Articles

SKIN DEEP now available on DVD!
06/07/04 Update
(originally posted 03/26/04)

The DVD and VHS versions of SKIN DEEP are now available for purchase and rental!

Aside from the full feature-length version of the film, the DVD features a thought-provoking and insightful commentary by Director/Writer Sacha Parisot and Producer/Writer Ken Karn, as well as a separate commentary by actors Mailon Rivera and Steve White that is absolutely rude, crude, and totally hilarious.

As reported on February 06, 2004 (see SKIN DEEP Has a Distributor! article below), the producers of SKIN DEEP, your favorite African-Caribbean-American mystery thriller, inked a deal with UrbanWorks Entertainment (http://www.urbanworksent.com ) the leading purveyor of urban-themed entertainment in the US to produce and distribute SKIN DEEP in video and DVD form. The DVD and VHS is now available! Simply go to the UrbanWorks Entertainment web site (http://www.urbanworksent.com), search for Skin Deep, and follow the instructions. Go and be the first to order your copy, and don't forget to tell your friends to get theirs too!

You can also find SKIN DEEP at your favorite retailer. Currently, you should be able to find it at WalMart, Best Buy, Target, Blockbuster, and other retail and video rental establishments. However, if you can not find SKIN DEEP there, we urge you to insist that they order several copies now!

Help support SKIN DEEP by purchasing a copy of the DVD or video! And don't forget the DVD Release Celebration in Philadephia, PA!

SKIN DEEP nabs Best Director!
03/17/04

The Accolades just keep rolling in for your favorite African-Caribbean-American thriller!

SKIN DEEP just won another award. This time we won BEST DIRECTOR at the New York Independent Film & Video Festival (Los Angeles). This is a festival that takes place in several cities. The Los Angeles screening was last week (March 11, 2004).

This brings our award count to 4:
BEST DIRECTOR - New York Independent Film & Video Festival
BEST FILM - American Black Film Festival
BEST FILM - Jamerican Film Festival
BEST ACTOR - Steve White - American Black Film Festival

SKIN DEEP Theme Composer OTIS TAYLOR JAMS SF-STYLE!
03/10/04

Otis Taylor, the famed blues artist who composed and performed the theme song for SKIN DEEP ("If The Devil Ain't Right") will be performing live with a totally new group of musicians in San Francisco this weekend. Otis is absolutely electrifying in person and this is a rare Bay Area appearance.

Here's the info:

OTIS TAYLOR JAMS SF-STYLE
Genre-busting blues man performs with Bay Area jam band greats

Otis Taylor, of whom the New York Times writes, "is one of the most impressive blues men working today" will perform in San Francisco:

1751 SOCIAL CLUB (1751 Fulton - at Masonic)
on Sunday, March 14 at 8:00 PM

Tickets are $15 and available in advance at the venue or at the door.
For additional event information, contact the club at 415-441-1751.
Appearing with Taylor for the first time are Gregg Anton (Zero, Gregg's Eggs, The Mix, Heart of Gold Band) and Futoshi Morioka (Gregg's Eggs). Special guests to-be-announced.

Taylor's profile has risen markedly over the last year since the release of his current disc, Truth Is Not Fiction which landed atop various "Best of 2003" lists including New York Times, Washington Post , San Jose Mercury News, Chicago Sun-Times, Denver Post, Amazon and Borders Books & Music. Universally hailed for its searing mix of dark-hued blues, Mississippi Hill country, and psychedelic rock, his progressive and unique style caught the attention of legendary Bay Area drummer, and longtime Robert Hunter collaborator, Gregg Anton. "I listen to many discs by new artists every week and when I put Truth on I was blown away. It's one of the best albums I've heard in 20 years." Anton remarks. "Taylor is powerful and totally unlike anything I'd heard before. I'm looking forward to turning on fans of Bay area music like Zero and Gregg's Eggs to him."

Recent coverage of Taylor by USA Today, US News World & Report, MSN Slate magazine, NPR "Weekend Edition", the blues media, and major market newspapers around the country is sparking mainstream awareness. He is presently nominated for four WC Handy Awards (the Blues equivalent to the Grammys) and in Europe, he was nominated for "Blues Album of the Year" by the Academie Charles Cros (the French version of the Grammys). He has received rave reviews by rock critics at Mojo, Q and Rolling Stone - Germany. This Spring, Telarc Records will release Taylor's sophomore effort for the label. Double V arrives in stores on April 27 and is a collaboration with his 17 year-old daughter Cassie who plays bass and sings.

SKIN DEEP has a distributor!
02/06/04

Dearest devoted followers of the film SKIN DEEP:

SKIN DEEP has been acquired for worldwide distribution by UrbanWorks Entertainment (http://www.urbanworksent.com ) the leading purveyor of urban-themed entertainment in the US. I'll bet you didn't even know that SKIN DEEP was urban-themed. We didn't either until we started showing it to live audiences. For marketing purposes it always helps to fit into some kind of genre. Now we can add "urban-themed" to our unofficial designation as an African-American-Caribbean racially charged dark comedy thriller.

The rights include all media and territories except North American theatrical (see below for more). It is the intention of UrbanWorks to release the video and DVD in June 2004. We just finished getting them all of the deliverables, including 2 DVD commentary tracks: one with Sacha and me (urbane, thoughtful, just a hint of humor) and another courtesy of our lead actors, Mailon Rivera & Steve White (irreverent, R-rated and incredibly hilarious).

Sacha and I are planning to open SKIN DEEP in a few theatres before the video/DVD street date, but we have chosen to forego a larger release in theatres so that our investors and equity partners might actually see some return on their investment. We have confirmed a slot at one of the Camera Cinemas in San Jose and Campbell for early April. We will let you know about other openings as they are confirmed. There are also a number of special screenings and film festivals this Spring, and we will let you know about those as well.

Thanks for your interest and support of SKIN DEEP and we'll be in touch.

Ciao for now and all the best,
Ken Karn
Producer, SKIN DEEP
www.skindeepthemovie.com

SKIN DEEP main theme Composer/Musician Otis Taylor named to Top Ten in NYT!

The New Your Times names Otis Taylor - Truth is Not Fiction one of the Top Ten Albums of the Year - 2003
OTIS TAYLOR: 'TRUTH IS NOT FICTION' (Telarc) Mr. Taylor is one of the most impressive bluesmen working today. He tackles the darkest and most ambitious of themes and sets them to the most minimal and evocative music he can summon. Though he's received much acclaim for the intelligence of his lyrics, it's the masterful approach to arrangement, melody and rhythm that make this CD so distinct.

"Otis Taylor throws it down on Truth Is Not Fiction, another album that marks this genius as one of the greatest contemporary blues songwriters."
- Relix Magazine
Order Online

Listen to clips from the album:
Kitchen Towel
Be My Frankenstein
House of the Crosses
Shakie's Gone
Nasty Letter

Amazon.com names Otis Taylor - Truth Is Not Fiction the #1 Blues Album of 2003. Read review here.

Borders names Otis Taylor - Truth Is Not Fiction one of the best blues albums of 2003. Read review here.

Upcoming Dates

January 2004 - CANADA TOUR
20 Haven Resort - Phoenix Auditorium - Gabriola Island, BC (SOLO)
21 Sid Williams Theater - Courtenay, BC (SOLO)
22 Yale Hotel - Vancouver, BC (SOLO)
23 Telus Theater at Festival Place - Sherwood Park, AB (SOLO)
25 Banff Center for the Arts - Banff, AB (SOLO)

www.otistaylor.com

SKIN DEEP Star Kristen Shaw a Featured Character on ABC's new "Line of Fire"

Our very own Kristen Shaw (Victoria in SKIN DEEP) is one of the featured characters in a new TV series on ABC entitled "Line Of Fire." It is already being hailed as the best new show of the season and it will be taking the time slot of NYPD Blue starting tomorrow night (December 2, 2003).

Here's an excerpt from the Mercury News about the show:

Posted on Mon, Dec. 01, 2003
Gripping new drama is best of the season
By Charlie McCollum
Mercury News

Who would have thought that the most ambitious, most compelling new drama of the season would suddenly drop out of the sky in the midst of the holidays, usually a dead zone for network TV?

That's the case with "Line of Fire'' (10 p.m. Tuesday, Ch. 7), an FBI-mob drama that talks tough, plays it street-smart and revels in its moral ambiguity. The good guys aren't always good; the bad guys aren't demonized; innocent victims aren't necessarily that innocent. In the three episodes made available for review, "Line of Fire'' looks as if it wandered onto network TV from the cable world where "The Sopranos,'' "The Shield'' and "The Wire'' thrive.

Kristen plays the wife of a mob boss, played by David Paymer. This is high quality, adult-themed entertainment - and from ABC (no premium cable necessary). The show will replace NYPD Blue on Tuesdays at 10:00 PM starting on December 2, 2003. Kristen says that she's not in the season opener much, but you'll definitely see her in episode 2 on Dec. 9th.

Tune in and check out SKIN DEEP's very own star! And check out Kristen's bio for the show!

SKIN DEEP IN THE PRESS - Producer Profiled

The Willow Glen Resident, one of the Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, wrote an article profiling producer and co-writer Ken Karn, a long time resident of Willow Glen. The publication date was August 13, 2003 and you can view it on the web here on their site.

All the best and stay tuned for more news on your favorite African-Caribbean-Caucasian-American racially-charged thriller.

Former Taunton resident’s film wins big-time awards

KEVIN SALEEBA
Taunton Gazette Staff Writer
06/27/2003

Courtesy photo - click to see larger version

Above are the major players in the making of “Skin Deep.” They are, left to right, Steve White with his Best Performance by an Actor award; Sacha Parisot, director of “Skin Deep,” holding the Best Film award; Mailon Rivera and Ken Karn, Producer of the film

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- "Skin Deep" is a racially-charged thriller set in the prosperous foothills of Silicon Valley. It’s also a hot new movie starring Taunton-native Mailon Rivera. "Skin Deep" recently won "Best Film" honors at the Seventh Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF), which ran June 18 through 22 in Miami Beach.

"The buzz on the film was incredible at the ABFF thanks in large part to the ringing endorsements of well-known directors Robert Townsend and Reginald Hudlin of the Hudlin Brothers, and to the almost rabid response from audiences who mostly viewed the film on the edge of their seats," said Rivera this week. He plays the lead character of Anthony in the film and is also an associate producer for the project.

The ABFF drew more than 2,500 attendees representing all aspects of African-American film talent, including actors, directors and filmmakers.

"It was incredible," Rivera said. "By Friday, word of mouth had spread, and we had a packed house. It was standing room only. People were sitting in the aisles and everything in a stadium theater."

"Skin Deep" is based on a story by director, Sacha Parisot, and a screenplay co-written with producer Ken Karn. The production was filmed entirely on location in Prunedale, Calif., with post-production work completed with their Spanish co-producers in Madrid, San Sebastian and Vitoria, Spain.

The film also stars Debra Wilson (Mad TV), A.J. Johnson (Baby Boy), Kristen Shaw (The Contender) and Steve White (Do The Right Thing), who also won "Best Performance by an Actor."

Rivera’s other film credits include supporting roles in "Scrubs," "Sports Theatre," "Alien Nation" and "Midnight Blue."

Although the film was well received in the end, Rivera said there were some tense moments during the showing of the film.

Steve, Sacha, Ken and Mailon at the press conference following the screening of SKIN DEEP at the ABFF.

"We had a serious glitch," Rivera said. "The house lights and music turned on in the middle of a scene for apparently no reason. A lot of times when these things happen, the audience will use that to walk out, especially when there are eight other films in competition.

"As the minutes passed, I started to panic," he said. "I ran up to the projection room, and then I came back down to do damage control. To my surprise no one had moved an inch, not one person. Then Reggie (Hudlin) starts talking to the cheering crowd about how hot the film was and how the audience was a testament to the film. After that, I knew we would be fine."

White was also jubilant over his nod for Best Performance by an Actor.

"I felt ecstatic!" White said. "I feel grounded and excited at the same time. Jumping out of my skin yet taking it step-by-step. To say that we are very proud of everyone involved in making this film is an understatement. We shot it in 15 days, so we had no time for the ‘Hollywood’ thing. Egos were checked at the door by all, and we got down to some serious film-making. The showing at the ABFF was the very first time any audience had actually seen the film. So we were thankful that it was well received.

"What was good about my character, Michael, was that he had layers," he said. "I loved the humanity in him. That’s what made this movie so enjoyable. I think the audiences picked up on that three dimensional quality. I’m proud of this movie."

Also honored at the awards ceremony were Russell Simmons, who received the AOL Time Warner Entertainer Innovator award and Gabrielle Union who received the AOL Time Warner Rising Star award.

Rivera said he was proud of the work of his colleague and thought White was most deserving to be recognized with an award.

Mailon, Sacha, Steve and Ken after the awards ceremony

"Steve did a tremendous job on this project," Rivera said. "He is a gifted actor. So I was especially proud to see him be recognized in this way."

White credits Rivera for a lot of the movie’s success.

"Mailon was a wonderful sounding board for me during the film," said White. "He was in the room and professional from the word go. It was great to see another brother take the project so seriously, including taking time for extra rehearsals. He was a great person to work with."

The next step for Rivera and crew is to increase the distribution of the film.

"We had already started taking meetings with some major companies for distribution after the very first screening, so to win a few awards is like icing on the cake," Rivera said. "We are very hopeful about this film coming to the theaters, even if in limited release.

"We have been invited to a few more festivals, so we will see how it goes," he said. "I for one am very excited at what’s around the corner. We will wait and see."

Prior to working in film, Rivera cut his acting chops on the small screen with appearances on popular television shows like "Seinfeld," "The Parkers," "The Shield," "3rd Rock From the Sun," "Friends," "Moesha," "Arli$$," "Nash Bridges," "Cedric the Entertainer Presents," "Party of Five" and "Spyder Games."

To learn more about Rivera . . . visit his Web site at www.mailonrivera.com . . .. You can also log on to the ABFF site at www.abff.com.

©The Taunton Gazette 2003