“I Care a Lot” movie that filmed in Wellesley making Netflix debut

January 19, 2021 by Bob Brown 4 Comments

The movie “I Care a Lot,” which seemingly was shot all over Wellesley except at our house in 2019, debuts on Netflix next month, on Feb. 19. Its world premiere took place in September at the Toronto International Film Festival, which we’re guessing you might have missed.

Should be fun to see how much of Wellesley gets to star in the film alongside Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González and Dianne Wiest.

We posted about the filming several times in 2019, including from Wellesley Square, Wellesley Hills, and Babson.

Wellesley movie, "I Care A Lot" — A movie prop that appeared in Wellesley when “I Care a Lot” was being filmed here.

The blurb from Netflix about the film describes it like this: “A court-appointed legal guardian defrauds her older clients and traps them under her care. But her latest mark comes with some unexpected baggage.”

Many films have been partially shot here in Wellesley, or Hollywood East as it’s becoming known. See our Wellesley movie round-up page here.

(Correction: Our post originally said Jan. 19, not Feb. 19, as it should have)

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Looks like Wellesley will get the movie treatment with “The Artist”

January 6, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

We’ve noticed a couple of huge tour buses parked in the lot at Weston Road and Washington Street, as have a few readers. What gives, we wondered.

Wellesley movie, The Artist — Thanks to sharp-eyed reader PL for this shot.

The buses seem to be connected to a casting call for an upcoming film titled The Artist, by FNB Productions, an independent film company based in Dedham. Locally based director L. Steven Stanley is seeking actors to portray a German sculptor; an art buyer; an art model; and a WWII-era nurse.

Initial interviews for the roles will be done via Skype, and actors must be able to transport themselves to Wellesley for shoots and weekly in-person rehearsals.

If you’re interested, email a headshot, resume, cover letter, and general availability as well as a time for a Skype interview to [email protected]

This wouldn’t be the first time FNB has filmed in this area. Last year the company was in Sudbury at Pride’s Crossing, and at Fatima Shrine in Holliston to work on scenes for The Train, a futurist Christian noir film set in the year 2041, with flashbacks to the present. In the film, Christians are facing persecution for their beliefs. The Train has not yet been released.

In a Wellesley Public Media interview last year, L. Steven Stanley gave an overview of The Train, talked about what it was like to film during a pandemic, and expounded on the novel coronavirus.

Movies filmed in Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild decorates literally the whole town

December 6, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Members of the Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild took advantage of the mild early-December temperatures to work their holiday magic on the planters at the Wellesley Free Library. Member used evergreens, boxwood, red dogwood branches, and more to create a display that will welcome library patrons and staff throughout the winter.

Delivering fresh greens to the post offices

The club has a lot going on lately. Members also decorated the Wellesley Square and Wellesley Hills post office boxes right after Thanksgiving. Cypress was used for the spiller; many varieties of boxwood were used as the filler; and a variety of red, white and sparkly sticks were used as the thriller to give the planters pizazz with height and sparkles. Here are the beautiful results:

Wellesley Gardeners' Guild, post office boxes — Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild, post office boxes. Photo credit: Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild.

Festive trees around town

They also joined in with the Festival of Trees—a Community Celebration, in which storefronts throughout Central Street, Church Street, Grove and Washington Streets, and Linden Square have been decorated with scores of festive trees hand-cut from wooden pallets and similar materials. Each tree, adopted by a local business, community organization or charity, has been creatively decorated to represent their mission and holiday vision.

Wellesley Gardeners' Guild, Linden Square — Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild, Linden Square tree. Stop by to see the tree on the CPK side of Linden Square, right in front of Neena’s. Photo credit: Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild.

Decking the halls at Mass Hort

The Club has once again donated a fully decorated tree to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Festival of Trees, which showcases dozens of decorated trees and a Snow Village that includes a model railroad display. This annual event takes place at the Society’s headquarters at The Gardens at Elm Bank. Mostly displayed in the Hunnewell Building, the Festival offers beautifully decorated holiday trees that are donated and decorated by local businesses, garden clubs and other organizations, and individuals.

Wellesley Gardeners' Guild, Mass Hort — WGG has regularly donated a decorated tree to the Mass Hort Festival of Trees.
You can see their Winter Wonderland tree, and dozens of others, at the festival through December 20th. Photo credit: Wellesley Gardeners’s Guild.

Wellesley Middle School performance: “The Show Must Go On”

December 2, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Middle School Drama Department will present, The Show Must Go On!: A Virtual Cabaret.

This fun, socially distant production is an evening of scenes, songs, and monologues performed by 25 of Wellesley’s middle school students, live-streamed to the comfort of your own home.

The performance is one night only, so don’t miss it!

Catch The Show Must Go On!: A Virtual Cabaret on Friday, December 4, at 7pm.

Here’s the link for the performance: bit.ly/winter2020cabaret

The Jeopardy! answer is… Wellesley

November 17, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Here’s a bit of a belated tribute to Alex Trebek, the longtime Jeopardy! game show host who passed away earlier this month.

Jeopardy! fans have created a database, the J! Archive, of more than 400,000 clues, and Wellesley has made more than its fair share of appearances, largely thanks to one of our notable colleges.

More than 40 answers or questions include some form of Wellesley in them, most related to Wellesley College, and a handful about famous alum Hillary Rodham Clinton.

via GIPHY

Though Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, has also made about a dozen appearances.

Examples:

Clue: Lawyer Henry Durant founded this college for women on his estate near Boston in 1870

Answer (in the form of a question): Wellesley College

Clue: This New Zealand capital is named for Arthur Wellesley, a British duke

Answer: Wellington

Wellesley even made it into the Final Jeopardy! round once, under the category Secretaries of State.

Clue: The 2 Secretaries of State who received B.A.s in political science from Wellesley, 10 years apart

Answer: Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton

Six residents are listed as having played on the show:

Tom Walker, a lawyer from Boston, Massachusetts	Season 21 1-time champion: $23,201 + $2,000. Father’s Jeopardy! Message Board user name: ProudFather
Wade Markel, an Army captain from Wellesley, Massachusetts	Season 13 player (1996-12-09).
Beth Ford, a professor of African-American literature from Wellesley, Massachusetts	Season 25 player (2009-06-11).
Brian Donahue, a research scientist originally from Wellesley, Massachusetts	Season 9 2-time champion: $12,398.
Laura Rigge, a junior at Wellesley College from Emmaus, Pennsylvania	2013 College Championship quarterfinalist: $5,000.
Fariha Ali, an attorney from Wellesley, Massachusetts	Season 32 player (2016-03-31).

Mass Hort Festival of Trees to keep up the sparkly spectacle

November 17, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s twelfth Festival of Trees will showcase dozens of decorated trees and a Snow Village that includes a model railroad display. This annual event takes place at the Society’s headquarters at The Gardens at Elm Bank. Mostly displayed in the Hunnewell Building, the Festival offers beautifully decorated holiday trees that are donated and decorated by local businesses, garden clubs and other organizations, and individuals.

Wellesley Mass Hort

During the festival, visitors may purchase tickets for a chance to win the tree(s) of their choice at the end of the event. Winners need not be present for the drawing. It’s fun, and for many it has become a family tradition. Tree sizes vary from one foot to nine feet in height and some have gifts in addition to the decorations.

Don’t miss Snow Village, an indoor exhibit that features model trains wending their way through villages and vignettes, including Christmas in the City (Boston of course!), Fenway Park, a Dickensian village, the North Pole and hundreds of decorated houses and lights.There are too many Santas to count, as well as skaters galore. This is a visual treat for young and old alike, and each year it’s a little different.

Outside there are decorations in The Gardens at Elm Bank, and visitors can keep warm and cozy melting S’mores at the fire pit.

Planning Your Visit

Both the Festival of Trees display in the Hunnewell building and the Snow Village are accessible.

DATES TO VIEW TREES: Fri., Nov. 27 – Sun., Dec. 20
LOCATION: Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 900 Washington St., Wellesley, MA 02482
HOURS: Wed. – Sun.; 10am – 8pm, with the last entry at 6:20pm; closed Mon. and Tue.
PURCHASE TICKETS

Timed-entry tickets must be purchased in advance.
In strict observance of all COVID protocols, visitors will be escorted through the Festival in small groups.

This year there will also be a virtual Festival in addition to the physical display.

“Frozen” to warm up the weekend for outdoor movie-goers in Wellesley

November 12, 2020 by admin 1 Comment

Wellesley families can enjoy one final outdoor movie as the Town kicks off the holiday season with a showing of the Disney blockbuster movie Frozen on Saturday, Nov. 14. The mobile movie starts at approximately 5:30pm in the Tailby commuter rail lot in Wellesley Square. Movie-goers are asked to bring new, unwrapped toys for Wellesley’s holiday toy drive.

Don’t Be Left in the Cold!

Registration for “Frozen” begins on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. Space is limited; reserve a spot for your car using the Wellesley Recreation Department online portal or call the Recreation office at 781-235-2370.

wellesley tailby lot — The Tailby lot in Wellesley Square, by day. By night on Nov. 14, the commuter parking area will serve as an outdoor movie theater.

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