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James Franco's 'Saturday Night Live' documentary is coming to Hulu Plus
While James Franco's Saturday Night Live documentary has been around for a few years now, it was never released for mass consumption. According to the Oz the Great and Powerful star himself, the behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce the show in the span of a week will begin streaming this Friday on Hulu Plus. The 90-minute Saturday Night film chronicles the December 6, 2008 episode hosted by John Malkovich that featured musical guest T.I. Until this week, Franco's project had only seen limited showings at festivals. [Photo credit: Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images]
The Daily Roundup for 05.14.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen tries out Google Glass for real (video)
There's a good chance that you, like us, enjoyed a certain Saturday Night Live sketch recently in which Weekend Update's newly branded tech correspondent Randall Meeks gave his raw impressions of Google Glass -- using a prop made of plastic and attached to a pair of sunglasses. There was a lot of shouting, twitching and, for us at least, laughing. Meeks is played by the incredibly talented Fred Armisen, also well-known for IFC's surreally hilarious Portlandia. In reality, we learned, Armisen had never used Google Glass. That was a situation we were happy to fix.%Gallery-188167%
Yahoo snags exclusive rights to Saturday Night Live's archives starting September 1st (update: clips only)
Yahoo may have failed in its bid to acquire Hulu last year, but CEO Marissa Mayer announced it's snagged rights to show something the streaming site has been known for: Saturday Night Live. The deal with Broadway Video will give Yahoo exclusive online access to archived SNL content from 1975 through 2013 including show clips, "select" musical performances, behind the scenes and dress rehearsal clips. Yahoo will also have non-exclusive access to show current season Saturday Night Live clips in the US and a license to distribute library show clips internationally. Beginning September 1st, those archived clips will be pulled from other internet video platforms (presumably Hulu and Netflix -- update, see below) for one year. The press release (included after the break) indicates Broadway and Yahoo will celebrate the partnership at Yahoo!'s Digital Content NewFront event on the 29th. We'll see if there's more to learn about Yahoo's ever-evolving media strategy then. Update: The devil is in the details, and it appears that while Yahoo does have exclusive access to the SNL "clips" archive, that is not the same as full episodes. While that may seem arbitrary to the layman, what it means in effect is that later this year you'll still be able to stream full episodes of SNL on other online services -- just not clips.
SNL skewers iPhone 5 complaints
If you caught last night's Saturday Night Live with guest host Christina Applegate, you may have seen this 5 minute sketch featuring three tech bloggers kvetching about the various perceived shortcomings of the iPhone 5. Their criticisms (Maps, purple haze, back panel scratching, "too thin and light") begin to seem not so important when Applegate's host brings on a panel of people intimately familiar with the iPhone 5's manufacturing processes. I won't spoil the (admittedly coarse and tasteless) gag, but as Applegate says when one of the "bloggers" asks to retract his earlier complaints: "No, this is a trap." [via Business Insider and AllThingsD]
Wizard101 soundtrack adding a 'mystery composer'
As Wizard101 gears up for its latest expansion world of Wintertusk, the folks at KingsIsle Entertainment have a secret or two up their sleeves. According to the studio, the soundtrack for Wintertusk was composed by "one of the hottest young musical talents in the entertainment industry." Who is this composer? Well, that's the big secret -- the studio isn't saying. Instead, KingsIsle has set up a Wizard101 Mystery Composer page that will reveal hints, one at a time, until the artist is revealed. The only hint that's up so far mentions that this person performed on Saturday Night Live. KingsIsle's J. Todd Coleman feels that when the artist is revealed, it'll be a big deal: "This is a cool idea, because our mystery composer has a huge name in the music business but has never created music for a video game. I'm really impressed by this artist's adaptability and talent. I think our players are going to be very surprised and totally blown-away." The Wintertusk soundtrack is made up of seven original pieces of music. Currently, the expansion world is on the test server.
SNL's Black Friday doorbuster ad promises waxed floors and fire hazards galore
We all know that there's nothing funny about actual injury or death caused by a stampeding crowd rabidly in search of cheap TVs. There is, however, plenty to laugh at in the video below from the most recent Saturday Night Live. The mock Black Friday ad for Mega-Mart includes all the post-Thanksgiving hallmarks of consumerism we've come to love: super cheap electronics, scary-looking shoppers and a sales rep who sounds an announcer at a horse race. Enjoy the full video below.
Saturday Night Live pokes fun at interstitial app advertising with 'Rescue Dogs 3D'
Monetizing your mobile phone app is all well and good, but there's a certain category of apps that should really just charge upfront. This message has been brought to you by Rescue Dogs 3D -- in theaters Friday. Video after the break.
SNL: Google phone to challenge iPhone by "making calls"
Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update' with Seth Meyers joined the fray of people who were sick of AT&T's poor network reception: "It was reported this week that Google would soon launch its own cellphone as a challenge to the iPhone. Also a challenge to the iPhone? Making phone calls." While Saturday Night Live hasn't been funny for years (IMHO), and the joke was rather feeble, this is further cause for embarrassment from Apple and AT&T and just additional fodder for Verizon's case as to why they should have the iPhone. [via Engadget]
Poor iPhone reception graduates to SNL 'Weekend Update' joke status
"It was reported this week that Google would soon launch its own cellphone as a challenge to the iPhone. Also a challenge to the iPhone? Making phone calls." Cue uproarious applause. Update: Video after the break! Thanks Michael! Update 2: In typical SNL fashion, the video has been pulled from YouTube. Keep an eye out for a Hulu berth!
New SNL title sequence and segments shot using Canon EOS 7D, 5D Mark II
Sure, we'd heard of indie flicks and rumors of studio films being shot on Canon's EOS 5D Mark II, but DSLR video just got a big kick into the mainstream: Saturday Night Live's new opening title sequence was shot using an EOS 7D. SNL director of photography Alex Buono saw that Dublin's People short and was so impressed that he switched over -- and what's more, he's even using the 5D and 7D to shoot various segments, like the faux-mercial for "Bladivan" embedded below. That's a big win for this new breed of video cameras -- and while we're stoked to see new tech take over the old, we're also patiently waiting for someone to start a site dedicated to identifying jelly-motion on network television. [Thanks, Malkmus]
Alec Baldwin waggles Wiimote on SNL
We're used to Alec Baldwin swooping down like some sort of comedy angel to save even the worst episodes of Saturday Night Live, but we doubt even Della Reese crossed with Don Rickles could have preserved the chuckles this week. A skit involving Wario Land: Shake It is a prime example of Baldwin's ability to bail out what's essentially a sinking ship.Jokes that tie Wiimote motion to masturbation are so old now as to be almost quaint, but Baldwin manages to bring a certain classiness to the proceedings, and the bit (which you can see after the break) ended up a semi-bright spot in an otherwise crushingly dim evening.
SNL does multitouch comedy to perfection with CNN's 'Magic Map'
Saturday Night LIve's Fred Armisen takes CNN's "Magic Map" to its logical -- and hilarious -- conclusion. What would happen if New Hampshire got moved down to Mexico? Two more pics after the break, and video hopefully coming soon.Update: Country... we've got video.
More Cowbell
Christopher Walken's 'More Cowbell' skit for SNL holds a special place in my heart. So I literally squealed out loud when I saw More Cowbell in the App Store. Certainly not filed under Productivity, the application presents you with a large cowbell, while the voice of Bruce Dickinson -- yes, the Bruce Dickinson -- lets you know that he's gotta have more cowbell. Outstanding. So tap away, Gene, tap away -- preferably to the tune of (Don't Fear) the Reaper. Don't do yourself a disservice. Remember, everyone: I put my pants on, just like the rest of you, one leg at a time. Except, once my pants are on, I make gold records. [Via Macenstein.]
Grand Theft Auto IV's Niko pops up on SNL
We talked before about the late-night media frenzy surrounding Grand Theft Auto IV's release, since it was kind of hard to miss GTA if you watch TV between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. It gave us no small satisfaction to see the game pop up on one of the late-night comedy stalwarts as Niko and Vlad (played by Bill Hader and Fred Armisen) appeared on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update. You can see the clip from last Saturday above.Now, is it ... funny, per se? Well, our ribs have been more fiercely tickled, that's for sure. But they're trying. Isn't that the important thing?
HDTV Listings for September 29, 2007
What we're watching: Saturday Night Live kicks off a new season tonight with special guest Lebron James, also keep an eye out for re-airs of several pilots you might have missed earlier in the week. Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Dude, Get Your Own campaign expands to television
Sony has unveiled more details on its ambitious "Dude, Get Your Own" advertising campaign for PSP. The promotion will focus on PSP's ability to play games and multimedia and should proudly showcase PSP's new, lower price. According to Sony, a television commercial will be airing now through the end of May on a variety of shows targeted specifically to teens. PSP fans will want to tune in to shows such as King of the Hill (FOX), South Park (Comedy Central), Adult Swim (Cartoon Network), the NBA Playoffs (TNT), Saturday Night Live (NBC), and WWE Smackdown (CW) to catch the new ads.Online ads can also be found on IGN.com, Gamespot.com, ESPN.com and Maxim.com. Additionally, Sony plans to send promotional materials through direct mail. Later this week, Sony will be launching a new "Dude, Get Your Own" website, which will go into further detail about PSP's capabilities. (Hopefully, they'll create a new educational video, unlike the one featured here.)This aggressive stance from Sony is certainly appreciated. There are too many myths about our handheld that must be dispelled: hopefully, this advertising campaign will make others experience the system and join the PSP Fanboy ranks.
HDTV Listings for April 21, 2007
What we're watching: It's a big Saturday night, with the start of the NBA Playoffs, a NASCAR Nextel Cup Race from Phoenix, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift on HBO and Thank You For Smoking on Cinemax, but we'll stick with a new Saturday Night Live featuring Scarlett Johansson.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for March 24, 2007
What we're watching: Late night, we've got NCAA Women's Basketball tourney games to look forward to, and an appearance by Peyton "Cut that Meat!" Manning on Saturday Night Live.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Apple Pro covers SNL Season 1 and Broadway Video
Apple's Pro ezine has posted a nice piece by Joe Cellini on the production of Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season (available on DVD and in iTS) by Broadway Video. The definitive DVD set includes the original 24 "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" episodes from way back in 1975. Why the long delay? Music clearances, which took a full 32 years to finish, leaving BV only six weeks to complete the DVD set in time for the holiday buying season.Enter XSan. In the process of converting to high-def production, the SNL team built out a ginormous XServe RAID storage network, including a complete 30-year archive of all the standard-def shows stored in 10-bit uncompressed format. Gosh, that's... (quick calculation in AJA Data Rate) about 150 GB per 90-minute show, 30 seasons of 24 shows each: over 100 terabytes of funny, not even counting the HD shows from the past two seasons. With the first season already digitized, the DVD production was dramatically faster than it would have been otherwise, and according to BV, they "did the entire process using Macs running Final Cut Pro, Shake, Final Touch, and DVD Studio Pro, all SAN-based." Cheeseburger cheeseburger!
