Entertainment
NBA Draft Prospect Dante Exum Is Getting Ready For His Closeup
Today Foot Locker has launched on YouTube a series of five new commercials with adidas featuring NBA Draft prospect Dante Exum of Australia. The latest ads are part of Foot Locker’s successful “Approved” marketing platform and poke fun at Exum’s current “celebrity status,” or lack thereof, while centering on the idea that “Life Changes After the Draft.”
In one of the spots, entitled “Paparazzi,” Exum expresses concern about going to a Foot Locker store due to the possibility of paparazzi being there, to which his friends respond by laughing uproariously, knowing he’s a relatively unknown commodity in the United States.
Each of the five spots will debut digitally on Foot Locker’s YouTube channel. The spots will also takeover NBA.com on Wednesday, June 25 and make their television debut on ESPN during the NBA Draft on Thursday, June 26th.
Here is Dante looking to work on his autograph skills.
Jun 23rd
Chromeo Talks With MANjr. About Working With Johnny Appleseed, Touring, and More
On Thursday, June 19, thousands of partygoers flocked to Boston’s Seaport District for a chance to see – and drink from – the World’s Largest Ice Luge by Johnny Appleseed Hard Apple Cider. Ice Pro of Central Florida began hauling pieces of the giant ice sculpture into the Seaport World Trade Center as early as 6 a.m. on Thursday, completing a massive build-out of the World’s Largest Ice Luge by 5 p.m. for the evening event.
The event, which coincided with Saturday’s official start of summer, included a performance by electrofunk duo Chromeo, whose hit song “Jealous” is featured in Johnny Appleseed’s national television spot and was recently named to Time magazine’s “Best Songs of 2014” list. Boston’s hometown-turned-national sports reporter Jenny Dell was a natural in the role of sideline serving as host and emcee for the evening.
At 25 feet tall, the World’s Largest Ice Luge surpassed the current record holder by two feet and weighed in at an impressive 25,000 lbs. And while the luge itself required 600 man hours to build from start-to-finish, the party heated up quickly, resulting in nearly 1,200 gallons of melted ice that was donated to the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association to water the trees and flowers along the trail. 
I was able to chat with Chromeo and ask the guys how they started working with Johnny Appleseed, touring, and which artists influenced them and their sound.
Art Eddy: How did you guys start up working with Johnny Appleseed?
Chromeo: They used our song “Jealous” in their commercial. We wanted to make it an even more organic partnership, hence the idea of doing an event that the fans can enjoy and participate in.
AE: You guys are in Boston to be part of the biggest ice luge in history. What will you guy be doing there?
Chromeo: DJing and performing Jealous. And hopefully interacting with fans, taking pics. And marveling at a 25 foot ice sculpture in the middle of June.
AE: How did you guys meet and was it around music?
Chromeo: Absolutely. We met in high school and discovered funk and soul music together. That’s how we bonded: jamming and record shopping.
AE: Who has influenced you guys as musicians?
Chromeo: Prince, Zapp, Hall & Oates, Rick James, Robert Palmer. But also Daft Punk, Justice and Stuart Price. And hip hop producers like Pete Rock and J Dilla whom we used to worship growing up.
AE: Who would be the number one artist you would love to work with on a future project?
Chromeo: Haim! They’re our gals.
AE: Are you guys touring this summer?
Chromeo: Yep, all summer and beyond. Every major American festival, we’re hitting.
AE: What is the funniest moment that has happened to you guys while on tour?
Chromeo: Bribing Serbian border agents with cigarette cartons in the middle of the night just so we could get our equipment in the country — after the legit protocol had been followed to a tee of course.
AE: What you most like about the music scene today and what is the worst thing?
Chromeo: Can’t think of a worst thing. I love everything about it: especially the fact that music is more democratic and shareable than ever. You can be a kid on a laptop and have a hit record. Music discovery is facilitated and accelerated by platforms like SoundCloud and Bandcamp. It’s limitless. Dizzying sometimes, but limitless.
Jun 20th
Adam Carolla Interview
Funnyman Adam Carolla has been making us laugh since his days of doing Mr. Birchum skits on KROQ’s Kevin and Beane Show back in the day. Carolla’s resume is decidedly manly. He followed up his stint as a co-host of Loveline with a solid run with Jimmy Kimmel on The Man Show. He served as the co-creator of the genius muppet prank-calling series Crank Yankers and had stints as the host of the TLC home improvement show The Adam Carolla Project and Speed TV’s The Car Show. Now he produces one of the most popular and entertaining daily podcasts around.
Carolla’s also spent some time as a boxer, a serious car collector and he’s even won some competitions as a celebrity race car driver. Dude knows his man-stuff. And that includes cars. Carolla owns multiple Lamborghinis and five of Paul Newman’s race cars.
Carolla is actually wrapping up a documentary that he made on Newman. The film focuses on Newman’s exploits as a race car driver first and foremost and shows additional layers to this titan of the silver screen by shining a bright light on his one true love.
Last week, Carolla partnered up with Edmunds.com for the first ever Car Week. Launched in New York and Los Angeles, Car Week featured hundreds of local dealers offering prices at or below Edmunds.com’s True Market Value®.
We had a chat with Carolla to discuss his sweet collection, his involvement with Car Week, his fellow Hollywood car nut homies and his new Paul Newman project. Here’s the interview:
Jun 16th
Charles Baker Talks “Murder In The First,” “Breaking Bad,” & More
Charles Baker made a career for himself in Texas and before even stepping foot in Hollywood had thirty-seven credits. Known for his role as ‘Skinny Pete’ on “Breaking Bad,” Baker can now be seen in the new TNT drama “Murder in the First” alongside Tom Felton and Taye Diggs. Set in San Francisco, the series will follow a single case across an entire season.
Later this year, Baker will star opposite Reese Witherspoon in the Fox Searchlight picture “Wild,” set to open in select theaters countrywide on Friday, December 5, 2014. “Wild” powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that angers, strengthens, and ultimately heals her.
Baker will be in a variety of independent films including “You Can’t Win” as ‘Fremont Older,’ (based on a real journalist) in a drama set in the 1920s centered around the unusual friendship between an adventurer and a young prostitute, opposite Hannah Marks, Michael Pitt, and Jeremy Allen White, “Ad Inexplorata” as ‘Captain Frank Worsely,’ the captain of a supply station in space, and “Eleven Eleven,” as ‘Tim Faris,’ a UFO fanatic desperately trying to prove to his family that abductions are real.
You can listen to my interview with Charles Baker HERE!
Jun 15th
Jimmy Kimmel Puts Kobe Bryant In The Hot Seat
Jimmy Kimmel was at it again with his “3 Ridiculous Questions” – a playful Q&A session where the host has a chance to sit down with some of America’s biggest celebs or athletes during “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” In the midst of the NBA Finals hype, who better to chat with than the man who has visited the Finals seven times – basketball superstar, Kobe Bryant!
During the Q&A session, Kimmel and Bryant joked around over a glass of the new Crown Royal Monarch 75th Anniversary Blend – a limited time offering featuring a special rye from the brand’s historic Coffey Still.
How many times have you caught yourself wondering where Kobe Bryant would go to the bathroom if he could fly? Jimmy Kimmel isn’t afraid to ask those tough questions. Find out that and more on Jimmy Kimmel Live’s hard-hitting “3 Ridiculous Questions.”
Jun 15th
TGI Fridays Is Bringing Their Food To You
TGI Fridays is hitting the road to promote their new “handcrafted” menu in a food truck. It is called the “Summer of Fridays Road Tour” and it will make stops in cities nationwide including Detroit, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Dallas.
The Summer of Fridays Road Tour is on the hunt to discover and be inspired by the best of handcrafted America. They are taking to the road with our trucks equipped with a grill, and the chefs and a tank full of curiosity to explore new places, meet new people, and devour new food and drink, all in the name of craft. And you get to ride (virtual) shotgun.
Along the way, they will introduce you to some of our handcrafted goodness, which they will hand-deliver to you. Meet them at the truck for a free taste of our American All-Star Sliders, Ahi Tuna Crisps, Potato Skins or Oreo® Madness. If you’re in the mood for a refreshing summer beverage, see what’s on their drink menu, like Red Bull® Strawberry Lemonade, Peach Sangria, Strawberry Passion Fruit Tea, The Best Fridays Margarita or Barbados Rum Punch.
Find the full schedule here.
Jun 4th
Captain America: The Winter Soldier on Blu-ray 9/9
From the studio that brought you the biggest Super Hero movie of all time, Marvel’s The Avengers, comes this year’s #1 live-action adventure, Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, available early on Digital 3D and HD August 19th, 2014, and on 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand September 9th, 2014, from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Saluted by critics as “action-packed” (NY Daily News), “thrilling” (Cinema Blend) and “better than The Avengers” (Access Hollywood), this blockbuster second chapter in the Captain America series teams Marvel’s First Avenger, Captain America, with Black Widow and new ally The Falcon as they battle their most mysterious and powerful enemy yet, the Winter Soldier.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and starring Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as The Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie as The Falcon, with Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier arrives on 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital HD armed with explosively entertaining bonus features, including Making-of Featurettes, Audio Commentary, Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes, Bloopers and More.
Jun 3rd
Bubble Boy Looks To Clear The Air
AIRWARE LABS cast a wide net in search of our next spokesperson. In the process we discovered Bubble Boy, who burst from his prison of allergies with the help of AIR ALLERGY™: The simple and comfortable nasal insert.
http://WWW.AIRWARELABS.COM
Mad Men’s Vincent Kartheiser and Adam Herschman (Accepted, Soul Men) star in “Bubble Boy.”
Flowers, hikes, family BBQs, you name it. AIR ALLERGY™ keeps you there in the moments that matter. Our discreet nasal filters protect you from irritating airborne allergens like pollen, dust and pet dander. Don’t believe it? Check the video!
Jun 2nd
Red Bull & Tyree Dillihay Team Up For Red Bull BC One
The one and only Tyree Dillihay and Red Bull are presenting the Red Bull BC One cypher in Philadelphia, PA at Skybox this Saturday, May 31st at 3pm.
The Red Bull BC One is one of the longest running B-Boy/breaking competitions in the world. For the East Coast, U.S. stop of this global competition, the Philadelphia cypher will feature 16 hand-picked B-Boys, representing the best of the best from all over the Northeast, who will compete in intense one-on-one battles to win a spot at the North American Final (August 15, 2014).
To commemorate the host city of Philadelphia, Red Bull worked with Tyree Dillihay to illustrate four of the Philly breakers who will be taking part in the competition on Saturday – Box Won, Mighty Mouse, Napalm and Ookie.
Tyree Dillihay, aka R E E, is a director on the FOX animated sitcom, “Bob’s Burgers” by day, and the creator of the popular web comic about sneakerheads called “SN’EADS” by night. In between time, R E E is a style agnostic “curator of cool” who strives to blend his love of fashion, hip hop, and art collectively in all his creative endeavors.
May 27th
Tyler Mitchell Tells MANjr. Who “The Angriest Man In Brooklyn” Is.
This weekend “The Angriest Man in Brooklyn,” starring Robin Williams, Mila Kunis, Melissa Leo and Peter Dinklage, will be released by Lionsgate in select theaters. The film centers on Henry Altmann, who is played by Robin Williams. He seems to always be having a bad day. In the film we find Henry waiting impatiently at the doctor’s office. When he is finally seen by Dr. Sharon Gill. Sharon, played by Mila Kunis, who is enduring her own bad day, she gives him some bad news.
She tells Henry that he has a brain aneurysm. This news makes Henry even angrier and he starts yelling at Sharon as he demands to know how much time he has left. Faced with Henry’s anger and insults, Sharon abruptly tells him he has only 90 minutes. Shocked and reeling by this news, Henry storms out of the office leaving Sharon stunned by what she has just done in a lapse of judgment. As Sharon goes on a city-wide search, Henry struggles with his diagnosis, determined to make amends with everyone he has hurt in his life.
One of the producers from this film is Tyler Mitchell. He is a film and television producer, writer and executive whose credits include “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” and “Lucky Number Slevin.”
Mitchell began his career in film at age 19, doing summer internships with producers Arnold Kopelson, Jim Jacks and Sean Daniel, as well as working for New Line Cinema. After graduating college, he gained hands-on production knowledge as a director’s assistant on such films as “The Whole Nine Yards,” before joining the Agent Training Program at International Creative Management, where he worked for Ken Kamins, Executive Vice President and Head of International Operations.
In 2001, Mitchell departed ICM for upstart production/finance company FilmEngine, where he served as Vice President of Production and Head of Development. Mitchell oversaw the development, production and financing of six films in the company’s first four years, including “The Butterfly Effect,” starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart, and “The Rum Diary”, starring Johnny Depp. During his tenure, FilmEngine landed a four year, first-look production and financing deal at New Line Cinema.
Mitchell is currently a partner at Landscape Entertainment. Landscape has a First-Look deal with Entertainment One for television and a First-Look deal with Fox Studios for Event Series, with projects in active development at: HBO, USA, TNT, FOX, WGN, and Amazon.
I was able to catch up with Tyler to ask him about “The Angriest Man in Brooklyn,” the difference between directing and producing, and much more. Click here to listen to the interview.
May 22nd
