Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year!
And enjoy whatever else you'll celebrate these coming days.
A heartfelt Thank You to all those named and un-named who again helped me this year to keep this site the way it is.
Oh - and special thanks to Michael T. Weiss!

Mason, De Shields, Weiss, Lazar and More Join Cast of Broadway's Impressionism
By Andrew Gans
December 3, 2008
Additional casting has been announced for the world premiere of Michael Jacobs' Impressionism, which is scheduled to begin previews Feb. 28, 2009 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater.
Joining the previously announced Tony Award winners Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen will be Marsha Mason (Steel Magnolias, Night of the Iguana), Andre De Shields (The Full Monty, Ain't Misbehavin'), Michael T. Weiss (TV's "The Pretender"), Aaron Lazar (Les Miserables, Tale of Two Cities) and Margarita Levieva, according to The New York Times.
Tony winner Jack O'Brien will direct the production, which will officially open March 12.
The Schoenfeld, located at 236 West 45th Street, is currently the home of the revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, which will end its limited engagement Jan. 11, 2009.
Ostar Productions will produce Impressionism, which, press notes state, "is the story of a world traveling photojournalist and a New York gallery owner who discover each other and also that there might be an art to repairing broken lives."
Playwright Jacobs is also the author of Cheaters, which was produced on Broadway in 1978 at the Biltmore Theatre; and Getting Along Famously, which was produced Off-Broadway at the Hudson Guild Theatre. His 15 television series have won the Emmy, People's Choice, Parent's Choice and Environmental Media Awards, among others.
Joan Allen won a Tony Award for her performance in Lanford Wilson's Burn This, and she was also Tony-nominated for her work in The Heidi Chronicles. Allen has been nominated for three Academy Awards: for "The Contender," "The Crucible" and "Nixon."
Jeremy Irons won a Tony Award for his performance in the original Broadway production of The Real Thing. The English actor also won Academy and Golden Globe awards for his work in the 1990 film "Reversal of Fortune." Irons was also Golden-Globe nominated for "The Mission" and "Brideshead Revisited." Among his London stage credits are Embers and The Rover.

Arts, Briefly - December 3, 2008
Marsha Mason in Role
Compiled by Dave Itzkoff
The coming Michael Jacobs play "Impressionism," which will star Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen as a photojournalist and a gallery owner, has added more members to its cast, the producers announced. Marsha Mason, who starred on screen in "The Goodbye Girl" and "Chapter Two," and in Broadway shows like "Steel Magnolias" and "Night of the Iguana," will join the show, as will Andre De Shields (a recent Tony nominee for "The Full Monty"), Michael T. Weiss (of the television series "The Pretender"), Aaron Lazar (of Broadway's "Tale of Two Cities" and "Les Miserables") and Margarita Levieva. The play, directed by Jack O'Brien, is to begin previews at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater on Feb. 28 and open March 12.
A version of this article appeared in print on December 4, 2008, on page C2 of the New York edition.

From its producer Todd Grossman:
Hi Evi,
The film is now set to release [US] nationwide on January 20th, 2009 under our new title, CONFESSIONS OF AN ACTION STAR! It's complete with a hilarious SLEDGE making of documentary, director/actor commentary, and much more.
Best,Todd

Shoreline Entertainment has provided a new trailer, featuring - apart from David Leitch as Frank Sledge - Sean Young, Angelina Jolie, Carrie-Ann Moss, Ernie Hudson, Eric Roberts and Richard Lewis, with a note attached to it: 'Not cleared for promotional purposes'.
See some screencaps of Michael in character as 'Drug Lord' from a previous, long time gone trailer for "Sledge", which also featured Jon Gries.

From an email from Koch Entertainment:
The DVD contents include the film along with approx. 70 mins of Bonus Material that is comprised of two documentaries entitled "Poor Man's Dope" and "Dying for Meth". The release date is 2-10-09 and the SRP for the DVD is $24.98.
Dan Gurlitz
Vice President - Video
KOCH Entertainment Distribution

Distribution Company Koch Entertainment has now announced the US release for February 10, 2009.
You can already pre-order "Iowa" at amazon.com, or at other on-line stores. So far, no bonus material is listed.

These candids have surfaced very recently. No specific date, but judging from the photos posted on the original website ahead of them, and behind them, it is very likely that these were taken in late September or early October 2008.
Also, the exact location isn't mentioned, only that Michael visited Santa Monica's Farmers Market. But Santa Monica has three of these markets on different locations.
The original caption reads: "Michael didn't buy anything but he had a lot of samples."
Without further ado head over to Michael at Santa Monica's Farmers Market and enjoy!

From Koch Entertainment:
Hi, IOWA has not been formally slotted for [US] release. Likely we're talking Q1 2009. Updated information will be posted to www.kochvision.com as it becomes available.
Thanks for inquiring.
Dan Gurlitz
Vice President - Video
KOCH Entertainment Distribution

Finally some news:
Hi, I was forwarded your information from Vision Films. Thank you for your interest in the film IOWA. IOWA has been sold to Greece, France, Japan, Yugoslavia, India, Czech Republic, South Africa and Thailand.
The film is currently waiting it's premiere for US distribution from Koch Lorber Films. You can visit their website and contact them about when the film will be available in the US.
Thank you again for your support and interest,
Diane Foster
Project manager, Full Fathom 5 LLC

So far, Iowa is not yet listed on the website of Koch Lorber Films.

The following review by EFi (me) is exclusive to "Ask Dr. Mike". Please do not reprint it without permission!
If you want to use it, please ask me first.

Iowa
Thanks to a string of lucky coincidences, I recently had a chance to see "Iowa", the debut feature film of Matt Farnsworth.
It premiered at 2005 New York's Tribeca Filmfestival, gained three awards ('Best Film', 'Best Actress' - Diane Foster, 'Best Actor' - Michael T. Weiss) at the 2006 Midwest Independent Filmfestival in Chicago, and screened at the 2008 European Film Market in February in Berlin.
Even if I hadn't known about its tight budget and strict 24-day filming schedule beforehand, I wouldn't have noticed it. Filming is concise and to the point, the camera movements complement the story, as do the colours and the music. The characters are drawn from life; you have a vague feeling that you might know such characters, even if only from the pages of newspapers, but they are somehow familiar.
A young couple, Esper and Donna, are desperate to escape a non-descript small town in Iowa, but lack the necessary cash to make the move. A solution would seem to be the $200 000 insurance money following the accidental death of Esper's father, but while waiting for the payout, the pair decide to reopen his old laboratory to cook up crystal meth. Unfortunately they and Esper's best friend become their own best customers, with their drug-induced visions making the ones in "Trainspotting" look like something from a Sunday afternoon family film. However, the business thrives and the money comes rolling in.
They are not the only ones waiting for the money from the insurance company. Esper's mother's new lover, a brute, corrupt probation officer, tries to convince her that it would be a splendid idea to kill her son and therefore inherit that money from him. And from then on things go from bad to worse. Esper is arrested for drug possession, Donna is tricked by officer Clarkson to bail him out, and she doesn't dare to tell Esper about that - which leads to an even worse outburst of crime and punishment gone wrong.
The scenes of sex, drug use and violence are explicit; blood and gore are generously displayed but there are also some tender moments, between Donna and her father, and Donna and Esper.
Matt Farnsworth (Esper) and Diane Foster (Donna) who became a real life couple during the production must have had a lot of faith in their respective other half to do such scenes. You can't help but root for their characters, keeping your fingers crossed that they will get out of all this in the end. Considering that these were their first big roles, they handle the difficult tasks that they bring in a highly professional and convincing manner.
John Savage as Donna's father has a small part, but without him the end of the film wouldn't be so believable. He is the embodiment of a loving, yet helpless parent, who wants to protect his child from harm, but isn't able to stand in the way of forces more powerful.
Rosanna Arquette (remember her in "Desperately Seeking Susan"?) as Esper's mother portrays her as the mother from hell that you certainly don't want to have in your family, but they do exist! White trailer trash at its best - one wonders how her son wasn't affected more by her behaviour.
One of the highlights of the film is s definitely Michael T. Weiss as parole officer Larry Clarkson. He reminds me of Larry from "Freeway" (where he plays Reese Witherspoon's character's stepfather who tries to force himself onto her), some years older, and with lots more experience in odd sex practices and violent behaviour, who has a hell of a time to step away from Jarod in "The Pretender" as far as possible with his choice of roles since the end of the show.
He steals every scene he is in with a highly powerful portrayal of a man you'd love to chain up and give him a dose of his own medicine. He might even love it. Larry enjoys perverting kind emotions and unfortunately gets away with it. Given that Michael T. Weiss in real life is such a friendly and nice person, he seems to enjoy exploring his dark side. He absolutely deserves his award from the Midwest Independent Filmfestival for doing it!
Elia Cmiral, who had also composed the score for John Frankenheimer's film "Ronin", and for "Bones", the 2001 film with Michael T. Weiss and Snoop Dogg, has done a splendid job on the music. The soundtrack moves from country songs to speed metal to rural folk tunes and back. The music both enhances and counterpoints the action on the screen, but never gets in the way of the story.
Matt Farnsworth as writer, co-producer, star and director did a fine job with putting all these bits together, even adding a reminiscence of "A Clockwork Orange".
I did like the film, it had me sitting on the edge of my seat most of the time holding my breath, but due to its graphic nature I can't say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, or would keep it in heavy rotation in the DVD player. But it is definitely worth seeing. Even if only for the sight of the grey washed-out underpants ...
"Iowa" is certainly not for the fainthearted or the ones with a weak stomach - it is kind of a roller coaster ride through the House of Horrors, as decorated by Marilyn Manson's set designer.

It is a pity that the film has so far only found distributors for Japan, where it will be released on DVD (Region 2) on September 12, 2008, and for South Africa, but the company's man in charge has already announced that they will sell the DVDs worldwide after the release at the end of this year.

(� by EFi, 2008 ; Edited by Kathryn Radmall)

It is summer, all is slow, so instead of news a bit of gossip:

Pauley Perrette, the most colorful and offbeat of all the forensic experts on NCIS, was leaving the Farmer's Market on Fairfax recently when she witnessed a smashup. One driver was obviously at fault and Pauley marched up to the driver of the car that got hit to chat and offer her point of view. The grateful driver looked at her and said "You look familiar!" Pauley studied his face and declared "So do YOU!" She introduced herself and the guy said "Oh yeah, and I'm Michael T Weiss, I used to be on The Pretender." With two famous crime fighters on the job, sorting out the auto accident should be a snap.

The Farmers Market is at 6333 W 3rd Street & Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles.

Die-hard fans of The Pretender are contacting TPTB today to remind them that the show had ended without a satisfying finale, and that there are still fans out there who are waiting for a conclusion of the story.
If you want to participate you should send emails,
Subject: "We still want more of The Pretender!"
Text: Today on the 8th day of the 8th month in 2008, Jarod's fans are celebrating his favourite number and want The Powers That Be to know: "We still want more of The Pretender!"
to the email addresses of the TV networks that originally produced, aired, or held rights on the show, or recently signalled interest in its future:
nbcshows@nbc.com ; foxmovies@fox.com ; askfox@fox.com ; FoxDrop@4icc.com ; tnt@turner.com ; feedback@scifi.com
and to Steven Long Mitchell & Craig W. Van Sickle's rep Jason Safdie: a2silbermann@icmtalent.com

But paper mail still works best, so why not also send paper postcards to these addresses, with the postal mark of 08/08/08?
Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann Agency
Attn: Steven Long Mitchell & Craig Van Sickle
9242 Beverly Blvd., Suite 200
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

NBCUNI.COM
Programming - The Pretender
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608

NBC
Programming - The Pretender
30 Rockefeller Plaza # 2
New York, NY 10112

TNT
Programming - The Pretender
1010 Techwood Dr. NW
Atlanta, GA 30318

And to Michael T. Weiss' management:
Robert Stein Management
Attn: Mr. Stein
345 North Maple Drive, Suite 317
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Pretender / Magic-8-Ball related postcard samples that you can print out: TP postacrds.

Unfortunately there is no website that hosts all this and further information, so if you want to know more about what you can do, you have to read your way through all the posts in this thread: The '8' project - an idea.

"The Pretender" airs weekdays at 15:00BST, with a repeat of the same episode at 19:00BST on Zone Thriller. See the program schedule for infos on the daily episodes. Today it is "Back from the Dead again", the 1st episode of season 2. Also watch out for the movies, as they will air as well.
Zone Thriller is broadcast in the UK on Sky channel 148 and Freesat channel 137.

Thanks to our kind sponsor, a lucky fan from Florida will shortly receive the Razor Sharp DVD.
The question that had to be answered correct in all parts was: Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States. When did he serve and where is his presidential library and why is it there?
The correct answer is: President Woodrow Wilson served from March 4, 1913 to March 4, 1921. His presidential library is in Staunton, Virginia. The Woodrow Wilson Library is there because Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born there.
The dates when he was sworn into office and of his last day in office were optional.
Thank you to all who participated! Thanks to you, I've learned more about this man than I ever thought. Previously I only knew that the Woodrow Wilson Drive, the extension of the Mulhulland Drive on top of the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, was named after him.

If you happen to be in Louisville, Kentucky on August 15 - 17, 2008, you could catch Razor Sharp there. It will screen at The Fright Night Film Festival on Sunday, August 17, at 3:00 on Screen 1.

Today are the last two performances of "Of Equal Measure", at 1pm and at 6:30pm. Tickets for $30 are still available at the box office.
Toi, toi, toi!

Also, today is the last day where you can participate in winning a DVD of "Razor Sharp".
Remember: Competition is only open to fans from domestic USA, as we will only ship within the 50 states. Entries from outside won't be considered, sorry!
Rules are simple:
- Answer the questions below correctly.
- Send the answers no later than 24:00 today to the provided email address rosamoppel-adm(at)yahoo.de.
- You have to have a valid email address, and a postal address (no P.O.Box) within domestic USA.
- All correct entries will go into a hat, and the winner will be picked out and then contacted by me for details. These will only be used for shipping purposes, and deleted after I have heard of the arrival of the DVD at the winner.
Question:
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States. When did he serve and where is his presidential library and why is it there?
Answer to: rosamoppel-adm(at)yahoo.de

"Ask Dr. Mike" gives you a chance to win a DVD of the multiple award winning short film "Razor Sharp", written and directed by Marcus Perry.
It is an original and unused DVD, not a downloaded home burned copy.
Rules are simple:
- Answer the questions below correctly.
- Send the answers no later than Sunday, July 27, 2008 to the provided email address rosamoppel-adm(at)yahoo.de.
- You have to have a valid email address, and a postal address (no P.O.Box) within domestic USA.
- If I receive more than one correct entry, all entries will go into a hat, and the winner will be picked out and then contacted by me for details. These will only be used for shipping purposes, and deleted after I have heard of the arrival of the DVD at the winner.
Question:
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States. When did he serve and where is his presidential library and why is it there?
Answer to: rosamoppel-adm(at)yahoo.de
Unfortunately ADM can only ship within the 50 US states this time, so good luck to the Americans!
EFi
Fans of Michael from Alaska or the Hawaiian Islands can participate of course. Apologies, if there was a misunderstanding.

'Goldstar' seems to be a service providing discounts on tickets for various live entertainment and other unique events. July 13 was the date for Of Equal Measure.
To read all reviews you have to be a member (which I'm not), but from the few I could access I got that they liked the play and the acting. No mention of Michael though.

A Curtain Up Los Angeles Review
Of Equal Measure,
By Laura Hitchcock
Tanya Barfield's historical play commissioned by The Center Theatre Group is an explosive mixture of fact and satire. Set during Woodrow Wilson's administration, it's told through the eyes of Jade Kingston (Michole Briana White), an African-American secretary in the White House. Her idealism is tarnished first by the lecherous advances of her boss, Edward Christianson (Michael T. Weiss) and ultimately by the developing segregation policies that reassign all black employees to departments that are gradually abolished. Jade's journey is a fascinating one, as she fights for the betterment of her younger brother Eugene (Christopher O'neal Warren), an aspiring painter who is thrilled to be promoted to spy against his own people.
Directed with spry astuteness by Leigh Silverman, Jade's personal story alternates with scenes about the White House political machine which includes Wilson (Lawrence Pressman), his Chief of Staff Joseph Tumulty (J. D. Cullum), Secretary of State Robert Lansing (Dennis Cockrum) and Christianson who becomes head of the Committee of Public Information (propaganda). The White House scenes discuss the political issues of the day, particularly the impending World War I.
Wilson, idealist, intellectual and Nobel Prize winner, was also a well-documented racist. His government segregation policies were not reversed until the Truman Administration. However, he was never a buffoon and that is a serious flaw in the script. It's inevitable to compare yesterday's war administration with today's and maybe Wilson is not the buffoon Barfield had in mind. The play builds to a powerful ending which contrasts Jade's personal sacrifice with Wilson's endorsement of sacrifice "for the betterment of humanity." The glittering Lawrence Pressman plays the Wilson part as written and it's a pleasure to watch him in action. Tumulty, a liberal, is vividly played by J. D. Cullum with an impeccable Irish accent. Cocksum wrings honesty out of the beleaguered and bewildered Secretary of State and Weiss cuts a handsome figure as the one-dimensional character he's given, a racist who oppresses and sexually harasses his secretary Jade while resisting the love he comes to feel for her.
The scene in which Tumulty is imprisoned and beaten by a Mr. Plank seems unlikely but works if viewed as a picture by Barfield of the pressure put on politicians to fall in line. It's particularly astute when Wilson enters the jail cell, ignores Tumulty's "Why am I here?" and simply declares he needs him.
Jade's personal story, though it follows a predictable path, holds our attention, largely through the sympathetic power of Michole Briana White's interpretation. Jade's home life includes dialogues with her kinsman Leonard (Joseph C. Phillips), a reporter, and her brother Eugene. Leonard is a character written to represent a point of view and doesn't give Phillips, a capable and charming actor, much to work with. Warren has a better shot as young Eugene, the artist who doesn't want to be a portraitist and succumbs to the flattery of being a White House spy.
Barfield has a sure sense of dramatic suspense even when her content is shaky. She's very much a writer to watch.
Reviewed by Laura Hitchcock on July 11, 2008.

'Of Equal Measure' at the Kirk Douglas Theatre
This ambitious tale of the Wilson presidency is well acted, but the plot falters.
By Charles McNulty, Times Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times
July 14, 2008
The trouble with historical fiction is that there often isn't a satisfying amount of either element. Fact constrains fantasy as the helpless past gets reduced to a pencil sketch.

But the play, which had its world premiere Friday at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, amounts to a set of compelling ideas in need of dramatic shaping. The characters are often fuzzy, the storytelling lacks drive, and there are just too many wrinkles in a badly organized plot. Barfield has thought deeply about her material, but she keeps imposing her insights onto her narrative rather than allowing them to emerge freely. It's as though she has interpreted her world before constructing it.
The fictional character of Jade Kingston (Michole Briana White) is a stenographer on a mission. She lives with her brother, Eugene (Christopher O'neal Warren), in a dilapidated apartment that has neither running water nor electricity. This hardworking woman is determined to obtain these basic conveniences -- as well as an affordable chandelier or two when the budget will allow -- by making herself indispensable to her employer.
Edward Christianson (Michael T. Weiss), Wilson's backroom advisor, offers Jade a promotion. He claims it's for her diligence, but he has more nefarious motives. He's in the process of segregating the White House -- a "reorganization" that includes different bathrooms for blacks and whites. It's a policy that Joseph Tumulty (JD Cullum), the president's chief of staff (whose influence is waning), sees as a betrayal of the campaign, which won a large share of the African American vote.
Christianson knows that Jade will provide an excellent cover for his controversial policies, and being an oddly romantic lech, he will try to take utmost advantage of her personally and professionally. In more ways than one, she'll be forced to accept what turns her stomach.
Barfield doesn't follow the whitewashed version of President Wilson (a boldly eccentric Lawrence Pressman) most of us were treated to in high school. This is not the eloquent egghead who gloriously championed the League of Nations but a sinister Machiavelli who adopts a ninny's facade to conceal his role in his administration's duplicity.
Wilson, who enjoys screening D.W. Griffith's racially abusive "The Birth of a Nation," sees only what is politically advantageous for him to see. He offers a sly wink at the propaganda machine sounding the drumbeat for war and feigns blissful ignorance of the detention and torture of his enemies, overseen by a diabolical figure named Mr. Plank (T. Ryder Smith). (Parallels between Wilson's White House and the current one are pointedly suggested throughout.)
"Of Equal Measure" includes a broad selection of the domestic and foreign crises that marked Wilson's presidency.
Under the threat posed by secret dealings between an increasingly belligerent Germany and an angry, unstable Mexico, America's homeland defense grows paranoid. How this affects racial policy is fascinating, but Barfield doesn't present her findings with lucid economy. In fact, it sometimes seems as though she hasn't digested the historical sources informing her unwieldy tale.
In playwriting, what's left out can be just as important as what's included. Yet Barfield is all too willing to pile private melodrama on top of public turmoil.
Jade's motivations for staying in a job that has become an affront to her conscience are complicated to the point of incoherence. Yes, we see that her story is paradigmatic of an ethical dilemma faced by many African Americans who have ventured close to the country's ultimate seat of power -- in short, how does one negotiate between personal progress and the progress of one's oppressed community? But the clutter surrounding this conflict blunts the impact.
The production, directed by Leigh Silverman, features some sharp acting. Especially memorable are the trio of men who are jockeying for White House power. Weiss plays up the more seductive aspects of Christianson's villainy; Cullum lends fire (and an Irish brogue) to Tumulty's moral disgust; and Smith is just plain frightening as Mr. Plank, who casts a menacing shadow on America's noble idea of itself.
As Jade, White may be too dourly mature, but she captures the character's unyielding sense of dignity. Her portrayal can't sort out the twists of Barfield's plot (no one's could), but we remain sympathetic to Jade's plight, excusing questionable decisions while we wait to see what else will be plunked down on her plate.
Yet it's a strange experience to be in solidarity with a playwright's vision while scratching one's head at how it's dramatized.
charles.mcnulty@latimes.com

Of Equal Measure
(Kirk Douglas Theater; 317 seats; $40 top)
By Bob Verina
Center Theater Group presentation of a play in two acts by Tanya Barfield. Directed by Leigh Silverman.
Jade Kingston - Michole Briana White
President Woodrow Wilson - Lawrence Pressman
Edward Christianson - Michael T. Weiss
Joseph Tumulty - JD Cullum
Eugene Kingston - Christopher O'neal Warren
David Leonard - Joseph C. Phillips
Robert Lansing - Dennis Cockrum
Mr. Plank - T. Ryder Smith
In her new play at the Kirk Douglas, Tanya Barfield isn't content merely to catalog the racism and hypocrisy of Woodrow Wilson's second term (1917-1921). She's determined to underline every possible parallel proving the sins of Wilson and G.W. Bush to be "Of Equal Measure," leading her into stilted dialogue and preposterous plotting for which helmer Leigh Silverman never settles upon an appropriately persuasive style. Result is as crudely manipulative as the World War I-era propaganda Barfield vilifies.
Forget the progressive academic and Nobel peace laureate who promoted unions, refined antitrust and spearheaded the League of Nations. This is wholly the revisionist take on Wilson (Lawrence Pressman): the unrepentant Confederate sympathizer who approved segregating a racially mixed Federal government; the "He kept us out of war" candidate who soon sent us Over There, marshalling the era's media resources -- and tossing around disloyalty accusations -- to cynically rally the populace.
These Wilsonian Achilles heels, both little-known and amply historically documented, might well fascinate within a believable portrait of misapplied power run rampant, especially if the man's idealistic principles were as much on display as his blind spots.
But unable to leave well enough alone, Barfield turns Wilson into a squeaky-voiced, hand-wringing, effeminate tool who pouts about eye irritation and tailors high-flown rhetoric to each sleazy occasion.
When revisionism descends to the level of character assassination -- even though we know her target's a president closer at hand -- one questions the author's judgment, at the very least.
Then she brandishes a Magic Marker to bring out numerous analogs to current events, from sauerkraut's new moniker 'Liberty Cabbage' -- remember Freedom Fries? -- to rumors of a Third World 'jihad.' Once "our man," Pancho Villa wants to sabotage oil fields against our investment interests, so now "he's for terrorism" and approved for liquidation, though he's "walked right off the map ... needle in a haystack." Remember, "New York's a target."
Surely the real-life advisers did debate these things, but credibility is undermined by Barfield's heavy-handed, snarky style.
Scribe does no better by her fictional Norma Rae, proud White House typist Jade (Michole Briana White), whose dismay over Wilsonian Jim Crow and office sexual politics radicalizes her into leaking damaging documents. At one point brother Eugene (Christopher O'neal Warren) -- a postal worker turned portraitist who wants to be a surrealist; you know the type -- begs her to sleep with the boss to save his life, in a Shakespearean twist one might call "Of Equal Measure for Measure."
But nothing comes of Jade's leaks. Nor is there any dramatic payoff to the numbing cavalcade of White House perfidies, let alone relief from the endless, subtext-free political conversations. Barfield derides Wilson's sledgehammer sell-the-war effort, but her own rhetorical methods are no more nuanced, especially since the mannered Bushian parallels can't evoke much more than a tsk-tsk-how-true reaction.
Silverman's staging reinforces the artificiality. Each Oval Office scene is so marked by speechifying and barked repetition ("Unrestricted submarine warfare!" "Unrestricted submarine warfare?") as to play exactly like a cabinet meeting in "Blazing Saddles," absent the pacing, variety or jokes. Set changes are muddily utilitarian, projections thrown up on surfaces to no effect.
And there's not a fully rounded portrayal to be found among the distinguished cast. One comes to dread each Pressman entrance with its unvaried, high-pitched dithering. Michael T. Weiss, as Jade's harassing boss, exudes sinister innuendo that even D.W. Griffith might suggest was over the top.
JD Cullum is trapped within his leprechaun accent as Wilson's liberal conscience Tumulty, while dignity is all White can bring to her hopeless, pointless role.
Act two brings on a Kafkaesque knob named Mr. Plank, T. Ryder Smith standing up manfully (if cornily) against character's symbolic weight in the waterboarding -- sorry, interrogation -- of Tumulty, to whack all that progressive rubbish out of his head.
Exiting after one session, he hisses (as so much herein is hissed), "Verisimilitude." It's the play's most potent if unintended irony, in that verisimilitude and entertainment value are the two qualities it lacks in equal measure.
Sets: Richard Hoover, Sibyl Wickersheimer; costumes: Rachel Myers; lighting: Lap Chi Chu; sound: Adam Phalen; projections: Jason H. Thompson; music: Kathryn Bostic; production stage manager: Elizabeth Atkinson. Opened, reviewed July 11, 2008. Runs through July 27. Running time: 2 hours, 10 min.
With: Scott Dawson, Michael Hyland.
Date in print: Mon., Jul. 14, 2008, Los Angeles

An excited blog entry from July 14, 2008 (with a photo from the foyer): The Very White House.
Also a (female) blog entry from July 13: Left Turn on Rights, The Play: Of Equal Measure / Thoughts and Musings.
Another (male) blog entry from July 11: Frank's Wild Lunch, Go go go.
And an interview of LA.com with Lawrence Pressman about his role as President Woodrow Wilson: On the 'Measure' of a man.

Of Equal Measure
Theater - Review
Written by Brad Auerbach, Sunday, July 13, 2008
Kirk Douglas Theatre
Tanya Barfield's ambitious period piece bites off a bit more than the production or audience can chew. The racial discrimination theme is a strong enough underpinning, but added to the mix is sexual discrimination, job-for-sex dilemmas, sibling loyalty, political fealty, women's suffrage, growing international imperialism and the general fate of the free world.
Michole Briana White nobly leads the cast as Jade Kingston, a black secretary in Woodrow Wilson's White House circa 1914 to 1917. She is offered a promotion, with slightly closer access to the President. Along the way, she is challenged by her boss (Michael T. Weiss) to perform extracurricular favors in order to help her brother Eugene (Christoper O'neal Warren) keep a job. She is challenged by her cousin journalist (Joseph C. Phillips, often in the best scenes) to aid the plight of the downtrodden black community by *observing* activities in the White House. Also challenged are the President's aide de camp (the excellent JD Cullum), who suffers improbable physical abuse by a thuggishly intellectual tormentor seeking to ascertain allegiance to the State. There are myriad lynchings argued onstage.
Other challenges are presented, which keeps the cast moving about the well-appointed stage and which keep the audience attuned to the swaying power shifts. But soon the intrigues become too thick, at the expense of what could have been a deeper exploration of Jade's role at the White House and its effect on the wider black community. Lawrence Pressman presents a credible President Wilson, who starts out with the nobility and promise of establishing greater equality for the races, classes and perhaps sexes. But the grinding role of political expediency crushes those aims, and the international threat of a looming war in Europe diverts political capital.
The set design by Richard Hoover and Sibyl Wickersheimer moves smoothly and believably between the Oval Office, Jade's apartment, a restaurant, a movie theatre and a few other locales. Projections by Jason H. Thompson add an intriguing dimension.
With a few trims of plot wrinkles, the broader theme of racial and sexual discrimination might have been more powerfully explored.
For more information, visit www.centertheatregroup.org

No reviews yet, but the first photos from the after party have surfaced on G.etty I.mages.
Where has the beard gone to??

If you want to send Michael your best wishes, please write to his agency
Michael T. Weiss
c/o Robert Stein Management
345 North Maple Drive, Suite 317
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
USA
Or for the next few weeks (till July 27) you may write to the
Kirk Douglas Theatre
attn: Michael T. Weiss
9820 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
USA
No need to send emails meant for him to me, as I have no way to forward them. So I will only delete them unread. Also, it doesn't make sense to ask for my or his snail mail address, as I'm definitely NOT Michael! I have no other ways to contact him than any of you. Thank you.

Mike: Toi, toi, toi for tonight!

Click on image for larger size.
LtR: JD Cullum as Josph Tumulty, Michael T. Weiss as Edward Christianson and Michole Briana White as Jade Kingston. Photo courtesy of Craig Schwartz, CenterTheaterGroup

See here more photos from the production.

Los Angeles Times - Editor's Picks
July 10, 2008
It's a World Premiere
In "Of Equal Measure," rising playwright Tanya Barfield takes an unusual look at the Woodrow Wilson presidency through the eyes of an African American stenographer working at the White House. Opens Fri.; ends July 29. Kirk Douglas Theatre. $20-$40. www.centertheatregroup.com

'Of Equal Measure' Speaks to Key Time in Black History
By Darlene C. Donloe
There are memorable and pivotal moments in U.S., world and black history: The abolishment of slavery, sinking of the Titanic, the Lindbergh kidnapping, the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, women getting the right to vote, blacks getting the right to vote, the assassinations (President John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Bobby Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), the civil rights movement, World Wars, Sept. 11 and, of course, the current Iraq War.
But, there�s a moment in U.S. history that has been largely overlooked. It�s the Woodrow Wilson era, a time that surreptitiously, through segregationist policies, put Negroes behind the eight ball.
That moment in history and how it impacted the lives of Negroes and the country as a whole is the subject matter of Tanya Barfield�s latest play, "Of Equal Measure," which has its world premiere, July 11, at the Kirk Douglas Theater in Culver City.
Read the interview with Michole Briana White (Jitney) and Joseph C. Phillips (The Cosby Show) at the L.A. Watts Times.
Information: Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City;
8 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m., Sunday; exceptions: Thursday, July 17 and 24, curtain is at 8:30 p.m.; No performances Mondays.
Performance length: 2 hours 10 minutes with an intermission.
Runs through July 27. Cost: $20-$40.
Contact: (213) 628-2772 or www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.

The following review by EFi (me) is exclusive to "Ask Dr. Mike". Please do not reprint it without permission!
If you want to use it, please ask me first.

Fade
I had the benefit of being in contact with its writer/director/producer Anthony Stagliano and co-producer/assistant director Paul Washburn, who both kindly answered my questions, since during filming it back in June 2005. This exchange of emails gave me an insight in independent movie making, rarely available for a mere film fan. So now when I watch the finished film I have that information in the back of my mind, and can compare the original ideas with what is now up on screen.
Fade is not a film in a conventional way; it is rather a collection of scenes and unrelated (or so it seems) snippets from what looks like a nightmare. It rarely has dialogue, mostly odd sounds, haunting music, or a voice over by the man (David Connolly) who seems to be the focus point. Scenes are sometimes seen from his point of view, so you can never be sure if it is only his imagination caused by a rare case of insomnia and losing his ability to communicate, or do these things really happen, or are these the bad dreams of his wife (Sarah Lassez)? The only conventional narrative bits take place in a hospital with his doctor, played by Michael T. Weiss.
The film leaves you without a satisfying explanation of what is happening, or an ending, but with a feeling of not really being able to figure out what to make out of what you've just seen.
It is an interesting experience though, how your eyes and mind can trick you. How often have you woken up after a nightmare thinking that all had really happened?
Fade is a very dark film, and at some point it is blood soaked, even gory, so if your stomach is weak, beware.
It is not a film that will entertain you, but it certainly gives you a very different viewing perspective, and something to talk about.

Fade premiered at the ACE Film Festival in New York on August 25, 2007, and it was released on DVD in the US on June 10, 2008 by Cinema Epoch.
The DVD contains a stills gallery, a deleted scene in hospital (but without Michael T. Weiss), and an indepth interview of Anthony Stagliano with Karl Krogstad from 'The American Avantgarde', season 4, ep. 1.

(Copyright by EFi, 2008)

Click on image for full size.
Michael T. Weiss as Edward Christianson and Michole Briana White as Jade Kingston. Photo courtesy of Craig Schwartz

All Over the Map - "What You Will" in San Francisco, "Of Equal Measure" in Los Angeles, and "Scramble!" in Westport, CT.
By: Tristan Fuge, Brian Scott Lipton, and Zachary Stewart - Jul 9, 2008 - San Francisco Bay Area
...
The new play Of Equal Measure, now getting its world premiere at Los Angeles' Kirk Douglas Theatre, marks the sixth collaboration between playwright Tanya Barfield and director Leigh Silverman, and the director admits that it took her a little while to warm up to the subject matter; using the story of a fictional White House secretary named Jade Kingston (played by Michole Briana White) to show how U.S. President Woodrow Wilson (played by Lawrence Pressman) ultimately segregated the staff of the White House, eliminating all important African-Americans in power.
"When Tanya first started telling me all the history -- and no one does as much research as she does -- my eyes started to glaze over," says Silverman. "But ultimately, the play has so many resonances to today -- from little things like how Wilson made all restaurants replace the word 'sauerkraut' with 'Liberty Cabbage' to the larger point of how one administration can simply set a cause like the civil rights movement back 25 years. But we haven't made these comparisons pointed; we want people to hear them and just absorb them."
While Silverman has directed plays set in many time periods -- ranging from the 1950s to the present-day -- Of Equal Measure presented her with a distinct set of challenges. "First, just trying to convince the men in the cast to wear three-piece wool suits in the middle of summer in L.A. was not easy," she says. "But we had lots of challenges, like trying to learn how people of different races related physically back then. Our dramaturg read lots of plays from that period to see if handshakes were common; they were, but not between races. Instead, there's a lot of hat tipping going on. Or trying to find authentic movie seats from this period on short notice, when Tanya changed a scene from a cafe to a theater."
Barfield and Silverman also watched actual newsreels of Wilson, but didn't want Pressman to do an exact imitation. "Our goal was to stress certain things about him -- like being a strong orator -- without asking Larry to replicate him," she says. "What's exciting about this play is that the audience comes in with some sense of who Wilson was, we show them what they think they know -- and then we pull the rug out from under them."
-- Brian Scott Lipton
...

Official reviews won't be published during previews (as the whole play could be turned around, scenes changed, added or deleted, etc.), but someone by the alias of 'knott' who had attended one of the first previews of "Of Equal Measure" posted this bit about it in a blog of the LA Times on July 3rd:
Of Equal Measure
"Riveting play"
knott's Rating **** (out of 4)
Go see this play!
Last night a friend took me to the preview of "Of Equal Measure"
It's complex and captivating. I'm usual not a fan of historical plays, but this show is riveting. Talk about history repeating itself. The story keeps you engaged with fascinating characters and smart dialogue. Both of us loved it.

Click on image for larger size.
Michael T. Weiss as Edward Christianson and Michole Briana White as Jade Kingston. Photo courtesy of Craig Schwartz

Playwright casts a critical eye on Wilson's era
By Jeff Favre - Thursday, July 3, 2008
Of Equal Measure
Tanya Barfield's new play, which explores the policies of President Wilson's administration, will run through July 27 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. For tickets, $20-$40, call 213-628-2772 or visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.
It might surprise you - as it certainly did director Leigh Silverman - that near the turn of the 20th century, more African-Americans worked in positions of authority at the White House than whites.
But President Wilson's systematic segregation of his home of eight years, along with most of the political world in Washington, D.C., set progress back more than a generation.
This is the world that playwright Tanya Barfield dove into headfirst with Silverman, her longtime collaborator. They emerged with "Of Equal Measure," in production now at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City,
The play examines the Wilson presidency through the eyes of Jade, an African-American stenographer working in the White House. Jade's aspirations clash with the changing social tide under Wilson, who brings America into World War I with the declaration that "the world must be made safe for democracy." At the same time, Barfield observes, Wilson was ordering the segregation of black federal employees and imprisoning individuals critical of the war effort.
In a recent New York Times interview, Barfield said, "I've never really studied history, but when I finally came to this period, it caught fire with me. The relationship between the Wilson administration and the current administration is too glaring to ignore. If you were being generous, you could say they share a belief that we need to help foreign nations by bringing them democracy."
In the past decade Barfield's critical successes have made her one of the more sought-after writers, a reputation she cemented two years ago with the two-person drama "Blue Door." That show, which captures the thoughtful, sometimes painful, elements of what it means to be a black man in America, spurred Los Angeles' Center Theatre Group to commission a new work from her.
But instead of another small play with a small cast, Barfield delivered "Of Equal Measure," a 10-character historical drama. Over the years, Silverman has directed seven of Barfield's plays.
"From the beginning, it was like we shared a brain," Silverman said.
"She is smart, ambitious and challenging. She writes diverse plays with stylistic challenges. This time she spent hundreds of hours researching, reading stacks of books and old records. Much of what she found, and what she includes, is surprising."
One such tidbit in the play comes when Wilson, in response to the Germans, wanted the name of sauerkraut to be changed to "liberty cabbage," a forerunner to a recent congressional folly regarding French fries being renamed "freedom fries."
"The play is full of those kinds of things that people don't think are true, but they are," Silverman said.
Probably the most surprising fact is that anyone - regardless of race or gender - was able to be a civil servant, and even work in the White House.
"This is Jade's story," Silverman said. "She is an outsider who finds herself on the inside and she deals with a kind of predicament that we all have to, which is choosing what moral code we live by. The play is set in the White House but the questions being asked are ones we all do, about our country and our family."
The role of Jade was originally cast with LisaGay Hamilton, who dropped out for personal reasons. She was replaced a couple of weeks into rehearsals by Michole Briana White, who had participated a few months earlier in a reading of the play.
"I just jumped in with both feet and started running," said White, who appeared off-Broadway and at the Mark Taper Forum in August Wilson's "Jitney." "But it's exciting. Tanya did so much research on this period that even though this is a fictitious story, it feels like it could be true."
Silverman said the late change in performers is part of the theater world, and a challenge that the cast and crew was able to handle. "It was a galvanizing moment for the company," she said.
Regardless of the critical and popular response to "Of Equal Measure," it likely will introduce audiences to sides of Wilson that are not as widely known, and to century-old occurrences that reflect what's going on today.
"You begin to realize that it's true about history repeating itself,&quote; Silverman said.
- E-mail freelance columnist Jeff Favre at jjfavre(at)yahoo.com.

Click for larger size.
"Of Equal Measure"
Time: 1914-1919 ; Place: Washington, D.C.
An ambitious young African-American woman who grew up in poverty, Jade Kingston (Michole Briana White) is proud to have a job with the federal government, especially as opportunities are very limited for African Americans. And she's even more proud when she is promoted to the White House office of Edward Christianson (Michael T. Weiss), an unofficial "advisor" to President Woodrow Wilson (Lawrence Pressman). But Jade's pride and ambition make her unwilling to acknowledge that Christianson is a staunch racist and segregationist determined to purge the government of its African-American workers.
Jade's brother, Eugene (Christopher O�neal Warren), works for the post office, but what he really wants to be is an artist. When Christianson's racist mission threatens not only Eugene's job but also his life, Eugene pressures Jade to use her "influence" with her boss to get him another position. Although Jade has so far managed to resist her boss' sexual advances, to help her brother (and preserve her own job?) she becomes Christianson's mistress. The conservative Christianson competes for influence over the president with Wilson's longtime friend, guide and Chief of Staff, Joseph Tumulty (JD Cullum), a Catholic Irish-American of deep liberal convictions. Neither is able to control the president. Given to grand enthusiasms and crippling anxieties, Wilson is an erratic, peremptory and disconnected figure who cannot tolerate criticism. ...

Tonight is the first night of the pre-views of "Of Equal Measure" at the Kirk Douglas Theater in Culver City, CA. Official premiere will be on July 11.
'Toi, toi, toi' and 'Break a leg', Michael! I at least will cross all available extensions for you and your colleagues.
It looks like there are still some seats - some even in front row - available at box office, if you only decide today to see the play tonight.
Phone: (213)628-2772.

Apart from Iowa's release on DVD in South Africa before Christmas, here are some news for the rest of the world, from an email from its writer/director/leading actor Matt Farnsworth:
It will be available all over Europe soon. Netflix will also begin renting it. We are updating our websites. ...
Matt Farnsworth
Iowa official website
Matt Farnsworth website - website currently under reconstruction
Full Fathom 5 - website under reconstruction till end of July

To me the photo looks like it was taken during rehearsals, as the clothes look too modern for the period of WW I.
Click on image for larger size.
Michael is seated in the center.

The Center Theatre Group has updated its website for "Of Equal Measure" again, now with the full cast list in alphabetical order and their role names (but I stll have no idea what kind of character Michael plays), and a bit more on the contents of the story:

With the nation on the brink of World War I, one woman's personal battle begins.
A riveting new play from one of the theatre's rising stars.
Europe is close to social and political crisis. Woodrow Wilson's cabinet debates going to war and which side to take. At home, the administration's segregationist policies contrast American democratic values�a fact not lost on Jade Kingston, an ambitious African-American stenographer employed in the White House, and her brother, Eugene, an aspiring artist with big dreams. As World War I rapidly approaches, Jade faces difficult choices that could compromise her career, challenge her spirit and threaten her own ideals of America's duty to its citizens and its place as a world power.

Credits:
By Tanya Barfield
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Set Design Richard Hoover and Sibyl Wickersheimer
Costume Design Rachel Myers
Lighting Design Lap Chi Chu
Sound Design Adam Phalen
Projection Design Jason H. Thompson
Original Music Kathryn Bostic

With:
Dennis Cockrum (Robert Lansing)
JD Cullum (Joseph Tumulty)
Scott Dawson
Michael Hyland
Joseph C. Phillips (David Leonard)
Lawrence Pressman (President Woodrow Wilson)
T. Ryder Smith (Mr. Plank)
Christopher O'neal Warren (Eugene Kingston)
Michael T. Weiss (Edward Christianson)
Michole Briana White (Jade Kingston)

Special Events:
Deaf Audience Theatre Experience and Audio Described performance: Sat, July 26 mat
Tuesday Talkbacks: July 15 & 22 - Join us for a lively discussion with the cast or artistic staff following the performance
Neighborhood Night: Sat, July 5 @ 8PM
The program magazine is now available for download.

LisaGay Hamilton Exits Of Equal Measure Premiere; Michole Briana White Takes Over
By Kenneth Jones
June 17, 2008
Michole Briana White has joined the cast of the world premiere play Of Equal Measure, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, replacing the previously announced LisaGay Hamilton, who left due to personal reasons.
The Tanya Barfield play, set during World War I, opens July 11 in Los Angeles, and continues through July 27. Previews begin June 29.
The drama is the final production of the Kirk Douglas Theatre's 2007-2008 season. It was commissioned by Center Theatre Group, which operates the intimate Kirk Douglas.
Leigh Silverman directs Christian Campbell, Dennis Cockrum, Scott Dawson, Michael Hyland, Joseph C. Phillips, Lawrence Pressman, T. Ryder Smith, Christopher Warren and Michael T. Weiss.
According to CTG, "Of Equal Measure, set in World War I America, provides an illuminating perspective of the Woodrow Wilson presidency as viewed through the character of Jade Kingston (White), an African American stenographer working in the White House. Jade witnesses first-hand the paradox of Wilson bringing the United States into the 'Great War' in order that 'the world be made safe for democracy,' while trampling civil rights at home by ordering the segregation of black federal employees and imprisoning individuals critical of the war effort. The effects that these actions have on Jade, her job, her family and her country fuel a compelling story that resonates socially and politically today."
The creative team includes set designers Richard Hoover and Sybil Wickersheimer, costume designer Rachel Myers, lighting designer Lap Chi Chu, sound designer Adam Phalen, projection designer Jason H. Thompson and composer Kathryn Bostic. The production stage manager is Elizabeth Atkinson.
The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA. For ticket information, call (213) 628-2772 or visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.

Since I couldn't find anything about the event on May 5, 2008 hosted by Olympia Dukakis at the Sheraton Hotel, in the web or on Huntington's website, I asked them how things went, and if Michael was there. Here is their answer:
... Thanks so much for your note. Michael T. Weiss did not attend this year's Spotlight Spectacular and we have no photos of him. We'll be adding general photos of the event to our website this summer. One of his paintings [Apparition**] was, indeed, auctioned off as part of our silent auction, and from what I understand, it did very well and everyone was very pleased with it. There are no plans currently for him to appear as part of our 2008-2009 season.
Thanks so much for your interest in the Huntington and our gala.
Best wishes,
T. Gill
Director of Marketing
Huntington Theatre Company

**For image of the painting see entry from 4-23-08.

The Center Theatre Group has updated its website with more about the story of the play, compleat credits, and the cast list in alphabetical order. Still no info about Michael T. Weiss' role though.
A riveting new play from one of the theatre's rising stars
With Europe on the brink of social and political crisis, Woodrow Wilson's cabinet debates going to war and which side to take. At home, the administration's segregationist policies contrast American democratic values�a fact not lost on Jade Kingston (LisaGay Hamilton), an ambitious African-American stenographer employed in the White House, and her brother, Eugene, an aspiring artist with big dreams. As World War I rapidly approaches, Jade faces difficult choices that could compromise her career, challenge her spirit and threaten her own ideals of America's duty to its citizens and its place as a world power.

Fade is released on DVD in the US today. No information yet for other countries. According to its director Anthony Stagliano, the special features will include a stills gallery, a deleted scene, and an interview (not one of the ones you've seen on the internet) he did with a TV program about independent film.
You can watch the recent trailer, with a brief appearance of Michael, at Photobucket or at YouTube.
Also, here are some images of your favorite doctor: Dr. Mike.

Campbell, Hamilton, Pressman, Smith, Weiss, et al. Set for "Of Equal Measure"
By: Brian Scott Lipton - Jun 4, 2008, Los Angeles
Full cast and creative team have been announced for the world premiere of Tanya Barfield's drama Of Equal Measure, to play the Kirk Douglas Theatre, June 29-July 27. The production, which will open officially on July 11, will be directed by Leigh Silverman.
The play provides an illuminating perspective of the Woodrow Wilson presidency as viewed through the character of Jade Kingston, an African American stenographer working in the White House, to be played by Obie Award LisaGay Hamilton.
The cast also includes Christian Campbell, Denis Cockrum, Scott Dawson, Michael Hyland, Joseph C. Phillips, Lawrence Pressman, T. Ryder Smith, Christopher Warren, and Michael T. Weiss.
The creative team features Richard Hoover and Sybil Wickersheimer (sets), Rachel Myers (costumes), Lap Chi Chu (lighting), Adam Phalen (sound), Jason H. Thompson (projection), and Kathryn Bostic (music composition). Silverman and Barfield previously worked together on the play Blue Door.

LisaGay Hamilton Stars in World Premiere of Barfield's "Of Equal Measure"
By Kenneth Jones - June 5, 2008 - 5:58PM ET
Michael T. Weiss, Christian Campbell, LisaGay Hamilton and Lawrence Pressman are among cast members in the world premiere production of Tanya Barfield's Of Equal Measure, June 29-July 27 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles.
Opening is July 11. For the World War I-set drama commissioned by Center Theatre Group, Leigh Silverman is directing Campbell, Dennis Cockrum, Scott Dawson, Hamilton, Michael Hyland, Joseph C. Phillips, Pressman, T. Ryder Smith, Christopher Warren and Weiss.
According to CTG, "Of Equal Measure, set in World War I America, provides an illuminating perspective of the Woodrow Wilson presidency as viewed through the character of Jade Kingston (LisaGay Hamilton), an African American stenographer working in the White House. Jade witnesses first-hand the paradox of Wilson bringing the United States into the 'Great War' in order that 'the world be made safe for democracy,' while trampling civil rights at home by ordering the segregation of black federal employees and imprisoning individuals critical of the war effort. The effects that these actions have on Jade, her job, her family and her country fuel a compelling story that resonates socially and politically today."
The creative team includes set designers Richard Hoover and Sybil Wickersheimer, costume designer Rachel Myers, lighting designer Lap Chi Chu, sound designer Adam Phalen, projection designer Jason H. Thompson and composer Kathryn Bostic. The production stage manager is Elizabeth Atkinson.
The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA. For ticket information, call (213) 628-2772 or visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.

Tickets for the opening night on July 11 are currently not available online. Please contact Audience Service at (213) 628-2772 for purchase.

Campbell, Hamilton, Warren and Weiss Cast in Barfield's "Of Equal Measure"
By Andrew Gans
May 30, 2008
Casting has been announced for the world premiere of Tanya Barfield's Of Equal Measure, which is scheduled to begin previews June 29 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in California.
Directed by Leigh Silverman, the Center Theatre Group production will officially open July 11 and play a limited engagement through July 27.
The cast will boast Christian Campbell, Dennis Cockrum, Scott Dawson, LisaGay Hamilton, Michael Hyland, Joseph C. Phillips, Lawrence Pressman, T. Ryder Smith, Christopher Warren and Michael T. Weiss.
Set in World War I America, Of Equal Measure, press notes state, "provides an illuminating perspective of the Woodrow Wilson presidency as viewed through the character of Jade Kingston (LisaGay Hamilton), an African American stenographer working in the White House. Jade witnesses first-hand the paradox of Wilson bringing the United States into the 'Great War' in order that 'the world be made safe for democracy,' while trampling civil rights at home by ordering the segregation of black federal employees and imprisoning individuals critical of the war effort. The effects that these actions have on Jade, her job, her family and her country fuel a compelling story that resonates socially and politically today."
The production will feature set design by Richard Hoover and Sybil Wickersheimer, costume design by Rachel Myers, lighting design by Lap Chi Chu, sound design by Adam Phalen and projection design by Jason H. Thompson. Kathryn Bostic has composed the original music; Elizabeth Atkinson is stage manager.
The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA. Tickets are on sale now by calling (213) 628-2772 or by visiting www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.

"Of Equal Measure"
World Premiere June 29 - July 27, 2008
Kirk Douglas Theatre (next to the Sony Studios in downtown Culver City)
9820 Washington Blvd. @ Duquesne
Culver City, CA 90232
Global, domestic, and personal responsibility - Jade Kingston is an ambitious African-American stenographer in the Woodrow Wilson White House with behind the scenes access. This president is the man who enters the US into World War I in order that the world "be made safe for democracy." He also is the one who begins instituting segregationist policies and trampling civil liberties. In this increasingly complex modern world, Jade finds the need to make a choice between protecting her job, her brother, and her own sense of America's duty to its citizens and to the world abroad.
Credits :
By Tanya Barfield
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Of Equal Measure is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.
Performance Length: To be announced
Ticket Price: $20 - $40
Special Events: Deaf Audience Theatre Experience and Audio Described performance: Sat, Jul 26 mat ; Neighborhood Night: Sat, Jul 5 @ 8PM
The Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City is our most intimate theatre with seating for just 300 in a two level configuration: Main Floor and Gallery. The Douglas is fully accessible and provides Phonic Ear sound system headsets for the hard of hearing.

For more about the play and its writer Tanya Barfield see the Theatre Communications Group.

Michael didn't win, it was Conleth Hill for 'The Seafarer' instead.
Full list of winners see at TheaterMania.
The event could be watched live via webcast, but it seems this link was closed after the show. Or maybe only my system doesn't like it.

The Drama Desk nominees received their official nomination certificates at a cocktail reception on May 1, at the Arte Café in New York.
If you look at these photos of a well groomed and snappy dressed Michael, you'll see that Michael T. Weiss looks very different than he did on stage as the drunken dad in the Atlantic Theater's Scarcity, for which he received a Featured Actor nomination.
Yummy! :) Or as a friend has put it: "Hubba hubba!"
For more photos of some of the other nominees at the reception, see TheaterMania and BroadwayWorld.
Meet Herb and his family from Scarcity.

The trailer for 1996's "Freeway", starring Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), Kiefer Sutherland (24), Brittany Murphy (Don't Say a Word), Brooke Shields, Amanda Plummer and of course, Michael T. Weiss is avialable again:
Freeway

Here are the promised stills from "Fade", courtesy of Anthony Stagliano: Dr. Mike.
Enjoy your visit with the doctor :))

If you happen to be in Chicago the next days, you could meet Anthony at Facets Cinematheque's CineChat's Q&As after the 7 & 9 pm screenings of "Fade " on Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3.
More information at Facets Multimedia.

The nominees for "Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play" for the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards are:
John Cullum, The Conscientious Objector
Conleth Hill, The Seafarer
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Arian Moayed, Masked
Jeff Perry, August: Osage County
Michael T. Weiss, Scarcity

The nominees were announced yesterday by Tony Award winners Bebe Neuwirth and Len Cariou at a breakfast reception at the Friars Club.
Full list of nominees.
The 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards will be held Sunday, May 18, 2008, in the LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. The awards show will be webcast for the sixth year in a row by TheaterMania.com. It will also be broadcast live on satellite radio's XM 28 On Broadway for the second consecutive year.
Tickets ($225.00/$800.00) can be ordered here.
Drama Desk nominees will receive their official nomination certificates at a cocktail reception on Thursday, May 1, 4:00 to 7:00 PM at Arte Cafe, 106 West 73rd Street, between Broadway and Columbus Avenue.

Fade will have its Chicago premiere in May, and will screen there from May 2 - 8 at the Facets Cinematheque at 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago IL 60614. Phone: 773-281-4114
Showtimes:
Fri., May 2 at 7 & 9 pm
Sat., May 3 at 3, 5, 7 & 9 pm
Sun., May 4 at 7 & 9 pm
Mon., Tues. & Thurs., May 5, 6 & 8 at 7 & 9 pm
CineChat: Filmmaker Anthony Stagliano will be here for a Q&A after the 7 & 9 pm screenings on Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3. More information at Facets Multimedia.

Also, the US release of the DVD is announced for June 10, 2008. Pre-order is already possible at almost all on-line stores. According to Anthony Stagliano, the special features will include a stills gallery, a deleted scene, and an interview (not one of the ones you've seen on the internet) he did with a TV program about independent film.

Anthony has released a new trailer, with a brief appearance of Michael. You can watch it at Photobucket or at YouTube.
And watch this space for some new stills of Dr. Mike!

Last year, it was "J'Attends".
This year, it is "Apparition".
Michael T. Weiss has again donated one of his paintings to the auction for the Huntington Theatre's upcoming "2008 Spotlight Spectacular!" benefit event, that will take place on Monday, May 5, 2008 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel and Towers, hosted by Academy Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis.
You've seen Michael T. Weiss' talent on stage, now appreciate his artistry through another medium. Own this unique piece of provocative artwork entitled Apparition, created by the actor himself. The piece is composed of original photography with digital manipulation, unique Roland print and colored pencil on watercolor paper.
The celebrated actor was last seen at the Huntington as Le Vicomte de Valmont in "Les Liaisons Dangereuses". Weiss also starred in the Huntington's 2005 production of Lanford Wilson's "Burn This". Best known for the lead role as Jarod on the hit NBC television series "The Pretender," Weiss is a playwright, artist, environmental activist, and friend of the Huntington.

Click on image to enlarge.
The artwork is framed and measures 8"x 10".
Auction Item Number: 749
Donated by Michael T. Weiss
Opening Bid: $1,000.00
Estimated Value: Priceless
Number of Bids: 0 [as of April 23]
Time Left: 9 days 14 hours 41 minutes [as of April 23]
Online Close: May 2, 2008 5:00 PM EDT
Special Instructions: This item will be available at the live event for final bidding. Absentee Bidding offered.

For online bidding check the

If you want to do one thing for Earth Day:
Call for Climate
Call your Representative or Senator today through Capitol Switchboard 202-224-3121, and tell them the current global warming proposals in Congress are inadequate. Ask them to enact tough and fair climate change legislation.
And consider living green in the future.
If you are not living in the US, here are several international actions and events: Earth Day 2008 Events Worldwide.

The results of the Very Short Movies Festival are in, and even as "Razor Sharp" didn't win in its category (that is "One of Us?"), it at least made it into this short list:
VSM Festival Ranking
1. Simulacra - Animation Award Winner
2. Paprioflexia - Animation Honorable Mention
3. One of Us? - Drama Award Winner
4. Cocoon - Drama Honorable Mention & Jury Award 'Best of Fest'
5. Razor Sharp

For 'Top 5 Most Viewed' and all the 2008 winners see here.

Online voting for the Very Short Movies Festival will end on Saturday 4/12/08, 3:00pm PST!
If you haven't done so already, register or log in to vote ; you are entitled to one vote per category (Razor Sharp is in "Life Action - Drama") ; you can change your vote anytime.
Watch and then vote for Razor Sharp here or here.
It is currently #2 in its category. And don't forget to post your review and rate the film afterwards. No registration needed for those, but the reviews and stars probably won't count in the final ballots.
If you happen to be in Los Angeles on the evening of April 12th, you could attend the VSM 2008 Award Ceremony from 5pm-7pm at the Cinespace Theatre, 6356 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028, and stay for the filmmakers party afterwards.

For more on the film see its official website.

According to an email from Jamie Sue, Managing Director of Michael T. Weiss Fine Art, the website has been updated with new works. You can visit the online gallery at www.michaeltweiss.com to view the new additions to his artwork collection.
If you have any questions or wish to make an acquisition please send an email to Mtwfineart@aol.com or leave a message at 323.860.3238.

Fade will screen in Chicago from May 2 - 8 at the Facets Cinematheque at 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago IL 60614. Phone: 773-281-4114
Showtimes:
Fri., May 2 at 7 & 9 pm
Sat., May 3 at 3, 5, 7 & 9 pm
Sun., May 4 at 7 & 9 pm
Mon., Tues. & Thurs., May 5, 6 & 8 at 7 & 9 pm
CineChat: Filmmaker Anthony Stagliano will be here for a Q&A. Please stay tuned for updates at Facets Multimedia.

Also, the US release of the DVD is announced for June 10, 2008. Pre-order is already possible. Amazon.com offers it for $18.99, Barnes & Noble offers it for $19.99 and has a description from the 'All Move Guide' by Jason Buchanan. So far no bonus material is announced.

The quote on the DVD cover "A wonderful independent picture. Exquisit direction is finely complimented by a sharp script and impressive acting" - James Quinton, Open Wide Magazine is taken from ... the review, of this excellent movie, is to be in issue 20 of the magazine which is out very shortly.
Best wishes.
James Quinton
Managing Editor, Open Wide Magazine

An Update for all "The Pretender" Fans from Series Co-creator
Posted by Sam on Friday, 21 Mar 2008
Back in Sept. 2007 Slice of SciFi's Linda Craddock did an interview with "Tin Man" creators Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle. During their conversation with Linda they let it slip that the possibility of seeing their other popular series, "The Pretender," could be resurfacing in a new media format. Since then Pretender fans have been chomping on the bit waiting for more a fitting conclusion to Jared's (Michael T. Weiss) adventures. It's been 6 months and as such Craig felt it was time to update everyone by dropping these comments to Slice of SciFi.
"Steve and I are touched by your loyalty and love for "The Pretender." Please know that often times things grind slowly in Hollywood and such is the case for our desire to get you all final answers for "The Pretender" and to give this series that is so dear to us a fitting and rewarding conclusion. When Steve and I talk about a final episode/movie, our intent is genuine - it just takes time, undoubtedly longer than any of us hope for. Just know we are working to make this a reality and that we so appreciate all of your kind words and patience." CV

Click on the image to enlarge the future DVD cover.
Fade opens theatrically tonight at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater in NYC. It will play there for a week and then begin to tour the US. Future dates will be released on the website of its distributor Cinema Epoch.
The Pioneer is located on East 3rd Street (between Avenues A and B, but closer to A) New York, New York 10009.
You can buy tickets online from their website TwoBoots-Pioneer.

Online voting at the Very Short Movies Cinema is open now!
From 3/13/08, 12:00am to 4/12/08, 3:00pm PST, log in to start voting, or register first ; you are entitled to 1 vote per category (Razor Sharp is in "Life Action - Drama") ; you can change your vote anytime.
Watch and then vote here for Razor Sharp. And don't forget to post your review and rate the film afterwards.

From South African Ster-Kinekor Home Entertainment:
Dear Evi,
We did indeed acquire the picture, IOWA, recently and the expected release is November 2008. ... The release will be a direct to DVD release. Would be glad to accommodate anyone interested in purchasing a copy.
Best,
Mario Dos Santos, COO Ster-Kinekor Home Entertainment

In commemoration of its 2007 'Best In Festival' win, RAZOR SHARP will have a special screening at The Wizard World Los Angeles convention at the Staples Center this weekend. The convention runs from Friday, March 14 - Sunday, March 16, and the film's screening will take place on Saturday, March 15 at 1:00PM in room #305.
The crew behind the film will be on hand at the Wizard World Convention Friday through Saturday. So don't forget to stop by the film's booth #939 on the convention floor (next to the children's area) as well to pick up the limited edition #0 issue of the RAZOR SHARP comic book!
For more information, visit: www.wizardworld.com.

From Marcus Perry, mastermind behind the film:
I'm excited to report that RAZOR SHARP will compete in the 2008 Very Short Movies film festival here in Los Angeles. The film screens on March 20 for anyone who wants to swing by, but this year there's a new feature to the ranking in the festival:
Online voting.
Help RAZOR SHARP bring home another festival win by voting for the film on the Very Short Movies website, and please pass the word on to your friends!
Here's the link: www.vsmcinema.com
As always, thanks for your amazing support!
Best,
Marcus Perry
Writer/Director

About the voting from the festival's director:
hello! i believe you have to register for free ... log in ... and then you can vote -- however, i also believe voting doesn't start until the festival begins, March 13. thanks!
Annie Montone, Festival Director
www.veryshortmovies.com
323.654.9041 x 104

Screening of "Razor Sharp" at the VSM Festival 2008: Thu, March 20, 6pm-10pm, Screening of 2007-Q1 Finalists with Q&A, 2x90 min.
"Razor Sharp" begins at 6pm.

If you don't have a chance to see the film during the festival at Cinespace (6356 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028), you can watch it online here, or here. Assuming you enjoy what you've seen, you can post your review on their website after that!

News just arrived from Anthony Stagliano:
Press releses:
-- FADE begins theatrical run March 19th
Fade opens theatrically on March 19th, 2008 at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater in NYC. Fade will play at the Pioneer for a week and then begin to tour the country. Future dates will be released soon.
The Pioneer is located on East 3rd Street (between Avenues A and B, but closer to A) New York, New York 10009
You can buy tickets online from their website: TwoBoots-Pioneer.
[EFi: They are currently screening one of my favorite films from 2007, "Eastern Promises", starring gorgeous Viggo Mortensen.]

-- FADE picked up for distribution by Cinema Epoch
Fade was picked up for distribution in North America by Cinema Epoch. They will be releasing us in a limited theatrical run in the spring, and on DVD in the summer. We'll be releasing details often throughout the spring and summer.
Cinema Epoch is a Los Angeles-based international sales, production and distribution company formed by distribution veteran Gregory Hatanaka.
With a distribution slate that includes internationally acclaimed arthouse films, contemporary American films and edgy cult & midnight works, Cinema Epoch has been inspired by the great 1970s film distributors World Northal and New World Pictures.
See also their website Cinema Epoch.

Fade: Arthur Dichter (David Connolly) thinks he's dying of insomnia, but the reality is much more frightening. He wanders the streets, finding new ways to keep his body moving, even self-mutilation. He's lost the ability to communicate, keeping a journal to express his private thoughts with no intention of sharing it with his wife Anna (Sarah Lassez, The Blackout, Mad Cowgirl). His doctors (Michael T. Weiss, The Pretender ; Steven Petrarca, Threat Matrix) wonder if he's suicidal. Anna denies it, knowing he is in a waking nightmare where delusions and reality become more and more indistinguishable. As his disease gives way to despair, loneliness and alienation, he and Anna hang on to their last shred of hope until the bitter end.

So far it is only released in Australia (Region 4, PAL, Australian standard), and the only bonus material is 'trailers', but at least this one is the feature lenght (83 min) version of the 30-minute short "Sledge: A Documentary".
Sledge is a mockumentar on the rise of exotic dancer turned martial arts/action movie star Francis Allen Sledgewick, known as Frank Sledge to his millions of fans around the world. Travelling through bizarre acting classes, AA meetings, and archival footage of the films that made him a star, documentarian and obsessed fan Richard Orchid follows the former dancer turned box office phenomenon as he tries to reignite the magic his career once had. It isn't until Frank makes amends whit his best friend and dance choreographer. Filled with celebrity cameos as well as 70's, 80's and present day action spoofs, Sledge: The Untold Story is a unique comedy that lays a satirical backdrop against the fascinating world of fame, fortune, and Frank.
Ezydvd.com.au sells it for AU$19.83 + shipping.

According to a note from the producers back from when the long version was about to be completed, Michael's screen time hasn't been extended in this version though.

From Vision Films:
.... As of now, we have sold rights for IOWA to South Africa internationally. The production company holds rights for US, UK, and Canada. ....
Thank you,
C. DeBoer, Sales & Marketing Coordinator
Vision Films / Vision Music - 14945 Ventura Blvd., Suite 306 - Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

The official website of Iowa.

Some sources list SkyIslandFilm as the US distributor for the film, but according to Mr. Fagan from that company, they no longer handle it.

Happy Valentine to all of you, and especially to Michael. I wish you all a great day, evening and night!
In case you are in New York tonight, and don't know yet how to celebrate, you could see Fade at 9:30pm at the Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10009 ; 212-505-5110.

Dear Michael:
I wish you all the best for this special day, with lots of fun and happiness, health and good luck!
Instead of a *real* present, I made this little slide show for you:

Birthday Show

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The sky is the limit on attaining your dreams. You can put your sensitive intuitive feelings into words today. You might be the wind beneath someone's wings or the light that brightens someone's darkest hour.
Born on February 2: You like to be known as trustworthy and true blue and will have plenty of opportunities to prove your merit in the coming year. Settle down to a pleasurable grove over the next several months. You may fall under the spell of an attractive person or become dazzled by a daring dream in April, but wait until May to make a firm decision about pursuing your obsession. That is an ideal time to launch crucial projects, make a commitment, ask for favors or improve your life on several levels. Remember that whatever knocks on your door that month might not be what you want, but it will surely be just what you need.

Iowa will be screened at the European Film Market (that happens during the Berlinale) on Mon, Feb 11 at 15:00 at the dffb-Kino in the Filmhaus in the Sony-Center.
Unfortunately the film market is open only for sellers and possible buyers. So we can only hope that it will be sold worldwide!

Just got an email from Vision Films (the company that holds the international rights of Iowa):
We will be screening it at the Berlin Film Festival. We will email you the details when we get them.
With warm regards,
L. Romanoff, Managing Director
VISION FILMS - 14945 Ventura Blvd. Ste. 306, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403, USA

The Berlinale will take place from Feb. 7.-17. 2008. Its program will be available at the beginning of February. Now it depends whether the film will be shown in the festival, then tickets will be available for the wide audiences, or if it will be screend at the European Film Market, that is only open to people from the industry.

With his birthday coming up in just a few weeks (Feb 2), I thought it was time to check if the fan mail address I have is correct.
A phone call with Michael's management confirmed that it is still:

Michael T. Weiss
c/o Robert Stein Management
345 North Maple Drive, Suite 317
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
USA

And during that we learned that he is currently filming yet another indie film, but they can't give details about it at the moment.

It seems the creators of "The Pretender", Steven Long Mitchell & Craig Van Sickle really consider more Pretender, but as long as the writers in Hollywood are on strike, we won't get get fresh news until they return to work.
Most of this almost hour-long interview with Jeff Schubert of TheStream.TV, ep. #211 from Jan 2, 2008 is about their recent mini-series "Tin Man", but they do mention Michael like Michael was our first and only choice for Jarod, and we are still happy that TPTB agreed on him, and confirmed the founding of both an Internet Entertainment Company, and a TV & Internet Entertainment Company, but didn't reveal the names. Also, the websites for both companies are currently in the making. To me, that sounds like tP will be made and released through one of these companies.

Anthony Stagliano talks with InArtMEdia about moving his mother out of her home while filming "Fade" in there, about filming in San Diego in general, about moving the story around while editing, and about his actors:
InArtMEdia #19
Tony added this about how they got Michael involved: ... we sent him the script through his manager, and he liked it and was free for the days we needed him. I was very happy to have him work with us. He's a consummate professional and brought a lot of life and style to the role. Best, Tony

The screening will happen in the NewFilmmakers Festival at the Anthology Film Archives in New York on Valentine's Day, Thursday, February 14th.
NewFilmmakers Celebrates Valentine's Day Naught & Nice. Yesterday we were naughty, but today we are nice.
9:30PM NewFilmmakers Second Feature Presentation
Anthony Stagliano FADE (2007, 77 Minutes, 16M)
SARAH LASSEZ (Gregg Araki's Nowhere, Gregory Hatanaka's Mad Cowgirl and Abel Ferrara's Blackout), DAVID CONNOLLY (13 Conversations about One Thing), MICHAEL T. WEISS (TV's Pretender) and special guests DEVON ODESSA (TV's My So Called Life; Mad Cowgirl) and ANTHONY DRAZAN (director and screenwriter of Hurlyburly) star in this chilling drama that explores what happens if our bodies refuse to shut down -- and the resulting effect on those closest to us. Using the rare genetic disorder fatal familia insomnia as a jumping-off point, writer-director Anthony Stagliano's film examines issues of identity, marriage and death as a couple confronts constant sleeplessness and the dissipation and sorrow that follow.
Anthology Film Archives
32 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10009 ; 212-505-5110

Anthony Stagliano wrote me about the San Diego screenings in December 2007:
The San Diego screenings were great. We had solid crowds both nights and everyone responded well to the film. Best, Tony