A college professor, under contract to film a documentary about a world renowned performance artist, hires one of his best students to make a documentary of him making the documentary. There are unexpected results. That’s the premise for ‘Doc Doc,’ a film short written and directed by Georgetown College Professor George McGee and produced by the College’s Department of Theatre and Performance Studies.

The film has been accepted for screening at the International Film Festival Ireland (IFFI), Clonmel, Tipperary, on September 4, 2010. It features the talents of alumni Adam Luckey, whom central Kentucky theatergoers will recognize from his frequent stage performances, Jessie Rose Pennington, Josh Shoulta, Michael McCord and Nathan Bush, along with Dr. Todd Coke, a Georgetown College Professor of English, and Dr. Rosemary Allen, the College’s Provost and Academic Dean.

In explaining the project, Professor McGee said, “I enjoyed ‘Doc doc’ because I was able to use our students, faculty, staff, and former students. It really was a fun project. I’ve worked mostly in front of the camera–commercials, industrials, documentaries–and taking on a small budget indie requires a real dedication to finish. I can’t tell you how many times I would get sick of editing and put it back on the shelf. Ed (Ed Smith, Professor and Department Chair) finally convinced me to send it out.”

The acceptance of ‘Doc Doc’ for inclusion in an international film festival gives further momentum and distinction to the Theatre and Performance Studies department’s success in independent filmmaking.

Its first film in 2005, Cinemessiah, was written, produced, edited and shipped within a 72-hour span for the Insomniac Film Festival where it won three awards.

“That encouraged Ed to keep on working and pretty soon he was ready to try the feature film ‘Surviving Guthrie’,” said McGee. “With funding from donors and friends, cinematographer Mark Gurevitch was hired. We had a strong cast and the final product looked really good. It was the first indie film to have a sellout crowd at the Kentucky Theatre in Lexington, and it went on to win several awards including Best of Festival at the Myrtle Beach International Film Festival in 2009.”

Of the upcoming International Film Festival, Professor McGee says, “I am really excited about going to Ireland for this screening. There will be filmmakers there from more than thirty different countries and, of course, Georgetown College!”

The complete IFFI schedule is available online: http://www.amritsa.com/eire/index.htm

George McGee, GC Professor of Theatre & Performance Studies, whose portrayal of Kentucky’s great statesman Henry Clay is recognized by Kentucky Chautauqua® as its most popular character, will perform next Tuesday during the four-day National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) 2010 Legislative Summit in Louisville.

The Summit, being held at the Louisville Convention Center, is expected to attract nearly 5,000 attendees for informative policy discussions and innovative solutions to the biggest problems facing the states today. Notable speakers will include former Florida governor Jeb Bush, U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Kentucky Chautauqua® is a program of the Kentucky Humanities Council.

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations

The Bengals and Georgetown (Ky.) College have agreed on a one-year extension of the team’s contract to hold training camp at the College’s East Campus Athletic Complex. The agreement now runs through 2011, and 2011 will mark the Bengals’ 15th consecutive year in Georgetown.

“We’re happy to join our good friends in Georgetown to announce that our partnership will reach the 15-year mark,” said Bengals vice president Troy Blackburn. “The length of the relationship is reflective of the college’s excellent facilities and professional staff. We remain convinced of the benefits of starting our season in a camp situation, and Georgetown provides us with exactly what we need, including a location (one hour from downtown Cincinnati) that makes camp visits possible for many of our fans.”

Georgetown College athletic director Eric Ward said, “We are excited about our continuing relationship with the Bengals and look forward to a fifteenth year. It will be our goal, just as it has been for the past thirteen years, to create a suitable environment for the Bengals to prepare for a Super Bowl run and the fans to enjoy a unique training camp experience.”

On Wednesday of next week, head coach Marvin Lewis will welcome players for the club’s 14th camp in Georgetown. The Bengals held their first camp in Georgetown in 1997, following 29 seasons at Wilmington (Ohio) College.

Jim Durham
News Bureau Director

From left: Kimberly Horne, Arielle Evans, Erica Canfield

Georgetown College has a rooting interest in three candidates in this weekend’s 75th annual Miss Kentucky Scholarship Pageant that will be determined Saturday night (July 17) in the University of Kentucky’s Singletary Center for the Arts.

Kimberly Horne, who graduated in May, is competing for the third time in Miss Kentucky. In 2008, she represented Georgetown College in the Mountain Laurel Festival Pageant and won! Rising junior Arielle Evans and rising sophomore Erica Canfield are in Miss Kentucky for the second year in a row.

Whether you know the young woman herself, or care to support the city she hails from or the preliminary pageant area she represents, there’s an opportunity to vote-in one of the “Georgetown girls” via the Internet. But, you must vote by 10 p.m. this evening. The “Kentucky’s Choice” winner will become one of the 11 semifinalists. (Directions BELOW).

First, here’s more on your Georgetown connections:

Kimberly Horne

A Political Science major/Spanish minor, Kimberly will begin her studies at the University of Dayton School of Law this fall. The oldest daughter of Bart and Pam Horne of Paris, she’s a member of Kappa Delta sorority and a former Tiger Cheerleader. Sister Jaime, a rising GC sophomore, is a current cheerleader and KD.

An ‘05 Bourbon County High graduate, Kimberly is Miss Carter County in the pageant. She’ll be tap dancing to Napfeny’s Latin acoustic guitar version of “Hotel California” (an Eagles original). Her platform: Improving Childhood Literacy – Reach Out & Read.

Arielle Evans

Arielle, an ’08 graduate of Christian Academy of Louisville, is representing a central Kentucky preliminary pageant for the second time. The current Miss Metropolitan (Lexington), she was crowned Miss Bluegrass Area the year before in our John L. Hill Chapel.

This time she will sing “Wishing you Were Somehow Here Again” from “Phantom of the Opera.” Arielle’s platform: Adoption Awareness: He is My Brother.

An Exercise Science major and Musical Theatre and Spanish double minor, Arielle is a member of the Lyric Theatre Society of Georgetown College and Phi Mu sorority. She’s the daughter of Monte and Carmen Evans of Louisville.

Erica Canfield

Erica, the 2009 Valedictorian of Fairview High School, is representing her hometown as Miss Ashland. She was Miss Metropolitan in 2009, therefore she got to crown GC’s Arielle Evans earlier this year at that preliminary pageant.

For Miss Kentucky, she will perform a theatrical jazz dance to “Mr. Monotony” from “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway.” Erica’s platform: Changing Lives – The Influence of Volunteerism.

The daughter of Jeff and Tonna Canfield, Erica is majoring in Athletic Training.

To cast your vote or votes for a “Kentucky’s Choice” semifinalist, go to www.misskentuckypageant.com. The cost is $1 per vote, and there is no limit to the number of votes you cast. Remember, the deadline is 10 p.m., July 16. Proceeds will benefit the Miss Kentucky Scholarship Organization.

The preliminary competition winds up tonight (Friday) starting at 7 p.m.; tickets are $25. Tickets for Saturday’s finals are $50. Call the Singletary Center box office at (859) 257-4929 for reservations.

Miss Kentucky 2010 will advance to the Miss America Scholarship Pageant on January 15 in Las Vegas.

Jenny Elder
Sports Information Director

Shan Housekeeper ’03

Brian Landis, ’01

When you build a program and a family unit such as Bill Cronin has done in his 14 seasons as head coach for Georgetown College, it goes without saying many of those players will return to help guide the program.

Two staples on the Tigers’ national championship teams were Brian Landis, 2000, and Shan Housekeeper, 2000 and 2001. Both have been on the staff for several years, but with the retirement of legend Jim Tanara, each is getting a bigger role.

Housekeeper – a 2003 graduate, two-time NAIA first team All-American – is the new defensive coordinator, while Landis – a 2001 graduate and NAIA All-American – is becoming a full time coach. He served the past several years as a part time coach and worked as a special education teacher at Scott County High School.

“The thing I like the best about these two is their camaraderie,” Cronin said. “I think we really mesh well on the defensive side of the ball.”

Housekeeper, who has been the strength coach for several seasons, has taken full advantage of Tanara’s seasoned expertise. Tanara was part of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s coaching staff at Alabama as well as Roy Kidd’s at Eastern Kentucky University, and served as defensive coordinator in his two seasons with Georgetown. During his tenure, the Crimson Tide and the Colonels won national championships.

“Jim has been an outstanding mentor to me,” Housekeeper said. “He helped me understand the game on a different level, answered any question I had and gave the best advice he could. He has been a major part of my development as a coach.”

Cronin does not expect a system or scheme change, but is excited to see two of his former players leading the way. Both are passionate about Tiger football. Housekeeper even spoke to the fact that all four defensive coaches are four-year players at Georgetown.

“We take a lot of pride in this program,” Housekeeper said. “And you get that and hopefully it rubs off on the players.”

Housekeeper and Landis played together at GC and, in a lot of ways, have grown up together.

“We have known each other for a long time,” Housekeeper said. “We respect each other’s mentality on the field and each other as coaches. When you grow up so much with each other, it ties you together. He’s a great guy to work with, and he is very excited.”

Though Landis’ job title is not changing from defensive backs and secondary coach, he does see a lot of benefits to being around full time.

“This is my eighth year here. There’s no real adjustment, but I’ll be able to spend more time with my players,” Landis said. “In years past, I have had to come in early in the morning to meet with the players before going to work. Then I would be at practice and meet afterwards with some of my players. Being here during the day will allow me to be more accessible to the players on their schedule. It will also free up time during the season to hopefully see my family more.”

Cronin sees the added benefit of another recruiter during the offseason.

“We hate to lose Jim. He was a great resource for us all,” Cronin said. “But it’s exciting, what we have with both Shan and Brian. Both took advantage of the time Jim was here and either could be a tremendous coordinator.”