Our follow-up on previous HULU post. It’s pretty clear that, amongst online video sites, Hulu is second only to YouTube in the name-brand-recognition sweepstakes — and that’s due less to its ad-supported TV and movie content than to its hilarious series of adverts in which actors Alec Baldwin and Eliza Dushku (above – yum!) and FAMILY GUY creator Seth MacFarlane reveal themselves to be brain-melting aliens, and Hulu to be “an evil plot to take over the world — enjoy!” So far, the evil plot hasn’t included iPhones.  In fact, rumors of a Hulu app have swirled since before there was even an App Store.  But recent industry intel/chatter has amplified, with the suggestion that a “badass” Hulu app that will stream videos over both 3G and Wi-Fi is just months away.  In fact, the streaming-video support already embedded in OS 3.0 is practically inviting Hulu to come up and see it sometime. If and when the “iHulu” app emerges, it won’t be the first across the finish line: CBS’s TV.com app is already available as a free download, YouTube owners Google are bartering to offer more legal TV and film content, while the likes of Joost and i.TV struggle to find their niche.  But they all lack Hulu’s combo of video-tech savvy (their programming just looks better) and profitability (via embedded commercials that people are actually willing to sit through).  And even though any kind of streaming video is going to burn bandwidth like it was tinder — not to mention sucking revenue from App Store video downloads — Apple and AT&T may not mind if the end result is more iPhones & iPod Touches sold, and more AT&T subscriptions filled. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Ms. Dushku is hungrily eyeing my cerebral cortex, and I’m just the kind of guy who can’t say no to a pretty face… [Via The Business Insider ]

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iHulu: Killer Video App, Or Too Late To The Party?

There’s some funny business going on at NBC’s hit sitcom 30 Rock .  Not “funny” as in the scripts and/or performances — maybe not even as funny as costar Alec Baldwin’s hilarious Hulu.com ad — but “funny” as in “there’s some really weird product placement going on here.” Now, 30 Rock has shown a fondness for pairing their celebrity guests with weird fast-food onslaughts (e.g. Isabella Rosselini’s fondness for Arby’s “Big Beef and Cheddar” in the first season), but a recent barrage of McFlurry references had folks wondering if this was just Tina Fey’s ironic sense of humor or flat-out subliminal advertising. That arguement took a new tack over the past couple of weeks as sharp-eyed viewers noticed pretty much the entire cast brandishing iPhones in some capacity or another.  (As one particularly astute blog commenter observed, most of the time when someone used their iPhone camera, they were holding the handsets upside down!) For what it’s worth, 30 Rock isn’t the only iPhone-heavy show on TV these days.  F/X’s Nip/Tuck has put iPhones in the hands of most of the major cast members, and over on USA’s Burn Notice , Jeffrey Donovan’s blacklisted spy recently upgraded from his Motorola Razr.  Clearly, the House of Jobs’ killer smart phone is being positioned as Hollywood’s hot tech prop. [Via Defamer ]

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iPhone, You’re Wanted On Set: "30 Rock’s" Product Placement Conspiracy

Now that Tina Fey can abandon her rock-hard chignon and go back to playing Liz Lemon on 30 Rock , we can admire the view from her boss, Jack Donaghy’s desk, namely his 24-inch iMac. Wonder if it’s a coincidence Alec Baldwin is on the phone here. Be nice! Via MacSmack

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iProduct Placement: 30 Rock