Dino Baskovic Can’t Lose

Lifestreaming is so last season 
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March 5, 2010

OK Go watch this

Leave it to my ol' boss to remind me, the 35-year-old whipper snapper that I am, to keep on top of nonsensical wacky web fads.

Do you remember that one goofy viral video of the band OK Go on treadmills from a year or so ago?  Their newest installment blows well past it.

Remember when MTV used to have innovative videos like this?  Heck, remember MTV?  Anyway, there is a back story to this Rube Goldberg machine-inspired meme.  Apparently the band was upset when their record label prevented them from earning royalties on the YouTube version of the video if said video was embedded on other websites and not directly viewed on said YouTube.  A recent op-ed by OK Go's lead singer elaborates on the issue.

What makes this new video -- 3.4 million views and counting -- even more intriguing than the last -- only 1.4 milliion views -- is that State Farm subsidized it.  "State Farm," you ask?  Yeah, me too.  Some where, some how, the band and the insurance behemoth made fast friends so that the video would benefit both parties (more coverage at BusinessWeek, Digital Media, Mashable and TechDirt).  Social media circles are buzzing about the secret handshake, whether this is a isolated case of strange bedfellows or a sign of brand synergies to come (State Farm has two subtle placements in the first 60 seconds, then the band thanks them outright at the close).

Business speak aside, it's just a refreshingly cool and creative music video.  Watch it.  Love it.  Share it.  You don't even have to like the music.

Thanks, boss.  I owe you one.

Filed under  //   brand   innovation   marketing   music   pop culture   social media   video   viral   youtube  

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January 12, 2010

When Scotch ruled the skies

via life.com

The above scene was captured by a Life magazine photog on New Years Day in 1965.

These days, you would get half as good of service in first or business class. Back then, this was coach.

In the wake of full body screening and checked baggage fee-for-alls, let alone post-9/11 paranoia and carrier merger hell, Life decided to remind us of a simpler life in simpler times. The glory and halcyon days of mystical flying machines. Don Draper was your captain and his little pretties attended to your every need. No shoe bombers, no eight-hour waits on a hot tarmac, no picket lines, no Cinnabon, no Orbitz, no self-check kiosks or air marshals or shitty customer service.

Just Scotch. And some light headwinds, folks, we'll slice through it like butter. Enjoy your flight and, of course, the Filet.

Filed under  //   airlines   customer services   glory days   pop culture   scotch  

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January 10, 2010

"TiV'o!"

UPDATE: Okay, so nobody saw the Cardinals-Packers game going into historic overtime.  Lesson learned: Never, ever, ever rely on a DVR when taping a show that could be bumped by two wild card contenders dueling to sudden death.

Thanks to Hulu, I can watch last night's "Simpsons" 20th anniversary retrospect with limited commerical interruption.


And thank you, social media, for not letting me forget that "The Simpsons" still very much exists.

via cnn.com

My blogging staycation turned into more of a social media sabbatical, but so be it. "Twenty Ten" promises to be a banner year for Yours Truly, care of a long overdue online makeover. More on that in some coming posts, but first a bit of unfinished business from late last year.

Isn't this just the coolest info-graphic you've ever seen? At least I think it is. It was from a CNN.com article from Dec. 14, 2009 arguing whether "The Simpsons" franchise can last much longer. And while I scoffed to my Facebook friends that Mitch Albom cameos don't an animated comedic legacy make, it matters little to the millions of fans that will tune in tonight for the series' 450th episode, entitled "Once Upon a Time in Springfield."

Anyway, I meant to post this weeks ago, but was too busy being dragged away from my blog by my wife, bless her heart and holiday honey-do list. (That, and we had to catch up to tons of "Family Guy" on our TiVo.) Here's wishing another 20 years of health, happiness and humor to the citizens of Springfield and the entire Simpsons universe.

And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.

Filed under  //   2010   blogging   infographics   pop culture   the simpsons  

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October 7, 2009

A presidential parody only Peggy Olson could love

Much has been squawked about "Saturday Night Live" and its most recent opening sketch, in which cast member Fred Armisen portrays a beleaguered Barack Obama conceding broken campaign promise after promise.

I thought Ed Rollins' commentary was on the money:

Humor with some truth in it is always dangerous. Make no mistake, a drumbeat of belittlement can damage a president.

President Gerald Ford, a gifted athlete, could never overcome the image of a bumbling, clumsy man who banged his head constantly after the hilarious portrayal of him by Chevy Chase. The senior Bush, George H.W., was brilliantly played by Dana Carvey, and more viewers remember our 41st president as the goofy, inarticulate caricature than as a serious man who served his country in many positions.

But the real question being debated on cable TV because of the "SNL" parody is this: "Has the media's love affair and honeymoon with President Obama ended?"

Great question, Ed.  As his own network illustrated, "SNL" has effectively forced that answer since the Ford administration (though, perhaps CNN made its point too well).  Anyway, I said earlier today on Facebook that "I suspect liberals will hastily lash out at this while convervatives wrongly praise it, but [the Rollins piece] is about the fairest assessment I've come across [of] Obama in office to date."  Judging by the sketch going viral overnight with the media pundits on patrol, that may very well be the case.  Not having a heckuva lotta patience for punditry, I shan't posit a pun; however, I do have one beef with last Saturday's opener.

That being?  Fred Armisen.  He's mildly amusing, meaning: not that funny.  None of his recurring characters are all that memorable, and how he parlayed "Aqua Teen" into a coveted repertory role is beyond me.  His Obama impersonation is below average, garnering chance laughs at best thanks to sight gags and what I assume to be a merciful studio audience.  Still, it's a presidential spoof and that's what SNL does well.  Or does it?

As Rollins stated, Chevy Chase's portrayal of Ford was plain stupid.  Darrell Hammond's Bill Clinton was more silly than funny, and never matched the sheer genius that was Phil Hartman's study of Slick Willy.  (Note to Hammond: leave already.)  And while nobody questions that Tina Fey pummeled Sarah Palin or that Comedy Centrail derailed the "Straight Talk Express," I'm not so sure that Lorne Michaels can make or break a presidency like he once could. 

Whether you agreed with the message, the sketch was weak.  In my humble opinion, Hulu is the real hero.  Sans video sharing, the segment would've rolled over like Liberty, a reference far too old for today's technorati.

In the old days, 30 Rock commanded a presence at the polls.  Anymore, they'd need to hire a modern day Sterling Cooper.

Or Rollins.  After all, he canvassed for a Kennedy.

Filed under  //   barack obama   cnn   comedy   ed rollins   hulu   parody   politics   pop culture   saturday night live   snl   social media   spoof   video sharing  

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