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December 23, 2014
 Norman
Kline Productions and CreaTV San Jose will host the
world premiere of "Changing Boundaries: The History
of San Jose" on January 22, 2015, at the California
Theatre in San Jose. The feature-length production,
narrated by Peter, tells the story of the working
people, political leaders and dreamers who built the
City of San Jose. The film features interviews with key
historical figures, from farmers to civic leaders,
including Tom McEnery, Blanca Alvarado and Norm Mineta.
Other notable interviewees include historians Terry
Christensen, Nannette Regua and Steven Millner.
The premiere is open to the public. Tickets are
available at two prices: $25 for general admission to
the show only, and $50 for the VIP reception and the
show.
November 25, 2014
On
November 9th, Peter was invited to give a speech at
DePaul University in Chicago. The event was
sponsored by the DePaul University Center for
Interreligious Engagement, Chicago Buddhist Peace
Fellowship, Ancient Dragon Zen Gate, and Lakeside Buddha
Sangha. His speech was called "Breaking the Barriers
Which Bind Us: Spiritual Practice and Political
Problems". You can view his speech
at this link.
Here
are some photos taken from the weekend events including
his Mask Workshop.
November 6, 2014
Here
are some photos from EVA ET LEON, a French film
shot last summer in Paris. Helmed by first-time
director, Emilie Cherpital, the cast includes Clotilde
Hesme, Florian Lemaire, Clotilde Courau and Peter.
Described as a comedy, the film tells the story of a
friendship between a 30's something woman and a little
boy looking for his mother.
Here
is a
link to a video of Peter speaking on behalf of
the Dalai Lama Foundation about their Living
History project.
October 30, 2014
 In
the spring of 2013 Peter was on location in Thailand
doing a French film, written and directed by Olivier
Baroux. On October 22, "On a marché sur
Bangkok", opened in France. It has comedy,
adventure and love. A TV journalist turned has-been,
played by Kad Merad, and a war reporter, played by Alice
Taglioni, travel to Thailand in search of the best kept
secret in recent history - what really happened during
the television broadcast of the Apollo 11 mission when
man set foot on the moon for the first time. Peter plays
a somewhat cartoonish CIA official, Burt Lowell, who
chases them down. He says he had a great time filming
though it was dreadfully hot. Praise was given for its spectacular scenery
and soundtrack. Here are a few photos from the film:
It
appears that Peter is on the road doing several
Mask Workshops. Tomorrow he'll be leading one at
the Austin Zen Center. Two days later, he'll be at
the Houston Zen Center. On November 8th, another
workshop will be held, this time at the Ancient
Dragon Zen Gate community in Chicago. Back in
February 2013, he conducted this same workshop at
the Houston Zen Center. According to a press
release, the workshop helps participants "Explore
the masks we all wear; putting them on, taking them
off. Experience the playful and profound activity of
the masks we know we wear, and - perhaps - the masks
we don't know we wear. "As many of you are aware,
Peter is a Zen Buddhist priest, ordained in 2012.
Here are some photos from his 2013 workshop at the
Houston Zen Center.
Last
week The Monterey County Weekly published an
interview with Peter. Many of the questions and
answers were familiar but a few caught my eye. He
gave his opinion on how people know him. He shared,
"I'll be known for E.T.
 forever.
A Walk to Remember was a big hit among younger
people. Jagged Edge [with fellow Buddhist Jeff
Bridges] with older people. A Man in Love in the
late '80s put me on the cover of just about every
European magazine." When asked what qualities
directors are looking for when they hire him, he
answered, "I have no idea. I play a lot of bad guys.
I'd look in the mirror and think, 'Gee, that doesn't
look like a bad face.' They hire me for a certain
kind of Henry Fonda, rough-hewn, American integrity.
I would like to retire from film because my first
love is writing. I'm pretty much done now. I like
the camaraderie, the acting, the rehearsing. I don't
enjoy the business."
Carlos
Santana will join the swelling ranks of famous
rockers who’ve published autobiographies when his
own memoir, "The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story
to Light" is released on November 4. Carlos has
scheduled a few special events to promote his book,
one of which includes Peter. On December 4th
Carlos will be featured in conversation with
Peter at Dominican University in
San Rafael, CA. His book includes his childhood in
Mexico and his early days playing music in Tijuana
strip clubs to his emergence as a pioneer of Latin
rock and psychedelia to his late-career success with
the Supernatural album and beyond. He also delves
into how he developed his trademark guitar sound,
shares his recollections of performing at Woodstock
and pays tribute to the musicians who inspired and
influenced him. In addition, he discusses his
lifelong spiritual journey, which was informed by
his Catholic upbringing and his fascination with
Eastern philosophies and various mystical teachings.
On
October 26th a special advance screening of "A
Coup in Camelot" was held at the Texas Theatre
in Oak Cliff. The new documentary, narrated by
Peter, is about the assassination of President John
F. Kennedy. The 105-minute exploration draws on film
footage, research and interviews to challenge the
orthodoxy that a lone gunman, firing from the Texas
School Book Depository, killed the president.
Peter
has joined the cast of AMERICANA, a Hollywood
noir being made by the film group Flies Collective.
The film chronicles an alcoholic editor, played by
David Call, as he puts together the pieces of the
murder of his movie star sister, played by Kelli
Garner. Jack Davenport will play Calib, a small-time
producer behind the starlet's final film. Zachary
Shield wrote the script and will direct as well.
Filming will begin shortly in San Francisco.
October 12, 2014
As
a member of Amazon Watch, Peter attended the 9th
Annual Luncheon in San Francisco at the Bently Reserve
on October 8th. The organization works with indigenous
communities to build local capacity and advance the
long-term protection of their lands. The first series of
photos were taken at last year's luncheon on September
25th and the second set is from this month's event.
There's
a
youtube video of Peter discussing his role
in the upcoming film, GIRL ON THE EDGE. He
discusses his personal experience with addiction and
how he relates to the story of healing in the film,
starring Taylor Spreitler and produced and directed
by Jay Silverman. The synopsis reads - "Based on a
true story, GIRL ON THE EDGE is a powerful drama
from the co-writer of "Blue Valentine" and the
Executive Producer and Co-creator of A&E's "The
Cleaner". It follows the journey of a young girl
struggling with the aftermath of a horrific trauma,
the toll that it takes on her family, and the last
chance she has to overcome it in the most unlikely
of places. It is a moving account of how we can find
strength even when we're at our most vulnerable, and
that the only thing keeping us from our own
happiness is our willpower to achieve it."
September 14, 2014
 Tonight
the newest Ken Burns 7-part series begins! In view of
that, the San Francisco Chronicle has run an article
called "Think
'The Roosevelts' sound familiar? It's because of Peter
Coyote". Having partnered with Peter in
the past, Burns describes him as "extraordinary". He
says, "A great deal of the power of our films comes from
the authority his voice brings to the proceedings."
Peter responds, "My gift seems to be that I am able to
tell a story in a comprehensible and engaging way."
He compares his voice-over work to jazz and says he uses
his peripheral vision to "see ahead of the words I'm
reading. I can tell if there's a comma coming or a
dismount on a period. The first time I read something, I
have this special feeling of being fully engaged with
it. It's fresh to the audience because it's fresh to me.
It's a little mystical, but I really believe that."
David Bianculli of NPR writes, "Each of these
Roosevelts, if studied individually, would be
fascinating. But looking at them together like this is a
revelation — a sort of storytelling synergy, where the
whole ends up being even more valuable than the sum of
its parts. The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
is biographical binge-watching at its best. In fact, I
think it's Burns' best, too." He also adds, "Peter
Coyote, who has narrated many Burns documentaries
with the perfect pace and pitch, and does so again
here."
Hank Stuever of the Washington Post agrees that the
series is among Burns’s best works and points out "the
elegant and simple narration of the series, read by
Peter Coyote and written by Geoffrey C. Ward."
And from Matt Zoller Seitz of Vulture.com: "Sensitively
written by historian Geoffrey C. Ward, who also appears
as an onscreen commentator, and narrated by Peter
Coyote in one of the finest voice-over acting jobs
I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard quite a few."
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