Copious Notes

Lexington-based Lucky Day Studios has released the trailer for Unrequited, the feature film shot in Central Kentucky last summer by director Jason Epperson and starring Michael Welch, who plays Mike Newton in the Twilight movies. The movie, which also stars Sarah Habel, is currently in search of a distributor, and producer Jeff Day says there are several interested parties. We’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile, enjoy the trailer.

Diane Earle performs with the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra for "Kentucky Muse" on KET. Photos by Steve Shaffer | KET.

We tend to blow out the anniversaries of composers. Can anyone forget all the Mozart 250th hoo-ha a few years ago?

But what about the instrument many of those icons have composed on.

The piano, at least from this vantage point, has had a fairly quiet 300th birthday. Kentucky Wesleyan College music professor Diane Earle is celebrating, however, and KET’s Kentucky Muse takes viewers on a tour of the instrument from her perspective at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The moment Earle appears on the screen leaning in and talking about her instrument, it is obvious producer Tom Bickel came up with the perfect advocate for the piano.

By the time she says, “Since I was 6 years old and my fingers first touched the keys, I have been absolutely in love with the piano,” that’s obvious. It’s no surprise the vanity plate on her little red sports car is “KEYS 88.”

Earle’s world revolves around those keys as a teacher, performer and even in hobbies such as collecting piano memorabilia.

She says the piano is her best friend. It has been a great relationship: Earle has played in seven countries and 27 states at venues including Carnegie Hall in New York and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

The Owensboro professor’s story is a nice basis for the larger story of the piano, which she appreciates for its wide range of expressive possibilities. It was originally named a pianoforte, “Italian for soft loud,” she points out, in recognition of that dynamic range.

In a quick half hour, Earle talks us through the instrument’s history in interviews and classroom sessions.

Most importantly, she plays through some of the great works for those 88 keys, sometimes accompanied by the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra. The works from W.A. Mozart to Claude Debussy to Henry Cowell remind us why the piano’s 300th should be celebrated.

Edwin Schiff stars as Frank-N-Furter in Berea College Theatre Labaratory's "The Rocky Horror Show." Photos by Aaron Gilmour | Berea College.

Fans of Rocky Horror have two ways to see the show this Halloween weekend which as Mr. Tunis reminds us, is an hour longer on Halloween night.

The kids at the Berea College Theatre Laboratory are presenting The Rocky Horror Show, the original 1973 Richard O’Brien musical that started it all. Like it’s cinematic incarnation — we’ll get to that in a few sentences — audience participation is encouraged, and members of the Berea audience will actually receive participation bags with things like confetti for the audience to throw. Please do remember there are live people playing Dr. Frank and company, so don’t try to go and upstage them like you do at the movie. Tonight and Saturday, the students will put up two shows nightly at 8 and midnight at Berea’s McGaw Theatre. Tickets are $5-$10 and can be reserved by calling (859) 985-3300 from 1-5 p.m. Friday and one hour prior to curtain. Berea students get in free, but must present a valid Berea ID.

Anyone know if Transylvania University ever did Rocky Horror? Seems like it would be a lot of fun there.

Of course, the annual party at the Kentucky Theatre reconvenes at midnight tonight and Saturday for 1975’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Meat Loaf and all the rest. Feel free to try to upstage Curry — just try. According to the Kentucky’s blog, Lexington ranked Numero Tres (I am probably phrasing that as competently as Chad Ochocinco says 85) behind only Chicago and San Francisco in Rocky Horror Halloween attendence last year.

So, there it is: Live from Berea or on film in Lexington. But really, there should be time to get from Berea after the 8 p.m. show to Lexington for the midnight movie. I mean, if you’re not going to Time Warp twice on Halloween weekend, when are you going to Time Warp twice.

Don’t forget: The Thriller dance marches through Downtown Lexington again, tonight.

The arrest of ­Roman ­Polanski has revived ­memories of a really gross crime and the flogging of a favorite mid-American ­target: Hollywood liberals.

You know who they are. They’re the ones who are dragging America into the toilet with their filthy entertainment and socialist politics.

Just tuning in to a few ­minutes of talk radio this week brought an offhand comment about all the ­“Hollywood libs sticking up for Roman Polanski.”

Roman Polanski. Photo by Roberto Pfeil | AP.

The comment stems from petitions signed by some noteworthy filmmakers, including Martin ­Scorsese, demanding that the ­government of Switzerland release Polanski.

Polanski was arrested there last month and is fighting extradition to the United States, where he faces sentencing for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Polanski was 43 at the time. He pleaded guilty but fled before sentencing in and has lived in France since then.

By any measure, what Polanski did was reprehensible. His victim, whom he plied with drugs and alcohol, was a girl — a seventh- or eighth-grader at best. Why anyone sticks up for him is hard for most of us to grasp.

But using the case and petitions to beat up ­Hollywood as a bunch of degenerates doesn’t square with reality, and neither does the idea that Hollywood is dragging the country into the gutter.

The thing is, facing ­reality makes the country face some uncomfortable truths about itself.

Read the rest of this entry »

Would you like to have your film shown at the Kentucky Theatre over and over? 2007 photo by Janet Worne.

Several interesting film opportunities floated across the culture desk late last week:

What’s your policy?: How would you tell people to silence their cell phones and pagers and take their trash to the nearest receptacle? The films movie theaters use to convey these little housekeeping items are called policy trailers, and LexArts is sponsoring a contest to make a new policy trailer for the Kentucky Theatre.

The competition is open to any filmmaker 18 or older. There’s a $1,000 award for the winner, but the real prize will probably be having your film converted to 35mm and shown before every feature at the Kentucky Theatre. News of the contest reminded me of seeing some contest-winner policy trailers at the Toronto International Film Festival that were amusing, inventive, and a lot more fun than cheesy music or Front Row Joe.

Proposal submissions, including script and storyboard, must be sent to LexArts postmarked no later than Oct. 30. The winning film is expected to begin showing in January. Click here for complete information and forms.

Do-ers profile: The Lexington Film League is also looking for short films, these about people doing interesting things in their communities around Kentucky. The contest is open to filmmakers and non-filmmakers. Submissions should be no more than five-minutes in length and are due by Jan. 15. Click here for complete submission details. The contest is in conjunction with Make Yourself Necessary.

Larry Barnes. Photo courtesy of Transylvania University.

Barnes scores: This isn’t a contest, but it is a chance to hear the work of a Transylvania University artist on a film at the Kentucky. Transy music professor Larry Barnes scored the documentary Euphoria, which will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12. Tickets will be $6 general admission, $5 students. The documentary by Lee Boot, is described as an out-of-the-box art and science film that asks, is the American Dream working?

Barnes composed the score after the film had already been completed and won a gold medal at the Houston Film Festival. Boot had heard Barnes’ work and asked him to compose a score. CDs of the score and DVDs of the film will be available at the screening.

For "Seabiscuit" filming Nov. 17, 2002, at Keeneland, extras wore Depression-era garb. "Secretariat" will have a 1970s vibe. Photo by Frank Anderson | Herald-Leader.

Secretariat will film Monday and Tuesday at Keenelend, and Central Kentuckians are invited to come out and party like it’s 1973 — minus any Derby Infield-like libations.

A flyer from Leonard Lusky of Secretariat.com touts “Disney’s ‘Secretariat’ 70’s Happening!” and invites all ages and types of people to come out in 1970s clothing (must find my old leisure suit). Sign in is at 8 a.m. Monday and Tuesday. Participants are directed to enter Keeneland at Gate 2 and follow “Chestnut” signs to park and “Win by a mile extras” signs to enter the facility.

The flyer also says to bring snacks and drinks, but no alcohol, and a good book, indicating the hurry up and wait nature of filmmaking that extras experienced when Seabiscuit filmed at Keeneland in 2002.

There is no word yet on what specific scenes will be filmed on Monday and Tuesday and whether film star Diane Lane, who plays Secretariat owner Penny Chenery, will be presented. We’ll keep you posted.

Also, don’t forget Secretariat filmmakers will be at the Bourbon County Secretariat Festival Saturday, and one horse from the festival’s Secretariat look-alike contest could end up in the movie.

UPDATE: John Malkovich has joined the cast as Secretariat’s trainer, Lucien Laurin.

2008 Secretariat look-a-like contest winner Trolley Boy is held by owner Angela Walker as he gets a pat from former Secretariat exercise riders Jim Gaffney and Charlie Davis at the Bourbon Co. Secretariat Festival Sept. 20, 2008. Photo by Matt Goins.

Filmmakers working on Disney’s Secretariat movie in Kentucky will be at the Bourbon County Secretariat Festival on Saturday, and one lucky horse might just fill a final slot in the stable of thoroughbreds playing the super horse.

The film’s lead wrangler, Rusty Hendrickson, will be a judge in the annual Secretariat look-alike contest along with Secretariat’s exercise riders Charlie Davis and Jim Gaffney and Ron Turcotte, who rode Secretariat to his Triple Crown victory in 1973. Three horses out of a field of 20 will share the $5,000 prize in the competition and one horse could be selected to be in the movie.

Hendrickson has already chosen four horses out of a field of more than 700 hopefuls for the film.

Horse films typically use a stable of horses to portray equine characters because they can tire from multiple takes and some horses are better at portraying certain types of scenes than others. The horse that looks great streaking to the finish line may not portray relaxing in the stable or interacting with people as well. When Seabiscuit filmed in Central Kentucky in 2002, there were more than half-a-dozen horses each to portray the title character and War Admiral when their historic match race at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course was recreated at Keeneland.

In addition to the look-alike contest, Secretariat producers Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray of Mayhem Pictures will attend the festival along with a film crew working on a behind-the-scenes feature about the film.

“We are thrilled to be going to the Secretariat Festival this year,” Ciardi said in a news release. “It is an exciting opportunity for us to not only be able to talk about this film and its compelling story with Secretariat’s most devoted fans but it will also be delightful to share in the enduring enthusiasm for this magnificent star athlete in the heart of horse country.”

Gates open for the Bourbon County Secretariat Festival at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds in Paris, Ky. The look-alike contest is 4 to 6 p.m.

The Secretariat folks sent out a new casting notice this morning, following Saturday’s open extras casting call.

Laurie Shear of Dayton, Ohio, came dressed for the part of a l970

We are currently in need of adult males of all types: golfers, businessmen, and other clean-cut professionals. We are also seeking males with special skills such as those with military experience, law enforcement backgrounds, jockeys, horse handlers, as well as any other specialized track positions. Send Current Photo/Snapshot (may be printed at home) and contact information listing: Name, Phone numbers, Email address, Height, Weight, Clothing and Shoe sizes, Availability, and any other information you would like to add.

Mail to:

Griffin Gate Resort

Fast Track Productions-Attn: Extras Casting

1800 Newton Pike

Lexington, KY 40511

Or email secretariatcasting@gmail.com

The release also said that “promotional days” will be announced soon when people can show up in their best 1973 duds — this could be a scary thought — for filming. Filming at Keeneland is set for Sept. 28. Stay tuned.

In November 2002, extras cheered at Keeneland as "Seabiscuit" filmmkers recreated the famous match race between the title horse and War Admiral. "Secretariat" will be casting extras next week for filming in Central Kentucky late this month. Photo by Frank Anderson | Herald-Leader.

Central Kentucky, get ready for another close-up. Producers of Secretariat, Disney’s movie about the 1973 Triple Crown winner, will cast for extras next week in preparation for filming in the state for two weeks late this month and in early October.

Oscar nominee Diane Lane will play Secretariat’s owner, Penny Chenery.

Secretariat will cast for extras in Lexington and Louisville, and the call is open to anyone, even folks with no acting experience.

Louisville: Show up anytime 3 to 8 p.m. Sept. 10 at Churchill Downs, 700 Central Avenue. Park at the Longfield lot, enter at Gate 10, and report to the fourth floor.

Lexington: Show up anytime 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 12 at Griffin Gate Marriott Resort and Spa, 1800 Newton Pike. Use the north entrance and go to Salon H and G.

Griffin Gate was also the site for extras casting for Seabiscuit in 2002 and Elizabethtown in 2004.

The casting notice says directors are looking for all ages and types. You will need to bring a non-returnable photo of yourself. Computer printouts of snapshots are OK. No photos will be taken on site.

The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority has approved an application for film incentives by Fast Track Productions for Secretariat, Tuesday.

Jockey Ron Turcotte rides Secretariat to win the Belmont Stakes and capture the triple crown in this June 9, 1973. AP Photo.

That makes the story of the 1973 Triple Crown winner the first film to receive incentives under the new package approved by the General Assembly in June.

According to the application, Fast Track, a subsidiary of Disney Studios, estimates it will spend $4 million in Kentucky, making it eligible for up to $800,000 in tax credits. The bill extended a 20 percent credit on approved expenditures to feature films that spend more than $500,000 in the state. There were also provisions for other types of films and Broadway shows that are produced in Kentucky.

“This is a great way to kick off Kentucky’s new film incentive package,” Gov. Steve Beshear said in a news release. “I think it’s appropriate that a state known for thoroughbred racing be a part of a film about one of the most well-known horses in racing history.”

Leonard Lusky, president of Secretariat.com, said last week that incentives were a key to getting filmmakers to shoot part of the movie in Kentucky. In the past decade, tax incentives have increasingly become a key to luring film productions to shoot on location.

Secretariat, which will tell the story of the 1973 Triple Crown winner and his owner, Penny Chenery, is expected to begin filming in late September. Locations and details have yet to be announced. Diane Lane will star as Chenery and the film will be directed by Randall Wallace.