Schupp Company Blog

Holding vigil for a little Thrill(er)

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Many people find this difficult to believe, but I grew up in a house without cable. Cable was available, it was in our area, it was all the rage, but the Ojile girls were free of all MTV, History Channel, VH1, or TBS channels during our formative years.

It was something I never really noticed growing up. We were so busy with so many other activities; TV time was limited as it was. I was none the wiser to what I was seemingly missing out on. This included all the popular videos and songs during the 80s and 90s, and especially including the all-time great ‘Thriller’ video by Michael Jackson.

As with most important evens (pop culture and otherwise) I think today will be filled with stories about how shocked we were with his passing but it will also be filled with memories. And so with his passing yesterday, I started to think about where I was when I first saw the ‘Thriller’ video and how I can remember exactly when that was and how it made me feel.

I went to college in 1999 to a school in a very small town where cable was your only shot of getting anything close to a clear picture on the TV set. I still didn’t sit down to watch TV very much as I was rather preoccupied with my freshman year.

At the end of my first semester, MTV was promoting their ‘Top 100 Videos of the Millennium” countdown that would run at the end of December. So I would turn the TV on while studying for finals but still, didn’t pay much attention to the videos or who was coming out on top. But as the countdown got closer to the bottom and my attention span for studying became shorter, I realized there was a chance I’d be seeing the ‘Thriller’ video for the first time.
This realization may seem trivial to all of you who grew up with cable and had probably already seen the Thriller video a hundred times by the time you were 10. I was 18 and couldn’t wait for my first time.

The countdown continued and days went by while I stood in our little box of a dorm room, holding the remote and adjusting the volume at the end of every video, hanging on to the announcer’s teases about the #1 video coming up. I shushed my roommate. I kicked my hall mates out of the room. The books were officially closed for the semester. The buildup was killing me. The suspense and anticipation were high. I could not wait to see this video.

‘Here it is!!!’ I thought to myself. I will now know what everyone else is talking about. I held my breath…

But wait … What was this? Is this a movie? Why are these people talking and who is that girl?!’

I wanted to see Michael and the zombies and the music. I was slightly ticked because I wasn’t sure how much longer I could wait for the music to begin.
Then, as the familiar tune started in the background, slowly, and the zombies came out, and the music got louder, I knew what was coming. Everything was exactly as I thought it would be and I could feel the excitement swelling inside me.

“This is it! This is what I’ve been waiting for!’

The video did not disappoint. I was hooked. I told everyone about it and they, of course, looked at me as if I had two heads for being the oldest person to ever see the ‘Thriller’ video for the first time.

But I didn’t care. I was in the cable club and knew what all the hype was about. That video was truly remarkable, especially for someone who didn’t grow up watching music videos. I appreciated the art of it, the story, the dancing, the music… and I wondered if I would have taken all that way from a music video at age 7?

Nevertheless, it was a defining moment for me and I’m sure we all have stories about trying to replicate Michael Jackson’s dances in our parents’ living room, of his concerts, of which albums of his we loved the best, and of course, where we were when it all happened. (And I know this is true because it was all over Facebook statuses yesterday.)

I was at work when a news feed popped in my inbox that he had been taken to the hospital and was in coma. I searched around the Internet for news and then saw on Facebook that he had already passed.

So I want to know, where were you when you first saw the Thriller video? Where were you when you heard about Michael Jackson’s death? Leave your comments below.

Tags: facebook, michael Jackson, music videos
Posted in Culture, Music, Television | No Comments »

What’s in a name?

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Emma, Isabella, Emily, Madison, and Ava.
These were the top five baby names for girls in 2008. Take note moms- and dads-to-be: should you choose one of these names, your kid will have one of the most common names among her peers for the rest of her life. Emma will be known as Emma “M” in her classes so as not to confuse here with Emma “W.” Madison will have slumber parties with Madison R. and Madison G. And don’t try act like someone “stole your baby name.” It didn’t happen. You willfully chose one of the most popular names of the decade. A quick online trip the Social Security Administration’s Web site will tell you this.
Unfortunately, Web sites like this weren’t available to my parents when they were readying the nursery. They chose my name, Sara, not because it was popular, but because they liked it – It was a tribute to my Mother Sally and my aunt Sandra; it can be pronounced in both English and in Spanish, which was important to my Puerto Rican father and grandmother; and it means Princess, which, interestingly became a somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy in terms of my adolescent and teenage behavior. But regardless of whether it was an “appropriate” name, at times I feel it’s quite the albatross. You see, in 1980 the name “Sarah” went from being a somewhat popular name, to one of the five most popular names for girls. And it remained there for a decade. There were at least 20 “Sarahs” in my graduating class. There were close to 10 “Sarahs” in my sorority pledge class. And now, I work with a close friend, Sarah – only one, surprisingly.

Now, since she and I are on the same account team we share a lot of the same contacts in terms of client and agency partners; and, despite not looking even remotely similar, apparently we sound exactly alike on the phone, which has caused a fair share of confusion amongst those we work with closely. What’s really funny – or just odd if you ask me and Sarah – is that people will meet one of us and then subsequently meet the other for the first time, and think we’ve already met. Again, we look absolutely NOTHING alike. It’s gotten to the point where – when meeting new clients or agency folk – we now introduce the other even when not physically present in an effort to dissipate the inevitable and uncanny scenarios that tend to befall us: e.g., hi, I’m Sara – I’m one of the TWO Sarah’s that work on MillerCoors business. People know us collectively as the “Sarah’s” but we’re legitimately two different people… you’ll see.
Even with this disclaimer, people still get confused. And, while it’s not that big a deal, it makes us both wonder if our same name – one that was super popular when we were all growing up – somehow makes us less memorable. Had we been named something different, something less popular, like Helen, Ruth or Dorothy*or maybe something just more unique like Angelina or Famke, perhaps there wouldn’t be so much mix-up.

So now I ponder: if parents of newborns approached the naming process in much the same way a brand manager does when naming new products, there likely wouldn’t be droves of Emmas and Avas teeming in suburban pre-schools. Of course, one can’t copyright or trademark a human’s first name as far as I know. It’s strange though: People love to give celebrities a hard time over their name choices, usually because they’re pretty out there, but Apple, Zuma and Shiloh’s parents all seemed to understand that naming their kid something original might behoove them later in life (granted, many would argue that by virtue of simply being the daughter of “Brangelina” will get you those memorability points regardless of your moniker).
As marketers, we know it’s important to be strategic with our communication and make sure the message is memorable and effective. With this in mind, a person who’s got the whole package: personality, charm and wit, but a ubiquitous first name, might ultimately wind up being forgettable – kinda like that commercial I saw for that really, really cool new car…it was a 9-5…or a 9-6… or a 9-3…something; ugh! There’s just so many, I can’t remember…but it was cool.

I’m naming my kid Rhubarb.

* Helen, Ruth, and Dorothy were among the top 5 names for girls in 1909.

Tags: baby, marketing, names, networking, popular, trends
Posted in Culture, Style | No Comments »

“I Should Really Get TiVo: Part 1”

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

As you may or may not know, back in May we bore witness to the yearly ritual where the broadcast TV networks unveil the upcoming season’s primetime lineups and announce the new programs that will fill spots left vacant by the previous season’s “casualties.” Some vacancies are from successful shows that just finished their run, like ER, and others by shows that weren’t renewed because of declining audience numbers, like Life on Mars…which I am still somewhat irritated over. I liked the show; it had an interesting plot, a good soundtrack, and an enjoyable recurring theme where modern-day methods of police-work were contrasted with those of the early 1970’s. And, it featured Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) sporting the most impressive primetime TV mustache since Magnum P.I.

For my inaugural contribution to the world of blogging, I’d like to share a few thoughts on some of the new programs that have piqued my interest for one reason or another. I’m not a critic and I haven’t seen any of the pilots, so this is just my first impression of some shows that I find interesting enough to warrant a test drive this fall (or winter). There are quite a few of them, so I’ll have to tackle this in a couple of installments to keep everything manageable.
So, without further ado, here we go with ABC…

ABC seems to be taking a fairly aggressive approach to new programming this year. They plan to introduce eleven new programs throughout the 2009/2010 season (6 dramas/4 comedies/1 reality show); eight of these are featured on the fall schedule. In fact, five of the new fall shows have been slotted into the Wednesday lineup making it a night of 100% new programming. That being said, you’ll see a lot of familiar faces in the new ABC offerings (Patricia Heaton, Kelsey Grammer, Courtney Cox, and Ed O’Neill). Of all the new shows, there are three in particular that I am really looking forward to…a reincarnation of a classic miniseries, a serial drama with an interesting plot concept, and a detective show.

V

That’s correct, ABC has recreated the wildly popular 1980’s TV franchise (V, V: The Final Battle, and V: The Series) and will debut it sometime in early 2010. I am really excited about this one; I was a kid when the originals were airing (and re-airing) and I spent hours pretending to be Mike Donovan or Ham Tyler fighting off aliens and saving the planet. My childhood memories are causing a bias, but I consider this to be the crown-jewel of the new programs on the horizon.

Judging from the preview on ABC’s website (http://abc.go.com/fallpreview/index?pn=v) and some of the early reviews I’ve been able to dig up, it looks like the writers are trying to “freshen up” the story with themes that would resonate with present-day audiences while keeping the overall plot intact. In a nutshell, the series chronicles Earth’s first (and ultimately ill-fated) encounter with an alien species…The Visitors. The Visitors claim to come in peace, they seem nice…they need a portion of Earth’s water supply in order to survive, so in the spirit of universal partnership, the humans oblige. For their kindness, The Visitors offer to share their alien technology and advanced medical knowledge with the world to cure diseases and solve many of problems ailing human society. By doing so, the tables are turned and The Visitors begin to position themselves as the saviors and are quickly embraced by the majority of humanity. As the series progresses, it is learned that The Visitors are not our friends or saviors, but really an evil reptilian species bent on world domination. The series will ultimately follow our protagonists, an underground human resistance group, as they try to achieve their goal of uniting the human race against The Visitors and driving them away from Earth for good.
While I am skeptical that this version can live up to the originals (the bar is set pretty high), there’s a lot to look forward to here. As you can imagine, the special effects used in the originals are considered primitive by today’s standards. They were pretty good for a TV miniseries in the early-to-mid ‘80s, but the new version should benefit from a significant upgrade in this department. I am also pretty pleased with some of the cast choices in the new series. I’ll probably always be partial to Marc Singer (Beastmaster) and Michael Ironside (Top Gun); however, the creators have pulled together a pretty good ensemble for the new outing…Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost), Alan Tudyk (Dodgeball), and Joel Gretsch (The 4400) among others. All of that said, I’ll admit that this remake has me scared for two reasons:

• The modernization of a TV show or movie is a bit of a hit-or-miss proposition with me…you can either get an Ocean’s Eleven (good) or you can get The Bad News Bears (bad, very bad).

• I’m afraid that I’ll immediately fall in love with the show, but I’ll be one of six people that feel the same way and I’ll be left steaming this time next year because it was cancelled due to its inability to sustain an audience (like Life on Mars).

Flash Forward

Next to V, the drama Flash Forward looks to have the highest potential for awesomeness. Here’s the description of the pilot from ABC’s website:

“A mysterious global event causes everyone to black out simultaneously for two minutes and seventeen seconds, and each person sees a glimpse of their lives six months from now. When they wake up, everyone is left wondering if what they saw will actually happen.”

That just “sounds” cool. Also, judging from the preview (http://abc.go.com/primetime/flashforward/index?pn=index), it looks like some crazy stuff happens during that two-plus minute blackout. The concept for the show is pretty interesting, but it has the potential to be a little on the complex side since it will tackle some pretty heavy stuff…like the idea of a “prescribed plan” vs. the ability to control one’s own destiny. It looks like ABC is trying to recreate the success that they had with Lost by creating another show that doesn’t neatly fit into one genre but offers viewers a little bit of everything…action, drama, mystery, science-fiction, etc.

The cast and crew assembled for the project is also quite good; somebody really swung for the fences during the development phase. The pilot was written by David Goyer (Batman Begins & The Dark Knight) and Brannon Braga (24) and was adapted from a novel by Robert Sawyer. It stars Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) as the FBI agent investigating the event and trying to find out whom or what is responsible. It also features John Cho (Star Trek), Courtney B. Vance (The Hunt for Red October), and Brian O’ Byrne (Showtime’s Brotherhood).

The Forgotten

I’ll admit it, this one may be a bit of a stretch for me, but I’m a sucker for police procedurals and crime dramas…NYPD Blue ruined me forever, so now I’ll commit an hour to any cop show that can hold my attention for that long. The Forgotten revolves around a group of “dedicated, amateur detectives” that try to solve John/Jane Doe cases when they are no longer actively worked by the police. It sort of sounds like some crazy hybrid between Cold Case and The Hardy Boys. It’s a bit of a twist, but the concept isn’t too ridiculous…no more ridiculous than an NYPD detective being hit by a car in 2008 and waking up as an NYPD detective in 1973, right? Jerry Bruckheimer is the executive producer so if the CSI franchise is any indication, you can assume that it will be pretty slick on the production side of things.

That’s it for this installment. I was originally going include a new Mark Burnett reality show called Shark Tank on my list, but I read the show’s description…totally not what I was hoping for.

I’ll tackle a couple of the other networks in a bit.
KDM

Tags: science-fiction, Television
Posted in Culture, Television | No Comments »