From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #886 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Thursday, November 7 2002 Volume 01 : Number 886 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2002 16:09:48 -0800 From: "Bill Willson" Subject: Re: [AML] Artists and Unions Mary Jane Ungrangsee wrote: >The orchestra administration and the music director >basically had to back down because they lacked the >resources to fight the union. That musicians still plays, >and the playing is, sadly, still not up to standard... Yes it is very difficult to fight the union, just as it is difficult to fight city hall, taxes, the system , and taxes. These things are all evil necessities. Unions in particular are evil, but nevertheless necessary. We must never forget, that before we had unions, the workers in the coal mines had collars (metaphorically and in some cases literally) around their necks. Jesters, minstrels, and bards were often the property of the king, and if they didn't please him, he could have them killed. The basic problem you have stated is not that there is a union, but that the members of the union do not govern themselves honestly. If a musician is substandard, then he should not receive tenure. If a journeyman in the trades cannot do his job properly then he will not hold down a regular job, until he proves his skill. This should go for any unionized job or profession. I read in a Priesthood manual way back in the 70's that one could not be a good member of the LDS church and a good union member simultaneously. Similarly I once saw a statement about the impossibility of being a Democrat and a member of our church. I have never seen these statements again, but I suspect there are still members of the church who still believe them. This is sad, and I feel sorry for these people. I think it is our job as Mormon writers to expose the fallacies underlying these truths. Regards, Bill Willson - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2002 15:22:40 -0800 (PST) From: "R.W. Rasband" Subject: [AML] re: SAMUELSEN, _Peculiarities_ In my original review of the play I should have said how much I enjoyed the physical setting of the Villa theater in Springville. It has real character, unlike so many new venues that are merely anonymous boxes or aspire to be stadiums. It's a very cool place. Prophets are supposed to give us answers; the best an artist can do is ask very good questions. (And if the questions are acute enough, maybe there are answers lurking nearby.) I thought I recognized a few clear implications in Eric's play. Current American culture teaches us that women are just like men, only with breasts and a uterus. The women in this play seemed to be much more evolved than the men. It's the girl in "Tahoe" who becomes more and more upset about what has happened; the chick in "NCMO" calls the shots; the woman in "Temps" clearly knows what is at stake. Should be generalize about this to all men and all women? How many *really* smart women do you know, as opposed to men? (And this doesn't mean, either, that women are naturally morally superior to men. "NCMO" should disabuse you of that.) An outsider viewing this play might ask, "What's with all the guilt?" (Especially when only one of the couples ends up having sex.) I can imagine some furrowed brows in a New York or California audience. Well, the spectacle of people violating their own consciences, their particular moral standards, should be of concern to anybody with feelings and a brain. Evelyn Waugh once said he thought you would have to be both British and Catholic to get "Brideshead Revisited"; he was proven wrong by the large audience who loved the book. But why the *sex* in "Peculiarities"? Why of all things should there be guilt about that? One can only say, "Because it's *important.* Important enough to bring to light and examine, rather than to lock it in a closet and deny it exists. ===== R.W. Rasband Heber City, UT rrasband@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2002 16:28:39 -0800 From: "Bill Willson" Subject: Re: [AML] The Role of the Reader Lynette Jones wrote: >"...please, resist creating art specifically for "the > Mormon market." That's putting the candle under the >bushel, if you ask Amen! I think we do quite enough `preaching to the Choir' as it is; we need to reach out to the lost sheep. If we have found the way, we need to leave a trail for them to follow, and then go out into the wilderness and heard them into the fold. Regards, Bill Willson - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2002 16:36:59 -0800 From: "Bill Willson" Subject: Re: [AML] Generalizing from Experience > It is my understanding that history has been being >rewritten by the victors since time began. > > Tracie Laulusa True, but I don't think the writers of the new history completely erased the old history as they were rewriting. Then again, how would we know if they did? Regards, Bill Willson - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 05 Nov 2002 19:00:40 -0600 From: "Kumiko" Subject: [AML] Box Office Report Nov. 1 02 Feature Films by LDS/Mormon Filmmakers and Actors Weekend Box Office Report (U.S. Domestic Box Office Gross) Weekend of November 1, 2002 Report compiled by: LDSFilm.com [If table below doesn't line up properly, try looking at them with a mono-spaced font, such as Courier - Ed.] 
Natl  Film Title                Weekend Gross
Rank  LDS/Mormon Filmmaker/Actor  Total Gross Theaters Days
- ---  ----------------------------- -----------  -----  ----
 1   The Santa Clause 2             29,008,696  3,350     3
     Cinco Paul (screenwriter)      29,008,696

 8   Punch-Drunk Love                4,003,535  1,252    24
     Actors/characters:             10,861,175
         David Stevens,
         Nathan Stevens,
         Michael D. Stevens,
         Jim Smooth Stevens (James Smooth)

42   Master of Disguise                 94,894    136    94
     Perry Andelin Blake (director) 40,143,371

49   City by the Sea                    70,769    185    59
     Eliza Dushku (actress)         22,369,941

57   Jack Weyland's Charly              30,795     23    38
     Adam Anderegg (director)          435,797
     Jack Weyland (book author)
     Janine Gilbert (screenwriter)
     Lance Williams, Micah Merrill (producers)
     Tip Boxell (co-producer)
     Bengt Jan Jonsson (cinematographer)
     Aaron Merrill (composer)
     Actors: Heather Beers, Jeremy Elliott,
        Adam Johnson, Jackie Winterrose Fullmer,
        Diana Dunkley, Gary Neilson, Lisa McCammon,
        Randy King, Bernie Diamond, etc.

60   Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man   26,742      6   913
     Reed Smoot (cinematographer)   14,259,082

66   Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure   15,158     10   633
     Scott Swofford (producer)      13,565,537
     Reed Smoot (cinematographer)
     Sam Cardon (composer)

73   Galapagos                          10,096      8  1102
     Reed Smoot (cinematographer)   13,791,525

94   China: The Panda Adventure          3,994      5   465
     Reed Smoot (cinematographer)    2,916,832

105  Handcart                            1,920      4    24
     Kels Goodman (director/DP)         60,932
     David Greenslaw Sapp (producer)
     Mark von Bowers (screenwriter)
     Eric M. Hanson (composer)
     Actors: Jaelan Petrie, Stephanie Albach
        Chris Kendrick, Shannon Skinner,
        Gretchen Condie

107  ESPN's Ultimate X                   1,520      5   178
     Reed Smoot (cinematographer)    4,193,901

109  Mark Twain's America 3D             1,254      2  1585
     Alan Williams (composer)        2,281,741

114  The Singles Ward                      875      2   276
     Kurt Hale (writer/director)     1,250,798
     John E. Moyer (writer)
     Dave Hunter (producer)
     Ryan Little (cinematographer)
     Cody Hale (composer)
     Actors: Will Swenson, Connie Young,
        Daryn Tufts, Kirby Heyborne,
        Michael Birkeland, Robert Swenson,
        Wally Joyner, Lincoln Hoppe,
        Sedra Santos, etc.

124  Ziggy Stardust & Spiders from Mars    234      2   117
     Mick Ronson (2nd billed actor)    118,853


THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 - One of six screenwriters listed for The Santa Clause 2
(the sequel to the 1994 blockbuster holiday film starring Tim Allen) is
screenwriter Cinco Paul, a name familiar to readers of the LDSFilm.com
website. The eagerly-awaited film was just released this weekend and grossed
over $29 million in its first weekend, placing it in the number one spot.
Parents will be happy to know that the film is rated G, continuing Disney's
recent trend of releasing Hollywood-quality live action films that are rated
G including the very successful "The Rookie", which amazingly, was rated G
but was intended for an adult audience. What a concept! Making films for
adults that don't have anything in them that you would mind your kids
seeing! LDSFilm.com correspondent Tom Baggaley took his family to see it
this weekend, and all enjoyed the film. Those on the daily mailing list can
expect reviews from his eight-year-old and five-year-old in the next couple
of days, as well as a couple thoughts from a film composer's perspective
from Baggaley himself.

THE JOLLY OLD ELF VERSUS THE SPY - Those of you who get our daily mailing
list noticed that LDSFilm.com's positively jingoistic founder and webmaster
threw down the gauntlet on this one: Which film would have a better opening
weekend - "The Santa Clause 2" or Eddie Murphy's "I Spy"? As Hunter put it:
"Family-shmamly. I just want to see our boys trounce Eddie Murphy -- again."
He hastened to add: "I like Eddie, really I do. Good guy. 'Beverly Hills
Cop' on TV -- very funny stuff. Loved him in 'Mulan.' I even liked 'Coming
to America.' But, Eddie, don't mess with us. You picked the wrong weekend."
(Both films were scheduled to open November 1st, both in over 3,000
theaters.) Arguing that once again, Eddie Murphy would fall short of the
number one spot, thanks to competition from "our boys", Hunter cited the
following historical record:

Last time Murphy had a movie open it was "The Adventures of Pluto Nash." It
opened (on August 16, 2002) in 10th place nationwide. Ouch! It got thrashed
by another movie opening that weekend: "Blue Crush", which not only stars
Utah native Matthew Davis in the lead male role, but which was also filmed
on the beaches by BYU-Hawaii, with lots of BYU coeds as extras and stuff.
("Blue Crush" opened in 3rd nationwide, behind "xXx" and "Signs", which were
in their 2nd and third week.) The Eddie Murphy movie before that was
"Showtime", which opened on March 15, 2002 in 3rd place behind "Ice Age" and
"Resident Evil." Okay, I've got nuthin' to say about that. But the Eddie
Murphy movie before that one was "Doctor Dolittle 2", which opened on June
22, 2001. EVERYBODY thought it would be number #1 at the box office. But
"The Fast and the Furious," starring Latter-day Saint actor Paul Walker in
the lead role, came out of nowhere and completely smoked Eddie. (And don't
give me that "kids came to see Vin Diesel -- not surfer boy Paul" line...
Paul was at the top of the marquee.) You've got to go back to the previous
Eddie Murphy movie to find at time where Eddie opened in the #1 spot:
"Shrek" (opened May 18, 2001). Yes the same computer-animated "Shrek" whose
original producer was none other than John Garbett, of "The Other Side of
Heaven" fame. In fact, Eddie Murphy was the only
star who was retained in "Shrek" from the time that Garbett was the movie's
producer. After Garbett stepped down to work on other projects (including
"Heaven"), Cameron Diaz replaced Janeane Garofalo as the princess and Mike
Myers replaced his late friend Chris Farley as the ogre.

So how did it turn out this weekend? Would history repeat itself, or would
Hunter end up eating crow? Which film did better in the box office? As
previously mentioned, "The Santa Clause 2" took the number one spot,
grossing over $29 million in its first weekend. Eddie's film? With a weekend
box office gross of just under $13 million, it came in at #3, behind SC2 and
the thriller blockbuster, "The Ring". Now if Eddie Murphy were to take a
dramatic turn as Elijah Abel... THAT might be a Number 1 movie...

FESTIVAL PROGRAM PROMISES BIGGEST LDS FILM EVENT IN HISTORY - The 2ND LDS
FILM FESTIVAL 2002 will take place November 13-16 at the historic Provo City
Library. The festival program includes screenings of over 50 short films and
documentaries, many Q&A's with the filmmakers, a dozen FILMMAKER'S
PRESENTATIONS and workshops, a 24-HOUR-INSTANT-FILMMAKING-MARATHON, an LDS
FILM FORUM with presentations by LDS scholars and a panel discussion. "This
is probably the biggest LDS film event in history," says Christian Vuissa,
founder and organizer of the festival. Invited guests include Kurt Hale and
Dave Hunter ("Singles Ward," "The RM"), Adam Anderegg and Micah Merrill
("Charly"), Lee B. Groberg ("Sacred Stone: The Temple at Nauvoo"), Dean Hale
(Distributor of "God's Army," "The Other Side of Heaven"), Ryan Little ("Out
of Step"), Gary Rogers ("Book of Mormon Movie"), Nathan Smith Jones ("The
Work and the Story"), and many, many more. The theme of the 2ND LDS FILM
FORUM is "Fantasy and Reality in LDS Media." Five presenters have been
invited to discuss the roles of reality and fantasy in LDS media past,
present, and future. The presentations are followed by a panel discussion
about "The LDS Cinematic Audience." The panel examines the nature of the LDS
film audience: exactly who and where they are, what it is that they "want,"
and what further steps may be necessary to truly establish an audience and,
therefore, an identity for "LDS cinema."

GET READY FOR THE 24-HOUR-INSTANT-FILMMAKING MARATHON - The LDS FILM
FESTIVAL is launching its first 24-HOUR-INSTANT-FILMMAKING MARATHON.
Everyone is invited to get together with a group of friends and be part of
this exhilarating competition. On Wednesday, November 13, at 10.30 a.m.
participants will receive a theme for a short film, and on Thursday,
November 14, no later than 10.30 a.m. they have to hand in their finished
films. That same evening all films will be screened and judged at the 2ND
LDS FILM FESTIVAL. Participants will be allowed to use any equipment of
their choice. They have only 24 hours to write, shoot and edit their film.
The finished film can be no longer than 5 minutes. No more than five people
(cast and crew) per group will be allowed to take part. All films must be
completely original. The entry fee is $ 20.00 per participating group. All
participants contribute to the prize money that will be awarded to the
winner of the 24-HOUR-INSTANT-FILMMAKING-MARATHON. The best film will also
be part of the "BEST OF 2002" program and tour around the world. This is a
great chance to become a well-known filmmaker in 24-hours... 

FINALISTS FOR FILM AND SCREENPLAY COMPETITION SELECTED - 36 short films have
been selected as finalists for the 2ND LDS FILM FESTIVAL 2002. Four
competition programs including the long awaited Female Filmmakers program
will be screened during the festival. The very best films will be selected
by both a jury and the audience for the "BEST OF 2002" program, which will
be screened on Saturday, November 16. The screenplay competition will now be
divided into two separate competitions - a short script competition and a
feature script competition. Due to a generous donation by R. Don Oscarson
the award money could be raised to $ 2,600.00.

PRE-FESTIVAL SCREENINGS THIS WEEK AT BYU IDAHO - On invitation of the
theatre department, the LDS Film Festival will visit BYU-Idaho November 8
and 9 to present finalists of this year's and last year's festival program.
Two 2-hour screenings are scheduled. Additionally, workshops and
presentations are planned for Saturday, November 9. Participating filmmakers
are Bryan Lefler (USA), Andrew Black (Scotland), Jason Faller (Canada),
Jason Conforto (USA), Magnus Henriksen (Norway) and Christian Vuissa
(Austria). They will answer audience questions and prepare workshops and
presentations for those interested in the filmmaking process.  For an
outline of the festival program go to:
http://www.ldsbox.com/cgi-bin/program2002.php To view this year's festival
finalists, go to: http://www.ldsbox.com/cgi-bin/finalist.php

A FILM FROM JEANNE MCKINNEY AND ANNE BRADSHAW - Screenwriter, Jeanne
McKinney, and author, Anne Bradshaw, have adapted the novel, Terracotta
Summer into a screenplay for a proposed motion picture they would like to
find investors for entitled Season of Fire. For more information, visit
http://www.cedarfort.com/news/bradshaw_movie.html

OFFICIAL "THE R.M." WEB SITE - The all new official website for "The R.M."
is online. Teaser video, cast and cameos info, soundtrack, new images, etc.
Check it out: http://www.rmthemovie.com/

KIRBY'S STAR RISING - Just two months away from the Jan. 24th release of
"The R.M.," starring Kirby Heyborne in the lead role. Kirby had a supporting
role in "The Singles Ward," AND he recently has been cast in the lead role
in the upcoming Latter-day Saint-themed feature film" "The Best Two Years of
my Life." He also has a small role in the upcoming Latter-day Saint-themed
feature film "The Work and the Story." Heyborne also had a lead role in the
independent film "Social Suicide," an independent film made by SLC filmmaker
David Wells. Two lead roles and a supporting role will mean that Heyborne
will be among the most prolific stars in Latter-day Saint-themed feature
fils, matched only Richard Dutcher (God's Army, Brigham City, The Work and
the Story) and Jeremy Elliott (Testaments, Charly, Out of Step). Will
Swenson also has a lead role in "The Singles Ward" and "The R.M." Matthew
Brown had a lead role in both "God's Army" and "Brigham City." Michael
Buster had a lead role in "Out of Step" and a supporting role in "God's
Army."

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS JOHN LYDE UP TO? - What has John Lyde been up to? John
Lyde, best known for his feature-length film about missionaries, "The Field
is White" (now in LDS bookstores nationwide on VHS and DVD), has apparently
been busy. He has completed a new film which are competing in the upcoming
LDS Film Festival, to be held in two weeks in Provo. One is a comedy, "My
One True Love": Young Mahanri must stop his childhood love from marrying the
wrong man. Lyde is also competing in the short screenplay competition, with
a script titled "Mariah's Prayer." We're guessing it is not about Mariah
Carey. Okay, actually, it is about a young girl who is afraid of the monster
under the bed and learns that with God we have nothing to be afraid of. He
has also made a 30 minute short called "Shadowman" It is about nine junior
high students in after school detention. One by one they start to disappear.
Plus, he has written a 30 page script for a film he will be shooting over
the next couple of months called "In the Service of God." No, it is not
about missionary work. It is about home teaching. It should be finished by
the end of the year. As if that's enough, John also plans to shoot "Mariah's
Prayer" around Christmas time.

BOOK ABOUT THE MAKING OF HEAVEN - New in stores this week - a gorgeous hard
cover photography book takes you behind the scenes and into the making of
the movie "The Other Side of Heaven.": JOURNEY OF FAITH: The Making of The
Other Side of Heaven - Nearly 250 breathtaking color photos from
photographer Anita Schiller take you into the world on the other side of the
movie cameras. Shot on location in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands and in New
Zealand, Schiller's photographs give insight into the filmmaking process as
well as into the journey taken by the filmmakers who brought the amazing and
true story of John Groberg to the big screen. Side by side with the behind
the scenes photos are archival photos from John Groberg's own collection as
well as stills from the film. Accompanying all the photos is commentary from
Academy Award-winning producer Gerald R. Molen, producer John Garbett and
director Mitch Davis. Additional excerpts from John Groberg's letters and
journals give additional insight into his incredible adventures on the
island of Tonga. "The Other Side of Heaven" opened in movie theaters around
the nation in 2002. The movie told the true story of John Groberg's mission
to the Kingdom of Tonga in the 1950's. It grossed over $4.7 million,
becoming the highest-grossing LDS-themed film to date. For additonal
information and to view sample pages, please visit the website
www.vantagepointpress.com.

REALLY LOONEY ALIEN - An alien from the movie "This Island Earth," based on
the novel by devout Latter-day Saint F. Raymond Jones, is slated to appear
in next year's "Loony Tunes: Back in Action" feature film. To find out more,
visit http://www.scifi.com/sfw/current/news.html. Looney Tunes: Back in
Action is currently shooting, with a November 2003 release date in mind.

UTAH SPIDEY CONNECTION - "Spider-Man" will be released on video and DVD
tomorrow. The signature effect in the movie is Spidey's webslinging.
Although many of the film's special effects are digital, there are also
extensive practical effects. Kevin Chase, a resident of Moab, Utah and his
company, Worldwide Specialty Rigging, Ltd. worked extensively on the the
stunt and camera rigging for "Spider-Man". Chase's other recent credits
include "Mission Impossible II" for director John Woo and "Stuart Little 2."


THE SPIDER MEETS THE RAVEN - A totally separate subject: Best Latter-day
Saint character in the Spider-Man comic book series: Our pick would be
Detective Jacob Raven. Raven, a devout Church member from Salt Lake City,
first encounted Peter Parker in a classic story chronicled in J. M.
DeMatteis' classic 3-issue limited series "Spider-Man: The Lost Years"
(1995). Raven later traced Peter Parker to New York City, and had him
arrested and jailed for murder. (Peter was later found innocent.) The 3
issues of the "Spider-Man: The Lost Years" limited series present a fond
look at Salt Lake City in general and at Raven in particular. These are
probably the best "Jacob Raven/Spider-Man" stories, but Jacob Raven appeared
in other issues of Spidey's various series: Spider-Man #'s 53, 54, 57, 59,
60; Web of Spider-Man #'s 121, 122, 123, 124, 126; Peter Parker: The
Spectacular Spider-Man #'s 222, 223, 226, 231; Amazing Spider-Man #'s 400,
402, 403; Amazing Spider-Man Unlimited # 9; Scarlet Spider Unlimited # 1.
That Detective Jacob Raven will be making an appearance in any Spider-Man
motion picture sequels is still considered a long shot.

ANDEREGG UP IN THE RANKINGS - The weekend's box office gross for "Jack
Weyland's Charly" has brought the movie's total gross to $435,797, bumping
director Adam Thomas Anderegg into the Top 10 list of currently working
Latter-day Saint film directors (based on total career box office gross).
(To see the entire list, visit our home page - http://www.ldsfilm.com.)
Anderegg switched places with Blair Treu, whose first theatrically-released
feature film, "Little Secrets", grossed $405,182 at the box office this
year. (Of course, if the video sales and TV revenue from Treu's five other
feature films were added to the "Little Secrets" box office, the total would
be far higher. But this list is based only on box office gross at theaters.)
In January 2003, Anderegg may battle director Kurt Hale for 9th place... A
nationwide expansion of "Charly" is planned for the new year -- at about the
same time that Hale's 2nd feature film, "The R.M." is released. Based on the
performance of "The Other Side of Heaven", Excel Entertainment's last
release, which also was distributed nationwide, it is conceivable that the
box office gross for "Jack Weyland's Charly" could eventually exceed Richard
Dutcher's combined box office gross ($3,533,902 from "God's Army" and
"Brigham City"), or even the box office gross for Mitch Davis' "The Other
Side of Heaven" ($4,718,431). But after that, it's a long climb to the $40
million plateau that marks 6th place on this list. Of course, a list ranked
by total box office gross may be seen as a crude (literally "gross")
yardstick of a director. Note that the list ranked by average critical
response to directors' movies corresponds hardly at all to the list based on
box office receipts.

LDS FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE-LENGTH SCREENPLAY COMPETITION: The finalists in
the feature-length screenplay competition at the 2nd LDS Film Festival, to
be held November 13-16, 2002 in Provo, Utah, were announced on November 5th.
"Anxiously Engaged," written by Matthew Ball and Mark Greenhalgh, is one of
25 feature-length screenplays in the competition. First prize is $400 cash.
The 2nd place winner will receive $150.00. Third place receives $50.00. The
only competitor who has had a feature-length screenplay filmed is Aaron
Orullian, writer/director of the independent feature film "The Appleby
Sensation" (1997). Two notable authors are in competition: novelist Anne
Bradshaw and Church media spokesman Coke Newell. A few competitors are known
have completed short films: Ben Gourley, Dustin "Spanky" Ward, Brian Taylor,
Brandon Dayton, Andy Arness, Kyle Snarr, and Hubbel Palmer. The names of the
other competitors in the feature-length screenplay competition are new to
us, and are not known to have written anything that has actually been
filmed: Kory Koontz, Tom Laughlin, Marcia Wendorf, Heather Lawver, Anthony
R. Petersen, Derek DeWitt, Scott Wilhite, Anne Pratt, Matthew Anderson,
Emily Stephens, Diana Bahtishi, Karl W. Beckstrand, Nathan Scoll.




- --
AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature


------------------------------

Date: Tue, 05 Nov 2002 17:13:40 +0000
From: j.eldard@attbi.com
Subject: [AML] Indian Placement Program Query

Does anyone know if the Church Indian Placement Program 
was for Mormon children only? I'm working on something 
and I need to know for a plot line. Thanks.

John Eldard


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AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature


------------------------------

Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 20:45:10 -0600
From: "Kumiko" 
Subject: [AML] Amy Redford Starring in LaBute's "Shape of Things"

Amy Redford, daughter of actor/director Robert Redford and Latter-day Saint
documentary filmmaker Lola Van Wagenen, is starring on stage in the lead
role as Evelyn in Neil LaBute's "The Shape of Things", extended to Nov. 9 at
CanStage's Berkeley Street Theatre.

(Van Wagenen and Redford were married for 21 years.)

In an interview, Amy Redford notes: "I was raised in downtown New York and
in Utah," she recalls. "I need Utah. I like spending a lot of time alone; I
need solitude or I get batty... My parents are very grounded; they made sure
we were treated like normal children. Neither of them came from privilege
and they were not interested in having kids they didn't want to be around."

[Further excerpts from article:]
Her father visited her in Toronto last weekend. Both parents make a ritual
of seeing all her shows: She's appeared in The Messenger off Broadway in New
York, co-starring with Hollywood brat Troy Garity, son of Jane Fonda and Tom
Hayden; Hand Of God; Measure For Measure; Macbeth; Baby With The Bathwater;
and Golden Ladder, where she was scouted for Shape. She's also played a
doctor in Sopranos and guested on Sex And The City as Amy, a woman married
to a guy smitten with Charlotte (Kristin Davis' character)...

Her mom, she points out, is as much a role model as Dad. Van Wagenen went
back to school when Redford was in grade school to get her Ph.D. from NYU
with a dissertation on the suffragette movement. Mom was also exec producer
of the doc "There She Is: A History of Miss America."

...She admits to being a diehard Neil LaBute fan.

"He blows my mind. He is so unafraid to show the infrastructure of human
beings. I think it's wrong that people call him misogynistic; I'd much
rather play such a complex character."


Full article:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Artic
le_Type1&c=Article&cid=1026146790085&call_page=TS_Entertainment&call_pageid=
968867495754&call_pagepath=Entertainment/News&col=969483191630


- -- Preston Hunter




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AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature


------------------------------

Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 21:45:17 -0800
From: Jeffrey Needle 
Subject: Re: [AML] MARTINDALE, _Brother Brigham_ (Review)

For the record, yes, I did review the book.  Sometimes it takes a while for reviews to 
reach the archives.

>There is one thing about the sex in the book that bothered me,
>and that was the "loose woman" character, Shelia. Twice in the
>course of the book, Shelia is described as masturbating. I am not
>sure it is the act that bothers me so much, or if I just can't
>believe her behavior as something a woman would do--even one as
>hardened as the author paints this character to be. something
>doesn't ring true in those scenes to me...or maybe it just goes
>too far for my sensibilities. That is the one point where I as a
>reader said "OK this is a man writing this, and I see him behind
>the scenes". For me, that interrupted the dream. It will be
>interesting to hear further feedback on this point at my
>bookgroup in a couple of weeks. Maybe the whole thing would work
>if it were left a little more "told" and less "shown". Those were
>the only two times the writer crossed the line for me.
>

I never viewed Sheila as a "woman," but rather as a "girl" -- a distinction having to do 
with both age and maturity.  I had no problem at all picturing her engaging in just 
about any activity .


>I am just sorry for the rest of you that you won't have access to
>buying the book and reading it. Not only is it a great horror
>story, it explores all kinds of deep LDS fears--theft of temple
>recommends, manipulations of records, true visions, where is the
>line when a woman questions the "righteous preisthood holder" in
>her life, the power of discernment and many others. It's a book I
>would recommend to all adult readers.
>

I liked it, too.  I hope it finds a home with some publisher, I just don't know which 
one.


- ------------------
Jeffrey Needle
jeff.needle@general.com 
or
jeffneedle@tns.net







- --
AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature


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