It was an ironic weekend at the box office. Russell Brand vehicle Hop dueled with Russell Brand vehicle Arthur for the top spot. Hop (once again) won the weekend, the widely panned Arthur didn't — and Brand's brand is now up for a bit of rebranding it seems.

We've already looked at the product placement in Hop, so let's look at the oddity that is Arthur — a film featuring both product placement for Maker's Mark and Alcoholics Anonymous.Continue reading...

The remake of Arthur (subbing in Russell Brand for Dudley Moore) vies for the top spot this weekend, and we'll have coverage of the film's product placements on Monday. For now, how many brands (other than the film's star) can you spot in the film's trailer?

Now a look at some other product placement news of the week that did not contain the term "Morgan Spurlock."Continue reading...

The budget knives in Congress may be out for a particularly sacred cow – or should we say, fowl – and the Muppet world is striking back. Sesame Street even found some friends to come and play in the political fray.

PBS Kids icon Arthur, a beloved animated aardvark that sprang from books to the screen, along with Sesame Street stalwarts Big Bird and Elmo, lined up on Wednesday morning as props for Democratic congressmen who are opposed to Republicans’ targeting of government funding for their broadcast homes.Continue reading...