Review: Morgan Spurlock starts an original series on and produced by Hulu
By Jake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --To jump-start its original content business, Hulu has turned to documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, the industrious red head whose engaging excitability can turn things like a McDonald’s diet or hidden ads in movies into entertaining feature length documentaries.
On Wednesday, Hulu is premiering the first episode of Spurlock’s “A Day in the Life,” a six-episode documentary series that follows a notable person around for 24 hours. The debut 22-minute episode features British billionaire Richard Branson; subsequent subjects will include Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am, Canadian stand-up comedian Russell Peters, indie musician Gregg Gillis (better known as Girl Talk) and ballet dancer Misty Copeland.
It’s a cautious step into original content. Netflix, which many consider Hulu’s chief competitor in the business of streaming quality programming, made the far bolder move by successfully biding for “House of Cards,” a flashy remake of the British series starring Kevin Spacey and produced by David Fincher.
But Hulu’s more humble approach has its charm. Seeing life through another set of eyes is certainly a ready-made concept for the Internet, where behind-the-scenes videos populate with rabbit-like frequency.
“A Day in the Life,” which will run on both the free Hulu site and on its $8-a-month subscription plan Hulu Plus, is unlike many of Spurlock’s productions, in that he plays a minimal role in it. Spurlock (“Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” ”Super Size Me”) isn’t on screen, and the series instead takes a fly-on-the-wall approach to documenting relatively typical days for its subjects.
In his day, Branson does an exceptional amount of jet-setting while promoting a new route for Virgin Airlines, one of the many companies under Branson’s Virgin umbrella. He’s a willing salesman, donning a boxing robe and gloves for a press event.
“If I have to make a fool of myself and put my boxing gloves on, I will do so,” he says, grinning.
In one day, he shakes more hands than most politicians do in a week. His go-to jokes usually involve making puns on his company’s name.
There’s nothing particularly distinct about “A Day in the Life.” It’s an old idea of Spurlock’s that he pitched earlier, but was turned down. One could easily imagine it appearing on at least a dozen different cable networks, alongside similar reality programming.
What comes across in the Branson episode and in clips previewed from the rest of the series is that these are driven people, working hard. Most of the hours in their days are unglamorous and sleep-deprived. That makes “A Day in the Life” a small but winning gambit.
Whereas Netflix purchased a distribution window to “House of Cards,” Hulu is producing “A Day in the Life.” Hulu has distributed original content before, such as the 2010 reality series “If I Can Dream,” but Hulu describes “A Day in the Life” as part of a “new initiative designed to support creatively and financially the work of independent storytellers.” Earlier this summer, Hulu debuted three British series new to American viewers.
It’s a subtle but important shift for Hulu, which since its launch in 2008, has primarily shown reruns of TV programs provided by ABC, Fox and NBC, the broadcasters owned by Hulu’s media company parents: The Walt Disney Co., News Corp. and Comcast Corp.
Hulu’s future is murky. Its owners, which also include Providence Equity Partners, have had discussions with companies including Apple Inc., Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. about selling Hulu.
This new chapter of original programming sets Hulu on a course of semi-independence, where it can produce shows outside of its parent companies’ content. “A Day in the Life” may be slight, but it hints at a bright new day for Hulu — provided its life isn’t cut short.
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More