Tuesday, September 22, 2020

     Aside from this blog for the arts, I have started working with another site, Music is to Blame, covering the music scene. I'll still be working, slowly, on the local events, as I'm made aware. But Music is to Blame has given me a greater reach and opportunity than I had, even when I worked at the local newspapers.

Here's  my first endeavour. Copy and paste the link ~ Cheers.

 https://musicistoblame.blogspot.com/2020/09/make-friends-new-single.html#more 




Sunday, August 25, 2019

I wasn't planning on posting too much on myself here, but the fact that I am recording lessons (and encouragement) on writing creative works, I figure this is the right time and place for promoting such endeavours. 
Here's the link to the newest video: 
https://youtu.be/7SrbieFQDuM

And here is the main channel address: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRx_CrHRonSai1cPGW6iA

I hope you visit and enjoy my lessons!

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Here is something that we don't get much of in this part of Texas, anymore ~ an actual film debut. The following is a press release for a film shot in various locations, including the Rio Grande Valley. One of the directors, Steven J. Escobar, is also a Valley native (full disclosure, he is also my cousin).

This film has been screened at The Cannes Film Festival. Valley folks will have an opportunity, if you've already bought your tickets, for the showing at the AMC movie theater in Edinburg, TX on June 16. You can check out availability for the tickets on the ticket sales site, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/steven-escobar-presents-xenophobia-texas-movie-premiere-tickets-61307047028?fbclid=IwAR2hspL1Wtm4l-BW4jymEtgk6I2zfJXehueg4IjjaJvrsiTPLFju4vQXkMo

I will be getting crowd reactions and report, live, before and after the show through my facebook and/or Instagram pages.

Check out the site. Check out the film. See you there.

Vision Films Adds Science Fiction Thriller, 'Xenophobia' to Their Slate and Releases Artwork and Trailer
PRESS RELEASE  UPDATED: MAY 14, 2019


CANNES, France, May 14, 2019 (Newswire.com) - Vision Films Inc. is proud to announce the acquisition of the sci-fi action/thriller Xenophobia for their 2019 Cannes slate.  Directed, written, and produced by Steven J. Escobar, Joe Castro, and Thomas J. Churchill, the film follows victims of alien abduction who discover that their experiences were not isolated incidents.  Artwork and trailer also make their debut in Cannes.

Starring Manu Intiraymi (Star Trek: Voyager, One Tree Hill), Kristen Renton (Days of our Lives, Sons of Anarchy), Angie Stevenson (Sons of Anarchy, Sigma), and Baker Chase Powell (Dating Pains, Irrational Fear), Vision will release Xenophobia on DVD and VOD on August 6, 2019.
Six complete strangers recall the details of their individual experiences with alien forces—sharing the terrifying stories of their abductions and possessions—but the biggest challenge still lies ahead. Can they overcome their fears and trust each other in order to survive?

“We are thrilled to be debuting the visually-stunning sci-fi film Xenophobia at The Cannes Film Festival,” says Vision Films CEO/Managing Director, Lise Romanoff. “The question of alien existence is extremely compelling and Xenophobia presents the subject in such a realistic and terrifying way, we can’t help but wonder if we are really alone in the universe.”

“Xenophobia is an accumulation of actual alien events and encounters that have been documented over the years,” said co-Director Steven Escobar.  “Teaming up with Joe Castro and Thomas J Churchill who co-wrote and co-directed the film with me, we were able to bring these stories to the screen using state of the art of special effects which we’re really proud of.  Xenophobia is further proof that indie filmmakers can present epic stories and great effects without a studio budget.”

“Xenophobia was a chance of a lifetime for me as an artist and a filmmaker,” said Joe Castro, “it allowed us to create full scale alien creatures... something that I have always dreamed of as a child.”
“Spending so much of my career in the horror and action space prepared me for Xenophobia, which is my first science fiction film,” said Thomas J. Churchill.  “It was a truly organic transition and I could not have asked for a better team and partners to have done this with than Castro and Escobar.”



Friday, March 30, 2018

Phonetography in Harlingen


Edward Vidaurre's Phonetography & Words at Platform 204 in Harlingen is a beautiful blend of the 2018 McAllen Poet Laureate's poetry and phone photography ~ hence PHONEtography. Both words and images are crisp and cool. From heartbeats to the beats of the city, Vidaurre's work is a labour of love, and it shows. 







Come by the Platform 204 Art Gallery and Studios at 119 W. Van Buren in Harlingen, Texas to visit Vidaurre's works (until April 21) and the other amazing artists displaying.


Saturday, December 30, 2017

Some highlights of the Frida in Red event in McAllen, Tx. Great people, artists and poets ~ 2017 had its ups and downs... this was definitely up!
Cheers!












Ahead of our usual minutes-before-midnight, New Year's Eve publication date, White Raven Works is proud to announce the next chapter book in the Jessica saga. Revelations for the Lost: Pathways book 2, an e-book, is on sale on the Barnes & Noble website.

We get a taste of Jess' family's journey and trying to create a new "normal" in the state of South Texas.


Along with this chapter book, you will receive a sneak peek into an upcoming story. We will see the beginnings of a character first introduced in our first Lost in a Wish book.


Stay tuned for more works. Look for us on Etsy and others, soon.


Thank you for visiting our sites. And may you prosper in the coming year, despite the roadblocks.


Cheers.

Saturday, November 4, 2017

PUBLISHING

    In my years of experience as a journalist, I wanted to do ... more. I LOVE covering Arts & Entertainment, but wanted to delve deeper. In the world of newspapers and magazines, focus had to be laser-sharp and time for follow-ups was rare. That's why I finally decided to move on to this forum ~ first. I have plans to start my own online magazine, but working alone has forced me to reconsider, for the time being.
    Until I can get into a proper rhythm, blogging my articles, and the work leading up to the article, will give me a little more time to "prime the pump" for the online magazine, as it were. The primary focus of the magazine are anything to do with the Arts and Entertainment fields. I plan on creating long and short-form articles, investigative and the ever-present opinion ~ either mine or experts.

Stay tuned for more information. And thank you for joining me on what could be a weird journey.

Sincerely,


Jesus Beltran II
White Raven Works' Art of...
Writer / Publisher