August 2009 - Posts
The use of kids in TV commercials is always a controversial topic. Some viewers are sucked in by their cuteness, others find them annoying as all get-out. And so we don't start a fight between the parents and the child-free, here, I'd like to say that I'm a parent, but that doesn't mean I find every use of a kid in a commercial to be brilliant.
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I'd divide ads that use music into three categories. Some dig up an old familiar song from our past, counting on the nostalgia value to make us associate good things with their product. Some pick a catchy modern tune which viewers may or may not have heard before, thinking it'll hit the right notes. And others make up a jingle specifically for their product.
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On Oct. 30, oddly enough just in time for Halloween, Sony Pictures will release “Michael Jackson This Is It.” People will line up, pay their $10 to take a look at Jackson’s final performance before his death. For me, this prospect is cringe worthy.
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Animal ads are always a popular topic of discussion in our commercial contest. The right cute pooch or cuddly kitten can sell a product, or at least give you warm fuzzy feelings about a brand name, and advertisers know it.
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We've discussed song lyrics that just don't make any sense, but what about commercials that are equally confusing? A good commercial is like a mini-movie, with characters, a plot, and a storyline that at least makes a tiny bit of sense. But some commercials are like a really terrible B-movie that only runs late at night in between infomercials. In other words, they are completely insane.
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Wow, have I ever been missing “Project Runway.” Heck, I even watched Bravo’s pale imitation, “The Fashion Show,” which mostly just made me realize how much Tim Gunn adds to “Runway.” Kelly Rowland, you’re no Gunn.
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We've been hashing out commercials for two months now, and it's time for a vote. The contest isn't over, and the vote isn't the final word on who will take this year's best and worst ad honors, but it'll definitely help narrow things down.
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Finally, "thirtysomething" is coming to DVD. What about other shows that have long been off the air, yet aren't available for home viewing?
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We've been rehashing and reviewing the crop of current commercials, but let's do the time warp. Thanks to You Tube, it's easier than ever to watch old commercials, and it can be a blast.
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Bueller, Bueller? Demented and sad, but social? John Hughes, gone too soon at age 59, wrote some of the most marvelous lines in movies.
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He's baaaack. The little monster who manhandles a cartoon toenail like he's sliding up a garage door has a new ad.
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When it comes to great acting, Meryl Streep breaks the gender divide. While Robert De Niro and Al Pacino have arguably damaged their legendary reputations with shoddy movie choices, Streep has remained consistently excellent. And she can do it all: drama, of course, comedy and even with last year’s “Mamma Mia!” musicals.
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Companies love to sign up a big star to promote their products. Yet so many of the celeb-product pairings are ridiculous.
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