Allan Duffin - Writer/Producer

The Minerva Awards 2010: Carolyn Blashek and Operation Gratitude

The Women's Conference, hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver, is an annual event that draws a huge crowd to the Long Beach Convention Center. At Big Life Films I had the privilege of working on a number of multimedia programs that were shown at the conference, including films that honored the recipients of the 2010 Minerva Awards.

Created by California First Lady Maria Shriver in 2004, The Minerva Awards have become the country’s most prestigious awards given to women “who serve on the front-lines of humanity,” celebrating their extraordinary legacies of service and contributions to California, the nation and the world.

Here's one of the films we produced. It's about Carolyn Blashek, founder of Operation Gratitude. From the very start of this country’s longest war, Carolyn Blashek has not gone a day without thinking about the men and women who put their lives on the line overseas for the freedoms we enjoy at home. Carolyn was so moved by the enormity of 9/11, that she tried to enlist in the military at age 46. She was sent home for being “too old,” and so began the odyssey that led to Operation Gratitude, the largest military support organization sending personalized care packages to deployed soldiers in US history.

One of my favorite Dunkin' Donuts commercials

I went to college in Boston. There's a Dunkin' Donuts on Boylston Street. It was (and still is, according to a good friend) an awesome place. The classic "Time to Make the Donuts" commercials are part of our popular culture, but this one -- from a few years ago -- is also hilarious and memorable.

New article in Leatherneck Magazine about HBO's "The Pacific"

I had the privilege of writing the cover story for this month's issue of Leatherneck Magazine, the official publication of the Marine Corps Association. HBO's new 10-hour TV miniseries "The Pacific," which follows the wartime exploits of three World War II Marines, premieres this month.

Many thanks to the following folks who took time out of their busy schedules to do interviews for the article: Bruce McKenna, co-executive producer and writer; Captain Dale Dye, USMC (Ret.), senior military advisor; Penny Rose, costume designer; and actor Jon Seda, who portrays legendary Marine "Manila John" Basilone. HBO's media relations staff was equally giving of their time and assistance -- thank you so much!

You can take a look at this issue of Leatherneck by clicking here, but you'll need a subscription to read the entire article.

Thanks also to Colonel Walt Ford, USMC (Ret.), the editor of Leatherneck, who's a terrific boss. He loves his job, and it shows.

Policewomen On Patrol, New York City, 1974

March is Women's History Month! Celebrating the publication of my new book, History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers: Here's a clip from YouTube featuring rare black-and-white footage of New York policewomen on patrol in the Bronx, 1974. For more information, click on the clip to contact the filmmaker.

History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers is published by Kaplan Publishing (a division of the Washington Post Company) and distributed by Simon & Schuster. Visit your local bookstore, or order your copy from the Simon & Schuster website or from Amazon.com, Borders.com, or BarnesandNoble.com.

Harlan Glenn's "Battle Rats" on the Military Channel

Catch Harlan Glenn's new TV show "Battle Rats: Iwo Jima," a one-hour pilot for a proposed series, this month on the Military Channel. I've been fortunate to work with Harlan on a number of TV programs over the years, and it's thrilling to see his new show come together. Congratulations Harlan! Here's a trailer for the show:

Farewell, Rocco

It's been such a strange and tragic month. While Michele and I were out of town for the funeral of one of our family members, I received word that I'd lost a friend who was serving a combat tour in Afghanistan. Rocco Barnes was one hell of a guy. In addition to working on film and television projects, he was also a U.S. Army Reservist. Excerpting from his obituary in the Los Angeles Times:

Maj. Rocco M. Barnes was supposed to be back home in Los Angeles this summer at the end of his fourth overseas tour with the California Army National Guard. But the 51-year-old entertainment company executive was killed June 4 in Afghanistan, the victim of what officials described as a vehicle rollover.

An Ohio native selected for the elite Special Forces, he served two tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan. Friends say he was driven by his passion for both the military and the movie business.

As a young man, Barnes worked as a coal miner before getting into the security field. He  provided security for [Arnold] Schwarzenegger on the sets of "True Lies" and "Collateral Damage," and was head of West Coast operations for the security company Vance International before beginning his career in entertainment.

Although he was quiet about his military activities, friends said, Barnes was in the thick of combat. About two weeks before his death, he was part of a team that cleared the way for the landing of a helicopter that airlifted a severely burned, 22-month-old Afghan boy to emergency care.

I had the privilege of working with Rocco on several TV projects and always appreciated his quiet confidence, warmth and camaraderie. He was modest about all he had done and all he was doing, and my heart breaks to know that he's gone.

(Obituary in the Los Angeles Times, written by Steve Chawkins)
(Details on Rocco's last mission, from AfghanistanMyLastTour.com)

The Baseballs

I wonder what Brian Setzer thinks of this? A German trio called The Baseballs takes current pop hits and rearranges them as rockabilly tunes. It's a lot of fun. Even songs I don't like in their original form become really enjoyable when The Baseballs take a crack at them.

Click here for their YouTube page -- try their version of Katy Perry's "Hot 'n' Cold." Meantime here's the video for their version of Rihanna's "Umbrella." I dare you not to bop along!

Adam Donshik in writer/director Scott Cervine's short film "Symbiotaxiplasm"

Great news! Actor Adam Donshik won the Best Actor award at the Elevate Film Festival held on October 5th at the Nokia Theatre here in Los Angeles. Adam appeared in writer/director Scott Cervine's terrific short film "Symbiotaxiplasm." (That's Scott's photo on the left, Adam on the right.)

You can view the film by going to Adam's website: www.donshik.com. Enjoy!

Here's a still from the film: Adam's character just bought a Prius, and he drives it to [SPOILER] and then [SPOILER]. (Just watch the film, okay?)

Not Over "The Wire"

I wish, how I wish, that "The Wire" got its due. Last night's Emmys really should have recognized this show for its energetic, multi-layered storytelling, compelling characters and gritty location shooting. I'm glad that HBO saw fit to let the show run for five years.

Created by journalist-turned-writer/producer David Simon — whose book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets inspired NBC's classic 1990s Baltimore cop show "Homicide: Life On the Street" — "The Wire" asked tough questions about today's society.

The show took a hard look at how politics, economics, business and government meshed with daily life for Baltimore cops, union members, educators, journalists, gang leaders and others. Because the series featured multiple plotlines that crisscrossed repeatedly over its five-year run, it's difficult to describe "The Wire" in ten words or less. A cop show? At its heart, sure. But at its best, the series was a realistic though fictionalized examination of the fabric of inner-city life — an indictment against greed and corruption, and a call for us to pay attention to the slow, painful deterioration of formerly thriving communities.

Bruce Campbell's new movie finally releases

After more than a year, Bruce Campbell's new indie feature, "My Name is Bruce," finally hits theaters this fall. And Bruce kicks off a national tour in October to screen the film and take questions from the audience. Color me so happy!

"My Name is Bruce" is the heroic struggle of a small mining town (Gold Lick, Oregon) to rid itself of a vengeful monster. Guan-di (Jamie Peck), the Chinese god of war and protector of the dead, has been unleashed by cemetery desecrating teenagers to protect the graves of Chinese miners lost in a deadly cave-in of yesteryear.

The deadly demon’s mission is to eradicate all those who transgressed against the tomb (relatives included), which is virtually the entire population of Gold Lick. The inbred community has to find a solution so Jeff (Taylor Sharpe), the sole survivor of a deadly Guan-Di encounter, takes it upon himself to kidnap his idol, Bruce Campbell (Bruce Campbell), star of countless B-movie horror films, and recruit him to be their local savior.

The tour schedule is available at Bruce's website. More Bruce Campbell news appears at Bruce Campbell News Central.