Comanche Moon moves airdate

Looks like the folks at CBS have come to their senses: Rather than dump the epic Western miniseries Comanche Moon into an end-of-year graveyard slot, as originally planned, the network will air this Lonesome Dove prequel at 9 p.m. EST Jan. 13, 15 and 16. Why the change of heart? Well, the decision doubtless has a lot to do with the fact CBS, like all other networks impacted by the ongoing writers' strike, isn't in any position right now to waste new scripted programming.

In any event, here is an interview with actor Karl Urban (pictured above), who plays Woodrow F. Call (a character portrayed in previous miniseries by Tommy Lee Jones, Jon Voight and James Garner). And here is an interview with E.R. star Linda Cardellini, who co-stars as Clara, a character played in the original Lonesome Dove miniseries by Anjelica Huston.

It's good to be the king

Last week, George Strait -- a.k.a., The King of Country Music -- received two Grammy Award nominations, for Best Country Album (It Just Comes Natural, his 34th studio release) and Best Male Country Vocal Performance (for "Give It Away" from the Natural CD). This week, The King continues to rule: His compilation album 50 Number Ones has just been certified 7X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In other words, he's sold seven million copy of that best-selling CD.

BTW: Strait kicks off his nationwide arena tour Jan. 10 deep in the heart of Texas.

Western display in OK

The J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum in Claremore, OK., will be hosting an extensive display of Western movie posters and memorabilia, on loan from local collector Larry Larkin, through July 2008. “I’ve got just about everything here,” Larkin tells the Claremore Daily Progress. “I’ve got vintage movie posters from the '40s, '50s and '60s — 87 of them in all, here — as well as mugs, snow globes, action figures, puzzles, games, Western-styled trading cards, records, comic books, photographs and more.”

And the winner is.... Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift, the first Country music star of the MySpace generation, has scored another digital triumph: Her hit single "Teardrops on My Guitar" has been lauded by iTunes as the music- download service's top-selling Country single of 2007. But wait, there's more: iTunes also has released its Best of 2007 Editor's Choice lists, and Taylor has been named Best New Artist. Not bad for a young lady who celebrated her 18th birthday just last week.

Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer

Season's greetings from Gene Autry.

R.I.P.: Floyd Red Crow Westerman (1936-2007)

Leukemia has claimed the life of Floyd Red Crow Westerman, the Native American activist, actor and country/folk singer best known for his roles in Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves (as Sioux leader Ten Bears) and TV's Walker, Texas Ranger (as Uncle Ray Firewalker).

Westerman, who passed away Thursday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, was born on Aug. 17, 1936, on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Sioux reservation in South Dakota. A man of many impressive talents and passionate interests, he was a respected musician who worked with such artists as Willie Nelson and Bonnie Raitt, and toured the world with Sting during the 1990s to raise money to preserve rain forests. He remained active in show business until just a few months ago, when he completed work in another Kevin Costner film, the forthcoming Swing Vote.

Kevin Abourezk of Reznet describes Westerman as man who provided a "lyrical and plainspoken voice for the oppressed," and reports: "In his final years, [Westerman] had begun work on a six-part documentary called Exterminate Them: America's War on Indian Nations. With the help of his niece [Gwen Westerman Griffin], he had completed the first part, California Story, and had begun work on the second installment, Great Plains Story. Westerman Griffin said she doesn't plan to let her uncle's death end efforts to complete the documentary. Nor does she plan to let his relentless efforts to improve the lives of Native people die with him. 'It's going to take a lot of us to fill in the void that this one man is going to leave,' she said. 'It's going to take so many of us to carry on his work.'"

"The Western is definitely ours!"

While promoting We Own the Night overseas, Robert Duvall takes time to talk about his love of Westerns: "The English have Shakespeare, the French have Moliere and the Western is definitely ours. When I was a kid I went to my uncle's ranch in Montana for two summers -- he had a big cattle and sheep place out there. And you know when I first went to Hollywood I would take out a horse every day -- bareback, English saddle, western saddle -- and I learned to jump a horse, so I would have a seat on a horse, because most actors can draw a pistol but they can't ride a horse. So I wanted to do Westerns and it served me well. So I think Westerns are our thing. People say they don't sell but they do sell and as soon as you make them they say, "When are you going to do another one?"

"In England they love Westerns, wide-open spaces and all that, I just like doing them. At the end of my career I thought maybe I could do a gun fighter in a western who is mute, so I wouldn't have any lines..."

More accolades for Wounded Knee

Nominees for the 65th annual Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning, and C&I would like to congratulate Adam Beach (Actor, Miniseries or Movie) and Anna Paquin (Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie), co-stars of the epic HBO production Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (nominated in the Miniseries or Movie category). Winners will be named Jan. 13.

Hat trick

Sam Elliott tells the Kansas City Star that the "Tom Mix-style hat" he wears in The Golden Compass, which opens Friday at theaters and drive-ins everywhere, didn't come from the wardrobe department. Rather, it's his very own chapeau, a gift he received 35 years ago after making a series of beer commercials.

"I have never worn it since. But I took it with me when we started doing the wardrobe fitting for Golden Compass. We tried on several hats. I got the hat out of the car and everybody said that's the hat. With Western characters, it all starts with the hat," Elliott says.

A Grammy nod for Trisha Yearwood

Congratulations to Cowboys & Indians cover girl Trisha Yearwood for receiving a Grammy Award nomination today. Yearwood, a three-time Grammy winner and multi-platinum superstar, was nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her current single, “Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love,” from her debut Big Machine Records album of the same name.

Trisha Yearwood's "Power" play

Trisha Yearwood -- the subject a cover-story profile in the January issue of Cowboys & Indians magazine, on sale Dec. 12 at fine newsstands everywhere -- recently talked with CMT.com about her new CD, Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love. She's happy to report that, at this stage in her career, she's finally reached a "comfort level" while singing in the recording studio:

"I used to worry so much about it being pitch-perfect and over-thinking things. As a demo singer, you would go into a studio and you'd have a limited amount of time to sing your songs. You were getting paid $40 a song, you did your own harmonies, and you got work because you knew the song when you got there and you worked fast and cheap. And then when you go to make your album, and you've been waiting your entire life to make that first album, you think, 'Oh, my gosh. This is an album and it has to be perfect.' As time passes, you learn how to do a better job, just like anything. 'I know how to do this. This is what I do. Just go in and do what you do.' I think I've become less and less critical of my own work through the years. This album is my favorite, vocal-wise -- this one and the last one actually -- because I finally got to a place where I thought, 'You know what? I know what to do.'"

Them's fightin' words, pardner!

Brit film critic John Patterson argues: "[T]he Western per se -- the Western as a thriving movie genre -- is to all intents and purposes deader than Billy the Kid, Jesse James, John Ford and Sam Peckinpah put together."

Live from Australia: The Spaghetti Western Orchestra

A five-piece band in The Land Down Under has mastered the music of Ennio Morricone.

R.I.P: Porter Wagoner (1927-2007)

The country music legend famed for his rhinestone-studded suits passed away Sunday after losing his battle with lung cancer. But he leaves behind a lasting legacy. And, better still, he lived long enough, as the Associated Press notes, to enjoy "a remarkable late-career revival that won him a new generation of fans."

The Lone Ranger rides again?

After reviving the swashbuckler with his fabulously successful Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, producer Jerry Bruckheimer may be setting his sights on reintroducing a classic Western hero, The Lone Ranger. Does this mean Johnny Depp -- or Nicolas Cage, star of Bruckheimer's National Treasure franchise -- might be donning the mask? Or will they go with an unknown like they did back in 1981 when... oh, wait, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea.

Jesse and Brad

Brad Pitt continues to promote The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford as it opens in foreign markets. In an interview with John Hiscock of the Telegraph of Great Britain, he notes that, of all the actors who have played the notorious outlaw on screen, he's the only one who, like Jesse, hails from Springfield, Missouri.

"I was surprised how much pride I found in the fact we're both from the same area," says Pitt. "He's a folk hero and there are tourist traps and museums dedicated to him, but I had never thought of portraying him until I read this script, which dissects the Jesse James myth and also the myth of Robert Ford, who killed him. I wasn't interested in doing a straightforward, shoot-'em-up Western because that's been done really well before – this is different.""

Yesterday, Times Square! Tomorrow, the world!

The cover of our December issue -- spotlighting the great Sam Elliott -- looms large in Times Square. And next week, you can find the magazine at fine newsstands everywhere.

A super showcase for Native Americans

From the Arizona Republic: "It's common for Super Bowl host regions to put their cultural identity on display for a worldwide audience. It will be no different next year when Arizona provides the backdrop for Super Bowl XLII. With Native Americans playing an integral role in the history and cultural identity of the Grand Canyon State, local groups are planning to put on a festival showcasing the foods, arts and other traditions of Arizona's 22 tribes and nations.

"The 2008 Arizona Indian Festival, presented by the Arizona American Indian Tourism Association, is set for Jan. 18 through 20 at Phoenix's Steele Indian School Park.

"The three-day affair will be part of the 'Super Celebration Series,' a group of public events sanctioned by the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee. About 50,000 people are expected to attend."

The good, the bad and the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

OK, I admit -- I checked this out, on the advice of my buddy John Guidry, expecting to laugh. But I wound up smiling instead. Go figure.

Sam Elliott, Flying Cowboy

Sam Elliott -- the subject of a cover-story profile in the next issue of Cowboys & Indians -- hosted the world premiere launch of the official trailer for The Golden Compass Tuesday evening at the Ice Rink at Rockefeller Center in New York. Elliott plays a dashing cowboy figure named Lee Scoresby in the lavish fantasy, which opens Dec. 7 at theaters and drive-ins everywhere. And just in case you missed the Manhattan extravaganza, you can link to the trailer here.

The Duke in 3-D

Writer/researchers Bob Furmanek and Jack Theakston want to the set the record straight regarding "myths" about Hondo. (Thanks to John Guidry for the tip.)

Your Sunday music video

For your listening pleasure, Delbert McClinton.

Where have all the cowboys gone?

And, come to think of it, what's Paula Cole up to these days?

G'day, Rodeo Queen! Howdy, Cowgirls!

The competition for the title of Miss Rodeo Queen of Australia is heading into the home stretch on the Gold Coast. Meanwhile, back in the States, cowgirls are riding high in Nashville.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Received a very gracious letter the other day from Russell Crowe, thanking me for the 3:10 to Yuma piece I wrote for the current issue. In the same note, however, he politely pointed out that… that… well, that I had screwed up.

Or, as he diplomatically phrased it, that I had included stuff in the article “that was a little askew.”

Specifically: Based on outdated and/or incorrect information I had obtained elsewhere, I made passing reference “the 100-acre spread [Crowe] maintains five hours from Sydney, along the coastal flats of New South Wales, where he raises Brangus cattle.”

Not quite, I’m embarrassed to admit.

“My property,” Crowe wrote, “is now 1360 acres in the main block – with 180 acres of grain land down the river one way and 360 acres of finishing land down the valley the other way. We aren’t what you would call coastal flats, being some 18 to 20 miles inland from the ocean at about 109’ above sea level. Over time what we do on the farm has been refined. We now run a herd of 500 breeders and bulls, having gone into straight Angus about five years ago. We haven’t achieved full certification yet but we follow an organic regime. This month we are turning off about 250kg of restaurant cuts. It’s not a lot, but it’s all hand raised, home range 150 day grain fed or true home range beef and it tastes great.”

Over the years, I have received letters reporting errors that have made me angry – at myself, not the sender – and I have read others that have made me laugh. But I must admit: This is the first letter of its kind that has made me hungry.

I apologize profusely for the misinformation, Mr. Crowe. But do you think that, next time I’m in Australia, I could cadge a free meal at your place?

Good news, bad news for Western fans

The good news: Comanche Moon finally has a definite air date on CBS. The bad news: The six-hour miniseries will be broadcast from 9-11 p.m. ET Dec. 30, Jan. 1 and Jan. 2. Not exactly the sort of showcase you'd expect for a star-studded prequel to Lonesome Dove.

On the other hand, there's nothing but bad news for loyal viewers of Deadwood.

Tombstone

Your tax dollars at work: The Voice of America offers an overview of Tombstone, Ariz., complete with downloadable video.

Westerns rope Emmys

Congratulations to Broken Trail, the American Movie Classics production that lassoed a passel of prizes, including the award for Best Miniseries, during the Emmy extravaganza Sunday evening. Robert Duvall was honored as Best Actor in a miniseries, and Thomas Haden Church received the Best Supporting Actor prize. But wait, there's more: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee -- the HBO adaptation of the Dee Brown best-seller -- was honored as Best Made-for-Television Movie. All in all, a great night for Westerns at the Emmy corral.

Miranda does Elvis

Rising country music star Miranda Lambert -- who gets the Live From interview treatment in the latest issue of Cowboys & Indians -- will honor music legend Elvis Presley by performing "Jailhouse Rock" on the upcoming ABC special Elvis: Viva Las Vegas. The two-hour TV extravaganza, set to air at 9 pm EDT Sept. 18, will examine how the King of Rock 'n' Roll affected Las Vegas. During the program, some musical artists will talk about the influence Elvis had on them, while others others perform covers of their favorite Elvis songs. Lambert is part of a star-studded lineup that also includes Toby Keith and Aerosmith's Joe Perry (who'll perform a duet of "Mystery Train"), along with Faith Hill, Paul McCartney and Willie Nelson.

Radio active

I'll be interviewed by New Orleans radio host David DuBos tomorrow -- Labor Day -- during the 5 pm hour on N.O. station WGSO (which is streamed on-line here). DuBos -- who usually hosts the station's Movie Talk show on Saturdays -- wants to chat about the renaissance of the Western, so you can reckon we'll be focusing on 3:10 to Yuma and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Jesse James: Original gangsta?

While promoting The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford this weekend at the Venice Film Festival, star Brad Pitt (left, opposite Casey Affleck as Ford) said he saw the upcoming Warner Bros. release as more of a gangster movie than a Western. "I saw it ... as a guy who sensed impending doom, the inevitable end, who had been trapped in a facade and living an alias for so long and didn't know a way around it," Pitt told a news conference after a press screening.

15 "Must-See Westerns"

Riding on the coattails of 3:10 to Yuma, which will have a nationwide sneak preview Sunday prior to a Sept. 7 opening, Entertainment Weekly offers an on-line list of 15 "Must-See Westerns." And partners, let me tell you: It's a pretty dadgum respectable line-up, ranging from Red River (1949) to Tombstone (1993), with room for at least one Budd Boetticher classic (1956's Seven Men from Now) and an epic miniseries (1989's Lonesome Dove).

Westerns ride again

USA Today sees a renaissance for the Western on the horizon as 3:10 to Yuma, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (with Brad Pitt, above) and No Country for Old Men prepare to gallop into megaplexes. Also in USA Today: A DVD guide to Westerns (including the original 1957 3:10 to Yuma) starring the late Glenn Ford.

Playing Dallas for laughs

If you laughed when you first heard that John Travolta would be subbing for Larry Hagman (above) as Texas oil tycoon J.R. Ewing in a big-screen version of the 1978-91 TV soap Dallas -- well, looks like the folks making the long-delayed film actually want you to giggle. According to the showbiz trade paper Variety, Betty Thomas, the director who mined two successfully spoofy movies from The Brady Bunch, and a considerably less funny comedy from I Spy, is in discussions to direct. And Pam Brady, who most recently scripted Hot Rod, is writing the screenplay. Travolta remains attached to the project -- for now.

Unemployed? Go West!

Employers are struggling to fill jobs created by a booming economy throughout many parts of the West, according to an Associated Press report. So far, however, it appears that the workforce isn't expanding fast enough to keep pace with the economic growth.

According to the AP: "Record low unemployment across parts of the West has created tough working conditions for business owners, who in places are being forced to boost wages or be creative to fill their jobs... Unemployment rates have been as low as 2 percent this year in places like Montana, and nearly as low in neighboring states. Economists cite such factors as an aging work force and booming tourism economies for the tight labor market...

"'This is actually the biggest economic story of our time, and we don't quite grasp it because it is 15 years in the making,' said economist Larry Swanson, director of the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West at the University of Montana.

"The U.S. Department of Labor reports the mountain West region — covering eight states along the Rocky Mountains — has the lowest overall unemployment rate in the nation. The region hit an all-time low of 3.4 percent in May."

Will 3:10 arrive even earlier?

First, Lionsgate announced that 3:10 to Yuma, originally set for an Oct. 5 release, would get pushed up for a Sept. 7 opening. Now there's word that the hard-edged Western starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale will get a national sneak preview in theaters throughout North America on Sept. 2. Gee, do you think this means Lionsgate is bullish on the movie's box-office prospects?

Trailer park: The Assassination of Jesse James

The above trailer for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford has been available on line for several weeks. But now there's a new trailer on the Internet -- and, to my mind, it's even more encouraging. Can't wait to see this Western when it opens in limited release Sept. 21. Literally: I can't wait. That's why I hope to catch it early next month at the Toronto Film Festival.

Adios to "Western America's Will Rogers"

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that cowboy poet Colen H. Sweeten Jr. was fondly remembered over the weekend at the third annual Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering at Antelope Island State Park in Utah. "We all took our hats off and bowed our heads and said thanks for having known him," said musician Lisa Stubblefield, who organized the Antelope Island event. "He was the type of storyteller that if you were sitting with him and a bunch of people around a campfire, you wouldn't want anyone else to say a word." Once described as "Western America's Will Rogers," Sweeten died of cancer Aug. 15 at age 88.

First rave for 3:10 to Yuma

Todd McCarthy of Variety, the showbiz bible, has weighed in with the first rave review for 3:10 to Yuma.

The verdict: "3:10 to Yuma is a tense, rugged redo of a film that was pretty good the first time around. Reinforced by a strong central premise, alert performances, a realistic view of the developing Old West and a satisfying dimensionality in its shadings of good and evil, James Mangold's remake walks a fine line in retaining many of the original's qualities while smartly shaking things up a bit." McCarthy waxes enthusiastic about the lead performances by Russell Crowe and Christian Bale -- and singles out for special praise "a wonderfully leathery characterization by Peter Fonda as a supremely tough old bounty hunter."

3:10 to Yuma opens Sept. 7 at theatres and drive-ins everywhere. You can read all about it in the October issue of Cowboys & Indians magazine, which hits newsstands Sept. 4 with a cover story on the eagerly awaited Western.

Roy Rogers rides again (and again and again and...)

Listen up, buckaroos: Roy Rogers will honored Aug. 28 with a day-long retrospective on Turner Classic Movies. Among the attractions: Young Bill Hickok, Young Buffalo Bill and Jesse James at Bay, three sagebrush sagas featuring The King of the Cowboys as Wild West legends; Dark Command, Roy's only co-starring stint with John Wayne; and The Cowboy and the Senorita, the 1944 classic that paired Roy for the first time with a lovely leading lady named Dale Evans. The couple remained together for decades, on screen and off, roaming along many happy trails while making sweet music together.

Gunfights in the Internet corral

Tenderfoot Games has announced plans for Wild West Online, a new Massively Multiplayer Online Game -- or MMOG, to use gamer lingo -- designed to give players the opportunity to create their own Wild West mythology using a wide array of digitalized settings, goods, and weapons.

According to a Tenderfoot company spokewsperson, the new MMOG "will appeal to a diverse player base, with a strong focus on accessibility to mainstream consumers who may never have played an [online game] before. Wild West Online will attract a range of players, from aficionados of Westerns who have long dreamt of immersing themselves in the Old West, to those who simply want a good shootout. Game settings range from frontier camps on the edge of civilization, to prosperously growing towns and cities. "

The game will feature scenarios based on Old West history and myth. Permanent and pick-up teams can join forces to seek wealth and notoriety, but there's also a place for solo play by lone wolves seeking individual fame. But wait, there's more: Players can advance their abilities to open up new game play options. They can buy goods, important objects -- and, while doing so, gain new skills and abilities.

Wild West Online "will be faithful to the Western mystique we all grew up with as kids,” says Mike Reynolds, game designer at Tenderfoot Games. “The American frontier culture is an important part of our history, so we are working hard to re-create that atmosphere and to honor the mythology from which so many modern fiction settings drew inspiration.”

The shooting is set to start in the fourth quarter of 2008.

American Civil War in the West

The on-line "eZine" OldWestNewWest.Com continues to impress with its series of articles devoted to documenting The American Civil War in the West. In the August issue, the focus is on the Battle of Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas.

"To some," says OldWestNewWest.Com editor Mike Harris, "America's Civil War and the settling of the American West seem two totally unrelated parts of American history. The Civil War, however, did reach into the American West, and the stories of how the two sides fought west of the Mississippi River are filled with stories of daring and courage.

"The effort by the South to win Missouri effectively ended with the 1862 Battle of Pea Ridge. Keeping Missouri in the Union was critical to President Abraham Lincoln and his generals if federal forces were to control the Mississippi River and divide the Confederacy."

The August issue also includes a look at the Pea Ridge National Military Park, operated by the National Park Service. The park, covering more than 4,300 acres, is one of the nation's most intact Civil War battlefields. "Pea Ridge was a crucial battle in the West," Harris says, "and for anyone interested in the Union-Confederate struggle for the West, they should go experience it."

Coming soon: Appaloosa

Maybe there really is hope for a revival of the Western: Variety, the showbiz bible, reports that Ed Harris, Oscar winner Renee Zellweger and former Cowboys & Indians cover boy Viggo Mortensen will co-star in Appaloosa, an adaptation of Robert B. Parker's novel about two lawmen hired to protect a lawless town from the machinations of a renegade rancher. Filming is set to start Oct. 1 in New Mexico, with Harris doing quadruple duty as director, co-scriptwriter, producer and star. Take it from me: The novel was pretty doggone good. And these folks could turn turn it into a terrific movie.

Big John

From the Associated Press: John Wayne has been honored on the 100th anniversary of the year of his birth with a larger-than-life bronze statue at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Sculptor Edward J. Fraughton said he modeled the 8-foot, 8-inch statue -- which the museum officially unveiled Saturday -- after the middle years of Wayne's career and tried "to portray him in a real epic form rather than as an individual in a particular film."

Poster posting

The marketing gurus at Lionsgate are taking a fairly nervy approach to their poster art for 3:10 to Yuma: No attempt to hide or even soft-pedal the fact that it's a Western, but no close-ups of top-billed Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Instead, a dramatic rear-view of a supporting player -- Ben Foster as Charlie Prince, second-in-command to Crowe's outlaw chief -- in a sepia-toned illustration with a vaguely Sergio Leone-ish look. It's attention-grabbing, to be sure. But will it be audience-attracting?

Cowboys and Indians and Emmys

The Emmys went Western this morning, as the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced 17 nominations for Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, the epic HBO movie based on Dee Brown’s non-fiction best-seller, and 16 for Broken Trail, the AMC miniseries starring Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church. Here at the C&I Corral, we're proud to say that both productions were previewed in Cowboys & Indians cover stories. But, of course, we're not bragging or anything. Well, not much.

Wounded Knee loomed large in the marquee category of Outstanding Made for Television Movie, Broken Trail rode tall among the Outstanding Miniseries nominees, and, not surprisingly, Duvall was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.

In several other categories, however, the Westerns will be competing against each other for top honors. For example, Church will face off against Wounded Knee co-stars August Schellenberg (as Sitting Bull) and Aidan Quinn (Sen. Henry Dawes) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie; Greta Scacchi (Broken Trail) and Anna Paquin (Wounded Knee) are rivals for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie; and Walter Hill (Broken Trail) and Yves Simoneau (Wounded Knee) are among the honorees for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special.

Speaking of Hill: After Thursday's early-morning Emmy announcement, the veteran filmmaker (whose feature credits include the Westerns Wild Bill, The Long Riders, and Geronimo: An American Legend) seemed at once grateful and flabbergasted that Television Academy voters would be so appreciative of Broken Trail. "What can I say?” he told the Associated Press. “They're too kind. We were on so long ago, we were on last June, so I've been surprised and very pleased that people remember."

Dick Wolf, executive producer of Wounded Knee, said the clutch of nominations for his HBO movie was a validation of a very difficult project: "Anybody who says it's not nice or it doesn't mean anything to get this many nominations, it's the ultimate sour grapes because it sure feels great.”

(A complete list of all Emmy Award nominations is available here.)

3:10 will arrive a bit earlier

This just in from Pamela McClintock of Variety: The much-buzzed-about Western 3:10 to Yuma will open Sept. 7 -- not Oct. 5, as originally announced -- so Lionsgate can (a) take more time to launch "a big awards campaign" (i.e., a major push for Oscar consideration), and (b) head off at the pass another star-studded Western, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (which will hit the trail starting Sept. 21.) "We certainly wanted to be the first Western in the marketplace," says Tom Ortenberg, Lionsgate president of theatrical films. Sounds like those reports of rave responses at preview screenings were correct.

Independence Day greetings from Cowboys & Indians

Viewer alert: Lonesome Dove

Great news for fans of Lonesome Dove: The classic miniseries will be presented for the first time in a brand-new, digitally re-mastered edition over the next four Saturdays on the ION television network. The first segment airs from 9 to 11 p.m. EDT tomorrow (June 30), and the final installment will be shown July 21.To find an ION station in your area, click here.

And just in case that's not quite enough Wild West action for you: ION also will air the 1993 made-for-TV Western Rio Diablo -- starring Kenny Rogers, Travis Tritt and Naomi Judd -- at 7 p.m. EDT tomorrow as well.

Andy Griffith: Hot property

Thanks to Waitress, critics and audiences are rediscovering Andy Griffith. So maybe he'll finally get that Oscar nomination he deserved for A Face in the Crowd? (Come to think of it, he should have received a nod for Hearts of the West as well.)

Cowboys and Indians and E.T.'s, oh my!

Over 70 years after Gene Autry starred in a sci-fi Western cliffhanger, a movie titled Cowboys & Aliens has been announced as a joint project of Universal and DreamWorks. No kidding.

One more starring role for Gene Autry

From the L.A. Times: "If you think of Gene Autry as just that guy on a horse playing guitar and singing, an impressive new exhibition at the Autry National Center's Museum of the American West is determined to change your mind.

"Imposingly titled Gene Autry and the Twentieth-Century West: The Centennial Exhibition, 1907-2007, this show, which opens Friday in Griffith Park and runs through Jan. 13, reveals Autry as someone who accomplished so much in so many areas it practically makes your head spin. It's no wonder that close friend and co-star Smiley Burnette said, 'Whenever the wolf came to the door, Autry ended up with a fur coat.'"

But wait, there's more: The legacy of America's favorite singing cowboy survives and thrives on new and newly reissued CDs.

Early word on '3:10 to Yuma'

After viewing a preview screening, a correspondent for the Ain't It Cool News website has some things to say about 3:10 to Yuma. And they're all good.

R.I.P.: Antonio Aguilar (1919-2007)

The Associated Press reports: Mexican mariachi singer and actor Antonio Aguilar, who recorded more than 150 albums and began his acting career during Mexico's "Golden Era" of cinema, has died in Mexico City after a long fight with pneumonia. He was 88.

Born in the northern state of Zacatecas, Aguilar recorded with his traditional mariachi group for 50 years and sold more than 25 million records. His hit songs include "Triste Recuerdo," "Albur de Amor," "Gabino Barrera" and "Puno de Tierra." He appeared in 167 films, including The Undefeated starring John Wayne. In 2000, he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Adios!

A really, really big festival

Everything’s bigger in Texas – including country music festivals. And just in case you’re skeptical, consider Exhibit A: The Big State Festival set for Oct. 13-14 at Texas World Speedway in Bryan-College Station, TX, a star-studded extravaganza that will spotlight the likes of Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Trace Adkins, Miranda Lambert (recently named Best New Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music), Los Lonely Boys, The Wreckers, Robert Earl Keen and many, many others.

But wait, there’s more: During the two-day festivities, attendees also will be treated to stock-car races presented by the Richard Petty Racing Experience, and a barbecue cook-off showdown that boasts one of the biggest cash prizes offered at any U.S. event of its kind.

“Our goal is to deliver an experience that is loaded with music talents,” says Charlie Walker of C3 Presents, producer of the Big State Festival (and, not incidentally, the Austin City Limits Music Festival). “But we also want to give fans lots to do, see, hear, drink and eat – at a great price.”

Texas native Miranda Lambert fully expects the Big State Festival to be a big-time blast: “I don’t know what’s going to be more fun – performing for that many country music fans in my home state, or watching all the other great acts that I love.

“Not to mention,” she adds, “I have a big weakness for kickin’ Texas barbeque.”

Sounds tasty, doesn’t it? Tickets can be ordered here.

Riding high in the Highlands?

In northeast Scotland, a Wild West buff named Alistair Baranowski -- a.k.a. Johnny B -- wants to "re-create the days of Billy the Kid and Wild Bill Hickock" by building his very own frontier town called Tranquility.

"With his priorities clearly established, Johnny B built Tranquility's saloon first and now a sheriff's office (complete with cell) is almost complete. There is also a cemetery, a corral and a water well. The Wild West enthusiast has permission from Aberdeenshire Council for a further six buildings and he is looking for wannabe cowboys to help him with the construction."

Johnny B aims to build "a school, bank, undertaker's, general store and telegraph office in his field at Drumblair. The 54-year-old, who was a history and geography teacher for 22 years before running a post office, is a founder member of Open Range, a national association of Wild West enthusiasts. Tranquility also has its own gunfighters' group, the Northern Rough Riders.

"He added: 'We need to take time out to rehearse for the occasional Wild West show. The more people who help, the quicker the town will grow.'"

"The Wild West happened here"

Residents are trying to preserve Silver City -- Idaho's best-known ghost town -- even while they struggle to keep it from becoming "just another tourist trap huckstering frontier kitsch to ATV-riding hordes streaming into Idaho’s once gold-rich hills from the growing Boise suburbs."

Sam Elliott: Riding high

Sam Elliott is back in the saddle again -- for a blockbuster fantasy due in theaters next December.

Viewer alert: 'Comanche Station'

The final collaboration of actor Randolph Scott and director Budd Boetticher is a rousingly two-fisted Western drama with an affectingly melancholy aftertaste. Jefferson Cody (Scott), obsessed with finding the wife who was kidnapped by Comanches more than a decade earlier, barters with Indians for the release of another white woman (Nancy Gates), the wife of a man who has posted a huge reward for her dead-or-alive return. Hearty outlaw Ben Lane (Claude Akins) tries to muscle in on the transition, but Cody won't be dissuaded from competing his chivalrous task. He remains true to himself, even though his noble gesture brings him no nearer a closure. Indeed, the ending suggests he will never stop searching. Which, of course, makes him the quintessential Budd Boetticher hero.

Comanche Station can be viewed at 5:05 and 11:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, June 3, on Encore Westerns.

'3:10' due 10/5

Director James Mangold (Walk the Line) tells USA Today that his upcoming remake of 3:10 to Yuma -- set open Oct. 5 at theaters and drive-ins everywhere -- will concentrate on characters, not cliches or conventions. And that, he claims, will set his effort apart from other recent attempts to revive the Western. "Too often," Mangold says, "they try to make every Western in one movie. It's all about the vistas. They don't lock into one person." Mangold's film actually will lock into two people: Christian Bale (above, left) as a reluctantly heroic rancher, and Russell Crowe (right) as a wily outlaw. They don't aim to please each other.

Here's looking at you, Duke!

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle and Jake Coyle of The Associated Press offer respectful assessments of The Duke on the weekend of the John Wayne Centennial.

Rave review for 'Wounded Knee'

The Hollywood Reporter praises the "stunningly filmed" Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee "not just for its compelling storytelling but for its unswerving candor." The epic movie based on Dee Brown's nonfiction book will premiere at 9 pm EDT Sunday, May 27, on HBO.

Viewer alert: 'Buchanan Rides Alone'

One of the better collaborations by Western icon Randolph Scott and maverick moviemaker Budd Boetticher, Buchanan Rides Alone (1958) can be viewed at 4:20 pm EDT Sunday (May 20) and 6:05 am EDT Monday (May 21) on Encore Westerns. But be forewarned: It shouldn’t be taken entirely seriously.

The plot: While drifting through a small Tex-Mex border hamlet run by a corrupt family, two-fisted Tom Buchanan (Scott) befriends a young Mexican who avenges his sister's honor by fatally shooting the spoiled son of a politically ambitious judge. The judge is more than willing to free his son's killer in return for a hefty campaign contribution. But the money can't be held by anyone for very long – and, thanks to Buchanan, neither can the killer. Almost, but not quite, a black comedy, Buchanan has an understated but richly satisfying flavor of self-parody.

'100 Years/100 Hours: The John Wayne Centennial'

Encore Westerns announces a movie marathon to salute The Duke during Memorial Day weekend and beyond.