Notes from the Corporate World

I've been so busy editing, that I haven't had a chance to write anything about our dogs!

Well - here is what I've learned through the remaining videos:

1 - Old English Sheep Dogs are born without a tail. What? For reals.


2 - It's possible to prevent your dog from shedding as much. A groomer can actually de-shed your dog so that when you bring it home, your pants, couch and sweatshirts no longer have to serve as a lint brush.



3 - One of the most popular trims for one of the smallest dogs - the pomeranian, is a lion trim. Irony?



4 - The Bedlington Terrier, is one of the most difficult dogs to groom. I for one, think they look like mini dinosaurs.



5 - Non sequitur of the day - How cute is that? I mean really...



6 - The Wheaton Terrier is actually supposed to have a crazy amount of facial hair. i think it actually makes them look like Mark Twain.





7 - The Doberman that we groomed thinks he's a poodle. How's that for feared predator. Awesome!



8 - For wrinkly breeds, you have to clean their wrinkles daily to keep them dry or they can get crazy infections. Gross.



9 - This beagle is hilarious. Doesn't he look mad about something?



10 - every time your dog gets wet, you have to brush it out or it'll develop mats. be careful, or it could turn into this....ew.



11 - It is believed that Bulldogs come from an ancient fierce mastiff type breed that would compete with Bulls and hunt wild boars. What? Cupid's a lover not a fighter.



12 - Labrador Retrievers are the most popular breed of dog in the world and (by a large margin) the most popular in America. For the record, the dog in our log is not a lab. He's a Rhodesian Ridgeback, how's that for random



13 - Wheatons are Irish; Labs are from Newfoundland Canada; Pomeranians are Polish, Pugs are Chinese, Dobermans & Poodles are
German; Beagles & Bedlingtons are English, - talk about the United Colors of Benetton!

Discovering Civil War History

On the Leesh is working on a documentary about the Civil War. About thirty minutes after stumbling upon this story, the On the Leesh gals, especially one, realized that we need to brush up on our US history. Our backgrounds span the distance of 11th grade US History to Jess winning an award for history and reading copious matieral to this day. (I believe she's a show off - but I have no problem tapping her brain for it's plethora of knowlege). Needless to say, I could use a brush up. I purchased a variety of books on the war and Colin McRae's involvement. Wendy has lead us down a path that is very informative, perhaps too informative. Julie,Jess and I decided to divy them up and hunker down. About two weeks later we poked our heads out with a collective, "huh?" We were swamped under facts and locations and battles and names. We couldn't keep them straight. We needed an overview. Where should we start? How bout a good documentary? We figured this would give us an overview of the history and also help us see what types of documentaries are on the market.

Last night, Julie and I sat down to watch a double feature - First up, an episode of If Walls Could Talk, the HGTV show that features old houses throughout our country and the lush history that lies within their walls. Wendy and Bill's bed and breakfast was featured on the program. Since Julie hasn't made it down to Mobile yet, we thought she should see what the house looked like so she could have a mental picture when we're developing our story.

Second movie was more specific - April 1865: The Month that Saved America. This documentary is part of the History Channel's The Last Days of the Civil War set. Wendy mentioned this was helpful for her when sifting through all the documentaries out there. This set provides an overview of the key figures and events without getting into such detailed specifics. We all feel a little intimidated by Ken Burns' Civil War documentary, so we decided to start here.

April 1865, based on the best-selling book by Jay Winik, focuses on the last month of the Civil War and the series of events that brought the war to an end. As one historian put it, how a war ends is as significant is how it begins and how the battles are fought. While watching the documentary, Julie and I were thrown by the uncertainty that our country faced. On more than one occasion, the Confederacy could have prevailed: What if the freight train of supplies for the confederacy brought food as opposed to guns, ammunition and clothes? What if Lincoln or Grant and later Sherman were more blood thirsty and out for revenge? This documentary gave an amazing view into this trying time for America.

But Julie and I were left wondering, how was this able to happen? If the Confederate army wasn't able to supply their soldiers with food for over five straight days, they were eating tree bark and other unmentionables (watch the documentary), if Lee requested food from Grant at their meeting, how were they able to sustain a war for four years? We think that the answer to this question lies in Wendy and Bill's attic. Somewhere within Colin McRae's meticulous records, the secrets will be revealed.

Check back to see what else we find along the way...

~Alicia


Want to see the Civil War documents that Wendy and Bill Found?

If your interest has been piqued, you're probably asking, "What do these documents look like?" or "What condition are they in?" Surprisingly, Wendy and Bill found that Colin McRae's documents were mostly in pristine condition - looking like they could have been written today.

The bed ad breakfast was featured on the HGTV show - If Walls Could Talk
and you can watch the first portion on youtube. Enjoy!

Juice: Lost In Central Park (Part 1)

Juice - the frontman of The Sexually finds himself lost in Central Park with no assistants around him. Can he get home?

Melissa’s Advice Corner - Entry #2: Saving Money In the Office

My official title here at On the Leesh Productions is “Manager of Operations and Productions/Associate Producer.” This means that among my many duties here at OTL it is my responsibility to keep the office fully stocked with whatever we need, be it office supplies or technical equipment. Since we are still living in an economic crunch here are a few ways that I have found to save big on things for your business or home office:

1. Sign up for rewards programs for places like Best Buy and Staples. We often need new technical equipment and/or office supplies and I frequent these two stores most often. If you sign up for their rewards programs you build points on every dollar you spend and after you spend "x" amount of money they send you coupons in the mail for money off!

2. Recycle your old ink cartridges for money. Staples also has another program where they will let you return up to 12 old ink cartridges per month and then they will send you a coupon for money off your next purchase.

3. Look for coupons on the packaging of products. For Example: I buy a lot of bubble mailers for the office, and underneath all the outside packaging I can usually find coupons for dollars off for the next time I buy that product. So make sure to take a second to look at all the packaging to make sure you are not throwing away a $2.00 off coupon from your next bubble mailer purchase.

4. Set up a recycled paper box and print anything that is for “inner office use only” on that paper. You can save so much on paper if you get two uses out of one piece. My boss Alicia is great at doing this; anything that is not for official use is always printed on used paper.

5. Print your own address labels. Instead of buying address labels for letters, cards, mailings, etc. buy printable address labels and print them in your office and/or home. They look just as nice and cost way less then buying one’s from a printing company.

6. If your office doesn’t have a shared network storage device, purchase a Mass USB Storage device to move images, documents, and files around your office instead of burning a CD. CD’s cost money and they generate a lot of waste if you are constantly burning a CD for 1 document. Use the Mass Storage device and save on waste and having to always buy CD’s.

Well that is all for now. Tune in next month for more great advice from Melissa’s OTL Advice Corner.

Cheers,
M-

The In-Betweens of Holly Malone - Re: Sex Tapes

I have some thoughts on sex tapes.

It’s, you know, a Tuesday, so yet another “leaked” tape has emerged from the abyss of Hollywood actors on their downtime. The latest is Eric “McSteamy” Dane and his wife Rebecca “Noxema” Gayheart. The couple, along with some former beauty queen girl gone Hollywood madam are running around in their skivvies and bathing together or something. Now, this might surprise some of you out there who are aware of my all-in reputation when it comes to sex, but truly, ENOUGH WITH THE SEX TAPES!

Look, I get it, maybe your career feels stagnant, or the part your playing on a certain show has type cast you in some way that you don’t like so one night, while sitting at home having a few beers you look over at your little shelf of old VHS tapes and you think, ‘Wait a minute! I am incredibly good looking! And I captured myself in all my naked incredibly good-looking glory, having sex with someone else who is incredibly good looking! The public must be informed!’

And thus, the release (better known as ‘the leak’) of the tape occurs.

I love sex as much as anyone (okay, truth be told, I love it more than most), but I no longer videotape it, nor do I have sex with someone who asks to videotape it. And here’s why: if I’m going to take the time to have sex with you, I want you playing to me NOT the cameras. Focus people! Focus! I’m sure that if you’re thinking about how to angle yourself so that it’s the most complimentary to the camera, that you are NOT focusing on my orgasm. So, unless you’re inventing a new move in the bedroom that is to unbelievable without proof, nobody needs to see you humping someone else.

Oh, and by the way, I watched the Dane/Gayheart/Whoever tape and they never even have sex! They’re just drunk or high and naked. And to that I say, BORING! I have things to do.

-Francesca

The Hurt Locker vs. District 9

Is there something wrong with NYC film audiences?

I like seeing movies in New York. I do. It gives me an instant gage of how the whole country feels about an issue. Because if you see a movie in New York, you are seeing a movie in your living room - albeit on a ginormous screen surrounded by strangers who just happen to stop by for a visit - but it's still your living room. This means, you are allowed to answer the phone, talk to the characters, lounge over the seats and when you're feeling extra hyper, run up and down the aisles.

This is also the reason why I hate seeing films in the city...but I digress.

Lately there's been a shift and I want to know if this is happening across the country.



THE HURT LOCKER


I call to mind two films - The Hurt Locker and District 9. Both of these films are rough and tumble. Both are fantastic. Both are not for the weary. Both are filled with testosterone. And, both are about war. However, and this is a big one - one involves aliens, and one is based in reality. I would like you to guess which film gained the bigger "KILL 'EM NOW!" response from the audience of the upper west side of Manhattan?


DISTRICT 9

Which audience screamed louder? When the South African's aimed their AK-47s at the "prawns" or when Staff Sergeant James and Sergeant Sanborn aimed their guns at Iraqi's. Don't worry, I can wait.

Aliens?

Nope. The audience in Manhattan felt very sympathetic to our extra-terrestrial visitors, even they were threatening to murder our own species. The audience wanted them to be understood, to be helped and ultimately to be left alone. The Iraqis? They had to die, and die now. I honestly didn't know how to react when I was watching The Hurt Locker. This film is a tremendous film. It throws you down into the action and doesn't let go of your throat for two hours. And on many levels, it made me think.

I love action films. I love horror, suspense, and basically anything that involves a giant bug and a man wheeling a gun in which to destroy said bug. But I can tell the difference. There is a huge difference between Jason Statham kicking a drug dealer's ass and watching a massacre in Ghandi. But I was left with the question, can other New Yorkers? or have our sensitivities just shifted to the more alien? are we as a people frustrated with all of mankind? I for one, wouldn't mind living on a planet that's more peaceful than our own. Because lately, sitting in the audience of the AMC on 68th Street, this big green planet is starting to freak me out.

. 

Season 3 of The Sexually

Coming Soon....

What's Next for Best Laid Plans?

So... now that Milestone is finished and being put out into the world, now that I've been to Africa to volunteer as I always dreamed about... now that I visited an old friend in Hibernia, I am left with figuring out how to close ye ol' documentary. Do I simply say my equivalent of "good night and good luck" and move on? Do I end things in a more shock value way by say - mooning the audience? Throw a party? Run naked through the streets? There are just so many options...

But in thinking about it - this documentary is not about exposing an issue. It's not about illuminating a cause that had previously gone unnoticed. This is about what you do when your life takes a turn that you hadn't planned on. Hopefully many people can relate to the idea and, I'll admit, on my best days I hope someone somewhere sees the documentary and feels a little better. But I know that this isn't a story that is going to save the world. Believe me, I totally get that. So, if it's not a story that gives out ideas and arguments and then backs up said arguments with interviews and what-not and then ends, then how does the story culminate? How do you finish a storyline - when - in actuality my story isn't (unless a piano drops on my head) finishing? I'm closing one chapter and diving into a new one. So what is it that would send that message? And frankly, I don't think mooning people sends that message. What then?

SKY DIVING!

Nothing says throwing yourself into what's to come like jumping out of a moving plane! Throw caution (along with your body) to the wind!

That's it! That's next!

Holy shit!

Dancing With the Stars Season 9 Is Cast

Hi. Its Sally Starlet. Again.

Ok, so I'm here looking at the cast list for Dancing with the Stars and apparently they have passed on me AGAIN. Whatevs. But ummmm wtf people who the hell is Tom Delay and how did he get a spot? What exactly is a GOP and if it gets you on the show how do I get one?

If you want to see the likes of me... check it out HERE

Kung Pow Wow in the Windy City

Our super short film, KUNG POW WOW has been accepted into the Chicago International Reel Shorts Film Festival. This is On the Leesh Productions first film festival in Chicago and we couldn't be more excited about it. Baseball, thick crust pizza and OPRAH WINFREY! C'mon - it's awesome!

Thanks Chicago!

The Killers and MTV unite to wipe out Human Trafficking

The Killers have partnered with MTV, UNICEF and USAID to help raise awareness for the issue of human trafficking. The band's new video for Goodnight, Travel Well, highlights the danger of trafficking and the sexual exploitation of young women.

"We are deeply shocked and appalled that women and children are forced into such exploitative situations,” said The Killers, announcing the collaboration. “We hope that through MTV's efforts and this powerful video that millions of people across the world learn about this tragic form of modern-day slavery".

The Killers' partnership with MTV follows the footsteps of last year's collaboration with Radiohead for their All I Need video.

Radiohead's Thom Yorke said the following about his collaboration with MTV's Campaign against Human Trafficking: "I think if (the campaign) does one good thing, it would be to make this concept of slavery — which is what it is — less taboo. If they can make it something that is OK for us to talk about, and for politicians in the West to actually accept that this is an issue, well, then we're doing a good thing."

More than 1.2 million children are being trafficked each year and nearly 80 percent of all trafficking is for sexual exploitation.

Thanks to MTV, UNICEF, USAID, The Killers and Radiohead for getting the word out there.

STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING NOW!

UNCANNY!

Anubis is Jenny Dog!

Found! Moves Into Preproduction

What would you do if you found documents in your attic that were over 150 years old? What would you do if you found out that those same documents had a direct effect on the shaping of America’s history? Could the longevity of the civil war have hinged on the actions of one mans work in England? It seems like a story from an historical fiction novel, but for Wendy and Bill James, owner and operators of the Kate Shepard House Bed and Breakfast in Mobile, Alabama those very questions were raised.
On the Leesh Productions, along with Wendy and Bill James, is producing a 90-minute documentary that tracks the discovery and interpretation of Colin McRae’s personal and business documents relating to the purchasing of Confederate war supplies in Europe. McRae, the Chief Financial Agent for the Confederacy maintained meticulous records and his letters and receipts offer previously undiscovered evidence as to how and with whom a seemingly bankrupt army was able to maintain a war for four years. Through an expert’s analysis of the McRae’s letters and receipts, “Found!” will answer questions definitively that previously were only hypothesized.
The documentary is slated to premiere in 2011 in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.

The war may be 150 years old, but this discovery is brand new.

The Sexually Starts Shooting Season 3

Last night the cast and crew of The Sexually got together to begin shooting Season 3 of the show. It seems, things between Juice and Johnnie have degraded to such a low point that Evelyn demands that the band go to therapy.




If it worked for Metallica, maybe it could work for The Sexually as well!



Can the boys be tamed and understand their feelings?

Watch and see...

Holly Directs Holly

Jessica Arinella aka Holly Malone of The In-Betweens of Holly Malone has made her directorial debut! It is rare that the character of Holly doesn't appear in her own series, but today, OTL shot an episode in which Holly is merely spoken of and NEVER seen! Jess took advantage of this scenario and put herself behind the camera instead! So, Holly fans you may not see Holly throughout Intervention Part 1, but never you mind... she's definitely there!

Notes from the Corporate World

Things you may not have known about the Poodle Pom Pom Trim aka The Continental trim

I'm a poodle lover. I can put up with their neurotic behavior and weird quirks because 1- if they had a voice box, they'd probably be more eloquent than me and 2 - they don't shed or smell! love that!
But something needs to be said - The Continental Trim is ridiculous. In fact, I think it gives poodles a bad name. I mean when you see a poodle in a lazy lamb/puppy cut - UGH! YOU NEED TO SMOOSH AND CUDDLE AND KISS!


This one......leaves me with questions.


However, there is no denying that this is the king of show trims. So when Jay and Sue said they wanted to start a show trim line, we knew which video would be or first. I figured that I would stifle my
giggles and by best Elvis impression, and just get down to filming. Through the course of the day, I actually learned a lot, and figured I would pass these tidbits on to you. Maybe it'll help you from judging the poor poodle under the bouffant. Maybe not.

Here are the top five things you might not have known about the
Continental Trim:

1. It started as a functional trim. Poodles are water dogs. In fact, Pudel is german for "splashes in water." What?! German not French. Surely you lie! See. You're learning lots of poodle facts today. Back
to the point - when the poodles would go out hunting with their owners, their hair would get in the way. Solution...shave them down! But how do you protect their organs and joints? Leave areas unshaved. So the pom poms on the back were to protect the kidneys and hips. The "jacket" protected the heart and lungs and the socks protected the
ankle joints. I'm all for function. I love big ugly parkas in winter.


2. The reason the cut got so huge and ridiculous was all for fashion. This also makes perfect sense to me. We see this all the time. Let's bring back the ridiculous fad of 80s shoulder pads. People get on board, and then someone has to make it look like Mickey Mouse. I reference the below.


3. It takes 3+ hours to cut this hair cut. And that's not even accounting for the bath and blow dry. So you're looking at a solid 6 hours to do this. What? That's half the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 6 Hours?! That's a flight from Boston to London. Six hours? That is determination. Jenny, our poodle demo, took us close to 4 hours from start to finish. You're not done though...After the show is over, you have to wash out the hairspray, so that it doesn't destroy the coat. Imagine leaving hairspray in your hair after the prom. Your hair would get matted and your scalp would break out. I.e. super grossness. So add another wash and try - and you're looking at a solid day of work for only 10 minutes in the show ring. This is dedication and deserves a I <3 poodle t-shirt just for trying.


4. The fact that you can use hairspray on a dog warrants it's on bullet point. I mean, I could've styled my pet dog, Jones' hair as opposed to all my barbies. Wouldn't my mom have been thrilled! And,
you don't even need to buy special hair spray. I could've gone right into my mom's cabinet and been good to go with her Paul Mitchell or Shiseido - that stuff HELD! No, for real. Sue uses all sorts of human hair products on her poodles: combs, elastics, and scrunchies. Current hairspray of choice - Big Sexy Hair! I love that Jenny is wearing more hairspray than Melissa would ever wear in her life!


5.My last bit of trivia comes from the world of Art History, which I love. Poodles have been portrayed wearing the Continental Trim in paintings, etchings and other artifacts dating as far back as 1533.
That's a long time. At the time - the printing press was only 83 years old and the Mona Lisa? only 29.


So, Jenny, you rock on with that Continental Trim! - Leesh

Milestone is DONE done!

Milestone is finished! The dvd has been burned, duplicated and put into fancy cases with artwork and everything! And to all of that I say... Phew!

Now we're onto the film festival world! I feel like I'm back applying to college again... will they like me? Will I fit in? Will I like my roommate (okay, maybe not so much that one, but the others definitely still apply). It's so hard to know what is going to excite someone about a short film - other than it not being awful. Granted I've been to a number of film festivals, but to tell you the truth, there's never really seemed to be any rhyme or reason to the films that were chosen. Sometimes they'll put the films into themes: like comedies, thrillers, experimental etc., but other than that, there was always a broad range in production value, story content and length.

So where will Milestone be seen? Who knows? But I can't wait to find out!

Thanks to everyone involved!

-jules

Great White Greatness on SHARK WEEK!

I love many things about the summer. Bbq's, long walks in the park with my dog, sitting outside at restaurants and people watching and... SHARK WEEK on the Discovery Channel! For many years now, I have been fascinated by sharks. Where some see black, dead eyes, I see curiosity and determination (and sometimes, cuteness). So, each year I sweat my way through the humidity of New York and wait for early August to come along and BAM, a week of shark information! Awesomeness. In fact, I have a friend who dresses up every year to watch the Oscars because she loves it so much and if I could sit in my apartment in a big water tank with a dorsal fin strapped to my back I would, but alas, friends might think I've finally reached my breaking point!

Here at On the Leesh, I keep trying to come up with story ideas that would REQUIRE me to go shark cage diving. Say... for example... on The In-Betweens of Holly Malone Francesca meets a marine biologist who takes her shark cage diving with Great Whites on their first date. OR... on In the Can Bernice tries to scare herself out of her love obsession for Borg that she too needs to lay her eyes on a few Great Whites. I think these are great ideas! Compelling! Funny! Edge-of-your-seat gripping! But, (as Alicia reminds me) they might just exceed our usual low/no budget for our series seeing as I'd have to fly many miles to say, the likes of South Africa to film (not to mention the insurance fees that would go along with the shoot). So... here I am, left with nothing to do but take the What Shark Are You Quiz on the Discovery Channel's Shark Week website. Take it yourself HERE.

Oh and... no surprise here... it says I'm a Great White.

And if your DVR isn't yet set for Shark Week... do it now! Or do I have to start playing the Jaws theme music for you?

-Signing off and diving in: jules

The Next Food Network Star should be... ME!

Okay, so I have to say, I called the winner of the Next Food Network Star weeks ago. I mean really, who's a better fit with their programming? Although Jeffery brought interesting ingredients into the kitchen, his style is similar to other chefs on the Food Network that play around with interesting spices and cuisines. When you put it in perspective, the channel is most watched by home cooks not chefs...so...a show hosted by a home cook? Definite Shoe In. Not to mention that Melissa is very charming and has excellent tips for anyone who is intimidated by or just starting out in the kitchen. She makes cooking accessible and fun.

The biggest surprise to me this season was when Debbie was sent home. As I mentioned in my previous blog, Asian cooking is lacking on the channel, so I thought she would be one of the last two standing. I wouldn't be surprised if they try Debbie out with her own show since she was so charming and camera friendly. I think she would be great with a Ming Tsai - East Meets West type show that would expand beyond her Korean background. There is a whole world of cuisine out there that is less familiar to western cooks. I, for one, would like to see more.

I have to give a big shout out to my re-found best friend - Alton Brown. I know I was hard on him for being so harsh on the previous competitors, but this year,, he was nothing but supportive and encouraging. He offered excellent tidbits of information in a warm environment. Still giving the tough love that people need to hear, he was able to create a cushion for competitors. I feel it's so important to allow people to fail and learn from their mistakes vs. intimidate someone. That only creates more mistakes. Under this excellent advice this year, the performances were fantastic and really shined. Great work Alton!

The thing that I love most about the Food Network is the fact that it can inspire even the most reluctant person to get up and start cooking. I have learned almost everything I know about cooking from my endless jaunts in front of the TV. So truly, I think they missed the boat and the Next Food Network Star should've been ME!

Keep on Rocking - Leesh

What Are the Odds? available on Amazon

Want to purchase this adorable short film? Check it out:

"What Are the Odds?" is now available through Amazon. Want to own this adorable short film? Click HERE!

Own the short that started it all!

"What Are the Odds?" has been selected to screen at:

2006 The Durango Independent Film Festival


2006 The Sarasota Film Festival


2006 The Foursite Film Festival


2006 The San Francisco Independent Film Festival


2006 The Palm Beach International Film Festival


2006 The Cannes Film Festival (Short Film Corner)


2006 DEKK's Superfilm Series NYC


2006 West Chester Film Festival


2006 Tall Grass Film Festival


2006 NewFilmmakers Series


2006 Broken Lamp Film Festival


2007 Delray Beach Film Festival


2007 FYLMZ Film Festival