ECA LogoThe Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) has announced that this year that chapters throughout the United States and Canada will be the participating in “Gamers for Giving” as a way to team up with food banks and help put a stop to hunger.

We have two pieces of news to release on the ECA food drive initiative. First up is from Josh Hughes, Zookey of Team KAIZEN, regarding their local ECA chapter’s support in Great Falls, Montana. This particular chapter of the ECA is focused on representing themselves as an Indie Game Developer Chapter.

Hello everyone! As some of you know, Team KAIZEN and Add-A-Tudez have teamed up with the Entertainment Consumers Association (www.theeca.com) to make an Indie Game Developer Chapter. The ECA is basically AAA or AARP for gamers, members get discounts at a bunch of places and the ECA keeps members up to date on legal and social issues that could affect gaming. Earlier this year, Trevor and I went to Washington DC with the ECA to have sit down sessions withseveral members of Congress (including the staff of Senator Jon Tester) to discuss how policy affects gaming. The focus of the Indie Chapter (which is an internet wide group based out of Great Falls) is centered around 3 pillars:

A) Support Game Entrepreneurship and show people how to make games and break into the industry.
B) Show how video games can be a pathway to active citizenship both through charity work and civil engagement (like when we went to Washington DC).
C) Support initiatives to get game design in the classroom (like the work we do with Great Falls Public Schools and LittleBigPlanet Club).

In the spirit of option B there we are pleased to announce our support of the ECA-wide food drive! All ECA chapters are currently collecting food for their local food banks to help those who need the most during the holiday season. If you’d like to help out and have your donation attributed to the Indie Chapter, simply donate food to your local food bank and report back to me on it! If you’re in the Great Falls area and want to jam out while donating, we’re teaming up with the 406 Club to have a Great Falls Food Bank collection bin at the Freaker’s Ball this Saturday, October 27th. Please swing by, drop off some donations and rock out with us to a huge list of regional rock banks from the Helligans to Switch Off Safety and Hell City Kitty to M-79!

Below is the press release from the ECA regarding the food drive, if you have more questions about the drive, the ECA or the Indie Chapter please let me know!

Second, the official press release from ECA Vice President of Marketing, Heather Ellertson, is as follows:

WILTON, CT – October 23, 2012 – The Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA), the membership organization which represents gamers, today announced that chapters are lending their support and providing food drive in locations all across the US and Canada where the respective chapters are located. The ECA is asking its members and the gaming community to help support this mission and get involved. You can join a chapter or (form one if there isn’t already one in your area) by visiting http://www.theeca.com.

“We look for ways in which to help communities in need.” said Heather Ellertson, ECA Vice President of Marketing. “Our chapters are a great way for gamers to get involved in the gaming community and to partake in activities with others who share similar interests. They each have their own activities and events that they do, such as game nights or membership drives. They help drive ECA campaigns, and are used for focus groups and beta testing. We are pleased that our chapters, will be the driving force behind this years “Gamers for Giving” food drive.”

About The ECA

The ECA is the membership organization which represents consumers of interactive entertainment in the US and Canada. The association was founded to give gamers a collective voice with which to communicate their concerns, address their issues and focus their advocacy efforts. As such, the ECA is committed to a host of public policy efforts, empowering and enabling the membership to effect change. Additionally, the organization provides members substantial affinity benefits including discounts on games-related purchases and rentals, as well as community and educational initiatives. For additional information on the ECA, including affinity benefits, member discounts and joining the association, please visit: www.theECA.com

ECA Media Contact:

Heather Ellertson
Public Relations
(203) 761-6186
heather@theeca.com

We hope that you’ll support your local food bank along with everyone else during “Gamers for Giving”.

Mobile Mardi Gras Flag

We all know that Mardi Gras started in Mobile, Alabama (contrary to what those will tell you who live in New Orleans). So why not enjoy Mardi Gras where it started?!

Mobile is known for having the oldest organized Carnival celebrations in the United States, dating to the 18th century of its early colonial period. It was also host to the first formally organized Carnival mystic society or “krewe” in the United States, dating to 1830.

Here’s the schedule for the 2012 Mardi Gras events happening in the Mobile, Alabama area:

Mobile, Alabama (courtesy of the Mobile Bay CVB) —

The great evil of the modern day Internet: SOPA. The Stop Online Piracy Act, or as it’s formally known H.R. 3261, which threatens Freedom of Speech and Expression on the Internet. The Bill titles itself with the very false objective – “To promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes.” – and it’s the “Other purposes” as usual we’re all worried about. Blocking a site at the DNS level is one of the primary concerns. The other concerns that we’ve heard and see online are the linking of one site to a site that is infringing against Copyright laws. With SOPA marked as it is now, the whole site would be taken down rather than the offending content. What ever happened to the DMCA? Wasn’t that good enough? Apparently not.

This Act, when read in further detail, not only pressures Internet Service Providers like TurkReno to make rather extraneous measures to filter content and national providers of ICANN services to block a domain that they blacklist from search engine results and beyond. If they passes it to the US Senate then you can expect more than one derivative of its kind following SOPA. You see, it’s failed before. And, like a bad cold, this is another variant. Here’s the best summary from Wikipedia that shows what it was and how it’s moving:

The PROTECT IP Act is a re-write of the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA), which failed to pass in 2010. A similar House version of the bill, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was introduced on October 26, 2011.

GoDaddy

What’s disgusting about this is that GoDaddy, one of the largest ICANN domain registrars was, and under speculation still is, supporting the writing of this Act. They crafted it themselves. And then they release a press release today stating they would not further support SOPA, but we don’t trust it and neither should you. If they knew what they were getting themselves into, then it’s clear that their Executives are bluffing their way into keeping business. What really matters here is that they see the big picture. GoDaddy isn’t the only registrar.

And, with as much content as GoDaddy hosts, and over-sells (see Caption 1), they’d shut down 5,000 to 6,000, yes – THOUSAND, customers at a time per ONE (1) SOPA takedown order.

And here’s what they had to say:

GoDaddy No Longer Supports SOPA

Looks to Internet Community & Fellow Tech Leaders to Develop Legislation We All Support

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Dec. 23, 2011) – Go Daddy is no longer supporting SOPA, the “Stop Online Piracy Act” currently working its way through U.S. Congress.

“Fighting online piracy is of the utmost importance, which is why Go Daddy has been working to help craft revisions to this legislation – but we can clearly do better,” Warren Adelman, Go Daddy’s newly appointed CEO, said. “It’s very important that all Internet stakeholders work together on this. Getting it right is worth the wait. Go Daddy will support it when and if the Internet community supports it.”

Go Daddy and its General Counsel, Christine Jones, have worked with federal lawmakers for months to help craft revisions to legislation first introduced some three years ago. Jones has fought to express the concerns of the entire Internet community and to improve the bill by proposing changes to key defined terms, limitations on DNS filtering to ensure the integrity of the Internet, more significant consequences for frivolous claims, and specific provisions to protect free speech.

“As a company that is all about innovation, with our own technology and in support of our customers, Go Daddy is rooted in the idea of First Amendment Rights and believes 100 percent that the Internet is a key engine for our new economy,” said Adelman.

In changing its position, Go Daddy remains steadfast in its promise to support security and stability of the Internet. In an effort to eliminate any confusion about its reversal on SOPA though, Jones has removed blog postings that had outlined areas of the bill Go Daddy did support.

“Go Daddy has always fought to preserve the intellectual property rights of third parties, and will continue to do so in the future,” Jones said.

Here’s the great crux in this Press Release: SOPA has not been introduced to the US Senate. And it’s a reaction, not something they’ve done after hearing the SOPA proceedings. As celebrities threatened to leave GoDaddy, they pushed this out to stop the bail out. It’s a House of Representatives Bill. As stated on the US House of Representatives Website under “How Are Laws Made?” this answer can be found (We’re at the In Committee phase):

Laws begin as ideas. First, a representative sponsors a bill. The bill is then assigned to a committee for study. If released by the committee, the bill is put on a calendar to be voted on, debated or amended. If the bill passes by simple majority (218 of 435), the bill moves to the Senate. In the Senate, the bill is assigned to another committee and, if released, debated and voted on. Again, a simple majority (51 of 100) passes the bill. Finally, a conference committee made of House and Senate members works out any differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The resulting bill returns to the House and Senate for final approval. The Government Printing Office prints the revised bill in a process called enrolling. The President has 10 days to sign or veto the enrolled bill.

Anyone with half a brain can see this is just a PR stunt on GoDaddy’s behalf. Maybe even the protection of the recent additional DNSSEC properties which don’t totally jive with their product offerings. And admittedly DNSSEC doesn’t really jive with SOPA either, but it’s their main point of pressure to go after when attempting to take down a domain aside from seizing the name registration itself.

And the kicker to both Go Daddy and the rest of the world? DNSSEC is all controlled by IANA, Verisign, the gTLD (Generic Top-Level Domain) registrar for ALL .com and .net domains, acknowledging these Zone directives. ICANN and the U. S. Department of Commerce. Don’t believe me? http://www.root-dnssec.org.

Either way, this is part one of a few more that will outline why GoDaddy is failing as a company and why we believe that it’s not in your best interests to continue to do business with them.

Update 1/5/2012: GoDaddy, in all of it’s uncanny glory, has released a statement from CEO Warren Adleman. They don’t support SOPA because the representatives could not reach a consensus. I like one of the comments that state that “transparency should be a two-way street and not a one-way mirror”. Here’s the statement:

Go Daddy opposes SOPA because the legislation has not fulfilled its basic requirement to build a consensus among stake-holders in the technology and Internet communities. Our company regrets the loss of any of our customers, who remain our highest priority, and we hope to repair those relationships and win back their business over time.

Still don’t trust them. Part two coming soon.

The Perfect Little Gift

This year, the Thomas Hospital Foundation commissioned Elisabeth Goree to paint an original image. Her colorful abstract is featured on a set of beautiful coasters. For a small donation of $10, you can make a gift in honor of a family member, friend, co-worker, teacher, or business associate. They will receive a set of coasters, tucked in a festive envelope with a card letting them know that a gift has been made in their honor to the Thomas Hospital Foundation.

Each time the recipient uses the colorful coasters they will be reminded that you made a gift in their honor that in turn helps provide the very best in compassionate healthcare for their family and friends.

All proceeds stay right here at Thomas Hospital, improving the health of the people in our community.

Place your order online or print out the order form and mail it to the Thomas Hospital Foundation, Post Office Box 929, Fairhope, AL 36533. We’ll mail them out right away.

If you need any additional information, call 251-279-1517 or email jeana.barnes@infirmaryhealth.org.

Some further fun to be involved with from the Thomas Hospital Foundation.

Fun Family Project

This is a great activity for young and old alike. It was featured in Family Fun Magazine.

What you’ll need:

  • Small popcorn balls
  • Mini candy canes
  • Colored sugar
  • Frosting
  • Mini M&Ms

Instructions

You’ll need a small popcorn ball for each person (they used store-bought and about 3 inches wide). Use a wooden skewer to poke a small hole in the top, snap the end off of a mini candy cane to create a point, and gently press the sharp end of the cane into the popcorn ball far enough to make a loop, as shown.

For the sugar dots and lines, pour colored sugar onto a flexible paper plate (the flexibility makes it easy to pour the extra sugar back into the container when you’re done). Fill a pastry bag with frosting, or scoop frosting into a quart-size plastic bag and cut off one corner. Working on one dot or line at a time, pipe frosting thickly onto the ball, then press the ball gently into the sugar so that only the frosting touches it. Use frosting to glue mini M&Ms to the ball.

Checkers LogoIf you’ve driven down east Airport Boulevard in Mobile within the past few weeks, you’ve probably noticed something great. Checkers is coming back with a brand new look. And coming back is great because they have some of the best burgers and fries around. Not only that, but they’re going to be giving away to the first 100 people who attend the launch on Saturday Free Checkers Fries for a year!

According to their website, Checkers was first started in Mobile back in 1986 and has been cooking up great burgers ever since. The Checker’s story, which some of you may know from outside of the area as Rally’s goes like this:

“Checkers & Rally’s restaurants were born out of the idea that a bland and flavorless burger was downright bad and that Americans everywhere deserved a better tasting burger — one that was unexpectedly bold, made-to-order and priced at a value that was hard to beat. Founded by experienced foodies with a renegade spirit, both the Checkers & Rally’s unique double drive-thru concept, with its over-the-top checkerboard squares, chrome styling, red neon signs and of course the food, was an instant hit. These two new burger experiences were hot, fresh and served with a smile. People were hooked, and the world of cookie cutter corporate burger establishments was about to change.”

And here’s the official release about the re-opening:

Checkers French FriesThe new reimaged Checkers restaurant at 2213 Airport Blvd in Mobile, AL will host a Grand Opening celebration for the hungry public on Saturday, November 12, 2011.

To kick off the grand opening on Saturday, November 12, Checkers is offering FREE fries for a year to the first 100 guests in line. And, guests in line, 101 and after will receive FREE fries with purchase all weekend. So, be sure to be one of the first people in line, as we anticipate people camping out!

During the grand opening celebration, there will be a kickoff to food eating contests open to the public with a competition showdown at 11am between the University of South Alabama’s STATS (Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow) student organization versus the University of Mobile’ SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) student organization.

Checkers will also give away prizes, coupons, and promotions to reward the community and its loyal fans.

Hoping to see you all there!

Shrimp Hibachi from Hibachi on the Go in Daphne AL

Shrimp Hibachi

It’s always great when a good restaurant opens. It’s even better when a good restaurant opens that has awesome food for a reasonable price. Japanese Express, formerly Hibachi on the Go, located at 28825-A Hwy 98 in Daphne, Alabama (near Subway and I-Hop) is the latest addition to the Eastern Shore that is definitely worth it if you enjoy Japanese cuisine.

Miso Soup and Seaweed Salad from Japanese Express hibachi in Daphne, Alabama 36526

Miso Soup and Seaweed Salad

They’re open every day from 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM and can be reached by phone at 251-626-8818. Lunch and dinner portions are available. The restaurant features appetizers that you can’t find anywhere else in the area such as Japanese Egg Rolls, Tempura Mushrooms, Kani Salad and Japanese Nachos. The hibachi and teriyaki choices are vegetable, chicken, tofu, steak, shrimp, salmon or tuna, which is also a larger variety than that of all of the other hibachi restaurants around and offer a huge selection of sauces to accompany the meal.

Japanese Express hibachi in Daphne Alabama Japanese Eggrolls and Sushi

Japanese Eggrolls and Sushi

In addition to traditional hibachi they offer Yakimesi, which is fried rice, with chicken, steak and shrimp. And hibachi isn’t the only thing they offer; sushi is also an option to eat while dining here. From favorites such as the California Roll to Spicy Tuna Rolls, to specialty rolls such as the Hibachi on a Roll and the War Eagle Roll, the selection is large enough to satisfy any craving you might have. And sushi is worth a try for the price.

One of the best things about Japanese Express hibachi, aside from the food, is that you can call ahead and pick up your order from their drive-thru, literally making “on-the-go” a reality. Or if you would rather dine-in, you can easily seat a party of 6 or more in the dining room area as well as sit at the bar for a quick bite.

We’ve had a few meals here already, have been patrons since their grand opening and we’ve yet to be disappointed. With hibachi at nearly half the cost of their competitors and the drive-thru alone, you can’t miss this. The wait for the food is usually about 10 to 15 minutes or less depending on if you called ahead or not. Don’t let the absence of cars out front fool you though as they get their food out quick and you’re “on the go”. The price is moderate and about $12 to $15 per person with appetizers, hibachi and a drink depending on your selection.

We hope you’ll give them a try as we’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything on the menu so far and will continue to stop by, even if to satisfy our seaweed salad craving. Here’s the menu so you won’t have to go hunting it down.

Hibachi on the Go Menu - Front

Hibachi on the Go Menu – Front

Hibachi on the Go Menu - Back

Hibachi on the Go Menu – Back

Regions BankApparently we’ve all been getting screwed by banks lately. Fees upon fees upon fees. From “free” accounts turning into a “fee” accounts. Mainly consumers are upset with debit card usage fees from $3.00 to $7.50 per month for what seems like no reason at all. But there is a reason. It’s called the Durbin Amendment, a piece of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that limited the fees banks could charge on debit card transactions. We’ve had our own mishap with the “bank” that’s supposed to be stellar lately so here it is.

Generally, we keep the blogs and all non-advertising on the PC side, not straying to step on toes or offend anyone even in the slightest way – except when we feel like we’ve been slighted. A topic we’re all familiar with is the expectation of service when the service is stated to be provided. You order something at a restaurant, an appetizer for example, you then have a reasonable expectation that the food will be there both before the entrees arrive and that the appetizer will be what you ordered. You purchase a subscription to a newspaper to be delivered, you then have a reasonable expectation that the paperboy will deliver it the mornings it should arrive. You go to the bank with a problem and they state point-blank they will fix an issue the next business day, you then have a reasonable expectation that the next business day wasn’t in fine print somewhere to actually imply two weeks and one business day before your problem is solved. Undeniably, service is key when reasonable expectations have been created by an exchange or request between consumer and client.

I’d like to share a recent experience that I feel like most people would have either left the company they chose to do business with, escalated the claim to the next level or manager or safeguarded themselves from potential harm by outright saying, “No”. I got a call on TurkReno’s Anniversary from an employee of a client was going through some hard times. I prefer not to see anyone, client or friend, suffer when there’s an event that could change their environment. Nevertheless, I loan this client some money and I do so by cashier’s check. I make a logical mistake in doing so, not by loaning money, but by not realizing that a cashier’s check would accomplish less than what I had anticipated it would. You see, I was under the presumption that using a cashier’s check would allow me to see who endorsed the instrument once it had been cashed – much like a check would be added as a digital image on most modern bank accounts. For example, I decide to pay rent. I can see the check and who endorsed or stamped the check, and if anyone were to have signed below the original endorsement, passing the check along to another party. I later found out that seeing the endorsement was not possible and defeated the original purpose of a cashier’s check altogether. A personal or corporate check would have been just as effective in creating a “paper trail” and I could have copied it and had the signature notarized on it as well if I was to go to that extreme.

I have to decide due to an unforeseen injury to a pet that the pet must go to the veterinary clinic. I told the client that I was sorry, that I couldn’t move forward with the loan and that I had events happen that demanded my fiduciary responsibilities. I had not heard from the client, so I contact Regions Bank with the information that they needed to find out if the check had been cashed. They told me on multiple occasions before I returned to the branch to invalidate the check that they could tell the status of the check and if it had been cashed. I spoke to a total of seven employees of Regions Bank, from the Branch “Team Lead”, to the original person who opened my account, to several different representatives for 1-800-REGIONS. Each of them assured me that the check had yet to be cashed because the network they were checking, the “teller network”, was able to track the status of a check, especially if was a check issued by the bank and if had been cashed at a Regions Bank. I sign a document that invalidates the check and the representative reassures me that I’ll have the money back in my account on the following business day because time after time the Regions Bank representatives check and show the check as continuing to be an “outstanding” item (not yet cashed). This was the second wrong presumption: It’s safe to trust the bank at face value…or trust the bank at all.

A weekend passes. It’s the next business day. I’ve yet to hear from the representative at Regions as to what’s happening, so I decide that I should stop by since I was given the expectation that the next business day the funds would be placed back into my account. Yet again, I was also under the expectation that because the cashier’s check had been stopped and, more importantly, was told that the check was still “outstanding” that I would surely be taken care of. I arrive to find that the same Regions Bank representative that assisted me in stopping the check had yet to do her procedure for the day. All she could me tell was that the stop payment on the check was still there and our money was going to be deposited soon. I explained to her that as a business owner that she created an expectation of service to both call me and rectify this issue by today. Immediately there was action that they took on their side. She called around, found out that the check had in fact been cashed and that it had been done on that Friday hours before I even arrived at the bank. Doublespeak.

Bottom line, the whole illusion of the “teller network” was a false one. It wasted our time and really, really got us mad. The fees that banks have imposed lately have lots of other people mad, too. But there’s hope in sight. Regions Bank announced that Tuesday it will refund all fees charged for Debit card usage as did Wells-Fargo and Suntrust banks. But, is that small amount of money enough for you to not switch to a credit union? You decide.

Mobilize Mobile - Mobilize Your Site Now

According to the Mobile Press-Register and other local sources, Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) recently approached local marketing firms and the Downtown Mobile Alliance to begin to “Mobilize Mobile.” Most likely playing on the name of the city, Mobile reportedly will be the first to be a part of a program named “GoMo” launching November 14 where local businesses, both private and nonprofit, will be able to come to a Google storefront, have a mobile-browser based website created for them within half an hour and also have Google host the website for one year on a first-come, first-served basis.

From the Press-Register:

The Google storefront will be at Space 301, across from Cathedral Square, according to Carol Hunter, representative for the Downtown Mobile Alliance said.

Having a city that shares a name with a tech buzzword hasn’t always been fortuitous, as anyone who has searched online for “Mobile phone company” or “Mobile apps” could tell you. Not to mention all the time residents spend telling out-of-towners that they are from “Mo-beel,” not “Mo-buhl,” Hunter said.

“If you are not thinking about getting mobile with your website, then in the near future you’re going to be behind,” Hunter said. “This is an opportunity for us to really be ahead of that curve.”

Google Sites

No doubt that the south Alabama area could use the attention. However, no sources on the Internet tie the event to the website HowToGoMo.com. There’s no doubt that Google intends to do something with the website because they did register it, but the website remains under password protection so no one really knows what it’s for.

Despite a few websites registered by Google, it’s perhaps Google’s re-branding attempt at drawing attention to the mobile world we are evolving into. Millions rely on smartphone devices to find food, entertainment, directions, keep up with social media and communicate in ways we never thought would be possible.

If you’re looking to get a website created for a mobile phone, Google already has the Google Sites – Mobile Templates website available where you can choose templates for your business, add information and have a live mobile browser website finished in minutes.

So what’s our take on this? It probably will happen. To have a Google storefront in Mobile, Alabama would be awesome as-is. On the other hand, there’s probably a silver lining. Google is notorious for monetizing websites using AdWords. We expect ads. Not only that, but having a site that’s more than likely template-based and not created by a professional website design company is more than likely going to bring the quality of the site down. So, in terms of search optimization, if it’s going to be free and hosted at Google, you’re going to get what you pay for especially if you don’t have control over your content. GeoCities Mobile anyone?

All attempts to confirm this information were made at the time of the article, however neither Google nor our contacts in the Silicon Valley area were aware of the event.

2011 South Alabama Film FestivalThe 3rd annual South Alabama Film Festival seeks to showcase and educate the community about filmmakers and their creations, while welcoming all who enjoy the medium. One of the nation’s oldest and most beautiful cities, Mobile will alight with the cinematic arts throughout the year, culminating in November’s three-day festival.

In addition to feature-length and short films, the festival will offer seminars and workshops for adults and school children, to further its goal of educating – as well as enchanting – the growing regional film community. In its third year, and for many more to come, the festival strives to be the yearly event in Southern Alabama for all who love, and create, film.

The festival takes place November 4th, 5th, and 6th at multiple venues throughout Mobile, AL.

Passes for the festival are available now and at the downtown office. Weekend passes will be $30 and individual film tickets will be $5. Click here for tickets.

The South Alabama Film Festival is a part of the Mobile Arts Council made possible by the generous support of the Mobile Public Library, The Crescent Theater, The Center for the Living Arts, The Bike Shop, The Fort Conde Inn, The Hampton Downtown.

FEATURE LENGTH FILMS
Wrestling For JesusWrestling For Jesus (documentary)
Sat, Nov 5
3pm
The Crescent Theater

A documentary about Timothy who was born in Mobile, AL and grew up a wrestling fanatic. After moving to South Carolina, Timothy started a Christian wrestling organization. His goal is to use wrestling to evangelize his neighbors. However his passion and vision for his ministry are tested when his personal life begins to disintegrate. Wrestling for Jesus is a raw and honest all-access pass into the two worlds of independent wrestling and religion in the rural South.

– Timothy (T-Money) is originally from Mobile
– Timothy is scheduled to attend

http://www.facebook.com/wrestlingforjesus
http://wrestlingforjesus.com

Missing Pieces (special preview screening) (narrative)
Missing PiecesSat, Nov 5
5pm
The Crescent Theater

This is a story about a man who’s lost everything and his misguided attempts to put it back together. Missing Pieces is an emotional enigma about love and loneliness…and a kidnapping. Through interwoven, poignant vignettes, this multi-plot tale unfolds and untangles into a truly unique and heartfelt love story about finding hope when all is lost.

– Kenton Bartlett (writer/producer) is from Birmingham
– Started the film when he was 19; he’s now 23
– Filmmaker is scheduled to attend
– Along with film Q&A, Kenton will also be participating in a workshop/Q&A session with the kids camp students

http://www.facebook.com/FindYourMissingPieces
http://www.findyourmissingpieces.com

Prairie Love (narrative)
Prairie Love PosterSat, Nov 5
9pm
The Crescent Theater

When a mysterious vagrant living out of his car among the snowy plains discovers a nearly-frozen local with a pen-pal girlfriend, he sees an opportunity to change his lonely existence. From the harsh Midwestern frozen plains, comes this wonderfully bizarre but heartwarming look at three people searching for love and self discovery in the oddest ways.

– This will be the first screening in South Alabama
– Ashley Bias & Dusty Bias (from Baldwin County)
– Filmmaker scheduled to attend
– Official Selection: 2011 Sundance Film Festival
– Grand Jury Prize, Best Narrative Feature: 2011 Oxford Film Festival

http://www.facebook.com/prairielove
http://www.prairielove.com
http://www.prairielove.com/press/mr.pdf

Man of Deeds (documentary)
Sun, Nov 6
1pm
Bernhiem Hall

Born into the chaos of the French Revolution, Mathias Loras would come to develop a vision for a state of spirituality in the New World that few dare dream. Brought up in an elegant, bourgeois family he would eventually become a missionary assigned to a remote outpost in the frontier territory of Iowa. There he would sow the seeds of the church to rough miners and farmers, while battling the unending hardships of life on edge of civilization.

– Filmmaker Craig Schafer is scheduled to attend
– From 1830-1832 Mathias Loras served as the first president of Spring Hill College

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathias_Loras

The Reconstruction of Asa Carter (documentary)
The Reconstruction of Asa CarterSun, Nov 6
4pm
Bernhiem Hall

Forrest Carter, best-selling author of The Outlaw Josey Wales and The Education of Little Tree, was an exalted Cherokee hero of New Age wisdom. As a leader in the Native American cultural revival of the 1970’s, Forrest touched millions of readers with his gentle and earthy tales of Indian life. Twelve years after his death, however, the public learned that Forrest had a hidden past. Forrest Carter was actually Asa ‘Ace’ Cater, violent Ku Klux Klansman and Alabama Governor George Wallace’s principal speechwriter; author of the infamous 1963 inaugural address, ‘Segregation Now! Segregation Tomorrow! Segregation Forever!’

– Filmmaker Douglas Newman scheduled to attend

http://www.facebook.com/reconstructionofasacarter
http://www.reconstructionofasacarter.com

FESTIVAL VENUES
Ben May Main Library, Bernheim Hall
The Crescent Theater
Space 301
Cathedral Square

More films are scheduled to show. Check the South Alabama Film Festival Website and find out more:

http://www.southalabamafilmfestival.org

Follow the South Alabama Film Festival on Twitter at:

http://twitter.com/SoALFilmFest

Alabama Moon the Movie - PosterFairhope, Alabama (February 18, 2011) – “Alabama Moon,” the movie based on Alabama author Watt Key’s best-selling novel about adventure, survival and friendship, comes to the big screen beginning March 18. This action-packed, family film starring John Goodman, Clint Howard and Jimmy Bennett debuts first in Birmingham, Alabama. The film shows next in Mobile, Alabama and then opens in other Southeastern cities.

The film, produced by Alabamians Kenny McLean and Lee Faulkner, follows eleven-year-old Moon Blake (Jimmy Bennett), who has spent most of his life hiding out in the forests of Alabama with his anti-government father who clings to conspiracy theories and trusts no one. Moon’s life suddenly changes when the land is sold and his father dies. Knowing only what he learned from his father, Moon decides to follow his last instructions: make your way to Alaska where “people could still make a living off trapping.”

In the path of civilization, Moon quickly lands himself in a reform school where he meets the mean-spirited Constable Sanders (Clint Howard) and learns what friendship is all about. With the help of Mr. Wellington (John Goodman), Moon adapts and learns to survive in the outside world. “Being involved with this movie has been the experience of a lifetime,” said Lee Faulkner. “When I read Watt Key’s novel I knew it would make a perfect family film.”

“Alabama Moon’s” Alabama ties run deep. Watt Key’s novel and the movie are set in the forests of Alabama; Key, Faulkner and McLean all reside in Fairhope, a small city in Baldwin County, Alabama; and one of the actors in the film, Uriah Shelton, lived and attended school in Fairhope.

Alabama Moon is a classic kid’s film complete with adventure and survival that most of us only dream about, which is what makes it great for the entire family. The film was awarded the Dove Foundation Family Approved seal in 2010. The non-profit foundation is dedicated to advocating for families and moving Hollywood in a more family-friendly direction.

Alabama Moon Website – http://www.alabamamoonthemovie.net

Alabama Moon Release Schedule

3/18 Birmingham

Rave Patton Creek
Rave Lee Branch
Premiere Tannehill
Premiere 16 (Gadsden)
Cobb Hollywood 16 (Tuscaloosa)

4/1 Mobile
Crescent Theater
Hollywood 18
Rave Jubilee (Daphne)
Rave Wharf 15 (Orange Beach)

4/1 Pensacola

Rave 18

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