Pop Goes the Culture

Did Super Bowl XLIII's ads score or fumble? (w/ video! Huzzah!)

Another Super Bowl, another ring for Big Ben.

I'll admit, this time around the game was actually worth watching and, while I personally had no preference over who beat who, I actually enjoyed it for once.

But to a lot of people (including me), the game tends to be filler in between the long, expensive ads that companies roll out for the big game. And while this years batch seemed to be so-so at best (even after shelling out $3 million for 30 secondsof ad time in a struggling economy), there were a few giggles, laughs and possibly a gaffaw or two to be had.

So here, for your approval, are the tops of this years Super Bowl ads...

1. Beer-nanza

Budweiser tends to reign supreme over the laugh factor when it comes to ads. While they've gotten some stiff competition the past few years, they once again stood out pretty well time around. Take this one where Conan O'Brien brings the star power and the funny - in Swedish!...

And another good one (though I enjoyed the previous one better) was what happens when the budget is tight in the office (though I will admit, I wouldn't mind working here - I wouldn't have to be so discreet about drinking at the office then...jk. Seriously)...

And of course the slew of required Clydesdale ads. They've lost a bit of their gloss since the first one, but they're still pretty cool. The fetch one was worth a chuckle and the circus one was an "Awwww"-enduring moment. The ancestry, on the other hand, makes you want to puff out your chest and be proud to be an American. What else is more patriotic than horses and beer?!

On the other hand, Miller had a much more modest, yet no less talked about ad, that ran for a grand total of....one second.

This as opposed to the one second ads that didn't make the cut.

2. Ads that 'Pop"

Coke and Pepsi commercials can be hit and miss. Despite the handful of gems that come along every so often like "Mean" Joe Green or Cindy Crawford, some of these commercials can be a bit "bleah". But both comapnies did manage to pull out a few fun ones this year.

Coke had two that I thought really stood out. Not many of my friends really cared for the bugs invading the picnic and stealing the bottle of Coke, but I thought it was cute and, if nothing else, a real treat for the eyes and a needed break from the snow and cold outside...

...and they even revisited the "Mean" Joe Green ad...with a bit of a modern twist for Coke Zero ("Is he coming? IS HE COMING?!" Go, Polamalu, go!). This one cracked me up.

Pepsi was kind of a flat this year, in my opinion, though the MacGuyver rip-off ad "MacGruber" or...uh..."Pepsuber" featuring the original MacGuyver Richard Dean Anderson and SNL's Kristen Wiig and Will Forte was pretty good.

Pepsi also explained men and their remedy to the fear of diet cola. "I'm good!"

3. Need a new job? Stay Tuned!

The ads for online jobs sites have been getting better and better over the last couple years and I think they again did pretty well for themselves this time around. The Moose commercial from Monster.com was surprising and worth a laugh...

...but the one that I absolutely loved (and possibly my favorite this year) is Careerbuilder.com's signs that you should get a new job. The "Hey, dummy" part had me laughing out loud, along with the poor koala muttering "Oh, dear!" before being smoked in the face (I'm not really a violent person and I would never hurt an animal, I swear!)). Though for the record, my job does make me cry all the time...

4. Sex sells...apparently...again...

GoDaddy.com continues the ad campaign they started a few years ago with well-endowed women jiggling around to hock website domains, and for the second year they bring along NASCAR star Danica Patrick to seduce her way into your minds in two seperate spots, both to be continued at GoDaddy's website because they're supposedly "too hot for TV" (they're not). Below are the full versions...

Meh.

5. From the mouths of babes!

I guess the title to 5 could have worked for the videos of 4 too, bit I digress. The eTrade baby is back and this time he's brought a friend or two. These were enjoyable because, hey, who doesn't like a talking baby? Or a singing baby for that matter? "Take-uh...these bro-ken WIIIINGS!"

Heh, heh, heh. Shankapottomus...

6. "Tire"some ads that leave a chip on your shoulder

Actually, these ads aren't that tiresome or leave any chips on your shoulder, nacho-flavored or otherwise.

Bridgestone had a pair of fun commercials, one featuring a pair of astronauts getting their car chopped (probably by those pesky moon men) and another featuring everyone's favorite spud and his nagging wife. I know a few people whose mouths I wish would just fall off...

Doritos had a fairly good commercial featuring a snow globe that could tell the future and/or grant wishes. I'm not sure if I should add or retain points for the old "man gets nailed in the crotch" gag, though...

7. The rest of the team

The rest of the ads were hit-or-miss at best, though a couple were worth a view. Pedigree had a fun one featuring different pets wreaking havoc (but I still say a pet rhino named Rusty would be sweet!).

Teleflora's ad made me laugh. It involved a woman who recieves some very bad flowers at her workplace. Seriously, these were bad buds! "No one wants to see you naked!"

Finally, what do you do when you want star power but you're just too cheap to pay for it? Why, hire some bankrupt celebrities, of course! M.C. Hammer and Ed McMahon made for an interesting duo in a stupid commercial, hocking their medallions, giraffes, records and hip replacements (though personally, I could never part with a solid gold toilet).

So that's it - the highlights of this years Super Bowl commercials. I didn't include them all, obviously, but these were the best of the crop, at least as far as I'm concerned. Everything else just seemed underwhelming (not that these were terrific). Did you have a favorite that made the list? Didn't make the list? What do you think of this years ads compared to years past? Let us know!

- Jason

Leno finally hits his prime(time)

It was announced earlier this week that Tonight Show host Jay Leno, whose contract with NBC was about to be up and his slot filled by Late Night host Conan O'Brien, has struck a new deal with the peacock.

And, oh, it's a sweet one.

Leno is leaving his 11:30 timeslot - to move to 10:00, one of television's coveted primetime hours, that will be aired 5 nights a week. Conan will take his promised 11:30 Tonight Show slot and the Late Night slot will be filled by former SNL (not so) funny man Jimmy Fallon.

This gives Leno a broader audience on a fresher format, his new show being described as an "interview/variety-style" show. Jay himself had been wondering aloud and chatting with ABC executives about jumping ship and moving to the rival network where, almost assuredly, any late night program they put him on would steamroll the competition.

On the other hand, this is a smart move on NBC's part, too. Not only do they get to keep Leno from making a move that would no doubt be a huge blow to the struggling 4th place network, but they also get to trim 5 hours of fat from their schedule.

The 10 to 11 p.m. timeslot has generally been filled with hour dramas. But the days of these shows are growing dreary as 1) interest in this style of show is waining quickly and 2) the fact that most of these shows are getting more and more expensive to make - some costing about $1 million per episode. With that in mind, NBC gets to trim a good chunk o' change from their budget for a much less costly show that already has a good following. It looks to be a smart move in this economic mess.

But what do you think? Will you watch Jay at the new hour? Will the Tonight Show ever be the same? And why Jimmy Fallon??? Why?!?!

- Jason

Palin may not be good for America, but she's good for SNL

"Saturday Night Live" better be rooting for Sarah Palin to stick around past Nov. 4. SNL got its best ratings in 14 years. It was the highest since March 1994 when Nancy Kerrigan hosted. Check out the appearance below:

Later in the show, she popped up during Weekend Update:

The ratings for the night are expected to hit around 14 million. For the first half-hour, when Palin first came out, the audience was about 17 million.

Please stay, Tina Fey

SNL alum and Sarah Palin lookalike is threatening to flee if her spot-on imitation of hte Republican Vice-Presidential candidate is still relevant come Nov. 4. And she's not just leaving the country, she's looking to head into orbit. Maybe Mars. Or Venus. That's a good alternative to Palin in the White House:

- Mariah

Goodbye, "Golden Girl"

Sad news - Actress Estelle Getty (Sophia from the Golden Girls) passed away Tuesday at the age of 84. In rememberance of our favorite cantankerous television octogenarian, editor and moderator of Mischief Managed Danielle Haus has a few kind words...

This morning around 5:30, actress Estelle Getty, better known as Sophia Petrillo on "The Golden Girls," passed away.

Getty was a theater actress for years, as well as a secretary for a lawyer. She had small roles in "Tootsie" and "Mask" before getting her big break with "Golden Girls," which ran from 1985-1992. She also played Sophia on "Golden Palace," which was a spin-off/sequel to the original show; "Nurses"; "Empty Nest"; and "Blossom."

In 1986 she won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical, and in 1988 she won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, along with various other awards.

I've been a big fan of the Girls for years, mainly beginning in college, but I do vaguely remember watching the show when it originally aired. I didn't get most of it, but I sure did like that short little Sophia lady.

During my years at BGSU, thanks to Lifetime, I was able to watch -- and appreciate -- the show almost every day. To my delight I became the Sophia of our little group at one point, I suppose because I was by far the shortest and I was the oldest (only by a couple years, but I guess that was enough), although no one ever listened to my advice, and I didn't have any colorful stories about Sicily.

So, it may sound silly, but I was extremely sad when I found out that she had died. She was by far my favorite "Girl," and I'm always disappointed when I'm watching an episode that  doesn't include her. I own several seasons on DVD though, and I think we'll be watching those soon in Getty's honor.

In closing, I'll leave you with some Sophia quotes from imdb.com.

Blanche: What do you think of my new dress? Is it me?
Sophia: It's too tight, it's too short and shows too much cleavage for a woman your age.

Ribs, great... why don't you just kick the dentures out of my mouth?

Why do blessings wear disguises? If I were a blessing, I'd run around naked.

Dorothy: We're here to pay for a funeral.
Mr. Pfeiffer: Oh, isn't that nice, the three of you planning ahead for mother.
Sophia: [walks a little bit closer] Hey Puh-feiffer, how would you like a punch in your puh-face?
(This one cracks me up every time)

Rose: You don't understand. Everyone likes me-I'm the nice one! Dorothy is the smart one, Blanche is the sexy one, Sophia is the old one, and I'm the nice one! EVERYBODY likes me!
Sophia: The old one isn't so crazy about you.

- Danielle

It's the Tonight Show (not) starring Jay Leno!

It's finally official: Jay Leno's days are numbered.

NBC just announced that the current host of "The Tonight Show" will be airing his final episode on May 29, 2009. The network is putting him on mandatory retirement as part of a plan to retool their late night line-up.

Current host of NBC's "Late Night" Conan O'Brien will ascend to the late night  throne, seizing the coveted 11:30 p.m. slot June 1, while Conan's former slot will be filled by talk show newcomer and funnyman Jimmy Fallon. Fallon will take the reins sometime in spring after a test run that will be broadcast online.

You need to try him out online? I've always seen Fallon as hit or miss, but if you don't have enough faith in him to put him in the chair and say "Go!", then maybe he's not you man...

In any case, reports have said that Leno is (understandably) disgruntled about this whole situation and may be eyeing a spot over at the Mouse network (ABC), current home to Jimmy Kimmel Live! It'll be interesting to see what happens when all this goes down: NBC shifts their entire late night line-up, ABC may shift theirs to accomodate Leno and CBS may have to come up with some sort of response to the whole mess.

Sorry, but I think Leno's fine where he is for now. He still has good, solid ratings and obviously enjoys what he's doing. While I tend to lean more towards O'Brien's comic style, he's fine where he is for now and will take the plum time slot eventually. Let Jay do what he does best and stop screwing around with one of your big guns, NBC!

What do you think? Is Leno still up to par? Should he be put out to pasture? Are O'Brien and Fallon up to the challenge? Please, discuss!

- Jason

Adoring Jason Dohring

Jason Dohring is looking for a role with bite. The Toledo-born actor most recently sank his fangs into "Moonlight" last season as a 400-year-old vampire, Josef Kostan.

"I liked (‘Moonlight’) and I think we started to get into it ... We started to come into our own (in the last four episodes) and I started to get what they wanted from my character. ... I was able to do certain episodes with (that in mind) and I felt great about those," Dohring told the Weekend in an exclusive interview during Polaris Convention 22 in Toronto, Canada.

He was greeted at the convention by a coterie of adoring fans in matching "Think Kostan" T-shirts. The group took turns for pictures, asking him to "bite them" (literally) and kept the line busy during the star’s question and answer sessions.

"I think our fans are a bit different maybe because ... the shows that we do are kind of story-oriented, character and emotion driven and people who wind up watching those shows are a bit different... (Fans) come and they get interested in the story, in the character, the emotions of the story and I think it’s cool to come talk about that."

In the science fiction genre, Dohring is a fan of "Blade Runner" and "Star Wars."

"I’m a big Star Wars fan. ... I loved those ... I remember getting out of the theater and trying to hold the walls up with my will power, very exciting," he joked.

Dohring’s breakthrough role was as bad boy Logan Echolls on the critically-acclaimed but ratings-anemic CW show "Veronica Mars" in 2004.

"We kind of all sort of grew up together because we were all actors that weren’t really working, this was all our first big break," Dohring said. "Everyone was determined about the work and to make it good, so it was just an awesome environment."

He also starred in several television movies, "Black Cadillac", "Ready To Run" and "Someone She Knows." His other television credits include recurring roles in "The Division," "Boston Public" and "Once and Again," as well as numerous guest appearances.

Dohring appeared in the feature films "Wedding Daze," "Deep Impact" and "Broken Record."

"‘Deep Impact’ was like two lines but it was the funniest lines in the movie — remember that, long hair, pimples?" Dohring recalled. "And it was awesome. I went to prom with this one (pointing to his wife and high school sweetheart, Lauren), and I was the coolest guy in school because I was in this huge blockbuster film. Even if it was only two lines."

An avid sports fan, most of Dohring’s athletic adventures have been confined to the golf course lately, including a recent celebrity pro-am tournament in North Carolina. His choice of sport means his pretty face will stay that way, keeping his acting doors open.

"I play golf, so what’s the worst that can happen, I get hit by a ball? Or I get hit by lightning, right? I think Lee Trevino survived like three strikes so I got a couple of times in me," he joked.

"Moonlight" fans aren’t quite ready to let go of his most recent series. A vocal fan campaign is still underway to resurrect the vampire drama, with plans for a Burbank, Calif. billboard, taxi and subway ads in New York City and the perfunctory letter-writing campaign.

Dohring isn’t opposed to returning to a movie or miniseries.

"I think we would do that, but right now we’re auditioning and trying to get other work, so ... let’s do it soon," he said.

The show’s abrupt cancellation in May sent the actor in a new direction and he is ready to move away from the supporting character roles that have characterized his last four years in acting.

"More recently since I’ve been done with ‘Moonlight,’ I’ve sorted some stuff out in my career, just personally about where I want to go. … I think I’m going to wind up doing some leading type stuff and then I might go back to some character type stuff," he explained. "I think that I worked out a couple things for myself, kind of what I want to create in the world with being a celebrity. ... It was like all of a sudden I realized I could do it and I was like excited to try to do that, be a leading man. And I saw the amount of good that you can do, that you can use that platform to effect change in the world and that was exciting to me."

Dohring also expressed an interest in the social issues facing the Northwest Ohio area where he was born, particularly the issues of education.

On a larger scale, he is interested in human rights. His mother recently traveled to Cambodia and was so overwhelmed by the poverty and repression she witnessed abroad that she had to cut her trip off early.

He hopes to use his career to make a difference in the world, but said acting was his true passion.

"Basically (I love) just creating something from nothing, the ideas that you put into things. ... It’s almost like writing in a way because you’re writing your own (character) ... additional things or additional ideas that you’ve seen from your own life that you want to put in this character or these emotions," Dohring explained.

Despite its abrupt ending — Dohring learned of the cancellation through a voice mail from series lead Alex O’Loughlin — he counts the experience as a good one and is looking forward to at least reuniting with O’Loughlin for DVD commentaries.

"I enjoyed it," he said. As for the future, Dohring is looking forward to his new direction.

"I don’t want to work just to work particularly anymore," said Dohring. "I’d rather find something I’m happy with and create something cool for people to see and I’d rather look for something like that."

Multimedia: Click here for a HUGE video of Jason Dohring's Polaris Press Conference

YouTube version:
Part 1a:

 

Part 1b:

 

Part 2:

 

Part 3:

 

On the Net:

www.jasondohring.com

Moonlight fan campaigns: www.moonlight-united.com

Additional reporting by staff writer Chandra Niklewski.

3, 2, 1 Blastoff...

We've fled the country!

That's right - your faithful entertainment bloggers have left the States and headed to Polaris Convention, a fan-run scifi/fantasy gathering in Toronto, Canada. We packed our bags and left Ohio Friday for some Canadian geek love all weekend long.

We got ourselves checked in and spotted the con regulars - Indiana Jones, a few Ghostbusters, aliens aplenty and, of course, vampires.

The first item on our agenda was the Blast-Off Party, an exclusive event where a limited number of attendees get to mingle with all the multi-day guests.

The Blast-Off Party was like being a band geek waiting for the prom queen to do the rounds, if the prom was a smoking hot scifi actor or two. It was fun and everyone was amazingly nice, but I was definitely feeling the high school vibe.

We stood around a cocktail table waiting for the forced social interactions with Jason Dohring (Josef on "Moonlight") and Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto on "Torchwood"). And stood. And stood. And stood.

I wandered off to flirt with some Stargate fans in hopes of free drinks, but nothing. And still the boys kept to the far side of the room with the more rabid fans.

Fortunately Chandra knows how to get things done and managed to accidentally whine to the right people (Monique, the head of autographs, and Monique, the convention chair), who then made it their mission to drag Gareth and Jason over for our obligatory expensive moment of interaction with stars.

Gareth David-Lloyd, who is just stunning enough to make my heart go pitter-patter, wandered by first. From this British import, we learned:
- An accent will forgive nearly any sin and takes men from cute to swoon-worthy
- Everyone wants to know what it was like to kiss John Barrowman
- He hasn't seen "Bruce Almighty"
- He'll be guesting at San Diego Comic Con and meeting up with friends during the appearance. We gave him the skinny on New York Comic Con and plenty of warnings about how not to get killed by crazy fans or mobbed by comic book geeks, but he may still be in trouble

Things I Learned in six minutes about Jason Dohring:
- He's as not tall as I thought he was (seriously, I had him at 6'5" or so in my head, but he only towered over me a little)
- He's heading a little more mainstream. Apparently getting beloved projects canceled over and over again is less than fun and he's hoping to reach a wider audience
- What a levy is and how that's not going to save the world
- Chandra doesn't shut up (kidding!). But she did get Jason talking about social issues and the plight of Northwest Ohio (for those not in the know, Jason was born in Toledo - though he moved away at age 3) and how Jason could fix things. Don't think I'm not writing your manager, man.
- Rich people are weird. Okay, not weird, but very different from you and me. Jason was planning to visit the nanny who helped raise him while in Toronto. Very sweet that he would go see her, but I believe he's the first person I've met who had a nanny and told me about it.
- I'm not as fangirl as I thought I was and Chandra is not a fangirl at all (despite all efforts to the contrary). Of our little group, we were the only ones who talked (one of us more than the other, but) and it was a serious conversation with no squeeing.

Things I learned from the two second drive-by by Ellen Muth:
- She drinks fast
- She runs faster

Today we have press conferences, photos, Q&As and all sorts of fun stuff with the above celebs, as well as authors Tanya Huff and Kelley Armstrong.

More later...

- Mariah (with comic assistance from Chandra)

Moonlight Con Day One

I'm in love.

Yes, yes, with a vampire on Moonlight.

But as of last night, with an executive producer named Harry Werksman. He and his wife, Gabby Stanton, functioned as show runners for Moonlight for the last batch of episodes and he had the good grace to show up and smile, take pictures and generally be a fantastic person (oh, and I'm so stupid, I didn't realize he worked on my other favorite show, Farscape, and he disclosed that the Cleaner character was based on Claudia Black).

Oh, and he brought the sacred ass paddle. Which every woman cradled like a child and many of whom now have photos with (mine will be posted when I'm back to a decent internet connection suck beyond the telling of it and I'm heartsick, but I posted me with Harry instead).

Also in attendance was one of the writers of the brilliant season one (yes, friends, season one, because there will be a season two) finale, Kira Snyder, who was just sweet enough and down-to-earth enough that I had a coherent conversation with her. And she and Harry were both nice enough record a message (Harry did video) for poor Hydriotaphia who is stuck in Tokyo and (despite my pleas) won't call in sick from LA to come play.

Both spent more than four hours in the company of fawning, repetitive, occasionally loud fans. I'm a fan and I don't think I'd have that kind of patience.

Scoop from Harry is that SciFi is the most likely candidate to pick up Moonlight. Hello, Bonnie Hammer!

So, ladies, pick up those pens and start posting snail mail. More to come...

- Mariah

Moonlight Madness Continues...

"I forgot how cute you are when you're crusading."

-paraphrasing Josh Lindsey to Beth Turner, "Love Lasts Forever"

I must be pretty frickin' cute right now, Josh. I'm a woman on a mission and I'm not alone. Thousands of Moonlight fans are up in arms trying to save our beloved show. They're e-mailng, snail mailing, calling and doing anything they can to convince some network to pick up the show and its faithful audience.

Thanks in part to my big mouth and willingness to volunteer other people, the loyal Moonlight fans and conscripted soldiers from the Findlay Publishing Company played a role in Moonlight's inevitabel resurrection this week. Leeser and Co. of Moonlightline.com brought up the idea of an ad in Variety, a trade magazine.

Thanks to an afternoon discussion with Hydriotaphia, I decided to jump into the fray of frenzied planning and wrote some copy. Then I volunteered poor unwitting Jason Smith, our graphics editor, to make this ad a reality.

Then Leeser somehow managed to get a deal on the front inside cover of the Hollywood Reporter and we needed two ads. That meant fronting a lot of cash and a lot of talent.

In less than 72 hours, Moonlight fans produced $14,000. And in just a matter of hours, along with a lot of governing by committee, Jason created two ads for national magazines. Because he rocks.

Here were the end results:

Hollywood Reporter ad

Variety ad

There's still plenty to do and we're in need of footsoldiers. So what can you do?

Email/online contact the following networks:

CW: Feedback@CWTV.com, Paul.McGuire@cwtv.com, john.maatta@cwtv.com

FX: user@fxnetworks.com

USA Network feedback at http://www.usanetwork.com/feedback/#Contact.

SciFi: feedback@scifi.com

2. Call these contacts:

CW Viewer Comment Line: (818) 977-6878

FX: (310) 369-1000

TNT: (404) 885-4538

3. Snail Mail these:

Postcards are readily available to download and print at http://www.moonlight-united.com Here are the addresses to use for postcards:

Dawn Ostroff
President
The CW Network
4000 Warner Blvd., Blg 168
Burbank, CA 91522-0002

Peter Roth
President
WB Television
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522

SCI FI Channel
21st Floor
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

USA Network
21st Floor
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

FX Network
2121 Avenue of the Stars
19th Floor,
Los Angeles, CA 90067

TNT
1010 Techwood Dr. NW
Atlanta GA 30318

- Mariah