“MEALS FOR MONOLOGUES,” Claire Simon Casting’s third annual food drive benefiting a number of charities, is a way to give back to the community “and it’s also a lot of fun for the actors,” says Teresa Thoma, a Claire Simon casting associate.
Actors are invited to present a 2-minute contemporary monolog and headshot at an open call when they bring two non-perishable food items on Friday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-4 p.m. “There may be a wait,” says Thomas, “but we promise to have lots of goodies for all.”
“CITIZEN KATE,” the citizen journalist who tirelessly trod the 2008 campaign trail reporting for almost two years to inform “commoners” about the political process for her website, has ended up at the Los Angeles Comedy Festival Nov. 22.
In real life she’s actress Kate Soglin, who cites Lucille Ball and Gracie Allen as comedic idols. At the Festival, she will offer an offbeat retrospective of the campaign trail during her sets. She promises that the results of the recent election will in?uence a lot of the material.
“Citizen Kate” is the brainchild of political spotmaker Carey Lundin, producer of “Citizen Kate” webisodes.
KARTEMQUIN FILMMAKERS Steve James and Peter Gilbert, whose ground-breaking “Hoop Dreams” was an Oscar nom back in 1994, are said to be on the short list for another Oscar for their recent acclaimed doc, “At the Death House Door.”
REP NIKKI WEISS, based in L.A. but maintaining her long-time Chicago office, is representing New York-based Rhinofx, animation, 2D and 3D specialist in the Midwest. She recently added Form, L.A. directors Steve Kessler, John Adams and David Cornell to her roster.
AICP NEXT YEAR will hold its monster screening and party at the Cultural Center next year, after most of its 17 years at the Chicago History Museum.
CATCH THE WAVE of future filmmakers at Columbia College’s MFA Thesis Screening Nov. 21 at Film Row Cinema, moderated by Wenhwa Ts’ao, Graduate Program Director of the MFA Film & Video Program.
Presenting the culmination of a year’s work will be Sarah Anma’s 10-minute doc, “On Time;” Sean Jordan’s 27-minute drama, “The Beekeeper;” Zach Litwack’s 26-minute drama/fantasy, “Lost and Found;” Katie Mahalic’s 10-minute drama, “Michael Saints;” and Sam Patterson’s 17-minute drama, “Book of Memories.”
Screening starts at 6 p.m. and it’s free and open to all.
WIGGLE PUPPY PRODUCTIONS ? the company of director Mark Krieglstein and producer Sara Yule ? will coordinate filming of 18 sets and 24 hours of music at the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival, Nov. 22 at the Congress Theatre.
From the footage, they plan to create a live album and a feature-length concert doc. Individual edits of selected songs from the winter music festival will be available for digital download in return for a small donation to the Saving Tiny Heats Society’s research efforts.
HE’S A CPA WHO UNDERSTANDS the creative temperament, say CPA Martin Kamenski. “Coming to see me is not like seeing your typical accountant,” he says, as the name of his firm, Rockstar CPA, clearly indicates.
Not only is he an accounting whiz, but he has a theatre arts background and is Collaboration Theatre’s managing director.
Kamenski has clients in all facets of the creative and entertainment industries, which is like icing on the cake when it comes to knowing what’s deductible on your income taxes.
He’s located in the Hancock Building; phone, 312/794-7728.
BEST OF THE MIDWEST AWARDS GALA Dec. 2 at Rockit Bar & Grill will award prizes to filmmakers whose movies screened at MWFF this past year.
Actor Seann William Scott (“The Promotion”) and director John McNaughton (“Wild Things”) will pass out the awards. Tickets at $50 go towards the festival’s 2009 operating fund. See details in Screenings & Events ? and check out the ads in our Free Classifieds section.
PRODUCER SCOTT JACOBS, a.k.a. as political journalist Stump Connolly, will sign his new book, “The Long Slog: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Nomination.”
Bill Kurtis and Donna LaPietra will host the event Dec. 9 at Kurtis Productions. Jacobs, er, Stump, writes “The Week Behind,” a witty political online publication.
