• Nits: Current Commercials July 23 - 1:49 am

We now return you to your regularly scheduled...

There's a commercial for Kibbles and Bits. A guy is barbecuing steaks, and drops one on the deck right next to his dog, who's eating the dog food. The dog turns, stares at the steak, and then goes right back to eating the dog food. That only happens in commercials. Show me just one dog who would turn down a steak in favor of dog food. The tag line is "Yeah. It's that good." Yeah. Or the dog is that dumb. (The commercial also shows the dog, or rather a CGI version, dancing on his hind legs after eating the Kibbles and Bits.)

Reminded me of a story my mom told about dropping a sponge once and both our dogs ran for it as if it were food.

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There a commercial for a local politician (don't remember the name) he comes to a house & the door is answered by a little girl (early teens or maybe pre-teen) and starts rattling off his record (at this point I wondered if this was his daughter) and ends with "You've got our vote!"
Yeah, right. You're not old enough to vote, little girl.

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Target Dog.
Yes. I would like to. Hand me a gun.
Funny how just as something happens Spot is there on the scene with whatever the person needs. Hmmmm...

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I do find the back to school commercial with Alice Cooper amusing though.

OK, now this is getting ridiculous!! I just saw a commercial for low-carb dog food!!

The Turner networks (TBS and TNT) are running a commercial for the TBS reruns of Sex And The City, with four young girls, who are all supposed to represent the four SATC characters at about the age of 13. But...the Samantha character (Kim Cattrall) was at least five or six years older then the other three. That difference would be even more prominent at the age of 13.

Low carb dog food? Doesn't most dog and cat food consider of meat and eggs, which are already low in carbs???

Would that be the Catkins Diet?

*ducks the thrown boots & tomatoes*

"Gotta love that Alley Cat."

Errrr, yeahhhhhhh...

A feral, or semi-feral, mangy beast that roots through trash looking for something to eat.

Wow. How could anyone resist something like that?

They had a Yoplait (I think) commercial where they said for every lid sent in they will donate 10¢ to a breast cancer fund.

10¢? It'll cost more than that to mail in the lids! If people really wanted to help out that breast cancer fund they should just donate the money they would have spent on stamps to the fund instead.

Mail multiple lids in each envelope. 4 per envelope beats postage costs.

How much does a lid weigh? Once the mailing gets past an ounce, the rate goes up.

They're foil.

Not an actual commercial nit, but ET reported that Lowes* & Tyson Foods were not going to advertise on Desperate Housewives because the show violated the companies "core values".

However they then pointed out that ABC has raised the advertising rates they charge because so many other companies want to advertise on this hot show.

How many people think Lowes & Tyson just balked at how much ABC was charging & decided to get free publicity by claiming they were morally offended at the content?**

* Offhand I'd think Lowes would do poorly since the show is aimed more at women & home improvement is more of a man thing. *shrug*

** Me, a cynic? Darn right I am!

Cash on the bottom line trumps morals every time. Just because you are cynical doesnt mean that you arn't right.

How do fire an unofficial spokesman? ;-) Wendy's has decided to stop making the Mr. Wendy's commercials.

Just before the election George Nethercutt starting running some commercials that featured bloopers of him & his wife making some commercials & ending with the phrase, "I'm George Nethercutt & I approved this message." What message? That it's hard making commercials with your wife or that you make mistakes? If he'd said "I approved this commercial." I wouldn't consider it a nit, but by calling it a message it makes no sense.

There's a new one for Toyota trucks (shown several times on Fox last night!) that "parodies" a PETA ad, detailing about the horrible abuses that truck beds have to endure, therefore you have to buy this Toyota truck. It just seems really tacky.

I like the woman's heartfelt plea and tear at the end.

I know I just love and feel the sincerety of it all.

KAM: Commercials have been called "And now, Messages from our sponser" for quite some time.

Yeah, but the message is usually "Buy our stuff" because of what they've told you and/or showed you about it.

Can you imagine a commercial showing factory bloopers of the making of the product & expecting people to buy it?

S.C. Johnson has a series of ads for its "Edge Advanced" shaving gel. The man in the ad sprays a big glob of gel on his finger, and then proceeds to make enough lather on his face to shave the faces of five guys. I use this stuff myself (or the "Gillette Series" gel; it's pretty similar) and you don't need anywhere near the amount the guy squirts from the can. Just a little dab of gel should be enough to cover the average man's face.

Blockbuster ads featuring people complaining about no more late fees.
If they don't want to pay late fees maybe they should get the movies back on time?

There's a real strange radio commercial. I'm not exactly sure what the point of it is because it's all over the map.

It starts off commenting about some crook who thought he could outfox the cops, but he couldn't outfox technology because the cops hooked a tracking device to his truck & were able to connect him to a murder.
Okay, seems to be pro-law & order.

Then they mention that the case is in court because the cops didn't get a Search Warrant to "do their dirty work."
Suddenly it's anti-cop. (And is attaching a tracking device really any different than putting the truck under some kind of surveilance?)

Then it ends with praising the fourth amendment protecting people from unreasonable search & seizure.
Yes, I suppose if you're a murderer who is worried about police following your truck...

Frankly I think if they wanted to make a commercial praising the Fourth Amendment there are much better examples they could have used.

Personally it doesn't make much sense & I can't really figure out the point of it.

I've seen the 'no more late fees' ad. But what if someone pays three bucks to rent a tape and they never bring it back? Don't they have to have some kind of late fee? Or do they just call it a restocking fee or something?

According to Blockbuster's web site, although officially they are still due back in the same time frame as before, they will do nothing for the first seven days; effectively you have a full week's rental. On the eighth day, they charge your account with the purchase price.

That is the purchase price discounted by the rental fee already paid. and if you do return it after the eighth day, but before the 30th day, they'll refund the (discounted) purchase price except for a "modest "restocking" fee.

Interesting.

But I still think if people don't want to pay a late fee they should get the tape/DVD/whatever back on time.

It's the renters who can't be bothered to return the thing on time that's in the wrong, not any store that charges a late fee, but the commercial implies it's the store that's at fault.

The dialogue really should be, "We're lazy and selfish and it's wrong of you to fine us for that! Booo!"

Admittedly I have heard of cases where 'friends', or family members, have 'borrowed' the item to be returned resulting in the renter getting the late fee, but again, that's not the store's fault.

I wouldn't know. Since my library started loaning out videos and music (including dvds and latest hits music) I havent rented a single video. I get 1 week, for free, with no real hassles. And if I am late the fine is 50 cents a day for the next 2 weeks and then you get your card yanked and they sic the dogs on you. (Never! ever! make a librarian mad it is not a pretty sight!)

There's a radio commercial, I think for somekinda air purifier or something, at one point the announcer says, "Breathing is not an option!" I think he means 'Breathing is not optional' as whenever I hear people say "(something) is not an option" they usually mean it's something you can't have or do.

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Hallmark has an ad out, featuring Trek's George Murdock, that they played on tonight's Hallmark Hall Of Fame. In it, a woman comes to a nursing home to visit her favorite uncle on his birthday. She gives him the card, chats for a bit, then vanishes. Couldn't she have sat with her favorite uncle a bit longer than a minute?

A recent Hershey's commercial has a woman saying that flowers say, "I'm sorry." while chocolates say, "I love you."

So if a man gives you flowers & chocolates he's saying, "I'm sorry I love you."? ;-)

Happy Singlehood Awareness Day, everyone!

John O'Hurley is in one of a new series of ads for Progressive Insurance. But..he still acts like his J. Peterman character from Seinfeld. I almost expect Elaine to pop by.

There's a new commercial for the birth control drug Ortho-Tricycline-Lo. In the ad, they use a song by Sixpence None The Richer titled "There She Goes." I find it a bit incongruous that a song by a group in the genre of Christian Rock licensed one of its most well known songs for use in an ad for birth control pills.

Infiniti has a commercial for it's new "M" model (will it be in the next James Bond movie?) The background music in the ad sounds a lot like W.G. Snuffy Walden's music score from Once And Again. The car itself looks like a spiffed-up Nissan Maxima.

A radio commercial for some local event has the announcer mentioning "Episode 2: Revenge Of The Sith".

This nit is also on the radio station's website.

"As a member of KING FM's Club 98 you have the first opportunity to be a part of what is sure to be one of the top Seattle events in 2005 - an advance screening of Star Wars: Episode II Revenge of the Sith, on Thursday May 12 to benefit the Alliance for Education."

GEICO has a new commercial that says something like "Our Customer Service is so easy, even a caveman can use it." And, then they cut to a guy made up like a Neanderthal. Couldn't they have hired Johnny Damon of the Boston Red Sox to do the ad? I mean, he is the "Caveman," isn't he? Just look at all the money the ad agency would have saved on makeup by hiring him....

Yeah, but how much would GEICO have had to pay for the endorsement fee?

Doubtless a lot.
GEICO has a new ad starring Speed Racer and Trixie, using footage from the show. I wonder if they got Peter Fernandez to do Speed's voice again.

Most annoying new ad -- something for a salad (Wendy's, I think?) -- one of the few I had to mute before even seeing it all the way through the very first time.

It's the one with a bunch of people sitting around a table and someone asks another "How's your salad?" She responds with "Ehhhh...", that kind of non-committal sound. What follows is several people echoing and making perhaps the most irritating noises a group of people can make.

But then, for some reason I never saw the original "WASSUPP!!!!" commercial either.

Meineke has a commercial out now. A bride-to-be walks out of a church alone, while her groom is stuck in the middle of nowhere, tending to an overheated Honda Accord. A wheel cover falls off the front wheel, and makes a tinny sound that metal wheel covers make when they hit the ground. But...most (if not all) wheel covers these days are plastic (Honda's wheel covers have been plastic since the 1980's, at least), and make a distinctly different, and less permeating, sound.

This is for the same reason countless TV shows, commercials, movie trailers and radio ads use the same sound of a needle suddenly scratching off a vinyl record, years after records have been phased out: Because It Sounds Cool (BISC)

Funniest new ad - the elephant tap-dancing to "Singin' in the Rain". I laugh like a little kid at that one.

Stoopid question:
Is it possible to have a new & improved Formula 409 cleaning product?
Shouldn't the new product be Formula 410?
What happened to Forumlas 1 - 408?
Or, is it just named after a racing car?

I have seen some funny commercials recently and one kinda annoying one.

The funny one is the midas young voyagers "he's one of us" one. Which involves some boy scout looking kid questioning a midas employee about the quality, reliability and if the midas techs hold to the values and blah blah of the young voyagers at which point the midas guy gives a bird call. Cute and funny.

Another funny commercials are the capital one card's with the out of work vikings. I love the one where he is a lifeguard. Defiantely make me wanna swim safe.

One I find annoying is the vchip commercial. ihave somethign even better than the vchip. I hold onto the remote aand only let the kids watch tv if we are here watching it too. Its called responsible and involved parenting.

Just saw the out-of-work Vikings spot today. Cute.

There's an unintentionally funny radio commercial. IIRC the announcer says, "Inside every Bryant air conditioner is an environmentalist". I like to imagine it's one of those whacko environmentalist/eco-terrorists sealed up inside unable to escape.

A real annoying radio commercial is a MacGruff the crime dog spot where he's on some talk show hosted by an idiot. Yeesh! She should try the poison coffeecake.

The Google ad on NitCentral today had a link to a site where you can download episodes of Enterprise.
Isn't that illegal without Paramount's permission? If the Paramounties saw that ad would Phil get in trouble?

Do paramounties wear redshirts?

That is a funny bryant. i love it when some ad writer comes up with what they think is the perfect line only to later find out it has been totally mismangled, twisted and turned into something totally different yet funny.

There's an Arby's commercial that has the wife excited that the wedding photos have come then is upset because the photos are ruined because the husband was thinking about Arbys & there is a red Arby's logo over his head.
2 problems:
1. There is such a thing as photo retouching. The logo can be removed.
2. The logo is red, but the photos are in Black & White.

A Singulair commercial has ladybugs turning into butterflies.
(Teacher: No Billy, ladybugs do not turn into butterflies. Where did you get that idea?)

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The Esurance ad with the giant robot.

The spy girl explains that the robot is cutting down trees while we see the robot pulling a tree out of the ground, not cutting it.

The reason the robot is deforesting the area is to make paper for other insurance companies.
1. Esurance is not a paper free company. The customer's have to print out proof of insurance (mentioned in most of the commercials).
2. Logging is done in designated areas, not allowed anywhere. So if the area is a designated logging area, spy girl stopping the robot is illegal. If the other insurance companies are illegaly logging they would get in trouble.
3. Would the expense of building and maintaining a giant robot really be cheaper than hiring professional loggers?

A radio commercial for insurance says, “If people were perfect we wouldn’t need insurance.” So if people were perfect accidents wouldn't happen? There would be no natural disasters?

There was this radio commercial where they mentioned this one candidate for office, then mentioned that he supported (something that I mostly support), then they say he voted against (these bills that waste money & do very little, if any, good), then, inexplicably, they said to vote against him.
What? Here they were praising his record and they think people should vote against him? What a mixed message.

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There are some really annoying commercials trying to get people to vote.
One has Jim's Vote showing up at the house, but Jim has moved. At one point the vote says that they last voted 2 years ago.
2 years? That Jim was a concientous voter.

Secondly the Vote mourns that since Jim didn't let his county auditor know he'd moved he won't be able to vote.
Only if he moved WITHIN the county. If Jim moved to another county he could vote.

Thirdly in a rather surreal section the vote of the guy who lives at the house now acts like a jealous (abusive?) lover trying to keep Jim's vote away from his voter.

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For the past couple of months Quoit has been running ads in which people are stopping whatever they are doing (going on a cruise, giving birth, etc.) because this is the LAST WEEK for Quoit Carpet Cleaning's special sale.
These ads have been running for, I think, 6 months. Clearly somebody doesn't understand the meaning of the phrase "last week".

I know what you mean by the last one KAM. In CIncy there used to be this furniture store that would run a goign out of business sale every few months. I think the store went out of business for about 2 years.

See? Their sales were so successful that they could stay open much longer than they thought! ;)

There's no commercial for it (yet, anyway) but in the ever growing pissing match between Gillette and Schick over their razors, it's getting to be absurd. In 1972, Gillette brought out their "Trac II" razor, with two blades on a single cartridge. Schick countered with its "Super II" (which fit Trac II razors, by the way.) Gillette then refined the two blade cartridge into their Atra and Sensor lines. In the '90's, Gillette brought out the "Mach 3" triple bladed razor. Schick soon countered with their "X-Treme 3" flexible blade razor, but decided to play one-up on Gillette with their "Quattro." Gillette countered with the "M3 Power," basically a Mach 3 that vibrated. Not to be outdone, Schick brought out its own vibrating Quattro (but I've forgotten its name.) Now, in a reach to the absurd, Gillette is introducing a five blade razor called "Fusion," in both regular and motorized versions. As the lady with the crew cut used to say in that infomercial, "Stop The Insanity."

Schick brought out its own vibrating Quattro (but I've forgotten its name.)
With a striking lack of originality, Schick named their powered Quattro the "Quattro Power." (My memory was jarred about this, as it's sold in the drugstore downstairs from my office.)

To be honest, I actually *do* get a better shave out of my Mach 3 than I did out of a standard twin blade.

So do I. The Mach 3 Turbo gives me the best shave I ever had. Especially when I don't shave for three or four days (which I do a lot. My girlfriend doesn't mind stubble, which my ex-wife hated.) I also recently bought a M3 Power Nitro, but in a fit of anal retentiveness, I haven't opened it. Why did I buy it? BILC. Better then the standard M3 Power. Plus, I had a $2 off coupon.
(Incidentally, the M3 Nitroes they sell at Wal-Mart now come with a travel case at no extra cost.)
The Fusion won't be on sale until January, 2006. That one has a sixth blade, in the back of the cartridge, for beard and sideburn trimming. Still, though, I think that's product overkill.

Gillette apparently has a pitch where they find guys about to turn 18 and send them a free Mach 3 and one cartridge. Seems to work, I never use anything else.

Hmm I owuldnt know anythign about those razors. I'm still shaving with my grandfather's straight razor I inherited when I turned 18. Which he got when he turned 18 in 1914.

I personally feel that razors and vibrators are technologies that should be kept separate, but... well, we can't un-ring that bell, I guess.

Oh, the dirty jokes that ran through my mind when I read Sparrow's comment, but... no.

While I agree that a vibrating naked blade sounds dangerous. Electric razors have no choice but to vibrate, but at least they have those cage-like things to keep the skin safe.

Gillette had a nice promotion on Yahoo a couple of years ago for its "Mach 3 Turbo." When you clicked on their banner ad (you had to come across it by chance, but it was up frequently) it took you to a Gillette web page where you filled in your name and address and they sent you a free Mach 3 Turbo handle and blade. I got two for myself, one for each of my brothers, and one for my son. (Who doesn't use it, or even bother to shave much, but that's another story.)


"R" said above: I wouldn't know anything about those razors. I'm still shaving with my grandfather's straight razor I inherited when I turned 18. Which he got when he turned 18 in 1914.

Hey "R" - Who sharpens those things anymore? I'd be afraid to use one. (I assume most people on this board have seen Dressed To Kill or The Untouchables.) IMHO, you'd get a better shave from razors using modern technology.

Gillette apparently has a pitch where they find guys about to turn 18 and send them a free Mach 3 and one cartridge.

They also had an offer three or four years ago when they used the mailing lists of A&P Bonus Card members. I got a free Mach 3 razor and blade in the mail that way.

FWIW- that vibrating razor looks extremely similar to the one developed on the show Better By Design, broadcast on PBS. If it is the same design it looks very promising.

"R" said above: I wouldn't know anything about those razors. I'm still shaving with my grandfather's straight razor I inherited when I turned 18. Which he got when he turned 18 in 1914.

Hey "R" - Who sharpens those things anymore? I'd be afraid to use one. (I assume most people on this board have seen Dressed To Kill or The Untouchables.) IMHO, you'd get a better shave from razors using modern technology.}

Actually I sharpen my own razor. Its not that difficult and I sharpen all my knives and such. All you have to do is know how to hold the stone and the blade and you can get a keen edge. Several of my pocket knives I keep at a razor's edge.

And as for a better shave I dunno, but I doubt it. Considering how i have heard that some of the high end tonsorial parlors use straight razors for their clients. And I have nice smooth skin without stuble aftr I shave, I'd say i get as good as anything else.

Mostly i think it comes down to technique and care. Taking care of your equipment and face. Also taking care to use the right technique so that you don't cut your nose off. I just prefer to do somethigns the old fashioned way. Shaving may take me a little longer but its more time I get to relax, brace myself for the day and get myself pulled together.

I once saw a spoof of commercials which advertised the "new, improved ... 15-blade razor" (made by taping 15 disposable blades together, so the end result was about a foot long...)

here's the straight dope on whether two blades are better than one (Which presumably also applies to 3-, 4-, and 5-blades.) Also note the decreased number of shaves. Or the way the different "systems" mean that getting a "free" handle is a way to get customers hooked so they'll buy the expensive heads. (Like printers being inordinately cheap, because 80% of the profit comes from the ink, which is expensive).

(Almost) everything you need to know about shaving...

Whether or not it's actually true... all I can go by is what works for me.

I just saw a commercial for coca-cola, where the coca-cola polar bears met the coca-cola penguins. Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this?

See the "Penguin Goa'uld Episode" on the Stargate boards for your answer, Joel

Either the bears or the penguins where on vacation?

My first thought also, harking back to one of those Two-Minute Mysteries I read as a kid.

Touching on the razors again. I've recently retired my Shick Injector that I've been using since late 1970/early 1971, since I can't seem to find good blades for it anymore. The last pack of store brand ones I got at the CVS pharmacy just weren't very sharp. I've gone to a disposable razor. (Sighs sadly)

Seriously, Butch, give a Mach3 a try. Don't bother with the M3 Power, though.

I use the Mach 5 myself.

The Mach 3 is pretty dang good. I haven't noticed a bit of difference between the stock model and the pricier Turbo, though. (I didn't even bother with the Power.)

If you want to save money on a mach 3 turbo, then just buy mach 3 refills for your regular mach 3. The turbo just has a nicer looking handle. I have a mach 3 power and I think it's pretty cool, though it probably doesn't make all that much difference.

Money Tree commercial
The spokesbugs are making a rhyme about Christmas & one hopes that Santa will fill their stockings with candy & cash & the other comments that it will be useful for their Christmas Eve bash.
Not really. Why would Santa fill stockings BEFORE Christmas Eve?

Entertainment Tonight is 25 years old and only ET has been there since the beginning!

Well, duh!

The Happy Honda Days commercial is really begining to get on my nerves. For the last week they have been running it every other commercial during the news in the cincinnati market. Since we are one of the mega markets for Honda in the Midwest and have one of their Alpha Stores its not surprising.

Another commercial that is kinda funny though is the Arby's one with the three construction workers. They watch acouple of attractive ladies go by in silence but when this balding dumpy guy comes walking by with Arbys they get all excited.

And speakign of funny what is goign on with Dirt Devil's heads when they approved the new Bissel Broom vac commercial. I am talking about the one where it looks like a party and suddenly everybody breaks out their own broom vac and goes into this dance routine.

When that Honda Days commercial comes on I feel like shouting, "Keep your car-ligion to yourselves!" ;-)

Yeah that broom commercial is weird. Probably done by the person came up with a similar weird commercial about some breath product (pocket strips?) a while back.

A radio commercial had a line that "Radio should be free!" or some similar line.
On the one hand it seems to be a slap at Sirius satellite radio.
On the other hand it's inaccurate since radio stations spend money for licenses, hosts, etc. This is why they sell commercial time.
The funniest thing though, was that IIRC this aired on a conservative radio station. The type of station that usually complains about liberals wanting to make various things available for free. *snicker*

Very funny. Carligion. I can see that......


Free Radio free America for free.

A commercial I am begining to really, reallly, reallllly hate and loathe is the one for Buffalo Wild Wings 25¢ tuesdays or something. Where the guys are walking along grunting in pain after racking themselves. Is this supposed to be funny or want me to go into their restraunt if I'm gonna have to wear a cup? Yeah right, you can tell it wasn't a guy who thought of that ad.

Yeah like I am goign to want to risk goign to one of their restraunt and getting nailed nadically.

I do realize that that feature isnt in the real restraunts haivng eaten there but that commercial is not one I like definately.

NANJAO -- A triple Whopper??? Between that, and the Monster Thickburger, apparently not too many people took Super Size Me to heart (so to speak).

For years, if you ask for it, In'N'Out would make you a 9x9 (9 patties, 9 slices of cheese).

whats next the honestly labeled heartattack in a box please!

There's a commercial where the voice is asking "Who does depression hurt?" and indicates that it hurts people around the depressed person.
Gee, make the people who have depression feel guilty about it now. That'll cheer them up! *rolls eyes*

I'm really bugged by the Ford commercials now using the "Peanuts" theme (Linus and Lucy). That is one ditty that should forever only be associated with those animated specials.

I know the car company is trying to evoke a "good" feeling, but I just don't see how the song equates to buying a car/truck.

A local public radio station is also using the same thing for its school news reports once an hour. While I can see the relationship there, it tends to dilute the theme when you hear it several times a week.

I know the car company is trying to evoke a "good" feeling, but I just don't see how the song equates to buying a car/truck.
Lucy: Come on, Charlie Brown. Step on the gas!
(Charlie Brown does and drives off a cliff)
Lucy: Blockhead!
;-)

The last several months commercials here in North Texas feature companies selling their power-chairs / scooters to the disabled public, and one of them begins their ad by showing a happy older person powering along in a scooter and the voice-over stating, "Awhile back this woman was limited by her mobility". HOW can you be "limited" by your mobility?? It may be possible to be limited by your LACK of mobility, but not by your ability to be mobile.

You know I've been seeing those commercials for so long now I never thought about the phrase they where using. ONe thing I always thought was funny was they would show these old people on their chairs out in the middle of the arch national monument or something up on top of a butte with no way they could have gotton up there short of a helicopter.

The commercial for Chia Cat Grass keeps giving me the mental image of a cat rolling & smoking a joint.

Chi-chi-chia duuude!

Nit.

[Jean-Luc-Picard]There are FOUR "ch"'s[/Jean-Luc-Picard]

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia
1..2..3..4

ooops. Stoner cat dropped a chi. :-)


Good thing they didnt have Porky Pig do that commercial we could be here all night.....

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch- lousy gift!

There's a commercial for somekinda car and a person approaches and runs into a force field. The next day someone approaches and a trap door opens. The day after that a person approaches and gets caught in a snare.
1. Interesting how the car protection methods degrade.
2. When did the owner dig the hole for the trap door?

The car dug the hole itself. It's a really good car.

Yeahhhhhhh, riiiiiiight, then the owner finds the car has been digging holes in the yard...

"Bad car! Bad car!"

I can just see this happening at some point in the future, "The new 2015 Ford Pakled is equipped with the latest in advanced safety systems. The vehicle is equipped with disruptors which automatically vaporize any vehicle coming withing 6 inches, thus ensuring that your family will never be hurt by anyone else's carelessness."

Not to mention vaporizing those pesky pedestrians crossing the street just because they have the light. (Back in November an idiot decided the red light didn't apply to him and came within six inches of hitting me.)

I wonder what would happen in a fender bender? Would each car vaporise the other before contact? ;-)

Will the 2015 Ford Pakled look for things that make it go?


(Ref. STTNG: "Samaritan Snare")

Of course it will it is a Fix Or Repair Daily product!

Or a Found Off-Road, Dead product.

Found On Road Dead is another one I've seen. But maybe that would be an interesting idea for car makers to do. Since they've already used nature (cougar, mustang, camaro, jaguar) number/letter combos (xc70, 911, 500, 300) among other things. Model names based on tv and movie cultures?

The chevy wookie. A big heavy duty truck that just screams let the wookie win in any battle for right of way.

The Chrysler Kirk. A real make out wagon.....

The Dodge Beckett. It just leaps out at you..

The Honda Romulan they are just disappearing off the lot....

"and with a 200 gallon gas tank and nearly 3 miles to the gallon, you don't have to look for things to make it go!"

Forget which company makes the Forester, but put in some DVD players & a supply of cheesy movies and rename it the Clayton Forester. ;-)

Subaru makes the forester.

Warning: when using the Chrysler Kirk, you may get one without the original ragtop.

The Chrysler Kirk also has torn seats near the chest area.

It also hesitates frequently.

When the Geico gecko started he spoke kind of like Kelsey Grammer, then it changed to a Posh English accent, now he has a more regional English accent.

Also shouldn't a gecko have a Mexican or southern US accent?

The Nasonex bee does have a Spanish accent (voiced by Antonio Banderas, I understand.)

There was a test of the new Gillette Fusion vs. Mach 3 razors the other day, from WCBS-TV and Good Housekeeping magazine. The Fusion gave a better shave (by a whisker) but the men preferred the feel of the Mach 3. More here.

Crest has a another commercial featuring Emeril Lagasse out. In it, some guy brushing his teeth is trying to imitate chef Emeril (who's shaving in the adjacent apartment's bathroom, and can hear him.) The dude gets every exclamation wrong, until Emeril corrects him. (Bam!) The nit is that the amount of shaving cream on Emeril's face differs from cut to cut - without him having made a single stroke of the razor.

The Valtrex commercial talks as if Valtrex is the best way to stop spreading genital herpes. Actually 2 better ways are
1. Stop having sex.
2. Only have sex with people who already have genital herpes.

Hey typical medicine commercial. Their medicine is the best and most wonderful thing on the planet and will solve all of what ails ya.

Now if we could only get a pill to deal with all the rest of the pills. Especially when one pill gives ya a side effect that ya need to go get another pill to deal with....

(sorry we've been having some issues with doctors and medicine's right now. My wife is on 12 different meds a day. My mother told them to all go take a flying leap and will go with dignity when her god calls her she said.)

A cure is just a side effect of pill designed to cause problems.

Ain't that the truth.

Ok and to move to somethign lighter have you seen the FedEx cavemen commercial?

Caveman flunkie: "Package didnt get there (after the dinobird he tied the package too got eaten by a bigger one)
Caveman CEO: "Should have used FedEx"
Caveman FLunkie: "They don't exist yet"
Caveman CEo:"Not My Problem" (Typical ceo maybe there is no evolution for them...)

But what makes the whole commerical is the little kharma bit at the end when the flunky leaves the cave and kicks the little dino. (then gets stepped on by huge dino)

Of course there is the usual evolutionary nit that cavemen and dinosaurs did not exist at the same time like that but hey oh well.

I commented on the that one on the Superbowl ads. Listed it as one of my faves.

Oh ok. Sorry about that, I didnt know that and didn't watch the superbowl. This was the first time I had seen it. I can understand why itd be your fave though. (I like the recent run of the various FedEx ads too)

R, go up one level, click on "Current Commercials", and then look for the Feb 05, 2006 and later posts.

Oh ok. Thank you very much for that.

Money Tree commercial
The female bug comments that there are lots of little bugs around & the male bug says it's because they eat the money so he's going to send them to all the Money Tree branches.
Wouldn't money-eating bugs be counter-productive to a payday loan company?

A local ford dealership has their usual push pull or drag it in sales going on and part of the gimmick is they say don't be a stooge come here with three of the guys dressed as the three stooges.

Only problem is they give the Curly lines to the guy dressed (quite poorly I might add in the tradition of low budget car lot commercials) as Larry. Oh well. Soitenly they could do better.

Oh, some wise guys, eh?

Soitenly!

Richard Dean Anderson is appearing in at least one new Master Card commercial. But...is he supposed to be MacGyver in it?

CR asked, a while back: Hasn't Ms. Garr pretty much disavowed her Star Trek role? My understanding is that she doesn't talk about it, or like to talk about it.

I only heard this one recently; maybe here: Supposedly, Gene Roddenberry was unduly concerned with the length of (or more likely, he wanted less of it) Ms. Garr's skirt. Because of that experience, she will not speak about her Star Trek role.

IRC, there's a commercial airing now, for a CD of Richard Strauss' classical music. But, the music played over the ad is Dmitri Shostakovich's "Jazz Suite, Waltz 2."

There's a radio commercial which comments on how since the change in bankruptcy laws a year ago "hard-working people" are unable to get "financial freedom".

Wha...?

Okay, while it's possible some of the people who applied for bankruptcy protection were hard-working people who had a run of bad luck, I believe the bankruptcy laws were changed because of money-grubbing swine declaring bankruptcy so they wouldn't have to pay their bills.

"Financial freedom", yeesh! What about the hard-working people who didn't get paid because someone declared bankruptcy?

More of an Internet ad than a commercial, but...

The thing reads, "When people think Louis Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, there's not enough art in our schools"

If people think Louis Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon we have bigger problems with schools than just art education.

Re:KAM's last comment
It means you're in the universe of the Diana: Warrior Princess RPG....
(F/X:The Twilight Zone Season 1 theme starts playing over the narrator's voiceover....)
Needless to say, beware Landmines, The God Of War...
(Sorry KAM, but I could'nt resist...)

OK, why does Yum brands insist on using Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" as the background music for KFC commercials?

Hint guys, It's Kentucky Fried Chicken, not Alabama Fried Chicken!!!!

Because how many songs do you know that are instantly recognizable as both southern and kentuckian?

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quote:

By ScottN on Monday, December 12, 2005 - 9:30 am:
For years, if you ask for it, In'N'Out would make you a 9x9 (9 patties, 9 slices of cheese).

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I believe the bankruptcy laws were changed because of money-grubbing swine declaring bankruptcy so they wouldn't have to pay their bills.
No, the bankruptcy laws were probably changed due to banking industry lobbyists throwing money and gifts at the 535 duly elected money grubbing whores in Congress. (Add two if you want to count Oil Man Bush and "Puppet-Master" Cheney.) Who never saw a campaign contribution they didn't like. Didn't the lobbyists even write the new laws?

http://www.totalbankruptcy.com/bankruptcy_law_updates_year_later.htm

The new legislation was supposed to weed out "abusive" filers-the ones the credit industry thought were running up credit card bills knowing that they could "always file bankruptcy". But the industry (and Congress) overlooked some very important information-information that consumer bankruptcy attorneys and other consumer advocates attempted repeatedly to share with them. Those "abusive" filers made up a very small percentage of bankruptcy petitioners. The vast majority of people who file for bankruptcy do so because of huge medical bills not covered by insurance, divorce, job loss, or a death in the family.

Early reports from credit counseling agencies indicated that fewer than 4% of prospective bankruptcy petitioners had any other realistic options.

I usually have my TV set to GSN. They frequently have a commercial for "Sonic Earz". The commercial begins with "Have you ever wanted sonic hearing?" 'Scuse me. I must have missed something. I thought I already had sonic hearing as all hearing was sonic in nature.

"It's not sold in any store."

There's a commercial, I think for shampoo, that has a song with a lyric "feel the rain upon your face, no one else will feel it for you".

Why on Earth do they think the rain on your face is a good thing? Do they come from some desert region of the planet.

I live in Washington. Rain on the face is no big deal. More of an annoyance actually. If you really want to feel water on your face take a shower.

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NAN but I found it amusing that a windshield repair company has hired as their spokesman, former hydroplane driver, Chip Hanauer. Must have been the ironic name that appealed to them.

There's a commercial for a credit report website & a guy is singing that if he had been using the site he'd have seen a problem coming like an atom bomb.

Can you really tell the difference between an atom bomb & a regular bomb just by looking at them?

If the atom bomb is coming at you, then it is either on a missile, or has been dropped from a plane, neither of which would give you much time to get out of the blast zone.

So if we take that lyric literally the website wouldn't do you any good at all because there will still be a big 'explosion' that will wipe out your credit.

There's a commercial for a credit report website...
That ad's for FreeCreditReport.com. My girlfriend informs me that it's not free; the first thing they ask you for is a credit card number.

Sally Field is appearing in a series of commercials for Boniva, a medication to help osteoporosis sufferers. Those ads showcases the rampant ageism in Hollywood. Ms. Field has won two Oscars, but apparently has had limited film offers, so she feels the need to do commercials and TV series (which is where she got her start in the mid-1960's, so she's come full circle in her career.) I doubt she has to do the commercials to eat and pay the rent, but if a multiple Oscar winner has a hard time finding film work, it shows that Hollywood is a tough and totally unfair place to work, where it just eats you up and spits you out. Will we soon see Meryl Streep in commercials for "Depends"?

Ms. Field is one of the stars of ABC's "Brothers and Sisters".

Chase has an amusing commercial, in which some ne'er-do-wells break into what turns out to be a PC monitor, all while the theme from Peter Gunn plays. The ad plays up the security of Chase credit cards. I hope my card is as secure as the ad implies.

Going wayyyy back...

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quote:

By Terik on Wednesday, June 08, 2005 - 2:04 pm:

Stoopid question:
Is it possible to have a new & improved Formula 409 cleaning product?
Shouldn't the new product be Formula 410?

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There's a radio commercial for prostate problems, one of the lines is, "Are you waking up to urinate?"
Well, it's better than the alternative. ;-)

Also, Jamie Lee Curtis, who has gone totally grey, is (was) doing ads for Activia, the yogurt that makes you poop. At least according to a funny SNL parody sketch.

That really put it into perspective for me. But does Curtis need the money that badly? IS she really truly not gettting any more work in Hollywood these days?

That could explain it, since she used to be REALLY hot for about a decade (mid '80's to mid '90's). Now, she is no longer a babe. Shame, really!

And yes, Adam Bomb, Curtis, just like Field and Streep, are victims of Hollywood blatant, merciless system of ageism.

That really stinks!

BTW, it wasn't until I saw "Stardust" that I remembered just how attractive Michelle Pfiffer still is. And she's an "older" actress!

Streep still gets movie roles, and seems to be nominated for an Oscar for every one of them. Even for fluff like The Devil Wears Prada. Jamie Lee Curtis was featured on the cover of "AARP Magazine", which may have sealed her fate in Hollywood. Kevin Costner also appeared on the cover of the "AARP Mag" (with a ridiculous looking soul patch) but I don't think his career was hurt. If he still has one.

Lee Majors (who's visibly aged since his Six Million Dollar Man) days, does ads for the Lee Majors Bionic Hearing Aid. But in the series, he didn't have the bionic hearing, it was Lindsay Wagner's Bionic Woman, Jamie Sommers, who had it. Majors' Steve Austin had the bionic eye.

Actually, Jamie started being hot in around the mid '70's (she had long hair in the Halloween movies) but her sex appeal did not really come to the front until 1983's Trading Spaces, and her awesome and excellent topless scene, which she has recently said that she regrets doing.

She was smokin' in 1985's Perfect, and of course, there's A Fish Called Wanda and True Lies.

I just thought I would add that. Too bad about her hair going white and her now being a hawker of poop-inducing yogurt! (Joke.)

KAM wrote, a while back: There's a radio commercial for prostate problems, one of the lines is, "Are you waking up to urinate?"
Well, it's better than the alternative. ;-)
Off topic, but I want to tell all of you (and moderator, if you feel it's inappropriate, please feel free to edit or delete.) I've been having prostate problems for a while, but it hit the fan on May 10, at a screening of Star Trek. I've had bouts of hematuria (click on the link; it's a pretty vile condition.) I've been hospitalized twice (once for two days, once for four) for it, and I may face surgery in the not too distant future; I have to get more tests and consult with my urologist about that. I've been diagnosed with what's called BPH - Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (I think that's what it's called) which caused the hematuria. I'm on medication to shrink my overgrown prostate, but that may not be enough; hence the possibility of surgery, to shrink or (gulp!) remove it. I apologize for unloading this on you in Nit Central Land, but again, I wanted to let you all know.
At least, thanks to a TV commercial for the medication I take, I can get a free refill of it, as it ain't cheap.

The latest commercial for Lowe's, narrated by (who else?) Gene Hackman, shows a "T" added to the end of the store chain name, to form the word "Lowest." The music for that ad sure sounds like the incidental music used in House.

I'm on medication to shrink my overgrown prostate, but that may not be enough; hence the possibility of surgery...
I had the surgery in August 2009, and did (and am still doing) well. I'm still taking the medication, though (it's called "Avodart") and I'm amused by the ads for it. A middle-aged man (like myself), who seems to be constantly searching for the john, states "It wasn't a going problem, it was a growing problem". My nitpick is that the guy always seems to find a bathroom, whereas I had (and sometimes still do) have to plan my travels around where the bathrooms are located. Ah, the foibles of middle-age...

Excellent news, Adam (that you're better than before, not that you're constantly searching for a loo!).

Thanks for your good wishes, Callie. The main downside of taking Avodart is that you can't donate blood until six months after you quit taking the drug. Which I may not be able to do. Donating blood was something I used to do on a regular basis, but now I can't.
Another Avodart ad that just turned up is a bit more serious. It shows a different man walking out of the urologist's office with a free sample box of Avodart. My doctor never gave me a free box of the stuff. The drug is not cheap; it costs between $3 and $4 a pill. I'd never be able to afford it without insurance; even then, my co-pay for a 90 day supply is $70. To be fair, I did get a month's supply free a while back, courtesy of a coupon at the Avodart.com website.

Safelite has a new commercial for its windshield replacement business. An actual tech is on his way to a parking lot, to replace the cracked windshield on a businessman's car. (The tech may be the genuine article, but I'm sure the situation is staged.) The businessman is "in a hurry", or so the ad states. What the ad fails to state is that you must not drive your car for at least 30 minutes after a windshield replacement, to allow time for the adhesive to set. Or, you may get a leak (something you definitely don't want). So much for being "in a hurry". I should know about windshield replacement; I've had to have it done on the last two cars I've owned.

What the ad fails to state is that you must not drive your car for at least 30 minutes after a windshield replacement, to allow time for the adhesive to set. Or, you may get a leak (something you definitely don't want).

Technically, you shouldn't drive until the urethane has cured (outside the Sunbelt, minimum cure times for even the most expensive urethanes---such as the Sika ASAP Safelite uses---are one hour), or you may get dead. The glazing is part of the safety systems of the vehicle and, in some vehicles, essential to its structural integrity.

The glazing is part of the safety systems of the vehicle and, in some vehicles, essential to its structural integrity.
And, I knew that too, but forgot to include it. Thanks.

Couldn't find a good place for this, but I guess here is as good as any...


Has anyone seen the new "Visit Florida" ads?

They discuss the fact that potential tourists are worried about the Gulf spill, and then say something like ...

"Florida has 835 miles of coastline. Northeast Florida has 221 miles of crystal clean beaches..."

In other words, "Come to Florida! Only 3/4 of our coast is covered in oil!!!"

Not a nit, but - Kevin Bacon did a commercial for Logitech, in which he plays a guy who claims to be Bacon's biggest fan. Scenes from some of Bacon's films, including Footloose, are shown. I wonder if he did the commercial because he needs quick cash; Bacon and his wife Kyra Sedgwick were clients of Bernie Madoff, and got ripped off big time by his Ponzi scheme. (Madoff deservedly will spend the rest of his life in prison for it.)

In their latest ads, Toyota calls their Corolla "the top selling car in history", or something similar. Fair enough. But, the current Corolla is a completely different car than the first model back in 1966, with safety and fuel efffeciency improvements that were not available in 1966. Also, the 2011 model is much larger than the 1966 one. The VW Beetle (produced from 1938-2003) and the Ford Model T (1908-27), the previous owners of that title, underwent changes out of necessity. Heck, the Beetle is legendary for not changing, sometimes for years on end. And, when changes were done, they were mostly subtle (re-styled dashboard or bumpers, larger taillights, that sort of thing.)

Patrick Warburton appears as the pitchman in a series of Honda commercials. Is he himself, or his Seinfeld character David Puddy? (Puddy sold Saabs on the series; maybe Hondas would be a come-down...?)

None. He's Joe.

There's an Audi spot -- don't know if it's local or not.

A guy is coming to visit his mom and dad for the holidays. They look at his car as he gets out. As he walks into the house, he sees them pulling away.... in HIS Audi.

Since he was getting stuff out of the trunk, I assume he had his "key". (Of course "keys" nowadays are just RFID tags). But I'm assuming he had his key when he walked into the house.

So how did the parents take his car?

That Audi commercial isn't local; it's seen here in the New York area too. Every morning on WCBS-2 news (in HD, of course .) And, I was wondering the same thing. Unless the parents had a set of "keys" for his car like you said. And I doubt they would, due to the expense of replacing keys in late model cars. The key to my girlfriend's 2010 Corolla has the door and trunk unlock button on it; I would think it would cost a couple of hundred bucks to replace it.

Time Warner is running ads for their "Business Class" service. They all show some guy, who's probably the IT/Comms guy on the phone, having issues with the telecom provider.

Then some dude comes up and says, "Relax, we're switching to Time Warner Business Class!"

Uh, isn't that the sort of decision that the IT department should be IN ON????

Kirstie Alley is playing the "Poise Fairy" in commercials for "Poise," a feminine product that protects women suffering from "light bladder leakage" or "LBL." BTW, Poise is a product I never heard of before the ad began to run a month or so ago. More on that here. No real nits, but she looks good for someone who just turned 61.

Toyota has a new commercial for its 2012 Corolla. A red one pulls into a gas station in the middle of nowhere, waiting to use the station's one pump. Another car is already using it. That car takes off with the gas nozzle still in the car's filler tube. It rips the gas pump off its footing, dragging it along and causing the gas station to explode and catch fire (just like the gas station in Robocop did.) If a car does take off with the gas nozzle still attached, it will just take the hose with it, not the entire pump. And it wouldn't cause the catastrophic damage seen in the commercial. (Don't ask me how I know that. Please. )

Kirstie Alley is playing the "Poise Fairy" in commercials for "Poise" - Adam Bomb

Well, if you read the "Maddenind Commercials" board you'd see I already mentioned this. And I DID nitpick it. Thanks anyway, though!

How, exactly, do you know that, Adam?

You had to know that was waving a red flag in front of a bull

What are you referring to, Scott? One of Adam's posts? If so, which one?

You win, Scott. Back in January 1990, when my son was a few weeks old, I dropped him and my then-wife at her friend's house, while I went to visit my office to say "Hi" to my friends there. On the way back to pick up my wife, I stopped at an Amoco station to buy gas with my credit card. The guy in the booth told me my card had been rejected. I didn't know why, as it was all paid up. So, I got real mad and drove away. I forgot that as soon as I got to the pump, I had put the gas nozzle in the car's filler tube, and it was still there as I drove off. The next thing I heard was the back window of the car breaking. I had ripped the gas hose right off the pump, and the part attached to the pump had fallen on the back window and shattered it into a million pieces. I sheepishly went back to my wife's friend's house, vacuumed up the broken glass and pondered my next move. My wife's friend's husband calmly brought out some sheet plastic and tape, and covered up the missing window. This allowed me to take my wife and son home without them freezing (it was very cold out, and I couldn't ride an infant in a car with a cold wind blowing on him.) The next day, we brought our son to the pediatrician as scheduled, and right after that, I brought the car to a glass shop to have the window replaced. I never heard any more about the incident since; I don't even know if the gas station owners filed a claim with my insurance company. And soon afterward, I had the credit card replaced. The magnetic strip was scratched up pretty bad. Which was probably why it was rejected.
Since it was so long ago, I had forgotten about it almost completely - until that Corolla commercial began airing a week or so ago. I've done some boneheaded things in my life, and that ranks way up there. And now, I don't put the gas filler hose in the car until the card is approved. One of the advantages of self-serve pay-at-the-pump, I guess.

Adam, I wasn't seriously expecting an answer, but thanks. I was just being my usual snarky self.

Why are you guys ignoring me? What's up with that? I did ask a simple legitimate question, that why I wonder!

Read the post directly above your "Poise Fairy" post. We're ignoring you because we expect you to be able to read, especially something that was probably on your screen as you posted.

Oh. Now I get it. And yeah, I can read. But sometimes I miss little details.

As Ed Wood was once thought to have said about his graveyard being obviously phony: "No one will ever notice that! Filmmaking is NOT about the tiny details, it's about the big picture!" And then when asked about it being suddenly night when the previous scene was during the day, he was incredulous and said to the Baptist backer, "What do you know? Haven't you ever heard of suspension of disbelief?!"

Well, that might not have been on topic with commercial nits but I like to quote "Ed Wood" whenever I can. It was great, despite all the historical inaccuracies. Dolores Fuller never smoked. Bela Lugosi did not die alone, he had re-married. And he was not prone to fits of swearing, especially in front of women. But the writers, well, they themselves took some dramatic liscence with the film's script, that's for sure. It was still a great film, one of Tim Burton's best!

Carls Jr has one for a burger saying it's a "symphony of beef, bacon, and cheese". They have some impressive classical music in the background.

The nit? The music isn't a symphony, it's a ballet. Specifically, "Swan Lake"

I just saw an ad for a board game version of "Words with Friends".

Dumb question... hasn't that board game already been invented under the name "Scrabble"?

Subaru has a new commercial out. A mom is driving her son to pre-school or day care (probably the latter, as the kid is in a car seat) in a Subaru. The smart-ass kid takes off his shirt, and throws it out the open car window. Why was the mom even riding with an open window near the kid? That's especially unsafe. Almost all cars these days have power windows. With power windows, the driver can lock out the window controls for the rest of the car. Also, most cars these days have air conditioning. Which precludes the need to open any of the car windows.

There's a commercial for Glade saying that the saying is not "Wake up and see the roses" or "Wake up and touch the roses", it's "Wake up and smell the roses." Actually, it's none of those. It's "Wake up and smell the coffee."

Showing how much this commercial fails, I had to watch it several times to remember what was being advertised.

Or "Stop and smell the roses." If it's okay to mash two different aphorisms together the results could get interesting quickly. . .

Twizzlers has a new commercial out, with some familiar theme music. IIRC, the Twizzlers leave their bag and form our favorite TV starship. The ship then goes into warp. But - the warp effect is from the movies. In fact, the end of the ad is reminiscent of the last shot of The Motion Picture.

In the Subaru "They Lived" commercial, the car at the end has a blue and yellow California plate.

The nit? It's a 7 character non-custom plate starting with a 6. CA has not issued blue and yellow plates since the first character was 1.

Subaru has another commercial out. A girl of about 19 or 20 is learning how to change a tire in a mall parking lot, by jacking up the car, and taking the (rear right side) tire off and putting it back on. At the end, her dad comes over and congratulates her on a job well done. As a bit of a car buff, I have issues with the way she took the tire on and off. First, she's using the lug wrench that came with the car. That's the worst way to get the tire off; it's much easier with an "X" shaped wrench. Like this one. Secondly, once the tire is back on, the lug nuts should be tightened in a specific sequence. For a wheel with four lug nuts, it's 1-3-4-2; for one with five, it's 1-3-5-2-4. (We don't see the lug nuts get tightened in the ad). Thirdly, the lug nuts should be torqued to specifications ASAP. The torque specs may be available in the car's owner's manual, or definitely on-line someplace.
Spare tires are slowly disappearing from cars, in an effort to save weight. BMW is one car manufacturer doing just that.

NANJAO, also on the "They Lived" commercial. The junk yard with the funky tripod is in Sun Valley, California. It's a bit of a local landmark.

Kellogg's has an amusing ad for Froot Loops. A couple is sitting on a couch, getting excited about, I guess, the cereal. IIRC, the man feeds a spoonful of the stuff to the woman next to him. Next thing you know, they're playing the old Super Mario Bros. game on a Nintendo 64. (You can tell by the controllers they're holding; they're the ones for the 64). But, they're playing the game on a 16 x 9 set. IIRC, the Nintendo 64 was formatted only for older 4 x 3 sets; there were no 16 x 9 sets then. The ad has a cute slogan - "Bring Back the Awesome". For me, just thinking about Froot Loops gives me a sugar rush. What's the sugar content of that cereal anyway - 90%?

Have a look at this Chunky Soup commercial. At the end, when the eagle lands on the man's head, it gets its talons nice and deep into his scalp. The man doesn't even blink! Now that's what I call a tough guy!

Tha same Nationwide Insurance commercials still air, (like the one with the kid smashing his cell phone on the sidewalk) but with an unknown female announcer doing the voice-overs. I guess Julia Roberts' contract expired, and she didn't renew.

A recent Target commercial shows three kids going to some land where various toys are lighting up a Christmas tree and the bulb burns out and someone wonders who will make the perilous journey to get a new bulb and the kids volunteer and they're allowed to go.
Yeahhhhh... who better for a perilous journey than kids. *rolls eyes*

And who keeps their extra light bulbs far away were you need to make a perilous journey to get them?
Most people store 'em in a cabinet or someplace close by.

Exxon-Mobil has a current ad titled "Lights Across America". In the ad, we see (what else) lights coming on. One shot shows a waitress pouring coffee in a "Waffle-House" type eatery. The nitpick is that in the close-up, she's pouring decaf (the pot has an orange handle) but in the long shot, it's regular coffee (pot has a brown handle). You can view the ad here.

The Geico commercial with Peter Pan attending a school reunion.

1. Aren't school reunions for people who GRADUATED school?

2. As Peter first appeared in a 1902 book it seems unlikely he would have attended school in 1965.

Kirstie Alley stars in a new commercial for Jenny Craig, in which her Rebecca character is back at "Cheers" with Cliffie and Norm (who's still sitting at the same bar stool, wearing pretty much the same suit, 23 years later ). In the commercial, it looks like "Cheers" was re-created pretty accurately. You can watch the commercial here. If you think you can nitpick it, have at it.

NANJAO: I hate these "shilling for shekels" ads that recreate old TV shows, especially roping in now elderly actors. What's next, an ad recreating "My Three Sons" where little Dodie Douglas grew up to be a transman named Doc?

There is this amusing commercial for a local insurance company. It is obviously set in medieval time Europe. The nit is that potatoes are native to South America and were unknown in Europe during that period.

There's an ad for Monster.com in which Monster interrupts to tell the viewer that it will stop at nothing to find the job you deserve.

Uhhh, isn't wasting time telling us this taking away from time finding a job?

Also "the job you deserve", not the job you want, not the job you are good at, but the job you DESERVE!

Geeze is Monster doing some kind of moral judgement and finding a job that would serve as ironic punishment?

This commercial is probably seen only in the area that EZ Pass is available. John Leguizamo is plugging EZ Pass, and the fact that a lot the toll roads that take EZ Pass are going cashless. (Which puts a lot of people, like toll takers, out of work. Did you catch that, Mr. Jobs-President Trump?) Leguizamo is seen driving a Pontiac Tempest or GTO, I can't recall. (A '71 or '72 model, I think.) What I do recall is that the car has a registration sticker that expired in December of 2016. I'm guessing the registration wasn't expired when the ad was shot, but now, it's ticket bait.

The John Malkovich commercials where he finds out that johnmalkovich.com has been snatched and he tries to get it really annoy me. Particularly since I believe there is a law that grants celebrities special rights to domains that use their name.

Regarding my post of Saturday, February 01, 2014 - 7:36 pm:

You can now request retro plates (Yellow on Blue, or Yellow on Black) from the CA DMV.

In this Nyquil commercial, the father is decorating the room for his daughter's birthday party. The thing is, he's blowing the balloons with his own breath, but they float like they are inflated with helium.

In this King Midas commercial, the door King Midas comes through is turned to gold, as well as its frame and hinges, but the glass in the little window is not.

Given the rampant use of licensed music in commercials, it was only a matter of time before two commercials for different products used the same song at the same time. In this case, both Jeep and some medication are using Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" (although different mixes).

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quote:

Jeep and some medication are using Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" (although different mixes).

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In this Skittles commercial, the man milks Skittles from a girafe who has been eating a rainbow. His bucket contains a lot of red, orange and yellow Skittles, yet you can see that the giraffe has not yet started eating those colors in the rainbow.

Swiffer has a commercial airing now, in which a long haired white cat makes a mess in the house after the owner leaves. Most cats I've seen don't move as much in a day as much (or as fast) as the kitty in the ad moves in 30 seconds.

Ensure Shakes has an ad out which takes place in a refrigerator, with a bunch of other food items. Including an (unbranded) carton of orange juice. The label on the carton has the amount of OJ in the container at 64 ounces. But, most, if not all, OJ containers are now at 59 ounces, and have been for a few years now. (What's the next step? Down to 52, maybe?)

In a Tru-Car commercial, a guy is searching for a 2017 Nissan Rogue on line. But, the dealership he eventually finds the car at appears to be not a Nissan, but a Volkswagen, dealership.

Way back in 2012, I posted, in regard to a then-current Toyota commercial:

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quote:

If a car does take off with the gas nozzle still attached, it will just take the hose with it, not the entire pump. And it wouldn't cause the catastrophic damage seen in the commercial.

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"that's not half bad!"

a radio advert for some small business had two little girls and one of them said "that's not half bad!" to the other and i couldn't help laugh at the middle aged copywriter who thinks modern little girls talk like that!

NNAN, but, uh, a current BECU commercial starts off with a black family with two members holding up signs reading "Just Sold" which brings to my mind, at least, the old practice of slavery.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the signs are supposed to refer to the house they're standing in front of, but still, did no one making this commercial even consider the possible misinterpretation?

There's a Brazilian Renault commercial which uses actors playing live action versions of the old Dungeons and Dragons cartoon.

(Some have seen stills and clips and hoped it was a live action movie, but no, just a commercial.)

At one point you can see Diana shifting the car's stick without looking down, like she had been driving for years.
How old was Diana? Old enough to have a driver's license? Even so, she would have spent years NOT DRIVING and yet she handles the car quite easily.

Given the rampant use of licensed music in commercials, it was only a matter of time before two commercials for different products used the same song at the same time. In this case, both Jeep and some medication are using Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" (although different mixes).

It's happened again. Both Phoenix University and Mazda are using covers of The Cranberries' "Dreams". It's definitely a different artist performing either version, but I personally think both should be dedicated to the memory of Dolores O'Riordan.

The J.G. Wentworth commercial, with people riding on a bus and (operatically) singing the praises of the company is back. However, it appears there are different people singing the company's praises. The singing voices and the "bus driver" are the same, however.
I just learned that Wentworth filed for bankruptcy in 2017. Guess they couldn't supply the "877-CASH-NOW".

"I personally think both should be dedicated to the memory of Dolores O'Riordan."

Um, the alcoholic who got herself killed in the bath?

Well, Natalie, I see my advice to you about thinking before typing has fallen on deaf ears.

O'Riordan got herself killed. That may upset your apple cart, but some apple carts NEED to be upset and reality accepted.

Perhaps you should do a little research before posting. The poor woman, among other things, suffered from bipolar disorder:

Have a gander at this:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolores_O%27Riordan#Health_issues


I would have thought, considering your own health issues, that you might be a little more tact here.

Natalie? Tact? Surely you jest....

You'll be glad to know im writing this on my phone from a room at Deloraine hospital.

Why would I be glad about that?

And?

In the latest (and lamest) LIMU Emu and Doug commercial for Liberty Mutual, Doug is using a gumball and siren (in his early 70s Plymouth Duster) to chase down another car, in order to hand the passenger his business card. He screams "I can save you!" Is that really worth a ticket? Can an almost 50 year old car outrun a modern one? (In this case, I think it's a late model Honda Accord.)
In one cut, the Duster has an antenna mast. In most of the ad, the mast is nowhere to be found.

This Ultra Downy commercial is cute, but if I were to ever put on a shirt as damaged as this one while preparing for a date, I would immediately notice and change it for another one.

In a current Safelite commercial, a couple gets a star break on their vehicle's windshield, and drives to the nearest Safelite location for a repair. The star break is on the driver's side. In some states, a break or crack on the driver's side neccesitates replacement of the windshield.

In a current Carvana commercial, that exclaims "We want to buy your car" (and probably pay you close to nothing for it) a car is displayed that is supposed to be a 2016 Chevy Camaro. Problem is, it's a 2008-15 model. The headlight area of the front fascia was significantly narrowed for 2016, from the older models.

A few months ago I was interested in selling my car. I checked to see what Carvana would offer. The offered $107. Kelly Blue Book is about $2,000. Needless to say, I won't be selling a car to them any time soon.

I've had good experiences with CarMax.

I won't be selling my car anytime soon, even though it's kind of old (a 2000 Honda Civic). For a couple of reasons:
1. It's the last car my dad drove, before he quit driving at age 85, three years before he died. Dad's legs were going out, he needed a walker, and he was afraid he hit someone. I took the car, as it came along as my '91 Tempo was starting to fall apart, in October 2010.
2. I spent two Saturday afternoons putting a good sound system in it, and want to enjoy it as long as possible. As an aside, my Crutchfield house brand speakers, Sound Ordnance, sound pretty good when paired with my Sony radio/CD player.
When the Civic does bomb out, I'll donate it. Which is what I did with the Tempo.

Smile Direct Club has several commercials airing for their teeth straightening system. The most prominent one is the ad where a young girl named Madilyn, with prominent top front teeth (is "buck teeth" a politically incorrect term these days?) unwraps a box from Smile Direct. That brings her to tears. My dentist doesn't recommend Smile Direct, as it's not supervised by a dental professional. They're more inclined towards Invisalign. Which is supervised by a professional.

That's what my ex-GF, who is also an orthodontist, says as well.

She says she's had to fix the teeth of a lot of people who've been through Smile Direct.

A current Allstate commercial has a woman towing an entire house on a trailer. The car she's towing the house with is a Toyota Prius, a hybrid that probably wouldn't have enough pull to tow a dog house, much less a full size one. I don't even think a large pickup, like a Ford F-series or a Chevy Silverado, could handle the job. (The commercial ends humourously, with a paper boy on a bicycle throwing a newspaper on the porch of the moving house.)

A current Car Shield commercial, with Ernie Hudson, has a woman upset with her overheated car; it's implied the vehicle's "Check Engine" light came on, as the ad starts with that light lit. The "Check Engine" light is designed to come on if there's a problem with the emission control system, not if the vehicle overheats. I should know; I had to drive my late brother's Nissan Xterra from one Florida town to another. About a third of the way down, the Xterra overheated. At about 10 on a Saturday night. I did get a tow, but the "Check Engine" light never came on.

Kind of reminds me of that episode of Big Bang Theory, in which Sheldon reminds Penny there her Check Engine light is on.

She ignores him, and her car later dies.

Another Allstate commercial featuring Dean Winters' Mayhem is making the rounds. Mayhem is "dancing" on a street corner for a supposed "hashtag challenge". A poor fellow eyeballs the dancing fool, and crashes his SUV into a truck. His vehicle hits the truck with sufficient force that its airbag should have inflated. Which it didn't.

There's an annoying commercial that precedes some YouTube videos for Wix.com. The line that bugs me is "There's nothing more powerful than you."

Actually there are plenty of things more powerful than you. If you get hit buy a car chances are you won't be walking away from that.

I understand that they are trying to encourage people to follow their dreams, but you can do that without stating a lie.

Thank God for AdBlock.