The Wackness Official Movie Trailer
Sony Pictures Classics has released a new trailer for one of my favorite films of the year - The Wackness. They’re calling it the “official trailer”, and I actually like it much more than the the previously released teasers. It plays equal attention the relationships between Peck, Thirlby, and Kingsley, the 1990’s nostalgia, and the incredible soundtrack. I could have done without the Mary-Kate Olsen button at the end, but I understand she might be a selling point.
Hunter points out that they probably should have played up some of the great critical reaction the film has gotten on the festival circuit. But at the same time I can understand that the target audience might not care about quotes from movie critics. I’m still waiting for the inevitable red band trailer. As I’ve said before, this film is a tough film to sell. Director Jonathan Levine told me that SPC was planning on doing a lot of word of mouth screenings to raise awareness. I think the best thing they could do is pack a theater with people and show them the film, as they will surely recommend it to ten of their friends.
Watch the trailer in High Definition on Yahoo. The Wackness hits theaters on July 3rd 2008.
Mr. Bill makes a comeback
One of the greatest — and most resilient — characters in the history of Saturday Night Live is making a comeback. Or maybe he’s just taking a paycheck. Mr. Bill is the star of a new MasterCard debit card “Priceless” commercial. He’s going to depict how even someone like Mr. Bill is tough enough to survive the rough financial times in which we live, just by using his MasterCard debit card.
The new 30-second commercials will begin airing on June 9, showing Mr. Bill as a typical guy heading in to work at the office. Naturally, along the commute, he stops for coffee and Mr. Hand scolds him accidentally. At the gym, he’s catapulted off the treadmill. Later, an briefcase opens and launches him out the window. Naturally, through it all, Mr. Bill endures. Being made of clay has its pluses.
Why bring a 30 year old character from the Saturday Night Live era that evokes memories of John Belushi and Gilda Radner? Because the target audience for these ads are the Baby Boomers who watched SNL when a weekly Mr. Bill film was part of every show. Those boomers are today struggling financially and could use the advice Mr. Bill’s dispensing about using the debit card which only lets you spend what you have in the bank.
For Mr. Bill, doing commercials has been his main meal ticket since losing his SNL gig. His resume includes Burger King, Lexus, Pringles and Ramada Inn.
The Wire’s Tristan Wilds lands 90210 role
It’s a step up from Baltimore. Tristan Wilds, who played Michael on The Wire, is playing the male lead in the 90210 spinoff. Wilds will take on the role of Dixon, the adopted son of the Harry and Celia Mills. The Mills family is shaping up to be much more entertaining than the Walshes. Jessica Walter and Lori Loughlin have already been cast as the grandmother and mother, respectively. I can’t wait to see Michael having family dinner with Lucille Bluth and Becky from Full House.
In other 90210 casting news, Michael Steger is playing Navid, producer of the West Beverly High’s TV news show. I’m not familiar with Steger, but I’m thrilled that Wilds is returning to TV.
The Mills family is almost complete. I’m eager for the role of Harry Mills to be cast. The actor will have to hold his own with Jessica Walter, and that’s no easy task. While I’m not part of the spinoff’s target audience, I’ll be watching the first few episodes out of support for Walter and Wilds.
ABC to Wipe Out with new reality show
If you love America’s Funniest Home Videos — and I know a lot of you do because the show’s been running since 1989 — you’re the likely target audience for something new from the network. ABC plans to produce Wipe Out, a new reality competition from producer Matt Kunitz (Fear Factor).
The idea for the show is to create — rather than collect a la AFHV — spills, splats, crashes and wipe outs ever seen on TV. Endemol USA (Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, 1 vs. 100) is producing the show for ABC.
The goal will be chuckles, not broken bones, but you never know what’ll happen when 24 contestants vie against each other in a progressively more complicated and difficult obstacle course. The number is eventually narrowed down to four combatants who enter the Wipe Out Zone, a variation of the Thunderdome (without the threat of death). He or she that emerges from the Zone will win $50,000. That’s at the end of every episode.
John Anderson, a familiar face from ESPN’s SportsCenter has been tapped at the host alongside Jill Wagner. Jill, by the way, is an actress. She played Larrin on Stargate: Atlantis and Krista Starr on Blade: The Series.