Gucci, Justice Is A Dog's Best Friend

"A Dog Named Gucci" Release (DVD and Digital on April 19th) To Coincide With the Release Of the Song "One Voice,"  the Closing Credits Track Featuring Various Musicians (Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Susanna Hoffs, Neko Case, Queen's Brian May, and more)  All Lending Their Talents In The Crusade To Stop Animal Abuse From burn victim to rock star, the story of one dog who changed  a law and proved justice is a dog's best friend. Hey all you dog lovers, have you heard the story of Gucci?

Director Gorman Bechard, whose documentary, "Color Me Obsessed, A Film About The Replacements," was named one of "The Seven Best New Music Documentaries of the Year" by Rolling Stone, takes on a rock star of a different sort with "A Dog Named Gucci," a feature-length documentary examining animal abuse laws in the United States. The film will be released on DVD and digital platforms on April 19th, just days after the Record Store Day release of the film's closing credits song One Voice. The film's anthem song features Norah Jones, Aimee Mann,Susanna Hoffs, Lydia Loveless, Neko Case, Kathryn Calder, and Queen's Brian May all lending their talents.One Voice will also be released on digital platforms. Profits from the sales of the song will go to support animal charities around the country.  "A Dog Named Gucci" is a timely and poignant documentary about a 10-week old puppy who was doused with lighter fluid and set on fire. Hearing the puppy's cries, college professor Doug James ran to help. After chasing away the abusers, and at the request of Gucci's young runaway owner, Doug took the puppy in as his own. Thus began a 16-year odyssey of love, devotion, and perseverance. Together with legislators, Doug and Gucci worked to create what became known as the "Gucci Bill," changing Alabama law, and making domestic animal abuse a felony. "Instead of assaulting the viewer with images of abused animals, we chose to tell what is ultimately a positive and uplifting story of one victim who went on to become a hero," explains Bechard, who was recently named the recipient of this year's Media Excellence Award from the ASPCA for his work on this film. "This is a triumphant tale. Gucci might begin his life as Blackfish, but he's a fighter, and in the end he becomes Rocky." The film also spotlights three other dogs who, with their owners, have made an incredible impact on the laws protecting animals. These include Louis Vuitton, from Montgomery, Alabama, the first dog to test the Gucci Law; Susie from North Carolina, who has a felony abuse law named in her honor and was the 2015 American Humane Association's Hero Dog of the Year; and Nitro from Queens, New York whose ultimate sacrifice in an Ohio kennel led to the state's first felony animal abuse laws. The completely crowd-funded film has an extensive social media presence with 68,000 Facebook fans, and tons of followers on Twitter and KickStarter. There have been numerous sold out regional screenings leading to wildly enthusiastic user reviews on IMDb. Website: www.ADogNamedGucci.com Trailer: https://youtu.be/2DR2ZLe29hs Pre-order DVD: http://mvdshop.com/products/a-dog-named-gucci-dvd Pre-order track: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/one-voice-single/id1077025931 Amazon: http://amzn.com/B019D3J3N4

Making Scientology Seem Sane, "Children of the Stars"

Children Of the Stars coming to DVD on March 8th The strange but true story of a UFO contactee group who relive their past lives  on other planets by making their own science fiction films. "Is that you Mo-Dean? It's me Mo-Dean Is that you Mo-Dean? On a UFO Is that you Mo-Dean? It's me Mo-Dean The interdimensional outer space being"  - Is That You Modean? B-52's

Children of the Stars tells the strange but true story of a UFO contactee group who relive their past lives on other planets by making their own science fiction films. In 1973, Ruth Norman, a 73 year old widow and self described cosmic visionary purchased 67 acres of land in the mountains east of San Diego, California as a landing site for the Space Brothers, emissaries from the Intergalactic Confederation. Nearly 40 years later, a group of dedicated followers still await their arrival.                                                           Children of the Stars                                                                     Trailer  At the Unarius Academy of Science death does not exist, Nicola Tesla was a Space Brother, Satan drove a Cadillac and science fiction is real. To relive their pasts the students film their own sci-fi extravaganzas with the increasingly extravagant Ruth Norman as the star and the lines between fantasy and reality dissolve. Using spectacular footage from original Unarius films and Hollywood Sci-Fi flicks to illustrate, comment upon, and subvert interviews with the remaining Unarius students,Children of the Stars covers millions of years, hundreds of galaxies and dozens of B movies to present a sympathetic look at faith and how people justify it in different ways. Pre-Order Link: http://mvdshop.com/products/children-of-the-stars-dvd

Go Commando!

Turned Towards The Sun The astonishing true life story of British Commando Michael Burn M.C. To be released on DVD and digital formats on December 15th

"An extraordinary 20th-century life recalled in age" - The Arts Desk "A fascinating watch for any lover of film and documentary" (5 stars) - The Upcoming

Poetry in motion. Turned Towards The Sun, a documentary about the extraordinary life of British writer and poet Michael 'Micky' Burn MC, is to be released on December 15th through MVD Entertainment Group.   Had Micky's life story been written as a novel, readers would readily accept it as invented. Born in Mayfair in 1912, his father worked for the Royal family. He became the lover of the communist spy Guy Burgess, and would initially be taken in by Nazism, expressing an admiration for Hitler. In 1942, he took part in a daring commando assault on the fortified French port of St Nazaire, where he was captured, and he ended the war a POW in Colditz. He would latterly become a committed Marxist and be credited with saving the life of Audrey Hepburn. American director Greg Olliver, who has previously documented the life of rock star Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, and blues legend Johnny Winter, started making this film in 2008, revisiting significant events and places in Burn's life. Burn is presented here as a candid and witty raconteur, with a sharp mind and vivid recollections. He died in 2010, which leaves Turned Towards the Sun as a fitting eulogy to a remarkable figure. "This film is about having one last chance to look back on a long, fulfilling life and Micky Burn has a story like no other", says Olliver.  "I met him through a chance encounter and was soon taken by the charm, intelligence and humour vividly on display in his storytelling and the resilience and compassion of his spirit evident in his tales. He was an old man living life quietly on the coast of Wales, but one with a personal history that wove and wound itself around the defining moments of the twentieth century. With surprising candor and zeal, he opened himself to the camera and its imagined audience; allowing us, now, a glimpse of his life remembered from what would become its twilight. Turned Towards the Sun is a portrait of an extraordinary man who lived through extraordinary times. In his story, we see our history and ourselves." Turned Towards The Sun had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in 2012 where it was nominated for The Grierson - Best Documentary Award. Pre-Order: http://bit.ly/1OQfXnZ Amazon: http://amzn.to/1O2scwx

Franken//Fake v Face/Off

In the history of film making there has always been the movie where some monster, superhero or horror character versus another.

King Kong v Godzilla, Freddy v Jason and the upcoming Batman v Superman. Thus it is only fitting that the make-up competition geared towards the abovementioned genres Face/Off on the Syfy Network has it's own versus, Franken//Fake!

Franken // Fake focuses on Joe Castro, a special effects artist who saw what was taking place during filming and came to the conclusion that he “was not part of a true competition.” The incident occurred on May 5, 2012, but it is being told for the first time by Steven Escobar, a veteran editor for reality television and documentary filmmaker.

“I work in reality television and in my opinion, I have never seen such twisted and grotesque behavior from the show’s producers on any show I’ve worked on,” Escobar said in the press release.

Through interviews, real footage, and reenactments, the documentary will show what lead to Castro leaving the series and how the executive producers have tried to keep him quiet about the whole thing.

Franken//Fake is an interesting and entertaining documentary that I recommend, there was never a dull moment.

Something I personally liked in particular was when reality TV veteran Escobar broke down the editing of a scene in very specific detail.

No, it's not that I didn't know producers and studios do that, it was how Mr. Escobar could pinpoint it so vividly since he has the expertise behind him.

Frankenfake is now available on Vimeo On Demand. 

Rent and watch this controversial documentary that SyFy and Face Off do not want to you see at:

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/21192

Toni Braxton, Stops In The Name Of Darlene Love

Toni Braxton

This just in "Unbreak My Heart" singer, Toni Braxton has been cast as Rock-N-Roll hall of fame inductee and all around wonderful performer and person, Ms. Darlene Love in a made for TV Movie on Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network:

"My Name is Love: The Darlene Love Story” is slated for a December premiere. Pic revolves around Love’s long career in the music biz, starting out as the key voice behind Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound hits from the 1960s. OWN’s first scripted telepic is shepherded by the docu filmmaker Morgan Neville, who was behind last year’s “Twenty Feet from Stardom” feature about Love and other well-known backup singers."

"Twenty Feet From Stardom" was an awesome documentary, I have no doubt Morgan Neville is going to nail this, along with the multi-talented Ms. Braxton. 

I for one can't wait to see my friend Darlene get a fitting tribute on OWN. Darlene was one of my very favorite interview subjects - she is terrific!

Check out our interview here: http://www.chorusandverse.com/content.php?id=20101110A

Keep up with "My Name Is Love" on OWN at: http://www.oprah.com/app/own-tv.html

Get some "Love" on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/darleneloveworld

Darlene Love: 20 Feet From Stardom

Darlene Love

"Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea these singers are or what lives they lead, until now" -

So goes the IMDB synopsis for the Documentary "20 Feet From Stardom" starring one of my favorite people Darlene Love, who jumped those "20 Feet" and became a star and legend that was recently inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall Of Fame.

Love has been called the "world's most famous backup singer," but has also appeared on Broadway and in films — most notably as Trish Murtaugh in all four "Lethal Weapon" films. " She hosts a Christmas special in New York City every year, and Harper Collins released her new novel, "My Name is Love," on June 4. She's currently performing in an Australian production of "FAME" as the musical's lead performer.

"People in the biz always give you a lot of lip service about what you should do, but when it comes time to put the bucks down on the table everybody disappears" - Darlene Love

This is an excerpt from and interview I did with Ms. Love about her upcoming (and out now) CD "Concert of Love"- you can read it here:

http://www.chorusandverse.com/content.php?id=20101110A

The movie has received glowing reviews and I for one can not wait to go this week with some comp tickets I got courtesy of Deep Dish!

http://marcharshbarger.blogspot.com/

check out the one and only Darlene Love at: http://darleneloveworld.com/

Find out where "20 Feet From Stardom" is playing near you at: 

http://twentyfeetfromstardom.com/