PJ Soles and The Show

Over the last few days, I have tried to give an overview of The Show, which will star PJ Soles.  At Days of the Dead, in just a few minutes of conversation there, PJ got me hooked on the premise of The Show.  I had to learn more and I wanted to share it with all of you.
I have been a fan of PJ for a long time.  I enjoyed her early work such as Carrie, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, Halloween and Stripes.  Perhaps my favorite role of hers was Riff Randall in Rock 'N' Roll High School, also starring the Ramones.  Since then, PJ has done a good amount of tv, while still appearing on the big screen, in movies including The Devil's Rejects.
I met PJ several years ago, but I was able to have an actual conversation with her at Days of the Dead.  I was so intrigued by The Show, that I forgot to talk to her about Rock 'N' Roll High School!
I hope you jump on the bandwagon for The Show.  Matt Russell has promised to send me updates and I will continue to post them on Johngy's Beat.  I really appreciate Matt for his time and consideration in giving us some extra info and insight into The Show.
This concludes my three day coverage of The Show.  If you haven't done so already, go to TheShowmovie.com, The Show's Facebook page and "like" it and then go to The Show's Twitter page and "follow" it.

PJ Soles, Cuzz Gekas and me in Indianapolis, IN-July 2011.

On the Beat with The Show and Matt Russell-Part 2

Yesterday, I posted the first part of my Q&A with Matt Russell, the creative force behind The Show. Below is the second part of my Q&A with Matt.

Q-What role does PJ Soles have, and how did she become involved?
MR-PJ will be playing the integral role of the protagonist's mother. She and I first met in the summer of 2003 at a horror convention in Chicago where she was a guest of honor, and I was just a 17-year-old kid in the crowd. We got to chatting and she really liked me for some reason, so she gave me her e-mail address, and we kept in touch for the next five years. She was nice enough to read my early screenplays, called me every year on Halloween night, and at one point was even going to fly to Chicago on her own dollar to appear in a student film of mine, but her schedule didn't align. When I finally moved out to Los Angeles in 2008, we became a lot closer, and she went to bat for me on several occasions to get me some writing gigs, including one instance where she insisted I be brought on to write her segment of an upcoming horror anthology that she was asked to direct. When I decided that I was finally going to make THE SHOW, there was no question who I was going to approach for this important role.
PJ is one of the sweetest, kindest--and needless to say--most beautiful people I've ever known. She's selfless, charming, loyal, funny, and she has that infectious laugh that anyone who's seen HALLOWEEN and STRIPES knows exactly what I'm talking about. She's also one of the best people to have in your corner because when she believes in you, she's a constant strong wind in your sails and always the first person to promote you to anyone who will listen. I'm blessed to have her as a friend, and I can't wait for us to finally get to work together.

Q-Is anyone else involved at this point?
MR-My friends from high school, James Babiarz and Brian Palmert--producers of the fine short film THE EXEMPTION OF HUNTER RILEY, which played at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival--will be producing alongside me, but there is currently no one else cast at the moment aside from PJ. We're still in the early stages of pre-production so we haven't begun actively casting just yet. The crew will mostly consist of close friends, but I am also pursuing a few people whom I've been hoping to work with for a long time. They've expressed interest, but nothing has been set in stone.

Q-What is a rough time table for THE SHOW?
MR-We're aiming to have the film completed by mid-next year at the latest. I have a particular festival I'm aiming for, but I'd rather not say it when we're this early in pre-production.  As we build up to production, we're really looking to involve the fans with its creation. We'll be launching our Kickstarter campaign soon, complete with some interesting rewards for anyone who donates, and we'll have a lot of fun updates and goodies for people to enjoy throughout the creative process!

I hope you have enjoyed learning about The Show.  I also hope you have gone to TheShoemovie.com,  The Show's Facebook page and "liked" it and have started "following" The Show on Twitter.

On the Beat with The Show and Matt Russell-Part 1

At Days of the Dead, Cuzz Gekas and I met PJ Soles, one of my all time favorites.  We talked to PJ about her career, including Stripes and Carrie.  In turn, PJ told us about her newest project, The Show, an upcoming movie written for the screen and directed by Matt Russell.  It is based on a short story by Bentley Little.  PJ's description intrigued me and her exuberance sold me. 
I contacted Matt and he graciously agreed to answer some questions.  Today, I am running the first two questions.

Q-How did THE SHOW project get started?
MR-I first read "The Show" in Bentley Little's anthology THE COLLECTION, and I immediately saw the film in my head. I wrote an adaptation of it just as a personal exercise, but turned it in for a class assignment in film school a few months later. When my class responded strongly to it (I was told by one classmate that it gave him nightmares), I decided I would attempt to option it. Very quickly though, I discovered that Bentley is a tough guy to get ahold of. Unlike most people in this media-obsessed world, he's very reclusive. He has no website, no Twitter or Facebook, not even an e-mail address! It was only a happy coincidence that I came in contact with another horror novelist by the name of Scott Nicholson, who often corresponded with Bentley and was nice enough to forward my request to him (the long version of my quest to option the rights can be found on the film's blog at DeepDishCinema.blogspot.com). I received a letter from Bentley a couple of months later, and he and his agent were generous enough to grant me a $1 option, but the terms are such that I cannot make any profit from the finished film. I cannot sell copies on DVD or charge admission for screenings. I can, however, submit it to film festivals and the finished film will be posted in its entirety on the official website once it completes its festival run.
It's a big risk spending this much time, effort, and money on a short film, especially one that you cannot see profit on, but this is a story that I've been wanting to tell for quite some time, and I'm finally going to be able to exorcise this demon! I'm also very honored and gracious to be given the opportunity to bring Bentley's work to the screen. He has long been a great contributor to horror fiction (he's one of Stephen King's favorites), and I think his work deserves as much attention as it can get! If the finished film leads even one person to discover his work, I'll be happy.

Q-Can you tell us a little about the plot of THE SHOW?
MR-I can't divulge too much of the plot right now so I'm afraid I will have to resort to the official synopsis: One night while out with his best friend, Danny learns about The Show. A form of entertainment unlike anything he ever could have imagined, with an allure too tempting to resist. What their money buys them is more than just spectacle, but a glimpse into the darkest depths of human nature. As time passes, Danny soon realizes that his morbid curiosity may have consequences unlike any he could have foreseen. Consequences that will force him to face everything he's ever truly feared... If you're one of those people who cannot wait, the story can be found in Bentley Little's book, THE COLLECTION. It's a very creepy and intense story that unflinchingly examines a lot of dark human issues while also scaring the hell out of you simultaneously, which is what great genre fiction is all about.

I hope you learned a bit about The Show  Come back tomorrow for the next part.  Until then, please check out TheShowmovie.com, The Show on Facebook and The Show's Twitter page.