Saturday, October 31, 2009
Halloween 2009
It has been a wonderful and low-key Halloween night. We have been watching the Addams Family Marathon since 3pm, it's now 10:45pm. I do love me some Addams Family.
Darrell carved the pumpkins earlier today and the trick-or-treaters started arriving just as he was lighting the candles and turning on the green porch light, around 6:30pm.
We had around 30 children come by the house tonight. The ones I can remember are a Clone Trooper, clown, cat, flapper, butterfly, GI Joe, Spiderman, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, cowgirls and the good ole' traditional witches, skeletons and devils. Joel and Holly brought Nathan by as the cutest little Buzz Lightyear I have ever seen.
Of course I had help from my Early Warning "Here comes a trick-or-treater" Alert System. Once I saw the intense stare, the ears go up and the streak they left running from the door, I knew a trick-or-treater was heading up the steps...
I have to add one additional picture. As most of you know, my mother has been in the hospital for the last few days. Well yesterday, I was visiting and as we were talking in walked....
...it took me a minute to realize it was mom's doctor, Dr. Blanchford. Evidently, her entire office had dressed up Friday. It was fantastic!
Well folks, it has been a delightful evening so it is time to say Good night and Happy Halloween everyone!
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Ghastly Dreadfuls
Yesterday, some friends and me made our annual pilgrimage to see the 'The Ghastly Dreadfuls II: Handbook of Practical Hauntings and Other Phantasmagoria' at the Atlanta Center of Puppetry Arts. It is an adult Halloween themed half puppet show and half live acts. Even though I have seen some of the skits each year, they never get boring. It is a masterful mix of creepy, spooky, costume, humor and props. It is one of my favorite Halloween traditions.
Here is an older trailer but it will give you a good taste of what it is about...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
H2: Bunny Crew Movie Night
Friday night, I headed over to Michael's for movie night with the H2 Bunny Crew. All those wonderful people that made huge contributions of H2 information and pictures. There was the master-mind Michael, his lovely wife Stephanie, the beautiful Leigh-Anne, the laid back Johnathan and the ever hyper (but lovable) Brandon.
It was a wonderfully relaxing evening. We sat around talking, playing Rock Band on Michael's xBox 360 and, of course, watching Rob Zombie's Halloween. Unfortunately, there aren't any pictures from the evening.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
H2: The Rabbit in Red
Friday was the best 'spectator' day I've had since the 2 days filming in Covington back at the end of February.
I arrived in Farrar about 4pm. I parked at small store past the location and walked back down to the set.
I joined a couple of local teenagers watching the action from across the street and struck up a conversation with a Jasper County Sheriff's Deputy. One thing I have to say, every security person I have encountered on this film has been amazing nice. He told me the community had been in a complete uproar (especially the Pastor of the local church) about the signage on the side of the building.
He also told me Tyler Mane was supposed to be on set around 7p and that they were filming 3 murders. SCORE!!
I was making small talk with the locals when I saw this guy rounding the corner in front of the "Rabbit in Red" carrying a bag and some cokes. He stopped, looked over and motioned for me to come over. I motioned back to make sure he meant me. I walked over an lo and behold it Micheal (MJagr26). He had scored the perfect spectator spot at a flea market directly behind the Rabbit in Red. The flea market folks where great and let us hang out there the rest of the evening. Here are some of the GREAT folks I met...
We had the opportunity to watch them film 2 scenes with Ezra Buzzington as Ned Atkins the Beer Truck driver...
One of the COOLEST things that happened was the guy that has been doing all the 'behind the scenes' filming asked if he could come over and talk to us. Our answer? Of Course!!! It's a one-in-a-million chance that we will make the DVD extras but it was just too cool. The next awesome thing as seeing Tyler Mane. We had heard he drove himself to the set (opposed to taking one of the vans in with everyone else). We were standing around talking and one of the crew yells "Tyler's here!". We all look and there he is pulling into the set. Couldn't get a picture (well, I did but all you see is car).
After that, Micheal (and I tagged along) walked over to the gate that led to the 'star' trailers. We could see Tyler and Ezra walking around. We also saw someone in ghost makeup and a wig net. We had no idea who it was at the time. Later, learned it was Sheri Moon Zombie.
As the sun went down and the temperatures dropped, more spectators started to show up. I'm not sure what happened but by 8pm, the crew was clearing everyone from the area - No Spectators. Bummer. While I was disappointed that I didn't get to see Myers in action, it was my best 'stars' sighting.
I will snoop around the Covington film locations on Monday but they are all interior shots. It may end up being a bust to watch. We'll see.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
H2: Friday the 13th
I know I put this in as a comment but I thought it would be better to post it.
I know they will be filming exteriors of the 'The Rabbit in Red Lounge' on Friday. I know it will be filmed at an area south-east of Covington. Anybody have any more or definite details?
Saturday, March 7, 2009
H2: The Production Office Call
So, I thought I would play nice and call the H2 Production Office and ask if I could get some "closer" looks at where they were filming and maybe take some set shots. I told them I was a local that was blogging about H2.
The short answer was "No". Legally, no photos and no else on set.
Oh well. That means I will keep an eye out for the next shooting location (supposed to be on 3/13) and see what happens there....
H2: Leigh-Anne's Pix
Leigh-Anne has some great pictures of Rob hard at work on the set when they were filming in Covington. I hope she doesn't that I shared some of them here.....
and of course, THE picture to have...
Thanks for Sharing!!
Friday, March 6, 2009
H2: The Brackett House
I found the shooting location. It is in an old house between Madison and Newborn. It is literally in the middle of nowhere. The Crew and Truck parking is in a pecan field about 1/2 mile down the road from the actual film site.
The house looks the part. I could see that they had blacked out the windows with a covering. I assume they are concentrating on interior night scenes. They are calling the location the "Brackett House". I'm not sure how that figures in to the story. Please correct if I'm wrong but the only time you really see/hear about the Brackett House (Sheriff Leigh Brackett's house) is in the original 1978 Halloween. I cannot remember it from Rob Zombie's Halloween (2007). I'm really wondering what they are filming for so long....
Anywho, here is the house...
The bad news is there is no getting close to it. There are 2 fences and a gated driveway between the road and the house and, as you can see, there is no going up a side road or down a back road. It literally sits in the middle of a wide open field.
The rest of the bad news, according to my intel, is they will be shooting here until March 12th. So, unless I can find some connection or a small miracle happens, I won't have any new H2 stuff before March 13th. It's times like this I wish I had Press Credentials!
Sorry for the bad news :(
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
H2 Production Notes
I don't know if this will interest many people but I wanted to record it with everything else for future reference.
Below are dates, location and shot descriptions that have happened from Monday, February 23rd - Tuesday, March 3rd.
Monday, Feb 23 - Wednesday, Feb 25
Dunwoody Medical Center
Dunwoody, GA
AS
Interior of Haddonfield Hospital
As the description says, it was interior hospital shots. I theorize the 1st picture Rob Zombie posted for H2 came from this series of filming.
Thursday, Feb 26 - Friday, Feb 27
Covington
There were a plethora of shots done in Covington over the course of these two days.
(1) A Tow scene was filmed on Elm Street between Hwy. 278 and Usher Street.
(2) Of course, all of the exterior Haddonfield Halloween Festival shots were down on the Covington Town Square.
(3) What I was told was "the Myers House", the notes refer to it as the "Mask House", was filmed on Anderson Ave. and Thompson Ave.
(4) What was said to be the opening shot of H2 was filmed on Floyd Street between Elm and East Streets. Laurie Strode walking down the street with Loomis's gun; supposed to be what happened right after she shot Micheal Myers in Part 1.
(5) The Exterior of the Bookstore. I don't know where this fits into the movie storyboard but I have pictures of the Loomis book that was in the window display.
Monday, Mar 2 - Tuesday, Mar 3
Madison
There several shots filmed here as well...
(1) Interior and Exterior(front) Java Hole shots were done at the Dog Ear Bookstore.
(2) A block up, on 1st Street (Old Post Road), they shot Exterior Java Hole (supposed to be the rear door) scenes.
(3) Exterior scenes of Mya's Apt. on Main Street.
(4) The Hanging Tree on the corner of Academy Street and Jones Alley.
I know that they shoot in Newborn next and they will be shooting for several (like a week) days. I know they are filming "The Brackett House". And that's all I know at the moment. When I get new information, I'll pass it on...
Monday, March 2, 2009
Uncle Meat's Java Hole
According to the "Morgan County Citizen":
Dog Ear Books bookstore in downtown Madison will transform into “Uncle Meats [sic] Java Hole,” a coffee house and record store this Thursday...
Neale also requested permission to shoot footage of the Morgan County Courthouse at last week’s county commissioners’ meeting, but he would only confirm the bookstore location...
Uncle Meat's Java Hole is where Scout Taylor Compton's Laurie Strode works with pal Mya Rockwell (Brea Grant).
Gotta love the name! Today, all filming was inside Uncle Meat's Java Hole. Hence, only exteriors photos, well photo. They set dressed and started filming the coffee shop scenes earlier than the newspaper predicted. My theory is, it was bumped up due to weather conditions. It would be difficult to shoot exteriors with 5 inches of snow on the ground!
Tomorrow they will continue filming in downtown Madison and then move on to a farm (read that as private property - no spectators) in Newborn on Wednesday. I'll see what I can see tomorrow and report in. Until then, a glimpse at Uncle Meat's Java Hole (I just like typing the name :)
Sunday, March 1, 2009
H2 Update: The Weekend
I went down to Covington Saturday morning and they were
striking all the sets; the Halloween Festival of the Square, the Myer's House and all the houses decorated on Floyd Street. They must have filmed between thunderstorms
Friday night. As I was checking on things on Floyd Street, one of the crew told me they are filming in Madison next week. Not real news, it was in the Greene Co. paper. He said they might be back to Floyd Street later to film some 'car shots' but no idea when. I'm trying to get a production schedule. When, and if, I
get my hands on one I'll post what I can on the Bunny Blog.
On Sunday, it snowed all day. Didn't get out and have not found a scedule. The paper reported that the Coffee House scenes will be filmed on Thursday. I'll head that way Wednesday night to see how things are coming along.
***** Update: Darrell got a call from the H2 Extras tonight. He is supposed to report to Madison at 6:30am in the morning (Monday) as an extra in the Coffee Shop scene. I will report more later. I'm SOOO excited!!!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Halloween in the Rain
Tonight was a bad night for filming. It was cold and rainy. The shooting took place on Floyd Street. After I walked around for awhile, I was lucky enough to secure a great vantage point with a group of teens on one of the large front porches. Not long after I staked out my spot, a nice Production assistant came over and was giving us the 'rules' for watching the shoot. The first words out of his mouth was "you will need to go inside and watch through the window." Poor guy had no idea we didn't belong to that house. We politely explained that we could not go in. He told us that if we stood on the back corner, very still it should be OK.
He also described the scene that was going to take place. This was, technically, the first scene in the movie. It is after Laurie Strode shot Micheal. It is (supposed to be) around 5am. She is bloody and walking down the street with Loomis's gun. The police car pulls up behind her as she walks. CUT.
I tried framing and taking a few photos but soon realized it was a hopeless case. I was too far away for the flash to work and if I set a low ISO, the rain just blurred the shot. I decided that it wasn't worth waiting in the rain and getting sick. I decided to call it a night.
On my way out, I noticed they had "trashed" the Halloween Festival set on the Square. They had TP'd several of the trees and it was a general mess. I assume this is the aftermath. I asked when they were filming but Security was not sure. Sometime tonight or tomorrow. I think I'll head down tomorrow to see what I can see - rain or not.
But as promised, here are some dark, not so good or clear, video clips of Tyler Mane's Micheal Myers. Just look for the guy that is all hair and hoodie and about a foot and a half taller than every one else.
Mane and Zombie
The rest are miscellaneous walking scenes...
Halloween: Part 3
My car was in the shop today and Darrell could not come pick me up from work until 8pm. That wasn't going to work. I headed out on foot - it's really not a bad walk. I headed toward Floyd Street to get to the Square. While on Floyd, as I approached the East Street intersection, I noticed the houses on three of the four corners dressed in Halloween decorations. I don't know when or how they are going to be used...
As I reached the square, I realized the crowds had only increased since lunch. The film crew had much more of the square blocked off so it was difficult to get a decent shot of any filming. One thing I was able to investigate was the 'Bookstore" they had created. It was in the storefront of RL's restaurant just off the Square. While the bookcase facades were gone (they were serving dinner), the window display was still up.
I decided the Square was not worth it. I had good intel that there was going to be a Micheal Myers shot filmed about 2 blocks off the Square so I headed that way. There was an old house decorated for Halloween. The general rumor was this was the "Myers" House.
It was about a 2 hour wait before they started filming but, for me, it was worth it. It was a sequence of Micheal Myers (without the Mask, but I couldn't tell; all I could see was hoodie and hair) walking up a dark, foggy and leaf covered street while trick-a-treaters were running around. It was so very cool. The bad news was absolutely NO photography allowed. The good news is that a friend did some bootleg videoing. As soon as I can edit it down, I will post.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Halloween: Part 2
At lunch today, a co-worker had to go into downtown Covington for legitimate business and asked me if I would like to tag-a-long. Of course!
It was a mad-house down there. People, cars, cameras and wierd-o's all over the place. Anywho, I snapped a few more photo's.
I just love the Halloween decorations. The Square never has Halloween decorations, even at Halloween. Notice the book(s) in the window of the 1st slide....
At this point, everyone was out in full force. All the support crews were lined down one street while the camera crew was filming some scenes. I assume the shot they were working on was supposed to be from Micheal Myers point of view. Notice the branches, mounted on stands, strategically placed to the side of and in front of the camera.
Here are some stills of the scenes they were filming. Not very good. I had to stand across the street to take these. I like the fact that they added a smoke efect to the large pumpkin. We also saw some set dressing that was going to be used as part of the 'Halloween Warehouse'.
I head back out tonight. Now I'm after a picture of Micheal Myers himself.
It's Halloween in Covington
Some of you may already know but if not, the latest buzz around my hometown of Covington is the filming of Rob Zombie's Halloween 2. They have a short shooting schedule and are currently filming on our town square and nearby locations.
This morning, on the way to work, Darrell and I decided to detour around the Square. I wanted to get some photo's of the store fronts and sets before they were all taken down. We arrived about 8am and all was pretty quiet. I asked security if I could take photos and they gave open rein over all but a 20' X 20' section in the middle of the Square itself.
It was amazing to see downtown transformed into a Halloween Festival Setting in February. The store decorations are simple and old-fashion. They have primarily used flags, wreaths and cut-outs.
They have some great banners and 'old' feeling flyer's plastered all over the place. I really want some of the flyer's....
The sets are very 'old' style and quirky. Think a small town Halloween of the late 60's or early 70's. The main center piece is a huge walk-thru pumpkin...
By this time, it was around 8:20am and some crews were starting to arrive. We saw a film truck, grounds people and more of the quirky set pieces arriving at the Square. I was trying to get one last shot, traffic was in my way, and that's when I saw the man himself, Rob Zombie, walking down one of the side streets. I stood there pointing like a spastic fish trying to get Darrell to turn and see him. He was much more calm about the situation. The only person around was his security guy.
I ran (there was no walking) across the street and approached his security and asked if could stand to the side and take a picture. About that time, Rob turned around and asked "What?". His security guy told him we asked about a picture and he said "Sure.". Rob handed my camera to the security guy, put his arm around me and got Darrell into the picture. He was great about the entire thing.
Below is the preeminent photos. I have posted 2 versions. As you can see, I was just a little bit excited...
I love my husband dearly but I just had to do it.
