The Star Wars Holiday Special Goes Glee

From

The 1978 TV one-shot program featuring Bea Arthur, Wookie Life Day, Harvey Korman, an animated Boba Fett, and way too much singing, is being resurrected. It will be the basis of an upcoming holiday episode of Glee, reports Britain's SFX magazine.

Sort of a Muppets Meet The Carol Burnett Show, the Star Wars Holiday Special aired on CBS in 1978 and is generally an unloved – and oft-mocked – part of the Star Wars universe. It only snagged one magazine cover at the time (Starlog #19, above), despite the Star Wars fever raging in the young country at the time. Directed by Steven Binder and written by five writers, including Bruce Vilanch, the show was a hodgepodge of cameos by the stars of the original Star Wars film and new characters trying gamely to make a kiddie-friendly show.

It remains to be seen if Glee will treat it as aging cheese that has become good again or as a source for mocking.

Video Ads in Entertainment Weekly

The news is all over the place, so I'll keep this brief: CBS and Pepsi teamed up for an ad in a small number of Entertainment Weekly copies next month that will feature actual video on the page.

Well, there will be an ultra-thin video player on the page, and it will operate much as those musical greeting cards do, with the video activated when the reader turns to that page.

Last year, Esquire had its "e-ink" text on the cover of its 75th anniversary issue. As a stunt, it was fine, but it really wasn't "e-ink"; it was clearly a thick wafer inserted within the cover, and it served no great or useful purpose. As usual, my suggestion to Esquire is that they focus on improving the editorial product; but at the same time, it's good to see people experiment.

As for this video ad, I have no problem with it whatsoever. It's an ad; it doesn't affect the editorial at all, and it will be interesting to see how it develops if we see more of them. It's very expensive, but if more and more advertisers use it, some magazines will start adapting it to their own use on editorial pages (and covers).

Sarah Palin: The Gift that Keeps on Giving (to Obama)

This blog is supposed to have a focus on the magazine and publishing industry, but it's sometimes hard to focus on that when we're in the midst of one of the most interesting and exciting political campaigns of my life. Luckily, there is some overlap, such as this excerpt from yet another jaw-dropping interview of Sarah Palin by Katie Couric.

Couric: And when it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?

Palin: I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.

Couric: What, specifically?

Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.

Couric: Can you name a few?

Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, "Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?" Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.

First of all, hats off to Katie Couric, who through all of her interviews with Palin has been respectful but persistent, asking solid questions -- no gimmicks or gotcha questions -- and she follows up, which most political journalists seem to have forgotten about.

Second, er, um, seriously, Ms. Palin? You couldn't think of a single newsy magazine or newspaper to mention? Time? Newsweek? National Review? The Economist? U.S. News? The Atlantic? The Week? Is there not a single newspaper in Alaska you can name?

Here's my advice. When you're asked a softball question, HIT IT.

Wow. Just wow.