boilerplate for a Laravel Base Controller

base.php

<?php
class Base_Controller extends Controller {

  public $layout = 'layouts.main';

  public function __construct(){

    //Styles
    Asset::add('css', 'css/main.css');

    //Scripts
    Asset::add('jQuery', 'js/jquery.min.js');
    Asset::add('custom', 'js/custom.js');

    parent::__construct();

  }

  /**
	 * Catch-all method for requests that can't be matched.
	 *
	 * @param  string    $method
	 * @param  array     $parameters
	 * @return Response
	 */
	public function __call($method, $parameters)
	{
		return Response::error('404');
	}


  /**
   *
   * 1. Check if it's an ajax request
   * 2. Set up Page Data (title, activenav etc)
   * 3. add any addtional data to be passed to the View.
   * @param $route
   * @return mixed
   *
   *
   */
  public function servePage($route, $extraViewData = null)
  {

    if (\Laravel\Request::ajax())
      $this->layout = 'layouts.ajax';
    else
      $this->layout = 'layouts.main';

    /**
     * Helper to set the Page title and ACTIVE nav element
     */
    $viewData = $this->setPageData($route);

    /**
     *
     * Handle any extra data that needs to be passed to the view.
     * If it's an Array, just merge it.
     * If it's an object, make it accessible via it's class name.
     */
    if (null !== $extraViewData){
      if (is_array($extraViewData)){
        $viewData = array_merge($extraViewData, $viewData);
      }
      if (is_object($extraViewData)){
        $className = strtolower(get_class($extraViewData));
        $viewData[$className] = $extraViewData;
      }

    }


    return View::make($this->layout, $viewData)->nest('content', 'home.' . $route, $viewData);
  }

  /**
   *
   * Helper to reduce code duplication.
   * @param $route
   * @return array - The View data
   *
   */
  public function setPageData($route){
    /**
     * Sort out the Title and Other attributes specific to each page.
     */
    $title = Helpers::setTitle(ucwords($route));

    $viewData = array();
    $viewData['title'] = $title;
    $viewData['activeNav'] = $route;

    /**
     *
     *  If it's an ajax request, set a flag so that we don't send the layout along with the page.
     */
    $viewData['isAjax'] = (\Laravel\Request::ajax()) ? true : false;

    return $viewData;
  }

Holy Shnikies! Thanks yo!