August 6, 2005

Hollywood South

By Allen Lottinger, Jr.
Staff Writer

On Tuesday, movie crews were in New Sarpy filming scenes for the upcoming Ashley Judd film, “The Bug.” The movie, which is being filmed in New Orleans, will include scenes shot at Migliore’s Grocery and Boomerang’s Bar, both in New Sarpy.

The decision to film at the local establishments was made a couple of months ago when the film’s location director and producer, St. Rose resident Gary Huckabay, was scouting River Road for a country style grocery store.

“We had good experiences working in this area before,” said Huckabay, whose resume as a location manager includes “JFK,” “Double Jeopardy,” and “The Pelican Brief.”

“The Bug” is about a shy Gulf War veteran Peter (Michael Shannon) and Agnes (Judd), a lonely divorcee, who hole up together in a cheap Oklahoma motel room, only to receive unwanted visits from mysterious roaches and the divorcee's paroled ex-husband.

Judd’s character works as a clerk at an Oklahoma grocery store (Migliore’s). All of the scenes at the store were shot on Tuesday where crews worked into the night.

Included in the cast were dozens of extras who took part in the local shoot. Due to the large amount of cast, traffic along River Road was slowed down at times as crews transported equipment between the two locations.

Several observers said Tuesday’s filming was a welcome distraction for the small town of New Sarpy, which is located between Destrehan and Norco.

“At least it put New Sarpy on the map,” said Geralynn Melancon, an Amite resident who has several friends in the area.

St. Charles Police Officer William Faucheux, who was in charge of security for the site, said the publicity from the film should have a positive influence on the businesses involved.

“It will definitely be good for the local businesses,” he said, adding that the New Orleans area seems to have become more and more attractive to film producers in recent years.

“There have been several films done in St. Charles just recently,” Faucheux noted.

However, this was the first film to be shot at Migliore’s, which is one of the older establishments along River Road. St. Rose Tavern, several miles downriver, has been the site of several movie productions, as has the Bayou Gauche area.

Huckabay noted that the cooperation between producers and local authorities responsible for providing security and other on site services has made St. Charles a very desireable location for movies which are being filmed in the New Orleans area.

“There are a lot of production companies taking advantage of the tax credits Louisiana is offering for the movie industry,” he said, adding that St. Charles will most surely benefit from the increase major productions coming to the area.

He also noted that “The Bug” is already being talked about as a contender at the Academy Awards. The film is based on a highly successful play of the same name.