BY BELINDA BREMNER
It’s coming up to family reunion time and you’re wondering just what to say to everyone as they pinch your cheeks and squeal, "Ach, such a shayna punim!" or "Childagraceandholymercy, will ya look now at the size an’ cut of ya!" The aunts who envelop you in their talcy, doughy bosoms that put you off Bismarks for life. The uncles who pepper your shoulder with punches. The odious cousins with their 401K’s, who you just pray were heavily invested in Enron. What to say as you eschew the multi-level, Technicolor Jell-O mold–a salute to the 50’s–and the potato salad that has been fermenting nicely in the direct sunlight?
Ward off those awkward conversations about when you’re going to get a real job by asking them to write to their elected representatives (you just happen to have the names and addresses handy on 3x5 file cards with the Illinois Film Office’s number listed) and support House Bill 5850.
Call me unrelenting, but that’s what we have to be. Ron Ver Kuilen of the Illinois Film Office puts it this way: "Don’t let up. Business is slow. This is the only way we’re going to get back in the game. Government has to step up to the plate. Vendors must make a concerted effort, but it’s government that has to lead the way."
What’s happening on the film front? Well, there is Uncle Nino, which just added Anne Archer to the cast, and Normal. We’ll get a piece of Till Death Do Us Part later this summer (when Canada’s finished with it). That’s the Michael Douglas project for Warner Brothers. In the "definite maybe" category you can put Slow Burn, an indy with Paramount distribution. For Fever Pitch, we’ve created a new category, that of sub-definite maybe. Okay, so it’s about the Friendly Confines and they’re going to shoot it where, eh?
On the small screen, "The Mind of the Married Man" returns to shoot in July. And in August we will see visits from "ER" and "The West Wing."
Kristy Entwistle Nolen at Jane Aldermen Casting sends additional Normal bookings. To be seen are: Rich Komenich, Cynthia Baker, Dan Conway, Joe Foust, Tony Fitzpatrick, Anastasia Webb, Rondi Reed, Barbara Ann Grimes, Keith Anderson, Caitlin Hart, Josette Dicarlo, Olga Ravasi and Faith O’Gorman. Jane and Kristy visited the set recently and say that "everything is going great!" Jane said, "The director, Jane Anderson, couldn’t have been more effusive about the Chicago actors!"
And loads of film bookings for Uncle Nino from Tenner Paskal. Look for such rank nubies, rookie phenoms, and up and comers as Marilyn Dodds Frank, Chelcie Ross, John Judd, Mindy Bell, Krista Lally, Ora Jones, Ned Schmidtke, Margaret Kusterman, Ian Belknap, Freeman Coffey, Gary Houston, Maureen Gallagher, Michael Stahl David, Shané Williams, Jessica Szohr, Carley Reiff, Michael Keegan Key, Abby Sher and Dale Rivera. And a HUGE congratulations to the young and amazingly talented (not to mention all around great kid) Duke Doyle, who has landed a major role, graduated from high school, and will be off to college in the fall. And they recently cast the indy What Are You Having? Camilla Mulvihill was booked for Sears.
Claire Simon is casting an industrial for Jones Lang LaSalle. Jennifer Anglin was booked for a Shoppers Hotline Elite industrial. They are conducting a search for the Miramax film Bad Santa. She booked Christian Stolte in the SAG independent film Legwork. She booked John Ratzenberger in two episodes of "The Twilight Zone" for radio. And, in her spare time, she (and her able staff, minus, of course, the lovely Larissa Borkowski who is busy being married) is casting a spot for Homemakers. AND, she cast an industrial for Federal Express with: Patricia Pierre-Antoine, John Kelly Connolly, Marco Verna, Drew Bratton, Anthony Conti, the amazingly talented and perpetually employed Aaron Christiansen, Carolina Jimenez, Michelle Go, Sara Fisher, Dave Ouano, Karmann Bajogo, Sam Holloway, Larry Kucharik, David Nolan, Katie Johnston and Garrett Lash.
And Lily’s sends word that there were industrial bookings for clients: Carlos Bendeitd, Cheryl Hamada, Nikole Childress, Sam Holloway, Percy Smith, Amelia Cunningham, Taylar, Jenny Lin, Michael Boone, Turner Simmons, Joni Busch, David Johnson, William Belongia, Mark Nathan, JJ Pido, Karen Weinberg, Bryan Martorano, Jermaine Randle and Nancy Oda. Voice-overs were booked by Ana Maria Alvarez, Kecia Cooper, Lisa Keefe and Judy Carmen. And Canilla Atkins, Clover Campbell, Gina Rodriguez and Ricky Talavera. Zach Hatch and Madelyn Snow, they report, were booked for Uncle Nino. And they have, to handle all this activity, enlarged their staff. Joining the happy band are Jessica Thomas, a recent graduate from Northern Illinois University, who will head the voice-over department, and Nancy Moricette, who recently graduated from the Theatre Conservatory of the College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University who "has been hired to add more energy and a smile to (the) ever busy office." Energy and smiles? That would be our Nancy.
Looking for a great summer beach/hammock read? The lovely Sarajane Avidon’s Cruising For Murder, written with Susan Sussman, is now available in paperback. The indomitable Sarajane is on to the next book starring her actress detective.
Peace.