Stop it.

And it gets worse –

What have we learned here?
1.  These are from the Hardees Youtube channel. They have interlacing issues. So if the agency or client thinks you are funny, you do not have to be technically adept.
2.  Depraved juveniles have taken over advertising.

Condom Commercial Kid and Parenting Wars in Media

You may have seen this Zazoo Condoms nugget that has been circulating around and featured on TV shows about funny commercials. There is even an entry in the Urban Dictionary about it. That’s right. Annoying children everywhere are now being referred to as Condom Commercial Kids. It is said to be BANNED, does anyone know why it was banned? It should be mandatory for high school sex ed classes. I have actually seen a lot of new indie vids that are smiteful toward parents and parenting. It is probably backlash from all the current celebrity baby obcessions and constant baby gushing quotes in media.

Motherly Instinct by Walking Contradiction – skit submitted to funnynotslutty.com by Heidi Edsall. Walking Contradiction is a sketch group consisting of Heidi, Keisha Zollar and Selena Coppock. This was just featured at the Boston Comedy Festival.

Pregnant Women are Smug by Garfunkel and Oates

And one more good example,  Sexy Single.

Seems like a storm is brewing. Parents VS Childless. Or is that Child Free?

These e-cards Say it with Baby Animals

Cuddly kittens, playful puppies and fuzzy ducklings broaching sensitive subjects like “Are you a hooker?”  or “Can we stop cuddling?” These are the situations that Say it with Baby Animals authors, Amanda McCall and Ben Schwartz, soften with a lethal combination of irresistible cuteness and brash humor. They recently launched some equally adorable/repulsive e-cards. I checked in with them to ask a few questions about the cards as a promotion strategy.

Humerus Uterus: Did you two meet working on the David Letterman show? How did Baby Animals come about?

A and B:  We met while working as pages for Letterman.  At that moment, the stars aligned and we knew we would be making satire postcard books together.

Humerus Uterus:  Who purchases “with Baby Animals”  books, and why? Is it the same demographic you expected?

A and B:  Luckily a wide range of people have been buying the book.  Young and old, everyone has bad news and awkward questions that could use the aid of a baby animal.

Humerus Uterus:  When were the e-cards launched?

A and B:  We had a batch of ecards for our first book Grandma’s Dead: Breaking Bad News with Baby Animals and now we are launching a whole new set for Asking Awwkard Questions.  We hope to release some new ones every week.

Humerus Uterus:  Do you find that your web/viral followers fit the same profile as the book consumers?

A and B:  If your sense of humor is a little dark…these postcards will find you NO MATTER WHERE YOU HIDE.

Humerus Uterus:  Mobile seems like a natural progression. What is next for Baby Animals?

A and B:  Next, we plan on traveling from city to city holding real animals and yelling awkward questions at random pedestrians.

Humerus Uterus: Do you have any other recent projects to share? 

A and B:  We are both working on fun stuff independently you can find out more by googling the hell out of us.

 www.sayitwithbabyanimals.com

facebook group page- http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117602009121

 

Interview with Gladstone of Hate by Numbers

Gladstone has crafted Hate by Numbers, his video web commentary on absurdity in media and people in it, into a true cult hit. He has a large Digg army with most eps reaching the Digg homepage, and his Facebook updates often accrue 20 or more comments. His recent episode on the Black Eyed Peas has over half a million views and an entry in Wikipedia.  He is also a contributor to Comedy Central’s Indecision blog and a columnist for Cracked.com.  This may be the first you have heard of him, but it will not be the last. I expect to see more Gladstone on Comedy Central, or The Onion or the like very soon.

Humerus Uterus:  What’s with all the hate my friend? What about the love? Did you wake up one morning and decide, “You know, there is just not enough hate in this world. I need to make more.”?

Gladstone:  Love isn’t funny. In truth, I chose “Hate” by Numbers because it had a nice long “a” rhyme with “Paint” by Numbers, but what I do isn’t really hate. It’s more revealing the breakdown in logic. Things say or do things that just don’t makes sense and I call them on it.   Whether covering the media, music, or movies, HBN is basically about finding people who are bad at their job and calling them on it.

Humerus Uterus:  How do you select a clip or story to cover in each episode?

Gladstone:  Well I’ve been fortunate lately that some of my Facebook friends have been finding them for me.  But basically I just scan the video sections of the Cable News websites.  Some of the biggest episodes, however, like those on Twillight, Love Guru, and Black Eyed Peas, were just in the zeitgeist either begging for it.

Humerus Uterus: Was there ever a topic you regretted covering, or one you wish you had?

Gladstone:  No.  No regrets except I’ve done Nancy Grace twice and still haven’t got her right. I mean, I regret some episodes but not the topics.

Humerus Uterus:  Your skill set includes chroma key video, editing, social media marketing, comedy and political writing, comedic impressions…is there anything you don’t do?

Gladstone:  No. I do everything. Always. All the time. It’s exhausting.

Humerus Uterus:  Much of the virility factor of HBN stems from a strong HBN “tribe.” And yet some people hate the show. Any thoughts?

Gladstone:  It’s not for everyone. In truth, I’m surprised it’s done so well. It’s not for the internet. I don’t do a big, quick, loud American show. I keep schtick to a minimum.  That turns some people off. I don’t care. In truth some people like me for the wrong reasons to. They think, “Ha, Cracked, numbers, good!”  I can’t worry about it. I have a disproportionately large Australian following.  I’m not sure  why.  Something about the pace, and resorting to elevated prose in the face of anger speaks to them. But that’s all taken straight from John Cleese.

Humerus Uterus:  So how do you like the title of this interview? I could have gone with “The Man who Hates” or “We’re Glad he Hates” or “Gladstone by Numbers” but I spared you…I hope you appreciate that, man.

Gladstone:  Yes. You’re doing God’s work, Jacki. Keep it up.

 

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are the New Oprahs

That is how Comedy Central would like you to interpret a new study about the deep personal connection viewers have for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Reported in a NY Times story by Bill Carter, MTV Entertainment Networks (parent company of CC), commissioned Harris Interactive to research how people bond with the shows.

In terms of numbers, these committed late-night viewers tend to watch the Comedy Central stars more often, with about 40 percent averaging two-to-four viewings a week, according to the survey. The best performance by a network late-night star was Jay Leno (he was still on the “Tonight Show” then) at 29 percent.

So one might think this means increased ad revenue potential for Stewart and Colbert. But not so fast. Carter reports that

Mr. Donchin of Carat said that although he had not seen the research, “I’d hate to say they can charge a premium” based on it.

He said Carat’s clients would be impressed with evidence of deep audience involvement with the Comedy Central shows but would nonetheless probably buy across the spectrum of late-night programs. “We want to be on all the shows,” he said.

So if the poll results don’t bring more premium TV ad revenue, I wonder if they could not leverage it better with the online market. This might be a good strategy, since there is potential for the quality viewers to propel efforts virally. Especially since Online Video Tops All but Facebook in Social Media Marketing Usage .

So in what way do you think this research data could be considered in a CC campaign?

Less snark, more story, please.

 David Denby goes on the hunt for snark in this insightful article,  It’s not big and it’s not clever. This struck a cord with me because it is the most obvious and common content offense many comedy writers and bloggers seem to be committing. They are all about snark, no story. No real depth or meaning. As Denby writes,

“Snark is hazing on the page. It prides itself on wit, but it’s closer to a leg stuck out in a school corridor that sends some kid flying.”

I see people struggling with their dreams of becoming a writer, only to spend hours constructing “clever insult” after “clever insult” that reads more like an angry frustrated bully/biddy on a rant than anything of interest to anyone but their therapist.

Snark seems to get you nowhere. The best standup comics know that if they use even the most clever snark against a heckler, they are playing with fire. Rarely does this work because the heckler just wants to insult, does not matter if you out snark them. Formally trained standup comics often use a technique of acknowledging, COMPLIMENTING the heckler, and then move on quickly to tell an engaging STORY to deflect.

My friend Kiki Walter brands her blog, flibbertigibbet  as being “better life through snarcasm,” but it’s actually great storytelling. OK, maybe her Sarah Palin Can Kiss My Grits was a bit snarky, but she did get make some valid points with it and well, we all have our limits…

Wait for it…….