[Okay, I’ve tried to post this twice so far. Each time I’ve done it, I’ve tweaked it (especially since I can’t remember what I typed the previous time. Here’s another attempt and hopefully it’ll stick this time. Hmm. Server problems? And I thought it was just my connection to the Internet striking against me again].
Friday, 10/10/03 – frustration with NBC. I’m thinking that it’s a real shame that NBC pulled the 3rd episode of the 2nd season of “Boomtown.” Well, no one ever said that critically acclaimed shows will last; the ratings are always a network’s real goal. And, it looks like my track record with watching cancelled or soon-to-be-cancelled shows continues. I’m still mad at myself (in the trivial sense, I know) for erasing the 2nd episode from the previous week. That was such a great episode.
Commercials – Has anyone noticed Toyota’s Christopher Columbus, Action Figure? Those ads are so low-budget looking. For those who don’t know, basically the protagonist is a Ken doll dressed in a Christopher Columbus costume. He’s carrying a Toyota flag (although in one spot, he’s carrying a Spain flag). He’s speaking in a sort-of-NYC-outer-borough accent, cajoling a kid to tell his parents to go buy a Toyota for the holiday (“Badda-boom”). In another spot, Chris is jabbing his flag on a guy’s thigh while telling him to go buy a Toyota. In a third ad, Chris is telling this lady to go buy a Toyota; it ends with the lady trying to not burst into laughter. The ads are so campy and hilarious. Got to love that Christopher Columbus, Action Figure.
I don’t love the latest McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it” promotion, with Justin Timberlake singing “I’m lovin’ it,” with a rapper I have yet to identify. Besides being grammatically incorrect, I just haven’t found the ads very persuasive. So the singers love Mickey D’s. That’s nice; but it doesn’t mean I’ll love it or you’ll love it or that we’ll all love it. The lyrics are pushing the Mickey D’s lifestyle: the rapper says he can’t cook, so he fills his stomach with McDonald’s. Um, okay. Can’t we just stick with the food at a bargain type of ads? Or something witty, like the weird breakfast treat thing (“Weird, but yummy”) or tempting (like those Chicken Breast Strips?). Oh, well.
Stay tuned.