With her fourth album still in the preliminary stages, Liz Phair has signed on for a role in filmmaker Finn Taylor’s forthcoming stalker thriller, Cherish. The film, set to film this month in San Francisco, stars Robin Tunney (Vertical Limit) and Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother Where Art Thou?) with supporting roles from Phair and Saturday Night Live alum Nora Dunn. Taylor, best known for scripting 1994’s Pontiac Moon, and 1997’s Dream With the Fishes, hopes to debut the film at next year’s Sundance Festival.
Sadly for fans, Phair’s involvement with the flick looks to be on a strictly thespian level. Though word is Cherish has plenty of music in it, most of it looks to be recycled Seventies love songs with nary an original song.
Phair’s commitment to Cherish also means sessions for the follow-up to 1998’s Whitechocolatespaceegg will be further delayed. At last count, Phair had upwards of forty tracks ready to go, many pre-produced by Los Angeles-based songwriter Pete Yorn. She’s yet to pick a final producer for the project but longtime collaborator Brad Wood and singer/songwriter Michael Penn are top candidates.
Where Whitechocolatespaceegg whimsically documented the birth of Phair’s first child, her forthcoming album may tackle the dissolution of a relationship. Phair recently divorced and relocated from her native Chicago to L.A. Musically, Phair was last heard from last year, offering up the theme song, “Misfortune,” for the NBC show Cursed.
