And in other news,  Bill Nack, the horseracing reporter (played by Frank Whalley in the film) was quoted as saying, "Sam is doing a great job slipping inside Frank's shoes---and actor Frank Whaley has done a superb job of playing me back in the days when I was a Newsday reporter covering racing in New York."

There's a web site called "A Tribute to Sam Shepard" that sadly is not a tribute but a money-making scheme for products related to Sam such as books, DVDs, videos and posters. What a sham! I assume the owner has perhaps capitalized on other celebrities as well. I had originally attempted to purchase "samshepard.net" but discovered the domain name had been bought two years ago.

Coal mining country came to the big screen at the Tribeca Film Festival when WALKER PAYNE had its world premiere on Wednesday, April 26. Attending the screening were Sam, director Matt Williams and cast members Gabrielle Brennan and Chelsea Lopez. Film critic Logan Hill of New York Metro wasn't too keen on the film, but gave praise to Shepard - " Looking better than ever—wrinkles etched all over his legendary face—the playwright-actor delivers one of his most elemental performances. Dressed in a too-tight suit and snakeskin boots, Shepard plays the classic “stranger comes to town,” a con artist who chews on his scams like they’re plugs of tobacco. He’s more Pan than hustler, a trickster who starts a nasty world of trouble, and generates the film's one unforgettable shot: Standing on the pitcher’s mound of a small town’s empty baseball field, Shepard shuffles his boots in the dirt and stares up into the dirty stadium lights, tuning that deep, Western-loving voice to the primal rhythm of some old soulful hymn. As that sinner who can’t help but sing, Shepard—in this one beautiful scene, at least—stands straight and skinny as a kind of prototypical American man, crooked to the core but practically regal." 

You'll find Sam on the cover of the April 2006 edition of COWBOYS & INDIANS magazine. The photo they use is actually from the set of DON'T COME KNOCKING. The introduction reads - "The award-winning actor-playwright has been called 'The Elusive Cowboy of the American Theatre' and 'Gary Cooper in Denim.' Sam Shepard's career continues to thrive with new western roles opposite Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, and Brad Pitt." When asked what film he was most proud of from a creative standpoint, it was no surprise. "I was never in a blockbuster, but the one that I really enjoyed and the one I think everybody involved in enjoyed was THE RIGHT STUFF, where I played Chuck Yeager. Everything about that film was a lot of fun. I got to ride a horse. I had a big roan - a bow-legged rope horse. It was just a hell of a lot of fun to do that movie and kind of an honor to play that man who's become such a legend over the years." Read the  full article here.

Jessica Lange was taken by surprise when she was honored by New York City's Film Society of Lincoln Center on Monday evening, April 17. The annual Gala Tribute honors the career accomplishments of major figures in the film world, and this year Lange was celebrated for her career which includes two Oscars, for Best Actress in "Blue Sky" and Best Supporting Actress in "Tootsie," and four Golden Globes. Shepard's tribute was especially touching, with the playwright and actor stopping just short of tears with his declaration, "I tip my hat to her as an artist, and I love her with all my heart."  Jessica and Sam were joined by their children, Hannah and Samuel Walker, as well as Shura  Baryshnikov (daughter of Jessica and Mihkail) and her husband Bruce Bryan. Check out all the photos from this gala event.

On March 17 six theatres in LA and NYC  screened the Wenders/Shepard film, DON'T COME KNOCKING, which then opened in 16 more theatres the second week in various US cities. With a gross close to $75,000, it received very mixed reviews, attaining a 42% on the infamous Tomatometer. It will continue to show up in arthouses over the next several weeks, so look for it in your local area. You could tell film critic Roger Ebert wanted to give it high marks but ultimately gave it 2.5 stars. He wrote, "Does every moment of a movie have to work for you? Or can you enjoy an imperfect one if it fills in places around the edges of your imagination?" On the positive side, he added, "The cinematography by Franz Lustig looks wonderful from beginning to end, but no shot equals one where we see Howard Spence (Shepard) sitting in a lonely hotel room window overlooking a desolate city street. Surely when they framed this shot Wenders, Lustig and Shepard were thinking of Edward Hopper crossed with 'Main Line on Main Street,; the famous photograph by O. Winston Link." For more reviews & info, visit the film page.

Sam has been cast in the ESPN original telefilm RUFFIAN, based on the bittersweet true story of the thoroughbred filly considered one of the greatest racers in the game. The horse racing drama is set to premiere on ABC in June 2007, in conjunction with ABC's coverage of the Belmont Stakes, after which it will air on ESPN and other Walt Disney Co.-owned outlets. Sam will play trainer Franky Whiteley, who guides a filly racehorse through the 1970s. Frank Whaley will play sportswriter Bill Nack. Production on the project is expected to begin March 20 in Shreveport, La. Orly Adelson is executive producing the film, penned by Jim Burnstein, Garrett K. Schiff and Ross Parker. Yves Simoneau is on board to direct.

I've posted a gallery of photos taken from last week's various events at the Sundance Film Festival, which included the premiere of DON'T COME KNOCKING. Besides Sam and director Wim Wenders, several cast members were in attendance -  Sarah Polley, Fairuza Balk and Gabriel Mann. On January 26, a panel discussion called "Writing the West" was held with Wenders and Shepard, and the following day there was a special screening of their 1984 classic. Fascinated by America, Wenders teamed up with Texan screenwriter and producer L.M. Kit Carson about an adaptation of a short story written by Sam. Carson worked on the script, which was later finalized by Sam. The final result would become one of Wenders' greatest films about America called PARIS, TEXAS. In attendance was the film's star, Henry Dean Stanton along with Carson and his son Hunter, who plays Stanton's son. [Trivia: Hunter's mother is actress Karen Black] During the festival Sam related this story of how a woman came up to him after the screening of DON'T COME KNOCKING and asked him, "Have you and Wim Wenders ever worked together before?" Sam said,  "She was nice, but I couldn't believe it. I told her, 'well, we made this film some time ago called PARIS, TEXAS.'" Sam's surprise was how this festival goer could be oblivious to the fact that he and Wenders had worked on one of the landmark films of independent American cinema. One would think Sundance would be the one place where everyone would know the film. In the end, Sam was quoted as saying, "I'm glad that it's a cult film. Who wants to make a popular film? Anyone can make a popular film." You're so right, Sam!

The Sundance Film Festival opened yesterday and on Tuesday evening, January 24th, it will host the US premiere of DON'T COME KNOCKING. Wenders and Shepard will be attending the festival, and on January 28, the Sundance website will podcast one of its centerpiece panels, "Writing the West" in which the pair will discuss their artistic collaboration on this film, as well as on their independent film classic PARIS, TEXAS.

From Curtains UP comes this review on the play's premiere on the London stage:

The European premiere of Sam Shepard's THE LATE HENRY MOSS swiftly follows the politically-charged God of Hell at the Donmar. The Almeida's current offering returns to more conventional Shepard fare, to the more insular social phenomenon: the family. Directed by Michael Attenborough, this production continues with the quality theatre we have come to expect from the Almeida: attracting high-class actors, selecting the best writing from around the world and executing it in first-rate fashion. The play itself has been edited down since its first outing in San Francisco five years ago. Judging by my colleague's impression of its otiose length Off-Broadway, this shortened version is an immense improvement. The Late Henry Moss has in fact made the Atlantic Crossing favourably, with its germane significance to universal societies.

On November 15, 2005  Sony PIcture Home Entertainment will release STEALTH on DVD and will be available in two formats: widescreen and full screen. The 2-disc DVD edition will include the following extras:

• Multi-Angle Scene Comparisons • An interactive look at two high-action scenes • Three-part documenatary-style filmmaker’s diary • The Music of STEALTH Featurette • Incubus “Make A Move” Music Video

DON'T COME KNOCKING, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, has received four nominations by the European Film Academy. They include best film, director, cinematographer and editor. The Award ceremony will take place in Berlin on December 3, 2005. The film was directed by Wim Wenders with a screenplay by both Wenders and Sam. It also stars Sam along with Jessica Lange, Tim Roth, Sarah Polley, Gabriel Mann, Fairuza Balk and Eva Marie Saint. More info.

UK 's Almeida Theatre will present the British premiere of THE LATE HENRY MOSS in January 2006. It will be helmed by the theatre's artistic director, Michael Attenborough, and will open January 19 and run until March 4. Andrew Lincoln and Brendan Coyle will star. The play received its world premiere in San Francisco in 2000 directed by Sam and its NY premiere in 2002. In the play, set near the Mexican border, the Moss brothers, Ray and Earl, return home after a long absence to confront each other, their violent past and the death of their father. Fluctuating between the present and the past, Henry comes to life and re-enacts events leading up to his mysterious death.

The European premiere of THE GOD OF HELL took place at Donmar Warehouse in London on October 26, 2005. It will run through December 3rd. Sam's uncompromising black comedy has been described by the playwright as "a take-off on Republican fascism". American dairy farmers Frank and Emma live alone in the American Mid-West, where all is peaceful and nothing of note ever happens. But now their basement has become the dwelling place of a rather strange man, and a government official is knocking at their door. It is time to prepare for a bright, new American future and things are going to start moving extremely fast. The play has been staged this fall in Minneapolis and Chicago and is presently playing this month at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.