Producers of the indie film musical “Americana Dream” have tapped Nashville-based music artists Mary Sarah and Sam Varga to play the story’s central couple, Billie Carton and Lucky Fontana.
Sarah and Varga nabbed the leading roles after an extensive nationwide search for singer-songwriters to act in the original musical written and directed by Ate de Jong and co-written by Variety’s Steven Gaydos.
“Americana Dream” takes viewers behind the scenes of the film’s titular reality TV music competition program, where Lucky and Billie transition from imposters willing to do anything for money and fame, to a real couple, willing to sacrifice their dreams of success for real love and their real music.
Sarah was a finalist on season 10 of NBC’s “The Voice” and is set to star in Justin Ward’s upcoming film comedy “Paradise: The Movie.” Sarah recorded her first album “Bridges,” when she was only...
Sarah and Varga nabbed the leading roles after an extensive nationwide search for singer-songwriters to act in the original musical written and directed by Ate de Jong and co-written by Variety’s Steven Gaydos.
“Americana Dream” takes viewers behind the scenes of the film’s titular reality TV music competition program, where Lucky and Billie transition from imposters willing to do anything for money and fame, to a real couple, willing to sacrifice their dreams of success for real love and their real music.
Sarah was a finalist on season 10 of NBC’s “The Voice” and is set to star in Justin Ward’s upcoming film comedy “Paradise: The Movie.” Sarah recorded her first album “Bridges,” when she was only...
- 7/19/2022
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Sharpened Iron Studios has acquired the original musical screenplay “Amarillo” and has enlisted European filmmaker Ate de Jong to direct the film.
“Amarillo,” written by Variety’s executive VP of global content Steven Gaydos, is set behind the scenes of a reality TV music competition series and tells the story of two young singer-songwriters who pretend to be lovers for the camera and end up becoming a real-life couple.
“Amarillo” will feature 16 original songs written by a team that includes singer-musician Rob Kolar, who most recently scored the TV comedy series “The Detour,” along with the Nashville-based Michael Kosser, Gregg Stewart and Terrance Dwyer.
Production is slated to begin in Amarillo, Texas, this fall and the project will be filmed on a sound stage at Sharpened Iron Studios.
“The team we’ve assembled to make this film knows and loves music and they are all dedicated to the spirit of truly independent cinema,...
“Amarillo,” written by Variety’s executive VP of global content Steven Gaydos, is set behind the scenes of a reality TV music competition series and tells the story of two young singer-songwriters who pretend to be lovers for the camera and end up becoming a real-life couple.
“Amarillo” will feature 16 original songs written by a team that includes singer-musician Rob Kolar, who most recently scored the TV comedy series “The Detour,” along with the Nashville-based Michael Kosser, Gregg Stewart and Terrance Dwyer.
Production is slated to begin in Amarillo, Texas, this fall and the project will be filmed on a sound stage at Sharpened Iron Studios.
“The team we’ve assembled to make this film knows and loves music and they are all dedicated to the spirit of truly independent cinema,...
- 7/27/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Long before the “Skip Intro” era, people have lamented the demise of the theme song. There certainly are times when the days of the wistful broadcast sitcom opening number (or even the days of theme songs that parodied them) seem firmly in the rearview mirror.
But with “Succession” Season 2 coming to a close on Sunday, the rapid rise of Nicholas Britell’s opening 90-second orchestral drum loop earworm spectacular is cause for rethinking that assumption. Maybe it’s just the law of large numbers, but even with the glut of shows that now reduce their openings to a simple title card and a “created by” credit, there are plenty of TV themes besides Britell’s worth celebrating.
Some of these fall closer to the more traditional instrumental expectations. Patrick and Ralph Carney’s opening for “BoJack Horseman” may not have any words, but it doesn’t make that heavy sax...
But with “Succession” Season 2 coming to a close on Sunday, the rapid rise of Nicholas Britell’s opening 90-second orchestral drum loop earworm spectacular is cause for rethinking that assumption. Maybe it’s just the law of large numbers, but even with the glut of shows that now reduce their openings to a simple title card and a “created by” credit, there are plenty of TV themes besides Britell’s worth celebrating.
Some of these fall closer to the more traditional instrumental expectations. Patrick and Ralph Carney’s opening for “BoJack Horseman” may not have any words, but it doesn’t make that heavy sax...
- 10/11/2019
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Larger-than-life polyglot worked with Morgan Freeman, Sean Connery, Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Evzen Kolar, the Czech-born producer of The Boys & Girl From County Clare and City Of Industry, has died in California after a brief illness. He was 67.
Kolar was born in Moravia in the Czech Republic to a diplomat and got his first taste of entertainment as a child actor, before becoming an assistant director in Europe on commercials, television projects and features.
He lived in London in the late 1970s and produced fringe theatre before moving to the Us in 1979 where he built a name for himself as a production executive, notching up numerous line producer and producer credits.
After stints as vice-president of production at Fireline Productions, a subsidiary of the Armand Hammer Company, and CEO at Crossover Films Ent, Kolar worked as a line producer. His credits included Never Say Never Again with Sean Connery, Street Smart starring Morgan Freeman, Master Of The Universe with Dolph Lundgren...
Evzen Kolar, the Czech-born producer of The Boys & Girl From County Clare and City Of Industry, has died in California after a brief illness. He was 67.
Kolar was born in Moravia in the Czech Republic to a diplomat and got his first taste of entertainment as a child actor, before becoming an assistant director in Europe on commercials, television projects and features.
He lived in London in the late 1970s and produced fringe theatre before moving to the Us in 1979 where he built a name for himself as a production executive, notching up numerous line producer and producer credits.
After stints as vice-president of production at Fireline Productions, a subsidiary of the Armand Hammer Company, and CEO at Crossover Films Ent, Kolar worked as a line producer. His credits included Never Say Never Again with Sean Connery, Street Smart starring Morgan Freeman, Master Of The Universe with Dolph Lundgren...
- 7/14/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The opening titles sequence for “The Detour” is one of comedy’s best ongoing fakeouts. Every episode, Rob Kolar’s peppy faux theme song rings out above aerial shots of the New York skyline and happy moments of domestic bliss for the show’s Parker family. Five seconds in, the sound distorts and the unrelenting horrors of the previous episode repeat over glitchy, blurred screengrabs.
The shock value of the latter is probably what’s hooked more viewers for the TBS sitcom, now in its sophomore season. This year’s caravan of terror has included strewn contents of garbage bags, urine-soaked van interiors and a kiddie pool scene so unnerving, it’s better seen than described. But buried in that little bit of preamble is a kernel of truth: amidst the chaos, the Parkers have quietly become one of TV’s great families.
Read More: ‘The Detour’ Review: Season 2 Switches Drivers,...
The shock value of the latter is probably what’s hooked more viewers for the TBS sitcom, now in its sophomore season. This year’s caravan of terror has included strewn contents of garbage bags, urine-soaked van interiors and a kiddie pool scene so unnerving, it’s better seen than described. But buried in that little bit of preamble is a kernel of truth: amidst the chaos, the Parkers have quietly become one of TV’s great families.
Read More: ‘The Detour’ Review: Season 2 Switches Drivers,...
- 4/20/2017
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Reviewed by Amy R. Handler
(June 2011)
Directed by: Monte Hellman
Written by: Steven Gaydos
Featuring: Shannyn Sossamon, Tygh Runyan, Cliff De Young, Waylon Payne, Dominique Swain and Rob Kolar
It’s difficult to know where reality ends and fiction begins in Monte Hellman’s newest movie, “Road to Nowhere.” Even when we’re informed that what we’ve just seen is true, we feel less at ease then ever — and wonder what games Hellman may be playing and why.
“Road to Nowhere” is a film-within-a-film that concerns a young Hollywood director (Tygh Runyan), his cast and crew. Their movie is about a mysterious character named Velma Duran (Shannyn Sossamon), her much older lover — slimy politico Rafe Tachen (Cliff De Young) — and the path of destruction that seems to follow them wherever they go. When the director casts an unknown actress named Laurel Graham to play the role of Velma, he...
(June 2011)
Directed by: Monte Hellman
Written by: Steven Gaydos
Featuring: Shannyn Sossamon, Tygh Runyan, Cliff De Young, Waylon Payne, Dominique Swain and Rob Kolar
It’s difficult to know where reality ends and fiction begins in Monte Hellman’s newest movie, “Road to Nowhere.” Even when we’re informed that what we’ve just seen is true, we feel less at ease then ever — and wonder what games Hellman may be playing and why.
“Road to Nowhere” is a film-within-a-film that concerns a young Hollywood director (Tygh Runyan), his cast and crew. Their movie is about a mysterious character named Velma Duran (Shannyn Sossamon), her much older lover — slimy politico Rafe Tachen (Cliff De Young) — and the path of destruction that seems to follow them wherever they go. When the director casts an unknown actress named Laurel Graham to play the role of Velma, he...
- 6/21/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Reviewed by Amy R. Handler
(June 2011)
Directed by: Monte Hellman
Written by: Steven Gaydos
Featuring: Shannyn Sossamon, Tygh Runyan, Cliff De Young, Waylon Payne, Dominique Swain and Rob Kolar
It’s difficult to know where reality ends and fiction begins in Monte Hellman’s newest movie, “Road to Nowhere.” Even when we’re informed that what we’ve just seen is true, we feel less at ease then ever — and wonder what games Hellman may be playing and why.
“Road to Nowhere” is a film-within-a-film that concerns a young Hollywood director (Tygh Runyan), his cast and crew. Their movie is about a mysterious character named Velma Duran (Shannyn Sossamon), her much older lover — slimy politico Rafe Tachen (Cliff De Young) — and the path of destruction that seems to follow them wherever they go. When the director casts an unknown actress named Laurel Graham to play the role of Velma, he...
(June 2011)
Directed by: Monte Hellman
Written by: Steven Gaydos
Featuring: Shannyn Sossamon, Tygh Runyan, Cliff De Young, Waylon Payne, Dominique Swain and Rob Kolar
It’s difficult to know where reality ends and fiction begins in Monte Hellman’s newest movie, “Road to Nowhere.” Even when we’re informed that what we’ve just seen is true, we feel less at ease then ever — and wonder what games Hellman may be playing and why.
“Road to Nowhere” is a film-within-a-film that concerns a young Hollywood director (Tygh Runyan), his cast and crew. Their movie is about a mysterious character named Velma Duran (Shannyn Sossamon), her much older lover — slimy politico Rafe Tachen (Cliff De Young) — and the path of destruction that seems to follow them wherever they go. When the director casts an unknown actress named Laurel Graham to play the role of Velma, he...
- 6/21/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
There’s little better at restoring one’s faith in cinema then when a great director returns from the wilderness. Terrence Malick was Mia for 20 years between Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, but Monte Hellman’s time away from feature filmmaking has been even more prolonged. It was as far back as 1988 when Hellman made Iguana, his last “proper” film, but now the director of such cult classics as Two Lane Blacktop and Cockfighter has happily returned to filmmaking.
Last fall, Hellman unveiled Road to Nowhere at the Venice Film Festival – where he won a Jury Award Special Lion for Career Achievement – and declared the movie his first truly personal work. It’s a deliriously enjoyable film about filmmaking, centering on a director, Mitchell Haven (Tygh Runyan) and screenwriter, Steven Gates (Rob Kolar), who set out to make a movie based on a recent crime story involving murder,...
Last fall, Hellman unveiled Road to Nowhere at the Venice Film Festival – where he won a Jury Award Special Lion for Career Achievement – and declared the movie his first truly personal work. It’s a deliriously enjoyable film about filmmaking, centering on a director, Mitchell Haven (Tygh Runyan) and screenwriter, Steven Gates (Rob Kolar), who set out to make a movie based on a recent crime story involving murder,...
- 3/12/2011
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
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