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The world's film commissioners have descended on Hollywood this week, promoting their  locations around the world especially within the United States, Canada, and England to shoot your next feature.  If you have the money, there are tax rebates available to entice filmmakers to work beyond Hollywood.  If one looks to Variety's production charts, it is obvious, that until California also has incentives and rebates to offer,along with the great sunshine, talent is being lured away to other locales.

We started our day at a breakfast at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica hosted by the Atlantic FIlm Group of Canada.   This association of the three provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland are keen to bring film and television crews to their locale.  They showed slides and we all agreed that there are wonderful locations available in their country and the combination of urban and rural filming opportunities was impressive. Representatives from several U.S. productions companies were present  including HBO.

Those that had filmed recently in these provinces vouched for the local cooperation and ease of working there plus there are hefty incentives being offered. 

The HBO representative was excited about the premiere of  GREY GARDENS starring Drew Barrymore at the Mann Chinese theatre Thursday night. 

Mandate Pictures which had shot JUNO in Toronto also discussed a film which is shooting in New York THE BASTER a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman which also stars Patrick Wilson and Jeff Goldblum  for Miramax Films.

On to the Canadian Film Center party celebrating their twenty years of training Canadian talent, this was held at "The London" Hotel off Sunset. This program was started by Norman Jewison, who is being honored with a tribute at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Friday evening. 

The big announcement of the evening was a new partnership with NBC-Universal to provide training and opportunities for Canadians in the film industry.

We finished the evening at the Roosevelt Hotel in the heart of Hollywood with the Missouri Film Commission.  We spoke with Connie Stevens, and who just finished wrapping a picture she directed in Kansas City. 

James Brolin had also finished shooting a film there and was very impressed with the city for both its architecture and its cultural offerings. 

Mr. Brolin  also spoke about his excitement for  his son Josh Brolin who is starting to shoot JONAH HEX, for Warner Bros. on Monday. Jimmy Hayward is directing the film in which Megan Fox stars along with John Malkovich.

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Jonah Hex (Brolin) is a Confederate civil war veteran now working as a bounty hunter and gunslinger with a terribly scarred face. We were told the face make-up will take 2 and 1/2 hours to apply each day. Hex was first created in 1972 by created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga and appeared first in DC Comics All-Star Western #10, which was renamed Weird Western Tales 2 issues later. Jonah Hex got its own book  in 1977 after 28 issues. The new series lasted for 92 more issues with Michael Fleisher as the main writer. The character has been revived several times since.

After that Josh is also scheduled to shoot the new Woody Allen film in NY.  Woody's latest, which we saw in Vegas at Showest recently, will open the Tribeca Film Festival with Larry David, playing Woody, and breaking the fourth wall, it is sure to bring down the house.

James also said a large shoot is going on in Malibu.  Could this be IRON-MAN 2?

So Hollywood is buzzing with production again.  

Tonight Norman Jewison will be honored at the LA County Museum, where they will be showing MOONSTRUCK with an appearance by Cher, Fay Dunaway, and famed cinematographer, Haskell Wexler.  I spoke with Haskell earlier this week, and he was disappointed that the showing of IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT had been cancelled.  He plans to join Norman to celebrate, the screening of MOONSTRUCK.  Haskell also shot Norman's "THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, which Fay Dunaway starred in with Steve McQueen.

I contacted John Patrick Shanley, to see if he could make the screening earlier this week, and he said he had already made a prior commitment in New York.  He did say that he loved Norman, and that he would "think" of him tonight.  When I asked for a quote, he said, "I had at one time in my life a cast iron bulldog who's sole purpose was to hold open the door. To me, Norman Jewison is a cast iron bulldog holding open a door to the human experience."