Southern Winds Film Festival books the rising red dirt star Shawna Russell for the opening night festivities.  September 11, 2008 kicks off the film festival in Shawnee, OK.  Come see Shawna and meet filmmakers from around the country.

I’ve kind of wanted to catch this flick. I really like animation. I also dig Jack Black. So that combination alone may do the trick. I just found this photo and I thought I would share.

I can’t wait for the next season of Survivor.  Yes, it’s my favorite TV show.  Anyone that knows me knows that I love it.  Most of them make fun of that, but I don’t really care.  I love it.  Here are a few videos for this season coming up.

Survivor 17 is in Gabon.
Here is the first commercial for Survivor:Gabon seen in the wild.

Here is a preview of the season:

There have been no announcements as to the cast yet, but it should be very soon.

Pre-Season Launch for “Survivor: Gabon” on Thursday, Sept. 18

CBS announced dates for the fall premieres of its new and returning series, which include a pre-season debut for SURVIVOR: GABON and the launch of its Thursday and Friday drama series in early October. The Network will introduce the majority of its schedule beginning Monday, Sept. 22, the official start of the 2008-2009 season.

For the seventh consecutive season, SURVIVOR: GABON, the 17th installment of the hit reality series, will debut a week prior to the formal start of the season, returning on Thursday, Sept. 18 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).

Thanks County Wide News:

The second annual Southern Winds Film Festival is set for Downtown Shawnee Sept. 11-13.

“One of the biggest aspects about the festival that we are most proud of is bringing people to downtown Shawnee for them to experience our town and also to help the businesses around the area,” said festival director James Bridges. “Filmmakers from around the country will be visiting and we want to give them the best experience possible.”

Bridges said that last year the inaugural event “received high praise from the many people that traveled from around the country and world to Shawnee for the festivities. This year will be even more outstanding.” He said he’s received a lot of help from the Shawnee Convention & Visitors Bureau.

With 73 films being showcased, Shawnee will host the event at the Hornbeck Theater, as well as an outdoor venue on Bell Street and the Kirpatrick building. The Ritz will be the headquarters where you can vote for audience choice, get information or purchase tickets.

The purpose of the festival is to raise awareness of the Independent Film Industry in Oklahoma and to promote the restoration and preservation of the Ritz Theatre. Moviegoers will be able to find an array of films in categories such as Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Student Feature, Student Short, Okie Home Grown Feature, Okie Home Grown Short and Native American Feature.

The festivities will begin with an opening night party starting at 8 p.m. Sept. 11, a meet and greet with filmmakers from around the country. The actual festival will be from noon to midnight Friday and Saturday, with an awards ceremony at 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at the outdoor venue on Bell Street followed by an after party at the Kirpatrick building

The cost for the fest is $40 for all-access festival pass, $25 for a one-day pass and $5 for a movie pass.

One of the main attractions at the festival will be the world premiere of Oklahoma Rocks!, an educational earth science documentary exploring the billion year history of the 46th state. Explorer Multimedia Inc., also the makers of RockHounds: The Movie, said the film will be shown Saturday, Sept. 13.

The hour-long educational documentary follows host/geologist Devin Dennie as he travels across the Sooner State in a quest to learn more about the natural history of the area. During his trip, Dennie visits places like the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Alabaster Caverns State Park, the Tri-State Mining Museum, the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and other great Oklahoma destinations to learn more about the state’s long and varied history.

“Using popular attractions like parks and museums is a great way to get people interested in earth science,” Dennie said, “It’s a unique opportunity to show the audience how geology and natural resources affect their everyday lives in ways they didn’t even know about.”

The premiere date coincides with the DVD release of the film on GeologyVideo.com Sept. 16. In addition to the feature length film, the DVD will include special features such as audio commentary, previews of other EMI productions and the all new documentary short “Unique-lahoma” which showcases some of the more unusual Oklahoma roadside attractions and will also screen at Southern Winds.

“Production took about two years,” Todd Kent, the film’s director said. “We traveled all over the state and we hope the end result will be a useful tool for earth science education and outreach, not just for Oklahomans, but for anyone interested in travel, science and exploration.”

Explorer Multimedia Inc. is a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) corporation. For more information, visit www.okgeology.com and www.ExplorerMultimedia.org.

For more information about films scheduled for the festival, visit southernwindsfilmfestival.com.