Controversy raged last weekend as fans and media types reacted to a new DirecTV ad using the late Chris Farley in scenes from Tommy Boy. Now, some aggressive YouTubers are taking their shot at offending some people (with DirecTV execs at the top of the list).
The original ad featured a live action David Spade discussing DirecTV against Farley's antics from Tommy Boy. While Spade insisted Farley wouldn't mind, a lot of his fans took offense to using a dead man to hawk a product.
But the video below, from a YouTube page, The Landline, lights up the satellite TV provider with an edgy send-up of the "dead talk cash" stunt with faked DirecTV ads featuring a pseudo Heath Ledger, John F. Kennedy, and someone else you'll recognize.
There's a conspiracy theory floating around that this is actually clever viral marketing from DirecTV itself -- since no publicity is bad publicity. But, if that were true, and word really got out, it'd be "deadly" to the company's business.
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Commercial spoofs take shots at DirecTV's Chris Farley spot
If TV Squad had a 30-second ad on NCIS, it would cost $133,304
So, let's say TV Squad wanted to have a 30-second ad on CBS' highest-rated show, NCIS. It would cost us $133,304. It would actually cost more, because we'd hire scantily-clad dancers, include a 35 pound bag of Doritios, fireworks in the shape of each writer, guest appearances from people like Tina Fey and JJ Abrams, and would have special effects because some of the commercial would be set in outer space for some reason, but I mean CBS would charge us $133,304.
To give you an idea of how that stacks up against other shows on CBS and shows on other networks, here's a quick list.
Continue reading If TV Squad had a 30-second ad on NCIS, it would cost $133,304
This Sunday on Mad Men: a gypsy, a hobo, and an old client returns
Reading the plot description for this week's Mad Men, "The Gypsy and the Hobo," and it says that a former client returns to Sterling Cooper and Betty takes the kids on a trip. I'm assuming the trip is without Don/Dick. I wonder if she'll return.
Here's a sneak peek of the episode, and I think it shows the client in question. Not sure who the gypsy refers to or the hobo (perhaps the one Dick met as a kid?).
Here's a sneak peek of the episode, and I think it shows the client in question. Not sure who the gypsy refers to or the hobo (perhaps the one Dick met as a kid?).
Mad Men: Wee Small Hours
(S03E09) Nobody was getting any sleep, or so it seemed, and many people were acting like babies who wanted what they wanted when they wanted it. Conrad Hilton has become more of a headache to Don, and the way he's being played, he's very Howard Hughes-like to me. Eccentric, powerful, demanding and hard to read. For a master player like Don, it has been unnerving to have Connie pull his strings. Don doesn't like being a marionette.
Don wasn't the only one having his strings yanked. Lucky Strike, in the form of client Lee Garner, Jr., pushed Pete and Harry around, but it was Sal who suffered. And Henry discovered that Betty was more complicated than any Ossining housewife he ever knew. More after the jump.
Continue reading Mad Men: Wee Small Hours
This Sunday's Mad Men: Don is still pissy at work
One of my favorite scenes from Mad Men this season was the one where Don barked at Peggy. Don doesn't usually explode at people (it simmers underneath) and he and Peggy always had a great relationship, so it was shocking to see him dismiss her that way. Things aren't any better on this Sunday's episode, as this scene below shows. Though to be fair the guys get the brunt of Don's insults.
It's a good scene, plus I'm a sucker for Frank Sinatra references and this episode is called "Wee Small Hours."
It's a good scene, plus I'm a sucker for Frank Sinatra references and this episode is called "Wee Small Hours."
Mad Men: Souvenir
(S03E08) "You don't kiss boys, boys kiss you." - Betty, to Sally
I think my favorite episodes of Mad Men are the ones that have a nice balance of Draper household drama and Sterling Cooper advertising drama. It seemed that this episode was going to tilt a lot - too much - towards the former, but about 20 minutes in, both worlds came together in unexpected ways -- Betty going on the business trip to Rome with Don and Pete running into ... well, someone at the department store. We'll talk about that more after the jump.
Continue reading Mad Men: Souvenir
Mad Men: The Fog
(S03E05) Time is moving on and the time's are a-changing. Sally has had a difficult adjustment to the loss of Grandpa Gene, so much so that Betty and Don actually have to act like parents and attend to her needs. The family was a big part of the episode, not just the Draper family, but the Sterling Cooper family, too. More on the latest Mad Men episode and the changes after the jump.
Continue reading Mad Men: The Fog
Mad Men: The Arrangements
(S01E04) "He has no idea how confused America is going to be about that J. - Don, about jai alai
In the late 80s, when I was doing sales and marketing for a national music magazine, the staff played a joke on one of the new salespeople. We had to get a certain number of sales per day and she wasn't having any luck, so I called her phone and pretended to be a customer. I think I told her I was going to buy thousands of dollars worth of magazines. Looking back now it was an immature, cruel thing to do, but I thought of that during tonight's scene with the Sterling Cooper gang calling "Margaret" and pretending to be a potential roommate. People are such jerks.
But this episode was mostly about what happened to Gene...
Continue reading Mad Men: The Arrangements
Sneak Peek: this Sunday's Mad Men
This clip from Sunday's episode "The Arrangements" doesn't show it, but Don and his father-in-law have a confrontation, probably because of Sally's thieving ways or about Gene staying there in general. Another plot involves Ann-Margret, played by Kelsey Sanders. Should be a good ep.
The clip below shows Don in a bad mood and not happy about more bad news that Ken, Harry, and Sal bring him.
The clip below shows Don in a bad mood and not happy about more bad news that Ken, Harry, and Sal bring him.
David Simon says advertising is ruining television
Everyone has an opinion about TV commercials. Some people think that advertising is a cancer that has to be erased, and they fast forward through all of the ads when they record a show. Other people love advertising and understand that commercials pay for a lot of our entertainment options (I would put myself in that category). David Simon, creator of The Wire, is in the former category. Is he right?[via TV Tattle]
Comedy Central fans would take a bullet for their network
We often hear the phrase "die hard fan," but who is actually willing to "die hard" for the thing they care most about? If you believe in statistics, that honor would go to fans of Comedy Central.
A recent study conducted by a research group found that fans of the long-running cable network have the most dedicated fan base. Plus, those polled think people who watch The Colbert Report and The Daily Show are "cool." Are the kids these days still saying "cool"? My, where has all the time gone?
Continue reading Comedy Central fans would take a bullet for their network
Entertainment Weekly's Fall Preview issue will have a 40 minute ad from CBS
When you think of print magazines, what do you want to see in them? More pages? More features? More color? Less advertising?
How about more advertising? How about video advertising? How about 40 minutes of video advertising? That's what CBS is putting in the September Fall Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly (in limited areas only). Here's the video.
How about more advertising? How about video advertising? How about 40 minutes of video advertising? That's what CBS is putting in the September Fall Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly (in limited areas only). Here's the video.
[via Adfreak]
The most annoying commercial ever this week: FreeCreditReport.com
Those FreeCreditReport.com guys have been on my snark radar for a long time. But I deactivated my head-mounted quip laser and turned the sarcasm cannon over to "stealth mode" when the ads came up because it seemed like a little, heh, overkill.
Sure, the ads are designed to be hokey and cheesy so they'll get your attention and get guys like me writing about them, scoring tons of free publicity that only a corporate-sponsored puppy flood could replicate. If anything, they should be applauded for being ridiculously short.
But the latest song from the FreeCreditReport.com "band" has been playing more frequently than the others and its incessant tune feels like a cheese grater being rubbed against my ear drum. So I turned on the sniper scope and aimed directly for the spot between each of their glazed-over eyes.
Continue reading The most annoying commercial ever this week: FreeCreditReport.com
One more big post about Mad Men before tonight's season premiere
Hey, did you hear Mad Men's third season debuts tonight at 10 on AMC? Actually, when the show is this good, I don't mind the hype.To prepare for the third season, here are some more web goodies for you (in addition to avatars, sneak peeks and recaps). The New York Times has an article on the cocktails of the Mad Men era, and if you want to make some of your own AMC has the drink recipes. AMC also has a Which Mad Man Are You? quiz. Or how about buying some of the era's items for your house?
There are also several interviews to read before the premiere, including Jon Hamm (here too), Christina Hendricks, Elisabeth Moss, and Vincent Kartheiser.
Oh, something from the other night, after the jump...
Continue reading One more big post about Mad Men before tonight's season premiere
Go Mad Men Yourself!
This could be the coolest thing you see on the web today. AMC has teamed up with Dynamoe (who creates some very awesome Mad Men things) for Mad Men Yourself, where you can create your own Mad Men-inspired avatar for your sites and your iPhone and your Facebook page or whatever. That's me on the right.
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