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"Chosen" review by Suzanne
Great Web Thriller Mini-series

This is a really good thriller! Unfortunately it's way too short. I hope they make it into a real series at some point. It's a Web series, so it runs piece-by-piece, I guess. Milo Ventimiglia stars as an L.A. criminal defense lawyer whose life is turned upside-down when someone tries to kill him. The cops don't help him, and then his young daughter is threatened. He figures out that he is an unwilling participant in an insane game where he has to kill or be killed.

The ending is good....I don't want to spoil it for you, though!  You should definitely watch it because it's a great thrill ride. You will recognize many familiar faces, too.  Please go and watch it and support it, tell others about it - maybe it will be come a real series or a big screen movie!

MORE INFORMATION:

PREMIERES

JANUARY 17, 2013

on CRACKLE.COM and ALL CRACKLE PLATFORMS

MILO VENTIMIGLIA TO STAR IN AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCE NEW CRACKLE ORIGINAL SERIES “CHOSEN”

Diedrich Bader, Nicky Whelan and Brett Davern Also Set to Appear in Psychological Thriller

Trailer

CULVER CITY, CA (Sept. 4, 2012) – Crackle, the multi-platform entertainment network, announced the Los Angeles-based production of its new original series “Chosen,” starring Milo Ventimiglia (“Heroes”). Ventimiglia will executive produce along with creators Ben Ketai (30 Days of Night: Dark Days) and Ryan Lewis (High School, Fat Kid Rules the World). Ketai also wrote and will direct the series which is slated to premiere this winter across all Crackle platforms. Additional talent attached to the action thriller include Diedrich Bader (Office Space, Napoleon Dynamite), Nicky Whelan (Hall Pass, “Scrubs”), and Brett Davern (“Awkward”) among others.

“Chosen” follows Ian Mitchell (Ventimiglia), a husband, father and lawyer who awakens one morning to discover a mysterious box on his doorstep containing a loaded gun – and a photo of a stranger he is instructed to kill within the next three days. “Chosen” is comprised of six half-hour episodes, packed with non-stop action and shocking plot twists.

“Chosen” joins Crackle’s acclaimed portfolio of original content that includes the long-form anthology series “The Unknown” created by Chris Collins and starring Dominic Monaghan; Jerry Seinfeld’s new comedy series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee;” and the Webby Award-winning drama “Urban Wolf.”

Crackle continues to expand its brand across multiple platforms and services. In late August, the award-winning app, with over 11 million mobile downloads since its launch in the Spring of 2011, was made available on Windows Phones and Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Tablet devices, and as of August 21 on Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Prior successful launches include the Xbox LIVE service, Sony and other manufacturers’ Android phones and tablets, the iPhone, iPad and iPod, among others.

Crackle, Inc.

Crackle, Inc. is a multi-platform next-generation video entertainment network that distributes digital content including original series and full-length traditional programming from Sony Pictures’ vast library of television series and feature films in addition to the libraries of other studios. Crackle is one of the fastest growing entertainment destinations on the Internet, mobile and over-the-top devices, offering audiences high-quality programming in a variety of genres, including comedy, action, sci-fi, horror and music. Crackle reaches an impressive audience through its diverse online and mobile distribution network. Visit Crackle’s site at www.crackle.com or find Crackle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/crackle.    

PREMIERES JANUARY 17 on CRACKLE.COM and ALL CRACKLE PLATFORMS

SYNOPSIS – Half-hour | 6 episode season

“Chosen” follows Ian Mitchell a husband, father and lawyer who awakens one morning to discover a mysterious box on his doorstep containing a loaded gun and a photo of a stranger he must kill within the next three days. Ian quickly learns that if he doesn’t kill this man, he may be killed himself along with his daughter who is being held hostage. Confused and desperate, Ian is transformed from an ordinary man into an unwilling assassin who must risk everything to protect his family. A heart-pounding thriller, the series features six, 30 minute episodes.  Chosen is produced by Mesquite Productions, Inc.

STARRING 

Milo Ventimiglia as Ian Mitchell

Diedrich Bader as Daniel Easton

Nicky Whelan as Laura Mitchell

Brett Davern as Paul

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Ben Ketai (30 Days of Night: Dark Days)

Ryan Lewis (High School, Fat Kid Rules the World)

Milo Ventimiglia

WRITER/DIRECTOR

Ben Ketai

EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS

 “THE BOX” - 101

An unsuspecting father and lawyer, Ian Mitchell (Milo Ventimiglia), is thrust into a deadly game when a mysterious, ornate, wooden box appears on his doorstep one morning containing a photograph of a stranger named Daniel Easton (Diedrich Bader) and a loaded gun. Ian learns he must kill Daniel by the expiration date on the photo. While contemplating how to handle this situation, he discovers that he is a target as well when he is confronted by Mara ---the woman hunting him.

“THE HUNTERS” - 102

Narrowly surviving his first day in the game, Ian finds himself and his family in further danger as tactics taken by the game's creators continue to infiltrate his life. Insisting that he could never hurt anyone, Ian learns even more about the extent of the game during a tense one-on-one meeting with Daniel Easton.

“THE FIXERS” - 103

After a near death encounter with another hunter, a young boy named Paul (Brett Davern), Ian discovers that ‘The Watchers’ steering the game are relentless as he frantically attempts to gain the upper hand. A safe escape begins to appear out of reach – for both him and his loved ones.

“THE WATCHERS” - 104

His daughter held hostage by ‘The Watchers,’ Ian goes on the offensive to uncover those behind the game and put an end to his involvement. With the clock counting down, Ian uses everything at his disposal to save his family and comes face-to-face with the sadistic people in charge of the game.

“THE CAVALRY” – 105

With the help of a questionable criminal client, Ian devises a plan to get his daughter back from ‘The Watchers.’

“THE WAY OUT” – 106

CAST & CREW

	MILO VENTIMIGLIA - Cast (Ian Mitchell) Executive Producer Milo Ventimiglia’s impressive career in film and television continues to evolve with exciting and challenging projects. Best known for his role as Peter Petrelli in NBC’s drama “Heroes,” Milo can also be seen in Sony Pictures' comedy That’s My Boy opposite Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg. Next year, he will appear opposite Adam Sandler, Salma Hayek, and Chris Rock in Columbia Pictures’ comedy Grown Ups 2.  He has starred as Sylvester Stallone’s son in the sixth installment of the Rocky series, Rocky Balboa, and he appears as Josh in the sci-fi thriller The Divide which premiered January 2012. His other film credits include the heist film Armored with Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburne, Gamer alongside Gerard Butler, Pathology alongside Alyssa Milano, and the Wes Craven/Kevin Williamson thriller Cursed.
	DIEDRICH BADER – Cast (Daniel Easton) Diedrich Bader is an actor and comedian widely known for his roles as Oswald Lee Harvey on “The Drew Carey Show” and Lawrence from the film Office Space. Diedrich has had roles in animated features such as Ice Age, Surf’s Up, The Simpsons, and voicing the role of Batman in the animated television series “Batman: The Brave and Bold.” Diedrich has appeared in Balls Of Fury, Meet The Spartans, and Vampires Suck, and was also the series lead in the NBC comedy “Outsourced.” Diedrich has guest starred on USA’s “Psych,” TV Land’s “The Exes,” Netflix’s “Arrested Development,” and Fox’s “Bones.” In addition to “Chosen,” Diedrich can next be seen in the spoof film The Starving Games.
	NICKY WHELAN – Cast (Laura Mitchell) Hailing from Australia, Nicky Whelan got her start with a central role on the popular Australian series “Neighbours.” She most recently starred in the lead role of Leigh in the Farrelly Bros feature Hall Pass opposite Owen Wilson. She has been seen in a recurring role on “Scrubs,” and has guest-starred on the Comedy Central series “Workaholics.” In addition to “Chosen,” Nicky’s upcoming projects include the 2013 feature film 7500.
	BRETT DAVERN – Cast (Paul) Brett Davern can currently be seen on MTV’s breakout hit series “Awkward” playing Jake Rosati. Previous film credits include the independent feature Junk, which won the Narrative Feature Audience Award at the 2012 Austin Film Festival, the coming-of-age comedy Pool Boys opposite Mathew Lillard and Rachelle Lefevre, the feature film Triple Dog opposite Brittany Robertson and Scout Taylor Compton and Chad Lowe’s directorial debut Beautiful Ohio playing the son of Rita Wilson and William Hurt. His television credits include “CSI: Miami,” “In Plain Sight,” “Medium” and “Cold Case,” in which he played Kathryn Morris' younger, troubled brother in the recurring role of Finn.

BEN KETAI – Creator, Writer, Director, Executive Producer

Ben Ketai got his start working for Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert’s Ghost House Pictures where, under the tutelage of Raimi, he wrote, directed, and/or produced six different digital series in conjunction with Sony, Fearnet, and Starz Media. He then graduated into the feature directing chair for Ghost House and Sony Stage 6’s 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, which he also co-wrote alongside graphic novel author Steve Niles. 

RYAN LEWIS – Creator, Executive Producer

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

 IAN MITCHELL

Ian is an ambitious defense attorney with questionable morals---considering he makes his living defending clients he often knows to be guilty. Ian is also a devoted father who would do anything for his young daughter. A man who stays cool under pressure, Ian can handle anything that comes his way and usually takes control of any situation. When Ian awakens one morning to discover a mysterious box on his doorstep containing a loaded gun and a photo of a stranger he must kill, he tries to take control of the situation and refuses to take part---after all, he only defends criminals, he isn’t one of them. It isn’t until his daughter’s life is in danger that Ian starts to unravel and everything he considered true about himself goes out the window. The once always-in-control, slick-talking lawyer now finds himself a desperate man willing to do anything and cross any lines to save his daughter’s life.   

LAURA MITCHELL

Ian's estranged wife and the mother of their daughter, Ellie. Laura regards Ian as an irresponsible father, and has moved on after the marriage by now dating Chris. Appalled when Ian misses Ellie's soccer game, she later learns, to her terror, that their daughter’s life is in danger. Much against her will, Laura is forced to work along with Ian to protect their daughter from ‘The Watchers.’

DANIEL EASTON

A dentist with a practice downtown, Daniel is Ian's target; for no apparent reason, Daniel is the man selected by ‘The Watchers’ to be assassinated. A reasonable, decent man with a career and a family he loves, Daniel has also committed murders as part of The Game, a fact he initially conceals from Ian. A man determined to fight for his life, Daniel ultimately becomes hunted by both Ian and Laura.

PAUL

A seemingly harmless high school kid, Paul is yet another assassin, ordered by ‘The Watchers’ to hunt down and kill Ian. Unsuccessful in his attempt, he tells Ian what little he knows about The Game, and Ian takes measures to ensure Paul does no more hunting. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:        What is Crackle? 

A:         Crackle, Inc. is Sony Pictures Entertainment’s multi-platform digital network that streams more than 200 full length movies, 1,000 full-length television episodes and several original series – all free and uncut. It’s available online at Crackle.com, on mobile devices and connected TVs. 

Q:        What is Crackle’s target demographic?  

A:         The brand’s target demographic is the 18-34 male, however, the entertainment content offerings which Crackle provides appeal to a vast audience both male and female, of different races, ethnicities, and more.

Q.        What kind of programming does Crackle offer?

A.         Crackle offers audiences quality programming in a variety of genres including comedy, action, sci-fi, horror, music, anime and reality.

Q:        Can Crackle content be personalized?

A:         Yes, Crackle users can also personalize their experience with Crackle by creating a list of favorite videos in their queue.

A:         Crackle is available on multiple platforms across the web, on the go and in the home including:

·        Mobile: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android phones and tablets, Kindle Fire, Nook and Windows Phone.

·        Connected TVs:  Sony BRAVIA, Google TV, VIZIO and Samsung Smart TVs.

·        Streaming Players:  Sony Blu-ray, Roku, Samsung Blu-ray Players.

·        Game Consoles: Playstation 3, Xbox 360.

·        Online/Other:  Crackle.com, Google Chrome Web Store and coming soon to Windows 8.

Q:        What can I find currently available on Crackle?

A:         January 2013 film content offerings in the U.S. include:  Bottle Rocket, District 9, Joe Dirt, Kung Fu Hustle, Snatch, Underworld and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story among many others.

January 2013 television and original content offerings in the U.S. include: “Boondocks,” “Rescue Me,” “Seinfeld,” “Married…With Children,” “Jackie Chan Adventures,” hundreds of episodes of anime including “Samurai X,” “Blood +” and “Blue Exorcist” plus over 40 Crackle originals including the award-winning “The Bannen Way,” “Backwash,” “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” “From The Basement,” “Issues,” “Why It Crackles” and more. 

Q:        What are some of the most successful original series from Crackle?

A:         "The Unknown" (premiered July 2012) is a long-form anthology series starring Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings, “Lost”) comprised of six, standalone episodes that fuse drama, psychological thrills, suspense and horror.  Each episode chronicles the efforts of an anonymous blogger to uncover the strange occurrences, supernatural events, and conspiracy theories that are intentionally left undocumented.  The series was created by Chris Collins (“Sons of Anarchy”) and individual episodes directed by Kevin Connolly (“Entourage”), Martha Coolidge (Real Genius) and Sam Nicholson (“The Walking Dead”).

Q.        Where is Crackle available?

A.         Crackle is a global entertainment destination and available in 22 countries, including the US, Canada, Latin America, UK and Australia.

Q:        On what platforms is Crackle available?

Reiner, Mel Brookes and a reunion with “Seinfeld” co-star Michael Richards, among others. 

“The Ropes” (premiered March 2012) is an original, scripted series produced by Vin Diesel’s One Race Films and Fox Digital Entertainment and is a homage to Diesel’s days as a New York City bouncer, taking an inside look at what really goes on ‘behind the ropes.’ The series stars Erin Cummings (“Spartacus: Blood and Sand”), Gonzalo Menendez (Act of Valor), F. Valentino Morales (Shaft), Ryan Ahern (Unstoppable) and Danny A. Abeckaser (You Don’t Mess with the Zohan), among others. The series was directed by Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Cisely Saldana, Joe Ballarini and Frank E. Flowers and executive produced by Diesel and Samantha Vincent. A long list of writers contributed to this project including Diesel, Flowers, Ballarini, TJ Mancini, Michael B. Silver, Hernany Perla, J.P. Schaefer, Adam Lazarre-White and Danny Tolli.

“Issues” (premiered July 2011) is an original comedy series starring Josh Cooke (“Better with You”). Created by Matt Oates (Wasted) and Cooke, “Issues” follows Dr. Ted (Cook), a disgruntled psychologist, who has to deal with the bizarre neuroses and psychoses of his unique clientele—who happen to be animated superheroes. Dr. Ted’s childhood dream was to offer his psychological expertise to the world’s superheroes; but when his dream comes true, the superheroes’ mindless neuroses slowly turn every session into a constant reminder of just how un-super Dr. Ted really is amongst the gods in spandex. 

“Backwash,” (premiered November 2010) the tale of three slacker friends running from the law, is a slapstick adventure starring Joshua Malina (“The West Wing”), Michael Panes (“Easy to Assemble”) and Michael Ian Black (“Ed”). The series features an impressive list of actors including Jon Hamm, John Stamos, Sarah Silverman, John Cho, Allison Janney, Hank Azaria, Michael Vartan, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Dulé Hill, Fred Willard and Mary Lynn Rajskub, among other notables, and received significant media support across print, online and broadcast outlets.

“The Bannen Way” (premiered January 2010) is a high-octane, sexy, fast-paced series starring Mark Gantt (Ocean’s Eleven), Vanessa Marcil (“Las Vegas”), Gabriel Tigerman (“Supernatural”), Michael Ironside (“Smallville”), Academy-Award  nominee Robert Forster (“Heroes”), and guest star, Academy-Award  nominee Michael Lerner (“Entourage”) that broke records as one of the fastest growing web series, racking up over 8.4M streams in just its first month on Crackle. The series garnered multiple Streamy Awards including Best Drama, Best Male Actor in a Drama, Best Directing for a Drama and Best Editing.

“Why It Crackles,” which is a look at upcoming films set to hit theaters in the coming weeks. Crackle describes the film’s best qualities—e.g., why the film “crackles,” to help users decide if they should go check it out. To view a sample of “Why It Crackles” visit: http://www.crackle.com/c/Why_It_Crackles/The_Other_Guys/2481771?c=US  

Q:        Are there any impressive statistics that support that it’s a growing platform? 

A:         Yes, over-the-top (OTT) integrations such as Sony Blu-ray, BRAVIA and Roku have increased Crackle’s reach by anywhere from 10%-20% with each launch.

• Crackle is one of the top five most viewed channels in numerous over-the-top (OTT) integrations and is the number one free video service on Roku and Bravia.

·        The iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android App has received over 12 million downloads since launch in 2011, reaching the #2 overall app spot on the iPhone.

Q:        Has Crackle been recognized with any significant awards or nominations?

A:         Yes, Crackle has garnered a long-list of accolades for its original content and mobile devices including:

33^rd annual Telly Awards:

Winners:

·        “Issues” (2012 Silver Award – Comedy)

·        “Issues” 2012 Silver Award - Use of Animation)

·        "Held Up” (2012 Bronze Award - Comedy)

·        “Backwash” (2012 Bronze Award – Comedy)

2012 Mobile Excellence Awards:

Nominations:

·        CRACKLE Mobile App (Best Overall Company or Product in Mobile Entertainment)

·        CRACKLE Mobile App (Best Original Content Made For Mobile)

2011 Mobile Excellence Awards:

Nomination:

·        CRACKLE Mobile App  (Best Original Content Made For Mobile)

16^th Annual Webby Awards:

Nominations:

·        CRACKLE  (Movie and Film)

·        CRACKLE Mobile App  (Entertainment (Handheld Devices))

·        CRACKLE Mobile App (Best Use of Mobile Video)

·         “Why It Crackles” (Video Remixes/Mashups)

·         “Jailbait” (Best Editing) 

·        “Jailbait” (Best Individual Performance – John Lehr)

·        “Issues” (Comedy: Long Form or Series)

·        “Issues”  (Best Individual Performance – Seth Green)

15^th Annual Webby Awards:

Winner:

·        “Urban Wolf” (Best Drama)

Official Honorees:

·        “Backwash” (Comedy: Long Form or Series)

·        “Backwash” (Best Individual Performance—Michael Ian Black)

·        “Backwash” (Best Editing)

·        “Clean Break” (Travel & Adventure)

·        “Urban Wolf” (Best Individual Performance—Vincent Sze)

·        “Held Up” (Best Individual Performance—Nick Kroll)

2^nd Annual Streamy Awards:

Winners:

·        “The Bannen Way” (Best Drama)

·        “The Bannen Way” (Best Male Actor in a Drama—Mark Gantt)

·        “The Bannen Way” (Best Directing for a Drama—Jesse Warren)

·        “The Bannen Way” (Best Editing—Zack Arnold)

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