Live Forever as You Are Now with Alan Resnick
| Live Forever as You Are Now with Alan Resnick | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre |
Satire Alternative comedy |
| Created by |
Ben O'Brien Alan Resnick |
| Written by | Ben O'Brien Dina Kelberman |
| Directed by | Ben O'Brien Alan Resnick |
| Presented by | Dan Deacon |
| Starring | Alan Resnick |
| Narrated by | Connor M. Kizer |
| Composer(s) | Dan Deacon Drew Swinburne |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
| Cinematography | Noah Collier |
| Editor(s) | Alan Resnick Ben O'Brien |
| Running time | 11 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
AB Video Solutions, LLC Williams Street |
| Release | |
| Original network | Adult Swim |
| Picture format | 1080i (16:9 HDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | December 24, 2013 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Infomercials |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Live Forever as You Are Now with Alan Resnick is a television special written, created and directed by Alan Resnick and Ben O'Brien for Adult Swim. The special is presented as a parody of self-help infomercials, advertising a four-step program for creating a digital avatar that acts a backup of its host. The special is hosted by Alan Resnick as himself, and is presented by Dan Deacon. Both, along with O'Brien, are members of the Baltimore-based art collective Wham City, who co-produced the episode under their video production division, AB Video Solutions.
The special aired on December 24, 2013 at 4 a.m. on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. The special was viewed by 926,000 viewers and received a Nielsen household rating of 0.7. Critical reception was positive, with both the humor and the performances receiving praise.
Alan Resnick (portrayed by himself), an emerging young tech expert and innovator, is introduced to the viewer. He tells the audience of his four-step program to create a digital avatar that acts as a backup of its host, granting "the secret to eternal life". He tells the audience of his past: two years ago, Resnick was banished to his couch after getting into a lovers' spat with his wife, Janet. He dreamt of himself in a foggy meadow with an attractive, nude young woman (portrayed by "MKNZ") who calls for him to engage in sex. He initially refuses, but then changes his mind, but before they are able to do so, he is shot with a gun by a nameless man (Ben O'Brien), which totally destroys his face. This gave him the idea to come up with a way to digitally back himself up. Two months pass, and he is able to create a "exact digital copy" of himself who calls himself "Teddy" (for unknown reasons). "Teddy", a floating avatar head, acts as the co-host for the remainder of the program, often interrupting Resnick's speech to talk about his "wife".
Resnick goes on to explain the four steps behind his process:
Various testimonials are then given; a widower and "textbook salesman" Ryan Syrell (Steve Izant) tells of the reconstruction of his wife Morgan and the creation of his own avatar. Jordan Card, an elderly woman, shows off her digital avatar, who insists that their room "is too cold." Chester Gwazda (Caynen Couture), a young bedridden boy, says that it was his mother's (Michelle Word) idea, and that he would rather play football than go boogie boarding with his avatar. Concluding his seminar, Resnick thanks his audience and "Teddy", who speaks again of the love for his wife, shown to be a pink morphing sphere. A frustrated Resnick scolds his creation and informs the audience that his avatar is autonomous, and that he is being manipulative and disappointing. He reminds the viewer to purchase his program through the following informational screen.
...
Wikipedia