President Obama 'Introduces' social justice short 'The Suburban Itch'

Made over with an "introduction" from President Obama and some new scenes, 'The Suburban Itch,' is released for public viewing free of charge on Youtube.com.  

Link to the 10-minute film: 'The Suburban Itch' (YouTube)

The film is a spoof of a role reversal, which takes on racial profiling with humor and Memphis hip-hop music to help the social justice message go down.

"The film is a lesson in being quick to judge one another," said director Gary Moore. "It also helps us self-examine if we view circumstances differently, based on what someone looks like.

"The rash of racial profiling and unarmed black men being shot and killed by law enforcement -- or wannabes in the case of George Zimmerman murdering Trayvon Martin -- inspired the film as did President Obama's analysis after Zimmerman's acquittal," Moore said.

Filmed in Memphis, 'The Suburban Itch' hometown-premiered November 8, 2015, at the Indie Memphis Film Festival. The film also was screened at LA- and NYC-area festivals and venues in 2015 and 2016. 

The film is prospectively a feature film, or the basis of an episodic series. Moore Media & Entertainment also is developing other projects, including an episodic comedy series. Moore also has produced documentary features Who Will Watch the Watchers? and #TakeEmDown. 

"The Suburban Itch" Tennessee Premiere Sunday Nov. 8 at Circuit Playhouse

Laughs and Memphis Music

Make the Message Go Down

In “The Suburban Itch”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dropbox link to still photo from the set of “The Suburban Itch:”  https://www.dropbox.com/s/iuw0w9sdv7n34kn/1%20Suburban%20Itch%20Cover%20Photo.jpeg?dl=0

“Don’t be quick to judge” is the moral message an Indie Memphis audience will see when “The Suburban Itch” is screened Sunday night Nov. 8 at Circuit Playhouse, 51 S. Cooper.

“Having a relevant social message doesn’t mean being ‘preachy,’” says Jenni Moore, executive producer.  “This message comes wrapped in a comedy-coated outside, with Memphis musical sprinkles on top.”

The screening will be the "Tennessee premiere" for “The Suburban Itch,” which also has been screened at Los Angeles- and New York City-area film festivals.  It will be shown in a block of short films in Indie Memphis' Hometowner Narrative Shorts category beginning at 6:30.

In a role reversal, black actors play white stereotypes, and a young white man is hassled by police who profile him for “running while white” in a black neighborhood. 

When Mary Beth Miles (played by Charisse Norment) sizes up the injustice as she drives in North Memphis with her less noble friends, she stops the car and confronts police.  They say no good deed goes unpunished, and police reward Mary Beth with what they call “street justice” by handcuffing her to the jogger, DeMarcus Malone (Derek Moore). 

Mary Beth must bring this fellow home in handcuffs, and it’s “guess who's coming to dinner?” and then some as she must run the gauntlet of a troublesome little sister, domineering dad and fool-proof mother.  Malone turns out to be a prize-winning reporter who is out of work after the local newspaper closed shop.  The stuff hits the fan when dad James Miles (Delvyn Brown) realizes Malone is the reporter whose stories led the EPA to bust Miles’ industrial processing business.

The cast is led by Memphis stage and film favorites Brown and Norment.  Brown was “Actor of the Year” as honored by the Diversity on Stage Awards earlier this year, and Norment was honored for her stage and film accomplishments.  Norment also is a member of the Tennessee Shakespeare Company.   Derek Moore of Nashville plays the young man whom police detain for looking suspiciously out of place running along Chelsea Avenue near Hollywood. 

Spicing up the film is Memphis music from popular hip-hop artist “Knowledge Nick” Hicks, (featuring Bartholomew Jones and produced by Max Ptah), whose songs “The M” and “Leaders of the New School” fit the story line of not judging at first sight. 

As the film opens, DeMarcus goes for a run, leaving Rainbow Place and turning north on McLean while Hicks sings from “The M:” 

“I get strange looks when I tell ‘em I’m from Memphis –

“A notion that I never understood,

“Considering I grew up in the ‘burbs and the hood.

“But, it’s all good;

“Though not a thug or a hippie,

“I’m just a different breed, son,  that grew up in the city.”

In “Leaders of the New School,” Bartholomew Jones raps:

“They wanted Jim Crow.

“The kids flow, but kids know,

“Love ain’t got a color;

“We’re born to flow with the rainbow.”

"After George Zimmerman was acquitted in the killing of Trayvon Martin, President Obama called on Americans to check how they would feel if races were reversed in such incidents," said writer-director Gary Moore.  "'The Suburban Itch' will challenge viewers to see if their emotions change based on how people look in varied situations."  

“The Suburban Itch” official trailer:  https://vimeo.com/128112758

The film’s website is www.TheSuburbanItch.com, and the Facebook page, is www.Facebook.com/TheSuburbanItch.

For Indie Memphis information, tickets and schedules: www.IndieMemphis.com.

“The Suburban Itch” was produced by Moore Media & Entertainment.  For further information about “The Suburban Itch” and upcoming film projects, contact Jenni or Gary Moore at mooremedia@att.net. 

'The Suburban Itch' Press Kit, Tennessee Premiere

Link to Film Freeway Project, including trailer: https://filmfreeway.com/project/398682

www.facebook.com/thesuburbanitch

Click photo for Dropbox link to this jpeg image from the set:

‘The Suburban Itch’ Screening 6:30 p.m. 
          Sunday Nov. 8 at Circuit Playhouse

"The Suburban Itch" makes its Tennessee premiere when the Indie Memphis Film Festival screens the film in a block of shorts at 6:30 p.m. Sunday Nov. 8 at Circuit Playhouse.  

"The Suburban Itch" is in the category of "Hometowner Narrative Shorts."  The comedy with a message has previously been screened in LA- and NYC-area film festivals.  

Logline:  An African-American woman imperils herself when she confronts police who harass a young, white man for running in a black neighborhood.

Vimeo link to ‘The Suburban Itch’ Official Trailer:  https://vimeo.com/128112758

Film Freeway Press Kit site, including trailer:

https://filmfreeway.com/project/398682

Website:  www.TheSuburbanItch.com

www.Facebook.com/TheSuburbanItch

"The Suburban Itch" is a narrative short film which takes on racial profiling with humor and original Memphis hip-hop music.

In a twist of a role reversal, black actors play white stereotypes, and a white actor plays a young man stopped by police for running in a neighborhood where he seems not to belong.

Memphis stage and screen favorites Charisse Norment and Delvyn Brown lead the cast along with Derek B. Moore of Nashville.

Popular Memphis hip-hop artist "Knowledge Nick" Hicks has two tracks on the film, excerpts from "The M" and "Leaders of the New School."

"'The Suburban Itch' will challenge viewers to see if their emotions change when they see a stereotypical situation in which only a person's looks differ," said writer-producer Gary Moore of Moore Media & Entertainment.  "Don't worry if that sounds 'heavy.'  It's still a comedy.

"It's 'Funny or Die,' Memphis-style," Moore said.

“We have Memphis covered -- with Memphis actors, Memphis music, Memphis crew and Memphis locations and neighborhoods,” Moore said.  “We held out for the right and best actors for these strong character parts, and for the perfect music, and we found them all in Memphis. 

“We had way more actor submissions from L-A than Memphis, more from Atlanta than Memphis, many from New York and even several from Europe.  One attractive actress from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, pitched hard to play the mom, and she assured me she would work for no pay and would handle her own transportation and housing for a chance to be part of this story.

“We also should say the moral message of this film, how to treat one another without being quick to judge, is a proper lesson for us in Memphis and everywhere,” Moore said.

Delvyn Brown, who plays James Miles, was honored as “Actor of the Year” at the First Annual Diversity on Stage Awards earlier this year.  Charisse Norment, a member of the Tennessee Shakespeare Company, was also honored at that ceremony for her stage and film performances.

The film has strong characters:

Mary Beth Miles, played by Charisse Norment, challenges injustice, but then police handcuff her to the young man she tries to rescue.

DeMarcus Malone, played by Derek B. Moore, is hassled by police for suspiciously running-while-white in a black neighborhood.  DeMarcus is a prize-winning reporter who lost his job when the daily newspaper closed down.

James Miles, played by Delvyn Brown, is a domineering dad who is outflanked by his wife and two daughters.  Seeing his daughter come home handcuffed to a boy is bad enough, but things get off-the-charts when Miles realizes DeMarcus is the reporter who wrote negative stories that led to EPA sanctions against his industrial processing company.

Margaret Miles, played by Sophia Livingston, is an all-seeing, all-knowing mother and wife who cannot be fooled.

Officer Marie Goodlett, played by Georgetta Buggs, imposes "street justice" on Mary Beth and DeMarcus.

Taylor Miles, played by Christiana Smith, is a little sister that lives to torment big sis Mary Beth.

Hunter Tyler, played by Traviz Lee, is certain a white man running in the hood must be up to no good.

Allie Kate Mayes, played by Jeneka Redmon, is afraid and locks the doors when she sees a white man running toward their car.

For further information:  MooreMedia@att.net

It's the Poster, the Poster!

The Suburban Itch Official Poster is hot off the presses and available for sale!  Poster is 11 x 17

inches, printed on 100-pound, semi-gloss card stock -- meaning it's substantial and is on nice photo paper. 
In Hollywood lore, posters can make the movie.  The poster can spark interest in the film and can make moviegoers want to find out what happens.
With our poster photo, showing the handcuffed pair in distress, what do you imagine is going on?  Where is the conflict coming from?  What's gonna happen next?  Stay tuned!
We usually see posters sent rolled up in a tube; however, these are too substantial for that, so we will send them -- any quantity you wish -- as a flat piece in an official USPS bubble wrap, oversized envelope.  $20 each, no extra charge for shipping, etc. 
Order through PayPal at the button on the top right -- you do not have to have a PayPal account; you may pay by credit or debit card, or however PayPal will allow.  Estimated 5 business days to ship.  Proceeds will go toward marketing "The Suburban Itch" and project development. 

Yes, we Cannes....Make it Short

Cannes Short Film Festival is our latest submission of “The Suburban Itch” to U.S. and foreign festivals.
 

With a Vine video topping out at 6.5 seconds, no doubt we crave quick gratification.  As we watch more and more film on phones and laptops and less on the family room TV set, the short film is rapidly rising as a respected and distributed format. 

"High Maintenance,” for example, started out as six Internet shorts.  Now they are HBO-bound.  That’s one goal, to have an HBO- or Netflix-type episodic series that can be made in Memphis and elsewhere in Tennessee.  Here is a podcast interview from a Tribecca panel that features the creators of “High Maintenance” and a distribution whiz: http://www.indiewire.com/article/tribeca-high-maintenance-creators-on-short-filmmaking-opportunities-online-20150427

We will fire up an IndieGoGo campaign soon to help us promote at film festivals.  Be thinking, “Who do I know who would like to see films like this, and who would be a prospective partner?” 

Hard Truth: No matter how great is any creative work, it’s going nowhere without broad, expert and financed promotion.  That’s my job now.  Make that OUR JOB.  We are all in this together, speaking to cast, crew and community here.  We can accomplish great things if we pull together, cleverly and passionately. 

Let’s be able to say, “Yes, we did!” 

Link to Official Trailer:  https://vimeo.com/128112758
www.Facebook.com/TheSuburbanItch

This Memphis Emcee Teaches from the College of Musical Knowledge

‘Knowledge Nick’ Breaks the Stereotype Box
With Music and ‘The Suburban Itch’ Film

So many people told “Knowledge Nick” Hicks they did not think he was from Memphis that the popular Memphis hip-hop artist wrote a song about it.

“The M” chronicles Hicks’ view of his city, “from the ‘burbs to the hood” and “blessed, from East to West” and explains that people think he is from “up North.”

“People want to put you in a box,” laments Hicks, who also says he is "excited" about being part of "The Suburban Itch" film. 

Knowledge Nick and his music were, therefore, a perfect match to be featured in “The Suburban Itch,” a comedy short film which attacks profiling with humor and music.   

“The M” and “Leaders of the New School,” written and performed by Hicks and Bartholomew Jones will, respectively, open and close the film.   “The Suburban Itch,” a Moore Media & Entertainment film, was shot and produced entirely in Memphis. 

Knowledge Nick Brings Memphis Music to The Suburban Itch!

BULLETIN

MEMPHIS, TN – Popular Memphis recording artist Knowledge Nick will be featured in The Suburban Itch, a short film which takes on racial profiling with humor, role reversal and music.

U.S. and foreign film festival audiences will hear “The M (featuring Bartholomew Jones)” to open the film as three college students driving in North Memphis have a fateful intersection with a jogger.  “Leaders of the New School (featuring Bartholomew Jones)” will play over credits.   The music is courtesy publisher Artist Tree Entertainment. 

“Nick’s music and uplifting themes perfectly fit the film’s message that we are all in this together and should not be quick to judge,” said Gary Moore, producer and director, Moore Media & Entertainment. 

The Suburban Itch was filmed and produced entirely in Memphis.


Link to Knowledge Nick on Artist Tree Entertainment


Link The New Memphis on iTunes

Facebook Page The Suburban Itch


More information to follow.

'Itch' Reporter Is Victim of U.S. Media Breakup

While 'The Suburban Itch' lights up the issue of racial profiling with a role reversal, the sad state of journalism does not escape the political swath of our story.


DeMarcus Malone, the white guy who is hassled by police for looking "suspicious" in a poor neighborhood, is a prize-winning print reporter.  Ultimately a victim of the times, DeMarcus loses his job when the fictional newspaper, the Memphis News-Times, closes shop. 


Reality blows.  The Commercial Appeal cut 17 employees in September.  Owner E.W. Scripps concurrently announced it was selling off its print assets and The Commercial Appeal would be owned by the Milwaukee-based Journal Media Group. Click to read story in the Memphis Flyer. 


The Tennessean in August fired all of its reporters, editors and photographers and told them they could re-apply for jobs with a spin-off print company reorganized by media giant Gannett.  Click to read story in the Nashville Scene. 


Go to www.MemphisNewsTimes.com to see the stories that James Miles reads on his cell phone while his daughter Marybeth is handcuffed to DeMarcus.  Yeah, we created a website for DeMarcus' failed paper.  DeMarcus is the subject of, not the reporter of, one story, headlined:  "Our Reporter Beaten, Arrested at Occupy Wall Street!" 


So, the mass media conglomerates are throwing out their print holdings with both hands while hanging onto TV and digital assets.  Gannett, publisher of USA Today and the nation's largest newspaper chain, is doing companywide what they did to The Tennessean, cutting editorial staff across the board by 15 percent.  


Who is going to take up the slack left by the demise of journalism?   The ability of the people to be informed is protected in the First Amendment, which sets aside the press as the only commercial endeavor which gets such elevated status.


Network TV news no longer exists as a separate division, as did CBS News during the years of Walter Cronkite.  The operation may or may not have been profitable any given year, but that was not the point.  There was prestige for the network and honor in doing an important job.  Now, all network news outfits are wholly within the corporate structure, which means the measure of their success is the bottom line, not good journalism.


Instead of digging for the stories -- and the stories under the surface -- the contemporary media fill us up with cats chasing balloons and Kardashian sightings. 


 Instead of editors with strong backgrounds in journalism, today's daily newspapers are headed by "content executives," which means simply this:


Give the people in our target demographic what they want -- not what they need -- and what will drive circulation and ad volume.  These new-era managers talk about "user experience" and, as The Tennessean's executive editor Stefanie Murray spun, the "newsroom of the future" as we are "continually reinventing ourselves."   


Is former Tennessean editor and publisher John Seigenthaler, who died in 2014, already rolling over in his grave?   The top three execs now in The Tennessean's newsroom combined have  less than five years experience.

12-Year-Old Tamir Rice Shot Down Within 2 Seconds of Police Arriving

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later Must be in the Training Manual


Link to Story and Video

Pitch for the Itch on IndieGoGo

To make this production as awesome as it can be, we are pitching 'The Suburban Itch' on IndieGoGo.  Here is a link to "The Pitch for the Itch" website.  We are reaching out to folks who might have an affinity for this message, who like what we are seeking to accomplish and who recognize that dramatization and humor can deliver a mighty message. 


We are seeking $25,000 in this campaign to help market the film at foreign and domestic film festivals.



Watch our 'Pitch' Video.

Make Room for Daddy!

Delvyn Brown will play "James Miles," a successful businessman and a controlling dad who gets out-flanked by his wife and daughters at home.  Things reach a boiling point when college student daughter Marybeth comes home handcuffed to a white boy. 


Delvyn is a much-accomplished and varied Memphis actor, who has played everything from Martin Luther King Jr. to the "Hairy Man," his present role in Wiley and the Hairy Man, a Playhouse on the Square touring show. 


Christiana Smith, a 16-year-old junior at Germantown High School, will play "Taylor Miles," a thorn in the side of big sis Marybeth. 


Click photos on right for more on Delvyn and Christiana. 

'The Suburban Itch' Cast Announcement

This Mom Knows Best!
Sophia Livingston will play Margaret Miles, a mom who can't be fooled and a wife who knows how to out-flank her husband, in 'The Suburban Itch,' a comedy short which will be filmed in Memphis in coming weeks.


Sophia has wide experiences as a Mid-South actor, from feature films to local stages, including many productions at Hattiloo Theatre.  She was Clairee Belcher in Hatiloo's production of Steel Magnolias and Mrs. Pauline Breedlove in The Bluest Eye.  

Five talented Mid-South actors cast to play key roles in 'The Suburban Itch,' a comedy short that will make us laugh and make us think.


Charisse Norment of Memphis will play Marybeth Miles, who intervenes when she sees police unjustly hassling a jogger.  They say, no good deed goes unpunished.  Cop handcuffs her to the jogger.  How is she going to explain that to her controlling daddy?


Derek Moore of Nashville will play DeMarcus Malone, who is hassled by cops who think he looks suspicious, because he is running-while-white in a mostly black area.  He is bound to go home with Marybeth and meet the daddy, who comes at him with bolt cutters.


Ashleigh Brooks will play Heather Slocum, Marybeth's friend who advises her, 'Don't get involved,' when Marybeth intervenes in a police stop.


Georgetta Buggs will play a police officer who dispenses street justice in the form of handcuffs for Marybeth and DeMarcus.




'Suburban Itch' Flips Stereotypes to Make Us Laugh and Think
Producer's Note: A few years back, do you recall seeing a picture of a middle-aged white guy with his big holster and gun at a Tea Party rally to protest Obamacare?


What if this guy were black? 

In mid-September, did you see where a white guy in Nashville strapped a rifle on his back and paraded in front of Hillsboro High School?
Now, picture how those stories end -- if it's a young man or black man or a young and black guy at a Tea Party rally, or marching in front of Hillsboro High.
That's the point of 'The Suburban Itch,' only we dose it up with a heaping spoonful of funny to make the medicine go down.
We're not 'Funny or Die,' which has a team of paid writers, and A-list Hollywood types to play roles, such as Will Ferrell, Dan Akroyd, Scarlett Johansen, Kerry Washington, Ashley Judd, etc.  But, we're making 'Funny or Die Memphis Style.' 


Producer Seeks Locally Based Actors to Compete with L.A. Submissions for Parts

Producer's Note: This is a testament to the humor and heart of this short story.  An actor who lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, wants to travel at her own expense and for no compensation to take on the role of Marybeth's mother.  I have one from Sweden, one from Italy and way more submissions from LA, NYC and Atlanta than Memphis.  These are serious actors who are calling me from LA during local auditions to pitch their case for taking a supporting role in 'The Suburban Itch.'

"The role reversal is awesome... as interesting a role reversal as I have seen."  -- E. Wilson, script consultant.

I need to cast Marybeth's daddy, successful businessman James Miles, who is accustomed to getting his way and who flips his lid when Marybeth brings home a boy -- in handcuffs.  Still also need to cast Taylor Miles and Hunter Tyler.

"I kill it on set!" says a seasoned actor from New York City while pitching himself for the part of James Miles.

Who do you know who "kills it on set" and lives in or near Memphis?
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“The Suburban Itch,” a comedy short film set in Memphis, is casting performers, including leads and supporting characters.

“’The Suburban Itch’ scrambles stereotypes in a way that will make us laugh and make us think,” said Gary Moore, producer, Moore Media and Entertainment.  "It will be a 'Funny or Die' type of film.

“I have been inundated with actors from Los Angeles vying to play these strong characters, but I hope to find the right actors from the talent we have in Memphis or elsewhere in Tennessee,” Moore said. 

“Although actors will be unpaid for this independent short, there is much competition for roles that showcase talent.”

Casting submission deadline has been extended until Sept. 26.  The producer plans to submit the film to festivals in the United States.  Shooting is tentatively set for early October. 

Cast details:

Marybeth Miles, 20, African-American female, comes to the
rescue of a white jogger who is roughed up by the police.  The police handcuff them together and call it "street justice" for 24 hours.  What's going to happen when she tows him home to Daddy? 

James Miles, 40s-50s, African-American male, Marybeth’s domineering father.


Margaret Miles, 40s-50s, African-American female, is the glue that holds the Miles family together.

LeMarcus Malone (role has been cast), mid-20s, Caucasian male, is an award-winning newspaper reporter who lost his job when the daily paper closed shop.  When LeMarcus goes for a run, little does he know he will meet a girl like Marybeth Miles.  Can LeMarcus survive Marybeth's father?  It's a tough assignment. 

Taylor Miles, teenager,  African-American female, Marybeth’s little sister and a thorn in Marybeth's side. 

Police Officer Number One, 30s-40s, Caucasian male, pulls over a white man running in a mostly black neighborhood.

Police Officer Number Two, 20s-30s, African-American female with attitude.

Heather Slocum, 20, African-American female, MaryBeth’s friend, who warns her not to get involved.

Hunter Tyler, 20, African-American male, MaryBeth’s friend.

NON-SPEAKING:

“Preppy-dressed” Caucasian female, 20s-30, who makes obscene gesture.

Actors should email one or more digital photos, a resume and link to a demo reel to MooreMedia@att.net

Casting breakdowns are online at the Internet Movie Database: https://pro-labs.imdb.com/casting/breakdowns. 

 

Website for the film is www.TheSuburbanItch.com.

Shoot-It-Yourself: Audition from the script without leaving home -- or going to a cattle call.


Here's a singing spoof about Internet Equal Rights -- yeah, me again, trying to make funny and influence public policy:


'You Are My Network! Keep the Internet Open for the American People!'