Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson with East High graduate Cedric Sanders, who plays Jackson's brother in the upcoming drama "All Things Fall Apart." The film is not to be confused with "Frozen Ground," the Alaska-based serial killer movie shooting this month in Anchorage. Jackson appears in that movie too, and is a producer on both films. (Photo by Brian Bankston.)

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Call it six degrees of 50 Cent.

When the rapper-turned-actor films his "Frozen Ground" role over the coming weeks in Anchorage, it won’t be the first time he’s worked with Alaskans.

Fifty’s upcoming drama “All Things Fall Apart,” about a cancer-stricken college football star, co-stars 1999 East High graduate Cedric Sanders. Sanders plays the rapper's brother, Sean.

Directed by Mario Van Peebles, the film is best known for Curtis Jackson’s dramatic weight loss for the role. The movie may see an early 2012 theatrical release, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sanders won the 2008 NAACP Theatre Award for best lead male actor in the play "A Matter of Honor." He recently appeared briefly in "The Social Network" and can be seen in this clip from Denzel Washington's "American Gangster:"

...

Read more about Anchorage-born Cedric Sanders here:

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Scavenger hunt: When "Big Miracle" and "Frozen Ground" hit theaters, see if you can spot this 1974 Cadillac in the background:

Kevin Allen, in 1980s wardrobe for "Big Miracle," and his Fleetwood Brougham. Allen made $132 a day on set as an extra, he said. The car made $150.

I'm making an informal list of people and props expected to show up in both movies. Email me if you, or your ride, or your house will appear in each film.

Kevin Allen, owner of the Fleetwood Brougham, says the "Frozen Ground" filmmakers visited him in Fairview to grab the car for their serial killer movie after it first appeared in scenes shot downtown for Drew Barrymore's family flick.

Allen, an Anchorage resident, was also an extra in "Big Miracle." He made $132 a day he said. The Brougham made $150.

“My car is a bigger star than I am," Allen said.

This 1949 Super DC-3, operated by TransNorthern Aviation, appears in Steve Martin's "The Big Year," opening Friday. The scenes of Merrill Field and Attu Island were filmed in Canada. Photo courtesy Andrea Larson.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

When the Steve Martin, Jack Black comedy “Big Year” opens Friday in theaters, audiences will see remote Attu Island at the end of the Aleutians. They’ll see Alaska landmarks like Merrill Field airport in Anchorage, where Martin races to catch a departing Super DC-3.

The plane, at least, is actually Alaskan.

The “Attu Island” scenes were filmed outside of Dawson City, Yukon, while a fake Merrill Field was built in B.C. But the Douglas Super DC-3 used in the movie is the real deal. Operated by Anchorage-based TransNorthern Aviation, the 19-passenger transport plane serves lodges around Alaska each summer, said TransNorthern owner Andrea Larson.

“They used our aircraft because they really wanted something that matched true colors," Larson said. "And they knew that the image of Alaska is these round engines and one of the few states that actually operates this kind of airplane."

A helicopter chased the plane for aerial shots, while a scene shot at the Merrill Field set shows Martin running in vain to catch the Super DC-3 as it leaves for Attu Island.

Martin misses the plane, dropping his bags in disgust. “He does that classic Steve Martin ‘oh crap’ dance,’” Larson said. You can catch a glimpse at the 1:17 mark of this trailer:

Jim Tweto marshalling the 1900. The Twetos star in "Flying Wild Alaska," premiering Oct. 28. Find more pictures at the bottom of this post. (All photos courtesy of Discovery Channel)

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Look for season two of Discovery's "Flying Wild Alaska," the Bush pilot reality show starring the Tweto family of Unalakleet, to premiere Oct. 28.

That's the same night as the new episode of "Gold Rush: Alaska."

Ariel Tweto peeking out from under one of the planes.

Here's what Discovery promises in the second season "Flying Wild:"

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Looks like embargoes are expiring from the press visits to last year's "Big Miracle/Everybody Loves Whales" shoot.

This interview with Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski, posted today on buzzsugar.com, is short and shallow but also the first I've seen with the pair talking about the movie.

Sample question:

Were you prepared for how cold it is up here?
John Krasinski: It was so deceiving when we arrived because it wasn't that cold. The first time I came up, it was like 50 degrees. And I remember thinking, "Everybody on the production is insane. They were like 'It gets so cold!'" And then coming from LA, you're packing light sweaters. And then days like this hit, and you're like, "Does anyone have a Caribou carcass that I can throw on myself right now?"

Hollywood.com posted a similarly upbeat report on Monday.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

They're back. The question is, how bad will they behave this time?

Season two of "Gold Rush: Alaska" premieres Oct. 28, according to the Discovery Channel.

The series was one of Daily News readers' least favorite Alaska-based reality shows in our informal poll.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

I've heard at least three different release dates for the movie formerly known as "Everybody Loves Whales." The latest, listed on the film's Facebook page, is the most believable given that the marketing campaign has officially began rumbling toward the premiere.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

The first trailer for "Big Miracle" -- the Alaska-based, Drew Barrymore film formerly known as "Everybody Loves Whales" -- hit the Internet today.

Behold:

As expected, it plays loose with the facts surrounding the 1988 attempt to rescue three gray whales trapped in the ice near Barrow. But how's it looking? Is this a movie you'd want to see? Did you catch a glimpse of any of the Alaskan actors?

Look for the trailer to play before screenings of "Dolphin Tale," a family movie about a wounded dolphin getting a prosthetic tail, starting tomorrow. Maybe this trailer was cut with that audience in mind.

What do you think?

(BILL ROTH / Anchorage Daily News) Two women reach out to touch one of the California gray whales trapped by ice near Point Barrow in October 1988.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Back in November, I wrote about a big-budget survival thriller starring Liam Neeson called "The Grey."

The script told a tale of oil-rig roughnecks surviving a plane crash in the remote Alaska wilderness, only to be hunted by wolves as they scrambled for safety. Exactly the kind of movie the state has been trying to land for an Alaska shoot.

The film went to Canada instead. Here's the first teaser trailer, released this week:

Liam looks plenty cold, at least, wherever he is. Read more on the movie's Facebook page.

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Wanna watch a reality show about Sarah Palin's hair salon in Wasilla? TLC thinks you do.

Behold:

Look for the first episode at 9 p.m., Alaska time. Here's more, from The Atlantic:

Palin had been going to the same beauty salon for years, long before her ascent in politics and tabloids. She and her hair learned a thing or two along the way, and together, tried to be taken seriously. Jessica Steele, the owner of Wasilla's Beehive Beauty Shop, wielded the scissors and comb behind the scenes, sculpting Palin's do as it evolved over the course of her career. Steele will now step out into the spotlight with a reality show to premiere tonight on TLC—the network behind the season-long run of Sarah Palin's Alaska.

Simpler times: Cam Moss checks out a vintage t-shirt at Beehive Beauty Shop and Boutique on Nov. 5, 2005. The salon and clothing store is located near the intersection of Seward-Meridan and the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. Tonight, it stars in a new TLC reality show.(Stephen Nowers / Anchorage Daily News)

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

And the part of “Alaska fishing village” in an upcoming blockbuster will be played by ... the Vancouver Island resort of Ucluelet, British Columbia.

The Vancouver Sun reports that filming of the new Superman film, “Man of Steel,” is headed to Canada through Jan. 21.

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. (Associated Press.)

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

Rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson will play a 1980s-era pimp in the Alaska-based thriller “The Frozen Ground,” producers say.

Really?

Universal Pictures is now calling the whale-rescue movie "Big Miracle," according to its website.

The site lists a Jan. 13 release date, while Boxofficemojo.com says the movie will open Feb. 3.

I keep hearing the trailer should be out soon, by the end of the month. Will this mean a delay?

Both Alaskans who made it to the top 10 in the 2011 edition of “America’s Got Talent,” Landon Swank of Wasilla and Anna Graceman of Juneau, were eliminated earlier this month in week 15. But two Anchorage-area performers are scheduled for national television appearances in the next few days.

Anyone interested in appearing in the film can email an acting resume and headshot to frozengroundcasting@gmail.com, the filmmakers said. Write “actress” or “actor” in the subject line, or “extra” if you don't want to audition for a speaking role.

Auditions began this week in Anchorage for the serial killer thriller “The Frozen Ground,” with producers expecting to hire as many as 45 Alaska actors for speaking roles.

The tale, starring Nicolas Cage and John Cusack, is based on the real-life, 1983 capture of “butcher baker” Robert Hansen. If you look like a cop, in other words, you may be in luck.

“We’re going to reach out to all state troopers and members of the police department who are interested in acting and extras roles,” said Deborah Schildt, the Alaska casting director for the film. Schildt began auditioning actors Wednesday with casting expected to continue until filming begins in mid-October.

In addition to speaking roles, the filmmakers say they plan to hire another 400 to 600 extras – jobs that do not require an audition.

Schildt also worked on casting of “Everybody Loves Whales,” the Alaska-based Drew Barrymore film that is expected hit theaters early next year. Actors who tried out for that film and veterans of other Alaska film projects are now arriving at the production’s temporary offices above the Daily News for the first wave of auditions.

“On ‘Whales,’ we found that some of our cast were actors and actresses and some of our cast were first timers,” said Schildt, who is a project manager for a NANA-owned film production services company called Piksik.

Anyone interested in appearing in the new movie can email an acting resume and headshot to frozengroundcasting@gmail.com, the filmmakers said. Write “actress” or “actor” in the subject line -- or write “extra” if you don't want to audition for a speaking role.

By KYLE HOPKINS

"Everybody Loves Whales" producer Stuart Besser found a shortage of construction workers available to build sets in Anchorage. He told other filmmakers curious about shooting in the state that they'd have to haul their own equipment from Los Angeles.

But knowing what he knows now, the executive producer of the first modern, major movie to film entirely in Alaska says he would still do it all over again.

"It worked," Besser said in a Thursday phone interview from Los Angeles.

The Mudflats blog reports:

All those props used in the “Everybody Loves Whales” film are on sale this week! While some were returned to LA, there is plenty left at the warehouse behind Spenard Builders Supply to entice practical-minded scavengers, like me. Remember, this movie loosely portrays an event in 1988, so don’t expect to find iPhones.

Read the rest here.

The sale is from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. this week at 1801 W. 47th Ave., the corner of Harding and 47th, the blog says.

This from the Alaska National Guard:

Capt. Brett Haker, maintenance officer, Army Aviation Support Facility, Alaska National Guard, with stars John Krasinski and Dax Shepard during a meet and greet event Nov. 6. Photo by Charity Haker.

Alaska National Guardsmen meet with Hollywood stars

CAMP DENALI, Alaska— Members of the Alaska National Guard had the rare opportunity to meet and speak with the stars of the upcoming film, "Everybody Loves Whales," at Hanger 1 on Bryant Army Airfield Nov. 6.

By KYLE HOPKINS
khopkins@adn.com

Actor Jon Voight (“Heat,” “Deliverance”) will play an Anchorage police detective in a film expected to begin shooting Sunday in Anchorage, a producer for the movie says.

The supernatural thriller, “Ghost Vision,” will be shot entirely in Alaska, said producer Jamee Natella. The story centers on the kidnapping of an 8-year-old girl, with some scenes shot at the Anchorage Police Department and featuring cameos by city police.

By KYLE HOPKINS
khopkins@adn.com

A plane crashes in wild Alaska. Stranded oil workers, hunted by a pack of wolves, fight for their lives.

There's your plot for "The Grey," a survival thriller starring Liam Neeson and planned for a 2012 release. Joe Carnahan, who most recently shot "The A Team," is set to direct the movie, with filming expected to begin next year.