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On the evening of November 8th, Bunny found her self on a darkened street, in Darth Vader’s arms…

In October and early November, my Ann Arbor company, Mup Mups Animal Actors, was hired to work on the film “The Vanishing on 7th Street” in Detroit.

“Vanishing” is directed by Brad Anderson (of the TV show “Fringe”) and stars Hayden Christensen (the young Darth Vader in the recent “Star Wars” sagas), John Leguizamo (Henri-Toulouse Latrec in “Moulin Rouge”) and Thandie Newton (Makemba “Kem” Likasu in the TV show “ER”) as survivors in a world where shadowy figures appear and human beings disappear.

The plot is so hush-hush, even I was not given a script (which we usually have so that we can break down the animal action as required). We had to train on-set for both animals, which can be a real challenge, no matter how simple the action seems (to the director or crew) or how good a trainer you are!

For the October days, I hired a real police horse, whose owner, a sergeant, came as his primary handler. Which was good, since we were shooting in a not-so-nice area of Detroit! The production company closed down I-75 for 8 hours for one of the police horse shoots, which I believe is the biggest stunt a film company has pulled off since the Michigan Film Incentive (MFI) was started in April 2008.

The other animal I was asked to find for the film was a white standard poodle.

I’ve been involved in the dog show scene for 15 years as an obedience and conformation exhibitor and as a vendor of my handmade porcelain dog breed jewelry. So I knew it would be difficult at this time of year to find the extreme show-groomed poodles, with the balls and flourishes. They are all on the road, being shown for those last-minute 2009 AKC standings, most with professional dog handlers.

But, luckily for us, Bunny and a few other young ones were available. Of those, he picked Bunny.

Bunny is a young white standard poodle bred and owned by longtime show exhibitor and Southeast Michigan Poodle Club president Patricia Jason of Saline. She was cast as a fancy dog wandering alone to fend for herself on the streets of the deserted city. We shot on a back street between the Compuware building and Greektown, just under the People Mover.

The script called for her to walk around from one mark to another, seemingly easy stuff. But when I, Pat and her daughter Danielle Sugai got there, we were asked to add a few other behaviors to make the scene more realistic.

This happens nearly every time I get to set with one of my animal actors! So I am always ready with my cooked garlic chicken (which I raise myself on my little farm next to the Pittsfield Preserve in Pittsfield Township).

So…on the one hand, Bunny is only 1.5 years old and prone to bouts of random silliness. On the other hand, poodles are one of the smartest breeds.

We were pretty sure she could do it.

Bunny had other ideas…

When the prop guys finished readying the set, we were allowed to work with her right there, where she would be (rummaging through broken-open grocery bags with cans and boxes spilled out on the ground and shoes and clothing scattered around- because the people had vanished).

Bunny seemed to be channeling Marilyn Monroe, who had a penchant for doing things her own way, much to the consternation of her directors.

Despite our efforts and the yummy bait, she went around, saying “Hi” to the crew, sniffing the props, eating some of the chicken and generally being a goofball.

At one point, a crew member, wearing a hoodie over his head and a variety of unusual-looking flashlight devices on the front of his clothing, came over to meet her and ask her name.

He knelt down, hugged and pet her for quite a while.

“Why all the lights?” Pat asked.

He smiled and said, “Oh, I just like flashlights.”

I said, “You look like a Star Wars character!”

A few minutes later, in better lighting, I took a good look at Bunny’s biggest fan, who was still doting on her.

“Are you Hayden?” I asked him.

“Yes, I am!” he said.

” Well,” I said, “I was kind of just kidding before but I guess you really were, like, the coolest Star Wars character- ever! ” (besides Han Solo).

It was nearly impossible to recognize him with his hoodie and makeup, which I’d say is true for most actors I’ve worked with, including Hllary Swank.

The cameras were set up. “ROLLING!” Brad yelled.

Pat released Bunny from stage right (the left side of the frame). Dragging her leash, Bunny went all the way into the set, to the bags, rummaged.

Showed her good side.

Did it right.

For a whole minute that seemed to last forever. I silently counted the seconds from the sidelines.

Danielle, standing next to me, at stage left (the right side of the frame) and I were cued via Walkie Talkie to call the dog.

We yelled, “BUNNY!”

Up shot her head. Exactly what they wanted.

Bunny looked around. Exactly what they wanted!

What was going on?! She was perfect!

Then we called “Bunny…baby, come!” and she sauntered off in our direction. Hayden runs into the scene, rummaging through the bags himself. Perfection.

Another take. Perfect again. No mistakes.

“CUT!” Brad yelled. “Moving on!” which meant, basically, that the dog was “wrapped!”

Ah, yes, the Force was strong in Bunny that night. I felt something, or someone was helping us.

It really was amazing that Bunny did the job so perfectly after all of those silly rehearsals. Pat and I had said Bunny’s performance could be in honor of Pat’s mother, who had sadly passed away just two days before.

Later, I was talking with the Humane Association representative and she said she’d ‘felt a presence’ on set helping us. I told her I did, too.

So, later, I thanked grandma, on the way home, for helping us with Bunny!
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When we caught up with Leguizamo last week, he was in Detroit, where he was preparing for a night shoot for the film “Vanishing on 7th Street” with Hayden Christensen and Thandie Newton.

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OH yeah i was at the movie shoot last night. Hayden Christensen gave me a xbox 360. it might be nothing to some people but….. A xbox 360, Great gift.
20 minutes ago from web

Via jacoblatimore


BTW, Jacob plays James in Vanishing.

thandie newton just wrapped our flick onward + upward
about 6 hours ago from mobile web

Via John Leguizamo

Unafraid of the Dark
Ready, Jedi, go! Plucked from relative obscurity to star in what will certainly be one of the biggest movies of all time, Hayden Christensen will soon be seen as Anakin Skywalker — the young Darth Vader originally played by Jake Lloyd — in ”Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones,” as well as in ”Episode III” (due in 2005). Here, the 20-year-old Christensen, currently performing on the London stage in Kenneth Lonergan’s ”This Is Our Youth,” talks about fake tans, instant celebrity, and the return of that jabbering alien.

You costarred in last year’s ”Life as a House” and are in the middle of a pretty tough play. Do you feel pressure to showcase your versatility before this role defines you?
I’m just letting it be. You can’t control how the public sees you or wants to see you. I’m going to go after the roles I want to play. Still, actors are associated with one or two roles. People say, ”De Niro? ‘Raging Bull’ or ‘Taxi Driver.”’ But I think Darth Vader is a cool role to be defined by.

Read More


Hollywood movie shot at RNC

‘Jumper,’ a Hollywood movie directed by Doug Liman, is to be released this spring. A scene for the movie was filmed at the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science (RNC) in February last year. Almost 100 members of staff traveled to the center, including Liman, renowned for his film ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’, and actor Hayden Christensen, of ‘Star Wars: Episode II—Revenge of the Sith’. Filming started at 7 am and wrapped up at 2 am the next day.

Hayden Christensen talks about farm work and love

Since Hayden Christensen played the smart Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars”, you can’t think of the young star brigade without him. Now, on top of that, a perfume was dedicated to the Canadian, who is engaged to “OC“ Star Rachel Bilson. With a sexy unbuttoned polo shirt the 28 year old is advertising the new male fragrance from Lacoste “Challenge“:

Instyle: On the campaign picture there is not one chest hair in sight. Are you waxing?
Hayden Christensen: (laughs) God, no, I never did that. It would hurt to bad. It wouldn’t really pay off, because haven’t got a lot of chest hair.

Instyle: People Magazine voted you one of the sexiest man in Hollywood. Do you like that?
Hayden Christensen: It’s flattering, but i get embarrassed, when someone asks me about it. I’m not really paying attention to my looks. It only takes me 15 minutes in the bathroom.

Instyle: Do you like the new Lacoste Challenge fragrance?
Hayden Christensen: The fresh scent of Lemon and orange and the heavy scent of ginger and dark wood, is reminding me of my fathers smell.

Instyle: What was your biggest challenge?
Hayden Christensen: My brother Tove, my sister Heijsa and I participated in the “Eco- Challenge” in Figi, when I was 21. It was a TV-adventure show, a 500 km race with 50 teams, who have to go threw the jungle on their own. There’s still a You Tube video.

Instyle: What do you like to do in your free time? Something adventures?
Hayden Christensen: I try to win tennis matches, and played against Mats Wilander in a Lacoste tournament for example. And I have a farm near Toronto with chickens and horses. That’s a good balance to Hollywood. We grow bio-vegetables and get our own power from solar-cells. I love to work on the farm and plow the land with my tractor.

Instyle: And your fiance is walking around in rain boots threw the mud?
Hayden Christensen: (laughs) We like to walk threw the woods. But I thinks she prefers to go shopping in Beverly Hills than farm work.

Instyle: Is she giving you styling tips?
Hayden Christensen: She sometimes buys shirts for me. But my favourite one, brought my grandma from Jamaica. It is a Hard-Rock-Cafe shirt.


Thanks Kathy!

Since he has played Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars”, is Hayden Christensen, 28, as one of Hollywood’s hottest newcomer. His good fortune that he has decided at 17 to an acting career. Up to that time they said the Canadian, who is now engaged with “OC” star Rachel Bilson, 27, also requires a career as a tennis star. Since it was a plus that Lacoste – the main sponsor of Roland Garros – he was elected as a testimonial for the new fragrance for men “Challenge”. In Paris, hit OK! the sympathetic Star to talk about vanity, challenges, and his wedding …

Truthfully: in the morning… how long do you need in the bathroom?

Well, Rachel definitely takes more time than I do. As soon as I get out of the shower, I’m ready.

Aren’t you ambitious when it comes to your looks?

I kind of don’t care about that. I believe beauty comes from within. That’s why it’s important for me that I’m clean, when I step out of the shower. I pay attention that I eat healthy and that my body stays fit. I was at a beautician once or twice, but facials just hurt too much.

That sounds so healthy. Don’t you have any vices?

I did smoke. Until I decided, that I don’t want that in my life anymore. You have to want it. Otherwise quitting won’t work.

You’re the face of “Challenge”- which fragrance did your fiancee give you lately?

None. She rather gives me something to wear.

Because she thinks you need a stylist?

No (laughs). I suppose, because she loves shopping. And she thinks, that I don’t press ( ? belabor?) her so much, if she comes back not only with lots of stuff for her, but with a nice shirt for me, too.

What was your biggest challenge?

To stay as you are in showbiz, even if other people try to tell you how to be. That’s a challenge. That’s why most of the time I ignore, what I hear about myself. Fame can be bizarre and I try to avoid Hollywood, whenever it is possible. I work there, but I don’t attend parties, because I’m not the type who wants to be photographed all the time.

Where do you escape?

I like traveling very much, because I love to discover new places. Plus, I own a house on the Bahamas and a farm near Toronto.

A real farm with animals and land?

Well, we don’t cultivate stuff that has to be sold. But we make our own hay. And right now, I built a barn for horses, so I can keep horses too – not only pigs, chickens and pheasants. Of course someone takes care of the farm, when I’m not there. But I love it there.

Your fiancee is a shopping girl. How does Rachel like life in the countryside?

(Laughs) She’s born in L.A. and grew up there. And imagining her wearing rubber-boots in the dirt is pretty impressing. But honestly: she thinks it’s great at the farm, but she also likes going back to Los Angeles for some shopping.

How far are plans for your wedding?

We haven’t set a date, yet. And we haven’t start family planning, yet. One day we’ll have kids and then we’ll decide where to live. But that’s nothing for the near future.


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Click both to enlarge

Hayden Christensen plays a TV reporter in the film

Cars appear to have been abandoned on a portion of I-75 in Detroit, a setting for “Vanishing on 7th Street,” a psychological thriller/horror movie that is filming locally.

A neon sign for a bar called Sonny’s glows in the night at an intersection in southwest Detroit. The cars in the street are parked haphazardly. The sidewalks are scattered with pieces of clothing, oddly enough.

Suddenly, a man and a woman run tentatively away from the bar. “Keep up,” says Hayden Christensen, who’s best-known for playing Anakin Skywalker in two “Star Wars” prequels. He’s talking to Thandie Newton, star of “Crash” and “Mission Impossible II.”

The actors are working on a scene for “Vanishing on 7th Street,” an independent movie that has aspects of a psychological thriller and a horror film.

The story involves a blackout and the mysterious disappearance of a city’s population. Five remaining people must try to figure out what they’re up against.

Detroit will play itself in the film. For this scene, the crew has turned an existing building on Junction Street into the exterior of a tavern.

The movie, which has a budget of around $10 million, needed a setting that would evoke the right look and feel for the subject matter. After considering locations in Iowa, Washington, New York and Canada, the filmmakers chose metro Detroit for creative reasons and for Michigan’s generous tax breaks for filmmaking.

“The city is such a character in the way we’re shooting the movie,” says producer Celine Rattray. “The city looks a combination of beautiful and, at times, haunting. We hope that it portrays Detroit in a beautiful light.”

The “Vanishing” team has been impressed by the architecture and friendliness of local communities as it’s gone about its scary-making business.

And in practical terms, when you’re shooting an eerie scene like the street exterior on this particular night, it’s easier to shut down locations and create an empty landscape in Detroit than it would be in a more crowded urban area.

Executive producer Kelly McCormick, who grew up near East Lansing, has been struck by the fact that “there’s beauty and there’s brilliance juxtaposed to extreme destitution and emptiness.”

Says McCormick, “What’s been amazing is that you’ll find empty streets without any trouble here. You’ll find empty buildings that are either still together or partly dismantled or ruined in some way, shape or form that show that people have sort of already vanished. And that’s really fascinating.”

The director is Brad Anderson, whose credits include the 2004 film “The Machinist” with Christian Bale, and several episodes of the Fox series “Fringe.” John Leguizamo also stars.

The cast and crew have filmed at several locations, including a portion of I-75, the movie theaters at Dearborn’s Fairlane Town Center and Detroit churches and bars.

Scenes were shot at WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) studios in Southfield, a handy setting because Christensen plays a TV reporter. Weekend anchor Dave LewAllen and traffic reporter Erin Nicole landed small parts.

Filming is supposed to be completed next week on the roughly five-week shoot. The movie is expected to be released next year.

McCormick finds hope in the fact that projects like this are discovering Detroit’s visual potential.

“It’s like, take advantage of what this landscape is,” she says. “In a sense, then we can rebuild or we can find something interesting in it or something valuable in it still, which, for us, is this awesome landscape that makes our movie look bigger than we ever thought it was going to look.”


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WRAPPED on “Vanishing on 7th St.” Sad to be done, but made great friends w/ Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, and Jacob Latimore. Also…!


..the other cast and GREAT crew. Special thanks to Mr. Brad Anderson, such an awesome director! Thanks to everyone! Luv, Taylor

All the best Taylor!

On the set of “Vanishing” with Hayden C. and Thandie Newton. She is beautiful, kind, and SUCH a great actress! Fun night…!

And

Update!!! Tomorrow, last shoot day on “Vanishing..” SO SAD! LOVE those people! Then Sunday I start “A Year in Mooring” in Traverse City!!!

Via taylorkg

OK can’t save the lafayette building or it’s beautiful crown of terracotta finials, but hey that telephone pole laying on the side of the road got a new life! Well a girl’s gotta eat gang and now that I’m a prop house for movies, when they want weathered telephone poles, I’m gonna find them. Oh I could get all maudlin about the madness of spending gobs of money building temporary artifices to tell stories while the real ones fall apart but hey, this is the most fun I’ve had in the salvage business and this movie racket might be the salvation for this old city afterall. Today I got to take my 10 year-old Wyatt downtown to to see the big action on the set of “Vanishing on 7th Street” and there on the street scene is the old Heritage Co. Sign they rented, and a neon sign of ours too, sweet. All that equipment, cranes and trucks, fake sidewalks and lights, people running around talking into headsets all in an old Detroit parking lot. We loved it. I dropped my sign off to them yesterday with the help of my painter friend David King. It just so happened they were painting the store fronts just then and gee could they use a muralist. So I dropped off David too and today admired his quick work painting David Bowie and Joey Ramone on the “record store”. Now I’m scrambling to get “props” ready for the new film on the scene “Crave”. Oh it’s fast and furious and these people work around the clock. As I write this, they are filming Vanishing and will be until midnight I guess. You gotta have stamina for that gig. I’m just happy to see all this weird stuff used, by people who think it’s cool, pal around with fun creative types and show my 10 year old how vast and clever and cool the real world can be.


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There’s nothing quite like that first hint of summer after a long chilly winter, and one sure-fire sign that it’s time to pack away the winter woolies is the highly anticipated return of Ford Fiesta Moonlight Cinema for another season of memorable movie-going under the stars.

Each year, Moonlight Cinema transforms the grassy embankment of the Belvedere Amphitheatre in Centennial Park into the ultimate outdoor cinema experience, showcasing an impressive schedule of classic, cult and new release films.

Valentine’s Day will again be a season highlight, with the premiere of New York, I Love You, the incredible anthology of stories from some of our most celebrated filmmakers. Set in one of the most loved cities in the world, New York, I Love You features an impressive ensemble of stars including Orlando Bloom, Natalie Portman, Ethan Hawke, Andy Garcia, Blake Lively and Hayden Christensen to name just a few.

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Today I shoot with Hayden Christensen and Thandie Newton!!! for new film “Vanishing on the 7th. Thank you Jesus!!
5 minutes ago from web

Via ShawntayDalon


Yet even more!

Movie being filmed is “Vanishing on 7th Street”. Hayden Christenson is in it.

Via Holli81

They just lit a car on fire outside our loft in Detroit. Filming of “Vanishing on 7th Street”. Awesome!

Via JaredDetroit

Working on “Vanishing on 7th Street” today.

Via AdamDeFilippi

Former Showtime executive Catherine Quantschnigg will run the division, which was formerly known as IM Global Home Entertainment but has beenrefocused to handle sub-$10m theatrical fare.

Shooting is underway on the Herrick Entertainment and Plum Pictures story starring Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, and John Leguizamo.

The story centres on an apocalyptic horror that engulfs the world following a mysterious blackout and is produced by Norton Herrick, Celine Rattray and Tove Christensen.


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Hah! I just saw Hayden Christensen in the lobby. Muuuch cuter in person. If I didn’t know he was staying here I wouldn’t have recognized him

He mentioned Hayden before not too long ago!

Hayden Christensen and John Leguizamo are staying at my hotel filming this in MI
7:46 AM Oct 27th from Echofon

dconstructionx


Thanks Trish!

I’ve also added 2 new Awake wallpapers made by myself. Hope you like them!

At a panel discussion after the film, the writer and co-director Harry Kloor discussed how he got into science through science fiction. Kloor holds PhDs in both physics and chemistry, but has also written for Star Trek: Voyager. Someone asked how he decided when to use very accurate science in the film, and when to use science fiction; the audience member gave the example that Dave the photon and Reina the neutrino could hear each other talk in space. Kloor reminded the viewer that it was a leap to have the photon and neutrino talk at all, and in cases where the story was clearly fictionalized they didn’t worry about scientific details. But, he says, whenever science is presented as science, it’s totally accurate. Kloor said kids seem to know where the science and the science fiction split–it’s adults who can’t seem to separate them. And perhaps Kloor is onto something in terms of combining science and fiction, by making it very clear when the film is discussing science and when it isn’t.


While I couldn’t quite figure out why (and was too happy to care) Kloor brought with him to the panel discussion four-time space shuttle astronaut Dan Barry. Barry has logged over 700 hours in space, with 25 hours in space walks working on the international space station. Over six feet tall and thin as a rail, Barry was a giant on the stage next to Kloor as they discussed science and entertainment. Barry discussed how he got into science through his desire to fly (“I was the kind of kid who jumped off everything…”), which eventually led him to a career as an engineer. In the Q&A, an audience member asked Berry about his experience in space, at which point he recounted, with awe and grace, the first time he looking down at the Earth on a space walk. He had made sure NASA bought him a new visor so he could see the whole thing clearly. His description of the colors, shapes, and gradients of the earth, compared to the pure blackness of space, had the whole audience silent. “You just can’t capture it with a camera,” he said. “You really have to go see it yourself.”


Quantum Quest is planned for wide release in February 2010.
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got depressing scene to shoot today 3 pages lots to learn
41 minutes ago from web

started movie in detroit. Vanishing. hayden christansenn is actually really good + thandie newtonis really hot. dont worry wifey. i spoken
41 minutes ago from web

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Also, yet another from the Assistant Editor, Jesse Averna.

‘Vanishing on 7th Street’ is looking AMAZING!
about 15 hours ago from Echofon

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