I’m back in the Michigan drinking my coffee on a Monday morning. Yesterday we won our soccer match and I even scored a goal. I’ve enjoyed following the World Cup with so many friends and it is kind of sad that it’s all over now. As for playing soccer yesterday it was nice to run hard after spending all that time in NYC filming. I had such a great time and I know we did some very good work. I not a big city fan at all but the people and the experience were extremely positive. I made many new friends and saw a few old ones. My final scene was at Grand Central Station and it was a cool way to picture wrap. That place is so BIG! So I will be keeping you updated on that film entitled BENJAMIN.

Now I’m unpacking and jumping back into “In Our Time” and I hope that launches here soon. I’m all warmed up and ready to rock so give me a few and I’ll be ready to roll. Last week RENOVATION www.renovationthemovie.com  rough cut was done and the fine tuning now begins. We are prepping for the release of HEAVEN’S NEIGHBORS and FIGURE IN THE FOREST this August and so I encourage you all to join our facebook pages on these projects and buy/rent the films at a place of your choice.

I’m ready to really try and pull some of these projects together so we can do a few more of these little stories:) I do enjoy creating onscreen and the fact that I got to do a comedy again was just great. I got to work with James Russo whose work I’ve admired and he did not disappoint me. I want to thank all the hard working cast and crew of that film and I can’t wait to see the final project. I’m also hearing LOCKED IN A ROOM is nearing a rough cut so fans out there should have a few great projects to wait for.

I’m getting things back to normal so I’ll keep this short for now!

Have a great week everybody!

DJ

Ah…so nice to be chilling back in my environment with so much nature around. After spending just short of two weeks in NYC it was refreshing to come home to Michigan. I had a Birthday on the 23rd and being that it was the big 40 I was able to escape the black balloons and “Over-the-Hill” jokes. Actually I feel in my PRIME standing on the top of the hill:) The time spent so far in NYC was great even though I am not a city dweller. I’m having a wonderful time co-starring in a comedy called BENJAMIN. I have so enjoyed the entire cast and crew and they have given me positive memories in regards to NYC. I’m not about the crowds, cement, buildings and all that so when off I spend most of my free time on the roof top of our actors apartment where the wind blows. NYC was donkey-ass hot (A new term) and I had lots of car scenes driving around the main downtown in Manhattan. We had  a police escort on the trailer pulling the picture car which was a cab. I was driving the tailing car and I must have blew through between 40 and 50 red lights in traffic because spectators didn’t all know I was a picture car because I was actually driving. Whenever we pulled over to make adjustments to lighting we had folks taking pictures and video and it was just fun to watch. The people didn’t know exactly who we were but we looked enough like someone they have seen in films:) They thought my buddy Carl was John Stamos. (Very funny)

I’m going to take a few days to rest and take care of some business. Beyond that I want to  see some family/friends before going back to NYC for a week to finish shooting. I play an anti-terrorist agent and I am having all kinds of fun.  Next week I’m working with James Russo and Robert Miano and I’m excited to work with such talented actors. This is all a good break before putting Jesus on the big screen. I’m waiting on final shoot dates for IN OUR TIME but right now I’m just happy to be home.

I hope that everyone has a safe and fun-filled 4th of July weekend.

DJ

Hazelnut coffee is flowing and I’ve waking up here in Michigan after we had a major thunderstorm that woke me about 4 am. I almost got up to finish my final packing but I decided to grab the extra four hours of sleep. I’ve been working development and getting ready to shoot IN OUR TIME but I had a great opportunity pop up. I got a call to come co-star in a comedy shooting in NYC. The funny part was when the director called me I laughed and said, “I kind of got this Jesus look going” and he explained the role and how it would all figure.

I play an anti-terrorist agent and I’m so very excited to do something zany before going into something very dramatic. As I know more of what they want released I will drop some exclusives here. My buddy Carlucci who starred with me in KARMA is a central character and so it will be great to see him. I also here rumor that Alma will also be playing a character and she was the female lead in KARMA so we have a nice reunion going on of sorts. I look forward to making some new friends and associates.

This last week has been working with Dennis Therrian and Triumphant Ent. getting the final stuff around for the August HEAVEN’S NEIGHBORS and FIGURE IN THE FOREST. The latter has a soundtrack being released and we also added Joe Pullin’s music video for one of the major songs “I Will Wait For You” featuring John Oates, Peter Frampton and the London Symphony recorded at Abbey Roads studio. Here is a link for the music video.

http://web.me.com/dennistherrian/Therrian_Productions/I_Will_Wait_For_You.html

I’m going to shut down here and pack my work bag. I have a flight in a few hours so I’m going to go finish my packing. Time to pour another cup of the java:) Have a great week and I’m sure I’ll have a few good stories to share soon.

DJ

Ah, outdoor soccer season has been underway and after a couple of wins we have dropped a few games by one goal. Defense is on point but we are having issues finding the back of the net. I did actually score a goal last week which is a rare thing since I play defense. The World Cup has been great to watch and enjoy with so many friends of mine. I also wanted to report that the lilac wine is fermenting nicely and if it tastes like it smells it should be wonderful.

On the movie front we’ve been prepping for the August releases of “Figure in the Forest” and “Heaven’s Neighbors” that can be pre-ordered on amazon.com, Walmart and many online retailers. Feel free to call your favorite retailer, rental house.  After that is “The Patchwork Girl of OZ” and “Judges Special Edition” in September so stay tuned.

PR has been in full swing that I’m to play Jesus in the film “In Our Time” and I hope to have shoot dates this week. I think cameras may roll in July 2010 here and I will let everyone know. I’ve also accepted a role in a film that shoots end of this month. It looks as if I will be gone on my BDay which is nice because I might miss out on the black balloons and such:) I will tell you all more about the film soon but I’m excited because it is a comedy.

So it has been script reading, script doctoring and movie development. We still don’t know the final resolution on our LA legal dealings but we should end of the month or 1st of July.

Here are a couple nice interviews coming from the “In Our Time” project.

http://michiganmovietalent.com/component/content/article/1-latest-news/322-in-our-time-exclusive-interview-with-michigan-actor-dj-perry.html

http://www.michiganpr.net/index.php?xnewsaction=fullnews&newsarch=052010&newsid=1229

Look for some upcoming PR on “Wild Michigan” and “A State of Hate” coming soon.

In heavy post we have “Locked in a Room,” “Renovation” and “Outside the Wire” so the work continues.

Have a great week!

DJ

I’m back in the beautiful Michigan after almost a week in CA dealing with our little arbitration matter. I will say WOW! What a great learning experience and while I would not call any of it fun it was a great moment. I was the first person up and I presented the facts and survived the cross examinations just fine. It is easy when you have truth on your side. It is slightly irritating when a lawyer is trying to twist words into other meaning or discredit your character. I’m glad to report that this did not and could not happen. I’ve said before that I’ve stood by my actions, given best efforts always and I sleep like a baby every night. We were in force four strong and our attorney and on the third day we got the satisfaction of watching the guilty party OBJECTION! (We know he is guilty) OVERRULED! We watched the alleged guilty party just took a brutal, BRUTAL cross examination whereas he was going against earlier testimony within the 1st 60 seconds and it got worse from there. It was text book guilt from shaking hands, sweating and changing colors from bright red to ghostly white. Follow this with stuttering, wrong names and facts, his proclaiming of innocence and a string of “I can’t remember(s)” …(Follow this with a piece of hard evidence).

At the end of three hours I almost felt bad for the crook. I watched him dead on for the whole cross examination. He looked at me a few times and I saw suffering. I felt bad in a sense that we could have been business partners. The truth is that this man had been exploiting filmmakers for a long time. He just may have exposed himself and his company to the open fact that his entire library is most likely built on fraud and misrepresentation. I also don’t think that anyone has every called him to judgement on his actions.  On that day, regardless of how the final ruling comes out, we achieved satisfaction of knowing that he had to account for his wrong-doings on record and under oath. In a few weeks we will know the final outcome but already we are in a better place because I promise you they will be more prompt with accounting and payout and I sincerely hope they change their business ethics.

What I also loved is the fact that we represented the mass of filmmakers out there who pour passion, heart and soul into a film. Some are duped by ONE WORD in a contract that can slide by even experienced attorneys. It is sad because some great filmmakers may never emerge into the industry because they were cut short having used every finance option open to them and being left with nothing to fight a battle against a major corporation. We fought that battle on that day for every filmmaker ever mistreated by a distributor. I was so proud of Collective Development www.cdiproductions.com and now the upper crust of Hollywood knows this company can and will FIGHT when RIGHT! I want to thank all the prayers and well wishes I got from folks and especially the filmmakers. This battle was for all of us and I’ve never been prouder. We have a few more battles to fight on smaller fronts. I really wish we could go back to our 1st film that did well and we never saw a penny from our initial distributor. The company paid itself out and dissolved into the night never to be seen again. What is even sadder in a few of these cases is that the dishonest people are also parents. The main antagonist is our little deal in CA has a 5 year old child. My father was and still is a ROCK on how to live like a good man. He instilled those values in us. I worry about these dishonest people’s children being raised by fathers who see lying, cheating and stealing as just a way of life. This man is a millionaire but he is no different then a street thug.  Both are passing on the shortcomings in their character by condoning a behavior to a small child who sees their father as the end all. That is what was running through my head during part of this ordeal. I hope that man changes his ways for his child. Odd to feel bad for someone but I’m not a hateful person. I don’t carry poison around like that. My friendships mean a lot to me and they come without any fine print. Be a good friend and the rewards will be greater than any money or material things.

TO MOVIE NEWS!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/14542396

http://www.walmart.com/ip/14542409

PRE-ORDER now at Walmart and enjoy these two Jeff Kennedy directed titles. 
These films showcase some of the heart and soul of our company. The films 
release next month and you can add these to your collection. I hope everyone
has a safe and relaxing weekend as we remember those who fight so that we may 
have freedom. Be good to one another.


DJ