Short Cuts

Dazed and Confused and Accused: In a bizarre move that will no doubt have both Detour Filmproduction and fans of director Richard Linklater's 1993 high school opus Dazed and Confused wondering what was in the brownie they had for lunch, three former high school classmates of Linklater have filed a lawsuit against the film's distributor, Universal Studios, claiming they have "suffered embarrassment and ridicule because of the characters based on them in the movie," according to the Associated Press. The three – Bobby Wooderson, Andy Slater, and Richard "Pink" Floyd – are arguing that Linklater did not receive permission to use their likenesses in the film and that their lives have been disrupted because of it. The suit was filed in New Mexico, apparently because the state has a longer statute of limitations in cases involving defamation and false light. As of this writing, a Detour spokesperson says the company has yet to receive any formal legal notice or contact from the aggrieved parties or their attorneys. More on this as the plot thickens.

And Now the Good News: Lawsuits aside, Linklater and Detour have announced their next project, a remake of Michael Ritchie's 1976 film The Bad News Bears, starring Billy Bob Thornton in the Walter Matthau role. To that end, they're holding an open casting call this Sat., Oct. 16, 10am-4pm, at the Richardson High School cafeteria, 1250 W. Belt Line Rd., in Richardson. They're specifically seeking one Caucasian boy ("should be amazing fielder and hitter") and girl ("should be amazing overhand fastball pitcher"), ages 12-14, and one Caucasian boy under 4 feet 6 inches, ages 10-11, for the role of bad boy Tanner. More info at www.bethsepkocasting.com.

Semisecret Film Fanatic: Reel Women Executive Director Sherry Mills has returned from her sojourn to Los Angeles after being selected as one of six contestants from "the South Region" for the Independent Film Channel's Ultimate Film Fanatic trivia challenge, and the verdict is ... a big fat secret, thanks to those pesky and legally binding confidentiality agreements Mills had to sign. We're pretty sure she didn't get voted off the island or have the Donald nix her interoffice skill sets – but win, lose, or draw, Mills says she had a ball, and calls emcee Chris Gore "sooooooooo cool." Final air dates for the competition aren't finalized as we go to press but should fall somewhere around the new year. When we know, you'll know ...