... and that f'ing Bee Movie.Good heavens, I can't be the only one just absolutely fed up with seeing Jerry prostituting himself all over NBC for this damn movie. I don't know what's worse though, the fact that he agreed to do it, or that NBC went along with the plan. I know the ratings aren't what they once were, back in the days of the Friends/Seinfeld/ER juggernaut, but has the network really become this desperate?
Now, don't get me wrong, I loved Seinfeld. In fact, I count it as the best sitcom ever. You can have your Lucy, M*A*S*H, Cheers, Taxi, Arrested Development, whatever you think is the pinnacle of television comedy. I'll take Seinfeld over all of them. But that doesn't mean I'm loyal to the show to the point of insanity. This is a lesson that should have been learned with Bob Patterson, Watching Ellie, and The Michael Richards Show. Just slapping Jerry's name on it doesn't make me want to see it, and putting him in that ridiculous bee costume doesn't help either. These are the actions of celebrities that Seinfeld, the show, would have mocked.
The Bee Movie Juniors are bad enough. I almost feel a little bit insulted when the announcer comes on and tells me to stay tuned for another one, voice full of excitement. Why? It's akin to the announcer coming on before the commercial break and shouting, "Stay tuned for this exciting news about Viagra!" A commercial is a commercial is a commercial, no matter how you dress it up. Getting Rafael Palmeiro to endorse woody-pills doesn't make it a sporting event, and Jerry is in the same boat here.
What's even worse, though, is that they allowed this crap to infect 30 Rock. For a show that gets so much right, I can't believe they went along with it willingly. Not only did the whole mess seem out of place, it was a huge wasted opportunity. Getting Jerry to guest on the show could have made for a great episode. Instead, we got yet another damn Bee Movie commercial.
Of course, it doesn't stop there either. There is still a Letterman appearance on the schedule, and FOX has chosen to sully itself as well, inviting Seinfeld to host Talkshow with Spike Feresten. And since I've long since passed the point of getting off on a rant, I'll throw this last bit in. The pointy finger of disgust is headed HP's way too. I actually like the new HP commercials where you don't see the celebrity, but who they are is revealed by what is on their laptop. And having Jerry be one of those celebrities could have been just fine. But at this point, I'm so annoyed with everything Bee Movie, that I've even turned on them. Gah.
My only hope is that the level of promotion has gone plaid for the simple reason that the movie really does suck out loud. Should this whole fiasco end up turning into Jerry's own personal Bob Patterson, I would take a small measure of glee in the fact. I'll be more than happy to welcome Jerry back to our television screens, the moment he does something worth welcoming. Bee Movie commercials, aren't it.
Giveaways reminder: Office, Eli Stone, Supernatural, South Park
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I miss the media-friendly John McCain - VIDEOS
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-30-2007 @ 10:08AM
Steve said...
I find it very odd how the bee movie commercial are always presented by Ford, so there's a commercial for the commercial
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10-30-2007 @ 10:37AM
Lou said...
What I don't get is that it's not even a NBC/Universal movie... How much more obnoxious would it have been then?
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10-30-2007 @ 10:45AM
seamus said...
i find the bee movie spots amusing--just as i found the amex superman ads amusing. the more seinfeld i get, the better. the entire thing is just a running joke. the excited announcer saying "stay tuned" is an element of that joke. i appreciate your frustration. i normally despise the awful marketing machines. but i for one am not at all bothered by these spots. after all, every one with a movie goes out and publicizes it. in this case, they merely did original content for the ads, rather than bombarding us with the same trailer clips over and over and over. and the shorts are more creative than most movies.
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10-30-2007 @ 10:50AM
KMF said...
If they's had just left the Seinfeld guest spot on 30 Rock it would have been fine, but this hardcore push for Bee Movie is a kinda of turn off. If you think about it they're pushing it harder for the adults than the kids. It seems desperate.
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10-30-2007 @ 10:52AM
George said...
They wouldn't be working this hard to promote Bee Movie if test audiences were loving it. Note the lack of advance critical raves.
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10-30-2007 @ 11:06AM
bkdealer said...
I think it's important to remember that Bee Movie is Jerry Seinfeld's movie--he wrote it, he produced it, so no one "slapped" his name on it and no one forced him into a bee costume. I'm sure the promotion is his baby, too. Take a deep breath and relax.
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10-30-2007 @ 11:07AM
Eddie said...
Love it or hate it, these spots are better TV than 99% of what's out there today.
Kudos for making me go watch Bee Movie as a protest to modern television.
Please Jerry, save us from ourselves and our braindead programming!
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10-30-2007 @ 11:07AM
Verbal said...
I disagree, I think the Bee Movie commercials are hilarious. They're original, which says a lot about everything else. This is his movie and he's proud of it. When they show the writer's room in those commercials look around at the people there. Those are the same writers that wrote for Seinfeld. That's a golden writer's room.
As for 30 Rock and it's guest stars, that is annoying me. That's just pure prostitution. I love the show but these guest spots are pointless and don't add anything to the show. Jerry was good because the plot revolved around him. So was Will Arnett because he's a recurring character. But Steve Buscemi and Carrie Fischer didn't do anything to make it special. They could have hired any actor to do those roles. If you're going to hire a big name then make use of them.
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10-30-2007 @ 11:14AM
kevjohn said...
I agree with Eddie. It's better than most!
And I like how they are focusing the ads on Jerry's old network, the network he carried on his comedic back after the Cosby era was over. They owe him one. It sure beats the supersaturation that usually accompanies a film like this. When Cars came out, in all its averageness, it was all over the place. With Bee Movie it's just on NBC (mainly), with the exception of his... interesting appearance on Letterman last night.
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10-30-2007 @ 11:22AM
pacheco said...
How about this: Things I Hate About TV: NBC...
That's my stance. Can't stand the network or almost all of their overhyped, lame, repetitive, compromised shows. Watch what little is actually good when it comes online, don't deal with annoying commercials.
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10-30-2007 @ 11:23AM
SJ said...
It was fun for a while, but seeing him in HP ads was really annoying.
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10-30-2007 @ 11:54AM
KHook said...
I agree, I hate those stupid Bee Movie commercials. How could anyone possibly say that they're better than actual shows? I'd rather watch According to Jim!
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10-30-2007 @ 12:09PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
Seems like the saturation is just beginning. Saw my first Bee Movie/McDonald's commercial last night.
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10-30-2007 @ 12:36PM
Jim said...
News flash: The Letterman appearance was last night.
You have a point, though: The ads are unnerving. Thank God for DVRs.
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10-30-2007 @ 12:42PM
Oreo said...
People watch NBC? I find this shocking!
I can not think of a single show on NBC I still care about. I don't like the new style of "comedies", and NBC has nothing else.
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10-30-2007 @ 12:58PM
RC said...
To be honest I think the Bee Movie skits are pretty funny. I think Seinfeld would be hilarious in a one camera sitcom like Larry David is doing on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
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10-30-2007 @ 12:59PM
Jake said...
I won't be seeing Bee Movie because the spots are so very annoying, and in this day and age, it's not worth 10 bucks to go watch a cartoon. If it's good I'll rent it on DVD.
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10-30-2007 @ 1:02PM
Brad said...
I like the spots, I think they are quite funny, but I REALLY have to agree at the point that the announcements that those spots are coming up is really stupid. If they are going to come up then just show them right after the show goes to a commercial so people are there, but don't show a commercial for a commercial, it degrades us all.
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10-30-2007 @ 1:02PM
willy the impeached said...
Relax man. While they're not great, these are much more amusing than most sitcoms today. Hell give me a half hour block of Bee movie shorts vs two and a half men and I'll take the Bee!
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10-30-2007 @ 1:18PM
LC said...
I don't think I have seen any of the Bee movie commercials. then again I time shift every program I watch and never see any of the commercials. Thank God for DVR's indeed.
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