BY BELINDA BREMNER
Things seem to be picking up a bit. 'Course everyone is keeping their collective fingers crossed about the pending writers’ strike. We gotta have those movies and television shows!
Speaking of movies, add Paul Newman and Jude Law to the cast of the Tom Hanks film billed as the Mendes/Zanuck project, but which is also doing business as Road To Perdition. And more hearthrobs will be gracing our fair city when Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Don Cheedle and Casey Affleck come to town to film the remake of Oceans 11, which also stars Elliot Gould and Alan Arkin (oh yes, let’s not forget Julia Roberts). It will be directed by Steven Soderbergh of Traffic and Erin Brockovich fame and will be here mid-month for a week or so. The Muhammad Ali biopic will roll soon. Tanya Wexler is coming to town with Crazy Love–otherwise known as Milwaukee, Minnesota. The independent Ball In The House is set. "ER" has just visited and Stuart Little II is scouting.
As always Jane Alderman cast for "ER" when they were here. Meg Thalkin made a return appearance as McManus the paramedic.
Claire Simon Casting is still booking folks for the Joan Cusack show. Late additions include Ron Dean, Misha Kunetsov and Rich Talarico. Claire is casting for the Muhammad Ali story and will be doing the NBC pilot season. Commercials cast in her office include spots for Biggs Grocery and General Motors.
Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean that the philanthropy needs to stop. If your theatre company would like to, they can easily make a curtain speech and pass the hat for Hearts of the Arts, the charity established to aid kids and their families in the Englewood neighborhood. The cast of Mrs. Coney at Bailiwick did just that and raised $250.00. Of course, Cynthia Cook de la Fuente was smart enough to make the pitch herself but put young Duke Doyle at the door with cap in hand. The audience didn’t have a prayer! Call Claire Simon or Stacey Schafer to find out how you can help.
And the lovely ladies at Tenner Paskal are still hard at work on that Mendes Zanuck project as well as Crazy Love a.k.a. Milwaukee Minnesota. Add Eddie Jemmison to the cast of Oceans 11 for which they will also do local casting. For Ball In The House they booked Greg Sandquist, Rick Peeples, Stephen Rose (who also appeared in Traffic) Eddie Bo Smith, Nathan Kiley and Larry Nash.
The newest kids on the block, Chicago Casting Center, are in serious search mode. They are conducting searches for an untitled pilot for JJ Abrahms who wrote Armageddon and is the producer-director of "Felicity." They are also searching for such projects as, and I quote here, "an interactive drama in the style of "Twin Peaks," "Northern Exposure" and "Fargo"–whatever that means! Small town strange? Switching to searches for theatre, they are working on Songs From The Tall Grass to premiere at the Ford Center.
And things theatrical leads us to bookings from Trap Door Casting. Most recently they worked on Tiny Leaps Productions’ independent film, Homesick Blues for which they cast Kwaku Driskall. They are currently working on a project for Zacuto Films.
Polly at Baker Rowley reports that there were industrial bookings for Pam Mack, Nick Buenger, and John Dingles. Voice-overs went to Craig Boyd. Pam Mack, Marshari Bain. Lorado Shepherd, Cliff Frazier, Coco Elysses, Llou Johnson and Owen Yen. Thomas McElroy, Sr. and Naomi Armstrong booked commercials.
Lily’s Lucky Seven includes: Tiffany Johnson, Giselle Ruecking, Laura Stigler, Joe and Frank Ramirez, J. David Shanks and Dante Brown. Commercial bookings at Lily’s went to Pat Martin and Roosevelt’s own Parvesh Cheema. Lots of industrials as well. They were booked by: Amelia Cunningham, Nancy Oda, the exquisite Jenna Ford Jackson, Max Chung, Ron Mace, Lee Fuller, Gina Taliaferro, Keith Uchima, Jim Goss, Karen Weinberg, Karen Hess, Stacey Parker, Kelly Longi, Bill Rickert, Adam Budz, Brian Barth, and Christopher Stringini.
And over at Emilia Lorence more industrials. These went to Jane McCready, Tim Gamble, Varen Black, Dawn Bach, John Conrad, Patrick Clear and Pam Mack. Commercials were booked by David Fell, Helen Ashley, Manny Sosa and Stan Adams. And Jeff Hines, Douglas Alan Mann and Kevin Theis booked voice-overs.
Sooooooo, if you’re lucky enough to get out of the cold and gray, don’t forget to book out with your agents. For the rest of us, hang in there. Things can be worse, and are for many folks. Help out where you can. Anyone knit?
Peace.