Pullen Park Theatre Presents:

   For over a quarter of a century, Ira David Wood has touched the hearts of thousands with his heartwarming and deeply moving one- man production of Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory. It's truly one of the most meaningful holiday experiences you'll have this year. One of the Southeast's finest actors will sweep you along on a journey into your own memories of what it truly means to be a child at Christmas.

   Until he was 10 years old, Truman Capote lived with a family of distant and elderly cousins in a small town in rural Alabama. A Christmas Memory is a frankly autobiographical story about those years and especially his relationship with one of the cousins, Miss Sook Faulk. In Wood's hands, the narrative becomes absolutely mesmerizing. You'll share laughter in generous amounts, but as the lights finally fade to black, there won't be a dry eye in the house. The production is a "must-see" for anyone in need of a little Christmas spirit!

   Hot cider and fruitcake are served in our lobby prior to each performance. This is a show that you'll want to share with every member of your family. Advance reservations are strongly advised.

A CHRISTMAS MEMORY
by Truman Capote

Adapted by Ira David Wood III
December 14 - 16, 2007

Performance Times: December 14 @ 8pm; December 15 @ 3pm & 8pm; December 16 @ 3pm

For more information go to:  theatreinthepark.com

Cary Players Present:

For the 4th straight year, we are proud to present the stage version of the holiday movie classic "A Christmas Story". Follow young Ralphie Parker in his quest to score a Red Ryder BB gun on Christmas morning!

Cary Players in partnership with the Town of Cary, is producing the stage version of Jean Shepherd's holiday movie classic "A Christmas Story". Follow young Ralphie Parker in his quest to score a Red Ryder BB gun on Christmas morning. For hundreds of Cary residents, this has quickly become a favorite holiday tradition, whether as an audience member or by being part of the cast and crew.

Some interesting points about this year's show:

The show is directed by Debra Grannan, who grew up in Cary. As a child, Debra attended Cary Elementary School, in the very same building in which the show is being performed. This is Debra's second time directing the show. She has also played the character of Mrs. Parker, Ralphie's mother, twice.

Cary resident Matt Schedler is Assistant Directing, and is also playing the role of Adult Ralph, as he has done the previous three years. Matt is the only actor to play the same role in each of the four years Cary Players has produced the show. It takes a special talent to memorize over 300 lines!

This will be the final performance of "A Christmas Story" in the current Old Cary Elementary facility. The Town of Cary plans to renovate the site into a multi-purpose Cultural Arts Center over the next couple of years. In order to keep the tradition alive, Cary Players will be looking for a new site to produce the show in 2008, but hopes to return to the renovated theatre upon its completion.

Cary Players was founded in 2001 by long-time Cary resident, Dan Martschenko. For the first time in its six-year history, Dan found the time to audition for a Cary Players production and was cast as the character of the turkey-loving, furnace-fighting Old Man, Ralphie's father. Dan is honored to follow in the footsteps of Wilson Pietzsch and Chris McKittrick. Wilson played the part of the Old Man in the first production in 2004, and Chris was cast in 2005. Last year, Wilson was cast again as the Old Man, but unexpectedly and tragically passed away a mere three weeks prior to opening night. Chris McKittrick stepped in and re-learned the part in three weeks in time for a very successful run of shows to sold out audiences. Dan, with a degree in Dramatic Arts from UNC-Chapel HIll, is committed to honor these memorable performances with the best Old Man he can muster. For fans of Chris McKittrick, he can be seen in this year's production again in the crowd-pleasing role of Santa Claus!

Cary newcomer Monica Lee, is no newcomer to the stage! She plays Ralphie's Mother, Mrs. Parker with wonderful alacrity. "Nica," her husband Dan, and two children came to the area from Peoria, IL, where she also played the role of the Mother in a local production of "A Christmas Story" there. One of Nica's boys, Jared, can also be seen in this year's production as a turkey-stealing Bumpus Hound.

Over two dozen eager children auditioned for the produciton. Trevor Phillips landed the coveted role of Ralphie partly by his talent and partly by memorizing entire pages of the script prior to the auditions!

Long-time Cary resident Carole Kelly is the Prop Master, as she has been in years past. One of the most challenging aspects of the production is the numerous strange props needed for the show. Examples include a bright blue bowling ball, an old-fashioned flit gun, a real snow ball, a spider pin, a flying monkey costume, a Little Orphan Annie decoder pin, lots of oatmeal, an old-fashioned can of Simoniz and of course, the famous "Leg Lamp".

The "Leg Lamp" used by Cary Players in the first three years has been officially "retired" due to wear and tear. Cary Players has invested in two new authentic "Leg Lamps" for this year. One is being used for rehearsals and the other is being saved for the production. At some point, Cary Players must "break a leg" as those familiar with the storyline know that the script requires it.

For more information go to:  caryplayers.org

________________________________________________________________

Do Film Critics Know Anything?

Monday, Dec. 10, 2007 By RICHARD CORLISS

   I sprinted down the corridors of TIME this afternoon, eager to spread the news of the New York Film Critics Circle voting for the year's best films. The winner, in the film, director, screenplay and supporting actor categories? The Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men, which three different people told me they'd been meaning to see. The runner-up, with wins for best actor and cinematographer? There Will Be Blood, an audience-punishing epic that doesn't open for another two weeks. Best actress? Julie Christie, in Away from her, which earned less than $5 million in its North American release.

   I didn't even tell them that the very popular, and very good, Pixar cartoon Ratatouille lost out to a French movie about the troubles in Iran. (Though Persepolis, take my word for it, is funny.) By the time I'd got back to my office I had realized that we critics may give these awards to the winners, but we give them for ourselves. In fact, we're essentially passing notes to one another, admiring our connoisseurship at the risk of ignoring the vast audience that sees movies and the smaller one that reads us.

   In the past five days, five groups — the National Board of Review, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Washington. D.C. Film Critics Association and my crowd, the New Yorkers — have convened to choose the most notable movies and moviemakers. No Country was named best picture in four of the groups, There Will Be Blood in L.A. George Clooney won two best actors awards, playing a lawyer at crisis point Michael Clayton, Daniel Day-Lewis a pair for his oil mogul in There Will Be Blood and, in Boston, Frank Langella the prize for playing an aged novelist in Starting Out in the Evening. Three groups selected Julie Christie as best actress — she's an Alzheimer's patient in the Canadian film Away from Her — and two liked Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in La vie en rose.

Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men

   You will be forgiven if, like my friends at Time, you are scratching your head and feigning interest, hoping I'll get quickly to the sexy stuff, like best non-fiction feature (the Iraq docs No End in Sight and Body of War and Michael Moore's Sicko) and distinguished achievement in production design (Jack Fisk, There Will Be Blood, L.A.) . Gee, you're wondering, did The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the French story of a man totally immobilized by a stroke, beat out the German spy drama The Lives of Others? (Three out of five critics groups say yes.) If you're getting restless, movie lovers, too bad. You'll be hearing the same obscure names at the Golden Globes and on Oscar night.

   In animation, Ratatouille won the award outright in Washington and from the National Board of Review. Boston gave the Pixar film a screenplay award, which rarely goes to a cartoon. But in L.A. it shared the L.A. prize with Persepolis, the biographic cartoon from the Iranian exile Marjane Satrapi. And the New York critics rebuffed Ratatouille — and The Simpsons Movie and Bee Movie and Beowulfand other ani-movies people have actually seen — with a first-ballot vote for Persepolis. An art-house film beat out movies that have already grossed nearly $1.5 billion dollars (or about 47 euros) worldwide.

   That's the deal with critics' awards. They give prizes to whom they damn well please. No problem with that; it's their gig, and obviously they should pick their favorites. (The choices are fine with me: No Country, Persepolis and No End in sight are all on my 10 best.) But these laurels factor into publicity campaigns for the Oscars and Golden Globes; often they are the campaigns. It's the way we critics contribute to the art-industrial complex. Our prizes certainly help determine which films get nominated, setting in motion the next round of ballyhoo before the final prizes are handed out. So almost all the nominees will be from worthy obscurities that can't draw much of an audience in the theater or, when the awards shows are aired, on TV.

   You might think the highest-rated Oscar telecasts are in years when there's a close contest in the major categories, as with Crash and Brokeback Mountain two years. Nuh-uh. It's the runaway years, when billion-dollar blockbusters like Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King get what are essentially People's Choice awards, and its makers wear a path in the rug from their seats to the stage. Moviegoers who are TV viewers don't want horse races; they want coronations — validations that somebody in Hollywood is ready to honor the movies they love.

   That won't happen this year. If the Oscars follow the critics' prizes, there won't be a hit film among them — not even the hits that reviewers loved. Disney's megahit comedy Enchanted has the highest rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the critics' polling site, but I barely heard the film mentioned at the New York voting today. Dozens of scribes raved about the smash comedies Knocked Up and Superbad, but neither film has won a critics' prize. The comedy they love now is Juno, which came out last week.

   Actually, it's hard to tell which if any of the critical faves will be popular, because most of the big winners (Diving Bell, No Country, Persepolis, Starting Out in the Evening, Sweeney Todd, There Will Be Blood) are November or December releases. Half of them haven't hit the commercial theaters yet. Maybe the critical establishment has A.D.D.

   But the Golden Globes and the Oscars, if they follow the critics' lead, will have V.D.D. — viewer deficit disorder. Large numbers of people won't watch shows paying tribute to movies they haven't seen. In the old Golden Age days, most contenders for the top Oscars were popular movies that had a little art. Now they're art films that have a little, very little, popularity. The serious movies Hollywood gives awards to in January and February are precisely the kind it avoids making for most of the year. The Oscars are largely an affirmative action program, where the industry scratches its niche. The show is a conscience soother, but not a crowd pleaser.

   And it all starts here, with critics fighting over which hardly seen movie they want to call the best of the year.

(from Time)

Hollywood comes to Connecticut

It's not every day that Fairfield county residents get to see Leonardo DiCaprio running down the street.

"It was a really hot day, and 500 people were there watching it," said Fairfield resident Carrie MacAdams. MacAdams, like many other Connecticut residents, are becoming accustomed to catching glimpses of the Hollywood elite since the state started giving film productions a 30 percent tax incentive for filming starting this past July. DiCaprio was in town to film "Revolutionary Road," teaming up with Kate Winslet for the story of the struggles of a 1950s family living in Connecticut.

In the last year and half, 26 films have been created in Connecticut. The "Constitution State" is quickly becoming a Hollywood hot spot with many people dubbing it "Hollywood East." The new movie boom has brought stars including Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro and Eva Mendes to Connecticut. The state's push for filming is not out of the norm, with other states such New Mexico also raising the tax incentive to 30 percent.

  Hello!  

Speaker of the House in Connecticut James A. Amann told the Connecticut Post, "We shook up the industry by offering 30 [percent] for us because New York had them, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vancouver." With once-big filming state Louisiana - which offered a 25 percent tax incentive - out of the picture since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, other states have been quickly stepping up to take over.

The title of "Hollywood East" was once given to North Carolina, but with a lack of incentives to film in the state, North Carolina is quickly slipping off the filming radar. Connecticut is a prime spot for filming partly because of its close proximity to New York City, making it an easy commute for actors and crew.

The relationship between filming and the state is symbiotic; the production companies save money while the films bring in millions of dollars to the state's economy. Films in Connecticut have brought in $400 million in the past year and a half. This money not only supports the local filmmakers but also hotels, restaurants and tourism.

Many residents said they are happy to have to have the filming. "I think the best thing [is] it helps the economy," said MacAdams. It also doesn't hurt that residents can actually meet big stars like America Ferrera, who filmed "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" in Bridgeport this summer. "I met America Ferrera; she was just walking, so I stopped her," MacAdams said. "They don't want to talk much. I just talked to her for a second and took a picture. She seemed pretty nice."

Fairfield University has not been left out of the celebrity action. The two-hour television special, "Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom's For One More Day," was filmed on campus during the summer. The film stars Michael Imperioli, from "The Sopranos," and tells the story of a suicidal, former baseball player who is granted one more day with his deceased mother, played by Ellen Burstyn from "The Exorcist."

Assistant Vice President for Public Relations Martha Milcarek told The Mirror, "We're delighted to have played host to this production company for the made-for-TV film. There is a state-wide initiative by Governor Jodi Rell to bring such film production to the state for economic development purposes, and we are pleased to help support this initiative."

  Goodbye!  

If the tax incentives don't keep the productions coming into the state, Connecticut is working extra hard to establish a panel of college professors, film executives, lawmakers and trades people to make sure that outside production projects keep coming in and enough existing filmmakers remain in the state. Having a solid base of skilled film workers saves production companies from bringing people in while making the state even more attractive for production.

Kevin Segalla, the founder of the Connecticut Film Center, told The New York Times, "We saw an opportunity to grow a new industry in the state, and we jumped on it." With many new films slated to be shot in Connecticut in the next year, there seems to be no stopping the movie boom.

(By: Marie Montgomery)

Toe to Toe, a feature film shooting this spring in the DC Metro Area, is
seeking head shots and resumes for all parts.
 
The film tells the story of two prepschool high school senior girls, their
friends and families. Jesse is lonely, white and privileged; Tosha is black, on
scholarship from Anacostia.
 
We are looking to fill many, many parts, so if in doubt, send your headshot.
Will also need extras of all ages and ethnicities.
 
In Particular:
HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS: many featured roles, all ethnicities, male and
female ideally casting 18 and over
 
TEACHERS/COACHES/GUIDANCE COUNSELORS: all ethnicities, 20s,
30s, 40s
 
TOSHA'S FAMILY: Grandma Pearl(55 plus), mother Brenda(40s), brother
KEVIN(mid20s), younger brother(8)
 
KEVIN'S FRIENDS- mid20s, black and white
 
FATIMAH -30s, 40s middle eastern, Jesse's housekeeper and closest friend
 
REVERED ROBERTS- Black, female or male middleaged or older
 
DR. HANSON- Female, white middle aged
 
Mail headshot and resume to
 
Toe to Toe Casting
126 tenth st. suite 204
brooklyn, ny 11215
 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Blue Ridge Film Institute Student Film Casting Call
 
AUDITION
Monday and Tuesday Evening 5 - 8pm December 17th and 18th, 2007 at
Blue Ridge Motion Picture Studios-Stage A.
Non-paying student film; actors get a DVD copy of the finished project.
Shooting is tentatively scheduled for January 12th-18th.
 
CAST AND STORY INFOMATION:
This film is about a young girl who is facing Christmas alone due to the
recent death of her mother and the emotional/physical absence of her
father.
We are looking for two actors to play the girl´s father and the girl´s
grandmother who fit the following descriptions:
1. Male: 30-40 years old. Plays 35.
Average to
tall height.
 
Average
weight.&nb
 
2. Female: 55-65 years old.
Ave
rage height.
Any build.
 
Please pass this information on to those who might be interested in
auditioning.
 
 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Please bring current headshot and resume to:
12 Old Charlotte Hwy
Asheville, NC 28803
Directions to the studio are available at: www.blueridgemotionpictures.com
<http://www.blueridgemotionpictures.com>
When showing up for the audition, please come in through the front
entrance of the Studio at the wooden archway.
 
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Blue Ridge Motion Pictures
P. O. Box 1495
Asheville, North Carolina 28802
 
Email:brmpfi@gmail.com *PREFERED METHOD OF CONTACT*
Tel: 828.296.1499
Fax: 828.296.1490
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

CASTING: "Death, Taxes... and Chocolate!", a full-length
feature produced by Sheffield Entertainment, will be accepting
headshots/resumes by mail for invite only auditions beginning
at 8am Monday, Dec. 17th .
The shoot will begin January 14th and go 8 days (pending
weather) and take place in New Bern and Wilmington , NC .
Males and Females ages late-40´s to mid-60´s for a
drama/dark comedy.
Pay scale: Low SAG, meals included
Mail Headshots/Resumes to:
Sheffield Entertainment
2108 Capital Dr. Suite 104
Wilmington, NC 28405

============================================================

THE TRUE SNOW WHITE
Feature Film
NON-UNION
 
Casting Director: Christoffer Azmann 
Shoot/Start Date: 03/2009
Pay Rate: N/A
Location: USA/Europe
SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY

NOTE: ALSO INCLUDE PERFORMANCE VIDEOS OR ACTOR SLATES IF AVAILABLE. DO NOT SEND DEMO TAPES.
 
For more info, see www.thetruesnowwhite.wordpress.com.
 
STORY LINE: The True Snow White's theme is the eternal struggle between inner virtue and outward beauty,
characterized by the young girl and the aging Stepmother.
 
The King (Snow White´s father), the Dark Count (the Stepmother´s evil counselor), the Hunter (seeking to please the Stepmother and become one of her numerous lovers), and the Seven Dwarves, each guiding Snow White into
learning an important lesson in life, are merely the cornerstones of the dramatic action through which the woman and the woman to become are driven in their intense struggle to establish who truly is "the fairest of all".
 
In the quest to secure her reign, the Stepmother draws on everything physical and of this world: flashing colors, sweet perfumes and fragrances, stunning dresses, sparkling gems and strong, handsome men. But Snow White, in all her innocence and what little she deems within her power, begins to reach out for her inner qualities, finally surpassing the evil queen like a shooting star and restoring love and life to a dark and troubled world.
 
Of course, the Seven Dwarves also play a major part in the enchantment of the story. Snow White spends a long time with them before she is ready to face and conquer the Stepmother. Though they love to sing and dance and eat and celebrate, and however small those shrewd and funny characters may be, the Dwarves are very wise and very old. And though they grow very fond of Snow White and dearly love her, they are not always easy on Snow White learning what she needs to know to become Queen. But they have their own, charming way of bringing that across.
 

In this ultimately genuine version of Snow White, there will be plenty of historical truth, giving it the kind of credibility as if it really happened some 200 years ago somewhere in the German Forests. There will be romance and sex appeal through the contest of the young girl and the aging woman, not to forget the handsome men around the Stepmother and, of course, the Prince who finally takes Snow White to his kingdom.
 
We witness the black magic of the Stepmother, supported by the Dark Count, and even attempted murder to be executed by the compliant Hunter. And there will be the all transcending wisdom of the mysterious Dwarves, clearly delivering the message that everything may be overcome by seeking to discover the inner forces we have all been given. And through their prudent use, each of us one day will be king or queen and claim our rightful inheritance...
 
[THE STEPMOTHER]
Age 30-65, Caucasian/European, LEAD. A breathtakingly enigmatic and powerful woman beyond her years, she feels so threatened by innocent, beautiful Snow White, that she is ready to do anything within her power to destroy the rightful heir and remain Queen

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Casting Baltimore
 
AUDITION NOTICE ! ! !
 
GOOD PEOPLE, a feature film project will be shooting in and around
Baltimore January 14th-31st, 2008. Directed by Lewis Long (Lewis Entertainment, Inc.) and Produced by Stacie Jones (Black Ink Films), we are currently looking for the following roles:
 
MISTY: W/F/35-45
Athletic, very self-absorbed, insecure, obsessed with hiding her past,
accustomed to an elegant but not extravagant lifestyle, capable of change
 
DEVEN: Any race/M/30-35
Slightly mentally challenged, mysterious but very sweet towards woman,
polite, insecure
 
BILLY: W/M/30-40
Medium height, suave, con-artist, strives to show the world he's
better than everybody else
 
FATHER GARY: B/M/50+
Well respected, good natured, friendly, advisor
 
MARGE: W/F/35-45
Athletic, fun-loving, life of the party, recreational drug user,
moderate to heavy drinker, very secure in herself and sexuality
 
BETSY: W/F/35-45
Complete opposite of Marge, divorce has really worn her down
physically and mentally, very insecure, fidgety, likes to sit at home
 
SYLVIA: W/F/mid-late 20's
Dark features, in control, eyes tell everything about her
 
MS. DOBSEN: B/F/50+
The voice of reason, strong willed
 
DALTON ESKEW: Any race/M/40+
Skilled attorney who is also nonchalant and a bit lazy about his work,
slightly goofy
 
DETECTIVE: Any race/M/40+
The "seasoned veteran", knows what he's dealing with and how to deal
 
LIMP-WALK MAN: W/M/30+
Deep, intense voice, shadowy figure, "hard" man
 
AUDITIONS WILL BE HELD:
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 12TH
SUNDAY, DEC. 16TH
MONDAY, DEC. 17TH
 
YOU WILL BE CONTACTED WITH MORE DETAILS FOR AN AUDITION
IF WE ARE INTERESTED.
We are also casting for several day playing roles:
 
Jake Robbins (W/M/30+) - protective father of a young daughter
 
2 friends of Misty (Any race/F/35-45) - classy, sweet, intelligent
 
Julie (Any race/F/30-40) - rehabbing addict, good natured
 
2 Poker Buddies (Any rave/M/30-40) - well-dressed, tough gentlemen
 
Counselor (Any race/F/40+) - rehab meeting leader, in control, been "there"
 
Police Officer (Any race/M/30+) - traditional crime scene cop
 
Sales Woman (Any race/F/20-25) - snotty, annoyed, disgruntled
 
Rehab Student (Any race/M/20-30) - smart-ass, punky, know-it-all
 
10 Background Actors to play rehab meeting attendees
SHOOTING WILL BE LAST 3 WEEKS IN JANUARY
 
PLEASE SEND A HEADSHOT & RESUME TO
goodpeoplecasting@gmail.com
ALL ROLES EXCEPT THE REHAB STUDENTS WILL BE PAID AT
DIFFERENT LEVELS.
 
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
 

_____________________________________________________________________

DISCOVERY NETWORK PROJECT
Episodic
NON-UNION
PAY RATE: TBD
 

Casting Director: Sandra Philippeaux
Interview Dates: ASAP
Start Date: January 2008
Location: Various Cities
 
SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY
BY DECEMBER 31
 
SANDRA PHILIPPEAUX
EMAIL: discoverycasting@gmail.com

SEEKING: [HOSTS]
The Discovery Channel is looking for talented hosts (Men and Women!) for its next long running hit series. I'm searching for talented individuals who have a STRONG background in any of the following areas:
 
- Science
- Engineering
- Urban water, power or transportation systems
- Paranormal activities, the unexplained
- Wilderness Survival (ex-boyscouts, girlscouts)
- DIY/Inventors
- Animal science
- Adventure
 
Women, African-American, Latino, Asian and Native American applicants especially encouraged to submit. However, the most important element of our search is that:
1. The talent MUST be entertaining with a true, real-life expertise that fits the Discovery Channel paradigm (basically we are known for Factual Entertainment).
2. The talent MUST have knowledge that comes from action and be able to host a show that is visceral, challenging and exciting.
3. There should be a never before seen quality that allows the audience to learn from the experiences of the host.
4. Talent must be America-based.
It will be an amazing opportunity for the right talent so please contact us ASAP with contact info, brief bio, picture and the reason why you are Discovery Network´s next star.Also send a video link of any television appearances or video reel you may have. Good luck!

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Websites to look at:

www.sefilmclub.com/
www.hollywood.com/movie/Durham_Grill/3464833