"Avatar" and it's huge numbers!

    Can "Avatar" make $500 million? The investors sure hope so… and they want it to make more!

    James Cameron has been slaving away at this movie for months and is expecting I suppose a hit on the order of his "Titanic". With a worldwide gross of $1.8 billion dollars it is truly a remarkable feat. But how will "Avatar" compare?

    From all the talk now, to the previews I have seen myself in the theaters it does not seem to disappoint. Yes, the Avatars are 9 foot tall blue speckled creatures but you could absolutely swear that they are real, and that Avalon was a real place that you never want to leave because of it's beauty.

    The fact that it completely immerses you with 3-D will be another up and down issue they will deal with, because while that's wonderful at a theatre with a massive screen, it could hurt DVD sales… post theatre.

    The latest reports from Time Magazine had the budget reported at over $300 million, staggeringly. But with more to consider like marketing the total budget could exceed $500 million. YES, that's a half a billion dollars. This would make "Avatar" the most expensive movie ever! With no other movies coming anywhere close. The only thing that would compare, and not very well might I say would be "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" with a total figure of about $300 million.

    The figures however don't seem to be stirring up too much trouble on the inside. The investors, who include: News Corp., with a reported $30 billion in sales, and two outside companies, Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Media, are happy with estimates that say if the domestic gross hits $250 million they can be in the black… or in lamens term, make money.



    It'll be interesting to follow the hype in the next few weeks before the huge release and to see if all this talk simply leads to people going to the show… which inevitably is what they want anyways.


-Rachid Fakhoury

"Peanuts" by The Swartz Creek High Drama Club

    Based on the comic strip written by Charles Shultz, Snoopy as a musical play was performed by the Swartz Creek High Drama Club students.

    The play starts out with the traditional scene, Lucy pulling the football just before Charlie Brown kicks it of course leaving him to fall over. Jessica Douglas plays Peppermint Patty and is on que, with a nice voice to accompany her performance. Lucy Van Pelt played by Shelby Coleman was spot on, from the overall look to her precise dialogue with Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang. Alex Coles did a good job of portraying Charlie Brown and captured his woeful way of life very well.
   
    Overall the play went well, with just a few minor suggestions for the cast and crew. Projecting your voice is very important in any stage production, speak up so every one can hear every word you say. The show was impressive with only a few missed queues from the cast and a few missed queues from the crew. Timing the lights and sound is difficult but the overall effect was very nice. Swartz Creek High's Drama Club pulled out all the stops for this production and came out successful. Congratulations to every body who participated and we look forward to your next performance.

Special thanks and congratulations to the Director - Mr. Butters

-Dan Sefa
 Contributing writer

StarWater Productions and "Patzer"

StarWater Productions is a rising productions company from Detroit. Founded by Lawrence Lamont Jenkins and Rachid Fakhoury earlier this year, StarWater is now run by them with Marco Ruggeri and Dan Sefa. These four young individuals met at The Actor's Workshop in Royal Oak where they instantly became friends and recognized each other's talents.

Their work began officially when this short film came together. Patzer is the result of the brilliant writing, acting, directing and producing capabilities of StarWater Productions and their ability to build great teams of talented people.

StarWater Productions currently has multiple projects in the works from Detroit to Los Angeles. From a feature film now being constructed to a couple of television series. Don't be surprised when StarWater's stamp pops up on some of the most popular projects in the next few years.

StarWater Productions' website is currently under construction but they can be reached by anyone at StarWaterProductions@gmail.com. They welcome any inquiries, as well as head shots, resumes and reels! Do not hesitate to ask them for help with anything you need in the industry.

Patzer from StarWater on Vimeo.

“Patzer” tells the story of Max, a college student who cannot seem to shake off a bad day. His bad day begins when he cannot find his contacts, and instead, must wear a pair of glasses he has owned since he was in the sixth grade. As the day progresses, it is apparent that his roommate Sam has all of the day’s luck. The story covers many themes including the theme of the game Chess. It is revealed that a child is picking the same moves, over and over, dooming Max to day of loss. “Patzer” will inspire its audiences to make new choices if the same ones are not working; after all, one cannot progress if the necessary changes are not made.

Thandie Newton spotted in town!

Thandie Newton was having dinner with her family at Como's today in Ferndale. She is the well known actress from such movies as "Crash" and "The Pursuit of Happyness". It was delightful to see her in such a casual setting with both her adorable daughters, one of wich was making funny noises with her tongue.

What's New in Town

I need everybody to list any projects that are currently in town to help raise awareness of the wonderful opportunities here!