Update - 2/26/05:
Peter will have a guest appearance on next week's NBC's "Law
and Order: Trial by Jury." It will be aired on Friday
evening, March 4. Peter will play Mike LaSalle in "41
Shots", the last taped episode with Jerry Orbach, who passed
away in December. |
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Update - 2/23/05:
The Big Sky Documentary Festival,
which ran February 17-23 in Montana, featured two films narrated by Peter.
"The Green Bus vs. The White House", which had its world premiere
yesterday, is about the Minnesota Senate race in 2002 - Incumbent
Democrat Paul Wellstone versus the White House handpicked candidate,
Norm Coleman. Wellstone, who voted against the Iraq war, is killed in a
plane crash. After a period of mourning capped by a controversial
Memorial Service, the Democrats put erstwhile Vice President Walter
Mondale on the ticket and George Bush makes his fourth visit for
Coleman. Minnesota struggles with grief and absentee ballot battles to
prove it is not another Florida.
For more information on this 76-minute film, visit
hanleyproductions.com. Also shown was
"Oil on Ice", which premiered at the Telluride Mountain Film
Festival last May. This film explores the controversy surrounding
proposed oil drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.
Still no
premiere date for Fox's "The Inside" though it's reported it will
air on Fridays at 8 pm. Clips shown to critics make this look darker and
more mature than anything Fox has on the air right now.
Update - 1/27/05:
Here are
some pics from the Fox Networks 2005 Television Critics Winter Press
Tour at the Hilton Universal Hotel in Universal City and the cast from "The
Inside" at the Fox TV "White Hot Winter" party in Los Angeles. Both
events took place on January 17th.
Update - 01/23/05:
"Commune",
a provocative new feature film about a radical experiment in living,
will made its world premiere this weekend at the 2005 Slamdance Film Festival. The latest work by acclaimed documentarian Jonathan
Berman, the 78-minute documentary features Coyote, herbalist Michael Tierra
and painter Elsa Marley. During the radical fervor of the early 1970s,
utopian communities dotted the American landscape. They aimed to reshape
the world with free love and common property, and they excited the
controversy and fear amongst local residents across the country. Though
the idea of communes is now often relegated to a "naive" past, Berman
discovers a successful and lasting, if controversial, legacy at the
influencial Black Bear Ranch in Siskiyou County, California. With archival footage from the early days, and the present-day views of
Black Bear members and their offspring, Commune is a revealing look at
how our most basic choices about family, work, and the nature of our
relationships send powerful and lasting shock waves through the fabric
of society. Peter comments, "We thought the old idea of theater as a one-way
experience as cowardly – we were looking to be engaged in a new and
constant dialogue with other people so that roles of living and theater
could be very fluid." For more information on this film, visit
fivepointsmedia.com.
"New
Buffalo: Journals from a Taos Commune" by Arthur Kopecky was
published last year with this forward by Coyote - "New Buffalo was one
of the most successful of the collective farms that dotted the country
in the 1960s and 1970s. Arthur Kopecky's journals take us back to that
era as he and his comrades wend their way to the area near Taos, New
Mexico, where they encounter magic, wisdom, a mix of people, the Peyote
Church, planting, and hard winters. The journals trace the groups
evolution to adulthood as the party mood of the early 1970s gives way to
the concerns of maintaining a growing farm. By 1975, several hundred
people had called New Buffalo home and the business turned away from
their counterculture goats, focusing, instead, on dairy cows. New
Buffalo was emblematic of any number of communes where people came
together by happenstance and grew a life together. The struggle and
costs, the hard work, the endless labor and attention required to be
self-sufficient; the learning of new skills, social and physical, that
made every day an adventure are all here. . . . Remember or learn what
it felt like to be young, optimistic, empowered and dedicated to making
a better life. You will be amazed to see what persistent, dedicated,
selfless, hard work can accomplish."
There's
another book that's been added to "Coyote in Print" that was published back in
November 2001. Peter joined writers Bob Fitch, Robert Hsiang, Leon
Litwack and Clayborne Carson on "The Whole World's Watching:
Peace and Social Justice Movements of the 1960's and 1970's"
This collection of photographs and short essays relates many
episodes of the protest movement that bear witness to the protests and
the upheavals that began in the socially engaged and politically
volatile San Francisco Bay Area.
Update - 01/20/05:
Coyote's
voice goes international! The documentary,
"Kursk: A Submarine in Troubled Waters",
narrated by Coyote, proved to be a huge
success after its premiere on French
television on January 6, 2005. Produced by Les Films Grain de Sable and
directed by Jean-Michel Carré, the film presents an alternative account
of the Kursk tragedy while attempting to unveil a curtain of secrecy.
London-based distributor MercuryMedia has acquired UK, Asia, Middle East
and Australian footage and distribution rights to the
French documentary. Tim Sparke, director of
MercuryMedia says, "This is an exceptionally important film,
which rewrites the official version of a tragedy and underlines the
lengths governments will go to in achieving their global aims.”
From the
Toronto Star (1/19/050):
"Though
something short of demonic, the new show, The Inside,
is a very dark series spin on Silence of the Lambs, with
Peter Coyote doing Scott Glenn's taciturn FBI guy and newcomer
Rachel Nichols (Sex and the City) as a Jodie Foster-esque
rookie profiler with an even scarier secret past. Firefly's Adam
Baldwin rounds out the team."
"'Fox was looking for a procedural,' Tim Minnear explains. 'They
had the star, Rachel, who they all loved, and they were sort of
(going) with a 21 Jump Street kind of show. And I wasn't
really interested in doing 21 Jump Street. So I suggested
something a little darker, something more in keeping with the kinds
of things I'm more known for doing. In
terms of what we're doing, it is not dissimilar, actually. These are
heightened situations, people who are fighting very stressful,
really epic battles for each other's soul, and to bring justice ...'"
And elsewhere, Tim Minnear
comments - "We're really excited about Peter Coyote. He's
absolutely the perfect person to play Web." And I
love the fan response ▪ "Oh
cool, he's the Homeland Security chief in The 4400. I like him. He has
presence..." ▪ "Peter
Coyote's one of those 'Hey, it's that guy!' guys. And he looks great in
a suit." ▪ "Wow!
I absolutely love Peter Coyote. Have for years. I'll watch stuff I know
isn't all that great - just because he's in it."
▪ "KEYS was my most favorite
part of E.T." ▪
"Peter Coyote rocks..." For an exclusive December report from the set of
"The Inside", visit .
Timminear.net.
Update - 01/17/05:
The
following was released by Fox on the upcoming 13-episode series "The Inside"
starring Coyote as Supervisory Special Agent Virgil "Web" Webster:
FOX FACT
SHEET - "THE INSIDE" - PREMIERE DATE - TBA
“Do you understand what it would mean to work for me? The things you’ll
see? The places you’ll be required to go?” –
Webster
“I’ve already been to those places.” – Special Agent Rebecca Locke
“You only think
you have.” – Webster
Special Agent REBECCA LOCKE (Rachel Nichols), just two years out of
Quantico and confined to a statistical analyst position in Washington,
DC, is determined to break free of her routine, yet safe, desk job and
venture out into the field to tackle the FBI’s most dangerous
assignments.
Rebecca’s drive catches the attention of famed agent VIRGIL “WEB”
WEBSTER (Peter Coyote), the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles Violent Crimes
Unit (VCU), a rogue division where a team of agents tackle the most
psychologically taxing and physically threatening cases. When a spate of
serial killings leads to the death of one of their own, Webster hires
the rookie to replace their dead profiler. While exceptionally good at
her new position, Rebecca’s skills stem not only from her training, but
a secret she is keeping – she was once a victim herself and her
kidnapper is still at large.
Working with Elizabeth is Agent PAUL FATTORE (Jay Harrington), married
and the conscience of the department, who learns of Rebecca’s secret and
is determined to protect her from Web – a man he believes will go to any
length to solve a crime, including putting his own agents at risk.
Rounding out the team are DANNY COULTER (Adam Baldwin), an imposing
ex-Marine, tactical team leader and a bit of a hothead; and CARLA THOMS
(actor TBA), a gifted psychologist who uses humor to defuse the grim
atmospheres in which the team members continually find themselves.
THE INSIDE explores the intricacies and complications of investigative
work, as well as the personal sacrifices required of Rebecca and her VCU
teammates as they move from one investigation to the next. The mystery
of who these agents are, and why Web has hired each of them, has really
only just begun.
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Update - 01/15/05:
The
recently published book, "Sean Penn: His Life and Times" by
Richard. T. Kelly is composed almost entirely of edited interviews with
friends, family and colleagues. Here's an excerpt from Coyote in
relationship to Penn's political activism: "What a spectacular
display of hypocritical horseshit. We have a
mass media that is dedicated to every aspect of actors' lives. We have
entire magazines dedicated to where celebrities shop... everything about
celebrities fascinates us except their political opinions... because the
political opinion of a celebrity can be a detriment to merchandising".
Update -
01/12/05:

A
documentary narrated by Peter will be featured at the 2005 Sundance
Film Festival this month. Magnolia Pictures will present "Enron,
The Smartest Guys in the Room", which bills itself as the inside
story of the Enron business scandal. Directed by Alex Gibney, the
110-minute documentary draws upon the reporting of Bethany McLean and
Peter Elkind, who co-wrote the book of the same name. Corporate audio
and videotapes are included showing how Enron traders affected the
national economy. The film will have a general release later this year.
It's interesting to note that Gibney also wrote
and directed "The Pacific Century",
the 1992 PBS ten-hour documentary series,
which won Coyote an Emmy for the narration of the episode, "The
Meiji Revolution."
Update - 12/29/04:
In the past month there have
been several changes made in Peter's television work for 2005. First off, he will not be
in the second installment of "The 4400" series, but will still
appear in one episode of NBC's "Trial by Jury" which will
premiere in midseason. The big news is that he has been signed on to play an FBI boss for
the new 13-episode Fox series called "The Inside" [which may
soon change its name, possibly to "Southland"]. The series has
been going through a makeover following the September departure of creators Todd and Glenn
Kessler. Tim Minear was hired to write a new pilot script which dramatizes the FBI's
Violent Crimes Unit. Filming began December 9th on what used to be the "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer" sets. The series will premiere in March on Fox.
"THE INSIDE" Cast
Rachel Nichols as Rebecca Locke
Peter Coyote as Virgil "Web" Webster
Jay Harrington as Paul Fatorre
Adam Baldwin as Danny Love
Kimberly Scott as Carla Thoms |
Here
are more production photos from Deepwater. Visit the film's
official's web site for the
trailer and much more info. Still awaiting a release date.

Peter has
narrated another film called "Spirit Riders". This 90-minute
feature documentary describes the birth of an Native American peace movement begun in 1990
by the Lakota Nation and its growth over the subsequent years. It explores how the roots
of the World Peace movement lie in the suffering and recovery of the Lakota. Through
horseback rides and ceremonies, Lakota people have found ways to let go of the grief and
despair which persisted for over a hundred years following the 1890 massacre at Wounded
Knee. For more information, visit spiritridersmovie.com.
Update - 12/04/04:
Steve Suissa, director of Le Grand Role, will arrive in Hong
Kong next week when his film is screened at the 27th French Cinepanorama. He says that the
strength of the film's story lies in its universal themes. Quoting The Standard
(HK) - "Suissa speaks highly of American character actor Peter Coyote, who is cast as
a film director. 'Professionally, it's one of the best encounters I've ever had. This man
is a big actor, sincere, fair, enthusiastic and generous. He brings all of these things to
the film.'" The film was nominated for the 2004 Grand Prix Prize at the Paris Film
Festival in March.
Update - 12/02/04:
From the Miami Beach
Post - "Le Grand Role" review
"Director Steve Suissa (Taking Wings, another Jewish backstage tale) succeeds
at the tricky balancing act of mixing comedy and pathos. Despite the transgressions of
their subterfuge, these are people worth making an emotional investment in and we readily
do."
"Stephane Freiss is a likeable Maurice, even as it is clear that he would be a
terrible choice to play Shylock. Berenice Bejo is touching as Perla, who grows paler but
remains beautiful, in the typical movie shorthand for ravaging disease. But it is
Peter Coyote, who seems to be having more success overseas than in Hollywood, who steals
the picture as the eccentric, but caring, filmmaker."
"Le Grand Role has been seeking an American distributor for
over a year, a difficult goal in the shrinking climate for foreign language films. Yet it
is a very audience-friendly movie, a worthy kick-off to the Jewish festival."
Here is a listing of the film's future screenings:
Palm Beach, FL
Palm Beach Jewish
Film Festival
December 2-12, 2004
Washington, DC
Washington DC Jewish Film Festival
December 2-12, 2004
Minneapolis, MN
Oak Street Cinema
December 10-16, 2004
Denver, CO
Denver Jewish Film Festival
February 10-17, 2005
San Diego, CA
San Diego
Jewish Film Festival
February 12-13, 2005
Portland, Maine
Maine Jewish Film
Festival
March 13, 2005
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