ANN ARBOR, Mich.— The jokes by late-night comedy television hosts can be just as effective as regular political news in spurring discussion among viewers, a new University of Michigan study shows.
In addition, political candidates could help their campaigns with mentions by shows like “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “Late Show with David Letterman” or “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” (more…)
U alum Maria Bamford gains fame as a comic, voice actress, and quirky commercial character
Sometimes it’s good to draw the long straw on work assignments.
That’s how it feels when you start doing research (read: watch a few Youtube clips) for a story on Maria Bamford, the University of Minnesota alumna who has made her mark as a stand-up comedienne, a versatile voice-over actress, and, in recent years, as the hyper-intense Black Friday shopper in Target television commercials.
Bamford’s credits are lengthy, including multiple appearances on the late-night talk show circuit (“The Tonight Show,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live”), her own web series, and a number of comedy albums. She has guest starred on “The Sarah Silverman Program” on Comedy Central, and is the first female comic to have two half-hour “Comedy Central Presents” specials. (more…)
*Mobile tagging technology offers instant reader interaction with ads in national magazines for “Bridesmaids,” a new comedy from producer Judd Apatow and director Paul Feig*
REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 8, 2011 — Microsoft Tag and Universal Pictures today announced a new campaign to promote “Bridesmaids,” the new comedy from producer Judd Apatow (“Knocked Up,” “Superbad”) and director Paul Feig (“Freaks and Geeks”).
Further establishing the studio as a market leader in mobile marketing, Universal, through the Tag campaign, will enable smartphone users to interact with full-page ads that will run in several magazines, including Cosmopolitan, InStyle, People StyleWatch and Us Weekly. When the Tags are scanned by the free Tag Reader app, users will be able to watch the “Bridesmaids” trailer and access additional movie information and content. With this campaign, Universal becomes the first major film studio to use Tag technology to promote a first-run, nationally released movie. (more…)
