Fiction imitates reality. Or other way around?

   Is Tucci the Right Man?

In A Modern Affair a professional woman played by Lisa Eichhorn hears her biological clock ticking. She decides to resort to a sperm bank as she has not found Mr. Right. Becomes obsessed with the donor. Meets the donor. A very charming Stanley Tucci who is unaware that the woman he just met ... is carrying his baby!

http://amodernaffair.com/

Here's another plot. A woman finds her self in the same situation, in Boston. She acquires a sperm sample and makes an appointment for insemination. But she meets a very charming man BEFORE she  has time to use the sample. Sample 8282. She passes the sperm sample to a woman who's also single and desperate for a baby. She in turn immediately meets a man and finds herself without the need of the donated sperm. 8282, clearly a lucky number. She passes it on to the next woman in line. Who, you've guessed it, also meets a man. A bit contrived of a plot, isn't it? Except that it all happened in real life, as told in the book Three Wishes.

http://threewishesbook.ning.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/fashion/23sperm.html?8dpc

Modern methods of procreation, as well as the unusual ways of meeting a partner they can lead to, were topical when A Modern Affair was made. And still are today. Witness the flurry of movies on the subject being produced this year. We mentioned The Backup Plan. Next one out will be The Switch - formerly knows as The Baster (don't ask)(trust me). This time the sample from the donors gets switched around. Hence the title. Obviously.

http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/03/19/the-switch-movie-trailer-an-artificial-insemination-romantic-comedy/

The chicken or the egg? A Modern Affair or The Backup Plan?

A Modern Affair - Grace tells Peter she's pregnant from A Modern Affair on Vimeo.
We won't try to solve the famous riddle of which came first, the chicken or the egg. But we can tell you that A Modern Affair came way before The Backup Plan was even conceived. Several film critics describe in their reviews (below) how they have been struck by the similarities in plot. We'll let you judge which version they liked better.

From Trey Dominique, film critic at The Lafayette Times:
"While watching the trailer, I had the funny feeling that I’d seen this movie before, so I did a little digging. Sure enough, the plot is remarkably close to 1995’s A Modern Affair. A Modern Affair was more romantic-drama than rom-com, but the story is close enough for me to classify this as another Hollywood recycle that I probably won’t need to see."
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20100422/ACADIANA03/100420041

From Amy Steele, film critic at Entertainment Real:
"Of course as there are few original films out, The Back-Up Plan is a remake of 1995′s A Modern Affair with Stanley Tucci and Lisa Eichhorn. "
http://entertainmentrealm.com/2010/04/21/film-review-the-back-up-plan/

 From Carol Cling, film critic at Las Vegas Review Journal:
"There's a potentially insightful movie tucked inside "The Back-Up Plan's" connect-the-dots premise. (It's called "A Modern Affair," an edgy 1995 comedy that starred Lisa Eichhorn and Stanley Tucci.) But "The Back-Up Plan's" too busy spinning its sitcom-style wheels to move beyond the most broadly obvious humor."
http://www.lvrj.com/neon/-the-back-up-plan--91893649.html

Genevieve's thoughts on the "fourth" screen

Always interesting to consult with Genevieve Castelino, as she likes to keep up to date with latest business and technology/media developments.

Hello, Genevieve,

You pointed out recently to the Tribe team how more ads are seen now on incidental screens (in taxis, elevators, doctor's office, etc.) than on traditional broadcast (see link below). Nielsen published a report showing that the "fourth" screen outdid the television, computer and mobile screens. How do you see this change affect the way corporations might deal with their communication needs? And what does it mean in terms of what Tribe does?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/business/media/12adco.html?8ad&emc=seiab1

I think what is most important for corporations and us (Tribe) is that non broadcast video is here in a big way and how it is being delivered continues to grow. Traditional/known methods of reaching our consumers and end-users are being challenged every day. Is it fragmentation or new and exciting new ways to reach out? A little bit of both. But the fact is that the only ones who will successfully benefit from new technology are those who embrace it with an open mind, and remain flexible enough to capitalize on it as it unfolds.

For example – Stefany Koslow, one of our collaborators, shared with me this morning this technology -  http://www.zoomino.com/ - touting a webpage being “live, interactive, multi-layered interface”. I  immediately wonder what its relevance beyond huge content publishers who could monetize it is. But what interests me is that it is yet another outlet (hence need) for web video, another media platform to explore and to possibly add to our range.

Thanks, Genevieve, interesting!