Bonnie Carroll, president and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, known as TAPS, poses in her office in Washington. Carroll and her late husband Tom are prominent characters in the upcoming “Big Miracle,” a film about the rescue of a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle. The film, which stars Drew Barrymore and Ted Danson, opens Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Guests are being asked to dress "Alaska casual" for a K Street screening of "Big Miracle" tomorrow in Washington D.C. The fund-raising gala is a premiere of sorts for the first major movie to film entirely in Alaska under the state's new subsidy program. It opens nationwide, including in Anchorage, on Feb. 3.

Look for our coverage this week.

The invitation-only screening benefits a non-profit launched by former Reagan aide Bonnie Carroll to benefit the bereaved families of military members. Carroll's marriage to Alaska National Guard Brig. Gen. Tom Carroll following the rescue was one of the many stories-behind-the-story, as The Associated Press reports:

-- Kyle Hopkins

Vets' advocate has key role in whale rescue film

By ERIC TUCKER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Bonnie Carroll is well-known in veterans' circles as the founder of a vast organization that provides grief counseling and help for thousands of families of fallen military members. But it was her involvement nearly 25 years ago in a high-seas effort to rescue three gray whales stranded off Alaska that is now receiving Hollywood treatment.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

I'm off this week but stopped by the office today to find a burlap sack sitting on my desk. Inside: A collection of publicity swag from the Sportsman Channel -- Which apparently exists -- highlighting yet another pair of Alaska-related reality shows.

The first, "Dropped (Project: Alaska)" is an 11-episode series that premiered Wednesday and features a pair of brothers hunting in the Brooks Range.

The other, "MeatEater," premieres Sunday. It stars author and "The Wild Within" host Steven Rinella hunting and eating critters across the country. Four of the 11 episodes were shot in Alaska, including the premiere, which features Rinella making "rock-tenderized venison loin" from blacktail deer in Southeast, according to the Sportsman Channel.

The Sportsman Channel is channel 306 on GCI cable.

We're awash in new Alaska reality TV this winter. Premiering tonight are the TLC show "Hook, Line & Sisters," and "Alaska: The Last Frontier," the new Discovery series about the Kilcher family -- sans Jewel.

Meantime, if anyone wants a Sportsman Channel canteen in a handsome burlap sack, stop by the newsroom.

About once a month, a box of this kind of stuff arrives in the mail. I usually leave it by the coffee pot.

The simply titled “Alaska: The Last Frontier," which premiers 9 p.m. Thursday on Discovery, is the latest in the ever-expanding list of reality TV shows set in Alaska. This time the Kilcher family takes center stage, though not the family’s most famous member – multiplatinum-selling singer/songwriter Jewel.

Originally announced in March with the working title “Mountain Men of Alaska,” the series focuses on patriarch Atz, Jewel’s father. He and the rest of the clan live on a 600-acre homestead outside of Homer that was originally settled 80 years ago by Jewel’s grandfather, Yule Kilcher. That plot of land is now home to three generations, and the show’s first episode follows the Kilchers as they prepare for winter, highlighting their off-the-grid lifestyle.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

The producer of "Sarah Palin's Alaska" says he's in talks for a second season of that series and is not pursuing a show about Todd's snowmachine exploits, according to the New York Post.

“The plan would be to shoot this in the summer of 2012,” Mark Burnett told the Post:

New episodes of the outdoorsy reality series — which shows the former vice-presidential candidate fishing, hunting and dogsledding with her family — would not air until after the November presidential election.

“By the time we edit it, the election will be over,” Burnett says. “But I am sure the election would be mentioned [in the show].”

The first season of the Palin series received a larger state subsidy, $1.2 million, than single seasons of any other Alaska reality show to date.

Alaska lawmakers are considering reducing subsidies for reality TV projects, which generally create fewer jobs than movies but are eligible for some of the most generous such public subsidies in the country.

Under the latest version of a proposal to reauthorize the subsidy program, the state would pay up to 34 percent of the bill for nonfiction TV projects like Palin's show or "Deadliest Catch." Currently, all film and TV productions can get up to 44 percent of their spending reimbursed.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

This is worth watching. Check out the latest Facebook post from SprocketHeads, the Anchorage-based production services company that has worked with producers on the bigger films to come to Alaska:

"Attention Alaska-based feature film crew: Resumes needed immediately from all qualified personnel for major production (new project) critically close to making decision to shoot in Alaska. Be sure we have your latest info on file."

The company is calling for people to send resumes to production@sprocketheads.com.

All SprocketHeads owner Carolyn Robinson is saying is that the movie would be an "explosive action thriller" with a crew size bigger than both "Big Miracle" and "Frozen Ground."

Todd Palin of Wasilla, foreground, and Scott Davis of Soldotna, back left, re-pack their gear following a visit by tech inspectors at the Tesoro Iron Dog safety inspection Saturday morning January 31, 2009, at the Wasilla Sports Complex. (ERIK HILL / Anchorage Daily News)

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

This today from the Hollywood Reporter:

"Palin and (producer Mark Burnett) are pitching another reality series, this one more focused on Palin’s husband Todd and his career as a championship snowmobile racer. But for now, TLC owner Discovery Communications has passed, say sources. And A&E Networks, which entered into a bidding war with Discovery for Sarah Palin's Alaska, also is not interested.

One problem? Palin and Burnett -- the reality TV Yoda behind "Survivor," "The Apprentice" and Palin's own TLC series -- may be asking too high a price for the new series, the website says.

Davis, left, and Palin, right, shown during the start of the 2010 Iron Dog on the ice at Big Lake. (BILL ROTH / Anchorage Daily News)

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

A small-budget movie about a group of people working at a music equipment store in Anchorage, set in the mid-1990s, is scheduled to film in Alaska this summer, backers say.

Experience Media Studios, based in Abu Dhabi (!), pre-qualified Nov. 7 for the state film subsidy. Chief executive Michael-Ryan Fletchall described the project in an email as an “an edgy ‘90s music scene comedy.”

“We will definitely be casting locally for some of the key roles, hiring local extras and crew, as well as showcasing Anchorage as a backdrop for the story,” Fletchall wrote. The project will be announced in the coming months with the budget expected to be under $10 million, he wrote.

“To get a sense of what we are creating, please check out the movie we are putting out in March starring Josh Hutcherson ('The Hunger Games') called ‘Carmel-by-the-Sea,’” he wrote.

According to the company's application to the state, the filmmakers expect to use:
-- 30 Alaska crew members
-- 15 non-Alaska crew
-- 10 Alaskans as talent
-- 6 non-Alaska talent

Here’s a roundup of other productions that recently pre-qualified for the state film subsidy, including what sounds like more reality TV gold mining:

-- Non-fiction TV show
Applicant: Prospector Productions – The Goldfather LLC.
Pre-Qualified: Dec. 5
Notes: Another mining reality show? In August, Iowa State University posted an item about a student headed to Alaska to pan for gold as part of a “Prospector Productions” project that would air on National Geographic.

“So far, all they know is an approximate location for the shoot -- south of the Yukon River and north of Fairbanks on 10,000 acres of private land ‘with proven gold reserves,’” the university news service said at the time.

Read more from the Iowa State Daily.

Estimates for non-Alaska crew: 16 people.
Estimates for Alaska crew: 11 people
Alaska talent: 44 people (hmmm...)
Length of project: 15 weeks

Memry Anderson of “Hook, Line & Sisters," premiering on TLC later this month. In January, Discovery plans to launch the "Deadliest Catch"-meets-"Gold Rush Alaska" series, "Bering Sea Gold."

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Dear Alaskans:

Be honest. At this point, aren’t you starting to take it a little personally if you’re NOT being featured on some hard-driving, edge-of-the-earth reality show?

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Look familiar? This holiday-themed American Eagle Outfitters clip was shot in-state, and on the cheap. (State subsidy was only $47,000, according to the Alaska Film Office.)

Casting for a new reality show featuring Anchorage and Fairbanks Army spouses is expected to begin next week, according to KUAC.

Read the questionnaire for prospective stars of the Oprah Winfrey Network series here. Applicants are asked how they feel about their kids growing up in Alaska, to describe the military wife “sisterhood” and whether there are any unwritten rules of being an Army spouse.

Among the additional questions: Do you homeschool? Was your husband or wife in the military when you met? Do you watch Lifetimes’s “Army Wives?" and, if so, what do you make of it?

This today from The Associated Press:

444 Blue Productions Vice President Stephanie Drackovitch tells KUAC the program will feature the spouses of soldiers who have deployed from Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks and Fort Richardson in Anchorage.
She plans to be in Alaska next week to begin casting the series, which will have six to 12 episodes.
Filming is slated to start in late winter and continue through June.

Related: Production company casting for Alaska Army wives TV show (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

Actor Jon Voight portrays an Anchorage police detective in "Beyond." The scene above, filmed Dec. 15 at Kincaid Park, opens the movie as Voight's character tracks a kidnapper. The film premiered to an invitation-only crowd Thursday at the Bear Tooth. (BOB HALLINEN / Anchorage Daily News)

From Kyle Hopkins --

"Beyond," the low-budget, Jon Voight thriller filmed last fall in Anchorage, premiered to an invitation-only crowd tonight at the Bear Tooth theater.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

A group calling itself the Alaska Film Alliance says it’s organizing to voice concerns with the state’s generous film subsidy program.

That according to a note sent to news media today from Bernadette Wilson, who has worked on a series of conservative campaigns, including the ballot measure requiring parental notification for abortions and Joe Miller's Senate campaign.

The group says it's calling for "extensive public hearings" as the Legislature considers a bill reauthorizing the film incentives.

"Among AFA’s concerns are; reform of the credit/broker incentive system, more support for Alaska based businesses wishing to work with out of state filmmakers, better incentives for hiring Alaskans, the creation of a workforce development program, and using a small portion of the tax credits to build film and media infrastructure in Alaska," the group says in a statement that will be distributed to reporters today.

After an extended honeymoon period, Alaska’s film incentive program is falling under the crosshairs as critics question whether the subsidy program needs to be reconfigured or is the best way to spend public money.

As of late, East High graduate Cedric Sanders has been acting opposite rapper 50 Cent in the upcoming movie "All Things Fall Apart," but tonight he'll be appearing in an episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." The episode is called "True Believers" and airs 9 p.m. on NBC, channel 2.

Below is a video of Sanders talking about filming the episode, including the scene where he's wrestled to the ground by actor Danny Prino.

--Matt Sullivan

Is there an end in sight to Alaska-based reality television? Apparently not. The U.S. Army Alaska last night issued a casting call for a new cable "docuseries" about Army spouses.

This comes as the 3,500 soldier's of the airborne brigade at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, and their families, prepare for another year-long deployment to Afghanistan.

The production company involved, 44 Blue Productions , has done the MSNBC "Lockup" series and Spike TV's "Deadliest Warriors" and "U.S. Navy Pirate Hunters," among many others.

Here's the announcement:

Casting Call Announced For Army Spouses

Does your husband or wife serve in the Army in the Anchorage or Fairbanks area? When you hear the word “deployment”, does it mean more to you than just a word heard on the evening news? Do you find strength and community from other Army spouses while your loved one is serving our country? If so, we would like to hear your story. Emmy and Peabody Award winning 44 Blue Productions is looking for Army spouses to feature in a docuseries for a major cable network that will put faces to the names of unsung heroes like yourselves at home. If you are interested in being part of “Army Wives of Alaska”, please contact militaryprojectcasting@yahoo.com for more information. For more specific information on the casting and production, call Stephanie Drachkovitch, executive vice president and co-owner of 44 Blue Productions, Inc. at 818-760-4442. For press inquiries, contact Lt. Col. Bill Coppernoll, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Army Alaska or Chuck Canterbury, Media Relations Officer, U. S. Army Alaska. The production company will be meeting spouses in person in Alaska the week of Nov. 28.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

The first in a trio of low-budget kids movies starring Jon Voight and a slew of Alaska actors will premiere next spring, according to a producer on the films.

“This is a trilogy like ‘Lord of the Rings’ for kids – played by babies,” executive producer Jamee Natella wrote in an email earlier this month. “Each film has its own conclusion, but there is a running subplot through all three.”

Kid Play Entertainment shot the movies between March and July of this year, on the heels of Voight’s supernatural thriller “Beyond,” also filmed in Anchorage.

The movies, called “Play Kids,” “Tiny Detectives” and “Young Sleuths,” have received more than $4 million in state film incentives to date, according the Alaska Film Office. That number likely will grow pending state approval of the tax credit application for the final film.

In other words, there will be companies that would otherwise be paying millions of dollars to the state of Alaska in corporate income taxes that will now save a portion of that money in order to subsidize these crime-fighting babies movies.

The state refuses to say which companies purchase the credits from filmmakers.

Producers on the Play Kids movies reporting spending more than $13 million on the first two films alone.

“With the exception of a handful of actors that we brought in from Los Angeles, the vast majority of the talent you see on screen is Alaskan, including many of the babies who star in the films,” Natella said.

The movies appear to be sequels to “Baby Geniuses” (1999) and “Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2” (2004), in which hero toddlers deliver adult dialogue with the help of CGI and voiceovers.

Critics savaged the first two Baby Geniuses movies, with the original earning a 6 out of 100 rating on Metacritic and the sequel faring only slightly better with a rating of 9 percent. Voight, who plays the babies' evil nemesis, also appeared in Baby Geniuses 2:

Cyrano's playhouse, playing the role of the 80s-era Kit Kat Club. "Anchorage's best adult entertainment," the sign reads.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

"The Frozen Ground" filmmakers transformed 4th Avenue into a seedy slice of 1980s Anchorage today, with temporary road closures expected overnight between C and D streets.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

"Beyond," the low-budget detective thriller that Jon Voight filmed a year ago in Anchorage, will get an Alaska premiere Nov. 17 at the Bear Tooth.

The screening is invitation only, with local cast and crew joined by Alaska politicians and other muckety-mucks, according to organizers. Meantime, mailers announcing the event include a first look at the movie poster:

Tagline: "The unexplainable becomes something unimaginable."

Attire for the premiere is described as "Alaskan Semiformal." (Does that mean black bunny boots only?)

Producers on Beyond reported spending about $6.6 million and received more than $2.1 million back in state tax incentive subsidies, according to the Alaska Film Office.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Let us recite the formula. Dangerous job + icy Alaska scenery = Reality TV show.

The latest?

"Coast Guard Alaska," a new Weather Channel series premiering Nov. 9.

That's right weather nerds. Get ready for seven one-hour episodes of crappy Kodiak Island weather and wind-beaten, white-knuckle helicopter rescues above the open ocean.

Exhibit A:

The series tails U.S. Coast Guard pilots and rescue swimmers as they pluck sinking fishermen from the sea and hang out with their families back home.

The pilot episode is an earnest introduction to Kodiak Island and a crew of Coasties, punctuated by a series of rescue missions. Within minutes, viewers hear the first distress call:

“Mayday! Mayday! Nordic Mistres. It’s a 60-foot white boat ... We’re taking in water. We’re going down!”

In Alaska, the Coast Guard crews are regular news-makers, and some of the rescues promise to flesh out familiar images from earlier this year:

As seen on TV: Lt. Jon Bartel, right obscured, and Lt. Vince Jansen, MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter pilots from Air Station Kodiak, Petty Officer 3rd Class Ralph Aguero, orange and yellow, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Devin Lloyd, center, discuss the circumstances of the sinking of the 60-foot vessel Nordic Mistress with the vessel's captain, green and gray, following the rescue of all five aboard May 22. The rescue can be seen in the pilot episode of "Coast Guard Alaska." (Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis / U.S. Coast Guard photo.)

Al Roker Entertainment is producing.

In other Alaska cable TV news:

-- 'Gold Rush: Alaska' not so Alaskan anymore? (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

-- The return of 'Flying Wild Alaska' (Alaska Dispatch)

FIREARMS: Property master Jason Hammond prepares one of the guns for the movie "The Frozen Ground" on location in East Anchorage Oct. 19, 2011. They are filming scenes for the movie that will depict serial killer Robert Hansen's Anchorage home. (BOB HALLINEN / Anchorge Daily News)

From Kyle Hopkins
in Anchorage

Three actors playing Alaska State Troopers waited Wednesday in an East Anchorage backyard as a tall man sifted through several cases of handguns.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --
Actors dressed in 1980's vintage APD uniforms exit "Hansen's Bakery" as filming began on today in East Anchorage. Photo by Bill Roth

Paris Bakery is playing the role of "Hansen's Bakery," the shop owned by Robert Hansen, who is believed to have killed up to 21 women in the 1970s and '80s. I drove by to take a look:

In this clip, you can see a vintage brown Oldsmobile arrive and park beside that period white-and-blue APD squad car. That's Cusack climbing out of the car and walking toward the bakery. Moments later, the crew shifted to begin filming a scene in which Cusack, who plays Hansen, greets a man carrying a loaf of bread out of the shop.

The storefront next to the bakery has been designed to look like a dollar store. Posters in the window advertise "Steak Knives $1."

UPDATE: I asked the city manager's office about the potential traffic disruption along Muldoon and the status of filming permits.

Just received this response by email: "This morning, state of Alaska and Municipality of Anchorage right-of-way agents dispatched and reminded production crew of regulations surrounding operations near the ROW."