Adverts

As much as I hate commericals on TV (really, if I could pay to not have them shown I would!), there are a couple out there that just make me laugh my arse off, a couple that make me think "Huh"? but more that make me think that if I ever saw that commercial again it would be too soon.

My friend Panthergirl hit one of the good ones right on the head. The Soprano season 5 series that just came out on DVD? The commercial for that is brilliant. A montage of Tony Soprano slamming the phone, hitting walls, smacking AJ upside the head etc., all while "People let me tell you 'bout my best friend" is playing in the background. Now, I am a huge fan of the Sopranos and any show or commercial that has a montage to music just hits me right in the heart and makes me happy. It's difficult to describe. I know, I sound like a doilem. I mean, like on Friends or something when they show loads of clips from previous episodes to music. Always makes me either happy or want to cry. Am I just being a big sap? I am. Oh.

I like the Verizon Cell phone commercials where they are making an example of bad connections. The one where the kids are running around covered in white stuff and the woman is sitting on her sofa saying "I thought she said "Flour the kids". Brilliant!

Then we move onto commercials that have famous people trying to flog you stuff. I've touched on this before. Having someone famous telling me how good or bad something is doesn't make me want to run out and buy it/stop buying it.

The commercial over here for Crestor for example. First off. Have you seen who is advertising this?

Do you recognize him? It's Mandy Patinkin. He's only from the most brilliant film EVER! George had no clue who it was, even with the accent! The accent totally gives it away!

OK, I'll put a voice to his picture

Listen to this. NOW do you recognize him?

"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
The Princess Bride

How mad is that? All I hear is "My name is Inigo Montoya, High Cholesterol, you killed my father, Prepare to die!"

I mean, what, are we going to have next? Sharon Stone selling us Nair? Russell Crowe selling us phones? Britney Spears selling us Chastity Belts? How advertisers come up with pairing famous people to stuff is beyond me.*

How about if you have have real people selling stuff by telling the truth? I totally want Verizon Wireless and their "Can you hear me now?" crap to come to Mentor on the Lake and film the commercial. It would be like this:

VW guy: "Can you hear me now?"
Me: "You want a beer now?"

or

VW Guy: "Can you hear me now?"
Me: "Can you go down?"

or

VW Guy: "Can you hear me now?"
Me: "There's a deer, get down?"

or VW Guy: "Fuck it, I give up"

You know? I just hate bad commercials, especially when I know the crap they are selling is just not what they are saying it is. Pizzas looking like they just got off the boat from Italy, yet when I make them, they look like soggy discs of tomato crap with some plastic pepperoni stuck on top. The salads from Wendy's that look light and refreshing on TV? that when I go through the drive-thru, look like they've been on the African Queen all this time.

I'd buy more stuff if they were more honest. What about truth in advertising? yeah, what about that?

So my question to you guys is two-fold.

1. What is your fave commercial (and if you live overseas describe the ad for me)
2. What famous pairing would you like to see?