Actually, the entire series of ads might make you want to lose your lunch. Sure, watching '90s Superman Dean Cain randomly pop up in people's homes dressed like Bentley from The Jeffersons is a little funny. But it's all over once the "jokes" and the puke start to fly. I'm not sure why Microsoft thought the image of a woman violently vomiting after stumbling upon her man friend's favorite porn site would sell more copies of Explorer 8. View the ad after the jump
I watched that damn aquarium Visa commercial for months now and it finally dawned upon me what ticked me off about it. It's not the fact that the little girl has the freakiest of eyes, it's the fact that the father pulled his daughter out of school to go to the aquarium. Since I'm not a parent, I often forget that kids don't make their own schedules and are stuck in school from around eight to three.
If you were a fan of the movie The Breakfast Club, you might have caught the error in Microsoft's Bing ad (below) when it debuted recently. The ads says the movie came out in 1986, but it actually came out in 1985 (a funny error for a commercial advertising a search engine!). But I saw the commercial again last night and Microsoft has changed it! Now when the woman says the line about the movie, the camera cuts away to the other woman and there's a new voiceover.
On The Closer, Kyra Sedgwick rarely gets the chance to dance. She plays a homicide detective in Los Angeles, for goodness sake! But as the harried Brenda Leigh Johnson, the actress didn't even share a waltz with her new TV hubby Fritz after their wedding on the season finale last winter.
However, have you seen Kyra strut her stuff in this new orange juice commercial? Not only is the commercial terrific, it's a little bit of an homage to Kyra's real life husband, actor-director Kevin Bacon.
One of the many things that 30 Rock does well is the video spoof. That part of the plot where they show something that one of the characters did in the past. Most of the time it's not something that they linger on for an enormous amount of time, it's just a quick flash they show to get the point across in the scene (which is probably a good thing since a lot of these jokes could be ruined if they went on for too long). Remember Tracy's "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah?" It was a video he made and they only showed a few seconds of it on the show, but fans loved it and wanted to see more of it.
In last week's episode, we saw the chat line TV commercial that Liz Lemon made when she lived in Chicago years ago. They actually showed quite a bit of it in the episode because it was a major part of the scene with everyone laughing (and "Lizzing"), but after the jump you can see the whole thing. The funny thing is, this ad really isn't that much more outlandish than the real ads I see late at night during Everybody Loves Raymond reruns.
I think I saw the perfect commercial today. I mean it. It was quite simply the perfect marriage of product, production, message and entertainment. It was better than anything I saw during the Oscars or the Super Bowl, and that's saying something. So, have I whetted your appetite?
The commercial was for Nike and it celebrated Tiger Woods return to active competition (he's been off for over a year rehabbing from knee surgery, in case you're not a casual golf/sports fan).
With a three million dollar price per thirty seconds along with an extremely down economy, many of the regular supporters are bowing out of their standard Super Bowl spots. But apparently Hollywood is stepping up to fill in the gaps.
Since its origins, television has always been supported by the movie industry. It makes sense since they're so interconnected (television is mostly an ad-based revenue stream and I've heard that the marketing budget of a lot of studio films is something like 40% of its total cost).
I'm sort of sorry to hear this. I'm not a sports fan but have always tried to catch the Super Bowl because of the clever commercials. It's not likely that Star Trek or X-Men Origins: Wolverine is going to do a Bowl-specific ad. On the other hand, if they did get Hugh Jackman to dress in costume and puncture a football with his claw, or Chris Pine to vaporize it with a phaser, it would be the talk of the water cooler the next day.
TiVo launched an advertising campaign in Australia recently to promote the release of the first TiVo set top boxes in that country. And at first glance, the ad looks pretty cool and creative. At least until that little light bulb goes off in your head. You know, the one that says "haven't I seen this ad before?"
As Gizmodo Australia points out, you probably have. Because it's practically identical to an ad that Apple used about a little while back to promote the iPod Nano.
I don't know about you, but I can't imagine this being a coincidence. The two commercials are just too similar.
So, I'm minding my own business the other day, watching one of last season's Burn Notice episodes in anticipation of the new season, when I see a commercial that made me laugh out loud. It was a promotion for the new season of Psych. Gus and Shawn (Dule Hill and James Roday) in a familiar-looking black and white set, at a grand piano, sitting side by side singing "Ebony and Ivory." It was hilarious. So funny that I decided you had to see it. (below)
James Roday laying on a Paul McCartney accent. The giant keyboard with the title Psych where Steinway should be. Dule Hill in the Stevie Wonder part, with impossibly wide collar flaps and a toothy grin.
One of the things that helps me keep my cool when I meet or speak to celebrities is the knowledge that at one time, they were just another person struggling to keep his or her head above water, just like everyone else. Take Zach Braff, for example: it wasn't too long ago that Zach was just another struggling actor and not one of the highest-paid stars on TV. And, thanks to the fun that is the interwebs, we can find evidence of that very easily.
The video after the jump is from a commercial for ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown show, which looks like it was from 1998 or so. At the time, those wacky guys at the Worldwide Leader were referring to themselves as "Bristol University" (the network is located in Bristol, CT), and this particular ad shows student registration for classes like "History of the AFC Central Division 1994-1997," taught by Chris Berman. But the most popular class is the one taught by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (of course), and Braff is one of the students who get to ask the cheerleaders about the class' content. You can see some elements here of what made him a good choice to play J.D. on Scrubs three years later. It's just too bad that class doesn't exist ...
I don't understand why certain commercials get to become "banned." I've seen a few since the latest multitude of Super Bowl commercials, and most of those have been funnier that anything shown on TV! Who the heck decided these commercials weren't fit for television? There were even a couple of questionable ones shown during the game this year, ones that offended quite a few people. Who cleared those monstrosities?
Case in point, the following "banned" Wendy's commercial, from 2007, for their four-alarm spicy chicken sandwich. The scientist holds said sandwich out to his assistant with tongs, so you know right away this thing means business. I haven't had fast food in years, but I gotta say I started wondering where the nearest Wendy's joint was so I could try one of these bad boys; that fourth "hint" (hit?) of spice is a doozy. Continue on for the video. (And for those who don't get the headline, read up on LOLCats.)
Now I know how Apple manages to pump up iTunes sales; they play an iPod ad with a certain song so many times that millions of people have no other option but to log on and download that song, just in an effort to get it out of their heads before they snap.
Case in point: The current ad for the new iPod Nano plays the song "1234" by Feist. I guess they used the song so Apple could show the different colors of Nano while Ms. Feist counts off in a sing-songy fashion. Also I think they want to show how great a video with a large number of people in it (she uses a large backing chorus on the song) looks on the Nano's itty-bitty screen (though I can barely see it on the ad, but whatever).
We've heard of networks doing all sorts of crazy research to prove to advertisers that PVR owners don't skip commercials as much as they pretend to. Or when they do actually fast forward, they're still paying attention.
Last month, the head of NBC Universal's news research division said that the network has been performing "neurological and biometric" research. Essentially they hooked about 20 TV viewers up to special equipment and measured their physical responses to commercials. They found that people were paying attention. And in fact, after they were finished watching TV episodes, the viewers were able to remember brands that had been advertised just about as well as if they had watched 30 second commercials.
On the one hand, the sample seems pretty small. And it's possible that the reason viewers were "highly engaged," is because they were still pumped up from watching Heroes, or because they were trying to figure out when the fast-forwarded commercials would end.
On the other hand, Silicon Alley Insider raises a good point. If the 5-second blipverts are just as effective as full 30 second commercials, should NBC really be promoting this research? Because what it really suggests is that advertisers are paying too much for full length commercial spots.
Angry fans have quite a bit of power over CBS these days. The network tried a little experiment last week with Craig Ferguson's talk show, and it ended up failing miserably. Fans probably noticed that at about 3 minutes into the show, Craig and Co. broke for a commercial. The commercial break forced Ferguson to pause in the middle of his monologue for a word from sponsors and then resume his routine afterwards.
I want to know who on earth thought this was a good idea in the first place? It sounds like some money-grubbing accountant's idea... not someone who actually watches late night television. Amazingly, Craig agreed to the experiment. Fans got pissed off and inundated his show with angry e-mails, forcing an end to the I-coulda-told-you-it-was-a-bad-idea experiment. Now that it's kapput, Ferguson says "I will never do it again. It is over."
Muppet fans know that some characters evolve while others just spring up from out of nowhere. Cookie Monster, for example, began life as somewhat more ferocious-looking monster (the row of sharp teeth helped) in several commercials before being toned down and brought to Sesame Street.
In the clip below, a pre-Sesame Street Cookie Monster devours a machine while the machine describes how it works and what its many functions are. Actually, it only has one main function, but you'll have to watch the clip for that.
On The Closer, Kyra Sedgwick rarely gets the chance to dance. She plays a homicide detective in Los Angeles, for goodness sake! But as the harried Brenda Leigh Johnson, the actress didn't even share a waltz with her new TV hubby Fritz after their wedding on the season finale last winter. 
One of the many things that 30 Rock does well is the video spoof. That part of the plot where they show something that one of the characters did in the past. Most of the time it's not something that they linger on for an enormous amount of time, it's just a quick flash they show to get the point across in the scene (which is probably a good thing since a lot of these jokes could be ruined if they went on for too long). Remember Tracy's "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah?" It was a video he made and they only showed a few seconds of it on the show, but fans loved it and wanted to see more of it.
I think I saw the perfect commercial today. I mean it. It was quite simply the perfect marriage of product, production, message and entertainment. It was better than anything I saw during the Oscars or the Super Bowl, and that's saying something. So, have I whetted your appetite? 
With a three million dollar price per thirty seconds along with an extremely down economy, many of the regular supporters are bowing out of their standard Super Bowl spots. But apparently Hollywood is stepping up to fill in the gaps.
So, I'm minding my own business the other day, watching one of last season's Burn Notice episodes in anticipation of the new season, when I see a commercial that made me laugh out loud. It was a promotion for the new season of Psych. Gus and Shawn (Dule Hill and James Roday) in a familiar-looking black and white set, at a grand piano, sitting side by side singing "Ebony and Ivory." It was hilarious. So funny that I decided you had to see it. (below)
One of the things that helps me keep my cool when I meet or speak to celebrities is the knowledge that at one time, they were just another person struggling to keep his or her head above water, just like everyone else. Take Zach Braff, for example: it wasn't too long ago that Zach was just another struggling actor and not one of the highest-paid stars on TV. And, thanks to the fun that is the interwebs, we can find evidence of that very easily.
I don't understand why certain commercials get to become "banned." I've seen a few since the latest multitude of Super Bowl commercials, and most of those have been funnier that anything shown on TV! Who the heck decided these commercials weren't fit for television? There were even a couple of questionable ones shown during the game this year, ones that offended quite a few people. Who cleared those monstrosities?
Now I know how Apple manages to pump up iTunes sales; they play an iPod ad with a certain song so many times that millions of people have no other option but to log on and download that song, just in an effort to get it out of their heads before they snap.
We've heard of networks doing all sorts of crazy research to prove to advertisers that PVR owners don't skip commercials as much as they pretend to. Or when they do actually fast forward, they're still paying attention.
Angry fans have quite a bit of power over CBS these days. The network tried a little experiment last week with Craig Ferguson's talk show, and it ended up failing miserably. Fans probably noticed that at about 3 minutes into the show, Craig and Co. broke for a commercial. The commercial break forced Ferguson to pause in the middle of his monologue for a word from sponsors and then resume his routine afterwards.
Muppet fans know that some characters evolve while others just spring up from out of nowhere. Cookie Monster, for example, began life as somewhat more ferocious-looking monster (the row of sharp teeth helped) in several commercials before being toned down and brought to Sesame Street.
Seven greatest hand cannons in TV history
TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
TV 101: How ESPN controls the world and what the other networks can learn from it
