reported by Gerry Weber, CyberScreenwriter.com

Salon City, Inc. has begun the nationwide process to select the host of its first original web series.

"It's very exciting to begin casting," said SCI president and CEO Steven Casciola. "Our magazine is all about glamour, lifestyle, beauty and entertainment – and our series host will bring the magazine to life."

Applicants are invited to submit a video explaining why they would be the perfect host for the series. Each video must be 2 minutes or less and be uploaded to YouTube.com with the tag 'Salon City Casting.' The resulting YouTube link, along with contact information and acting experience resume (if any), should then be emailed to casting@matrixxpictures.com.

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reported by Jesse Desi, CyberScreenwriter.com

A film that wins critical acclaim is likely to be an R-rated drama, adapted from a prize-winning play or book and based on a true story, with the original author or director involved in writing the screenplay. It is unlikely to be a sequel or remake, a comedy or musical, a summer release, a big-budget project, have a PG-13 rating, open on numerous screens or do a big box office on the first weekend. It probably has an excellent score, but it may not have an award-winning song.

But box-office hits may have entirely different profiles.

Dean Simonton, a professor of psychology at UC Davis, has subjected thousands of feature-length, English-language, narrative films to a battery of statistical tests – including Pearson product-moment coefficients and hierarchical regression analyses – to get at the formula for cinematic creative triumph and box-office success.

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reported by Jennifer Tillman, CyberScreenwriter.com

Raw for 30 Days, a documentary film on reversing diabetes naturally, today released an extended nine-minute preview available on YouTube, Google Video, and the website www.rawfor30days.com.

The film has been called "un-SuperSize Me" for its premise of challenging six McDonald’s-munching Americans with diabetes to go on a vegan, organic, live, raw diet for 30 days. Sundance Film Festival award-winning director Aiyana Elliott filmed the remarkable experience of each participant, capturing their medical, physical, emotional and spiritual changes.

Participants were supervised by Gabriel Cousens, M.D., M.D. (H) and Helen Ross, M.D. at the Tree of Life in Patagonia, AZ, a world-famous rejuvenation center known for turning around even chronic conditions with a regimen combining raw organic living nutrition, exercise, yoga, meditation, education and counseling.

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reported by Dawn Cassidy, CyberScreenwriter.com

"The Fall of Night," first-time writer-director Derrick Warfel's "Twilight Zone"-like feature about a budding rock star's horrific, desert run-in with a rogue prophet and his shadowy female sidekick, has been selected for the program at the 31st Montreal World Film Festival (Aug. 23-Sep. 3), it was announced today by WFF director Serge Losique and head programmer Daniele Cauchard.

Starring CW network staple "Girlfriends" lead Persia White as the driven disciple, Tony Longo (Toronto Film Festival standouts "The Cooler" and "Mulholland Drive") as her doomsday preacher and "One Life to Live" regular Bruce Michael Hall as a stranded musician who hitches a late-night ride from the peculiar couple, "Fall of Night" will unspool in the festival's third annual First Films World Competition highlighting works by new filmmakers.

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reported by Jesse Desi, CyberScreenwriter.com

The Weinstein Company , the multi- media enterprise launched by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, has launched an innovative $285 million fund that will fully finance the development, production, acquisition, marketing and distribution of a large slate of Asian themed films over the next six years. Worldwide distribution for all films under the deal will be controlled by The Weinstein Company and will include DVD distribution in the United States under TWC's agreement with Genius Products. The announcement was made today by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, co-chairmen of TWC.

The fund will include a diverse mix of theatrical and direct-to-video titles, which will mostly be filmed in Asia and will explore the region's unique culture and showcase the talents of leading Asian filmmakers. TWC anticipates producing or acquiring a total of 21 theatrical titles and 10 direct-to-video titles during the term for the fund.

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reported by Betty Paulsino, CyberScreenwriter.com

Showcasing over 50 independent films from around the world, the 2nd Annual Estes Park Film Festival will take place September 14-16 at the Historic Park Theatre in downtown Estes Park, Colorado. Built in 1913, the Park Theatre is one of the oldest movie theatres still operating in America. In addition to the Park Theatre, suspense and horror films will screen at the Historic Stanley Hotel, which is famous for its inspirational role in Stephen King's book & film, "The Shining." Student films will also screen at the Lake Shore Lodge as part of the Student Filmmaker Showcase.

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reported by Kevin Maloney, CyberScreenwriter.com

With his fourth mystery, Stuff to Die For, slated for release by Oceanview Publishing in September, award-winning author Don Bruns decided to take an unusual approach to generating advance buzz for the book. While the typical chain of events is book first, movie second, Bruns is doing just the opposite with the release of the Stuff to Die For movie this month, a professionally-produced short film based on the forthcoming book.

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reported by Brandon Murphy, CyberScreenwriter.com

Danny De Vito and Katey Sagal have signed on to star in the new indie comedy "No Place Like Home" written and directed by Sam Harper and produced by Wayne Rice of "Dude Where's My Car" fame. While the film goes into production this month for the next 12 weeks, it will get an immediate marketing push via its other producer Jordan Hudgens of the new video sharing syndicate Vidshadow.com. While the film is shooting, Hudgens will have a film crew on the set getting daily b-roll that will be edited into a weekly trailer for the film that can be viewed via his popular web portal Vidshadow.com. These clips will be available for immediate public viewing to generate hype and will be used as a marketing component to help secure a studio to widely distribute the film for theatrical release.

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reported by Jesse Desi, CyberScreenwriter.com

DreamWorks Animation's "Monsters vs. Aliens" has been slated for its domestic release on May 15, 2009, one week earlier than its previously announced date, with both the official title and the 2009 release date now confirmed for the project. "Monsters vs. Aliens," which reinvents the classic '50s monster movie into an irreverent modern day action comedy, will be the first DreamWorks Animation film produced in stereoscopic 3D technology. The film is being directed by Conrad Vernon ("Shrek 2") and Rob Letterman ("Shark Tale"), and produced by Lisa Stewart ("I Think I Love My Wife").

reported by Peter Crepsley, CyberScreenwriter.com

The National Archives and Records Administration has reached an non-exclusive agreement with CustomFlix Labs to make thousands of historic films from the National Archives available for purchase on Amazon.com. The National Archives and Records Administration holds more than 200,000 motion picture titles that include documentaries, newsreels, instructional films, combat footage, research and development films, and many other formats that provide an unequalled visual history of the United States.

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reported by Dawn Cassidy, CyberScreenwriter.com

Allstate Insurance Company, sponsor of the 11th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF), is doling out big screen accolades of its own to aspiring filmmakers through the 2007 "Be Reel" Contest. In an effort to expand support and give broader exposure to the black film community, Allstate is providing a forum for talented filmmakers to showcase their talents in Los Angeles, October 25-29. Three finalists in Allstate’s "Be Reel" short film contest will be invited to attend the festival, where the winner will receive an award and a $5,000 grand prize.

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