LIVE Filmzine #275 September 2019

FILMZINE
los angeles
DEFROST releases on
VEER TV
JOHN DAVIDSON
CHRIS ATKINS
RANDAL KLEISER
Vol.14 Issue 275 MMXIX
#PEOPLE #INTERVIEWS #DINING #CHARITY #FILM #ENTERTAINMENT

The Porsche 2019 Macan
The Macan concept
We have proven that we will
not be dictated to. Do not follow
trends. But prefer to write our
own adventure stories. Such as
that of a compact SUV that inextricably
combines sportiness,
design and everyday practicality:
the new Macan.
www.porsche.com

From $49,000
Design
For us, aesthetics
are not simply superficial.
But always
an expression of our
personality.
5

Fender Game Of Thrones Sigil Guitars-
D.B. Weiss’ Personal Collection
Photography by Jodi Domingue
7425 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90046

In celebration of
Game of Thrones’
long-anticipated
final season, Fender
Custom Shop
has teamed up
with HBO to create
three unique masterbuilt
guitars,
each representative
of the houses
made famous by
the hit series.
(323) 874-1060
The trio, dubbed
the Game of
Thrones Sigil
Collection, includes
the Game
of Thrones House
Stark Telecaster;
the Game of
Thrones House
Lannister Jaguar;
and the Game of
Thrones House
Targaryen Stratocaster.
www.guitarcenter.com
7

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HOURS
DAILY 3-6PM
+ ALL DAY
THURSDAY
TRY OUR
RAT PACK
MANHATTAN
424 S Indian Canyon Drive

Wang’s was the original
Jilly’s. Reserve a table in
the den where
FRANK SINATRA
sat and
knocked
‘em back!
WITH
KOREAN
RIBS
760.325.9264
www.wangsinthedesert.com
Palm Springs, CA

HUNTER HAYES CUTLASS
The Hunter Hayes model is made from lightweight
alder with a premium roasted figured maple neck,
custom Ernie Ball Music Man pickups made to Hayes’
specifications, and a brass saddle piezo bridge system.
EBMM has included three volume knobs and a
five-way switch to ensure versatililty is a highlight of
this guitar. As with the previous signature designs, the
Hunter Hayes model features the guitarist’s signature
logo etched on the neckplate.
Further to the announcement of Ernie Ball Music Man’s
new Majesty models for 2019, the team at EBMM have
rolled out a number of other new models at this year’s
NAMM show.

A couple on the run from an
‘International Cult’ create a
blog to let the world know
about this tragic impending
doom.

presents a BRIAN NEIL HOFF film
STARRING
BRIAN NEIL HOFF . CAROLINA LIECHTENSTEIN . ARIC CUSHING . BILL MANTZ . DOMINIC HOLMS
TAIT PAULI . MAX SCHWARTZ . DAWN MARIE . JAQULINE . CHARISSA FARLEY . SCARLETT FRAZIER
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
BRIAN NEIL HOFF . CAROLINA LIECHTENSTEIN . JULI RAGSDALE . LEVVY CARRIKER
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
BRIAN NEILL HOLL . CAROLINA LIECHTENSTEIN
SCREENPLAY
BRIAN NEIL HOFF
EDITORS
JULI RAGSDALE . LEVVY CARRIKER

(310) 652-4202
www.whiskyagogo.com
8901 W. Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069

The Whisky A Go-Go has been an anchor
on Sunset Strip in the Los Angeles music
scene since its doors opened in 1964.
The Whisky has played host to rock’n’roll
legends from The Doors, Janis Joplin, Jimi
Hendrix, KISS and Led Zeppelin to today’s
rising stars, like Rocky Kramer.
The Whisky A Go-Go is the first live music
venue to be inducted into the Rock And
Roll Hall Of Fame. The Whisky is recognized
as a historic music landmark and is
the only surviving music venue to be inducted
into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame.
www.whiskyagogo.com
17

800 W. OLYMPIC BLVD., LOS ANGELES, CA 90015
213.542.4880
LOS ANGELES
Steps away from the famed Staples Center, Lucky
Strike L.A. Live stands apart as the brand’s most exciting
foray into chic nightlife entertainment. Dazzling
lights set the mood over 18 premium lanes, while local
DJs breathe life into the venue at the helm of our world
class sound system. Retreat from the excitement inside
our ultra-premium private Luxe Lounge, featuring
4 premium lanes, 2 competition-ready billiards tables,
and a full service private bar to fuel your fun! Gotta
catch the big game but nowhere to watch it? Take your
friends out to Lucky Strike and catch the big game
on their huge plasma TVs, all while enjoying some
hand-crafted libations from the expert mixologists. No
matter the occasion, Lucky Strike L.A. Live is the perfect
solution for an unforgettable experience.
www.luckystrikesocial.com

HOW LUCKY CAN YOU GET!
With over a decade of providing premium entertainment
for families, friends, and corporations across the U.S.,
Lucky Strike Entertainment continues its growth to becoming
more than just a bowling experience.
19

“GAME OF THRONES” EP-
ISODE “THE BELLS” SETS
SERIES RECORDS
“VEEP” SERIES FINALE IS SEASON
HIGH
GAME OF THRONES’ penultimate
episode, entitled “The
Bells,” which aired this past
Sunday, was watched by a
record 18.4 million viewers
across HBO’s platforms (linear,
HBO GO and HBO NOW),
exceeding the previous series
high of 17.8 million viewers two
weeks ago for the episode “The
Long Night,” focusing on the
Battle of Winterfell. In addition
to the series high for the night,
the 9:00 p.m. airing reached a
time-period high for GAME OF
THRONES, with an average of
12.5 million viewers, surpassing
the season seven finale of
12.1 million viewers. Season
eight of GAME OF THRONES
is averaging 43 million viewers
per episode in gross audience,
an increase of more than ten
million viewers when compared
to season seven.
The VEEP series finale, airing
just before 11:00 p.m., reached
a season-high 1.1 million
viewers. The first replay and
viewing on HBO’s streaming
services brought total viewing
to 1.6 million viewers, also a
season high.
Joe Dempsie. photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

21

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(213) 493-5312

www.spagirlcocktails.com
23

​1. Invocation (1:59)
2. Rock Star (5:18)
3. Alcohol (4:59)
4. The Firestorm Symphony
(5:06)
5. Go To Hell (6:53)
6. Entr’acte Confusion (2:16)
7. I Wanna Know (3:46)
8. Entr’acte Frustration (0:56)
9. Sick & Tired (4:52)
10. Entr’acte Deception (0:59)
11. Attitude (5:32)
12. Can You Feel It (5:51)
13. The Outsider (7:12)
14. Black & Brown (4:38)

FIRESTORM ON VINYL
Firestorm will be available on all popular
formats, including digital/streaming, CD and
vinyl. The vinyl version will be a limited edition
double set with a bonus Rocky Kramer
poster, and should satisfy every audiophile
out there, as it’s 45 RPM, 180 Gram virgin
vinyl and mastered by Bernie Grundman
himself at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
Firestorm comes out August 13 worldwide.

RANDAL KLEISER
GREASE DIRECTOR TALKS ABOUT HIS VR
DRAMA PROJECT DEFROST
Best known as the director of the
classic musical Grease (1978), Randal
Kleiser has made quite a departure for
his latest project – the virtual reality
drama series Defrost, which consists
of 11 five-minute episodes.
In a screening held in Beijing on April
27, Chinese technology writers and
others watched three episodes of
the series. Afterwards, the audience
had the chance to chat with Kleiser
through Skype.
All 11 episodes of Defrost were released
worldwide on April 25 on Veer,
a Beijing-based platform for VR content
set up by three young Chinese
entrepreneurs in 2016.
Kleiser tells the Post in a phone interview
that he used over US$300,000 of his own
money to make the film, the script of which
he finished even before he made Grease.
“My brother is a visual effects supervisor. He
has done many movies. He began his career
with Tron, the Disney picture. He always
shows me new things like digital make-up
and the Oculus Rift,” he says.
“I first tried Oculus four years ago. It was walking
through a villa in Italy in 3D. I was able to
walk around, go up the steps, look out and see
it all as if I was really there. It blew me away. I
wanted to figure out how to do a drama with it.
I thought of the script that I had written a long
time ago and I adapted it to VR.”

Defrost takes place in 2045 and revolves around
the experiences of Joan, who was cryogenically
frozen after suffering from a stroke and woke up
after three decades. Instead of being happy for
her reunion with family, she was weak, confused
and at the mercy of a dubious doctor who cares
more about showcasing her as a successful
medial experiment than her well-being.
Donning VR goggles, the audience assumes the
perspective of Joan, witnessing her encounters
with her relatives and medical personnel firsthand.
Kleiser says each of the five-minute episodes
was done in one take with no cuts. “I got the
actors to rehearse how to move within the five
minutes. It’s like a small play for each episode.
When we rehearse for each episode, we have
an actress in the wheelchair, so the other actors
can interact with her.
“When we are shooting, we put her out and put
in a dummy [with a VR camera in the place of a
head] instead. That’s how we are able to create
the emotions [felt by Joan, which are in turn felt
by the audience].”
In 2015, Kleiser directed his first play The Penis
Chronicles, about the uncertainties of eight New
York men over their sexuality and masculinity.
He says that experience has helped him with
making Defrost.
“If I hadn’t done that play I would not have been
able to do Defrost very well. I learned how to
direct the audience’s attention without having a
camera or lens or [film] editing. [I learn how to]
just do it all in one wide shot.”
In spite of the huge resources tech titans like
Samsung and Facebook poured into developing
VR headsets and the heated hype regarding the
potential of the technology, VR is still a niche
industry with only techies and hard core video
game fans willing to buy the expensive headsets.
Kleiser says for VR to revolutionalise the filmmaking
industry, the technology has to overcome
hurdles regarding definition and user comfort.
“Each episode of Defrost is only five minutes
long because people who use VR only like to
be in it for five minutes at a time. Right now, the
headsets are kind of clunky and uncomfortable.
As the technology of the head mounted displays
get better, lighter and easier, people might probably
want to stay in it longer.
“Right now, we are at [only] 4K [definition].
[However], 16K is [the level of definition] which
is supposed to be close to the way the human
eyes see. So we have a long way to go to make
it look totally real.”
Defrost is not Kleiser’s first brush with cutting-edge
technology. Working in 70mm 3D, he
directed Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, which
ran for over 10 years at the Disney Parks in Anaheim,
Orlando, Tokyo and Paris.
Kleiser has also developed a virtual-reality
simulator for the US government to train soldiers
to handle improvised explosive devices in the
Middle East.
“I really enjoyed doing that project,” he says. “I
have met one of the soldiers that went through
the training. He went to Afghanistan and he
was blown up in a Humvee and the training
helped him survive.
It was very exciting to know that I have actually
helped people survive an explosion. The
simulator is still being used. All the people
going to Afghanistan have to go through this
training before they leave.”
In spite of VR’s current shortcomings, Kleiser
is full confidence in its future potential. He
is also ready to make the second season of
Defrost if he can find investors.
“There’s nothing like VR. You feel like you’ve
really been there and experience the movie,
rather than watch it. I like the idea of [the
audience being the first-person immersive
viewer]. There’s no other medium which
does it.”
27

EXPLORING THE FUTURE OF VIRTUAL REALITY ENTERTAINMENT
DEFROST takes place in the year 2045, when liquid nitrogen is now commonly
used to freeze patients until remedies for their illnesses are developed.
The series follows the experience of Joan Garrison as she wakes up from her
frozen state after thirty years. She reunites with her family, but the reunion is
bittersweet, as the passage of time has caused her loved ones to
become strangers. Defrost was filmed in 360° and 3D, allowing
audience members to witness the story directly from Joan’s perspective.
The result is an intimate and immersive experience.

Defrost takes place in the year 2045, when liquid nitrogen is commonly used to freeze patients
until remedies for their illnesses are developed. The film follows the experience of
Joan Garrison as she wakes up from her frozen state after thirty years. She reunites with
her family, but the reunion is bittersweet, as the passage of time has caused her loved
ones to become strangers.
Defrost was filmed in 360° and 3D, allowing audience members to witness the story directly
from Joan’s perspective. The result is an intimate and immersive experience.
THE CAST

RANDAL KLEISER
Randal Kleiser has been an internationally known film director since the
release of his first feature, Grease. Other credits include The Boy in the
Plastic Bubble, The Blue Lagoon, Summer Lovers, Flight of the Navigator,
White Fang, Big Top Pee-wee, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, North Shore, and
the 1996 AIDS drama It’s My Party. With George Lucas, he produced the
educational course: The Nina Foch Course for Filmmakers and Actors.
He has always been interested in cutting-edge technology. Working in
70mm 3-D, he directed Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, which ran for over
a decade at the Disney Parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo, and Paris. This
led to the US government signing him to develop a virtual-reality simulator
to train soldiers to deal with Improvised Explosive Devices in the Middle
East.
www.randalkleiser.com
TANNA FREDERICK
Tanna Frederick is a producer, director, actress, and activist. In her decade
plus collaboration with indie film icon Henry Jaglom, she has starred
in and helped produce six of his feature films, including the recently
released, The “M” Word, the highly anticipated, Ovation, and three of his
plays, including Train to Zakopane, which just completed a run at the
Edgemar Theatre in Santa Monica.
Frederick — who got her start performing at the Steben’s Children’s
Theatre and then the University of Iowa — is also a mainstay of the Los
Angeles theatre community. She has starred in successful productions
of A.R. Gurney’s Sylvia, Richard Nash’s The Rainmaker — which was a
Los Angeles Times Critic’s Pick — and Claire Chafee’s Why Why Have a
Body, which also marked Frederick’s directing debut.

DEFROST VR series launched on OCULUS.com
as well as Samsung.com and VeeR.tv
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go/2082295031881868/
The cast of Defrost including Colleen Camp,Harry Hamlin, Tanna Frederick and Christopher Atkins.(Photo: Mani Perezcarro)

Harry Hamlin, Christopher Atkins, Bruce Davidson
Tanna Frederick, Veronica Cartwright, Randal Kleiser

Jostein Odland
Attended
Rocky Kramer’s
album release party for
FIRESTORM
(www.alliedartists.com)
in Los Angeles, CA
Then a visit to
Palm Springs , CA

Jostein Odland
in CALIFORNIA

American Ninja Warrior: Season 11 Premiere
NBC’s high-octane obstacle course competition series “American Ninja
Warrior” returns for season 11 on Wednesday, May 29, 2019 (8-10
p.m. ET/PT). The show moves to its regular timeslot on Monday, June
17.
Hosted by Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila along with sideline
reporter Zuri Hall, the action-packed series follows competitors as they
tackle a series of challenging obstacle courses in city qualifying and
city finals rounds across the country. This year “American Ninja Warrior”
makes stops in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Baltimore,
Cincinnati and Seattle/Tacoma, where for the first time we will shoot
indoors at the famed Tacoma Dome.
Last season the show introduced some significant changes, including
an 18-foot Mega Warped Wall, which allowed competitors to instantly
win $10,000, and lowered the age limit from 21 to 19, ushering in a
new generation of ninjas. This season, several new obstacles and rule
changes await the competitors, including a challenging twist to the
Mega Warped Wall and the introduction of bonus obstacles that offer a
competitive edge.
Ninjas that successfully complete the finals course in their designated
region move on to the national finals round in Las Vegas, where they
face a multi-stage course with up to 23 obstacles. The ninja who completes
all four stages – including the final 75-foot rope climb – takes
home a grand prize of $1 million. If no competitor finishes all four stages,
the ninja that advances the farthest (and the fastest) on the course,
also known as the “last ninja standing,” will take home $100,000.
Based on the global hit “Sasuke,” from the Tokyo Broadcasting System
Television, the original series is now in its 36th season in Japan.
The series is executive produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions’
founders Arthur Smith and Kent Weed along with Brian Richardson,
Anthony Storm and Kristen Stabile.
Please visit the official show site at: http://nbc.com/american-ninja-warrior
For the latest “American Ninja Warrior” news, videos, and photos,
please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
https://www.facebook.com/nbcninjawarrior
https://www.twitter.com/nbcninjawarrior
#NBCNinjaWarrior

Songland:
Premiere
You know the award-winning
voices. You know the
chart-topping hits. Now
discover where the magic
behind the music really
happens. Welcome to “Songland.”
Every artist is looking for one
thing – their next great song.
NBC’s new groundbreaking
series “Songland” serves as
a destination for music’s biggest
stars to find their next hit
and represents a new chapter
for music in television.
Undiscovered songwriters
are put center stage as they
pitch their original creations
to top recording artists and a
panel of chart-topping music
producers in the hopes of
creating the artists’ next big
hits.
The 11-episode series is an
authentic peek into the creative
process of songwriting
and provides one talented
winner per episode with the
opportunity to have their
song recorded and released
worldwide by chart-topping artists.
Featured guest recording
artists include Jonas Brothers,
John Legend, Charlie Puth,
Meghan Trainor, will.i.am,
OneRepublic, Kelsea Ballerini,
Macklemore, Aloe Blacc, Old
Dominion and Leona Lewis.
Each week one guest recording
artist comes to “Songland”
to hear unknown songwriters
pitch their original material.
Four songwriters will perform
their original tracks in front of
the guest artist and three of the
most successful and sought-after
producers in music – Ryan
Tedder (lead singer of OneRepublic
and four-time Grammy
Award-winning songwriter and
producer of Adele, Taylor Swift
and Beyonce), Ester Dean
(Grammy-nominated songwriter
and producer of Rihanna,
Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, as well
as an actress, having starred
in the “Pitch Perfect” film franchise)
and Shane McAnally
(Grammy-winning songwriter
and producer of Kacey
Musgraves, Kelly Clarkson

and Sam Hunt with 38 #1 country
records and 2019 ACM Songwriter
of the Year). Each song’s lyrics,
arrangements, beats, melody and
story will be considered by the panel
as the producers and guest artist
engage in a lively discussion about
ways to creatively adapt them to
better fit the style and sensibility of
the recording artist of the week.
After the performances, the mega-recording
artist will choose three
songwriters to move forward to the
studio and pair them each with the
producer best suited to perfect their
song. In the studio, the songs will
take shape in unexpected ways as
the songwriter and producer duos
work together to win over the recording
artist. In the end, a winner
will be chosen and their song will
be recorded and released for a
global audience.
“Songland” is executive produced
by Emmy Award-winning producer
Audrey Morrissey (“The Voice”),
director Ivan Dudynsky, Eurythmics
co-founder Dave Stewart, Chad
Hines, and multi-Grammy-winning
recording artist and Maroon 5 lead
singer Adam Levine. Josh Gummersall
will serve as producer along
with Ryan Tedder. The concept was
devised by Stewart, Morrissey and
Dudynsky.
Attending the STXfilms CinemaCon Presentation were Director Peter
Segal (top left), Producer Logan Coles and Chadwick Boseman
(center left), Henry Golding, STXfilms Chairman Adam Fogelson
and Katie Holmes (center), Diane Keaton and Zara Hayes (right)
and Pitbull, Adam Fogelsojn and Kelly Clarkson (bottom)
“Songland” is produced by Live Animals
in association with Universal
Television Alternative Studio, Dave
Stewart Entertainment and 222
Productions.
39