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Shoutout and thanks to Pfeiffer and Megan Mary for the linked banner for SGP!! It's awesome!

Let SGP/Hilarie Burton Hear Your Voices!!

Denise over at One Tree Hill Podcast has set up an awesome idea for her Mondays podcast. You can leave a message of your support and encouragement for the Southern Gothic Team, and/or Hilarie Burton. She will be sending the messages to Hilarie and Kelly Tenney, some will be airing on the podcast. You can call 828-398-0310 to leave the message.



Hope everyone picks up that phone and gives a ring in!!!

Bizarre...A Little

So Im driving to work this morning, listening to the radio, and I hear the strangest of things....SPIDERMAN THE MUSICAL! Oh man. I'm all for musicals, but a singing man in blue tights dancing while shooting webs from his wrists, and fighting green goblins and such...seriously? So Im thinking, wow, now Ive heard everything! But boy was I wrong, I hadnt heard everything until the next comment made; also in talks for becoming a musical....SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE! what!?! It must have been the dance sequence at the end to make this a possibility. Dont get me wrong, I loved this moving, but theres something that is not so inticing about watching a boy sing his answers sitting in the hot seat. So many films, and literature can be turned in to a stage performance, but I think these are two that really shouldnt make this list. I am however, excited for, and hopeful that it makes its way to America (and Canada, but thats not likely), Sister Act A Devine Musical Comedy!! Whoopi Goldberg will not be acting in it, but she is helping produce it. Its opening in London, which I dont think I will get a chance to make it too...but I hope it does spectacular!! The score is by Alan Menken, who is fantastic, he's done a lot of Disney movie songs for Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Beauty & The Beast; so the music should be great. It was written by a Bill & Cheri Steinkellner, who had writting credits on Cheers. So there is a lot of talent behind this musical. Loved the movie, and this is something new and fresh stemming from it, so I think it will be great! This is definitley one of the movies I could see becoming a musical, but Spidey and Slumdog? Just seems rather strange to me.

The Academy Awards

Watching the Oscars is an amazing event! So many gifted people all in one room; actors, producers, writers, directors...

Each nominee truly deserved the credit they received, and every person/film not nominated from last year, still deserves a nod.

This event was great, emotional, and fun. Slumdog was so well received, and the children from that movie were glowing on the red carpet. It's so great that they get to be a part of it all! Again this art form has reached all the way around the world and brought so many different cultured people together.

I loved how they presented the awards for supporting actress/actor and best actress/actor awards with an ensemble of past winners in that category. Really great to see the company that these amazing performers were joining, very welcoming.

Hugh Jackman is doing a wonderful job! And the performance with him, Beyonce, and co. was awesome!

Of course, Heath Ledger's win for best supporting actor was very touching! It was amazing to see his family there for him, accepting the award.

Queen Latifa's performance was beautiful, and so moving! She is an amazing woman! I think it was a perfect way to honor those that were lost in the industry.

I finally saw The Reader yesterday, and I think Kate Winslet winning for best actress was fantastic. She was stunning, and did a spectacular job! A very brave role to take on. Everything she has done has been so great! Im so thrilled that she has finally received this honor!! haha and loved how she asked her father to whistle and he did! Also, her Meryl Streep comment was awesome, so true.

Sean Penn for best actor was awesome, great actor, great performace. All the men were deserving, but I think this win was special so he could deliver that speech. With what's going on in the world now, it was so fitting, I applaud him for what he said.

I loved Penelope Cruz's speech! It really goes with what I believe and what is inspiring this blog.
"I always felt that this ceremony was a moment of unity for the world, because art in any form is and has been and will always be our universal language"

Southern Gothic Productions = Inspirations

So here I am on a friday night, hanging out at home, lame right? Thats what I thought too....that is until I was doing my cruise through the Southern Gothic Productions blog. This blog is fantastic! Hilarie Burton, Kelly Tenney, and Nick Gray, have really let us in to a world that is so incredible! A universe they are creating, and letting us join them in, and keeping us informed throughout the process. It's amazing to see the interest that people are taking, and the interest that these 3 are taking in us. Its really cool to see how real these people are! It gives us an inside to a place we normally only get to see the finished product in. It's great to be a part of something that is my dream, and passion. It makes this world called film seem a little bit smaller, and a lot more possible. And the people that have taken on to this Southern Gothic greatness are so full of life, and creativity, and passion. Its inspiring to have people to relate to, that have a common interest, and drive. It's truly giving me that jump to want to move on to what I truly want to do, be a part of the industry that is Hollywood!! Okay, maybe not so much Hollywood, but that industry that can reach out to everyone in some way, to entertain them, to inspire them, to give them an escape, or hope. I've met very talented, fun, friendly, creative, down-to-earth, awesome cool people through the chat/blog this evening, Kim, Liz, Eddie, Becca, Geoh, Pfeiffer (the King!)...to name a few. Its amazing, and kind of comforting, to know these people are out there and going for it, and trying, and being involved in film/entertainment, and that they are no where near me, but I can still connect to them, get encouragement, advice, share interests. I also found out some wicked places I need to check out in Savannah...where the music scene is, ghost sitings....tour in a hurse!! Creepy...yeah probably...Gothic like if you will! Should totally check out the site, if you havent yet!!

Film as an Escape

Film is something that if we allow it can remove us from our reality. No matter how bad of day I am having, or how much I have going, and to do, I can escape from it, get lost in a movie. We can become a part of a whole new world for just a couple hours. We can experiance history, be touched by someone elses story, be entertained; among many other possibilities. With Titanic we can take so much from that film. In the film Titanic, history is brought back to life, with an added epic love story, and drama to keep it moving. The actors in this film were phenomenal, I could see the excitement, the passion, the terror, in each face. Many people wonder why they just couldn't make Jack live, and I think that is one of the great things about this movie. It's still focusing on the tragedy. If they would have lived happily ever after, it would be a happy feeling leaving the film as credits role; a congratulatory moment. People may forget that the movie was actually about the tragic ending of the most luxurious liner, and the 1500+ people that went down with the ship. James Cameron is a brilliant man. He brought the trueness of the historic event to this story. He went down to the wreck and brought it to us, figuratively speaking of course. Brings us all that much closer to something great that most of us will never actually see. No matter how many times I have watched this film, I experiance it the same as the first, I am able to get lost in it, I feel for each person that was involved, and feel like I was a part of this. He really captured, what I see as, the true essence of what happened in 1912, aside from the love story which was fictional, but also beautiful.

First Blog

No matter who you are, what race, what language you speak, what religion you are, there are certain things that tie us together as humans. Laughter I believe is one of the biggest. No matter where you are, or what you speak, if you see someone laughing, you know what that emotion is and it is something we all have in common. It can spark something within us, to, even if briefly, have the same kind of feeling at the same moment in time. And laughter is one of the best feelings. So, that someone anywhere can give you that feeling, even for a moment, is amamzing.
The arts are the other aspects I think that have a huge impact on connecting us all. Music creates so many emotions; any emotion really, and every culture has some sort of music they use to express themselves. Music explains how we are feeling, or it will tell a story. Some music doesnt need words, just the tones make you feel a certain way. Again, no matter what you're listening to you can feel the emotion in a song. You can tell if it is meant to be sad, or celebratory. Dancing is something that is expressed everywhere, and you dont need words or the ability to understand the meanings to enjoy it. Paintings and drawings can strike up a feeling, or a memory in a person, even if that is not what it is meant to portray. But no matter who you are, it can reach out to you in some way. Someone anywhere in the world can make you feel. Theatre uses the aspects of all of these with the addition of real human emotions, lighting, and sounds, to create a story to entertain, or to teach. Film and television does this as well, but can reach further. The audience can be expanded to anywhere. With theatre you have to bring the audience to it. Film and television goes to the audience. There are so many stories that have been brought to life by film. With the use of subtitles, we can all share these stories. Again we can all have a moment where we can possibly relate to someone inside a film, or we relate to someone somewhere else that may be experiancing that film and taking it in similar context as us. All these different forms of art are used everywhere, every corner of the earth, and we all take them in in someway to relate to something, or bring out an emotion, or express ourselves, or just to be entertained, or maybe learn something. We can empathize with someone we dont know, or someone we may never meet, or someone we dont speak the same language as. The arts bring cultural barriers down, and make things a little more peaceful, even if only for brief moment every now and again.