• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, July 10, 2006

Universal Pictures is harnessing the Internet to promote its upcoming comedy "You, Me and Dupree," with clips that contain footage of Owen Wilson produced exclusively for the Web.

The video shorts feature Owen Wilson, in character as the movie's bizarre comic engine, Randolph Dupree, in scenarios created specifically for the Web. The shorts are hosted at a Web site created for the movie, where users can pose questions to Dupree and see clips of Wilson espousing his character's philosophy.

Users who visit the site can not only watch Wilson-as-Dupree dispense advice and observations from his strange worldview, but also download wallpapers, video, and AIM buddy icons. Additionally, they can participate in an online bike race with the character--and catch a cameo by champion cyclist Lance Armstrong.

The clips were produced specifically for the Web by Klipmart (now owned by DoubleClick) in partnership with 65media. Banner ads that direct users to the site will run through the middle of next month on a variety of sites, including AOL, Yahoo, MTV.com, and TheOnion.com, finally phasing out after the movie's July 15 premiere. The ads are standard banner units that expand to full size when users mouse over them, and they incorporate a number of interactive features.