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Friday, September 25, 2009 8:59 PM CDT
Hollywood spotlight shines on Central Illinois
By the JG/T-C
editorial@jg-tc.com
Local communities have had more than their share of the national spotlight recently, especially in the world of entertainment.
Central Illinois has gotten noticed for some time because of the proposed FutureGen plant in Mattoon or due to the success of former Eastern Illinois University football star Tony Romo as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. But those aren’t this area’s only claims to fame.
Here are some of the other ways Central Illinois has garnered national attention recently:
n “The Informant,” starring Matt Damon, recently hit local movie theaters. The movie is based on the mid-’90s bout of whistle-blowing and embezzlement at Archer Daniels Midland Co. Damon stars as Mark Whitacre, an executive at Decatur-based ADM who tattled on the company’s vast international price-fixing scheme. The movie itself was filmed in Decatur, Moweaqua and other Central Illinois communities.
n ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” recently completed a house renovation in Philo, in Champaign County. A team of volunteers spent a handful of days replacing the Nathan Montgomery family’s 100-year-old house. The episode of the popular series is scheduled to air soon.
n A former Mattoon resident recently announced he is co-producing an independent film and hopes to film that project in Mattoon. Joe Lucarelli, who now resides in Pittsburgh, has written a script for a suspense thriller set in a small Midwestern town. He is currently scouting for locations and sponsors.
n Former Charleston resident Joshua Scott Jones and his singing partner, Meghan Linsey, recently were named the winners of Country Music Television’s “Can You Duet.” The two, performing as Steel Magnolia, were awarded a recording contract with Big Machine Records and recently released their first video for the single “Keep On Lovin’ You.”
n Doug Wilson of The Learning Channel fame recently returned to his Central Illinois roots to reopen Jibby’s restaurant in Sullivan. Wilson stars in TLC’s “Trading Spaces,” “Movin’ Up” and “America’s Ugliest” but says he hasn’t forgotten his days on the family farm near Champaign. He still spends much of his time helping with the restaurant in Sullivan.
n And finally, back in July, former Mattoon resident Joe Webb had back-to-back wins on the game show “Jeopardy!” Webb, now a St. Louis University associate professor, won $30,000 on the show.
These examples prove that you don’t have to live in California or New York City to be in the entertainment spotlight. We’re proud of these residents and communities for staking their claim to fame, and we wonder, who will be next?
— JG/T-C Editorial Board
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STINKY wrote on Sep 25, 2009 10:39 PM: