Ok, so it's a little obscure, and maybe a little weird to brag on, but regardless, Kathy's work is getting credit outside of the web world that I'm proud to talk about. Yesterday I rushed down to the local video store to buy the new DVD release of "3:10 to Yuma". It's a great remake of an Old West classic with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Funny thing is, I didn't rush out to buy it for the movie.
Using my handy dandy new $34 all purpose DVD/CD/Package opener (bought in a weird moment of weakness during the holiday from a TV ad that promised to double my order and throw in the handy dandy electric scissors, all of which worth about 50 cents together and probably made in China) I hurriedly opened it with the anticipation of a sixth grader getting his first IPod. Disappointment springing forward as I found the box only contained the DVD..no booklet of info on contents and reviews. No useless trivia on how the weather was in Arizona during filming (probably filmed it in Canada anyway [I've learned some was filmed in New Mexico]), and no place for credits.
Sprinting over to the living room and reaching into my drawer of remotes, I pull one out and spend the next excruciating 60 seconds trying to figure out why the DVD player won't open (God forbid I actually push the open button no more than a foot in front of me) until I finally realize it's the wrong remote . Reaching back into the drawer, fumbling through no less than 10 different remotes, most belonging to devices long ago given to Goodwill or thrown at high velocity into the dumpster out of frustration, ultimately finding a match for the latest piece of Walmart magic that's already showing signs of trouble, overheating and skipping scenes as it pleases, worth about half of every penny of the $19.99 I so proudly paid for it.
Tossing the DVD into the 'disc pocket' (Kathy's name for it, not mine), chanting "come on come on come on" as the drawer slowly closed into the player, then waiting as patiently as possible to get past the legal mumbo jumbo that won't go away no matter how many times you hit the fast forward button, finally reaching my goal..Main Menu. Let's see there's 'Play Movie'...uh, no, that's not what I'm here for. 'Deleted Scenes'..what's the use of those anyway, weren't they eliminated for a reason..Ah, here it is, "Special Features". Now another menu to read through, but the one I want I could see right away, "Outlaws and Posses".
Quickly hitting the OK button and then waiting with bated breath as I began to watch. Carefully analyzing each and every photo used in this documentary about the bad guys of the old west, I began to pick out one by one the pictures I recognized from Legends Of America. I didn't have to wait long to find one. In fact throughout the short piece, I would venture to say 90% of the photos came from Kathy's web site. Pictures she has collected, meticulously cleaned up and revitalized in sepia tones. The DVD company had reached out to Kathy late last Summer and asked if she would be willing to contract with them for a documentary on the "3:10 to Yuma" special edition DVD. Kathy didn't have to do a lot work for them, the work had already been done. She simply guided them to her Photos and Prints and let them pick what they wanted, and over the next couple of months they downloaded hundreds of photos.
Now there they were on the big screen (well, ok, it's only a 32 inch, Kathy keeps arguing against the 50 inch plasma I want to clutter our living room with) for all Old West fans to see (and those not so fond of the old west, but wanting to see Russell Crowe or Christian Bale in boots, jeans and a cowboy hat). Finally reaching the end I carefully begin to read the credits, and there it was..."Photos and Posters provided by" and in the list of about 10 resources, just a couple down, "Legends Of America" !
Wow! Hey Hey! How about that!!! Kathy's little ol site immortalized forever on DVD (or at least for the next year or two until Blue Ray disc takes over the world). Of course I'm proud of my partner. How many of us can say our business was listed in the credits on a DVD with Russell Crowe? And I'm proud that it's the second time in a year Kathy's work has been preserved for
history outside of the internet. Earlier she became a published author with "Great American Bars and Saloons". While the pictures in the book weren't part of Legends of America, all the writing is, and there's quite a bit of writing in it for a coffee table picture book.
Yep, my wife is becoming one famous old west geek. Her love of history is paying off more and more, and the thousands of fans on her website keep growing month after month. I guess it's time I start thinking about getting her an agent. She's already doing radio and news paper interviews. Wonder how much she would pay me to handle her bookings? I'm betting I could get an extra back rub out of the deal if I play my cards right.
Using my handy dandy new $34 all purpose DVD/CD/Package opener (bought in a weird moment of weakness during the holiday from a TV ad that promised to double my order and throw in the handy dandy electric scissors, all of which worth about 50 cents together and probably made in China) I hurriedly opened it with the anticipation of a sixth grader getting his first IPod. Disappointment springing forward as I found the box only contained the DVD..no booklet of info on contents and reviews. No useless trivia on how the weather was in Arizona during filming (probably filmed it in Canada anyway [I've learned some was filmed in New Mexico]), and no place for credits.
Sprinting over to the living room and reaching into my drawer of remotes, I pull one out and spend the next excruciating 60 seconds trying to figure out why the DVD player won't open (God forbid I actually push the open button no more than a foot in front of me) until I finally realize it's the wrong remote . Reaching back into the drawer, fumbling through no less than 10 different remotes, most belonging to devices long ago given to Goodwill or thrown at high velocity into the dumpster out of frustration, ultimately finding a match for the latest piece of Walmart magic that's already showing signs of trouble, overheating and skipping scenes as it pleases, worth about half of every penny of the $19.99 I so proudly paid for it.
Tossing the DVD into the 'disc pocket' (Kathy's name for it, not mine), chanting "come on come on come on" as the drawer slowly closed into the player, then waiting as patiently as possible to get past the legal mumbo jumbo that won't go away no matter how many times you hit the fast forward button, finally reaching my goal..Main Menu. Let's see there's 'Play Movie'...uh, no, that's not what I'm here for. 'Deleted Scenes'..what's the use of those anyway, weren't they eliminated for a reason..Ah, here it is, "Special Features". Now another menu to read through, but the one I want I could see right away, "Outlaws and Posses".
Quickly hitting the OK button and then waiting with bated breath as I began to watch. Carefully analyzing each and every photo used in this documentary about the bad guys of the old west, I began to pick out one by one the pictures I recognized from Legends Of America. I didn't have to wait long to find one. In fact throughout the short piece, I would venture to say 90% of the photos came from Kathy's web site. Pictures she has collected, meticulously cleaned up and revitalized in sepia tones. The DVD company had reached out to Kathy late last Summer and asked if she would be willing to contract with them for a documentary on the "3:10 to Yuma" special edition DVD. Kathy didn't have to do a lot work for them, the work had already been done. She simply guided them to her Photos and Prints and let them pick what they wanted, and over the next couple of months they downloaded hundreds of photos.
Now there they were on the big screen (well, ok, it's only a 32 inch, Kathy keeps arguing against the 50 inch plasma I want to clutter our living room with) for all Old West fans to see (and those not so fond of the old west, but wanting to see Russell Crowe or Christian Bale in boots, jeans and a cowboy hat). Finally reaching the end I carefully begin to read the credits, and there it was..."Photos and Posters provided by" and in the list of about 10 resources, just a couple down, "Legends Of America" !
Wow! Hey Hey! How about that!!! Kathy's little ol site immortalized forever on DVD (or at least for the next year or two until Blue Ray disc takes over the world). Of course I'm proud of my partner. How many of us can say our business was listed in the credits on a DVD with Russell Crowe? And I'm proud that it's the second time in a year Kathy's work has been preserved for
history outside of the internet. Earlier she became a published author with "Great American Bars and Saloons". While the pictures in the book weren't part of Legends of America, all the writing is, and there's quite a bit of writing in it for a coffee table picture book.Yep, my wife is becoming one famous old west geek. Her love of history is paying off more and more, and the thousands of fans on her website keep growing month after month. I guess it's time I start thinking about getting her an agent. She's already doing radio and news paper interviews. Wonder how much she would pay me to handle her bookings? I'm betting I could get an extra back rub out of the deal if I play my cards right.
1 comment:
Congratulations Kathy!
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