January 28, 2004
Kevin Costner has made four Westerns, including the recent Open Range. Evidently he doesn’t really like Oaters. Why? He tells Entertainment Weekly, “I don’t like them, because they don’t feel organic, or witty enough.” There must be some truth to this because that’s exactly how I felt about Open Range.

Speaking of new shows, the new HBO western Deadwood premieres March 21, and the stills I’ve seen of the costuming are excellent. Wild Bill Hickok (played by a very historically accurate looking Keith Carradine) actually is wearing—as per period photographs—checked pants, with the appropriate spring-bottom pants legs. Most Western costuming mimics the 1950’s pants rule of cuffs up off the shoe (wrong! wrong!). One warning though. It is going to be nasty (remember: it’s not tv, it’s ____ing HBO!).

From the They-Can’t-Print-It-If-It-Isn’t-True-Can-They? Department: also according to Entertainment Weekly, Brad Pitt “tweaked” his Achilles heel, while playing, ahem, Achilles, in the upcoming $150 million epic Troy, which will be out May 14.

I got tickets to see a sneak preview of the new Disney Western Hidalgo tonight at Fashion Square. We have done several articles on the making of this controversial film: see our take on its authenticity in the current issue of True West (March) I’ll tell you what I think of it tomorrow.

I talked to the Westerns channel yesterday and if you’d like to sign up in time to see the new “True West Moments” segments, which begin airing on February 1, you can do so by going to www.westernmovies.com.

”You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.”
—Colette