Author Archives: Surfing Hollywood

About Surfing Hollywood

Steve La Rue is an internationally recognized leader in Film & Television with 20+ years experience as a Development Executive championing such series as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Battlestar Galactica, and Farscape. He writes, blogs, and consults on All Things Entertainment from his home at the beach in Santa Monica, CA, where he balances his life by surfing every damn day.

TV Surf Report: Super Heroes, Are We Done Yet? (Answer: No, So Stop Asking!)

Posted on February 24, 2018 by Surfing Hollywood

Santa Monica, CA — Are we there, yet? Are we done with the Super Hero shows? No? Well, I have a suggestion and a few thoughts, and maybe, a List. Meanwhile, I just can’t keep up anymore. There are so … Continue reading →

Posted in TV Surf Report | Tagged 20th Century Fox, Anne Rice, Arrow, Batgirl, batman, BBC One, Black Lightning, Bryan Fuller, Christopher Rice, Damon Lindelof, Daredevil, dc comics, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Disney, Doctor Who, Good Omens, HBO, Jessica Jones, Jodi Whitaker, Marvel Studios, Neil Gaiman, Netflix, Programming, Riverdale, Roxanne Gay, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Showtime, Sir Terry Prachett, Star Wars, Streaming Services, Supergirl, Teen Titans, Television, The CW, The Flash, The Matrix, The Punisher, The Vampire Chronicles, Trinity, Warner Bros., Watchmen, X-Men, Xena: Warrior Princess | Leave a comment

Surf Report: California Dreamin’ On A Winter’s Day – Series To Binge, Books To Revisit, and Photos for That Inevitable Surf Memoir

Posted on February 17, 2018 by Surfing Hollywood

Santa Monica, CA — I never realized just how much writing I did at my local coffee shop on Main Street, which has been closed for two months, and that’s exactly how long it’s been since my last Post. Yikes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Surfing Life | Tagged A Wizard of Earthsea, Battlestar Galactica, Black Panther, Blade Runner, HBO, Isle of Roke, Mage, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, Netflix, Philip K. Dick, Super Heroes, Surf Memoir, Surfing, SyFy Channel, Tales of Earthsea, The Archipelago, The Crown, The Silmarillion, Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, Westworld, Wizardry, Wizards | Leave a comment

Surf Report: Santa Monica’s Main Street Bids Farewell to Longtime Favorite Peet’s Coffee

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Surfing Hollywood

Santa Monica, CA — A friend of mine on Twitter recently asked that his followers (including me) to refrain from publishing photos of their Lattes in 2018 saying they all look the same. He’s got a … Continue reading →

Posted in Surfing Life | Tagged Alfred Peet, Blue Bottle, Coffee Shop, Edgemar Center, Gathering Place, Latte, Main Street, Peetnik, Peets Coffee, Santa Monica, Shifting Gears Cycling | 4 Comments

Surf Report: 48 Hours in Park City, Utah

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Surfing Hollywood

Park City, Utah — No better place to escape smoky California wildfires in December than this sleepy Silver Mining town that is better known for hosting the Sundance Film Festival in January, and for great skiing, of course. Like all … Continue reading →

Posted in Surfing Life | Tagged All Seasons Resorts, Bourbon, Deer Valley, High West Distillery, High West Saloon, Jacksons Base Camp, lululemon, Mountain Town, Park City, roots, Silver Mining, Ski Rental, Skiing, Sundance Film Festival, The Eating Establishment, The Lodge at The Mountain, Tourism, Travel Writing, Utah, Winter Olympics 2002, Winter Sports | Leave a comment

Dallas Surf Report: Hidden History – A Room With THE View at SMU

Posted on November 26, 2017 by Surfing Hollywood

{Updated Aug. 24, 2019} Dallas, Texas — At my Alma Mater, Southern Methodist University (SMU), there is a Room with, hands down, the best view of the campus and of the Dallas skyline. And, it’s a 100-year-old Secret to most … Continue reading →

Posted in Surfing Life | Tagged Alumni, Architectural Secrets, Attic Apartment, Centennial, Dallas, Dallas Hall, Dallas Skyline, Darwin Payne, Dodie Jacobi, Harry Potter, J.C. Penney, Joan Gosnell, Laura Bush, Lettermen Hall, Meadows School of the Arts, Mustangs, Neiman Marcus, One Hundred Years on the Hilltop, Perkins School of Theology, Ray Morrison, Robert Hyer, Rotunda, Scot Montague, SMU, SMU Archives, SMU Football, SMU Mustangs, Southern Methodist University, Stanley Marcus, The Chamber of Secrets, The Daily Campus, The Hilltop, University | Leave a comment

Film Surf Report: Black Panther Leads A Strong Lineup Of Films For 2018 (Stock Tip: Buy #Disney)

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Surfing Hollywood

Santa Monica, CA — Just renewed my Passport and am ready to travel to Wakanda to hang with Black Panther (and to check on The Winter Soldier who is still frozen) before heading to France to catch up with … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Surf Report | Tagged A Wrinkle in Time, Aquaman, Ava Du Vernay, Avengers, Black Panther, Brad Bird, Brie Larson, Carrie Fisher, Chadwick Bozeman, Cheetah, Chris Pine, Craig T. Nelson, dc comics, Deathstroke, Disney, Ezra Miller, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Films, Flashpoint, franchises, Gal Gadot, Holly Hunter, Infinity Wars, J.K. Rowling, Jakey Gyllenhall, James Wan, Jason Momoa, Joe Mangianello, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Justice League, Kristen Wiig, marvel, Mindy Kaling, movies, Mysterio, Nicole Kidman, Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, SMU, Star Wars, The Crimes of Grindewald, The Flash, Tom Holland, Universes, Wonder Woman, X-Men | Leave a comment

Film Surf Report: Universal’s Dark Universe Should Look to John Logan’s Penny Dreadful for Resurrection & Inspiration

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Surfing Hollywood

Santa Monica, CA — When last we saw Tom Cruise’s character (whose name I can barely recall as it was so bland….wait a minute, he was called Nick Something) in The Mummy, he and his resurrected buddy were riding off into … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Surf Report | Tagged Alex Kurtzman, Angelina Jolie, Anne Rice, Beauty & the Beast, Bela Lugosi, Bill Condon, Billie Piper, Chris Morgan, Christopher Rice, Daniel Craig, Dark Universe, Eva Green, Film, Fox, Javier Bardem, John Logan, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Ramses The Damned, Reeve Carney, Rory Kinnear, Showtime, Sofia Boutella, The Mummy, The Passage, Timothy Dalton, Tom Cruise, Universal Monsters | Leave a comment

TV Surf Report: Branding in the Age of Streaming When Social Media Engagement Has Never Been More Important (Part 4 of 4)

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Surfing Hollywood

Santa Monica, CA – A recent headline in Variety proclaimed that 22 million adults will cut the cord and get rid of their cable television subscription by the end of 2017. That’s a lot of lost revenue at $100/month/household. Add to … Continue reading →

Posted in TV Surf Report | Tagged Adapters, Agatha Christie, Alias Grace, Amazing Stories, Amazon, Apple TV, Baby Boomers, BBC One, Bill Murray, Billy Eichner, Black Mirror, Bob Iger, Brian Doyle Murray, Bryan Fuller, Daredevil, Demi Lovato, Difficult People, Disjointed, Disney, Ed Westwick, Ellen Degeneres, Ellen Page, Facebook, Frontier, Future Man, Galaxy Quest, Good Omens, House of Cards, Hugh Laurie, Hulu, Instagram, Iron Fist, James Gunn, Jason Momoa, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Jones, Josh Groban, Josh Hutcherson, Karate Kid, Kathleen Kennedy, Katy Perry, Lost In Space, LOTR, Lucas Film, Luke Cage, Mad Men, Man in the High Castle, Mark Burnett, marvel, Marvel's Runaways, Matthew Weiner, Michelle Dockery, Millennials, Neil Gaiman, Netflix, Orange is the New Black, Ordeal By Innocence, Paul Scheer, Reese Witherspoon, Roma Downey, Sarah Silverman, Seth Rogen, SMU, Snap, Snap Chat, Social Media, Star Wars, Starsky & Hutch, Steven Spielberg, Stranger Things, Streaming, Susanne Daniels, Tales of the City, Television, The Crown, The Defenders, The Mindy Project, The Punisher, The Romanoffs, Tolkien, Tony Danza, Transparent, Twitter, UCP, Umbrella Academy, You Tube Red | Leave a comment

TV Surf Report: Branding In Basic Cable Is A Lot Like Playing Monopoly, So Which Network is Boardwalk or Park Place?

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Surfing Hollywood

Santa Monica, CA — Branding in Basic Cable is as Easy as Playing Monopoly. You know what you are going to get when you advertise on MTV (teens), Lifetime (women), BET (African Americans), Food Network (Foodies), and SyFy (fanboys). However, other … Continue reading →

Posted in TV Surf Report | Tagged Alexander Skarsgard, AMC, Andy Cohen, Basic Cable, Being Mary Jane, BET, Comedy Central, E!, FX, Hallmark Channel, John Le Carre, Kim Kardashian, Lifetime, Mr. Robot, MTV, OWN, Penelope Cruz, Preacher, Programming, Ryan Murphy, SyFy, Television, The Daily Show, The Little Drummer Girl, The Magicians, The Walking Dead, TRL, Twitter, USA | Leave a comment

TV Surf Report: HBO Leads The Way In Branding in Premium Cable Where The Audience (But No Advertisers) Knows To Expect Quality

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Surfing Hollywood

Santa Monica, CA — Know Your Brand. Cable Television has an easier time staking its claim than Broadcast or Streaming: It’s Not TV. It’s HBO! Premium Cable. HBO is the gold standard in subscription-based Television, still riding high with Quality Series, Original … Continue reading →

Posted in TV Surf Report | Tagged American Gods, Branding, Game of Thrones, HBO, Jerry Bruckheimer, Lionsgate, Marketing, Neil Gaiman, Outlander, Pay Cable, Power, Premium Cable, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Heughan, Showtime, Starz, Television, Twin Peaks | Leave a comment

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