lol press kit

TIGERSTORM PRODUCTIONS
presents
Life of Lemon
RUNNING TIME: 82 minutes
RATED: Not yet rated
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: lifeoflemonthefilm.com
PRESS CONTACT:
Barry Kneller
On behalf of Tigerstorm Productions
617.462.1212 - info@tigerstormproductions.com
CAST AND CREW
Arthur
Phyllis
Lester
Esther
Lemon
Jimmy
John Thompson
Louise Phiilips
Kathy
LJ
Rob
Diane
Jennifer
Richard
Tara
Rebecca
Peter Caldale
Thomas
Cindy
Felicia
Hector
Brad
Cheryl
Written by
Directed by
Produced by
Co - Produced by
Executive Producer
Director of Photography
Original Music by
Music Supervisor
Casting Directors
Editor
Wardrobe Stylist
DAN LAURIA
BETH GRANT
WILLIE C. CARPENTER
RACHEL MINER
BARRY KNELLER
JOHN FARLEY
STEVE TOM
MIMI KENNEDY
VERNEE WATSON
TODD SHERRY
ADAM HARRINGTON
SARA VAN HORN
TERRYN WESTBROOK
ALBERT M. CHAN
LEONORA GERSHMAN
JULI YOUNG
TOM OHMER
BRIAN O’HARA
RHAVAUNIA
RALEIGH JACKSON
FRANKLIN J. STERNS
JONAS GARVIN
SARA ISAACSON
BARRY KNELLER
RANDY KENT
BARRY KNELLER
MICHAEL A. COLTON
JULI YOUNG
BARRY KNELLER
CIRA FELINA BOLLA
DON SPANGLER
DEREK LEFHOLZ
SCOTT DAVID
SARA ISAACSON
CHRIS ETHEREDGE
VICKI BUNNELL
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.2 of 15
ABOUT THE FILM (short synopsis)
Lemon (Barry Kneller) is a repair man, who is unhappy with the way his life is going and
direction it is heading. He wants to do something different than repair things for his job
and get a better life for himself. One day he meets a homeless man (Willie C. Carpenter),
who befriends and inspires him to try to new things and pursue his dreams, going against
the wishes of his father (Dan Lauria), who would prefer it if he sticks to what he knows
best, as he thinks his son is only setting himself up for disappointment. On his journey he
discovers how important it is to believe in himself and with having hope and ambition
magical things happen.
ABOUT THE FILM (long synopsis)
LIFE OF LEMON introduces actor and writer Barry Kneller as Lemon, a thirty year old
repair man, who is unhappy with the way his life is going and the direction it is heading.
Lemon lacks confidence and self esteem and with the combination of constant negativity
from his father, Arthur (Dan Lauria of “The Wonder Years”) and having no marketable
skills other than repairing things has made him believe that he is worthless and will never
be able to achieve a better life for himself. One day he meets Lester (Willie C. Carpenter of
“Hard Target”), who is a homeless war veteran. Lemon and Lester grow a touching
relationship, which results in Lemon developing self confidence and ambition. Lemon
learns how important it is to believe in himself and with hope and ambition magical things
happen.
The cast of LIFE OF LEMON includes Beth Grant (“Donnie Darko” and “No Country
For Old Men”), as Lemon’s worrisome mother; Rachel Miner ( “Bully”), as the caring
woman suffering from a broken heart; John Farley (“House Broken”), as Lemon’s boss,
who owns the apartment building that Lemon lives and works at; and Mimi Kennedy
(“Dharma And Greg”), as the busy and easily annoyed casting director at one of Los
Angeles’s top casting agencies.
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.3 of 15
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
LIFE OF LEMON is a drama about a struggling repair man, who sets out on a journey for a
better life. LIFE OF LEMON introduces writer and actor, Barry Kneller as its underachieving,
insecure underdog and stars Dan Lauria (“The Wonder Years”), Beth Grant (“ Donnie Darko” &
“No Country For Old Men”), Rachel Miner (“Bully”) and Willie C. Carpenter (“Hard Target”)
along with such veteran actors as John Farley, Steve Tom, Mimi Kennedy, Vernee Watson, Todd
Sherry and Tom Ohmer.
In LIFE OF LEMON, Kneller
stars as Lemon, a 30 year old
repair man, who is unhappy with
the way his life is going and the
direction it is heading. Lemon
has been providing basic repair
services to Jimmy (John Farley),
who in exchange lets Lemon stay
in a one room, basement level
apartment in one of the buildings
that he owns. One day Lemon
meets Lester (Willie C.
Carpenter), a homeless and
injured war veteran that has been living on the streets since his benefits ran out with the
government. They develop a touching relationship filled with love, respect and encouragement
for one another. Lester teaches Lemon how important it is to believe in himself and encourages
him to pursue the things in life that he wants to achieve. Although Lester is homeless and viewed
as being worthless by most people he comes across, Lemon sees him differently. Lemon looks up
to him and values and appreciates his friendship, respect and encouragement. They both support
and help one another in any way that they can. When they first met, Lester had voiced how he
was embarrassed to buy food with the change that he receives from people, which resulted in
Lemon immediately offering to take his change, bring it to a bank and trade it in for dollars to
bring back to him. That action set the foundation for an amazing relationship that developed
between two people from entirely different worlds.
Throughout his journey, Lemon
constantly fails at finding a better
job due to his lack of experience and
skills. In addition, he has been
dealing with negativity and
discouragement from his father (Dan
Lauria), who wishes that his son
would stick to what he knows best,
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.4 of 15
as he thinks Lemon is only setting himself up for disappointment. With the combination of
struggling for work, trying to please his father and battling his insecurities and lack of
confidence, Lemon sets out to pursue a better and more meaningful life.
One day Lester meets a sweet and caring veterinary technician named Esther (Rachel Miner),
who befriends him. They develop a
relationship similar to the one of
Lemon and Lester. She cares for
him by bringing him lunches and
gives him whatever money she can,
which constantly upsets her
boyfriend. With Lemon’s success
and happiness as his primary
concern, Lester comes up with a
plan, which results in Lemon not
only succeeding at finding a job,
but also finding another thing in life
that he never thought that he would
have the chance at, which is love.
In this story, Kneller demonstrates how important it is for a person to believe in themself and
how cruel the world can be, as we see a person who was injured from fighting for his country,
thrown out on the streets. The world can be very cruel at times and in so many ways. This is one
of many reasons that the relationship between Lemon and Lester is so special. Here we see two
people that the world had given up on find love in their hearts to still care about others and
negate the bitterness and hate that would be inhumane not to have built up over the years.
Kneller also demonstrates that the universe typically tends to unfold as it should and regardless
of how steep the hill to success is, nothing can’t be achieved with a little love, passion, hope,
inspiration and at times... magic.
Adding to the uplifting story is a talented cast of characters including Lemon’s sweet and old
fashioned mother (Beth Grant), The hilarious assistant casting director at one of Los Angeles’s
top casting agencies (Todd Sherry), The impatient and easily annoyed casting director (Mimi
Kennedy), The sincere and chance taking boss at an investment company (Steve Tom) and a
superficial boyfriend, who’s main concern in life is money (Adam Harrington).
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.5 of 15
ABOUT THE CAST
Dan Lauria (“Arthur”)
Best known for his role as the father on the television series, “The Wonder
Years”, Lauria has appeared as a guest star on dozens of episodic TV
shows from “Kojak” and “Moonlighting” to “CSI”, “Law and Order” and
“7th Heaven”. He has worked steadily in film and can be seen in many
such as The Spirit, Alien Trespass and Big Momma’s House 2. He was an
executive producer of Faithful, an adaptation of Chazz Palminteri’s first
screenplay after A Bronx Tale, which Robert De Niro produced. For the
past decade, Lauria has been artistic director of The Playwright’s Kitchen
Assemble of Los Angeles and has produced over 450 public readings of
new plays with some of the finest actors in the business. He has also
written, directed and performed in over 50 professional productions.
Beth Grant (“Phyllis”)
One of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces, Grant has starred in over
seventy feature films including two Best Picture Academy Award winners,
No Country For Old Men and Rain Man. Popular films include Little Miss
Sunshine, Factory Girl, Flags of Our Fathers, Donnie Darko, Sordid
Lives, Rock Star, The Rookie, Matchstick Men, Speed, Child’s Play II, City
Slickers ii, To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar, Dance
With Me and A Time To Kill. On television, Grant has starred and recurred
on many shows including “Pushing Daisies”, “The Office”, “Sordid
Lives”, “Jericho”, “Six Feet Under”, “My Name is Earl”, “Malcolm in the
Middle”, “King of the Hill”, “Everwood”, “Coach”, “Delta”,
“Wonderfalls”, “Friends”, “The X Files” and “Angel”
Barry Kneller (“Lemon”)
Barry Kneller will be making his feature film debut in “Life of Lemon”.
He began his career in stand-up comedy in Boston. He then moved to Los
Angeles, where he trained with The Groundlings and The Upright Citizens
Brigade. In his first year of acting, Barry was cast in over ten productions.
He recently acted in the film, Expired alongside Chris Owen, Bob
Clendenin and Joseph Williamson.
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.6 of 15
Rachel Miner (“Esther”)
Rachel Miner has been acting since the age of nine. She is best known for
her award winning roles in the film Bully and and TV show “The Guiding
Light”, which she also received and Emmy nomination for. Rachel has
had recurring and guest starring roles on television shows such as
“Californication”, “CSI Miami”, “The Cleaner”, “Supernatural” and
“Life”. Her film credits include The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations, The
Black Dahlia, and Fatwa.
Willie C. Carpenter (“Lester”)
Willie C. Carpenter has been seen on TV shows such as “House”,“Las
Vegas”,“The Unit, NCIS”, “Boston Legal”,“Gilmore Girls”,“Capitol
Law” and “Shark Swarm”. Willie has been in many films including The
Best Man, Men In Black, The Insider and The Underground. Some
favorite theatre roles have been in the New York Broadway production of
Musical Comedy Murders-1940, the NY Signature Theatre’s production of
Sleep Deprivation Chamber at the Public Theatre, and Blue at the Paper
Mill Playhouse. Willie won the Drama Logue Award for Best Actor for his
portrayal of Paul Robeson in Mr. Rickey Calls A Meeting at the Pasadena
Playhouse and the NAACP Award for his work in Up the Mountain at
Theatre Geo.
John Farley (“Jimmy”)
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, John Farley began his career at the famed
Second City Theatre in Chicago. He has appeared on such television
shows as; “Rules of Engagement”, “Frank TV”, “My Name is Earl”,
“Arrested Development” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. John has
established himself as a comedic superstar in his own right.
As his career quickly took-off, his unsurprising emphasis was placed
primarily on comedic feature films, appearing in such masterpieces as,
Tommy Boy, Joe Dirt, Dickie Roberts, The Benchwarmers, Don’t Mess
with the Zohan and Strange Wilderness. Up next for Farley is the yet-tobe-released House Broken, opposite Danny DeVito and Katey Segal, in
addition to Hollywood & Wine; a comedy in which he’s starring in
opposite an extensive “who’s who” list of SNL alumni.
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.7 of 15
Mimi Kennedy (“Louise Phillips”)
Mimi Kennedy is an actress, author and activist. She starred with James
Gandolfini in the 2009 critically-acclaimed anti-war film from the BBC,
In the Loop and is perhaps best known to TV audiences as Abby in the
sitcom, “Dharma & Greg”. Other series include “Three Girls Three”,
“The Two Of Us” and “Homefront” (for which she received TV Film
Critics nomination as Best Actress). Feature films include Erin
Brokovich, Buddy, Immediate Family and Pump Up the Volume. TV
movies include “The Three Gifts” for Hallmark Channel and Disney
Halloween perennials “Mr. Boogedy” and “Bride of Boogedy.” Her soldout performance as Laura Bush in Tony Kushner’s rarely-performed antiwar play, “Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall Be Unhappy” helped
launch Progressive Democrats of America, a national organization
bringing the peace-and-justice movement inside the Democratic party.
Todd Sherry (“LJ”)
Originally from Meadville, Todd holds a BFA degree in Acting with a
minor in Musical Theatre from Clarion University of PA where he won
the Daniel Preuhs Scholarship for Excellence in Musical Theatre and was
nominated for the Irene Ryan Scholarship for playing “TR” in Tintypes.
He has played many theatre roles including 3 stints as Seymour in “Little
Shop of Horrors”, including a U.S. and Canadian national tour. He has
recurred on several TV shows such as “Rita Rocks”, “Half and Half”,
“The Nine”, “Joan of Arcadia”, and “The O.C”. and has had guest roles
on many others, including “Eastwick”, “Ghost Whisperer”, “Desperate
Housewives”, “Will & Grace” and “How I Met Your Mother” with
Britney Spears. On film, Todd can be seen in Miss Congeniality 2, Get
Smart, Who’s Your Caddy? and Hiding Victoria.
Steve Tom (“John Thompson”)
Steve spent the first five years of his career as a broadcaster in Chicago
before moving to Los Angeles. His film work includes roles in
Transformers 2, Seven Pounds, Rendition and Disney’s The Kid. His
television appearances include guest starring and recurring roles in “The
Closer”, “Heroes”, “Prison Break”, “Without a Trace”, “Curb Your
Enthusiasm” and “Two and a Half Men”. In 2010, Steve will host a series
of half-hour specials for HBO, containing short and long form comedic
material from Will Ferrel’s “Funny or Die” website.
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.8 of 15
Adam J. Harrington (“Rob”)
Originally from Canada, Harrington’s first big break came when Warner
Bros. cast him as “Jason Marquette” in the film Valentine. Soon followed
was a role opposite Eric Stolz and Felicity Huffman in the critically
acclaimed mini-series “Out of Order”. Adam then starred in two Canadian
series, which one was the hit comedy “Show Me Yours” and the other
“The Whistler”. In addition to Adam’s television appearances he can be
seen in films including Passchendaele and with Katherine Heigl and
Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth.
Vernee Watson (“Kathy”)
Vernee has worked as a professional actress for almost 40 years in theatre,
TV, film, voice-overs and commercials. Her TV credits include “LA
Law”, “The Young & Restless”, “Steve Harvey Show”, “NYPD”, “ER”,
“Any Day Now”, “The Guardian”, “Judging Amy”, “The West Wing”,
“The Big Bang Theory”, “Cold Case” and as Will’s Mom on “The Fresh
Prince”. She is the recipient of an Emmy Ward and a Clio Award. She has
appeared in such films as The Kid, Boy In The Plastic Bubble, Norman Is
That You?, Showdown in Little Tokyo, No Turning Back, Christmas with
the Kranks, and as Aunt Annette in Denzel Washington’s directorial debut
film, Antwone Fisher.
Albert M. Chan (“Richard”)
A native of Canada, Albert began his acting career when he landed a role
in Disney’s live-action film version of the classic 1960’s cartoon
Underdog. Since he was has been cast in Ghosts of Girlfriend’s Past
(Mathew McConaughey, Jennifer Gardner, Michael Douglas) and Every
Day (Helent Hunt, Liev Schreiber, Brian Dennehy). On TV, Albert has
had roles on “Law and Order SUV” and the acclaimed Showtime series
“Brotherhood”.
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Leonora Gershman (“Tara”)
Originally from North Dakota, Leonora is a graduate of New York
University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied with the Atlantic
Theatre Company Acting School. Upon graduation, she became a
member of the faculty and spent three years teaching both their NYU and
conservatory students. Her television appearances include “Law and
Order SVU”, “Boston Public”,”I Hate My 30’s” and “Rita Rocks”.
Sara Van Horn (“Diane”)
Sara Van Horn can be seen on TV Shows including “Scrubs”, “My Name
is Earl”, “The Office”, “Criminal Minds”, “Big Love”, “7Th Heaven”,
“Monk”, “Cold Case” and “Boston Public”. She can be seen in films
including Smile Pretty, Haunted Echoes, Dimples and Cheaper By the
Dozen 2.
Terryn Westbrook (“Jennifer”)
Actor and singer, Terryn Westbrook can be seen on TV shows including
“House”, “Gilmore Girls”,“Samantha Who?” and “How I Met Your
Mother”. She can also be seen in films such as National Lampoon’s
Dancing Ninja and opposite Justin Kirk(Weeds) in Four Boxes.
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.10 of 15
Juli Young (“Rebecca”)
Originally from Washinton, Juli has been acting for many years. She has
been cast in over twenty plays. Some of her favorites were “Diary of a
Catholic School Drop Out” and “Wiseguys”.
Brian O’Hara (“Thomas”)
Brian O’Hara landed his first role after being approached on an airplane
to play the lead in an independent short film. From that experience, Brian
was bitten by the “acting bug” and made the decision to pursue acting as
a career. Over the past five years, Brian has been cast in over twenty
productions while continuing to study acting.
Rahvaunia (“Cindy”)
Originally from Michigan, Rahvaunia has been acting and dancing since
she was a child. She can be seen on the TV shows “Criminal Minds” and
“Infamous” and in the film The Greatest Song.
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.11 of 15
Tom Ohmer (“Peter Caldale”)
Originally from Michigan, Tom has been acting since 1981. Tom is also
a retired Los Angeles Police Office, which the L.A.P.D. used his acting
skills to film numerous training videos. He can be seen in the films, The
Chicago 8 and The Bill Collector and has appeared on many television
shows including “Criminal Minds”, “Leverage” and “Invincible”.
Raleigh Jackson (“Felicia”)
Born and raised in Ventura County, California, Raleigh has been acting
in theatre since she was nine years old. She received the Best Actress
award while attending The Pacifica School for the Performing Arts.
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.12 of 15
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Why buy a lemon, let alone spend years making a movie about one? Well, it's simple. We are all
lemons in one way or another and have grown up thinking that some aspects of our life are
horrible and unfair. There isn’t one person that I know who doesn’t feel, at times, that they have
received the bad end of the stick. They often find it difficult, when knocked down, to get back on
that horse and try again. I have found that it takes the strongest of people to give something a
shot when they knowingly have little to no chance at success.
I related heavily to the story and the character, “Lemon”. Life hasn't been good to this man and
what does he do? He gives to the last person we would expect him to; a homeless man who has
suffered more disappointment and heartbreak than most of us could handle. This story is
essential to tell, not only for the selfish motive of giving myself reasons to open my heart to the
hope that things can get better, but to also show there is a decency in all of us if we just look for
it.
My hope is that through this film, people who think that they are lemons will find that the juice is
worth the squeeze in life and good things can happen with belief, courage and love. Never give up on all those lemon dreams… - Randy Kent, Los Angeles, May 2010
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.13 of 15
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Barry Kneller (Writer/Producer/Executive Producer)
Originally from the South Shore of Massachusetts, Barry Kneller is a prolific writer who has
written several screenplays and television pilots. Kneller’s screenplay Expired was produced in
early 2010 and the film stars Chris Owen, Bob Clendenin and Joseph Williamson. Kneller was a
top finalist in the 2010 AFM/People’s Choice Awards for his screenplay, The Mechanics.
Michael A. Colton (Co-Producer)
Michael A. Colton, a native of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, has been working in film and
television since 2005. He has provided production and post audio for more than twenty films and
has been a director of photography for Nascar and reality television for over thirty episodes.
Colton recently made his directorial debut with the film, Expired, starring Chris Owen, Joseph
Williamson and Bob Clendenin.
Randy Kent (Director)
An adventure that started as a pipe dream in a small town in Atlanta, Georgia, Randy's career has
taken him to places his eight years old self would be in awe of. Currently based in Los Angeles,
Kent has directed, written and produced an arsenal of short films, webisodes, TV commercials
and features. His film work includes Life, Death & Mini-Golf, starring SNL’s Kristen Wiig, The
Lempke Brothers, and the horror anthology The Perfect House. His short film, Timmy the Bag
Boy, is an award winning festival hit that played throughout the United States, along with
schools across the country of India. With two feature films currently in production, this awardwinning director continues to push boundaries with his off-the-cuff sense of humor, style and his
keen eye for taking stories from the written page to the screen.
Chris Etheredge (Editor)
Originally from Santa Maria, CA., Chris has had the opportunity to work with some of the best
in the entertainment industry. He worked as the post production supervisor on
“Los Angeles Doc” with director, Thomas Napper and in 2004/2005 was hired as Shaun White’s
personal cinematographer and editor. Etheredge worked with Brett Ratner on Mariah Carey’s
Obsessed music video, Guitar Hero Campaign and Atlantis Campaign. Etheredge was an editor
for many of Sonny Miller’s projects including music videos, movies and an award ceremony
video. Etheredge has also edited many commercials for companies including Kashi, Axe and DC
Shoes.
“Life of Lemon” press kit, p.14 of 15
Cira Felina Bolla (Director of Photography)
“Artistic Instinct" is the core of Cira Felina Bolla's work as Director of Photography. Fluent in
four languages, Bolla has shot features, documentaries, commercials and music videos in
Europe, Asia, Latin America, and North America: (She is both an EU and US Citizen).
In 2006, Bolla received an Emmy Nomination for her documentary camera work on Episode 5;
Stories from the Sharp Experience. In 2005, Bolla's passion for the camera resulted in a
prestigious appointment with the Women in Film Cinematography Fellowship. Thereafter, she
closely studied her craft in a "hands-on" environment while on the set of the Emmy-winning
"House MD" television series, where she trained in various aspects of cinematography by the
distinguished veteran Cinematographer, Roy Wagner, ASC (a former student of Ansel Adams).
Cira Felina Bolla is the first woman Cinematographer featured on the cover of 30 year Industry
Magazine P3 PRODUCTION UPDATE vol/ DEC 2006. Cover story Student Filmmakers
Magazine vol. AUG 2007 and she is the selected Cinematographer for the WOMEN IN FILM
(WIF) website and print ad campaign set to run in industry publications through 2010.
Derek Lefholz (Music Supervisor)
A musician’s son and an artist, Derek Lefholz has traveled paths both far and wide in the music
industry. From publicizing Grammy Award winning artists and being part of the team who has
placed music in Academy Award winning films such as, The Blind Side, Doubt and numerous
award winning television shows, Derek has gained the respect of industry insiders and tastemakers.
With an extensive background in music production and engineering and a Bachelors Degree in
Marketing, Derek has produced and developed musical talent in many genres and aspects of the
business and licensed hundreds of tracks for film, television and media.
Don Spangler (Composer)
Don Spangler’s influence as a composer and songwriter stems from years as a classical musician
and performing in rock and R&B bands. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Music
Performance and Composition, Don moved to New York City and started working in a recording
studio owned by famous musician, Donald Fagan and producer, Donald Katz. It was there that
Don fine tuned his skills, which resulted in him composing music for TV and film. Some of
Don’s credits include TV shows such as “Burn Notice”, “Big House” ,“The North Shore” and
“Big Ten”.
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