Blake Griffin interning with Funny Or Die
Oklahoma native and Los Angeles Clippers basketball player Blake Griffin performs in a scene during the first day of a week-long internship at comedy video website Funny Or Die, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, in Los Angeles. A fan of Funny Or Die and comedy in general, Blake will spend the week on tasks ranging from running office errands to helping out on productions. (AP Photo)
With the NBA lockout lingering, it’s Funny or Die for Oklahoma basketball superstar Blake Griffin.
According to the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Clippers All-Star forward this week is interning at Funny Or Die, the comedy website co-founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Griffin, an Oklahoma City native who rose to b-ball stardom at Oklahoma Christian School and later at the University of Oklahoma, arrived at the site’s LA offices Tuesday to begin three days of work in video production.
The 2011 NBA rookie of the year will help write, shoot, edit and act in several videos for the site. Funny Or Die quickly creates digital comedy videos, often with celebrity guest appearances.
Griffin, 22, told the AP he’s a big Funny Or Die fan. As an intern, he hopes to learn more about film production.
“Just to get an inside look at how things are run here is exciting to me,” Griffin told the AP by phone Tuesday. “I don’t know what interns at Funny Or Die are like, but I’m about to find out, I guess.”
Griffin isn’t the only young NBA standout with Oklahoma ties considering a jump into the entertainment biz during the lockout: Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant is on the verge of finalizing a deal to star in a major Warner Bros. film, The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry reported earlier this week.
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Video: Ron Howard talks about selecting Broken Arrow photographer Chris Wehner’s image for “Project Imagin8ion”
Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, who was born in Duncan, has selected the eight winners in his “Project Imagin8ion”collaboration with Canon U.S.A., Inc., and Broken Arrow photographer Chris Wehner is among the victors.
Launched on May 22, photographers of all levels were invited to submit their most imaginative photographs based on a series of eight separate movie themes, each one a core tenet of storytelling, to ultimately inspire Howard’s upcoming short film. The “Project Imagin8ion” film will be directed by Howard’s daughter, actress Bryce Dallas Howard. The eight winning photographs were picked from 96,362 submissions and can be seen at www.youtube.com/imagination.
Titled “Yea, Though I Walk,” Wehner’s striking photo of a gate at Tulsa’s Memorial Park Cemetery has been picked in the obstacle category. The winning images in each category — setting, character, mood, time, goal, relationship, obstacle and the unknown — came from across the country.
Wehner’s striking photo of “Our final obstacle — the entry gate to the hereafter,” as he described it, earned lavish praise from the Academy Award-winning helmer of “A Beautiful Mind.” Ron Howard talks about Wehner’s winning photo in this YouTube video.
To read my recent interview with Wehner, click here.
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Broken Arrow photographer inspires Ron Howard short film with winning “Project Imagin8ion” photo
"Yea, Though I Walk," by Broken Arrow photographer Chris Wehner, is among the eight winning images chosen by Oscar-winning Oklahoma-born director Ron Howard in his "Project Imagin8ion" contest. Wehner's photo of a decorative gate at Tulsa's Memorial Park Cemetery will inspire the obstacle in a short film directed by Howard's daughter, actress Bryce Dallas Howard.
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Broken Arrow photographer’s image selected to inspire Ron Howard short film
Chris Wehner’s photo of a decorative gate and Tulsa’s Memorial Park Cemetery is one of eight winners in the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s groundbreaking “Project Imagin8ion” contest.
TULSA — On a cloudy day late last year, Chris Wehner stopped traffic so he could snap pictures of a towering decorative gate at a local cemetery.
“I’ve driven by it a thousand times, and it never really jumped out of me,” he said. “But this one particular day it really did because the sky was really ominous and the whole scene just kind of fit that gate. So I just pulled over right there on 51st Street — and I always have my camera gear with me — and I blocked traffic and took the shot.
“It was one of those lucky, once-in-a-lifetime photo ops.”
The dramatic image has presented the Broken Arrow photographer with another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to inspire Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard and his daughter, actress and aspiring director Bryce Dallas Howard.
Titled “Yea, Though I Walk,” Wehner’s striking photo of a gate at Tulsa’s Memorial Park Cemetery has been named one of the winners of the groundbreaking “Project Imagin8ion” contest.
In May, Ron Howard, who was born in Duncan, and Canon U.S.A. launched “Project Imagin8ion,” inviting photographers of all skill and age levels to submit their most imaginative pictures in eight different categories, each representing a core tenet of storytelling.
More than 96,300 photos were submitted. The winning images in each category — setting, character, mood, time, goal, relationship, obstacle and the unknown — came from across the country and will be used to inspire a forthcoming short film that Ron Howard will produce and his daughter will direct.
Wehner’s striking photo of “Our final obstacle — the entry gate to the hereafter,” as he described it, won the obstacle category and lavish praise from the Academy Award-winning helmer of “A Beautiful Mind.”
Actress Bryce Dallas Howard, left, and her father director Ron Howard attend the Glamour Reel Moments event held at the Directors Guild of America on Monday, Oct. 16, 2006, in Los Angeles. Father and daughter are collaborating on a short film through "Project Imagin8ion," a groundbreaking photo contest. (AP file photo)
“It’s a very powerful, evocative and graphic frame of a cemetery and a cemetery gate with a powerfully dramatic sky,” Ron Howard said in a YouTube video. “I will admit that in the early, formative stages of the story that is beginning to take shape that this image helped stimulate an unusual direction for the story. It’s both beautiful (and) eerie, mysterious and very, very cinematic.”
Wehner, 40, entered the “Project Imagin8ion” competition after seeing TV commercials for it. He submitted four photos in various categories but thought his cemetery gate image was ideal for the obstacle division.
“Looking through the thousands of amazing photos that were uploaded from people all over the country, it was kind of daunting trying to figure out where your pictures fit in,” he said. “I felt pretty good about that one, but honestly not so good that I thought I’d win.”
Wehner drives past Memorial Park Cemetery, near 51 and Memorial, every day on his way to his commercial and automobile window-tinting business. Photography is his passion and side business.
On the fateful fall day he took his winning picture, he used high dynamic range imagery to capture the entire scene’s gothic look with startling, almost three-dimensional clarity.
“That shot really wouldn’t have worked with puffy clouds and the sun … and the sky really pulled that whole scene together,” he said “That shot was probably nine different exposures and I kind of layer them into Photoshop and then blend them so that I can deal with that much dynamic light. Just one single shot off a camera could not do that shot.”
He was satisfied when the “Project Imagin8ion” judges placed his image in the top 30 among the obstacle entries. He was excited when the public vote put his picture in the top 10. But knowing that Ron Howard personally selected his photo “is the most stunning part about the whole thing.”
Ron Howard, Bryce Dallas Howard and Freestyle Productions are working with the eight winning photos to craft the story, develop the script and produce the short film, which goes into production in September. It will premiere later this year in New York City, where the winners will be invited to a red carpet event and get to meet Ron Howard.
“With Ron Howard, who knows, he’s such a creative talent, there’s no telling what they’ve got written up,” Wehner said. “They’re just amazing photos and it’s a real honor to be amongst those.”
“And I’ll be one degree of Ron Howard, and now we’re gonna be two degrees of Kevin Bacon since Ron Howard directed Kevin Bacon in ‘Apollo 13.’ So that’s pretty cool.”
To know more
See all eight winning photos from Ron Howard and Canon U.S.A.’s “Project Imagin8ion” contest at www.youtube.com/imagination. To see a video of the Oscar-winning director, who was born in Duncan, talking about Broken Arrow photographer Chris Wehner’s winning image in the obstacle category click here.
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Ron Howard selects winning images in “Project Imagin8ion” contest; Broken Arrow photographer among the winners
“Yea, Though I Walk," by Broken Arrow photographer Chris Wehner, was among the eight winners chosen by Oscar-winning Oklahoma-born director Ron Howard in his “Project Imagin8ion” contest. Wehner's photo will inspire the obstacle in a short film directed by Howard's daughter, actress Bryce Dallas Howard.
Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, who was born in Duncan, has selected the eight winners in his “Project Imagin8ion”collaboration with Canon U.S.A., Inc., and a Broken Arrow photographer is among the victors.
Launched on May 22, photographers of all levels were invited to submit their most imaginative photographs based on a series of eight separate movie themes, each one a core tenet of storytelling, to ultimately inspire Howard’s upcoming short film. The “Project Imagin8ion” film will be directed by Howard’s daughter, actress Bryce Dallas Howard. The eight winning photographs were picked from 96,362 submissions and can be seen at www.youtube.com/imagination.
The winners chosen span in age from 20 to 44 years old and are from across the country. They include:
- Chris Wehner of Broken Arrow, Okla., winner in the OBSTACLE category for the photo, “Yea, Though I Walk”
- Walter Arnold of Hendersonville, N.C., winner in the SETTING category for the photo, “The Final View.”
- Jen Berry of Los Angeles, winner in the CHARACTER category for the photo, “Dreams”
- Mikey L’Heureux of Tarzana, Calif., winner in the MOOD category for the photo, “City Lights”
- Brooke Shaden of Canoga Park, Calif., winner in the TIME category for the photo, “Running From Wind”
- Alan Michael Martelly of Peachtree City, Ga., winner in the GOAL category for the photo, “My Word”
- Lexia Frank of Wesley Chapel, Fla., winner in the RELATIONSHIP category for the photo, “Too Much”
- Kelly Shipp of Conway, Ark., winner in the category of THE UNKNOWN for the photo, “Where One Day Ends, One Day Begins”
Ron Howard (AP file)
“This project has opened my eyes to the infinite possibilities of tapping into a larger community for creative inspiration,” said Ron Howard in the announcement. “As I selected the photographs, the story started to take shape using these building blocks to drive the tone and narrative possibilities. I was handed this challenge by Canon and I’m very interested to see how this exercise plays out with Bryce now taking charge to direct a film that is very much influenced by these eight photos.”
Ron Howard, Bryce Dallas Howard and Freestyle Productions are currently working with the eight winning photos to craft the story, develop the script and produce a short film using Canon DSLR products. The film goes into production in September and will premiere later this year in New York City, where the winners will be invited to a red carpet event and have the opportunity to meet Ron Howard.
“Our goal was to launch a long-term campaign that demonstrates how Canon’s technology enables artistry among photographers of all levels, championing the imagination of the masses,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A., in the announcement. “The number of entries has by far surpassed our expectations and we know the finished product, ‘A Ron Howard Production,’ will be a truly beautiful film, one that would never have been made without the enthusiastic online community.”
Grey New York, Canon’s agency partner for more than 30 years, continues to develop the creative and digital elements of the multiphase campaign that will go beyond the short film. Alliance, the entertainment and lifestyle marketing division of Grey, is managing the partnership with Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard.
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Olivia Munn, Kristen Bell, Nick Cannon among the presenters for Aug. 18 Do Something Awards
Olivia Munn (AP photo)
VH1 has announced the lineup of presenters for the 2011 Do Something Awards, which will air at 8 p.m. Aug. 18 on the network.
Oklahoma City-bred and University of Oklahoma-educated TV star Olivia Munn is scheduled to be a presenter, along with Kristen Bell, Nick Cannon, Jon Cryer, Victoria Justice, Adam Lambert, Mario Lopez, Rose McGowan, Keke Palmer and Lauren Potter, according to the NewsOK Television Blog.
The ceremony, which honors and celebrates the nation’s best young world-changers, along with celebrities and their good works, will be hosted by “Glee’s” Jane Lynch. Winners will be decided by online votes cast on www.DoSomething.VH1.com.
Oklahoma natives and country music stars Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton have received a “Do Something Concert” award nomination for their two Durant charity concerts that raised $500,000 for Tushka tornado relief efforts.
Also nominated in the concert category is “Music Builds: The CMT Disaster Relief Concert,” featuring former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, Hank Williams Jr., Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum and many others.
NBC’s “The Voice,” featuring Shelton as one of its four coaches, with McEntire serving as a celebrity adviser in the show’s first season, is a nominee for the “Do Something Reality TV Show” award, too.
Adam Lambert is nominated in the “Do Something Music Artist” category, joining fellow nominees Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Nick Jonas, Linkin Park and The Black Eyed Peas. Other celebrity nominees in various categories include Prince William and Duchess Catherine, David Beckham, Scarlett Johansson, Russell Brand and Will Ferrell.
Demi Lovato, Foster the People and OneRepublic (featuring Tulsa-born frontman Ryan Tedder) with B.o.B. are set to perform on the awards show.
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Pioneer Woman’s TV show to premiere Aug. 27 on Food Network
Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond (Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman Archives)
The new series “The Pioneer Woman,” featuring Oklahoma blogger and author Ree Drummond, is set to premiere at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 on the Food Network, according to NewsOK.com.
The Bartlesville native will film the show on location at her family’s ranch near Pawhuska. Along with cooking instruction, the series will showcase Drummond’s life on the ranch.
Drummond’s Pioneer Woman blog attracts more than 20 million page view a month and has won blog of the year three times at the Bloggie Awards. She has penned three best-selling books, the cookbook “The Pioneer Woman Cooks,” her memoir “Black Heels to Tractor Wheels – A Love Story” and the children’s book “Charlie the Ranch Dog.”
In November, she was featured in a special Thanksgiving episode of the Food Network series “Throwdown with Bobby Flay.”
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Video: J.K. Rowling launches Pottermore “online reading experience unlike any other”
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling recently created a furor when she launched Pottermore.com with nothing more than a “coming soon” message and a countdown clock on YouTube.
The countdown clock has finally wound down, and the writer has posted on Pottermore.com a YouTube video explaining what she has in mind for the new site: “an online reading experience unlike any other.” It’s still a mystery how it’s all going to work, but we have more information today.
“It’s the same story with a few crucial additions. The most important one is you,” she says in the video announcement.
“Pottermore will be built in part by you the reader,” she adds. “The digital generation will be able to enjoy a safe, unique online reading experience built around the Harry Potter books. Pottermore will be the place where fans of any age can share, participate in and rediscover the stories.”
This seems to indicate to me that user-generated content will be a part of the Pottermore experience, which could be a very exciting prospect.
Pottermore also will apparently have an exclusive online store where people will be able to buy digital audiobooks and, for the first time, ebooks of the Harry Potter series.
“I will be joining in too because I will be sharing additional information I’ve been hoarding for years about the world of Harry Potter,” she adds.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 13 years since the first Harry Potter book was released. She certainly have managed to change the world, hasn’t she?
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you,” Rowling says in the YouTube announcement. “Because no author could have asked for a more wonderful, diverse and loyal readership.”
Pottermore will open to the public in October, though Rowling notes that a lucky few will be given the chance to enter early and help shape the experience. According to the website, people can visit Pottermore.com on July 31 (which fans will know is Harry Potter’s birthday) for more information on early entry.
Visitors are given a chance to submit their email address to be notified when Pottermore.com registration opens.
Even better, a note on Pottermore.com says that the website will be free.
Of course, we have one more chance to see the Boy Who Lived’s adventures play out on the big screen, with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” the final movie based on Rowling’s beloved book series, opening July 15 in theaters.
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Video: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ trailer
What a week for Harry Potter fans.
The second and reportedly final trailer for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ has debuted. Since this is the last movie in the series, this is probably the last Harry Potter trailer we’re ever going to get. Moment of silence …
… and I’m pleased to report that I have goosebumps from this preview. It all looks amazing, but I got a glimpse of my favorite moment from “Deathly Hallows”: Molly Weasley (Julie Walters) goes to war.
Look out Bellatrix. Once you go after her baby girl, Mrs. Weasley’s not a snuggly stay-at-home mom anymore; she’s a mama bear with mega wand skills.
In related news, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling this week launched a mysterious new website, Pottermore.com.
The site just promises it’s “coming soon,” and whatever it is, I can’t wait.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ is due in theaters on July 15.
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Deadline Tuesday for users to submit photos for Ron Howard’s “Project Imagin8ion” short film, to be directed by Bryce Dallas Howard
Duncan-born Oscar-winning director Ron Howard and his actress/filmmaker daughter Bryce Dallas Howard (AP file)
The deadline is Tuesday for people to submit photographs for Duncan-born director Ron Howard’s “Project Imagin8ion,” the first user-generated photo contest in history to ultimately inspire a Hollywood short film.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker (“A Beautiful Mind”) is collaborating with Canon U.S.A. Inc., and the company has launched a new multi-dimensional marketing campaign, “Long Live Imagination.” Last month, Howard and Canon U.S.A. invited photographers of all skill levels to submit their most imaginative photographs based on a series of movie themes for “Project Imagin8ion.” The “Long Live Imagination” site, designed as an interactive and engaging community for Canon users and photography enthusiasts, can be found at www.youtube.com/imagination, and is intended to foster dialogue amongst the community, and directly with Canon, inspiring everyone to new levels of creativity.
“I’m known as a narrative storyteller, so when Canon approached me to partner on the ‘Long Live Imagination’ campaign, I was moved by the opportunity to collaborate with the masses, tapping into consumers’ creativity and using their photos as building blocks to produce a film,” said Howard in a news release. “I hope the project stimulates people’s imaginations whether they are an amateur photographer, a world traveler or a proud parent, and I hope what we create is meaningful.”
People can visit www.youtube.com/imagination through Tuesday and submit photos to inspire eight movie themes: Setting, Time, Character, Mood, Relationship, Goal, Obstacle and the Unknown.
Throughout the promotion, Howard, with the help of Canon experts and the “Project Imagin8ion” community, will narrow down the submissions and select eight photos – one from each category. These eight winning photos will become the basis and inspiration for a short film shot with Canon DSLR products that will premiere later this year in New York City with the winners in town for a red carpet event where they will have the opportunity to meet Howard.
Howard’s daughter Bryce Dallas Howard (“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”), one of Hollywood’s most versatile and dynamic young talents both on screen and behind the camera, has been invited by Canon and her father to direct “Project Imagin8ion.” So, the first user-generated photo contest to serve as the foundation for a Hollywood short film now boasts the A-list team with Bryce Dallas Howard directing and Ron Howard executive producing, in partnership with Francesca Silvestri and Kevin Chinoy of Freestyle, a full-service development and production company.
The contest pulled in more than 8,500 photo submissions on the first day alone.
“It is an honor for me to take part in Canon’s ‘Project Imagin8ion,’ partnering with a brand that is empowering young filmmakers and is at the forefront of technology,” said Bryce Dallas Howard in a news release. “It’s an absolutely inspired concept and I’m over the moon to not only direct this film but to work with my father, a true mentor and my personal hero. My hope is that this film will honor the creativity, passion, and artistic integrity that so many people have put into their photographs.”
“I think Bryce is a great choice to helm this film,” said Ron Howard in the release. “She is artistic, compassionate, curious, and loves to think outside the box. There is nothing formulaic about her approach to filmmaking and I believe that she is the perfect director for Canon’s creative experiment, given how original it is and how she is part of this digital generation. Bryce has the experience and wherewithal to create a memorable film.”
Script development will not begin until all eight photos are chosen, fostering a new approach to storytelling and filmmaking for the team.
Production will take place during the summer and fall, a busy time for the actress/producer who will star on screen this August as Hilly in Tate Taylor’s film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help” and as Rachael opposite Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the September release of “50/50.” Also in September of this year, her producerial debut “Restless,” a film directed by Gus Van Sant will be released.
“Project Imagin8ion” will mark the second time Bryce Dallas Howard has worked with Freestyle, the first being the Reel Moments short film program with Glamour magazine.
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Video: OKC modern dance company vying for Pepsi Refresh grant to build Automobile Alley performance space
Hartel Dance Group, a modern dance company he founded and has served as artistic director of since 2006, is vying for a $50,000 grant through the Pepsi Refresh Project to renovate the vacant fifth floor of the historic Magnolia Building in Automobile Alley.
In this video, artistic director and founder Austin Hartel talks about the group’s goal of creating an affordable performing arts space that would allow local artists to showcase their work. The Hartel Dance Group is currently using the space for rehearsals but want to transform it into a black-box theater that would be appropriate not only for its performances but for other groups to use.
The Magnolia Performance Space idea made it past the initial phase in the Pepsi Refresh contest and now is competing with other arts and culture proposals from across the country for online votes. The 10 projects that get the most votes will become finalists, and Pepsi will review those ideas and decide which ones will receive funding.
People can vote every day through Tuesday, when voting closes just before midnight Eastern time or 11 p.m. Oklahoma time.
“This will create a vibrant performing arts community and enrich our city in more ways than one,” Hartel said. “We think this is a great idea for OKC.”
To read more about the proposed Magnolia Performance Space, click here.
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