Thursday, August 30, 2007

Garden Bar Free (Say it fast three times!)

To All Television and Radio Advertisers: Be VERY careful about word placement in your commercials.

I don't know how widespread the commercial is, but in Indianapolis, Ruby Tuesdays is advertising a meal where you get a "Garden Bar Free". This is repeated at least three times during the commercial and I swear to God, all I can here is the nonsensical phrase "Gard 'n' Barf Free".

PLEASE make sure you read the commercial copy aloud to yourself, and to at least a couple of people who don't know what it says. Yes... This is on TV. Yes... The words appear on the screen. But my TV is set beside me. I look at my computer screen most of the time, especially during commercials. So I HEAR them, rather than see them most of the time.

I swear, the first time I heard the ad, I nearly got whiplash twisting my head to see what was being advertised! If that ever happens, I guess I know some people with deep pockets I can sue for pain, medical and emotional distress, huh? ;-)

-BS

Friday, August 24, 2007

Viva Viagra

If you've not seen the commercial, check it out here...

Ah... You're back. What did you think?

Apparently, others have noted this commercial and hate it - I would guess that most of those would be the ones who don't really watch TV, but have it on as background noise; and those who think Elvis was a god; and those who think that songs cannot be parodied or certain songs or those by certain people should not be used in ANY commercials. I was looking around on the net to figure out 1) who sang the song; and 2) who were the actors in the commercial (and did THEY sing it?) Although there are about 50,000 Google-searched links out there that mention "Viva Viagra", only one place mentioned that it MIGHT be "the Swinging Johnsons/Johnson Brothers" singing it. (And THAT might very well be a tongue-in-cheek reply!) But in leafing through the pages of the Google results and spot-checking a few, I found a lot of people don't like the commercial!

  • Some think it's creepy... There are a buncha guys in an old garage or shop, singing about Viagra, and there's not a chick in sight! But they say nothing about all the other garage bands out there, who practice without their girlfriends, wives, kids, etc. And many of them still do sing love songs. Why isn't THAT creepy? LOL
  • Some think it's irresponsible of Pfizer to promote Viagra this way - You know... a fun, well-done parody of a popular song, with no mention that Viagra doesn't stop STDs. Well, I like this approach MUCH better than the creepy 50s father with the adoring wife and stupid open-mouth grin on his face because he's FOUND Viagra! GEEZE! Talk about creepy!
  • Still others think it promotes the use of Viagra as a "recreational" drug, for those who don't have ED, especially using the Viva Las Vegas song... That except for one or two of the guys in the commercial, most are in the late 40s and early 50s and shouldn't NEED it. (After all... Didn't Bob Dole and a couple of other octagenarians advertise it?) Well, think about this... There are other diseases and treatments that otherwise healthy men of ANY age can "get" and have, that can cause ED - diabetes and high blood-pressure to name two. There are also medical treatments that can cause ED. If Viagra or one of the other ED drugs can be used and help, if YOU had the problem, wouldn't YOU want to use them?
  • And there are those that think Viagra is too well-known to advertise. Are you shitting me? What about Aspirin? Doesn't EVERYBODY know that aspirin can help when you're having a stroke or heart attack? Doesn't EVERYBODY know that it helps aches and pains? So why are THEY still advertising? Doesn't EVERYBODY know know that BEEF... is for dinner? That milk does a body good? That Wonder Bread helps build strong bones? That Pork is the "other white meat"? That... So why are we still seeing advertisements for them?
Personally, I like it. I know... I know... I've just blasphemed about the god Elvis and his works, but forget THAT for a moment... and forget for a moment that it's a Viagra commercial - The song is really well-done... The edits in the commercial are well-done... The actors in the commercial (I swear I've seen at least 3-4 of them in SOMETHING (separately, of course)), "fit the part", look like they're really singing the song (if they aren't), and are obviously having a blast being in a band. (All you guys and girls my age who used to play an instrument, or still do, and aren't IN a band... Doesn't it make you want to try to start a band like that? And NO... We would NOT be singing "Viva Viagra"!) And you and those who are CURRENTLY in bands - Don't you wish you had a place out in the boonies where you could practice without the neighbors limiting when you could, and possi-proba-bly calling the cops on you for being loud?

Give it a break and get over it. It's a freaking commercial. If you can't sit through 30-60 seconds of something you don't like... It's almost as bad as those people who change channels on the radio when a song they don't like plays... It's only going to be on for 3-5 minutes. Turn it down enough to just hear when it's over! GEEZE! If you don't like a commercial, when it starts, pick your butt up off the couch and go to the bathroom... Let or take the dog out... Go to the kitchen and get a drink or something to munch on... Read a story in the paper... SOMETHING... And QUICHERBICHIN!

Oh, yeah... Anyone know who sings the song and who the actors in the commercial are? I'd really like to know.

Speaking of drug commercials - Has anyone else noticed the prolifieration of drug dealers on the street? Sure... They're over-the-counter drugs, but they are still drug dealers giving out "free samples", right? The Zantac (FAST) guy? All those people who notice a family member/friend/collegue in distress and say "try this" medicine? Anyone remember the Phillips Milk of Magnesia lady? Why isn't anyone going after them. And no... Those advertising a drug by describing it are not the same. Think about it.

Ok... 'nuff for now.

-wds

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

America's Got Talent

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Terry Fator won! If you missed it, check out the AGT website and to the two-minute recaps.

I feel sorry for Cas Haley, because if Terry hadn't been in the competition, he'd have won it, hands down.

I still think America was off a little with Butterscotch and Julienne Irwin in the final four instead of the Glamazons and Sideswipe, but I guess America spoke.

But Terry won it! Lets hope we see more of him than we did of Bianca Ryan. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her, too, but why is it we see more of second-place American Idols than we do of the winners? Why? I mean I know we fall in love with the people we see on TV fairly regularly and like, but why not the winners?

Anyway, Terry's slated to play in Vegas, soon. I'm sure he'll be in demand for some time, now the shows over. Cas will too.

In fact, like I said before, I hope that producers and A&R people ARE paying attention to this show... Butterscotch, Julienne, the Glamazons, Robert Hatcher, Jason Pritchett, and others deserve a chance, and they all have followings from the show. Get on it fast!

-wds

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

MORE Annoying Commercials

Geiko - The one where the guy laughs and makes weird faces and noises on his webcam (original video that was edited into the commercial)? Then it goes to a mattress joust in a dorm hallway (original video). The voice-over says something about there being a better way to spend time on the internet. It's not that the commercial was annoying to start with... The problem is that they continue to air it, almost as often as they aired the caveman, to start with, before they created different ones. There are plenty of other viral videos out there they could find and use (except, I guess they'd have to pay the owners to use them...) Even so... I CANNOT be the only one who finds this one annoying.

Subway Scrabble - I can see at least three people who would and probably SHOULD have the crap beat out of them. 1) The guy walks out the door as a couple is walking in, and shakes wet off his head, all over the girl. Why did the boyfriend just stand there like a dufus? The guy SHOULD have at least been arrested for battery. 2) The guy sitting at the table who peals off the piece and throws his whole drink, TWICE, over the family sitting across the aisle from him ... AND THEY JUST SMILE at him! Their own meal's ruined with the liquid, and they have (most-likely) sugary, therefore STICKY, pop all over them. I REALLY doubt if this happened in real-life, they'd be smiling. 3) Just before they cut away from this scene, a lady in the foreground does the same to another family. These people would be KILLED IMMEDIATELY in some neighborhoods... If not killed outright, they'd have the shit beat out of them. And again, every single one of them should be arrested for battery, if not assault.

Oh... And Mercedes Benz Summer Love event - The song they play is the first part of Sam Cooke's "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons". Apparently, it was written with all the "I Love You's" in it, but Sam was the only person who recorded it to include it. While a once-in-a-blue-moon things would probably be ok, it's played at least 2-3 times a night... To be honest, that might be on different channels, but still... 1) It's the classic commercial overuse of a certain part of a song, making not only the commercial completely annoying, but simply because of the commercial, many will NOT like the artist - Is this unfair... Yes, but if you buy an album (Remember... I'm old - Ok... CD or DVD) it's on, would you REALLY want to hear the damn commercial every time you listen to it?; 2) Yes... It will help me remember Mercedes, however, it will just be another reason, (besides price) I would never want one!

KIA Spectra's "Save the Greenbacks" commercial is beginning to annoy me, too. Stupid. (click the screens to see short versions of the current commercials).

Enough for now... TTYL
-Bill

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

America's Got Talent

What the heck happened? They dropped two people from 10 last week, and four from eight this week? I could see dropping two a week, but ...

Cas Haley (Reggae Singer/Musician), Terry Fator (Ventriloquist/Comedian/Mimic), Butterscotch (Beatbox/Singer), and Julienne Irwin (14yo singer).

Those that made it to this show besides them were: Robert Hatcher (Singer), Jason Pritchett (Singer/Musician), The Glamazons (BBW Burlesque singing group), and Sideswipe (Martial Arts Dancers).

I think there are mistakes here, America. While they are good, Butterscotch and Julienne shouldn't have made it over the Glamzaons and Sideswipe. Why? Because they are "just singers". I think that's why Robert and Jason didn't make it into the group.

But why are we even talking about this? Why did they drop half the freakin' group? Why not only two this week, then two next week, THEN the final? I think they put too many shows on at the beginning of the show (the setup before America votes), and had to cut the rest short. Maybe next year we'll see some of these people back, but, then again, maybe we'll only be able to vote once! GEEZE!

And last year, before the final, they had celebrities help the acts chose their songs and what they did. Will they this year for the last show? They are saying this is the finale. It can't be... They have to let us vote one more time and have a results show.

Now one good thing for EVERYONE in the show... It's exposure. Robert said he'd go home and wait for record companies to call him. (Yeah... It MIGHT happen, but...) Hopefully there ARE A&R people watching. Hopefully there ARE producers, and others watching. Because there are those, even in the first shows, that didn't make it, simply because they had to choose a limited number of spaces. Now why they chose SOME of them (the "Ballywood dancer", Leonid, and some others), HAD to be because of the controvery they'd evoke, both with other judges and America, rather than the talent they showed.

But America... VOTE... VOTE for the GOOD ones... Vote for the unique ones. Hell... Even Butterscotch is unique as hell... How many people can do the beatbox and sing at the same time? Still, I liked the Glamazons and Sideswipe better.

Well, I guess we'll find out... Personally, I think Terry Fater should win. Will he? We'll know next week. I think it's between him and Cas Haley. We'll see...

Oh yeah... If you missed some of the episodes, here's a link to the AGT website and to the two-minute recaps.

-wds

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

America's Got Talent and All-Bran Commercial

America's Got Talent

Thank GAWD the American public did NOT allow through some of those voted through from the early shows: Leonid (*GAK* Yes... He was back), Boy Shakira (*SHUDDER*) / Boy Brittany (*SHIVER*), and the dude they called "Ballywood" (OMG - strange dancing, probably better than I could, but nothing worth a million dollars!).

If you missed some of the episodes, here's a link to the AGT website
and to the two-minute recaps.

Here are my choices for the finals, in order, top pick to bottom:

Terry Fator (Ventriloquist)

Cas Haley (Singer)

The Glamzons (Plus-size singing group - Burlesque-style dress)

Sideswipe (Martial Arts Dancing)

Butterscotch (Beat-Box singer)

Calypso Tumblers (uh... Tumblers)

If there were any other videos of them, I missed them.

All-Bran Commercial

OMG! Has anybody else noticed the explicit symbolism in the new All-Bran "10-Day to a Better You Challenge" commercial? (See it HERE). The one where the construction guy on a construction site descibes how it helped his constipation? In case you missed it, there's a beam in a narrow "window slit", and at the right moment, it is pushed through to the ground (our side of the wall). Then, he's standing with one leg up on something, and behind him, a truck dumps 55 gallon drums (or kegs?) ... The thing is, the level of the truck, and the way he's standing, it ... appears ... to be coming out his ass. Then, the finale, he's still extolling the virtures of All-Bran and how it helped, and a dump-truck dumps a load of bricks. This HAS to be one of THE MOST exlicit symbolism in American commercials today! (And I found out today, that it COULD have been WORSE! - Director's Cut (so to speak))

See ya soon.
WDS

Friday, August 03, 2007

Scam Alert

I've published a new page on OFP related to some emails I received yesterday. They contained the subjects

You've received a greetingecard from a Neighbor!
You've received a postcard from a School mate!
Note that neither mention a name, which is one of the warning signs. See my experience, full examples, and a link to a Scam Alert about these at OFPv2/Scams - Malware Email Examples #009-011.

I've also added some correspondence I had about my OFPv2/Shams - NRPI page, and sent a letter to the editors of the Lebanon, Indiana Reporter and Indianapolis Star newspapers concerning the cemteries article I mentioned last week.

Other than that, I've been researching the William J (or G) Laughner family in Tennessee and Boone County, having problems finding them in 1850 (they're supposed to be in Boone County). They seem to tie a lot of my peripheral families together.