Tampa Film Fan

patrick swayze has cancer

I just happened to catch five seconds of Entertainment Tonight while I was flipping channels. Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer.

Damn.

Swayze’s rep says that he’s responding well to treatment and that things aren’t as grim as tabloids (um, The National Enquirer) suggest.

What weird timing, with guitarist (and Swayze co-star in Roadhouse) Jeff Healey’s death from cancer two days ago.

I’ve taken some teasing over the years for being a Swayze fan, but that never stopped me from professing my love for his roles in Dirty Dancing, Ghost, To Wong Fu, Point Break, Red Dawn…and yes, even “It’s my way or the highway” Roadhouse. His one-armed Confederate vet Ozzy Main is the reason I watched every second of North and South when I was 15. I even made it all the way through Steel Dawn.

I wish Swayze and his wife Lisa the best.

i’ve blogged, been blogged about, and even blogged about blogging: now I’ve been blogjammed and i think i like it

I’ve been called a cartoon character before. Now, according to the Tampa Tribune’s BlogJam section, I actually am one!

Visit www.myspace.com/wikiworld to see more of Williams’ talent and creativity on display.

revenge of the nerds, indeed

Let’s hear it for nerdy women! (Don’t panic, nerdy men. We still like you.)

Congratulations to The Park Bench, “a gathering place for nerdy women and nerdy men of discerning taste“ for not only posting a great list of 50 Nerdy Things To Do Before You Die, but for also being mentioned in the USA Today blog Pop Candy.

I “know” Ms. Park Bench — in a MySpace-friend-once-removed sort of way — because she’s the friend of a friend. When my friend told me today about the USA Today mention, I told him that the next time he spoke to Ms. PB to please tell her that I said congratulations and that I’m insanely jealous of her, but I mean that in a good way.

Gotta love that girl power. (Please note that the Pop Candy blogger is also a woman.) Call us whatever you want — nerdy women, geek girls, fangrrls or just regular ole amazing women. Just don’t call us while Battlestar Galactica is on.

p.s. For those of you keeping score at home, I’ve done 1 1/2 of the 50 things. In all fairness, I should say that I scored 1 1/2 out of 50:

• #19, part-time and/or freelance (half point)
• #27, sort of. Wasn’t underground (was at a SlayerCon), wasn’t the entire musical, but I do have the soundtrack and listen to the same two songs every morning on the way to work, singing along at the top of my lungs (half point)
• #38, sort of. Don’t ask. (half point)

I almost did #49, if that counts for anything. #8 and #21 are my top goals for 2008.

news and notes: nerve film issue, tiglff name change, that’s a wrap actors forum

• The annual film issue of Nerve is out and “it features some of the naughtiest moments on the screen, along with sex advice from movie extras, some critical analysis into the age-old cinematic pleasures of teenage lust, and, of course, lots of other titillating/thought provoking stuff.” (received via email) Depending on which Nerve article you’re reading and where you work, this might be NSFW (not safe for work), so consider yourself warned. You’re dying to check it out now, aren’t ya?
• The Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival has changed its name to the Clip Film Festival. The year-round film events produced by the group Friends of the Festival now have names like Clip Film Series and Clip Film Outreach. “Friends of the Festival has a diverse and growing audience, therefore festival organizers came to see that they needed a brand that is able to represent the entire region and provide a foundation for future growth. The new name and logo will be formally rolled out in January.” (h/t to the Tampa Bay Film Commission)
• Local actor Rod Grant has announced the startup of a new online actors forum. It’s free to join and you can “network with other actors, discuss important and/or social topics, meet in the social lounge, post and/or view national castings and make announcements.” I popped over there to take a quick peek before posting this. Looks like the site’s off to a good start. Visit www.thatsawrapactorsforum.com and see for yourself. (h/t to Guzzo Brother #1)

local actress wants role

Received via email (posted with permission):

HI!There is a book series called Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and it’s becoming a movie but the star role (Bella) is going to be played by Emily Browning but she just does not look the part. Emily Browning is NOT the final choice however, thank god.

gabrielle vester

Good luck Gabrielle!

new horror website fearzone

Received via email from local filmmaker Rick Danford:

A new horror website has just launched that is dedicated to bringing you any and all your horror goodness news. FearZone is the brainchild of Greg Lamberson of Slime City and Johnny Gruesome fame. Greg is dedicated to creating a site that will bring you all of the latest horror news from the main stream to the indie scene. With trailers, book, music and movie reviews and so much more, FearZone will be one stop shopping for anything and everything in the horror genre.

So bookmark this site and visit it frequently to get all of the latest information on your favorite genre and the people behind the screams.

It took a little while for www.fearzone.com to load, but it looks like it’s off to a good start.

films directed by women that open this weekend

From The First Weekenders Group email newsletter:

Premiering week of August 24, 2007

We are not an organization, but rather a loose collective seeking to attain equality for women in film and television, and all media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity.

Visit www.moviesbywomen.com to learn more.

“discover me” film contest winner announced

Received via email:

“Discover Me” Film Contest Winner Announced 

MyMovieNetwork.com in conjunction with Indie Film Nation Podcast wanted to congratulate all participants in our “Discover Me” Film Contest.  This was our most participated and popular film contest to date.  The contest was open to all members of www.MyMovieNetwork.com who entered digital films in any genre. The top 3 finishers of the contest are: 

Good-Bye! by Mitchell Ophir 
Bobby and Melinda by Robert Blasi 
Kieran Ridge:This is a Tribute by Joseph Mikos 

Good-Bye! was selected as the premier film among all those that entered.  The winner Mitchell Ophir will have the opportunity to be interviewed by Indie Film Nation podcast heard around the world and will receive FrameForge 3D Studio software, a very generous prize package from Indie Film Nation. 

2nd and 3rd place runner-up winners will get MyMovieNetwork branded long-sleeve shirts and exposure through MyMovieNetwork and our affiliated sites.  We’re very excited to provide www.MyMovieNetwork.com members as much exposure and promotional opportunities as possible.  “We’ve been honored to work with Indie Film Nation because of their commitment to promote and advance careers of indie filmmakers,” said Clint Mazur, MyMovieNetwork’s CEO.  “This kind of world wide exposure can really advance the career of indie filmmakers.” 

About Indie Film Nation: Indie Film Nation Podcast dives deep into the world of independent film with a collective of filmmakers from around the globe. Think of it as IFC meets the Crocodile Hunter meets Ain’t It Cool News. The podcast covers film festivals, interviews up-and-coming directors, and talks about productions in progress. Immigrate to Indie Film Nation and leave corporate cinema in the dust. 

About MyMovieNetwork.com: Launched in 2006, MyMovieNetwork is a groundbreaking online community and service that provides tools for filmmakers to showcase their work around the world by posting their films and portfolios as well as, learn from, network and collaborate with fellow movie makers. All members and visitors can watch, critique and rate submitted content based on its quality while at the same time enjoy the entertainment provided to them for free. MyMovieNetwork runs contests to find the best filmmakers, provides tools for scouting, blogging and linking to personal film archives. We provide ability to create a unique portfolio with an individualized link that can be sent as your professional resume. In addition each user can create a studio where all their films, cast and crew are associated in one place.

Visit www.mymovienetwork.com for more info.

news and notes:la vie en rose at tampa theatre, 2008 sarasota film festival, perez, movie midpoints quiz, real premonition

• La Vie En Rose is being held over another week at the Tampa Theatre!
• I’ve read that the 2008 dates for the Sarasota Film Festival will be April 4-13, but the website’s not updated yet.  Hmmmm…
• Received via email:  Local actor Gustavo Perez appeared in the TV pilot The Kronenberg Chronicles directed by John Landis (Animal House, Blues Brothers) which will be shown at an upcoming Tampa Film Review.
• The Movie Midpoints Quiz on http://www.tbo.com/ has three new images each week.  Visit http://www.tbo.com/ and enter the keyword “midpoint” to find the quiz. 
• Received via email: We are pleased to announce that our motion picture, Real Premonition, that was filmed in the Tampa Bay area and Morocco, opens in theaters in Morocco on July 18.  Our talented local Florida cast and crew worked along side several well-known Moroccan actors.  Please read one of the recent Moroccan newspaper articles with more details and photo.

looking for info on 1968 film shot in the tampa bay area

Does anyone Out There have any info on the film described below?

What I’m looking for is information about a film shot in the Tampa Bay area way back in 1968. The working title was A Guest in the Country, and the reason I’m interested is that my horse - Charlie Three -and I were in it. It was about a revolution in some mythical South American country, and our scenes were shot at Hookers Point, on a bridge in a little town called Aripeka, and in a field off Boy Scout Road. That was the big battle scene where Charlie and I were “blown up” by a land mine.

Unfortunately, no one that I know ever got to see the finished product. The movie was filmed under the auspices of the United States Army, with gear and wardrobe marked “Property of Paramount Pictures.” Also, I think the old western star Randolph Scott was in it too. I’ve attempted a couple of times to get information from the U.S. Army Pictorial Center Archives, with no luck. And no one out here at Paramount has been helpful either.

If you know anything about this film, please email me at tampafilmfan(at)aol.com.  Thanks!