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Isn’t he the cutest? He is friendly and approachable, too. Colton Rodgers is 11 years old from Arizona. He auditioned for the part of a little 8-year old boy, among hundreds of other young kids in the state of Arizona and was selected to make his feature film debut in the movie, Jake’s Corner. Is he a budding future star? Well, if he does a good job in this movie, with his looks and charm, there is no doubt about it.

Many of you would probably wonder how in the world I happened to pose with the child actor the fact that I live quite a ways from the city. Well, a friend of mine at work, Di, has been raving about the movie, Jake’s Corner, which is currently being filmed locally for some time now. Di is the girlfriend of the owner of Jake’s Corner Bar. At first, I couldn’t follow and didn’t seem to be interested until one day when she brought an album full of pictures of the cast of the movie. It had pictures of many great actors and some actresses that she took from the movie set– something worth the drive. So, off we went. rich-tyson.jpg

How many of you recognize this guy? He has the lead role in the movie, mind you. The moment Di saw him coming, she quickly clued me in. I immediately took his picture which didn’t come out good. Darn it! He actually looks better in person.

Does Richard Tyson ring a bell to you? Are any of you familiar with these movies: Black Hawk Down, Kindergarten Cop, There’s Something About Mary, Me, Myself, and Irene, Three O’clock High, and Two Moon Junction? Richard is known for his roles in such films.

I was hoping I could get a picture of him and me together but it was just impossible to find him idled. And I wasn’t sure if he would take the time out of his busy schedule to pose with me anyway. But he spoke with me for a minute and that became the highlight of my day..hehe. He told me that he made a movie in Bohol, Philippines many many years back with a filipino actor who he could only remember by his first name, Rene. He thought that Bohol was pretty.

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Tim Comstock, a co-producer of Jake’s Corner, is very friendly and very accommodating. When my friend, Di, told him that I am a blogger, he was pleased to pose for me all smiles. What a cool guy! Tim actually produced and wrote This Old House, which has proven to be the most financially successful documentaries in the last 30 years. He also worked in film production and music supervision of the very successful independent film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

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This is the Jake’s Corner Bar where the movie is being filmed. It is about 20-minute-drive from my place, about 4 miles from Beeline Highway on SR 88. Jeff Santo, a writer/director of the movie chanced upon this area and fell in love with it because of the rustic charm and beauty of this simple town consisting of a bar, a store, and nice friendly people that he decided to make it as backdrop for his next movie. The movie is fictional but the town is real. It is a story about a guy who was a former University of Arizona Heisman Trophy winner, who after a family tragedy, disappeared from the limelight, and was forced to care for his nephew who had survived from a tragedy of his own. His life changed drastically as soon as the boy moved in with him.

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This is Rick Heppler, the owner of the bar. He is such a nice guy and made us feel comfortable. He designed the outside bar which you can see in the picture. Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, he serves delicious and mouth-watering dinner which is consist of fish, shrimp, chicken, hotdogs, humburgers, and steaks. He also hosts a local live band on these nights. I thought I would bring my daughter here on one of the nights to sing.

Jakes Corner, the Movie