A Lovely Review

I’m so happy that filmmaker Alexander Hanno has given us permission to use his comments below in any PR for CAKE: A Love Story!    

“I watched Cake: A Love Story and found it so bitter-sweet (figuratively bitter and a literally sweet). I can't believe that Elizabeth and Harry Lawrence came back together after so long apart and such independent journeys in the interim. It's a really beautiful story, peppered with some moments of true heart break and I'll tell you, it makes for great filmmaking. I was particularly smitten with the production design behind the two ‘documentary’ shots of the lead couple. I loved how the design in those shots helped paint a picture of each character before we ever got to know the pair throughout the story. Visual storytelling is so crucial and such a genuine breath of fresh air.” ---  Alexander Hanno, writer/director of Elephants

Congratulations again to Misha Zubarev, Vera Zubarev, and their terrific cast and crew for a wonderful transfer of IT HAD TO BE US -- the romantic memoir my husband and I co-wrote under the pen names of Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence -- to the screen! 

And thanks to Alexander Hanno for his encouraging review. 

Endearing and Heart-Wrenching Fiilm

Thanks to filmmaker Vohn Regensburger for this wonderful e-mail message about CAKE: A Love Story, an award-winning short film based on It Had To Be Us, the romantic memoir my husband and I wrote under the pen names of Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence. This film is now available on Amazon Prime.

A producer friend of mine and I watched your short movie, CAKE: A Love Story depicting your romantic life story and we just loved it! The story was very endearing and heart-wrenching as it unfolded.

The two lead actors, Debra Lord Cooke and Richard Vernon were marvelous playing you two and were so relatable, funny and heart-felt in their roles. I just thought all along, “Isn’t this just like love: blue sunny skies and summertime… until it isn’t!”

I felt by the end of the film I was good friends with you as a couple and had known you both forever. I believe that piece is so hard to accomplish in a film, let alone a short. I’m so glad you stayed with it and were able to get this released and shared with the world.

Please let directors Misha and Vera Zubarev know a job well-done, as well!

From Page to Screen

It Had To Be Us, a romantic memoir by Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence, has been adapted for the screen in a short film titled CAKE: A Love Story. A private screening for cast and crew was held on May 21 at the Metropolitan Room in New York City. Filmmaker Misha Zubarev hosted the event. Zubarev wrote, produced and directed the film with V. Ulea as co-writer and co-director, and Vad Chariton composed the musical score based on Zubarev’s original song “Remember the Day.” This Ariella Media production is currently being submitted to national and international film festivals. 
   
Although the film deviates from the book, it pays tribute to the spirit of the original source. Richard Vernon and Debra Lord Cooke portray Harry and Elizabeth, who were married for twenty-four years before their divorce. Nancy Lombardo and George Bettinger play Elizabeth’s friends. 

In his review of this movie, film critic Richard Jack Smith writes, “As a hopeless romantic, I instantly warmed to the connection made by Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence. Their stunning memoir It Had To Be Us took chances that traditional love stories don’t. For one, the characters come across as idiosyncratic and well developed. Also, there’s Misha Zubarev’s filmmaking sensibility in translating this narrative to the big screen.  A collaboration with V. Ulea on script and direction, Cake: A Love Story reveals hope at the end of a long breakup.”

According to film critic Nell Minow, the Movie Mom®, “This endearing love story proves that love is lovelier the second time around, especially if it is with the same person you loved the first time.”

Priscilla Leona, radio host of Question Reality, calls Cake: A Love Story “a charming, light-hearted, easy-going romantic comedy that delivers lots of smiles, a few good chuckles and ton of tears, for me, at the end.”

 It Had To Be Us won First Place in the E-book category at the Hollywood Book Festival, where awards were given to books with the most potential to be transferred to other media such as film and television. The memoir also received a Five-Star rating from Romantic Times Magazine. The Lawrences donate their authors’ royalties to THE IMAGINATION LIBRARY, a children’s literacy project sponsored by the Dollywood Foundation.  

IT HAD TO BE US

(Originally published by SANDS Publishing)
Extended Kindle E-Book published by Long Story Short Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN: B003WEAIXU

Available at Amazon’s Kindle Store for $5.99

Press Contacts: 

Denise Cassino (dencassino@gmail.com) 

Betty Jo Tucker (bettyjotucker@reeltalkreviews.com) 

Remember the Day

I am so happy that Misha Zubarev gave me permission to debut “Remember the Day” on our Movie Addict Headquarters Valentine’s Day show!  This original song is from the upcoming film Cake: A Love Story, which is based on It Had To Be Us, the award-winning romantic memoir my husband and I co-wrote under the pen names of Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence. 

Misha, co-writer/co-director (with Vera Zubarev) of the film, also wrote the lyrics and composed the music. Actor Richard Vernon performs the song. He portrays a man who reunites with his true love after being estranged from her for almost twenty years. The scene that includes the song showcases a regular guy with a guitar singing his heart out about life and love. It’s a perfect song for this movie!

Pamela Jaye Smith, our special Valentine’s Day guest, who talks about her wonderful book Romantic Comedies during this episode, calls the song and performance “very touching.” And I agree with her.

Listen to “Remember the Day” and to Pamela Jaye Smith anytime by clicking on the link below.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/movieaddictheadquarters/2017/02/14/how-romantic-comedies-can-save-your-love-life

Romance from Book to Screen

Valentine’s Day will soon be here, and Movie Addict Headquarters plans to celebrate early with a special episode scheduled for February 7. Noted actors/comedians/radio hosts George Bettinger and Nancy Lombardo have been invited to drop by for a discussion of their experience as cast members in the upcoming short film based on It Had To Be Us, the award-winning romantic memoir my husband and I wrote under the pen names of Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence. Filming of the movie was completed in late December, and the project is now in postproduction. It co-stars Debra Lord Cooke and Richard Vernon as Elizabeth and Harry. Co-writers/directors Misha Zubarev and Vera Zubarev report that Nancy and George, who portray Elizabeth’s friends, kept everyone in stitches on the set. Debra has several films to her credit, including Woody Allen’s Café Society. Richard is a musician as well as an actor.

Nancy hosts the hilarious Comedy Concepts show on BlogTalkRadio. She does stand-up comedy and has also appeared in numerous films and on TV’s Saturday Night Live. George hosts the very entertaining Mom & Pop Shop show on tune in radio from Miramar, Florida. He has won recognition for his many amusing impressions of such stars as Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, Humphrey Bogart, W.C. Fields and more.     

During this episode, a Valentine’s Day informational clip about It Had To Be Us -- made by George Bettinger and myself – will also be played.

Listeners are invited to call in during the live show and to participate in a chat. An archived segment will also be available.

This episode airs on BlogTalkRadio at 4 p.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. Pacific Time) on Tuesday, February 7, 2017.

CALL-IN NUMBER: 646-478-5668

HOST: Betty Jo Tucker

PRODUCER: Nikki Starr

LINK: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/movieaddictheadquarters/2017/02/07/george-bettinger-nancy-lombardo-behind-the-scenes