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Don't touch that dial: Test Pattern tunes into television, movie, music and pop culture links, as well as gossip and idle chat from around the Web.

Every week, msnbc.com entertainment producers Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, Denise Hazlick, Paige Newman, Kurt Schlosser and Anna Chan weigh in on topics ranging from TV commercials to movie hype to the latest celebrity blunder. We're not ashamed to admit our love for bad TV or reveal what's on our iPods, and invite you to join the conversation via your comments.



I hate that ad you love!

Posted: Monday, June 23, 2008 3:02 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under:

The cliches are all ringing true. One man's trash is another's treasure. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The commercial you find hilarious might be one that I think is just horrible.

I was reminded of this last week when I listed the Mr. Bill commercial among my favorites. I think maybe two readers posted that they agreed with me, whereas at least a dozen of you hate, hate, hated it.

Said Avia, from my hometown of Minneapolis: "Sorry - I HATE the Mr. Bill ad. It's not funny, has no resemblance to the SNL skits, wrong Mr. Bill voice, Mr. Hand had WAY more expression. Need I go on? It's an insult to the original Mr. Bill sketches."

Makes me a little embarassed to admit that I still think it's entertaining, but here's another cliche: To each his own.

Here are a few ads that readers are split on -- some of you suggest them for best, some for worst. Share your thoughts on these ads and others in the comments.

BARFING ETRADE BABY
LOVE IT: "The eTrade talking baby ads are priceless. I especially love the one where he throws up at the end ('whoa...'), and the one where he rents a clown ('I really underestimated the creepiness factor.'). The effects are done so well that it looks very real, and just makes me laugh every time!"  --Andrea

HATE IT: "I do not see the appeal of the eTrade baby at all. It's gross and creepy. I hate talking babies -- I really didn't like the baby Bob ads from a few years back, either."   –L.R.P.


AIN’T NO BUGS ON ME
LOVE IT: "I also like the 'ain't no bugs on me' puppy. I sing that to my daughter sometimes in the car if she's having a bad day."  –Kim

HATE IT: " 'There ain't no bugs on me' drives me absolutely bonkers. Bonkers, I say! Enough to send that poor puppy up to the Satellite of Love to watch horrible B-movies. His Mike Nelson/Joel Robinson? The pigtailed girl who doesn't like broccoli, waffles, and chicken. She can starve to death in Deep 13.  --Caro

 

SONIC
LOVE IT: "I'm not sure if the ads for Sonic are shown all over the U.S. but those are just plain wacky and hilarious. They are like the 'Seinfeld' of ads. Plus, they have a new ad every 2 weeks or so, so I'm always waiting to see what goofy/wacky thing the characters will say next."  –Devyani

 

HATE IT: "Can't stand the Sonic ads, the ones with the people driving up to the restaurant talking about Sonic's food, and they say something really dumb and then you hear the punching sound and a sales pitch. Makes me want to eat anywhere but Sonic.  --Mark

FIVE ... FIVE DOLLAR
HATE IT: "I HATE the Subway $5 footlong. Ugh! I end up having it in my head for the rest of the day! I always change the channel when I think it might come on."  –Megan

KIND OF LIKES IT: "How about those $5 footlong (five ... five dollar ... five dollar footloooong) ads by Subway? The commercials are sort of hip and clever, but the way that song sticks in your head pushes it over the line into annoyance."  --Suzhee

PREGNANCY TEST
LIKE IT: "I like the pregnancy test commercial that says "it's the most sophisticated piece of technology you'll ever pee on."  --Kim

HATE IT: "I hate that commercial for the pregnancy test with the catch phrase, 'The most sophisticated technology you'll ever pee on.' GROSS!! Then there is what appears to be a stream of urine! MORE GROSS!"    --Yolanda

 

 

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Comments

I'm with L.R.P. on the E-Trade commercial.

As for "there ain't no bugs on me," the puppy is unquestionably adorable, but, being a grammar geek, the use of "ain't," um, bugs me.

NYCGirl (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 5:42 AM)

I just saw 2 ads last night that were really annoying (we rarely watch live TV but last night were watching a baseball game): one was the Live Water ad with the lizards and the weird model dancing to Thriller and the other was this strange one for Baby Ruth with a person in like a giant bobblehead singing "Take me out to the Ballgame." We thought the lizard one was bad, but then that bobblehead one was just goofy. Also, the Viagra ad with the guy driving by the woman in her driveway every day and then showing up in the motorcycle, and she's ready to hop on. Stupid! Didn't see a single good ad last night...

Julie, Nashville, TN (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 10:42 AM)

HATE IT:  Sprint's new commercial featuring their CEO (always the last resort) saying their new $99 service is a "wireless revolution" 3 or 4 months after everyone else did the same thing.  How about a revolution where nobody cared?

Yevgeni (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 11:42 AM)

More of a promo than commercial, but NBC's tagline for "The Baby Borrowers" cracks me up.
It's not TV, it's birth control!

KendallJaye (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 1:07 PM)

Regarding Sonic:  They run the ads for Sonic down here in San Diego, but there aren't any Sonics in San Diego.  The closest Sonic is in Anaheim...90 miles away.  Exactly who do they think they are marketing to?

Brian P. Evans, San Diego, CA (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 1:18 PM)

One commercial that I love but I can see why others may hate is Old Spice Hair and Body wash. I know they are gross, but I laugh every time.

June, DC (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 1:47 PM)

Is it only me with my mind in the gutter, or is that Subway ad with the girl eating the five dollar bill, a little porno?  She is kind of leaning back against a wall with this huge sandwich in her hands and is licking her lips like she is ready to do something besides eat the sandwich...it just totally grosses me out.  Note to Subway...eating filthy, dirty money does not exactly convey the right image either. YUCK!

Alice, Portsmouth, Ohio (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 2:29 PM)

I hate the new Mentos Gum commercial where the woman goes up the the man and drinks from him mouth instead of the water cooler.  It is just nasty, nasty, nasty.

Natalie, Casper, Wyoming (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 4:34 PM)

I adore the new Burger King ad with the giant-sized, metal-detecting galoot. He is snarky, intelligent and entertaining and of course the seal is an added bonus. I abhor the new Burger King ad in the school teacher's lounge and the red-haired female gym teacher clocking another teacher. Not snarky. Not entertaining. Certainly not intelligent.

linda (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 5:42 PM)

I saw a commercial last night that was pretty much and old school McDonalds ad with the Big Mac song ("Two- all beef patties, special sauce..."). I liked it because it went back to simpler times :)

Des, Fall River, MA (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 7:14 PM)

I just saw a new Chex Mix Commercial where they are dancing.  I think it's hilarious.

Ginger, Abilene KS (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 7:26 PM)

What happened tot hat really funny Honda Element ad with the sort of cartoon dog and Element?  that was so funny!  It reminded me of my dog every time!

Julie, Anchorage, AK (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 7:42 PM)

I hate the new Six Flags commercial, some of the "1 flag or fun" moments are really disturbing.  Bring back the dancing old guy!

Dianne (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 7:50 PM)

I also hate the ad with "The pigtailed girl who doesn't like broccoli, waffles, and chicken."  I turn the channel the second it comes on the air.  I don't know when it became fine for kids to be spoiled, back-talking brats; but this ad needs to go away forever!

TB, San Diego CA (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 8:00 PM)

I love the Geico commercial with Mrs Butterworth as the celebrity spokesperson...I laugh every time she says... oh look someone put a logo on my face : )

Cari (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 8:00 PM)

They don't show it much anymore, but I like the Lays mini-potato chip bags or whatever, where the woman's indignant miniature husband climbs into the breadbox. "Don't do it, Steven!" "Eat your chips, Marian!" Cracks me up every time.

Mike, Colorado Springs, CO (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 8:17 PM)

Hate the gum commercial where the gal tips the guys nose up and uses his mouth as a water fountain. Gross. Oh, and hate the Axe bodywash (or whatever the hell it is)commercials.

CD, Portland, OR (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 8:21 PM)

I hate the Nissan commercial, where the man and woman are playing Marco Polo in their new Nissans. Stupid and irresponsible waste of gasoline. No wonder we despise yuppies.

Mike, Colorado Springs, CO (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 8:24 PM)

Ok, I've read enough to want to weigh in.
"Ain't no bugs on me" has me diving for the mute button...ANNOYING and they've been playing it for YEARS! Get something new!
Barfing e-trade baby, or any commercial with a barfing baby...gross.
Pregnancy test commercial doesn't offend me, but I prefer the one where he says "the most sophisticated technology you will ever..." and then clears his throat instead of saying "pee on".
One I love? AT&T commercial where the guy is playing pool and "he won't answer his phone because...he's a dillweed" LOL

Amy, Hot Springs, Arkansas (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 8:28 PM)

No one mentioned the new Cadilac commercial. "When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?" I love it! Best slogan ever.

terri, hendersonville tn (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 8:32 PM)

How can we go without mentioning the Orbit ads, with the retro British chick. FUNNY!!!

I also love thepregnancy test commercials...the announcer sounds all stuffy and serious, and thensays "pee." That's good television!!!

LB, Tucson, AZ (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 8:43 PM)

In my area of the country, the (northeast), it's the IO Digital Cable commercials, have me reaching for the remote as fast as I can! They had the stupid one of the "rappers" dressed up as Lobsters on the beach with that HORRIBLE song,,,,,,,,IO DIGITAL CABLE blah, blah, blah, blah ....4448. Now they have the obnoxious women in the kitchen, with horrible make up, singing the same song. AND it comes on during EVERY commercial break. It is absolutely the most irritating commercial that I have EVER heard. The stupid guy knocking on doors asking people if they have "Fiber" and swirling his hands in the air, is up there too, but nothing compared to those songs,,,,,,,,,,,,,,UUGGG!

C.B., Bayville NJ (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 9:00 PM)

Pretty pathetic that the commercials are more creative than the shows themselves.

But I mute them *all anyway because they're all just lies of one sort or another.

Rich Cottingham, Toronto (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 9:07 PM)

I hate the new Mentos gum ad, where the woman drinks from the guys mouth like a water fountain.  YUCK!!  Who comes up with this stuff?

I like the Temrinix ad where the giant insect tries to get into the guy's house by delivering a pizza.  The guy says "we didn't order any pizza" and the bug replies "can I just put this on your table?"  Cracks me up every time.

But my favorite ads for the moment are the Stride (long lasting flavor) gum ads where the company execs try all kinds of wild tactics to get people to spit out their gum and "chew a new piece already" to help their botom line.  In one a wrestler pounds a poor guy until his gum falls out, in another they let loose a ram on the street to butt into a guy's stomach and make him cough up the gum.  Just hilarious.

Beth, Englewod NJ (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 9:24 PM)

Does anyone remember the pets.com socket puppet dog?!?  I LOVED that little guy!!  (http://www.youtube.com/v/3pxaTYK_vVU&hl=en)

Sarah, Arlington, VA (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 9:27 PM)

I love the ad for the pregnancy test.  The juxtaposition of high technology and peeing is so unexpected and clever. Great ad.

K Bealmear, Columbus, IN (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 9:29 PM)

I work in the advertising industry however on a much smaller scale than commercials... but I must say I cannot stand commercials... They all lead up to the same sales pitch and are not creative at all!! I turn the channel whenever a commercial comes on. I despise them that much. I use to love watching superbowl just to see who has the most creative ad, but over the last couple of years it has been nothing but a disappointment. My favorite commercial would have to be the Pepsi commercial of the boy drinking the rest of his Pepsi and gets sucked into the bottle you want to talk about funny and creative. Well Pepsi use to have it.  

Tiffany (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 9:37 PM)

I still like the Petsmart ad with the dachshund and his loofah toy going through the scanner together.  Sweet.  And any commercial with the Bud Clydesdales. . .nothing beats their Tribute commercial following 9/11.  Still makes me cry

Cym (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 9:44 PM)

I can't stand those "Live Water" ads with the dancing lizards and the girl. Where on earth did they pick up that chick? SHE CANT'T DANCE!! If you're going to attempt to replicate "Thriller", which may be one of the greatest music videos of all time (forget about Michael Jackson being really screwed up, this was before all of that), please at least do it properly.

Steph, Des Moines, IA (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 9:56 PM)

Who watches commercials?  One word: TIVO!!

Caroline, Johns Creek, GA (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 10:08 PM)

Puppies...cute and singing in kids voices...heartstrings...being...pulled...makes me want to be the creepy baby in the e*Trade commercial (whoa).

Also, the Sonic commercials--if selling to the masses means showing people enjoying their product who are part of their target demographic...then never underestimate the power of stupid/annoying people in large groups. (BTW, who is the agency that produced them? A&W Rootbeer [Or Mug?]--sometimes its good to be thick headed--was a similar concept, font, and obnoxious punching sound)

Jason D, Austin, TX (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 10:27 PM)

For me, the most annoying commercial is the one for the Baby Baby CD; if I even hear the name Amanda or Emily I cringe.

Patricia, Norwich, CT (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 10:28 PM)

I haven't seen them in a while but I always giggled at the ads for the cell phone plan that had the kids and their parents screaming at each other but they were saying things like "i don't hate you and i never have" or "you are so not grounded".


I HATE HATE HATE those Alltel adds with the 4 dorks and the wizard. Dumb!

Amy, Washington DC (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 10:36 PM)

I believe nobody has mentioned those freecreditreport.com commercials with the silly songs! I swear I get them stuck in my head for days at a time. I'll catch myself singing to myself at work "I woulda seen it coming at me like an atom bomb," and "f-r-e-e that spells free credit report dot com baby"  

Nicole, Grants Pass, Oregon (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 10:55 PM)

I cannot tolerate GEICO commercials because of their sheer number.  Sometimes I watch TV with my finger on the mute button in anticipation.  The lizard is especially overused. GEICO's voluminous ads sends me two messages about the company:  1) They have to charge high premiums to pay for all of them; and 2) If they have to push their product so much, it must be because no one would buy their inferior product if it weren't pushed so heavily

Howard, Charlottesville, VA (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 11:20 PM)

I'm not sure if these are local but the Comcast ads are my favorites on TV.  Usually some totally ridiculous situation, like a bunch of protesters trying to prevent a construction crew from building on a vacant lot, with a tagline at the end "Save a lot".  Or one with a fat guy riding his bike through an urban neighborhood and everyone calling out to him by his name, Money, finishing with the line "Everyone loves money".  Plus there's a new one every 2-3 weeks or so it seems like.  I rarely watch network TV, but see these all the time when watching local sports.

Christian, San Jose, CA (Sent Monday, June 23, 2008 11:54 PM)

I agree - I'm fed up with the Nissan "Marco Polo" commercial.  Once was okay - every hour is annoying.  Like the Volkswagon Spring Event ad with the alarm sensors.

Leanna, Denver, Colorado (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:39 AM)

I absolutely LOVE the freecreditreport.com commercials!  The tunes and lyrics are so catchy...but I wonder what happened to the original commercial.  The first one showed the guy and a girl living in her parents' basement because they got married and he didn't know her credit was bad enough to keep them from getting an apartment.  That was a funny one.

Amy, Long Beach, CA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:46 AM)

Think about how much time you spend watching tv.  And what better things there are to do.  It's just a commercial!  Go spend time with your family and friends-

C. Streeter, Fairbanks, AK (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 1:01 AM)

C'mon, what about the Jack in the Box with the 70's retro couple in the hot tub: "Yeah, let's make a Jack sandwich!"
If you can watch that without laughing there's something wrong with you.

Kay (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 1:26 AM)

I feel so lucky.  I am stationed in Iraq and we don't have to watch all these commercials.  Can count one blessing today!  Still nine months of reprieve left.  I have been here six months and have not heard of many of the commercials listed.  Funny how fast the cycles goes.

Mandy Worth, Baghdad, Iraq (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 1:59 AM)

I cannot stand an ad about some kind of mattress with a female country band singing about how many days they are on the road. It is long, boring, and the music annoyingly will repeat in your brain thousands of times. It just causes insomnia.

christine, tucson, arizona (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 2:29 AM)

Verizon wireless ad with the couple that just moved into the haunted house is not bad. But I have a DVR and I only know a few of the commercials mentioned. Live TV is painful!

Todd, Bellingham, WA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 2:30 AM)

Speaking as an ex-cashier, I think the Quizno commercials where people are eating $5 bills is disgusting!  You can always tell someone who handles cash all day...  they wash their hands BEFORE they go into the bathroom stall.  True!

Mary, Wailuku, Hawaii (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 2:55 AM)

HATE IT: The new A&W ad with the firemen... ok, I know probies get the short end most of the time, but the "old-timer" is just a JERK! (OK, not the ord I would normally use, but I am trying to keep it clean here.) Why would I want to eat somewhere where there are ***-holes like that?

Nick, E-ville, IN (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 3:16 AM)

Oh, wait, I forgot to mention the really annoying ads-- the ones that try to sell me something to make my "manhood" either bigger (no thanks, Bob, no complaints even though I;m just "average"-and btw, your grin is just a little creepy) or last longer (again, no thanks, even though I'm diabetic, "IT" still works- and ANY product that has to post a warning about an erection lasting longer than 4 hrs is just plain frightening... I'm over forty and by gosh if it's gonna take THAT long, I'm just too old, thanks all the same.) And those ads for STDs!!! For Pete's sake, I NEVER thought I would long for the days when we were up in arms over Brenda Vacarro or the young woman asking her mother about that "not-so-fresh-feeling" hawking feminine hygiene products! (And before you start wondering how FAR over forty I am, it's only by a year- yes Gen-X is officially slamming into "middle-age")

Nick, E-ville, IN (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 3:33 AM)

It seems interesting to me that these comments tend to show that we as a society have become alarmingly puritanical. What's so bad about a baby throwing up? Frankly I thought it, and the "Whoa!" afterwards were hysterical.
And of course anything on television that has ANYthing at all to do with sex is sure to offend someone. Come on people, they're only thirty second blurbs, and you can't deal with it??

EJ, New London, CT (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 3:44 AM)

LOVE those Holiday Inn commercials where the gruff old guy is teaching Business Accomodations 101 to a group of idiots.  All of them are funny, but my favorite line is when he says to one of the morons "it must get tiring, carrying around that giant brain . . ."

HATE the commercial where the speech impediment girl is talking about how important her eyes are to her photography.  Really?  You're kidding - eyes are important?  Nothing against people with speech impediments, but her voice and phrasing GRATES!  I have to change the channel or mute it when it comes on.

Neola, Escondido, CA (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 4:32 AM)

The worst commercials would have to be Quiznos. I haven't seen one good commercial from them. They had puppet RATS on one commercial from about a year or 2 ago and now people are eating $5 dollar bills. I don't see that as appetizing or funny.  

Jacque, Phoenix AZ (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 6:41 AM)

I hate any commercial with Billy Mays in it. His shrill voice is truly annoying.

Nora Doh, Oxford Ms (Sent Tuesday, June 24, 2008 6:45 AM)



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