‘Sharknado’ rides marketing wave back to Syfy in latest sequel

by -

Los Angeles (CNN)Syfy caught lightning in a bottle with the first “Sharknado” in 2013. Now the latest installment “Sharknado: The 4th Awakens” proves that the network still has ample incentives to milk as much as it can out of the franchise, even as the returns on it diminish — and also shows just how hard it will be to kill this social-media-powered monster.

“The 4th Awakens” is, like its predecessors “Sharknado 2: The Second One” and “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No,” more than just a purposefully schlocky movie. It’s an opportunity for synergy with the larger NBCUniversal family.
“It’s not just about the ratings,” said Chris Regina, Syfy’s senior vice president of original co-productions. “It’s about our influence and our presence in the pop-culture landscape.”
    While the producers work in just enough references to “Star Wars” to justify the title, “The 4th Awakens” is also busy showcasing NBC talent, like “Today’s” Al Roker and Natalie Morales, as well as MSNBC as a whole. (A certain other cable news network is identified, by contrast, as “ZNN.”)
    Syfy’s multi-pronged approach to the movie, which premieres Sunday, includes a week’s worth of related programming, a Sunday marathon of the three prior movies leading up to the premiere and a commercial-free preview of a new vampire series, “Van Helsing,” immediately after the telecast.
    It’s a lot of effort for, and pressure on, a film series that could have already hit its peak.
    The first “Sharknado” in 2013 took off unexpectedly thanks to strong gusts of social media, producing a tweet-storm that improbably made the title stand out.
    “Sharknado 2: The Second One” attracted almost three times as many viewers with its first telecast — about 3.87 million people. But by “Sharknado 3,” the novelty appeared to be cooling. The audience slipped to 2.81 million, per Nielsen data — markedly better than the average Syfy movie, but a sign “Sharknado” was likely slowing down.

    Syfy

    Still, even if “The 4th Awakens” slips further in viewership, it might not matter. While the budget has increased since the bargain-basement original (which reportedly cost less than $2 million), “Sharknado” remains an inexpensive proposition relative to the attention it reliably brings to the network.
    “We punch above our weight,” Regina said of what the movie delivers relative to its budget, adding that amid a sea of dark cable drama, “Sharknado” offers fun and “pure escapism.”
    The plot is virtually beside the point, but here it is anyway: “The 4th Awakens” takes place in Las Vegas and Kansas (opening the door for “Wizard of Oz” jokes), with a company having created anti-Sharknado technology. Naturally, that fails almost immediately, paving the way for plenty of chainsaw-wielding action.
    After the producers exulted in the movie’s elevation to cultural sensation in the earlier sequels, though, everything about “Sharknado” feels more perfunctory, including its by-now obligatory cameos. And while the franchise has never really cleared the “So stupid that it’s clever” hurdle, the repetitive nature of the films — surrounding Ian Ziering’s reluctant hero, Fin Shepard — has only made that process feel more laborious.
    Regina said the project’s future is reevaluated after each movie, but “Sharknado” likely has enough altitude to weather another modest drop. Given that, it would be nave to expect any criticism to spare us from seemingly inevitable sequel subtitles, like “Revenge of the 5th” and “6th Happens,” as long as the marketing force is with it.
    “Sharknado: The 4th Awakens” premieres July 31 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on Syfy.

    Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/27/entertainment/sharknado-syfy-review/index.html

    Geriatric ERs reduce stress, risks for older patients

    by -

    New YorkThe Mt. Sinai Hospital emergency room looks and sounds like hundreds of others across the country: Doctors rush through packed hallways; machines beep incessantly; paramedics wheel stretchers in as patients moan in pain.

    “It’s like a war zone,” said physician assistant Emmy Cassagnol. “When it gets packed, it’s overwhelming. Our sickest patients are often our geriatric patients, and they get lost in the shuffle.”
      But just on the other side of the wall is another, smaller emergency room designed specifically for those elderly patients.
      Patients like Hattie Hill, who is 105 years old and still lives at home. A caregiver brought her in this rainy day in May because she had a leg infection that wasn’t responding to antibiotics. Hill, who also has arthritis and a history of strokes, said she prefers the emergency room for seniors because she gets more attention.

      Gambling

      “Hospitals that before didn’t think there was any need for this are saying, ‘Can you help us create a geriatric ED?'” Hwang said.
      Hospitals also may view specialized emergency departments as a marketing tool to reach the growing elderly population.
      The geriatric emergency room at Mt. Sinai is set up differently than traditional emergency rooms. It has thicker mattresses to help reduce the chance of bed sores, raised toilet seats, hand rails in the hallways and reduced-noise curtains.
      The department is allotted 20 beds, but the main hospital sometimes steals them for other patients. That leaves some older ER patients waiting in the hallway.
      Over a two-day period in May, dozens of older patients were treated for falls, dizziness, severe pain and shortness of breath.
      John Fornieri, 79, came in after falling on his floor at home. Fornieri, an artist with arthritis and a heart condition, said he nearly lost consciousness. An x-ray showed he had broken a hip.
      Fornieri said he was grateful that the geriatric emergency room staff was trained to care for the elderly. “Seniors need a different kind of attention,” he said. “We can’t see and we can’t hear like we used to. We can’t even talk the same.”
      Denise Nassisi, a physician who runs the geriatric ER, said her patients are at greater risk of falling, medication errors and infections than younger patients. Seemingly routine injuries can have devastating effects. Broken arms, for example, can make it difficult for elderly people to care for themselves.
      Many also have dementia or other cognitive impairments that make it harder to get an accurate account of their medical history and the reason for their ER visit, she said. About half of the patients arrive unaccompanied by relatives or caregivers.
      In the past, Nassisi said, doctors frequently just admitted the patients, leaving it to the hospital staff to do a more complete workup. But now, Nassisi and her team of social workers, therapists, nurses and others try to screen, diagnose and treat patients more thoroughly in the ER, she said.
      Part of their job is to determine whether older patients can be safely discharged. That means they aren’t automatically admitted to the hospital, which would raise their risk of confusion and loss of independence. “We are trying to change the culture of just admitting,” Nassisi said.
      A patient doesn’t need a clean bill of health to be discharged. One 81-year-old patient came in for a toothache but also had a long list of illnesses: coronary artery disease, chronic pulmonary disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, prediabetes and high cholesterol. She was released with pain medication, antibiotics and an appointment with a surgeon.
      Another patient, who was 83 and had high blood pressure, anxiety and cancer, had fallen in her kitchen. She, too, was discharged after staff ensured she could walk on her own and had help at home.
      As providers determine where the patients should be treated, they also try to prevent them from becoming delirious, developing additional problems or taking potentially harmful medications.
      Physician assistant Jaclyn Schefkind evaluated Hill, the 105-year-old patient.
      “How are you doing?”
      “Bad,” Hill said, wincing in pain.

      See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter.

      Schefkind looked at Hill’s leg, red and swollen. She said they were going to get her some stronger antibiotics and something to relieve the pain.
      “Let’s start with Tylenol,” Schefkind said. “I don’t want to give you something too strong because it’s not safe when you’re older.”
      Shortly afterward, the team decided the best place to admit Hill so doctors could get her infection under control. A nurse pulled Hill’s blanket up to her chin, packed up her belongings and rolled her through the door toward the main hospital.

      Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/27/health/geriatric-emergency-rooms/index.html

      Secret ‘Blair Witch’ sequel revealed at Comic-Con

      by -

      San Diego (CNN)It’s not easy to stand out during the hype machine that is San Diego Comic-Con. But Lionsgate found a way: The studio announced a surprise sequel to 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project.”

      Returning to its found-footage format, “Blair Witch” will pick up where the first movie’s mythology left off. The story follows the brother of one of the characters in the first film who embarks on a quest to find out what happened to his sister.
        The movie was screened publicly for the first time during the annual Comic-Con convention on Friday, with guests believing they’d showed up to screen a movie titled “The Woods.”
        Prior to the screening, none of the marketing for “The Woods” alluded to any connection with “The Blair Witch Project” world.
        This is not the first attempt to follow up on the massively successful horror film.
        In 2000, “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” tried to build on the original’s success, but failed to make a splash. It was panned by critics, in part because it abandoned the stylistic choices of the first, particularly the found-footage approach.
        “Blair Witch” is not this year’s first secret sequel announcement.
        In January, producer J.J. Abrams surprised fans of 2008’s “Cloverfield” by sneaking trailers for a hush-hush followup — “10 Cloverfield Lane” — into theaters. The movie made over $25 million on its opening weekend.
        “Blair Witch” arrives in theaters on September 16.

        Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/23/entertainment/comic-con-blair-witch-sequel/index.html