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sxsw Interview: Austin High School Alum Marshall Allman Discusses his New Film ‘Blue Like Jazz’ and the Meaning of Life

	April 24th, 2012 by donna white	

	Marshall Allman is probably best known as Sam Merlotte’s resentful shape-shifting brother on the HBO series True Blood, but as star and executive producer of Blue Like Jazz (based on the comedic and inspirational best-seller by Donald Miller), he’s no longer in anyone’s shadow.  While Blue Like Jazz screened at sxsw, I had the opportunity to sit down with Allman and talk about the pressures of bringing a beloved book to the big screen. The following is a transcript of our conversation:

	DW: Let’s start at the beginning. How did Blue Like Jazz come to you?

	MA: I got an email out of the blue from a friend who knew some folks who wanted to contact me about this movie.  It just slipped through the cracks and I honestly just forgot about it. A couple of weeks later he emailed again and said, “Hey, I really wanna give these people your contact info.”  You know? Like, come back to earth! So I said, yeah, and later that night I got an email from writer/director Steve Taylor that said, “You’re on the short list of actors we’re considering for the lead in this Film, will you read the script and let us know if you’re interested?”

	DW: That’s pretty flattering.

	MA: Oh yeah, but you know when you get a script that doesn’t come from your agent …

	DW: … you have no idea if it’s quality?

	MA: I’ll tell you right now, 95% of the time it’s junk and you can tell within the first 5 pages. So I got a few pages in with this one and I was like, wow. So I emailed him back just a couple hours later right after I read it and said, “Hey man, I know you have your short list of actors but your search is done! I’m the guy, and thank you for the offer.” (laughs) He wrote back and said, “That wasn’t necessarily an offer…” (laughing)

	DW: But there’s one forthcoming?

	MA: Yeah, he said, “I won’t offer it to anyone else until we meet.” So about a week later we met and I was really nervous. We sat down at a little place to eat lunch and he came in and handed me a mixed CD, kind of like a soundtrack that he envisioned would go with the Film and he said, “You got the part, man.” So I was really grateful. It made it easier for me to eat my meal.

	DW: (laughs) You’re listed as executive producer on the Film. How did that come about? Read the rest of this entry »

	Tags: blue like jazz, donald miller, donna white, marshall allman, sxsw, true blood
Posted in Film, News | 1 Comment »	

this weekend is osmf!!!!!!

	April 16th, 2012 by Russ	

	Posted in News | No Comments »	

Mary Poppins on Broadway, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Indeed

	April 13th, 2012 by Molly Davis	

	The Broadway production of “Mary Poppins” was more than just a spoon full of sugar, it was a heaping scoop of happiness. As soon as Mary Poppins reached in her bag and pulled out that coat rack, I knew I was in for a treat. I highly recommend making it to the Bass Concert Hall in Austin to check out this wonderful musical that simply brought the story of Mary Poppins to life! The show is running from April 10th to the 15th and in my opinion, is enjoyable and entertaining for all ages.

	If you have seen the movie “Mary Poppins”, you will experience moments of remembrance of the wonderful songs such as “Chim Chim Cheree”, “A Spoon full of Sugar” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”. If you haven’t seen the Film, the newer original songs written by George Styles and Anthony Drewe were equally exciting and represented the story in such a meaningful way. My favorite number was the scene during “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”. The choreography was rich with sharp gestures and comedic positions as the dancers and characters spelled out the famous word through movement and fast paced rhythm. As I took a look around to see the expressions on viewers’ faces…I realized that I wasn’t the only one who was smiling from ear to ear. This was something I could not help but notice throughout the show, pure happiness.

	I was much younger when I first watched the movie “Mary Poppins”, so I know that I probably missed out on a lot of the insinuated humor. However, I noticed every last joke and pun during this play! It was filled with hilarious moments that anyone could appreciate. Along with the comedy came some very valuable themes for any society. The song “Feed the Birds” was a beautiful lesson to the fast paced, task oriented person who is too busy to notice the least of these. Watching “George Banks” in the realization of the importance of feeding the birds and acknowledging the woman in the park brought chills to my heart…much like several moments in the show. These actors had talent that can only come from Broadway itself.

	This was also my first experience being in the Bass Concert Hall and I was very impressed! The Stadium seating is perfect for a performance of this kind because every seat is a valuable one. I cannot wait to see “Les Miserables” Broadway tour in this theater May 29th thru July 3rd. I would encourage all to attend these amazing Broadway shows and become a part of the magic on stage.

	Posted in News | No Comments »	

sxsw Interview: girl Model Filmmakers share a shocking secret about the making of their Film

	March 23rd, 2012 by donna white	

	I met A. Sabin and David Redmon on the verandah of the Four Seasons Hotel overlooking Town Lake. Sabin is darkly beautiful and carries a quiet confidence, while David is a bit more intense. They look like the serious, award-winning documentarians they are, but that doesn’t stop them from getting distracted and a bit giddy when we’re joined on the terrace by a couple of celebrities posing for local press. After the excitement dies down and David and I discuss our shared roots in the DFW area, we dig in to the topic at hand: girl Model, a Film which documents the recruiting of under-age girls in remote Siberia for Modeling in Japan.

	Three-quarters of the way into our Interview, things take a dark and unexpected turn, but we began with some background on the story.

	DW: How did you first hear about this agency doing cattle calls in Siberia?

	AS: We were approached in 2007 by Ashley, the Model scout. At that point she sent us an email and the story was about Modeling and prostitution, and the fine line between both. But our style of Filmmaking is verite so we document events as they unfold. For us that creates a complexity in the story. So we had obvious concerns that she said this is the story that I think you should follow. We sort of pulled back and said we don’t want to make an investigative piece. But that’s how we initially got the story through Ashley and then it became something quite different.

	DW:  I have to say that’s surprising to me because Ashley seems so conflicted about what she’s doing. It wouldn’t seem like she would approach you to open herself up like that.

	AS: She s complicated. I think that’s why audiences respond to her so strongly because they’re trying to figure her out, to understand her motivation. Read the rest of this entry »

	Tags: donna white, girl Model, Interview, movies, pbs, pov, sxsw
Posted in Film | No Comments »	

sxsw Review: girl Model

	March 22nd, 2012 by donna white	

	This haunting documentary opens on a huge ‘cattle call’ of girls from small villages in Siberia. They stand in bikinis, some with arms folded across their breasts, others with slumped shoulders, signs of obvious self-consciousness. They are here to audition for an opportunity to Model in Japan, but most don’t look like future Models at all. It looks more like a very large gym class lined up for weigh-in. They don’t flaunt or carry themselves in a presentational manner. No matter how pretty they may be, most of them look like gangly, innocent youngsters and that’s exactly what they are. As young as 13, they’re here because they dream of “getting out” and making money for their struggling families. But it will mean leaving behind everything they know and finding themselves in a strange land, at the mercy of a cruel industry.

	When we first meet Ashley Arbaugh, an American scout who works exclusively for the Japanese Modeling agency, she tells us she believes she’s “saving” these girls and giving them a chance in the west. But as we get a creepy feeling watching these minors being poked and prodded like so much market beef, and photographed in skimpy clothes so their bodies can be assessed and measured, Ashley fully admits that it’s the look of wide-eyed innocence they’re after. She then tells us that they pre-screen girls even younger than 13 in the villages. “Before anybody else gets there, we get the girls.”

	A 13-year-old named Nadya is chosen from among the hundreds who showed up. Read the rest of this entry »

	Tags: a. sabine, david redmon, donna white, Film reviews, girl Model, movies, pbs, pov, sxsw
Posted in Film | No Comments »	

sxsw Interview: Jack Black talks Bernie, Prison Conditions, Gospel Music, and Tenacious D

	March 22nd, 2012 by donna white	

	Jack Black saunters in wearing a cool black western shirt, black jeans, and neon lime green sneakers. He’s also carrying a drink which may or may not contain something more than Coca-Cola at 1pm. Sometimes thoughtful and incredibly articulate, other times profane and silly, he keeps the roundtable Interview jazzed. He’s got a touch of magic about him. He’s also got a fine performance in Bernie that he is (rightfully) proud of.

	I was invited to attend this roundtable Interview with several other...