A Bit of This And That Before The Weekend...

Howdy folks... we had a rehearsal for my upcoming Zombie film The Outbreak last night at director Chris Lund's house, and let me just say... this little project is gonna kick ass ('cause it's all out of bubble gum)!!!! I'm so excited by how things are shaping up; I can't wait to get filming!

My mailbox has been filling up with a lot of interesting items over the past week, and I figured that I'd share them with you before I hit the road to go see my parents up in Washington. Some of this might be of interest to you... or, it might not be. Not to worry, I'll return to my conceited self-congratulatory posts soon enough.

>> I got an email from Stefanie Sertich this morning (well, actually, it was through my Facebook account). Stef is coming back to Portland in April to teach an audition workshop to young actors. The details are below... click here to see her message. If you know someone who might be interested, have them contact Stefanie at sertich@yahoo.com!

>> Here's one for you filmmakers out there: Moveon.org has started an ad contest called "Obama in 30 Seconds." Anyone can make an ad about Barack Obama between now and April 1. The public will vote on the best ads, and a panel will pick a winner from among the finalists. (Judges include Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Naomi Wolf, Oliver Stone, John Legend, Donna Edwards, and Markos Moulitsas. The full list is at the web site.)

The winning Obama ad will be aired nationally (and qualifiers will be sene on the web); the winner will receive a gift certificate for $20,000 in video equipment. If you're interested, visit http://www.obamain30seconds.org/ for the details.

>> My friend Kate is doing her doctoral work in Sociology at Rutgers. She recently noted on her blog that the new budget proposed by the Bush administration (and passed by the house last night) eliminates funding for a study on how Americans use their time. Seems like a pretty mundane thing to study, but the data collected is incredibly valuable to many sectors of industry, healthcare, and academia. Pop by and read her post, and if you agree that the study should be funded, sign the letter to Congress asking that the study be re-funded.

>> Finally, you may remember that a couple years ago I did some work with Golden Hours, a "radio" program that was broadcast on Oregon Public Broadcasting's Secondary Audio Program channel for the blind... well, I just got word that after 30 years of serving that community, Golden Hours and the Accessible Information Network are shutting their doors. This is from the email I received:

Four immense challenges were identified [for the continuation of the Golden Hours Program]:
1. The imminent demise of the secondary audio program (SAP), which is the primary means of delivering of this service; 2. The difficulty in identifying any significant user base of this service; 3. The cost of producing content and the lack of any viable revenue sources to support it, and, finally; 4. The lack of any feasible and effective methods of delivering the service following the end of analog television broadcasting next year.

When AIN/Golden Hours began in 1975, the blind and visually impaired had few options for receiving news and information. For many years prior to the rise of the internet and prior to OPB radio becoming primarily a news and information service, Golden Hours provided one of the only options for the community it serves.

Today, the number of TV news channels has skyrocketed, the Internet has exploded, thousands of books and magazines are now offered on tape. Advances in synthesized voice have led to new telephone and online news services (like NFB Newsline, a telephone service that provides audio of several Oregon-based newspapers such as The Oregonian and The Statesman-Journal). Media habits among the blind and visually disabled are also changing, albeit at a slower pace than the sighted population, towards a greater use of on-demand media and time shifting.

As we reviewed potential options, it became clear that OPB can provide a greater public service by promoting the services of organizations already serving the blind and visually impaired community...

So, time marches on... it's a pity to see the program go, but if the audience isn't there any more, and there are other options available to the blind community, then it seems like it's time.

I'll always treasure the time I spent on the Golden Hours mic, though... my buddy Duane Hanson and I had a great time reading the news, weather, and shopping ads.

Well, that's it for now. Time to get packed and head up the road to Washington. Have a great weekend!

-Harold