Regis Philbin on 'Celebrity Ghost Stories' - Photo by Jarrett Creative Group Copyright 2012
Bio Channel’s debuting another ghost series with The Haunting Of premiering on October 27, 2012 at 10pm ET/PT. Medium Kim Russo is hosting the show which features celebrities talking about their paranormal experiences. Among the celebs participating in season one are Regis Philbin, Eric Mabius, Beverly Mitchell, Connie Stevens, Kelly Carlson, Gina Gershon, and Chazz Palminteri.
Per Bio, the one hour episodes will find the celebs returning to the locations where they had their encounters with something otherworldly.
The Plot:
During the precarious journey, Kim Russo will unlock the secrets that haunted each celebrity on that fateful day and explain the unexplained. Throughout the journey, Kim will also unveil shocking psychic moments and surprising personal revelations as she tunes into the celebrities’ personal lives and connects with their loved one’s who have crossed over.
Each episode will feature a different celebrity. Stories include: Eric Mabius who returns to his childhood home to confront the ghost he saw when he was child. Together with Kim Russo, they uncover secrets from the past. Regis Philbin and Kim return to the Whaley House, one of the most haunted places in America, to find out why a ghost appeared to him and why she left so suddenly. Michael Rapaport and a long-time friend revisit his former high school in Brooklyn where late students once haunted them. Kim communicates with the spirits at the school to relay answers to Michael’s questions. Beverly Mitchell goes back to the notoriously haunted Pennhurst Asylum where she once shot a film and was harassed by spirits. She and Kim confront the same entities and figure out why she was targeted.
Ashley Hebert and JP Rosenbaum from 'The Bachelorette' - (ABC/MATT KLITSCHER)
ABC will air the wedding of JP Rosenbaum and Ashley Hebert this December in the special broadcast of The Bachelorette: Ashley and J.P.’s Wedding with Chris Harrison as host. The couple got engaged in August 2010 at the end of Ashley’s The Bachelorette season and are just the second Bachelorette couple to ever actually get married.
The wedding special will include behind-the-scenes video of Ashley getting fit for her custom-made gown as well as the couple’s visits to a wedding planner. The Bachelorette: Ashley and J.P.’s Wedding will also include footage of their bachelor and bachelorette parties leading up to the actually wedding.
Among the celebs on the guest list are past Bachelor and Bachelorette couples and participants.
Details on Ashley and J.P. [Courtesy of ABC]:
“Ashley and J.P.’s love story has come full circle at last. Ashley began by being one of the favorites to capture Brad Womack’s heart on the 15th edition of The Bachelor in early 2010 and narrowly missing her goal of finding a future husband. She got her second opportunity to find love on the seventh edition of The Bachelorette, after determining to find balance between her career and personal life. However, her search for ‘Mr. Right’ had to survive a shocking and emotionally taxing journey. Initially Ashley’s own sister even had her doubts about J.P., but all was quickly forgiven. Finally, Ashley got her fairytale happy ending as she gave J.P. her final rose and he proposed. Since then they have been inseparable. Ashley, 28, graduated from dental school at the University of Pennsylvania and is currently completing a specialty in pediatric dentistry at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. J.P., 35, continues as a successful construction manager in New York City. Now they’re really ready to begin their life as man and wife and to have a family of their own.”
The cast of The Walking Dead hit the red carpet for the show’s season three premiere at Universal Studios Hollywood, and then those who were brave enough made their way through the Halloween Horror Nights “The Walking Dead: Dead Inside” maze. But, apparently, by the looks of this video, battling zombies on a weekly TV series didn’t prepare the cast of The Walking Dead for actually coming face-to-face with ‘zombies.’
“The Walking Dead: Dead Inside” maze was created using molds from the original props from the show and includes zombies Walking Dead fans will recognize from the series. Even the barn where the cast spent much of season two wound up in this year’s maze.
The Walking Dead‘s Laurie Holden (‘Andrea’) made it through the maze and then claimed it was even “scarier than the show!”
Fox has set a December 15, 2012 premiere date for the 25th season of the reality series, Cops. The first episode of season 25 kicks off by following cops in Toledo, Ohio, Sacramento, California; and Portland, Oregon. Episode two, titled “Ho Ho Ho!,” will focus on Portland, Alameda County, California; and Las Vegas, Nevada police officers. In addition, the upcoming season will include law enforcement officers from Kansas City, Florida, New Jersey, and Virginia. The show even returns to Broward County, Florida, where the very first episode was filmed.
And while other shows get excited about their 100th episodes, Cops will be celebrating their 850th episode in February 2013.
The Plot:
For nearly a quarter-century, Cops has followed law enforcement agencies in more than 140 U.S. cities and has filmed in Europe, Asia and Central and South America. It was the first American television program to follow police in the former Soviet Union. A true pioneer of the reality television phenomenon, creator and executive producer John Langley is often credited with introducing the signature “video vérite” style of Cops, a camera technique that notably influenced TV advertising, news reporting and other network and syndicated programming.
Phillip Phillips' The World from the Side of the Moon - (PRNewsFoto/Interscope Records) American Idol‘s season 11 winner Phillip Phillips will be releasing his debut album on November 19, 2012. The album, The World From The Side Of The Moon, includes his first hit single (“Home”) and was recorded in New York City.
The majority of the tracks were written or co-written by Phillips, with his brother-in-law Ben Neil helping out on the guitar on a few songs.
Phillips’ first single, “Home,” debuted the day he was named AI season 11 winner. “Home” set a new record for an Idol winner’s “coronation song” by racking up over 278,000 downloads.
“Phillips first began making music when he was 14, thanks largely to his older sister’s boyfriend (and now husband), Ben Neil, who taught him how to play guitar. Phillips kept on studying guitar on his own (‘mostly by playing along to the karaoke machine’) and soon found himself mastering riffs from classic-rock tracks like Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke on the Water’ and Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train.’ Several years later, Phillips formed an acoustic band with his sister and brother-in-law and added singing to his repertoire. After graduating high school, Phillips began studying industrial systems technology at Albany Technical College in Georgia and continued playing music with his brother-in-law. With encouragement from his family and friends, Phillips took a break from working in his family’s pawn shop and auditioned for American Idol in summer 2011–and soon found himself tearing through powerful, full-throated performances of songs by artists like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Otis Redding, and Wilson Pickett on the Idol stage.”
'American Idol' Logo - Photo Credit: FoxFox is opening up the American Idol auditions to more hopeful singers. Instead of having to show up and sit around for hours with a crowd of thousands of strangers, American Idol hopefuls can now submit an audition video online. Videos are being accepted through Sunday, November 4, 2012.
The Details:
– A song must be performed a cappella
– One video per person
– You must be 15-28 (on June 5, 2012) and a legal US citizen or a permanent U.S. resident who is eligible to work full-time in the United States
Submit your video to www.americanidol.com and visit that official site for the full list of rules and regs.
Season 12 of American Idol debuts in January 2013 with Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj, and Randy Jackson judging contestants.
Syfy’s just released a 30 second new teaser clip from their 2013 series, Defiance, starring Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, and Graham Greene. The series breaks new ground by being the first-ever “convergence of television and Massive Multiplayer Online gaming,” with storylines that will connect the game and the TV series.
The Plot:
Set in the near future, Defiance introduces an exotically transformed planet Earth, its landscapes permanently altered following the sudden – and tumultuous – arrival of seven unique alien races. In this somewhat unknown and unpredictable landscape, the richly diverse, newly-formed civilization of humans and aliens must learn to co-exist peacefully. Each week, viewers will follow an immersive character drama set in the boom-town of Defiance, which sits atop the ruins of St. Louis, MO, while in the game, players will adventure in the new frontier of the San Francisco Bay area. The dramatic tapestry of the series and the intense action of the game will exist in a single universe where their respective narratives will inform one another and evolve together into one overall story.
Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies), Carol (Melissa Suzanne McBride), Beth Greene (Emily Kinney), Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan), Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) and Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson) - The Walking Dead - Season 3, Episode 1 - Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
“Weapons, food, medicine, this place could be a gold mine,” says Rick (Andrew Lincoln) to his band of survivors after discovering a semi-abandoned prison in the very first episode of Season 3 of AMC’s cable channel hit horror series The Walking Dead.
Rick, Lori, Glenn, and the other survivors have managed to make it through winter by going house to house and eliminating the few “walkers” who might be occupying the buildings. However, as the audience sees in the first few minutes of the episode, the army of zombies that chased them off Hershel’s farm at the end of season 2 is still wandering the area and pursuing any possible food – including them. This keeps the group constantly moving and never able to stay in any shelter for very long.
While Rick and Daryl (Norman Reedus) are hunting for some food they come across a prison that seems to be abandoned, except for the walking dead roaming the grounds. Rick and the others decide to clear out the “walkers” and make the prison their new safe house which seems ideal, especially with Lori’s baby due in a few weeks.
Meanwhile, Andrea (Laurie Holden) has teamed up with a new character, a sword-wielding survivor named Michonne (Danai Gurira) who saved her in the forest from some very hungry zombies at the end of Season 2. A strong friendship and bond seems to have developed between these two women, which becomes clear when Michonne delays leaving the immediate area.
Their hiding place has been increasingly invaded by hungry flesh-eaters, and unfortunately, Andrea is still too sick to travel. However, she insists they leave now while they still have time to slip away unnoticed by the “Walkers.”
The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 1 Recap
“Seed” brings the horror series back to the small screen in action-packed, zombie-slaying carnage that almost equals the finale of Season 2. The execution of the zombies outside the prison and on the grounds is very well planned and handled by Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and the other survivors. Once inside the prison, a handful of the survivors go searching the different dark cell blocks not knowing how many flesh-eaters might be lurking around the next dark, damp corner. It’s both suspenseful and terrifying and reminiscent for anyone who’s ever gone through a haunted house near Halloween for a thrill.
The production design for this series is still excellent, with all kinds of different zombies roaming the woods, houses, and a prison. A truly original scene in the episode is during the second fight as they’re moving deeper into the prison. Rick and his group come across some “walkers” in riot gear, making it incredibly hard to destroy them. The prison, which promises to be the location for some of the drama for at least the first half of Season 3, is extremely well-designed and looks about as real as any prison in a big-screen Hollywood film.
With a baby on the way and zombies lurking and roaming in different parts of the prison, as well as a member of Rick’s survivors attacked by a hungry, ugly flesh-eater (no, it will not be revealed here who it was), Season 3 is looking to be a truly scary, dark, engrossing and perhaps the best season yet of this apocalyptic series.
What do Liam Neeson, Denzel Washington, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Uma Thurman, and Steven Seagal have in common? They’re all spoofed in this skit from the October 13, 2012 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Christina Applegate.
“As our country chooses its next President, the Starz Denver Film Festival will give tens of thousands of local film lovers the opportunity to ‘Vote Film’ and experience the artistic creations of some of the world’s best film makers,” stated Festival Director Britta Erickson. “This year’s festival will offer an astounding array of film choices and the festivities that only SDFF can provide. This is one time you can vote often and never make a bad choice.
225+ films from 40 countries will be screened during this year’s festival, including 16 locally produced movies.
Opening Night, November 1 A Late Quartet – (DIRECTOR Yaron Zilberman, PRODUCERS Vanessa Coifman, David Faigenblum, Emanuel Michael, Tamar Sela, Mandy Tagger, Yaron Zilberman, WRITERS Seth Grossman, Yaron Zilberman, CAST Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mark Ivanir, Catherine Keener, Christopher Walken) – When cellist Peter (Christopher Walken) informs his string-quartet colleagues (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mark Ivanir, and Catherine Keener) that he’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, dramatic passions arise from within their artistic souls. The soundtrack and score by Angelo Badalamenti, featuring works by Haydn, Bach and Strauss, segue smoothly into the action.
Big Night, November 3 Quartet – (DIRECTOR Dustin Hoffman, PRODUCERS Finola Dwyer, Stewart Mackinnon, WRITER Ronald Harwood, CAST Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly, Sheridan Smith, Pauline Collins) – Making his directing debut at age 75, Dustin Hoffman brings an optimistic take on aging to this dramatic comedy about a houseful of retired-but still very much kicking-theater folk. Classical music absorbs the characters, played by a star-studded cast that includes Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay.
Closing Night, November 10 Silver Linings Playbook – (DIRECTOR/WRITER David O. Russell, PRODUCERS Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon, CAST Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Julia Stiles, Chris Tucker) – Writer-director David O. Russell explores the dysfunctional family in his darkly comic adaptation of Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel. Released from a psychiatric facility into the care of his not-so-sane parents (Jackie Weaver and Robert DeNiro), Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) finds solace in the company of a psychotic young widow (Jennifer Lawrence).
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Any Day Now – (DIRECTOR Travis Fine PRODUCERS Travis Fine, Kristine Hostetter Fine, Chip Houirihan, WRITERS Travis Fine, George Bloom, CAST Alan Cumming, Garret Dillahunt, Frances Fisher, Isaac Leyva, Gregg Henry, Jamie Allman, Kelli Williams, Chris Mulkey) – A moving and entertaining portrayal of a gay adoption case from 1970s California, Any Day Now pairs a flamboyant drag performer (Alan Cumming) with a straitlaced and tightly closeted district attorney as the would-be permanent custodians of a teenager with Down syndrome.
Art of Conflict – (DIRECTOR Valeri Vaughn) – Narrated by Vince Vaughn, this eye-opening documentary examines how the street art of murals tells the story of Northern Ireland’s history and the violent Troubles, through interviews with muralists, political figures, art historians, and people who live and work in the region.
Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie – (DIRECTORS Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, Jeremy Newberger, WRITER Daniel A. Miller) – Before Beck and Limbaugh, another populist reigned supreme. Re-meet Morton Downey Jr., the original f**king loudmouth. Lower the safety bar for a roller-coaster ride through Downey’s euphoric ascent to fame and nauseating plummet to infamy.
The Fitzgerald Family Christmas – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Edward Burns, PRODUCERS Edward Burns, Aaron Lubin, William Rexer, CAST Kerry Bishé, Connie Britton, Edward Burns, Heather Burns, Dara Coleman, Brian D’Arcy James, Marsha Dietlein Bennett, Noah Emmerich, Caitlin FitzGerald) – Writer/director/star Edward Burns revisits the working-class, Irish-American roots of The Brothers McMullen, his 1995 breakout hit at Sundance, to fashion this holiday dramedy about a family reluctantly allowing a visit by the clan’s patriarch after an absence of 20 years.
Free Samples – (DIRECTOR Jay Gammill, PRODUCERS Eben Kostbar, Joseph McKelheer, WRITERS Jim Beggarly, CAST Jess Weixler, Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Ritter, Tippi Hedren) – In Jay Gammill’s debut, angry law school dropout Jillian has to hand out ice cream samples after a night of heavy drinking. Sporting a wicked hangover, she doles out more than her customers bargain for as she faces her own existential dilemma. Jesse Eisenberg and Tippi Hedren contribute.
Grassroots – (DIRECTOR Stephen Gyllenhaal, PRODUCERS MRB Productions, Matt R. Brady, Peggy Case, Michael Huffington, Peggy Rajski, Brent Stiefel, WRITERS Stephen Gyllenhaal, Justin Rhodes, CAST Jason Biggs, Joel David Moore, Cedric the Entertainer, Cobie Smulders, Lauren Ambrose) – In this fact-based dramatic comedy, scenes of beautiful but traffic-choked Seattle make a strong case for young City Council candidate Grant Cogswell’s single cause: extension of the city’s quiet, efficient monorail. Cogswell improbably came very close to unseating the incumbent in 2001.
Hyde Park on Hudson – (DIRECTOR Roger Michell, PRODUCERS David Aukin, Kevin Loader, WRITER Richard Nelson CAST Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Williams, Elizabeth Marvel, Olivia Colman, Sam Creed) – International affairs must be juggled with the complexities of FDR’s domestic establishment when the president (Bill Murray) and his wife host the king and queen of England in upstate New York as Britain faces imminent war with Germany.
Jayne Mansfield’s Car – (DIRECTOR Billy Bob Thornton PRODUCER Geyer Kosinski, WRITERS Tom Epperson, Billy Bob Thornton, CAST Kevin Bacon, Ray Stevenson, Robert Patrick, Robert Duvall, John Hurt, Tippi Hedren) – Two families are brought together in 1969 Alabama by the death of a woman who was married first to Jim (Robert Duvall) and then to Kingsley (John Hurt). The families struggle with resentments, jealousy, fear of aging, and the tension between three generations of fathers and sons whose notions of manhood are shaped by their exposure to combat.
The Life and Times of Paul the Psychic Octopus – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Alexandre O. Philippe, PRODUCERS Alexandre O. Philippe, Robert Muratore) – Octopus as oracle? So say believers in Paul the psychic cephalopod, who correctly predicted the winners of eight 2010 World Cup soccer matches. Director Alexandre O. Philippe (The People vs. George Lucas) explores Paul’s meteoric rise to celebrity status in this charming documentary.
The Sapphires – (DIRECTOR Wayne Blair PRODUCERS Rosemary Blight, Kylie Du Fresne WRITERS Tony Briggs, Keith Thompson CAST Chris O’Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens, Miranda Tapsell) – Exuberant renditions of classic Motown tunes carry this upbeat musical comedy/drama, based on the true story of a talented all-Aboriginal Australian girl group who win a contest to tour Vietnam entertaining American troops-and often dodging bullets.
Shadow Dancer – (DIRECTOR James Marsh, PRODUCERS Chris Coen, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, WRITER Tom Bradby, CAST Clive Owen, Andrea Riseborough, Gillian Anderson, Aidan Gillen, Domhnall Gleeson) – When a young Irish mother (Andrea Riseborough) is arrested for planting an IRA bomb in a London subway, she must choose between separation from her son and threatening the safety of her brothers. Clive Owen plays the MI5 agent whose job it is to co-opt her.
Stand Up Guys – (DIRECTOR Fisher Stevens, PRODUCERSSidney Kimmel, Tom Rosenbeg, Gary Lucchesi, Jim Tauber, WRITER Noah Haidle, CAST Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Julianna Margulies) – Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin star in this action comedy as retired gangsters reunited for one epic night. The three try to compensate for missed decades of crime, drugs, and sex, but one has been put in an impossible quandary by a former mob boss.
FILMS IN COMPETITION
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM
Alps – (DIRECTOR Giorgos Lanthimos, PRODUCERS Giorgos Lanthimos, Athina Rachel Tsangari, WRITERS Efthymis Filippou, Giorgos Lanthimos, CAST Stavros Psyllakis, Aris Servetalis, Johnny Vekris, Ariane Labed, Aggeliki Papoulia) – A paramedic, a nurse, a gymnast, and her coach provide the service of standing in for the recently deceased, by appointment. In this darkly comic, existential tale, director Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth) employs intertwining plots, striking camerawork and stirring performances to blur the line between reality and make-believe.
Barbara – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Christian Petzold, PRODUCERS Florian Koerner von Gustorf, Michael Weber, CAST Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld, Jasna Fritzi Bauer, Mark Waschke, Rainer Bock) – An East German doctor who has been banished from 1980s Berlin finds comfort in her skills and her patients amid the bleakness of exile. Given the chance to reunite with her West German lover, she must weigh her dedication to her patients against her chance for a new life.
Guilty – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Vincent Garenq, PRODUCERS Christophe Rossignon, Philip Boeffard, CAST Philippe Torreton, Wladimir Yordanoff, Noémie Lvovsky, Raphael Ferret, Michèle Goddet) – This fact-based story of a man incarcerated nearly four years for horrific crimes he didn’t commit grippingly shows just how far awry the judicial process can fall. Viewers feel Alain Marécaux’s predicament with stunning immediacy as his life is slowly torn to shreds.
Lotus – (DIRECTOR Pascale Simons PRODUCER Marc Bary WRITER Philip Delmaar, CAST Monic Hendrickx, Edda Barends, Gaite Jansen, Martijn Lakemeijer, Chris Zegers, Georgina Verbaan, Peggy-Jane de Schepper, Nasrdin Dchar) – Bonds of love are tested to both humorous and sorrowful effect as couples and families tackle the challenging issues of suicide, injury, and infidelity. Five interwoven stories about need and desire create a rich tapestry of life-changing moments that take place in the space of 24 hours.
Paradise: Faith – (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Ulrich Seidl, WRITERS Ulrich Seidl, Veronika Franz, CAST Maria Hofstätter, Nabil Saleh, Natalya Baranova, Rene Rupnik) – Religion and sexuality clash in unexpected ways when a woman devoted to the Catholic Church goes on her annual pilgrimage to evangelize others, only to have her loose-cannon, wheelchair-bound Muslim husband return after two years to take his rightful place in the household.
Sister – (DIRECTOR Ursula Meier PRODUCERS Denis Freyd, Ruth Waldburger, WRITERS Antoine Jaccoud, Ursula Meier, CAST Léa Seydoux, Kacey Mottet Klein, Gillian Anderson) – A lower-class Swiss boy ascends to a luxury ski resort to steal from the wealthy patrons in order to support himself and his jobless sister. It’s a risky lifestyle that he handles well, until family matters intrude and threaten to take away what stability he’s been able to create for himself.
THE NEW DIRECTORS AWARD
28 Hotel Rooms – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Matt Ross, PRODUCERS Lynette Howell, Louise Runge, Samantha Housman, CAST Chris Messina, Marin Ireland) – In his directorial debut, Matt Ross takes a new approach to filmmaking with this collage of hotel-room scenes between lovers (Marin Ireland and Chris Messina) who are married to other people yet find themselves falling deeper and deeper into a profound relationship.
City World – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Brent Chesanek, PRODUCERS Brent Chesanek, Yvette Granata, Justin Strawhand CAST Sean Kaufman) – A beautifully drawn portrait of empty landscapes in Orlando, Florida, serves as backdrop for a boy’s ruminations on history and family. Images rich in atmosphere contrast with his notions about how Orlando came to be and what his life is like, now that he’s living alone with his father.
Consuming Spirits – (DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Chris Sullivan, CAST Robert Levy, Nancy Andrews, Chris Sullivan) – Consuming Spirits combines meticulous pencil drawing, collage, cutout, and stop-motion animation to weave a spell as it tells of three tormented souls with closely guarded secrets in an imaginary Appalachian town. Chris Sullivan’s film is a haunting ride for all who take the trip.
International Sign for Choking – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Zach Weintraub, PRODUCER Bradley Smith, CAST Zach Weintraub, Sophia Takal, Roger Delahaye) – Former exchange student Josh (writer/director Zach Weintraub) returns to Buenos Aires to work on a documentary, but can’t fit in. He meets fellow American Anna, and though there’s a mutual attraction, Josh’s feelings of alienation spoil any possibilities of a relationship.
Pincus – (DIRECTOR/WRITER David Fenster, CAST David Nordstrom, Dietmar Franosch, Paul Fenster, Christy Idavoy) – After becoming sole caretaker for his Parkinson’s-patient dad, slacker Pincus learns some life lessons despite himself. Director David Fenster drew from his experiences caring for his own father. With a cast of mostly family and friends-including Fenster’s dad-Pincus is part fiction, part documentary and wholly authentic.
Richard’s Wedding – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Onur Tukel, PRODUCERS Jason Klorfein, Devoe Yates, CAST Onur Tukel, Jennifer Prediger, Darrill Rosen, Jamie Dobie, Oona Mekas, Heddy Lahmann, Adam Schartoff, Lawrence Michael Levine, Dustin Guy Defa) – Writer/director Onur Tukel stars in this quirky comedy. Along with an offbeat group of comrades, Tuna is headed to Central Park for a friend’s wedding. As their conversation-from inane to profound-unfolds and wedding plans go awry, the pals’ faults and insecurities are exposed.
THE MAYSLES BROTHERS AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
Bestiaire – (DIRECTOR Denis Côté, PRODUCER Sylvain Corbeil) – French-Canadian director Denis Côté (an SDFF guest last year) looks at the fascinating interplay of human beings and exotic animals in this partially staged documentary, filmed at Quebec’s Parc Safari. He suggests a kind of loneliness we may not grasp-and that the creatures are curious about us, too.
Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters – (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Ben Shapiro, FEATURING Gregory Crewdson) – Brief Encounters is a journey inside the mind of legendary artist Gregory Crewdson and a work of art in its own right. The film documents Crewdson’s creative process, following him through small town Massachusetts as he sets up the “perfect frozen moment” for each mesmerizing photograph.
Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Stephen Vittoria, PRODUCERS Stephen Vittoria, Noelle Hanrahan, Katyana Farzanrad, FEATURING Cornel West, Alice Walker, Angela Davis, Rubin Hurricane Carter, Peter Coyote, Giancarlo Esposito, Dick Gregory, Ruby Dee, Tariq Ali, Amy Goodman) – Mumia Abu-Jamal joined the Black Panther Party at age 15, and reported on the revolutionary movement until his arrest for murder in 1981. Even on death row, his voice would not be silenced. Long Distance Revolutionary focuses on Abu-Jamal’s prolific writing, politics, and perseverance.
Private Universe (Soukromý vesmír) – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Helena Třestíková, PRODUCERS Kateřina Černá, Pavel Strnad) – Veteran Czech documentarian Helena Třestíková, the master of a time-lapse filming method she calls “time collection,” charts 37 years in the lives of the working-class Kettner family-from the birth of their son Honza, in 1974, on through his uncertain adulthood. In the same period, Třestíková’s homeland boots out Stalinist socialism and joins the European Union.
The Revisionaries – (DIRECTOR Scott Thurman, PRODUCERS Pierson Silver, Scott Thurman, Orlando Wood, WRITER Jawad Metni, Scott Thurman) – Dinosaurs rode on Noah’s Ark? The Earth was created a mere 10,000 years ago? The battle for young people’s minds resumes every ten years when the State Board of Education meets to revise Texas’s textbooks. The Revisionaries documents the ongoing fight between fundamentalists and academics.
Virgin Tales – (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Mirjam von Arx, WRITERS Mirjam von Arx, Michèle Wannaz) – No sex before marriage, not even a kiss? Randy Wilson, founder of the Purity Ball in Colorado Springs, believes young women’s bodies belong to God until the right man comes along. Virgin Tales documents two years with his evangelical Christian family as they promote chastity.
Fox has set a December 15, 2012 premiere date for the 25th season of the reality series, Cops. The first episode of season 25 kicks off by following cops in Toledo, Ohio, Sacramento, California; and Portland, Oregon. Episode two, titled “Ho Ho Ho!,” will focus on Portland, Alameda County, California; and Las Vegas, Nevada police officers. In addition, the upcoming season will include law enforcement officers from Kansas City, Florida, New Jersey, and Virginia. The show even returns to Broward County, Florida, where the very first episode was filmed.
