Character Desciptions

Disclaimer: These roles/actors are not set in stone

Sophie - Meryl Steep (4-90)
Leading Lady: Caucasian Woman (1919) who discovers a five rites yoga diet, exercise and mind set reverses the aging process so she looks/feels fabulous 30-40 in her 80's and 90's.

Clyde Benson – (5-91) Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman
Leading Man: Afro- American Man (1918) who is a billionaire business entrepreneur, investor who has stayed in shape since WWII doing the British Military Fitness

Mary Mariam- Phylicia Rashād (75-85)
Supporting Role: French Creole Woman (1925) who looks 50’s responsible for teaching Sophie Peterson the five rites yoga.

Jesse - (50) Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith D.D.
Mary's side kick, who helps Mary build her Five Rites community


Jessica Bates - Ali Brown (22-90)
Long time friend of Sophie

Jane Plain - Alanis Morissette or Jennifer Garner or even better Diablo Cody (30’s)
Supporting Role: Caucasian (1975) Narrator, fine sculptor, painter who is commissioned to document Sophie and Clyde’s fountain of youth and rags to riches story

Zoe – (1990) (8-25)
Supporting Role: Sophie’s precocious Caucasian grand daughter, Gail’s daughter

Mark Plain – Thomas Gibson or Ben Affleck (30)
Supporting Role: Caucasian, married to Jane Plain, loving supportive, chiropractor

Gayle – (1950) (40-80) Julianne Moore
Supporting Role: Caucasian, twin to Gary, widow, stressed single mom, nurse

Gary – (1950) (40) Jim Carrey
Supporting Role: Caucasian, twin to Gail, light hearted, comedian

Jessica Bates - (20-80) Ali Brown
Caucasian, bomshell blond and long time friend of Sophie

Heather- (40) Holly Berry
Cameo Role: Afro-American, Talented healer, clarinet and standup bass, heavily dressed street musician

T. J. (1890’s) – Cuba Gooding Jr or Will Smith
Supporting Role: Clyde Benson’s father

Sally Benson (1890’s) (35) - Oprah Windfry, Queen Latifah
Supporting Role: Clyde Benson’s mother, a healer, gardener, wise teacher, visionary

Karma Davids – (1890’s) (25)
Supporting Role: Sophie’s mother, French, seamstress

Patrick Davids – (1890’s) (30) Tom Hanks
Supporting Role: Sophie’s father - chemist, resourceful yet down on his luck after flood / 1930’s job change

Carl Davids - (1880’s) (30)
Cameo Role: Sophie’s strong, in the trades uncle

Pop Valette – (1840’s) (80) Sidney Poitier
Cameo Role: Grandpa who dispenses Mardi Gras wisdom and New Orleans history

Mrs. Boyle – (1880’s) (50)
Supporting Role: Intense, motherly church lady

Aunt Theresa – (1880’s)
Sophie’s stuffy, classy, Victorian proper aunt

Robin Peterson – (1917)
Cameo Role: Sophie’s late husband of 51 years, military man, tall, dark and handsome

Mrs. Peterson – (1870’s) (50)
Cameo Role: Sophie’s mother-in-law –big woman in wheelchair and joyous spirit

Jay Leno - Himself
Cameo Role:

Dennis Miller - Himself
Cameo Role:

Graham Greene - Himself
Cameo Role:

Adam Sandler – Himself
Cameo Role:

Kim – Sandra Oh (30)
Young, single mom, has a medical emergency and needs a huge fund raiser for surgery

Mitsu – (8)
Kim’s son, autistic, loving, loves yoga

Rachael- Alma Ludewig (30)
Jane’s Canadian, South American friend, gorgeous model, sweet

Seth- (19)
Troubled teen parent, diabetic in grey dirty hooded sweatshirt, who resorts to robberies

Sam- (19)
Cameo Role: Seth’s girl friend, former cheerleader, overweight mother

Baby Becca- (1)
Seth and Sam’s enfant

Chris- (8)
Sam’s violent, nerdy kid brother – looks like Ralphie on A Christmas Story

Kimberly- (25)
Cameo Role: Young bank teller

Charlie- (50)
Clyde Benson’s sharp investment partner, heavy, brick house of a man

Officer Gent (40)
Cameo Role:

What are the 11 steps to get your book published and selling?

Ebay has a great guide that Twilight Wish and Thriving Artist Press created. It's a 30 minute audio with 11 time and money saving tips to write, market, publish and sell your book. Great for new and seasoned authors. If you want to review the book for your email subscribers request a free copy here.

Think And Grow Rich

Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Read It. One five minute mental/desire exercise made me $20,000 within three months when I was 22. Imagine if I had read the whole book over a decade ago. Doh! Become a facebook fan of Five Rites Movie and get the five minute exercise that helped me get an unexpected $20,000 within the time I requested..

Movie Research for Five Rites

Since 1/1/09 When I Committed to Finishing My Script...

Movies I've watched in its entirety on YouTube in between writing
E.T.
Pay It Forward
Highlander (My Dad's T.V. --- We don't own one)
When Harry Met Sally
Catch Me If You Can
Erin Brockovich
Something's Gotta Give
House Sitter
Absent Minded Waiter

Scripts I've read while writing Five Rites
The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons
E.T.
Catch Me If You Can
Erin Brockovich
Slumdog Millionaire
Fight Club

Partial Scenes I've Watched Writng Five Rites
Russian Arc
"Frankie and Johnny" - Cyd Charisse in 'Meet me in Las Vegas'

Movies I've Watched at the Theater
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Up
Julie & Julia

Books Read During The Making of Five Rites Movie Script
Think and Grow Rich (rereading)
one exercise brought $20,000 when I was 22
The Science of Getting Rich

7 Things I loved about Up and the Fresh Air Interview

Thanks Fresh Air for your interview with Pixar veteran Pete Docte on "Up".

Here's the 7 Thinks I loved about Fresh Air interview with Pixar Director Pete Docte

1. I loved how Pixar sent half a dozen guys to South America with sketch pads and cameras to do research

2. It was neat how Jordan Nagai who had no intention of auditioning was picked for the part of the kid's voice Russell in Up when he came with his older brother who was there to audition.

3. It was cool how Elie Docte, the director's daughter was a fill in reader for the part of Young Ellie until actors like Ed Asner said they liked her voice and they assigned Elie Docte the roll.

4. During Terri's interview, Pete talked about the tricks they used to get Jorden Nagai a new actor to read his lines with certain emotions including running around the studio after memorizing a line and then saying it out of breath or being held up side down.

5. I had to go out to see it the same night after I listened to the podcast because I had to check out the silent montage of Ellie and Carl aging, in hopes to shorten 30 pages of my script, the Five Rites. The aging sequence done without dialog was powerful and as emotional as Docte promised!

6. I also had to check out the way Pixar did the old movie sequence choosing "adventure" music for the mock old newsreel clips since that is another scene... kids watching the 20's news clips.

7. I found it interesting the discussion of how the writers choose the villains for Up.

Once again "Fresh Air University" furthers my film education! Up was a delight. I give it two thumbs UP!

Russian Ark - Filmed with one Continuous Shot

There are many ways to do a film. Today's movie discovery fascinates me. Russkiy kovcheg (2002) or "Russian Ark" is an ENTIRE movie, 99 minutes long filmed in one day in one shot! It was the first feature film ever to be shot in a single take, filmed using a single 90-minute Steadicam tracking shot with 2000 actors and multiple orchestras. I recomend you rent it on Net Flix instead of watching the blurry version of "Russian Ark" on Youtube.com

Here's the synopsis told by Mrs. Bass on Yahoo answers:
"Told in one fluid shot, a tale which floats like a dreamlike journey through the majestic spaces of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, engaging real and imagined characters from Russian and European history. The nameless protagonist, a 19th-century French diplomat, guides the audience through a lost, sumptuous dream that was the Enlightenment period. The film, staged among some of the Western Art tradition's greatest masterpieces, climaxes in a pageant of color, motion, and music. For Sokurov, the Hermitage--home to generations of Romonovs and repository of so much Russian history--is the ark of the Russian soul, guarding it affectionately until the world sees better days. Source(s): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318034/

The Growing All Star Cast

What keeps me motivate as I do more edits before I send my script off to Craig Kellem, former SNL and HBO staff for edits and then to: Max Freedman in LA to take it to the next level? Why it's designing a story near and dear to my heart around an awe inspiring cast of characters. Here are my nominations so far:

CAST
Sophie – Meryl Streep
Heather- Holly Berry
Jane Plain - Alanis Morissette or Jennifer Garner or even better Diablo Cody... but no bangs please
Mark Plain – Thomas Gibson or Ben Affleck
Mary Mariam- Phylicia Rashād
Clyde Benson - Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman
T. J. – Cuba Gooding Jr or Will Smith
Sally Benson - Queen Latifah
Karma Davids -
Patrick Davids – Tom Hanks
Carl Davids -
Gayle – Julianne Moore
Gary – Jim Carrey
Pop Valette - Sidney Poitier
Mrs. Boyle -
Robin Peterson -
Mrs. Peterson -
Jay Leno - Himself
Dennis Miller - Himself
Graham Greene - Himself
Adam Sandler – Himself
Kim – Sandra Oh
Mitsu -
Rachael- Alma Ludewig
Seth-
Chris-
Sam-
Baby Becca-
Kimberly-
Harry-