Thompson On Hollywood

Ex-Magazine Editor Caruso Goes Viral

Facebook, it seems, is also the proper venue for making announcements these days. Here's former magazine editor Michael Caruso's alert to his pals about his new gig, The Daily Tube:

Hey, everyone. While you were all scarfing burgers and lighting M-80s over the weekend, we were slaving over hot computers to deploy our cool new design. Check it out at The Daily Tube.com and please tell all of your coworkers, friends, extended family and casual sex partners about the site that's like YouTube--but is actually good.

I'm also happy to announce that The Daily Tube has formed a working partnership with Slate, the award-winning daily Web magazine. We now power the "Did You See This?" feature of the Slate V video section.

The Daily Tube is also a featured link on TWO of Huffington Post's pages (Media and Entertainment).

It's no wonder that we tripled our traffic this year. Please help spread the word!

Your partner in creative procrastination,
Michael Caruso
p.s. Forgive mass e-mail. I really love YOU the most.

The first few You Tube videos were no longer availbale when I went on the site, and this Onion video, which I liked, has no embed code. Hmmm. They're basically doing our browsing for us so we don't have to.

There's going to be an onslaught of stuff like this, as old media meets deep-pocketed new media in different ways. All I can say is, judging from how behind I am in every aspect of my life, my inbox is way overloaded and likely to remain so.

Peirce Markets Stop-Loss DVD on Facebook

Facebook is catching up with MySpace as a key marketing tool for filmmakers. Kimberly Peirce, for example, posted the following DVD promo letter to her Facebook friends:

Hello,

Just wanted to let you guys know that...

STOP-LOSS is ON DVD TODAY JULY 8.

The DVD is loaded with tons of great features, including a commentary track, deleted scenes, a making-of documentary and footage of the actors going through boot camp.

VARIETY calls the DVD “worthy viewing for those who missed the film the first time around” and Peter Travers of ROLLING STONE says that Stop-Loss is “the first major movie of the new year that touches greatness.”

You can purchase the DVD through this link:

And you can go to stoplosscontest for a chance to WIN ONE OF THREE PARAMOUNT PRIZE PACKS (or just suggest a reason why I should send you one)

I'd love to hear what you think of the DVD and the extras.

Best,

KP

Here she talks to Current TV:

Miles Davis Plays So What?

This April 2, 1959 clip from The Robert Herridge Theater Show at Studio 61 in New York City takes my breath away. The one time I saw Miles Davis play, at The Bottom Line in the Village, he was already so disgusted by performing that he turned his back on the audience and played for maybe 20 minutes max. But just look at him here! And the Gil Evans Orchestra: John Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. Wow.

Paramount Provides Film Clips to Facebook

What took Hollywood so long to miss this clear marketing opportunity? Paramount, FanRocket, VooZoo and Facebook are joining forces to make thousands of clips from Paramount movies available on Facebook. Other studios may follow suit. I've been looking at more film clips on Facebook via Flixster, and I have no doubt that viral exposure to fave clips will boost DVD rentals and sales down the line. This is one sign that studios are prepping for the long tail world.

Meanwhile, at SXSW, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's key note speech was a huge sell-out, as rooms full of folks watched him on videoscreens. PaidContent has coverage and video. UPDATE: Zuckerberg's interlocuter got twittered by a hostile crowd.

Here's the 2002 Paramount logo with fanfare:

And a history of the Paramount mountain logo with stars: