Is there anyone that knows what they are doing in the entertainment business more than Kanye West right now? He continues to expand the appeal of his music to broader audiences, just as the audience for more hardcore hip-hop has been shrinking.

(yes, that’s Zach Galifianakis.)

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Going around the internets right now is the news that there is an easter egg in Google Earth that allows you to access a flight simulator. Seriously.

To get to this while in the Google Earth application…

Windows: CTRL+ALT+A

Mac: Command+Option+A

Sweet.

(via Mashable)

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…and it’s Hulu.com.

I can’t believe I’ve waited since March for a name like that.

Why Hulu.com?

“Why Hulu?” writes the venture’s CEO Jason Kilar on the site. “Objectively, Hulu is short, easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and rhymes with itself. Subjectively, Hulu strikes us as an inherently fun name, one that captures the spirit of the service we’re building.”

When I hear Hulu, I think Sulu. Then I think of Star Trek (which is a Paramount property, BTW). Then I think of George Takei (who will be appearing on NBC’s Heroes, so I guess it all makes sense now).

Anywho(lu), the teaser site just launched, and is accepting sign-ups for a private beta (how Web 2.0 you are).

Regardless of my sarcasm, I AM excited for this, and hope it delivers on a promise of not only syndicating content and generating ad revenue, but also being something consumers will find appealing.

Thanks MediaPost, for the tip-off.

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Remember that Gmail viral effort I mentioned a while back?

Well they got all their submissions (over 1,100), and the final video has been assembled and is ready for your viewing pleasure.

Great effort, GOOG. Check it out:

And here’s a map that shows where in the world all these videos were sent from.


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Awesome touch!

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Ahhh. The wonders of e-communication.

The simple press of a wrong button can mean the difference between an internal order and a corporate fiasco.

In this latest case of corporate irresponsibility and unwillingness to take its consumers seriously, the CEO of Spirit Airlines inadvertently hit “Reply All” in response to an email from a couple who requested compensation due to the fact that a delayed flight led to them missing an event.

From the email:

…we owe him nothing as far as I’m concerned. Let him tell the world how bad we are. He’s never flown us before anyway and will be back when we save him a penny.”

Should that even feel right when you’re typing, much less when you hit “Send”?

Get the full story here.

Chalk another one up for the consumer, getting comeuppance via inadvertent shaming. The only way to avoid this is to respect your consumer and adopt a corporate policy of transparency.

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Stay tuned for more info…copy of the invite received by many (but not me, dammit) below:

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One look at this video from CBS13 in northern California, and you’d think these guys are brilliant. They did something that you just knew could make it around the internet.

The problem? Can’t embed the friggin’ thing. When will everyone learn that people want to be able to talk about video and support it with comments (like in a blog, or within their social network) — ESPECIALLY news-related items?

But anyway, it’s awkward in all the right places. Enjoy, folks.

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I’m seeing the rumor mill pick up some serious steam on the oft-talked-about gPhone (real name TBD) to (possibly) be released by the Google.

The Wired Blog Compiler has a nifty little post hinting that an official announcement may come as early as September. Here’s what you need to know:

According to Rizzn’s source at Google, the device runs a modified version of the Linux kernel and has GPS built in. The positioning system will be used to power a Google Maps application, and the phone will also have tight integration with other Google apps like Gmail, Calendar and Docs. The source for Rizzn’s post notes that the company will announce the device in two weeks, and that a North American version will be available soon, possibly by the end of the year.

Rizzn also notes that Google’s mobile device “is less about beating the iPhone and more about beating the $100 Laptop” made by the OLPC project. He speculates that Google will sell the phones for cheap and then reap ad revenue from targeted, text-based ads served to the phone. This isn’t entirely new information, but it’s interesting to hear the comparison with the OLPC — at the least, we’ll see an inexpensive, accessible device that uses open-source software.

Read the rest here.

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Voila. Google has made embed code available for all Google Maps.


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To do this yourself, simply visit a Google Map, click the “Link to this page” link, and copy and paste the provided code in your blog, profile, or GeoCities site.

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If you’re in the mood for a really good podcast about the world of movie marketing and the web (I mean who isn’t?!) take a moment to listen to Joseph Jaffe’s Across the Sound with special guests (and experts and friends of mine) Chris Thilk from MovieMarketingMadness (and other various publications) and Kirk Skodis from Real Pie Media.

I was dying to call into this podcast, but the window happened to be at a time that I was on a plane coming back from Los Angeles. But thanks for the shoutout anyway, Joe.

Here’s the table of contents for the conversation:

2m15 - I am addicted to Facebook. Become my friend on Facebook and also join the “Jaffe Juice” group. In doing so, you’ll help me best Mitch Joel and his illustrious 6POS group. I’m using Facebook to activate call-ins, so you definitely want to be a part of this. I’m also bringing every 100th member of Jaffe Juice onto the show.

6m15 - Project “House” Update #3 from Tim Coyne. Be sure to subscribe to his podcast, The Hollywood Podcast. Don’t miss the episode titled, “The Friend”

11m55 - Welcome back Kirk Skodis from Real Pie Media and Chris Thilk from the Movie Marketing Madness Blog…but first a quick word about the Experiment Case Study Challenge

19m onwards…we discuss the Entertainment Industry and Change, video ubiquity, choice, rights, transparency, word-of-mouth, the new influencers, Snakes on a Plane, Arctic Tale,

30m - Overnight success (3-day opening weekend) versus The Long Tail; The Industry’s obsession with opening weekend…

38m30 - Vince Lombardi and the movie business - revisiting SoaP in context of experimentation; Success is often measured - instead of thinking in absolutes, consider relative disproportionate victories (examples: Evan Almighty versus Die Hard with a Vengeance), especially when it comes to independent movies

46m - A brief discussion on “platforming” and the difference between big-budget (big stunts) versus small-budget campaigns (nurture conversations from the inside-outwards)

52m20 - It almost seems like a no-brainer that conversational activation is mandatory in movie-marketing…but if that was the case, the studios would be all over it, right?

56m30 - A lot of studio blogger outreach looks very much like mainstream “journalist” outreach. There’s also a lot of 30-second repurposing. We discuss (sigh) the 30-second spot.

1h01 - We talk about Poseidon and a great example of influencer outreach…but at the end of the day, the product has to be able to save the day.

1h06 - A summary of our conversation, touching on two categories which make a lot of sense for new marketing experimentation…to be continued

Excellent job, gents.

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