Wanted to put a plug in for a great doc I saw a few weeks back...

Hell On Wheels is the fascinating story of the rebirth of modern day roller derby that started in Austin, TX. The film portrays all the drama, blood, sweat and tears that went into a movement that ignited a national and international Roller Derby Revival.

Amanda and I were lucky enough to see the film in front of a home town crowd in Austin, when we were there for the National Rollerderby Championships. Director Bob Ray shot the film over a 5 year period and it features some great derby footage and even better beyond the scenes footage, showing all that it takes to bring a league to life.

After premiering at SXSW, the film has gotten positive nods from The Onion A/V Club and Cinematical amongst others while on the fest circuit.

It will play this Friday 10/19 at the IFC Center as part of CMJ's Film sidebar.... The screening is sponsored by NYC's own roller derby league, The Gotham Girls.
Go see it!

Come one - come all...
Bronx Gridlock vs. Manhattan Mayhem!
buy your tickets now!

TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR THIS SAT - JUNE 16!
Brooklyn Bombshells vs. Manhattan Mayhem!

Last Friday's sold out nail biter between Bronx and Queens (118-107) started the season off right and this upcoming Saturday's game between Brooklyn and Manhattan promises the same furious speed and adrenaline fans saw last week - and more!

Gotham moves uptown to the campus of CCNY on 138 & Convent in Harlem (near 138th and Amsterdam) for the rest of the season. Get your tickets now - they won't last! http://www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com

This past February was the third anniversary of filmmaker Sarah Jacobson's passing. Sarah was an unforgettable woman with a BIG personality as well as a trailblazer for indie filmmakers everywhere, who left this world way before her time.

The non-profit The Free History Project is offering a film grant in honor of Sarah's spirit. In their words the grant is for "one or more female filmmakers whose work embodies some of the things that Sarah stood for: a fierce DIY approach to filmmaking, a radical social critique, and a thoroughly underground sensibility."

Sarah and her feature Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore will forever hold a special place in my heart: one of my first jobs out of film school was working on Mary Jane which was quite an experience and coincidentally how I got to meet the woman I'm married to today.

I know this is quite a bit after the fact... but like many others, their work is an essential part of my growing up. These guys made some of the most amazing cartoons - all hand drawn, something that would be unheard of today.

Hanna, who died in March 2001, once said he was never a good artist but his partner could "capture mood and expression in a quick sketch better than anyone I've ever known."

It's a rare thing these days to hear an actress talk about the things that matter when you're a woman in hollywood: Your weight and your age. Today's tip of the hat goes to Ms. Patricia of the clan Arquette as quoted on WENN:

Patricia Arquette was outraged when she was asked to lose her baby weight for her role as psychic detective Allison Dubois in TV series Medium - because the character is a mother of three. The True Romance star, sister of David Arquette and Rosanna Arquette, refused to slim for the motherly role, insisting the request simply didn't make sense. She says,

"When I started Medium I'd gained a stone and a half from having my daughter Harlow. The producer said, 'Honey, you've got to lose some weight.' I felt like saying, 'I don't want to do this job then,' because, to be honest with you, I'm trying to make little changes in the world. If it made any sense for this part - if this part was a supermodel or anorexic - then okay. But DuBois is a mother of three in a long-term marriage. It doesn't make sense."