Was the "Saturday Night Live" skit "MacGruber" a comedy bit or a Pepsi commercial?

A lot of articles have been written about how the Pepsi/Macgruber spot Rosey Media shot that aired during last weekend's Super Bowl is blurring the line between comedy and commercial. Check out this article from MSNBC that discusses this emerging trend.- JR

	Was the "Saturday Night Live" skit "MacGruber" a comedy bit or a Pepsi commercial? It aired as a comedy sketch on SNL, then during the big game as an ad. View related photos
NBC

updated 10:33 p.m. ET, Mon., Feb. 2, 2009 NEW YORK - Was "MacGruber" a "Saturday Night Live" sketch or Pepsi commercial? Depending on when you were watching television over the weekend, it was hard to tell. On Saturday night's "SNL," the recurring bit starring cast member Will Forte aired three times during the show, each time with comical over-the-top promotion for Pepsi. Then on Sunday night, one of the same "MacGruber" sketches — in which Forte plays a parody of the '80s action series "MacGyver" — aired during NBC's broadcast of the Super Bowl as a commercial.

As it turns out, all were paid commercials by Pepsi, made in collaboration with producer Lorne Michaels' "Saturday Night Live." The segments weren't product placement, but commercials paid for by Pepsi and produced by "SNL." Though they appeared to be sketches on "SNL," they ran during allotted commercial breaks.

NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman said Pepsi paid full freight for the spots — which sold for about $3 million per 30-second spot during the Super Bowl.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC.)

"They really made it very funny and obvious, so I don't think there was any confusion," said Silverman. "Everything is ongoing experimentation, but the reality is we need to evolve and do more and more things."

Added Silverman: "It's not just an ad for Pepsi, it's an ad for `Saturday Night Live.'"

Branding expert Peter Arnell was in charge of PepsiCo's Super Bowl campaign, which also included a 3-D commercial for its SoBe Life Water.

"The creative space is `SNL's' and they were commercials we would have bought, so the economics were as normal as it ever was," said Arnell. "It's the un-advertising advertising."

The first "MacGruber" sketch/commercial that ran during "SNL" came amid other commercials — after a movie trailer for "The Pink Panther 2," which is what host Steve Martin was (what else?) promoting.

Fans may be uncomfortable with sale PepsiCo American Beverages chief Massimo d'Amore, who watched the game from a luxury box with NBC and Michaels, declined to say how much the company paid the network for the spots. An estimated 95.4 million people watched the Pittsburgh-Arizona Super Bowl, making it second only to last year's game as the most popular ever, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The ads include all the same usual characteristics that the sketch series normally does: its cheesy opening theme song, a frightened sidekick (played by fellow cast member Kristen Wiig) and MacGruber's inevitable distraction (in this case, a Pepsi). The real MacGyver — Richard Dean Anderson — also made a cameo.

That a marquee "SNL" sketch would be sold to a marketer might rub some loyal viewers the wrong way. Fans, after all, tune in for comedy, not for well-dressed commercials.

Silverman says the viewer only wins, since the Pepsi sketches replaced regular commercials. (He also noted that "SNL" talent was paid for the work outside of their normal salaries.)

"It wasn't inside the show," said Silverman. "Lorne really protected the show. I think the fans of `Saturday Night Live' got to see a `MacGruber' that they wouldn't have otherwise seen."

Michaels wasn't available to comment Monday.

"What we're doing is selling entertainment vehicles and marketing platforms," said Silverman, who has looked for other revenue streams for NBC as network TV ratings have slid. "This is where programming is going."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Laser Cats 4. . . Makin' Laser Cats 3 Look Like Laser Cats 2!

Friday, January 30th, 2009- Rosey Media films yet another installment in the increasingly epic sci-fierce SNL Digital Short series "Laser Cats." In this, the fourth episode, director Akiva Shaffer once again pits Nitro (Bill Hader) and Admiral Spaceship (Andy Samberg) against evil forces that threaten the galaxy- in this case, out of control man/ machine Cyberface (Kenan Thompson.) Rabid fans of the series will note this is Mr. Thompson's second appearance as a villain in "Laser Cats." Coincidence? Significant? Interesting? Perhaps. . . perhaps not. . . Oh, and did we mention the guest appearances by comedy legend and 15 time SNL host Steve Martin and SNL Executive Producer Lorne Michaels? The intergalactic drama unfolds below: Watch closely and you'll catch SNL (and "The Line") writer Simon Rich, staffers Rachel Lynn and her brother Joe caught on camera, as well as a bona fide speaking role-- that of the captain of the Space Police-- masterfully portrayed with rare sensitivity by editor extraordinaire Matt Yonks. The Short was shot by John Rosenblatt, with audio by Dan Walter, and special technical consultation (that's read "cat-on-Roomba") by Brian Townes. Probably the best part of making a "Laser Cats" episode is the complete disregard for the conventions and techniques one uses to make a motion picture look. . . well. . . good. In fact, the guiding aesthetic is one of "the crappier, the better." While it is a bit difficult to throw aside habits of checking continuity and lighting a scene properly, and to embrace the auto focus, it can, in the end, be quite a liberating experience. Like running without pants. Not something you'd want to do all of the time, but every once in a while. . . a must.

Holy Cow--We Made A Frickin' Super Bowl Commercial!!

On Monday, January 12th, Rosey Media had the opportunity to fulfill a dream held dear by all of us whose voices changed before Bill Clinton took office. We met MacGyver. THE MacGyver. If you weren't a pre-pubescent boy in the 1980's, his name is Richard Dean Anderson, and under the direction of Jorma Taccone, with co-writer John Solomon and DP John Rosenblatt, he made history when MacGruber met MacGyver in a Pepsi ad for Super Bowl 43. The ad also stars SNL cast members Will Forte (of course) and Kristen Wiig. Dig it: Also priveleged to have been locked in a control room, so to speak, with His Supreme Flannel Gadgetiness were Rosey Media camera jock Luke Riffle, audio wizard Dan Walter, and reigning snack champion Brian Townes. As many folks watch the Super Bowl for the ads as much as the game itself, we are damn proud to have contributed our very first offering to the estimated 167 million viewers of the big game. It's not quite as cool as defusing a bomb, rescuing a damsel in distress, and getting out of a poison gas-filled room with nothing but a shoe lace, a paperclip, and some tic tacs. . . but it's a close second.

How I Met Doogie Howser

On Friday, January 9th, Rosey Media filmed the SNL Digital Short "Doogie Howser Theme," in which SNL host and '80's TV icon Neil Patrick Harris performed a tongue-in-cheek, sentimental arrangement of the theme song from the show which brought him nationwide pre-teen fame. Backed by the entire SNL cast decked in Doogie attire, and shot onstage in the Conan O'Brien studio, the Short came out looking like this: Special thanks go out to Mike Milia and Mike Kirsic of NYC Jibs for the sweeping jib camera work. Due to the scheduling challenges of getting all of the SNL cast in one place at one time, the shoot itself stretched on for a good 16 hours, during which time we found two truths to be self-evident: 1. Neil Patrick Harris is a consummate frickin' professional. He is on point constantly, gracious and tireless in his work. Verbose as we tend to be here, we literally cannot say enough good things about him. 2. The "Doogie Howser Theme" is actually a really beautiful piece of music, inspiring and full of subtle nuance. If you haven't heard it in oh, say, 15 to 20 years-- as most of us hadn't-- give it a listen again. And again. And again. Then again. You'll get it. Really!

"The Line" Premiers at UCB

Wednesday night, January 14th, marked the real-world (that's that place around the edges of your computer screen) premier of "The Line" at the the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre on 28th Street. The 7 part internet series, shot over the course of a week in July '08, has been edited into a single 20(+) minute film. What self-respecting web geek would tear themselves away from updating their Facebook to actually venture out to see it , you ask? Apparently-- lots of them. The sold out premier featured an impressive line of it's own, stretching far down the block from the UCB Theatre. Among those in attendance were writer/ director Seth Myers, writer Simon Rich, cast members Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, Bobby Moynihan, associate producer Matt Yonks, and of course, "The Line" Director of Photography, Rosey Media's own John Rosenblatt. You can see "The Line" here:

From Crackle: The Line, Ep 1: The FutureSpace Showdown Begins

Rosey Media wishes to extend its thanks to everyone involved for including us in this project. We eagerly await the call to begin production on "FutureSpace!"

Rosyie Media Precious Holidaye Reflections and Memoryes

In days of yore, when the holidays came 'round-- when we were but wee lads in the late 70's and early 80's-- we would add to our repertoire of constant one-upmanship the momentarily-jarring farewell . . ."See you next year!" This indispensable bit of yuletide wit was considered genius by all that encountered it, amusing and surprising the speaker and the listener, as both would briefly revel in appropriately childlike amazement that yet another year had passed, and when school once again resumed-- though only a week or two later-- it would, in fact, be. . . the next year. As we grew older, our minds and social skills became more sophisticated. We entered the entertainment business, and our wit evolved beyond simple observational one-liners, into something more complex and universal, to be shared for the benefit of our fellow man. How fitting, then, that our holiday farewell on SNL was shooting a Digital Short revolving around poopy cookies. Observe: Yes, nothing like scatalogical humour to take one right back to boyhood. And like simple schoolboys, we once again found oursleves gleefully using the olde HPX3000 to lay a brief 8 hour shoot onto P2 cards (o, what fine and bully boyish toys!), under the direction of Digital Short Creators Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. The cast featured SNL host Hugh Laurie and that mischievous rapscallion Fred Armisen, as well as Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson, Will Forte, and featured players Bobby Moynihan, Abby Elliott, and Michaela Watkins. The whole gang was there, under the ever-watchful eye of producers Nick Mallardi and Dina Moles. Once shooting was done,however, we all said our farewells with a wistfully appropriate lack of sentimentality. Indeed, we had all grown up, become those adults so busy, we had nary a moment for a boyish jab or childish quip. There were pressing rehearsals, gear to be wrapped, poopy cookie shorts to be edited. There was no time for childish things. And as we left 30 Rock, we couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness for days gone by. There are no more schoolyard partings, no more construction paper holiday cards. Ours is now a staid and austere world of cold hard labour-- of poopy cookies and blogging. So it is here, in our blog, that we make a last grasp at fleeting youth and the special childhood magic of the holiday season to say: Thanks, SNL. See you next year. See you. . . next year.

Blood Is Thicker Than Water- Funnier, Too.

Last week the SNL Digital Short team of Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Andy Samberg served Saturday Night Live and America a whopping slice of bizarro with the help of host Paul Rudd. If you haven't seen it yet, watch this: The Short, their most intensive to date, took 38 hours to shoot over two days, and featured around 30 background performers. A special effects extravaganza, the Short had a full team of effects artists and props persons throughout, managing pumps, pipes, trick knives, fake firearms, and hydraulic apparatus, all designed to deliver an impressive payload of. . . blood and vomit. While we don't have exact measurements, we do know that each of these items was mixed and supplied by the gallon. Well, at least the vomit was anyway. There was definitely no shortage of stage blood, though, and by the end of day two most of the crew had developed a surprising immunity to what had at first been a bit gross. After this, we can truly say we have no idea what's next from the Digital Short crew, but we're looking forward to it.