Ken and Fred Atchity of Atchity Brothers Entertainment will produce the feature film, Andrew Jackson—Battle For New Orleans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                          

Jan. 9, 2015

Jacques Berry
Office of the Lieutenant Governor                                

225.342.8607                                                                                                   

jberry@crt.la.gov                                                                                                                                            

LT. GOV. DARDENNE ANNOUNCES A-LIST PRODUCER TO CREATE
BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS FILM

Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne announced plans for a major motion picture about the Battle of New Orleans. Ken and Fred Atchity of Atchity Brothers Entertainment will produce the feature film, Andrew Jackson—Battle For New Orleans, based on military historian Ron Drez’s latest book, The War of 1812: Conflict And Deception. The project is endorsed by the Battle of New Orleans Bicentennial Commission.

“We have commemorated the Battle of New Orleans Bicentennial all week and it’s exciting to end the week announcing a feature film to ensure the Battle’s story lives on,” Lt. Governor Dardenne said. “This film will remind the country that America’s success as a nation was solidified 200 years ago in Chalmette.”

Andrew Jackson arrived in New Orleans December 1814 to discover a local force in place with fewer than 1,000 soldiers. In two weeks he put together an army to face the grand British force. Jackson assembled a ragtag group of soldiers including pirates, free men of color, American Indians and visiting militia from other states. The battle ended with a U.S. victory on Jan. 8, 1815.

“Jackson’s unpredictable victory is made for film because everyone enjoys rooting for the underdog,” producer Ken Atchity said. “His leadership bringing together folks from every race, nationality and walk of life to create a force to defeat the vastly superior British Army and solidify our position as Americans is an important story to tell.”

The Battle of New Orleans was an important subject in pop culture during the mid-20^th century. Films such as The Buccaneer focusing on pirate Jean Laffite and his contribution to the Battle in 1938 and the film’s remake in 1958 starring Yul Brynner were huge successes. In addition, Johnny Horton’s 1959 song The Battle of New Orleans topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks.

“It would be great to see the Battle of New Orleans back in the pop culture spotlight,” Lt. Governor Dardenne said. “The story is interesting enough to capture the attention of any generation.”

The Atchity brothers are expected to announce actors and directors for the Battle of New Orleans film soon.

For more information about the Battle of New Orleans Bicentennial Commission, visit BattleOfNewOrleans2015.com or the commission’s Facebook page. Use #BONO2015 on social media.

--LouisianaTravel.com--

Story Merchant Books Launches The Last Witness by Jerry Amernic

The Kennedy Detail in the Press

Jake Gyllenhaal's dad making film about John F. Kennedy's security team

By WENN.com
 

The leader was fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald on 22 November, 1963 in Dallas, Texas and now Stephen Gyllenhaal is set to examine the Secret Service personnel assigned to protect the president in The Kennedy Detail.

Gyllenhaal is currently adapting the script from former agent Gerald Blaine's book of the same name, and he has been meeting with surviving members of Kennedy's security detail to make sure the film is as authentic as possible.

And the director is excited to explore the assassination story from a different angle.

He says, "This is the project of a lifetime and I could not be more excited to be part of it. Everyone knows how this story ends, but the true stories told through the eyes of this extraordinary band of brothers, from JFK's election to that awful day in Dallas, have never been told. It is time to share their perspective with the world."

Gyllenhaal will begin filming the project in January (13) with a proposed November, 2013 release date to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's passing.

Clint Hill being inducted into the Scandinavian American Hall of Fame

Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame

Clint Hill

2012 Inductee

Clint Hill is a former United States Secret Service agent who, over the course of his career, served Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. He was in the motorcade in Dallas on November 22, 1963, assigned to protect First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, when President Kennedy was assassinated. He is credited with saving Mrs. Kennedy's life. After rising through the ranks of the Secret Service, Hill retired in 1975 as Assistant Director, responsible for all protective forces. He remains in contact with the current US Secret Service and is actively involved in training activities. His experiences during assignment to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy are chronicled in a best-selling book he co-authored, Mrs. Kennedy and Me, published in 2012. Hill will be introduced by Lisa McCubbin, award-winning journalist and co-author of Mrs. Kennedy and Me.

Story Merchant Client Terry Stanfill's 'Realms of Gold' Offers Unusual Twist on Arthurian Legend

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire -08/20/12)- In her new novel, "Realms of Gold: Ritual to Romance," author Terry Stanfill uses her extensive knowledge of medieval art and history to explore her theory about the origins of King Arthur's Camelot and the Grail.

"Many scholars of Arthurian legend believe that, if there was really a Camelot, it was in England," Stanfill says. "I've found compelling evidence that there was a Camelot -- in France! And I believe the Grail of legend was found nearby, in a grave."

A world traveler intimately familiar with France and Italy, Stanfill employs real-life archaeological discoveries and ancient history in a plot about an unlikely modern romance. The protagonist is Bianca Caldwell, a single young woman who writes for a New York art magazine. Her gift is a powerful imagination and intuition.

On a trip to Venice, Italy, for a wedding, she meets handsome archaeologist Giovanni Di Serlo, who's in no mood for a relationship. The couple nevertheless embark on a journey through time and geography, following the ancient trail of an enormous bronze vessel known as the Krater of Vix.

"In real life, this vessel was found in 1953 in a grave near Mont Lassois, France, where archaeologists unearthed a hilltop fortress in 2007," Stanfill says. "I believe that fortress was Camelot, and that the Krater is the Grail -- krater is a Greek word that evolved into the word 'grail.'

"Add to that, Mont Lassois is near Avallon, another important place name in Arthurian legend."

Arthur Riothamus, King of the Britons, (a real historical figure in the mid-400s A.D.), was known to have spent time in France and died in Avallon following a battle.

Erik T. Haskell, professor of French Studies & Humanities at Scripps College, Claremont University Center, was enchanted with "Realms of Gold."

"The novel is a masterful tapestry of human aspirations and enterprises, of science and intuition, revealing the author's profound understanding of the past and her visionary re-crafting of it that leads to the story's romantic -- and historically surprising -- revelation," he wrote.

About Terry Stanfill

Terry Stanfill is an Overseer of the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif., former international representative for Christie's auction house and former director of Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Calif. Stanfill is married to Dennis Stanfill, former CEO of 20th Century Fox and MGM Studios.