What would have if some Saw-like serial killer was killing TV commercial icons? That's the premise of the video below. It looks like a movie trailer but it's really an ad for an event called Night of the Adeaters, a party that's going to be held in various cities on September 25, celebrating the best in ads.
Thanks to the magic of the Internet, we can now recall that around the time the Star Trek franchise was moving from television to movies with Star Trek: The Motion Picture (waaayyyyy back in the 70's), apparently Paramount had Klingons shilling for McDonald's Happy Meals. No, seriously.
It makes me wonder exactly what was in the Happy Meals that made the Klingons like it so much. Wasn't it established during Star Trek: The Next Generation that Klingons like to eat live worms? Perhaps that was in place of the french fries. I recall eating a Happy Meal or two back in the day and don't recall eating anything that would be palatable to a Klingon.
I'm sure there has been much sillier Star Trek merchandise being pushed since then given the ubiquity of the franchise, but this commercial did make me laugh a little. Here's the video so you can judge for yourself.
Here's what to do with the video below: watch it for about 27 seconds and then hit pause. Can you guess what's special about the commercial? Answer after the jump.
I like seeing commercials from overseas. They aren't usually something we'll see on American television, so it's good that the web can fulfill all of our foreign advertising needs. This European McDonald's ad shows a nightmarish world where two guys share one nose. I can't imagine something that two guys could share that would be so creepy and uncomfortable.
If you came here from Google after searching for "Andy Dick," "Ronald McDonald," "chicken," and "machete," then this is the post for you. Andy Dick teamed up with PETA to protest in front of the offices of McDonald's about the way the company treats their chickens. Looks a little bit like a low-budget version of The Dark Knight. More pics here.
This month we're taking a look at celebrities who did TV commercials.
Whenever you get into any profession, you have to start at the bottom. The TV business is no exception. The stars you see in prime time today probably cut their teeth working in TV commercials. Heck, some of them still do TV commercials even after they become big stars (but it's often overseas...shhhhhhhh).
After the jump, a sampling of TV commercials from years ago that star celebrities who are now household names. If you're old enough to remember these commercials, you'll probably say to yourself, "Oh yeah, I remember this ad, but I didn't realize that he was in it!"
Yesterday, we asked you what you thought of the McDonald's product placement on 30 Rock in Thursday's episode. Last night, we found out that it wasn't product placement at all.
Tina Fey herself released a statement explaining all of the McDonald's talk in the episode (and reveals that the Tina Fey on Twitter isn't her): "It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the references to McDonald's in last night's episode of 30 Rock were in no way product placement. (Nor were they an attempt at product placement that fell through.) We received no money from the McDonald's Corporation. We were actually a little worried they might sue us. That's just the kind of revenue-generating masterminds we are.
Did they go too far with the product placement last night? Several web sites today are talking about it, and some of the commenters here last night mentioned it too. The show didn't just have a McDonald's bag in the foreground while two characters were talking, the fast food chain was prominently featured throughout the show. A scene was set at McDonald's (Jack and Elisa getting back together), the couple actually had a discussion about what makes the McFlurry so great, and there was a commercial for McDonald's during the show too.
Did this go to far over the edge and make it a McDonald's ad with some 30 Rock plot thrown in or are you OK with it? Personally, it didn't really bother me for some reason. I'm usually OK with product placement if the show is good enough.
Hmmm...the singer that Jenna impersonated was Michael...MacDonald!
Before we get to this month's videos, two observations about Christmas commercials that are currently running.
The new Lexus ad where the guy remembers being a kid and getting a new Atari for Christmas and how that used to be his best gift ever until his wife said to hell with the economy I'm going to buy my husband a ridiculously audacious gift: is that Roger from Swingtown?
Second, the candle commercial where the woman buys a candle that smells like gingerbread men and then tries to trick her friends into thinking that it's not the candle but it's the gingerbread men that she just cooked even though she bought them at the store: why does she leave the candle approximately one inch from the gingerbread men? Does she think her friends wouldn't notice it?
Betamaxmas takes a bunch of Christmas specials and episodes of TV shows that you can find on YouTube and puts them on one site, inside an old-fashioned television. You can even change the channels and adjust the volume on an old remote control.
Long before he was wishing 100 year-old people a Happy Birthday on Today, Willard Scott was a clown. A pathetic, oddly dressed clown.
After the jump is the very first commercial that McDonald's ran featuring Ronald McDonald. Sure, it's easy to dismiss the low-budget look of this ad because of the time it was created, the bad special effects, and the knowledge that later the character would be refined and would look a lot different (and better). But then you look closely and you see that the guy has a freakin' paper cup on his nose. It's like the last minute Halloween costume a father would put together to entertain his kids. He and the other parents think it's hilarious, but the kids are thinking "what's wrong with daddy?"
And does he really need two trays of food, one on his waist and one on his head?
Still, it's a cool look at a different TV era, and it's great to see how McDonald's television advertising started out. Hey, it's better than the "I'm Lovin' It" campaign.
Well, here's something about reality TV that didn't make me gag. Survivor mega-producer Mark Burnett has a new unscripted project, greenlighted by CBS, called Jingles. It's a competition show in which contestants have to create tunes for products, commercial jingles. No mud wrestling, no unlocking keys to puzzle pieces the size of boulders, no eating slugs wrapped in wild boar bacon. This time it's all about catchy melodies, clever hooks and lyrics that incorporate product info whether the products an erectile dysfunction pill or a new luxury car.
The only question surrounding Fremantle Media's decision to stream episodes of American Idol on their website is, "Duh... what took you so long?" Given the ridiculous ratings, and the fact that just about every performance was available on YouTube anyway, it's something they should have been doing a long time ago. But better late than never I suppose. Fans will be able to watch entire episodes on the website, after they air, sponsored by McDonalds and MasterCard. Individual performances will also be available on phones to Cingular customers.
Adage.com has an article that gets into some of the crazy numbers surrounding Idol. For example, the show is now valued at $2.5 billion as a franchise. It also brings in $500 million in TV ad dollars. Last season the show received 570 million votes and 65 million text messages. And the site attracted 40 million unique visitors.
This news is also good for Fox, who produces the American Idol website in a revenue sharing agreement. Freemantle had been approached by "a major portal" that wanted to host the site and they considered taking it away from Fox. The show premieres January 16th with a two hour episode.
This is not a scene from auditions for a Saturday Night LIve sketch or Let's Make A Deal audience members who are lost. It's PETA protesting the fact that The Jay Leno Show is sponsoring a McDonald's Monopoly contest. 
Thanks to the magic of the Internet, we can now recall that around the time the Star Trek franchise was moving from television to movies with Star Trek: The Motion Picture (waaayyyyy back in the 70's), apparently Paramount had Klingons shilling for McDonald's Happy Meals. No, seriously.
This month we're taking a look at celebrities who did TV commercials.
Yesterday, we asked you what you thought of the McDonald's product placement on 30 Rock in Thursday's episode. Last night, we found out that it wasn't product placement at all.
A follow-up to my review of last night's 30 Rock.
Before we get to this month's videos, two observations about Christmas commercials that are currently running.
Long before he was wishing 100 year-old people a Happy Birthday on Today, Willard Scott was a clown. A pathetic, oddly dressed clown.
Well, here's something about reality TV that didn't make me gag. Survivor mega-producer Mark Burnett has a new unscripted project, greenlighted by CBS, called Jingles. It's a competition show in which contestants have to create tunes for products, commercial jingles. No mud wrestling, no unlocking keys to puzzle pieces the size of boulders, no eating slugs wrapped in wild boar bacon. This time it's all about catchy melodies, clever hooks and lyrics that incorporate product info whether the products an erectile dysfunction pill or a new luxury car.
The only question surrounding Fremantle Media's decision to stream episodes of American Idol on their website is, "Duh... what took you so long?" Given the ridiculous ratings, and the fact that just about every performance was available on YouTube anyway, it's something they should have been doing a long time ago. But better late than never I suppose. Fans will be able to watch entire episodes on the website, after they air, sponsored by McDonalds and MasterCard. Individual performances will also be available on phones to Cingular customers. 
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
