On Screen

September 5 - 11, 2020—3 The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN September 5 - 11, 2020 — 3 2 x 3.5" ad a) greene cnty farmers b) swango's 2 x 4" ad williams electric 2 x 1.5" ad ymca 2 x 1.5" ad doughty stevens 2 x 1.5" ad midway const. By George Dickie In the age of the pandemic, "Coastal Elites" have a lot to grapple with in a special upcoming on HBO. Premiering Saturday, Sept. 12, the comic satire from director Jay Roach ("Bombshell," "Game Change") and screenwriter Paul Rudnick ("Addams Family Values," "Sister Act") tells the stories of individuals from New York to Los Angeles coping with politics and the pandemic in the summer of 2020. Among them are Miriam (Bette Midler, "Beaches"), a cultured New York City schoolteacher who finds herself in police custody; Clarissa (Sarah Paulson, "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story"), a YouTube person - ality who produces a series called "Mindful Meditations"; Mark (Dan Levy, "Schitt's Creek"), a gay West Hollywood actor vid - eoconferencing with his therapist during a moment of personal and professional stress; and Callie (Issa Rae, "Insecure"), a West African woman whose activism takes her all around the globe. Rudnick conceived this as a stage production to be performed at The Public Theatre in New York, then rewrote it as a TV program when the lockdown hit. Each ac- tor's monologue was filmed at their home and then edited together with other soliloquies. The turn- around time was fast as shooting ended in mid-July with editing and post-production taking the last two months. "I started writing this over a year ago, pre-pandemic, pre-protests, everything," Rudnick explains. "But the spark for it was that I had realized that for the past four years now, everyone I knew on every side of the political divide was spending 24 hours a day angry and heartbro - ken and totally addicted to discuss- ing this country and its future and every aspect of politics and their personal lives. And I'd never seen that level of emotion and engage - ment ... "And it became so urgent that it was something that I became desperate to write about. So when these characters kind of came to me, it was the best way to write and it's very rare that there were these people who just wanted to be heard. So I let them." Celebrity Scoop Celebrity Scoop It's a rough go for 'Coastal Elites' in HBO special Cover Story Cover Story By Jay Bobbin For her big break, Madison Reyes has a veteran director-choreogra- pher — and several ghosts — to thank. The young actress stars in the very tuneful "Julie and the Phan - toms," an adaptation of a Brazilian series that Netflix debuts Thursday, Sept. 10. Mourning her mother's death, high-schooler Julie finds her lost love of music renewed by three spectres from the 1980s (played by Charlie Gillespie, Owen Patrick Joyner and Jeremy Shada) that prompt her to form a new band with them. Newcomer Reyes was handpicked to play Julie by Kenny Ortega of "Dirty Dancing," "High School Musical" and "Descendants" fame. She says his past work "was what encouraged me to even want to get Checking in with Madison Reyes into acting, and just be a performer in general. Kenny definitely influ- enced a lot of my creativity. If it wasn't for 'High School Musical,' I probably would have never even wanted to pursue this career as much as I want to." Reyes had a yen for music previ - ously, but she admits, "(It) was just really just me messing around. I didn't have any structure. I've always enjoyed expressing myself through music and singing. I defi - nitely push myself to follow my dream, more just for my family." The Monkees also were a band created for series purposes, and 50- plus years later, Reyes likes being part of another one. "It was like a chain reaction when we all started being put together," she maintains. "First, (it was) me and Charlie, and then Jeremy ... then when we got Owen, it was like the band finally all clicked. It was this overwhelm - ing feeling of joy, and I just wanted to keep on doing it." Birthdate: June 25, 2004 Birthplace: Brooklyn, N.Y. Current residence: Allentown, Pa. Marital status: Single On her last time performing with her "Julie and the Phan- toms" bandmates before they knew they'd gotten the roles: "I was like, 'Let's just give it our all and have fun with it, and whatever happens, hap- pens. And I hope I get to work with you guys, and if not ... oh, well.' It was so weird, because everybody was leaving. We were up on the stage getting ready to perform this last time, and people were coming inside the room, to say goodbye to Kenny (Ortega) and all the (Netflix) execs." Call 638-4181 To Advertise In... Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home 423-638-4141 www.doughty-stevens.com 1125 Tusculum Blvd. Greeneville, Tennessee Established 1892 Serving the community for 127 years! One Y. One Community. Greene County YMCA 423-639-6107 www.greenecounty-ymca.org "Serving Your Complete Lighting Needs Since 1960" 3195 E. Andrew Johnson Hwy. • 638-2241 Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5:00; Sat. 8:30-12:00 Lighting Fixtures PINK TAG Clearance Sale UP TO 80 % OFF W I L L I A M S E L E C T R I C S U P P L Y Check out our new website and online store! precisionfi rearmstn.com Enhanced Handgun Carry Class - Dec 5 (423) 235-1022 7272 St. Clair Road • Whitesburg, TN https://www.facebook.com/swangosprecisionfi rearms DEALER NEW INVENTORY ARRIVING DAILY! Open Tuesday - Saturday 9am-5pm

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