Hillary Swank Filming in Jackson?

Want to read about the filming that is going on in Jackson this week? Click here.

Or you can read Brad Flory's comments by clicking here.

The Bon Ton Room This Week

Doors always open at 6:00
Dinner in the listening room served from 6:00 to 7:30 Drinks and Desserts served throughout the evening

The Victor McDermott Quintet
Thurs. Feb. 26th 7:00 pm
NO COVER!

50's and 60's style cool jazz. A progressive take on the standards of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Antonio Carlos Jobim and more.

Victor McDermott - double bass
Jamie Merit - flute
Sky Rogers - guitar
Chris Reid - piano
Darrin Voris - set drums

Chip Mezo - Broadway Sing Along
Fri. Feb. 27th 8:00pm
NO COVER!

Join Chip as he takes requests in the listening room - and play a little 'Broadway Bingo" while you're here!

Victor McDermott in "A Long Time Coming"
Sat. Feb. 28th 8:00 pm
NO COVER!

An informative and expressive look at the African-American popular song and it's impact on American culture. From gospel, blues, jazz to soul, R&B, reggae and hip-hop.

Every Wednesday and Thursday in February and March NO COVER!
In the Piano Bar with Sherra Zuck and Chip Mezo Request your favorite songs and enjoy $2 domestic beers and $12 bottles of house wine!

Being a Movie "Extra"

Denise Weber shares her experience in being a movie "extra"!

I had the fun task of being an extra in the movie "Betty Anne Waters" on Monday, Feb. 23rd, as it filmed on the campus of the University of Michigan, where I am pursuing my masters degree.

For those who have never been an extra or on a set of a movie before, if you get the chance, you should absolutely do it. And if you do it, you should be prepared to sit around and wait...alot! Our group waited for about six hours, during which we filmed one scene, or rather a small portion of one scene, for which they did about four takes and took maybe ten to fifteen minutes, total. I think I really like doing theatre better. You actually do the entire show from start to finish and you have the immediate gratification of applause and bows at the end of the show.

Oh,by the way, did I mention that Hilary Swank is starring in the movie and was about five feet away from me during the scene? That was actually pretty cool. We were told ahead of time that we could not speak with the stars, ask for autographs or take pictures. I didn't see anybody try to do that, either.

During the waiting time, though, I met some really nice people. Hint - if you get the chance to do this, make friends with the crew - they will look out for you and work to get you in a good spot, especially if it's a large crowd scene. The crew for this movie were extremely nice. While we waited, they had raffles for autographed copies of DVDs that Hilary starred in, as well as some from Minnie Driver, who also is in this movie. I didn't get to see her, though, nor did I win anything in the raffle. That's OK, though.

Other than that, I spent time getting to know some of the other extras. Some had done this before; for others, it was their first time. It is amazing the amount of equipment and semi trucks that it took for the shoot. And to think they had to pack it all up to move to another location the next day! Wow!

I had the opportunity to play Housewife #4 when Jeff Daniels brought "Super Sucker" to Jackson, so this wasn't my first time on a movie set. For me, the "Super Sucker" experience was more fun, but this was still a pretty neat experience.

Now, I just wait to find out if I make it into the movie scene, or on the cutting room floor. In the meantime, I wonder if I should put in an order for Harry Winston to hold some diamonds for me next year.......Nah!

Good News from Left of Center

Left of Center had a successful fundraiser this past weekend at The Bon Ton Room. You can read all about it by clicking here.

Town Hall Players present . . .

The Town Hall Players will present the hilarious play called Fools by Neil Simon. This laugh-a-minute play is directed by Mike Glair and takes you to a small village where the people have been cursed to be stupid. Imagine a character like Patrick from Spongebob and you will understand the persona of this whole village. A teacher arrives in this village to break the curse, but he has a hard time when everyone takes him litterally. If you want to laugh a lot, come see this play.

February 27, 28, March 1, 6, 7, 8 - Friday & Saturday shows start at 7 p.m. and Sunday shows start at 2 p.m. At the Historic Stockbridge Town Hall.

Tickets are $5 for Adults and $3 for students. Available at the Stockbridge Pharmacy or at the door. For more information contact Winfield J. Scott at winfieldjscott@yahoo.com.

Remember Paul Meshejian?

CHECK THE COMMENTS FOR A MESSAGE FROM PAUL!

Here's an article on Paul that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer recently. It talks about his efforts in creating PlayPenn, an incubator for new works.

Bill Ivey 2009

Bill Ivey, formerly of Jackson and currently from Dewitt, passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, February 3, 2009 of a heart attack. Some may remember Bill from the late 1990's - early 2000's when he was involved in Jackson theatre, appearing in such productions as You Can't Take It With You and Twelve Angry Jurors. He had a great love for the theatre and was a faithful audience member, along with his mom and sisters. Center Stage Jackson offers our condolences to his family and friends.

Bill has been cremated, per his wishes. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 21, at 3:30 p.m. at the Spirit of Christ Church, 8170 Coleman Rd., Haslett, Michigan.