Johnny Cash’s 80th Birthday Celebration Set to Kick off February 26

JOHNNY CASH’S 80TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION SET TO KICK OFF FEBRUARY 26 WITH GROUND-BREAKING ON THE RESTORATION OF HIS DYESS, ARKANSAS BOYHOOD HOME

Archive Recordings from Sun and Columbia Years, Johnny Cash Museum and Much More Planned for 2012 to Pay Tribute to The Man in Black

LOS ANGELES, CA – (Tuesday, February 7, 2012) — America’s much-treasured icon Johnny Cash, who would have turned 80 years old on February 26, will be the focus of a series of tributes and celebrations in 2012, starting with the official ground-breaking of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home Project in Dyess, AR. ‘A number of family members including Cash’s children Rosanne, John Carter, Cindy and Kathy Cash Tittle, plus at least seven of his grandchildren, will be on hand for the launch event scheduled to take place February 26, 2:00PM at the Dyess Community Center, followed by a birthday tribute.

Said Rosanne Cash, “February 26th, 2012 marks the 80th anniversary of my father’s birth. On that day, the extended Cash family will gather at his boyhood home in Dyess, Arkansas, to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home project: an undertaking long in the planning, and a great honor and thrill for our family. This entire year we celebrate not just his roots and history, but the breadth and depth of his artistic legacy, his spirit and authenticity, and the love and rhythm he brought to all our lives which continues to inspire millions of people around the globe.”

The Johnny Cash Boyhood Home Project will be a permanent tribute to Cash’s early life and that of his family’s, as well as reflect an historical slice of American life during the 1930’s Great Depression. Arkansas State University is spearheading the restoration of not only the house that Cash grew up in and its various outbuildings, but has taken under its wing several other Dyess historic buildings in an effort to preserve the town’s rich heritage. ASU’s end-goals include the establishment of a Johnny Cash museum, a space for educational workshops, classes, and demonstrations, the creation of tourism-related jobs in the town, and providing scholarships to ASU for deserving students from the Dyess area.

ASU’s Dr. Ruth Hawkins, who initiated Arkansas’s Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and other Arkansas heritage sites, is overseeing the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home Project. “We are working very hard to achieve authenticity in this restoration,” said Dr. Hawkins. “Based on photos and the recollections of family members, the house will be furnished as it was during the 1930s and 1940s when the Cash family lived there. We’ve gone so far as to take core paint samples from the house and send them for lab analysis to ensure that we have the correct colors.

Fundraising for the project began last August with the first annual Johnny Cash Music Festival held on the ASU Jonesboro campus. The concert featured performances by John Carter Cash, Rosanne Cash, George Jones, Kris Kristofferson, and many others, all of whom donated their time. The Cash family is committed to hosting the Festival yearly, and has earmarked all proceeds for the Dyess restoration project.

Johnny Cash, known as “J.R.,” grew up in Dyess Colony, an agricultural resettlement community in Arkansas that was part of the “New Deal,” the government’s economic program that provided relief to desperately poor families. In 1935, the Cash’s were one of 500 original families who received a brand new Colony house, 20 to 40 acres of land, a mule and seed for farming (less than 40 houses remain). Life in the Dyess Colony served as a tremendous influence on the young J.R., with the back-breaking work he did in the cotton fields, and the music he sang in church and heard on the radio providing the inspiration for many of the songs he would later write, such as “Five Feet High and Rising” and “Pickin’ Time.”

Also set for this year-long birthday celebration is the opening of the new Johnny Cash Museum in downtown Nashville. On display will be many items from the legendary House of Cash that closed in 1999, as well as additional memorabilia endowed by the Cash family. Details will be announced shortly. Also in celebration of Cash’s 80th birthday, Columbia/Legacy will release a series of archive titles beginning with Bootleg IV: The Soul of Truth slated for April 3. More information will be announced shortly. In addition, three documentaries on Johnny Cash’s life are in various stages of development.

Separate from spearheading their father’s 80th birthday celebrations, John Carter and Rosanne Cash are each busy with their own projects. Rosanne, whose book “Composed: A Memoir,” was released in hardcove.

 

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Filed Under: Music Headlines Tagged With: 26, 80th, birthday, cashs, celebration, february, ...

Interview with Chronicle’s Alex Russell

Alex Russell is one of the stars of the recently released found footage superhero movie, “Chronicle”.  Alex plays the role of Matt Garetty in the film.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Alex about working on the film and his character.

Mike Gencarelli: What did you think about the script for “Chronicle”, when you first read it?
Alex Russell: Well when the script for “Chronicle” was sent to me, I didn’t even have an appointment scheduled.  It was just a read for interest.  I read about 20-25 pages…lost my mind, called my agent and said “Please please please, you gotta get me into this”.  Then I hung up read the rest of the script and called up again to make sure I stressed I had to get in for it.  It was an incredible script.  It was so tight and slick but at the same time it was so seamless and naturalistic in the dialogue.  The story was unlike anything I have ever read. I never read anything like this before. It was just so original.

MG: What drew you to the character of Matt Garetty?
AR: Well the boring answer is, what drives any of the three stars to their roles?…would be that it is teenage guys with telekinesis, which is incredible.  What makes it extra alluring and attractive is that it is this wonderful wish fulfillment.  You get to play someone with superpowers, something you wanted to do since you were 6 years old.  Teamed with these incredible powers are these characters that are layered with complex beautiful relationships.  It is everything that you can ask for an artist to sink your teeth into.

MG: What was your biggest challenge working on the film?
AR: The biggest aspect is that it is a found footage film and shooting in that genre means that the camera is always on you. You would have a scene that is 90 seconds long and you have to hit all of the beats from beginning of the scene till the end. You have to also make it feel naturalistic and hit the marks.  It is very difficult to have that kind of consistency in acting. It is like theater, there is no cuts to hide behind.  When you team that with special effects, wire works or having to fly off in the middle of your scene, it is a difficult combination.  So that was the most challenging for me keeping to keep those things together.

MG: Tell us about the flying scenes in the film?
AR: I thought they did such an amazing job.  The special effects are amazing. with the flying like every other special effect in the film, the motto from the crew was to be practical first and CG later. We had incredible wire work.  I was going to work in downtown Cape Town and getting hoisted up 10 stories…I get this incredible view then they call “Action” and I get dropped 4 stories in a few seconds.  That kind of thing was exhilarating for me as an actor but it is also that much less you have to act since it is already there for you.

MG: How was it working with Dane DeHaan and Michael B. Jordan?
AR: Man, those guys are legends.  They are just great.  They were wonderful to work with and wonderful to play with.  We had so much fun shooting in Cape Town.  We had a blast but when it was time to work, all of us worked.  Everyone involved in this production worked the hardest and worked 6 days a week. Everyone was on the same page and had the same goal.

MG: What else do you have planned for 2012?
AR: I got some things on the boil that I am pretty excited about.  I don’t want mention them because they are being locked in.  I am an actor though man, I can always do with more work.  I see this year panning out pretty great for me and I am ready to work hard.

MG:

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: alex, chronicles, interview, russell

Film Review “Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston”

Directed by Whitney Smith
Starring Halston, Patricia Altschul and Phillip Bloch
Tribeca Films
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 89 minutes

Our Score: 2 out of 5 stars

‘In Search of Halston’ turns out to be an apt subtitle for Whitney Smith’s muddled documentary following the rise and fall of iconic American  designer Halston. There is an exciting life story here to be sure but it is unfortunately bogged down by a filmmaker intent on romanticizing the excesses of the nineteen seventies and clumsily inserting himself into the proceedings to no meaningful end.

Halston, (born in Iowa, Roy Halston Frowick) came to fame in 1961 when he designed Jackie O’s famous pillbox hat for JFK’s inauguration. Moving onto women’s wear, he dressed such icons as Elizabeth Taylor and Liza Minelli, who won her Academy Award for Caberet in a Halston gown. Eventually Halston successfully branched out into all sorts of markets from carpeting to perfumes. However the licensing of his name to ‘down market’ corporations such as JC Penney and Playtex contributed to his professional downfall in the eighties, while excesses of the era lead to his untimely death from AIDs-related cancer in 1990.

Where Smith comes into this is irrelevant really and yet the director sets up the film with an interview from his own mother to assure the audience that Smith really liked seventies fashion because he was so fond of Smokey and the Bandit. This has zero to do with Halston and everything to do with Smith rolling up to an interview at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a vintage Pontiac Trans Am (this car gets entirely too much screen time), aviators, and a tacky porn ‘stache. Dressed like this, Smith appears in every single featured interview.

The interviewees themselves are an impressive lineup, among them Liza Minelli, Angelica Huston and Vogue’s André Leon Talley, but the director frames their exchanges awkwardly. Why include Talley rightly scolding Smith for his cell phone going off during their talk? Or designer Ralph Pucci demanding Excedrin? Why include Billy Joel at all when seemingly his only relation to Halston is one lyric in “Big Shot”? Questions like these distract from the genuinely interesting anecdotes that do come forward when the subjects are left to speak for themselves. Likewise the footage of Halston’s work show just how timeless and elegant his designs were. They would still be stunning on today’s catwalks, a point which Smith doesn’t particularly explore while loitering around Bryant Park’s Fashion Week because that’s where “dudes like [him] go to check out models.”

Perhaps most frustrating of all is the lack of the designer himself. For all the stories his colleagues provide, we barely get a glimpse at the real Halston. In video clips he appears in archival television footage to disperse maxims such as “You’re only as good as the people you dress.” We don’t go beneath the surface of his glamorous lifestyle and in fact Smith veers into an entire portion of the film devoted to just how wild it got in Studio 54. If Smith had just listened to Liza Minelli’s advice to “find out the solid stuff, f*ck the gossip”, we may have had a more interesting film.”

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Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp” Blu-ray Giveaway [ENDED]

THANK YOU FOR ENTERING, THE CONTEST HAS ENDED. WINNERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL. PLEASE CHECK BACK EVERY WEEK FOR NEW GIVEAWAYS!


Available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012.

To celebrate the Blu-Ray™ release of “Lady and the Tramp”, Media Mikes would like to giveaway 10 copies of the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack (Blu-ray™ + DVD). If you would like to win one of these great prizes, please leave us a comment below or send us an email and let us know your favorite love song in a Disney film. This giveaway will be open until Monday February 20th at Noon, Eastern Time and is only open to residents of the United States. Only one entry per person, per household; all other entries will be considered invalid. Once the giveaway ends, Media Mikes will randomly pick out winners and alert the winners via email.

Share this timeless Disney Classic with your family as Walt Disney’s beloved classic, Lady and the Tramp, finally releases from the Disney Vault for the first time ever on Blu-ray™. This heartwarming tale now charms a new generation of families and fans with its exquisite animation and unforgettable songs in one of the greatest love stories of all time. Featuring high definition sound and immersive bonus features your family can enjoy together, Lady and the Tramp Diamond Edition is a must own addition to your Disney collection.

Blu-ray™ Bonus Features:
Disney Second Screen: Inside Walt’s Story Meetings*
Audio Commentary: Inside Walt’s Story Meetings
Diane Disney Miller: Remembering Dad
Three Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes
Never Recorded Song: “I’m Free as the Breeze”
Classic DVD Bonus:

  • Lady’s Pedigree: The Making of Lady and the Tramp
  • Finding Lady: The Art of the Storyboard
  • Original 1943 Storyboard Version of the Film
  • PuppyPedia: Going to the Dogs
  • “The Siamese Cat Song,” Finding a Voice for the Cats
  • “Bella Notte” Music Video
  • Trailers
  • Excerpts from “Disneyland” TV Shows

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Interview with Brett Davern

Brett Davern recently appeared in an episode of the new Fox drama “The Finder”. Brett also plays the role of Jake in the MTV series Awkward. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Brett about his appearance on the show as well as what’s in store for season 2 of “Awkward”.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your recent appearance on “The Finder”
Brett Davern: I played a guy by the name of Cooper Allison. He is in search of his father whose plane went down while he was flying for the Air Force. His body was never found so my character wanted to know where he was and if possibly he was still alive. He uses the help of the finder to help him out with this. While searching he starts to have feelings for the character of Willa. It was a fun role.

AL: How did working on this series compare to previous shows you have worked on?
BD: This one was a lot of fun. The whole cast on the show was really great. Everyone has great chemistry together. There was also quite a bit of energy on set as this was the first episode for everyone. Some of the other shows you guest star on may have been around awhile so some of the enthusiasm has worn off. Everyone involved with “The Finder” was full of energy.

AL: Is there one memory that sticks out from the shoot?
BD: Maddie Hansen who plays the character of Willa is so young in real life and I think this was her first big role. Our characters had quite a few scenes together so to be there and watch her experiences was really cool. It made me think back to some of my first jobs. Maddie is very talented.

AL: Can you tell us how you got involved with the series “Awkward”?
BD: I went through the normal audition process.  I initially auditioned for the role of Matty when it was still in the pilot phase. I went all the way to the screen testing phase which was about a month long process for the role of Matty. They liked me for the show however wanted to try me in the role of Jake. They brought on Beau Mirchoff to read with me and the people on the show thought we each fit the roles we are playing now better. We shot the pilot and then waited almost an entire year to shoot the next episode.

AL: With the cast all being pretty close in age what is the camaraderie like on set?
BD: It’s really great! Everyone gets along real well and that includes not just the cast but the writers and producers as well. I love going to work every day. Beau and I have become best friends in our outside lives. It’s pretty funny that he and I had never crossed paths before doing this show. Everyone makes each other laugh and I think our chemistry comes across really well on screen.

AL: What can we expect from season 2 of “Awkward”?
BD: The writers are very secretive and don’t really tell us anything. I remember for the season one finale they kept the last two pages of the script from everyone except for Ashley. Until it aired on television I didn’t even know how the season ended. The only thing I know about season two is that story line wise it picks up from where we left off with season 1. Hopefully Jake and Jenna will still be together at the beginning of the season but I am excited to read that first script.

AL: Can you tell about your role in the film “The Culling”?
BD: That film is like a thriller/suspense ensemble type piece. We shot that in New Orleans for about a month and a half. I love that city. The film is about 5 friends who are heading to the South by South West music festival. Things take an interesting turn when they pick up a little girl at a local truck stop. Eventually the car breaks down and the story takes off from there.

AL: Do you have any other projects in the works this year?
BD: I shot another indie film in Seattle which is where I am from. The film is called “Junk” and hopefully that will start playing festivals soon. The movie is a movie about making movies. Getting to do little projects in between shooting “Awkward” has been a lot of fun.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: brett, davern, interview

“Treasure Buddies” Blu-ray Giveaway [ENDED]

THANK YOU FOR ENTERING, THE CONTEST HAS ENDED. WINNERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL. PLEASE CHECK BACK EVERY WEEK FOR NEW GIVEAWAYS!

Available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD,
Tuesday, January 31th, 2012.

To celebrate the Blu-Ray™ release of “Treasure Buddies”, Media Mikes would like to giveaway 10 copies of the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack (Blu-ray™ + DVD). If you would like to win one of these great prizes, please leave us a comment below or send us an email and let us know your favorite “Buddies” film. This giveaway will be open until Friday February 17th at Noon, Eastern Time and is only open to residents of the United States. Only one entry per person, per household; all other entries will be considered invalid. Once the giveaway ends, Media Mikes will randomly pick out winners and alert the winners via email.

On January 31, 2012, The Walt Disney Studios proudly unleashes Treasure Buddies, an all-new live action feature for the whole family on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital. The 6th film in the Buddies franchise stars everyone’s favorite talking canine superstars Rosebud, B-Dawg, Budderball, Buddha and Mudbud, as the pup pack journeys to mysterious Egypt in search of the greatest treasure known to animalkind, the legendary Cat’s Eye jewel, from the lost treasure of Cleocatra! Danger lurks around every secret sphinx, cryptic crypt and puzzling pyramid as Ubasti, a devious cat, schemes to possess the mystical jewel and use its powerful energy to rid the planet of all dogs! With help from new lovable friends Cammy, a baby camel – and a mischievous monkey named Babi – the gang and their new friends avoid booby traps, solve puzzles and explore a mysterious tomb in their most exciting and challenging adventure yet.

Stay connected with the latest news and information on “Treasure Buddies”:
“Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheDisneyBuddies
View exciting trailers, games, video clips and more at www.disney.com/TreasureBuddies

Bonus Features:
DIGS: B-Dawg Edition – In this fun bonus feature, B-Dawg the hip hop happening pup gives a tour of his home to kid reporter G.

“Roam” Music Video – A re-make of The B-52s song performed by Caroline Sunshine, Kenton Duty and Adam Irigoyen from the cast of the Disney Channel hit series “Shake it Up.”

Film Synopsis:
The Buddies are off on an all new adventure, and this time their journey takes them all the way to the ruins of ancient Egypt where, with the help of some new friends, including Digger the Archeologist dog, Cammy, a baby camel, and a mischievous monkey named Babi, they’ll explore mysterious tombs, dodge treacherous booby traps, and race against a devious cat in search of the greatest treasure known to animalkind, the lost collar of Cleocatra.

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Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: bluray, buddies, giveaway, treasure

Media Mikes Hosting Advance Screening for “Act of Valor” in Kansas City


Media Mikes is happy to be hosting an advance screening of Relativity Media’s upcoming film “Act of Valor,” starring Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sanchez and Nestor Serrano.

The screening will taking place on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 – 7:30pm — at the AMC Main Street Theatre in Kansas City. Follow the instructions below if you would like a chance to win tickets.
Instructions:
1. Tickets are available first come first serve to the first 25 people to leave a comment below or email us.
2. One code will be emailed to those people which will admit 1 person and 1 guest to the screening.
3. You will need to register at http://www.gofobo.com/rsvp to receive your tickets.

Passes are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Act of Valor” opens nationally on Friday, February 24, 2012

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Interview with Napalm Death’s Mark Greenway

Mark “Barney” Greenway is the vocalist for the legendary grind-core band Napalm Death. The band formed in 1981 and is set to release their 15th studio album in February. We had a chance to talk with Barney about the bands upcoming release and their plans for 2012.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the bands upcoming release “Utilitarian”?
Mark “Barney” Greenway: For this album we sort of spread out the recording process as we had so much material. It was quite a process to get everything together. The end result is really a continuation of where our last album left off. I have difficulty analyzing the material and comparing it to the rest of the albums. Our process of writing is very spontaneous and whatever comes out comes out. The real difference with the new album is I did some things differently with the vocals. There are some influences on there I have used before but not in this context. The influences are kind of alternative and not what you normally associate with grind core. I used a real ambient ballad type style and we worked that into the faster stuff. To be honest I wasn’t sure if this would really work. However it seemed to work quite well.

AL: What was it like working with producer Russ Russell?
MG: Russ is great! He is like a member of the band. His general approach to things is that as long as it songs good that’s all he cares about. He doesn’t mind if the recording techniques are unconventional or whatever. He is exactly the same as us in the band. It was nice having already known Russ as we didn’t have to go through that process of getting to know how each other works.

AL: Is there a particular song off the record you really want the fans to hear?
MG: The song “Everyday Pox”.  That track is also a personal favorite of mine as it’s really nasty! The track is pretty nuts and it just sounds really horrible and heavy. We of course are nice gentle people though. (Laughs)

AL: What do you think keeps the band fresh and current after being together for 30 years?
MG: We have always tried to go to places where bands have never been before. We have always kind of trail blazed in that way. We were the first band to play independently in the Soviet Union. That was pretty historic at that point. The band also has this chemistry where we never feel like we are just going through the motions. The band has gone through some pretty rough times and, we have weathered storms where other bands just fell to the way side. We have always had the drive to keep moving forward which is something that seems to come natural to us. There might come a time where things change and we might not feel as creative but that’s only natural. We take things month by month and year by year. We don’t want to do anything 50%.

AL: What other upcoming plans do you have scheduled for 2012?
MB: Well the album comes out in February and we have some shows scheduled overseas. The only thing we have scheduled here in the U.S. so far is the Bury Your Dead Festival. We are going to be doing more here in the states but we want to make sure that we get a good package of bands together. The days of going out with one support band I think are pretty much gone. We also want to make sure that the ticket prices are fair as well. It will take a bit of planning but we will get there.

 

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: barney, greenway, interview, mark

Interview with Josh Altman

Josh Altman recently appeared on season four of the hit Bravo series “Million Dollar Listing”.  Josh is not just a  Bravo TV Star but also one of LA’s Top Real Estate Agents. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Josh about the show and also his business.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you get involved in the real estate business?
Josh Altman: I bought my first place when I was 22 years old with my business partner who is my brother. We ended up fixing it up within 3 months and put it back on the market as a joke. This was around 2002 in the time where you could buy anything, fix it up and sell it for more money. About 5 years ago I got more into the agent side of things and that is where we are now. Because of our early success and some of our celebrity clientele I had gotten called by bravo to be on “Million Dollar Listing”.

MG: How was it working on season four of the show, “Million Dollar Listing” on Bravo?
JA: It was great! I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. You never get to see what actually is being shot until its on television because it’s a reality show. I was very happy and doing the show was great for our business. The show in a way is a 9 hour infomercial for my business. Its nice people get to see the day to day work that goes into selling these massive homes.

MG: Was it difficult coming on to the show which was entering its fourth season?
JA: I hadn’t ever watched the show when I was first approached. I took a look at it and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it or not. I wasn’t sure how they were going to portray me on the show. After watching a few episodes I figured I could bring something fresh and different to it. From there I jumped in and took no prisoners.

MG: Tell us about your nickname “The Shark”?
JA: (Laughs) People call me that around town because I am the guy you want on your side when it’s time to sell or be represented. I am a ruthless negotiator. If I smell blood I am going to jump all over it. (Laughs)

MG: What is the most fun/challenging part of working on the reality show?
JA: I get to walk around and be recognized from the show. I was just in Italy and people recognized me there. That never gets old for me as I am a realtor and people know who I am. The difficult part was balancing the business and the show. With my brother as a partner that helped because some of that business was able to fall towards him. That balance was truly the hardest part and at the end of the day my business is more important than the show. When you see me with a phone in my hand on the show it’s because I am always working.

MG: Any word if you will be returning for season five?
JA: There will be a season 5 however they have not announced the cast yet.

MG: What is the largest listing that you have sold?
JA: We just sold a listing last week that was the most expensive listing ever for a condo in Santa Monica. The condo sold for 10.5 million dollars. It was pretty spectacular. We also sold a 16.5 million dollar home that was the 6th highest sold in L.A. county. Last year alone we sold over 60 million dollars in properties.

MG: When you are not selling houses, what keeps you busy?
JA: I would be doing this even if I wasn’t getting paid. This is something that’s fun for me. I do love spending time with my dogs and hanging out with friends though.

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Interview with Sammy Boyarsky

Sammy Boyarsky appears in the new film “Rampart” staring Woody Harrelson. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Sammy about her role in the film as well as her voice over work.

Adam Lawton: What made you want to start acting at such a young age?
Sammy Boyarsky: Around the time I was 9 I was being bullied at school so I wanted to find something that would help boost my self confidence. I went to a few acting classes originally just for fun but I ended up realizing acting was something that I wanted to do professionally. I felt I really belong in acting.

AL: What did you initially think of the classes?
SB: I thought it was kind of crazy at first. I couldn’t believe people could put on a face that wasn’t their own. After awhile I realized just how much fun it was and how creative you could be.

AL: Can you tell us how you got involved with the film “Rampart”?
SB: My manager called me with this roll and I went into the first audition after breaking down the script with my coach. From there I was immediately sent to a director’s call back where I met Oren Moverman. A few weeks later I heard I had gotten the part. After I got off the phone I started screaming and fell on the floor crying.

AL: Can you tell us about your role in the film?
SB: I play Margaret Brown. Her father is a rogue cop in the rampart police division in 1999. Margaret is the youngest daughter and the only one who still has faith in her father. Over the course of the film Margaret starts to learn that her father is not really the man she thinks he is.

AL: What was it like working such a great cast?
SB: Everyone was really great to me. We had a lot of fun especially during the family scenes. We were allowed to improv and just talk during those takes. I learned a lot from working with everyone in this film.

AL: Do you have any great behind the scenes stories from the shoot?
SB: There was one scene that didn’t make it into the movie that we were able to do in one take. Afterwards Woody came up to me with flowers and complimented me on being able to do what I just did. That is something I will never forget. When I first met Woody I knew he and I were going to be great friends.

AL: Can you tell us about your voice work on “Diablo III”?
SB: My dad actually works for the company as he is game designer and helps with the voice work. I really like doing an English accent and I had heard they were in need of a kid with such an accent. I love voice acting as it’s the same thing as acting however you can go in you pajamas if you want to. (Laughs)

AL: What other plans do you have for 2012?
SB: Well I am turning 14 and I plan to have fun during my last year in middle school. I also will be auditioning throughout the year.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: boyarsky, interview, sammy

Film Review “The Woman in Black”

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds and Janet McTeer
Directed by: James Watkins
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 1 hour 35 mins
CBS Films

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

England in the 1900s. Three little girls are playing in the attic. They are suddenly joined by a ghostly vision. Without hesitation, the three children climb up onto the windowsill and jump to their deaths.

Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) is a young attorney whose about to lose his job. A single father (his wife having died giving birth – which really seemed to happen a lot back then if you believe Hollywood), he is sent to settle the accounts of a recently deceased client. Seeing some quality time with his son may be available, he arranges for the boy and his nanny to join him later in the week. Perhaps this will improve his son’s image of him, as he is currently drawing pictures of his father with big frowns on his face. Upon his arrival, he is given a lift to town by the very wealthy Mr. Daily (Hinds). We know he’s wealthy because he owns the only automobile in town. Upon his arrival at the local Inn Kipps is told that the room he had reserved is no longer available. Despite the innkeeper’s protests, he is allowed to stay the night. In the attic. BOO!

Heavy on the atmosphere but also on the “scares” horror fans have learned to rely on (loud music, hand on the shoulder, the occasional bird that shows up out of nowhere), “The Woman in Black” is still a satisfying re-make of the well received 1989 film of the same name. Co-produced by Hammer Films, the film is a throwback to that studio’s heyday, when horror greats like Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee wandered through the fog in search of things. Radcliffe does the wandering here, roaming from room to room in the deceased client’s oversize house. “Don’t go chasing shadows,” he’s told. But if he didn’t, there wouldn’t be a movie. He learns that many years ago a young boy drowned in the marshlands after a wagon accident. Despondent, his mother went slowly crazy, blaming others for his death. Kipps finds some of her old letters, many of them including the words “you could have saved him!” He also finds himself blamed when other children in the town begin to die horribly. As he learns more about the past he realizes he must do something before his own son arrives.

In only the second film he’s starred in that didn’t have the words Harry or Potter in the title, Radcliffe gives a strong performance. He has grown into a good looking young man and should be able to prove to those that only think of him as the Boy Wizard that there is much more talent to be revealed. Hinds is fine as pretty much the only townsperson who believes Albert has seen…things. The direction is solid with the only drawback being the constant relying on the things that go bump in the night to make us jump. And for you fans of trivia, the role of Albert in the original film was played by actor Adrian Rawlins, who played Radcliffe’s father, James, in the “Harry Potter” films.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: black, film, review, woman

Adult Swim’s “Delocated” Interview Series

Adult Swim’s “Delocated” is created by and starring Jon Glaser. The show is currently entering its third season and this season promises to be the sexiest season of “Delocated” yet.  It is set to premiere Thursday Feb. 2nd at Midnight!  Media Mikes had a chance to interview a few cast members from the show.  Feel free to check out the interviews below and look forward to more as the season progresses. Don’t forget to tune in to this season Thursday nights!!


Eugene Mirman
Jon Glaser
Todd Barry

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Filed Under: Featured, TV Interviews Tagged With: adult, delocated, interview, series, swims

Interview with Jon Glaser

Jon Glaser is the star and creator of Adult Swim’s “Delocated”. The show’s third season is set to premiere on February 2, 2012. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jon about his new season and what we can expect from the DVD of Season 1 & 2.

Mike Gencarelli: What can we expect from season 3 of the show?
Jon Glaser: Season 3 is going to feature a lot of new characters that Jon is dealing with. Janeane Garofalo has joined the cast and is playing the head of the network. Jon also has a new bodyguard and a life coach. There is also a new Chinese gang that Jon will be dealing with. With the addition of these characters there will be quite a few new story lines and plot points.

MG: How do you feel your character has evolved since season 1?
JG: I don’t know if the character has really evolved because he is still an asshole. (Laughs) Its fun doing the show and playing a character like this. You get to say some pretty interesting things.

MG: How do you think season 3 differs from past seasons?
JG: The biggest change/trick especially with the writing is keeping the show going. The first season was mostly about a mob family trying to kill Jon. With season 2 we knew that we couldn’t use the same premise so we came up with the idea of the mob killing everyone around Jon. With season 3 we couldn’t just keep killing people and we couldn’t have them kill Jon so there is some plot points inserted that allows us to continue the premise of the show.

MG: What was the biggest challenge switching from 11 min. episodes to 22 min. episodes?
JG: The most obvious thing is that we have to write a longer script and broaden the stories. It’s a challenge but it is also a lot of fun. We all were very excited when the show got extended. The longer stories seem to work better with the scripts as they are allowed to breathe more and feel less rushed.

MG: What can we expect from the DVD release of season 1 and 2?
JG: There are some deleted scenes and out takes included on the DVD’s as well as some flip books which features photos from season 1. Those are really fun to watch. We also were able to put the demo I used to sell the show on the DVD as well. There is a lot of cool stuff contained in that demo that I think the fans will really like.

MG: Is there a reason you have only directed one episode of the show?
JG: With the pilot episode I felt I knew exactly what I wanted to do to pitch the show. I thought the pilot episode was an easy enough shoot where I didn’t need to hire a director. We only shot for 3 days on the pilot. The later episodes were quite a bit more involved and I was already producing. I just didn’t want to end up exhausted. I also would much rather have someone behind the camera that is making sure we are getting the most out of each performance with mine included. I don’t think it would be as good if I was trying to act and direct.

MG: Can you tell us about your book, “My Dead Dad Was in ZZ Top”?
JG: I was extremely excited to be able to do a book. It was fun but it was a bit of a weird process. I didn’t have a lot of time to work on it so I was fitting it in between other projects. I worked on the book over the course of 2010 and actually may have started some of it in 2009. There was quite a bit of work that went into it as there were a variety of arcs and ideas that needed to be included. Over all it was a really great project and I got to hang out with a friend of mine who did all of the illustrations so that was really great.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: glaser, interview, jon

Blu-ray Review “Anonymous”

Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Xavier Samuel, Sebastian Armesto, Rafe Spall, Edward Hogg, Jamie Campbell Bower
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 130 Minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This film has had a lot of critique about the its story being hard to follow. I have to agree it is very confusing skipping between past and present but I was able to keep up with the story and really enjoy it. The performances in the film are absolutely fantastic Rhys Ifans, Sebastian Armesto and Vanessa Redgrave really deliver! Rafe Spall, who portrays William Shakespeare, plays the role as an absolute dunce but that is on purpose…so he does it well. The Blu-ray presentation is absolutely flawless. The sound is also very sharp intertwining the score throughout the film. The visual effects in the film are very notable as this film uses new VFX CG technology in order to beautifully recreate old London, circa 1550-1604. If you are able to catch on with the confusing story, this is packed with wonderful visuals and acting that makes it worth checking out.

“Anonymous” speculates about the of many century old question asking if Shakespeare actually wrote the plays that he is credited for. The film focuses on Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) who secretly writes plays as an outlet for his expression. When he meets the playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto), he convinces his to pose the plays as his own in order to get them to be performed. The plays are posed as being written by Anonymous. During the climax of an applause and the request for the author, an illiterate actor named William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) claims the credit. Of course from this point on there is plenty of mass corruption and deceit that unravels.

The special features are great and worth taking a look at. The commentary track from director Roland Emmerich and writer John Orloff is a great companion to the film. There are three deleted scenes and two extended scenes included, also worth checking out. Since I spoke a lot about the visual effects in the film, I am happy that there is a very detailed look into them in the feature “More Than Special Effects”, which runs almost 15 minutes long. “Who is the Real William Shakespeare?” runs about 10 minutes discusses the evidence provided in the film about Shakespeare. Lastly, there is a featuring about the film’s casting called “Speak the Speech…”, which runs about just over 15 minutes and is very detailed.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: anonymous, bluray, review

DVD Review “My Kingdom”

Director: Xiaosong Gao
Starring: Chun Wu, Geng Han, Barbie Hsu
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: New Video
Run Time: 97 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

The box art for this film claims to have its action scenes choreographed by Sammo Hung (“IP Man 2”) and to me, that sets my expectations high. I am not sure that Sammo actually did work on this film because the fight scenes were lame and do not entertain at all. I found to film to be slow moving, very incohesive and basically a love story with a very few action sequences that take place during an opera. Sound entertaining to you?…doubtful.

The film deals with issues of honor, love and revenge set in Shanghai in the 1920’s. We follow two brothers who set out to seek revenge for their master’s honor. After years spent in martial arts training, the two brothers establish themselves in the Shanghai opera scene in order to get vengeance. They meet a beautiful actress and the three of them get tangled in a complex web of love, lust, deceit and betrayal.

Overall Wu Chun known for “14 Blades” and Han Geng known for the recent “Beginning of the Great Revival” don’t really feel like action heroes. They don’t seem to be like guys who can kick some ass, especially when they are performing in operas. Lastly, the film contains no special features besides the Mandarin Chinese audio track. Skip this film and checking the “IP Man” series if you haven’t already.

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Filed Under: Film Headlines Tagged With: dvd, kingdom, review
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