This time it’s going to be different. That’s because Microsoft (MSFT) is paying to make it so. The company has teamed up with Fox to sponsor a “Family Guy” special built around Windows 7. The show, dubbed “Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show,” after creator Seth MacFarlane and voice talent Alex Borstein, will air Sunday, Nov. 8, at 8:30 pm, EST and PST.

The new episode will be free of commercial breaks but presumably rife with “clever” references to Windows. Microsoft agencies Universal McCann and Crispin, Porter and Bogusky, which were tapped to weave the company’s marketing messages into the program, will make sure of that.

“You’ll see us deeply integrated into the content,” Gayle Troberman, general manager of consumer engagement and advertising at Microsoft, told Ad Age. “You’ll hear a lot about how Windows 7 can help you simplify your PC–it’s simple, fast and easy to use.”

Sounds…hysterical.

Incidentally, it’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time MacFarlane has inked an advertising deal with a tech company. He’s currently working with Google (GOOG) on a project called “Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy,” which involves humorous animated shorts with built-in advertisements syndicated through the search giant’s AdSense advertising system.

If the medium was the message in yesterday’s zeitgeist, today’s “message transcends the medium” is a whole new mindset. It’s a brave new world out there, and AllthingsD didn’t fail to help make sense of it this week.

Boomtown was abuzz with the latest conversation from an Internet publishing sensation. Trip Adler, CEO of San Francisco-based Scribd, spoke to Kara about all things text and what its like to share a niche with giants. Speaking of giants, Boomtown was in Seattle this week, peering through everyone’s favorite Windows. While there, Kara caught wind of CEO Steve Ballmer’s embrace of the “new efficiency” by way of some executive belt-tightening. And in a followup to the near-viral “Louie Swisher loves Redbox” video, Kara wrote about a legal slap-fight between the DVD rental kiosk group and Fox.

While Fox was busy giving Redbox a black-eye, Digital Daily covered blows from a different kind of palm. It seems that Palm’s new mobile darling, the Pre, is a little over-abundant on store shelves. An 11 week-deep glut of the device may indicate tough times ahead for the smart-phone contender. If one plucky contender wasn’t enough, Digital Daily also covered IBM’s release of a LotusLive iNotes. This mail, calendar, and task management solution takes aim at a market currently in Google’s crosshairs. Finally, the week wouldn’t be complete with out a good Apple prognostication. John closed things out with some FCC documents that indicate a new wireless mouse and keyboard offering from the crew at 1 Infinite Loop. The logical jump is that the new input devices might be designed to complement a newly refreshed line of desktops.

John had new Macs and Peter had old tricks this week, specifically of the Kindle kind. In a settlement with the now-famous “1984 kid,” Amazon sealed up some of the holes in its policies about removing books from its Kindle devices. Now it’s most certainly against their policy to remove data…except when it isn’t. In a similar vein, more details surfaced about an upcoming e-publishing venture from Time that aims to put the content genie back in the bottle, Hulu style. The concept is to create a clearinghouse for magazines online and take back control of content and advertising dollars. Just in case we were beginning to think that there is always digital strength in numbers, Peter covered Comcast’s squashing of a rumor that it was looking to acquire a stake in NBC. Just the hint of such a move sent Comcast’s stock on a temporary tumble.

Walt was a personal technology machine this week with new additions to both the personal technology section and Mossberg’s Mailbox. And if that weren’t enough, Katie covered an important countertrend in personal tech that really turned some heads.

The personal tech feature of the week was the HTC Hero. This latest offering from the veteran Taiwan phone manufacturer features its most robust customization of the Android platform yet. Walt gave it high marks and placed it squarely among the Blackberry-Palm-Apple pantheon.

Walt checked the mailbox this week and answered some serious questions about the rise of the touchscreen laptop, the finer points of OS X and the iPhone OS, and tried to let a Vista Ultimate user down easy about the limited options for an easy upgrade to Windows 7.

Katie brought her A game to The Mossberg Solution with a succinct and poignant analysis of HP’s new growth model. The new Photosmart All-in-One with “Touch-Smart Web” bucks the current trend of photos and documents for digital display and tried to put consumers back in the printing game. The new printing experience uses a robust touchscreen and Web interface to allow printing of pics straight from the Web without a computer ever being involved. While she did have some good things to say about the printer’s apps and interface, HP’s overall strategy left her underwhelmed.

Whether you want to be the first to know when “that tablet” finally arrives or are just into the best coverage from the industry that is changing the world, there is no better homepage for all-things-tech than AllthingsD.

Just as MediaMemo predicted, Walt Disney Co. has finally taken a stake in Hulu, the video-streaming site operated by General Electric’s (GE) NBC Universal, News Corp. (NWS) and Providence Equity Partners. Under the terms of the deal announced today, Disney will sign on as a joint partner in the venture and bring full-length episodes of long-absent programs like “Lost” and “Grey’s Anatomy” to Hulu. Financial terms and the structure of the deal weren’t disclosed, but sources say Disney’s stake in the venture will be close to 30 27 percent.

“From our landmark iTunes deal to our pioneering decision to stream ad supported shows on our ABC.com player, Disney has sought to meet the constantly evolving viewing habits of our consumers, and today’s Hulu announcement is the next important step in that ongoing journey,” Disney CEO Bob Iger bloviated. “Disney and Hulu share a focus on delivering the highest-quality entertainment experience and we look forward to working with Hulu to build value for our consumers, our brands and our shareholders.”

A few points worth noting here before the full press release below. This is mostly a broadcast deal. Aside from a smattering of Disney Channel shows, it includes very little cable programming. There is, for example, nothing from ESPN. Presumably, that’s because Disney doesn’t want to upset the folks who actually pay to watch that stuff.

Disney’s decision to join Hulu shows the company is confident that the site’s audience is distinct enough from audiences served by cable, ABC.com and its other sites that there’s no real risk of cannibalizing them. And that runs contrary to what many networks assume about online.

Disappointingly, there’s no mention in the release of classic animation, whether shorts or features.

As MediaMemo has noted, this is a big deal for Hulu, which has now allied with three of the four big broadcast networks.

CBS (CBS) is now the sole holdout among big program providers. When asked about its position, a spokesman replied with this statement: “CBS has long employed open, non-exclusive content partnerships that allow fans across the internet to engage with our programming in such a way that we control our distribution, sales and profit. We continue to discuss similar arrangements with additional partners as we grow our online audience based on the strength of our content, and the passion of the communities it creates. The Company also believes that controlling our own rights for that content–in all media–preserves its value in a multi-platform business system.”

Disney (DIS) to Join NBC Universal, News Corporation and Providence Equity Partners as an Equity Owner of Hulu

LOS ANGELES–Hulu and The Walt Disney Company today announced that Disney, through a subsidiary of ABC Enterprises Inc., has agreed to join NBC Universal, News Corporation and Providence Equity Partners as a joint venture partner and equity owner of Hulu, a leading online aggregator of video content. Upon closing, the agreement will enhance Hulu’s programming line-up through the expanded online distribution of Disney’s most popular current and library primetime series and library feature films. In particular, full-length episodes of hit current and library programs like Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, Ugly Betty, Scrubs, Greek, Hope and Faith, Less Than Perfect, Wizards of Waverly Place, Phineas and Ferb, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, General Hospital, The View and The Secret Life of the American Teenager will soon be streamed on Hulu on an ad-supported basis.

“From our landmark iTunes deal to our pioneering decision to stream ad supported shows on our ABC.com player, Disney has sought to meet the constantly evolving viewing habits of our consumers, and today’s Hulu announcement is the next important step in that ongoing journey,” said Robert A. Iger, president and CEO, The Walt Disney Company. “Disney and Hulu share a focus on delivering the highest-quality entertainment experience and we look forward to working with Hulu to build value for our consumers, our brands and our shareholders.”

“We’re honored to welcome the Disney team in our mission to help people find and enjoy the world’s premium content, when, where and how they want it,” said Jason Kilar, CEO of Hulu. “With the addition of shows like Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy and many more to Hulu, we continue to aspire to deliver a service that users, advertisers and content owners unabashedly love.”

Following the closing, content available to Hulu users will include:

• Full-length episodes of ABC primetime programs like Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Samantha Who?, Scrubs, Private Practice and popular late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live
• Full-length episodes of hit ABC Family series like The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Greek
• Popular series from ABC Daytime and SOAPnet like General Hospital and The View
• Classic series from ABC’s library like Hope and Faith, Less Than Perfect, Commander in Chief, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Dancing with the Stars
• Select hit programs from Disney Channel like Wizards of Waverly Place and Phineas and Ferb which can be easily accessed from a new DISNEY location in the Channel section of Hulu.com
• Popular library titles from The Walt Disney Studios
• Short-form content including webisodes, sneak peeks and episode recaps from ABC Entertainment, ABC Family and SOAPnet
“Hulu, quite simply, now has the best premium content on the web,” said Peter Chernin, president and COO, News Corporation. “With three major networks and over 150 leading content providers providing content, combined with the best video user interface anywhere on the web, Hulu offers consumers the finest premium online video experience available today.”

“Hulu has shown that if you make quality content available on the web and combine it with an unbeatable user experience, viewers will come, and so will advertisers,” said Jeff Zucker, president and CEO, NBC Universal. “The addition of some of the best content Disney/ABC has to offer will only enhance Hulu’s standing as a top site for high quality video entertainment.”

Jonathan M. Nelson, CEO of Providence, said “Hulu is creating significant value for users, advertisers and content owners. This balance, together with aggregated professional content and an expanding base of over 200 brand advertisers, is establishing Hulu as a compelling online video monetization platform. Hulu is a bright spot in the new media landscape.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review. As an equity partner, Disney will have three seats on the Hulu Board that will be held by Mr. Iger; Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney/ABC Television Group; and Kevin Mayer, executive vice president, Corporate Strategy, Business Development & Technology. All other current directors from News Corp, NBC Universal and Providence will remain on the Hulu board.

BoomTown was there Thursday when Facebook announced a new look for profiles and homepages that incorporates a “timeline” or “stream” of realtime updates. According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, “This creates a continuous stream of information that delivers a deeper understanding for everyone participating in it.” It’s also reminiscent of some other sites, not that it’ll matter much in the long run. Speaking of Twitter, BoomTown got impatient waiting around for its revenue strategy to materialize and went ahead and started a “Twitter Business Plan Count-Up.” The Chia-Twit has potential, but the winning financial strategy so far, by a mile, is the “Snuggie-Tweet.” BoomTown describes it best.

MediaMemo was all (well, almost all) about old media vs. new media. This week. Hulu, which lets you watch Fox and NBC shows on your computer, has been playing tug-of-war with Boxee, which lets you watch Web video on your TV. Hulu and its TV programmer owners don’t really want you to have that option–the resulting standoff could be long and interesting. MediaMemo also reported on MegaVideo, the Chinese site that makes it easy to watch pirated TV shows and movies online, noting that Hollywood’s Napster moment has probably just arrived. Universal Music Group–which has already had its share of Napster moments–is discussing a music site with YouTube. According to MediaMemo, it would be the most likely way to benefit both YouTube and UMG–not to mention music fans.

Digital Daily must be getting tired of that same old economic refrain. Among the highlights of this week’s crappy news: the jobless rate in Silicon Valley is at 9.3 percent and getting higher. At least Google (GOOG) may be getting some big love soon–Vivek Kundra, President Obama’s chief information officer, famously switched 38,000 workers from Microsoft Office to Google’s Web-based office suite as chief technology officer for the District of Columbia. No word yet on office software for the new White House, but here’s hoping for a more secure Google Docs. DD also noted the lack of a release date for Palm’s (PALM) new Pre from Sprint (S). Apparently it’ll be a while longer before anyone finds out if the Pre really is an iPhone-killer.

On the Personal Technology front, Walt Mossberg gave Apple’s (AAPL) new Safari browser a mixed review, and offered his first impressions of Kindle software on the iPhone. In Mossberg’s Mailbox, Walt answered questions about reading periodicals on Amazon’s (AMZN) Kindle 2, keeping a monitor from going to sleep in the middle of a movie, and the benefits of a netbook for traveling. And in the Mossberg Solution, Katie Boehret took an early look at a new Oodle-powered Facebook Marketplace, and reported on its pros and cons.

Spring forward. More next week.

We’re waiting for the innovations. The innovation will come. We know it will come. We know it’s there.”

– Google CEO Eric Schmidt on the monetization of YouTube

Looks like the deal that brought “MacGyver” and other full-length CBS (CBS) TV programs to YouTube is one of many such agreements the site is pursuing with Hollywood. At least one of the big studios is nearing a deal that will bring its content to YouTube, perhaps by the end of this year. “It’s not imminent,” an executive with a major entertainment company told News.com. “But it’s going to happen. I would say you can expect to see it, if all goes well, sometime within the next 30 to 90 days.”

Under discussion, apparently, is an ad-supported streaming movie service similar to Hulu, the online video venture backed by NBC and Fox. Which is a perfectly good idea; Hulu’s proven it. But it’s certainly not an “innovation” in monetization or business model.

But it is, perhaps, an innovation in Google’s (GOOG) thinking. Because it suggests that the company has finally accepted the idea that major advertisers would much rather buy a pre-roll ad in, say, “The Office” than in “Cat Falls in Toilet” or “Leave Britney Alone.” And that’s something, right?

To repeat: 200 million. Not bad, considering that Apple tossed NBC’s fall TV lineup off iTunes last year. And sales are certain to grow, now that all four of the major TV networks–ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC–are offering HD versions of its programs through iTunes. Which means Apple is well-positioned to take advantage of an online video market that In-Stat expects to hit $4.5 billion in sales by 2012.

Well this is interesting, given the big news of the day. According to new research from comScore, Yahoo is the Web’s No. 1 publisher of display ads. The company’s network of sites claimed 18.8% of display ad views in November. In contrast, Fox Interactive Media claimed 16.3%, Microsoft 6.7%, Facebook 1.5% and Google 1.0%.

In an interview with Reuters, News Corp. COO Peter Chernin said that, contrary to speculation from industry observers, News Corp. has no plans to follow NBC’s lead and pull its TV shows from iTunes. “Right now we have a perfectly good relationship with Apple,” said Chernin. He did seem to agree with NBC on one issue though: network control over the pricing of programming. “… We’re the ones who should determine what the fair price for our product is, not Apple.”

Ah. So by saying News Corp. has a good relationship with Apple “right now,” did Chernin, who was interviewed this year by BoomTown’s Kara Swisher at the D5 conference, mean to imply that it might not have that sort of relationship in the future? Because good relationships with Apple don’t seem all that enduring these days, especially where disputes over iTunes pricing are concerned.