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How can I be an extra in the Aimee Mann, John Doe movie…and other questions for aceweekly.com

On the set of Pleased to Meet Me in Louisville, by Michael Fitzer
On the set of Pleased to Meet Me in Louisville, by Michael Fitzer

We recently added a weekly feature where we share a few googled questions from the Ace readers, and do our best to find answers. Last time out, everyone was searching aceweekly for: Do they really make 1000 cupcakes on Cupcake Wars.  Since the new season started a few weeks back, apparently, that only whetted the appetite of Ace readers who googled their brains out with related questions like, “what do they do with all the cupcakes on Cupcake Wars?” It seems like another field trip to Lexington’s Brown’s Bakery is in order.

This week, everyone wants to know about Archie Borders’ indie movie now shooting in Louisville. A sampling of queries includes: “Pleased to Meet Me Cast Photos” “What’s the Movie with John Doe, Loudon Wainwright, Aimee Mann, and Joe Henry?” and “How to be in the Aimee Mann movie?” Yes, there is a concert scene (at Louisville’s Brown Theatre). And yes, they do welcome extras — up to 800 anyway. We can’t promise that you’ll get to meet Aimee Mann or John Doe or Loudon Wainwright or Joe Henry or Karin Bergquist, but you might get a glimpse of Archie.

Pleased to Meet Me. Dinner at Jack Fry’s. Photo by Archie Borders.

And  you can follow them on Twitter for individual insights into the filmmaking process. Mann has so far, quoted Joe Henry as saying, “You keep trying to paint me as soon kind of normal person and I’m NOT! I just like nice clothes!” She also commented on her first day in town, “Louisville is kind of awesome, and the people I am working with on this movie are the greatest!” Of her first few scenes, she said, “I’m in Louisville actually acting in a movie! Just did two scenes with Joe Henry and John Doe. Joe and I nervous as hell. Yikes!” (Fans of Portlandia know she’s being far too modest about her acting chops, though she does play a version of an Aimee Mann perhaps inspired by Aimee Mann in the show.)

In the “now for something completely different category, the next most popular queries this week relate to “How to get tickets to the vice presidential debate at Centre College?” and “where is the Centre College vice presidential debate Festival.” Hint, it is at Centre College. (We recommend you arrive early and stop by the world-famous Burke’s Bakery for the donuts.)

Because, as always, Ace readers are obsessed with food to a degree of specificity that we consistently marvel at.

“Where is the best breakfast in Lexington?”  pops up constantly. Click for a few of our favorites. But, “Great gas station breakfasts in Kentucky?” OK. You tell us.

“What aisle do I find the chocolate covered acai berries?” Really? OK. Try Trader Joe’s for the powerberries — sometimes they’re by the checkouts, but you might also find them on the shelving above the chicken-cilantro wontons in the first frozen section aisle, on your right.

“Is it grape season in Kentucky?” and “what to do with grapes from the vine?” It is grape season, and Chef Tom has several ideas.  One of the best: freeze them and use them to chill white wine and sparkling wines.

“When is the Henry Clay Home Wine Festival?” and “Labor Day Wine Festival in Lexington?” They probably meant Vintage Kentucky, held at Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate the last two years. Sadly, if you’re just now googling it, you missed it this year.  It moved both date and location. It was downtown, and it was in June. And it was about 8,000 degrees out. You can click here for Chef Tom’s coverage of the first two years, when it was at the Henry Clay Estate. Closely related are dozens of questions about Fest of Ales. (Yes, that is still Labor Day weekend.)

Continuing the thirsty theme, “When is Woodford Reserve’s 200th anniversary dinner?” (and a lot of related questions to the menu; it was last weekend, and we posted the menu), along with “How to Make Bitters,” for which, we thank Tim at Woodford Reserve.

Maybe by next week we’ll know where you can get the best gas station breakfast in Kentucky.