So I awoke to the rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning and decided to get up and start the old coffee pot.. MSU has a great game tonight vs ND so we’ll see how that all goes. It was a long week of slow forward movement and a few new developments. I will say that the Afghanistan doc “Outside the Wire” is wonderful. I think it will be a crown gem for Anthony Hornus who directed and another project that I will be proud to be part of. To see the plight of the unfortunate helps put my own problems in perspective. Producers in NYC and Yuma saw cuts of “Benjamin” and “Renovation” and both seem very happy. I will soon see cuts of the films and I can give my 1st hand impressions but for now I’m going off my fellow producer’s reactions. I still don’t have a firm update on “Locked in a Room” other than it was looking strong and they are trying to get a cut to our producers rep for AFM. (American Film Market)

Communication and movement on “In Our Time” the Jesus film as many call it, first on the official site they stated that Richard Dreyfuss and Jon Voight are now attached vs in negotiations. Also I think our director Jeff Kennedy’s deal is in place. I just remembered that my attorney contacted me and said that “Variety” magazine is preparing an article on me in conjunction with “In Our Time” and when that comes out I’ll let everyone know. We are currently waiting on start dates and in the meantime I’ve got five or six movie opportunities floating about. I’m ready to get back in front of the camera be it as Jesus or someone else.

The Oct 23rd Yuma, AZ premiere is going to be fun. I love showing a film and getting to do a meet and greet afterward. That is always better when the film rocks so I’m in high hopes that people will enjoy it. We are working to get some potential distributors there. Anyhow you look at it fun awaits and it will be nice to see the cast and crew and yes even the Hotel Del Sol.

This is not an easy time right now because scheduling is still up in the air, creative impatience, a new paycheck is always nice and just general frustration over not having my Fall to Spring schedule in place. I’m sure that will get worked out very soon as it always does but the waiting is still not fun. I hope that each and every one of you continue to weather your own personal storms with persistence, patience (as much as you can muster) and conviction. I hear the stories out there and I live my own ups and downs in this industry. It is not always easy to always walk the path of an artist but what we ultimately create is a reward many cannot or do not share in. Many depend on our work to give them that creative nourishment that many occupations often lack.

OK. Enough of my coffee ramblings. As always, I wish all of you the best in your endeavors. Don’t be afraid to face the storms because calm waters are always ahead.

DJ

Call me crazy but I LOVE those chill mornings and the fall feeling of Harvest. This year has been a year of recovery for many people. I’ve seen the creative seeds planted into the hard ground and the nurturing throughout the year. This year has not been the grand harvest of some years. Even the Mulberry’s did not come so no new Mulberry wine BUT I did harvest Lilac and that wine is about ready to bottle. A trip down South last weekend had us bringing dried field corn back with us and so the house has these great decorations symbolic of fall. Once the snow falls the squirrels and birds will enjoy them. Our garden is pushing the last beans and tomatoes and I’m sad to say that my pumpkins flowered but never produced.

Many ventures have such growth cycles with setbacks and such. I’m happy that this year I was able to produce some growth in the garden. 2010 will see 4 new projects come to conclusion and many previous projects are finding their way out to the marketplace. I’m excited to hear some feedback on the Jeff Kennedy dramas FIGURE IN THE FOREST and HEAVEN’S NEIGHBORS. The Special Edition of JUDGES coming this fall will be a total RE-EDIT I’m told so that should be exciting. It is also releasing on Blu-Ray and I also hear that BLOOD TIES will also release on Blu-Ray. The UK premiere of “Karma, Crime, Passion, Reincarnation” went well from what heard. The premiere for http://www.renovationthemovie.com is heating up for Oct 23rd in Yuma, AZ with Charles and Robert (producer/director) doing a radio show for INDEPENDENT CORNER with Jon Moody. I’m excited and I hope some of you folks can make it out for what will be a great time.

Monday I get to see the hard work of Tony Hornus and Dennis Therrian from months of post work on OUTSIDE THE WIRE. I’m so proud of those two for all their hard work. LOCKED IN A ROOM and BENJAMIN are approaching final edit and so I’m happy to wait and see what emerges. IN OUR TIME slowly chugs down the taxi runway and I know we are all ready to go when the captain gives the “fasten your seat belt” announcement. So I’m looking at a few September projects and continuing to package on development and also doing some scriptwriting.

Off to play the first play off soccer match in our league and nothing is better than a fall game! Also enjoyed the MSU win and I hope the Lions get off to a solid season.

DJ