreamed of becoming a performer. He finally made the leap and began working as a professional actor who curiously kept getting offers to direct. Finally he gave in, dropped it all, and proceeded to pursue his Mfa in Film Production at USC where, of course, everyone became more interested in his writing. Dave received USC’s First Film Screenwriting Award in 2013, and his thesis script, "Found," was a top 50 Academy Nicholl semi-finalist. His university-produced short, "Paulie," directed by Andrew Nackman, went on to win the Best Film, Audience Award, and Best Writer prizes at the 2014 NBC Universal Short Cuts Festival. Dave was a 2014 Cape New Writers Fellow; he is working on the feature version of "Paulie" while making eyes at the TV world.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My feature film script is a crime thriller called “Found”. It’s the story of a night worker at a storage facility whose odd, illicit habit of breaking into storage lockers – and her talent for understanding people's lives through their belongings – force her into action when she discovers evidence of a child abduction in one of the units.
“Found" was my thesis script at USC and was a top-50 Nicholl semi-finalist in 2013. Prior to being accepted into the 2015 Sundance Intensive, it had been selected for the 2014 Cape New Writers Fellowship.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Obviously, at this point I'm many drafts into my script, which means that I'm in a much different mindset than I was when I was originally coming up with the story. It’s a very analytical, left-brain process. Joan Tewkesbury led us through a series of writing exercises which brought me back to that original creative place, which helped me get a new perspective on my characters.
I guess if you’re looking for a specific lesson, it would be, “If you need a fresh perspective, don’t be afraid to put your characters in seemingly irrelevant situations, just to see how they play out, because you’ll be surprised at the relevant places you end up. At the very least, you often end up learning something new about your characters."
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
I was amazed and honored at how much time each advisor had put into their notes. Time is gold for these folks, and they gave us so much of it. It seemed that most of them had received tremendous support from the Sundance Labs or from programs similar to them when they were younger, so they were all there that day out of a desire to give back.
It’s valuable to receive notes from professionals in that these are folks who have more experience than you and a valuable perspective from having worked within the system, and I received some fantastic, insightful feedback that day. At the same time, they’re only perspectives. A note from a working professional may warrant extra consideration, but ultimately, if it doesn’t resonate with you, then it just doesn’t. In the end you weigh those comments against all the other feedback you’ve received over time.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Keep writing. I’m encouraged by the attention this script has received. When I get it to a place where I’m happy with, then I’ll start looking into getting it made.
Channing Godfrey Peoples
Project: "Miss Juneteenth"
Channing Godfrey Peoples received her Mfa from USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Originally from Texas, she spent her childhood in community theater and has been storytelling ever since. Her films are character driven stories that focus on the resilience of the human spirit, often featuring African-American women at a turning point in their lives. At USC, Channing was awarded funding to direct her documentary, “Carry Me Home”, about the celebratory aspects of African-American Funeral Traditions.
Her narrative Thesis Film, “Red”, is a King Family Foundation Recipient, Jury Award Winner for Directing at the Directors Guild of America Student Film Awards, Panavision New Filmmakers Grant Recipient and nominated for Best Short at Pan African Film Festival and the Africa Movie Academy Awards. Channing won “Best Director” at the Nevada International Film Festival and was honored at the Lois Weber Film Festival in Texas. She wrote, directed and starred in “Red”, which is currently on the festival circuit, most recently screening at Champs-Élysées Film Festival in Paris, France. Channing served as a Time Warner Artist-in-Residence at Howard University in Washington DC. She believes in community involvement and mentors children interested in the arts. Channing is developing her first feature film, “Miss Juneteenth."
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
In Texas, slaves were informed they were free, two long years after 1863's Emancipation Proclamation declared American slaves free. That day was June 19 th, 1865, also known as “Juneteenth”. Today, many communities celebrate the Juneteenth holiday with beauty pageants acknowledging young African-American women who are the descendants of slaves. My story, "Miss Juneteenth," is about one of these women.
Turquoise Jones is a former beauty queen, “Miss Juneteenth 1999”, who lost her pageant's top prize of a college scholarship when an unplanned pregnancy lands her back home tending bar at an aging juke joint. Today, she is a single mother to a teenage girl, who she struggles to keep from going down the same wrong path that she took. She has enrolled her disinterested daughter in this year’s Miss Juneteenth pageant and is fighting to keep her in it.
The project is in development and is based in my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Neil Creque Williams ("David’s Reverie") is attached as Producer.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
On our first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab, Joan Tewkesbury lead an incredible writing workshop that challenged me to look deeper into the emotional journey of my story. I was seeking a way to take my script to a deeper emotional level and the workshop certainly aided that endeavor. The lesson for me was to connect to my characters through personal experience and emotion and not be resistant to other possibilities for my story.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were incredible and I am in awe of their insight and accomplishments. I was delighted to receive feedback from professionals whose work I have long admired. They provided constructive feedback and challenged me to think of the script in new ways. I also enjoyed exchanging ideas with the other fellows at the Intensive and I was delighted to be surrounded by such diverse talent.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I am now revisiting the script with a renewed intensity. I will be directing my film, "Miss Juneteenth," so my producer, Neil Creque Williams and I have identified our locations and begun preliminary casting. Our next step is crowdfunding and to continue to apply for support.
Maya Perez
Project: "Umwana"
Maya Perez is a screenwriter and fiction writer. She is a consulting producer for the Emmy Award- winning television series "On Story: Presented by Austin Film Festival," now entering its fifth season on PBS, and co-editor of the book On Story: Screenwriters and Their Craft (University of Texas Press, October 2013). She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College and is a Michener fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. She grew up in Kenya, Zambia, and the United States and lives in Austin, Texas.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
My project is a feature script, "Umwana," a domestic drama about an American teen who goes to rural Zambia to meet and live with her father and his family. More foreign to her than the cultural differences is the experience of being a member of a family.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
It was great to be reminded of the importance of specificity when depicting characters, and also, how to pull from personal experience without making your characters reflections of yourself. In the workshop we were assigned numerous writing exercises and, though initially intimidating, it was stimulating to be assured there's no limit to the new stories we can quickly craft from scratch. We often think of time as the enemy, in that we don't have enough of it in which to do the work. But sometimes I think I give myself too much time. Some of my better, more visceral writing has been generated under the gun, so to speak.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
One of my advisors hit me with a barrage of questions as soon as I sat down - What is Cassie feeling here? What does Joseph look like? Is it what she expected? What if this happened? What if that happened? So many questions that I started doubting the story's weight altogether. But she kept on and wouldn't let up, so I just wrote them all down until I finally had an answer and then another and eventually realized I know exactly what this story and these characters are about. I had to be sort of beaten down and thrown off balance in order to find the railing. It was terrific. Another advisor - who fortunately came right after - grabbed my shoulders and said he would stalk me until I made this film. He offered to make introductions to agents, managers, producers, and to be there for every draft and question I might have along the way. It was an invaluable experience, to sit down with these talented, professional writers who had read my script so closely and had such constructive questions and encouragement. It felt as though they were as invested in its success as I am.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
My proposed new opening to the script was met with enthusiasm, so I'll make that change, do another revision on the script, and then submit it for the Screenwriters Lab. It was a finalist last year, so hopefully it will go through this year and I'll be able to take advantage of a full week at the Lab to prepare it for production. One of my advisors generously sent me the look book he's using for his current project, and I'm making one of those for "Umwana" as well as researching what shooting on location in Zambia will entail.
Rodrigo Reyes
Project: "Charlie"
Rodrigo Reyes was born in Mexico City in 1983. Supported by the Mexican Ministry of Film, his acclaimed 2012 feature documentary "Purgatorio" featured visceral and intimate portraits of the Us- Mexico border. The film premiered in competition at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival and Guadalajara International Film Festival, touring more than 40 festivals including MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight, and winning several jury prizes including the Michael Moore Award for Best Documentary at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. "Purgatorio" has been released theatrically on over 100 screens throughout Mexico, touring Latin America, Spain, and over 30 American cities. In 2013 Filmmaker Magazine named Rodrigo one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film, and in 2014 he was awarded the Tribeca Film Institute Heineken Voices Grant for his upcoming documentary "Sanson And Me," as well as the Canon Filmmaker Award for his hybrid peach picker portrait "Lupe Under The Sun," currently in post-production. Rodrigo attended Uc San Diego, as well as colleges in Madrid and Mexico City, earning a degree in International Studies. He currently lives in California’s Central Valley where he works as an interpreter in the California Superior Court.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"Charlie" is a story about a mother and son living in the heartland of America, who hide a dark secret that is tearing them apart, threatening them with destruction. It’s a twisted, existential fairy-tale that tackles estrangement, loneliness and violence in a unique way. Aside from Sundance, the film has received the support of Nalip’s Latino Media Market.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
I was surprised by some of the tools used in the labs. There was an element of tapping into the subconscious using semi-dada techniques that really clicked with me. The key was coming in with an open mind.
Before the Labs, I felt the project was close to a final draft. That has since been atomized and torn apart at the hinges, which is fantastic, actually. The Intensive helped me pull away from the rut I didn’t know I was in and look at my script with a naked, honest perspective.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Often as independent filmmakers we feel threatened by the industry, their perspectives are senses as criticisms instead of critiques. The Lab did a great job of inviting you to a conversation, not a lecture or a dictate. I felt I could take the advice that honestly connected with me and integrate it with my script, while also fielding key questions to the advisors in a safe space.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
It’s all in my hands now. I have to integrate the conversations, critiques and perspectives gleaned from this process into a new draft.
Luke Uriah Slendebroek
Project: “Sophia/Gordita”
Luke Uriah Slendebroek is a graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television Mfa directing program. While at UCLA, Luke's films have been awarded The Hollywood Foreign Press Award, The Four Sister’s Award, The Carroll Sax Award in Motion Picture and Television Production, the Edie and Lew Wasserman Film Production Fellowship, and two Motion Picture Association of America Awards. Luke has directed a short documentary for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and he has directed a short film for the Oscar-winning producer and director Robert "Bobby" Moresco as part of an interdisciplinary collaboration at UCLA. He has also directed a number of industrial films for Fortune 500 companies. Luke's films favor the underdogs, involve fantastical worlds, and tend to explore that brief period between childhood and adulthood.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
“Sophia/Gordita” is a coming of age western based on the incredible true story of teenage madam that served the migrant farming communities of the midwest.
Aleksandar Marinovich has stepped on board to help produce the film. Currently we are raising money to finance the film with a goal of shooting in September, 2016.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The Sundance Intensive was an amazing and immersive experience. The writing techniques I learned during the two days will be crucial as I dive into the next draft of my screenplay entitled “Sophia/Gordita”. Through this workshop, I feel confident to tackle the issues of my screenplay and to dig deeper into motivations that drive my lead character, Sophia.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Patricia Cardoso and Ligiah Villalobos were incredibly generous to offer their guidence and direction on my screenplay “Sophia/Gordita”. Their feedback, although at times challenging, pushed me to dig deeper into the character of Sophia. What really drives her to make the choices in act one that sends her life into a downward spiral during the subsequent acts? As I work through these issues, the outcome will hopefully be a character that no one has ever seen before on the screen, an anti-hero for a new generation.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I plan on doing another rewrite utilizing the tools and techniques I learned from the Intensive. After the next draft, I will get more feedback from my producer and my film collective, Vices of Reason. Once I get a draft that I’m comfortable with, I’m going to get the script in the hands of anyone that’s willing to read it as well as continue to raise money to finance the film.
Vivian Tse
Project: "These Animals"
Vivian Tse is a filmmaker making both narrative and documentary films. She was a Colonist at the 2013 Nantucket Screenwriting Colony with her feature script "Joe Boy," which was also selected for the 2014 Ifp Transatlantic Partners Program. Tse participated in the 2014 Pov Hackathon with the transmedia documentary film "The Angola Project." Originally from San Francisco, she graduated from the University of Southern California.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
"These Animals" is the story of an astronaut's last year on Earth after she agrees to crew a one-way mission to Mars. It's about what the last year of someone's life would be like if she made a decision with stakes that high, what happens to her family and the people around her, the people she loves and who love her.
We're currently in the development stage, trying to put the financing together. Sundance and the A3 foundation was kind enough to give us a grant. And we're in post on a short version of the project which we shot late last year.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
It took a bit of processing but the most rewarding lesson, or at least the one that stuck with me most, was using yourself to dig deeper into your character's journey. Which sounds obvious and certainly its something you're already doing as a writer with everything you write, but you can always go deeper. learning that there is always more to dig up, more of you to add, which is horrifying and invigorating at the same time.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were amazing. They're very passionate - it's great. i found it invaluable, even when I didn't agree with the notes. it lets you know how people are reading, understanding and thinking about your story. their perspective was so helpful and it helps to look at my characters and my story in a new way. writing can be very isolating so it's always great to talk to someone who is doing what you're doing. and they share their war stories, telling you to reimagine a scene because they did something similar and it went to shit so don't forget to think about this or that, or that space ships are expensive so maybe try to stay out of a ship as a location. i don't have any space ships in the film but you get my point.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
A re-write for one, casting, financing the rest of the film. Keep pushing forward, hustling, like everyone does, until you make your film.
Diego Velasco & Carolina Paiz
Project: "Los Invadidos"
Diego Velasco and Carolina Paiz, a husband and wife writing team, are currently working on "Los Invadidos," a thriller which Velasco will also direct.
Writer/director Diego Velasco was born in the Us and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Diego’s short, "Cédula Ciudadano," got him invited into the Fox Searchlab program after winning the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival. In 2003, Diego moved to Los Angeles and formed Open Studios with his wife, a production company meant to make the films they wanted to see in the world. In 2010, Diego made his feature debut with "La Hora Cero" (The Zero Hour). Set in Caracas during the 24-hours of a controversial medical strike, the film followed La Parca, a tattooed hit-man, as he takes an elite hospital hostage in an attempt to save his wounded girlfriend and her child. The film became the highest grossing Venezuelan film of its time. It has won over 35 awards at International festivals and secured distribution in five continents. Currently it has been optioned for an English language remake. In November of 2011, Diego was featured as one the Ten Mover and Reshapers of Latin American Cinema by Variety Magazine.
Growing up in Guatemala during the civil war, Carolina Paiz spent much of her time indoors, reading and watching television, escapes which later provided the foundation for her career as a writer for film and TV. At 15, she left Guatemala for Kent, a boarding school in Connecticut, where she was the first non- native English speaker to be awarded the Robert S. Hillyard award for her achievements in creative writing. Carolina went on to study English and Latin American Studies at Tulane University. The short stories she wrote there were later published by the Caribbean Writer. One of these, Sleep Comes Suddenly, was honored with the Canute A. Brodhurst Award. In 2006, she landed a position as a staff writer on ABC’s "Grey’s Anatomy." She later went on to write on NBC’s "Lipstick Jungle," CBS’s "The Defenders," Fox’s "Gang Related" and currently, Fox’s "Runner." She also developed a series for Fox, "Queen Of the South," based on the hugely successful Spanish novel. Between television projects, Carolina co- wrote and produced the Venezuelan feature "La Hora Cero," the highest grossing Venezuelan film in history.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
The film follows a couple that has just lost their only child and now find themselves on different sides of the spiritual debate. They’re forced to face their problems when they inherit a remote farm in the Venezuelan plains. Hoping for a new start, they soon learn the farm has been invaded by squatters and that there’s more to reality than what you can see…
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The first day was revelatory. By doing exhaustive and highly personal writing exercises that we then shared with the entire class, we both realized that we hadn't fully tapped into our own fears and desires in writing the characters in our feature. We realized there was far more of us in these characters than we'd anticipated and that embracing that would actually deepen them. Rewriting the script now, the characters have come to life by simply putting ourselves in their shoes.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Our advisors were completely different and had very different points of view on the script, yet both sets of notes complimented each other quite well at the end of the day. Their points of view were enlightening. We had exhausted our resources by asking for notes from every trusted friend and colleague that we knew, and we'd gotten to the point we were afraid they'd stop taking our calls for fear that we'd make them read the script again. We were desperate for fresh eyes from people that didn't know us, didn't know the project, and had no emotional stake in any of it. But what made it truly amazing was the fact that we got to dive in with such skilled writers, and such generous people, and that they truly took the time to give us deep and insightful notes.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
We are currently rewriting the script as per what we've learned and hope to begin our search for financing soon!
- 4/6/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Once again, Henry Cavill and Gina Carano have split. E! News has exclusively learned that the Man of Steel actor and former Mma fighter have called it quits. The good-looking duo have kept a relatively low profile after they rekindled their romance in the fall of last year. The two were spotted sharing glasses of red wine on a romantic date in Rome in October 2013, which seemed to cement their status as on-again lovers. Then earlier this year, in January, the two revealed that they had adopted an adorable Akita puppy from Big Bear Akitas, a breeder in Arkansas. At the time, the family breeders posted some details about their experience with the stars,...
- 12/8/2014
- E! Online
Never shy about showing off her form, Ashley Greene can’t help but look flawless in her cover shot for the November 2014 issue of Women's Health magazine.
In her interview, the 27-year-old “Twilight: New Moon” starlet confesses that when it comes to pigging out, nothing satisfies like pickles.
Ashley explains, “I’m not really a sweets person, but I love pickles. They’re always sitting in my fridge. I was talking to my friend, I was like, ‘I don’t have a problem with anything else, but I really just want to eat one of those pickles and I can’t do it.’”
As for her daily diet, Greene notes, “I try to eat relatively clean. That being said, part of the benefit of being active is that I kind of can eat whatever I want from time to time. Before photo shoots, I have to cut back on the sodium.
In her interview, the 27-year-old “Twilight: New Moon” starlet confesses that when it comes to pigging out, nothing satisfies like pickles.
Ashley explains, “I’m not really a sweets person, but I love pickles. They’re always sitting in my fridge. I was talking to my friend, I was like, ‘I don’t have a problem with anything else, but I really just want to eat one of those pickles and I can’t do it.’”
As for her daily diet, Greene notes, “I try to eat relatively clean. That being said, part of the benefit of being active is that I kind of can eat whatever I want from time to time. Before photo shoots, I have to cut back on the sodium.
- 10/16/2014
- GossipCenter
Why do I get the feeling that The Big Bang Theory writers are itching to have a movie marathon? Maybe because everything the guys thought of doing or made a plan to do in this episode ultimately led to movie chatter or the actual watching of movies. Upon Sheldon’s assertion that he and his friends never brought any of their invention ideas to fruition because they got too distracted by the women in their lives, they decide upon a weekend science retreat. In his cousin’s cabin in the woods, Howard suggests. Nope, Sheldon saw The Cabin in the Woods, so he’s not going to a cabin in the woods.A hotel, perhaps? Naw, Sheldon saw The Shining. Big Bear, a house on the lake? “Did you see The Lake House?” Sheldon asks. “Time-traveling mailbox … like time that travels an hour and a half of my life down the toilet.
- 10/14/2014
- by Kimberly Potts
- Vulture
Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix has added a new credit to his résumé: Associate Producer. He’s come aboard youth leadership project Camp: The Documentary, which will track a diverse group of 20 teens from across the country who gather in Big Bear, CA, to participate in a transformative weeklong art and leadership project called Camp M.O.R.E. Phoenix, the Be More Heroic org, and The River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding are currently stumping for an Indiegogo campaign to raise a $40K budget with aims to begin filming with Dp Bobby Bukowski (Arlington Road, Saved!) in mid-July. Here’s Phoenix’s video appeal in support […]...
- 6/28/2014
- Deadline
Twenty teenagers are heading to a transformative week-long camp - and Joaquin Phoenix is asking for your help in creating a documentary to share their story. Teaming up with Be More Heroic and The River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding, Phoenix, 39, is working to raise $40,000 to produce a film that will follow the journey of teenagers from across the country as they attend Camp More. "I'd like to share with you an opportunity of how we can change 20 lives in seven days," Phoenix says in a video promoting the project. The teenagers attending the seven-day camp in Big Bear, California, this...
- 6/26/2014
- by Gabrielle Olya
- PEOPLE.com
Adult film star Channon Rose has dealt with lots of sticky substances over her career, but we don't think ectoplasm was on her agenda. In any event, Ms. Rose apparently suffered a bout of possession that was caught on film!
From the Press Release
Linda Blair’s head-rotating, pea soup-vomiting portrayal of demonic possession is the stuff of movie legend, but the events that form the basis of The Exorcist and the book of the same name were actually inspired by a month-long demon-purging over a young boy in 1949.
Whether you believe in possessions—demon or otherwise—or not, they have been around since ancient times, and so has our fascination with them and the exorcisms that cast these demons, imagined or real, back into the darkness they came from.
Imagine a movie with all of the ingredients that has made Paranormal Activity a five-time box office success, that spooky...
From the Press Release
Linda Blair’s head-rotating, pea soup-vomiting portrayal of demonic possession is the stuff of movie legend, but the events that form the basis of The Exorcist and the book of the same name were actually inspired by a month-long demon-purging over a young boy in 1949.
Whether you believe in possessions—demon or otherwise—or not, they have been around since ancient times, and so has our fascination with them and the exorcisms that cast these demons, imagined or real, back into the darkness they came from.
Imagine a movie with all of the ingredients that has made Paranormal Activity a five-time box office success, that spooky...
- 6/16/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
Not many first dates involve a snowboarding lesson from an Olympian—but then again, not many first dates take place on national TV, either. During the May 26 episode of The Bachelorette, Andi Dorfman took contestant Eric Hill on an epic adventure from the beaches of L.A. to the slopes of Big Bear Mountain, all within one 24-hour period of filming in late March, about a month before Hill died in a tragic paragliding accident in Utah. As part of the date, Dorfman and Hill were given a [...]...
- 5/27/2014
- Us Weekly
This week’s show aired on Memorial Day. I would be remiss if I didn’t give a special mention to those service men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I know this day is about remembrance but I’d also like to salute all those who are currently serving this great nation. I hear from many soldiers who are proud members of Bachelor Nation. I love that this show can entertain and give you even a moment of rest from the great service you provide our country. It’s not nearly enough but, thank you.
- 5/27/2014
- by Chris Harrison
- EW.com - PopWatch
Tonight's show,kicked off with Andi, taking Eric out on a 1 on 1 date. They ended up, going to Ventura Beach for some fun in the sand. Then hitched a helicopter ride on over to Big Bear mountain. Eric kept expressing how ecstatic he was the whole time. They ended off things with a nice long, deep conversation that appeared to go quite well. Next, Andi took the guys: Nick S., Bradley, Brett, Dylan, Pat, Marcus, Carl, Craig, Josh, Marquel, Ron, Tasos, Cody, and Brian out on a group date to the Ohm night club on Hollywood and Highland, so the guys could do striptease dances for charity. Then during the after party, they went to the Rocky Oaks Estate Vineyard in Malibu, which is the same place they shot the Soulja Boy video last season with Des. Craig ended up, getting too drunk to the point that he needed to be escorted away.
- 5/27/2014
- by Andre
- OnTheFlix
Recently, our trusty source, Reality Steve, served up very revealing spoilers for the upcoming "The Bachelorette 2014" episode 2, and it sounds like things will get fairly interesting as a couple of 1 on 1 and group dates leads to Andi ousting 3 more dudes, and more. In the new episode 2, the action will still be taking place in Los Angeles, CA.Things festivities will begin with Andi and Eric, going on a 1 on 1 date. They will head out to Ventura Beach, and then take a helicopter ride to Big Bear for some snow skiing action. Next, Andi will take: Nick S., Bradley, Brett, Dylan, Pat, Marcus, Carl, Craig, Josh, Marquel, Ron, Tasos, , Cody, and Brian out on a group date to the Ohm night club on Hollywood and Highland. They will eventually get joined by the “Hollywood Men,” which is a Chippendales-like male dance team. This will be “Magic Mike” date for “Bachelor Gives Back.
- 5/20/2014
- by Andre
- OnTheFlix
She’s an ambitious woman, to say the least. A straight-talker whose tough spirit has carried her to the top of a field that requires a most delicate touch. A woman who mends hearts for a living and, ironically, has had to work the hardest to fix her own. And, all the while, she’s one half of a friendship so pure and honest that it has brought us to tears (several, several times).
Above all, Cristina Yang, the doctor portrayed fearlessly by Sandra Oh for 10 years on Grey’s Anatomy, is a survivor — and not just because she managed...
Above all, Cristina Yang, the doctor portrayed fearlessly by Sandra Oh for 10 years on Grey’s Anatomy, is a survivor — and not just because she managed...
- 5/15/2014
- by Sandra Gonzalez
- EW - Inside TV
Following the SXSW premiere of low-budget psychological thriller "Creep," RADiUS-twc is partnering with Mark and Jay Duplass and Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions on a "Creep" trilogy which Duplass calls an "utterly insane new franchise." (My SXSW interview with Blum and Duplass is below.) SXSW often features a movie that Mark Duplass has dabbled in. Thriller "Creep" was this year's model. As busy as he is, multi-tasker Duplass ("The League," "Cyrus," "Safety Not Guaranteed," "Your Sister's Sister") enjoys collaborating with young filmmakers--in this case recent Cal Arts grad Patrick Brice, whose thesis film "Maurice" played Rotterdam and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Doc at the Florida Film Festival. They co-wrote and filmed this found-footage two-hander off a ten-page outline. Instead of writing a long script, they skipped to the shooting phase, spending a few weeks at a remote cabin near Big Bear,...
- 4/7/2014
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Due to the post-apocalyptic nature of the show, it's not all that often that we get feel good, light-hearted moments on The Walking Dead. We did, however, get one on the mid-season premiere a few weeks back, when Carl Grimes came across a massive can of chocolate pudding in an abandoned house, and proceed to sit up on the roof and scoop heaping spoonfuls into his mouth. It was a nice little moment, one of the rare ones where a kid got to just be a kid, in the midst of the zombie apocalypse.
Inspired by Carl's epic pudding massacre, Walking Dead fan/competitive eater Jamie "Big Bear" McDonald decided to see just how much pudding he was capable of downing, in one sitting. And so he sat down, spoon in hand, to tackle the Walking Dead-inspired challenge.
What does it look like when a man stuffs 11-pounds of pudding into his mouth,...
Inspired by Carl's epic pudding massacre, Walking Dead fan/competitive eater Jamie "Big Bear" McDonald decided to see just how much pudding he was capable of downing, in one sitting. And so he sat down, spoon in hand, to tackle the Walking Dead-inspired challenge.
What does it look like when a man stuffs 11-pounds of pudding into his mouth,...
- 3/10/2014
- by John Squires
- FEARnet
Look, bad things happen in the water. Kids pee in pools, ocean-dwelling, antisocial sharks eat... well, you know that story, and in the upcoming flick Dead Sea, an overgrown lamprey spends considerable time munching on lake-dipping, scantily-clad people’s bits. We caught up with the film’s star Devanny Pinn recently, who dished on the Brandon Slagle ‘blood and bikini’ feature. Written and directed by Slagle, who previously helmed the feature The Black Dahlia Haunting, Dead Sea stars (in addition to Pinn) Alexis Iacono (The Penny Dreadful Picture Show), Britt Griffith (Syfy's Ghost Hunters), James Duval (Donnie Darko), Chanel Ryan (Bad Kids Go to Hell), Candace Kita (Nip/Tuck), Tawny Amber Young and Kj McCormick, and revolves around a marine biologist who reluctantly returns to the town she grew up in, only to encounter the violent paranoia that has overtaken its locals as they prepare for the return of a...
- 2/25/2014
- by Sean Decker
- FEARnet
With writer and director Evan Tramel’s horror feature The Black Water Vampire releasing today on DVD/VOD via Image Entertainment, we caught up with the flick’s producer Jesse Baget to discuss the project, and received an exclusive new poster and four never-before-seen stills in the process.
Starring Danielle Lozeau (Legion), Andrea Monier (The Lady Killers), Anthony Fanelli, Robin Steffen and Bill Oberst Jr. (Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies), with special effects by Damien Leone and original music by Richard Figone, The Black Water Vampire follows the exploits of a documentary film crew who investigate a series of brutal killings known as the Black Water murders. As they delve deeper into the story, they stumble upon a horrifying secret... a secret they may not survive.
Baget told us of the evolution on the project which was filmed in Big Bear, California over the course of fifteen days. “I was surprised...
Starring Danielle Lozeau (Legion), Andrea Monier (The Lady Killers), Anthony Fanelli, Robin Steffen and Bill Oberst Jr. (Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies), with special effects by Damien Leone and original music by Richard Figone, The Black Water Vampire follows the exploits of a documentary film crew who investigate a series of brutal killings known as the Black Water murders. As they delve deeper into the story, they stumble upon a horrifying secret... a secret they may not survive.
Baget told us of the evolution on the project which was filmed in Big Bear, California over the course of fifteen days. “I was surprised...
- 1/21/2014
- by Sean Decker
- FEARnet
Adding a cute new member to their family, Henry Cavill and girlfriend Gina Carano just bought an adorable puppy!
The "Man of Steel" stud and his lady love purchased an Akita puppy from Big Bear Akitas in Arkansas, and the 30-year-old, releasing a picture on Twitter, is obviously the perfect choice for a protector!
Big Bear Akitas wrote about the celebrity couple, saying, "Was so great working with Henry. Getting to meet him as well as Gina was truly a treat!"
The breeders also added, "Both Henry and Gina are genuine and a joy to be around. It was truly an honor to add them to our extended family and thank them for their patience in meeting us and our children. It's not everyday that an A-list celebrity, much less 2 celebrities, come to Beebe, Ar to visit." Congratulations to the happy couple!
The "Man of Steel" stud and his lady love purchased an Akita puppy from Big Bear Akitas in Arkansas, and the 30-year-old, releasing a picture on Twitter, is obviously the perfect choice for a protector!
Big Bear Akitas wrote about the celebrity couple, saying, "Was so great working with Henry. Getting to meet him as well as Gina was truly a treat!"
The breeders also added, "Both Henry and Gina are genuine and a joy to be around. It was truly an honor to add them to our extended family and thank them for their patience in meeting us and our children. It's not everyday that an A-list celebrity, much less 2 celebrities, come to Beebe, Ar to visit." Congratulations to the happy couple!
- 1/11/2014
- GossipCenter
Henry Cavill and on-again girlfriend Gina Carano recently added a new member to the family—and Omg, talk about a cute baby… Ok, fine, the Man of Steel star and Mma fighter turned action star got an adorable Akita puppy from Big Bear Akitas, a breeder in Arkansas. And as you can see from these pictures, Henry, 30, is a great nurturer and protector to his little fur baby! The family breeders posted about the experience, writing that it "was so great working with Henry," adding, that "getting to meet him as well as Gina was truly a treat!" "Both Henry and Gina are genuine and a joy to be around," the breeders added. "It was truly an honor to add them to our extended...
- 1/10/2014
- E! Online
The ‘Shake It Up’ star has shaken off her makeup in an Instagram pic she posted on Jan. 2. Bella’s selfie shows the real sixteen-year-old girl behind all the makeup. Do you like her natural look?
Bella Thorne, may not be under the sea but she sure does resemble The Little Mermaid in her Instagram post on Jan. 2. She bares a natural, makeup-free look with her red hair in loose waves as she smiles for the camera — or is she really smiling for boyfriend, Tristan Klier? Bella captioned her photo with Drake‘s “Best I Ever Had” lyrics: “This is not to get confused, this ones for you.”
Bella Thorne Without Makeup — Bare-Faced Pic
While we are use to seeing Bella all made-up on Shake It Up, her recent Instagram pictures show a different side of her. From her selfie Jan. 2 to her cuddling with her cat on Jan. 1 to her Nye pic on Dec.
Bella Thorne, may not be under the sea but she sure does resemble The Little Mermaid in her Instagram post on Jan. 2. She bares a natural, makeup-free look with her red hair in loose waves as she smiles for the camera — or is she really smiling for boyfriend, Tristan Klier? Bella captioned her photo with Drake‘s “Best I Ever Had” lyrics: “This is not to get confused, this ones for you.”
Bella Thorne Without Makeup — Bare-Faced Pic
While we are use to seeing Bella all made-up on Shake It Up, her recent Instagram pictures show a different side of her. From her selfie Jan. 2 to her cuddling with her cat on Jan. 1 to her Nye pic on Dec.
- 1/6/2014
- by HL Intern
- HollywoodLife
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