‘That’s A Wrap’ — Schneider’s 1st CineFlix Film Fest Was Fun For Everyone!

full-cineflix-team-garyI can’t even begin to tell you how much fun I had the week of Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at the Cobb Grove 16 theater, as actor/director John Schneider brought his first CineFlix Independent Film Festival to Wesley Chapel.

First of all, Schneider and his producer Alicia Allain of Maven Entertainment were on site all week and five of the 22 films featured in the festival were films they produced together. In addition, Schneider and several of the other filmmakers with films being shown during the festival also were at the theater to answer questions at virtually every showing.

Best of all, I felt honored and privileged to have gotten the opportunity to interview — for WCNT-tv (Wesley Chapel & New Tampa Television) — Schneider and his fellow filmmakers Edo Natasha and Quantae Love of “Popolo” and Trent Dion Soto of “Among the Discarded” before the festival started. Schneider said that he has had enough of still being best known for his most famous starring role as Bo Duke in “The Dukes of Hazzard,” despite also having starred as Superman’s father on “Smallville,” and the fact he currently is starring in Tyler Perry’s popular “The Haves and the Have Nots” on the Oprah Winfrey Network. His twice-flooded John Schneider Studios in Louisiana was the setting for most of his films, although many of the other entries in the festival — including “Popolo” and “Among the Discarded” — were filmed elsewhere.

john-solo-stillNo matter where they were shot, however, Schneider and Allain’s first-of-its-kind independent film festival, which gave these indie filmmakers not only a showcase for their work, but also gives them a cut of the festival’s sales proceeds, was a blast.

I’m not going to lie that the theaters were packed for the festival, but those of us who did attend any of the 22 films did not go home disappointed.

Of the films I saw, my favorite was Schneider’s own legal thriller “Inadmissible,” where he plays a hard-smoking, hard-drinking District Attorney named Bryce Danos who is trying to put away the son of a major mob figure. It’s definitely an exciting, edge-of-your-seat adventure and Schneider appreciated it when I said Danos could kick the butt of Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher character.

I did also love “Popolo,” which is the story of a former soldier who opens a martial arts school in Hawaii who ends up fighting not only racial prejudice (“Popolo” is a kind of berry in Hawaii that turns black, as well as a racial slur used by some Hawaiian people) but another former soldier turned ruthless mercenary.

inadmissable-titleAlthough Soto’s “Discarded” is a documentary that was shot entirely with a $300 GoPro camera, it is a moving film chronicling the 30 days Soto spent among the homeless people living on Skid Row in Los Angeles.

I also enjoyed Schneider’s “Hate Crime,” about a gay man who kills his lover, and although the story was a little gory for my taste, Schneider’s “Anderson Bench” is a dark, grisly comedy reminiscent of the ‘80s cult classic “Eating Raoul.”

Considering that I had to work, I couldn’t see all of the films during the festival, but the good news is that virtually all of them will be available in Digital on Demand format beginning sometime around Thanksgiving. I wish the films would have been shown in one of the Cinebistro theaters at The Grove 16, but the event was still very entertaining, so I hope Schneider and Allain will be encouraged enough to want to bring the festival back next year.

As for Schneider still being pigeonholed as Bo Duke, I have to agree with what he said during our WCNT interview: “That’s like a guy curing cancer but people knowing him for a great term paper he wrote in 1978.”

For more information about the films at the festival, visit CineFlixFest.com. And, check out all nine of my short interview segments with Schneider, Soto, Natasha and Love at WCNT-tv on YouTube.

Editorial: I’m No ‘Pundit,’ But I Was Wrong About This Election, Too!

gary-new-headshot-150x150In our last issue, I asked the question, “Does anyone still believe ‘La Donald’ was the best choice for the GOP to try to take back the White House?”

Well, Mr. Editor, the answer given by the American public was a resounding, “Heck, yeah!,” as New York billionaire Donald J. Trump is our President-Elect. Deal with it.

Although I took some very-much-expected heat — from both sides, by the way — for it on Facebook, I did as I promised and voted for no one in the Presidential race, even though I cast votes in almost every other race on my ballot on Nov. 8.

And apparently, I wasn’t alone. As chronicled in assistant editor John Cotey’s election recap in our current Wesley Chapel issue, Pasco County (which slaughtered the national voter turnout, 72 percent to 57 percent) more than doubled the total number of “undervotes” (or voters who cast ballots but did not cast a vote in the presidential race) from the 2012 Election.

Although I still hadn’t seen any news media run a story about how many people nationwide cast ballots (but not for president) this year, I did find one ABC News story from the controversial 2000 Presidential Election (remember “hanging chads?”) stating that there were more than two million undervotes for president nationwide that year — and I’m betting this year’s election will surpass that total when all of the final stats are released.

The reason I believe that — and the reason so many fewer registered voters, percentage-wise, cast ballots at all this year — and the reason Trump defeated former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for that matter, is that the campaign was so negative, so draining upon our republic and our people, something had to give.

And give, it did. If anyone still believes in any of the national polls, I have some beachfront property for sale in the Everglades for you. People were so disenchanted with both candidates that it’s hard for me to believe any candidate got any votes at all.

But, considering that most exit polls showed that the biggest single issue that affected how people voted this year was the need for a change, no one should be surprised that Trump won. Whether you love or hate Hillary, there’s no doubt that Americans made it loud and very clear that President Obama’s administration didn’t help enough people enough for them to want to accept four more years of what the outgoing president himself called a “continuation of the progress we’ve made,” which sounds great on the surface, but didn’t instill a whole lot of faith in the millions of Americans who are still struggling.

Sure, you can blame some of the president’s inability to govern on a Republican-led Congress that fought every policy he tried to implement, but voters nationwide said by delivering what really was a landslide (more on this below) victory for Trump that they’re tired of the bickering in our nation’s capital.

That’s why, even though his first-ever elected office of any kind is our Commander in Chief, so many undecided voters seemingly decided to try the new “kid” in town.

I still couldn’t vote for a reality TV star who doesn’t seem to respect women, but the fact is that many more women than expected did vote for him. In fact, the most hard-to-believe statistic I heard was that something above 60 percent of non-college-educated white women voted for Trump. College-educated women voted for Clinton, but by a much slimmer margin.

And, the fact Clinton won the popular vote isn’t really that important. She isn’t the first candidate to earn more individual votes and lose. It’s why the electoral college system was implemented in the first place. In this election, for example, Trump won 30 states, Clinton took 20 and the District of Columbia. But, Trump’s largest margin of victory in any of those states was only the 800,000 votes he won by in Texas. Clinton, on the other hand, won California (2.6 million) and New York (1.5 million) by a combined 4.1 million votes and she won her top-ten states by nearly 8 million votes, while Trump won by only 5.3-million in his top-ten states. Considering that there were only about 120-million ballots cast nationwide, that’s an awful lot of making up to do in his other 20 victorious states, so it’s no surprise he fell a couple of hundred thousand votes short of catching her in the popular vote.

So, even though he was never “my candidate,” I do understand why Trump won, from both the ideological and numbers standpoints, and with his Republican stronghold in both houses of Congress, it would appear he’ll have an easier time of getting his plans implemented. I guess time will tell whether or not all of the people protesting his victory will still be protesting when his (first?) four years is over.

He may not have gotten my vote, but he does have my attention. 

Congrats, WC Jazz Fest!

Congratulations go out to Tim Hancock of Jazz Tyme Productions, as his third Wesley Chapel Jazz Festival, held Oct. 15 at Avalon Park West, attracted an estimated 5,000 people.

Look for a recap and more pics at WCNeighborhoodNews.com.

Nibbles & Bytes

drgreg2Congrats, Dr. Greg!

On Oct. 27, Dr. Greg Stepanski, DDS, of Children’s Dentistry, located at 10317-B Cross Creek Blvd., in the Cory Lakes Professional Center, celebrated 25 years in practice in our area at a party at his current office.

At least 100 guests — including many of Stepanski’s fellow local dentists (such as Dr. Paul Duga and Dr. Mark Farina in the picture; the trio represents about 60 years worth of advertising in this publication) — enjoyed great food, entertainment and fun with Dr. Greg, his wife Sue and his amazing staff.

Dr. Greg was my kids’ pediatric dentist, so I can tell you with confidence what a great dentist — and friend — he is.

For more info, call 973-3100 or visit DrGreg-ChildrensDentistry.com.

Another Amazing Year For The ACS’ ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ Pasco!

Photo: Ashley Wilson
Photo: Ashley Wilson

Whenever you have the best weather of the year for your outdoor event, you’re bound to be successful. So yes, when the American Cancer Society (ACS) decided to host its annual “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Pasco” walk on October 22, some people who might not have been planning to take a 2-3-mile walk that day at the Shops at Wiregrass mall may have decided to go ahead and take that morning constitutional in the crisp, sub-70-degree sunshine and crowds of happy people wearing pink.

In other words, although the ACS website MakingStridesWalk.org/PascoFL’s “official” online statistics say there were 1,136 registered participants on 126 teams that raised more than $125,000 (not including sponsorship money, which hadn’t been totaled up at our press time) taking a stroll from the mall to Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, ACS of the South Nature Coast of Florida (serving Pasco, Hernando & Citrus counties) senior market manager Robyn Liska says the actual number of people on hand that day was closer to 5,000.

Photo: Ashley Wilson
Photo: Ashley Wilson

Of those 126 teams, the three that raised the most money for the event (although donations are still being accepted that will be added to the totals) were the “Clerks for a Cause” team, whose 32 members raised nearly $19,000; the “KBR Pirates in Pink,” who had the largest team at the event, with 65 members, that raised almost $13,000; and the “Jazzercise Bosom Buddies, which had 34 members (some of whom did a performance during the event) who raised nearly $10,000.

The top individual fund raisers at this year’s Strides of Pasco were Diane Ricca of the “RMCBP Volunteers” team, who raised nearly $3,700; Jean White of the “KBR Pirates in Pink,” with $3,500; and Diane Gonyea and Kathy Ritz of the “Walmart’s Ride for a Cause” team, who raised $3,056.50 each.

Just like the fight against breast cancer itself, the numbers for the event may not have been finalized at our press time, but a great time was had by all. For more info about ACS, visit Cancer.org.— GN

West Meadows Mom Shares The Story Of Her Son’s Tragic Passing

brandonmom
West Meadows mom Laura Sun Engelberger lost her son to drug use earlier this year.

Although we never met until about a month ago, Laura Sun Engelberger and I have a lot in common. We’ve both raised our families here in New Tampa, we’re both divorced and we both were blessed with two amazing sons.

But, the reason Laura and I met at her home in West Meadows a few weeks ago isn’t a happy one. Laura’s older son, Brandon Sun, tragically passed away a few months ago, five months before his 17th birthday. Laura still doesn’t know exactly what transpired the day he died, but she waited to talk about what happened until after she got back the autopsy and toxicology report ten weeks after he passed (on June 22), which said her son died from an “accidental drowning,” even though she already knew he also took two “tabs” of LSD that night.

“And, unfortunately, I have since learned that this wasn’t the first time Brandon took LSD,” she said. “It’s a nightmare that I never thought I would go through with either of my kids, but certainly not this sweet, wonderful honor student with everything to live for.”

Laura says she knows teenagers can be sullen and moody, especially when the family is going through a divorce, and she admits that Brandon’s personality had started to change when she and her now-ex-husband first separated two years ago. “Brandon definitely seemed angry,” she says, but she added that during the weeks before he passed away, Brandon had seemed more like his old self, “and his grades (he was at Freedom High in Tampa Palms) never suffered.”

Brandon
Brandon

Laura admits that, especially when she was raising Brandon and his brother Austin herself during the separation period, “I was and I guess I still am that over-protective mom. I wouldn’t let Brandon have a car unless he had a job, I made him sign a contract to have a cell phone in eighth grade and I thought I always made sure I knew where he was and who he was with.”

She also admits that she had concerns about some of Brandon’s friends, but is quick to say she doesn’t blame the four boys who were with him the night he passed away.

“I’ve told the other boys I forgive them,” Laura says. “Now, I’m just hoping that by telling our story, maybe another family might not have to go through what we have.”

So, What Actually Happened?

Laura told me that Brandon and four of his friends had driven to the rest area located near the north end (in St. Petersburg) of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that night to drop acid together.

“Five boys left together, supposedly to go to one of the other boys’ houses, on a Monday night, but only four came home,” she told me through tears. “They left the campground without him around 10:30 the next morning and didn’t tell anyone what happened until I started calling and texting his friends looking for him at 3:45.”

The problem, she said, was that the boys all said the same thing — while being interviewed by the police later on Tuesday — that they all took the LSD together that night, but they honestly didn’t know and couldn’t remember if Brandon went walking off by himself or what happened to him at all.

“But, they were so afraid of getting in trouble themselves that they decided to leave and not say anything,” she recalls. “If they would’ve called 9-1-1 as soon as they realized they couldn’t find him, maybe my son would still be alive today. I don’t know. All I know is that his body was literally “caught” by a high school kid near the (North Skyway Fishing) Pier while he was fishing two days later.”

That’s the lesson Laura hopes other parents  will tell their teenagers after reading this story.

“There is a ‘Good Samaritan 911’ law here in Florida (see page 39) that would have protected those children from any possible prosecution if they would have called the police,” she said. “But, young people are so afraid of ‘getting in trouble’ that they will do everything they can to avoid talking to the police or even their parents, especially when they’ve been taking drugs.”

As Laura spoke, the case reminded me all too much of a similar one about a decade ago, when former Wharton High student Sara Rinaldi, whose mother used to work for me, died several hours after her eyes rolled back in her head following a night of partying due to an apparently lethal mix of drugs because her friends were too afraid to call an ambulance.

Laura says that her son did not jump off the Skyway Bridge, as his body showed no signs of that kind of trauma. I also was surprised to learn that neither she nor her ex-husband had to identify their son’s body in person.

“Brandon’s body was identified from a photograph, not in person,” she says. “There was an official autopsy and toxicology report that we didn’t get until ten weeks later.”

She adds, “Some people have asked me how I could not have identified him, didn’t I need that closure? The closure is that my son is gone. Knowing exactly how he died isn’t going to change that.”

She cautioned, however, that if you’re the parent of a teenager, don’t just assume you know if your child is doing drugs or not.

“Every high school in this area has kids who are doing drugs and they usually get them from other kids at school,” she says. “Don’t think you’re not going to be touched by this just because you come from a ‘good family.’ We were that good family, but it still happened to us. Of course, everyone has been through some sort of tragedy. Mine is no better or worse than anyone else’s. Grief is all the same.”

So, then why is Laura sharing her story now? “I guess I’m hoping that other parents will tell their kids that when faced with a choice that can change someone’s life, they should do the right thing and not be more afraid of getting in trouble,” she says. “If you know something, you have to snitch, you have to tell. Would you rather have a friend be angry with you or have to live with a decision you made for the rest of your life?”

Laura adds that parents also should put GPS trackers in their kids’ phones and in their cars, “because, based on what I’ve now seen in my son’s phone, none of these kids are going where they say they’re going.”

And, speaking of Brandon’s phone, she says that it’s obvious that kids are “doing their research” about the different types of drugs — what they can expect if they take them and even where to buy them.

“There’s pictures of not only Brandon, but other kids — some of whom I don’t even know — taking drugs in pictures on his phone,” she says. “When I saw the messages about buying and selling and taking drugs and all of these pictures, I literally threw up.”

And, the other thing she wants to stress is that Brandon and his friends — some of whom go to Wharton, Wiregrass Ranch, Sunlake and Steinbrenner — are not what anyone would consider to be “druggies.”

“These are all smart kids who do great in school, from good families,” she says. “I hope people who read this story will take it to heart and start finding out what’s really going on with their children.”

As I was leaving Laura’s home, her friend Jen, who was with her the day she found out Brandon had passed, told me, “Brandon was the one who was supposed to make it big out of all these kids. Smart, talented and loved. No one could believe this happened to him.”

Laura also says she appreciates the amazing outpouring of support she has received from the community — at the candlelight vigil at Freedom a couple of days after Brandon died, at his memorial service on June 28 (both of which had as many as 500 people in attendance) and in the months since then. “It makes you feel good, as a mother, to hear so many people say so many wonderful things about your child. I just wish it wasn’t for this reason.” 

SB 278: Preventing Deaths from Drug-related Overdoses

(Known) as the “911 Good Samaritan Act; (the statute provides) that a person acting in good faith who seeks medical assistance for an individual experiencing a drug-related overdose may not be charged, prosecuted, or penalized for specified offenses in certain circumstances; providing that a person who experiences a drug-related overdose and needs medical assistance may not be charged, prosecuted, or penalized for specified offenses in certain circumstances; providing that the protections from prosecution for specified offenses are not grounds for suppression of evidence in other prosecutions; amending mitigating circumstances under which a departure from the lowest permissible criminal sentence is reasonably justified to include circumstances in which a defendant was making a good faith effort to obtain or provide medical assistance for an individual experiencing a drug-related overdose, etc.