Callie Khouri – We Are Movie Geeks

Director Callie Khouri’s PATSY & LORETTA First Poster Debuts From The First Lady Of Country Music, Loretta Lynn – Produced By Neil Meron

To say we’re big fans of these women is an understatement. We grew up watching COAL MINERS DAUGHTER (Academy Award for Best Actress Sissy Spacek – who did her own singing) in 1980, followed by SWEET DREAMS in 1985 starring Jessica Lange as Patsy Cline.

Spacek’s co-star Beverly D’Angelo, who played Patsy Cline, also did her own singing rather than lip-synching; she was nominated for a Golden Globe as was Tommy Lee Jones.

Now comes Lifetime’s Patsy & Loretta.

The official Loretta Lynn Facebook page debuted this first poster from the upcoming film.

The movie will star Megan Hilty (Smash, The Good Wife) as music legend Patsy Cline and Grammy winner Jessie Mueller (Broadway’s Waitress, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) as country icon Loretta Lynn.

The movie, produced by Sony Pictures Television, is executive produced by Neil Meron, in his first solo project since the passing of longtime producing partner Craig Zadan.

Debuting later this year, the movie was filmed on location in Nashville, helmed by award-winning director Callie Khouri (Thelma & Louise, Nashville) from a script by Angelina Burnett (The Americans, Genius) Patsy & Loretta also marks a reunion for Meron and Hilty who worked together on the musical series, Smash.

If anyone can do justice to the Patsy Cline songs, its Megan Hilty….that is great casting! She played Glinda in Wicked and she can belt. Hilty was Kristin Chenoweth’s understudy and took over the role when she left.

Patsy & Loretta is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Zadan/Meron Entertainment for Lifetime. Neil Meron serves as executive producer while Mark Nicholson, who runs development and production for Zadan/Meron Productions serves as co-EP.

Co-producers are Loretta Lynn’s daughter Pasty Lynn Russell and Patsy Cline’s daughter Julie Fudge on behalf of Patsy Cline’s Estate. Oscar-winning writer Callie Khouri who also created the TV series Nashville, will direct from a script by Angelina Burnett.

By Melissa Thompson and Michelle Hannett

Oscar Winner T BONE BURNETT in St. Louis for His ‘Walk of Fame’ Induction September 19th

Musician T Bone Burnett won the Oscar in 2009 for ‘Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures’ for the song “The Weary Kind” from CRAZY HEART. Now he’s coming to St. Louis for his induction on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. The ceremony will be Tuesday, September 19th at 11:30am and will last about 15 minutes. A four-piece ragtime band will play prior to the ceremony. Burnett’s wife, Callie Khouri, who won the Academy Award for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ for the movie THELMA & LOUISE, will be there as well.

T Bone Burnett was born in St. Louis and grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, where he began making records in 1965. He toured in Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue from 1975-76, and in 1980 he released Truth Decay, the first of several critically acclaimed solo albums. Burnett later concentrated on producing artists such as Elton John, Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello and B.B. King. Burnett won 13 Grammy Awards, including five in 2001 for the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, and received an Academy Award in 2010 as co-writer of the Best Original Song “The Weary Kind” from the film Crazy Heart. Whether his work involved film, television, recordings or live performance, T Bone Burnett created authentic music for over 50 years.

St. Louis Walk of Fame is a non-profit organization founded in 1988 to provide a showcase for the cultural heritage of St. Louis and to advance the knowledge, awareness and appreciation of creative St. Louisans and their achievements and contributions. Set in the sidewalks of The Loop, it is open 24 hours a day and is free. http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/

THELMA & LOUISE Ride Back into Cinemas August 21st and 24th

“You’ve always been crazy, this is just the first chance you’ve had to express yourself.”

Twenty-five years ago, in one of the greatest road movies of all time, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon rode to everlasting fame as two women who embark on a crime spree across the American southwest in THELMA & LOUISE – and on Aug. 21 and 24, they’re journeying back to more than 500 movie theaters across the country.

For two days only at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time, audiences can take the wild ride with Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) all over again in a special THELMA & LOUISE 25th Anniversary celebration, presented by Fathom Events, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Park Circus. This special two-day-only event also includes an exclusive all-new introduction from movie critic Ben Lyons.

Tickets for the THELMA & LOUISE 25th Anniversary can be purchased online beginning Friday (July 22) by visiting www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy this eventin more than 500 select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website. (Note that theaters and participants are subject to change.)

Directed by action master Ridley Scott (The Martian, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator) from an Oscar-winning screenplay by Callie Khouri, THELMA & LOUISE is an exhilarating, full-throttle adventure hailed as one of the best road movies of all time. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis star as accidental outlaws on a desperate flight across the Southwest after a tragic incident at a roadside bar. With a determined detective (Harvey Keitel) on their trail, a sweet-talking hitchhiker (Brad Pitt) in their path and a string of crimes in their wake, their journey alternates between hilarious, high-speed thrill ride and empowering personal odyssey … even as the law closes in.

“There’s never been an on-screen pair quite like Thelma and Louise, and there’s never been a movie as fearless, exciting and provocative. Thelma & Louise is as stunning, powerful and downright entertaining as it was when it was released 25 years ago,” Fathom Events Vice President of Studio Relations Tom Lucas said.

Originally released on May 24, 1991, THELMA & LOUISE received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Director (Ridley Scott); Best Actress in a Leading Role for both Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis; Best Cinematography (Adrian Biddle); and Best Editing (Thom Noble), with Callie Khouri winning an Oscar for her memorable screenplay.

Movie fans also have the chance to win the Ultimate Road Trip adventure by posting a selfie with THELMA & LOUISE using the hashtag #ThelmaAndLouise25. Visit the THELMA & LOUISE “selfie-standee” in select movie theaters, and read the full contest details at FathomEvents.com/event/thelma-and-louise/more-info/sweepstakes.

Here are 25 facts for 25 years of THELMA AND LOUISE

1.     Oscar-winning screenwriter Callie Khouri says the story came to her “in a flash” and she saw that, “through a series of accidents, they would go from being invisible to being too big for their world to contain”

2.     Thelma & Louise was Callie Khouri’s first produced screenplay

3.     George Clooney auditioned for the role of J.D. five times

4.     Brad Pitt had unsuccessfully auditioned for Backdraft before Ridley Scott saw him audition for J.D.

5.     Brad Pitt said he first became familiar with Ridley Scott when he was 15 years old and snuck in to a movie theater to see Alien

6.     Geena Davis says that she had her agent call Ridley Scott every week for a year before he agreed to consider her for one of the leading roles

7.     Initially, Geena Davis wanted to play the role of Louise, and had prepared for it – but in their first meeting with Susan Sarandon, both Davis and Ridley Scott say they knew she was Louise

8.     Thelma & Louise takes place on the road from Arkansas to the Grand Canyon – but was filmed entirely in California and Utah

9.     The “Grand Canyon” in the movie is actually Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah

10. The Oklahoma City motel where Thelma and Louise encounter J.D. still stands – in downtown Los Angeles: It’s the Vagabond Inn at 3101 S. Figueroa St.

11. Five identical 1966 Thunderbirds were used in production

12. Ridley Scott says the visual style of the film was strongly influenced by the still-life paintings of John Register

13. Thelma Dickerson’s birthday is November 27, 1956 – while screenwriter Callie Khouri’s real birthdate is November 27, 1957

14. Charlie Sexton performs two songs in the film, “Tennessee Plates” and “Badlands,” and has a cameo as the lead singer in the band playing in the bar

15. Geena Davis planned to use a body double for her sex scene with Brad Pitt, but when she saw models being interviewed, she decided to do the scene herself

16. Susan Sarandon says of her driving experience: “I got so sick of that car – it took me weeks to stop driving like a maniac!”

17. Although the film was shot out of order (as are most films), the final scene shot was the final scene in the movie: the car going off the cliff

18. Producer Mimi Polk Gitlin said that the agreement with the film’s distributor specifically forbade changing the script’s ending

19. In addition to Callie Khouri’s Oscar-winning screenplay and nominations for Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, Thelma & Louise was nominated for Best Director, Best Editing and Best Cinematography

20. Although he had directed such classics as Alien and Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise marked the first Oscar nomination for Ridley Scott

21. Thelma & Louise is one of only four films in which two lead performers were nominated as Best Actress; the others are All About Eve (1950), Suddenly Last Summer (1959), and Terms of Endearment (1983)

22. Thelma & Louise was a box-office hit, grossing $45 million in the U.S. (on a budget of $16.5 million)

23. Thelma & Louise has become a pop-culture touchstone, and the countless references to it include lyrics in the song “Today 4 U” in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent

24. Thelma & Louise was featured on the cover of Time Magazine on June 24, 1991 – exactly one month after its release

25. The American Film Institute has named Thelma Dickerson and Louise Sawyer to the list of 100 top film heroes. Together, they rank 24 … two spots above Superman

Fathom Events, MGM and Park Circus present Thelma & Louise 25th Anniversary, coming to more than 400 select movie theaters nationwide for two days only: Aug. 21 and 24, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (local time) daily. For tickets, information and a full list of participating theaters, visit www.fathomevents.com.

THELMA AND LOUISE To Screen At Academy

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will screen a new print of “Thelma & Louise” in celebration of the film’s 20th anniversary on Thursday, August 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Hosted by film journalist Anne Thompson, the evening will feature an onstage discussion with members of the cast and crew, including actress Geena Davis, producer Mimi Polk Gitlin and screenwriter Callie Khouri, following the screening.

An instant critical and commercial success, “Thelma & Louise” (1991) also became something much more: a flashpoint for debate and ultimately, a cultural touchstone. Upending the traditional buddy-movie formula, the film depicts two blue-collar Southern women whose weekend fishing trip takes a dramatic turn when one of them becomes the victim of an attempted rape.

Co-stars Susan Sarandon and Davis earned Best Actress nominations as the waitress and housewife whose uncharacteristic act of self-defense sets them off on a crime spree.

Khouri won an Oscar® for “Thelma & Louise,” which was her first screenplay, and Ridley Scott earned a nomination for Directing. The film also garnered nominations for Cinematography (Adrian Biddle) and Film Editing (Thom Noble).

The new print is courtesy of MGM and the Academy Film Archive.

Tickets for “Thelma & Louise” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID.
Because of the expected demand, tickets for this event will only be available online at www.oscars.org, starting August 1, and by mail.
Mail-in orders must be sent to Academy Box Office, 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211, and postmarked by August 2 to be eligible for a random drawing.

The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org for the latest updates on panelists.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
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www.youtube.com/Oscars
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Photos: A.M.P.A.S

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