Frank South: "Pay Attention"

I had the wonderful opportunity to experience "Pay Attention" where Frank South performed his one man show! This is a MUST SEE performance! Frank gives us an opportunity to go into the mind of someone with ADHD. Riveting!

The Other Space at Santa Monica Playhouse
May 1st - June 7th

www.santamonicaplayhouse.com

Best,

Jean-Luc Martin
Producer, Line-Producer, UPM

Frank South's Pay Attention: ADHD in Hollywood, On the Rocks with a Twist A hypomanic, alcoholic, one-man show with ADHD.

We are very excited to see Frank South performing his one man show! Friends and family from the hit series Melrose Place are all going to cheer Frank on!

All the best and break a leg Frank!

Jean-Luc Martin
Producer, Line-Producer, UPM

Check out Franks website for show times!

Pay Attention: ADHD in
Hollywood, on the
Rocks with a Twist

Reviewed by Paul Birchall
May 20, 2009

Playwright Frank South's engrossing autobiographical solo show explores that unexpectedly shifting border that lies between the twin no man's lands of genius and madness. South has been challenged his entire life with the condition we today call attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a state defined by a frequent inability to focus, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness.

And yet South's play, which sometimes appears to owe a debt of stylistic discursive gratitude to Spalding Gray, turns out to be quite different from a standard sob story "drama of affliction." It's also a Hollywood tragedy and a story of overcoming addiction, as much as it is a portrait of life with ADHD.

By any standard, his ADHD notwithstanding, South has had extraordinary success. An early writing protégé of filmmaker Robert Altman, South was also an executive producer and showrunner for the series Melrose Place, a gig he enjoyed for several years. During his life's ups and downs, South is haunted by a little imaginary demon, whom we at first assume is the embodiment of his ADHD. Only gradually do we come to realize that the demon stalking him is that voice of self-destructiveness that speaks to almost all of us.

South's narrative trajectory drifts through time, frequently echoing the disjointed thought processes of someone with ADHD. Although the piece could stand cutting, and some of South's digressions play as a prosaic laundry list chronology, director Mark Travis' deceptively unobtrusive staging crafts an intimacy that gradually leaves us feeling we know the star personally. As an actor, South's sometimes-halting line readings and stammering delivery are at first hard to penetrate; but, with his jowelly hangdog face and mildly Mephistophelean grin, he's immediately likable, and the absolute authenticity and immediacy of the performance are striking.

Presented by and at the Other Space at Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St., Santa Monica. May 2–June 7. Fri.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 6 p.m. (323) 960-7738 or www.plays411.com/payattention.

David Shaheen: Money Man: DGA Quarterly

We have been getting the Directors Guild Quarterly for nearly a decade and from a UPM, Line producer, Producers point of view the magazine is always so educational and at time inspiring. Below is an article that was featured and I found it on the DGA's website.

Take a read .. be well,

Jean-Luc Martin
Line-Producer - UPM

Money Man

David Shaheen, head of JP Morgan Chase’s Entertainment Group, reflects on what impact the economic crisis might have on the industry and the $8 billion the bank has loaned it.

1. Let’s cut right to the chase: How is the financial crisis going to affect the flow of money into the industry from investors and outside sources?

Investors invest in Hollywood for very specific reasons. I believe there are strategic investors who need to invest in film production companies and will continue to do so. There are high net-worth individuals who want to invest in the business either on a single picture basis or in a company. And I don’t think those reasons have changed as a result of the economic situation. In fact, you could argue that films, at a minimum, are uncorrelated to the economic cycle. At a time when everyone’s 401(k) and retirement plans are down 40-plus percent, the film business doesn’t sound so risky anymore. As a result of what’s happened in the stock market, the proportion of liquid net worth going to alternative assets has automatically increased. So the money will still be there from individuals with high net-worth. I think the hedge fund private equity money that had flowed into the industry over the past five years is all but gone, at least for the time being.

2. So where are companies going to be looking for money now?

What people like to do is make movies with other people’s money, and presumably other people’s money that they don’t necessarily need to give back. A lot of times, people will say, ‘Where is the dumb money coming from?’ And that doesn’t really exist in today’s environment. So the reality of it is money that will flow into the business will be from sophisticated investors who understand the business and have very strong strategic rationale for doing so. They’re also going to be targeting investments with high-profile and established management teams who have a track record they can get behind and understand. For the most part, I think that’s where the money for the next several years is going to come from.

3. Since the Great Depression, Hollywood has been considered recession-proof. Do you think that’s still true?

I wouldn’t use the term “recession-proof.” There are some elements of the business that are recession-resistant and, at a minimum, are not correlated to the underlying economic conditions. Would I go so far as to say it’s anti-cyclical or counter-cyclical? In certain elements, that may in fact be the case. We’re seeing some real strength in the world of theatrical exhibition and box office. The other challenge is that the studios have so many businesses that in some way, shape or form are touched by the economic situation. But the pure film business itself certainly demonstrates some recession-resistant qualities.

4. Is there any upside to the economic crisis for the business?

I do think there are elements in the economic environment that can help the health of the industry. Such as, there will be fewer films made. There’s just less capital out there. We went through a phase over the past five years where a significant amount of money got pumped into the system in Hollywood, and a lot of movies were made. Some would argue too many, which only makes it harder at the box office. The competition for screens and holding screens is more difficult, advertising spending is inflated because you need to rise above the fray and differentiate your film. So all that is a huge strain on the economics of any given film. When there are fewer films and ad time is cheaper, that may be one element of the economic climate that could help films.

5. Theatrical films may hold up, but what about DVD and television?

Certain segments of the video marketplace are down while in other places you see some strength. Perhaps people are not as quick to put down money to buy a DVD, but you’re seeing some strength in the rental and the discount rental markets. So there’s some reshuffling there. TV concerns me from the standpoint of advertising dollars going away at a rapid clip, which certainly puts pressure on those parties to pay for new product. Now, the argument can be made that they still need to put something on the air. So maybe there’s some benefit to reality or unscripted [programming]. Library or catalogue content can be a cheap alternative to new product as well.

6. JP Morgan has been investing in movies going back to the silent era, and the bank has something like $8 billion in loan commitments to companies such as DreamWorks, Revolution, Lakeshore and MGM. Do you see that figure shrinking because of the economy?

No, not necessarily. We are very much still in business. We’re very much still providing capital to independent film and television production companies and distribution companies. I would say there certainly is a challenge in the capital markets today and a more limited supply of investors who are willing to invest in all layers of the capital structure for films. But we’re still very actively in the market with current deals.

7. You usually like to lay off much of your investment with a syndicate of other banks. Do you see that becoming more difficult?

Yeah, but this is not anything unprecedented. Keep in mind we’re focused on providing loans to the business, and not equity investments. On the loan side, we go through periods where there is a very high supply of investors looking to participate in deals, and we go through low points when it’s much more challenging and a number of banks leave the business, oftentimes for no reason associated with the entertainment business as much as it is them pulling back. It could be European banks pulling back from doing business in the United States or just banks closing down divisions for cost savings. And we’re clearly in one of those periods right now, where there are fewer banks out there looking to participate in these syndicated loans.

8. What criteria do you use to evaluate investments?

We have very sophisticated film models and data going back years that we can draw upon to do analysis as to the kind of films, how they perform, and what the ancillary revenue streams are worth for a given box office performance. So it’s very much the same way that the major studios develop their film models. In our case, it’s really about asking, what is the proper capital structure? How much debt can we put against a certain business plan and how can we use our database of actual film data and models to project what the range of outcomes might be?

9. Do you read scripts?

No. It’s funny, I’ve been here 15 years and have never read a single script. There are bankers who do that from time to time, but for us, we treat this like a business and we’re bankers. Our clients don’t want to think that we’re out there giving them script notes, nor would we be any good at it.

10. So how significant do you think the long-term effects of the economic crisis will be on the entertainment industry?

Right now I’m a little bit more concerned about the long-term effects on the banking business. But I think there is always going to be a need for content. There’s an age-old debate as to what’s more important, content or distribution. And I’m a believer that there’s always a place for good content and it’s a critical piece of the puzzle. So fewer films being produced in the years to come is probably a healthy thing for the business right now. I think access to the capital markets is going to be very challenged for the near-term, the next year or two. But people are creative in this business, and that includes the bankers and all the participants in Hollywood. So I think there will always be a way to get good content made.

Texas Incentives

I was very fortunate to meet with Bob Hudgins and Lindsey Ashley to discuss the Texas incentive process and hands down they can help guide your production in order to maximize your production incentive. Walkaway Joe, the production that I am the UPM on and Ray Ellingsen is Line-Producing has been pushed until further notice.

If you are thinking of shooting in Texas then give the Film Commission a call.

Best of luck and "Be well"
Jean-Luc Martin
Producer - Line Producer - UPM



C l i c k o n I m a g e t o r e v i e w !

The Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program offers qualifying feature films, television programs, commercials, video games, and stand-alone post-production/finishing projects the opportunity to receive a payment of 5-15% of eligible Texas spending upon completion of a review of their Texas expenditures. Both live-action and animated projects are eligible. This incentive program is in addition to Texas's Sales Tax Exemptions.

Where are Films being Shot (Double Click the Image)

Hollywood The Movie

Edward Jay Epstein wrote this and I found it very interesting. Take a read!
Best of luck everyone, Jean-Luc Martin

Hollywood has spent the better part of the last century making movies out of the great inspirational sagas of human history. Ironically, the one epic it has yet to make is one about a uniquely American achievement that has and continues to mesmerize the world: The Rise Of Hollywood. Here is a true Sturm and Drang melodrama chock full of fascinating characters from the edges who overcome seemingly impossible obstacles to build a new industry that today defines the world of mass entertainment. The scenario would follow the classic Hollywood three-act formula.

ACT ONE

Fade in on the men who founded the studios of Hollywood. These are self-made and self-educated Jewish immigrants from impoverished backgrounds, who, prior to becoming movie exhibitors, had been ragpickers, furriers, errand boys, butchers and junk peddlers. They are true outliers: Louis B. Mayer, Samuel Goldwyn, Jack Warner, Adolph Zucker, William Fox, Carl Laemmle, and Harry Cohn, who first scraped together money to build arcades and nickelodeons to show movies, then resourcefully expanded them into theater chains, distribution networks, and, finally, studios. In the second decade of the 1900s, they moved their studios to a near desert in California - the tiny incorporated village of Hollywood - a place they could control and build. By the mid-1920s, 57 million people – over half the population - was going to their movies every week.
Yet, the saga is just beginning. In 1927, sound, now married to the picture, is introduced to the world with Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer. Even though huge capital is required to add this new dimension to movies, Hollywood - in one of the great technological feats of modern history - converts most of the 21,000 theaters in America to sound, rebuilds its studios to put sound on film, and casts new stars for talkie movies. Despite even the Great Depression of the 1930s, the weekly audience grows to 75 million who go to the movies to see not just feature movies, but newsreels, comedy shorts, action-packed serials and cartoons. A new generation of talent, including such brilliant innovators as Walt Disney, expands its realm to children‟s entertainment, and color adds to its ability to entertain the public even in the bleak years of the Depression and the grim war years of the early 1940s.

ACT TWO

The second world war has ended; the troops have come home. By 1948, the studio system is at its zenith. Over 90 million Americans go to the movies on a weekly basis, roughly two-thirds of the population. The studios produce over 500 feature movies a year, have all the major stars under iron-clad contract, and employ over 320,000 Americans. In little more than a generation, its founders have literally gone from rags to riches.
But there was an ever-darkening cloud forming: television. Even with its fuzzy black and white pictures, it offers free stay-at-home entertainment, which gradually eats away at its habitual audience. Even with new innovations, such as drive-ins, Cinemascope, 3-D, and surround sound, the entertainment landscape had irreversibly changed. After color TV is introduced in the 1950s, the weekly movie audience drops by 1958 to 40 million. Prophets of doom predict the end of Hollywood is near.

ACT THREE

But the prophets have underestimated the resourcefulness of Hollywood. Its genius had always been adaptation to new circumstances. It is, after all, in the business of entertainment– a medium which thrives on transformation. So Hollywood re-invents itself. The old studio system, with its contractual control of theaters and stars, is dead; long live the new studio system. Unable to depend on a habitual weekly audience, it turns television to its advantage, using national TV advertising to create tailor-made audiences for each and every movie. And, while remaining an
American business, it greatly expanded its reach overseas, creating a second stream of revenue from theaters and television abroad.

The audience of the new Hollywood is not limited to theaters. It finds new sources of revenue in licensing its movies to television, originating prime-time series, renting its movies on home video, putting it on planes via in-flight entertainment and in hotels, turning its characters into toys, and then, with the digital revolution, putting its movies on DVD, Blu-ray, video-on-demand, cell phones, and the Internet. In doing so, it not only kept alive the movie business, but made it central to the world‟s entertainment economy. With states and municipalities competing with one another for film production, it also continued to create jobs across the nation, supporting employment for 2.5 million people.
But beyond the movies, the money, and the job creation, Hollywood produces another form of wealth: the pictures in our head by which both we, and the world at large, define the phenomenon of American culture. What a movie that achievement would make.

............FADE OUT

What is in a Credit (Double click on the Image)

A MUST READ FROM AN AGENT AT CAA TO HIS CLIENTS

I wanted to take a moment and give you a number of important updates….

Before I begin, however, I wish to tell you all that I am so very proud of you all for your dogged determination during these most difficult times. Hollywood is being challenged on multiple fronts – labor uncertainty, paradigm shifting and the ‘great recession’.

I know a lot of your are getting antsy to get out more, and frankly many of you are in a tight financial pinch; as such, I wanted to describe to you all the current climate in LA and the factors influencing the current environment.

1 SAG STALEMATE: Since the SAG contract expired on June 30, 2008, there have been few to no STUDIO feature films (this does not include companies such as Lionsgate and the Weinstein Company who are not in AMPTP and as such have completion agreements). Some analysts say there are up to 200 feature films on hold. Around September, we started to see a mass movement of film actors to TV projects. Many of my "name" actors have done one-day guest stars (this is very typical right now), and we are seeing a number of Guest Star level actors doing CO-STAR roles.

Remember from November of 2007 to March of 2008, due to the Writer’s Strike, again there were no feature films shot. So for the film actor, there has only been 4 months of work in the last 17 months.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Due to the lack of studio feature film production, BOTH film and TV actors are now competing for a limited number of jobs in the episodic and pilot environments.

2. PILOT SEASON: During the Writer’s Strike of 2007-2008, Studios adapted and used the void to eliminate pilot season as we know it. Gone are the days of hundreds of pilots. In fact, this year, there are only 67 pilots to have registered for production – of which only about 35 have been green lit for production.





And this year, due again to a sagging economy, studios and networks believe that by committing named stars to their projects, they will receive more money from this year’s up-fronts from ad agencies. They are banking on star power to leverage better buys at the all important UPFRONTS. So, stars and pop-stars like Richard Dreyfuss, Chevy Chase, Brittany Snow, Elle McPherson, Rebecca Romijn, Ashley Simpson, Scott Caan, Skeet Ulrich, and proven TV talents like Kelsey Grammar, Eric McCormick, John McGinley, Joel McHale, Jenna Elfman, Donald Faison, Maura Tierney, Peter Krauss, Craig T. Nelson, Dax Shepherd, etc…. You
do the math, 37 pilots… top stars being sought…

BOTTOM LINE:
the conflagration of the economy and a lack of roles being cast, means that this pilot season may be even more competitive than the concurrent regular TV market right now. So those of you who have gotten auditions for series regulars… feel great about that!

3. TV: While TV has been steady, again due to the conflagration of film and named actors doing Guest Starring roles, we have seen a horrible trickle down. Many Guest Stars are now doing Co-stars and Co-stars/Developmental Actors (those with less than 5 primetime credits) frankly are not getting seen much. One CD recently told me that she had over 25 women who would be considered working actors’ going for a co-star role.

BOTTOM LINE:
Again, due to the abundance of name and working actors, many less-developed actors are not even being seen right now.

4. ECONOMIC IMPACT I – THE EROSION OF QUOTES/RATES:
There are really three major impacts to actors during this economic crunch. First, we are seeing the erosion of quotes. Due to the availability of so many talented actors, CD’s and Producers are in the driver’s seat in negotiations. When they say, “well we got someone else who will do it for less”, they ain’t kidding. I have spoken to a number of my peers who have confirmed this erosion of pay for their actors. In short, right now, quotes are eroding and for many, the minimum has become the maximum pay.

5. ECONOMIC IMPACT II – THE CONCLUSION OF SAG STALEMATE:
Many are hoping that with the end of this stalemate, Hollywood will get back to normal. I have to say, that I am not one who necessarily believes this. First off, due to the economic conditions, most studios have lost their millions of dollars from hedge funds; and European, Asian and Middle Eastern money has dried up. Even Stephen Spielberg has had to beg, borrow and steal to get his company financed …. And it wasn’t anywhere near what he originally asked for. I believe that, even after the SAG stalemate is over, there is probably not enough money for 50 Studio Feature Films to be done right out of the gate.

BOTTOM LINE: While this will help us move towards normalcy, it will not be the cash cow some people think it will be. One side note, is that I expect that more formulaic projects will be down out the gate as Studios will be less likely to take significant risks since most of these projects will be financed by both the studio and their investors.

In short, you will see more Iron Mans, Animation, and SAWs… they are money in the bank when you factor in ratios, etc.

6. ECONOMIC IMPACT III – OVERALL STATEMENT OF ENVIRONMENT:
It is important that everyone follow the economic conditions closely. I know it is easy to be skeptical over the studios, networks, cablers, production houses, show runners, etc, losing money, but it is a cold-hard fact right now. These entities are truly in a difficult spot. If you have read much lately, there have been dramatic cut backs at every studio and network, from firings to asking show runners to cut between 2-7% of their budgets (not to mention the 25+% cutback shows like the Sarah Silverman were asked to swallow recently).

Furthermore, these networks and studios are largely owned by conglomerates who have lost in the billions over the last 6 months. When I attended NATPE in January, all the talk was how to get ‘thinner.’ Everything is getting tight. Budgets, Marketing, Staffing, etc., and this will undoubtedly impact the actor. Also, the foreign sales market (where much of the TV and Film money is made, is being hit hard by the erosion of the US Dollar. So these entities are not able to recoup the costs they were in better days by the one-time explosion of the foreign markets.

BOTTOM LINE:

The economic conditions are forcing the industry to be as ‘thin’ as possible.

7. COMMERCIALS – INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS:
One analyst said last year, that 2008 was the worst commercial market since maybe 1974. I would not argue with this. Think about it: three of the top products/services for ad agencies are banks, cars and other financial services – all of which were struck down in 2008/early 2009 by this recession.

This was confirmed when news struck that even the Super Bowl did not sell out advertising this year. The good news is that the advertising industry tends to be one of the first ones to be negatively impacted by a recession, but one of the first to grow as the recession moves to an end
as advertisers of products want to start accumulating market share before the turn of the economy. Another impact relates to the overall conditions of the TV/FILM/PILOT situation. Many strong actors have made enough money on TV/FILM, etc so that they have not had to do commercials in years. Due to the last few years and the lack of work, many top actors are now back in the commercial market; thus again, causing a logjam in casting.

BOTTOMLINE:
The economic slowdown has caused a dramatic decrease in ad sales and the lack of work has caused more actors to re-enter the commercial market.

THE GOOD NEWS!!

Okay, so that is where we are today. You know me, I try to always call it straight as I see it. So, I am not going to sugar-coat this either. I anticipate that 2009 will be a tough year overall for actors (and agencies). First off, the economy will not likely get straightened out until at least the 3rd to 4th quarter of this year and so all the factors above will remain in place through most,
if not all, of 2009. Secondly, until the labor situation gets straightened out, we will not be seeing dramatic amount of film production, and this seems to be dragging along as well (as we enter the 8th month of the stalemate – it was announced today that SAG is thinking now about taking AMPTP to court for anti-trust violations). But again, even if it was finalized, there is not enough investor money to see the film production level normalize and increase for
most, if not all, of 2009. Also, since movies cost around $40 for two (tickets, popcorn, etc) – this is not a recession proof field anymore. During our last significant recession, there were few choices for guilty pleasures to get away from the stress of our times – so many people flocked to
the theatres. NOT SO THESE DAYS, one can go to the web, TV, cable (not around in 1974, 1982, 1988 much), Video Games, Netflix, RedBox (movie for a $1). So studios are probably not in any big rush to make films – as people cannot afford this once cheap diversion – better to
divert for a few bucks to all the many other sources of guilty pleasures. OKAY, so that didn’t sound like good news…

The good news is that there are some paradigm shifts occurring that make 2010 -2012 look like it might be one of the most prolific times in Hollywood history. Due to technological developments, there are more platforms being developed than ever. The internet is driving

millions of new viewers each year. Zillion is going to transform the way we view advertising. For those who don’t know, it has recently been unveiled by the maker of Real Player and the ‘mouse.’ It is a system that makes you watch ads before downloading movies (they already have 14,000 Titles ready for download), TV, other forms of entertainment to your TV Screen. However, the consumer can choose the products they want to see (let’s say you go retail clothing and watch a Macy’s ad and love the jacket; you can immediately click on the ad/jacket and go directly to their website where you can buy it). Also, you earn points by watching the commercials that you can use towards purchases.

Furthermore, SONY and others are now selling TVs that wirelessly connect to your computer, so you can download TV/FILMS at anytime from your computer (websites like Hula, Netflix, etc) directly to your TV. In short, technology is making more platforms which will require more content than ever. Also, Cablers are all embracing doing scripted shows, some have up to 5 shows this year… again, more content is needed and thus MORE ACTORS!

BOTTOM LINE: More platforms = more content =more actors! So as long as SAG/AFTRA can protect your rates and jurisdictional issues, there will be more good compensated work than ever in Hollywood by 2010-2012.

Cannes market uncertain during credit crunch

CANNES -- Buyers and sellers will be going back to basics at the Marche du Film this year as the global credit crunch forces everyone to pinch pennies and deliver the right deals for the right price.

Coming in, sellers are hopeful that promises made in Berlin will turn into freshly inked deal memos.

"Every meeting we took at the European Film Market in February, buyers sat down and said 'we're not buying anything until Cannes.' Let's hope they do," one U.S. seller said.

"Distributors were very hesitant in Berlin, because no one could see the extent and duration of the crisis," said Thorsten Ritter, head of Bavaria Film International. "I'm hopeful that coming into Cannes, they will have a better idea of their budgets and be willing to buy."

The coming days will show whether the market has hit rock bottom and is ready to bounce back or if there is yet more pain to come.

Given the dearth of equity, declining TV and home entertainment revenue and increasing competition for soft money, some sellers are anxious about where the cash will come from.

Sellers also are feeling the pinch.

"We are being much more careful about what we screen and are being more realistic about our expectations," said Rikke Ennis, CEO of Danish sales juggernaut TrustNordisk. "We are only screening titles we know have a realistic chance of sealing deals for here. The days of getting behind a small, difficult film just because we love it are gone."

But the picture is not uniformly bleak.

The Asian film business seems only dented rather than shattered by the effects of global slowdown. The biggest dampener on buying power has been the weakness of currencies including the Korean Won and the Taiwanese and Singapore dollars.

Theatrical boxoffice remains steady or on an upward trend, though TV revenue is clearly under pressure from slowing ad growth. Home video is being squeezed by piracy and the shift to online consumption.

Production finance also has remained available, in large part because private equity and bank funding were only ever small components of most film budgets. Most films in Asia are instead bankrolled through cash flow and the growing regional market for some genres of film means that some kinds of project are actually expanding.

Certainly the days of extravagant blow outs to create buzz for a title or company seem long gone. 2009 is the year of the party pooper. Vanity Fair canceling its Hotel du Cap bash sent a sobering message to all Cannes cognoscenti.

Several Cannes regulars have decided to opt out this year as even designer belts tighten. Parisian glamour mag Gala, a regular splurger on the Croisette, is staying home this year. As is London private members club Century, which has closed the doors on its usual beach-front club.

Gift-bag hungry celebs will have a harder time scrounging for chatskis with the No. 1 goodie giver Nathalie Dubois opting out this year.

But marketgoers will still have some opportunity to do deals awash in a sea of free rose and maybe even the odd glass of champagne at more intimate shindigs. And for monster bash seekers, there will be a handful of opportunities including shindigs for "Inglourious Basterds" and "Broken Embraces," both of which will take place on the Iles de Lerins.

Mindful of the need to booze up and boogie, especially in these tough times, BBC Films is going ahead with its annual cocktail party on the beach. Why? BBC Films managing director Jane Wright said the industry needed a morale booster.

"The reaction from the filmmaking community was 'please, please please don't cancel it,' " she said.

America's Best Bargain Cities

Why shoot our film Walkaway Joe in Austin?? I hope that we can show that producing a film in Austin is cost effective while having great crews!

by Zack O'Malley Greenburg
Thursday, May 14, 2009provided by

Try these places if you want to get the most for your money

Nearly a decade ago, after making a donation to a volunteer-run radio station in Austin, Texas, local librarian Red Wassenich was asked why he chose to support a broadcaster with a penchant for playing strange crooner music. "Because it keeps Austin weird," he said.

Since then, the phrase "Keep Austin Weird" has become the city's official rallying cry against the establishment of large chain stores near mom-and-pop shops--and, more generally, for maintaining the city's eccentric feel. The city may be weird, but perhaps more redeeming is that it's also a bargain to live there: Austin is the place where people pay the least to get the most.

"Austin has always been really different from the rest of Texas," says Wassenich, 59.

He's talking about the city's weirdness, but he might as well be talking about its affordability and profusion of job opportunities. Four other Texas cities make the list of America's Best Bargain Cities, but none come close to Austin, whose 5.5% unemployment is the best in the country and about half the national average.

Behind the Numbers

To determine which U.S. cities are the best bargains, Forbes looked at the country's 50 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas and metropolitan divisions--geographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget used by federal agencies in collecting, tabulating and publishing federal statistics.

We assigned points to metro regions across four data sets: Average salary for workers with a bachelor's degree or higher, from PayScale.com; annual unemployment statistics, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; cost of living, from Moody's Economy.com; and the Housing Opportunity Index, from the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo, which measures the amount of homes sold in a given area that would be affordable to a family earning the local median income based on standard mortgage underwriting criteria.

Austin earned high marks across the board.

"They have the triple-whammy of being a university town, a state capital and a technology center," says Al Lee, director of quantitative analysis at PayScale.com, a salary data aggregator based in Seattle. "It makes for a very robust economy and a great place for people to work."

Second on our list is Phoenix, Ariz., but what makes this city affordable isn't quite the same formula as in Austin. The real estate bust left the desert oasis as one of America's emptiest cities, which has also driven down home prices. As a result, Phoenix is one of the most affordable big cities in the nation.

Washington, D.C., rounds out the top three, thanks to an employment rate rivaled only by Austin. That comes as no surprise to Lee.

"Between defense spending under Bush and stimulus spending under Obama, it's been an incredibly strong time," he says.

Further on, the list includes a few places that may raise an eyebrow or two. Ritzy Cambridge, Mass., clocked in at No. 11 because of extremely high salary scores, while Detroit's rock-bottom housing costs earned the city a No. 15 rank--despite an astronomical 13% unemployment rate. That's roughly twice Austin's rate.

Lone Star Constellation

While the capital of Texas graced the top of our list, the rest of the state's large cities performed admirably too. All five of Texas' biggest burgs--Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Ft. Worth--were among the top 10 best bargains. Not a single city in Texas ended up on our list of most overpriced places.

Part of the reason is that Texas offers some of the best incentives for entrepreneurs looking to start or move a business, according to Eduardo Martinez, a senior economist at Moody's Economy.com. Like Phoenix, Texan metros "have picked up a lot of California companies that have left because of high operating costs," he says.

Still, the state's future is far cloudier than its big blue skies. Martinez warns that Texas is vulnerable because of its exposure to America's foundering auto industry via manufacturing. The Lone Star State may also be aversely affected by the expected decrease in defense spending as contracts won in the Bush years begin to expire.

Back in Austin, though, residents are facing a different sort of challenge: To keep the city weird--and to themselves.

"Tell people not to move here!" says Wassenich.

Walkaway Joe

Austin! WAJ is really trying to make it to Texas and the producers are working through the night to make it happen and when they do we have a challenge ahead of us with little time. I just want to give a shout out to all those that have contacted me with referrals and resumes. Thanks for all the support! Lets hope it all works out and the clock is ticking.

Disney conjures up more "Wizards"

Walkaway Joe

and Jake T. Austin playing Dallas is very exciting!

We need to make it happen

Disney conjures up more "Wizards"

By Nellie Andreeva Nellie Andreeva Fri May 1, 1:42 am ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The Disney Channel is grooming "Wizards of Waverly Place" as its next blockbuster tween franch ise in the mold of "High School Musical" and "Hannah Montana."

The cable channel has picked up a third season of the hit comedy series starring Selena Gomez and has unveiled an original telefilm, "Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie," to premiere in August. "Wizards," which co-stars David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals-Barrera and David DeLuise and centers on the three Russo siblings who have wizard powers, ranked in April as the No. 2 scripted series across all cable and broadcast television channels among tweens (viewers 9-14 years old).