April, 2011

April 2nd 2011

The Eyes of St. Anthony (Episode 5 of 9)

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The ring is lost, but Tony pops the question to Corrin anyway... sort of.  Now he feels more lost than ever. Maybe Shah’s glasses are the answer after all.

Rebecca Kyler Downs who plays Corrin in The Eyes of St. Anthony is also a talented singer.

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April 5th 2011

Claire Will Be Missed

It breaks my heart to write that our close friend and talented producer, Claire Missanelli died on Thursday morning, March 31st, 2011. Claire had been battling breast cancer bravely since 2003. The recent and sudden change took us all by surprise. But her journey was peaceful - no pain, at home surrounded by friends and family. On Thursday April 7th, family members spread Claire's ashes in Coney Island, a favorite place for Claire.

Condolences to Claire's family can be sent to her mother, Clara Messanella, 510 Pond Street, Bristol, PA 19007.

A memorial service and celebration of Claire's life took place on Sunday, May 1st, at Oval Lounge amidst the greenery of Stuyvesant Town, Manhattan. Claire’s memorial was uplifting, despite the sadness of her loss. We were surrounded by family, friends and filmmakers with wonderful tributes to Claire in words, images, and music, including a performance by Claire's friend and neighbor, recording artist Susan McKeown. Filmmaker Charles Vogl attended the memorial and wrote this heartfelt message about Claire on his blog.  

I especially want to thank everyone who contributed financially to Claire’s struggle for survival. You should know that Claire’s family has decided to donate the remainder of the money to You Can Thrive!, a Foundation that supports women with cancer. Claire was on the Board of You Can Thrive! and very active in its mission. So your contributions will allow Claire to continue to help women fighting cancer.

Please re-visit this page for updates and to share stories, memories and photos in the Comments section below.  

Claire was a true light in my life - optimistic, bright and positive. She helped keep me going during all the hard work and all-nighters and there was no better person to share the joy of success with. Claire was a gifted filmmaker. She reached audiences of millions globally and she touched her colleagues not only with her heart, but with her wisdom and experience. Claire's impact on the world has been powerful. I am blessed to be her friend and honored to have shared a legacy of good work with her.

Paul Devlin

 

A special video tribute to Claire, by our Georgian co-producer of Power Trip Valeri Odikadze.

Rina Svet made this Memorial Video of Claire.

Claire's Photo Gallery (click ESC to exit photo)

 

 

April 12th 2011

The Eyes of St. Anthony (Episode 6 of 9)

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How fantastic to be able to find anything! Who wouldn’t want a pair of those glasses? But the temptation to find lost youth can be bittersweet.

A few friends of the director, Paul Devlin,  made the music for The Eyes of St. Anthony.  Rob Wagner and Billy Donohue of The Blasés composed and performed the jaunty guitar and piano music associated with Tony including the poignant piece during the attic scene. John Kayne, guitar player for The Loaded Poets, composed and performed the eerily, etheral music associated with Shah and the glasses.  And Tony’s mother’s house was actually the home of Jim Wood, also of Loaded Poets and star of Paul Devlin’s upcoming movie Superstardumb.

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April 15th 2011

Slam Poem: Taylor Mali - "I Could Be a Poet"

Guest post by Taylor Mali!

The first thing I notice about this performance from 1996—when I was 31 years old—is that I move way too much. All that bouncing and flouncing and giggling around! Some might be explained away by greater internal stores of youthful energy, but what I recognize is someone who is trying to hide his jitters with excessive movement. Notice how I never stand with my body fully facing the audience; always I am at an angle. That's a nervous habit that I have pointed out in hundreds of students since then, so it's refreshing to see that I was guilty of the same back then.

As for the poem, which was already six years old by then, it was the first of a series of "parody poems" I have written that got me into a lot of trouble. I mock poets in general and specific poets in particular to throw them off their game, to make them worry about other things besides the best poem to send up in the slam. Notice how when I say, "I know what I'm talking about and you should too," I thump my chest and make some gestures with my hand and the audience laughs for no apparent reason. What you need to know is that Bill MacMillan, my teammate that year, had done a wonderful poem that was entirely in a kind of sign language. My little maneuver probably got me a couple extra dimes from the judges because they thought, "This guy isn't afraid to use his poetry to jab other poets!"

Lastly, I specifically remember screaming at a camera in the front row on the side. I had no idea who was filming or for what purpose. In my head I thought, "This will make great footage for someone somewhere even though I will never see it." Turns out I was only half right.

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And check out Taylor Mali here!

April 18th 2011

The Eyes of St. Anthony (Episode 7 of 9)

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Tony escapes his mom, only to run into trouble with Corrin.   What did she see in the glasses?

Jim Denault was the gaffer on The Eyes of St. Anthony.  Jim went on to have a very successful career as a cinematographer,  with credits that include, Nadja, Boys Don’t Cry, and Maria Full of Grace.

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April 21st 2011

Slammin' - Susan Ross - White Girl Blues

Posted by Paul Devlin:

This piece is an excerpt from Slammin’  the television pilot that preceded SlamNation. Susan Ross distills the same discovery I made about slam poetry and why I wanted to bring it to as large an audience as possible:  “Everyone has a poem in them...”
 

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April 25th 2011

The Eyes of St. Anthony (Episode 8 of 9)

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What’s up with Tony?  Do the glasses have something to do with his freakout or is he just upset with Corrin?  Kevin decides to confront Shah.

During his audition for the role of Shah in The Eyes of St. Anthony, Ronald Ballard was asked to play one side of an improv with a young actor who was auditioning for the part of Tony.  They were given opposing objectives. The young actor was told his girlfriend was being brainwashed by this guru and he needed to save her. Ronald was told that one of his followers was suffering an abusive relationship with her boyfriend.  The young actor made a valiant effort to engage the guru, but Ronald remained utterly silent during the entire audition.  Then he looked at the young man, slapped him in the face, and said sternly, “Wake up!”  Everyone in the room was stunned, especially the other actor who tried to regain composure and continue the scene.  But Ronald went back to complete silence.

Needless to say, he got the part.

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April 28th 2011

SSD-The Record Room/Field Hollers Yield Dollars - Episode 1 (of 5)

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Take a tour inside Jim Wood's famous Record Room in this exclusive clip from the upcoming Music Comedy by DevlinPix, Superstardumb.

This is the setting for our new series, which we're very excited to launch today.  Field Hollers Yield Dollars is the uniquely American story of how Rhythm and Blues was whitewashed to become Rock and Roll.

With profound love of the music and encyclopedic knowledge of the era, Jim Wood adds insight, surprises, humor and controversy to a frank discussion of a history you only thought you knew.   In this first episode Jim talks to Marquise Stillwell about the transition from early “race” records to Rhythm and Blues music, and we meet Little Walter and hear his amazing electric harp!

Look for new episodes each week. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or re-visit us for more videos of the series.

And be sure to look for Jim in the upcoming Super Star Dumb.

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