Be sure to support Hill’s latest book, THE CONVERSATION, in stores September 7th! And become a fan of The Double Down Film Show HERE!

Summer break is over, the leaves are turning and the buzz of a new school year is in the air, which can only mean one thing…Time for the new season of The Double Down Film Show! On Wednesday, September 15th @ 9pm we’re gonna kick off the 4th season with an uplifting conversation about acting and managing a career in the industry with actor/author Hill Harper (CSI:NY, Premium, Lackawanna Blues,etc.). Hill took a most unusual route to acting, first earning a law degree from Harvard and a Masters from The Kennedy School of Government, before leaving it all behind and gambling on his newfound passion – acting. It turned out to be a good bet that paid off with roles in many tv shows, plays, indie and studio features. Today Hill is reprising his starring role as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes for the sixth year on CSI:NY and just completed his third book, The Conversation.

· Why did he pursue acting despite having a Harvard Law degree?

· What do great actors do that others don’t?

· Why does the best actor not necessarily get the job?

· What’s the most important thing you can do to last in Hollywood?

· What do you do if you don’t have access to great roles?

All this and more will be revealed on the 4th Season premiere of Double Down Film Show with CSI New York’s, Hill Harper.

Hill Harper, a great actor and friend of Double 7 is up for a Best Supporting Actor Award (Drama Series) for his work as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes on CSI: NY. Here’s a tidbit of what Hill had to say and how you can help make Academy Members aware of his great work.

EMMY nominating ballots are out! I am humbled to be considered for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for my performance as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes on CSI:NY. Please have any of your friends who are members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences fill out and turn in their ballots by June 21, 2010. Voting members can view For Your Consideration (FYC) screeners online HERE. Thank you for all of your support!! Please forward to the voting members you know!

All the best,
Hill Harper

I watch a good movie for entertainment purposes, though I never fail to deconstruct what works and what doesn’t. If they have a commentary on the DVD, I often watch the movie AGAIN immediately. Some call it OCD, I call it studying. I never got to do my own commentary for PREMIUM, and now I’ve made up for that with my seminar called “The Psychology and Technique of Directing”. It’s part of a 6-DVD Set from our Indie Film Bootcamp presentation and trust me when I tell you, the information packed into this volume will save you a lot of time, a bundle of money, and many mistakes that could certainly derail your career before the train ever gets going.

At this month’s SHORT SHORTS I’ll be giving a little preview you won’t want to miss. FACEBOOK RSVP HERE.

And go ahead and buy your DVD now! Click here and scroll to the bottom to pre-order!

Following in the fragrant footsteps of Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Hudson, Zoe Saldana, 31, has been named the newest face of an Avon fragrance, Eternal Magic, debuting in April, PEOPLE has exclusively learned. The fragrance “takes inspiration from the rare Princess Monaco Rose,” according to an Avon release. “It means so much to me to be associated with a company that shares my values and believes in empowering women,” says the actress, who is now best known for kicking butt as Na’vi warrior princess Neytiri in Avatar. In her first major endorsement deal since James Cameron’s blockbuster grossed a billion dollars, Saldana will also be featured in the company’s brochure as a face of Avon’s color cosmetics collection (no word on whether that includes ‘Pandora blue’!). Geralyn Breig, Senior Vice President and President of Avon North America, says of Saldana, “We are thrilled to have Zoe as the spokesperson for Eternal Magic. Every woman wants to be unforgettable and Zoe perfectly embodies that feeling. She’s a rising star in Hollywood — and has built a strong reputation for playing empowering characters that leave a lasting impression.” – Suzanne Zuckerman

(VIA PEOPLE)

Check out Zoe for free in my first feature, PREMIUM, currently available on Hulu. Also stars Dorian Missick, Hill Harper, Frankie Faison, William Sadler, Eva Marcille, Novella Nelson, Sean Nelson, Keith Nobbs … we’ve got some talent up in there

It’s great to read the responses (good and bad) that people have to your work. The above image is a snapshot of the most recent reviews of my film PREMIUM, available for your viewing pleasure on HULU and starring Dorian Missick, Zoe Saldana, and Hill Harper. The beautiful thing about the web is people don’t lie and for the most part, if they aren’t what I like to call “internet thugs” — talking smack from the safety of their bedroom through a keyboard — you get a real sense of what people say when you’re not “in the room”.

And to show you that we keep it 100 here at Double 7, I’ll even give some airtime to a not-so-positive review, though it’s clear this woman doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about!

See for yourself and leave a review!

It’s our blog so sometimes it’s just about shouting out ourselves. But just so you don’t have to hear it from us, here’s what other folks have said about PREMIUM:

Read the Variety Review HERE…

Read 7 more reviews linked from Rotten Tomatoes HERE (we’re 100% fresh by the way)…

Finally, check out the entire film for FREE on Hulu in the player above and PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS! We’d love to know what you think

My sister forwarded me this message from someone who had seen PREMIUM but didn’t realize that her brother had written & directed the film.

That’s what’s up! Check it out for yourself, leave comments, and let us know if you feel the same.

So PREMIUM is now on iTunes, which is cool, but apparently there’s been a bit of a poster “redesign”. I’d say it misrepresents the movie but this is the ultimate clash between art + marketing. Zoe Saldana never even wears a wedding dress in the film, the photos of the cast are from parties/events we attended, and the fonts have been changed.

Nonetheless, for those of y’all with iTunes, search PREMIUM and take a look. Just in case you’re interested, here is the original art below:

2 for 2 from Chuck Jones. He put me on to the fact that PREMIUM is on Hulu now. Scroll below to check it out. The reviews thus far are great. It’s crazy to see what people think (or don’t think) about your work. I am one of those cats that likes to read ‘em, even when I’m being murdered.

See y’all at Short Shorts tonight @ 8pm!

Posted by Pete Chatmon

This post is from a friend of mine who heard one of our earliest heated debates on the Double Down Film Show re: bootlegging films.

“I came home yesterday and saw that my roommate had a bootleg of “Premium” I told her she couldn’t watch that bootleg because you worked very hard on it…unfortunately she had already watched it by the time I got home…the good news is she enjoyed it! For me it really brought the reality of bootlegging to light…I am no longer a supporter of bootlegs! I never bought them but I guess watching them made me no better than the people who did. It made me think back to the first Double Down Show when you said you might be a celebrity in the Dominican Republic…I guess ur a celebrity in BK now too! ”

I’ve been tipped off by man Mateen Kemet in Oakland that there were bootlegs of PREMIUM out west. Shani Harris Peterson told me there were some in South America. My sister had a co-worker unknowingly show her one in East Orange, NJ — just minutes from the crib, purchased in none other than Montclair.

IT’S A DAMN SHAME. I’d be interested to hear other folks’ opinions on bootleg movies. Until you work for 5 years on a project you may not be able to relate. I’m not going to say can’t…I’ll keep it diplomatic and say MAY NOT. It’s not different than someone selling your designs, whether graphic, clothing, architecture, etc. And for those in the corporate world it’s no different than folks taking credit for work you’ve created and making money off of it. I’ve yet to see the street blanket with PREMIUM on it with my own eyes, but if I do, I might have to get my ‘Pac on.

Discuss…