Nicole Kidman's Birth To Score Latest Quaker Oats Commercial: "Wake Up, America"

Thanks to the Film Experience Blog for the heads up and the Chicago Sun-Times for the article which allowed us to find the commercial!







Alexandre Desplat's score for 2004's Birth is now featured in Quaker Oats' new "Wake Up America" Campaign. Looks like E! online skeptic Mimosa will have to ban another product from her home!


Quaker hopes to warm you up to waking up

August 30, 2010
LEWIS LAZARE llazare@suntimes.com

It's a new morning for Quaker Oats, one of the most iconic of all food brands. And it's the kind of morning a lot of people, we suspect, are going to warm to in a big way. Starting on Wednesday, Chicago-based Quaker Oats and its ad agency Juniper Park/ Toronto, are unveiling a massive new ad campaign that suggests hot oatmeal will make breakfast amazing. And even more important, help make the rest of the morning amazing as well.

"Wake Up, America," the launch 60-second anthem spot, is one of the niftiest pieces of TV commercial work we've seen in a while. From the first shot of a tea kettle rattling on the stove to the final frame with the tagline -- "Does Your Breakfast Make You Amazing?" -- "Wake Up, America" is an exquisitely rendered ode to the glories of the morning and, by extension, the breakfast that should kick off every amazing morning.

This debut spot is a lush montage of shots of sunrises and of people as they begin their daily routines. We see a young figure skater heading into the rink for morning practice. An early bird officer worker surveys the empty desks around him. A welder is perched high above the city on the metal beam of a new skyscraper under construction as he chows down on oatmeal from a Thermos while the day dawns magnificently around him. A runner stretches against the backdrop of a blinding sun on the horizon.

As the visuals unfold, a voiceover announcer offers up some intelligent ad copy about the significance of the morning in both specific and nonspecific terms. He tells us the morning is when we charge into the future. Morning is also when we blasted off to the moon for the first time and scaled the highest peak. In other words, mornings are a time for getting important things done.

As engaging as the imagery and the thought-provoking copy are, what really makes "Wake Up, America" more than just good is its musical underscoring. We have long contended -- and will continue to, well, forever -- that what really makes a TV spot special and memorable is a great musical track. And boy does "Wake Up, America" have one. While every aspect of this launch Quaker Oats spot is designed to evoke a tingling sense of anticipation and possibility, the commercial would not work as well as it does without the pitch-perfect, symphonic-sounding, subtly melodic piece of music that pulls together everything.

In addition to the anthem launch spot, Quaker is unveiling six other new spots. One zeroes in on that welder seen in the launch spot and employs a bit of wicked wit when it tells us Rome wasn't built in a day or on a coffee and danish. Another adorable effort pegs a tousle-haired youngster as the new chef in the kitchen as we watch him expertly mix Quaker Oats instant oatmeal.

Aside from TV executions and new print work that supports the amazing breakfast theme, Quaker Oats is making much of a new Facebook component that will allow people to share their thoughts about how to be more amazing and possibly win a coaching session with Bob Harper from "The Biggest Loser" reality TV show. Harper will be a visible presence on the Facebook site, which is mentioned at the end of every TV spot.

Quaker Oats marketing honcho Kirsten Lynch admits a lot of people simply don't make time in their busy schedules for breakfast. She hopes this campaign will push people to rethink breakfast and the role oatmeal can play. We think this new campaign just may be amazing enough to get people to do just that.

Lew's view: A-

Another Keith Urban Myths Blog Debunked: Bacall Disses Kidman

One of the biggest urban myths the skeptics have tried to keep alive online is that Lauren Bacall, two-time co-star of Nicole Kidman, dissed her in a 2004 interview. There's so much to the story that the E! and Urban Myths blog skeptics won't tell you. They simply keep repeating like brainless sheep that Bacall deliberately insulted Kidman.

THE FACTS

The interview occurred in 2004 while Bacall was promoting Birth.

A presenter for the British morning show GMTV, Jenni Falconer, made the uneducated statement," And now you've worked alongside another screen legend, Nicole Kidman ..." whereby Bacall interrupted her with this quote

Lauren Bacall: "She's not a legend. She's a beginner. What is this 'legend'? She can't be a legend at whatever age she is. She can't be a legend, you have to be older."

Nicole was only 37 at the time.


So why did the skeptics latch onto the quote? Because it was taken out of context courtesy of the media. There were stories claiming that Bacall was dissing Kidman with the abbreviated statement "She's not a legend. She's a beginner". The skeptics as usual, ignored the truth and latched onto reporting that was incorrect and misleading. But that's par for the course with the skeptics. If they can't invent something they lift other lies from other sources.

While we don't have that original interview we'd like to point out that Falconer is also par for the course in the UK. It's very common for female presenters, or what we Americans usually call hosts, to be young, pretty, without a journalism or media degree, and known to pose during the course of their fame for men's magazines or ads wearing very little. We can safely say they are more personality than serious broadcaster. Falconer is in fact one such "personality". Her lack of preparedness gave exactly what the media wanted, a malleable story that could be turned into something negative.


So what does Lauren Bacall really think of Nicole Kidman? The skeptics simply don't want you to know.


This blurb that was posted on the Urbna Myths blog in the terms just as we described above - inaccurate and misleading.


So, What Does Nicole Kidman Get Out Of This Deal Anyway?


September 2004 - Bacall Disses Kidman’s Legend Tag - During an interview on British TV show GMTV yesterday morning, Bacall, 79, became irritated when the 37-year-old Oscar winner was described as "a legend". Cutting off interviewer Jenni Falconer in mid-sentence, Bacall blurted, "She's not a legend. She's a beginner.”


Choice and Nicole Kidman's Journey even wrote a whole blog about it. Unfortunately for Choice they were told they had distorted the facts, but the blog decided, as usual to dismiss the truth.

Lauren Bacall will put you in your place


Today the myth continues. From an Urban Myths devotee....

smorgas91: l bacall came out swinging when nk was referred as a legend a few years back

But as always STS has the real deal, the proof!

So let's start with some video. Here's Lauren at Nicole's American Cinematheque tribute.




We also have some quotes

From the Venice Film festival, promoting Birth

"I love working with a young actress. Nicole and I worked together on Dogville and we were friends when we started this. That laid the groundwork for our fabulous relationship on screen and off."


Nicole has often talked about her friendship with Lauren, calling her her "NY mother" and later in 2006 revealing that she'd like to see the legend win an Oscar. It's easy to see the two are true friends.









When Bacall updated her autobiography By Myself and Then Some, her friendship and work with Nicole was included. There's a photo of them together at the Birth premiere and she says this....

"Nicole Kidman was the star, and I would most happily play her mother. I was thrilled beyond words."

In 2008 Bacall attended the NY premiere of Australia







So much for this lie from this misinformed, anonymous skeptic:

"I am sure Lauren would not want to be known for being friends with Kidman. She has too much class to be seen with the likes of stick insect."


Another Urban Myths myth debunked. Not just the title topic but also many other aspects the skeptics try to lie about on a daily basis. Any of these sound familiar? Nicole Kidman has no friends. Nicole's co-stars never want to see or work with her again. Nicole lies about her life. Nicole cannot compliment anyone in the industry on their work. Nicole is a narcissist.

It's. Just. That. Easy.

BAHAHAHAHA!

Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman Updates 08/20/10

THE ART OF COLLABORATING
08.17.2010
Posted by: Brad

Good afternoon-

Just wanted to check in with everyone to keep you up to date with the latest happenings from the studio.

As you know, Keith doesn't like to waste time or momentum and had everyone back in the studio first thing Monday to start recording vocals and guitar overdubs on the dozen or so songs heʼs cut for his upcoming album.

As Iʼve been sitting in the studio the past few months watching all these extremely talented and accomplished musicians...Iʼve taken notice of how Keith collaborates so freely with these artists while still maintaining the leader/director role over the entire project. Even though Keith comes in with the songs and some very specific ideas of what he hears in his head, he still takes time to listen and entertain ideas that the other players suggest. Sometimes declining them with encouragement and thanks...other times throwing out his own ideas to substitute with a fresh and new slant from the band.

I donʼt only get to spend my days filming and photographing the making of this album (which is a very sweet gig)...but I also get daily lessons on how pros work with pros and how a great artist like Keith is able to keep genuine and talented people around him for so many years. Yes, Iʼm taking notes.

Keep checking back for more pics, videos and blogs over the next few months leading up to the release of the new album.


For more pics click HERE!


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Thanks to Country Music Tattle Tale for the heads up on yet another Country Weekly cover for Keith Urban!



Keith Urban covers the new issue of Country Weekly. In the 2nd part of a 4-part series on Country Stars Giving Back, Keith Urban spoke to the magazine about the charities close to his heart, why he got involved, and how it makes him feel.

“I came from nothing, basically. Our family—very, very working class—really had nothing. [We had] a pretty rubbishy car and a pretty rubbishy house attached onto the back of the corner store my parents ran. My brother and I slept on little horsehair mattresses on the floor,” Keith allows. “To come from that and to be in the strange, rarified air I find myself in these days, I can certainly feel a strong pull to want to give back. I’m immensely blessed with what I’ve been given in my life.”

Since music is his love and livelihood, it’s also a cause he holds near and dear to his heart. Keith was the honorary dean at this year’s Grammy camp.

“Getting instruments into kids’ hands is something that been really important to me all my life,” Keith says. “I started so young—I was six when I started playing guitar. I was fortunate to a) have parents that could afford to buy me a guitar and pay for lessons and b) fortunate that I went to public schools and they had music in schools and that was pretty basic, pretty standard curriculum, but it seems more and more that that’s one of the programs they’re taking out of schools for budgetary reasons. That’s a huge, huge mistake. Things like the Grammy Camp correct that and give these kids the opportunity to get instruments in their hands where they might not otherwise get that.”

Keith also has joined forces with his wife, Nicole Kidman, to bring awareness to causes. Nicole is the Goodwill Ambassador for UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women) where she often talks about and against violence against women. The two have also shared support for flood victims in Nashville and wildfire victims in Australia.

“My wife has become involved with women’s rights and so I’ve found myself involved in that, and very gladly so, too. Not only violence against women, but women’s rights in countries where they are not being honored.”

“I don’t know that there’s a common thread other than just people in need and, in certain cases, where there seems to be an extreme lack of justice—we certainly like to get involved in that,” Keith explains of the causes he and Nicole support. “There’s absolutely limitless causes on a daily basis for everybody to be involved in, it’s just looking to the ones that for me and Nic, that we feel strongly about and feel that we can actually do something about as well.”

“It’s not in Nic or I to do things for our own benefit, so we’ve shied away from more of the public stuff in the past, but it was pointed out to us by certain people that if we were to take a bit more of a public face with some of these that it might actually be more help than just the financial aid,” Keith says.

You can read more about how Keith Urban gives back in next weeks Country Weekly magazine.

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David Thomson who is screening Nicole Kidman's Birth as part of NYFF, has written a peice, listing his top Films That Time Forgot

Here's what he has to say about Birth

"How can a picture made so recently be lost or forgotten? Maybe it's because few critics understood Birth when it came out – so I find many people who haven't seen it or even heard of it! It's the story of Anna, whose husband dies, jogging in the snow in Central park. For 10 years she mourns and then she agrees to marry again. But at the engagement party a boy appears, and tells her he is her husband. Anna laughs, but the boy is serious, and gradually the occult idea breaks down her sanity or security. I won't say more about the story, or what the film means, but as directed by Jonathan Glazer (he made Sexy Beast – which you may have seen), this is a mysterious and haunting study of emotional insecurity. Nicole Kidman is Anna, and if you have ever doubted her, this is the film to see. For a few years I have been doing all I can to get everyone to see Birth. Try it – you will see, and you won't believe anyone got away with making a film like this."

To see the rest of his list click HERE.

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Keith Urban interview for Parade Magazine

Keith Urban: 'Family Is Very, Very Strong in Our Lives'

by Erin Hill

Keith Urban is spreading the love. The country crooner is bringing the backyard barbecue experience to his fans -- along with KC Masterpiece -- as he stops off at outdoor festivals across the country on his Summer Lovin' Tour.

The music star told Parade.com that he is happy to take a break from playing bigger venues for the chance to connect with fans in a more intimate setting. Plus, how he balances his career with life at home with wife Nicole Kidman and two-year-old daughter Sunday.

Also, starting today, Parade readers will have the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience: a private barbecue and concert with Keith Urban. Find out how you can enter for the chance to win!

Enjoying the great outdoors.
"We're in the midst of making a record, so it's been a year of a few shows and a lot of time in the studio. We haven't played outside in a long time. It seems as if a majority of our tours are in arenas, so all the festivals this year have been wonderful. It's just been great to play for a lot of people who probably haven't seen us play. Every night, faces of strangers out there singing along every word and just the energy in the audience is really amazing. It's all pretty magical to me."

Combining two American loves -- BBQ and country music.
"I always seem to be the guy providing the entertainment more than cooking. Grilling out and country music does seem to go hand-in-hand, and there's certainly no shortage of tailgaters before our concerts. At home, I do a little bit of cooking. My wife and I share the cooking duties a little bit."

How he balances home life while on tour.
"I don't know if there's any secret to it. Everybody sort of finds their own way to keep their life balanced. I know for me, family is first and I just make sure that I spread my time amongst the things that I love to do as well. Balance is never achieved, it's just maintained. And so far I've been able to maintain it."

Nicole is the perfect partner in crime.
"I'm fortunate to have a wife who understands about career as well. We're very blessed to have each other, and you recognize the importance of all the facets of our lives. But family is very, very strong in our lives."

What the future holds for country music.
"Right now, it's just as strong as it's ever been. What's great about country is it's quite a broad genre. If you say you're country, you almost have to say what kind of country because it seems to encompass a lot. It's got a great, rich history of always embracing current styles and trends within it in order to keep it relevant and keep moving forward."

Working on a new album.
"We're about almost halfway through. It's still very much in the formative stages. I'm just really enjoying being in the studio and anxious about getting this songs out on the road next year."

His inspiration when it comes to songwriting.
"Just life in general, and love. I tend to write from a rhythmic, melodic riff place. A lot of the times the story comes after the music has been written. The music comes from inspiration."

Recording was halted after losing valuable equipment during Nashville's devastating flood.
"I lost probably 98% of my equipment -- guitars, amplifiers, everything. A couple of guitars I've been able to resurrect, but the majority of it was destroyed so I've just started over again."

He's proud to call Nashville home.
"It's extraordinary. It's certainly not called the Volunteer State for nothing. The town's got such good community spirit. It seems like there was little national awareness to it because Nashville has a tendency to just jump in and take care of itself. I'm very, very proud to live in that city."


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Keith's single "I'm In" is holding steady at #2 this week on the charts. We should be seeing it hit the top spot the next go round. Fingers crossed!

Nicole Kidman's Birth To Screen At 2010 New York Film Festival

2010 New York Film Festival Masterworks & Special Events



Biographical and Beyond: An Evening with David Thomson, Featuring Birth

Praised as the finest reference book ever written about movies, David Thomson's The New Biographical Dictionary of Film is its author's idiosyncratic, indispensible, and deeply addictive indexing of the key players in the history of moving pictures, from Abbott and Costello to Catherine Zeta-Jones. On the eve of the publication of the revised and expanded Fifth Edition, we have invited Thomson (himself a former member of the NYFF selection committee) to discuss his work, his writing process, and to present a film of his choosing. His selection is Birth (2004), director Jonathan Glazer's metaphysical thriller starring Nicole Kidman as a woman who becomes convinced that a 10-year-old boy is the reincarnation of her late husband. Thomson has hailed the film as a neglected masterpiece. Post-screening discussion with David Thomson and Film Society Associate Program Director Scott Foundas, followed by book-signing in the Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery.
Oct. 7, 6:30