Newsflash

NOTABLE QUOTE:
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it." Helen Keller
We have certainly seen this to be true during the hurricane, flooding and earthquake disasters that have affected so many lives in the past few months. Take time in some small way to help those who are suffering to overcome, whatever their situation is. Most people aren't looking for a hand out, they just need a hand up. Offer your hand to someone in need. You may not be able to do things on a grand scale or contribute large sums of money, but every little bit when added to efforts of others can accomplish great things.

CHEERS TO RYANNE!
Ryan would like to send this special shout out to all of his fans, but especially to Ryanne. "All of my fans are amazing, but I had to send out a special thanks to Ryanne for all of the support and effort put into the fansite dedicated to me. Ryanne is always active on the community board and on other sites too and really helps to keep all of my fans informed about what's going on and where I'm at. Sometimes I check out Ryanne's postings to find out things I don't even know yet. Cheers to you Ryanne for a job well done and to all of my fans who stay connected to me through the many sites my fans have created for me. Keep on posting!"

FD3 UPDATE
It's a wrap! Well, not quite. Ryan finished production on FD3 on June 27th, or so he thought. Here's the good news. During a recent screen test in LA, the film received an incredible approval score. Hoping for at least a 50% score the FD3 team was thrilled to get a 72+% score from their test audience. The theatre was packed and they had to turn away about 200 people, which is great! It shows early indications that FD3 will hit theatres on February 10th with great audience appeal and enthusiasm and a lot of anticipation.
The overall consensus was that the test audience loved...loved... loved... the film, but some viewers had hoped for a little different ending. So the producers of FD3 are going to give them what they want, well maybe. Ryan returns to Vancouver sometime in November to shoot an alternate ending. No word yet on how drastically the original ending will be changed, but it should give the audience a little more of what they want! Cuz, if the fans ain't happy ain't nobody happy! Be sure to check out the trailer in theatres and online. You can check out the movie poster and a clip from an Extra piece on Ryanne's fansite. Be sure to catch FD3 in theatres on February 10th and stay tuned for updates!

Ryan with Mary Elizabeth Winstead on the set of FD3

HOME OF THE GIANTS
Ryan and company finished the first round of production on "Home of the Giants" in North Carolina on October 9th and what a shoot it was! Ryan says, "This is the greatest bunch of people I've ever worked with. Working on this film and getting to develop the character of Matt under the direction of Rusty Gorman, just bouncing ideas off of each other and shooting it to see what worked, was the best acting experience I've ever had. Having that much freedom to bring a character to life is an actors dream...it was amazing!" The cast and crew will travel to Indiana sometime in November for a final week of shooting. Since the story takes place in Indiana in the winter, they need to get some pick up shots of the stadiums there and also get some exterior footage in the winter with snow on the ground and bare trees.
"Home of the Giants" is a story of hoops, heroes and friendship. The kind that brings two unlikely characters together to form a bond that only gets stronger with time. It's based on trust. An "I've got your back", through the good and bad times story. Even in situations that cross the line between right and wrong, these two friends hold tight to their belief in each other. They inspire and encourage each other and stand strong together, especially through adversity.
Ryan had an amazing time working with Haley and even more fun hitting a few of the fine golf courses Greensboro had to offer. They spent their off time on the links at Grandover and Pinehurst, just to name a couple. He had a great time working with Danielle Panabaker too. "She is a very beautiful and talented actress. Her eyes and smile light up the screen.", Ryan said. Kenneth Mitchell, who plays the role of Keith, older brother to Ryan's character Matt, became a great friend. They got to take in a few movies; a Panther's Monday Night Football Game, hang out at a local brew pub for a few rounds of pool and spent an evening with the ladies in their lives when they came to town for a visit. Kenneth is engaged to be married and the couples had a great time together. Ryan can't wait to catch back up with everyone again in Indiana for final shoots.

Ryan with script supervisor Julie, Natalie, the behind the scenes vidographer, and Haley
Ryan with his director Rusty Gorman who is amazing.

Ryan got to work extensively on his basketball skills with some amazing young athletes. There were two weeks of practices before filming and some one-on-one coaching.

Ryan with Kenneth Mitchell who plays older brother Keith.

Big Nasty, Ryan, Matt, Brandon and Eric

At the end of the shoot I like to give the ladies chocolates and roses or wine and roses for taking such good care of me during the shoot. Dee was awesome! She survived the night shoots right along with me and the rest of the crew.

The"HOTG" wrap party was held at a local hot spot in Greensboro called "Much" and everyone had a great time letting their hair down and dancing the night away.

CATCH "THE COLT"...
Encore presentations of "The Colt" continue to air on The Hallmark Channel so be sure to check your local listing for when you can catch it again. It's also now available on DVD. So, be sure to pick up the DVD and add it to your collection. It is available through Amazon.com. To always stay up on what films are showing visit http://www.tv-now.com/stars/ryanmerr.html The site always posts the listings for the month and lets you know where to buy the DVDs if they are available.

NEW CONTEST ANNOUNCED!!
These items are available to bid on through E-bay. The bidding on these items opens on November 15th. Bidding on these items will start at a $20 minimum bid. We will post a link in the message forum and on the news page when they are up.

Signed copy of The Ring II DVD with special "Rings"featurette and the original Ringu Collection that started it all w/t autographed headshot

Signed copy of The Colt DVD w/t autographed picture collection.

RYAN UP FOR AUCTION…
On Thursday, November 3rd, Ryan offered his services to benefit KXY's annual radiothon to help raise funds for the Children's Miracle Network. A personal phone call from Ryan and a signed headshot went for $75 to Mr. Rodriquez as a gift to his wife Dorthea. Fellow "Okie" and current American Idol, Carrie Underwood also auctioned off a signed headshot helping to raise an additional $145 for CMN. Mr. Rodriquez successfully bid on both of these items. Oklahomans sure have heart.

SWINGING FOR A CURE...
Ryan and his dad Earl signed up with a small group of fellow golfers to raise a little green to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. They participated in a credit union sponsored golf tournament. They managed to take home second place in the two man team scramble and Earl won the prize for the shot closest to the pin. A total of $447.00 was raised by the event. Not a lot, but remember, every little bit when added to the efforts of others can make a big difference.

AN EVENING WITH RYAN...
On Friday, October 28th, Ryan hosted "An Evening With Ryan", sponsored by Blake Moses and Ray Kester, owners of The Showroom and the Oklahoma Film Society (OFS). Bradley Wynn, President of OFS created a small but intimate venue and had some great film memorabilia on hand. He had things from the 40s that had been buried for years, but were recently uncovered from old warehouses. There were film projectors, film reels, film cutters etc. that created a really interesting backdrop for Ryan's presentation. Many of these items will find a home in the museum dedicated to film as part of The Film District that will hopefully break ground in OKC in 2006.
The night kicked of with a casual meet and greet reception. Then Ryan spent about an hour letting attendee's fire questions at him about the industry and his career success and personal experiences. The evening wrapped up with an autograph and photo session. It was a fun and informative evening. A lot fans as well as local actors and film students, some writers and local casting folks were in attendance. This was the first session in a new series that the Oklahoma Film Society hopes to host once a month.

HOME TOWN TEAM...
Ryan's work has kept him on the road a lot lately, so when he had a chance to catch one of the last home games of the season for his hometown high school, he was pretty excited. It sure brought back a lot of memories. After dinner with family at his favorite local eatery, The Old Germany Restaurant, everyone headed for the big game. It was great to sit in the bleachers with the other Jacket fans and cheer on the home team. The new Astroturf field looked amazing, the team was sporting new uniforms since Ryan's high school days the band had gone high tech and modern. Even though they lost on this particular night, the team is currently ranked 4th in their division. Ryan's high school friend Cody Brewer, is the Jackets assistant defense coach. Cody's sister Lindsey, who cheered on the squad with Ryan's sister, back in the day, went on to eventually coach the cheer squad for awhile. On any given night you can sit in the stands with dad's who played for the Jackets who are now cheering on their boys. It really is hometown football here!

STAY TUNED FOR BREAKING NEWS ON UPCOMING PROJECTS
AND WHEN TO TUNE IN