July 2007 - Posts
I love regional commercials. Many of them are amateurish, which either lends to the charm, or lends to the laughter. And since so much of our nation has become homogenized, with the same big-box stores and chain restaurants from San Jose to Syracuse, it's almost shocking to watch an ad for a store or business you've never even heard of.
In my home state of Minnesota, one of the most memorable regional ads was for a chain of home-improvement stores called Menards. CONTINUED >>
I've been busy with the TV critics' summer press tour, but yes, the TV commercial contest is still on. We've received plenty of nominees for worst ads (can anyone beat the creepy Sour Skittles milking man?), but are still kind of hunting around for a GOOD ad. Add any nominations in the comments.
Our past winners have been the Citibank identity theft ads, the HP "Frames" ad, and the talking cows for Real California Cheese. The HP ad was a marvel of technology and photography, but the other two winners both won, in part, because they hit viewers right on the funny bone. CONTINUED >>
I'm back from the TV critics' summer press tour in Beverly Hills, although I'm still posting about some of the new shows that were presented there. We'll also get back to the commercial contest that was so sorely neglected while I was gone. But for the moment, a new Multi-link Monday.
--Want to get your "Star Wars" name? This is much more complicated than getting your porn-star or drag-queen name, but fortunately, the site does all the work. Apparently I'm Gaepe Vosa, Repbonneville of Singulair. Hmm. That does sound pretty "Star Warsian," now that I think about it.
--¿uʍop ǝpısdn ʇǝuɹǝʇuı ǝɥʇ sı ʎɥʍ 'ʎǝɥ. Or, in other words: Hey, why is the Internet upside down?
--I've always loved John Moe's Pop Song Correspondences on McSweeney's, but here's a gem: "To: Peter Criss, From: Beth." KISS fans will appreciate it most. Excerpt: "You say you and the boys just can't find the sound. Here: loud guitars and lots of people bellowing in a not particularly melodious way. There. Done. There's your "sound." You ain't Bowie. And, honestly, if the band is really searching for a new sound (what, is Gene going to go prog-rock? Ace trotting out a folk protest ballad?), they probably don't even need you, Peter! You're the drummer for KISS! What are you going to do, recommend more hydraulics on the drum platform?"
--If, like me, you're pining for "The Office" to come back, you can help the time pass by chuckling through this list of pranks Jim (and often, Pam) has pulled on Dwight (and often, Andy). Don't try these in your own office. Well, except for maybe convincing someone it's Friday when it's really Thursday. Or faxing them from the future.
--Reader-submitted link o' the week, from Ohio Betty: "Just what every parent-to-be needs, the Random Name Generator. It runs the gamut from 'normal' cultures/languages to interesting categories like Norse Mythology, Classical Greek, Rapper, Kreatyve and (not to cash in on any summer blockbusters or anything) Transformer."
We've discussed the Geico cavemen commercials in our Test Pattern TV commercial contest -- most viewers find the ads funny and sharp. But they're 30-second ads! When it was announced this spring that ABC was turning the "Cavemen" into a 30-minute sitcom, I think even the biggest fans of the commercials had some Brontosaurus-sized doubts. And from the horrible pilot episode, and the frantic scrambling to rewrite the show, it looks like those doubts were justified.
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I reported on the Harold Perrineau news the other day, but should catch you up on other ABC tidbits from network president Stephen McPherson's executive session.
--Expect the cast of the next "Dancing With the Stars" to be announced in August, though McPherson wouldn't reveal any dancers yet. But there is going to be a spinoff, he said. "Dance X" is currently airing in the U.K., and the American version will feature two of the judges from "Dancing With the Stars." (I'd make a bet that Bruno Tonioli is one of them.) CONTINUED >>
In the season finale, "House" looked like it was divided against itself. Three major members of Dr. House's team -- Foreman, Chase and Cameron -- had moved on. But the three actors who play them (Omar Epps, Jesse Spencer, and Jennifer Morrison) all joined star Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstein, Robert Sean Leonard and executive producer Katie Jacobs for a press tour panel. If that didn't soothe worries that they'd all eventually rejoin the show, the panelists' discussion went on to do just that.
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Somehow Fox neglected to send me certain pilots (nothing personal, I hope), so I haven't viewed "The Return of Jezebel James" yet. But I can give you the lowdown. It's a sitcom about a woman (Parker Posey) who can't carry a child, so turns to her younger sister (Lauren Ambrose) to help her out.
But that's not the real news: "Gilmore Girls" fans will delight in the knowledge that the show marks the return of "Gilmore" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Daniel Palladino. Amy created the show and directed the pilot, and both she and her husband will serve as executive producers. More good news for "Gilmore" mourners: Scott Cohen, who played Max on that show, was the very first actor to be cast on "Jezebel James." This isn't quite going to soothe the irritated souls of fans who still wish their show would come back, but it's something.
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TV critics were treated to a table read by the "Family Guy" cast, meaning the people who voice the characters sat at a table in front of us and read their way through an upcoming script. How Seth MacFarlane can seamlessly switch from snooty l'il Stewie's voice to goofy Peter to dog Brian is amazing to me. I only caught a slight, millisecond-long slip-up once.
After the script (part one of a very funny two-parter) was read, McFarlane and the cast answered critics' questions. CONTINUED >>
Call it "Real World: Nashville," "Nashville Star: Behind the Scenes," or "Laguna Beach: The Real Davidson County." It's a new reality show/soap opera that Fox has simply dubbed "Nashville," in which the creators of "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" follow a bunch of country-music hopefuls, who also happen to be good-looking, telegenic, and camera-ready.
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While too many new shows rely on gimmicks (he's a detective...and a vampire! he's a cop...and was serving life in prison! he's a detective...and an immortal!), I hate to question a new show for not having a gimmick, but I will say I can't quite figure out what would attract viewers to become fans of "Canterbury's Law," Fox's new legal drama.
Maybe fans of Julianna Marguiles will want to watch her return to network TV. Her character, Elizabeth Canterbury, isn't above breaking the law herself to try her cases -- maybe that's the gimmick. Maybe it's that the character has been given a horrible life tragedy -- her four-year-old son disappeared four years ago, and was never found. I like Marguiles, and she's has an amazing scene in the pilot where she takes a brutal-looking punch in the face while heatedly questioning a witness, but truth be told, I can't remember much else about "Canterbury's Law." CONTINUED >>
Comic-Con attendees, we're really sorry. Except maybe not so much. Once the TV critics at today's ABC executive session heard confirmation from network president Steve McPherson that the creators of the show "Lost" were going to be making a big announcement tomorrow at San Diego Comic-Con, it was as if the sharks had smelled blood in the water. Reporters harangued McPherson until an assistant came dashing out and whispered in his ear. (Stop reading here if you don't want a spoiler.)
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As a fan of the "Terminator" movies and their creepy view of the future, I was unsure if Fox's "Sarah Connor Chronicles" would do that film franchise proud or stink up the screen. I'm happy to say that, at least the pilot lived up to its storied title.
"Chronicles" picks up at the end of "Terminator 2," with Sarah Connor and her young son, John, the world's eventual savior in the war against the machines, running for the lives. As in the films, there are both good and evil Terminators who come back into the past to try and aid or kill John and Sarah. The good Terminator is a young female this time around, a classmate of John's who is played to perfection by Summer Glau, a.k.a. River from "Firefly." CONTINUED >>
Remember the old song, "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"? It featured a line that said "even old New York was once New Amsterdam / why they changed it I can't say / people just liked it better that way." Well, Fox has a new series, "New Amsterdam," about a detective who remembers well when NYC was called New Amsterdam, because he was alive back then, and he's still alive now.
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"Bones," the Fox forensics and police drama starring Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, is coming back for a third season this fall (doesn't it seem like it's been around more than two years?). Deschanel, Boreanaz and other cast and crew members joined the press tour to discuss the show and what the next season might bring.
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"K-Ville" is a cop drama with a twist. You've heard those words before, but this twist is that it's set in a post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, where cops and citizens alike face all the troubles and trauma of rebuilding that city. And for some, the question is whether they should stay and rebuild, or whether it's time to cut their losses and leave that beautiful, historic city, deciding that it will never be the same again.
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Most of the panels at the TV Critics' summer press tour are just question and answer sessions. But Sunday's "So You Think You Can Dance" session included, as last year's did, a dance demonstration by six of the show's 10 finalists. (They didn't dance long, but I was most impressed by B-girl Sara, even though one of the older critics later confessed he thought "B-girl" meant "hooker.")
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Fox chairman Peter Liguori and new entertainment president Kevin Reilly (late of NBC) joined the TV critics' summer press tour in Beverly Hills to take questions about the network's fall schedule. Many of the questions were about Reilly's recent move and his relationship with former employer NBC, which fired him in May after a season of poor ratings.
But for viewers who couldn't care less about internal executive shuffling, there was also show news to be had. CONTINUED >>
"Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" will launch its second season on Aug. 30, with host Jeff Foxworthy returning with a new crop of fifth graders. Foxworthy joined the TV critics'summer press tour for lunch on Sunday to discuss the show.
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Viewers loved Kelsey Grammer on "Frasier," and loved Patricia Heaton on "Everybody Loves Raymond," but will they love them as a squabbling possible couple? Fox is hoping so -- the network has cast the two stars as a Pittsburgh news team in a new fall sitcom, "Back to You."
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Finally, a show I can wholeheartedly get behind. The CW's "Reaper" is my favorite of all the new shows of the fall. It's funny, sharp, has an original plot, and some great characters -- and even better, it's set in Seattle, where I live (though filmed in Vancouver, of course).
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The "Gossip Girl" series of books follows a group of uber-rich, uber-old-for-their-age teens on New York's Upper East Side. These kids do, see, and buy things that most adults not living in that rarified atmosphere have never even thought of. The books are narrated by the unseen Gossip Girl, who keeps a blog about these kids' lives. The books are now a CW TV series, and Josh Schwartz, who created "The O.C," is executive producer. The "O.C. East" comparisons are easy to come by.
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Some critics claim that "Life is Wild" is the worst of the CW's four new shows, but I disagree. It's a sweet family drama in the spirit of "Seventh Heaven" or even reaching back to "Napoleon and Samantha." The basic plot: A veterinarian father in a blended family wants to make a difference, so he packs up his kids and leaves the bustle of New York behind to work for a year at a South African lodge run by the father of his late wife. The kids resent leaving home at first, but quickly learn to love the animals and their new South African friends.
No question, this is a family-friendly show. Who doesn't love the beautiful animals and scenery? And these kids are not running around the streets of New York taking drugs and having sex -- instead they're discovering a gorgeous new country, helping injured lion cubs, and learning to get along with stepsiblings. Not to be a prude, but I'd rather have my kids watch this than CW sibling "Gossip Girl" any day. CONTINUED >>
The CW has only four new shows, but I'd say three of them are ones I might actually watch ("Gossip Girl" being the exception, but it's essentially "O.C. East," so many will love it). The only half-hour comedy among the bunch is "Aliens in America." You'll swear you've seen this plot before, and you probably have. Geeky kid with no friends meets exchange student with big heart and different perspective. Exchange student is shunned for his differences, so geek and exchange student find common ground and become friends. The big twist here, I guess, is that the exchange student is Muslim.
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The CW arrived Friday at the TV Critics' Association summer press tour, and entertainment president Dawn Ostroff kicked things off with a free-wheeling session discussing everything from CW reality shows to a little "Gilmore Girls" and "Veronica Mars" mourning.
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One of the most-anticipated panels at summer press tour, at least for me, was Thursday's "Jericho" discussion, featuring stars Skeet Ulrich, Lennie James, and Ashley Scott, and executive producer Carol Barbee. These are four people who, not that long ago, didn't expect to be here, and certainly didn't expect to be working together again. Yet thanks to persistent, dedicated fans who flooded CBS with e-mails and nuts, the show has been given a second life -- just seven episodes starting in January, but a second life nonetheless.
Barbee and the three stars were obviously very grateful to fans, perhaps a little shell-shocked (!), and willing to discuss the upcoming seven episodes, where the show plans to go, and what's next. CONTINUED >>
What exactly is "Viva Laughlin"? It's not really a musical, although the characters are prone to bursting into song. It's kind of a murder mystery, kind of a family drama, kind of a casino story. It's also (surprise, surprise) a remake of a British show, "Blackpool," which was renamed "Viva Blackpool" when it was shown in the U.S.
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Catching up: Here are some updates about some of the TV topics I've been discussing this week, from a possible Rosie O'Donnell role on "Friday Night Lights" to harsh feelings over Mandy Patinkin quitting "Criminal Minds" to my Emmy reactions.
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When I left for the TV critics' summer press tour, I had high hopes of interspersing TV commercial-contest posts with my updates about the new fall shows. Ha. Yeah. We plan, God laughs. As you may have noticed, that's just not happening. The tour is pretty all-consuming, and I'd hate to skip a panel on an old favorite show, or what could be the hot new show of the fall.
So I'll start this post and what's called an open thread, meaning all topics about TV commercials are pretty much fair game here (decency rules apply, duh). You can revisit one of the topics we've already discussed, bring up a new topic, or just share your nominations for best/worst ads this year. CONTINUED >>
CBS has taken over at the TV Critics' Association summer press tour, and entertainment president Nina Tassler started off the network's slate by taking questions. Two topics dominated: The fan-driven return of "Jericho" ("Nuts!"), and the recent resignation of Mandy Patinkin from "Criminal Minds."
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Many viewers complain that this is a dark age for comedy, but "How I Met Your Mother" is a sweet exception to the rule. The heart of the smart and funny show is Neil Patrick Harris as womanizer Barney Stinson. Harris and the show's creators, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, stopped by press tour for a quick discussion of the show.
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Chuck Lorre has managed to beat the odds with his a top-rated comedy series, "Two and a Half Men." He's now gambling that he can have a second humorous hit with "The Big Bang Theory," the story of a Lenny-and-Squiggy like pair of geniuses and their beautiful blonde neighbor.
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You know those wonderful celebrity rumors that get halfway around the Internet before the truth has time to put its boots on? You can list them as easily as I can. Humphrey Bogart was the Gerber baby. (He wasn't.) Clint Eastwood is the son of Stan Laurel. (Nope, and he's not Oliver Hardy's son, either.) Marilyn Monroe had six toes on each foot. (She...WHAT?)
Another of those rumors has surfaced recently: Google "Bon Scott" and "Alex O'Loughlin" and you'll find numerous pages claiming that actor O'Loughlin is the son of the late AC/DC frontman, who died in 1980. (Whether or not he died from choking on his own vomit, as is often reported, may be another celebrity rumor.) CONTINUED >>
Jimmy Smits is technically the star of "Cane," but for me, Rita Moreno steals every scene she's in. She stole Wednesday's panel on the new show, too -- at 75, she's won an Oscar, a Tony, a Grammy and an Emmy, one of only nine people to have done so. Energy still lights up her face and her voice, and it's hard not to hear her speak without thinking of one of her famous roles, from "West Side Story" to "Oz" to "The Electric Company." HEY YOU GUUUUUUUUUYS!"
But wait, this entry was supposed to be about "Cane," a new CBS drama focusing on a Cuban-American family in South Florida who are insanely wealthy thanks to sugar and rum interests. CONTINUED >>
One of the few new reality shows coming this fall is CBS' "Kid Nation." It's an interesting concept -- sort of a cross between PBS's "Frontier House" and "Survivor Middle School" (or, as one reporter dubbed it, "Survivor Clearasil").
The show takes 40 kids, ranging in age from 8-15, and puts them in a New Mexico ghost town for 40 days without parents. (Though there are literally hundreds of adult crew members, as well as doctors, psychologist and other staff.) The kids' job is to improve the town, all while participating in "Survivor"-like challenges and vying for a $20,000 gold star that's awarded in every episode. Producer Tom Forman and host Jonathan Karsh (the Jeff Probst of "Kid Nation"), joined reporters Wednesday to discuss the show, and they faced some pretty skeptical and challenging questions.
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I've already posted about Isaiah Washington joining the cast of "Bionic Woman" for five episodes, and that post brought out the Washington fans and the Washington detractors in full force. Many of you say you won't watch the show after Washington's anti-gay slur, but others say he's a talented actor who should be given a second chance.
Washington's addition to the cast was, naturally a hot topic during Tuesday's "Bionic Woman" panel. (Note for title sticklers: The original 1970s show was indeed "The Bionic Woman," but the remake has dropped the "The." It's only one of many differences between the two series, which I'll get to in a second.) CONTINUED >>
I'm a big fan of misheard lyrics, especially the hilarious ones. I love Web sites such as KissThisGuy.com and have been known to make a few embarrassing lyrical mistakes myself. (Who knew Duran Duran was singing "It means so much to me...like a birthday or a pretty view." "Preview" made perfect sense to me. Who doesn't love a good movie preview?)
So you'd think I'd love "The Singing Bee," but ... not so much. The contestants are marked wrong for miniscule errors, and they have to not just know the words to the song in question, but the words to the song as sung by a particular artist on a particular recording, to avoid questionable answers. But I may be alone: "The Singing Bee" topped the Nielsen ratings last week, with 13.5 million viewers, and NBC has given the show a spot in its fall lineup. CONTINUED >>
"Friday Night Lights" and "Heroes" became the darlings of NBC's lineup in their first seasons. "Heroes" success was clear almost immediately, but "Lights" had to hang in there until May before it was assured of a renewal. Critics are big fans of both, and the cast and crew of "Lights" received a rare round of applause when they took the stage for a panel Tuesday.
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Dick Wolf, creator of the "Law & Order" franchise, talked to critics Tuesday, and he brought along a fairly new star from each of his three "L&O" shows. Wolf and crew discussed everything from a rivalry with "Gunsmoke" to the future of episodes starring possible presidential candidate Fred Thompson.
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Audrey Niffenegger's "The Time Traveler's Wife" is a much-beloved novel -- I know my book club read it. It's also set to become a big-screen movie, with filming set to begin in August. But a new NBC show, "Journeyman," while not at all based on the book, is drawing comparisons to the novel.
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Nerds and geeks rejoice, we're cool -- at least in Hollywood's eyes, and at least this season. NBC's new show "Chuck" is just one new drama featuring an unabashedly geeky character, who's more familiar with pi than Prada, and plays more "World of Warcraft" than tennis.
Of course, this doesn't mean Hollywood will lay off the cliches, but based on its pilot, "Chuck" isn't bad. It's the story of a guy who works for the Nerd Herd (thinly disguised version of the Geek Squad) at a Best Buy-like store called Buy More. Through a weird series of events, he ends up with a computer full of spy secrets buried in his brain. A beautiful blonde spy joins him, and they're off to save the world. CONTINUED >>
"Saturday Night Live's" cast changes all the time, but executive producer Lorne Michaels is a mainstay. Michaels, head writer Seth Meyers, and six members of the current cast participated in an "SNL" panel Monday, discussing everything from Star Jones' weight to a rejected "SNL" reality-show concept.
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Say what you will about its new shows, NBC has a pretty decent Thursday-night comedy lineup these days. Actors and producers from "My Name is Earl," "30 Rock," "The Office" and "Scrubs" spoke to the critics' conference Monday about where their shows have been and what's in store.
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As critics watch the fall pilots, we all develop favorites (mine include "Reaper" and "The Sarah Connor Chronicles") and least-favorites (mine include "Cavemen" and "Big Shots"). But one of my fellow critics' least-favorite shows is NBC's upcoming drama "Life," the perennial "cop show with a twist." It stars Brit Damian Lewis as Detective Charlie Crews, a cop who was framed for murder and was serving life in prison, then had his sentence overturned and is back trying to solve murders, including the one that landed him behind bars.
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He may have been ousted from ABC's hit "Grey's Anatomy," but apparently NBC thinks they can rebuild him...they have the technology. ("Six Million Dollar Man" theme song reference there, sorry.)
NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman announced at today's NBC executive session here at the TV Critics' summer press tour that Isaiah Washington, who played Dr. Preston Burke on "Grey's," will appear in five of the first six episodes of NBC's new fall show, "Bionic Woman." CONTINUED >>
More news from NBC, including a celebrity-themed "Apprentice," a Jerry Seinfeld appearance, Norman Lear's return, and a new reality show searching for the next great illusionist.
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I'm at the TV Critics' summer press tour in Beverly Hills starting today, so look for reports from that all week. But I won't be forgetting about our commercial contest, and here's another Multi-link Monday to start the week off right.
• The Avril Lavigne musical plagiarism scandal is nothing compared to this totally entertaining one: Did Bob Marley rip off "The Banana Splits" (Via Metafilter. )
• Cowabunga, dudes! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles once had a magazine. Matt from X-Entertainment shares an issue online here. It was published in 1990, but really, it's as whompingly 1980s as neon leg warmers and jelly shoes.
• Retrocrush highlights the Worst 100 Cover Songs of all time. I'm thrilled that "The Brady Bunch" singing "American Pie" made the list. And yes, "Star Trek" fans, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy both show up. (Thanks to my co-worker Paige for the link!)
• I'm terrible at this cute little stickman online game, but it still fascinates me. Cute and addictive.
• This week's reader-submitted link is from Tiffanie, a very cool optical illusion.
Let's take a one-day break from hashing over current commercials and go back in time. YouTube is wonderful for many things, but one of them is that it acts as a little time machine, allowing you to go back into your past and revisit videos you have completely forgotten about, from old movie clips to news events to yes, even vintage commercials.
Obviously, none of these Ye Olde Ads are eligible for our contest, but they're sure a lot of fun to watch, even if you don't remember seeing them the first time around. CONTINUED >>
Ugh, the creepy commercial discussion was so creepy it kind of disturbed me. I think we need a cleansing breath. How about moving on to that oh-so-rare find, commercials we actually like? Why there's... And of course... And don't forget... No, seriously, there have to be some, right?
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Creepy can be good ... when you're talking about "The Addams Family," or watching a zombie movie. But is "creepy" really the sentiment major corporations want associated with their precious products? No? So why do so many of them spend millions on ads that make viewers shudder and change the channel?
You know the Creepy Commercial o' the Moment: It's been mentioned multiple times in Test Pattern's comments so far this summer. It's the Sour Skittles ad, with the older man hooked up to a milking machine like a cow. It's just nasty all the way around. CONTINUED >>
Let's touch on a category of ads that wouldn't even have been imagined 20 years ago: Cell-phone and cellular network ads. It's not a glamorous or particularly entertaining product to sell, but millions of people have cell phones now, and millions more are dissatisfied enough with their service to be always on the lookout for a new provider.
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Starting off the week with another round of time-killing Multi-Link Monday offerings.
• What would you look like as a "Simpsons" character? For starters, you'd have four fingers on each hand, and you might have a Ned Flanders-esque mustache. "The Simpsons Movie" site is letting fans create their own lookalikes using familiar Simpson body and face types. (Click on "create your own avatar" from the link above.)You can save your little you, and you might see it used on their Web site.
• Some of us obviously slept through our grade-school lessons on punctuation. Some of those same folks are now responsible for making signs, menus, Web pages and more. The Gallery of "Misused" Quotation Marks hits the mark for those of us who are mystified as to why people think the more quote marks, the better. My favorite from the site "In my chem lab at Purdue, there is a bottle next to the sink labeled "Soap." I'm not sure what is "actually" in there." Via Ultimate Insult.
• I stole this from my pal Will at Clicked because I was so floored by it. The swimming baby from Nirvana's "Nevermind" album cover is now 17, and there's something a little Kurt-like in his looks today.
• Search the Web with K-Fed? Um, no. No thank you, not for all the trucker caps in California.
• Reader-submitted link: Says Sarah: "This is an awesome link for movie fans. You have to guess what movie it is by its freeze-framed midpoint. Holy cow, do I need to be more observant!
We know fast food isn't good for us, yet we sometimes eat it anyway. But do their commercials have to be as empty as their meals? Like the little girl with the curl, when a fast-food ad is good, it can be very, very good -- the companies have megabucks and can fork it over for catchy jingles, witty writing and real actors. But a terrible fast-food commercial can stick in your head longer than a greasy burger can stick in your stomach.
And since these are megacorporations we're talking about here, fast-food commercials run ALL THE TIME, and with little regard for the market. I don't have a single Sonic Drive-In within hundreds of miles of my house, yet I'm still subjected/treated to their commercials, as if I could just walk down to the corner and pick up a cherry limeade and some tots. CONTINUED >>
Commercials are big fans of easy stereotypes, since they usually have less than a minute to get their point across. So moms are inevitably slaving in the kitchen, all dads love sports, every family lives in the suburbs, and kids are almost always horrible smart-mouths. Things my mom would have said to me had I been a TV commercial kid would have included: "Don't be fresh!," "Knock it off, smart alec!" and "Go to your room!" But in commercials, kids' brattiness apparently is considered cute.
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Multi-link Monday is back, with five random links to help you kill time at work. Just a note that a couple of the sites aren't exactly G-rated this week (though you probably won't see much here that you wouldn't see on primetime TV).
• NOTE: I deleted the "Latawnya the Naughty Horse" link because apparently you now need a $10 account to view that, which wasn't required when I checked it out. Instead, check out the 7-Elevens turned "Simpsons" inspired Kwik-E-Marts, as a promo for "The Simpsons" movie. There aren't a lot of locations, but here's the list. There's one near me in Seattle. A visit may be required.
• This site is both creepy and eye-opening: Someone took famous celebrity faces and slapped them onto pictures of regular people. Don't miss Pamela Anderson as an ordinary office worker, or Hugh Hefner and girlfriend Holly dancing at a church-basement wedding.
• People still say "mix tape," but these days, it's less likely to be a tape, and more likely to be a burned CD or an iPod playlist. But those of us who remember the days when you had to press PLAY and RECORD at the same time will have fun rummaging through this site of old cassette tape images. It's more interesting than it sounds, really! I think I still have most of these designs in a shoebox in my basement, probably with old Casey Kasem countdowns and Dr. Demento shows taped on them. (Thanks to Scott for the link.)
• "The Sopranos" is over, but HBO still has a fun glossary of Mob slang. "Buttlegging" apparently is "bootlegging untaxed cigarettes," and "Va fa napole" apparently means "Go to Napoli," a.k.a. "Go to hell."
• Reader-submitted link o' the week: 15 (Painfully) Unforgettable Cartoon Theme Songs, from Cracked Magazine (they're still around?) Thanks to Brandy for the link, and to my boss for letting me have a job where I get to watch stuff like this at work. I love the commentary on the "Thunder Cats" lyric just being the word "Thunder Cats" over and over and over and over again. And God bless whoever sang (and whoever wrote) the "Gummi Bear" theme song. "Magic and mystery are part of their history," indeed.
