SunChips Pulls Loud Bags: I Swear It's Not My Fault!

In December of 2009 I made this silly video on my YouTube channel about this unusual new SunChips bag and its very loud sound. This was before there were commercials and advertisements letting world know how compostable and environmentally friendly these new bags were. It was a quick video about something I figured other people had noticed, too.

In August 2010 the Today show picked up on the growing trend of bag outrage and featured my clip in a segment comparing the bag's sound levels to that of a New York City subway or lawn mower.

Yesterday it was announced that Frito-Lay -- the makers of SunChips -- are going to stop using the "loud" bags because they received so many complaints from consumers, and also suffered a possibly unrelated 11% drop in sales over the last year.

Here's a quick synopsis from the Today show on October 5.

Start Your Day Off Right With a Really Funny PSA

When I was in college we didn't have "real" commercials on our weekly newscast, we just PSA given to us by the government. Most of them featured Smokey the Bear or had really sad images pets that were about to be euthanized, but this one I just saw makes me laugh really, really hard.


Johannes Brahms! I also love that someone titled this "the greatest cereal commercial of all time."

Have a great day...

Single Guy Starts Huge Dance Party at Festival

There have been some great commercials/stunts done lately involving large groups of people breaking out into seemingly-spontaneous dance routines—like the Sound of Music train station and the "Life Is For Sharing" train station—but they all involve endless hours of prep. How about a real-life spontaneous dance party?

This clip comes from the lawn of the Sasquatch Music Festival a few weekends ago and it both funny and uplifting at the same time. All it takes is one tweaked-out, flailing hipster to bring a huge crowd of other tweaked-out, flailing hipsters together. Please watch the whole thing...



Heart warming :)

[thanks to Jeff for the link]

Related Things:

• T-Mobile "Life's For Sharing" Commercial
• Sound of Music Train Station

"What? That It's Made From Corn..."

This is totally ripped off from my blog buddy Rob at Some Kinda Blog but it was too funny (read: offensive) not to share. Have you seen those commercials by The Corn Refiners Association that are standing up for high-fructose corn syrup? If not here's an example:



Well comediennes Jackie Beat, Nadya Ginsburg and Selene Luna have spoofed the spots in their own hilarious (read again: offensive) video. Check it out:



Have a wonderful weekend!

Related Things:

• More cool commercials

As Seen On TV: Awesome Commercials

I already posted about my favorite commercial from the Super Bowl last night, but I have to share 2 ads that obviously didn't cost $3 million to air. After watching a marathon of ANTM before the game I saw two of the most awesomely awful commercials I've seen in a while. Please take a look...

The first is for Good Bye Smell, which gets gross smells like fish and onions off of your hands. Sounds like a great product, but the commercial is downright rude! WHAT does the guy say at :25? Get the WHAT out?



The second commercial is for Bump It hair accessories, which will turn any woman's boring and lifeless hair into that of a southern hair dresser or salon receptionist. The red carpet demonstration is absolutely beautiful.



Move over Snuggie and ShamWOW- You've got some competition!

Related Things:

• More funny commercials

---

CareerBuilder.com Super Bowl Ad

Firstly- Congrats to my hometown Pittsburgh Steelers for winning the Super Bowl, become the only team in history to win 6 times. w00t!

Secondly- The commercial for CareerBuilder.com has to be the best of the night. Check it out if you missed it:



I think that koala that gets punched in the face might be the new Spaghetti Cat. Just saying.


Related Things:

• More funny commercials

---

Cheers to You...

...you are obviously a loser.



This is one of the best infomercials ever.

[thanks, failblog]

Related Things:

• More funny commercials

---

2008 VMAs: Feeling the Effects of Recession

I'm well aware that I get much more invested in the MTV Video Music Awards than the general public. It's just that they have become a huge part of my life since I was probably 12 or 13. I remember watching the amazing performances, the crazy "live television" antics and the overall grandiose nature of the event. With the 2007 VMAs in Las Vegas probably being the biggest shitshow of them all, I thought there was no way MTV could do something as disorganized and lame, but they somehow managed to outdo themselves and make the 2008 VMAs even cheaper looking than before. You'll see my comments below about the venue/production, but this was probably the most budget VMAs in history, which is particularly sad considering the fact that the night was the 25th anniversary of the Awards.

I thought Russel Brand was going to be a fantastic host, especially from his funny promos with Britney Spears and LL Cool J, but I stand corrected. Brand was mildly funny at a few points during the night, but was loud and screechy and way too preachy about politics. Does he not like Republicans? I'm not sure. He also spent every appearance in front of the camera telling us about how exciting the night was, and reminding us of what we had just seen 30 seconds prior.

I was updating my Facebook status (yes, I'm a tool) as the show progressed, and will now share all the updates with you with some added comments on each.

Patrick thinks this Dan Castinillo or whatever is the biggest tool that ever tooled.
Ok, so his name is Jim Cantiello but he's still a tool. Can someone please tell me ONE thing about him that says MTV? He's not particularly young, cool, edgy or informed and is a terrible reader of the teleprompter. Please hire me for any future needs, thanks.

Patrick knows we're in a recession, but don't they have ANY budget for the VMAs.
Like, seriously... What gives? The venue for the VMAs looked like a rented out gym somewhere. We could see the stagehands moving around behind EVERY presenter, and the whole thing basically looked like a slightly-larger version of TRL. The audience was tiny and lacked the big-name artists we've come to expect from the VMAs. Also, rule #1 of television, you never show the side walls or back wall so the viewers don't know how big the set really is.

Furthermore, the whole idea of having the VMAs in L.A. was weird to me, because almost every single celebrity of worth was in NYC for Fashion Week. No wonder there weren't many big names at the event because they were all still on the East Coast (except Lohan, who flew out to present. Don't ask me why). I'm sure the logistics were tight for NYC, but c'mon... Use your brains.

Patrick says the VMA for most random presenter goes to... mic-less Demi Moore
Why was Demi there? I didn't see Ashton. Was she there because she was one of the few celebs still on the West Coast? Why didn't she have a mic when she walked out and had to go "WHERE'S THE MIC?" when she finally made it down those crazy rotating stairs? Is she promoting something? Does she has a new project out? I didn't get it.

Patrick is waiting for Oscar the Grouch to pop up next to the Jonai.
Please tell me their performance set didn't look like the stoop on Sesame Street. I actually thought it was kinda cute, though.

Patrick wonders why they just ruined Katy Perry's performance by going to commercial.
They hyped up Perry's "Like a Virgin" rendition all afternoon then cut it and her peeling banana costume off with a commercial break. We came back from commercials to her finishing up "I Kissed a Girl." Was this intentional or an example of poor direction/timing? Was disappointed.

Patrick is disgusted with Phelps's overexposure.
I mean, you better host SNL and then NEVER TALK TO ME AGAIN, PHELPS. Take your 12,000 calorie breakfasts and go back to the pool.

Patrick loves Fannypack.
They're really cool, no?

Patrick wonders if they're going to f*ck up these pre-taped performances all night.
Pete Wentz's interview with Heidi and Spencer got clipped (thank god) and Russel Brand had to stall while they reset for Paramore's performance. Was v. confused.

Patrick really likes Paramore.
I just like them. Wasn't a stellar performance, but at least they performed.

Patrick is waiting for someone to fly off the rotating staircase.
Russel almost bit it right at the top of the show, Demi looked very scared and Shia and Slash had a hard time dismounting. Bad idea, MTV.

Patrick frickin' loves P!nk.
I'm partial to P!nk, but I'm so happy that someone actually utilized the stupid "movie studio" idea and did something with a bang- literally. Her stunts/pyro were cool and I happen to love the song "So What".

Patrick wonders WHY THEY CAN'T TIME THE PERFORMANCES/COMMERCIALS CORRECTLY! He just missed the entire Ting Tings performance.
Ting Tings were nominated for Video of the Year and viewers only got to see about 10 seconds of their performance because it was clipped by commercials. Hope the 90 people inside the venue enjoyed it.

Patrick now knows that Jordin Sparks doesn't want to be a slut
Good for her.

Patrick thinks Rihanna is hotter than the fat YouTube kid.
I actually kinda liked the Numa Numa song.

Patrick thinks Rihanna also looks like a black P!nk tonight.
Didn't she????

Patrick appreciates Christina Aguilera for actually attempting to bring it.
While I totally thought it was Lady Gaga performing at first, I was happy to see an artist finally doing a big spectacle number with cool theme and dancing. Christina doesn't normally do a lot of choreography (perhaps that's why she was lip syncing) but I applaud her effort and her bangin' post-baby bod.

Patrick is happy too see that Bjork won the Best New Artist award.
Oh, that was the guy from Tokio Hotel? Weird...

Patrick is SOOO ANNOYED by Jim Cantiello. He is a DOUCHE. How did he get on MTV????

Patrick is confused. Are we NOT supposed to see these performers during commercials?
LL Cool J was clipped, too.

Patrick didn't know Kid Rock was still relevant. Well, good for him.

Patrick KNOWS this Britney sweep is totally PR bullshit. I mean, not cool
So... the biggest issue at hand was the ass kissing of one Ms. Britney Spears. Shouldn't SHE be sucking up to THEM for her shiteous performance last year? She won 3 awards for the pitiful video for "Piece of Me" including VIDEO OF THE YEAR? I mean, give me a break. This whole show was all about Brit and it's clear it was MTV's way of creating some positive momentum for the eminent Britney "comeback". It just really chapped my ass.

Ok, I just got angry again. Please share your thoughts with me as a comment.

Related Things:

• More Award show things
• More things about MTV
• More things about Britney Spears

---

Sassy Kids in Trigon Commercials

Ok, so these commercials are apparently old news, but I just recently came across them (thanks, Carolyn) and I have to share them. You know I'm a sucker for little kids and for funny ads, so these ads from Trigon BlueCross BlueShield were right up my alley.

He kicked him where?!


Hakuna Matata!


Karate Kid


Maybe they should get out of health care and into comedy?

Related Things:

• More funny commercials

---

OfficeMax Penny Pranks

The school year is about to come back into full swing for those suckers unfortunate enough to still be in school, and the onslaught of deals and sales is bigger than ever. OfficeMax is running a new viral campaign via TV and YouTube with their "penny pranks." Basically this jerk goes around and tries to buy all kinds of things using only pennies. The videos go along with OfficeMax's idea to "go back to school for pennies", where certain products like crayons and rulers only cost 1 cent.

This guy does have a good point: Pennies are money and we should be able to spend them as we please. Even so, if he ever tried to pay for anything I was selling in pennies I'd probably punch him in the face. Check out some of the clips, or watch them all here.

Jewelry Store


Hot Dog Vendor


Used Car Lot


New York Deli



Funny!

---

Related Things:

• Remember when I saw $1 million in pennies?
• More funny things
• More things about commercials
  

The Verizon Dead Zones

Clearly, I love television and I watch a lot of it... and because I can't watch everything on DVR, I end up watching a lot of commercials, too. Every so often a set of commercials really stand out as being unique or funny, and the new Verizon ads are great!

While they are still hanging on to that "can you hear me now?" guy (ps- thanks for supplying my dad with endless annoying "can you hear me now?" moments every time we talk on the phone, Verizon) but have parodied some classic horror movies to show that their customers shouldn't have to fear those terrifying "dead zones."

Amityville Horror parody


The Shining parody


I have to say... these commercials actually do scare me a little. I don't like when they come on the air after 9pm.

---

Related Things:

• More things about commercials
• More things about television

Baby Mama Delivers

Friday night I went and checked out the new movie, Baby Mama, starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (THIS JUST IN: Amy Poehler announced she is expecting!) Before I get into my thoughts on the movie I want to say this: Go see it! It was really funny and sweet at the same time.

Fey and Poehler were great in the film. They were playing roles stereotypical to the ones you would expect them to play. Fey played a straight-laced, sarcastic, witty woman and Poehler played her funny, goofy, slightly off-color counterpart. Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Most of the previews of the movie give away some of the funniest moments, but there were still a ton of laugh-out-loud lines and gags. I was actually more surprised with the more serious and dramatic parts of the film. I can't say too much without giving the plot away, but there was a twist that I honestly didn't see coming. Maybe it was because I was expecting joke after joke, but the serious moments of the film made it even more enjoyable. I will say, there was a scene where Amy and Tina were yelling at each other in a car that made me uncomfortable... It was like my two best friends were fighting! But, I guess that was the point.

I was even more surprised at how many big-name stars had large parts in the movie, but weren't promoted in the trailers and commercials. Celebs like Steve Martin, Sigourney Weaver and Greg Kinear had pretty substantial supporting roles, and each brought their own brand of comedy and star-power to the movie. There was also a slough of former and current Saturday Night Live actors and improv comedians and writers. Well done.

I do have two complaints about Baby Mama, though. The first being the inconsistencies in the Philadelphia setting. It seemed to me that much of the movie was taped in New York City (perhaps because of Fey's and Poehler's day job schedule?) and passed off as Philly. Maybe it's because I'm familiar with both cities, but it stuck out to me. Poehler's Philly accent also went in and out during the entire movie. I'm not sure if people from other parts of the country would notice, but it was very thick in some places, and nonexistent in others. The second thing that bothered me was the obvious choice to only show the right side of Fey's face in every scene. Fey has a scar on the left side of her face, apparently caused by a grim childhood accident, and it was quite noticeable that she was placed on the left side of the screen in every shot. Once you're aware of it, it's very distracting. Other than that I loved the movie!

Both Fey and Poehler were recently on NBC's Today show talking about Baby Mama and their roles in the film. You can check Fey's interview here and Poehler's here. You can also view the trailer and clips from Baby Mama here.

Did you see the movie? What did you think?

Guinness St. Patrick's Day Commercials

Another new set of really funny commercials have popped up on TV sets just in time for St. Patrick's Day. The makers of Guinness beer are circulating a petition to make St. Patty's Day an official US holiday. They are calling it Proposition 3-17 (get it?) and want you to submit your digital signature, pictures and video to their website. Unfortunately, not all of the other holidays are in support of this new idea. Take a look a these hilarious clips... my favorite being Abraham Lincoln's Presidents Day reaction.


Thanksgiving Day and Independence Day aren't too happy about it either.



What do you think?

---

Related Things:

• FedEx Kinkos Commercials
• Baskin Robbins Commercials
• Cold Stone Commercials
  

Funny Commercials

Apparently ice cream makers aren't the only ones that have hilarious commercials. This new series from FedEx Kinkos has been on TV for quite some time now, but I still laugh every time I see one of them. These commercials feature two different groups of employees in two different settings, but both have the same result: hilarity.

This first one features a group of employees who each succeed in living up to their office reputations:

The second commercials features office workers whose names, like FedEx Ground, shouldn't (or should) be taken literally.

Please watch and enjoy :)

UPDATED: Ice Cream Makers Have Great Commercials

You may remember my previous post about new commercials for Cold Stone Creamery. They are hilarious and I still laugh at them today. Not to be outdone, Baskin Robbins have recently put out some equally funny promotions.

These new commercials feature kids who can't go to Baskin Robbins because they did something they weren't supposed to do. Luckily for them, an ice cream-craving adult comes to the rescue. Check them out.



Which one's your favorite?

UPDATE: Apparently today (and every Tuesday) is Buy One Sundae Get One Free day at your local Baskin Robbins! Thanks, Matt! GO GET ME ONE!

Cool Commercials

A few weeks ago I saw a really peculiar commercial on TV. It featured a little boy facing a child's worst fears: the Boogie Man, the monster in the closet, the monster under his bed, and broccoli. The monsters in the commercial are actually really creepy, so I was surprised when I found out that the ads were for Cold Stone Creamery ice cream! Check it out.

Several days later I saw two additional ads for the same campaign. They featured Bigfoot and an Heiress facing their worst adversaries on their way to get some delicious desserts.

I think the ads are really unique, and although the idea of a Brazilian bikini wax doesn't really make me want to eat dessert, they are really funny and make me remember the name. You can watch more videos, including some hilarious bonus footage over at the LoveIt-LoveIt website. Thank goodness there's a Cold Stone in walking distance from my apartment.