What would have been Elissa Dowling's interview

As stated in a few previous posts; sometimes, despite good efforts, some interviews just don't pan out. However, I'm not going to let the time I spend researching the interviewee and coming up with good and pertinent questions, go to waste, as one can see from viewing all the incomplete interviews that have been published at this site.

I published this brief piece on actress Elissa Dowling back in March, as sort of a lead-in to the interview she'd agreed to. Since it didn't happen, here are almost all of the questions I'd planned on asking her. I say "almost" because, after she previewed them, she informed me she'd pass on answering a couple for privacy reasons, which was fine with me. At left is where her photo would have gone and I would have given photo credit to the photographer here.

Midori Amae

At exactly six feet tall, with 34-26-36 stats, it could go without saying that top fashion model Midori Amae has walked runways for some of the biggest name designers and appeared at some of the most prominent  events in the fashion industry, such as those staged during the semi-annual New York Fashion Week. Fans of America's Next Top Model can look forward to seeing Midori on the show's upcoming Cycle 22. She'll go into that competition as the number two fan favorite. She tells me she wasn't planning on auditioning for the show, but did because she happened to be at home and have the day off when auditions were being held in nearby Arlington, Virginia in January. (As of this writing, no air date has been announced for Cycle 22, but the show's Facebook fan page will post it as soon as it's set.) She was also recently named creative director for i-Fashion magazine.

Despite her hectic schedule and frequent traveling, I was fortunate enough to be able to speak to Midori at length earlier this month. And to dispel a sort of myth about high class fashion models; I found her to be very down-to-earth with a great sense of humor and not pretentious at all. Besides her modeling, our topics included sports, food, one of her favorite charities, and her mild obsession with wearing glasses with no lenses. Above photo by Steve Bennett.

The Ladies of The Last Beautiful Girl

Over the last few years, Austin, Texas-based Twitchy Dolphin Flix has become known for producing movies featuring some of the brightest young actresses in independent films. One of their latest productions, The Last Beautiful Girl, is no exception. With a cast that includes alumnae from other award-winning Twitchy Dolphin productions such as Snatch 'N' Grab, Abram's Hand, Goin' Guerrilla, and DisAssociationVille, it's a good bet that The Last Beautiful Girl will be receiving accolades at independent film festivals around the country. The script is said to already be on the film festival circuit and has made it to the finals in two of those festivals.

Described by the film's writer and director James Christopher as a "romantic dramedy exploring the first time you fall in and out of love," the The Last Beautiful Girl is currently in the pre-production stages. With all of the parts cast, and trailers shot, the film is slated to begin shooting in May. At right are 3 of the 16 ladies who'll be appearing in the film; Shelby Cullinan, Morgan Floyd, and Shelby Surdam, who have featured roles as sisters. Read on to see the entire female cast and a little info on each of them.

Kimmie Yan

If it weren't for Arielle Brachfeld, a talented actress I interviewed last month, starring in a film that's currently in production entitled Day For Night, Kimmie Yan  might have slipped under my radar. Kimmie is one of the producers of Day For Night (which is not a remake of the 1973 film of the same title), and to say she's excited about the project is an understatement.

Even though Kimmie tells me Day For Night is the first feature film in which she's been one of the primary producers, she's far from a novice when it comes to producing and the behind-the-scenes workings of films and show biz. A graduate of Boston University, Kimmie has an impressive resume that includes music supervisor on 2014's Dawn Patrol, associate producer on 2012's The Devil's Carnival, and less recently, a stint as operations manager at West Hollywood's (in)famous Viper Room.

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Kimmy about her recent projects, as well as the many unglamorous behind-the-scenes jobs and tasks she's had, the possibility of someday producing her own cooking show (she's a self-confessed foodie) and her mild obsession with Star Trek: The Next Generation. The above photo from a very recent shoot with J. Michaels, is courtesy of Kimmie.

Lee Eun-ju - Only When I Sleep

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As far as I know, the above is the only live performance of the late Korean actress Lee Eun-ju singing "Only When I Sleep," from the soundtrack to her last film, The Scarlet Letter. To me, her slight mispronunciation of some of the lyrics, makes the song (which was written and originally recorded by the Corrs in 1997), sound all the sexier when she sings it. This is from the Blue Dragon Film Awards in November of 2004, just three months before she took her own life 10 years ago, on this day in 2005.

Arielle Brachfeld

Actress and model Arielle Brachfeld was brought to my attention by award-winning writer and filmmaker Staci Layne Wilson. Staci sent me the recent press release for her upcoming film Good Family Times, in which Arielle stars as Beatrice. After looking over Arielle's impressive list of credits, it was obvious that this lady had horror in her blood.

Despite considering herself "awkward," Arielle is a skilled fencer and has an extensive fashion modeling background. Even though the mannequin-like demeanor of a runway model is unfitting to Arielle's personality, she's graced runways for some top US fashion and hair designers. However and not surprisingly, she tells me she feels more at home on a movie set covered in blood.

When she's not in front of the camera, Arielle spends much of her time doing volunteer work for the charitable organizations she belongs to. One of which is the the Young Storytellers Foundation, a wonderful organization who provide underprivileged kids with programs to encourage literacy through storytelling, script writing, and stage performances. Another one of her involvements is with The Horror Starlets, a genre-based group of actresses who work in conjunction with the Busted Foundation, a Los Angeles-based breast cancer charity. 

I recently had the pleasure speaking with Arielle about her latest projects, as well as delving a bit into her background, interests, and what certain bongo-playing physicist's name, when mentioned, will cause her to giggle like a giddy schoolgirl. (No, it's not Sheldon Cooper.) Above photo by Tiffany Keeyes.

Friday the 13th Victim, Chelsea

It's that day again and here we have Camp Crystal Lake visitor Chelsea, played by Willa Ford, getting skewered from above and providing viewers with a brief posthumous breast flash, in the 2009 remake of Friday the 13th.

Unlike many of the actresses who've played hapless victims of Jason Voorhees, Miss Ford is not and probably will not, end up in the "Whatever Happened to..?" file. Although her official website looks pretty old-style and hasn't been updated since 2012, the now-34 year-old singer-turned-actress, who used to go by "Mandah," has stayed busy since she began her career in 1999. Check out her IMDB page for her other credits.