SteveVanZandt

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  • WoW Archivist: WoW's craziest TV ads

    by 
    Scott Andrews
    Scott Andrews
    09.14.2012

    WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? Nefarian swallows a truck. Two women duke it out in a supermarket. A trio of singers shouts, "No means no!" Mr. T introduces a new race and Chuck Norris roundhouse-kicks a kodo. Those responsible for advertising World of Warcraft have hit on some crazy ideas. This week, Blizzard debuted its first TV ads for Mists of Pandaria. As I'm writing this, I've just watched them air live on Monday Night Football. That's a big-time slot for a commercial here in the States and runs a cool $325,000 per nationally televised spot. The ads feature clips from the official trailer. If only the Bengals had put up as much of a fight as that panda. But not all of WoW's commercials through the years have been quite so ... straightforward. Let's take a look!

  • Netflix queues S1 of its original production 'Lilyhammer' for streaming February 6th

    by 
    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    01.04.2012

    While Netflix has already announced original productions like House of Cards and a new season of Arrested Development it has commissioned for its streaming video service, the first to debut will be Lilyhammer next month. Starring Steve Van Zandt of the E Street Band and The Sopranos, it follows a mobster in witness protection who moves to Lillehammer, Norway, chasing dreams of clean air and gorgeous women. Naturally, it doesn't quite work out like that, but in an interesting twist Netflix will let you find out how it does work out all in one shot. Unlike most linear channels, and even Hulu's original programming efforts like The Confession, Netflix will post the entire season all at once (and in all of its territories -- US, Canada and Latin America) just like it does with older material. Of course, Netflix has a lot of ground to make up after its missteps last year, so perhaps extending its usual policy customers watch video when, where and how they want to content release timing is just the kind of bonus needed. Until it's available however, we'll have to live with the press release and trailer, both of which are included after the break.