DEADWOOD BLOG

Mr. Mark McCaw sends an update: 

Hey everyone.  Hope all is well with all of you.  Just got back from Utah a couple of weeks ago and thought I would show you what our car looks like this year.  Bonneville is a pretty neat place if you like sun, salt, hats, sunglasses, skinny women, and fast cars.  The car has two different  4cyl dodge motors which are new this year.  We ran the small motor first on two runs at 225 MPH, then we changed motors with another 4 cyl and ran 325 MPH but burned a piston out of it at the three and a half mile marker.  Still had another mile and a half to go.  No telling what that little motor would have done in five miles. 350? 370?  The boss wants to go 400 and it just might happen in the future.  The crew thought they would have a little fun with me and my bud, Russ.  Seems like none of them can grow whiskers so they improvised.  The picture tells the story.  Also included a picture of me and John "ugly" Morris from "Wild Hogs."  Not bad work for three days.  Dont know who the little blonde was but I havent seen her or ugly since that day.  Go fiqure.  Till next time, everyone take care.

Mark "Schitz" McCaw        

This is a photo of:

Somewhere beyond the never-ending sky, Damon V searches for answers as Man's quest for the perfect Ketchup Commercial controls his soul. 

Coming this fall to FOX, Damon Viola is Dam V in the new sophomoric thriller, "Hey, You Spilled Something On Your Shirt."  Come for the clever use of Ketchup, stay for the nose tweaking surprises.

Okay, here's the rub!  Damon Viola and David Jackson recently got together and produced a Heinz Commercial for an upcoming competition.  They rounded up some of the boys from DW, shot it, and now have it ready to go.  

Once they get the submission stuff straightened out, I think we can all vote for it online (if, of course, you feel so inclined) -- we'll post more info here when the competition gets underway.  But you can take a look at it now on You Tube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NovdLkyxQKM

or here:

CAST
Gunslinger: Mike Dixon
Bartender: Boy Wyld
Server: Craig Patterson
Saloon Dog: Jake

CREW
Story: David Jackson, Damon Viola
Director: David Jackson
Camera: Damon Viola
Editor: Damon Viola
Set Graphics: Damon Viola
Lighting: David Jackson, Damon Viola
Craft Services: Do you need to ask? (See names above)

BACKGROUND
Jesse Wilde
David Jackson
Damon Viola

Here's a news article about the two DEADWOOD movies from the:

Get on the bus, Gus!... or is that Jesse? 

LOS ANGELES, CA, March -- From Malibu to Manhattan Beach and Pasadena to S. Monica, a rumble can be heard as the Mitzvah Mobiles roll back into town.  These Mitzvah Mobiles, or “Tanks” as they’re sometimes called, will once again serve as portable educational and outreach centers for West Coast Chabad.

The all-new Mitzvah Tanks sport a complete makeover by noted artist Marc Lumer.   Lumer created designs, animations and illustrations for a variety of magazines and advertising agencies throughout Europe.

Damon Viola

Fun Fact: The Mitzvah Wagons of 1878 had this image painted on them.

Hey Kids...

   So, i've been threatening to put together a side project for years, and I've finally done it! We have Kelly Di Martino on Keys, Evan Slamka from Marjorie Fair on Bass and the Alesis SR-16 on Drums. It's a world away from King Straggler, (don't worry, the band is still in tact, Straggling on). I won't describe it, I'll let y'all create your own definitions, (if you come up with a good one I'll use it in my next announcement), but it's got a good beat, you can dance to it.. We're playing on Wednesday night at my favorite dive bar in Hollywood, Crane's, at 10 o'clock sharp. It's free, drinks are cheap and the people are friendly. Hope y'all can make it out, it's kind of an special night for me and all support is much appreciated...

Who? Rodney Eastman, (Don't have a band name yet)
What? Hmm.. Sad songs you can dance to?
Where? Crane's Hollywood Bar and Grill; 1611 El Centro Blvd, Hollywood CA, 90028
When? Wednesday, March 7th at 10:00 PM SHARP!
Why? You gotta try new things every once in a while...

Thanks

Rodney
www.myspace.com/rotney
www.kingstraggler.com

Hey,

Does anyone have a photo of big John Stapp gazing at those silver high heels in Date Movie?

I won't say anymore.

Check out the results of Carl Virden's trip to South Carolina.

At the Clemson site, click on VIDEO: POWER OF THE PEN

http://www.clemson.edu/TGC200/

Brian Johnson sent news:  

GT Holme died recently. He was SAG so we didnt see him much on Deadwood, but he was one of the originals from the first season.

 

He is seen in this picture from another set... He is the one wearing the Sherriff badge.

Also,

Big John Stapp has been regularly updating the Casting Tip-Line.  Thanks John!

When you get to the Casting Tip-Line page, go to the last entry to see the most recent info.  The old posts have not been deleted because there's some great contact information for those who haven't been keeping up with the new stuff.

And, you can keep an eye on the "Recent Comments" area on the sidebar (then just click on the comment to go to it) for a direct connection to the Casting Updates.

http://deadwood.blog.com/697294/

Jackson Bolt emails:

Just thought I would drop you a line and let you know that I'm in KC, MO and that I have opened my own stunt company -- the only one here.  I also have my first gig on a film called Last Breath: Stunt Coordinator.  Once things pick up I will start drawing on talent from LA rather than train newbies who think they know the bizz. So if you know anyone who has stunt talents and wouldnt mind working for me, let me know .

 

Jackson

 

and just because he makes me laugh:

Mick Lea

Lastly, we'll try to keep regular updates here, and as Deadwood (the show) gets ready to resume its path, we'll be more active with this site.  Thanks to everyone who adds to and visits Deadwood Blog.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

from Deadwood Blog & Damon Viola

Thank you, Damon Viola!

And, have you seen this email?

I'm told that there is a huge rock near a gravel pit on Hwy.25 in rural Iowa. For generations, kids have painted slogans, names, and obscenities on this rock, changing its character many times. A few months back, the rock received its latest paint job, and since then it has been left completely undisturbed. It's quite an impressive sight. Be sure to scroll down and check out the multiple photos (all angles) of the rock. I thought the flag was draped over the rock, but it's not. It's actually painted on the rock too.

Click on a photo to enlarge.

Here's the artist Ray "Bubba" Sorensen.

AWESOME Work, RAY...Thank you!

"God Bless America" & "OUR SOLDIERS AND VETS"

Hey Kids...

 "One door closes and another opens."

 King Straggler will be playing a rare all acoustic gig this Saturday, Dec 16th at Highland Grounds, 742 N. Highland Ave. This is gonna be a bitter-sweet show folks. Sweet, cause Highland Grounds is where King Straggler played their first show ever, back in the old days, before they had a drummer or bass player, so it'll be nice to play for an evening in the bands original incarnation. But as it began, so shall it end... (here comes the 'bitter' part). This will be one of the last evenings that Highland Grounds will be hosting live music. A venue which has supported great independant singer-songwriters for well over a decade and hosted one of the most consistent weekly open mikes ,(and lets not forget, gave the Straggs their start), will sadly be adopting a new formula that unfortunately will no longer feature live music. So come on down this Saturday and see where it all began and celebrate the end of a great era. Join us for the end of this first chapter, we're all real excited to see what happens next...

Who? King Straggler
What? A final tribute to our roots
Where? Highland Grounds 742 N. Highland Ave. L.A. CA (just N. of Melrose)
When? Saturday, Dec 16th, 9:30 (believe it!)
Why? Moment of Silence for Highland Grounds...Then we're gonna swing it babe!

See y'all there...

King Straggler
myspace.com/kingstraggler
www.kingstraggler.com

The Deadwood BG rides together again.  This time a group of us worked for close to a week on the feature "From Mexico with Love".  This is a movie set in a small border town in Texas.  It's about an immigrant boxer from Mexico who crosses the border to ultimately do battle with the local champ.

Deadwood BG were represented by Jesse Wilde, Damon Viola, Bob Wyld, Jim Bratcher, John Ammons, Mark Lawrence, Bert Lanham, and Townswoman Phyllis Avellano.  Rumor has it that there were other Deadwood people there including a couple of crew members who worked for a time at Melody Ranch.

For more about this movie go to their website:
http://www.frommexicowithlove.com/mexico/

Hey Kids...

Get all dolled up this Thursday, Nov 30th for King Straggler at Social on Sunset....

Who? King Straggler
What? An evening of new movements and vintage classics...
When? Thurs, November 30th. 9:00PM.
Where? Social on Sunset~6525 Sunset Blvd
Why? Well, why the hell not?

myspace.com/kingstraggler
kinstraggler.com

WIN BEN STEIN'S COMMENTARY: 

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on a CBS Sunday
Morning Commentary.

Herewith a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important?

I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife. Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.

Next confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.  It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians.
 
I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.
      
But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events, terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.  Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school .. the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK. Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW." Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.  Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.  Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards .. honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein