Production on The Zen of Travel has started up in Little Rock, Arkansas today. The independant arthouse movie, directed by Christine Jeffs, and Executive Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer is the second movie in only a few weeks to film in the home state of Bill Clinton.

"We've got a nice film tax credit," said Mike Huckabee as he welcomed the new production into the state this morning, "it's just nice to see more films be shot and take place in Arkansas."

The Zen of Travel stars Arlen Escarpeta and Gabrielle Christian as friends who go on a road trip after the tragic death of another friend. They pick up a hitchhiker, played by Danielle Harris, and that's when the story takes off.

The Zen of Travel co-stars Leann Hunley, Pawel Szajda, Leif Garrett, and Quantum.

It is set to come out July 10th.

Not long ago, a film was released by producer Kaven under the name of Recoil. The ad campaign wasn't spectacular, just some interviews and trailers. The film opened at #5, and had a decent cast, the biggest name in the film was Mark Wahlberg. Today, Kaven has given insight to what exactly caused the sequel to be set in motion, the cast, and what to expect.

"From the end of the first film, it was always somewhat of a debate in my mind on whether to set the sequel into motion," Kaven comments. "On one hand, you could leave it up to the viewer, which creates a lot of speculation, and on the other hand, you can set it in stone and put an end to all that. But I didn't set this sequel in motion to stop the speculation, I set it in motion to continue the story."

From the trailers and posters, we can confirm Dominic Purcell and William Fichtner are both continuing their parts from the first movie as good guy and bad guy respectively. Though no official cast has been announced.

"It's going to move faster than Recoil I. In the first film, I had time to play with a drama side of the story, give motivations and detailed reasoning for why the characters are doing what they are doing. In this film, right from the start, our main character Rob is missing something, and he gets right to trying to get it back. There are parts where we see the action slow down, though."

Several trailers have been released, and the film is set to hit theaters next Friday under Lake Hope Features.

"The audience should expect a hell of a ride." Kaven says with a smile.

With the announcement of the Flip Brother's publishing arm releasing a new comic book series focusing on their classic horror romance, Of Love and Shadows (reported about in Lucian's Musings), some people have wondered about some of their other properties. Included in the mix is the cult holiday favorite Magi, which hit theaters on Christmas Eve 2004, and was adapted into a graphic novel in May 2007.

"I looked in every store in Hollywood and I could never find it," responded one fan of the cult classic, "They printed such a small amount of the book, that most of us have never even seen it!"

Well, the folks as FB Comics want to change that. With how well the studio arm has been doing this summer (Batman: The Puzzle Factory and The Tortilla Curtain), the brother's Flip have put a huge amount of funding into their comics publisher. Because of the influx of money, we are proud to reveal that FB Comics is reprinting the Magi graphic novel and will be releasing it wide. It will be available in the Mall of Hollywood later this week.

The graphic novel was written by Marlowe with story input from both Chuck Norris and William Shatner.

Craig T. Nelson has left his High School Football coaching gig to be apart of the ensemble cast of the new TLM Productions/Lake Hope Features film Amateurball.

The film, coming out next week, is said to focus on a bunch of old time friends who form a baseball team when one of them gets into money trouble. Craig T. Nelson is set to play Mr. Caldwell, the bad guy in the picture. Jay Roach directs the movie.

Co-starring alongside Craig T. Nelson is Kevin Costner, Nathan Fillion, Cuba Gooding Jr, Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Lee. Most recently, Neil Patrick Harris was seen in the blockbuster comedy Phil Scotto For President as well as the hit HTG: TV show It's Always Me. Is this a good omen for the film? From the sounds of it, it is.

Check out Amateurball when it makes it's way into theaters this Friday.

HTG Award Winning actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has signed on the dotted line to appear in an unknown HTG:TV series for FBTV in session 7. The network declined to comment on the story, hoping to keep what show he has been cast on under wraps until closer to the new season of TV. Speculation has been going around that he will likely appear on one of the networks two horror shows, either their new series Experiment X or their highly rated returning anthology Ritchie Steven Presents... Horror Hour.

Experiment X is focused on a small town during an outbreak of a virus that causes people to become animal like and vicious. Could Gordon-Levitt portray the leader of a bunch of survivors who are trying to escape the town?

Horror Hour showcases the work of a new producer each week. The short horror films pull from the same talented pool of cast members, with Ryan Reynolds being the only constant between seasons. This past season the cast included Adam Baldwin, Gina Gershon, and Emily de Ravin among others. Joseph's acting style would fit perfectly with the show's wide variety of pieces and dark themes.

Which show will he be a part of? We will not know for sure until closer to the new session of HTG:TV.

Michael Biehn, the star of HTG:TV's Badge of Justice, has signed a deal to headline a new mystery film for the Flip Brothers Studio and writer/producer Krisgreet. The studio was tight lipped about the project, but mentioned that they are hoping to speed it through production in time for a late August release worldwide.

Flip Brothers Studio Co-Head Ritchie Steven commented on the casting; "We are very excited to be able to work with Mr. Biehn again. I have worked with him directly on Downtown, the studio's Star Wars Films, and Dark Fury. I'm really glad that we finally have film for him to take center stage. I've respected Michael's work for a long time."

There have been a lot of rumors regarding the new project, ranging from it being a sequel to Krisgreet's 2006 hit The Squad or that Biehn is reprising his Jack Carterrole from Badge for a big screen adventure. Our sources are looking into this and we'll hopefully be able to uncover more about this project soon. If anyone knows anything, co-stars, plot details, etc, please sign up for the sign and send us the news (on the left menu that reads "submit news").

There isn't anything strange going on at HTG Town's newest Real Estate Agency, so says the name... Czar's Completely Normal Real Estate Company (Nothing strange going on here!). The new business venture was opened by CzarTim, who also operates Czar's Creatively Named Creative Company and is the current driving force behind Bryan Bishop's Checkmate Pictures. The new business will have a steep hill to climb, as it tries to pull clients from HTG Town's two established Real Estate companies; RS Estates and Ship of Fooles Brokers.

CzarTim appears to be going for a more niche clientele, his business description includes this description: "We specialize in "special" homes. Whether you want a hidden basement with sound proof walls or a place to hide... stuff, we can help. All off the books and completely discrete."

You can check out all of the Real Estate offices by heading here.

Welcome to the latest Hollywood the Game (www.hollywoodthegame.net) Newsletter! The summer might only be beginning, but things are busy in the Internet’s #1 Hollywood Simulation Game.

Included in the June ‘09 Newsletter:

1. [COMING TO THEATERS THIS FRIDAY]
2. [FILMS CURRENTLY IN THEATERS]
3. [STUDIO BRIEFINGS]
4. [TV SESSION 6, WEEK 6]
5. [NETWORK BRIEFINGS]
6. [FRANCHISE STUFF]
7. [OTHER STUFF]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. [Coming To Theaters this Friday]

-“Our Mutual Friend: Part 3” with Emily Blunt & Anthony Stewart Head
(Flip Brothers Studio) (Baseball Mogul Productions)

-“Brothers” with Ben Affleck & Matt Damon
(Bulletproof Avatar Pictures) (TLM Productions)

-“White Wolf: Blood Fued” with Drew Berrymore & Megan Fox
(21st Century Cat Pictures) (Ship of Fooles Productions)

HTG Film Release Calendar
http://z4.invisionfree.com/Hollywood_ ... me/index.php?act=calendar



2. [Films Currently in Theaters]

-“Batman: The Puzzle Factory” with Casey Affleck & Crispin Glover
-“Beibo Suncloud” with Natalie Portman & Matthew Fox
-“Down & Under” with Minka Kelly & Ed Westwick
-“The 90210” with Luke Perry & Jason Priestley
-“The Tortilla Curtain” with Kevin Costner & Uma Thurman
-“Dungeons & Dragons: Trial by Combat” with Mark Wahlberg & Paul Sorvino
-“Beyond Redemption” with Billy Crudup & Heather Graham
-“Collins' Comet: Descent” with Christian Slater & Glenn Close
-“Primal Force” with Jason Statham & Idris Elba
-“No Way to Treat a First Lady” with George Cloony & Julianne Moore
-“Mafia” with Michael Imperioli & Mark Ruffalo
-“My Name is Bob” with Keenan Ivory Wayans & Margaret Cho
-“Suitcase” with Carmine Giovinazzo & Dennis Farina
-“Phil Scotto For President” with Neil Patrick Harris & John C. Reilly
-“B.A. MoFo(s)” with Megan Fox & Bryan Bishop
-“The Kid 2: The Rise” with John Cena & Al Pacino
-“The Battle Within” with Jake Gyllenhaal & John Cusack
-“And F- You Too” with Pauly Shore & Luke Perry
-“Uncle Artie’s True Tales of American History” with Will Ferrell & Abigail Breslin
-“As The World Turns” with Bruce Campbell & Aaron Eckhart

HTG Theaters
http://hollywoodthegame.net/htgmdb/town/theater.php



3. [STUDIO BRIEFINGS]

Lake Hope Features
Lake Hope Features will have three films opening in June. Firstly, LHF is proud to present "And F**k You Too" from Pedro, it's the continuation of the Roads Masterson series, it'll open June 5th. On June 19th, Goose's Amateurball will open; the comedy stars Kevin Costner & Cuba Gooding Jr. Finally, on June 26th Exavior's action film 48 Hours to Kill which will star Anthony Michael Hall & Tyrese Gibson will open.

Miracle Pictures
While still working to fill the summer schedule with films, Miracle Picture has recently announced the signing of Phaethon0017 to produce the video game adaptation of Plants vs. Zombies... with Larry the Cable Guy!

Ship of Fooles Studio
TCW! TCW! TCW! Another season of profession wrestling is wrapping up on Rogue Net. That means it’s time for another TCW film! On June 19th TCW Destructive Energy comes to you live from KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. Every title is on the line including the new Women’s Championship! So tune in!

Bulletproof Avatar Pictures
Midmonth is action time this summer for Bulletproof Avatar: Goose's Brothers on June 12th, Phaethon00017's Land of Ice on July 10th. Stay tuned for more quality releases from BPA!

Flip Brothers Studio
This Friday, Baseball Mogul’s Our Mutual Friend: Part 3 hits theaters! The film stars Emily Blunt, Anthony Stewart Head and Edward Norton. And don’t forget to check out Batman: The Puzzle Factory, currently in theaters!



4. [TV SESSION 6, WEEK 6]

On Wednesday, we entered the 6th and final week of the 6th session of HTG: TV. Don’t forget to check out the new shows and vote on your favorites. This week’s schedule is as shown:

7:00PM
-(DRTV) It’s Always Me
-(FBTV) Super
-(RTV) The Policeman

7:30PM
-(DRTV) Help Wanted
-(FBTV) Super
-(RTV) The Policeman (con’t)

8:00PM
-(DRTV) Snobs
-(FBTV) Flip Brothers Presents… Terminator: Reboot
-(RTV) The Policeman

8:30PM
-(DRTV) On Set
-(FBTV) Flip Brothers Presents… Terminator: Reboot (con’t)
-(RTV) The Policeman (con’t)

9:00PM
-(DRTV) Men of Massachusetts
-(FBTV) Flip Brothers Presents… Terminator: Reboot (con’t)
-(RTV) TCW

9:30PM
-(DRTV) Men of Massachusetts (con’t)
-(FBTV) The Hollywood Pit Presents… Plants vs Zombies
-(RTV) TCW (con’t)

10:00PM
-(DRTV) I Don’t Care
-(FBTV) Hero (or something like it)
-(RTV) Atlantis

10:30PM
-(DRTV) I Don’t Care (con’t)
-(FBTV) Hero (or something like it)
-(RTV) Atlantis (con’t)

11:00PM
-(DRTV) Four
-(FBTV) Horror Hour
-(RTV) Muppet Tales

Watch and Vote on shows:
http://www.hollywoodthegame.net/htgmdb/tv/schedule.php?id_tsh=13

General TV Message Board:
http://z4.invisionfree.com/Hollywood_ ... me/index.php?showforum=23

Remember the bonus for reviewing every episode of a TV series in a season. You have until June 17th to get reviews in. Submit all Reviews to the Critic’s Corner:
http://www.hollywoodthegame.net/criticscorner/index.php



5. [NETWORK BRIEFINGS]

Devil Ray Television
Devil Ray Television is pleased to announce the renewal of “It's Always Me”, which will air its third season next session. It's the third show announced for the next session, the other two being the renewal of Snobs and the pick up of CzarTim's "In Treatment." Rumors have it that Quantum is cooking up a new show called "Unstoppable" and that “Help Wanted”, “Men of Massachusetts”, and “Four” are all being heavily considered for renewal. Be sure to check out DRTV's current slate of shows on Wednesdays from 7 to 11.

Flip Brothers Television
We are very excited for the upcoming session 7 of HTG. Two new shows that have entered production are the horror/thriller “Experiment X” and the mystery/drama “South Hampton”. They join returning favorites “Downtown”, “Hero (or something like it)”, “Wanted” and “Horror Hour”. Our network is also cooking up some new surprises for TV viewers. Stay tuned for more info!



6. [FRANCHISE STUFF]

Lucian has taken over as franchise pricer and eagerly awaits your price requests. Just remember to post on the message board. Not in chat or by email.

FRACHISE REQUESTS
http://z4.invisionfree.com/Hollywood_ ... ame/index.php?showforum=6

OWNED FRANCHISES
http://www.hollywoodthegame.net/htgmdb/town/franchiselist.php

AVAILABLE FRANCHISES
http://www.hollywoodthegame.net/htgmd ... n/availablefranchises.php



7. [OTHER STUFF]

Marlowe, one of the volunteers who keep moving HTG along, has announced that various special deals and events would be happening, now that Summer is upon us. If the last two summers are any indication, will we be seeing sweet specials on pools and hot tubs for HTG homes? What fresh new items will be added to Mega Mart? Are any new mini-contests in the works? There's one way to find out... Keep an eye on the HTG message board!

HTG Message Board
http://s4.invisionfree.com/Hollywood_The_Game/index.php?act=idx

Did you know that we have an HTG Update Twitter?
http://twitter.com/hollywoodgame

Bored? Wanna hang out and talk movies (among other stuff)? Check out the HTG Chatroom!
http://hollywoodthegame.net/htgchat.htm

Know someone that wants to join HTG? Have them sign up for Hollywood the Game at this link:
http://hollywoodthegame.net/htgmdb/town/signup.php




Hollywood the Game – “Welcome to Hollywood, Produce This!”
http://hollywoodthegame.net
http://hollywoodthegame.com
http://hollywood-the-game.com

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are headlining TLM Productions' latest film, Brothers, for Bulletproof Avatar Productions. The film, which is being written and produced by TLM head hancho Goose, focuses on estranged fraternal twin detectives who must work past their personal difference to solve the murder of a popular television reporter.

Directed by Robert Zemekis, the film's cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Amy Roloff, William H. Macy, Morris Chestnut, Felicity Huffman, Matthew Fox, Amber Tamblyn, Jane Krakowski, Edward James Olmos, and Alicia Silverstone.

The film hits theater next Friday, June 12, 2009 and faces off with Flip Brother's Studios' Our Mutual Friend: Part 3 and 21st Century Cat's White Wolf: Blood Fued. This is Goose's ninth film release.

The month of June is shaping up to be a good month for movies, and a sure-fire box office war as we kickstart the summer movie season. Let's have a run-down of this week's films.

Coming up this friday, we've got And F**Ck You Too from LHF, starring Luke Perry, Dustin Diamond, and Pauly Shore. Pauly's playing a 'Jizzmopper'. Interesting.

We've also got Down & Under, the debut from Exavior W. It's a drama, and it seems to have somewhat of a low budget cast. The plot seems decent enough, though.

Last, but not least, we've got The 90210 from Baseball Mogul Productions. A horror/comedy directed by Tim Hunter and starring Luke Perry. Two Luke Perry films this week produced by Pedro, interesting.

But, nontheless, the box office after this weekend is sure to be interesting. Will the Jizzmopper film prevail at # 1? Or maybe Exavior is looking to make an impact with his debut, possibly having his drama come in 1st? Or perhaps, horror/comedy will rise to the top. Baseball Mogul Productions has two chances to get the # 1 spot. Only time will tell.