Heads up history buffs: everyone’s favorite staff sergeant, R. Lee “Gunny” Ermey (the in-your-face drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket) is now on Hulu, thanks to archived episodes of Mail Call. In each episode, with a healthy dose of Gunny’s trademark abuse, he reads and answers viewer-submitted questions related to weapons and equipment used by armed forces, past and present, with the help of top military experts. And then the action begins: Gunny visits firing ranges and military training areas to test the effects of various weapons on his sworn enemy: watermelons.

We also welcome a new series from PBS, Independent Lens. Each episode, hosted by Terrance Howard, introduces a new documentary or drama shot by independent filmmakers. So far topics range from stem cell research to hate crimes in a post-9/11 world.

Meanwhile, CNBC offers a report on the American marijuana industry, Marijuana Inc.. Focusing on Mendocino County, Calif., Trish Regan breaks down the numbers of this booming cash crop.

Also debuting this week, the new Fox procedural Lie to Me starring Tim Roth (a familiar face to Tarantino and The Incredible Hulk fans). He’s a detection expert who can read a person’s facial expressions and body language to determine whether they’re lying. It’s sparked a lot of conversation on our discussion boards; you can get a taste of Dr. Lightman and his team in the embedded video below.

Rebecca (),
Editor

That chill in the air can only mean one thing: Halloween — and Election Day, for that matter — is here. To get you in the spirit of things, we’ve put together two Spotlight pages, full of videos that will get you up-to-date on all things political and spooky. And, to pay tribute to one of Hollywood’s legends, we’ve created a page dedicated to all of the Paul Newman movies made available to Hulu since his death.

With election day just around the corner, news reports about the candidates keep pouring in. Hulu’s Election ‘08 Spotlight page is updated twice a day with the latest clips from MSNBC and Fox News, plus more humorous fare from shows like SNL, The Colbert Report, The Tonight Show and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart — including Stewart’s recent interview with Barack Obama. To get you in the mood to vote, Hollywood celebs have teamed up to bring you this PSA, featured in our “Daily Humor” section.

We’ve also put together a collection of all of the Paul Newman movies currently available on Hulu. We’ve been working to acquire as many of the legends films as we can since his death, and now we’re able to offer his Oscar-nominated performance in Nobody’s Fool, as well as his turn as Buffalo Bill Cody in Robert Altman’s Buffalo Bill and the Indians. The page also features three other titles, including Rally ‘Round the Flag, Boys!, Newman’s second on-screen appearance with Joanne Woodward, his wife of 50 years.

And finally, with Halloween — er, Huluween — here, don’t forgot to get your scare on over at our Huluween spotlight page. This week’s videos include The Thing with Kurt Russell, the original Night of the Living Dead and, by popular demand, last week’s SNL send-up of Vincent Price — but there’s a lot more to check out.

Happy Huluween,

Rebecca



Editor

The last two weeks at Hulu have been all about bringing more movies to our users. And while we’ve added more than 20 full-length feature films since the Hulu Days of Summer wrapped up, we’ve also introduced popular television shows from the past. Here are the highlights, just in case you missed them.

More Movies

This week has been all about the mega-movie stars: Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Robert Redford … Cheech & Chong? From Legends of the Fall and Sleepless in Seattle to Robert Redford’s Oscar-winning directorial debut, Ordinary People, drama is finding its place on Hulu — but we’re not all about the tear-jerkers.

New-to-Hulu movies like Jackass 2.5 — outtakes from Jackass 2 — and Yellowbeard — a swashbuckler spoof starring Cheech & Chong — ensure there’s still plenty to laugh about.

And if you prefer thought-provoking war movies, check out Saints and Soldiers, a low-budget film loosely based on actual events that occurred following the Melmedy massacre during World War II’s Battle of the Bulge. Without relying on special effects or gore, it still manages to depict the fear and struggle this band of Allied soliders experienced as they made the dangerous journey from Nazi territory back to their troops.

More TV Favorites

Can’t get enough teen drama? Get your fix with select episodes of One Tree Hill and The O.C.. We have the first half of each show’s first season available right now; we’ll introduce more episodes as they become available.

More Web Originals

While this past year’s writers’ strike may have slowed down Hollywood, a bunch of top-notch writers and producers got together to create their own new comedies and dramas specifically for the Web. From The Line, directed by Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers, to Gemini Division, starring Rosario Dawson, and Coma, which headlines a number of Hollywood regulars, including Michael Madsen, we continue to bring you the top web originals around.

We’ll continue to add more programming to the site every day. Stay tuned next week: Fall premieres are just around the corner. We’ll have more updates on Tuesday.

Rebecca (),
Hulu Editor

Tomorrow may be the last installment of the Hulu Days of Summer, but we’ll continue to add more videos to Hulu daily, as always. In fact, while a lot of our focus has been on the Days of Summer (or HDOS, as we called them here), we’ve been bringing back past episodes of one of last season’s most popular shows, helping you ramp up for the start of the fall television season. In addition, we paid tribute to a great comedian and the urban haute bourgeoisie this week.

Sarah Connor’s Back!

To get you ready for the start of the second season, we’re posting an episode from the first season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles every day. The story starts around the time Terminator 2: Judgment Day leaves off, with Sarah and 15-year-old John Connor on the run from love, the government and, of course, the robots from the future. But soon enough they realize it’s time to stop running. The first four episodes of Season One are already posted (and will be available for about a month); the second season begins September 8.

Remembering Bernie Mac

Comedian Bernie Mac passed away last Saturday due to pneumonia-related complications. The funny man starred alongside Brad Pitt and George Clooney in the Oceans franchise, with Ashton Kutcher in Guess Who, and in his own sitcom, The Bernie Mac Show. In his memory, Broadway Video released a few clips from his appearance on Saturday Night Live: his monologue and a few skits, including one where he shares in a special moment between Sully and Denise on the JumboTron.

Metropolitan

Ah, to be a disaffected, upper-class youth in Manhattan in the ’70s… You can get a taste for the world of rich debutantes and prep-school grads in Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan. And while fans of Gossip Girl might not flock to this dialogue-driven indie film (after all, it’s light on the melodrama), it’s possible to see the similarities between the two. There’s the outsider intellectual who finds himself caught up in the world of balls, shopping and fireside chats, and then there are the jaded, cynical girls of the Upper East Side — even one named Serena. Metropolitan precedes Stillman’s Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco, two other films about coming of age. It’s a different sort of film, one that’s centered on conversations, but something you can let soak in as you make the comparisons to F. Scott Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker.

Rebecca (),
Editor