Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Actress needed
Contact Lazarus at myspace.com/jlazarushawk
Power House film Wednesday
PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA
7:30pm Wednesday, December 17th
@ Power House Memphis
Admission is free!
Refreshments will be available, including Beer, Wine, Sodas, and Popcorn.
Your donations are appreciated.
While PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA covers the historical, economic, political, and environmental issues that face the sea, it more importantly offers up an offbeat portrait of the eccentric and individualistic people who populate its shores. It is an epic western tale of fantastic real estate ventures and failed boomtowns, inner-city gangs fleeing to white small town America, and the subjective notion of success and failure amidst the ruins of the past. Hair-raising and hilarious, part history lesson, part cautionary tale and part portrait of one of the strangest communities you've ever seen, this is the American Dream gone as stinky as a dead carp.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
When you're about town, grab a copy of the latest VIP magazine in which Linn Sitler gives an account of the "Nothing But the Truth" world premiere in Toronto in September. We were both there and what she reports is true. My version would have included the afterparty's "Brigitte" with an accent dripping with French dressing, and my chat with Alan Alda during which he had no idea what I was talking about, Vera Farmiga's husband mock-berating me (I'm pretty sure) and Kate Beckinsale giving me a good review. And some random guy who thought I was funny (or that I looked funny) and wanted to get a picture with me. Here's the excerpt from Linn's article:
... Shot in Memphis in the Fall of 2007 and starring Kate Beckinsale, Alan Alda, Matt Dillon and Vera Farmiga, the festival audience rewarded the film's world premiere with a standing ovation!
Attending the premiere with Memphis's Jon Sparks -- veteran journalist and, lately, filmmaker and actor of note -- I snagged a couple of invitations to the 'Cast Dinner' and cabbed it to a hip Toronto club where Rod Lurie, Kate Beckinsale and a very pregnant Vera Farmiga awaited us. (Not really, but they at least let us in.) There, Jon happily basked in the attention of the five female American Movie Channel executives at our dinner table. Not only was Sparks looking glamorous as the only man who'd obeyed the invitation's instructions to wear a tux -- he also quickly let slip that he had an important cameo in the movie! At the after-party, I protected the very-married Sparks from the overtures of a dirty-dancing Nashville party girl. (!) Having an extra invitation, I'd also called Dr. Robert Bernasconi, himself in Toronto that weekend, but for much more cerebral affairs: an international philosophy conference. However, Bernasconi, holder of the Chair of Excellence in the U of M's Philosophy Department, is also known as the bon vivante of academics. He quickly joined the party, and then I had to protect two men from the party girl from the Music City. (She also wanted to dirty dance with me!)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Micro Cinema - Wednesday
Wednesday, December 10, 2008, 7:30pm
@ Power House Memphis
NO PLACE (2008)
A compilation of international video, documentary, and animation about utopia and other places that may or may not exist.
This screening is a joint venture between Greg Pond of Nashville's Fugitive Projects and the Irish group Human Resources, headed by Emma Houlihan, an artist and curator from Dublin.
Admission is free!
Refreshments will be available, including Beer, Wine, Sodas, and Popcorn.
Your donations are appreciated
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Kudos for films with regional connections
John Beifuss has a story on films with local influences that are getting attention. The full story is here. Here's the short version:
Memphis-born filmmaker Courtney Hunt and her debut feature, "Frozen River," won much recognition this week as the movie industry's "awards season" -- which ends with the 81st annual Academy Awards on Feb. 22 -- kicked off in earnest.
On Thursday, Hunt was honored in the "Directorial Debut" category of the annual film awards of the National Board of Review.
Hunt, 44, also received recognition Tuesday when nominees for the 24th annual Independent Spirit Awards were announced in Los Angeles.
Hunt was nominated for Best Director and her film was nominated for Best Feature. "Frozen River" received another four nominations: Female Lead (Melissa Leo), Supporting Female (Misty Upham), Supporting Male (Charlie McDermott) and First Screenplay (Hunt).
Also earning six nominations were Jonathan Demme's "Rachel Getting Married" and a movie with regional connections, "Ballast."
Written and directed by a Californian, Lance Hammer, and cast mainly with amateur actors from the Mississippi Delta, "Ballast" was shot in and around such locations as Greenwood, Canton, Camden, Midnight, Tchula and Yazoo City, Miss. (Also Tuesday, Hammer received the Gotham award for "Breakthrough Director.")
Nothing But the Truth: poster and story

Here's the poster for Nothing But the Truth, which opens in NY/LA on Dec. 19 but probably won't come to Memphis until January or February.
The New Y0rk Times has a story on the issues raised by the film here.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Open call
Actors Models Singers Dancers
Upcoming opportunities for:
‐Local and regional commercials and films (all ages)
‐Promotional talent (18+)
‐Local and national print jobs (5yrs +)
‐Vocalist for working local bands (21+)
‐Male and female background and go‐go dancers (21+)
Saturday December 6, 2008
10am‐2pm
Callbacks‐Sunday December 7, 2008.
Times will be assigned
House of Talent
714 N Germantown Pkwy #101
Cordova, TN 38018
For the audition please prepare:
Actors‐one monologue no more than 1 min., headshot, and resume
Models‐runway walk, modeling portfolio, and resume
Singers‐16 bars, headshot, and resume
Dancers‐ free style dance for multiple music genres, headshot, and resume (dance attire)
For more information please contact info@elzemeyertalentagency.com or 901‐527‐9263


