Wes Anderson teams up with Prada

Prada Candy

I remember stumbling upon Wes Anderson’s famed two-minute epic American Express ad way back in 2006. Featuring his signature quirky style and, following the final scene in The Royal Tenenbaums, filmed in its entirety in one take, this advert has become my all time favorite.

It has humor (he grabs a sandwich and proceeds to ask an assistant for his snack; her reply – You’re eating it), celebrity (yes, that’s Jason Schwartzman), and a .357 with a bayonet. Watch it below:

Well, Wes Anderson has teamed up with another well-known name: Prada. With the new ad – or should I say ads, as there will be three – Anderson teams up with Roman Coppola to promote Prada Candy L’Eau.

Prada Candy L’Eau, Part I

Prada Candy L’Eau, Part II

Prada Candy L’Eau, Part III

Outside of the branding at the film’s onset and outset, there is nothing that says – or screams – Prada, but you get it. It’s one of those shorts that you simply want to watch over and over, and it’s very cool. When it’s done, you can’t help but wonder about the frangrance’s scent, how it would waft forth from a mysterious beautiful woman (or your dearly beloved).

Each concludes with the über hip “L’idole” by 60s French-pop artist Jacques Dutronc. Watch a live performance of the video below (p.s. the stumbling goes with the lyrics: joking, not drunk):

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Kickstart This: Arrested Development Documentary

Arrested Development

Anyone who knows me has likely experienced a moment when I awkwardly attempt to reference Arrested Development or a quote from the show and correlate it with a current situation.

A particular favorite is the (originally) Dwight Yoakum -as- Johnny Treebark saying “And that’s why you *insert thing you shouldn’t do here*” (later a recurring thematic statement by the one-armed lesson-man J. Walter Weatherman).

I feel strange saying it, but Arrested Development has shaped much of my adult life. I credit the show for turning the mutual attraction between me and my soon-to-be-wife Andi into love. Introducing her to the show was the original foundation for our relationship.

We have literally watched the entire series over 30 times in near six years of being together; these days, it’s what we fall asleep to each night.

To say I was excited last year when Netflix announced will back and release a new season is the understatement of the century.

In an article today, Mashable talked about an Arrested Development documentary that’s in the works by two superfans simply known as Jeff and Neil.

A couple of Arrested Development superfans did what seems impossible to most superfans: they got interviews with the cast, writers and creators of everyone’s favorite canceled Fox sitcom. Now these Bluth-hunters need $20,000 to put their loose seals in order and release the documentary.

Donate to the project via its Kickstarter page. The page goes into more detail surrounding why the duo needs $20k:

After five years, we’re finally close to releasing the documentary. Our final step is to pay the network for photos from the set of the show. These photos are extremely relevant to the story, and we can’t move forward with the release of the documentary until our fees are paid to the network. This is where you come in. Help us pay the network fees so every Arrested fan can see this documentary!

Here’s the video Jeff and Neil made for their Kickstarter campaign:

It has only been a few days, and the duo has already raised over three-fourths of what is needed to cover those costs. It’ll reach its goal by tonight.

My reasoning: When I originally read the Mashable article, donations had just topped $15,500. Half an hour later another $1k had been added. I’m about to hit “Publish” (an hour after originally reading the article) and donations read more than $17,500.

A big *STEVE HOLT* to Jeff and Neil is in store (hopefully in the form of doubling their money and getting them a little extra cash for taking on the feat). And another *STEVE HOLT* to the sole donor who pledged $553 Mr. Manager donor level.

Here’s the documentary’s trailer:

I’ve been fascinated by the Kickstarter movement and hope to one day soon assist with a project on the platform. There are a growing number of articles out there about how best to use Kickstarter for your project; in particular (being a music fan), I really enjoyed this Mashable article on 9 Essential Steps for a Killer Kickstarter Campaign.

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