Tennessee being filmed in Albuquerque
At a recently closed convenience store in Albuquerque, New Mexico's South Valley, trailers are packed like sardines in the small parking lot. The scene at Sonny's Mini Mart is well, a scene, and I am confident Sonny's asphalt has never had this much traffic. We snapped these shots the morning of January 24, 2007.
ABQblogs.com was told the film, Tennessee, starring Mariah Carey, James D'Arcy and Ethan Peck, is filming at a "small farm house" off Isleta Boulevard, near the shuttered Sonny's. Melissa Benoist, the Denver Post's Ovation Award winner for best younger actor of 2006, has also landed a role in the film.
A press release sent to ABQblogs.com from the Governor’s office, stated, Tennessee follows the path of two brothers who must return to their hometown in East Tennessee from Albuquerque to look for their estranged, abusive father when one of them is diagnosed with leukemia and desperately needs a life-saving bone marrow transplant.
"New Mexico is recognized in the industry as a legitimate top-caliber production location, a very attractive alternative to productions that might otherwise go to Canada or overseas to shoot," Governor Richardson said. "They recognize the level of local talent that exists here, our ultimate well-spring for this industry in the long term."
"Filming in New Mexico grants all the same benefits to us as L.A. or New York. There are fresh and raw talents to be tapped into for cast and crew, as well as high-end veterans of productions past. With such a versatile series of locations and a sky that just keeps on putting out sunshine, New Mexico is the current future of film production," said production manager, Mark G. Mathis.
Apparently, Tennessee will be filming in Albuquerque through mid-February. Mariah Carey took over the role from Janet Jackson, who put on weight to play Krystal Evans, a waitress and aspiring country singer in the film. However, Ms. Jackson withdrew from the project in favor of her music career.
ABQblogs.com has learned Mariah Carey will be signing on the Tennessee soundtrack. According to the New York Daily News, the Grammy award-winning songbird trained with a dialect coach to develop the twang and drawl that she needed for her new role.
Put this movie on your must-see list, as yet another film will have scenes from our own backyard. Sonny would be proud. (Albuquerque Blog)
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