BEVERLY HILLS, CA, October 15, 2010 (Press-News.org) Joel Courtney, 14, had realistic hopes. He simply wanted to spend the summer in Hollywood with his older brother Caleb (Sol, "Endurance 6: Fiji), take a few acting classes, maybe audition for a commercial or two - then return home to Moscow, Idaho.
He ended up cast in a film produced by Steven Spielberg.
It all started at The Playground Conservatory, a young actors studio in Century City founded by renowned acting coach Gary Spatz (New Mickey Mouse Club, Rosanne, Everybody Loves Raymond, the upcoming Judy Moody and The Not Bummer Summer). After a few classes, Joel was asked to audition for Super-8 (via Seattle-based casting director Patti Kalles). Gary knew Joel wasn't quite ready - but prepared him as best he could.
April Webster and Alyssa Weisberg were in charge of casting. "They liked Joel as soon as he walked in the door," Gary said. " But, again, without credits and craft they weren't sure. So we started coaching him specifically for this role. And they kept bringing him back, callback after callback, all summer long. We had to get his acting chops up to the point where all involved would feel confident in trusting a lead role to a novice young actor. Eventually he got in front of JJ Abrams who gave him several of the big emotional scenes from the movie. Each time Joel was improving but he hadn't yet convinced JJ. Several screen tests later, and after many more hours of coaching, Joel stepped up to the challenge and secured the part."
Mr. Spatz gives credit not only to Joel - but to Assistant Director of The Playground, Gayla Goehl.
Super-8 will be directed by J.J. Abrams, produced by Steven Spielberg, Abrams, and Bryan Burk for Paramount and Amblin Entertainment. The main cast includes Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Gabriel Basso, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, and Joel Courtney. (Source: Hollywood Reporter)
It Can Happen: Unknown Nabs a Lead Role (with a Little Help from His Acting Coach, Gary Spatz): Joel Courtney Joins Cast in Amblin Entertainment/J.J. Abrams' Sci-Fi Feature Super-8
Joel Courtney, 14, had realistic hopes. He simply wanted to spend the summer in Hollywood with his older brother Caleb (Sol, "Endurance 6: Fiji), take a few acting classes, maybe audition for a commercial or two - then return home to Moscow, Idaho.
2010-10-15
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
TheMVPService Launches Discount Buying Program for Resort Industry
2010-10-15
TheMVPService has partnered with some of the top vendors in the industry to bring discount pricing to resorts of all sizes. By bringing together small to medium-sized resorts and management companies, TheMVPService is able to negotiate for the type of national account pricing, shipping, and other perks usually reserved for the large, branded resorts.
Upon joining TheMVPService, resort members use the company's website, www.themvpservice.com, to access dozens of vendor partners, handpicked for their ability to provide the products that resorts use most. This includes ...
Holiday Sale: Habitatter.com Offers 20% Off Everything Through the End of October
2010-10-15
Since 2008, Habitatter.com has been offering the highest quality in home decorating accessories. As a kick-off to the Holiday season, Habitatter.com is offering 20% off everything on the site for the remainder of the month. Just enter the coupon code "TwentyOctober".
Greg Simerlink, owner of Habitatter.com, said, "We'd like to offer this special as a treat for our customers before the busy Holiday season. Habitatter.com will help your home look great all year 'round."
In addition to the 20% off sale Habitatter.com has the following inventory clearance specials:
25% ...
Control and Audit Document Use with LockLizard PDF DRM Software
2010-10-15
LockLizard is pleased to announce Safeguard Enterprise PDF Security, its latest Digital Rights Management (DRM) software product providing PDF DRM protection to the large publisher or corporate enterprise.
Safeguard Enterprise PDF Security prevents PDF copying, sharing, modifying and screenshots, controls document expiry, stops printing (or lets you control the number of prints allowed) and enforces dynamic watermarks displaying individual user details. You can track how your documents are used and instantly revoke access to them.
Administrators can perform batch ...
UMD neuroscientists discover nicotine could play role in Alzheimer's disease therapy
2010-10-14
A team of neuroscientists has discovered important new information in the search for an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease, the debilitating neurological disorder that afflicts more than 5.3 million Americans and is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Hey-Kyoung Lee, associate professor in the University of Maryland Department of Biology, and her research team have shown that they may be able to eliminate debilitating side effects caused by a promising Alzheimer's drug by stimulating the brain's nicotine receptors.
Scientists believe that an ...
UBC underwater robot to explore ice-covered ocean and Antarctic ice shelf
2010-10-14
Researchers at the University of British Columbia are deploying an underwater robot to survey ice-covered ocean in Antarctica from October 17 through November 12.
Scientists predict that the sea ice area around Antarctica will be reduced by more than 33 per cent by 2100, accelerating the collapse of ice shelves. Up to hundreds of metres thick, ice shelves are floating platforms of ice that cover almost half of Antarctica's coastline.
The mission will study the effect of ice shelves on the mixing of sea water, and will provide critical data for the Antarctica 2010 Glacier ...
Legalizing marijuana in California would not substantially cut cartel revenues, study finds
2010-10-14
Legalizing marijuana in California will not dramatically reduce the drug revenues collected by Mexican drug trafficking organizations from sales to the United States, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
The only scenario where legalization in California could substantially reduce the revenue of the drug trafficking organizations is if high-potency, California-produced marijuana is smuggled to other U.S. states at prices that are lower than those of current Mexican supplies, according to the study from the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. RAND is a nonprofit research ...
Researchers reach consensus on use of deep brain stimulation to treat Parkinson's
2010-10-14
Since the late 1990s, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has proven to be a lifeline for some patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, a cruel neurological disorder that can cause lack of control over movement, poor balance and coordination, and rigidity, among other symptoms.
The procedure is used only for patients whose symptoms cannot be adequately controlled with medications. A neurosurgeon uses magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography to identify the exact target within the brain where abnormal electrical nerve signals generate the disease's tremors and ...
Walk much? It may protect your memory down the road
2010-10-14
ST. PAUL, Minn. – New research suggests that walking at least six miles per week may protect brain size and in turn, preserve memory in old age, according to a study published in the October 13, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
"Brain size shrinks in late adulthood, which can cause memory problems. Our results should encourage well-designed trials of physical exercise in older adults as a promising approach for preventing dementia and Alzheimer's disease," said study author Kirk I. Erickson, PhD, with the University ...
Enzyme in saliva shapes how we sense food texture
2010-10-14
PHILADELPHIA (October 13, 2010) – Creamy. Gritty. Crunchy. Slimy. Oral texture perception is a major factor contributing to each person's food preferences. Now, a new study from the Monell Center reports that individuals' perception of starch texture is shaped by variability in the activity of an oral enzyme known as salivary amylase.
"Differences in starch perception likely affect people's nutritional status by influencing their liking for and intake of starchy and starch-thickened foods," said study lead author Abigail Mandel, a nutritional scientist at Monell.
Starch, ...
Low-dose exposure to chemical warfare agent may result in long-term heart damage
2010-10-14
New research found that the pattern of heart dysfunction with sarin exposure in mice resembles that seen in humans. Sarin is a chemical warfare agent belonging to class of compounds called organophosphates — the basis for insecticides, herbicides and nerve agents. As an inhibitor of the nervous system enzyme acetylcholinesterase, sarin can cause convulsions, stoppage of breathing and death.
Aiming to determine the delayed cardiac effects of sarin, researchers studied mice injected with sarin — at doses too low to produce visible symptoms — 10 weeks after the exposure. ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Natural supplement may decrease biological aging and improve muscle strength
Ursolic acid modulates estrogen conversion to relieve inflammation in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease via HSD17B14
New research highlights how parental awe and pride enhance well-being
Protecting audio privacy at the source
Omnivorous? Vegan? Makes no difference to muscle building after weight training, study finds
More ticks carry Lyme disease bacteria in pheasant-release areas
Older adults respond well to immunotherapy despite age-related immune system differences
Study reveals new genetic mechanism behind autism development
The puberty talk: Parents split on right age to talk about body changes with kids
Tusi (a mixture of ketamine and other drugs) is on the rise among NYC nightclub attendees
Father’s mental health can impact children for years
Scientists can tell healthy and cancerous cells apart by how they move
Male athletes need higher BMI to define overweight or obesity
How thoughts influence what the eyes see
Unlocking the genetic basis of adaptive evolution: study reveals complex chromosomal rearrangements in a stick insect
Research Spotlight: Using artificial intelligence to reveal the neural dynamics of human conversation
Could opioid laws help curb domestic violence? New USF research says yes
NPS Applied Math Professor Wei Kang named 2025 SIAM Fellow
Scientists identify agent of transformation in protein blobs that morph from liquid to solid
Throwing a ‘spanner in the works’ of our cells’ machinery could help fight cancer, fatty liver disease… and hair loss
Research identifies key enzyme target to fight deadly brain cancers
New study unveils volcanic history and clues to ancient life on Mars
Monell Center study identifies GLP-1 therapies as a possible treatment for rare genetic disorder Bardet-Biedl syndrome
Scientists probe the mystery of Titan’s missing deltas
Q&A: What makes an ‘accidental dictator’ in the workplace?
Lehigh University water scientist Arup K. SenGupta honored with ASCE Freese Award and Lecture
Study highlights gaps in firearm suicide prevention among women
People with medical debt five times more likely to not receive mental health care treatment
Hydronidone for the treatment of liver fibrosis associated with chronic hepatitis B
Rise in claim denial rates for cancer-related advanced genetic testing
[Press-News.org] It Can Happen: Unknown Nabs a Lead Role (with a Little Help from His Acting Coach, Gary Spatz): Joel Courtney Joins Cast in Amblin Entertainment/J.J. Abrams' Sci-Fi Feature Super-8Joel Courtney, 14, had realistic hopes. He simply wanted to spend the summer in Hollywood with his older brother Caleb (Sol, "Endurance 6: Fiji), take a few acting classes, maybe audition for a commercial or two - then return home to Moscow, Idaho.