Beam me up, Hulu.
I've never led off this column with a bit about commercials, but that impressive streak is now over.
Lately, every commercial, Super Bowl or otherwise, seems intent on making us laugh. Problem is few are actually capable of inducing the appropriate response. But I have to tell you, I am seriously impressed with Hulu's latest ad campaign.
Hulu, is an online portal that carries anything from TV shows like "Family Guy," "House," and "The Daily Show" to feature films.
My first exposure to the campaign was Alec Baldwin's spot during February's Super Bowl. Baldwin, seemingly channeling the character he plays on NBC's "30 Rock," Jack Donaghy, warns of a new alien plot by Hulu to rot our brains through television.
Since that initial commercial, Hulu has followed up with Eliza Dushku of Fox's "Dollhouse." Warning us that Hulu would "simmer your head meat down to a bubbling, brainy fondue," Dushku hawks the online site with a snake-like tongue that furthers the alien concept. (Oh yeah, Baldwin had tentacles.)
And while I enjoyed Hulu's campaign to this point, it wasn't until this latest ad featuring "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane with a candy-eating stomach monster that I saw the sheer brilliance behind it.
Hulu hasn't just created a truly funny ad campaign. They've peered into the current state of pop culture itself. I know some still don't have cable or watch TV, but the great majority of us are hooked and the online TV "mothership" knows it.
We've come a long way since "rabbit ears." Gone are the days when you couldn't go out because your favorite show was on that night. We have DVR and Tivo now. And Hulu is simply embracing the next step in this evolution which is online, on-demand broadcasting of any show, anywhere. And let's face it, that kind of technology could have only come from, well, outer space.
I've never led off this column with a bit about commercials, but that impressive streak is now over.
Lately, every commercial, Super Bowl or otherwise, seems intent on making us laugh. Problem is few are actually capable of inducing the appropriate response. But I have to tell you, I am seriously impressed with Hulu's latest ad campaign.
Hulu, is an online portal that carries anything from TV shows like "Family Guy," "House," and "The Daily Show" to feature films.
My first exposure to the campaign was Alec Baldwin's spot during February's Super Bowl. Baldwin, seemingly channeling the character he plays on NBC's "30 Rock," Jack Donaghy, warns of a new alien plot by Hulu to rot our brains through television.
Since that initial commercial, Hulu has followed up with Eliza Dushku of Fox's "Dollhouse." Warning us that Hulu would "simmer your head meat down to a bubbling, brainy fondue," Dushku hawks the online site with a snake-like tongue that furthers the alien concept. (Oh yeah, Baldwin had tentacles.)
And while I enjoyed Hulu's campaign to this point, it wasn't until this latest ad featuring "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane with a candy-eating stomach monster that I saw the sheer brilliance behind it.
Hulu hasn't just created a truly funny ad campaign. They've peered into the current state of pop culture itself. I know some still don't have cable or watch TV, but the great majority of us are hooked and the online TV "mothership" knows it.
We've come a long way since "rabbit ears." Gone are the days when you couldn't go out because your favorite show was on that night. We have DVR and Tivo now. And Hulu is simply embracing the next step in this evolution which is online, on-demand broadcasting of any show, anywhere. And let's face it, that kind of technology could have only come from, well, outer space.
Tyler Perry's latest film, "Madea Goes to Jail," has been a monster at the box office, already earning more than $75 million and making it Perry's highest grossing film. And while in Perry's eyes, his films have "helped, inspired, and encouraged millions of people," not everyone sees it that way.
In the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, several African Americans have come to say that they aren't so sure Perry's films are a positive thing for black culture.
"I loved working with Tyler Perry, but he's a controversial, complicated figure," said Viola Davis, who costarred in "Madea Goes to Jail" and earned an Oscar nod for "Doubt." "People feel the images (in his movies) are very stereotypical, and black people are frustrated because they feel we should be more evolved."
I've seen most of Perry's movies and admit I have always been pretty impressed with his stuff. No, it's not Oscar-winning material, sometimes it's not even all that good. But the emotion behind everything he writes always shines through and that feeling is of empowerment and love. He's not making films about gangstas and drug deals. He deals with family and relationships, something that everyone connects to.
Is there some stereotypes in his films? Sure. But show me a movie that doesn't contain stereotypes. Since the days of "The Breakfast Club," how many teen comedies feature the nerdy kid, the jock and the beautiful girl who doesn't know it? It's a part of the process of filmmaking and Perry is basing his on what he knows. Is that demonizing? You tell me.
Director David Chase woke up this morning and got himself a new HBO series.
The brains behind "The Sopranos" will develop "A Ribbon of Dreams" for the cable channel, a series about the "invention of cinema and the subsequent growth of the Hollywood film industry."
I was a bit skeptical at first and that probably had more to deal with my frustration over "The Sopranos" ending, but the more I read about this idea, I think I might love it.
The show will take place in 1913 and follow two men who start their careers as employees of film pioneer D.W. Griffith and then slowly create their own path up Hollywood's power ladder.
Here's what else is happening in the world of pop culture:
Fans of the Sci-Fi Channel, or is it Sci Fi ... or SCIFI ... will not have to worry about how to correctly spell the name of their favorite cable network after July 7. The network will be changing its name from SciFi to ... wait for it ... SyFy.
Yup. Complete with a new slogan, "Imagine Greater," the network feels the change "firmly establishes a uniquely ownable trademark that is portable across all non-linear digital platforms and beyond, from Hulu to iTunes."
Sorry fans, I think it's just silly.
Sylvester Stallone's next film, "The Expendables," has a release date.
The action mega-movie starring Stallone, Forest Whitaker, Jet Li, Steve Austin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eric Roberts, Dolph Lundgren, Jason Stathan and Randy Couture will punch its way into theaters on April 23, 2010.
Sadly, Forest Whitaker dropped out. He's been replaced by...50 Cent. No joke.