C-U Blogfidential

A preview in The Hollywood Reporter covers the upcoming 10th edition of Roger Ebert’s Film Festival in Champaign, IL, revealing that the opening night attraction is a 70mm print of HAMLET (1996), directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Several articles report on the passing of this former Champaign-Urbana student and photographer, who was involved in the rise of Ron Epple’s Expanded Cinema.

Article in Champaign daily The News-Gazette about the Lincoln FilmFest, planned by former Ebertfest executive director Nancy Casey and C-U historian Dannel McCollum, to take place March 13-15, 2009, at the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign. Also, your editor ruminates about a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Article in Champaign daily The News-Gazette about Carl Deal, who won the Grand Jury Prize for documentary filmmaking at this year’s Sundance Film Festival for the feature, TROUBLE THE WATER, along with Tia Lessin. Also, your editor bitches about bad reporting by others that indirectly thwarts the C-U Blogfidential mission.

Article in Bloomington (IL) daily The Pantagraph about the producers of the WILL-TV program, PRAIRIE FIRE, filming scenes in Funks Grove, Illinois, for an upcoming episode depicting the early life of Abraham Lincoln.

Articles in Champaign daily The News-Gazette about the discussion of an independent recommendation to establish a fifth local public-access channel that would be jointly operated by Champaign and Urbana. Also, your editor bitches about something he already bitched about earlier this year.

Article in Champaign newspaper The Daily Illini about the debut of JEAN SHORTS, a half-hour comedy directed by University of Illinois students Sam Copeland and Roshan Murthy.

Former C-U artistic troublemaker Hart D. Fisher swears that his C-U horror movie, THE GARBAGE MAN, is thisclose to terrorizing a video store near you … and hopefully not just ones in C-U.

Article in Champaign daily The News-Gazette about Paxton, IL, residents bemoaning the destruction of the Paxton Majestic Theatre in the downtown area, completely gutted by a fire on Tuesday.

Article in Champaign daily The News-Gazette about the taping of a segment for NBC’s The Today Show in Champaign-Urbana featuring University of Illinois men’s basketball coach Bruce Weber, freshman walk-on player Jeff Jordan, and his father Michael Jordan. Also, your editor bitches (for the first time in a while) about a usual suspect.

Article in Champaign daily The News-Gazette about the sale of the Twin Cinemas in Villa Grove to Bill and Tana Hayes, who have rechristened the theater Gemini Cinemas.

Article in Champaign newspaper The Daily Illini about the six-part, student-made serial ONE FINE DAY!, the first episode of which will debut October 4, 2007, on YouTube.com.

Article in Urbana newspaper The Public i about the case brought against the Champaign School District by the late Vashti Cromwell McCollum, challenging the presence of sectarian religious classes in public schools. Also, your editor explains its inclusion here.

Article in Champaign daily The News-Gazette about the production of a video by Australian filmmaker Christopher Faull, featuring students from Franklin Middle School in Champaign. Plus, your editor bitches about the usual.

An Associated Press story in The Los Angeles Times reports that Roger Ebert’s signature “thumbs up/thumbs down” coda has become a sticking point in the film critic’s contract negotiations with his television producer, Disney-ABC Domestic Television. Also, your editor wonders out loud, “If Hef gets a biopic, why not Ebert?”