VIEW FROM THE HILL BEHIND THE WHEEL Wedded to Great luxury, wasting time slow sales Free! Is legislative action needed to e Jaguar XJ series o eres protect clergy from same-sex much of what luxury buyers Please nuptials? Experts say no. crave. So where are the sales? P3 P27 take one. July 10 – 16, 2015 Vol. 41 | Issue 28 KNOXVILLE EDITION www.TNLedger.com/Knoxville The power of information. LedgerDAVIDSON • WILLIAMSON • SUMNER • CHEATHAM • RUTHERFORD WILSON ROBERTSON • MAURY • DICKSON • MONTGOMERY • KNOX • ANDERSON •BLOUNT •SEVIER | FORMERLY WESTVIEW SINCE 1978 Knoxville-area actors fi nding abundance of dramatic roles close to home Stories by Bonny Millard begin on page 2 Chase Malone | The Ledger Ten-year-old Maryville actress Ashley Blair is best-known for her Greater Knoxville Honda Dealers commercials, but she is one of many area actors with expanding resumes. Community Calendar ............................6 More inside: Crossword.................................................6 Find Public Notices Career Corner ..........................................3 Cooking Corner ......................................8 inside & online: News Briefs ..............................................4 Public Notices ....................... 9–12, 17–26 www.TNLedger.com Guerrilla Marketing ...............................5 Newsmakers ..........................................13 Page 2 www.TNLedger.com/Knoxville JULY 10 – 16, 2015 ‘Honda Girl’ nds career outside car ads By Bonny C. Millard | Correspondent en-year-old actress Ashley Blair takes her job seriously. She’s like many other actors in the region working to improve her craft and looking for the next project. e Knoxville area has a thriving community of actors, writers, directors, and producers, all Ttrying to showcase their best work, both locally and nationally. e six-degrees of separation quest of linking actors certainly applies to East Tennessee’s performers, agencies and others in the business. Ashley may be more familiar to some “It’s kind of a neat inner circle of as Lucy Williams, the young promoter community talent around here,” says who steals hearts in the Greater Knoxville David. “Everybody likes to support each Honda Dealers commercials. For those other.” on-camera appearances, she usually has e Blairs are appreciative of advice her long brown hair pulled into a back or from others who are in the business, side ponytail, and her precocious attitude particularly David Dwyer, a Maryville is endearing. resident and full-time actor. Dwyer, is young Maryville actress has her whose acting career started in the late sights set on the footlights of Hollywood. 1980s, has been in 91 lms including last “I want to be an actress when I grow year’s “Selma” as Police Chief Wilson up,” she says, and if that’s not possible Baker. then a dancer, but she also has a vision of “Ashley really has becoming a director, something she does the ability to be herself at home in her spare time with the app on camera,” Dwyer Video Star. explains. “ at’s really Ashley’s already been a featured extra what she’s got going for in a lm starring fellow Tennessean Reese her. She’s generally just Witherspoon, “Devil’s Knot.” She has a fun and vivacious, and reoccurring role in a web series by local she has that ability to be lmmaker, actor, writer Mitch Moore. herself on the camera, She’s competed successfully in national and that is a gift. If you acting and modeling competitions, can do that, there’s work appeared in several commercials and for that person.” print ads, and acted in local theatrical ree years ago, productions. the Blair family went Her parents, David and Robyn to Los Angeles for an Blair, say Ashley has shown interest in international competition and met performing since she was much younger. with Wes Murphy, another Maryville ey’ve been pleased to discover that native who is pursuing an acting career. Submitted photograph courtesy of JAOPRO the acting community in this area is Murphy, Dwyer and Moore were all in Ashley Blair She might not have throngs of fans demanding autographs, but she is asked for the supportive and encouraging. occasional hug from strangers. Then there was the kid who wanted to dress as her for Halloween. ASHLEY >> PAGE 15 Looking for work? L.A. might not the place By Bonny C. Millard | Correspondent Sky.” He’s lived in Maryville for many e Knoxville area has a rich legacy of years, and in the early days was traveling actors who have found success in show 50,000 miles a year to audition for roles. business: Patricia Neal, David Keith, Cylk Actors have a passion for what they do, Cozart, David Dwyer, John Cullum, and this area provides opportunities for Bruce McKinnon, Polly Bergen, Dale people to develop, whether or not they’re Dickey, Brad Renfro, Johnny Knoxville, trying to make a living from acting. perhaps the most famous of all, Dolly “ ere’s a very strong independent lm Parton, singer/songwriter turned actress. community in Knoxville that I will credit e list is, by no means, all-inclusive of for giving opportunities, albeit usually not the talented actors who’ve ourished in paid, although some of them are,” he says. the business nationally or those who nd “ ere’s a good opportunity for budding ful lment doing what they love on the young actors or (those) new to the game local or regional level. to get experience and be in front of the For those who want to hone their craft, camera by getting involved in the local pursue their passion, and even make a independent movie scene.” living, the area has many opportunities. Haag has been able to tap into that e early e orts of many actors are network, with small roles in “Memorial enough to engage them in a lifetime Daze” and “You are My Sunshine,” which both won awards at the Knoxville pursuit. Knoxville actress Tyra Haag Photograph submitted courtesy of David Dwyer found the passion as a teenager, while Knoxville actor David Dwyer as Selma Police Chief Wilson Baker in a scene that was cut from the movie Film Festival. She also appeared brie y “Selma.” He also has appeared in “The Blind Side,” “We are Marshall” and “October Sky.” Maryville actor and lmmaker Mitch in an independent lm, “Something, Moore discovered the itch in college. Anything,” made in Knoxville, in which pursue it as a serious career, which meant where you’re going to have to be at any Dwyer was the main character’s father. e level of involvement in the acting he couldn’t have a fulltime job. So when given time,” he says. arena depends on what the individual e movie was released last year. he’s not on a set, he’s working for himself. Dwyer has had roles in 91 feature lms Haag has been performing in front actor is looking for and how much he or “You really can’t have a regular job and and TV movies and series, appearing in she is able to commit. of audiences since she was 14 when she pursue this fulltime because you don’t such notable lms as “Selma,” “ e Blind landed the role of Anne Sullivan in a As Dwyer was getting started in the know what you’re going to have to do or Side,” “We are Marshall” and “October movie business, he knew he wanted to ACTING >> PAGE 14 JULY 10 – 16, 2015 www.TNLedger.com/Knoxville Page 3 No mandate for clergy Take charge of No special action needed on same-sex marriage your career With Republican bisexual and transgender people and their independence lawmakers scrambling families, monitored clerk’s o ces across With the Fourth of July fresh in my for a response to the the Tennessee and eventually found 100 memory, I’ve been thinking about the U.S. Supreme Court’s percent participation in the issuance of importance of independence. gay-marriage ruling, licenses. So often, I meet people who are Tennesseans on both Some people were confused about struggling. Whether they’ve lost their View sides of the issue the court’s decision, believing it would Career job, or work for a boss who doesn’t from the Hill say they are seeking stop them from getting a marriage Corner appreciate them, they’re going through By SAM “equality.” license, according to Chris Sanders, the a By ANGELA rough time. STOCKARD Immediately after organization’s executive director. COPELAND e hardest part is often not the the court’s decision on But while every clerk’s o ce is issuing di culty they’re experiencing in that Ledger Obergefell v. Hodges, Democratic U.S. licenses, not all of them are conducting moment. at time will pass. Rep. Jim Cooper of Nashville says, “Love services, and some stopped in protest of It’s the overwhelming sense of feeling helpless that can and equality won. I’m glad the Supreme the court decision. The power of drive someone’s mood and self-esteem down. Court ruled on the right side of history.” “If they decide they don’t want to information. Without even realizing it, we often turn over our power In contrast, Republican Gov. Bill marry same-sex couples, they can’t marry to those around us. For many, we give it to our employer. Haslam and his appointed Tennessee any couples, meaning preside at the Published weekly by We fall into this trap by living beyond our means, or Attorney General Herbert Slatery oppose ceremony,” says Chris Sanders, executive Westview Newspaper, LLC right on the edge. the ruling, though their advice to county director of Tennessee Equality Project. 222 N. Second Ave. In the middle of our careers, especially, we’ve been clerk’s o ces was to comply with the rule Wayne County Clerk Stan Horton Suite 101 making decent money for quite some time.