Category Archives: Television

CBS & PepsiCo to make video-embedded ads a reality

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The future has arrived, people.  Video advertisements will start to populate your magazines this fall!*  In a joint venture with PepsiCo, CBS will be promoting its fall TV season lineup in the September 18th issue of Entertainment Weekly with an interactive video advertisement.  More specifically, the ad will promote the CBS Monday prime-time lineup and PepsiCo’s PepsiMax soda.  They call it “Monday to the Max.”  This issue will feature the first video ad to appear in print, said George Schweitzer, CBS marketing president.

The battery-powered advertisement is manufactured by LA-based Americhip.  CNET has the details on the technology: “the screen, which is 2.7 millimeters thick, has a 320×240 resolution. The battery lasts for about 65 to 70 minutes, and can be recharged, believe it or not, with a mini USB cord–there’s a jack on the back of it. The screen, which uses thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD) technology, is enforced by protective polycarbonate. It’s a product that has been in development at Americhip for about two years.”

Advertising Age got the scoop on how it’s going to work: “When Entertainment Weekly readers open the magazine to the ad pages, they will see a small screen flicker on and start to load a video. A brief segment featuring actors from “The Big Bang Theory” will explain how to use the player, while talking about features from Entertainment Weekly and the different video selections a reader can choose. By pressing one of five different buttons, readers can watch a video montage of [the CBS Monday lineup programs].

*The insert advertisement will only appear to EW subscribers in the New York and Los Angeles areas.  Subscribers from elsewhere and newsstands will receive regular print versions of the ad.  So if you want to be one of the first to witness the potential future of advertising, find a friend who is a subscriber to EW in those areas…or move and become one!

Schweitzer: “It was axiomatic: If you ran an ad in TV Guide, people would watch your program. Not anymore.”  Does this new ad tech seem gimicky?  Yes.  Could it potentially be the future of ads?  Who knows.  Although no pricing was specified, I am sure the decision to use video technology on a battery-powered chip in a magazine did not come cheap.  Let this first try be a test run for marketing companies.  I am interested to see if such a promotional ploy could work.  Be on the lookout this September and decide for yourself.

[Via Gizmodo; CNET; Advertising Age]

House Season 6 trailer

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“What happens when the doctor becomes the patient?”

The two-hour Season 6 premiere of House premiere on September 21 at 8:00PM on FOX.  Look after the break for interview videos with the main cast including Hugh Laurie (House), Robert Sean Leonard (Wilson), Omar Epps (Foreman), and David Shore (creator).  They discuss the repurcussions of Season 5’s brilliant finale.  FYI, the song used in the trailer is “Grounds For Divorce” by Elbow.

Continue reading House Season 6 trailer →

Prison Break, the video game?

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While I am still mourning the series finale of FOX’s Prison Break, its name has popped up in the world of video games.  Publisher Deep Silver is set to make the Prison Break game for “next-gen consoles and the PC.”  There is no word on a release date.  I am not sure how I feel about a video game based on Prison Break, a coveted TV show of mine.  If it is done right and can shed some light on lingering mysteries of Season 1, I have no doubt it will have fans of the show flock to game stores to pick it up.  I will keep my head to the ground for this one.

According to Gamespot:  “Prison Break the game features a storyline that runs parallel with the first season of Fox’s TV series. The game follows Company agent Tom Paxton, who is sent to Fox River State Penitentiary to investigate why TV series protagonist Michael Scofield is doing time for bank robbery. The game incorporates a number of characters from the TV show and also depicts a number of climactic first-season events from Paxton’s perspective.”

[Via Gamespot]

ABC’s V to arrive sooner than expected

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The reimagining of the 1980’s classic mini-series “V” is coming to a TV near you much sooner than expected.  Instead of premiering as a mid-season show, “V” is set to start on November 3, 2009.  Cast members include Lost’s Elizabeth Mitchell and and Firefly’s Alan Tudyk.

Executive producer Scott Peters: “We’ve got [the story] all mapped out and pretty solid direction for everything. We certainly know where we’re going for the first season and second season and we have a really solid plan the whole way through.”  Producer Jeffrey Bell, “We know what the end is. We know where we’re going. Whether that’s three years, four years or beyond that, it’s gravy. There is a plan and we’ll stick to that.”  President of ABC Steve McPherson stated that V will run for four seasons, depending on the show’s success, of course.  Aliens are invading planet Earth.  Sci-fi fans rejoice, it’s going to one hell of a show.

[Via IGN]

Seth Rogen + Megan Fox = major embarrassment

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Watch this clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live.  Seth Rogen reminisces about that last time he stopped by the show.  Old footage is shown revealing a major embarrassment for Rogen ignited by the one and only Megan Fox.  To speed up the process, start watching at the 2:43 timestamp.  Hilariously humiliating!

Paula Abdul bids American Idol adieu

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After judging contestants for eight years, judge Paula Abdul will not return for Season 9 of American Idol this year.  She broke the news on Twitter: “With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL.  I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all … being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon.” 

According to numerous sources, the reason she is not returning to the show involves money and contract issues.  She was asking for as much as $20 million a year to stay on the show, and it looks like the two sides could not come to an agreement.  At least she is leaving the show with an untarnished image, right?  Uh, not so much.  Over the years, Abdul has been criticized for her unusual behavior and her supposed relationship with one of the show’s contestants.  Her quirkiness, drunken states of mind, unpredictability, and memorable interactions with co-judge Simon Cowell were definite crowd pleasers, and I am curious to see if ratings will continue to skyrocket without Abdul drinking rum and coke in between takes.  For now, Cowell, Jackson, and DioGuardi remain the current judges, and Ryan Seacrest will continue to host.

[Via Variety]

Get LOST on Hulu, like right now, dude

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Calling all Losties and non-Lost fans!  The ABC hit Lost is now available to stream in high definition on Hulu.  As of right now, Hulu currently offers Season 1 and the last five episodes of Season 5 to stream (for free, duh).  It’s a drag that Seasons 2-4 (and the remainder of 5) are not available to watch yet.  Hulu has issued this statement: “We’ll post additional seasons as they are made available.”  In related news, Netflix currently offers Seasons 1-4 of Lost, and Season 5 will be added in September.  Don’t fret–Lost: The Final Season does not air until January 2010, giving you plently of time to catch-up or re-watch for clues.  Get to it!

[Via IGN]

Iron Man goes anime, looks amazing

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Marvel superhero Iron Man has gone anime.  With the popularity of Iron Man skyrocketing in the US (thanks to Mr. Robert Downey Jr. sucking the life back into the character in Iron Man), it looks like the Japanese market is looking to ride on the coattails of its recent success.  Animation company Madhouse will be bringing this Iron Man anime show to a Japanese TV network.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy this very cool teaser trailer for it, and keep your fingers crossed in hopes that it will make its way to the U.S. one day.

[Via Gizmodo]