This decision is great news on several fronts, one of which being the need for locals who want to participate as extras. Literally hundreds of extras will be needed in the filming of "Jo," the tentative title of the CBS television pilot that will feature Andie MacDowell as an Asheville veterinarian.

An open call for extras will be held this weekend at the Asheville Mall (in the area near Sears) from 11AM to 6PM on Saturday (March 16) and from 1PM to 6PM on Sunday (March 17). People of all types are needed - all ages, races, shapes and sizes. This is one job where it really is true that no experience is needed - if it sounds like fun and a person has the time and interest, this is a great way to give the world of entertainment a whirl. All an applicant needs is a standard Polaroid photo; if an applicant doesn't have that type of photo, casting assistants will be on hand to snap one at the open call for $2.

Here's some additional good news. While the open casting call is mainly for extras, actors who do not already have an agent are invited to bring resumes and head shots in order to be considered for speaking parts.

The pilot is scheduled to be filmed in Asheville from April 9 - 22. If CBS decides to put the one-hour light drama in its fall lineup, shooting for the series will begin this summer.

While a number of major motion pictures have been filmed in Western North Carolina over the past decade or so ("Last of the Mohicans," "Dirty Dancing," "My Fellow Americans," "Patch Adams," "Richie Rich" and "28 Days," just to drop a few names), this will mark the first television pilot (and potential series) to be filmed here. But Wilmington can lay claim to the WB's successful television series "Dawson's Creek," which has been filmed there for the past four seasons, and some of those experienced professionals are reported to be assisting in the setup for the pilot.

Andie MacDowell has made her home in Asheville since 1998, when she moved her family here from their ranch in Montana. Since her arrival in town, she and her first husband have gone their separate ways. She remarried last November at Central Methodist Church (to a friend from her high school days in Gaffney, SC) and continues to live, shop, attend church and educate her children in some of the same places as other Ashevillians, who, by the way, are generally gracious when they recognize her, and leave her to tend to her own daily business. She has also contributed to the community in many ways, serving on community service boards and lending her time and good name to various worthwhile charitable causes, mainly those associated with children. While developing a very successful career as a screen actress and currently as spokesmodel for L'Oreal cosmetics and hair products, many times she has had to travel out of town to work on those projects. Should the television series become a reality in Asheville, Ms. MacDowell will have the same easy commute to her job that other Asheville residents have to theirs (it's just that hers might seem a little more glamorous!).

Mary Nell Webb, director of the Western North Carolina Film Commission, says the commission worked very hard to get this project in Asheville and is delighted with the outcome. She also said that this project is a prime opportunity to showcase not only the "beauty and warmth" of Asheville and the surrounding area, but it is also a lovely vehicle to highlight the "beauty and grace" of its star, Andie MacDowell. Ms. Webb is also currently assisting the production company in establishing their local office, phone lines, computer cables and all other necessary components to make a smooth transition into the time they will shoot the pilot.

If the show is a hit, what will it mean, if anything, to the local veterinarian business? And what do producers mean when they say that the show will explore a more "holistic" approach to veterinary medicine? Mark Ledyard, local veterinarian and partner at the Charlotte Street Animal Hospital at 180 Charlotte Street, spoke with eloquence and a wide-ranging knowledge about the holistic approach to veterinary medicine that, as he understands it, will be the approach that is taken with Ms. MacDowell's character.

Dr. Ledyard reported that, while the major focus of veterinary medicine firmly remains the traditional, scientific approach, a more holistic attitude is taken into account today, with a pet's nutrition topping the list of important components for a long and healthy life. Veterinarians have always considered nutrition to be a key factor in a pet's ability to lead a healthy life, but they now understand it as a primary focus for controlling disease and the disease process. The patient's environment is also taken into consideration as a critical factor in an animal's overall health. Alternative methods, such as acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments, have gained some popularity, and are sometimes being used as an alternative treatment for certain symptoms.

But, just as in human medicine, these alternative methods are, by no means, the primary focus in the process of maintaining a pet's health through proper medical care. Dr. Ledyard praised Andie MacDowell's choice of movies she has been a part of, and thinks that this show will have the opportunity to put Asheville and veterinary medicine in general in a very positive light.

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