BAI LING PRODUCES/STARS IN WESTERN ‘YELLOW HILL’

Born in Chengdu, China, the lovely and often outrageous Bai Ling began her acting career at age fourteen, as both a soldier and performer in the People’s Liberation Army, entertaining the troops in Tibet.  She made a number of films in China before coming to the United States, and in 1994 made a splash opposite Brandon Lee in THE CROW.  Since then, Bai Ling has been a busy actress, appearing in films of all genres that called for her exotic brand of beauty, and in 1999 she made her first Western movie appearance, as Miss East in 1999’s THE WILD WILD WEST.  Fifteen years later she’s returned to the genre, this time not just as stunning eye-candy, in YELLOW HILL – THE STRANGER’S TALE.

Bai Ling in WILD WILD WEST

This time she’s a producer as well as the star.  She’s collaborated with Ross Bigley, who wrote, directed and edited the short film, which has been successfully making the rounds of festivals in South Dakota and Wisconsin – it won for Best Short Narrative at the South Dakota Film Festival, and received the Founders Choice Award at the Wildwood Film Festival. 

Ross Bigley tells me the idea for YELLOW HILL came to him a decade ago.  “I have a love for the western genre, and years ago I came across a book detailing the gold rush. I read about the brutality and racism towards the Chinese immigrants coming to America for their own dreams of striking it rich, and about the ways the Chinese settlers came up with to hide their gold from those desperadoes. And it struck me as a fantastic story never told on the screen before.  I needed a hero for this, and I thought about YOJIMBO and A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, the anti- hero type. That seemed perfect because if there were to be someone to help them, there should also be a level of mistrust.”

Ross pitched the idea to Bai Ling when he was directing her in the crime thriller PETTY CASH, and soon the two of them and Glenn Popple formed a production company to make the film.  But before the feature, they decided to do a stand-alone short, a section from the full story, that could be used as a selling tool.  It’s a small film – half of the $10,000 budget was raised by crowd-funding through Indie-Go-Go.  But they used their dollars wisely – it’s peopled with professional actors, and shot in South Dakota, in the Badlands, and in South Dakota’s Original 1880s Town.  The costumes, props and weapons look and feel right, although there’s a noticeable shortage of horseflesh. 

The short’s story concerns Bai Ling’s Stranger character (the Leone influence is strongly felt throughout) coming out of the desert, into a town, in search of her father – she hasn’t seen him since he sold her to a brothel as a young girl.  The flashbacks are unflinching and upsetting, and when the townspeople are of less than no help, the action is fast and bloody – in short, it’s brief, but a lot of fun, and Bai Ling’s character happily doesn’t veer too close Eastwood’s emotionless Stranger.  While she’s chillingly determined, she lets her feelings flow unrestrained. 

While the short film is only available to be seen by the public in festivals, but it may be more widely available soon.  More to the point, hopefully the attention the short is getting will lead to the funding of the feature.  I’ll have word on their progress from Bai Ling and Ross Bigley soon.  In the meantime, click YELLOW HILL 

to go to the official Facebook page, and below is a clip of Bai Ling discussing the movie.

‘NEW WEST’ CONCERT A HIT – MORE GIVEAWAYS ON THE WAY!

I just heard from Danny Ramblin’ Jack O’Connell, our winner of two tickets to last Thursday’s NEW WEST concert in Santa Clarita, courtesy of those fine folks and Round-up sponsors, OutWest.  He brought along custom knife-maker to the stars (he made the knife for Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED) Chuck Stapel.  Dan says, “I thoroughly enjoyed New West. They were spot-on and the audience extremely receptive. I discovered that their humor now rivals such mega Western acts ala Riders in the Sky!”

And more good news, I hear from Bobbi Jean Bell, who with her husband Jim are the purveyors of OutWest that they want to do another ticket giveaway for the March 20 concert by The Stardust Cowboys!  I’ll have details in next week’s Round-up!

YES, THIS IS A REAL AD!

I had to share this uh…really unusual ad for The Pennsylvania Railroad, featuring the King of the Cowboys.  It’s from the folks at COLLECTORS WEEKLY, from their article, ’28 Cringe-Worthy Vintage Product Endorsements’, which you can see HERE.

THAT’S A WRAP!

It’s a short Round-up tonight, because there’s been so much going on.  Yesterday I interviewed screenwriter-turned-western-novel author C. Courtney Joyner about his first Western novel, SHOTGUN, and tonight I’m off to cover the Red Carpet for the opening night of the Los Angeles Italia Film Fest.  I’ve also got three new westerns to watch and review, so keep your eyes peeled – more is comin’ down the pike!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright February 2014 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

WESTERN PILOTS ORDERED!

Happy Easter!

There are many stages between the twinkling of an idea, and a realized television series.  For all the thousands of pitches that broadcast and cable and internet networks hear or read every year, only a tiny percentage receive the order for a script, and far fewer have a pilot shot.  And of the pilots shot, only a small number will lead to a season of shows.  Last week I wrote about the Hallmark’s WHEN CALLS THE HEART, from the CANADIAN WEST book series by Janette Oke.  It will premiere as a TV movie, and ten one-hour episodes have been ordered.  The series has not yet been cast, so it’s not known yet if the stars of the TV movie (see details HERE)  will continue in their roles.  Spinning a series from a TV movie is known in the industry as a ‘back-door pilot,’ and among the notable successes of this process are DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN and THE WALTONS.  There are two pilots ordered this season that are definite Westerns, as well as one more that is, though not truly Westerns, American-history based.   

BIG THUNDER

 

Speaking of back-door pilots, ABC, which is owned by Disney, has ordered a TV movie of BIG THUNDER, continuing with their pattern of adapting successful E-ticket park-rides into movies -- often with great success, like PIRATES OF CARIBBEAN (and sometimes like THE COUNTRY BEAR JAMBOREE).  The story centers on the gold-rush era mining town of Big Thunder in the Southwest. After a natural disaster, a doctor and his family come to town, in what is supposed to be a great opportunity for them, but soon learn that not everything in Big Thunder is as it seems, especially as it relates to the mysterious tycoon who runs the town.

 

To be shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, the script is by Jason Fuchs, whose ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT was a big hit.  He’ll also exec produce.   Director Rob Bowan is best known for his work on X-FILES, and has also directed eighteen episodes of the current series CASTLE.  Cast in the lead is Irish-born Ed MacLiam, who has been a very busy telly actor across the pond.  Also in the cast are Ana De La Reguera, recently seen in COWBOYS AND ALIENS; Alex Hassell, who had a small role in COLD MOUNTAIN; Alex Meraz, who played Paul in the TWILIGHT films; Ruth Bradley of FLYBOYS and the TITANTIC miniseries; RESIDENT EVIL star Spencer Locke; and the actor Western fans will be happiest about, Zahn McClarnon.  Zahn has been seen in LAKOTA MOON, THE LAZARUS MAN, CRAZY HORSE, DR. QUINN, INTO THE WEST, COMANCHE MOON, BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE, YELLOW ROCK, THE LEGEND OF HELL’S GATE, and is currently playing the very difficult Indian policeman Officer Mathis on LONGMIRE. 

 

THE SIXTH GUN

NBC has ordered THE SIXTH GUN to be produced by UNIVERSAL TV/Oni Press, based on the Oni Press graphic novel of the same title.  It’s an other-worldly western about six mythical guns with supernatural powers – or else six supernatural guns with mythical powers. 

It’s written by Ryan Condal, whose HERCULES: THE THRACIAN WARS, to star Dwayne Johnson, is also in pre-production.  Director Jeffrey Reiner is currently directing DO NO HARM episodes, and did 18 of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.  The pilot will star Laura Ramsey, known for horror films THE RUIN and THE CONVENT; Holland-born Michiel Huisman of THE YOUNG VICTORIA; W. Earl Brown, who was in 2004’s THE ALAMO, and will soon be seen in THE LONE RANGER; HOBBIT actor Graham McTavish; Aldis Hodge of A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD, and Russian-born redhead Elena Satine, currently in the MAGIC CITY series. 

TURN

AMC Studios has ordered a pilot for a Revolutionary War story.  Set in New York in the summer of 1778, farmer Abe Woodhull and a group of childhood friends band together to become spies known as The Culper Ring.  Based on the book WASHINGTON SPIES by Alexander Rose, the script is by Craig Silverstein, whose many TV credits include NIKITA and BONES.  Director Rupert Wyatt recently helmed the excellent RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.   In the cast, lead Jamie Bell was recently the voice of TINTIN; Seth Numrich had a continuing role on GRAVITY; Burn Gorman is in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES; Heather Lind is a regular on BOARDWALK EMPIRE; Kevin McNally plays Gibbs in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films; and Angus Macfadyen played Robert the Bruce in BRAVEHEART, was the lead in SHADOWHEART, and just completed the Civil War drama COPPERHEAD.

34^TH ANNUAL VINTAGE PAPERBACK COLLECTOR SHOW APRIL 7

On Sunday, April 7, 2013, the Vintage Paperback Collectors Show will be held at the Valley Inn and Conference Center, at 10621 Sepulveda Boulevard, Mission Hills, CA 91345.  From 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., dozens of dealers will be offering thousands of paperback books, from the pricey, untouched and rare, to the battered, dog-eared books I buy, which are sneeringly described as ‘reader copies’, and for which I rarely pay more than a dollar or two.  I’ve tracked down many a Luke Short here, not to mention plugging the holes in my Edgar Rice Burroughs collections.  Admission is only five bucks, and best of all, about forty well-known authors will be autographing their books – for free!  They tend to mostly be sci-fi and mystery writers, and Brian Garfield, who was to attend, had to drop out.  But Earl ‘The Waltons’ Hamner is still attending.  To get a complete schedule of who will be signing, and when, go HERE.   

 

‘LONE RANGER’ FINED $61G IN WELDER’S DEATH

CalOsha, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has fined Silver Bullet Productions $61,000, ruling they were directly at fault in the death of diver and welder Mike Bridger, who died in September, while cleaning an under-water tank.  Among other violations, they ruled that Bridger had been allowed to dive without a tether, without a partner, and without a stand-by diver.

WILL SMITH TURNED DOWN ‘DJANGO’: “HE WASN’T THE LEAD!”

In not the first time in recorded history that an actor has let his ego get the better of his brain, Will Smith revealed, in an Entertainment Weekly interview, why he passed on starring in Quentin Tarantino’s Western blockbuster, ‘DJANGO UNCHAINED.’ 

He felt that Dr. King Schultz, Christoph Waltz’s character, actually had the leading role.  “Django wasn’t the lead.  So it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead!  I was like, ‘No, Quentin, please, I need to kill the bad guy!’”  Not surprisingly, writer-director Tarantino did not jump at the chance to massage Smith’s ego with a re-write.  And yes, Christoph Waltz won an Oscar, for supporting actor, because of course he was not the lead.  Still, Smith is a fan of the film.  “I thought it was brilliant.  Just not for me.”  Those who have seen WILD WILD WEST will undoubtedly agree.

THE WRAP-UP

There are a lot of exciting events coming in April.  On the 21^st and 22^nd, the Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival will again be held at Melody Ranch.  And from April 25^th through the 28^th, The Turner Classic Movies Festival will be held in Hollywood.  Also this month, Blue Underground will be releasing a quartet of classic Spaghetti Westerns under the title SPAGHETTI WESTERNS UNCHAINED, as well as a beautiful version of Lee Van Cleef in THE GRAND DUEL, to which I and C. Courtney Joyner contributed a commentary track.  There’s plenty more in store.  Hope you had a great Easter!  And brace yourself – Monday is April Fool’s Day!

Happy Trails,

Henry

 

All Original Contents Copyright March 2013 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved