Besides sneaking your way into that George Strait show that’s hella sold out.
1. GO SEE A SHOW AT FULTON 55
You can see another country legend (sorta!) — as Johnny Cash tribute Cash’d Out plays tonight. They’re legit — as in they can make Cash’s daughter cry. Then Saturday, S.F.’s Nicki Bluhm comes to play some fun folky music for you. She’s legit too. [More]
What do you do when you’re a theater company with a scheduled performance on Super Bowl Sunday?
Figure out a good marketing pitch. Here’s the Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater pitch for this Sunday’s Good Company Players matinee performance of “Spamalot:”
@donaldbeearts Who needs the Superbowl when you have SPAMALOT-See the show&only miss kickoff! RogerRockas.com twitter.com/RogerRockas/st…
— Roger Rocka’s (@RogerRockas) January 31, 2013
Very funny. But I’ll tell you this much for sure: The photo above will be the closest this 7 writer gets to the Super Bowl. It’s my Sunday without crowds! Sorry, football fans.
CHECK THIS OUT: Chaffee Zoo Orangutan predicts Super Bowl champs. [ABC 30]
WOAH: Siabu is viralling, getting love all over the Internet, including … [Time]
AND THEN: This Bay Area blogger uses it as a chance to talk smack about us. [SF Weekly]
CONTEST: The Bee wants to see your best photos, Niner fans. [The Bee]
SURVEY SAYS: Fresno is the No. 2 energy-drink chugging city. [Marketing Daily]
LOSER OF THE WEEK: Fresno dude who gets 7 years in jail after 8th DUI. [The Bee]
WE’RE MOURNING: “No Suits, No Ties, No Lies” Guy’s car dealership. [The Bee]
WELCOME TO THE ‘NET: Downtown Fresno Partnership’s blog. [Downtown Fresno Blog]
KICKSTART: Two local mobile food operations. [TasteFresno]
YOU SHOULD BE READING: George Hostetter’s stories about walking the the city. [City Beat]
LISTEN TO THIS: Latest Flowing with Famous podcast. [Fresno Famous]
(DON’T) WATCH THIS: Happy Birthday video to some dude named Fresno. [YouTube]
VINTAGE: “Bobby Salazar” by Brian Kenney Fresno. [YouTube]
SPORTS: Fresno State’s Philip Thomas gets WashPost feature. [Washington Post]
Fresno State and Reedley High School graduate Gabriel Trevino is in the running to have a commercial he made be part of this year’s Super Bowl broadcast. His work is one of the five finalist in the “Dorito’s 2013 Crash the Super Bowl Contest.” Voting ends today to see which commercial will be shown during the telecast Sunday.
The commercial he wrote, directed by Mark Freiburger, features a father heading out to play football with his buddies. He’s stopped by his young daughter who wants him to play princess with her. His objections are countered when the little girl offers him some Doritos. Soon all the football buddies are involved in the playtime.
“The idea came to me because I just became a new dad. It’s about the crazy and kooky things a father will do for their children — and Doritos,” Trevino says.
This isn’t the first Doritos commercial for Trevino, a communications major at Fresno State, as he was one of the writers behind the “Swing Baby” Doritos commercial that aired during last year’s big game.
Not only did he write this year’s entry, Trevino produced the commercial that cost $300 to shoot, far below the $5,000 spent by some on other contest entries. Trevino could keep the price low because all of the actors and crew were friends. The biggest expense was the cost of renting the largest wedding dress they could find.
Trevino doesn’t make commercials for a living. Along with working for a company that places promotional advertisements for Disney products in major outlets, he’s done some improv work.
The director was informed their commercial was a finalist in a phone call from director Michael Bay. The man behind the ‘Transformer” movies was involved in narrowing down the more than 6,000 entries into the finalists.
You know what? I’m just going to leave this right here … Enjoy.
Best. Super Bowl. Ever.
There’s no shortage of people on the Internet today talking which Super Bowl commercials were good, bad, funny, offensive, etc. But how many blogs talking about the commercial that really mattered?
I’m talking, of course, about the Own A Car Fresno ad that made the local Super Bowl rotation. Now I’ve been critical of Own-A-Car’s spots in the past, but I didn’t totally hate this new one, produced (as always) by local company Blare Media.
First off, it features local musician Trey Tosh. Second, the storyline is bringing people downtown, which I can get behind. The annoying quasi-British voice is still there, but not at the center of the ad. And it actually makes Fresno look cool, instead of trying to make it look like something it’s not.
So what do you think, Fresnans: Still douchey or decent?
For this week’s 7Qs, I flipped the one-person-seven-questions concept. It’s seven people, one question. Enjoy!
PREVIOUSLY IN 7Qs:
Fresno Brewing Co. | Fulton 55 | Dead in 60 Years | Travis Sheridan
It’s a super weekend for entertainment.
TELEVISION
“Super Bowl XLVI,” 3 p.m. Sunday, KSEE (Channel 24.1): The New England Patriots and the New York Giants meet in the annual big game being held this year in Indianapolis. The official starting time is 3 p.m. but you can watch Super Bowl coverage all day long. If you only watch the game because you are at a party, there will at least be some interesting commercials and a half-time show by Madonna that you might find fun.
MOVIES
“Big Miracle”: This is a family-friendly tale of three whales who get trapped in the ice in Alaska and the efforts by an odd group to save them. The story, based on true events, is sentimental and embraces that sentimentality with a fever. Take some tissues as this one goes straight for the heart.
DVD
“To Kill a Mockingbird”: To mark the 50th anniversary of this amazing movie, a commemorative limited edition collector’s series Blu-ray combo pack is being released. The digitally remastered and fully restored version offers clearer images, but this film, based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, is already powerful because of the writing and performances. This is one of the finest works by Gregory Peck in a career filled with memorable performances.
Remember the teaser ad that was released last week featuring Matthew Broderick reprising his role as Ferris Bueller for a Honda commercial that’s to be run during next week’s Super Bowl? Today Honda released the full two-minute commercial. Check it out:
Okay, so Broderick isn’t playing Bueller as much as he’s playing himself ripping off Bueller, but you know — still fun.
Also fun: Honda hid some references to the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in the commercial (other than, you know, Broderick). From their YouTube page:
Think you’re a true fan of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? We hid over two dozen references to the movie throughout the commercial. Some are obvious, some are VERY subtle. See how many you can find.
So. What do you see?
This week, the following teaser ad was released to the Internets. It features Matthew Broderick reprising his role as Ferris Bueller. Check it out:
Auto blog Jalopnik says that the teaser is for a Honda ad that will appear in the upcoming Super Bowl:
A source familiar with Honda’s operations hinted to us earlier this year that the company was going to do a Ferris Bueller-style ad for the Super Bowl starring none other than Matthew Broderick.
The source also added that the spot was going to mimic much of the original film, except this time prominently featuring Hondas. The big jump the two valets do in Cameron’s dad’s Ferrari? We hear this time it’s going to be a Honda CR-V.
Honda is pouring a lot of money into this ad and, according to our source, hired The Hangover writer/director Todd Phillips to put it all together.
Hmm. On one hand: ugh, ads. On the other hand: Ferris Bueller!
Not being a football fan, I’m happy there will be at least one thing to look forward to during the game other than the drinking of beer and eating of fried foods (as you know, I’ve already written off the halftime show). Time will tell on this one.
So the rumor du jour is that Madonna, the old Material Girl herself, is being tapped to perform during this year’s Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. According to Entertainment Weekly, neither Madonna nor the NFL will confirm anything yet, but let’s just pretend for a minute this is happening.
What I want to know is: Is Madonna the worst possible act you can think of to perform at a football game (other than the Black Eyed Peas — that’s just a given in every circumstance, not just sporting events)? True, the Super Bowl is the biggest football game of the year, and Madonna is nothing if not willing to sell herself in front of a large audience. But, come on. The woman has done everything in her power in recent years to downplay her American-ness, if you will. Take the fake British accent. And … the fake British accent.
As much as her music and persona appeal to audiences across the country and indeed worldwide, Madonna has always put off a very above-it-all vibe — definitely above America’s favorite past-time something as seemingly lower class as football.
I mean, the woman loooooathes hydrangeas and those are simple but pretty flowers. Nachos, beer and penalty flags? I just don’t see it.
What say you, peeps? 50-yard Line Madonna: Yay or nay?
Okay, I admit: I was pretty bored with the Super Bowl. The game wasn’t thrilling, the commercials were not as entertaining as I’d hoped they’d be, and the halftime show … well.
There was, however, one moment that stood out during yesterday’s game. This:
My shock at realizing we live in an America in which Ashton Kutcher is allowed to share space with a former president was immediately trumped by the vision of Cameron Diaz hand-feeding Alex Rodriguez. Call me crazy, but this doesn’t look like sexy, “have a taste of this, lovah” feeding; this is exasperated mom trying to get the kid to eat something, dammit, feeding.
Am I wrong?
[link]
After Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime performance, it looks like the people of the world see the Black Eyed Peas for what they truly are — a bunch of no-talent cornballs with a gimmick that’s overdue to expire.
An ESPN.com poll asked the nation to grade the Peas’ performance. As you can imagine, I’m pleased with the results. For a nation that’s so often divided, it’s nice to see us come together for the important things. Like hating Fergie.
PREVIOUSLY: The Black Eyed Peas make me want to take my own life
Since this is the first time I’m interested in the Super Bowl, I’m curious to know who you’re rooting for — and where you’re watching the game.
Most of you already have a spot, but just in case you don’t, here are a couple of restaurants to consider:
Raffle prizes and a Nintendo Wii are part of the party. Advance tickets are $20; tickets at the door are $25. For more info, call (559) 297-9545.
There’s no cover charge. Call (559) 434-2739 for more information at the North Fresno location, or (559) 264-5521 for the Tower District restaurant.
Chaffee Zoo put two blankets in a box — one blue and white for the Colts, another black and gold for the Saints — and had its orangutan Siabu open the box and pick one, indicating a Super Bowl prediction.
You had to know that the animal was going to the side with its fellow animals.
Zack Follett, the Clovis-bred linebacker for the NFL’s Detroit Lions, is doing his part for Haiti relief — auctioning off his pair of Super Bowl tickets.
The story has been covered from the pages of The Bee to the Detroit Free Press. Follett, who is currently back in the Fresno/Clovis area for the offseason, figured his Super Bowl tickets had legs as a fundraiser. He’s working with NFL.com to auction them. As I write this, they’re at $3,025 with two days and nine hours left in the auction.
In addition to football, Follett is also a woodworker, so he created a custom Super Bowl XLIV piece that includes a game-used ball and gloves that’s included in the auction.
He’s been chronicling the everything on his blog — zakarianfollett.com. Does this make him the first pro athlete in the Fresno blogosphere? He is totally NOT invited to Blogger Olympics.
A few things on my brain on this came-to-soon Monday morning …
HOLLYWOODS: The new-look Fresno Yosemite International Airport got some Twitter props from reality TV star/Playmate Holly Madison, who flew in for her appearance at The Den, Tachi Palace’s nightclub. She liked the trees. That’s her Twitpic –>>>
RED(ZONE)EMPTION? So I went to Red Zone Sports Grill yesterday. This may come as a shock, I know. I got invited to a football-watching party there, which Red Zone had donated for a cancer fundraiser. (That was nice of them). I didn’t actually buy anything, so I don’t feel like I totally sold out. Not sure I’d go back on my own, but I will say that I had a good time — and some of the Red Zone grub was tasty.
FIGGA IT OUT: Local show promoter Faddafigga, now infamous on The Beehive for his MySpace meltdown — warning: all links from here on have NSFW language — has taken his rants and raves rants to Twitter. Once again, he is taking shots at local musicians. I honestly don’t know why bands and other promoters in Fresno put up with this guy.
If you read my column on Friday, you’ll know that Ryan Scott, a season 4 contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” is at Whole Foods Market tonight.
I promised a couple of his recipes on this blog, so here goes:
Chicks in a Blanket
Makes 16 pieces
1 pound bulk chicken sausage
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
10 ounces fresh spinach
1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg, beaten
10 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 cup butter, melted and divided
A few things on my brain on this quiet Monday morning …
GOLDEN: Props to Clovis’ Chris Colfer and his “Glee”-mates for winning best TV comedy or musical in last night’s Golden Globes. It topped regular award-show faves such as “The Office” and “30 Rock.”
FOOTBALL FOLLIES: I’m SO not a football prognosticator. My playoff picks went 1-3 this weekend. I even had the gall to call The Chargers a “lock.” So, I’m now officially picking the Jets and the Vikings for the Super Bowl, in hopes that my picking them makes them lose.
BLAH BLAH BAUER: Was it just me or was the “24″ season premiere last night a little boring? Someone in charge of CTU doesn’t believe Jack’s (and Chloe’s) theory, so the two of them have take matters into their own hands? Haven’t we seen this before? Like every season? In fact, the whole two hours seemed pretty familiar. I’m holding onto hope that tonight’s second part of the premiere impresses me.
HELLA FRESH: So I finally got over to Fresh & Easy this weekend. Very cool. I like the selections and prices, plus the prepared food looks yummy. Not even the picketers are going to keep me away.
YOUR TURN: Anything good happen to ya over the weekend? Spill it in the comments.
Baked.
Or not. After this photo of a nearly unrecognizable Phelps surfaced yesterday, the swimmer issued the following statement:
Update #2: Oh dear god. Cloris Leachman, too? If I was interested in watching stuff that sucks, I’d watch “Kath and Kim.” Fail, Dunder Mifflin. Fail.
Update: It’s been confirmed that Jessica Alba — who is so lacking in humor and good cheer that her nickname on the Internets is “Miseralba” (seriously. Google it) — also will appear in the Super Bowl episode of “The Office.”
I’m not saying this will automatically make the episode suck, except that it will.
Original Post:
Jack Black will appear as himself on the hour-long episode of “The Office” premiering after the Super Bowl in February.
According to EW.com:
“Some of the office workers try to secretly watch a bootlegged Hollywood movie during the workday. The movie stars Jack Black and other notable Hollywood actors.”
