Joyful Noise starring Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah and Keke Palmer grossed $11.2 million dollars opening weekend.  Tradition writer John Kabashinski, is pictured here with Joyful Noise writer/director Todd Graff and producer Michelle Kabashinski, who is also featured in Joyful Noise.

After volunteering on the Communications and Fundraising committee with Oz Magazine and Georgia Film Book’s Tia Powell for the Georgia Production Partnership, Michelle was voted on their board.  

The Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) is a not-for-profit coalition of companies and individuals who are active in the state’s film, video, music, and interactive game industries.The GPP has worked to help form and pass the Georgia tax incentives bill, officially The Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act of 2008. Providing research, resources and support to the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office, GPP members celebrated the passage of, what has been called by numerous media and network executives as, “one of the best state tax incentives bills in America.” 

John and Michelle attended Big Mike’s annual Christmas performance, benefitting Toys For Tots.  One of the burlesque dancers from the show, Jessica Pack, a former NYC Rockette, will be performing in Tradition.   Stay tuned…. for her high kicks!

I am so grateful to all who have contributed and continue to do so. We absolutely cannot do this film without these donations. Thank you!

Day three for auditions.  Atlanta really has A LOT of talent.  Lance has a tough job.  I’m glad I’m not directing.  80% of the film is the right cast.  And tonight, Dancer auditions.  Yippie!  

So much talent coming on board.  So excited to have Ken Blakey as our DP and Dustin Lewis as our choreographer.  This is really coming together.  Lights, Camera … MONEY!  Oh yeah.  Money.  I have to pay for all of this, somehow. 

Oh my gosh.  We just recorded the music for Tradition.  How exciting.  All of this talk and wow.  This sounds wonderful.  (feeling a bit of peace…)

Round and round and round we go.  Where this stops, nobody knows.  Trying to nail down revised script so we can solidify at least the music. … and Okay.  The script just ballooned twice it’s size.  Yiker$$$.   But I think it’s better.  John and I are reading it for timing, then adding pics from Fiddler, Moulin Rouge and other classics to build our video storyboard.  We’re finding so many versions, tempos and keys of Fiddler’s music.  We’re mixing it all into the vision, singing the new lyrics… and voila, we’re Gerry and Cookie Fleck from Best in Show.   We’re such dorks!

The Band came over for a jam session last week.  And they were awesome.  Lance likes the sound.  We introduced Shuler to everyone via a Skype call.  We wanted to get final thoughts on music before recording.   Because Lance wants to lengthen the opening to match Fiddler on the Roof, we need to push the recording session back…  This is going to be awesome!

The Georgia Film Office is so helpful.  They gave me a list of like 20 farms within an hour of Atlanta.  Tina agreed to call a few and schedule some visits.  Since we’re traveling new territory, I’m taking my trusty GPS.  And whad’ya know?  Tina and I got my car stuck in the mud.  We were stuck under the blazing Georgia sun for several hours, with only one bottle of water and one Diet Mountain Dew.  And of course, some Jelly Bellies.  If you know Tina, you know who had the Dew and jelly beans.  )  I guess the GPS is not so reliable.  Every location we check out, we gotta say hello to the local greeter!  One of the really cool places we scouted was in  in The Rock, GA, and yes, the city is called The Rock.  This location had full facility with a place for crew to eat; chef on site.  Lots of parking.  Clean and multiple bathroom stalls with sinks and soap.  Yeah soap.  The people are really nice, but I don’t think they have the right look for Rupert’s barn.  (