On the show 24 this few seasons, I’ve noticed (along with a few million other fans) that Cisco Systems must have paid huge money to the producer to have not only the government, but the terrorists, using their “NetMeeting” virtual conferencing system (in a very, very slicked-up Hollywood version utterly unfamiliar to those of us who’ve been using the more mundane versions for the past several years).
And then I noticed – everyone on the show uses Heckler and Koch firearms; Jack Bauer dropped his SIG 226 and switched to a USP back during Season Three; the various redshirts “tactical” guys all carry MP5s; this past several seasons have seen Jack, his friends and his enemies blasting at each other with G36, MP5, MP7, PSG1 and the HK416; indeed, the slick black HK pieces seem to have displaced pretty much everything else on the show.
And they’re popping up on other shows as well. And I joked “H’nK must be paying great money for product placement!
And when I joke about something like that, it seems to turn up as reality as often as not:
The German gun maker Heckler & Koch (H&K) intensifies a marketing strategy of product placement in movies and TV-series, a feature of the British TV-station Channel4 has found: “You can’t advertise guns on TV, so what do you do?” According to that report the Oberndorf based company has increased its efforts to convince armourers in Hollywood of its newest models. Already in 2004, the then spokeswoman of H&K, Andrea Franke, confirmed to the Greenpeace magazine that the U.S. subsidiary of H&K closely cooperated with the movie makers.
I’ve heard from friends that Hollywood’s “armorer” community – the prop-wranglers that handle firearms for movie shoots (which are usually done in places like California, New York and Vancouver, places with institutionalized government paranoia about guns) are among the most eagerly-awaited guests.
While there is no secret that the owner of the German pistol producer Carl Walther travels himself to the movie sets of each James-Bond-sequel to hand over the PPK or lately the new P99 for 007, it is not known whether H&K’s owners Andreas Heeschen and Keith Ralston, who are both part of British High-Society anyway, do likewise. However, it is noteworthy that Bond defeats his adversary in “Casino Royal” (2006) with the submachine gun HK UMP which is used by many special police units in the US. The poster for the new film “Quantum of Solace”, which is due to be released in November 2008, shows Bond’s silhouette with H&K’s MP5 submachine gun (http://movierls.info/?p=9). And the expert on war cinema Peter Bürger points to the fact that Bond’s opponent in “Die Another Day” (2002) uses an XM29, which H&K had developed for the US-Army.
Of course this piece was written by someone from the pants-wetting set (emphasis added):
Also, in the successful TV series “24”, which has evidently inspired some US soldiers to torture, agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and his colleagues use some current H&K weapons, the assault rifles G36 and HK416 [and the USP, UMP, MP7, MP5 and PSG1. Amateur].
This is the first I’ve seen Jack Bauer -a fictional character – replace Karl Rove and Dick Cheney in that claim. Fact-check time; the only real life torture the show has ever inspired was a desire on the part of fans to waterboard the writing staff after Day Six; the urge was communicated clearly enough that 24 seems to have done the improbable – having jumped the shark in Season 6, it feels like it’s actually jumped back this year.
“This is the first I’ve seen Jack Bauer -a fictional character – replace Karl Rove and Dick Cheney in that claim.”
You should pay closer attention. The direct influence of 24 on Gitmo torture was first revealed over a year ago.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/guantanamo200805?printable=true¤tPage=all
Ideas arose from other sources. The first year of Fox TV’s dramatic series 24 came to a conclusion in spring 2002, and the second year of the series began that fall. An inescapable message of the program is that torture works. “We saw it on cable,” Beaver [staff JAG at GTMO] recalled. “People had already seen the first series. It was hugely popular.” Jack Bauer had many friends at Guantánamo, Beaver added. “He gave people lots of ideas.”
Yeah, Rick, but the problem is I DO pay attention. The Vanity Fair piece tried to expand a couple of anecdotes into a big story. It flunked the stink test.
“It flunked the stink test.”
That is just Mitchspeak, for ‘I don’t want to believe that’? Do you think LTC Beaver is lying? Do you have evidence for that?
That is just Mitchspeak, for ‘I don’t want to believe that’?
No, it’s “mitchspeak” for “I think there’s more to the story”.
LTC Beaver is one person. He’s got a right to an opinion. It’s certainly of interest; it’s hardly dispositive. And at any rate, the piece I cited in my post made it sound a lot more general than this, and I think you probably know it.
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HUNDREDS OF SOLDIERS PLUNG TO THEIR DEATHS AFTER THE DVD RELEASE OF SUPERMAN XVI
“it’s hardly dispositive”
On the record eye witness testimony, un-contradicted over a year latter. You would certainly consider it dispositive if LTC Beaver were denying 24 had any role in Gitmo torture.
“made it sound a lot more general than this” How does ‘some’ make it sound more general. “has evidently inspired some US soldiers to torture” is exactly how to describe Beaver’s remarks briefly.
HUNDREDS OF SOLDIERS PLUNG TO THEIR DEATHS AFTER THE DVD RELEASE OF SUPERMAN XVI
How could that possibly happen when they stopped making Superman movies after the second one?
On the record eye witness testimony, un-contradicted over a year latter.
Well, not in Vanity Fair, anyway.
You would certainly consider it dispositive if LTC Beaver were denying 24 had any role in Gitmo torture.
Nope. I’d say “here’s the opinion of a guy; here’s the evidence. Make up your mind”.
It’s absurd to think any TV show has more than a tangential role in these sorts of things.
Much more likely (LTC Beaver aside); 24’s run coincides almost entirely with the war on terror and the torture issue.
Speaking of “24”, I rented that lame new James Bond movie “Quantum of Solice”. My first thought when watching it was that if they stole anymore from “24” they would need to cast Keiffer Sutherland as James Bond.
“How could that possibly happen when they stopped making Superman movies after the second one?”
If the idiots believe watching “24” causes torture they will believe anything.
K-Rod:
The torture was caused by the Bush Administration. 24 was just an inspiration for some of those involved.
How many times did Jack Bauer waterboard a “bad guy”?
How many unlawful enemy combatants did the EVIL Booosh Administration waterboard?
Only a mootbat liberal idiot would blame waterboarding on Keiffer Sutherland. Thanks for letting us know where you stand, Rick-“until proven not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt”-DFL
Dickhead, put down the remote control. It is for you own good.
//actually, on second thought, for your own good YOU should probably watch more TV and a LOT LESS D-Kos and DU Liberal Fascism//
I think Dick_tic is onto something. For instance, it’s clear that the entire Obama foreign policy approach is based on the TV show Barney and Friends.