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As you may recall, Microsoft recently signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with FOX and Seth MacFarlane to have Windows 7 jokes written into an upcoming Family Guy special called Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show. Sounds so funny! Hahaha I am laughing already! And everything was going great until the people from Microsoft actually WATCHED an episode of Family Guy. From Variety:
Microsoft execs attended the special’s taping Oct. 16. The program included MacFarlane and Alex Borstein — the voice of “Family Guy” matriarch Lois — pitching Windows 7.
For most of the special, however, MacFarlane and Borstein made typical “Family Guy”-style jokes, including riffs on deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest.
Such material was apparently a bit much for Microsoft.
“If only Windows 7 had been around during World War II, it would have been much easier for the Nazis to efficiently organize the Jews for extermination.” That was probably one of the jokes. “Blind people hate Windows 7 because they can’t see computer screens.” Good one. Now, Microsoft has pulled out of the special, issuing this statement:
“We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of ‘Family Guy,’ but after reviewing an early version of the variety show, it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand,” said a Microsoft spokeswoman. “We continue to have a good partnership with Fox, Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein and are working with them in other areas. We continue to believe in the value of brand integrations and partnerships between brands, media companies and talent.”
Wait a second. Audience composition, sure. Lots of people watch that show, especially young people with discretionary computer-operating-system income. But “creative humor”? Come on, Microson! They took an old episode and just wedged hackneyed Windows 7 jokes into it, how creative can their humor really be?
Ugh. They didn’t even change the structure of the joke! (Familiar.) How creative.
I am glad, though, that this incident didn’t shake Microsoft’s belief in the value of brand integrations and partnerships between brands, media companies and talent. PHEW. It would be a real shame if they started thinking that brand saturation had no place in the “creative” (their word) production of cultural content. And that’s fresh. (Thanks for the tip, Louis, Matthew, and Joe.)
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I’m always amazed when people make a successful career out of recycling cheap crap. A talent MacFarlane excels at apparently.
Windows 7 is The Worst.
It’s no Snow Leopard, but it beats the hell out of Vista. Not the worst.
Gabe, you forgot a tag on this post.
You know, the one that says “Everyone Mentioned In This Post Can Go Fuck Themselves Inside -Out”?
Now that the shock value has faded away some seasons ago, I am stricken with guilt for contributing to this guy’s ungodly paycheck by laughing at “meh” jokes in my dorm room. I basically climbed into my father’s animation drawer, found his unfunny gun, and shot myself in the face with horrible writing bullets.
Did you see how Brian increased the pitch of his voice? But, no. That’s Stewie’s domain. It has something to do with repressed homosexuality and being a murderous baby. I think I’m going to go buy a copy of Windows 7! Comedy wins again.
This post would’ve been a lot funnier with a few more obscure references to 80’s TV shows and movies.
Peter: Microsoft believes in the value of brand integrations and partnerships between brands, media companies and talent? This reminds me of that time AT&T partnered up with the A Team.
(Roll Clip)
Mr. T: “I pity the fool that don’t respect the AT&T Team!” (The gang laughs and high fives the AT&T AT-AT mascot)
(End Clip)
Stewie: Heavens to Mergatroid.
you have my permission to show this to the kids at Teen Korner if they get restless.
well that doesn’t look right at all.
That formatting error always seems to occur when someone’s imitating something terrible to show how terrible it is.
10/27/2009- The day Videogum became self aware and instantly started insulting bad things.
“If only Windows 7 had been around during World War II, it would have been much easier for the Nazis to efficiently organize the Jews for extermination.” That was probably one of the jokes
Not to get all professorofdarkhistorygum, but IBM was primarily responsible for helping the Nazi’s track the jewish in their custody. The Tattoos were an expression of the number algorithm created by IBM. Easy tracking system for humans indeed. In fact, I believe the IBM scan card computers were initially designed FOR THE NAZIS to make tracking the Numerous imprisoned and later murdered jews through the system, and also keep track of all of the atrocities committed against them. Go check out the book by Edwin Black.
http://www.ibmandtheholocaust.com/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/03/27/print/main504730.shtml
http://news.cnet.com/2009-1082-269157.html
This just further proves how far off the funny scale Seth is. (Also…yikes!)
IBM and the Pope? Man, next we’ll found out the Jewish cabal was also behind the Holocaust.
Which real-life Don Draper will fuck Seth MacFarlane’s wife/manager and force her to force him to apologize to Bill and Melinda Gates?
You know what pisses me off the most about Seth MacFarlane? Those big fake fucking teeth. He looks like Matt Dillon in There’s Something About Mary
“I haven’t seen an ad this bad since that time I was dropping acid with Timothy Leary and he showed me a unicorn being castrated.”
But…a big fake veneer getting big fake veneers…there has got to be some new kind of irony in there somewhere right? Macfarlane is a genieus! Fire up another contract Fox…
I know it’s microsoft and they’re trying to appeal to a broad audience and all but I feel pretty upset that they refer to the creators of family guy as “talent.”
Between this and the Windows 7 “parties,” Microsoft’s having a great time promoting the new software. Next up: Steve Ballmer screams at Yo Gabba Gabba.
You have to give it up to Fox. I saw one of their billboards for “Animation Nation”, their Sunday night lineup, and it had the characters from the shows standing there mixed in with the text. From left to right it was the Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show. So they have one iconic mainstay that hasn’t been funny in almost a decade, and then they show three Seth MacFarlane hand tanningly terrible traipses into the tripe trappings of his crap addled brain. I simply can not wait until they import this awesome lineup to Adult Swim so everyone can catch more of Seth’s wit and charm after a rousing hour of King of the Hill.
Holy shit, that picture has me wanting to punch my monitor so hard… SO HARD.
You can almost see Macfarlane sucking the life force out of Adam Levine.