Jeff Conaway left out of Emmy 'In Memoriam' segment

Cover of KenickieApparently "Jackass" star Ryan Dunn merited inclusion in the "In Memoriam" segment of Sunday's Emmy Awards broadcast, but Jeff Conaway -- who spent four years as a regular on ABC's "Taxi" and appeared on countless other shows over the past three decades -- did not.

The actor, reports Us Weekly, was left out of the annual montage which honors stars who passed away in the previous 12 months. Conaway, who battled drug addiction for several years, passed away in May at age 60 from complications related to pneumonia and sepsis.

Conaway is also remembered for his iconic role as Kenickie in the 1978 big screen version of "Grease." In 2008, he also appeared on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew."

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Charlex and GSD&M Dance with AT&T

New York - Charlex is well known for its superior visual effects work and imaginative concepts. You can find all of those elements on display in their entertaining new :60 spot for AT&T, Dancing Through DSL. 

The spot, as simple as it may seem on the surface, was actually borne of a detailed treatment created by Ryan Dunn, Charlex director. The spot sets out to create a storyline that effectively reveals all the benefits of AT&T's new high-speed Internet service in a single, transformative space.



While the initial board from GSD&M laid out the storyline, Dunn was eager from the start to avoid any cliché "actor shot on white" feel to the spot. "We've all seen that spot a dozen times," Dunn says. "Instead, I began riffling on the idea of the Internet as a theatrical space, a more tactile, less tech environment."

With this in mind, Dunn shot the live-action stage work more in situation and with as little green-screen as possible. "I put in backdrops and created lighting moods for the various parts of the Internet," he adds. Dunn also elected to shoot the entire spot on a Steadicam rig, "in order to connect the viewer to the human, and not to the visual effect."



The spot also benefited from extensive design work in every aspect of the job, from casting to set design, through editing and postproduction. "We really tried to tell a story and focus on things that weren't necessarily all about eye candy," Dunn notes. "It was more a case of, 'Who exactly is this mother? Is she quirky? Daring? What is her relationship with her daughter like?'"

 To emphasize these aspects, Dunn was inspired by films like Jeunet's  Amelie and Tati's Playtime. Even though the AT&T spot had quite a difference in communication from those classic films, there was a spirit and whimsy about them that made sense for this fictional world of the Internet.



In addition to the photography, the piece uses many interface elements to create its fanciful world. On the shoot, Dunn would put blue cards up or tracking marks where the screens existed, so the actors had something physical to interact with. "I even cut a hole in the blue-screen so the mom could actually grab a dress out from a cubby hole," he reveals. "By blurring the line between visual effects and traditional stagecraft, I think we got a smoother connection between the live-action and the design."



"This was never going to be a simple job to finish in post," Dunn continues, "but by integrating the storytelling with the VFX well before we shot anything, there was always a clear beacon on the shoreline to keep us out of dangerous waters. The end result is something we are all happy about, and it was fun to bring mood and magic to a seemingly sterile space such as the Internet."

Read more: http://www.trustcollective.com/portfolio/content/charlex_att.php#ixzz1X2NsDvv5
Attribution: Written content created by TRUST: http://www.trustcollective.com
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Animals star in Oregon State Fair's Kids Day

Animals — pretend and real — were the stars of Kids Day events at the Oregon State Fair today.

In fact, Ryan Dunn, 11, of Salem, who watched piglets as they nursed with his three siblings, said if he could do only one thing at the fair, it would be to “come and see the animals.”

Image via WikipediaFamilies packed the fairgrounds, taking advantage of the Les Schwab Tires Kids Day special — free admission for children age 13 and under and half-priced carnival tickets and rides.

“It’s the only way to afford to do that, with four kids,” said Ryan’s mother, Lisa Dunn. “It makes a huge difference.”

At the GASCAR Racetrack, families cheered on their favorite animal at the inter-species races.

Few contestants never made it to the finish line, while at one point, a pig cut across the track to victory.

At the Familyville Stage, kids put on their very own show — the Let’s Pretend Circus — in which they acted as animals, magicians and acrobats in a make-believe performance.

For the dancers and musicians of the crowd, Los Angeles-based Street Beat’s show was the highlight.

A lucky few were given opportunities to perform alongside the percussionists and dancers, including Braedy Vogt, 6, of Salem.

He said he’s been break dancing and hip-hop dancing for a couple years, but the fair was his first opportunity to perform in front of a large crowd.

“It feels great,” he said.

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