Director Judd Apatow is no stranger to using viral videos to promote his upcoming films. For Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan as stand-up comedians, Apatow has upped the ante. To enrich the experience, not only did Apatow create a real concert in LA featuring Sandler and Rogan performing in character, he also created other content (movie clips, stand-up clips) of the actors performing in character. You can see them on their MySpace pages, in YouTube videos and even on NBC.com. The promo of a mock NBC classroom comedy featuring Jason Schwartzman is so dead-on, you can’t help but cringe even when you know it’s fake. A lot of great work has gone into creating this rich, believable back-story.
Here are a few links to get you immersed in the funny:
VIEW George Simmons’ MySpace page
VISIT NBC’s Yo Teach! page
VIEW Raaaaaaaandy’s MySpace page
Posted by Tyronne Schaffer
Looking good and feeling good about it just got easier for eco-conscious consumers. One environmentally unfriendly product category that has previously slipped under the radar is denim jeans. In fact, many pesticides and polluting dyes are used in the production of jeans. Alanis Morissette and Woody Harrelson have teamed up to launch Reco Jeans, a new company making a (fashion) statement with 50% recycled denim. While this isn’t 100% environmentally friendly, it is a significant step in the realm of eco-friendly fashion.
Posted by Jonathan Strickberger
Scribblenauts, announced at E3 and scheduled to be released in the fall, is a much anticipated game from the small startup 5th Cell. The goal of the game is simple. You’re tasked with reaching a star on each level map, like in Crayon Physics. But instead of drawing ramps and boxes, you write. You can write any noun you think of and the item will materialize on screen to be used as a prop. The items even interact with each other.
Attempts to break the game by entering obscure words have been relatively unsuccessful. 5th Cell had 5 people going through encyclopedias and dictionaries for 6 months. There’s even a few meme cats in the game. The game is being released for the DS, but it’s interesting to speculate about how it could grow. It could be online and constantly updated with new objects, become multi-player or be adopted for other purposes.
Posted by clara
The Taxi and Limousine Commission recently voted in favor of “share-a-cab” pilot programs.
Select cab drivers will be able to pick up multiple passengers traveling along the same route. Each passenger sharing a ride with a stranger will get at least a 50% discount thanks to new, multi-fare meters.
Beginning this fall, pick up points will include Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, Port Authority Bus Terminal, West 57th Street at Eighth Avenue, East 72nd Street at Third Avenue, and West 72nd at Columbus Avenue. Participating cabs will have electronic signs showing the neighborhoods they are traveling through.
With New Yorkers becoming more environmentally and economically conscious, this new plan may be just what the city needs. A small taxi stand on the Upper East Side has been using this program with $6 fares to Wall Street. With 4 people cramping into each one of these cabs, a set of universal rules has been established. For example, silence is golden - cell phone conversations are absolutely forbidden. The TLC will display an explicit code of conduct in all participating cabs.
This plan may help New Yorkers’ wallets, but what about their manners? Only time will tell.
Posted by Sarah Dumoff
