Since a test pattern is what television sets used to show after the programs have faded to black, what happens when a test pattern itself fades to black? Msnbc.com's Entertainment blog says goodbye.
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Has there been a show more fun than this season’s “True Blood.” It reminds me how ponderous some of my other favorite dramas can get. Meanwhile, Jason Stackhouse is trying to figure out if Sam could turn into a chicken and lay and eat his own eggs.
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Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train of charm mowed down the Prius to take best-commercial honors, while the woman with Sasquatch-length armpit hair rode her tandem bike straight to the worst-ad award.
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If a TV commercial can scare you, they can get you to buy their product, and don't think they don't know it. If you're suddenly frightened into believing that you smell, or you're somehow hideously unattractive or uncool unless you have their product, that's one scare tactic. And then there are the less subtle ones -- ads where people claim your life or your property is at risk, but they can save you, if you just fork over the purchase money.
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I had a great time seeing “Inglourious Basterds.” I felt invigorated and empowered, as though I could actually win a fight if I were to get into one. If you enjoyed the film half as much as I did, you might agree that part of the fun is just how much director Quentin Tarantino loves movies.
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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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