Can you see me?
Me either.
A few weeks ago, I was an extra in this White Castle commercial. I know I was. I was there. And I saw the ad for the first time during tonight’s episode of Community.
I recognize the locations, that red convertible, the principal actors. I saw my scenes.
But I’m not there.
It was those poppin’ White Castle heads. They reduced me to a blurry smudge.
What a coincidence — that’s how I feel when I eat White Castles.
Truth in advertising — who’d have thunk it?!
Posted in Advertising, Entertainment, Food, Foods, Humor, Life, Restaurants, Television, TV
Tagged advertising, background, commercial, Community tv show, entertainment, episode, extra, food, Foods, Humor, life, red convertible, restaurants, sliders, Television, TV, White Castle
Where were you at the crack of dawn?
I was in Times Square, shooting a commercial. Now I’m in a van headed to our second location.
Did I mention who is directing the spot? The same guy who directed “Thriller” for Michael Jackson.
Whackadoodle doo.
Posted in Advertising, Business, Celebrities, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Television, TV
Tagged commercial shoot, crack of dawn, entertainment, Humor, life, michael jackson. Thriller, New York City, Times Square, TV
Turns out teeny tiny songstress Kristin Chenoweth and I have something in common.
It’s not our singing ability — which I’m sure was your first thought — and it’s certainly not our size. (I have shoes bigger than her.) And while it’s true we both love musical theatre, I’m talking more ‘guilty pleasures’ here.
Kristin and I are both fans of chain restaurants.
She waxed poetic for her love of ‘em on Conan last night — Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Applebees. He called her a ‘cheap date.’ I call her a comrade in arms.
One of her favorites and mine?
Sonic Drive-In
Grilled cheese on Texas toast, tater tots, and a grape slush is my favorite meal at Sonic. But we don’t have Sonics in Manhattan. Apparently LA doesn’t have them, either. So Kristin and I both suffer their national ads. And dream.
See? Celebrities are just like us.
Posted in Advertising, Celebrities, Entertainment, Food, Foods, Humor, Life, Restaurants, Television, TV
Tagged advertising, Applebee's, celebrities, celebrities are just like us, chain restaurants, cheap date, entertainment, food, Foods, grape slush, grilled cheese on Texas Toast, guilty pleasures, Humor, Kristin Chenoweth, life, Los Angeles, New York City, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, restaurants, songstress, Sonic, Sonic Drive-In, tater tots, Television, television advertising, TV
The Violent Femmes have gone commercial.
And I couldn’t be happier.
I have always loved “Blister in the Sun.” It’s an anthem of sorts for me…and my bear Snuffles’ favorite dance number. And now the theme song for HP, which just happens to be my laptop.
What are the chances?
Here are the Femmes performing the song live. I was lucky enough to see them myself back in the day.
Let me go on.
Posted in Advertising, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Music, Technology
Tagged advertising, Blister in the Sun, celebrities, commentary, dance number, entertainment, HP, HP commercial, Humor, life, Music, Television, TV, Violent Femmes
What’s your fantasy band name?
I confess, I’ve never given it much thought.
Until now.
In a current TV ad campaign, a teenage boy asks Siri to remember the band name “Migraine Headache.”
And the terminally-quick Craig Ferguson will label any funny-sounding phrase he utters as the name of his band or the movie he’s writing.
And now I find myself doing the same.
Funny headline on nytimes.com? Could be a band name. Someone posts a photo on Twitter or Facebook with an odd title? Band name. Someone misspeaks in everyday conversation? Band name!
My favorite from last night’s Twitter feed?
Mid-Winter Popsicle
Don’t steal that one. It’s mine.
Posted in Advertising, Celebrities, Comedy, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Internet, Life, Movies, Music, News, Television, TV
Tagged advertising, band names, bands, celebrities, comedy, commentary, conversation misspeak, Craig Ferguson, entertainment, Facebook, Facebook photo album, fantasy band names, Humor, Internet, life, Mid-Winter Popsicle, migraine headache, movie title, Movies, Music, news, news headline, NYTimes.com, one hit wonder, Siri, Siri television ad, Television, TV, tweet, Twitter
I didn’t watch the series 24 starring Kiefer Sutherland.
I know it was great. Perhaps one day I will.
But right now, I feel like I’m living it…because I can’t go 24 hours without running into Kiefer Sutherland.
He’s the voice of calm on the current Bank of America television campaign. (They need one.) He’s the spokesperson for Apple Intel, his raspy voice the perfect complement to their space age-y spots. He’s also the voice of Nissan and Verizon — and that’s just in the United States.
In Canada, his dulcet tones sell Ford Fusion. In Brazil, it’s Peugeot.
I know he has a new series on television called Touch, and a 24 feature film in the works. But seriously Kiefer, why bother?
You already RULE THE WORLD.
Posted in Advertising, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Television, TV
Tagged 24 series, advertising, Apple Intel, Bank of America, Brazil, Canada, commentary, commercial voiceover, entertainment, feature film, Ford, Humor, Kiefer Sutherland, life, Movies, Nissan, Peugot, rule the world, Television, Touch tv series, TV, Verizon
Prudential’s current television campaign, entitled “Day One,” features men and women enjoying their first day of retirement. Having enough money to do so comfortably may be the underlying message, but Prudential is smart enough to focus on why it’s so desirable.
More time to spend with family. Travel. Enjoy your hobbies. Volunteer. And the image that made me smile and shake my head in ready agreement…
No more alarm clocks.
Since today is Sunday, many of us — retired or not — got to skip the alarm. Now, close your eyes and imagine….
One day you can take a sledge hammer to that thing.
For realsies.
Posted in Advertising, Business, Commentary, Humor, Life, Travel, Vacation
Tagged advertising, advertising campaign, alarm clocks, Business, commentary, family, Humor, life, Prudential, Relationships, retirement, television ads, Travel, TV
Have you seen this promotional pic of the new movie The Descendants? Did you wonder what George Clooney was hiding from?
Turns out his co-stars.
I saw the movie this afternoon with my friend Caroline who is visiting from Kentucky — George Clooney’s hometown, in fact. (She knows the man.) So we were excited to see if the movie and George himself deserved all the Oscar buzz.
Not so much.
Apparently director Alexander Payne spent all his money on the big man himself and surrounded George with a TV movie-of-the-week cast. I mean, Shaggy from Scooby-Doo as his co-star? Get real.
While there were excellent turns by Shailene Woodley as George’s oldest daughter Alexandra and Beau Bridges as his cousin Hugh, no one else really measured up to George or the script.
Hey Alexander — when you center a film around a sick room, you might want to make sure your cast is healthy first.
Posted in Advertising, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Movies
Tagged advertising, Alexander Payne, Beau Bridges, celebrities, commentary, entertainment, George Clooney, Hawaii, Health, Humor, Kentucky, life, movie cast, Movies, Oscar buzz, Oscars, promotional picture, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Shailene Woodley, sickroom, The Descendants
Halloween weekend is here.
The pumpkins are carved. Parties planned. Costumes conceived.
And now critics on-air and online are recommending what horror films you should include in your Halloween movie marathon. The expected have risen to the top — the Halloweens, the Nightmares on Elm Street, the Screams, the Exorcists.
Your basic nightmares.
And while Paranormal Activity 3 has been advertised to have 15 minutes that will “mess up your life,” I’ve already “been there, done that.”
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976)
I saw this film in the theatre with my sister, mom and her good friend Jeanean who loved horror movies. (The rest of us really didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into.)
Based on a true story, The Town that Dreaded Sundown follows a Texas ranger’s hunt for a serial killer who terrorized the people of Texarkana, Arkansas in 1946. The killer wore a pillowcase over his head as he preyed on the residents of the town, primarily young people parking in the woods.
He was brutal and cruel and terrifying. And he was never captured.
Suffice to say no one slept in our house that night. Actually, I’m not sure any of us slept much that week, even knowing he was probably long dead. The imagine of his face covered by that pillowcase — breathing in and out like an animal — will haunt me for the rest of my life.
If you like really scary movies, I recommend it.
But it will mess you up.
Posted in Advertising, Commentary, Entertainment, Holiday, Humor, Life, Movies
Tagged advertising, been there done that, commentary, entertainment, Halloween, Halloween costumes, Halloween movies, Halloween parties, Holiday, horror films, Humor, life, lovers lane, movie critics, Movies, Nightmare on Elm Street, Paranormal Activity 3 movie, pillowcase over head, pumpkin carving, Scream movies, serial killer, Texarkana Arkansas, Texas ranger, The Exorcist movies, The Town that Dreaded Sundown movie
Scare me, please
When I was but a wee lass, I watched Dark Shadows every afternoon after school.
It scared the bejeezers out of me.
So I was particularly excited to see what horrors Tim Burton’s remake would hold, especially with his favorite lead Johnny Depp occupying the role of Barnabas.
Then I saw the trailer this weekend on television and quickly discovered…
The new Dark Shadows is a comedy.
True, it’s a dark comedy, and I can appreciate their sense of humor. I’ll no doubt go see it out of curiosity at the very least.
But I’m sad to say that Depp’s version of Barnabas will never elicit a single gasp of fear or horror.
Except, perhaps, at the 70′s clothing.
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Posted in Advertising, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Movies, Television, TV
Tagged 70's clothing, advertising, Barnabas Collins, Collinwood, comedy, commentary, Dark Shadows, deadpan humor, entertainment, Humor, Johnny Depp, movie trailer, Movies, spooked, Television, Tim Burton, TV, vampire, white face makeup, Willy Wonka, zingers