A man and woman are seated at a restaurant table on a date. The gent is trying to impress his companion but clearly he has taken a wrong turn when he says that she reminds him of his mother. He tries to extricate himself from the comparison only to make matters worse, explaining that the resemblance is in their build and then more specifically their chests.
Coming to the rescue is Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon who know is acting more as a manager. He moves to replace the guy at the table with another player but the original chap insists he can go the distance. Papelbon isn’t convinced and brings in a new relief pitcher, patting the original guy on the rump as he leaves.
A voiceover then tells us of Sox Appeal, a new show on NESN touted as being a hotter, sexier, funnier take on the Boston Red Sox. The voiceover relates, “This year the game isn’t on the field.”
The promo spot then returns to the couple, this time with a new guy ready to pitch. As if giving the reliever advice as to how to pitch against the batter–in this case the lovely lass–Papelbon warns him to stay off of the mom stuff because “she kills that.”
“Relief Dater” was part of a package of spots directed by Jonathan Bekemeier of Picture Park, Boston, directly for NESN.
Mark Hankey executive produced for Picture Park with Scott Burtnett serving as line producer. The DP was Patrick Ruth.
CJ Kaplan of NESN was the writer. And NESN’s Kevin Shea multi-tasked as editor, colorist and audio mixer.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More