Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Only in France.......
The Associated Press is reporting that a French woman who recently converted to the Muslim religion was barred from a public pool because she wanted to swim wearing what is being called a "burquini", a variation, if you will, on the Muslim burqa that women of the faith are required to wear. French officials have concerns about the spread of bacteria and other germs because the "burquini" can be worn all day in or out of the pool. This 30-something woman wants to abide by her religion, which is understandable, but would this situation occur here in America? I don't know, but if it did, it'd probably be filed under "News of the Weird" or something along those lines.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1921-2009)
By now, you've known that Mrs. Shriver, who passed away early Tuesday after a lengthy illness, founded the Special Olympics back in 1968, enabling disabled athletes to have their own global competition, and was actively involved with the program as late as last year. Unlike her brothers, Mrs. Shriver didn't attract the attention of the scandal-obsessed tabloid media, but you can bank on the fact that if there wasn't any real dirt on her before, some opportunistic parasite will try to invent some kind of salacious story to destroy her reputation, just because of the Kennedy name.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Advertising isn't rocket science, but........
It may all depend on what you're interest is, but the vast majority of commercials these days tend to be designed for the viewers with lower than normal IQ's. It just happens that way.
Take for example GEICO's newest corporate mascot, "The Money You Could be Saving With GEICO". A stack of cash with plastic eyeballs sitting atop of it. The latest commercials would have you believe it can operate a cell phone or throw a basketball. Utter balderdash! If GEICO thinks this inanimate object can be groomed as the successor to the gecko, they're obviously on something. Not on to something, mind you, but on something. I think you get my drift.
It's nice to be entertained and informed at the same time. Time Warner Cable hired actor Mike O'Malley (ex-Yes, Dear) a year ago to be their spokesman, representing the average consumer. The ads can be a little annoying at times, but it's a perfect counterpoint to the comic ads that DirecTV has been running with a generic cable company boardroom debating the merits of satellite vs. cable. That gets old in a hurry. Miller beer made a star out of an otherwise obscure actor named Windell Middlebrooks with their "common sense" series of spots, now in its 3rd season. Middlebrooks has since parlayed this gig into a recurring role on Disney Channel's Suite Life On Deck as a security guard, and is working on a new series for CBS.
Conversely, Bud Light's "Drinkability" spots have already jumped the shark with the magic marker gimmick ads. Making things worse is a spot that is set in another boardroom where a hip junior executive is tossed out of a sixth floor window (I think), complete with chair, fortunate for a nearby tree to break his fall, just because he suggested---jokingly, he'd claim at the end of the spot---that the beer be taken out of the corporate budget. If you don't drink beer (and I don't), you might find this morally offensive on a number of levels.
Speaking of offensive, that brings us to local advertisers like the Fuccillo Auto Group. Billy Fuccillo has gotten heat, at least if you go by The Record's "Sound Off" column, but I haven't seen a guy this intense, aggressive, and enthusiastic about promoting his local business since those legendary Crazy Eddie ads in New York back in the day. "Huge", I guess, is the new "insane".
On the average, you have 30 seconds to a minute to sell your product and get your message across. You don't want to bombard your prospective customers with mixed messages and lots of noise. Unfortunately, noise, like sex, sells. It's a sorry, sad truth of this generation. How else to catch someone's attention and divert it from their other interests (i.e. video games)?
Take for example GEICO's newest corporate mascot, "The Money You Could be Saving With GEICO". A stack of cash with plastic eyeballs sitting atop of it. The latest commercials would have you believe it can operate a cell phone or throw a basketball. Utter balderdash! If GEICO thinks this inanimate object can be groomed as the successor to the gecko, they're obviously on something. Not on to something, mind you, but on something. I think you get my drift.
It's nice to be entertained and informed at the same time. Time Warner Cable hired actor Mike O'Malley (ex-Yes, Dear) a year ago to be their spokesman, representing the average consumer. The ads can be a little annoying at times, but it's a perfect counterpoint to the comic ads that DirecTV has been running with a generic cable company boardroom debating the merits of satellite vs. cable. That gets old in a hurry. Miller beer made a star out of an otherwise obscure actor named Windell Middlebrooks with their "common sense" series of spots, now in its 3rd season. Middlebrooks has since parlayed this gig into a recurring role on Disney Channel's Suite Life On Deck as a security guard, and is working on a new series for CBS.
Conversely, Bud Light's "Drinkability" spots have already jumped the shark with the magic marker gimmick ads. Making things worse is a spot that is set in another boardroom where a hip junior executive is tossed out of a sixth floor window (I think), complete with chair, fortunate for a nearby tree to break his fall, just because he suggested---jokingly, he'd claim at the end of the spot---that the beer be taken out of the corporate budget. If you don't drink beer (and I don't), you might find this morally offensive on a number of levels.
Speaking of offensive, that brings us to local advertisers like the Fuccillo Auto Group. Billy Fuccillo has gotten heat, at least if you go by The Record's "Sound Off" column, but I haven't seen a guy this intense, aggressive, and enthusiastic about promoting his local business since those legendary Crazy Eddie ads in New York back in the day. "Huge", I guess, is the new "insane".
On the average, you have 30 seconds to a minute to sell your product and get your message across. You don't want to bombard your prospective customers with mixed messages and lots of noise. Unfortunately, noise, like sex, sells. It's a sorry, sad truth of this generation. How else to catch someone's attention and divert it from their other interests (i.e. video games)?
Thursday, August 6, 2009
What is the value of bad advice?
9 months ago, Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree made a highlight reel catch against Texas to win an important game for the Red Raiders, knocking the mighty Longhorns from the top of the polls.
A little more than 3 months ago, Crabtree was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. As of this writing, Crabtree has yet to sign, and has claimed he won't, even going so far as to sit out the season and re-enter the draft next year.
It seems Crabtree was promised by the agent he hired, Eugene Parker, that he would be among the top 5 draft picks, specificially between #s 3 & 5. It didn't happen. Parker, and some of Crabtree's family and friends, are flooding Crabtree's ears with ideas, including the year-long holdout, getting him thinking he deserves the money befitting a top 5 pick. They've seen the Oakland Raiders sign their 1st round pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey, for around 25 million dollars, and think Crabtree, because he played on a higher profile team, is worth that much.
Well, I've got two words for Mr. Crabtree. Prove it.
Rightfully, a rookie should accept the way the cards have been dealt. Take the offer that's there ($20 million), report to camp, and show the coaches that you're the kind of player they had in mind when they drafted you. There are too many cases of young, untested players coming out of college too soon, demanding A-list money when their skills aren't fully formed. We have seen this in basketball, too, with kids using college as a mere steppingstone, leaving after 1 season, convinced by scouts and agents that education isn't as important as it used to be. Well, if at least 70-80% of these kids took economics classes, they'd realize that they're taking shortcuts to realize their dreams. Some make it work (i.e. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James in the NBA, Adrian Peterson of the Vikings), others don't.
Some agents think they know what's best for their clients. Eugene Parker made a promise that went unfulfilled, and now he's scrambling to make good. Michael Crabtree is squandering the talent he has because of too many people in his ears, filling them with bad advice. Re-enter the draft? From what I've read on message boards today, everyone believes that if Crabtree decides to wait a year, he'll fall to the 3rd round or later next year.
Holding out is never a good idea, and yet this happens every year, with rookies and veterans alike, the latter seeking to renegotiate existing contracts based on a perception of respect, or lack thereof. Woody Allen & Steve Miller had it right more than 30 years ago. Take the money and run. Tom Petty said that the waiting is the hardest part back in 1981. For Michael Crabtree, and others like him, waiting is not and cannot be an option. The time to act---and play---is now.
A little more than 3 months ago, Crabtree was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. As of this writing, Crabtree has yet to sign, and has claimed he won't, even going so far as to sit out the season and re-enter the draft next year.
It seems Crabtree was promised by the agent he hired, Eugene Parker, that he would be among the top 5 draft picks, specificially between #s 3 & 5. It didn't happen. Parker, and some of Crabtree's family and friends, are flooding Crabtree's ears with ideas, including the year-long holdout, getting him thinking he deserves the money befitting a top 5 pick. They've seen the Oakland Raiders sign their 1st round pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey, for around 25 million dollars, and think Crabtree, because he played on a higher profile team, is worth that much.
Well, I've got two words for Mr. Crabtree. Prove it.
Rightfully, a rookie should accept the way the cards have been dealt. Take the offer that's there ($20 million), report to camp, and show the coaches that you're the kind of player they had in mind when they drafted you. There are too many cases of young, untested players coming out of college too soon, demanding A-list money when their skills aren't fully formed. We have seen this in basketball, too, with kids using college as a mere steppingstone, leaving after 1 season, convinced by scouts and agents that education isn't as important as it used to be. Well, if at least 70-80% of these kids took economics classes, they'd realize that they're taking shortcuts to realize their dreams. Some make it work (i.e. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James in the NBA, Adrian Peterson of the Vikings), others don't.
Some agents think they know what's best for their clients. Eugene Parker made a promise that went unfulfilled, and now he's scrambling to make good. Michael Crabtree is squandering the talent he has because of too many people in his ears, filling them with bad advice. Re-enter the draft? From what I've read on message boards today, everyone believes that if Crabtree decides to wait a year, he'll fall to the 3rd round or later next year.
Holding out is never a good idea, and yet this happens every year, with rookies and veterans alike, the latter seeking to renegotiate existing contracts based on a perception of respect, or lack thereof. Woody Allen & Steve Miller had it right more than 30 years ago. Take the money and run. Tom Petty said that the waiting is the hardest part back in 1981. For Michael Crabtree, and others like him, waiting is not and cannot be an option. The time to act---and play---is now.
John Hughes (1950-2009)
Acclaimed filmmaker John Hughes, best remembered for hit movies like "Sixteen Candles", "Home Alone", and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", passed away earlier today from a heart attack while walking in Manhattan.
Hughes, 59, found his niche in youth-oriented comedies such as the above three, plus "The Breakfast Club", "Pretty in Pink", and "Weird Science". Interestingly, the only Hughes films I've ever seen were "Home Alone" (when it was shown at the Palace Theatre a couple of years back) and the more adult-themed "Planes, Trains, & Automobiles", with Steve Martin & John Candy. Hughes hadn't directed a movie since "Curly Sue" in 1991, but his influence is still felt in some of today's comedies. Hughes helped build the careers of Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald, Steve Carell, Macaulay Culkin, and others, and turned a former Presidential speech writer named Ben Stein into a cultural icon ("Bueller? Bueller?").
Somewhere, even Ferris Bueller is bowing his head in prayer. Farewell, Mr. Hughes. You will be missed.
Hughes, 59, found his niche in youth-oriented comedies such as the above three, plus "The Breakfast Club", "Pretty in Pink", and "Weird Science". Interestingly, the only Hughes films I've ever seen were "Home Alone" (when it was shown at the Palace Theatre a couple of years back) and the more adult-themed "Planes, Trains, & Automobiles", with Steve Martin & John Candy. Hughes hadn't directed a movie since "Curly Sue" in 1991, but his influence is still felt in some of today's comedies. Hughes helped build the careers of Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald, Steve Carell, Macaulay Culkin, and others, and turned a former Presidential speech writer named Ben Stein into a cultural icon ("Bueller? Bueller?").
Somewhere, even Ferris Bueller is bowing his head in prayer. Farewell, Mr. Hughes. You will be missed.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday Night Raw: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
This week, it's more about ugly, as in bad comedy overshadowing the card at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. Actor Jeremy Piven (Entourage) hosted, aided by "Dr." Ken Jeung, one of his co-stars in his new film, "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard", opening 8/14. In truth, while the fanboy mentality was present, it was more embodied in the little known Jeung ("The Hangover"), who ignored the fact that outgoing ring announcer Lillian Garcia had already introduced Piven, did his own intro. His wardrobe suggested Jeung was the love child of the late Grand Wizard of Wrestling and former WWE star the Godfather, but he was way beyond over the top. Piven & Jeung's opening segment set the tone for the night, and despite the best efforts of The Miz & John Cena, who'd face each other again in the main event, they couldn't save this drivel.
The opening match was the first of two returns from last week's Beat the Clock tournament (Cena-Miz IV was the other), pitting Jack Swagger against Evan Bourne. This was more like a protracted squash, as Swagger took out his frustrations on Bourne and never let up, ending with the Doctor Bomb (the gutwrench powerbomb invented by "Dr. Death" Steve Williams) for the pin. That wasn't the end, though. Swagger added a pair of springboard Vader Bombs, and went for a 2nd Doctor Bomb before MVP made the save. Swagger already owns a clean pin over MVP, but doesn't want a rematch? Are we back to square one with that? 'Fraid so. You have to remember that the creative team apparently doesn't keep track of everything.
Backstage, Jeung's mouth kept getting him into trouble, such that Piven occasionally would stick a pacifier in to shut him up. Curiously, Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, & Rosa Mendes were all in the office with Piven & Jeung, watching a preview screening of "The Goods". Judging from what I've seen, I don't think I want to pay money to see it.
Big Show wanted a match with Shaquille O'Neal, but that probably isn't going to happen until, say, Wrestlemania 26 next Spring, provided the Cleveland Cavaliers allow Shaq a night off to make that gig, and I doubt it. Show gets US champ Kofi Kingston instead, having already beaten Kofi in a non-title tilt on Superstars a couple of weeks earlier. The colossus dominated again, but made the mistake of ignoring the referee while delivering a series of kidney punches to Kingston, leading to Show being DQd, so Kingston remains the US champ, but didn't look like one.
Chavo Guerrero acted as if he was mistaking Piven for first Joe Rogan (current UFC commentator), then Jon Favreau (who has appeared on Entourage). Instead of getting Hornswoggle for the 5th time, Chavo is instead put in with Mark Henry. Enough said.
The token women's match du jour was a tag match pairing Divas champ Mickie James and Gail Kim vs. Beth Phoenix & Jillian Hall. Any storyline teases from last week regarding the face team were ignored, and perhaps just as well. Phoenix reasserted herself as a championship contender, pinning Kim after the Glam Slam.
Triple H asked for and got a handicap match vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase, Jr. of Legacy. Considering the violent feud between HHH & Legacy the last several months, and the fact that Legacy has screwed the "Cerebral Assassin" out of the WWE title, this was a HHH squash win, right? Wrong! Just when you think you've got this "Game" all figured out, he goes and loses to two younger, hungrier talents. Rhodes scored the biggest pin of his career after a Cross-Rhodes neckbreaker.
Carlito & Primo Colon's family feud is back on after a brief truce at Night of Champions. The older, more experienced Carlito gets the measure of Primo this time after a Backstabber.
Cena-Miz IV is a lumberjack match, which on paper not only gives Miz a fighting chance, but also allows for Randy Orton to get in a few cheap shots on Cena prior to their next title date at Summerslam on 8/23. Not only that, but Piven & Jeung turned on Cena and the audience by stacking the deck with all heel lumberjacks. Now, this is wrong-headed booking, and it doesn't always work. Cena beat the odds yet again, and caught Miz trying to use Jeung's pimp cane. The Real World alum ended up nailed with the Attitude Adjustment and was pinned. Worse, because of a pre-match stip enacted by Piven, Miz is off Raw and cannot be in LA for Summerslam!!
So where does Miz go from here? Maybe he comes back next week on a technicality. Maybe he goes back to ECW, from whence he'd been drafted just 4 months ago, only to fall flat on his face in a 1-sided feud with Cena while not wrestling in singles on TV against anyone else (Creative's fault). Maybe he goes to Smackdown to settle some unfinished business with John Morrison, his former tag team partner. Or it could be time to send him down to Florida for a gimmick adjustment, or he has another MTV gig forthcoming to occupy his time. I knew they made a mistake sending him to Raw, and now they're paying for it.
Meanwhile, they're now starting to not only tease a DX reunion (HHH was on the phone, ostensibly with Shawn Michaels), but a split, only this time with HHH as the face and HBK as the heel, reversing their last feud from '02. Expect DX-Legacy at Summerslam, followed by the falling out a few weeks later. It's just a feeling.
Of course, WWE's much better off if they overhaul the Raw creative team, but that'll never happen.
The opening match was the first of two returns from last week's Beat the Clock tournament (Cena-Miz IV was the other), pitting Jack Swagger against Evan Bourne. This was more like a protracted squash, as Swagger took out his frustrations on Bourne and never let up, ending with the Doctor Bomb (the gutwrench powerbomb invented by "Dr. Death" Steve Williams) for the pin. That wasn't the end, though. Swagger added a pair of springboard Vader Bombs, and went for a 2nd Doctor Bomb before MVP made the save. Swagger already owns a clean pin over MVP, but doesn't want a rematch? Are we back to square one with that? 'Fraid so. You have to remember that the creative team apparently doesn't keep track of everything.
Backstage, Jeung's mouth kept getting him into trouble, such that Piven occasionally would stick a pacifier in to shut him up. Curiously, Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, & Rosa Mendes were all in the office with Piven & Jeung, watching a preview screening of "The Goods". Judging from what I've seen, I don't think I want to pay money to see it.
Big Show wanted a match with Shaquille O'Neal, but that probably isn't going to happen until, say, Wrestlemania 26 next Spring, provided the Cleveland Cavaliers allow Shaq a night off to make that gig, and I doubt it. Show gets US champ Kofi Kingston instead, having already beaten Kofi in a non-title tilt on Superstars a couple of weeks earlier. The colossus dominated again, but made the mistake of ignoring the referee while delivering a series of kidney punches to Kingston, leading to Show being DQd, so Kingston remains the US champ, but didn't look like one.
Chavo Guerrero acted as if he was mistaking Piven for first Joe Rogan (current UFC commentator), then Jon Favreau (who has appeared on Entourage). Instead of getting Hornswoggle for the 5th time, Chavo is instead put in with Mark Henry. Enough said.
The token women's match du jour was a tag match pairing Divas champ Mickie James and Gail Kim vs. Beth Phoenix & Jillian Hall. Any storyline teases from last week regarding the face team were ignored, and perhaps just as well. Phoenix reasserted herself as a championship contender, pinning Kim after the Glam Slam.
Triple H asked for and got a handicap match vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase, Jr. of Legacy. Considering the violent feud between HHH & Legacy the last several months, and the fact that Legacy has screwed the "Cerebral Assassin" out of the WWE title, this was a HHH squash win, right? Wrong! Just when you think you've got this "Game" all figured out, he goes and loses to two younger, hungrier talents. Rhodes scored the biggest pin of his career after a Cross-Rhodes neckbreaker.
Carlito & Primo Colon's family feud is back on after a brief truce at Night of Champions. The older, more experienced Carlito gets the measure of Primo this time after a Backstabber.
Cena-Miz IV is a lumberjack match, which on paper not only gives Miz a fighting chance, but also allows for Randy Orton to get in a few cheap shots on Cena prior to their next title date at Summerslam on 8/23. Not only that, but Piven & Jeung turned on Cena and the audience by stacking the deck with all heel lumberjacks. Now, this is wrong-headed booking, and it doesn't always work. Cena beat the odds yet again, and caught Miz trying to use Jeung's pimp cane. The Real World alum ended up nailed with the Attitude Adjustment and was pinned. Worse, because of a pre-match stip enacted by Piven, Miz is off Raw and cannot be in LA for Summerslam!!
So where does Miz go from here? Maybe he comes back next week on a technicality. Maybe he goes back to ECW, from whence he'd been drafted just 4 months ago, only to fall flat on his face in a 1-sided feud with Cena while not wrestling in singles on TV against anyone else (Creative's fault). Maybe he goes to Smackdown to settle some unfinished business with John Morrison, his former tag team partner. Or it could be time to send him down to Florida for a gimmick adjustment, or he has another MTV gig forthcoming to occupy his time. I knew they made a mistake sending him to Raw, and now they're paying for it.
Meanwhile, they're now starting to not only tease a DX reunion (HHH was on the phone, ostensibly with Shawn Michaels), but a split, only this time with HHH as the face and HBK as the heel, reversing their last feud from '02. Expect DX-Legacy at Summerslam, followed by the falling out a few weeks later. It's just a feeling.
Of course, WWE's much better off if they overhaul the Raw creative team, but that'll never happen.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The answer is at home
It has been 4 days since 5 year old Khayzier Pugh was struck & killed by a unmarked police vehicle on 4th Street between Tyler & Polk Streets in South Troy. According to today's Record, the child's family is still looking for answers, plus an apology from Troy Police Det. John Wright for what happened.
In truth, the family should be asking themselves one salient question: Who is really at fault here? It isn't Det. Wright. According to reports, he was driving below the speed limit. At 5, Khayzier still needed an adult to chaperone him to the South Troy Pool, where he had a cousin waiting for him. At the time of the accident, there was no adult present. Therefore, the fault lies with the family. Khayzier's aunt Jessica was in her mother's apartment when the accident happened. Were there any other adult relatives available that could've acted as a guardian/chaperone in this case? We don't know, and probably never will.
In truth, the family should be asking themselves one salient question: Who is really at fault here? It isn't Det. Wright. According to reports, he was driving below the speed limit. At 5, Khayzier still needed an adult to chaperone him to the South Troy Pool, where he had a cousin waiting for him. At the time of the accident, there was no adult present. Therefore, the fault lies with the family. Khayzier's aunt Jessica was in her mother's apartment when the accident happened. Were there any other adult relatives available that could've acted as a guardian/chaperone in this case? We don't know, and probably never will.
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