Monday, December 29, 2008

CHRISTMAS IN VEGAS - FILM AUDITIONS


Stephanie and I had no children for Christmas.  So we celebrated Christmas early and went to Las Vegas to see my parents and my sisters.  We also saw one of my brothers who flew in from Houston and then ran out to Utah to see his kids.  While in Vegas, we helped my parents take care of things around the house, plus hang up pictures on their empty walls.  They have lived in this house for just over a year and are still unloading from the big move from Virginia.

While there, we also got to see our friend Matt Lewis, who is possibly the best Elvis impersonator there is, as well as a very talented individual.  He was the star of our film "Tears of a King" and headlines the Legends show in Vegas.  I still don't know when Tears is coming out.  I had no date to report to Matt.  We filmed the movie over 2  years ago.  I think we are still working out legalities over music.  

Anyway, we are also starting on auditions on what could be my most challenging project ever.  "The Last Eagle Scout" is a film I wrote and will produce and direct with my own money.  I know I am crazy, but I feel with the changing political climate we are experiencing (all is Political Climate Change or Political Warming), it is time for this story to be told.  It is more then just boy scouts.  Auditions continue on Jan 10.  

Have a happy new year! 

Thursday, December 11, 2008

WILL IT BLEND - IPHONE APP


Hey, now Will it Blend is available as an app for the iPhone.  It's pretty cool looking.  My friend, Rob Perry, constructed this application that allows you to watch specific Will it Blends at the push of a button (as if you haven't had enough of the most powerful blender).  If you have iTunes you can check out the link here.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Christmas Photos


Couldn't help but to put this photo up.  Here is my sweet wife, Stephanie, with her three children, Kristina, Emily and Michael.  What hams!  

For the past two years, as Steph and I have taken pictures (her bridals, last year's Christmas photos, our wedding photos) I have taken them myself.  I even take the ones that have me in them (can you believe that).  I usually use a timer and sit myself in front and take a guess.  

I still have photos of my sons, Forrest and Parke to take for Christmas.  Hopefully by the end of the week.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Democracy wins!… oh, except for Proposition 8


The opinion on this blog is in no way the same of those within Blendtec or Will it Blend (that they'll admit).  To protect Will it Blend, I posted this and then removed it, but I feel I needed to show this somehow.  Of course, the 2 or 3 people who actually read this blog will pose no threat.

So here’s the thinking… if you don’t get what you want, vote on it.  Then, if it’s not in your favor, bitch and moan till you get your way.

That is how I feel when it comes to Proposition 8.  Even though I don’t live in California (and I could actually care less), I will possibly be a target myself because I am a Mormon and because I work in the entertainment industry. 

Now the black-listing begins.  It first started when you were a Hollywood elite and you chose not to vote for The Anointed One.  Now it’s that you voted for Prop 8 and are a Mormon.  I feel for Scott Eckern, a Mormon, and artistic director of the California Music Theater, who was recently black-listed for supporting and donating to Prop 8.  So he stepped down. So did Richard Raddon, director of the Los Angeles Film Festival. Now there is talk of boycotting the Sundance Film Festival.

As we went to San Francisco a few weeks ago, we had to be careful to not say we were from Utah.  We revealed it once to the Mythbusters and the first thing out of their mouth was "Utah, eh... good job on that prop 8".   

It is really sad to me that these celebrities who I have watched and loved on TV for so long are standing outside the temples protesting.

I guess we will have to start black-listing Donny and Marie Osmond, Glenn Beck (oh wait, he’s already black-listed from the get-go), Larry King (married to a Mormon, guilty by association actually works here) or Gladys Knight (oh wait, she’s black, that doesn’t count)….. No mention of the fact that 70 percent of the African American population actually voted for prop 8, where is the outrage on them. 

We will then have to black-list David Archuleta as well.  Or will he deny the situation?  Will he leave the church for his career?  Will he speak out against? 

Hopefully he won’t be like the other spineless members of the church who are “in the church but not of the church” when it comes to the entertainment industry.  Just a member enough to star in the latest Halestorm film, but not enough to be “told what to do by grumpy old men who are out of touch” just so they can star in a big Hollywood production.

But only because there happen to be members of the Mormon faith who forked out most of the money for the advertising of Prop 8, the whole church gets the shaft from protestors. 

What are they mad at?  Is it the money?  Where is the outrage at the fact that Obama outspent McCain 4 to one?  Where is that outrage? Where are those protestors? 

It is obvious that these people are either uninformed, or just hate the church as a whole. Or do they just love to get off of work and chant random things?  If we are going to talk about unfairness, how about the unfairness of my ancestors being kicked out of the country for their beliefs.  Where is my retribution? Where is my apology? Where is my check?

I actually am in favor of gays having some kind of union they can call their own, just not marriage.  Don’t come pushing me and others aside like a bully.  Gays have many rights and privileges.  In fact, in many cases, they get the hand up because they are gay.

It is ridiculous to see the protests, the vandalism, the burning Book of Mormon.  Is this Missouri all over again?   

It is amazing to see those who believe in tolerance and love, not hate, there sure has been a lot of hate coming from that side.  So much for your example.

I ask the gay community to go back to the drawing board and get over the fact that the voting was fair and honest and… over with!  Blame the people who voted!

And for those who are Mormon and in the industry… buckle up!