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New Television Series: PROVING GROUND
NBC / UNIVERSAL PRESS RELEASE:
G4’S PROVING GROUND" TAKES VIEWERS ON A ROLLER COASTER RIDE OF TRIAL AND ERROR WHEN NEW SERIES PREMIERES JUNE 14th AT 8 PM ET/PT
Jackass’ Ryan Dunn and Videogame Starlet Jessica Chobot Host 9 Episode Half-Hour Series, Which Puts Pop Culture’s Most Memorable Moments to the Test
LOS ANGELES - May 5, 2011 – Ever wished you could spin a web and swing from it like Spiderman? Use “the force” on your enemies? Teleport like Captain Kirk? We have too, but instead of sitting around saying “wouldn’t it be cool if…” we’re getting off the couch and doing something about it. “G4’s Proving Ground” sets its sights on some of pop culture’s most iconic moments in film, television and videogames to see if they can really work in the real world. Hosted by Ryan Dunn (Jackass) and Jessica Chobot (“Attack of the Show!”, IGN) “G4’s Proving Ground” premieres Tuesday, June 14th at 8 PM ET/PT
The series follows the risk-taking Dunn and the gorgeous Chobot, along with a dream team of experts, specialists and prop masters from the worlds of film and television, who assist the two in determining if great pop culture moments can be executed in real life through action-oriented trials, stunts and experiments. Once the best strategies and tactics are determined, all plans and materials are then taken to the “Proving Ground” to be executed and reveal once and for all if the pop culture moment in question can in fact happen in real life.
However this crew is not all work and no play so watch your back – there’s no end to the pranks that get played along the way. Sometimes all the right elements come together to create that perfect moment from your favorite movies, TV shows and videogames, but other times our attempts takes us all down a hilarious – and sometimes disastrous – path.
In the new series, viewers will watch as Ryan and Jessica set out to answer the following questions through large-scale real-life experiments:
Is it possible to give a real go-kart the power ups found in the Super Mario Kart so the game can function in real life?
Is it possible to engineer flying brooms and balls with brains and put on a quidditch type match from the Harry Potter movies?
Is it possible to simulate an ‘away’ mission similar to the original Star Trek series including teleportation, phasers and the Vulcan nerve pinch?
Is it possible to use Data from “The Goonies” style inventions?
Is it possible to set up a martial arts tournament like the ones from Mortal Kombat that includes special powers and fatality moves?
Is it possible to wield the power of “the force” used in the Star Wars movies?
“G4’s Proving Ground” brings a guy’s imagination to life by celebrating some of the most memorable events of pop culture both past and present.
Hosts:
Jessica Chobot became an overnight Internet sensation when a literal tongue-in-cheek modeling photo of her appeared online licking the Sony PSP. Jessica has been working with gaming website IGN.com as host, field reporter, features and review contributor as well as freelancing for G4 as a fill-in co-host for “Attack of the Show!”
Ryan Dunn is best known for being a member of The Jackass Crew, MTV's Viva La Bam, and Homewrecker. A member of the CKY Crew, Dunn played the main character in Bam Margera's film Haggard, which was based on a failed relationship Ryan had experienced.
“G4’s Proving Ground” was created and is executive Produced by Michael Bloom and Bruce Klassen for Bongo Pictures, along with Laura Civiello, Vice President of Development and Darren Wadyko, Director of Development at G4.
"Proving Ground" premieres Tuesday, June 14th at 8 pm ET/PT, only on G4. For more information, please go to: http://g4tv.com/provingground
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John Lennon Songwriting Award, Grand Prize Winner - and More!
Eric Hester and co-writer Lale Labuko have won the Grand Prize in The John Lennon Songwriting Contest for the title song from the film, "Drawn From Water".
INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION:
In related news, the song is also a Finalist in the International Songwriting Competition among a field of 11 songs in the category. The song now moves on to be judged by a panel of celebrity artists and songwriters including, Peter Gabriel, Ben Folds, Rhianna, Jerry Lee Lewis, Wynonna Judd, Kings of Leon, and Robert Smith of the Cure to name a few. Please visit the International Songwriting Competition website for more information. >>
The "Drawn From Water" title song can be heard on the music page >>
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Sarah Silverman's Audiobook "THE BEDWETTER" Nominated For Grammy Award
Sarah Silverman's audiobook, The Bedwetter, with music by Eric Hester has been nominated for a Grammy Award. The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 13th, 2011 and broadcast on CBS.
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New Release: "DRAWN FROM WATER" Film / Soundtrack In December
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The film Drawn From Water, with a score by Eric Hester is now available. Information on the film and the soundtrack can be found at: www.DrawnFromWaterTheMovie.com
About the Film:
Drawn From Water exposes the true and tragic practice of child sacrifice in Ethiopia's Omo River Valley. The people of the Karo tribe in rural south-western Ethiopia have a culture rich in tradition. However, the tribe lives in fear of evil spirits who they believe bring ill fortune to their villages. They use the word Mingi to describe persons they consider cursed or otherwise imperfect. Those deemed Mingi face severe consequences, as the Karo believe the presence of these children on their land curses the tribe. The film details the story of one courageous tribal member (Lale) and a group of photo-journalists who initiated an effort to educate the tribes and rescue these children, later forming The Drawn from Water orphanage.
About the Score and Soundtrack Album:
A score inspired by the indigenous music of Ethiopia and the colorful and traditional sounds of Africa. The score album is a sensitive, haunting and eclectic musical journey.
Eric speaks about the score, "Never before have I been involved in a project that I felt this connected to. The story of "Drawn From Water" is true. This quickly turned from a scoring gig to something that weighed heavy on my heart."
"Before I began writing I spoke with Elias Negash who served as the Music Advisor on the film. Elias is from Ethiopia and he provided a wealth of knowledge from regional musical differentiations, scales, traditional arrangements and instrumentation. I also studied native folk and indeginous music from Ethiopia, various tunings and the like. I referenced some recordings the film crew brought back from Africa, some of which will be interpolated into the soundtrack album."
Eric continues, "Nick [the Director] was absolutely great. We established a fantastic working rapport, I think we have the same cinematic sensibilities overall. When he challenged me on a certain passage, it was always for the better. This was an amazing experience for me and I am truly honored to have been part of this project."
On board is Henry Cook performing the Washint, a traditional Ethiopian instrument, and other woodwinds. Tom Strahle performs on Oud and various guitars.
The score includes the title song, "Drawn From Water" written by Eric Hester, lyrics and vocal by Lale.
Samples of this score can be heard on the music page >>
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Interview With Composer Eric Hester - The Daily Film Music Blog
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The Daily Film Music Blog recently sat down with Eric Hester for an interview. Read a small portion below, click here for the interview in its entirety.
THE DAILY FILM MUSIC BLOG - "Spotlight: Eric Hester 101":
THE DAILY FILM MUSIC BLOG:
What motivated you to become a film composer in particular?
ERIC HESTER:
I was one of those lucky kids to grow up during the days of franchise films like "Star Wars", "Back To the Future", and "Indiana Jones". Other films like "Close Encounters", "Tron", "E.T." and "Jaws" left a huge impression on me and every other kid with a pulse. These and others were films with scores that penetrated the pop-culture. I think I became aware of film music during this time - I literally wore out my cassette tape of Vangelis’ "Chariots of Fire score". Growing up I also loved tv scores, especially theme songs – the Mike Post themes of the 80s were some of my favorite, "The Rockford Files" being my all-time favorite.
I always knew that I wanted to be in the music business, but I wasn’t a performer or recording artist type like my father. My interest in film music bloomed while in high school. John Williams’ melodies and orchestrations resonated with me emotionally on a very deep level. Williams’ score for Hook was especially influential to me as a youngster and got me seriously thinking about writing film music.
Though my first professional opportunities eventually came as a songwriter, I would dabble in writing instrumental music. I even ghost-wrote a friends acceptance piece to Berklee College of Music. Coming out of high school I was working next to the Todd-AO Scoring Stage, some of our offices were in the same building. Honestly I didn’t know what that place was or what they did there – that was until I saw about a hundred people with their instruments in-tow, and trucks offloading huge orchestral percussion set-ups. Later I peered through a small window into the stage, inside I saw a full-orchestra with a movie being projected on a huge screen behind them … and Michael Kamen conducting his score for "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves".
Later I discovered what was the attic of Todd-AO scoring stage, directly above the recoding stage – literally the attic space. In there I could clearly hear the orchestra and even the conductor running the sessions. In response to hearing the orchestra play live, I had a visceral emotional reaction to the powerful sound. My heart beat faster and my adrenaline surged – it was like kissing a girl for the first time. I would go back there to eat my lunch, and again I wondered if I could ever do this for a living.
My friend Evan Evans, I think, was the one who really encouraged me to go the scoring route. He was getting into some scoring work and we would talk a lot about composers, scores and film. We started going to SCL meetings at the Director’s Guild and other events, mixing with and becoming part of that culture here in LA. Evan and I studied, listened and discussed film music and I developed an affinity for classic, golden-age film scores.
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Read the entire interview at The Daily Film Music Blog >>
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New Soundtrack Release: "THE TALE of PETER RABBIT"
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Eric’s soundtrack from The Tale of Peter Rabbit is now available for purchase. This project marks his third endeavor with writer/director Dennis Kao. Click here to purchase >>
The 20 track orchestral soundtrack album includes four alternate bonus cues and is available on Apple’s iTunes, Amazon.com and other outlets. Cues are in original film order and will be unedited and complete.
Eric talks about the score, “Musically I had initially set out to create a distinctly quaint English feel. I began the project writing the main title cue and sent the demo track over to Dennis. His first comment was that he did not want the score sounding too ‘British’. I rewrote the passage and added a new motif that sounded more western. I did this almost as a joke for Dennis, since the musical pivot was stated so obviously. In the end it stuck and the music worked well - the score became a blend of classical European pastiche with a Copland/Gershwin-esque feel - yeah, an odd blend."
"This new Main Title motif became Peter’s theme, represented by the flute and piccolo, usually accompanied by the celeste. I love using leitmotifs and the method is on playful display throughout, as the Peter Rabbit narrative lends itself perfectly. Mr. McGregor is represented by the bass clarinet, bassoon and celli, and is thematically on the darker side. I kept the instrumentation fairly small, but there are some moments of action where the orchestration gets wider in the brass and strings. The music follows the on screen actions closely and there were many visual cues to hit one after the other. There is a lot of thematic development of the various motifs in this score and I put a lot of effort in to the musical storytelling."
Purchase and hear samples of The Tale of Peter Rabbit original soundtrack >>
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Currently Airing On MTV: "PARENTAL CONTROL"
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Parental Control is currently airing on MTV including music by Eric Hester and the Hester Music Library. Check your local listings for air dates.
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