‘Happy Grad’ (Chevy), from competetion to Superbowl Commercial

‘Happy Grad’ is an amazing commercial that has fast become a Superbowl favorite, all from Chevrolet’s online competition.

Commercial summary: A new grad is blindfolded and his parents have bought him a mini fridge for college. However, behind the mini fridge is the neighbor’s new bright yellow Chevy Camaro, which the grad thinks is his actual present. Hilarity ensues; He freaks out, calls his friends, asks his girlfriend to marry him without realizing that the car is not his, while the parents look not knowing what to say. At the end, the actual owner and there next door neighbor drives off and the happy grad thinks his car has been stolen.

The spot was done by Zack Borst who submitted it in Chevrolet’s Route66 online competition. After Borst beat out hundreds of submissions from filmmakers in 32 countries, he won the right to have his spot shown to over 100 million people watching the Super Bowl ad; which is a nice way of showing a very creative spot on a shoestring budget.

Occupy Oakland: More than 400 arrested in Protest

Occupy Oakland Riot

BOTTLES, METAL PIPE: Occupy Oakland Riots.

“Officers were pelted with bottles, metal pipe, rocks, spray cans, improvised explosive devices and burning flares,” the Oakland Police Department said in a statement. “The Oakland Police Department deployed smoke, tear gas and beanbag projectiles in response to this activity.”

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan accused a “violent splinter group” of the Occupy movement of fomenting the Saturday protests and using the city as its playground. Protesters have accused the city of overreacting and using heavyhanded tactics.

By early evening on Sunday, about 80 to 100 protesters were gathered in the plaza next to Oakland City Hall, but there was no police presence and the park was peaceful.

Oakland Police warned protesters that they would not tolerate a repeat of the protest actions on Saturday.

Tension also flared on Sunday in Washington where police used a taser on an Occupy protester during an arrest at a park near the White House, U.S. Park police said.

The National Park Service has said it will begin enforcing a ban on Occupy protesters camping overnight in McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza, two parks near the White House where they have been living since October.

That order, if carried out as promised starting at noon on Monday, could be a blow to one of the highest-profile chapters of the movement.

There are fears of more riots in the coming future with such technologies as ‘Twitter’ leading the way to “flash riots.”  Occupy has now become more than a movement throughout America and the World. Great fears of further violence has put police on guard throughout the country worrying to see if Oakland is going to start a “riot mob mentality” or if this was just an isolated outcome to a supposed peaceful rally.  Occupy 99% is growing steadily throughout the country and will reach “‘alarming proportions by summer 2012.”

The Broad Stage on November 5, 2011 With ‘Peter And The Wolf’

Peter and the Wolf

As part of her Saturday Morning Mash-Up series, passionately innovative conductor Rachael Worby, Artistic Director of MUSE/IQUE, offers a kid-friendly version of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf in which classical music becomes cool. Add in special guest narrators – Golden Globe winning actress Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me, Hot In Cleveland) and Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years, ED, JAG) – and they will leave you and your family gasping (and texting) for joy. Before you know it, the line between orchestra and audience disappears. Performances take place at 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM on November 5, 2011.

Worby, who spends more than half the performance off the stage directly engaging the kids and families, brings her lifelong passions for people and music to the experience of the Saturday Morning Mash-Ups. As Artistic Director of MUSE/IQUE, Worby is renowned for mixing high culture with casual whimsy. She has engaged writer Matt Nix to create the text for a group of actors, including Malick and Lauria, who will each be paired with an instrument. Additional cast members are David Fickas, Kiele Sanchez, Amy Acker, Jay Karnas and Bradley Whitford as…the wolf!

Nix is an American writer, producer and director best known for creating and executive producing the USA Network television series Burn Notice, now entering its sixth season, and the cult-favorite comedy The Good Guys.

About The Broad Stage:

Under the leadership of Director Dale Franzen and Artistic Chair Dustin Hoffman, The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center presents theater, dance, film, jazz, operas, musicals, symphony, chamber orchestras and world music. The Broad Stage ARTS INSIGHTS education and outreach program offers opportunities for cultural exposure and currently reaches 12,000 students and diverse community members annually through over 30 free and low-cost events.

Tickets: Range from $20-$35, available online visit www.theBroadStage.com. 310.434.3200. Parking is free.

The Broad Stage is located at 1310 11^th Street, Santa Monica, CA  90401

Contact:
Vanessa Butler, 213.446-0774
vanessa.butler@sbcglobal.net

Nina Andro, 310.739.7343
nina@leftcoast-marketing.com

A&E Television Renews ‘The Glades’ For a Third Season, Summer 2012

A&E Television Renews ‘The Glades’ starring Kiele Sanchez

A&E has renewed its central flagship drama series The Glades for a third season, which will launch next summer 2012. The news comes a month after the cop series starring Matt Passmore and Kiele Sanchez ended its second season, which averaged 3.9 million viewers, 1.55 million of them in the 18-49 demographic and 1.74 million in adults 25-54. In 18-49, The Glades was up 12% from Season 1. With the renewal, A&E will have three original series on tap for next year: The Glades; Breakout Kings, which will return for a second season; and the recently picked up newcomer Longmire.

The news comes as the net looks to expand its scripted footprint, with other scripted dramas Breakout Kings and upcoming Longmire.

For its part, The Glades second season grew 12 percent in the advertiser beloved 18 to 49 demographic –and 2 percent in the adults 25 to 54 demo– compared to a year earlier. On average, the series, starring Matt Passmore and Kiele Sanchez lured 3.9 million total viewers.

The Glades is produced by Fox Television Studios, is executive produced by creator Clifton Campbell (White Collar, 21 Jump Street) and Gary Randall (Saving Grace.)

Breaking Bad Season 4 ended with a Bang

Breaking Bad, "Face Off"

Breaking Bad Season 4 ended with a Bang! “Face Off,” a double entendre if ever there were one, followed Walter’s (Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul) showdown with with rival meth distributors and included the literal face-melting of gangster Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito).

The Hollywood Reporter’s chief TV critic Tim Goodman was on board with the episode, calling it a “compelling, fulfilling restart button for the last 16 episodes.”

He was less impressed with the dramatic reveal of Gus’ gory demise. “That wasn’t the shocker it may have been –  I just saw it coming. And I loved the execution of it right until Gus walked out of the room like Terminator – face off! — when the bomb exploded,” he writes. “I thought that was a little too much, honestly.”

Slate‘s Jessica Grose shares Goodman’s lack of surprise with the dispatching of Gus.

“Though this episode delivered when it came to quality, it was the first episode in recent memory where I didn’t feel like every move was unpredictable,” she writes. “I didn’t think Gus would survive the season finale, and he didn’t — though I was impressed with the plotting around Gus’ murder.”

CNN‘s Carl Williott had few objects to the finale, praising the show for the suspense it held onto throughout Season 4, besting some of the previous outings.

“This run, more than the others, favored finesse over fireworks. The meticulous structure led to a gradual swell of tension that crept up like flood waters. By the end of last night’s episode, the water was up to chin level. And in a matter of minutes, it all receded. Sweet relief,” he writes.

Trying to draw parallels for fans not intimately acquainted with the series, several critics pointed to two iconic HBO shows.

Paste writer Brent Koepp sees a similarity to the structure and storytelling of The Wire.

“In a lot of ways, I see a lot of similarities between Breaking Bad and The Wire, the latter being a show that didn’t hammer its audience over the head constantly with flashy moments, but instead expected the audience to be patient and see what all the plot threads and groundwork were building up to,” he writes.

While New York Magazine writer Logan Hill makes a bolder statement: “Was The Sopranos really ever any better than this show? I’d say no.”

TVGuide critic Matt Roush makes no such comparisons, but does seem to qualify Breaking Bad as a stand-out among TV series.

“This episode — written and directed by Vince Gilligan with a superior blend of suspense and pitch-black humor — is a textbook example of how to provide resolution for a spectacular season while leaving us anxiously wondering ‘what next?’ ” he writes.

What’s next will come some time in 2012, when AMC begins to roll out the final 16 episodes. Share

Photo: Gregory Peters/AMC