Deborah Begel of La Madera recently found her way into The New Yorker, contributing to the cartoon caption contest in the back of the magazine. She was one of three finalists in the Nov. 16 edition. Begel is a well-known radio producer.


Locals got an early view of popular musician David Manzanares on the big screen this holiday season. In Crazy Heart, the Jeff Bridges vehicle that is garnering Oscar buzz, Manzanares shares a turn on stage with Colin Farrell and the great Willie Nelson. Although the film isn't going into general release until Dec. 16, it previewed at the Santa Fe Film Festival.

It's like an old Hollywood story — Manzanares was performing at El Farol with his band, also called Manzanares, when director Scott Cooper saw him and decided to cast him as Nick, the Bumsteer bandleader. His scene was filmed at the Journal Pavilion in Albuquerque — in one take, since it was being shot during a break in a Toby Keith concert. Crazy Heart also stars Robert Duvall and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Manzanares, who has worked behind-the-scenes in the film industry in location and production, also will be seen in Brothers, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman. Manzanares portrays Dave the bartender. In addition to appearing on-screen, Manzanares worked finding locations on both films. One of Manzanares' songs, "Rocky Mountain Man," will be playing on the juke box during the scene. Brothers opened this weekend.

The popular singer also has parts in the upcoming Italian Western, Doc West, and in Steven Seagal's The Keeper. His on-screen parts started in Keith's Beer for my Horses, where Manzanares had the pleasure of staring down a shotgun in one scene and being thrown through a window in the next.


Designer Tom Ford is starting his new career in film in excellent fashion. His first film, A Single Man, is getting good reviews, with lead actor Colin Firth also being talked about as a Best Actor candidate. It's being called the best performance of his career, and it was brought out by first-time director Ford. The film deals with the tragedy of death. Firth is a university professor whose longtime partner dies. His attempts to deal with his grief are at the heart of his film, based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood. About his part, Firth told the Los Angeles Times, "The movie is about isolation and the agony of loving someone who isn't there anymore. It's universal. It doesn't matter what your sexual (orientation) is. Love is love."


Filmmaker Christopher Roybal writes that fans can watch the trailer for his new feature, The Spanish Film, at http://vimeo.com/7913324. The film is expected out in the spring and is a feature-length documentary about Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company, based out of the National Institute of Flamenco in downtown Albuquerque.

Send your news and star sightings to elmitote@sfnewmexican.com.