Snakes on an Internet
Snakes on a Plane, the summer flick destined to be the most ironic box-office hit in history, has sunk its fangs deep into Silicon Valley.
The film first got attention when a would-be script doctor blogged about it last August. The story, for those not cool enough to know, goes like this: Studio starts movie with working title "Snakes on a Plane." Studio tries to change title. Star Samuel L. Jackson says hell no, the title is why he signed up.
And that's the basic attraction. It's snakes! On a plane! You either want to see it or you don't!
The Internet eats that shit up, and soon there's a strip on a popular webcomic, a fake trailer, an unofficial blog, and scads of other jokes.
Finally, like all astoundingly awesinine crazes, SoaP got a following in the Valley. Jackson gave a live interview on social site TagWorld, a "Get a recorded phone call from Samuel L. Jackson" service, and finally, an SMS-based mailing list (and a flash mob). It pains me to say it, but Snakes on a Plane is so Web 2.0.