Archive for September 2014

Geico’s Tasmanian Devil “Energy Drink”Commercial…

September 30, 2014

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I’ve always had a soft spot for the Tazmanian Devil character in the Warner Bros. cartoon family.  Like a whirlwind on speed, he rips through the environment as a blur of motion, an animated tornado.  Only the formidable Bugs Bunny can outwit and subsequently control this hyperkinetic force of nature.  Giving such a creature an energy drink would be like putting out a fire with gasoline, but we can only imagine the devastation that such an act would create.  

Thanks to another Geico commercial, we no longer have to imagine such mayhem.  A couple are shown reposing in bed, with one musing about how Geico insurance can save a customer 15% on their insurance.  As the partner is aware of this, the follow-up stumper question posed is whether the partner knows that some cartoon characters should never be given an energy drink…

…cut to a production studio, where against a white screen the Tazmanian Devil is chugging an energy drink! – – Uh oh, his eyes drift out of proportion to one another, and soon Taz’s body dissolves into the whirling blur of motion we know so well, crashing through the walls of an adjoining production studio where fine china collector’s plates of the fifty state birds are being touted!  Predictably, Taz decimates the plates and their display stands, leaving the studio a shambled ruins.  

I do so love seeing a master of mayhem like Taz at work, and fine china and crystal make such delightful sounds when decimated, don’t they?  Long may the Tazmanian Devil rage, and reign!

“Gotham’s” Catwoman…

September 23, 2014

I’m always glad to see portrayed the character of Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman.  In the new series Gotham airing on the Fox network, we are introduced to a young version of the character, depicted as a street urchin and thief with impressive gymnastic skills and of course, cat-like moves.  Played by 15-year-old San Diego native and dancer Camren Bicondova, the young Selina Kyle is a witness to the murder of young Bruce Wayne’s parents and kind of shadows the action during Gotham’s first episode, equally at home on a rooftop, observing undetected at the funeral of Bruce Wayne’s parents, or perched on the wall of stately Wayne Manor. Although she is not yet costumed and speaks not a word during the series premier (cat got her tongue?), we are promised that the teenage Catwoman will have plenty of dialogue during the second episode.  Her appearance is even similar to that of a young Michelle Pfeiffer, my personal favorite in the catsuit. 

Gotham itself is an impressive prequel to the Batman franchise.  Suitably dark, the series introduces us to the pre-teen Bruce Wayne, a surprisingly vital and agile Jim (later Commissioner) Gordon, and classic Batman villains in their early formative stages.  Featured in early episodes will be the Penguin, and we’re also introduced briefly to the Riddler and even Poison Ivy!  The writing appears credible and true to the franchise, and the actors likewise while playing it seriously create believable and three-dimensional characters.

Gotham gets it right, and is likely to be a hit!  Just bring Catwoman more to the foreground, please!

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The Laughing Cow, “Reinvent Snacking”

September 6, 2014

 

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If I beheld a human-sized, red-colored, talking anthropomorphic cow on my living room sofa, I’d probably be paying more attention to her than I was to my snack or whatever was airing on the tube.  Such is not the case with the humans in the Laughing Cow “Reinvent Snacking” commercial, who go about feeding their faces, apparently oblivious to the cow.

Is this perhaps a spectral cow, visible to you and I only?  I find that thought disturbing, as I do to some extent the cow herself. – -Why is she red?- – Does she share genes with Clifford, the Big Red Dog?- – And why is she wearing earrings made of her own cheeses?  Smart product placement, maybe, but rather tacky!

Bemoaning the fact that snacking has become “predictable and unsatisfying” (much like my life), the red cow then joins a woman on her porch and later at a table, where she cheerily touts the virtues of Laughing Cow cheeses while continuing to be ignored by her human hosts.  Yes, it would appear that in matters of snacking and cross-species entertaining, humans are basically…pigs!

Little Caesar’s “Wag” Commercial

September 4, 2014

 

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In this commercial spot for Little Caesar’s pizza, a father and his faithful canine companion are comfortably chilling in their living room when the lady of the house enters the dwelling.  The dog wags his tail in happy greeting.  “You got dinner already?,” asks the disbelieving Dad.  “Yeah, I swung by Little Caesar’s,” answers the woman.  “You don’t have to call in or wait.”

The guy grins happily, and momentarily his pony tail is wagging, synchronous with the dog’s tail.  I rather wish that I had a real tail, don’t you?- – I protest, I was shortchanged!