The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, April 20, 2012 2 coverstory By Dee Wright TV Media S cal events. Films such as "Ti- tanic" (1997) and "Citizen Kane" (1941) take inspiration from the past and extrapolate on the circumstances to cre- ate an amazing film. But inspiration doesn't have to come from the past. Many films in the Hallmark Hall of Fame lineup have been based on real people's jour- neys to better themselves and help the world become a bet- ter place. Hallmark's latest film, "Firelight," was based on real characters, but the story itself was a compilation of many different characters and circumstances that writer Ligiah Villalobos encountered during her research. "Firelight" premieres Sun- ome of the greatest films of all time are based on real people and histori- day, April 22, on ABC. In the film, a counselor at a women's correctional facility strives to help young women reincorporate themselves back into society. Dwayne Johnson (DJ) sees the good in people and realizes that, with time, a person can change. Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as DJ, who recruits some of the women in the facility to re- deem themselves as volun- teer firefighters. Many of the women are honestly trying to reform themselves into model citi- zens and gain retribution for their past misdeeds. They come from backgrounds of abuse, drugs and neglect, which pushed them into lives of crime and poor choices. "Even though society says they've done bad things, they're not bad people," said Gooding. "They did things in their past that were selfish and self-centered, but they can turn their lives around." Inmates prove their worth in new Hallmark fi lm The right stuff He has also starred in several films that have been based on history, including 2001's "Pearl Harbor" and 1995's "The Tuskegee Airmen." Gooding won an Oscar statue for his role in "Jerry Maguire" (1996), when he played the biggest client for a sports agent (Tom Cruise). Cuba Gooding Jr. stars in "Firelight" The team of women goes through a grueling training regimen to prove both their strength and their commit- ment. They follow daily exer- cise routines and strict diets to keep them at the height of their physical condition, and they have to bond as a group so they know they can trust each other. them have master's degrees now, a few of them became paramedics, and many of them went on to be firefight- ers after they were out of pris- on." After their training, they jump from the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak. Though the training was tough, it was minimal com- pared to the danger and emo- tion of the real rescues and duties they endure. The teams are trained to deal with forest fires as well as rescue mis- sions and advanced first aid. While the story for "Fire- light" is technically fictional, the program in which the women are enrolled is real, and many of the personal sto- ries are true. Several counties in Georgia and California cur- rently use inmates for fire- fighting and rescue missions. Though the political spectrum is split on the use of prisoners as free labor, there are many success stories that have come from the program. "Seventy per cent of the girls who are in the program do not go back to prison," ex- plained Villalobos. "Some of plained, it is quite difficult to get into the program. She list- ed several factors that can eliminate someone's chances -- attempted escape, poor be- havior or a past arson convic- tion are just a few of the things that can get an inmate crossed off the list of candi- dates. However, Villalobos ex- of "Firelight." He acts as a fa- ther figure for the young women -- many of whom did not have positive male role models during their youth. Gooding brings an air of experience to the role that few other actors could have given. The 44-year-old has teenage children, so he knows what it's like to have young people look up to him. DJ is the main protagonist "Firelight" are relatively un- known, but with the praise that Gooding and director Darnell Martin have been giv- ing them, they won't be un- known for very long. "These young actors blew Most of the other stars of Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media me away," said Gooding. "I'm seeing performances that re- mind me of young Meryl Streep, young Halle Berry. There is so much truth in their performances. It's taken my breath away several times." DeWanda Wise stars as Ter- ry. Wise has had small roles in several short films and has been on a few big series -- HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" and CBS's "The Good Wife" -- but "Firelight" will give her the exposure for which she's been longing. Raquel Welch, made before "Mamma Mia," that has the same story. I loved it, but I can't find it. What was the name? A: The hit stage musical "Mamma Mia," adapted in 2008 into a hit film, seems to owe a lot to a non-hit film made 40 years earlier: 1968's "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell." Produced and filmed in Rome, Italy, it starred Italian bombshell Gina Lollobrigida as the titular Mrs. Campbell, who had trysts with three different American soldiers during the Second World War and led all three to believe they were the father of her daughter, Gia. The three GIs were played by Phil Silvers, Telly Savalas and Peter Lawford. "Mamma Mia" is about a young Greek girl who doesn't know who her father is. She finds her mother's diary, which details flings she had with three different men -- one Swiss, one British and one American. Without her mother's knowl- edge, the girl invites all three to her upcoming wedding with the hope of learning who her father is. Despite the similarities, the play's plot was different enough that it was never officially called an adaptation. This could also be because the unsuccessful "Buona Sera, Q: There was a movie with Phil Silvers and I think Q'orianka Kilcher's résumé is bulking up nicely over the past few years. In "Firelight," she plays Caroline, one of the main characters. Kilcher starred in Syfy's 2011 minise- ries "Neverland" and had a four-episode arc on FX's "Sons of Anarchy," as the daughter of SAMCRO member Chibs. According to IMDb.com, Kilcher will appear in five films over the next year and a half. Mrs. Campbell" had already been adapted into an even less-successful stage musical of its own -- "Carmelina." Q: I heard that Bruce Willis was actually a cop be- fore he got into acting. Is that why he's so good at do- ing police movies? A: Bruce Willis's pre-fame jobs did serve as research for some of his notable screen roles, but he was never a cop. The cinematic tough guy worked as a security guard at a nuclear power plant in his native New Jersey, a job he would play on film in "Unbreakable" (2000). He also worked for a short time as a private investigator, not long before landing his star-making first role as private eye David Addison in the '80s romantic comedy series "Moonlighting" (he would play one again in the 1991 film "The Last Boy Scout"). He even worked for some time as a bartender, years be- fore playing a long string of boozy loners (and working as a Seagram's pitchman in the '80s). However, his most frequent on-screen job -- police officer -- is one he never held in real life. Of course, the most notable example here is John Mc- Clane in the four "Die Hard" films. That is, four so far. A fifth -- reportedly to be titled "A Good Day to Die Hard" -- is cur- rently in production, scheduled for release in February 2013. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com.