Seinfeld Sales Soaring

A few days ago Jesse Jackson called on people to boycott the new Seinfeld season 7 DVD's which were just released as a protest against Michael Richards' meltdown. I countered Jackson's call with a call of my own to buy the DVD's and show Jackson we don't look to him for our entertainment choices. Let's see who's winning:

November 30, 2006 -- THE K-K-Kramer scandal murdered Michael Richards' career - but it's doing wonders for sales of the latest "Seinfeld" DVD.

Season 7 of the popular sitcom is outselling the Season 6 set (released on the same day last year) by more than 75 percent, and more than 90 percent over season 5 at some online DVD retailers, according to TMZ.com.

On Barnes and Nobel's Web site, the DVD set is the sixth-best selling and Amazon ranks it in 12th place.

"I think the only explanation that could be is that there's a Kramer curiosity factor," says Dr. Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television.

"I can understand that, after what happened, there's a resurgent interest in 'Seinfeld,' and that seems to be expressing itself through people watching the show more and buying more DVDs.

"Boy, is it ever weird to watch 'Seinfeld' now," Thompson added.

Sales of this DVD set would likely have been good no matter what, but I think you can directly attribute the higher-than-expected sales to Jesse Jackson. Nobody wants him to be the arbiter of what we should and shouldn't buy, and frankly, I think a lot of people used those DVD's as a direct "in-your-face" to Jackson. Good for them.