Movie shoot, anyone?

Alicia Robinson

Racket-wielding actors will take center court at the Newport Beach

Tennis Club this weekend, and local tennis enthusiasts are welcome to

get a piece of the Hollywood action.

WB network sitcom star Donal Logue is the writer, director,

co-producer and star of “Tennis, Anyone ... ?”, a comedy about

moderately popular Hollywood actors who seek fulfillment in charity

tennis tournaments and end up teaching tennis to at-risk kids. The

movie co-stars Kirk Fox, an actor and former tennis pro.

“We went to a celebrity tennis tournament and we thought, ‘God, it

would be so funny to do a movie about this environment and this

world,’” Logue said.

The self-funded small film is being shot in four weeks around

Southern California, said Orian Williams, a co-producer of the film.

Some scenes were shot earlier this week at the Sutton Place hotel and

the Newport Beach Tennis Club, where the movie’s climactic tennis

match will be filmed today and Sunday.

All the actors are also tennis players, so no stunt players are

being used, but some tennis club members and employees have been used

in background shots and the film shoot has generated some buzz at the

club.

“Some people were just like, ‘What’s going on, who’s here, who are

the stars,’” said Erika Pedersen, the club’s front desk receptionist.

“People are excited.”

Pedersen got to appear in the background in two scenes. The acting

was old hat for her, but she said she didn’t expect to work on a

movie through her job at the club.

“I kind of grew up in the business, so I like being on the set,”

she said. “I was pretty surprised that they were going to come down

here and film.”

The activity of the actors and the crew of about 20 people haven’t

disrupted the routine of the tennis club, owner Steve Joyce said.

Some members have hardly noticed the filming, he said, but it’s been

fun for him.

“I love the movie business,” Joyce said. “My second favorite job

is owning this tennis club, so I think I’ve got the best of both

worlds.”

The movie crew sometimes works 12-hour days and it’s not always

glamorous, but the people are pleasant, he said.

The film’s creators are spreading the stardust around. The tennis

club will be open to the public today and Sunday for people who want

to sit in the stands and watch tennis scenes being filmed.

“We’d love to have people come out and be a part of the event,”

Williams said. “We’re going to be filming crowd scenes, we’re going

to be filming a tennis match.”

And Joyce, who has written 22 scripts and adapted books into

screenplays that have not been produced, will also get to appear on

camera.

“They wrote a part for me in it, so that’ll be interesting,” he

said.

Logue said he hopes to submit the film to the Sundance Film

Festival in January and he’s aiming for a wide release after that.

Filming is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. today and Sunday at the

Newport Beach Tennis Club, 2601 Eastbluff Drive, with an

after-filming party set for 6 p.m. today.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

[email protected].