Where's Don been?

It's been a while since I've written. Not that anyone has noticed except my close friends.

Frankly it's been incredibly busy here at Kenneth J. Allen & Associates, which is a good thing.

Squeezed in the past couple of months was a long overdue visit with our daughter and her family in Phoenix, AZ and then some R&R in Rancho Mirage, CA.

As my daughter reminded me we had not seen our grandchildren for well over a year. Point taken.

My acting career continues to languish, although my agent from BMG Talent called a couple of weeks ago to ask if I would audition for an Illinois Lottery commercial. I had just returned from vacation and was up to my eyeballs trying to catch up so I had to take a pass.

Those of you who remember my auditioning for the feature film "Machine Gun Preacher," production has wrapped. It's due out in 2012. You won't see me on the big screen.

I do keep track of  "Machine Gun Preacher" on IMDb.com and it looks to me like they never cast the role I auditioned for. I assume that means it was cut out. If true, that would make me feel a little better about not being cast.

Oh, and I almost forgot. My good friend David Stamps is retiring at the end of this month as executive director of the Hoosier State Press Association. He and I have been friends for over 40 years.

There was a retirement party in French Lick weekend before last and I was asked to participate in a roast of David.  Those of you who know me know that I avoid public speaking virtually at all costs. But I did it. Three of us -- Scott Schurz, VP of Schurz Communications; Henry Bird, VP of Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.; and me. Randy List from Greencastle was the M.C.

The audience was composed of newspaper executives and publishers from around Indiana, with a couple of exceptions. Peers of David's from Illinois and Pennsylvania also attended.    http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42479&id=127999110544640

Anyone who has been to French Lick knows you can't get there. That is true. It was a very long drive from Northwest Indiana.

So that's what I've been up to and I think that brings us up to date. I'll try to write more often. No guarantees.

11 years since our Route 66 adventure

Next week will be 11 years since my friend Jim Jackson and I set off on an adventure that came close to rivaling my "Public Enemies" experience.

He and I were given a brand new 1999 Corvette by the Chevrolet division of General Motors -- actually three of them -- to traverse the country on Historic Route 66.

The trip took 8 1/2 days during which we sent stories and photos each day to The Times so readers could follow along on our excellent adventure. And boy did they. To this day I periodically get asked "Aren't you the guy who drove Route 66?"

The answer is yes, plain and simple. I think I mentioned the trip in my piece about The Eagles band. We stood on the corner of Winslow, Arizona on July 23, 1999.

Why three Corvettes you ask? because GM didn't want us to run up the miles on just one. So, we traded cars in Oklahoma City, drove that car to Santa Monica, California. Then we traded cars again and drove back to Oklahoma City where we picked up our original Vette and came back to Chicago where Route 66 started.

I could write tons about our trip. But, if anyone stops at Cadillac Ranch in Texas, check out the axle of one of the planted cars where we wrote "The Last Summer Cruise of the Century."

Probably long gone, but who knows.

The Eagles: Among the best ever

Great weekend!

My wife Donna and I, along with our friends from St. Charles, Illinois -- Jim and Christy Jackson -- went to The Eagles Summer 2010 Tour concert at Soldier Field in Chicago -- www.eaglesband.com .

It was an amazing experience. Believe it or not, both Keith Urban and the Dixie Chicks opened for The Eagles. Needless to say the crowd of 60,000 was really rocking by the time The Eagles took the stage.

Keith Urban played for a solid hour, and so did the Dixe Chicks. The Eagles brought the house down with hit song after hit song after hit song....for two hours straight.

Of course the occasion had special meaning for Jim and me. Almost 11 years ago he and I drove The Mother Road, as author John Steinbeck named Route 66. He and I left Jackson Street at Lake Shore Drive in a brand new 1999 Chevy Corvette. That's where Route 66 started, and went west for more than 2,400 miles.

Old-timers in Northwest Indiana might remember he and I chronicled the trip daily with stories and photos in The Times as we drove the historic highway that transected our nation from East to West.

Anyway, one of the more famous Eagles songs -- Take It Easy -- takes place in Winslow, Arizona, pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

But for Winslow, it is a very big deal. In fact there is a corner park dedicated to The Eagles and Take It Easy.

Well, Jim and I wore our "...Standing on the corner in Winslow, AZ..." t-shirts. Tons of people at the concert asked where we got the shirts. "Winslow, Arizona, of course." If you're ever in Winslow, check the bricks in the park. One of them has our names Jackson-Asher, within spitting distance of Don Henley's brick.

I digress. The Eagles were phenomenal.  For guys who must be in their 60s, not a note was missed. These guys are without a doubt in the same class as The Beatles, or near the top of one of the best bands ever...yes, EVER!

Disagree? Too bad. You're wrong. Simple as that.

Last night will go down as the best nights of entertainment I've ever experienced. And I can now remove seeing and hearing The Eagles LIVE from my bucket list.

Times flies: A year since book was published

It's coming up on a year since my book Public Enemies Confidential: Johnny Depp, Michael Mann and Me was published.

It's never been a best seller, nor will it ever be. Friends, family and scattered fans have bought the book. I haven't a clue to how many have sold because I do not get a penny from its sales.

What I do know is I've signed a number of these for people, and am happy to do so.

But I have especially signed more for a wonderful woman and fan in Denver, Colorado whom I have never met. Lynn Curran has asked me to sign my book which apparently she has given as gifts to many of her friends. I do not know that for sure, but she is a delightful woman.

In any case, my point is she put a comment/review of my book on    www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1214959 --  where the book can be ordered.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not shilling for the book because I initially wrote it initially for my use and I don't make anything on its sales. As an aside, both Johnny Depp and Michael Mann have the book, and I have a copy with both of their autographs.

I just thought I would share Lynn's commentary for folks who probably wouldn't otherwise see it; and because I am very proud of what she had to say. Thanks Lynn. So here it is:

LynnCurran says

Have you been searching for a book that covers in great detail a behind-the-scenes look at how a major motion picture is made? If so, then this is the book you must read.

The premise of the book covers the evolution of Don Asher (Reporter #1) fom being a potential extra to actually being cast as a principal player on a very important film. Of particular interest are the many personal insights and anecdotes of Don Asher during his interaction with the director of the film, Michael Mann.

The book includes many lovely photographs of the sets that were made as authentic as possible by Michael Mann. In most cases the scenes were actually filmed where the original historical drama took place. As a bonus, the reader will also find rare photos of Johnny Depp and Michael Mann during the making of the film.

Special mention goes to the last chapter of the book which includes rare photos and the back story behind the Chicago premiere of Public Enemies.

For fans of the motion picture or students of film history this is a must read and a great addition to any book lover's library.

Lynn E Curran

posted at 07:02PM Jun 12 PST

And the saga continues

A couple of weeks ago --maybe three -- I received an email from my agent. This new feature film casting agency asked for a taped audition of me. I had a few days to get it done. Script was attached.

Lo and behold, it's not just an other feature film, but rather a Lionsgate movie, directed by Marc Forster who directed Quantum of Solace, the last James Bond film.

And who is the only other person to date who had been cast -- Gerard Butler.  Since then Michelle Monaghan has been cast.

The title of the film -- Machine Gun Preacher. Anyone who wants to know more about the movie can research it on the internet at -- www.machinegunpreacher.org . Let me say, it's expected to be pretty big.

And the role they asked me to audition for is a contractor who has two scenes and dialog with Butler (Sam Childers) himself.

I take this very seriously. The script for my role has about 10-12 lines. I immediately called my acting coach, Matt Miller in Chicago -- www.mattmillerdirect.com . Of course he's in New York.

"Matt, I have this opportunity...." blah, blah. I told him the tape has to arrive by Thursday, and it's already Monday...only three days from now.

Matt tells me he'll be back Thursday night. I call my agent -- Dawn Gavin at BMG Model & Talent in Chicago -- and tell her the deal. Dawn is terrific! She says, "wait for Matt, do the tape and I'll get it there on Friday...it'll be fine."

Whew!.

I meet Matt Friday at TP&R Casting -- www.tprcasting.com -- in Chicago, one of the premier casting agencies in the Midwest. He's busy doing auditions for a national NFL commercial for Direct TV.

The commercial calls for a Catholic priest and the waiting room is filled with aging men dressed in dark suits, some with collars and hats (I forget what they are actually called).

Here I am in jeans and a powder blue sweater. Having studied my lines over the last three days my mind continues to go over, and over, and over them. I don't want to screw this up.

Matt takes a break from the audition and we go into a separate room filled with cameras and a computer. Matt is great. He's one of those people who can put you at ease effortlessly.

We start the audition, take after take. One scene at a time. "Do this, do that, move this way....." Finally Matt said "we got it. It's great." I was unbelievably relieved.

Matt says "Hey, while you're here, do you want to read for this commercial I'm doing?" I said "I thought you had to be 70 and have white hair. Plus, I hardly look like a priest in this outfit."

"No worries, they can color you hair. Come on let's do it," Matt says.

Sure. Why not. So while I'm there I do the audition for Direct TV. It was only one line of dialog, and very easy. But really, I would be stunned to get that role after seeing all the other guys who looked like the "real deal." But, it was good experience and for that I thank Matt.

Matt tells me he'll finish editing the film audition and get it to my my agent within a couple of hours. He seemed confident. "I think you have a shot; you have the look and everything."

But in this business the competition is extremely stiff, and I'm still a no name, rookie (as Matt politely reminds me).

So now it is past the original call-back date, but I still have hope. You never know. Things get delayed. There've only been a handful cast so far. My big concern is the movie starts shooting in mid-July in Michigan. The other location is South Africa, but my role will be here.

In any case, it was my first big film opportunity since I did Public Enemies. Because the scenes and lines are with Butler himself, I wondered if it was because I had lines with Johnny Depp that I even got called.

On a final note, the week before getting the email from my agent I noted my popularity on IMDb.com -- the internet movie database -- had skyrocketed from 160,000+ to 91,000. That doesn't happen. Remember, there are 2 or 3 million members on IMDb. I suspect they were checking me out.

Not to worry, I'm back down to my normal popularity -- about 170,000.

So if anyone from Machine Gun Preacher is listening (or reading this) I'd really like the role!

Thanks to Dawn Collins for a special patriotic effort

Just a quick post to give kudos to a long-time Porter County business woman.

My hat goes off to Dawn Collins of Century 21 Executive Realty in Valparaiso, who year-after-year spends part of her Memorial Day weekend putting American flags along the parkways in town. Dawn doesn't do it alone. Usually her husband Dave, and possibly others, assist in this patriotic effort.

I know in Valparaiso's Keystone Commons the streets are lined with these flags next to mailboxes. She puts out about 1,000 of these to remind us of a day we often take for granted, but others have given their life for to protect our freedoms.

So my person of the week is Dawn Collins. Thank you, Dawn!

The search for alternatives to newspapers, and more importantly saving journalism

I am halfway through a new book, published just a couple of months ago titled The Death and Life of American Journalism, by Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols.

McChesney is a professor in the Department of Communications at the University of Illinois. Nichols is The Nation's Washington correspondent. Both have authored several books.

McChesney and Nichols provide detailed insight into American journalism, past, present and possibilities for the future. As a veteran of that profession for more than four decades, while I am only halfway through the book I can personally attest that their assessments and conclusions are dead accurate.

Anyone who wonders how newspaper got into the mess they're in, and why they likely won't survive, should read it. As a professional print journalist I am saddened on one hand, but thrilled someone finally called into account the genesis of the decline of newspapers and journalism, which threatens our entire democracy and society.

So far the book is direct, and spares no words in describing the consequences for democracy without prudent, aggressive, quality journalism, all the while it is vanishing before our very eyes. It describes the thousands upon thousands of journalism jobs which have been sacrificed for the bottom line. This has particularly escalated in the past three or four years.

Look around. Where are the investigative journalism efforts that kept a watchful eye on government? Heck, you can't fault the journalists. Those who have survived have their hands full just trying produce enough "copy" to publish a daily newspaper, albeit growing ever smaller both in physical size and number of pages. It's everywhere: Coast to coast, border to border.

I doubt all newspapers will die. Some won't and will continue to make a decent profit. But at what cost?

While newspaper newsrooms have taken the biggest hit, even broadcast news has been hurt. But democracy never relied as much on broadcast journalism as print. Sound bites do not provide the depth of information.

Of course newspapers have evolved in large part into printed sound bites. You rarely, if ever, see stories that provide the depth of information that tell a complete story. Of course there are exceptions such as the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Often they are once source articles, because that's all the reporter has the time and news space for. They don't have the time or news space to do more.

And speaking of space, there was a time when newspapers were happy to publish local, community news ... even school lunch menus. Parents could rely on the local paper to know what's going on in schools, in government, in their communities.

It used to be if you were an out-of-towner you could pick up the local newspaper and get a picture of the local community. No longer.

Is the internet the answer? Maybe. Although as the books points out, the proliferation of internet sites competing for advertising dollars has depressed revenue possibilities to the point they cannot sustain a truly professional, paid journalism staff...at least to the degree newspapers have until the last few years.

At the end of 2009 Smart Money -- an online product of the Wall Street Journal -- put newspapers on a Top 10 List. It was a list of 10 things NOT to buy in 2010. I'm not sure I'd go quite that far, but clearly without a salvation for journalism, so goes democracy.

Hopefully before the the book ends, McChesney and Nichols will suggest a business model for journalism that will be both profitable and provide a truly free and independent press like our Founding Fathers intended in order to preserve democracy.