Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Would you give this man $150,000 to make a film about your high school chess team? That craggy-faced dude is actor Edward James Olmos, once the star of such television shows as Miami Vice, the movie Battlestar Galactica and the other movie, Stand And Deliver. What he's doing in Brownsville is the freakin' mystery.
Well, not really.
Olmos wants the Brownsville Independent School District to chip-in 150 Gs for the making of a glitzy documentary about its much-publicized chess teams. In most of these documentary cases, the full cost is usually borne by the producers. But Olmos seems to think that his group can minimize its financial burden by sucking a hefty contribution from the BISD. If only! Olmos is nuts.
Still, some easily-impressed members of the schoolboard want their superintendent to look into options, with the idea being that BISD can somehow fund the project. Supt. Bruce Springston is against the proposal, saying the BISD just doesn't have the cash Olmos and his group want before proceeding. As the super noted, HBO already did a perfectly neat segment on the local chess wizards, and that did not cost the BISD a penny. The 15-minute segment, on the sports series "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," aired June 22. Again: HBO did not hit on BISD for any money.
In making the pitch last February, Olmos and his group - Higher Ground Entertainment and its 501-C nonprofit Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Education (FASE) - even delivered a hip-sounding title for the film - The Kings of Brownsville.
Then there's this to ponder: When he went after his pet project, the young kid who made his well-received documentary on the Border Wall last year told an audience in McAllen that he spent almost $25,000 of his own money, maxing-out all of his and his mother's credit cards while taking small donations from supporters.
Olmos is likely too savvy a Hollywooder for Brownsville. He may just believe he has a community of ignorant rubes on the fishing line. Belay that; he probably knows it.
Get the Border Wall kid. He'll do it for much less...
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5 comments:
Really, this movis has already been shot. They want the money for post production. Watch, it will come out anyway. And Brownsville will take pride in the content. FASE was asking for $ 175,000 for "educational packets" to distribute with the movie. Not a good deal for the locals. This might be the time for people to tell school board member Minerva Pena, who spoke on and on at many meetings about the movie, to get serious about her position.
ANON:...Any monetary contribution by the school district would be wrong, on a variety of levels. In the expansive world of documentaries, this one would not exactly stand out. Sorry. Olmos should have sought Hollywood studio help to make the movie, not a doc... - Editor
Alcatraz, did you ban your reporters from writing at myharlingenews.com. I have noticed your writers went silent. Specially Eliot, who wroted quiet a bit. Lay off the Whip, and Pardon Ron Mexico for the explosive photo, we all have bad days.
Eliot we await for your next bombastic article.
(we all have bad days.)
No, Alcatraz. Do him and the rest of us a favor, and just let him go.
ralphy
Ralphy, so what, don't you ever had bad days??? Let Ron be in peace, he just wasn't thinking when he strolled out in public on that redicolous outfit, I don't know who took the picture, but him a break. WE all make mistakes, besides he writes pretty good articles.
Alcatraz, give him a good chewing, but we all deserve a second chance.
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