Katie Couric interviews McCain and Palin

Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in their first joint interview on CBS News with CBS News anchor Katie Couric who previously interviewed Palin one on one. An interview which brought on the wrath of CNN's Jack Cafferty on Palin's qualification to be vice president.

Which also brought on the Sarah Palin Quotes Generator (spotted on boingboing).

Letterman Outdraws CBS Clip

A video of Mr. Letterman's tirade against Mr. McCain, who bowed out the day of the telecast, has generated more than 3.5 million views on YouTube, writes Adage.

"... CBS uploaded a shorter, edited version of the monologue, which runs with overlay advertising, but that has received only 250,000 views.

... Like all TV networks, CBS routinely demands that YouTube take down unauthorized clips of shows. So why haven't they taken down this one? They won't say it, but it seems likely that the network has decided that the publicity the "Late Show" is receiving from the clip is far more valuable than the few ad dollars that advertising might generate. "

Related: - NBC finds formula for fighting piracy

NBC finds formula for fighting piracy

The days when anyone, anywhere could post a funny clip from Saturday Night Live or The Office on to YouTube and share them with millions of appreciative viewers are quickly disappearing, according to Cnet News.

Executives at NBC Universal say they have found a "template" for protecting videos from online piracy. By the looks of things, they might be right.

Read full article.

Movie, TV viewing shifting online: study

Couch potatoes may be a thing of the past as a study has found the number of people watching video on their computers has doubled over the past year. ABC News reports.

"The US study, by ABI Research, found growing numbers of younger viewers are enjoying movies and television shows online.

The number of US consumers watching video streamed through a browser has soared over the past year, from 32 per cent a year ago to 63 per cent today.

ABI Research says growth in consumption of online video is due to a number of factors, including an increase in the amount of rich content available and more broadband connections."

Jack Cafferty Tells Us How He Really Feels About Sarah Palin

CNN's Jack Cafferty on Sarah Palin's qualifications.

Nero Software turns PC into TiVo TV recorder

TiVo Inc. and Nero AG of Germany were set to announce Monday that they will be launching a package that turns a Windows PC into a TV recorder, just like a TiVo set-top box.

"The Nero LiquidTV/TiVo PC is a $199 package of hardware and software that will enable a PC user to watch cable, satellite, or digital broadcast content, pause it while it’s playing, or record it for later viewing.

The software also makes it easy to record shows on a PC and then transfer them to an iPod, PlayStation Portable, or other portable media device. Video files will be watermarked enabling law enforcement to trace back the files to a specific computer in case of illegal use.

[via Variety]

'Vogue' Branding Itself on Internet TV

Vogue recently launched an online video site called Vogue.TV catering to the stylish set, with the highlight being Model.Live, a 12-episode reality series that follows three waifs hoping to make it as models in the industry.

[via Switched]

Italian TV to broadcast Bible reading

It may have taken God a week to create the world, but it will take nearly as long to read the Bible from beginning to end in what is being described as the longest live television broadcast in Italian history. The IHT reports.

"On Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI will read the opening verses of the Book of Genesis. The nonstop Bible recital will take 139 hours. ... About 1,250 readers from many walks of life and religious faiths will take turns until every word in the 73 books that make up the Roman Catholic Bible has been uttered (mostly in Italian but also with some ancient Greek and Hebrew).

Related: - The White House 2007 Bible Reading Marathon

SNL: Katie Couric interviews Sarah Palin

Tina Fey is back as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live.

Link to the original interview, part 1, part 2.

Hollywood Wants Internet Providers to Block Copyrighted Files

This year there has been a lot of discussion in Washington about whether Internet service providers should monitor customers’ surfing to target advertising. Bits - NYTimes reports.

"Now, there are signs that one topic next year will be whether I.S.P.’s should analyze traffic to block trading of copyrighted files. At least, Hollywood appears to be preparing for that debate. And it is trying to get allies among technology companies and artist groups.

On Tuesday, a new lobbying group was announced called arts+labs. It is backed by NBC Universal, Viacom, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, AT&T and the Songwriters Guild of America.

According to the group’s site, it wants to help “creators” (read media companies) get “fairly compensated for the use of their work.”

Read full article.

Hollywood 'paid fortune to smoke'

According to the BBC, tobacco firms paid huge amounts for endorsements from the stars of Hollywood's "Golden Age".

"Industry documents released following anti-smoking lawsuits reveal the extent of the relationship between tobacco and movie studios.

One firm paid more than $3m in today's money in one year to stars.

Researchers writing in the Tobacco Control journal said "classic" films of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s still helped promote smoking today.

Virtually all of the biggest names of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s were involved in paid cigarette promotion, according to the University of California at San Francisco researchers.

They obtained endorsement contracts signed at the times to help them calculate just how much money was involved.

Deals dated from the start of the "talkie" era, with "Jazz Singer" star Al Jolson signing testimonials stating that the "Lucky Strike" brand was "the cigarette of the acting profession . "The good old flavor of Luckies is as sweet and soothing as the best 'Mammy' song ever written," he wrote.

Related (wonderful) movie "Thank you for Smoking". Watch the trailer below.

An epidemic in illegal downloading

The Sydney Morning Herald in a six page article on the popularity of illegal file sharing.

"... File-sharing is no longer just in the realm of frustrated Star Trek fans, with almost every television show that screens in the US or Britain available online within 24 hours at DVD quality or better. Movies are also ften available before they even open in the cinemas.

In Australia, Nine's real-life crime series Underbelly created an online frenzy after a court order banned its screening in Victoria. The entire series was available online before it even finished screening in the rest of the country, with Nine powerless to intervene."

Ford to run ad using film from Web contest on NBC

Ford Motor Co on on Wednesday will run an ad featuring a short film that won an online competition, reflecting how companies are seeking to cut costs while boosting their brand awareness. Reuters reports.

"The 60 second ad shows two aspiring filmmakers and snippets of their film, "Numskull," the winner of the "Mustang Stories" short-movie contest run by online video site Filmaka

Nearly 400 scripts were submitted to Filmaka after its members were challenged to submit entries reflecting personal stories about the iconic Mustang.

Twenty-two semifinalists then got the green light and about $5,000 to produce their films. Filmaka also got a fee."

The commercial during the season premier of "Knight Rider" on General Electric Co's will promote Ford's new 2010 Mustang model and the aggressive online campaign around it."

Related:

-- Frito-Lay and Chevrolet launch user generated ad-making contests

-- Heinz’ User-Generated Ad Contest

Tina Fey and Martin Scorsese in Amex ad

Find more videos like this on AdGabber

Here's an extended version of the American Express Travel ad that aired during the Emmy Pre-Show with Tina Fey and Martin Scorsese.

[via AdGabber]

'YouTube' gunman kills 10 in shooting spree at Finnish vocational college

A Finnish student who killed ten people in a college massacre today had been questioned by police only yesterday about a YouTube video showing him firing a pistol on a shooting range. The Times Online reports.

According to The Globe and Mail, "the gunman's YouTube account was removed after his name was reported in connection with the shootings, but a number of sites had already copied many of the videos and taken screenshots of his YouTube page.

Although several of the videos show Saari firing a pistol, and violent lyrics from a German heavy metal band appear on the page -- where one of his favourites is a video related to the Columbine school shootings -- there are no explicit signs that he planned a school rampage, apart from the "You will die next" video clip. What more could the authorities have done?"

Study: Series TV showing more gays, lesbians

Broadcast television will have 16 gay and bisexual regular characters in prime-time series this fall, more than double the seven of a year ago, a new study has found. Yahoo TV reports.

"The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said it was a positive sign of networks making their shows more representative, although more work needed to be done. These characters accounted for 2.6 percent of all the regular characters in TV series, up from 1.1 percent last year and 1.3 percent in 2006, according to the study, released Monday."

Mad Men Illustrated

File under something wonderful. Spotted on Josh Spear Trendspotting, "Mad Men" illustrated by Dyna Moe on Flickr.

In her own words:

These are my drawings of people and things from the show.

I started by doing Rich Sommer's (Harry Crane) Christmas card to his coworkers last season. I decided to keep going.

I'm doing a new wallpaper for every episode of the second season.

Customizable prints of the most popular illustrations are for sale through zazzle.com.

Matthew Weiner, 'Mad Men' cast really mad at the Emmys

"Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner (at microphone in photo) caused gasps back in the press room when he answered a journalist's question about what it felt like being the first basic cable show ever to win best series. The Los Angeles Times reports.

"I'm surprised that there is such segregation and caste system at the Emmys," he said. "I have this amazing cast, and none of them was asked to present awards tonight."

It's pure peer jealousy. "Mad Men" is just too good.

The Pirate Bay Is Getting Into Streaming?

The Pirate Bay the world’s largest BitTorrent tracker (and one of the most hated by studios), may be getting into streaming, a tipster told TechCrunch.

"... Apparently, streaming is right around the corner and will be kept on thepiratecity.org. Right now, the page is down, saying the test phase was completed successfully, but a cached image shows ripped DVDs being used as the streaming source."

'Mad Men,' '30 Rock' Take Top Emmy Awards

The complete list of who won.

Michael Palin for President

John McCain picked the wrong Palin for his running mate, according to a YouTube video that is spreading like wildfire on the internet.

The presidential candidate should not have chosen Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, but Michael Palin, the former Monty Python star turned travel documentary maker.

[via Times Online]

Californication to stream two weeks before premier

It's getting hard to keep up with all the TV shows that will shows that will premier online before their air dates. Here's another one, Californication.

According to Underwire, "both Dexter and Californication are slated to premiere Sept. 28 on Showtime, but viewers can use the appropriately chosen password "Lady Killer" to watch either premiere until then."

Related: - Showtime offers "Dexter's" premier online - before TV air date

I'm a PC: Pride and Stereotype

I'm a PC: Pride

I'm a PC: Stereotype

Gizmodo has linked to the two new Microsoft "Life Without Walls" commercials - (not featuring Jerry Seinfeld but he will be back in future commercials at some point).

Well done PC! and this from a Mac person.

A low tolerance for high definition

A witty piece from The Guardian on the harsh reality of HD - where "skin blemishes and hairpieces vie for unwanted attention".

"There are some things we were never meant to see. Now, thanks to high definition technology, we can see them only too clearly.

Films suddenly become more detailed, more textured to a distracting level. Pages of dialogue fly by, important plotlines and revelations go unnoticed as you spend minutes staring at the fabric of costumes, the wallpaper, even the hair. Try watching any of the remastered Star Trek original series without having your eyes continually locked on Shatner's dubious hairline.

The camera may add a few pounds but under HD it adds a few years as well. I watched the standard DVD of No Country For Old Men then saw Tommy Lee Jones again in the Blu-ray of In The Valley Of Elah, two films made in the same year. In the first, Jones looked merely craggy, in the second, it was as if putrefaction had set in.

On a big enough screen, HD offers a dizzying level of detail. It's hard to know what you are supposed to be looking at when everything looks so wonderful."

BBC Soap abuse plot sparks complaints

An EastEnders storyline about a paedophile's relationship with his 15-year-old stepdaughter has prompted more than 150 complaints, reports the BBC.

"The BBC said the plot had been created "in association with Child Protectionist NSPCC" and in accordance with its editorial policy.

"EastEnders has a rich heritage of tackling difficult social issues such as domestic violence and mental health. "Our current storyline about child abuse is another such issue which had been created in association with the NSPCC and in accordance with BBC editorial policy."

At the end of August, the BBC received 156 complaints over scenes showing character Jase Dyer being attacked by a criminal gang and then lying dead in hospital. "

10% of Employees watch some form of video while at work

According to the WSJ, in a study of traffic on corporate networks to find out what employees really do online, it was found that nearly 10% of all network bandwidth came from sites like YouTube, Hulu, and even Slingbox, a program that lets people watch television from their computers.

“Employees are staying entertained,” Steve Mullaney, Palo Alto’s vice president of marketing, tells the Business Technology Blog. And often they’re doing it without the information-technology department’s knowledge.

Dailymotion signs Web rights deals

According to Variety, Dailymotion has signed an agreement with three unions of French rights holders.

"... Deal will allow rights holders to seek an undisclosed percentage of Dailymotion's advertising coin for each viewing. The agreement will also benefit the French website, permitting it to show in exclusivity a number of films, documentaries and specials.

... French newtork TF1 is suing Dailymotion, alleging that videos from the network's website, notably episodes of the series "Heroes," were illegally posted and seeking 40 million euros ($57 million) in compensation."

[via NewTeeVee]

Showtime offers "Dexter's" premier online - before TV air date

If you can't wait until September 28th to find out what happens next to America’s Favorite Serial Killer - and you are an American viewer, click through Showtime via TV Addict to watch the third season premiere of DEXTER right now. The password is: lady killer.

[via TV Tattle]

Links to other shows streaming online before scheduled TV premier

The State of Product Placement

Product placement is in flux. It’s going up in some areas and down in others, but it’s still popular. Ars Technica reports that though placements have fallen overall in 2008, network TV has seen a 12 percent increase in the practice.

This covert advertising is most popular with game and reality shows such as American Idol (4,636 placements between January & June 08), Deal or No Deal (2,122) and Extreme Makeover Home Edition (1,776).

[PSFK via ars technica]

Medical Dramas a source of health information for audiences

New research suggests that prime-time medical dramas such as "Grey's Anatomy" and "House" may also be an important source of health information for their audiences.

The Kaiser Foundationn analyzed an entire "Grey's" episode, and found that viewers retained the show's medical information weeks after watching.

Link to study: Hollywood & Health: Health Content in Entertainment Television

[ABCNews via TV Tattle]

Fun - Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy may be banned in Italy - lest they prompt people to take medicine into their own hands.

Too much information - Medical TV 'feeds health fears' - A taste for television hospital drama might make you more fearful about your own health, say Belgian psychologists.