Happy Endings and Lake Delton

For flood news and Photos go to Captain Anne Bonny blog
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Lake Delton is/was a man made lake that formed when a earthen dam was constructed in 1908. As many of you know after the rains this weekend in our part of the country Lake Delton decided it no longer wanted to be a lake and decided to take matters into it's own hand.

The earthen dam held, but with rising waters mother nature decided to find another route to get it's water to the Wisconsin River. It cut a channel through the sandy soil of Highway A searching for the river which was only 1/4 mile away. All it needed was a small crack to get it started. It found one and with a little prying widened the crack into a 20 foot gorge. Within two hours the entire lake had drained. Three homes washed away, and another two were destroyed when their foundations were undermined by the new outflow

This area of Wisconsin is known as The Dells, a huge recreation area. Lake Delton had 20 resorts including the one Johnny Depp stayed at a few weeks ago when filming chase scenes around Mirror Lake (also now in danger).

This is a huge blow to a billion dollar industry and the lake will be refilled with construction beginning soon.

With an entire Lake of water zooming south Josh and Jenny started sand bagging yesterday until the sand bags ran out. It's not Lake Delton heading their way but a few other dams that are teetering on the edge of solidness.

For ME - I'm rethinking my use of using Grinders Weather Bubble twice in one year. The first time was keeping rain away from filming in early March and the second time Friday from the Kurth party.

Speaking of the Kurth Party. I was a great night but sadly as most larger parties go, I was not able to talk to everyone I wanted too. That's the trouble with large events, you can only spend a little time with a lot of people.

Still we did find out that John Bolger (who plays Martin Zarkovich) is afraid of Cheese Curds (as releated by his "friend" who was there). It's a health thing and I think he feels that just being in the vicinity of them brings the greater threat of The Big One when it comes to the heart.

That is why we like to deep fry them, to make them healthier. In Wisconsin we have learned that you must accustom your body to fat. It's like if you are TOO clean your body can not handle germs, same with fat globs, if you eat healthy, your body will not be able to handle the Cheese Curd Stress, yet, citizens of Wisconsin (known widely as Cheese Heads) have acclimated our bodies to Cheese Curd Stress.

So you see John is actually acting rather smart as HIS body is healthy! It's too late for the rest of us!

For fun photos of the Kurth party check out Shakes blog.
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Public Enemies moves BACK to Wisconsin this week taking over Milwaukee and shooting the inside of the "Greencastle" robbery. This is good because Columbus was the OUTSIDE of the "Greencastle" robbery. They will be in the Milwaukee area all week.

Bryan Burrough as another update on his Vanity Fair blog - here it is.

By 2:30 a.m. my duties as an extra were long over. Over by the Biograph’s famous alley, Michael Mann was walking the actors through the climactic shot of the week, the killing of Johnny Depp’s John Dillinger. We had exchanged pleasantries earlier in the evening, but Mann was a very busy director that night, and it was growing late. I began to yawn, thinking about maybe packing it in.

Then, out of the milling crowd, Mann’s co-producer, Kevin Misher, materialized. Clad casually in jeans and a loose sweater, Kevin guided me over to Mann’s little headquarters on the adjacent sidewalk, four massive monitors tracking each of his four cameras. The moment we arrived, they began to shoot the scene. An assistant director yelled “Cars cars cars!” And from both ends of the street, the antique Hudsons and Chryslers began cruising past the theatre. “Extras extras extras!” he yelled, and one by one, the extras stepped into motion. “And…Action!” Mann barked, and then it began.

It was just like that hot night in July 1934. There, outside the theatre, stood Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis, lighting a cigar to let the surrounding agents know Dillinger was coming out. In twos and threes, the extras filing began out of the theatre. Then, flanked by actresses playing the brothel owner Ana Sage and Dillinger’s girl for the night, Polly Hamilton, came Johnny Depp. He wore the same clothes Dillinger had worn, light pants, a straw boater, a clean white shirt. He emerged from the theatre, turned to his left, then meandered with the crowd maybe thirty feet down the sidewalk, where the FBI, in the person of the actor Steven Lang, portraying Agent Charles Winstead, was waiting.

They must’ve shot the scene ten times. All ended the same, with pistols raised, several loud “pop-pop-pops,” and Depp stumbling toward the alley. Over and over they shot it, as I stood just steps away, watching intently. I could tell Mann was pleased. At just about five, as the first rays of dawn appeared over Lake Michigan, an assistant yelled “That’s a wrap!” And suddenly everyone was all smiles. Plastic cups of beer appeared in Mann’s hand and those of his dozen or so cameramen and assistants.

Kevin Misher guided me to the alley’s entrance, cutting off Johnny Depp as he began to walk toward his trailer. We were introduced. I smiled and said some nice things. He smiled and in a gentle voice said some nice things. For the life of me, I can’t remember what they were. Then he clasped his hands together in front of his chest and, like some Depression-era Buddhist monk, quickly bowed and disappeared down the alley into the shadows. A few minutes later Kevin walked me over to where Christian Bale was standing in the middle of the street, chatting with others.

“Well,” Bale said as he were introduced, “I think you were a little tough on Melvin in that book of yours.” I noticed he remained in character, still speaking in Purvis’s light southern accent. I playfully defended my research, and after a moment he smiled. “Oh, I’m just busting you a little,” he said, then shook my hand.

At some point I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Michael Mann. “Don’t go anywhere,” he murmured. “I wanna show you something.” Kevin and I followed him and a crowd of assistants into one of the vacant sports bars the production had taken over. Inside, someone stood on one of the bar tables and fed a DVD into an overhead projector. There, as daylight spread across the set outside, Mann showed us the first edited scene of the movie. It had been shot the month before, in Wisconsin, the scene where Dillinger is returned to Chicago following his arrest in Arizona.

I shouldn’t say much about what I saw, but it was breathtaking, shot in gorgeous high-definition. There were smiles everywhere. Afterward Mann shook my hand and said, “Nice writing.” I walked outside into the dawn, then into a car for O’Hare, feeling as if I was a very lucky author to have my book in such capable hands.

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There is an article in the USA Today about Med Flights and how they think all Med Flights should have Night Vision Goggles. Well, we had a Med Flight crash in Madison BECAUSE there were no Night Vision Goggles.

They had ordered some goggles a while ago. Problem is there is a waiting list because for goggles , all the Goggles are going to Iraq.
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Tomorrow I'll have some photos of my golf course/lake. I left the camera at home.

Don't forget - Party June 21st about 10:30 to paint Amtrak Station. It'll be a hoot!

OH - Post Cards are in the Mail (and an 8x12).

Rod