Coymoon Creations

WINTER 2002 NEWSLETTER

Update - 2/17/02:
As previously reported, on February 8 Peter helped to kick off a two-day symposium at the CCAC (California College of Arts & Crafts) Wattis Institute by giving a talk - "Generority Projects: Strategies for Exchange in Contemporary Art." Now you have the chance to read his speech, which reiterates his long-standing belief in interdependence.

Update - 2/8/02:
Coyote at the Olympics? There were ice skaters dressed as coyotes during the opening ceremonies at the Olympics tonight, but no Peter Coyote among them. However, if you thought you heard his voice during Utah's rise out of the old West presentation, you were correct. Such an honor for Peter to be asked to lend his pre-recorded voice to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games! And though NBC announcer Bob Costas referred to our man as a "Native American", he is, in fact, (as most of you know) of Jewish heritage; however, he continues his work in supporting the rights of Native Americans.

Update - 2/6/02:
Two more documentary awards! "LPFM  - the People’s Voice", which was seen nationally and in the Portland metro area on cable access channels, recently won the Bronze World Medal in the New York Festival International Film and Video competition. This14-minute video documentary, narrated by Peter, tells the dramatic story of the grassroots movement for non-commercial Low-Power FM radio service, which provides oft-times marginalized groups in our society an opportunity to be heard. Video copies can be purchased for $19.95 each, plus $3.50 shipping and handling, by calling United Church of Christ Resources toll free at 1-800-537-3394. Ask for item PICLPFM. For online viewing, click here.

Five films produced by Alpenglow Films for the Outdoor Life Network series, "Earth Rescue", have been awarded a 2001 Genesis Award for Outstanding Cable Documentary Series. Three of these episodes were narrated by Peter - "Dead Coyote Walking", "Death of a Thousand Wolves", and "Pipe Dreams: Oil vs. Wilderness in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." Each year the Ark Trust acknowledges “outstanding members of the major media and entertainment community, who through their good works, have achieved exemplary accomplishment in raising public consciousness of animal issues.”

Update - 1/28/02:
Coyote-narrated documentary wins award! Last year Peter narrated a documentary called "Seth Eastman: Painting the Dakota," which not only tells the life story of the artist and career military officer Seth Eastman, but also brings insight to his paintings and his native subjects. The film has just won the Bronze Wrangler for Outstanding Documentary, an award which will be presented at the Western Heritage Awards by the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City, OK, on April 20, 2002. The museum honors the best in western literature, music, film and television. Named on the award are Executive Producer Fred deSam Lazaro, Writer/Producer Kristian Berg and narrator Peter Coyote! Past winners in the documentary category include "The Donner Party" by Ric Burns and "Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery" by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan. For those interested, the video is now available for $19.95 at Aftonpress.

Filmed in North Carolina last April and May, this Gaylord Film, distributed by Warner Bros., has a cast which includes Coyote, Darryl Hannah, pop singer Mandy Moore and Shane West. Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, it is directed by Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner). In a small Southern community during the1950's, Landon, the teenage son (West) of a wealthy family finds himself strangely attracted to an unpopular classmate, Jamie (Moore), the shy daughter of the town's Baptist minister (Coyote). When the two finally come together, they realize the ignorance of the preconceived notions they once had about each other.

Coyote says he was attracted to the role because Reverend Sullivan is presented as a "really decent man. He's not a snake-waving religious fanatic. He's a strict, upright man who loves his daughter. He's hard but fair. He measures his behavior and the conduct of others by certain standards and he's very strict about that. Of course, in today's permissive culture he just looks like an old dinosaur who's completely out of touch. More than anything  is his desire to protect his daughter from any harm that might come her way, and that maybe makes him a little more severe than he would normally be. As for the story, without being corny, there's no sex or violence,yet it manages to tell an engrossing story that's not sugar-sweet. It's about individuals as opposed to symbols. Ultimately, it's about how difficult it is to come to knowledge. That's what all literature and drama - and certainly tragedy - are about. 'King Lear' is about how hard it is to learn the smallest truths."

Producer Hunt Lowry adds, "Reverend Sullivan is an interesting character and Peter brings a cool, quiet calmness and intellectualism to the role. He's trying to be strong but underneath you know that he's scared to death of losing his daughter, especially after losing his wife years prior. Jamie is all he has left."

From the film critics...

"Peter Coyote and Daryl Hannah turn in strong supporting performances as Jamie and Landon's respective single parents." ...Seattle Times

"West has screen presence as the tough guy who falls for the school outcast, and Peter Coyote does a good turn as Jamie's overbearing father." ...The Arizona Republic

"The father is played with brooding patrician authority by the typically superb Peter Coyote."...Boston Globe

"Peter Coyote and Daryl Hannah offer support as Moore's father and West's mother, respectively. Coyote plays a Southern preacher who'd fit right in at the Mayberry courthouse with his down-home accent; his best moments are those that strike a familiar chord, as an overprotective father who tries to intercept his daughter's every kiss." ...Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Daryl Hannah and Peter Coyote provide solid support."...themovieboy.com

"Shane West turns in a nice performance as Landon Carter as does Peter Coyote, playing Jamie's strict preacher pop."...Steve Rhodes

"There's an integrity to everything Coyote plays." ...Orlando Sentinel

"Shankman gets lovely performances as well from a loopier-than-usual Daryl Hannah as Landon's mom and especially from Peter Coyote as Jamie's concerned father."...San Francisco Chronicle

"A solid supporting cast headed by Peter Coyote as Moore's minister father and Daryl Hannah as West's understanding mother."...LA Times

"Peter Coyote, effectively cast against type"...San Francisco Examiner

Coyote Personal Recommendation:

"My old friend, beat-poet Michael McClure, has made a CD of his poems with Ray Manzarek, keyboard player for the Doors. "There's a Word" can be purchased from emptymirrorbooks.com or booksmith.com. For people who enjoy Michael's work or want the lyrics to his CD, they can be found in his books: Simple Eyes, Huge Dreams, Touching the Edge, and Rain Mirror. They also have a website at mcclure-manzarek.com. The back-cover art is by William Jahrmarkt, the Billy Batman of my book." ...Peter Coyote

Peter can be presently heard on the History Channel narrating their 13-week series called "The Color of War." This program debuted November 18 and will continue for consecutive Sundays at 8 pm (EST). This new series, set against a backdrop of the most pivotal moments in action, is a compelling journey into WWII through the eyes and hearts of the people who lived it - soldiers, heroes, survivors, casualties - completely in color. The war comes alive through a moving tapestry of letters, diaries, communiques, broadcasts, music and sounds of the time. Amplifying all of these are color films and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections from around the world. These rare and amazing images bring a powerful immediacy to events occurring over half a century ago.

PBS recently aired "Glacier Bay, Alaska's Wild Coast" as part of their ongoing Living Edens Series. This will be the third Edens documentary that Coyote has narrated. This film follows the life cycle over the course of a year in this place in southeast Alaska that narrator Peter calls a “wild paradise of ocean and ice.” But it's not much of a paradise for fish, which are high on most menus. Eagles and humpback whales prefer herring, while bears, sea lions, wolves and Bonaparte's gulls favor salmon, which make their annual run upsteam to spawn in summer. It's “the main event in southeast Alaska,” says Coyote. And it's a gauntlet - “the last chance,” he notes, “to fatten up for winter.” You can purchase this video for $19.98 plus shipping at: http://www.shop.pbs.org.

On the feature film front, Gavin Wilding's Rampage Entertainment recently screened the romantic comedy, Suddenly Naked (previously called Show and Tell) at the Toronto and Vancouver Film Festivals.  Directed by Anne Wheeler, the film stars Wendy Crewson, Peter Coyote and newcomer Joe Cobden. Peter plays Lionel, an author (not a stretch here). Regarding the cast, Ms. Wheeler commented, "I thought I could never afford Peter Coyote, but he agreed knowing the parameters of the shoot." Canadian newspapers described the film as "charming, witty… from one of Canada’s most prolific directors," and "“a frolicsome moral dilemma… all of Anne Wheeler’s films are 'life lessons that exhibit a passionate concern for moral growth.'" The film has been invited to the Berlin Film Festival in February. Here is a short review:

In the May-December romance department, Anne Wheeler’s comfortable comedy features believable characters who have a legitimate and sparkling chemistry. Notably, star Wendy Crewson plays her role as the attractive older woman and literary star to the hilt. She’s not only a dynamic middle-aged woman with the brains and beauty to attract a younger man, but she’s realistically neurotic, wild and undisciplined. When she meets the 20-year-old rising literary star, portrayed with a shaggy lovableness by Joe Coboden, the expected attraction and repulsion transpires. Peter Coyote provides great support as the devoted friend. The realistic story gives much credence to the mystery of attraction and the futility in trying to deny it. This pleasant film is eminently watchable due to its attractive cast and relaxed direction.

The video and DVD of The Basket, starring Peter and Karen Allen, are now available. The video is priced at $49.95. The DVD is definitely the better buy at $20.24, as it also features a commentary by the director and cinematographer, deleted scenes, outtakes, and a collection of 6 mini-featurettes on the making of the film. Film.com sings its praises with, "In this accomplished, ambitious, and great-looking film, the same lessons are taught about tolerance and decency that have been learned from an array of children's literature... The Basket boasts a talented cast and excellent production values. Peter Coyote is convincing as the interesting new stranger in town, an honorable man who may have a dark secret..."

France has not only been a holiday spot for Peter through the years, but it has also provided the locale of A Man in Love (1987), Bitter Moon (1994), and the upcoming Femme Fatale. Filming for this Brian de Palma film noir took place last spring in Paris and editing is just about completed. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos plays Laure, a con woman who is trying to outrun her past by stealing another woman's identity. Antonio Banderas will play a paparazzi named Nicolas, who hunts her down. Peter plays Laure's husband, Bruce Hewitt Watts, the American ambassador to France. The film has been described as a highly-stylized homage to the great British director, Alfred Hitchcock. The filmmakers hope to have the film ready for the Berlin Film Festival in February. Plans are to release it in Europe in 2002 with a U.S. distributor still to be announced.

On October 22 Peter gave a presentation on "Living Resistance" at Santa Rosa Junior College. His speech was based in part on an article by Robert Bowman, known as a Combat Veteran, Rocket Scientist, Businessman, College Professor, Fighter Pilot, Bishop, and Peace Activist. Bowman states that "We are the target of terrorists because we stand for dictatorship, bondage, and human exploitation in the world." You can read Bowman's complete essay.

In the October 18-24, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian, David Templeton wrote the article, "Citizen Coyote: Apostle of grooviness explores the politics of fear." Peter comments, "There's a trauma of fear that has suddenly descended on the United States. A fear we've been feeling ever since the terrorist attacks. But I don't think it's about what people think it's about." With the mention of Sept. 11, the actor-author-activist's raspy voice takes on a passionate tone. "The only thing that's changed is that Americans now realize the ways in which we've always been vulnerable," Coyote says. "Americans, previous to this, were allowed to believe they weren't vulnerable, and I think the fear we're feeling really is the fear that the ruling class, the political class, has been attending to other business, other than the protection of American lives." Click here for the entire article.

For the Coyote howl on the war against terrorism, you can read his essay, "Pausing for Thought" as well as his poem, "Flags."