Mission Accomplished

One month, two blogs, posting everyday: check. Next time I'll try to actually have something to say in each post.

I May Have Already Talked About This

You know how cordless phones have a button on the base that you can press to page the handset? And it beeps so you can find it in the couch cushions, or toaster or whatever? Well, TV remotes need this. Badly. My marriage is depending on it. Although, I think killing my husband because he is completely incapable of leaving the remote anywhere visible is a totally justifiable defense.

Wine, Mmmmm

I have lately been enjoying Luccio Moscato d'Asti, a sweet, slightly sparkling, white wine. I discovered it on a night out to dinner, and have been buying it ever since. This is really not for you unless you love sweet wines - it almost doesn't taste alcoholic it's so sweet. like grape juice. But I love it, and I'm drinking a glass right now. After all, it's a holiday weekend. There's no making it through that without a little drinking, right?

Don't Take Chances. Take A Moment

There is a American Express commercial currently airing that I love. Not because it is clever, or pretty or good, but because it features Bach's Prelude from Solo Cello Suite No. 1. I love this piece of music, and every time this commercial airs I stop and listen and just have a moment of peace.

Happy Thanksgiving

May you all have a wonderful day full of good food, laughter and family. I know I will.

ps: want to know what I am thankful for?

Ellenore and Ryan Razzle Dazzle

The Broadway style is not really my thing. But this is perfection.

The King Gets it Right

Burger King has managed to provide and example of how cross promotion with Twilight can be done right. Their ads about Team Edward vs Team Jacob, and everyone coming together over burgers are hilarious to me. Maybe that is only because I'm totally not into the whole Twilight dealie so I don't get it, but I think they are clever. The ad adeptly advertises New Moon as well as Burger King, and it is clear in doing both. No confusion, no feeling of patronizing or pandering, just a clever ad for two products.

Yeah Yeah. But What Is Your Favorite Food?

In the spirit of my favorite sports blog, Booleyan Theory, (and by favorite I mean the only one I read) I have a comment on the NFL. I really hate it when they introduce the players at the beginning of every game and they say where they went to college. As a viewer with zero sports knowledge, I don't see why this is relevant. And I totally find it boring and stupid that grown men with professional jobs still have to share where they went to college. I wish they would say something like, "my favorite color is," or their howmetown or something. I get that it matters in sports somehow (my husband explained it once but I don't remember), I just wish they could share something else of interest rather than where they went to college.

But What Does It Have To Do With Reading?

So, have you seen the ads for the Kindle where the girl is in stop motion video and changing outfits and backgrounds and whatnot? (that's it down there if you haven't.) Can anyone explain to me what the heck this has to do with a Kindle? Is she acting out the stories? Is it trying to demonstrate the various situations where you can bring your Kindle? It is visually interesting and all, but I really don't understand what it has to do with an electronic reading device. It certainly doesn't make me want one, although to be honest, nothing short of a $1000 bonus would really make me want one. I like books. But that is irrelevant to this discussion. Which is about how the ad is stupid. Evertime it comes on the music grabs my attention and I look up to watch (good sign). And every time I get to the end and think: "that is so stupid, what does it even have to do with a Kindle?"(bad sign). I saw it five times before I even noticed there was even a Kindle in it (really bad sign). Bad advertising for a product that is really pretty neat and convenient. Assuming of course you are a total heathen and could ever bear to give up the wonder of turning pages.

Pizza Talk

Papa Murphy's has a new Chicago Style stuffed pizza. I give you a moment to study:

Now, here is what a REAL Chicago stuffed pizza (a la Giordanos)looks like:



There is no comparison. In my opinion the first one looks like a taco or something - it bears no resmeblance to pizza at all, much less the delectable, cheesy goodness of an authentic Chicago style stuffed pizza. So there you have it. Papa Murphy's has neither Chicago style nor pizza. Discuss.

update 11/22/9: I have just seen this ad again, and am enraged anew. Why can you not just call it stuffed pizza? Why do you have to denigrate the name of Chicago style pizza with this travesty? I understand that a REAL Chicago style pizza is not conducive to the whole "take and bake" thing - it needs a special pan, it bakes for a really long time, etc. SO DON"T MAKE ONE. Jerks. On behalf of Chicago I want to sue Papa Murphy's for libel or defamation or whatever. False advertising at the very least. Grrrr

A Touch Of Salt, A Lot Of Yummy

This chocolate bar caught my eye the other day:



I had a coupon, and I was intrigued, so I bought a bar. Wow. This is some yummy chocolate. There are definite salt crystals in it, but rather than feeling the grit or anything, you just get these little spots that seem meltier, and savorier than the rest. So good. If you like chocolate, I totally recommend this*. Or I recommend you stay away, depending on your willpower!

*I was not compensated in anyway for this post

Regarding Last Night's SYTYCD Decision: Baaaooooo!!*

*must be uttered with the inflection of the old woman in Princess Bride**, calling Buttercup the Queen of Putrescence. Baaaoooo!

**if you don't know who that is, or haven't seen the movie, get thee to Netflix ASAP!!

Karen is NOT a star. She is a marginal dancer, and only slightly attractive girl that pervy old Nigel has glommed onto. She does not deserve to be there over Channing, who contrary to the judge's lame excuse, has done a fantastic job both technically AND with her personality. Karen's solo last night was execrable, and she should have been kicked off, rather than given a pat on the back and the allowance that dancing a solo is hard for ballroom dancers. So what? Heidi from season 2 did it fine. So have all the other ballroom contestants from previous seasons - Karen WALKED AROUND THE STAGE FOR HER ENTIRE PIECE. Oh, except for that one hideous jump that I could have bested any day of the week while 8 months pregnant. Inexcusable regardless of your genre.
The decision on the boys was also questionable - although dance wise I don't really have any issue. But Kevin was at least memorable - I am writing this as the credits roll and I literally can't remember the name of the guy they kept. Bad sign, Spinny Guy. No votes for you. My only consolation is that you will be paried with Karen next week, so your anonymity and her suckage can bring each other down.

Picture This

I am tired of living in a house that is full of hand me down/cast off stuff, but of course, I can't afford to get anything new. But of course, I want my house to look like I chose all this stuff rather than "this is stuff no one else wanted/ all we could afford." Functionality is all well and good, but I'm sick of the eternal wait until we have money to make my house look nice. So I've been trying to think of ways to personalize my house and make it look "decorated" without really spending much money. I think if I put in a little thought and some time I can put a few things on the walls i cna make this place look really nice. So I have been exploring ideas and picturing how I would want things to be in here, and one thing I have come up with is the idea of printing some of our personal photos into big posters. There are literally a gazillion websites out there that you can upload a photo and they will print them into any size poster you want - some will even do canvas or wall stickers too. I haven't done enough looking around to really determine which sites are the cheapest so I'm not going to provide any links here - but I have seen 30"x40" prints for under $40. Not too bad (and of course, that is giant so a smaller size is even cheaper). And a lot of these sites have effects you can add to your photos, so you can turn them black and white or sepia or into a negative or whatever and get a neat effect that is a little fancier than just a giant snapshot on your wall. Also disguises less than stellar photgraphy! I am totally excited about this idea - now my only task is to narrow down exactly what I want to do- I have so many ideas! I definitely want to get some classic black and white shots, but it might be fun to get some done in the stranger effects like polarized and stuff. I have also thought about using one picture and getting it printed in several different effects so you have a grouping of the same picture in several different ways. That could be cool. Anyway, I feel totally excited about this idea, and I can't wait to spend so more time messing around online trying new things. I'll post a follow up if I ever actually get around to ordering anything.

Who Carries Around A Penny? Honestly

Arby's has a new deal that I think involves a value meal of some sort, or maybe just a sandwich (Arby's is 'xspensive ya'll) or wahtever and it costs $5.01. And various people are saying oh the penny is for the cheese, or the roast beef or whatever blah ditty blah blah. It is a stupid premise and it bugs. Because it is obvious what the penny is for: to be a PAIN IN THE ASS. Seriously Arby's are you really doing us a favor by requiring that we have a SINGLE FREAKING PENNY? Just quit with the cute and make it $5, or if you have figured out that you need that penny to turn a profit or whatever go ahead and make it $5.25 or some other reasonable amount. Otherwise you can have my penny after I stick it where the sun don't shine. Um. On you. Not me. That was awkward. Whatever, you know what I meant. This whole idea is Lame (haha get it, with a capital L?). And while you're at it, lose the stupid commercial.

Organizational A-Ha

Every holiday, when the decorations hit the stores, there will be large tupperware storage bins that echo the colors of the season. I have always wondered what kind of person needs storage boxesm and doesn't mind getting black and orange ones or red and green - having specific holiday colors for all my stuff would bug me. And then, last night I had a moment of insight - they aren't for everyday usage, they are for storing the decorations! Duh. These boxes are perfect for putting your holiday stuff in, perfectly color coordinated, so you can just see, oh the black and orange one is Halloween or the green is Christmas. I can't believe this never occured to me before. I've been taping and retaping the same cardboard boxes every year, marked ever so sloppily with Sharpie marker. Well, no more. this year I'll be picking up a nice tupperware bin to store my decor in - and at a glance I'll know what's inside because the stores have oh so thoughtfully provided color coordinated clues.

ps: this still does not explain those horrible hot pink tubs though.

What I Want Out of A Wireless Company Is To Not Be Treated Like An Idiot

There is a Tmobile featuring different 'customers' saying what it is they are looking for out of a cellular plan. In general I don't mind it except for one little bit: on woman says "I want a plan that doesn't cost me one of these" and she holds up a mannequin arm and leg. I think this is kind of clever and amusing, because if you were someone who happened to be holding plastic body parts, you might do this - hold them up and make a funny pun. But then she goes on to say "an arm and a leg" and it ruins the whole thing. Because after that, instead of being vaguely witty, it is saying look, clearly we think you too stupid to get the joke, so we're going to repeat it in actualy words, taking all the wit out of it bcaue you, the veiwer have the brains of toast. And that pisses me off. If they thought we were to dumb to fill in the blanks ourselves when she just holds up the arm and leg, then she should have just said "arm and leg" as she held them up. Holding them up silently, waiting a pause (with a light eye roll indicating exasperation at a lack of understanding), and then essentially repeating herself, has no translation other than "you didn't get it the first time, so here's a replay." I hate being talked down to.

here's the ad, what do you think?



ps: I totally love the first girl's outfit

Seven

There is a new movie coming out called Nine - you may have seen some trailers for it since it features a ton of big names in roles (Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis). It is about a man and the SEVEN women in his life. And to that I just have to say WTF? Shouldn't there be nine women - could they really not come up with two more? or maybe we could just call it Seven (which I realize has been done before, but hey, there's a film in theaters right now called 9, so what's the difference?). I don't get it. Admittedly, I know next to nothing about this film, and i haven't been able to find much online in the way of synopsis since I keep getting results for "9" and of course I don't want to spend more than two minutes doing "research" anyway. I think there is something about the main guy workng on his ninth play or something, so I'm assuming that is where the title comes from, but seeing as the entire focus of the movie is his relationship with all the different women in his life, shouldn't the title reflect that a wee bit more? Ie, shouldn't there be nine freaking women? I find this an assault on my sens of logic and balance and will most likely not see the film because of it. ok, I probably wouldn't have seen it anyway, but this doesn't help.

This Week's Obsession

I always have my nails painted. I feel like it just makes me look like I spend time on my ppearance when I usually don't haha. And while I have been working on a post featuring all my favorite shade, right now I am completely obsessed with this color:

Peacock Feathers by Nubar



From most angels it is a beautiful, rich, slightly metallic purple*:



But from other angles it is a deep emerald green*:



SO PRETTY! I have been showing these off to my husband all week (and tweeting it and sharing with anyone who will listen, ie my mom and 3yo daughter)-I am just mesmerized by the color change. you can get anlges where the nails are green and purple all at once, and even some flashed of gold. basically all the colors in a peacock feather, ala the name. My tip for painting them, since the formula is a little thin, is to use one coat of black polish as a base coat. This is a great tip anytime you are using a dark color because it helps with the opacity, and getting the truest deepest color, and it is expecially helpful here in getting the various colors to show up. I use OPI Black Onyx and have never had any staining problems on my nails. If you like the trendy dark polish trend and want an extra fancy kick, I definitely recommend Nubar Peacock Feathers

*I realize these photos are sucky, but it was really hard to get the right light/angle combination with the camera. I ended up using my blackberry cause that worked best for some reason. the color change is WAY easier to see in person

as usual, none of these comments were sponsored or compensated in any way. All products mentioned were purchased with my own money, unless they were purchased with my husband's money, haha!

How Does That Affect Resale?

Tis the season when we begin to see all of teh ads for influenza vaccine - and this year there are understandably more than usual. I saw one the other day, and it was all about the highest risk people who should definitely be vaccinated. There were different actors "confessing" to why they are most a risk: chronic health condition, asthma, pregnant, etc. In one of the scenes, there was a family of a mom, dad and young boy. The mom said "we live with a baby under 6 months old" and it was totally weird. The three were standing together, with the baby in front of them like it was separate from the other family unit, and they way it was phrased sounded like the baby just also lived in their house. Like a roommate or special feature of their house. Not "we HAVE a baby under 6 months old", but "we LIVE WITH a baby under 6 months old." Don't you think that sounds like the baby just lives there too, even though they have nothing to do with it? And instead of being held by the mom, the baby was kind of separate from the whole family unit, further stressing the separate feeling. Very bizarre.
Man, you think you have a problem because your house has mice? Well, mine? Came with a BABY! At least you can call pest control.

So You Think You Can Go Back To The Old Set?

So, there has been quite a revamp on SYTYCD this year. And I'm not entirely sure I love the changes made. First, they aren't switching up judge everyweek. On one hand I like it because it means Adam Shankman is on everyweek and I think he is funny and also offers good, helpful critiques to the dancers. But on the other hand, it means we don't get to see any of the other choreographers, and they have nice personalities and interesting opinions to add to the commentary as well. I think the best solution would be to continue having Adam as a permanent judge, but still have a rotating 4th judge. There's clearly a chair up there already - which reminds me: drop the whole Paula Abdul shtick. Blergh. Second issue - they have just had everyone dance and then kicked people off the first two weeks - no phone in voting for the bottom two couples. This satisfied my sense of immediate gratification since we didn't have to wait until the next night to see who was leaving. It also spared us sitting through the interminable musical guests on the results shows who are always terrible. But it also kind of took the whole point of the show away. If we don't even get to vote on who we like dleast, then just go ahead and pick a winner right now and just make it a dnace exhibition show rather than a contest. Thankfully this week it is going back to voting and the regular format. The third issue is the new stage. I absolutely HATE it. The screen behind the dancers is really distracting, and the neon lights on the sides look like some tacky Vegas review. Please, please, please bring back the old, round stage with the staircase! Watching the show on this new stage is really awful, and it is totally sapping my interest in the show. What do you think?

update 11/17/09- after watching tonight's show I have decided the biggest problem with the stage is that it is way too big for two dancers. No matter how great the dance, they cannot fill the stage and it makes the whole piece suffer. My husband says it looks like amateur night at the Apollo.

Vampires Are A Niche Market

These Volvo/Twilight commericals make me want to barf. what are they advertising - cars? The New Moon movie? Stupid. Can we please leave the whole Twilight overexposure limited to things that are actuall relevant? They should really back off a bit or they are going to get a huge backlash before the final film. Plus? overexposure aside, I think this is taking product plcaement too far. i don't mind when real products are in tv or movies - having someone drinking a random "cola" can rather than Coke was always distracting to me. using real products makes it more realistic, and I find they fade into the background better than the mocked up fakes do. But doing tie ins with a movie and then bringing it into commercials that aren't even clear about what they are advertising is just annoying. And seriously? I don't care how dreamy and ethereal and shiny Robert Pattinson/Edward is. Somebody wash that jackass' hair!!!

What Makes A Good Ad Good?

Stealth planes. Dropping unidentified pods into fields around the country. Curious witnesses creeping closer for a look. Smoke, a brief glimpse of... something, and the words "drops, 11-6-9." Maybe you think this is a lame commercial (my husband does) and maybe it is. But it has me intrigued. I can't wait to see what is "dropping" today (my guess the new Google phone since the words Google and Verizon appear in the fine print). And isn't interest in the product the biggest indicator of a successful advertisement? Or is it entertainment? Obviously, the best commercials do both - entertain, make you think or laugh or go huh?, and an ad that sticks with you isn't worth it if you only remember because you hated it. There are lots of commercials I think are great, but I can't say that I've ever seen one and thought "I really want that" unless it was something I'd have bought anyway. But there have been commercials that are so awful I have decided to never buy those products (not that I can think of a single example right now, but I know there have been some). So maybe aiming for the entertainment angle is not necessarily worth it for advertisers - go big and go risky and you may just alienate more potential customers than you gain.

My Linoleum Is Trying To Kill Me

My bathroom has recently (as of Wednesday night) become a death trap. With zero explanation, and no cause that I can discern, the floor in the master bathroom in my house has suddenly become slicker than ice. perhaps Mr Clean, or wicked elves or particularly strange type of criminal (bizarro Monk?) has been breaking in while I sleep and buffing the floor. I don't know. All I know is that I have almost fallen down five times in the past three days - even knowing it is slippery I am slipping. In socks, shoes, bare feet I am slipping. My husband is slipping, too, so it is not just that I have lost all coordination either. I am totally confused - does anyone know of any reasons why a regular linoleum floor would suddenly get super slippery? If you don't hear from me for a few days, call the paramedics and tell them where to find me.

ps: I am totally aware that this doesn't really fall into the purview of this particular blog, being neither about commercials or tv or pop culture in anyway. But it is hard coming up with new ads to talk about every day, and I haven't read any books lately that bear discussion so pffft. And it's Saturday Say What over on my regular blog so I had to post here because you never know - I could fall and bump my head and forget all about it by tomorrow. but because you are sticklers who must be appeased, I will throw in a little product comentary here at the end. Putting on my concealer this morning I noticed that it is SPF 20. What is the purpose of putting SPF in something that doesn't go all over your face? Do my zits need extra sun protection? For a moment I was all paranoid I'm going to get a polka dot tan. And then I slipped.

Look! You Can See What I'm Talking About Right Here!

So you probably haven't seen it, seeing as it is a loca commercial for our Cable service, cox cable, but it is great. take a moment to enjoy:



Now that I've had the wonderful idea to embed the ad I'm talking about in my blog, I find I have nothing else to say about it. You just watched it. Wasn't it funny? Hmm. I was thinking this was such a wonderful idea so people could refresh their memories about what I'm talking about (and I still think it is), but rewatching it right now has run me out of creative steam as far as further discussion goes. Maybe next time I'll write what I'm thinking about first, so I don't get all blanked out by the replay.

Flashforward

I don't know about you, but I am enjoying this show. Not necessarily for the show itself (some of the characters are meh), but because of the questions it brings up. The quandaries the characters face because they know, or think they know, a piece of their future. Are they destined to be in those situations because of fate, or can they change it? If they change their behavior to avoid the future will they commit the very acts that bring about their fears, implying that had they never known at all they would have led different lives? It is all so interesting, and I am really enjoying wondering where the writers will bring these people and what the outcome will look like. And I am confident in the direction of the show because I have read that the writers have a whole arc mapped out. The writers of Lost did that - and while that show is totally confusing and mystifying, knowing they have a concrete resolution in mind, and now coming down to that resolution and seeing pieces fall in to place gives real satisfaction. It won't just end up mired in mythology and secrets and end with a lame explanation that never quite does the central mystery justice. Assuming of course that they really do have a plan (a good plan), and that they are competant enough to pull it off. For now, I'll stick with it, if only because pondering the mysteries of the space time continuum is kind of fun. Try saying that at your next cocktail party.

Now Spin Your partner Round And Round - Right back Into The Closet To Change

What is the deal with square dancing? Well, not so much the dancing part, as the people involved and their costumes. It always seems to involve, shall we say, ladies of “a certain age.” And they are always dressed in what looks like a 6 year old’s best party dress. Don’t they know they look absolutely ridiculous? Grannies wearing above the knee flouncing skirts and petticoats look deranged. And also kind of like they are trying out for the Little Miss Sweet Potato pageant, 6-12 division. Can square dancing not be done unless wearing these (age)inappropriate garments? Do you not know how to do-si-do unless dressed like a child? Honestly, the costumes take away any possibility of credibility and respect you could possibly have for this activity. I don’t get it.

This Commercial Makes Your Brain Look Smaller

So I'm sure you have seen the Burger King commercials featuring the guy with tiny hands, and while I do think this is an amusing idea (it always makes me think of Austin powers and carnies - smell of cabbage, very small hands, haha!), I do think they got it backwards. Isn't the point of the ad that the dollar burgers at the King are so much bigger than the dollar burgers everywhere else? So shouldn't it be someone with extra large hands and his friends say don't worry, eat this burger and they will look smaller? Or is it supposed to be that the burger is so big the tiny hands can't even hold it? I'm confused. And now I want a Whopper. Great.

You Know, The Ad For The Stuff

I love the commercial for Chef Boyardee where the mom is trying to prevent the dad from saying it has a full serving of vegetables right in front of the kid so he won't stop eating. She keeps randomly going "psssst." to istrct him or banging pots and pans to cover the sound of his talking. And the whole time she has this intense look in her eyes at her husband, just trying to telepathically communicate the "shut up" message. It is awesome. Because as any parent knows, there is nothing worse that accidentally saying something you don't want your kids to hear, either because they love it or hate it. And of course, spelling only works for so long until they learn to still decipher what you are saying (B_A_T_H, anyone?). I personally have given my husband "the look" many times while saying cleverly disguised messages like "maybe later we can go to the place with the thing that the kids like, BUT DON"T SAY IT, because we might not be able to go, but let's plan on it for right now, BUT DON"T SAY IT, just in case because if they hear it then we have to go." Sometimes he gets it, but usually he just stares at me like the dad in the commercial like he has no idea why I've gone crazy or what I'm talking about and perhaps he should check me for stroke. Occassionally, he will say the forbidden word like I didn't just tell him not to say it a hundred times and shoot important sshhh daggers with my eyes, but that happened more in the beginning before we got to be so good at being parents and developed the super secret code I demonstrated above.

But WHY Is It Black?

Can anyone clear up the confusion I am having about the Taco Bell Black Taco? Is it just a regular taco with a black shell or does it have a special flavor? Is it black for Halloween? I don't get it. The commercials are all about showing off the new black taco, but they are forgetting one crucial element - actually SELLING the taco. Why do we want it? Why do we need it? This, I believe, is a basic tenet of advertising; tell teh consumer about the product in such a way that they feel they cannot live without it. I can live without a black taco if it's only purpose is to prove you can dye the shit out of a taco shell. The ads are all "oooh, black taco" but they don't really make it seem interesting or appealing at all. It's just black. Whoop de freakin doo. So I don't get it. Stunt? New flavor? Either way, the ad is a huge FAIL.

Day One

So, I have decided to give NaBloPoMo a go over on my "real" blog, and I thought it might be fun to give myself the extra challenge of trying to do it on both blogs at the same time. I don't know if this will generally be possible since this blog relates primarily to entertainment and commercials, and with the advent of the DVR I miss most commercials which severly limits my pool of inspiration (wow, that sounds New Agey - come, dangle your toes into the pool of inspiration and feel the ideas soothe away your aches while you listen to the twinkly twinkly music). Anyhoodle, I'm going to try and write here everyday - which may be possible because all of last week I had so many ideas for this blog, but I didn't want to write them all down at once - I thought I'd ration them out over time so they should be stored up for use now. Of course, at the moment, I can't recall a single one, so that plan may have backfired on me already.