Gawker: defamer, microsoft

Who's Turned on Family Guy?

Hamilton Nolan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:30:45 EDT

After much deliberation, Microsoft has decided against sponsoring the upcoming Family Guy special, 'Seth MacFarlane's Holocaust Incest Tampon Hour.' They join an illustrious list of Family Guy haters.

South Park: In its famous "Cartoon Wars" episode, Cartman decides he hates Family Guy, hilarity ensues.
Deborah Solomon: The NYT's stern question lady had a decidedly pissy interview with Seth Macfarlane last month. Sample Solomon questions: "Personally, I find the show's rape jokes especially unfunny...Why is that funny?...I would say Groening is a better colorist...Are you contemptuous of families?...Are you straight?" God, shut up, Deborah Solomon.
Richard Lawson: Famous cultural critic who did not care for the show. He called it "crude, sloppy, shamelessly Simpsons-derivative non sequitur humor," which is relatively non-debatable, as insults go.
Microsoft: Microsoft and their supercool ad agency Crispin Porter Bogusky were all signed up as sponsors for an upcoming prime time Family Guy special, but then somebody at Microsoft accidentally watched Family Guy, and, whoa! Microsoft can tolerate jokes about nerds, Apple, the blind, barely legal hoes, and Rwanda, but this show's "riffs on deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest" were too much, according to Variety.

Remaining Family Guy Fans:

Seth MacFarlane: That guy is so rich now. Filthy, unclean rich.
News Corp. Executives: Family Guy makes money.
Millions of 18-34 year old males: Their taste is America's taste!

I still think it's pretty funny, SORRY.

Seinfeld and Gates: America’s Richest Comedy Team Unleash New Commercial

Nick Malis — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:05:00 EDT

It was just last week that Microsoft unveiled their new advertisement featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates hanging out in a shoe store. Shockingly, you rubes failed to comprehend what this had to do with computers and PCs remained firmly on store shelves. Well, perhaps this latest opus will change all that. In today’s installment Bill and Jerry deign to hang out with regular people in the suburbs. It may be a little less weird than their previous outing, but it’s certainly longer—in fact, it’s a whopping four and a half minutes! We’ve excerpted a choice 30-second cut, but you can watch the entire thing here. If this baby doesn’t get you to put down that Mac and climb aboard the Vista train, nothing will. [YouTube]

For Just $10 Million, Jerry Seinfeld Gave Microsoft This Shoegazing Stumper

Kyle Buchanan — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT

In its bid to top the deceptively simple "I"m a Mac/I'm a PC" ad campaign of its rival, Microsoft went big, hiring auteur Michel Gondry to direct a commercial featuring Jerry Seinfeld alongside Bill Gates (update: we've been informed that though Gondry shot at least one commercial for this campaign, this particular ad was crafted by director Bryan Buckley). For his involvement, Seinfeld was handsomely compensated to the tune of $10 million — a big number, but small potatoes compared to the whole ad campaign's rumored $300 million budget. For that kind of cash, you might expect the end result to be an orgy of CGI with all participants covered in a thick sheen of liquid gold. However, Microsoft had something considerably quieter and more head-scratching in mind. Take a look at the lackadaisical proceedings and then try to physically restrain yourself from bolting out the door to buy a PC. That is what's being advertised, isn't it? [Microsoft]

'Halo' Fragged

Mark — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 12:21:42 EDT

Remember back in June of last year, when Microsoft and CAA dispatched an impressively armored battalion of messengers carrying the scripts for a movie adaptation of Halo to the studios, telling executives to read the scripts at lunch and commence an afternoon bidding war, or have face their faces fragged off by a grenade launcher? As they say: Good times. After the initial, "Hey, Brad, there's a guy in a green exoskeleton here to see you" giddiness wore off, some bad, backlashy buzz quickly mounted, but Fox and Universal eventually decided to team up and throw some money at the project. Today, Variety reports that the two studios have bailed on the project; depending on whom you believe, Halo was either getting too expensive (the go-to excuse for this supposed New Era Of Responsible Blockbuster Spending we're now living in—completed here with an invocation of the Two! Hundred! Million! scare number) or Fox and Universal were trying to squeeze executive producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh (and Microsoft) out of some profit participation. In the meantime, preparation for the film continues as they hunt for a new distributor, but we hope Microsoft and CAA refrain from ordering a second studio invasion by their costumed army; the once-intimidating warriors will seem more than a little pathetic crawling into potential financers' offices, removing their helmets, and begging executives to fill them with money.

'Halo' pic loses its studios [Variety]