Boston ranks No. 6 on list for indie filmmakers

MovieMaker Magazine ranks the 25 best cities in the U.S. to ride it out as an indie filmmaker in the Winter 2009 edition of the publication. Weighing in a slew of factors, including cost of living, unemployment rate, median salary and home values, Boston ranks No. 6 on the list.

After months of research, interviews and calculations which fluctuated because of the current economic climate, Boston's growing list of films currently in production were taken into account as well as the state's financial incentives. Also, extra credit was given to cities that dared to challenge the status quo--like special "green" efforts.

According to the magazine, some were usual suspects like Austin, Texas but a few were surprises like Milwaukee, WI and Stamford, CT.

Here's MovieMaker Magazine's top 10 "Best Places to Live in 2009":

1. Chicago, IL
2. Atlanta, GA
3. New York, NY
4. Shreveport, LA
5. Albuquerque, NM
6. Boston, MA
7. Stamford, CT
8. Memphis, TN
9. Milwaukee, WI
10. Austin, TX

Click here for the complete list.

How to make a recession-proof movie in Boston

Two words that accurately describes the recent crop of made-in-Boston flicks hitting the big screen: dumb and dumber.

According to a story posted today called “Will the recession change movies?" by CNN’s John Sutter, it seems that film ticket sales are way up during the current economic downturn.

The shocker in the CNN story? Two made-in-Boston films--”Paul Blart: Mall Cop” and “Bride Wars”--are among the five top-grossing films of 2009. Go figure.

It seems that folks are willing to fork out their last $10 bucks for a two-hour escape … even if the film is dumb as dirt like “Pink Panther 2.”

Gerald Peary, a Boston-area documentary filmmaker and critic, weighs in on the CNN discussion.

“It's a romantic myth that having no money is good for movie making,” he says, predicting that the recession will kick off an era of stupid movies with even smaller budgets.

“The dumber the movie is, sometimes, the more money it makes,” Peary continues. “Those movies are somehow both critic proof and depression proof.”

Click here for the lowdown.

'ANTM' winner McKey Sullivan hits The Estate

Local fans of Tyra Banks' "America's Next Top Model" have a reason to jump for joy. Why? Last season's winner McKey Sullivan and finalist Sheena Satana are slotted to strut their stuff at The Estate, 1 Boylston Place, with DJ Suss One on Saturday, March 7.

Sullivan and Satana's appearance punctuates a celeb-driven series of special guests at The Estate, including DJ Sam Ronson and her crimson-haired gal pal Lindsay Lohan spinning a quick-and-dirty set on Wednesday, Jan 21, "America's Next Top Model" winner CariDee English on Wednesday, Dec. 31 and a party with "Dancing with the Stars" couple Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy on Friday, January 30.

The Pussycat Dolls are slotted to stop by on Monday, March 16 celebrating The Estate's two-year anniversary. The ladies will be in town to open for Britney Spears' show at TD Banknorth Garden.Click here for the lowdown. Tickets are $20 a pop.

Oscar comes to Hollywood in the Hub on Feb. 22

Longing for the glamour and clamor of the Left Coast's Oscar night coupled with Boston's Hollywood East mystique? You're in luck.

Boston's Langham Hotel, 250 Franklin St., is hosting the only Bay State bash sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science kicking off at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22.

Feel like a celebrity as you walk the red carpet sporting your black-tie best, wave to adoring paparazzi and step into the ultimate viewing party which includes Hollywood-style goodie bags and a chance to hold a real Oscar ... actor Chris Cooper donated his "Best Supporting Actor" statue for the night.

The event benefits The Ellie Fund for Breast Cancer. Tickets are $150 for general admission and $250 for VIP. Click here or call 617-935-9040 for additional details.

Also, the Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St. in Cambridge, is throwing their less chi-chi version of an Academy Award bash which includes a pre-awards party and fundraiser (5:30-7:30 p.m.) followed by a members-only event which includes hors d'oeuvres, open bar and the official Oscar broadcast starting at 8 p.m.

RSVP by Monday, Feb. 16. Click here for the lowdown.

Will Steven Spielberg film 'Lincoln' in Taunton?

Folks out in nearby Taunton are buzzing over rumors that a film-location scout met with the Silver City's economic development director, Dick Shafer, to check out the area for an epic production about the Civil War and our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.

While the director and the production remain unconfirmed, Shafer tells the Taunton Call that it's “a famous director, somebody as big as Scorsese."

Based on the info, the Taunton paper strongly believes that mega-director Steven Spielberg has sent out scouts for his announced film "Lincoln," a movie based on historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book, “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.” According to IMDB, Liam Neeson who worked with Spielberg on "Schindler's List" and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln are rumored to be tied to the project slotted for a 2011 release.

The Three Mile River area, Old Colony Historical Society and the 620 Spring Street Industrial Complex in North Dighton (slotted for demolition) were checked out by the LA-based scout.

As I report here for the NYC-based Contentinople, Spielberg is currently scrambling to find a distributor for DreamWorks SKG after Universal announced on Friday that they have "ended discussions" with his boutique production company.

Click here for the lowdown.

Made-in-Boston films slotted for release in 2009

Here's a comprehensive list in chronological order (including the two locally-shot films already released):

*Bride Wars, released Friday, Jan. 9
Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson play best friends who are pitted against each other when their wedding dates clash.

*Paul Blart: Mall Cop, released Friday, Jan. 16
Kevin James stars as Paul Blart in "Mall Cop," a comedy about a security guard trying to stop a group of organized crooks who take over a mall. While set at the fictional West Orange Pavilion Mall in New Jersey, a majority of the film was shot at the mall in nearby Burlington.

*Pink Panther 2, release Friday, Feb. 6
Martin's Jacques Clouseau teams up with a squad of bumbling International detectives in an attempt to stop a globe-trotting thief who specializes in stealing historical artifacts.

*The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, release Friday, May 1
A bachelor played by Matthew McConaughey is haunted by the ghosts of his past girlfriends (including Ben Affleck's wife Jennifer Garner) at his younger brother's wedding.

*The Maiden Heist, limited release in May
Starring Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken and William H. Macy, this made-in-Boston flick is a comedy of errors following three museum security guards and their attempt to steal artwork after it's been transferred to another museum. Catch a sneak peek of the art-heist comedy at Worcester's Hanover Theatre at 7:30 p.m. March 7, 2009.

*The Proposal, release Friday, June 12
Shot in the Bay State but set in NYC and Alaska? Diva boss Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) forces her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to keep from losing her visa status in NYC and avoid deportation to Canada. The Rockport-shot scenes act as a stand-in for ... get this ... Sitka, Alaska.

*The Surrogates, release Friday, Sept. 25
The film, set in Boston in the near future where humans interact with one another through surrogate robots, stars Bruce Willis as a cop who tracks down murderers.

*Shutter Island, release Friday, Oct. 2
Two U.S. marshals (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) investigate the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane on an island near Boston. Based on Dennis Lehane's novel "Shutter Island."

*The Box, release Friday, Nov. 6
Based on the short story by Richard Matheson, "The Box" stars Cameron Diaz as Norma Lewis and James Marsden as Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child who receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. "The Box" is directed by "Donnie Darko" filmmaker Richard Kelly.

*Edge of Darkness, release Nov. 11 (limited)
Mel Gibson stars as a homicide detective for the Boston Police Dept. who digs up the many secrets surrounding the death of his activist daughter. "Edge of Darkness" was shot in Boston from Monday, Aug. 18 until Saturday, Nov. 22.

*The Governess, (filming postponed with release slotted for Dec. '09)
"The Governess" stars Jennifer Lopez as a thief who poses as a wealthy widower’s nanny who must come clean when she starts to fall for the man she initially planned to rob.

*Don McKay, release TBD
This Andover-shot flick starring Thomas Haden Church as Don McKay, a high school janitor who leaves his hometown after a tragedy and returns 25 years later to rekindle a romance with his old flame, played by Elisabeth Shue.

*The Hatteras, release TBD
This made-in-Rockport thriller, with a working title of "Hatteras Hotel," follows a Boston police officer who becomes sheriff of a fictional New England town called Salem Harbor. His first case is to investigate the mysterious circumstances of a teen found dead after a night of partying at the "Hatteras Hotel."

*The Invention of Lying, release in 2010
Formerly titled "This Side of Truth," the Ricky Gervais comedy starring Tina Fey is set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.

*Black Mass project, release in 2010
Jim Sheridan, the acclaimed Irish filmmaker of "My Left Foot" and "In the Name of the Father," plans to film the quintessential Whitey Bulger flick based on the book "Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob." Filming is slotted for April.

NBC's 'America's Got Talent' casting in Boston

Can you contort your body into a human pretzel or swallow swords while riding a unicycle? You're in luck.

Boston Casting is now in charge of scouting for locals. E-mail Jason at jasonagtcasting@gmail.com if interested. The Boston auditions will hist the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 415 Summer Street, on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March. 8.

"America's Got Talent," NBC's hit series from "American Idol" producers FremantleMedia and Simon Cowell's SYCO Television, returns this summer to feature the hottest and most unique performers from across the country to the surprise, delight, amusement and entertainment of millions of Americans nationwide.

Reality TV's ultimate variety show--currently scouting in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago--plans to cast in Boston and they're looking for all types of acts ranging from bands to dancers to comedians to aerialists.

Producers are asking for a video link of your performance (time to dust off your baton and whip out the camcorder) and some background information including your occupation outside of your talent and how you began performing and why.

'Pink Panther 2' gives Boston a French accent

OK, the reviews are in and the made-in-Boston flick "The Pink Panther 2" hitting theaters tomorrow Friday, Feb. 6 is anything but pretty in pink.

"Plays like a series of disconnected, hit-or-miss skits in a cut-rate 'Saturday Night Live,'" writes Michael O'Sullivan, a critic with the Washington Post.

Following the formula of the string of less-than-stellar locally-shot films--like "The Women," "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and "Bride Wars"--the film was made in the Hub to take advantage of our state's insanely low tax breaks ... but set in another city.

As previously reported in Loaded Gun,"Pink Panther 2" attempts to transform Boston into Paris.

In the flick, Martin's Jacques Clouseau teams up with a squad of bumbling International detectives in an attempt to stop a globe-trotting thief who specializes in stealing historical artifacts.

The good news is several Boston-area landmarks are showcased in the film ... although they've been given a French manicure.

Other than the warehouse-turned-film set in Chelsea, locations include the Citi Wang Center, 270 Tremont St. (the Petit Palais substitute in the movie where Martin takes an epic plunge hanging from a water hose); the Boston Convention Center, 415 Summer St., the Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave.; Copley Square in the Berkeley Street area and the Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street.

While filming at the Boston Public Library, there were reports that a priceless marble bust was knocked on the floor of the Grand Staircase in September 2007. The statue was damaged but not from the "Pink Panther 2" film crew. A spokesperson for the BPL blames it on art vandals.

Click here for the latest on "Pink Panther 2."
Photo source Sony Pictures

James Franco receives Harvard's Hasty award

James Franco, known for his work as Harry Osborn in the "Spider-Man" trilogy, his acclaimed performance in the film "Milk" and his Golden Globe-winning portrayal of James Dean on TNT, will receive Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatrical's 2009 Man of the Year award next Friday, Feb. 13.

As previously reported in Loaded Gun, Renee Zellweger will receive her Pudding Pot on Thursday, Feb. 5--an honor given by Harvard's undergraduate drama troupe--preceded by a parade in Cambridge's Harvard Square where the star will be escorted in a convertible followed by several Harvard men dressed in drag. The Hasty Pudding ceremony will take place at the university's renovated New College Theatre, 10-12 Holyoke St.

Last year, Christopher Walken and Charlize Theron were honored as the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ Man and Woman of the Year.

Click here for the lowdown on Harvard's Hasty Pudding.

Justin Timberlake's 'The Phone' rings Boston again

Justin Timberlake, who back on Aug. 11 sent a crew of casting directors to the Boston Hard Rock Cafe, 22 Clinton Street, on the hunt for fresh meat with a wicked-thick accent, plans to ring Boston again later in February to shoot a segment for his new reality show "The Phone."

Producers of the new MTV reality series plan to film at Fisher College, the business school located at 8 Beacon St. in the Back Bay area.

As previously reported in Loaded Gun, Timberlake is making a return to MTV and this time it's not in a music video with Madonna.

Based on a Dutch idea that juxtaposes "The Bourne Identity" with "The Amazing Race," the show kicks off with two strategically hidden cell phones ringing in opposites sides of a city. MTV producers were looking for "outgoing and adventurous contestants" with a "dynamic personality and are ready to win."

Back in August, a source spilled to Loaded Gun that there was an e-mail going out from casting folks to local theatre groups asking for participants with a wicked thick Boston accent.