Rick Overton and John Fuglesang can handle THE WHOLE TRUTH!

Two American comic geniuses in the cast of THE WHOLE TRUTH share what the film is about.

Rick ("Uri Standinoff") and John ("prosecutor Jordan Smith") are frequent guests on The Stephanie Miller Show and are in constant demand for their stand up performances. John recently completed the run of his acclaimed one man show, ALL THE WRONG REASONS, in London.

Eric Roberts talks about playing his hil-arious role

In THE WHOLE TRUTH.

I love casting actors against type - but *only* if they're great actors.

And that certainly describes Eric!

Why Elisabeth Röhm identifies with her wacky character in THE WHOLE TRUTH

In THE WHOLE TRUTH, Elisabeth plays Angela Masters, a super acting coach who, instead of including Hollywood stars as clients, helps criminals with "character transformations" (personality transplants) so they'll appeal to juries just enough to be acquitted.

Life is good - she thinks she has all the answers - until karma steps up to collect for helping all those crooks avoid being accountable for their illegal indiscretions.

And Angela's karmic debt is large.

Terrifying.

And worst of all, publicly humiliating.

Sean Patrick Flanery: Why I wanted THE WHOLE TRUTH!

I can't explain his make-up and state of undress - you'll have to see the movie to understand the scene from which he emerged to talk with us behind the scenes!

Elisabeth Rohm: why she wanted THE WHOLE TRUTH

As I've mentioned, Elisabeth had done no comedy - and she's incredible as Angela in THE WHOLE TRUTH. After studying the classics (Twentieth Century, His Girl Friday, Ball of Fire, so many more) and the comedic performances of the greats: Carole Lombard, Rosiland Russell, Barbara Stanwyck, Lucille Ball and more, she developed her own classic character for which those women would give her (very) high fives!

My turn - working with Elisabeth Röhm

I told the never-done-comedy before actress:

1. comedy is sincerity on steroids

2. comedy requires the actor be fearless

She took it from there.

Producer Larry Estes speaks up!

Larry comes with *quite* the producing pedigree.

Larry was responsible for SEX, LIES AND VIDEO TAPE, among several other indie feature classics (GAS FOOD LODGING, SMOKE SIGNALS). Even with some 80 films under his belt, he says I was full of surprising "firsts" for this seasoned veteran as I made THE WHOLE TRUTH.

THE WHOLE TRUTH executive producer Gary Allen Tucci

He's also my business partner in Heart Break Productionz.

Gary's a self-made man who's been working at physical labor since he was 12 before becoming a captain of industry; he competes in Iron Man events just for fun, but his primary allegiance is to his family - he's a devoted dad and husband.

THE WHOLE TRUTH is his first venture into filmmaking, and his passion for film and the new chapter in his life as an independent film executive producer make him one of the happiest guys you'll meet!






And here is the new poster, thanks to photoshop whiz Josh Garretson, who came to us via photographer Adam Weintraub.

Jim Holmes talks about working on THE WHOLE TRUTH!

Jim Holmes, who plays "Brad Sanders" in THE WHOLE TRUTH, also did a comedy improv session with me on camera during our EPK (electronic press kit - backstage stuff) interview session -- that we're using for the bonus DVD! Editor Stephen Myers thought it too cruel to cut it up. I agree!

The soul of an artist/Everyone's a critic

(I feel a little self-absorbed writing about this while so many courageous Iranians put their lives on the line for fair elections and government transparency. Seems that should be the focus of my thoughts - but so many others are covering this story/issue, I'll just say my heart is with those fighting to better their nation and free it from the grasp of petty tyrants.)

Generating a work of art is a daunting, hellish proposition on a good day.

First, there's the "creating something out of nothing" step. Blank page, empty easel, block of clay, silence, barren stage, bolts of unused fabric, yards of plain lumber, undeveloped film, unfettered website- you get the idea.

From there comes the idea of how to fill that space, actualize the ethereal, so others can view, listen, use or interact with whatever is virtually brought "to life." It moves from the spiritual to the material.

The artist - whether gardener or architect - has something to say. Something to show in his or her own way, using his or her own medium with the support of whatever muse(s) instigates the process.

Every artist has a learning curve - and whether for the love of the art alone or to make a living, with the guidance of mentors, experience, success, teachers, books, videos, coaches or supervisors - each stage has its own level of progress. Sometimes phenomenal, sometimes small strides.

Thomas Edison said he never experienced the more than 6,000 attempts to invent the light bulb "failures." He only saw them as steps toward creating what he envisioned.

Here's my definition of an artist: someone who can't NOT conceive and concoct his or her art. No matter the expense, time, sacrifice, the difficulty or drudgery. It's a passion that cannot be denied for any reason that would sound rational to most. They simply cannot stop doing making they do.

Like, I can't NOT write; I can't NOT direct; I can't NOT work with actors; I can't NOT produce. I can't NOT sing. And I can't NOT take photographs.

So we produce whatever we do for whatever inexplicable reason we do it. It takes thousands of hours, sweat, blood, tears, sleepless nights - depending on the art - collaboration or consultation. And in some cases, a lot of money.

My most recent work for public display is a feature film that showed at a film festival, in its festival incarnation. No film is actually finished until the distributor releases it in whatever form deemed most cost worthy/efficient. So changes may well be made along the way to clarify the vision.

Most people loved/liked it. Those who did not were freakishly harsh. We were not prepared for the hostility that ran deeply not just toward the film and me but the cast.

As usual, the folks who loved it called, emailed, sent flowers and cards to me and our cast. Those amateur critics who didn't went to industry websites. It was as if they were angry - about what?

One person said the film he saw wasn't the film advertised; we aren't responsible for that. I've seen a lot of this at film festivals - descriptions don't fit films. But I never got mad about it or felt the need to attack anyone's work because of it.

Funnily enough, igniting passions on both sides is seen as a good thing by those who market films. "Tapping into people's passion is the name of the game," I'm told.

Listening to good, even great, criticism, can assist one's artistic growth. Being vulnerable around those who are basically name-callers only creates confusion, hurt and wonder about why they're so upset, and why their comments are so personal.

They don't like the genre? Don't watch the genre. Don't understand the film? Maybe read the director's statement or learn something about it. In our case, it's film history. Don't think the film is done the way it "should be?" The way it's been done in the past? Check out why the filmmaker has taken a new path.

It's been a tough week trying to separate the wheat from the chaff, and letting the rest go. I think the reason it's so confusing to me is that I spend almost all my energy creating, so the thought of tearing someone's art down feels like an ill tempered, unnecessary waste of time. If I'm asked for a thoughtful critique, I'm happy to oblige, however.

I recall a friend whose book we celebrated when it came out on amazon.com. The book was about helping people break into the film industry. The writer had the experience, credentials and teaching background to do just that. She spent a long time writing the book and the publisher had a great editor supervise.

As soon as it appeared on amazon.com, absolutely vicious reviews appeared, along with the infamous "one star." The reviews had nothing really to do with the book's contents, but disparaged the subject and for some unknown reason, its author.

My friend was horrified and crushed; I was in complete shock. Why would someone do that for something so well intended, providing literally thousands of dollars' of free advice and education for like $13/US?

Anyone reading the comments, or just seeing the dreaded one star would think it was junk. It was anything but junk, but the person reading the "reviews" would have no idea of the book's true value.

I can only think of one reason someone would do this, other than they simply could: power.

Otherwise powerless people can feel a false sense of power putting someone or something down.

In this day of massive access to online outlets for opinion, there's plenty of powerlessness expressed. Online newspaper stories that allow comments find "opinions" that are shocking in their negativity, harshness and need to be self-righteously "right" about their perceptions. None other exist.

That's the cool thing about being an artist; we're always looking for different ways of seeing something.

OK, be that as it might - what does an artist do with such extreme reactions from an audience? After all, opinions are not facts.

Industry folks say ignore it. They do. Most actors don't read reviews because reviewers can be so fraught with extreme opinions either way - a true crazy maker if you buy into it.

A work of art is just that - like it or not, it's out there and we can't compromise our vision or style or work because a few people don't like it. Or, for that matter, *just* because people love it. We have to be true to ourselves as well as our vision and intent while growing and learning to be better at what we do.

My decision: let the others in the production team who aren't artists read them and bring excellent comments from which we can glow, grow or learn. And direct those who love it to places they can review it as well.

Most people in our audience had no idea they could even submit a "review"; they thought those they read were from professionals. Um, no. Something to be aware of when you read them, especially on industry sites now.

I'm also reading about films and performances that were at first eviscerated by established critics, hurting them at the BO. Here's an abbreviated list:

Star Wars ("Better luck next time, George..")
It's A Wonderful Life!
Wuthering Heights
Bladerunner (by Roger Ebert who now puts it on his top ten of all time)
Bringing Up Baby
The English Patient

Point is, a film, like any work of art - like it or not - will find its audience or not, regardless of what anyone says to persuade you one way or the other!

Case in point ... critics panned Sandra Bullock's new film THE PROPOSAL.

Stick a fork in her, she's done. Too old for the role at 45. Weak script. Bad casting. Even her charm can't save this film, low star rating on IMDb, yadda yadda.

Guess what? It came in #1 at the BO for the weekend, pulling in more than $34 million - beating out lots of now, wow, hip and hep au courant stars and remakes.

Too many folks were jonesin' for Sandra's gorgeous romcom presence and some light hearted, silly, reliable and familiar happy ending entertainment - probably with some old jokes, too.

I admit - as a "serious" indie film maker, I'm seeing it - even buying a little popcorn. And a soda.

Sean Patrick Flanery about working on THE WHOLE TRUTH

After seeing THE WHOLE TRUTH world premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival, Sean announced, "I *love* this film! I'm excited as hell about it!"

We held our breath to see what he'd say, 'cause the film is a risky new take on the over the top, old fashioned screwball comedy - so we are thrilled with his proclamation!

BTW, as you'll hear me say in one of my EPK (Electronic Press Kit - behind the scenes) interviews, Sean has a great singing voice! You'll hear it when we release the DVD's - we're dedicating one DVD to all the interviews and backstage fun we had during the shoot. Seriously, Sean could have a new career if he wanted - I hope he agrees to sing if interviewers ask when he's out on the road!

Sean, Sean he's our man!
If he can't sing it, no one can!

EPK fun with Jim, Gary, Larry, Aaron, Danyale and ... moi!

We finished our EPK (electronic press kit) interviews (backstage stuff) for THE WHOLE TRUTH Thursday!

Actor Jim Holmes ("Brad Sanders" in TWT - you may recognize him from a hundred other roles he's had in projects like 24, Boston Legal, films galore), my business partner Gary Allen Tucci, producer Larry Estes and I each chatted about our experiences making the film, working with the entire cast and crew, and our impressions of the film itself.





My assistant, Aaron Heinzen, posed the questions as we sat on the hotseat for Dave Wilson's camera.

Aaron is a pro - in addition to working for radio stations in the past, he is also the color commentator for FOX Sports Northwest (FSN) television at all the Portland Timbers professional MLS soccer games.

There's a big game coming up between the Timbers and chief rival the Seattle Sounders Wednesday, July 1 in case you'd like to catch him in action.

Deal is - Aaron is a former professional soccer player. He played for the Timbers until injuries caught up with him. But he lives in Seattle. So of course as a color commentator for the Timbers if you hear any bias ... it's only because he carries a warm spot in his heart for the team with which he played.



Anyway, he did a great job tossing thoughtful questions at us, then following up on our answers. You'll see the results of our interviews over the next several weeks - but here are some photos of the EPK session I caught as the day progressed.



Here's Gary in the hair and make-up chair. He told us that as we age, little hairs we have in our ears fall out - and cause problems with our equilibrium.

That's why we have trouble negotiating gravity as we get into our senior years.

O...K. Thank you for sharing, Gary!

Fortunately, our hair and make-up artist Danyale Cook avoided cutting his ear hairs so his interview was very balanced.

The beautiful Danyale asked that I not take her picture because she wasn't feeling photogenic. I know I have days like that. But she was kind enough to let us use her Pure Alchemy Salon (completely green, too!) for our interviews. It's a lovely shoppe with a terrific ambiance; nothing pretentious, which is what we're all about.


Danyale puts a little make-up on Gary to bring out his eyes for the camera ... this is a rough and rugged self-made man. He started working at physical labor since he was 12 and does Iron Man competitions for fun.

But he was totally at ease with all the hair and make-up fussing it takes to look good on camera so he could talk about his experience as executive producer for THE WHOLE TRUTH.


"Did you see me in 24?"

"I think everyone did, Jim"

"Did you see me in Boston Legal?"

I actually did an improv sketch on camera with him! It took a lot of nerve performing with this guy - he's the master of timing!

Jim's also a drama teacher for the theater department at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles! Or is that theatre department, Jim? ;-)

Producer Larry Estes gets his hair washed .. Danyale gave him a haircut.

After the taping.

In his EPK interview you'll see Lar with his old do, which is long and mega curly!


Danyale's wanted to get her hands on those curls since she first met him!

Danyale did the brilliant hair work on THE WHOLE TRUTH. She creates phenomenal wigs one hair at a time - she's one of the few hair artists who can do the work she does. She has been with the Seattle Opera for years.




Here's producer Larry with his longer locks as he and executive producer Gary chat.


OK, I won't be insulted. Photographer Dave Wilson and Aaron look at the monitor trying to figure out how to frame me in the most attractive way.


"I don't know. What do you think?"


"Gosh. I don't know. What do you think?"


Guys. I can hear you! ;-)

A fun, productive day - I'll show you the results over the next few weeks!

Rick Overton and John Fugelsang have their say!

Two American comic geniuses with whom I had the pleasure of working on THE WHOLE TRUTH talk about their experience!

What Kristina Lilley says about my acting coaching!

For those who don't know, Kristina Lilley is a famous actress in Spanish-speaking nations and on Telemundo (NBC owned Spanish speaking network) in the US.

She's especially well-known for her roles as villains - bad bad sexy vixens - but in THE WHOLE TRUTH, she plays a good cop (a role she's always wanted to portray!). This is her first role in an English-speaking feature film!

I was her acting coach for two years when she lived in Seattle with her then husband, who was taking advanced studies at the University of Washington. At the end of his studies, they moved back to Colombia, South America, where she resumed her work in television and films.

Kristina got the role by auditioning. Me being her former acting coach did not play a part in her getting cast. But being familiar with her skills, background, dedication, non-diva attitude and how easy she is to work with definitely made me think of her when we were looking at actors to audition for the role.

Here she talks about how she found me through this website - and why it persuaded her to contact me!

What Eric Roberts says about working with me as a director!

First TWT EPK interview posted with Elisabeth Rohm!

Translation:

The first series of backstage interviews (EPK=electronic press kit) for our screwball comedy feature, THE WHOLE TRUTH (TWT), are edited and the first one, featuring leading lady Elisabeth Röhm, is now posted on YouTube. Here it is:


Four more are going up tomorrow - with TWT actors Sean Patrick Flanery, Eric Roberts, Kristina Lilley and the dynamic duo of Rick Overton and John Fugelsang (who interview one another!).

Following that will be more interviews with them well as EPK chats with me, executive producer Gary Allen Tucci and producer Larry Estes.

We're talking about - demystifying - the process, the hard work and the fun that will be engaging and informative for audience members as well as those who are budding filmmakers. I hope you check them out!

Gay penguins hatch egg, raise healthy chick

Two male Humbolt penguin partners at the Bremerhaven Zoo in Germany adopted an egg rejected by its heterosexual parents.

Check out Z and Vielpunkt here.

No other penguins, neighboring storks or gossip mongers at the zoo have opposed the couple's adoption of the stranded chick. In fact, Z and Vielpunkt have pretty much been ignored by all their neighbors, allowing them to do their parenting thing in peace without bias, bigotry, or blasphemy.

Here's a photo of a Humbolt penguin - who chose not to reveal his/her sexuality-->

After the egg hatched - one month after its adoption - they're nurturing the chick just like any other doting parents. Except the heterosexual penguin couple, of course, who rejected the egg.

Four years ago, the zoo tried to entice three male penguin couples into heterosexual relationships and failed. The males showed no interest in females with whom the attendants tried to hook up.

The zoo released a statement concerning the gay parents: "Z and Vielpunkt, both males, gladly accepted their ’Easter gift’ and got straight down to raising it."

The gender of the chick is unknown at this point. The statement continues, "Since the chick arrived, they have been behaving just as you would expect a heterosexual couple to do. The two happy fathers spend their days attentively protecting, caring for and feeding their adopted offspring."

Homosexual and lesbian behavior has been observed in many animal species; they are not castigated, excluded or banished by other animals in their groups. Z and Vielpunkt are one of three same sex pairs among the zoo's Humbolt penguins.

On its Web site, the zoo says, "sex and coupling in our world don't always have something to do with reproduction."

None of the male penguin couples is reported to be interested in joining any branch of the US military, but are legally free to enlist in every other Western nation should they choose to serve.

They have not declared a political party, a specific religion or registered with any specific chick store.

Penguin Portraits

From a recent visit to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA USA:

My friend Bob says, "Funny. I thought they'd be more attractive close up. I imagine they are to other penguins."

I replied, "Funny. They say the same thing about us..."




Photos by Colleen Patrick.

Ending more than 7 years of cancer treatment...

In three months, I will have ended more than seven years - nearly eight - of medical treatments and drug dosages to kick breast cancer to the curb.

Two core needle and one surgical biopsies were followed by two lumpectomy surgeries, extended chemotherapy and radiation, which have been augmented with five years of "chemo lite" pills one takes daily (with noticeable side effects that are offset by taking yet another pill).

My chemotherapy was extended because at the end of the first go-round as I started radiation, I came down with appendicitis. Since chemo kills the good cells and the bad cells, anything that can go wrong in your body will because the immune system is beaten down.

The vast majority of appendixes are about 1/2 inch long.

Mine was 7 inches long. And wound around my intestines.

I arrived at the hospital *out of my mind* sick, and they tested me for everything related to cancer and chemo as I was covered with ice to reduce my fever, the temperature of which was somewhere between a white hot flame and hell.

After nearly a full day of experimentation, every bodily fluid sample assessed and a state of delirium, a lowly intern in the back of the room full of experts, doctors and specialists said softly, "It sounds like appendicitis."

The advanced medical staff turned slowly toward him in a way that said he may well be right. The doctor who later wrote up my case for a medical journal started with, "When you hear the sound of hooves, look for horses .."

A quick cat scan later and I was on the operating table.

Not only had my extraordinarily long appendix nearly burst, but it ate through my intestines -- which meant that now I also had E. Coli streaming through my veins. E. Coli can be life-threatening on a good day, but my immune system was MIA as well.

One friend who lives in Chicago changed her plane ticket from Vancouver, BC, to Seattle in order to see me in the hospital, renting a car to drive to Canada after she saw me.

The girl is no teenager, but the only way the nurse told her she could see me is if she were immediate family. My Chinese friend said she was my daughter.

Daughter?? At her age? What? Was I *6* when I had her?

But of course I confirmed our relationship, and for a couple hours, she was my daughter. To be honest, I was so delirious all I remember is her holding my hand and how grateful I was. She had called the hospital to find out what was up with me - most of my friends and family had no idea where I was at that time.

When they did, they were gravely concerned because, well, I was about as sick as sick gets.

After a week in the hospital, I was good as .. well, as good as one can be recovering from a third major surgery within a year, E. Coli., chemo, radiation and of course cancer itself.

My oncology team told me the reason they believed I was able to send cancer packing is because of my attitude. Even through the worst days, I was happy. I tend to have endorphins pumping almost all the time, anyway, but I upped my dosage of feeling good with everything I watched, read and did; as well as the people and pets I hung around. Or who hung around me.

I'm so grateful to so many. Jesse, our mail carrier, schlepped up to my house every day with the mail rather than have me hike down to get it from the box; the Chalupas helped out with a furnace that would keep me warm and fuel prices low; my landlord said don't worry about the rent until I was up and running full tilt again; the well-intended folks who brought me home cooked meals; all the people who helped me track down my kidnapped dog Mistletoe - who was missing 8 full weeks until I found her.

Good times.

Someone asked me how chemo feels. I told him the only way I could describe it would be to imagine that every single cell had a molecular-sized being is inside stabbing me with a very sharp knife.

For all the aforementioned reasons, I was on chemo for a very long time.

Radiation - I was zapped every weekday for 30 some days.

I wrote screenplays, made short films with my actors and worked as an acting coach through most of my major treatment, until my oncology nurse told me I had to simply rest for the rest of my chemo treatments or I could change my positive prognosis; my body was starting to noticeably wear down.

I was very fortunate - I had a different friend or colleague take me to chemo every week; my nurse said she'd never seen someone bring so many people in to sit with them for the 3-5 hour chemical drip.

I even helped someone write a screenplay and assemble a pre-production plan as we sat together for all those hours.

I finally did take some time off to totally rest - and was surprised at how good it felt.

The big day is when they remove the "shunt" that hosts needles for everything from the weekly blood tests to inoculations to the chemo drip.

I still have "chemo flashbacks." It's a miserable feeling that permeates every cell as if I were still taking it. Fortunately, they don't last long.

I'm told it will take years for the chemo chemicals to thoroughly work their way out of my body; I'll be so happy when I no longer have to take the "chemo lite" pills, and therefore the other pills that offset their side effects, as well as lose the weight that somehow comes with breast cancer treatment. I'm told it's the only cancer in which patients gain weight rather than lose it.

Perhaps the best up side is that when I am free of taking those medications, my *real* energy will return. As I've let my friends and colleagues know this date is coming up, they have a little panicked look since I tend to be on the higher side of energetic most days, anyway.

So I've had a clean bill of health for four years, nine months - year #5 is the watershed moment. There are no guarantees in life, but my oncologist tells me he thinks chances of it returning are between infinitesimal and none.

When I was diagnosed, everyone around me was more upset than I. I just thought of it as something with which to deal, like anything else. The thought of being taken down by cancer simply did not compute. I knew it picked the wrong body - the wrong person.

I never let it discourage or upset me because I had so many other things for which to be grateful that were working in my life.

I told someone I thought it better that it struck me rather than someone who was more vulnerable and less capable of kicking it into oblivion, as I knew I would.

Tick tick tick. I can hardly wait for the big day. September 15 is close to my birthday, October 4. It's a time to reflect on how fortunate I am because I lost co-chemo mates along the way.

It's also a time to have a double celebration! A revelry that continues day after day for those two weeks - and the rest of my life.

Facebook

My friend and new media mentor Rich advised me to join Facebook. For professional and personal reasons, especially with THE WHOLE TRUTH finished and ready to roll out, preparing to produce THE LONELY GOATHERD and more.

I have been resisting it after a bad experience with one of its predecessors.

Because I trust Rich completely, I cringed, took a deep breath, clenched my fists, bit the bullet and joined.

Push me over with a whisper.

Almost immediately I heard from folks I didn't know were still alive! All asking to be my "friend"; or vice-versa. Because that's the way it works.

We aren't a face, we're a friend. Maybe the next go-round will just be called the Friendbook.

But they do like you to post your face; and it's pretty much plastered everywhere unless you use the blah blue drawing representing you.

If you're a celebrity, people sign up to be your "fan" so you can keep your followers up to date with where they can see your work, what projects you have coming up, etc. No friend. Fan.

Some celebrities personally post messages to you individually or to their fans as a group; others have an assistant send messages in their name.

I respect those who have a personal touch with their Facebook page.

At any road, it's a lot of work to set everything up - and I keep forgetting details I should include, so I've edited the various segments about 100 times today. I just joined recently and have had a number of other tasks that need attention, so it's sort of a back and forth thing.

And probably will be for a couple weeks.

It's been fun uploading my favorite photos to share with my Facebook friends - many of whom actually are my friends, oddly enough. Or have been over the years; we've only lost touch here and there.

Now we have to decide whether we need a Facebook page for each of our films.

Feel free to chime in.

A must-see sorrowful, shameful US history chapter

This is the iconic image of the haunting history of the US Government's genocidal crusade to eliminate Indians and all tribal peoples from America.

Produced by ReelNative, a group of Native filmmakers, this is a disarmingly even handed recounting of a national history seeped in written and legal evidence; Supreme Court rulings outlining the sovereignty of tribal lands that went unheeded by President Andrew Jackson and southern states.

In fact, Jackson made it a primary goal to rid the nation of its Indian/tribal populations. In his promise to move the Cherokee people to a safe, sovereign region, he set off the Trail of Tears. The thousands of Cherokee were given blankets infested with smallpox. En route to their "new home" during the forced march they faced hunger, sickness, and exhaustion. More than 4,000 out of 15,000 of the Cherokee men, women and children "died" in a mission calculated to decimate their numbers.

You can see the full episodes online here as well as on PBS television stations, and the DVD is also available.

I guarantee you, even the most racist, hard-hearted person will be stricken by the insane, cruel, shockingly cold-hearted treatment of the law-abiding, peace-loving peoples (many of whom had adopted European ways, established an independent, constitutional democracy and addressed the US Government through legal and congressional channels) received at the hands of the US Government from which they are still recovering.

One particularly sickening piece of legislature passed by Jackson: the "Indian Removal Act."

More, the state of Georgia set up land grabs by white people of the Cherokee Nation in western Georgia when the Cherokee Nation was a legally sovereign country. Georgia's government simply ignored the law and stole the land from the Cherokee.

Feeling helpless to address the US Government in the way the government dictated - "legal" avenues - because it turned out to be a waste of time, many took the only path to any sort of autonomy they could: fighting back and violence. Even among themselves.

I have to watch these episodes in fairly short spurts because the information is so incredible - we have been so seriously misinformed about Native Americans and their treatment by the US Government - that it is heartbreaking to witness these facts.

The best part of this series is that, educated, we can all make certain this does not happen again - and try to attend to the destruction that has been needlessly imposed on tribal peoples for the centuries since Christopher Columbus landed.

Elisabeth Röhm's upcoming films!

Tomorrow and Saturday her drama The Spy and the Sparrow enjoys its world premiere and screening at the Seattle International Film Festival!

Next Wednesday, June 17, her drama The Kreutzer Sonata co-starring Danny Huston premieres on IFC (Independent Film Channel) On Demand.

The Kreutzer Sonata enjoyed its world premiere at last year's Edinburgh Inernational Film Festival.

Watch the trailer.

IFC On Demand is a separate channel from IFC, available through your cable TV service; there is a fee to watch the film. Go to your On Demand screen, then find it from there.

The film will be available for a number of weeks through IFC On Demand.

Watch TV live from several nations - FREE

I got to watch Britain's Got Talent - free and live - because of an Internet hookup here, called My peer-to-peer, or Myp2p.

News, sports, music, entertainment and more is available from the US, UK, Russia, Europe and more through this link.

If you speak European languages or are learning, this is a terrific way to tune in any time and listen to the language in action; if it's your native tongue - watch away!

You can register for free (or not) to view - if you register you can report new channels or any that may not be functioning. There's a list of networks (channels) to the left to peruse from several nations in each category (news, sports, entertainment, etc).

Or you can search by nation for a specific type of programing you seek.

Of course the Internet is rife with land mines of problems that we have to educate ourselves to avoid, but my oh my - here's one more reason I LOVE my computer!

Pure, true friendship comes in all sizes

Watch one of the most touching, memorable stories of a genuine, devoted, lifelong friendship here.

THE WHOLE TRUTH celebration photos!

OK - you know who you are ..









































Photos by Frank DiMarco

SIFF filmmakers' dinner

I was invited to an intimate dinner for several SIFF filmmakers last evening, and had a terrific time.

I didn't hob the knob very much; I pretty much stayed with the folks at my table until we all walked amongst each other at the end of the evening.

The good news is that the folks on my table all worked on the Seattle indie sensation, "Humpday," the Lynn Shelton bromance feature about two straight friends who decide to make a gay porn film to win some cash.

I see it Sunday at SIFF.

I sat between Lynn and her camera assistant Nate Miller; across from one of the film's stars, the delightful, darling Alycia Delmore, and Lynn's co-producer Jennifer Maas.

What great food, conversation and stories!

The award-winning director/actor just returned from Cannes, where Humpday played; Magnolia Pictures is the film's distributor. It enjoys a limited US theatrical opening next month with a potential wide release following in typical indie rollout scheme.

International releases aren't far behind (since this blog reaches readers in 104 nations, you may want to check their website for the international release places and dates where you live), although there is no similar colloquial term for the American Humpday in other cultures.

In the US, Wednesday is called "humpday," because Wednesday at noon, we say we're "over the hump" of the week. That is, that is the halfway point of the week, after that it's all "downhill." We've made it over the hump for the week.

"Hump" is also American slang for having sex.

The mind boggles at how other languages will attempt to describe two heterosexual men who decide to make a gay porn film without complicating the title's intent. Some great American films have been killed by bizarre other language titles that made no sense.

She's working on a new film - one that relies on her style of directing actors improvising from a basic script outline she's written - only this one has just two primary characters.

Meanwhile, while I was starting beautiful new friendships with other artists over some fine dining, my assistant Aaron Heinzen was off doing color commentary for the Portland Timbers' soccer match with Montreal Impact on FOX Sports Northwest cable network.

Aaron's a former professional soccer player; his last team was the Timbers - his promising career sadly cut short because of injuries - partly caused by the overuse of incorrect "heading" techniques as a kid. Make sure your coach teaches you how to use your head properly when you're playing soccer, kids!

Today starts my serious work creating a unique distribution/marketing plan for THE WHOLE TRUTH! I am very excited to get started on it. We're getting screening DVD's made of the finished film through our good friends at Modern Digital post production services as we attend to other logistical matters.

Again, my deepest thanks to you blog readers who flew in to Seattle to see TWT!

Second TWT screening - even more successful!

For one thing it started at 4:30 pm, which made a big difference. Tuesday night's world premiere didn't start until about 10 pm. That's late for working folks and students heading for school the next day and folks who flew in from the east - where it's up to 3 hours later in their bodies.

Aaron (Heinzen - my assistant) and I were NOT expecting another sold out screening - the last we heard, several tickets were still available.

But when we arrived? There was an extremely long line of ticket holders and several people who could not get tickets but were hoping for some no-shows to fill empty seats.

I was a little confused. Was there another film showing, too?

"Is that for US?" I asked Aaron.

"Looks like it is," he said.

Sure enough, the place was completely packed.

And the laughs were a-plenty during the film; the applause plenty and often through the credits to the very end. When there was more applause.

Sadly, Elisabeth Röhm had a family medical emergency (NOT life-threatening!) about half an hour before the screening, so she was still in town but could not be there. She was extremely disappointed, as was the audience, but like all of us at Heart Break Productionz, family comes first with Ms. Röhm so they understood.

I conveyed her regrets because she does love this film, our HBPz filmmaking family and Seattle!

My partner at HBPz, Gary Allen Tucci and I started off the q&a, and had the pleasure of introducing our composer, Ragnar Rosinkranz - whose music is such a standout in the film. Again, part of the reason is that not only is he a gifted artist, but we started collaborating at the script level, so he had so much more time to create his phenomenal sounds!

The audience also got to meet Bob Marts, our sound guy. Quite truthfully, I said I hated to show him off because it's like telling everyone about the beautiful woman you're dating; once they know her they'll want to date her, too! But, other filmmakers and TV show guys - hands off! He's OURS!

There was NO ADR (automatic dialogue replacement) or looping required from the actors because of his fantastic work. I am such a sound freak that I've never had to ADR or loop any of the short films I've made - but ADR and looping are *standard* in feature films. None of our stars has ever done a film or TV show that didn't require it. Until THE WHOLE TRUTH!

Character actor Jim Holmes ("Brad Sanders" in the movie) chatted a bit about working on the flm and how much fun he had - he wants to do it all over again on another HBPz film!

Editor Stephen Myers talked about working with me, too ... we had more than our fair share of fun putting it together ("OK .. is this funnier than this? Or is this funnier .. ")

Overall audience reaction: they want to see it again (and again), and can imagine it filling theaters with filmgoers from around the world! From their lips and imaginations to God's project managers ...

This blog is short because I've got a lot of catching up to do around here (especially on sleep); we're getting hot on the distribution leg of our journey. As I explained in an earlier blog, I have a marketing plan that is unique in the industry, but so far seems to be catching on and effective - at least in its early stages.

This coming weekend, I'm posting photos from the reception!

Thanks to everyone who paid your hard earned money to see the film - as I told Mireille and Caitlin, who flew in to see the film - everything we do may be our passion and life's work, but we do it for you, our audience. We *never* take you and your support for granted!

A special thanks to everyone who has sent me emails, notes, cards, flowers, gorgeous plants(!), candy (esp dark chocolate with nuts!) and left comments on my blogs saying how much you loved the film.

If you saw the film and enjoyed yourself (even unexpectedly .. one person told me, "Wow. The film was really great! I never expected it to be nearly this funny..")?

Um .. thank you, too ... ;-)

Consider yourself part of the HBPz family!

THE WHOLE TRUTH World Premiere!

First, the private reception was a *blast!* Family, friends, crew and cast gathered at the 7 Salon with great food, conviviality and conversation.

Andy, our host at the magnificent, huge salon, created a perfect atmosphere - complete with a dj and music that he didn't play so loudly we could actually talk at a reasonable decibel, two bartenders, three film posters strategically placed, tables, glassware, the works.

The food was fantastic - it flew off the plates so we quickly ordered more!

Seattle's film industry folks are known for serving weak, meager, tasteless finger foods; we dished out substantial sustenance for our guests to show them the way to feed guests properly.

Don Woods from the Icicle Ridge Winery in Leavenworth brought his magnificent, award-winning wines for all to taste and drink. A beautiful backdrop graced his table as well.

I got many compliments on the make up job Danyale Cook did for me. Gosh, I hardly recognized myself .. ;-). Lots of photos will be coming soon - I ended up not taking pictures because I was running around so much, but our set photographer took lots of piccies, so I'll share them as soon as Frank sends them to me!

It was a genuine pleasure meeting you blog readers at the reception - Amanda, you looked FAB-ulous! As well as seeing so many of the crew members who made a qualitative and personal difference in making the film. Without them, not only would it not have the quality it does - it wouldn't have the heart. My partner Gary Allen Tucci put it well: we felt like a production family.

And we're all ready to do it over again on our next film THE LONELY GOATHERD as soon as we get the distribution situation taken care of with THE WHOLE TRUTH.

Several folks showed up expecting to buy a ticket when they arrived, only to find there were no more tickets on sale. See how it pays to read my blog? I said tickets were selling out, then sold out right here and they didn't read it.

Many people hoping for "rush" tickets did get seated, however. These are tickets that are sold if there are any seats empty left minutes before the screening.

Because of that, previews and other SIFF business - not to mention me introducing most of our guests - the film started late, and it was already a late screening. Which means it started a little TOO late for most working folks.

But, the comments after the film were wonderful - what a fine film it was; how much they enjoyed it from start to finish, how amazing the music was, how well written, how terrific the performances were, how great the casting, etc. It was all I could have hoped for. The cast, my partner executive producer Gary Allen Tucci, producer Larry Estes and composer Ragnar Rosinkranz all joined me at the front of the room to answer questions and whatever the folks left wanted to say.

Mireille and Caitlin - readers of my blog (you read their comments all the time) and HUGE SPF fans, who flew in from Montreal and the Midwest respectively for the film's WP and will see it again later today(!) at the Wednesday screening - loved the film, got *my* autograph for Louise, a friend of theirs in England and of course spent time with SPF who had a great time entertaining them.

Local folks were impressed with how down to earth Sean is - how fantastic and real all our actors are. But I tend to work with folks who are good people as well - I find them better performers for the very most part.

As for me - to be frank, I was so nervous about how the crowd would react, I was a little distracted - listening for every little chuckle, guffaw, belly laugh, giggle, snort. The thing I was most aware of: there was no fidgeting. This is a good thing.

In a crucial scene that required the audience be silent, a complete hush filled the room. I could not even hear anyone breathing.

I sat between Sean Patrick Flanery and Elisabeth Röhm. Since it was the first time he saw the film, Sean was of course a bit contemplative of his (fantastic) performance and has a soft laugh. Elisabeth was totally relaxed and laughed out loud many times, as did other cast members.

At the end, Sean told me he "Loved it;" that he was "Excited as hell" about the film and its future. Whew. He's a tough critic of his own work and (rightfully) others, so that means a lot to all of us working on and with the film and its distribution.

The audience applauded several times at the end of the film, and because of the late hour, many had to leave at its completion - but several troopers stayed for the q&a with the cast, Gary, Larry, Ragnar and me, which was a lot of fun. I shared a sample of the singing that went on during the shoot. Some of the stuff captured by our sound crew during the shoot will be featured on my blogs as time goes by as well as on the dvd's.

When we left, Elisabeth had to return to relieve her babysitter - she brought her 14-month old. The babysitter noted that Elisabeth's daughter Easton was "amazing." She had never met such a contented toddler - especially after flying! Elisabeth is a phenomenal mom! Easton's dad Ron Wooster was on hand, too for all the festivities - and he's another reason Easton is so well adjusted!

Editor Stephen Myers, Jim Holmes, Rick Overton and I had a sarsaparilla in the bar at their hotel to chat about the film. Everyone considered the film and its premiere a complete success. I think *that* is when I started to breathe again.

Coming home to so many laudatory emails was also rewarding!

OK, well it's going on 3am and I have to get up in just a few hours to rush around running errands with Elisabeth and my assistant Aaron - whose mom came all the way from Yakima to see the film - before the next screening!

To everyone in the audience who shared the world premiere and special evening with us - thank you from the bottom of my heard. You are, after all, the reason we do what we do!

The TWT World Premiere is tonight!

After many months of pre-production, the shoot itself, and the laborious details of post production and marketing, the premiere of THE WHOLE TRUTH takes place at the Seattle International Film Festival tonight.

Tickets to the event are completely sold out.

I'll be on hand with my business partner Gary Allen Tucci, accompanied by stars Elisabeth Röhm, Sean Patrick Flanery, Jim Holmes, Rick Overton and Pisay Pao. Eric Roberts is shooting a film with Sly Stallone ("The Expendibles") in New Orleans, John Fugelsang is performing his one-man show in London, England, and Kristina Lilley is working in Colombia.

Producers Larry Estes and Jennifer Roth, editor Stephen Myers and composer Ragnar Rosinkranz will also be there to answer any questions from audience members after the screening.

The day goes like this: Birthday brunch for a very dear longtime friend, joined by her partner and my brother, who flew in from the Midwest to see the world premiere. Back to work with Aaron making last minute arrangements for the night and the rest of the week.

Late this afternoon I get dressed (up, for me), then my make-up will be done by the wonderful Danyale Cook (hair and make up artist - she did a phenomenal job on our actors' hair styles in THE WHOLE TRUTH).

Gary and I are having a private reception for friends, family, cast and crew before the screening, then watching the movie with nearly 300 other folks, after which we're joining the usual suspects as we respond to the audience in a q&a session.

It will be a memorable evening; I'll tell you about it tomorrow - reporting some of the pithy comments from those who were there. I'll also post photos I'm taking.

Meanwhile, there are still a few tickets available for the 4:30 screening tomorrow (Wednesday) at Pacific Place. Again, tickets for tonight's show are completely sold out.

Wish us luck!

Thak you for a near record-breaking May!

I'll find out tomorrow just how many hits my website received over 200,000 in May, the second highest number we've ever received.

UPDATED: May stat: 205,946 hits.

Last October cp.com received 220,511 - that was while we were shooting THE WHOLE TRUTH. I posted updates as often as I could, given that I didn't have time to sleep, anyway while we were making the film...

Of course, I'm sure it was what I had to say about the shoot as its director-writer-producer that drew you here rather than all the photos and gossip and fun we had with the gorgeous Elisabeth Röhm, Sean Patrick Flanery, Eric Roberts, Jim Holmes, Rick Overton, Pisay Pao, Kristina Lilley...

Riiiiight.

OK, it's the stars - and they definitely deserve your attention in this film! They're terrific.

Meanwhile, you're tuning in from 104 countries! 104! Thank you so much for reading my website - I hope you have a translator for your language if you don't read English.

The vast majority of you go directly to my blog when you check in; be sure to drop by the home page for new and exciting stuff, too, so you don't miss anything!

Thank you again for dropping by - I feel a special responsibility to you, so I'll be opining here lots more in the coming year.

For day to day stuff, I'm also on Twitter!