Film News

MY RUN Wins Las Vegas Grand Jury Prize!

MY RUNis gathering such incredible momentum as it sprints from festival to festival that we're beginning to wonder if we dare start dropping the "O" word. By O, we mean "Oscar," not "Official Selection." Picking up the “Audience Award for Best Documentary” at the 2010 DocMiami International Film Festival, MY RUN dashed over to the Las Vegas Film Festival and made off with its "Grand Jury Prize."

MY RUN–Tim VandeSteeg's moving documentary account of widower Terry Hitchcock's grueling, 75-day run from Minneapolis to Atlanta to call attention to the challenges facing single-parent families–has added to its growing collection of plaudits. It's becoming the little documentary that could! The audience favorite has moved critics who attended its world premiere.  To wit:

“Touching documentary... there’s a tear on my couch” – NickGioBarbieri, Austinist

“Guaranteed to bring at least a tear or two to your eyes” – Lee Nichols, The Austin Chronicle

“An Example of an Extraordinary Achievement by an Ordinary Human Being” – Mammoth Times

"The most amazing of races: 5 Stars" – Indie Movie Examiner

Narrated by Billy Bob Thornton, MY RUN is the true story of how Hitchcock ran 75 marathons in 75 consecutive days, from St. Paul, MN to Atlanta, GA. What drove him? The death of his wife, Sue, from breast cancer, the ensuing loss of his corporate job, and his struggle in the aftermath to raise their three sons, ages four, six, and nine, as a single father. More than ten years later, he set out to run the marathons to symbolize how anyone can overcome insurmountable odds to keep his family together. By running, he hoped to call attention to the difficulties faced by families headed by single parents.

Despite a heart attack during his pre-marathon training, multiple fractures in his ankles and feet, and a course that took him through some dangerous parts of St. Louis, Hitchcock ran on, inspiring hundreds of Americans to meet him along the way and share with him their tales of familial loss and survival. Those stories helped spur him across the finish line in Atlanta. And now, Hitchcock's story has been made into the inspirational documentary MY RUN.

Directed and produced by Tim VandeSteeg of Indiewood Pictures and produced by Mark Castaldo of Destiny Pictures, MY RUN features Billy Bob's narration. The film was recently awarded the Dove “Family-Approved Seal” and 5 Doves from The Dove Foundation (their highest quality rating). They said, “Here is an astonishing documentary about one man's journey to bring attention to the world about being a single parent. It’s truly a story of endurance and faith.” One viewer has called it "an astonishing story of perseverance and heart that stays with you long after you leave the theater." And Chris Cookson, reviewer for Inktip Magazine, declared, "So what touched me in MY RUN that had me fighting back the tears? Everything."

Here's the grand tally thus for for this mighty film's honors:

AWARDS:

• “Grand Jury Prize” – 2010 Las Vegas Film Festival
• “Best of Fest” – 2010 Minneapolis/St. Paul Int. Film Festival
• “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary” – 2010 Newport Beach Film Festival
• “Audience Award Winner” – 2010 DocMiami International Film Festival
• “Audience Award Winner” – 2009 Austin Film Festival
• “Best Documentary Award” - 2009 Mammoth Film Festival
• “Award of Merit” – 2010 Accolade Competition
• “Awarded the Dove Family-Friendly Seal” with 5 Doves Rating

FESTIVALS:

• “Official Selection” of the 2010 Little Rock Film Festival
• “Official Selection” of the 2010 Las Vegas Film Festival
• “Official Selection” of the 2010 Visionfest
• “Official Selection” of the 2010 DocWest Film Festival
• “Official Selection” of the 2010 Newport Beach Film Festival
• “Official Selection” of the 2010 Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival
• “Official Selection” of the 2010 Atlanta Film Festival
• “Official Selection” of the 2010 Newport Beach Film Festival
• “Official Selection” of the 2010 DocMiami International Film Festival
• “Official Selection” of the 2010 Sedona International Film Festival
• “Official Selection” of the 2009 Mammoth Film Festival
• “Official Selection” of the 2009 Austin Film Festival

Meanwhile . . .

• SURF --> Official Website: www.MyRunMovie.com
• JOIN  --> Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/MyRunMovie
• FOLLOW --> Twitter: www.twitter.com/MyRunMovie
• TUNE-IN -->  YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/MyRunMovie

Here's Tim VandeSteeg's instructions to recommend MY RUN to friends on Facebook:

1. Go to our MY RUN page at http://www.facebook.com/myrunmovie, then . . .
   
   
2. Copy this code:
   
   javascript:elms=document.getElementById('friends').getElementsByTagName('li');for(var fid in elms){if(typeof elms[fid] === 'object'){fs.click(elms[fid]);}}
   
   
   
3. Click "Suggest to Friends" underneath the MY RUN image.
   
   
4. Here's the tricky part. When you see your friends show up, REPLACE the entire URL in the URL BAR with the code ABOVE, hit return, in 20 secs or less all friends will be highlighted, then click send to suggest our page!
   
   Seems bizarre, but the code just allows you to select all your friends at once, instead of one at a time.

Your help is appreciated! Thank you

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ST. VINCENT Getting Ready To Roll

Is there a patron saint for exciting actioners in pre-production? Fabled action director Walter Hill is bringing Billy Bob together with Pierce Brosnan, Giovanni Ribisi (you may recall his fine supporting turn in THE GIFT), and Maria Bello for the thriller ST. VINCENT. What we know so far: a mob hitman goes deep undercover--as a priest--to ensure that a turncoat (played by Billy Bob) winds up sleeping with the fishes.

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Heavy Metal Thunder

Billy Bob joins a veritable rock 'n' roll who's who appearing in LEMMY, a documentary that follows Motörhead’s frontman/bassist Lemmy Kilmister on the road, in concert, and into his home. LEMMY will premiere at the 2010 South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, this March.

LEMMY features interviews with some of the many artists inspired by Lemmy Kilmister, including Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Metallica, Slash, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Bob, and wrestler Triple H. Visit the LemmyMovie Website for more information and premiere details.

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From the "Caught Between The Rock and a Hard Place" Department

Check out the Teaser Trailer for FASTER!

Billy Bob Thornton stars opposite Dwayne Johnson in FASTER, a co-production of CBS Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group. Joining the cast: Carla Gugino, Tom Berenger, Maggie Grace, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Moon Bloodgood. The project, now in post-production and directed by George Tillman, Jr. (NOTORIOUS, MEN OF HONOR, SOUL FOOD), is slated for release on October 15, 2010.

Written by Joe and Tony Gayton, this actioner follows a an ex-con (Johnson) who is hell-bent on avenging his brother's murder, and he's got a deadly to-do list to check off along the way (talk about an organized offender!). Billy Bob plays a veteran cop in hot pursuit of Johnson's character. Adding further fuel to the fire is an egocentric hit man also hot on Johnson's trail. We've heard that Billy Bob and The Rock bonded during the shoot over their mutual love for country music.

The film will be produced by Castle Rock Entertainment's Martin Shafer and Liz Glotzer, with Tony Gayton and Robert Teitel. Joe Gayton will executive produce. CBS Films will distribute

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Going to Bat for THREE NIGHTS IN AUGUST

Naw, he's not stepping into Christian Bale's Dark Knight costume. This bat is strictly for baseball, Billy Bob's favorite sport. Our favorite die-hard Cardinals fan has signed on to produce THREE NIGHTS IN AUGUST, a baseball tale based on the book by Buzz Bissinger. If that name sounds familiar, it should. Buzz Bissinger wrote the book that eventually became the film FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Bissinger's book covers the 2003 series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, as seen from the vantage point of Cardinals coach Tony La Russa.

Red Bird Cinema managing director John Loar joins Billy Bob in producing the picture, with actor Kevin Pollak (TROPIC THUNDER), La Russa, and Bissinger on board as executive producers.

"There are a lot of baseball movies out there, and a lot of them are based on the won-loss component," Loar said. "What this does is go inside the day-to-day happenings of the locker room and how a manager thinks about all the decisions he has to make. It's going to be challenging, but Billy Bob has a good handle on it."

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The Alternate Root, the online source for roots music, is offering for download a free sampler CD called The High Price of Silence. The Boxmasters join 30 other roots artists in this compilation of songs to change the world. This collection was determined by votes--7,500 of them! You can listen to or download The Boxmasters' "The Poor House," along with 30 other dynamite songs hoping to get you to think globally and act locally. As The Alternate Root states, "The songs are available on this page for streaming and download. Feel free to make this compilation viral. The world needs to hear what these artists have to say!" You can download the compilation for free by clicking here.

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"Bellflower" Blooms This Summer

This summer, The Boxmasters will be releasing Bellflower, their fourth record on Vanguard/Sawmill Records.  As with their previous releases, Bellflower is a 2-CD set: one disc of original songs and one disc of cover songs.  Bellflower comes on the heels of the band’s current CD, Modbilly, which reached the Number one spot on the Americana Radio Chart for two consecutive weeks and was named one of the top 100 Records by the Americana Music Association in 2009!

While you wait, on June 8 Sugar Hill Records will release a tribute CD to the great poet, songwriter, and children's book author Shel Silverstein. You'll need to snap this one up for The Boxmaster's cover of the song made famous by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, "Sylvia's Mother." Billy Bob's come a long way since he roadied for the Medicine Show in the 1970s! (Nowadays, the operator would ask for your credit history for the next 3 minutes.)

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BBT Visits the Vinyl District . . .

Get nostalgic and learn more about Billy Bob's love of shopping for vinyl records and discover what he bought that pointed him toward a career in entertainment. It's The Boxmasters at The Vinyl District!

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. . . Then Heads Twisted South

Look for The Boxmasters on the cover of the debut issue of a new magazine--Twisted South. The premiere May issue will be available on or before April 15th! What better way to spend your tax refund than to buy a copy? Plus, an article on the tao of grits. What's not to love? Please watch and ask for Twisted South™ at your local bookstore (i.e. Barnes and Noble, Borders) or anywhere magazines are sold. Special thanks to Planeteer Monica McMaken for finding us the cover image!

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Alan Parsons Has a New Project! (Guess Who Narrates?)

Santa Cruz, CA (PRWEB) February 22, 2010 -- Alan Parsons’ Art and Science of Sound Recording, the acclaimed instructional series covering all aspects of sound recording, has released a series of new sections, available for streaming and digital download at www.artandscienceofsound.com.

The Art and Science of Sound Recording collection offers something for everyone interested in recording their own music, from novice to professional engineers. Supported by extensive musical examples, custom diagrams, and interview clips, each section offers an in-depth view of individual areas of the recording process. Along with the premiere scenes released last month covering MIDI, EQ, Delays, Drums, Noise Gates and Recording a Choir, the new sections individually examine the recording topics of Studio Acoustics, Consoles and Controllers, Digital Audio and Computers, Monitoring, Microphones, Keyboards, and Bass.

Parsons, the acclaimed engineer, musician, and record producer know for his work with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney & Wings, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and of course The Alan Parsons Project, offers viewers his exclusive insider access to legendary musicians, producers and engineers and to their award-winning recording techniques. Featured guests span the entire realm of music recording, from producers like Jack Joseph Puig (John Mayer, Green Day, Fergie), John Fields (The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus), to Elliot Scheiner (The Eagles, Steely Dan) and Jack Douglas (John Lennon, Aerosmith, Slash). Although Parsons’ heritage is firmly in the rock camp, the series features country music producers like Tony Brown (Dixie Chicks, George Strait) and Chuck Ainlay (Melissa Etheridge, Mark Knopfler), alternative rock producers like Sylvia Massey (Beck, Tool), R&B producers and engineers like Jimmy Douglass (Justin Timberlake, Timbaland), Allen Sides (Phil Collins, Joni Mitchell), as well as Grammy-winning artists like Michael McDonald, Taylor Hawkins and The Foo Fighters. The Art and Science of Sound Recording series also invites viewers into Parson’s personal custom HD recording facility and some of the country’s most acclaimed recording studios, such as Ocean Way, Record One, Sound Kitchen, Blackbird, Phantom Recording and Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M.)

Alan Parsons host and presents the entire project, aided by actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton, who takes on the role of narrator throughout.

The final set of sections in the ASSR series will be available in a month, just ahead of the release of the complete Art and Science of Sound Recording boxed set. New visitors can go to www.artandscienceofsound.com to download the first twelve sections, take the recording quiz to win free downloads, and learn about premium membership packages which offer exclusive bonus materials are pre-order discounts. Current ASSR members who have pre-ordered the DVD series will be able to log into their account and have access to the new sections.

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Coffee Fool Brews Up Special Boxmasters Blend

Looking for something with that certain Waffle House je ne sais quoi? Coffee Fool has conjured up a smoky, Italian-roasted (and why not? Billy Bob's part Italian and he smokes!) Kona blend to celebrate the launch of The Boxmasters' debut CD.

How would you like that ground? At Coffee Fool, you can get a 12-ounce or 2.25-pound bag ground to your exacting specifications: Whole Bean, French Press, Coarse Grind, Perk, Drip Grind, Grindhouse (no, wait, that's a Tarantino flick), Very Strong Drop Grind, Very Fine Grind, Turkish, and Espresso. Like Billy Bob himself, it's a little bit country, it's a little bit rock 'n' roll.  If the up-tempo ballads don't rouse you from your post-roadhouse stupor, then a shot of this stuff'll cure whatever ails ya.

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Use Facebook to Help Nashville!

Zac Adams shot a fine Public Service Announcement video to help raise money for the Red Cross to help victims of the recent Nashville flood. Billy Bob narrates. On Facebook, search for "We Are Nashville Public Service Announcements." Click here for the You Tube link. Thanks, Zac!

Arkansas Also in Need!

We should add that horrific flooding tore through Billy Bob's native Arkansas today (June 11, 2010), and no doubt the Red Cross is already assisting those in need. Please help where and however you can!

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Damon and Stella Foundation Appeal

Billy Bob Thornton is currently appearing in a public service announcement to encourage the public to learn more about suicide prevention. The video, shot by Josh and Dario Gildrie, delineates the shockingly high numbers of people in this country who suffer from some form of mental illness. Billy Bob expresses the feelings of isolation and confusion that can overwhelm those who suffer depression, schizophrenia, and other serious conditions.

Established in 2006, the Damon and Stella Foundation For Mental Health is an alliance of artists and health care professionals dedicated to expanding cultural awareness of mental disease.  With over 30,000 completed suicides in the United States each year, and with 250,000 to 790,000 estimated attempts, they aim to draw attention to this crisis through aggressive communication, compassion, and community campaigns. Billy Bob joins Randy Travis and Greg Halsted in helping to raise public awareness.

The Damon and Stella Foundation's Web site includes a gallery of striking original artworks donated by the artists to raise money for the Foundation's PSA efforts. Visit today and show your support!

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Food News

From the "That Burger's About the Size of Texas, Mr. President" Department

K-Bob's Steakhouse Features BBT's Hideaway

The Sorocco El Defensor Chieftain (one of the best newspaper names we've ever heard) reports that John Woodworth is the new operations director for Billy Bob Thornton's Hideaway, a mini-restaurant bar and grill adjacent to the famous K-Bob's Steakhouse located in Sorroco, New Mexico.

Woodworth has devised a menu with an average entrée price of about $7 and a selection of 20 rare wines from around the globe. Entrees includes the secretly spiced Armageddon Burger on a Kaiser roll, plus beer batter fries, which Woodworth serves with Roseblum Zinfandel from Paso Robles, California. Additionally, Woodworth has instated Wednesday Night Wine Dinners and a wine club called the Hideaway Club. As the El Defensor Chieftain puts it, "The Wednesday Night Wine Dinners consist of a three-course dinner paired with three wines specially selected by Woodworth. The price of the dinner is $19.99 per person. Membership for the Hideaway Club is $40 per month and includes an engraved wine glass, a wine club T-shirt and four wine dinners." Hey! Sign us up!

The restaurant is located at 1123 NW Frontage Road in Sorocco. Call (575) 835-2900 for further information.

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Planet Billy Bob Moves to Lake Balboa, CA

Yep, we're bidding adieu to the Burbank address we've called home for 9 years. Requests for unsigned photos, letters 'n' greetings for Billy Bob, and other whatnot now go to:

Planet Billy Bob
17216 Saticoy Street, Suite 378
Lake Balboa, CA 91406

What rhymes with Billy Bob Thornton?

Thanks to Planeteer Patrice Gerrior, you can hear the answer on her song, Crush On You.  Patrice's gritty ballad of lovin' on ya devotion to Hisfineself is the Official Song of Planet Billy Bob.  Click here to sing along with Patrice!

Say Hey to Billy Bob!
Want to send Billy Bob a message he'll actually read? Visit our MySpace page and leave us a greeting! Throw in a picture (Billy Bob likes to see photos of his fans!) and Webmistress Amélie will print it out and personally deliver it to Billy Bob (now that she bought a refurbished color printer from a mysterious Russian connection).  We can't make any replies (we get thousands of posts, and Billy Bob does not know how to compose or send an e-mail to save his life), but he will read and enjoy each and every one. And click here for more Contact Information.

Check Out Billy Bob's Music You Should Hear picks on Amazon.com!

BBT for Free!

We still have scads of unsigned black and white glossy photos of Billy Bob from All the Pretty Horses, as well as headshots from MONSTER'S BALL.  We've also got ARMAGEDDON programs from the 1998 world premiere. We'd love to give one to you for free!  See our Contact info for more details!


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All Things Billy Bob Since August 1, 1998.  Yep, that's 12 YEARS!!!!

We Are The Official Billy Bob Thornton Website.

© 2010 by Planet Billy Bob.  This page is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended to make a profit.  Commentary and eldritch attempts at humor reflect the opinions of the Webmaster Amélie Frank and not the opinions of Billy Bob Thornton or his representatives. Read our full disclaimer here. Boxmaster photos by Myriam Santos-Kayda. Cute li'l Boxmaster graphics by Studio-Orange.