On the evening of August 30th, 1997, Princess Diana  – known far and wide as The People’s Princess for her kindness, generosity and unshakable connection to both commoner and aristocrat alike – was the victim of a high speed car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris.

Diana, 36, was pronounced dead in the early hours of August 31st, alongside her then partner Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul. 

A firestorm of celebrity-hounding, blood-sucking paparazzi had chased the couple’s black Mercedes Benz from the Ritz Hotel in Paris to their inevitable fate against the 13th pillar of the Pont d’Alma tunnel. 

It was a tragic end to a beloved and – realistically – deeply troubled life for a figure who seemingly never fit the mold of the prim, proper, and perfectly conformed British Royal.

Diana, rather, was a trend-setter, a norm-buster, opting to connect to the people rather than stand aloft from them. 25 years following her horrifically unjust end, The People’s Princess is still looked at in deity-like status, with fascination on her life, loss and legacy still at a fever pitch all these years removed from her final moments.

Discovering Diana

Fascination has not wained in the two and a half decades since Diana Spencer left this mortal coil. Rather, it has only grown. In the last three years, for example, Diana has been immortalized in film and television, with the recently acclaimed HBO max documentary The Princess buoyed by stunning portrayals in The Crown by Emma Corrin (and soon to be Elizabeth Debicki), as well as an Oscar nominated-turn by Kristen Stewart in the biopic Spencer.

A Breathe Of Fresh Air

Many royal pundits have viewed the entry of Diana into the royal household as a breathe of fresh air for the, at times, stuffy and seemingly unreachable British monarchs. The wedding of Diana and Charles, for example, was viewed by 17 million viewers around the globe. But it would not stop there.

Something as simple as opting for round tables as opposed to tradition regal banquet halls, and eating standing up in the kitchen, were down-to-earth and very human qualities that endeared Diana to Britain and beyond, earning her the title ‘The People’s Princess. It has been said that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have taken up some of Diana’s trait of bucking royal norms.

Diana’s Pride

By all accounts, Diana Spencer had no love in her life more profound than that for her sons, William and Harry. Royal observers have often speculated that, if she were still alive today, Diana would be a doting grandmother to what would be her five grandchildren, Prince George, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Archie and Lilibet. 

Giving Back

Charitable organizations were always close to the heart of Princess Diana. Among her many philanthropic endeavours over the years, Diana’s Lady Diana Foundation continues on today with the mission to continue the Samaritan deeds of the People’s Princess, with a fond memory of her bright personality and the ability to unify people in a single cause – the development and prosperity of humankind as a whole, as per the organization itself. A continued nod to her kind heart.

A Symbol of Life

There are monuments and symbols dedicated to the life and lasting love and legacy of Princess Diana across from globe. Just last year one particularly poignant memorial was erected in London. Prince’s William and Harry gathered in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in commemoration of what would have been their mother’s 60th birthday. 

The statue unveiling, which was sculpted by Ian Rank-Broadley, “aimed to reflect her warmth, elegance and energy, in addition to her work and the effect she had on many people,” according to spokespersons at Kensington Garden. 

This is just one of many gestures and tokens that reflects the warm, laughter and love Diana Spencer brought to everyone she met throughout her brief life.

“Close to the Bone is a true hybrid film and music project,” shared Foster in an exclusive statement to The Herald.

“Written concurrently over the last few years, the film features over half of the new album’s music and that music helps to tell the film’s story about family, chronic illness and how one wishes to be remembered.”

Starring Alison Moira Kelly, Bridget Wareham, Darryl Hopkins, Des Walsh and directed by Foster himself, Close to the Bone, the film, will launch at the Nickel Independent Film Festival this June, with an album on deck for the latter part of 2022.

“I’m excited to start the project’s journey right here at home at the Nickel Film Festival, running in St. John’s from June 13-19. After the last few years, it will be great to be back in a theatre, experiencing the film with others in person.”

For more information on Close to the Bone and the Nickel Independent Film Festival visit nickelfestival.com and infoster.ca

Steve-O, stuntman extraordinaire, comedian and star of MTV series turned film franchise Jackass, Steve-O is set to bring his Bucket List Tour to St. John’s on August 29th at the Holy Heart Theatre, presented by The Diamond Mine Agency Presents

Every idea on Steve-O’s Bucket List was so ill-advised, he never expected to go through with any of them. Until it was time to prepare for this tour. Not only are the stunts more ridiculous than what you already know Steve-O for, he did them all, and made a highly XXX-rated, multimedia comedy show out of them. Not for kids, or for the faint of heart.

Tickets available this Friday May 13th at noon at WWW.STEVEO.COM and holyhearttheatre.com

While much has been written about the unsinkable Titanic, less is said about the object that eventually did sink the iconic ship on her maiden voyage

According to a report in a 2012 issue of Wired magazine, the only known photo of the iceberg that caused the buoyancy of the Titanic to become untenable, was taken on the morning of April 15, 1912, by “the chief steward of the German ocean liner SS Prinz Adalbert.”

The only reason the iceberg seemed noteworthy was that it was a time of year when icebergs wouldn’t normally be seen that far south, and there was a streak of red paint visible along the waterline.

Some of the science done around the history of this particular iceberg is speculative, but what’s known is that the snow that formed it fell on Greenland over 3000 years ago.  For three millennia, the frozen mass was part of the ice sheet that covers most of that northern country, but then it’s estimated that this iceberg calved as one of the thousands that break free every year.  

Less than 1 per cent ever make it to the Atlantic to be seen along the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Climate scientists estimate that the Titanic iceberg would have broken away sometime around the spring of 1910, eternally unaware of its fate. 

It survived the impact with the great ship, however by the Spring of 1913, it too disappeared into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The berg did survive in the form of a photo and in 2015 as part of larger auction of Titanic memorabilia. That picture sold at auction for $40,000.  

TITANIC FACTS

Breaking the Ice

The movie cost was more than the actual ship!

The ship cost was $7.5 million when it was built (1910-1912). 

In 1997 dollars (when the movie was made), that cost comes close to $120 to $150 million. And the movie was filmed and made for a whopping $200 million!

A Captain’s Last Words

Last words of Edward Smith, captain of the ship, “Well boys, you’ve done your duty and done it well. I ask no more of you. I release you. You know the rule of the sea. It’s every man for himself now, and God bless you.”

Captain Smith also died along with 1516 passengers and crew members

Newfoundlander Larry Daley has an interesting claim to fame. “I would say I have one of the largest Titanic and iceberg exhibits in the world, or one of the largest privately owned Titanic exhibits in the world, and probably the only Titanic and Iceberg collection in the world,” he shared proudly. 

Walking into Daley’s home is like walking into a museum. His daughter Becky Daley, well known to OZFM listeners and to NTV viewers, is always proud to show off her father’s treasures. 

From artifacts off of the actual Titanic, to remarkable props from the famous James Cameron blockbuster, Titanic, there’s so much to take in. 

Daley’s passion for all things Titanic started innocently enough; by being in the right place at the right time, he opined.  While out enjoying a sociable after work in September 1985 at Christian’s Pub on George Street, a group of what seemed to be expedition type individuals entered the bar and were celebrating.

13,000 foot Decent

“When I asked them what was the occasion, they stated that they had just found Titanic in the past few days and were heading home through Newfoundland,” he shared.

His passion has taken him many places, including to the resting place of that ill-fated vessel which sunk after striking an iceberg off Newfoundland in 1912. It sank within hours, taking over 1,500 lives with it. There were just 700 survivors. On June 25, 2003, Daley dove in a small Russian sub to see the wreckage, which lies almost 13,000 feet, or 2.5 miles deep below the ocean surface about 350 nautical miles off Newfoundland’s coast.

Daughter Becky told The Herald that she will never forget the day her dad set sail on his now famous expedition. “I was scared. I remember when he left, mom and I watched from Signal Hill. I was upset. He was on a boat and really couldn’t communicate with us.”

Daley knew, and understood, her fear. “I knew she was afraid. Her mother had to peel her off a chain link fence when she saw me on the stern of the ship sailing out through the harbour. The bond between us has always been so tight, we’re so close, but I also knew she was proud of what I was doing because she knew how much it meant to me,” he said.

Daley has long been intrigued by the Titanic. “I always knew about it when I was young, and I had seen some of the old black and white movies and watched the documentaries in the late 80’s of when they went back to recover artifacts to put in public display … but the year they discovered The Titanic and the chance meeting in a bar after work really pulled me in.”

He always knew there was a Newfoundland connection, he added. “Cape Race (Titanic’s distress call, issued late on the night of April 14, 1912, was received at the Marconi wireless station at Cape Race on our southern shore) and Newfoundland being the closest landfall to the wreck. That’s kind of where it started.”

Then, there was the film, Titanic, and the many expeditions to view the wreckage for documentaries, for science, as well as for eager tourists paying anywhere from $75,000 American dollars in 2003, to $250,000 to dive and see the wreckage in 2022.

“In 1996 an expedition went out to recover more artifacts and also to raise a big piece of the hull. They ended up having to drop it, and couldn’t get it on the vessel because of some technical issues. So they actually dropped it in a more shallow area close to the site.” 

The crew would return in 1998. “I actually was hired to be the expedition logistics coordinator for that one. I put a vessel out myself that I chartered and I also hosted Dateline NBC and Discovery Channel folks who were documenting that for television.”

That led to Daley forming a relationship with famed director James Cameron. “I’ve been very fortunate to work with Jim Cameron over several expeditions and through that a friendship formed and that friendship is still intact to this day,” he shared.

Fascinated by icebergs

Daley has spoken often about icebergs and the significance they hold. He’s an adventurous spirit, that we know, but what is it about icebergs themselves that captivate him, we ask. 

“I was always fascinated by icebergs because they’re very majestic and we’re very fortunate to see them go by our coastlines every spring going into the summer.” 

They’re a huge magnet for tourists, he added, and little wonder. “They’re amazing to see in all the different sizes and the shapes. When they’re active and you see them rolling, you put on the proper gear and grab your good cameras and go and get lots of photographs, video and things like that, but always enjoy them from a safe distance.”

The feeling of being out there is hard to explain, he added. 

“When you get into a nice field of ‘bergs and growlers, and they’re floating there, you get a feeling. There might be a few ‘bergs in that same area and all you hear is this hiss and crackling sound of all this ice that’s floating by, big and small. And what you hear is the air that was trapped in the ice from tens of thousands of years ago being released as the ice melts when it hits the waters. And the odd time you may see a humpback whale swim near an iceberg, which is pretty amazing to watch.”

Is he planning anything special for The Titanic’s 110th? “Internationally, there will be things around the world and it will be recognized as a significant anniversary. The topic is still very hot around the world.  There’s several generations interested and excited about The Titanic story. I had kids come up to me or parents with kids ask for a picture autographed of The Titanic that I took when I was down that time. I’m always amazed that six and seven year old kids know about The Titanic. It gets them excited about reading and science and that’s a good thing,” he said. 

What does he think the attraction is 110 years later? He paused. “Well, it’s interesting. It’s the story of how something man-made that was bragged about as being unsinkable could lead to such a catastrophic event with such a great loss of life. Over 1,500 people perished on a calm evening in calm waters.”

There’s also the compelling story of survival too, he continued. But there’s more to the tale. 

“It’s the arrogance and ignorance. That’s what caused that catastrophic event off our shores, which could have been easily avoided in numerous ways. From the speed they were going … It could have been avoided.”

‘Lifeboat drills’

Life boats. There wasn’t enough, he continued. “They even avoided doing the lifeboat drills because they wanted to get underway and get across the Atlantic. Break a record, type thing.” 

As to his collection? It’s nothing compared to his memories of being on board a submersible. “You drop for hours, down to almost 13,000 feet and you land on the bottom, turn on the outside floodlights and light up the bow of The Titanic, and that’s the picture I took. We floated from the sea floor up over the bow and to realize you are on the bottom of the ocean looking at the most famous ship of all time is amazing.” 

Daley paused, lost in reflection and thought. “That’s such an amazing part of my life and it’s so surreal to have been there,  and I know how blessed I was to experience that.”

Now, with her turn in the true-crime series The Thing About Pam on NTV, The Newfoundland Herald looks back at the storied career of Hollywood A-lister Renée Zellweger. From Jerry Macguire to Chicago and all the major moments in between. 

JERRY MACGUIRE

She had us at hello. After appearing in several low budget film and small roles in television – including Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation and The Whole Wide World – Zellweger’s breakthrough came in the 1996 romantic-comedy Jerry Macguire (1996), where she starred opposite Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr. 

For her role as Dorothy Boyd, Cruise’s love interest in the film, Zellweger received widespread acclaim, earning a Screen Actors Guild nomination as well as a Critics’ Choice Movie Award and National Board of Review Award.

NURSE BETTY

Renée Zellweger would earn her first major awards win in film with the 2000 black comedy Nurse Betty (2000).

Starring opposite Chris Rock, Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear as a widow tackling post-traumatic stress disorder and an obsession with a soap star, Zellweger would win the Golden Globe for Best Actress  in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. A further step into comedy would lead to worldwide success a year later.

BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY

Zellweger’s star would skyrocket with her casting of Bridget Jones in the film adaptation of the 1996 novel Bridget Jones’s Diary, with the film grossing over $280 million on a $25 million budget.

Zellweger would earn her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for the role, with the film series spawning a franchise, with Zellweger returning to star in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2004 and Bridget Jones’s Baby in 2016.

 CHICAGO

Another year, another Oscar nod. Zellweger would turn to the world of musicals in the big screen adaptation of the 1975 stage musical Chicago (2002). 

Leading the film in the role of Roxie Hart alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere and Queen Latifah, Zellweger would pick up her second straight Oscar nod, winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, as well as BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild honours. The film would gross over $300 million worldwide.

COLD MOUNTAIN

Call it a three-peat! 

For the third straight year Zellweger found herself in the conversation for an Academy Award, finally landing the big gold trophy for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the abrasive yet lovable Ruby Thewes in the war epic Cold Mountain.

Zellweger would run the awards table in Supporting Actress categories that year, winning a BAFTA, SAG and Golden Globe Award for her transformative performance. 

SHARK TALE

Taking a break from clearing out space on her mantle for awards, Zellweger would pivot to the world of animation in 2004 with the Dreamworks animated comedy Shark Tale.

Voicing Angie the angelfish opposite a massive ensemble cast that included Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Martin Scorsese and Ziggy Marley, to name a few, the film was a commercial hit, grossing over $374 million at the box office.

MISS POTTER

Zellweger’s time away from critically acclaimed efforts would be short lived, as she’d return in 2006 with the biographical drama Miss Potter.

Starring as celebrated children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, creator of the timeless The Tale of Peter Rabbit, while also serving as executive producer, Zellweger would earn a Golden Globe Award nomination once again for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

The good times can’t possibly last forever. Following the success of a slew of films in the mid 2000s, Zellweger would helm a series of relatively unsuccessful pictures before entering a self-imposed hiatus from acting from 2010-16.

JUDY

It was her 2019 turn as the incomparable Judy Garland that signaled her return to prominence in a major way. 

Zellweger, as the aging starlet in the biopic Judy, would sweep the awards season, coming in nearly unrivaled to claim her second Academy Award and first for Best Actress, earning yet another Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG Award. It was regarded as one of the biggest comebacks in modern cinema.

THE THING ABOUT PAM

Zellweger’s time in television has been limited, though she’s fixing to change that in a major way, helming and producing the American crime drama The Thing About Pam.

Zellweger stars, in her network television debut, as Pam Hupp in the series that chronicles the bizarre circumstances surrounding the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria. The ensemble cast includes Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer and Katy Mixon.

From writer, producer and director Christopher Aylward – from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and a professor at Toronto’s Ryerson University – Aylward has spent 10 years researching the Beothuk and believes they are blended into our population. The Beothuk Story is an emotional documentary film that was a decade in the making. 

The film had a premiere at the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival this past September, one of the renowned film festivals in all of Atlantic Canada.

‘This is Their story’

“For over 200 years, European history has taught us that Newfoundland’s Beothuk people are extinct. Giving voice to the Indigenous people, archaeologists, genealogists, and historians from across Atlantic Canada, The Beothuk Story debunks this myth,” the official film synopsis reads. 

“Here, for the first time in Canadian documentary history, the Beothuk people speak for themselves. This is their story.”

The Beothuk Story from Newfoundland and Labrador’s own Christopher Aylward airs December 5th at 2:30 P.M. on Canada’s Superstation, NTV!  

The life, legacy and legend of The Man in Black Johnny Cash is one chock-full of peaks and valleys, of dramatic highs and lows that have simultaneously deified and demonized perhaps the most endearing and polarizing figure in country music history.

From Oscar winning biopic Walk the Line to hundreds of expansive editorials, tell alls and deep dives, Johnny Cash, and his enigmatic life and career are well documented. Yet, there is one part of his life and times that’s little known to the public and music historians: his, arguably, career-turning trip to Newfoundland and Labrador. 

On the surface, Cash’s concert-tour of Newfoundland and Labrador and moose hunting excursion in October of 1961 are but a footnote in a prolific decade for the artist. But reality can be at times so much stranger than fiction. 

“This just basically fell into my lap,” shared documentarian and filmmaker Jonathan Holiff in a sitdown with The Herald. 

“I wasn’t looking to make another film about Johnny Cash. But when I looked into it, it was interesting because it’s not just of interest to Newfoundlanders. It’s of interest to music historians as well.”

Cash’s Resurgence

Holiff, who Cash historians will have been well acquainted with in no small part due to his 2012 documentary My Father and The Man in Black, is the son of the late Saul Holiff, who managed Cash during his resurgence in the ‘60s into the ‘70s. 

That relationship would evolve in earnest during a tour of Ontario in the summer of 1961.

“I take you back to this 10-day tour of Ontario in May of 1961. They ended up in the last show in North Bay, Ontario,” Jonathan explained, recounting events retold by Johnny Western, Cash’s long time friend, show emcee and featured player. 

“Johnny Western explains that after that show, they were outside the dressing room in the hallway at North Bay on the payphone. Western is kind of leaning up against the wall next to the phone and Cash is on the phone and he’s calling every number he can think of in California, trying to find his then manager … Couldn’t find his manager. The manager was very fond of betting on the horses. And he finally tracked the guy down at a racetrack in California. And Johnny was so pissed that he fired the manager. 

“And that’s when Johnny Western turned to Cash and said, ‘you know, Saul does such a good job for us in Canada, why not him?’ And according to Johnny Western, Cash just kind of grunted. And that was the end of it.”

The Great White North

Fast-forward to Cash’s return to his office in Ventura, California, where he had recently relocated, purchasing Johnny Carson’s home in Encino, and Western again broaches Cash with the idea of partnering with Saul Holiff, who had been handling Cash’s touring in The Great White North since the late 1950s.

“(Cash) had signed with Columbia Records. But what happened was he didn’t hit anything. In fact, it was two years that he hadn’t charted in any significant way after leaving Sun Records. And he desperately wanted to turn his career around. So Johnny Western again said to Cash, ‘look, you should think about that Canadian dude,’” Jonathan recalled.

“It’s interesting to note, and take it from me because I worked in Hollywood for 20 years, so imagine Johnny Cash in Ventura. He could walk out the front door of his office building and bump into three managers on the street. You know, there was no shortage of people there who would want to manage Johnny Cash. But instead, Cash sends a telegram to my father in London, Ontario, and they start this kind of romance or bromance, if you will. And I’ve got letters back and forth between the two guys that are just amazing, where they’re calling each other nicknames and they’re kidding around and lots of brotherly love.”

Initially broached with the idea of a hunting trip by famed photographer Richard Friske – who sought to sell the story to Field & Stream Magazine – Saul took the notion one step forward. 

Having produced Canadian concerts and tours for Cash since 1958, Saul was well aware of Johnny’s love of the hunt. Newfoundland and Labrador became a carrot for Saul to land his white whale.

Adventure Proposal

“When Johnny and Saul were on the 10 date tour of Ontario in (May) of 1961, just a couple of months before Newfoundland, Johnny mentioned to my dad that this guy (Friske) had pitched this story idea,” Jonathan recounts.

“And my father ran with it and said to Johnny, ‘have you ever hunted Moose?’ Because he wanted it to happen in Canada and he basically said to Cash ‘if I could set up some dates around a moose hunt in Newfoundland, would you like to go?’ And Cash, of course, jumped at the opportunity.

 “My father went to work on the tour. He connected with tourism in Newfoundland. He connected with the then head of forestry in Newfoundland, Captain Harry Walters,” he adds, explaining that, at the same time Johnny Western was maneuvering both Saul and Johnny Cash on a collision course. 

“(Western was) pushing each of them toward each other, writing my father a letter where he basically says and I quote, ‘John is wandering around in a fog. You know, he shouldn’t be on the phone and talking to buyers. Saul, put your cards on the table. I really think you need to manage Johnny Cash.’”

The pair would seal the deal with a handshake at Gander Airport, initiating a boom period for The Man in Black throughout the 1960s. But the ramifications would go far deeper than the professional. 

“Cash tapped him to be his manager, as you know, at Gander Airport in 1961. But my father had one condition and the condition was that he wanted to put Johnny Cash with a “girl singer” and the two guys agreed to hire Rose Maddox,” Jonathan shared. 

Maddox, to the uninformed, was a country and western star perhaps most famous for her time working with her brothers, known professionally as The Maddox Brothers. It was on that very first tour with Maddox, in Newfoundland no less, that events would be set in motion that would change Johnny Cash’s life forever. 

Enter June Carter

“What happened was on that very first tour, halfway through Newfoundland, she announced she was quitting, saying she was fed up with the boys,” Jonathan recalled. 

“She actually went on to have a string, I think five consecutive top ten solo country hits after that. So it didn’t hurt her career, but it did lead directly to June Carter. So you’re absolutely right. If it weren’t for Newfoundland, there may well never have been a Johnny and June.”

The exit of Maddox and entrance of June Carter would lead to the professional boom for Johnny Cash, who would ride high on the single Jackson, recorded with June Carter, and released in February of 1967. 

Cash would propose to Carter one year later in London, Ontario, with the pair being wed on March 1, 1968. 

Jonathan Holiff, armed with the knowledge and the discovery of three dozen unearthed never-before-seen photographs from the now fabled trip by Friske, will set out to Newfoundland and Labrador this October to film the documentary When Johnny Cash Got His Moose. 

Retracing the steps of the hunt and concert tour, Jonathan and co. will film in Millertown, Badger, Victoria Lake, Grand-Falls Windsor and Gander, where a special concert (featuring David James and Big River, with NL’s own Janet Cull) and a photo exhibit will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the tour. 

And while the anniversary serves as a vivid reminder of a key turning point in the career of one of country music’s most famous (and perhaps infamous) figures, it also serves as a grim callback to a dark chapter in the life of The Man in Black.

“In some respects, you could look at this story as a prequel to the movie Walk the Line or as a Johnny and June origin story. But one of the other things that we have to deal with in the documentary, albeit in passing, because this documentary is not an attack piece, it’s not going to be tabloid.

“It also happened to coincide with the very first time that Johnny’s addiction to amphetamines started to blossom. And by blossom, I mean it was the first time he ever missed shows because of it,” Jonathan explains. 

“That’s why Johnny Western had to headline playing understudy to Cash in Gander. And that wasn’t the only show in Newfoundland that Cash missed. Obviously, in those days they kept this very close to their vest and they didn’t want the public to find out. And consequently, the go-to excuse was always laryngitis. 

Ring of Fire

“One of the things (Cash) would say to my dad and the people on the show, and in fact, it did make it into his autobiography, is that there are two of us. Johnny’s the nice one. It’s Cash that causes all the trouble. And that was referring to kind of the dual personality that arose from the abuse of Dexedrine. 

“And consequently, that comes out for the first time in Newfoundland. And the photographs are amazing because the photos of Cash around the concert dates show a performer struggling really to take the stage. Whereas 24-hours later, this 29 year old kid is in the middle of the forest tracking moose, and he looks like he’s at total peace. So the duality is even apparent in the photos.”

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Taking the good and the bad of the outlaw has always been a part of the narrative and legacy of the man whose hits from Ring of Fire to I Walk The Line have been immortalized in history. 

Jonathan Holiff hopes that, in chronicling the seminal period in the life of the man himself, one mired in change, of professional erosion and personal struggle, that Newfoundland and Labrador will become, in its own way, an important chapter in the Johnny Cash legend. 

“I can’t tell you exactly what the result will be like (of the documentary), but I can tell you that what I’m aiming for, expressed as a high concept pitch that you might make to a Hollywood studio, is a slick music documentary meets travelog. There’s going to be an adventure travel feel to it. We’re going to want to tell Newfoundland’s story,” he shared.

Promoting the Rock

“You know, I’m Canadian and I have respect for the fact that this is a Newfoundland story. It’s got to be right and it’s got to have the buy in and the contribution of Newfoundland. And so at the end of the day, we hope that this will be a feature length, 90 minute approximate film that will leave the audience wanting to visit Newfoundland.

“We want to expose Newfoundland to a wider audience, chiefly in our case, Cash fans, but documentary fans in general. This will be of interest outside Newfoundland, outside Canada, outside the United States. Cash is big around the world and in a lot of major countries. And so we do hope that it will have kind of a travel-adventure feel and at the end of the day, be kind of a commercial for Newfoundland.”

Fogfest,  a locally curated night of local short films that brings together some of Newfoundland and Labrador’s finest auteurs of horror for an evening straight from your nightmares, hits Cineplex St. John’s on October 28th.

Fast rising horror-troupe Grind Mind will finally release their long-awaited Mummering Legends, alongside local mainstay of all things spooky Mike Hickey’s That Halloween. 

Not content to end with that one-two punch of fright, Fogfest also features contributions in the form of New Woman by Ark Film and La Véillée by Kerrin Rafuse.

“Our first few years of doing s**t was just grinding ourselves to the bone, putting it on the internet and hoping people give it a thumbs up. And luckily they did, and they kept doing that, and I made the joke a million times. It  was that instant gratification that kept us going to the next one,” shared Grind Mind’s Shane Mills in a sit-down with The Herald.

“And then you have something like Mummering Legends, which took like two f’n years to make and that instant gratification, boy did that ever just die. It was not instant. So it was a big switch up for us to be like we’ve got to hold on this, make it and work on it for two years. But in the Grind Mind fashion, we try and keep everything transparent and we’ve kept everybody sort of up to date with where we were.”

Adds Hickey, a mainstay of the local film and television scene and avid horror fan and member of its international community of artists: “People here always recognize Newfoundland as kind of really hit outside our weight class in terms of comedy and presence on like the CDC and all that kind of stuff. Horror comedy are so similar. And it’s just kind of funny that it’s taken this long for it to really get that spotlight that it seems to be getting the last couple of years. And I completely credit that to Shane and the guys.”

The early screening of Fogfest is sold out, with a late night second showcase seeing tickets going on sale tomorrow at 10am! For more on Grind Mind visit shopgrindmind.com and their various social medias, and visit thathalloween.ca for more on Hickey’s That Halloween!