Saturday, January 24, 2009

YouTube Users Lash Out At Warner Music

Two things are clear in the YouTube/Warner Music scuffle. 


First, neither side is 100% right. 

Second, users are very, very angry that their videos are being pulled down or muted when they contain background music owned by Warner Music...

read more | digg story

Friday, January 16, 2009

Happy 10th Anniversary SpongeBob! Let's Celebrate at Sundance!


Well, I wont be going to Sundance, but if you are...


SpongeBob turns TEN! What a great run for a great silly show.
I'm so excited for Tom Kenny, Rodger Bumpass, and the rest of the cast. They deserves every bit of recognition for their hard work.

For those of you at Sundance, there will be an invite only cocktail party, and Nickelodeon is staging a live cast performance on January 18th.

For those of you like me, who WONT be at Sundance, Nickelodeon has plenty more planned, including a documentary and some special guest stars (Johnny Depp).

Here's the official Nick press release:
2009 Is The Year To Get ‘Happy Squared’ As Nickelodeon Celebrates 10 Years Of SpongeBob SquarePants

Year-long Celebration of Pop Culture Icon will Include Production of SpongeBob SquarePants Documentary; First-Ever Live Cast Performance; New SpongeBob Vertical Online Site; Episode Premieres; and “Seinfeld-esque” TV Movie in November
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – Jan. 9, 2009 — Yellow is the new black in 2009 as Nickelodeon plans to make fans 'Happy Squared' all year long in honor of SpongeBob SquarePants’ 10th anniversary. Since its launch in July 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has emerged as a pop-culture phenomenon with 70 million viewers monthly, and has been the number-one animated program with Kids 2-11 for more than seven consecutive years. The show is seen in 171 markets in 25 languages and is the most widely distributed property in MTV Networks’ history.
Top-ranked kids’ show SpongeBob SquarePants will make its dry-land debut in Park City, Utah, during the 2009 Film Festival with the first-ever SpongeBob live cast performance, on Jan. 18. Nickelodeon will keep the honors flowing with a new fan website for all things SpongeBob; a first-ever SpongeBob documentary; a new SpongeBob and water conservation-themed element to the network’s The Big Green Help pro-social campaign; special TV events; and new lines of apparel, jewelry, toys, games and DVDs.
“SpongeBob has been a gift that keeps on giving to kids and adults alike with its infectious sense of humor, joy and boundless optimism,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. “After 10 years, the show remains on top of its game and at the top of the ratings, and we’re paying tribute with all kinds of content across our platforms to give our audience ample opportunity to enjoy SpongeBob throughout the year.”
SpongeBob SquarePants' voice-actors will perform a live reading of a never-before-seen episode, “SpongeBob vs. The Big One”, accompanied by a visual presentation and celebrity guest appearances, for invited guests at the Village at the Yard venue in Park City, Utah on Jan. 18. Also to mark the anniversary, Nickelodeon has commissioned the first full-length original TV documentary which will chronicle the beloved character’s evolution to international pop culture icon status. The documentary will be telecast across MTV Networks' various TV platforms to commemorate the anniversary of the series' first episode. Over the last 10 years, the porous brainchild of creator Steve Hillenburg has grown from a single Saturday morning kids' show to a certified pop culture maverick that has inspired nothing less than fun and frenzy around the world. Soaking up everything from clothing to controversy, the show has inspired people to deeply identify with the characters, to adorn themselves with SpongeBob tattoos, to use SpongeBob products to save lives and even, occasionally, to vandalize and politicize the character; but most of all, to kick back, laugh and relax.
Additionally, today (Jan. 9), Nickelodeon will launch a new vertical SpongeBob fan site in beta--http://www.spongebob.com -- the ultimate online destination where fans of all ages around the world can soak up all things SpongeBob. Both adults and kids will find an abundance of absorbing activity on the site including: an age-appropriate community, complete with personalized profiles, chat features and playlists; the ability to search for favorite SpongeBob moments or comment on the funniest videos; or a new mini-game every week. More than 300 searchable SpongeBob video clips from every episode of the series will be available on the site at launch, as well as a selection of full-length episodes from each season and brand-new episodes immediately following their on-air premieres. Fans can also participate in the backstage area
featuring a creator's blog and interviews; play the more than 100 SpongeBob-themed games; or subscribe to the “Daily Affirmation”, providing SpongeBob’s thought of the day.
Nickelodeon’s celebration will continue with new episodes throughout the year. A week of new premieres will air in March including “Grandpappy The Pirate,” featuring guest-star Dennis Quaid as Mr. Krabs’ grandfather. In April, the half-hour TV special, “SpongeBob vs. The Big One,” follows SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward and Mr. Krabs as they find themselves stranded on a remote island. The pals travel to the heart of the island where they meet an enigmatic surf guru named Jack Kahuna Laguna (voiced by guest-star Johnny Depp) who tells them that the only way back to Bikini Bottom is to surf the legendary wave -- The Big One. And in November, Nick will debut an hour-long TV movie event which finds SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward and Mr. Krabs locked inside a giant freezer on the night of the Krusty Krab’s anniversary celebration . While trapped, the friends look back on shared memories with “shocking” reveals-- similar to the iconic Seinfeld episode.
SpongeBob will also be featured as part of Nick's ongoing pro-social campaign, The Big Green Help. This year, the campaign will devote much of 2009 to raising awareness about the oceans and water conservation through SpongeBob and You Save the Big Blue--in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Save the Big Blue public service announcements will air on Nickelodeon throughout 2009 and educational activities and programs will take place at various aquariums and zoos across the country this summer. NRDC and NWF also will raise awareness with their members and incorporate Save the Big Blue messaging into their local grassroots activities.
SpongeBob SquarePants is executive produced by creator Stephen Hillenburg, who previously worked as a writer, director and creative director on Nickelodeon’s animated series Rocko’s Modern Life. Hillenburg graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a master’s degree in experimental animation and studied marine biology and art as an undergraduate.
Paul Tibbitt served as a director and writer on SpongeBob SquarePants for its first three seasons and is currently executive producer. He wrote some of the show’s most memorable episodes such as “Ripped Pants” and “Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy.” Tibbitt was one of the co-writers and storyboard artists on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. SpongeBob SquarePants is a Nicktoons Production and is produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif.
Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 98 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Facebook Kills Whopper Sacrifice. We Can't Have Nice Things

Burger King, through their insanely creative advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, launches a FB app that encourages users to remove friends. Sacrifice ten of em and you got a free Whopper. 233,906 friends were removed by 82,771 people in less than a week. This is the future of advertising. Or it could have been, if Facebook hadn’t shut it down...

read more | digg story

Friday, January 9, 2009

CONTEST! Melissa Disney and Jeff Bartsch Want You To "Vote For The Cat", Go To The Superbowl!

It's just cool being able to say I'm pals with these peeps.

Jeff Bartsch is a producer you might not be as aware of yet, but you've certainly heard his voice on shows like Super Nanny. His award winning production company Resolve (13 Months of Sunshine , Stained ) has produced a commercial for the Doritos Superbowl Challenge, featuring the prolific voice actress Melissa Disney, and they are one of the finalists!

They NEED your help!

At the time of this posting there are 16 days left in the contest for people to go and vote on which commercials they like the best (you like "The Chase" the best BTW). The winner will be featured during the Superbowl!
You can vote multiple times, and every time you vote you will be entered into a contest to win two tickets to go to the Superbowl!

Jeff has all the details posted over at a site he's set up for the contest VoteForTheCat.com, and you can watch the spot (called "The Chase") over at Crash The Superbowl.

Here's the spot:





Go help them get to the Superbowl, and maybe YOU can go too!

Pics courtesy of voteforthecat.com.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Strange,Weird And Mysterious Sounds ... That Come From The Earth

The earth is full of sounds ... Here is a list of weird “sonic mysteries” that come from our Earth (includes some audio). Follow the read link.

read more | digg story