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GUITAR GREAT MICHAEL ANTHONY GETS SAUCY AT HARD ROCK CAFE
by Bonnie Carroll

For more than two decades, Van Halen bass guitarist, Michael Anthony, has shown his ability to stimulate the senses with his ear-shattering bass lines and eye-catching stage antics. Now, the rock legend is tantalizing his fans’ taste buds with the introduction of his tongue-sizzling signature line of Mad Anthony’s barbecue sauces, Original Style and Extra Hot, which will rock their way into Hard Rock Cafes this fall. To celebrate, Michael Anthony has been appearing at Hard Rock Cafe throughout the country, meeting with fans and signing bottles of his new BBQ sauces. Michael also dedicated one of his custom-made bass guitars, used onstage during several Van Halen concerts, which will be added to Hard Rock’s world-renowned collection.

"Some other rock musicians created hot sauces, and I love hot sauce. It began with a hot mustard sauce that I entered in a contest sponsorred by Chili Pepper Magazine. I was really surprised that I won, and the BBQ sauce is even better," said Anthony. The star was raised in Chicago, and said he was from a large family who all loved to cook.

For informaton go to www.MadAnthonyCafe.com or www.hardrockcafe.com


PRESENTS

DRAGON TALES LIVE “MISSING MUSIC MYSTERY”
FLIES INTO THE PANTAGES THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD
FEBRUARY 2, 2006


The Film and Television Department French Embassy
in Los Angeles proudly presents

The 17th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF)
January 5-16, 2006

Held in January each year in one of the most stunning settings on earth, this celebrated annual event is one of the largest festivals in North America, presenting more than 200 films from over 60 countries, and hosting over 200 filmmaking guests for its program of screenings, seminars, tributes and special events. The Festival presents a majority of the official submissions for the Best Foreign Language Film category of the Academy Awards® (53 of last year¹s 56 official submissions), along with a large number of new international films, independent and major studio American narrative and documentary features, many of them award winners at home and abroad, including some 80 world or U.S. premieres.

This year, 18 french films will be shown. Please click here to visit the website for the film schedule.

 


GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD NOMINEES
Who Will Be The Winners

Picture, Drama: "Brokeback Mountain," "The Constant Gardener," "Good Night, and Good Luck," "A History of Violence," "Match Point."
Actress, Drama: Maria Bello, "A History of Violence"; Felicity Huffman, "Transamerica"; Gwyneth Paltrow, "Proof"; Charlize Theron, "North Country"; Ziyi Zhang, "Memoirs of a Geisha."

Actor, Drama: Russell Crowe, "Cinderella Man"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"; Terrence Howard, "Hustle & Flow"; Heath Ledger, "Brokeback Mountain"; David Strathairn, "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Picture, Musical or Comedy: "Mrs. Henderson Presents," "Pride & Prejudice," "The Producers," "The Squid and the Whale," "Walk the Line."

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Judi Dench, "Mrs. Henderson Presents"; Keira Knightley, "Pride & Prejudice"; Laura Linney, "The Squid and the Whale"; Sarah Jessica Parker, "The Family Stone"; Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line."

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Pierce Brosnan, "The Matador"; Jeff Daniels, "The Squid and the Whale"; Johnny Depp, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"; Nathan Lane, "The Producers"; Cillian Murphy, "Breakfast on Pluto"; Joaquin Phoenix, "Walk the Line."

Supporting Actress: Scarlett Johansson, "Match Point"; Shirley MacLaine, "In Her Shoes"; Frances McDormand, "North Country"; Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener"; Michelle Williams, "Brokeback Mountain."

Supporting Actor: George Clooney, "Syriana"; Matt Dillon, "Crash"; Will Ferrell, "The Producers"; Paul Giamatti, "Cinderella Man"; Bob Hoskins, "Mrs. Henderson Presents."
Director: Woody Allen, "Match Point"; George Clooney, "Good Night, and Good Luck"; Peter Jackson, "King Kong"; Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain"; Fernando Meirelles, "The Constant Gardener"; Steven Spielberg, "Munich."

Screenplay: Woody Allen, "Match Point"; George Clooney and Grant Heslov, "Good Night, and Good Luck"; Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, "Crash"; Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, "Munich"; Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, "Brokeback Mountain."

Foreign Language: "Kung Fu Hustle," China; "Master of the Crimson Armor aka The Promise," China; "Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noel)," France; "Paradise Now," Palestine; "Tsotsi," South Africa.
Original Score: Alexandre Desplat, "Syriana"; James Newton Howard, "King Kong"; Gustavo Santaolalla, "Brokeback Mountain"; Harry Gregson, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"; John Williams, "Memoirs of a Geisha";

Original Song: "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" from "Brokeback Mountain"; "There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway" from "The Producers"; "Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica"; "Wunderkind" from "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

TELEVISION
Drama Series: "Commander in Chief," ABC; "Grey's Anatomy," ABC; "Lost," ABC; "Prison Break," Fox; "Rome," HBO.

Actress, Drama: Patricia Arquette, "Medium"; Glenn Close, "The Shield"; Geena Davis, "Commander in Chief"; Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"; Polly Walker, "Rome."

Actor, Drama: Patrick Dempsey, "Grey's Anatomy"; Matthew Fox, "Lost"; Hugh Laurie, "House"; Wentworth Miller, "Prison Break"; Kiefer Sutherland, "24."

Series, Musical or Comedy: "Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO; "Desperate Housewives," ABC; "Entourage," HBO; "Everybody Hates Chris," UPN; "My Name is Earl," NBC; "Weeds," Showtime.
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Marcia Cross, "Desperate Housewives"; Teri Hatcher, "Desperate Housewives"; Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives"; Eva Longoria, "Desperate Housewives"; Mary-Louis Parker, "Weeds."

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Zach Braff, "Scrubs"; Steve Carell, "The Office"; Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"; Jason Lee, "My Name is Earl"; Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men."
Miniseries or movie: "Empire Falls," HBO; "Into the West," TNT; "Lackawanna Blues," HBO; "Sleeper Cell," Showtime; "Viva Blackpool," BBC America; "Warm Springs," HBO.
Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Halle Berry, "Their Eyes Were Watching God"; Kelly MacDonald, "The Girl in the Cafe"; S. Epatha Merkerson, "Lackawanna Blues"; Cynthia Nixon, "Warm Springs"; Mira Sorvino, "Human Trafficking."

Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Kenneth Branagh, "Warm Springs"; Ed Harris, "Empire Falls"; Jonathan Rhys Meyers, "Elvis"; Bill Nighy, "The Girl in the Cafe"; Donald Sutherland, "Human Trafficking."
Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal"; Camryn Manheim, "Elvis"; Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy"; Elizabeth Perkins, "Weeds"; Joanne Woodward, "Empire Falls."
Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Naveen Andres, "Lost"; Paul Newman, "Empire Falls"; Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"; Randy Quaid, "Elvis"; Donald Sutherland, "Commander in Chief."


FINDING HOME
Wins Awards and Press Approval

FILMMAKERS OVERCOME LIFE-CHANGING OBSTACLES FOR
AWARD-WINNING FEATURE FILM "FINDING HOME"

Lawrence David Foldes' critically acclaimed, award-winning motion picture FINDING HOME is gaining national attention. Following sell-out showings in the Northeast and Southern US, FINDING HOME is expanding to Los Angeles for an exclusive engagement at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills beginning on Friday, December 23rd. This engagement marks the reopening of the historic Fine Arts Theatre under the new management of Michael S. Hall following several months of closure.

FINDING HOME is a powerful story of forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption. The film tells the story of a young woman who must unravel the mysteries of her family's troubled past when she returns to her grandmother's remote island inn where she is forced to re-evaluate her own life and values. Filmed at spectacular locations on the rugged coast of Maine, the story addresses important social and psychological issues such as sexual responsibility, the importance of family, and the consequences of the choices we make in life.

FINDING HOME has garnered numerous awards on the festival circuit including 5 Best Picture awards, Best Director and Best Actress awards at the Monaco Int'l. Film Festival, and named "Best of the Festival" at both the Sarasota and Nashville Film Festivals. The picture was also honored with the Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Song Awards at the Rome Int'l. Film Festival, as well as the Excellence in Producing Award at the Montréal World Film Festival, and numerous others.

The film stars Academy Award® winner Louise Fletcher, best known for her role as Nurse Ratched opposite Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Academy Award® nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Geneviève Bujold, and Justin Henry, the Academy Award® nominated child star of Kramer vs. Kramer and star of John Hughes' Sixteen Candles. The cast also includes Lisa Brenner of Mel Gibson's The Patriot, rising young stars Johnny Messner (Anacondas, Tears of the Sun, and star of Fox TV's new hit series Killer Instinct) and Emmy nominee Sherri Saum (Beggars and Choosers, One Life to Live), and Academy Award® nominee and Pulitzer Prize winner Jason Miller (The Exorcist) in his final role. Steven Spielberg, John Landis, Michael Cimino and Arthur Hiller personally consulted on this heartfelt drama.

FINDING HOME is the culmination of a six-year odyssey for the award-winning director/producer team of Lawrence David Foldes and Victoria Paige Meyerink who invested their entire life savings in finishing the picture. The husband and wife team erected a full service temporary movie studio on the remote island of Deer Isle, Maine and faced the challenges of marine filming and 14-foot tidal shifts. They also had to extend the New England "fall color" from Labor Day until Christmas. The project originated at The Int'l. Film & Television Workshops in Rockport, Maine where Foldes and Meyerink, faculty members for over fifteen years, were approached by a student with the original storyline. Foldes and co-writer Grafton Harper then wrote the screenplay, spending over a year researching the field of traumatic and repressed memories with the medical community's top experts and their patients.

Meyerink gained international fame at age four when she co-starred for four seasons with Danny Kaye on his CBS variety series. She also co-starred with Elvis Presley and Nancy Sinatra in MGM's Speedway as well as Brainstorm with Anne Francis, Seconds with Rock Hudson, and Night of the Grizzly with Clint Walker and Martha Hyer. On television she was a regular on the popular series' Green Acres, My Three Sons and Family Affair. Foldes gained industry prominence with the highly successful cult classic Malibu High which he produced at age 18, making him the youngest professional filmmaker in history.

FINDING HOME marks the 20th anniversary of filmmaking duo Foldes and Meyerink and is a personal triumph for producer and former child star Meyerink, who battled a brain tumor and created a controversial new radiation treatment during the film's production. The drama and challenges the filmmakers faced on the rocky cliffs of Felsted, a famous inn and property on Deer Isle originally designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (designer of New York City's Central Park and San Francisco's Golden Gate Park), were exponentially increased by the medical ordeal Meyerink faced during the course of the production.

After producing four successful features with Foldes, Meyerink was diagnosed in 1998 with an acoustic neuroma, a deep-seated brain tumor that, if surgically removed, would have left her deaf in one ear with the possibility of facial paralysis, imbalance, and other serious side effects. She was determined to find a better treatment, so she and her husband took matters into their own hands. After consulting over forty doctors on both coasts and in Europe and interviewing hundreds of patients, Meyerink convinced Dr. Georg Noren, a prominent physician at the New England Gamma Knife Center at Rhode Island Hospital, to attempt a new protocol involving two different forms of radiation treatment. Dr. Noren believed the treatment could be successful and he and Meyerink created what is now known as Fractionated Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (FGK), and Meyerink became the first patient in the world to undergo the new treatment. It worked. Since then, Dr. Noren has successfully treated over fifty patients and the procedure is about to be implemented in other countries. A portion of the film's proceeds are being donated to fund further research at the New England Gamma Knife Center at Rhode Island Hospital.

The film, which came about at the most turbulent time in the filmmakers' lives, is a major shift in the careers of Foldes and Meyerink, whose previous credits also include actioners Young Warriors and Nightforce, and comedic festival favorite Prima Donnas. This change in the filmmaker's focus was brought on by the life-altering challenges they encountered with Meyerink's illness and their realization of the preciousness and frailty of life. "I could not have made this picture six or seven years ago, says Foldes. "Victoria's illness and her resiliency in the face of such adversity forced us to confront our mortality and allowed me to mature as a filmmaker. We began to think about the legacy that we would leave behind as filmmakers. Did we want to be known for a shelf full of action movies at Blockbuster? Or could we use our talents to create something meaningful that would enhance the lives of audiences for generations."

"We felt that we could do something more than simply baby-sit audiences and sell popcorn," adds Meyerink. "We have the ability to use the powerful medium of film to have a positive impact on peoples' lives."

Castle Hill Productions, the film's New York based distributor, is releasing the film throughout the rest of the country this winter. Foldes and Meyerink are traveling to each city, and appearing at select screenings to introduce the film and answer questions from the audience. Their grassroots approach in marketing this film has proven highly successful, resulting in extended stays and frequent sell-outs coast to coast.

Critics have called FINDING HOME "Stunning," "Heartfelt" and "One of the best films of the year," predicting a potential Oscar nomination for Geneviève Bujold. Rex Reed of the New York Observer hails the film as "Exhilarating!" and calls it "Honest and relevant, intense and riveting, a cause for rejoicing." "One of life's great pleasures for a film critic is the serendipitous jolt of happening upon a new work at a film festival that reaffirms the love of making movies. Lawrence David Foldes' impressive memory drama FINDING HOME is such an experience," says film critic Jake Jacobson of Westwood One/CBS Radio. MOVIEGUIDE® film critic Ted Baehr states, "FINDING HOME is a well-crafted, highly entertaining, evocative movie. MOVIEGUIDE® urges audiences, especially young people, to see this movie for its entertaining, profound insights."

AWARDS AND FESTIVALS as of August 2005

BEST PICTURE AWARD
Rhode Island International Film Festival 2005

BEST PICTURE AWARD
Memphis International Film Festival 2005

BEST PICTURE AWARD
Thunderbird International Film Festival 2005

BEST PICTURE AWARD
Mount Shasta International Film Festival 2004

BEST PICTURE AWARD
2004 Raetihi Film Festival New Zealand

BEST DIRECTOR AWARD - Lawrence David Foldes
Monaco International Film Festival

BEST ACTRESS AWARD - Geneviève Bujold
Monaco International Film Festival

BEST ACTRESS AWARD - Geneviève Bujold
2004 Silver Lake Film Festival

BEST OF THE FESTIVAL AWARD
2004 Sarasota Film Festival

BEST OF THE FESTIVAL AWARD
2004 Nashville Film Festival

EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCING AWARD - Victoria Paige Meyerink
Montréal World Film Festival

EXCELLENCE IN CINEMA AWARD
2004 Sarasota Film Festival

BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD
BEST SONG AWARD
2004 Rome International Film Festival
(continued)
BEST EDITING AWARD
Rhode Island International Film Festival 2005

AUDIENCE AWARD
2004 Raetihi Film Festival New Zealand

AUDIENCE AWARD
Mount Shasta International Film Festival 2004

FESTIVAL CHOICE AWARD
World Cinema Naples 2004

FOUNDERS AWARD FOR ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE
2004 Big Bear Lake International Film Festival

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD
2005 Tiburon International Film Festival

OFFICIAL SELECTION

2005 Palm Beach International Film Festival
2005 Schermi d'Amore - Verona Film Festival
2004 Boston Film Festival
2004 Santa Barbara International Film Festival
2004 Newport Beach Film Festival
2004 Chicago Indiefest
2004 San Diego Film Festival
2004 Hollywood Film Festival
2004 Santa Fe Film Festival
2004 Cairo International Film Festival
35th International Film Festival of India 2004

2004 Pune International Film Festival
2004 Turks & Caicos International Film Festival
27th Sao Paolo International Film Festival
XXXIII Kyiv Molodist International Film Festival
XXIV Mostra de Valencia

© 2008 Bonnie Carroll, All Rights Reserved