With the fifth-season premiere of “Breaking Bad” looming less than three weeks away (Sunday, July 15), Sony has shifted into high gear — and has taken a novel online approach to promoting the epic series.
The studio, which produces “Breaking Bad” for AMC, has teamed with comedian Paul Scheer — a huge “BB” fan — and Gallery1988’s
Jensen Karp to create a series of limited-edition “BB”-inspired posters from notable artists that are available at a Scheer-inspired Web site, breakinggifs.com (a “gif” is computer-speak for digital video animation).
“This is inspired by the fact that ‘Breaking Bad’ is a show people discover, and then they share that discovery, passing it on, almost like people recommend a book,” says Sony marketing exec Sheraton Kalouria, who’s spearheading the campaign (tagline: “Make This a ‘Bad’ Summer”).
“It’s like they’re consuming a novel, with each season a new chapter,” Kalouria says. “And knowing the show has that effect on fans, we wanted to do something to tap into that element of discovery. Jensen Karp and Gallery1988 approached us. Among artists in the community in which Jensen circulates are a lot of authentic, genuine ‘Breaking Bad’ fans who are inspired by the richness of [the show’s] storytelling.
“Jensen had done a version of this [poster] campaign with ‘Lost,’ which is the only other show that lent itself to this kind of artistic expression.”
So, “to preserve the element of discovery,” Kalouria says, Sony partnered with Scheer, known for making online “Breaking Bad” gifs that have gone viral (including one in which Walter White — played by series star Bryan Cranston — runs around the desert in his underwear). Clues are posted on breakinggifs.com promoting live “Breaking Bad” events around the world — taking place the next day — where “BB”-inspired merchandise is given out.
(Thus far, events have taken place at Michael Voltaggio’s Ink Sack in LA; at Gallery 1988 in LA; at RSVP Chicago Gallery; and at Forbidden Planet UK.)
“The site serves two functions: to provide clues to where the next real live event will take place and to represent the notion of being ‘in the know’ and ‘discovery,’ ” Kalouria says.
There are a total of 16 “Breaking Bad” posters, created by artists including Rich Kelly, Daniel Danger, Justin Santora and Chris Delorenzo (all available on breakinggifs.com). “We’ve made 200 posters available to the public for sale through the Web initiative,” says Kalouria.
And . . . wait for it . . . there’s another exclusive offering on the way.
“We’ll have a surprise 17th poster which will be announced at Comic-Con,” Kalouria says about this year’s show, which takes place July 12-15 at the San Diego Convention Center.
“We’re also using breakinggifs.com to tell users the specific address two hours before the [live] event takes place,” Kalouria says. “It’s akin to a flash mob. We’re using social media to say to the diehard fan, ‘Here’s a really cool thing to experience.’ ”
The 18-week worldwide campaign will run through September, which marks the end of the first half of “Breaking Bad’s” final season (the second half airs next summer).
Get it? Got it? Good.
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I take umbrage with some of the wording in History’s announcement publicizing its two-hour special on “The Godfather,” not because the classic 1972 movie and its 1974 sequel don’t deserve special recognition — they do — but because History is including “The Godfather: Part III” in the special.
WTF?
Here’s how History is promoting the special, called “The Godfather Legacy,” which airs July 24 at 9 p.m.
“ ‘The Godfather Legacy’ . . . looks at how this groundbreaking 1972 film and its two sequels transcended Hollywood, transformed the American psyche, and even influenced real-life organized crime.”
“Two sequels”? You kidding me? “The Godfather: Part II” is, indeed, a classic piece of movie-making, and is equal to “The Godfather” in its import. And, yes, like the original “Godfather,” it did help “transform the American psyche,” etc.
But “The Godfather: Part III”? A movie that was universally panned, and just-as-quickly forgotten about, upon its 1990 release? Really?
That’s what you call chutzpah. I would hazard to guess that Francis Ford Coppola, who directed all three installments, might agree.
Michael Imperioli, who played Christopher on “The Sopranos,” narrates the special.
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Kudos to Antenna TV, which, at least in my eyes, has added to its cachet by including one of my all-time-faves, “Barney Miller,” to its fall lineup beginning Sunday, Sept. 9. The cop sitcom, set at “The old ‘12’ ” in Greenwich Village, aired on ABC from 1975-82 and starred Hal Linden, Max Gail, Abe Vigoda, Ron Glass, Jack Soo, Steve Landesberg, Ron Carey, Gregory Sierra and James Gregory.
Antenna TV has also added “Benson” (starring Robert Guillaume) to its fall lineup.
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Last, but not least:
*Beadle meets Beatle: Newly minted “Access Hollywood” correspondent” Michelle Beadle interviews Ringo Starr on tonight’s show (7:30/Ch. 4) . . . Disney Channel’s “Good Luck Charlie” hit a series high last Sunday in total viewers (a whopping 7.5 million), kids 2-11 (3.8 million) and kids 6-11 (3.3 million) . . . “Extra” host Mario Lopez is joining the cast of Sprout’s new series, “The Chica Show,” as the voice of Stitches . . . Zumba Fitness and Team Fox — part of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research — will team this Friday at Roseland Ballroom for a “Zumbathon” charity event to raise money and awareness for the Michael J. Fox Foundation . . . I pulled a wrongo in yesterday’s column. Miranda Cosgrove is the star of Nickelodeon’s “iCarly.”