Super Bowl 2012: Matthew Broderick channels Ferris Bueller in ad

Who says Super Bowl commercials need to wait for the Super Bowl? Honda is getting a jump on game day competition with Monday's release of the full-length version of its hotly anticipated Honda CR-V commercial starring Matthew Broderick.

In the commercial, Broderick conjures one of film's (and his own) most beloved roles -- that scamp Ferris Bueller taking the day off from school and making the most of it. Only this time, it's Broderick who's playing hooky by ditching a day of filming in Los Angeles.

The commercial revisits several key moments from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," including the music, the towel turban, the star's habit of talking directly to the camera, the reckless valet and, of course, the fun-filled day on the run.

Amazingly, Broderick doesn't hit a smidgen of traffic as he makes his way from the beach to the Natural History Museum, back to the beach for a little tai chi (if the timeline is to be believed) and more.

The most famous line from the movie -- "Bueller, Bueller, Bueller" -- is revisited; but this time, the line comes when the valet brings up the Honda for "Broderick, Broderick..."

Fans of the classic 1986 John Hughes film might be disappointed that only Broderick shows up in the commercial. How much more fun would it have been if the commercial had included Mia Sara and Alan Ruck...

Meanwhile, buckle up, America. You're about to be barraged with Super Bowl commercials.

The stakes are higher than they've ever been for Super Bowl commercials. Companies are paying NBC an average of $3.5 million for a 30-second spot, and more than $6 million for a 60-second spot. Even that marquee stage isn't enough. Advertisers want more eyeballs, so they're pulling out all the stops to drum up interest -- and a captive audience.

Our sister blog, Company Town, notes that Kia Motors is currently showing its upcoming Super Bowl Optima ad in movie theaters. That ad features scantily clad supermodel Adriana Lima, Motley Crue and mixed martial arts fighter Chuck Liddell for good measure.

And Volkswagen has rolled out a commercial ... for a commercial.   

The only question is this: Will these early glimpses of Super Bowl commercials help advertisers? Or will "seen-it-already" audiences use the game day replay as an excuse to go in search of more guacamole and chicken wings?

Perhaps any publicity is good publicity. Last's year's big commercial -- Volkswagen's "The Force" -- featured a boy dressed like Darth Vader and using dark powers to (allegedly) start the family Passat. It now has nearly 50 million views online and has won all sorts of honors.

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'Welcome Back, Kotter': Robert Hegyes' 'Epstein' helped alter TV 

-- Rene Lynch
Twitter / renelynch

'Welcome Back, Kotter': Robert Hegyes' 'Epstein' helped alter TV

"Welcome Back, Kotter" television star Robert Hegyes died Thursday, giving millions of Americans pause to reflect back in time to 1975, when Epstein, Vinnie Barbarino and the other "Sweathogs" ruled.

The plot for "Welcome Back, Kotter" might sound a little familiar to Gleeks (problem student becomes teacher, returns to old stomping grounds). And, like "Glee," the show was groundbreaking -- and plenty controversial --  when it was introduced into ABC's prime-time line-up.

The show lasted four seasons and launched John Travolta's career. But It captivated the nation with it's racially diverse cast and edgy story line involving high school misfits.

Perhaps that explains why "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "Epstein" have remained some of the most Googled terms in America since news that Hegyes died Thursday of a heart attack at his home in New Jersey.

TV historian Robert Thompson explained why "Welcome Back, Kotter," a show that was pulled from the air in 1979, struck such a chord with viewers.

To begin with, the show, which starred Gabe Kaplan as teacher to a bunch of misunderstood students, created controversy before it even aired. An ABC affiliate in Boston initially refused to air the show. At the time, the city was in the midst of a school busing crisis, and there were fears that the show's racially integrated classroom would inflame tensions. Elsewhere, teachers feared the show would glorify, and encourage, student high jinks.

It ultimately introduced America to a diverse, economically struggling slice of life rarely seen on TV.

"'Kotter' was important in that respect. You had this racially diverse cast and yet they didn't make a big deal out of it. They were integrated as something that was natural and at the time not even worthy of comment," he said. "That was a pretty progressive thing to do."

The setting itself was unique. Today's TV writers know that high school is a rich area to mine for drama, Thompson said. "You're at this stage between childhood and adulthood, you're sexually mature, but still limited by rules of childhood....  It doesn't get much more dramatic than high school," yet that territory was virtually untrod before "Welcome Back Kotter" came along, he said.

"Maybe it didn't do it as well as '90210' would later do it, but for the 1970s it did a pretty good job. It nailed high school."

It also nailed life in Brooklyn, giving the New York City borough its own identity in the shadow of glitzier Manhattan, he said. (In fact, Brooklyn got top billing in the show's intro -- see above -- as John Sebastian crooned the "Welcome Back" theme song.)

And then there were those accents. Not only weren't they watered down to appeal to Middle America, they were allowed to take center stage.

"It really allowed a heavy dialect to play," he said. "This is one of the first times that was really featured as a major part of all of the characters."

The entire cast had catch phases, which spread through the nation like wildfire at a time when there was no social media to help speed things along, like "up your nose with a rubber hose." Hegyes character, Juan Luis Pedro Felipo de Huevos Epstein -- a proud Puerto Rican Jew, as he liked to remind anyone who would listen -- was known for forging notes from "Epstein's mother."

"People haven't been talking about 'Welcome Back, Kotter' for years, but if you are of a certain age, it has always been humming somewhere in the back of your brain," said Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.

"There's this deep affection for people who either watched it the first time around, or saw it in reruns. When you hear some member of the cast has died, you realize how precious a show like this is to your own memory."

And when you think about the 1970s, Thompson said, you think about disco. And "Saturday Night Fever." And John Travolta. "If I had to name 10 things that say 1970s, 'Welcome Back Kotter' would be somewhere on that list," he said.

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--Rene Lynch
Twitter / renelynch

Golden Globe winners: Workers salute ‘The Help’s’ Octavia Spencer

Golden Globe winner Octavia Spencer is destined for Oscar gold -- that is, if the nation's domestic workers have anything to say about it.

Spencer won a Golden Globe on Sunday night for her turn as a maid who takes delicious revenge in "The Help." The feel-good drama offered a window to the lives of black servants and their white employers in the Segregated South -- but was criticized in some corners for a too-rosy view. The film also sparked plenty of debate about today's complicated relationship between employers and "the help."

Spencer accepted the award on behalf of domestic workers everywhere, and added: "With regard to domestics in this country, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: All labor that uplifts dignity in this country is worthwhile."

PHOTOS: Golden Globes red carpet

The National Domestic Workers Alliance issued a statement on Monday cheering Spencer's win:

"Domestic workers around the country watched with pride .... After generations of exclusion and invisibility, we are so grateful to Octavia for helping bring recognition and light to this workforce. And we're thankful for all of the performances in 'The Help' that gave life and dignity to domestic workers stories."

"We have a dream that one day all work will be valued equally. Together we can be 'the help' needed to bring respect to domestic work."

A Golden Globe doesn't always foretell an Oscar win -- but it doesn't hurt the odds either. It's possible that Spencer's win pushed her into front-runner status. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce its Oscar nominations Jan. 24.

If you're looking for another reason to cheer Spencer on, consider how she got real with the media during backstage interviews Sunday night: “I’m sorry y’all, I love you but I have to kick these shoes off."

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-- Rene Lynch

Twitter / renelynch

Photo: Octavia Spencer arrives at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night. Credit: Chris Pizzello / Associated Press

Casey Anthony video: Attorney says it was leaked, vows to sue

Casey Anthony's criminal defense attorney says an investigation has been launched into what he says is the illegal hacking and leaking of his client's online video diary. Legal action will be taken against the guilty party, he says.

As soon as investigators find out who did it.

Anthony was the target of national outrage last year when she was found not guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. In one online poll, she was dubbed "the most hated person in America."

Since then, she has largely been out of public view. That is, until her first video diary entry was posted online last week, creating a fresh media sensation.

"It certainly wasn't meant to be disseminated in any way," attorney Jose Baez told Geraldo Rivera last night on Fox News' "Geraldo at Large." "This was a private message solely intended for her private journal."

Baez rejected any suggestion by Rivera that perhaps Anthony was engaging in online video chatting and was somehow responsible for the video's disclosure. Absolutely not, Baez said, adding that a search was underway for the culprit.

"Right now we're investigating everything. We're taking steps. And if lawsuits need to be filed ... as a result of a criminal act, that's exactly what's going to happen," Baez said.

He also said that he might even pursue criminal charges, although he suggested that law enforcement officers in Florida might not exactly fall all over themselves to help Anthony. (She has been ordered to pay more than $97,000 to law enforcement officers who spent weeks following up on Anthony's claims -- since retracted -- that her daughter had been kidnapped by a babysitter.)

"I think this is outrageous that this is happening," Baez said of the reported leak, adding: "I think it's criminal. And if it is, we're going to ask that it be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and let's see if the authorities are brave enough to do it."



Baez also took offense when Rivera posted a clip of Anthony giddily showing off a new nose ring and ear piercings. Rivera asked whether she was being respectful and showing proper sorrow over her daughter's death. But Baez said it was unfair to take a brief, single moment from the last six months and use that to illustrate Anthony's demeanor.

Baez also pointed out a key fact: A jury that heard all the evidence as presented by prosecutors found her not guilty.

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--Rene Lynch
Twitter / renelynch

Stem cell scheme: Alleged plot targeted the terminally ill

Three men have been arrested and a fourth is being sought by the FBI in connection with what investigators say was a $1.5-million Texas-based scheme to illegally market and sell stem cell treatments to patients with terminal diseases.

"Protecting the public from unproven and potentially dangerous drug and medical procedures is very important," said Kenneth Magidson, U.S. attorney for the Houston-based southern district of Texas, in an online statement. "This office will continue to prosecute violations involving threats to the public health."

The men were arrested over the last 10 days based on two indictments issued in November charging all four with 39 counts of mail fraud and unlawfully manufacturing, distributing and selling stem cells and stem cell procedures not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, according to the statement.

“This indictment demonstrates the commitment of the FDA to protect the American public from the harms inherent in being exposed to unapproved new drugs,” said Patrick J. Holland, special agent in charge of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, according to the statement. “The FDA will continue to aggressively pursue perpetrators of such acts and ensure that they are punished to the full extent of the law.”

One of the four, Vincent Dammai, 40, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., was a researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina who allegedly used university facilities to create stem cells without obtaining permission from the FDA.

Another, Francisco Morales, 52, of Brownsville, Texas, is charged with falsely claiming to be a medical doctor who operated a Brownsville clinic specializing in using stem cells to treat "incurable diseases." From 2007 into 2010, the statement said, Morales took patients across the border into Mexico for stem cell treatments that had not been reviewed or approved by the FDA.

Also charged is Alberto Ramon, 48, of Del Rio, Texas, a licensed midwife who allegedly obtained umbilical cord blood to create stem cells from his patients at a local maternity clinic. The blood was sold to a company in Scottsdale, Ariz., which then sent the tissue to Dammai, according to the statement.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a fourth man, Lawrence Stowe, 58, of Dallas. The indictment charges that Stowe, who sometimes referred to himself as "Dr. Larry Stowe," "marketed, promoted, and sold stem cells" for the treatment of several diseases through front companies, including the nonprofit Stowe Foundation, apparently founded in 2003.

On the foundation’s website, Stowe is pictured and described as a “dedicated scientist and tireless researcher… an expert of international respect in the science and technology of comprehensive immune therapy” who received a doctoral degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois, worked at Mobil Oil Research and Development and continues to work as an international consultant.

“He, his staff and research associates, equally talented and dedicated specialists and medical technology professionals, have long been involved in development of adult stem cell transplants for Regenerative Medicine, cancer vaccines, biologic response modifiers and therapeutic energy technologies, as well as the comprehensive protocols for treating autoimmune diseases,” the website says, adding that Stowe, “has led the way in validating the power of the immune system to heal the body and bring the science of immune therapy to the forefront of medical practice.”

When CBS' "60 Minutes" profiled Stowe in 2010, it interviewed a patient who said Stowe told him his stem cell therapy could cure him of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. There is no known cure for the disease.

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Moms stage 'nurse-in' to back breast-feeding in public [Video]

 

This post has been updated. See note below for details.

Breast-feeding moms gathered in cities across the country Wednesday for public "nurse-ins” in support of a Texas woman who says she was harassed last month while nursing her infant son at a Houston-area Target store.

A group in Decatur, Ill., posted a video on YouTube showing a number of mothers nursing their babies, saying the moms had "assembled to peacefully protest discrimination against public breast-feeding." Mothers in other locales also posted YouTube videos of nursing mothers, one shot at an eatery in a Target store.  Another showed a woman nursing in a checkout line.

The nurse-in flash mobs were planned in 35 states in defense of Michelle Hickman, who said Target employees made her feel uncomfortable when she breast-fed her son at the store while Christmas shopping, Houston's KHOU-TV reported.

"I’ve gotten way more support than I imagined," Hickman told the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday while participating in a nurse-in outside the Target store where she said she had trouble.

Hickman encouraged other mothers to join local nurse-ins.

“This is something they can participate in from their own home, their own town. They don’t have to travel with a brand-new infant. They can go to the Target right up the road and support me,” Hickman told the Chronicle.

Target apparently sent a written statement to KHOU-TV saying that "guests who choose to breast-feed in public areas of the store are welcome to do so without being made to feel uncomfortable."

"Target has been in touch with the store to ensure all team members are aware of our breast-feeding policy," the statement said.

Target representatives did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking comment Wednesday.

[Updated 1:39 p.m., Dec. 28: In an email to The Times on Wednesday afternoon, Target spokeswoman Stacia Smith said the retailer supported breast-feeding in its stores.

“Guests who choose to breastfeed in public areas of the store are welcome to do so without being made to feel uncomfortable. Additionally, we support the use of fitting rooms for women who wish to breastfeed their babies, even if others are waiting to use the fitting rooms,” Smith said. 

She said Target also had made an effort to respond to the Houston incident that prompted the nurse-in: “We worked with this guest directly to address her concerns and are sorry any inconvenience it has caused.”]

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-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Houston

Video: Mothers stage a "nurse-in" Wednesday in Decatur, Ill. Credit: YouTube

Indiana police probe grisly slaying of 9-year-old

A man charged this week in the bludgeoning death and dismemberment of a 9-year-old Indiana girl was wanted in Florida for violating probation in 2000, officials said Wednesday.

Michael Plumadore, 39, faces one count of murder in the death of Aliahna Lemmon of Fort Wayne, Ind.

Plumadore was being held without bond Wednesday. He was arrested Monday night after the girl's body was found, dismembered with a hacksaw, the head, hands and feet stored separately.

Florida Department of Corrections records show Plumadore was charged in May 2000 with battery on a law enforcement officer, firefighter or EMS worker in Miami-Dade County, and was later sentenced to a year of community supervision, according to a statement released to The Times.

But Plumadore failed to report to his probation officer or attend a court-ordered community service and anger management class, according to the statement.

Details of the offense were unavailable, but Plumadore is listed in the department database as an "absconder/fugitive," the statement said.

Plumadore has admitted to investigators that he struck the girl in the head with a brick repeatedly as she stood on the front steps of his mobile home in the early hours of Dec. 22, according to a probable cause affidavit released Tuesday and cited by CNN.

He told authorities he stored Aliahna's body in garbage bags in a freezer at his home until that night, when he dismembered it with a hacksaw, according to the affidavit. Plumadore allegedly told investigators he threw body parts in a nearby commercial trash bin but kept the head, hands and feet at his mobile home where they were later recovered, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit does not say why Plumadore allegedly killed the girl.

Amber Story, the girl's grandmother, has said Aliahna and her two sisters were staying with Plumadore in his Fort Wayne mobile home for about a week while their mother, Tarah Souder, recovered from the flu. The girls' father apparently worked nights, according to Fort Wayne's Journal Gazette.

Allen County Sheriff Ken Fries told CNN's Nancy Grace that Plumadore's confession came after several hours of interrogation by investigators Monday evening.

"They just had to sit there and listen to him as if they were just listening to a story with no emotion, just trying to get him to say more and more and more," Fries said.

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— Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Houston

Photo: (top) The remains of 9-year-old Aliahna Lemmon were found at a  Fort Wayne, Ind., mobile home park. Credit: Allen County Sheriff's Department / Associated Press.

Photo: (bottom) Michael Plumadore, 39, was watching Aliahna Lemmon and her two sisters when she went missing Friday, and has since been charged in connection with her murder. Credit: Allen County Sheriff's Department / Associated Press.

Texas teen dies on Christmas, leaves online message [video]

He tells his story with note cards.

Ben Breedlove died on Christmas, leaving behind a wordless, two-part YouTube video message about chronic illness, death and the afterlife viewed more than 450,000 times as of Wednesday. 

In the first part of the video, posted Dec. 18, the teen starts out smiling, brown hair neatly parted, staring into the camera and holding up the first card, written in blue marker. The only sound is instrumental music playing in the background, Gary Jules' "Mad World."

"Hello, I'm Ben Breedlove," the card says.

"All my life I've had a heart condition."

Breedlove, 18, of Austin, Texas, suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart muscle that worsened over time and eventually contributed to his death from a heart attack. 

"As I grew older, I learned more that it is dangerous," he said in one of his note cards, followed by:

"It has scared me a lot, and I hate that feelling."

Before his death, he had started his own YouTube channel, Breedlovetv, where he sat behind a microphone, anchor-style, and talked about his best friend, his two younger siblings, his first date, his spirituality and his heart condition.

"I still get to do most of the stuff I want to do, like, wake boarding," he said in one video. "It's not a big problem."

But the message of his final two videos, titled "This is my story," was different.

Reno takes on SNL’s Seth Meyers -- but Fozzie Bear gets a pass

This post has been corrected. Please see note at bottom for details.

Perhaps the Biggest Little City in the World is still smarting from "Reno 911," a “Cops” parody that showed the city’s officers policing chickens and trailer park denizens -- sometimes in washcloth-sized shorts.

That would explain the local reaction to a recent round of Reno-bashing that started with, of all things, the new Muppet movie.

In “The Muppets,” Jason Segel and Amy Adams rescue Fozzie Bear from a Reno casino, where he’s performing with a Muppets tribute act, the Moopets. As the Las Vegas Sun described it: In a riff off the song “The Rainbow Connection,” the Moopets tout the fictional Chulo casino’s free parking and 24-hour wedding chapel (“No marriage certificate is needed!”). Later, the gang retreats to Fozzie’s dressing room -– an alleyway where they hear the pop-pop of gunfire.

Boosters of downtown Reno, where the majority of casinos tower over the Truckee River, seemed to take the big-screen portrayal in stride. Some businesses even launched a tongue-in-cheek website called “Reno Loves Fozzie.”

Then Seth Meyers of  “Saturday Night Live” joined the pile-on.

“According to a new list, the least happiest city in America is St. Petersburg, Fla.,” Meyers said on a recent “Weekend Update” segment. “But that’s only because Reno, Nev., finally killed itself.”

Oh, and he mispronounced Nevada.

Reno was not amused.

The city has suffered tremendous misfortune this year, including a major wildfire and a plane crash at one of its top tourism events, the National Championship Air Races, which killed 11 people. Even before that, residents were sick of Reno’s hick-town image, especially because they live so close to spectacular Lake Tahoe.

So the Reno Gazette-Journal asked readers to submit their responses to Seth Meyers, which the paper published last weekend.  One reader invoked Dan Aykroyd (“Seth, you ignorant slut”); another said the zingers had actually been helpful (“Keep telling them it’s awful -- it keeps the Californians at bay”).

The paper didn’t ask for a response from Las Vegas -- the cities have a mutual antipathy akin to that of San Francisco and Los Angeles. But the Sun provided one anyway, listing Reno’s five food groups as venison, fish, berries, beer and Marlboro Reds.

There was some irony in this. On the saddest-cities list that Meyers citied, Reno was No. 9. What was No. 10? Las Vegas.

[For the record, 3:13 p.m., Dec. 21: An earlier version of this post misspelled Jason Segel's last name.]

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-- Ashley Powers in Las Vegas
Twitter.com/ashleypowers

Photo: Fozzie Bear and Walter arrive at the premiere of "The Muppets" at El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles. Credit: Katy Winn/Associated Press

Televangelist Pat Robertson blasts 'SNL' skit on Tim Tebow, Jesus

Televangelist Pat Robertson is not laughing over "Saturday Night Live's" Tim Tebow skit.

The skit, which has racked up millions of online views since it aired on NBC Saturday night, depicts Jesus, in sweat socks, appearing inside the Denver Broncos' locker room via a cloud and a heavenly shaft of light. His message to Tebow? Ease up on all the Jesus stuff.

Robertson ripped into the skit (shown below) during an appearance on the Christian Broadcast Network, attributing it to a wave of "anti-Christian bigotry that is just disgusting."

For non-sports watchers: Quarterback Tebow genuflects during games and gives the Lord credit for his performance at every opportunity. Though that has endeared him to many Americans, it also has become a source of merriment for others.

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Robertson said Muslims would be outraged by a skit portraying Muhammad in such a manner. "If this had been a Muslim country and they had done that, and had Muhammad doing that stuff, you would have found bombs being thrown off! And bodies on the street!" Robertson said.

By contrast, Robertson said, in America, "We think it’s OK."

Robertson said that he believes Tebow is a role model to be celebrated. "The fact that he prays and seeks God, I think we ought to applaud him."

He added: "We need more religious faith in our society. We’re losing our moral compass in our nation and this man has been placed in a unique position and I applaud him."

The issue was raised during a question-and-answer session in which a viewer asks: "I don't understand why there is such a public outcry because of Tim Tebow projecting his faith. Does disaster have to strike for people to acknowledge God?"

Robertson last raised eyebrows in September, when he infuriated both Christians and non-Christians alike by endorsing divorce in cases where a person's partner has Alzheimer's.

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--Rene Lynch
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