Boing Boing » BREAKING BAD

"Breaking Abbey": A Downton Abbey/Breaking Bad crossover, courtesy of Colbert

Jamie Frevele — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 21:23:57 +0000

(Video link) In an attempt to post some lighter, fun stuff today in the midst of horrible events, here are the male cast members of Downton Abbey performing a parody of Breaking Bad on last night's episode of The Colbert Report. Earl blue is the hot tea on the street, yo. Language NSFW. (via The Wrap)

Breaking Bad IRL: chemistry teacher busted for cooking meth, selling at school where he teaches

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:13:47 +0000

East Texas chemistry teacher William Duncan, like Breaking Bad protagonist Walter White, applied his love of chemistry to a promising side job as a methamphetamine cook. He was busted for selling home-brewed crystal in the parking lot of the same junior high school where he taught science.

He has not been fired. The school has placed him on administrative release, pending investigation. Police do not believe that any of his buyers were students at the school.

Coverage: Texas Monthly, Uproxx, Gawker, KLTV.

In related news, police in Alabama are still looking for another meth maker, and this one's actually named Walter White. (HT: @milesobrien)

Breaking Bad Dance Remix music video (warning: S.1+2 spoilers)

Xeni Jardin — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:17:00 +0000

[Video Link]

Do not watch if you have not yet watched seasons one and two of the television show Breaking Bad. Tight, tight, tight, yeah! Created by the very talented video remixer Chris Lohr. Damn, but Mr. White has fallen a long, long way since S1, que no?

(Thanks, Joe Sabia.)

In case you thought Marie on Breaking Bad was a little annoying, let this interview with Betsy Brandt change your mind

Jamie Frevele — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:50:46 +0000

If you find yourself obsessing over a TV show, watching three or four episodes in a row, becoming completely immersed in this fictional world of fictional people, you tend to form opinions and pick favorites. And you also pick out at least one character who annoys the crap out of you. For some people, that show is Breaking Bad, and that character is Marie. Marie Schrader -- a kleptomaniac, snoopy, deeply flawed, purple-loving human being who still finds a way to be a sympathetic character. For most people, anyway. Some people still don't like Marie, and the woman who plays her, Betsy Brandt, is regularly notified by Twitter users that they would like to see the character she plays dead. Brandt granted an interview with Spinoff Online, and if you still don't like her by the time you're done reading it, then there is no hope for you. You have broken bad, and you just won't return. Because she is delightful. (And she's talking about upcoming episodes and a possible Breaking Bad movie, so that might be relevant to your interests, too.) (via Spinoff Online)

Breaking Bad art show in Los Angeles

Xeni Jardin — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 18:19:39 +0000

Fans of Breaking Bad, take note if you're in Los Angeles. Gallery 1988 Melrose has a show from the guys behind Breaking GIFs. I heard about it through Bob "Saul" Odenkirk's Twitter, so it's certifiably awesome.

Breaking Bad street art in NYC

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:05:54 +0000

Walter White from Breaking Bad, immortalized in street art on Rivington Street, NYC. Photographed and shared with Boing Boing by Daniel Albanese. This wheatpaste work is credited to street artist "ME." Bowery Boogie blog says,

Much of his work is co-opting established logos to fit the name, whether it’s the ME in Mets or Supreme. And of course, there’s the awesome Mitt Romney spoof that parlays the dog incident with the Griswold family vacation.

There's a needlepoint on this same theme.

Related: BrBa street art in Canada, and check out our BrBa archives. If you're in the mood for a video, watch our "Top 11 Breaking Bad Chemistry Moments" here, or check out our excellent adventure: air-dropping in to a random Breaking Bad fan's premiere party in the show's hometown of Albuquerque, NM.

Top 11 Chemistry Moments in Breaking Bad

Xeni Jardin — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:00:40 +0000

WARNING: Video contains spoilers.

To celebrate the premiere of Breaking Bad's Fifth Season this week, my fellow trufan Miles O'Brien and I dug into the show's vaults to explore the top 10 chemistry moments in Breaking Bad, from seasons One through Four. Only, there was so much awesome science, we had to choose 11 top chemistry moments, instead.

Also, check out our excellent adventure: air-dropping in to a random Breaking Bad fan's premiere party in the show's hometown of Albuquerque, NM.

[Video Link]. More Boing Boing coverage of Breaking Bad here.

Assembled by Joe Sabia (Twitter: @joesabia, web: joesabia.co). Check out his CDZA project on YouTube, too. Thanks, Joe!

Breaking Bad street art in Canada

Xeni Jardin — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:37:29 +0000

Boing Boing reader Peter Schwagly sends in the photo of Breaking Bad street art above and below, and says,

I'm a super fan of Breaking Bad and Boingboing as well.... is there something to the shared alliteration? I thought you might like this stencil I found in Vancouver a few months ago. Someone did a whole series of Mr White. They were fantastic.

Breaking Bad Season 5: Xeni air-drops into the best viewing party in the world, in ABQ (video)

Xeni Jardin — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:05:08 +0000

[Breaking Bad: Season 5, Ep. 1: "Live Free or Die". This blog post and video contain spoilers.]

[Video Link: Our episode recap and review, with a room full of ABQ locals.]

My aviator boyfriend Miles O'Brien and I are flying in his plane from California to the east coast this week, before I start 6 weeks of radiation treatment for breast cancer. When you fly in a single-engine plane like his, you have to stop every 4 hours or so for fuel. When we woke up Sunday, the day the first episode of the new season of AMC's BREAKING BAD would air, we thought: hey, why not plan today's stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the show is based? And why not try to find some fellow fans, and invite ourselves into a ABQ BrBa premiere viewing party tonight?

So we did. I put out the call on Twitter, and hours later, a fellow fan in ABQ named Shanna Schultz tweeted back, come on over.

"Booze-wise we're making an asston of blue jungle juice in honor of the blue meth," Shanna said, "plus we'll be grilling."

Heading in for landing at ABQ, in Miles O'Brien's plane.

When we showed up at Shanna's house (a classic Albuquerque stucco), her boyfriend Matt, their dog Kita, and ten of their friends were hangin' out eating Pollos Hermanos chicken, handing out Heisenberg-style blue ice rock candy, and ready to hit "play" on the DVR (we got screwed up with the time zones, and rudely arrived late).

Breaking Bad-themed party snacks.

They all kinda looked like they could have been characters in the show—total Burqueños, a true Albuquerque vibe. One guy looked like a dead ringer for Walt. We thought we were crashing a party via Twitter, but we soon learned that everyone in the room first met via Twitter, anyway.

Miguel Jaramillo (@muggle505) and Kim Shay (@chezshay2).

These like-minded locals into indie culture, cool downtown creative stuff, and the best TV show of all time all connected through Twitter. That's even how Shanna and her boyfriend first met.

Party hosts Shanna Schultz (@shantr0n) and Matthew Reichbach (@fbihop)

The first episode of Season 5 was, to paraphrase Tuco in Season One, tight tight tight. Fucking magnets, how do they work? Walt emerges as an ever-darker dark lord, and it was interesting to see Skyler descend further into darkness, and "breaking bad."

You know you're in a room of dorks when you hear several people scream "magnets!" before Jesse's reveal, and this was definitely a room full of dorks. There was much discussion about spelling your birthday in bacon, file size estimates for surveillance video storage, Ted Beneke's fate, the pros and cons of various poisons, and whether Gus Fring may have been enough of a crypto or cloud computing expert to protect damning evidence in ways yet to be revealed. Walt as Scarface? Sounds about right. More about the content of this episode in our recap discussion video.

Engrossed in Episode One, Season 5.

Over the weekend, Miles and I interviewed Donna Nelson, the University of Oklahoma chemistry professor who is the show's science advisor (we'll post that video soon). Dr. Nelson said that over the course of her experience as a consultant to show creator Vince Gilligan, she learned that the first portions of the show contain a lot of clues about what will follow. That certainly rang true in "Live Free or Die."

It was so much fun watching the season premiere with fellow fans who actually live in the town where the story takes place. They called out familiar locations as the episode unfolded. For instance, the burger joint that changes its sign to Pollos Hermanos for shoot days, then leaves it up for a day after, attracting fans of the show.

When the show was over, Miles shot the conversation that followed. It contains some spoilers, so do watch Season 5 episode 1 before you watch our video.

More: Boing Boing Breaking Bad archives. And this Slate V recap of seasons 1-4 is excellent.

Party participants you'll meet in the video:

Shanna Schultz (@shantr0n)
Matthew Reichbach (@fbihop)
Kim Shay (@chezshay2)
Miguel Jaramillo (@muggle505)
Charlie Pabst (@charliepabst)
Don Jarrett (@theGZA10304)
Laura Enciñas (@llaurs)
Deandra Marie (@deandra_marie)
Mike Daniels (@mikedaniels)

(thanks, Christopher J. Ortiz!)

Obligatory humblebrag pic of Xeni and Miles flying in Miles' plane.

Breaking Bad's first 4 seasons, in 10 minutes (spoilers galore, duh)

Xeni Jardin — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 00:45:25 +0000

[Video Link] An excellent recap, from Slate V. All 46 episodes in 10 minutes. The comment thread in this post also includes spoilers!

(thanks, Joe Sabia!)

Breaking Bad: Walt + Jesse amigurimi (the most adorable crocheted meth cooks)

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 23:24:50 +0000

Via a comment in today's earlier Breaking Bad meme roundup post, this DIY yarn project at Ravelry:

Inspired by Breaking Bad, patterns to make little Walter and Jesse, everyone’s favorite meth cooks. Instructions include patterns for two dolls, two hats, glasses, jumpsuits, and tiny bags of crystal. Because of tiny parts, these patterns wouldn’t be suitable for young children, who probably have never seen Breaking Bad anyway, right?

(thanks, Rose!)

The web's best Breaking Bad memes (Season 5 starts this Sunday, w00t!)

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 19:24:41 +0000

I'm not a fan of listicles, but I'll stoop to link to this one on Buzzfeed because it is highly relevant to my interests: the 27 best "Breaking Bad" memes.

A few months back when I was in chemo, we made a few of our own. The oncology nurses loved my Héctor “Tio” Salamanca impression, above. Or, maybe I just thought so when I was hopped up on all that Benadryl. The bell is for real, btw, not a prop: nurses place that near each chemotherapy infusion station in case a patient has an emergency and cannot verbalize an emergency call for help.

I re-watched season one, two, three, and four, in bed on my iPad during recovery from chemo and surgery.

I was only half joking when I tweeted that the anticipation of Season 5 is what kept me going through this difficult time. I CAN NOT WAIT for Sunday.

(thanks, @sfslim!)

That time Gustavo Fring tried to be a stormtrooper in another life

Jamie Frevele — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 19:41:06 +0000

An amazing sculpture spotted at London Film and Comic Con by Rizwane Baig. I'll just hang out while you reconsider your lunch. (via Blastr)

AMC to Dish: We'll go ahead and stream Breaking Bad for free. 'K bye.

Jamie Frevele — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 19:37:45 +0000

AMC has some very good news for Dish Network customers who are being denied their Breaking Bad season premiere this weekend: They will be streaming the show as it airs for the low, low cost of zero dollars. So, take that, Dish Network! Those jerks!

Just in time for the fifth (and final) season premiere for one of cable's most popular shows, Dish Network failed to reach an agreement with AMC, IFC, and WE and dropped them as part of their cable offerings as of July 1. But in a classy display of support for fans and a middle finger to Dish, AMC will provide a consolation viewing experience in the form of a live stream of the premiere of Breaking Bad at 10:00 PM EST. Here is their statement:

“Every cable, phone and satellite company other than Dish carries AMC,” the company says. “AMC wants its loyal Dish viewers to experience the excitement of the Breaking Bad premiere at the same time as their friends and neighbors, and we want to give Dish customers an extra week to switch providers so they can enjoy the rest of the season.”

Oh no you didn't, AMC with your Z-snapping diss-o-matic.

If you are one of these unlucky Dish customers, all you have to do is pre-register starting on Saturday, July 14 at 3:00 PM EST. It costs nothing, and you just have to visit AMC's specially-designed page just for you. (via Deadline)

Walmart breaks bad: active meth lab found inside Missouri store

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 02:28:33 +0000

Apparently, corporate profits just aren't enough for some global megabusinesses these days: a Walmart store in South St. Louis County, Missouri was emptied by police when an "active methamphetamine production laboratory" was discovered inside.

Now, it's entirely possible that the "lab" consisted of an empty plastic bottle and some chemicals, but still, you guys: some tweeker was cooking crystal inside a freakin' Walmart.

The store was open and full of customers when it was cleared about 6:15 p.m. Thursday after employees and then police discovered the possible hazardous situation involving the substances used to make methamphetamine, St. Louis County police Lt. Mark Cox said. The chemicals were discovered after police were called about a shoplifter. Cox did not yet know details of the "lab," how it was put together or where in the store it was located.

UPDATE: It gets weirder. This local news report further clarifies that a woman detained for shoplifting at the Walmart "began to make meth in the loss prevention office."

Now that is baller. You're busted for shoplifting, placed in what amounts to a holding cell inside the store, and how do you kill time? Makin' ice!

"Loss prevention had detained the woman, and she was placed in a holding area until officers arrived," reports KDSK-TV.

"While she was detained, she began cooking meth in the holding room."

Sounds like an improvised mobile setup—she's no Heisenberg, and that's no blue.

Good news, though, the store will only be closed for three hours. And, nobody got their face chewed off.

Here's a photo of hazmat guys cleaning it up. And a local Patch.com article has more details here.

Sarah Flagg, writing on a local Patch.com page, says it was "a portable meth lab in her purse," also known as “shake and bake.” These are often fashioned on the fly from a two-liter or 20-ounce beverage bottle (the size Bloomberg is outlawing in New York City... coincidence?).

Shake 'n' Bake is an actual thing. It is, as you might imagine, very dangerous: a resulting explosion can kill or seriously burn the "cook" and any bystanders.

(thanks, @harringtonkent)

Giancarlo Esposito (Gustavo Fring on Breaking Bad): Reddit AMA with video

Xeni Jardin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:41:19 +0000

"I am Giancarlo Esposito. I've had a few people tell me Reddit would be a great place to have a discussion with fans. And what does a man do? A man provides." Reddit AMA here.

Response videos shot by BB pal Joe Sabia are embedded below: one in which Esposito lovingly recounts stuff he stole from the set of "Breaking Bad," and one in which he shares some of his own personal influence on the character of Gustavo Fring. Another about Gustavo's fastidiousness, and another about his family. More will be posted here.

If you have never watched it, you are missing one of the best shows to ever air on television, and you should fix that right now. Can't wait for the final season! (thanks, Joe Sabia!)