July 30-31st

Friday and Saturday we filmed a small music festival in Rosendale—a real one happened last week which we filmed and then, in these pictures, we recreated a portion for the closer shots and story telling scenes for “Peace, Love and Misunderstanding.”

Katherine McPhee, who attained fame on American Idol, sang a song and impressed us all with her voice.

Out of nowhere, a friend from Atlanta, Sue Lecraw, showed up. She now lives in Big Sur, but while she was in Atlanta, she owned one of the wildest, psychedelic buses that was parked for a long time in front of The Captain Planet Foundation offices. Captain Planet, an environmental children’s animated TV series, was developed decades ago by Ted Turner and Barbara Pyle. Ted’s daughter, Laura Turner Seydel, now runs the Captain Planet Foundation. Anyway, before Sue left Atlanta, she gave the bus to a woman up in Woodstock who creates these wild vehicles—see the photo. That bus of Sue’s is now parked in my character’s yard where we will film for the next 2 weeks. I will post photos of that one tomorrow. When Sue heard that her old bus would be in the film and that there was a music festival, she flew from Big Sur to participate in the goings on and became a colorful member of the band.

Friday afternoon, the Lansbury family showed up—George, Emily and one of their two daughters, Nathalie. We all became friends last year when we (along with 40 other friends) traveled to the Galapagos together for a fundraising cruise. Emily Lansbury, a film producer, is the sister of film producer Laura Bickford, and daughter of my dear friend, Jewelle Bickford, both of whom appear in numerous previous blogs of mine. Amazingly, Emily and Sue Lecraw went to college together and were astonished to see each other again at this filming in Rosendale. My daughter, Vanessa, her husband Paul and my grandchildren are all here visiting. The kids are close to the Lansbury’s daughters.

They were a colorful two days, with brightly dressed extras and hippie booths, and the bus. I am very impressed by the details the artist puts into her work.

Last night Richard, Catherine Keener, our producer, Claude Dal Farra and others, went to Levon Helm’s studio in Woodstock to hear his concert. He does these “Midnight Rambles” every Saturday when he’s in town and they are a blast. His 10-piece band, with a full horn section, was incredible. And Levon has lost not one speck of brilliance. As Richard said, “They smoked!! They rocked the house.” Levon was one of the two lead singers and drummer in The Band.

He played my husband in “The Dollmaker.” A film we did in the early 80s for ABC TV. We played hillbillies during the 2nd World War. I won an Emmy for my performance and Levon and I became friends. I had not seen him since, so this was a special reunion for me and his graciousness and hospitality was touching—we sat in his kitchen and talked before the show.

Phil Lesh, the bass player with the Grateful Dead, opened the concert with his band and they were terrific. Another irony is that in the scene we will shoot today, my character (Grace) does a rant to her grandchildren about the Grateful Dead’s Cal Expo concert in the summer of ‘91 and specifically mentions the song, “Box of Rain”, which Phil did vocals on.

Today we begin our filming in Grace’s house, where most of my important scenes take place. We’ll be there a couple of weeks and it will be fun. I’ve already posted photos of the house in an earlier blog.

See you soon.

On the left is Ahnika the fire dancer and on the right is Kat, the woman who painted the bus and designed the wild sweaters etc

...and that's Sue Lecraw on the right, in purple

I'm with George and Emily Lansbury and their daughter, Nathalie--holding Tulea

Me and Sue Lecraw

Details of the bus

Inside the bus

The big lights on a crane

extras in the audience

wild tatoo

Katherine McPhee

Katherine McPhee

Lori, the makeup artist

Phil Lesh, bass player with The Grateful Dead

That's Levon on the far right

The back of Levon while he plays his drums

Catherine Keener, who plays my daughter in the film “Peace, Love and Misunderstanding,” gave a little party last night at her “home” up here in Ulster County. It was fun and a generous thing to do, given that she had, like me, just come from Manhattan and had to work early today.

I will be seeing my daughter and grandchildren later on today. They’ve come up for a few day’s visit with out friend, Emily Lansbury and one of her daughter’s who’s friends with the grands. We all went to the Galapagos together last year.

Benjamin Beresford, me, Virginia Beresford, Bruce B., and, to the right, Richard is talking to Stephen Endelman, music supervisor

Bruce Beresford, our director, and Stephen Endelman, our music supervisor

Richard talking music with Stephen Endelman

Catherine taking photos with her Polaroid. Jeffrey Dean Morgan looking on

We filmed today in Woodstock and it is so colorful I just had to take lots of pictures just to give you the flavor.

In the late 1500s, my ancestors, specifically Jellis Fonda, rowed up what is now the Hudson River and about 40 minutes south of Albany, founded Fonda, NY. They fled the “Old World” because of political persecution. They were members of the Dutch Reform Church, so it was moving for me to find such a church in the middle of Woodstock. It was our first day of real filming of scenes and thrilling to do a scene with Catherine Keener who plays my daughter.

See You Next Time.

This is where the director and others watch what is being shot. It's called "Video Village."

People watching the filming from across the street

Woodstock Town Hall where we shot today

This store has a plethora of Woodstock festival memorabilia

posters even on the ceiling

and the rooms of clothes go on and on...

We had lunch in this church basement. We film here tomorrow.

lunch break in the church basement

a sudden downpour

Me (Grace) with Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Jude)

It is beautiful up here in Ulster County, New York and this film, “Peace, Love and Misunderstanding,” is off to a great start. We had a read-through yesterday with all the cast except Chace Crawford (“Gossip Girls” star) and it really hit me how funny and moving this script is. It’s about love and healing and the characters are wonderful, unique, and very funny. Catherine Keener plays my daughter and that excites and pleases me more than you can know because I think she is both truly talented and original but also fascinating. My grandkids are played by Lizzie Olsen who lives in NY and does theatre, although I think when her face is seen on the screen in this movie it’ll be hard for her to not do more films; and Nat Wolff who is on Nickelodeon, a singer and musician in the Naked Brothers band. He is so terrific in this part!!! Marissa O’Donnell (played “Annie” for a long time on Broadway) is Nat’s “love” interest and Chace Crawford (“Gossip Girls”) is Lizzie’s love interest. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is Keener’s love interest. I set them all up for love. I play Grace, who thinks it’s still 1969 and dresses and behaves accordingly which is a whole lot of fun. I have never played a diehard hippie before. Johann Stegmeir has done the costumes and they are perfect. I’ve never been a gray head before either and I like it.

I would have been posting my blog sooner but we’re out in the woods here and I couldn’t get online till today and with diligent help from Alinda, my assistant, who, in real life, works with the Archepedia Foundation, which develops programs and curricula addressing happiness and wellbeing. Our producer, Claude Dal Farra, is also involved with the foundation…which I intend to find out more about.

Right now, I have to go cook me some dinner and go to bed. I have to get used to going to bed at, like, 8pm cause today I found out that my pick ups may be as early as 5am!!! This is when I begin to miss Paris where the pick ups were at 10:40 most mornings and one could have a nightlife (as you saw in my blogs from there). Ah the French!!.

See You Next Time

Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Our first read-through. Nat in foreground, Lizzie in white

Lizzie Olsen

Marissa

deck

view from deck of lake

stairs from deck to lake

One of Grace's looks

That's Lizzie, and Marissa next to her and Nat across from her

Chace and Nat

Lunch break at "The Farm". That's Chace at the end.

Alinda is my wonderful assistant...highly over qualified but I got lucky

me in character of Grace

Chace Crawford, Lizzie Olsen, Nat Wolff, Marissa O'Donnell

...with me thrown in

Everyone watching dailies

Nat is my grandson, "Jake."

Lizzie, who plays Zoe, my granddaughter, in my (Grace's) kitchen

Looking out the window of Grace's kitchen

Our wonderful director, Bruce Beresford, and Nat, in Grace's kitchen

I love this window treatment. Robert Schleinig is our set decorator and he's done such a fantastic job. I could so live here.

Grace's vegetable garden. I asked them to add nasturems...edible flowers

Looking across the road from Grace's house

porch of Grace's house

Grace's living room

Tulea surveying the surroundings. Love the colorful walls. So sixties!!!

Catherine (Keener), my daughter, asked Nat to play this antique accordion which the set decorator bought cause it has her character's name on it

Bruce Beresford and Renee Foley Burke, the script supervisor