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Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

THis is a new show on Bravo. 5 gay guys get together to spiff up a clueless straight guy [Blogcritics]

It is hilarious! I love this show. I tell you what, the sarcastic over-the-top gay culture is really MADE for TV. I mean it! These guys learned their moves from imitating the imitations of female glamour from Hollywood, so they are practically cartoon-like in their ability to quip and move things along.

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The holy grail of Interactive TV?

Direct Marketing of course! It all starts with collecting data on usage and viewing preferences. Then targeting relevant programming and commercial messages to people who will be genuinely interested. Good for TiVo here… I doubt it will be the only player in the data market. Look for Replay to do this as well (my guess). I would also imagine that any foray by cable company or telco into the ITV/PVR marketplace will certainly include both the ability to track usage as well as the ability to target against it.

TiVo Plans to Sell Information on Customers’ Viewing Habits
TiVo, the maker of digital video recorders, is starting to sell information about the viewing patterns of its customers to advertisers. [New York Times: Technology]

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24

Again and again this season I was simply amazed with the quality of the show. The season finale was unreal. I was totally on the edge of my seat throughout and found myself actually yelling out load with excitement as the events unfolded. whoa!

I wonder if there really will be a 3rd season… the bar is certainly set pretty high!

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Stern sues ABC over ‘Hot’ show

CNN – Howard Stern has sued ABC and the producers of the series “Are You Hot? The Search for America’s Sexiest People,” claiming the show is based on ideas that aired on his radio program.

The 49-year-old radio personality claims ABC’s show duplicates some tactics used on his show, including blunt criticism of contestants and the use of a laser pointer to highlight areas of their bodies.

“Are You Hot?” features contestants in various stages of dress posing in front of three panelists who rate them solely on looks. The show is produced by Scott Einziger, a former executive producer of Stern’s E! cable show, and former Stern sidekick Jackie Martling is listed as a consultant.

[CNN]

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2003 Superbowl Commercials

All of these can be seen at iFilm

Q1
Budweiser – Zebra
Zebra as referee. Cute. A Zebra reviews the replay of a horse game. Cowboy 1 calls him a jackass, Cowboy 2 says “no that’s a zebra.”

Pepsi – Osbournes
pretty lame with the Osbourne kids turning into the Osmonds.

Fedex – Castaway
why did they wait so long to do this…?

The Hulk
it’s a movie preview, but looks excellent!

Bud Light Strongman
funny … more and more ridiculous characters steal a huge fridge intended for use in the Strongman competition because it contains Bud Light.

Dodge Ram – Heimlich
Guy uses the truck to get a stuck piece of jerky released from his passenger’s throat.

The Matrix Reloaded / Revolutions
simply amazing

Gatorade – Jordan vs Jordan
Is it in you? Just CGI…and video trickery

ESPN – Sportcenter
Chinese lunch, fortune cookie with Superbowl ring. Bling Bling

Anger Management movie preview
looks ok…Sandler and Nicholson

H&R Block – Willie Nelson
Good to see that Willie can laugh…

Bud Light – Clown
Clown drinks the beer from his butt since his costume has him standing on his hands. not too funny

In between Q1 and Q2…
Visa – Yao
Yo, Yao (Ming)… Yo, Yo(gi Berra) funny play on names against Yo. I’m sure it won’t be the last ad with Yao. Look for the Apple/Verne Troyer (Mini Me) ad in Q3…UPDATE – guess I was misinformed here. Perhaps in the 4th though I doubt Apple would spend their money on a spot that will surely have a much smaller audience.

antidrug
You killed them…. subway scary ride

Computer Associates
Cardboard sales team… same one they have been running

Q2
Bud Light – Pets/Dread dude
just stupid. guy uses his long hair dog as a wig to get into a bar that does not allow pets

Daredevil – trailer
still trying to decide if I care about this one…

Monster – Runaway Truck
killer driver-less truck destroys the landscape while a driver is looking for a job. Not quite as good as their previous “I want to be a yes man”

Sierra Mist
Hot day… Guy walking his dog down the street. Just when you think he is going to relieve himself the dog kicks the cap off the hydrant to release a refreshing spray. I suppose just like the kick of sierra mist? or not…

Hanes – Jordan/ Jackie Chan
no tag t-shirts – no itch.
Do you even wear undershirts?

Philip Morris – Talk to your kids about Cigarettes
so they spent the money for this…

Sierra Mist – Zoo
Baboons, 2001…cooling off in the Polar Bear tank
why are they running these cool off ads in winter? I get that the drink is supposed to be refreshing, but what about the season?

Trident
4 out of 5… the 5th get bitten by some small furry creature crawling up his leg from under the table – NOOOO

Bud Light – Conch
After seeing another guy use it in a pick-up line… A guy listens to a shell as a way to coax the ladies into a drink. A crab sticks a guy in the head… You know something is coming but still funny.

WIll Smith, Martin Lawrence Bad Boys II
could be a strong … video

Bud – wants to date the roomate
Think fresh, drink fresh – date both.

Visa – Tiki, Ronde Barber
good, fine – revised for the Superbowl. Watching vs playing…

T3 Preview
I know I will definitely see this one… female evil Terminator…

Levis – Stampede
Buffalo stampede through the city…feel the power? in your your Levis Type 1 ugly ass denim. Yeah? not.

MLife – Giligan
Coast Guard on Speed dial? whatever. one day AT&T will figure out how to market their wireless.

Half Time
off to watch SNL on NBC, back in time for more…
btw – hilarious work!
Honda Element spots (3 in a row)… supposed to appeal to Generation Y.
The Jimmy Fallon Situation… great falsetto rock out.

SNL – actually ran over… missed a bit here.

Q3
Bruce Almighty – What if you could be God…
Jim Carrey … looks like his usual brand of comedy.

Diet Pepsi
Woodstock… drink young…

Yahoo HotJobs – Rainbow Connection
everyone sing along…

Bud Light – Meeting her mother
This is what she is going to look like in 20 years…major hips! surprise!

Subway – Jared…
Tasty new sauces…Jared dreaming

Charlie’s Angels II – Preview
looks like more of the first, which was fun!

Cadillac – Back in time …to the future
train ride… kind of whatever. new convertible does look nice though

the antidrug
smoking marijuana get’s your daughter pregnant. Talk to her about drugs.

The recruit – preview
it does look like a good one.

George Forman Grill
short form debut? Had only seen this in infomercial format.

Reebok
Terry Tate – kicks some office ass. Hilarious! Don’t you know you need a cover sheet on your TPS reports! The tackles he lays onto the office staff are intense!

Bud Light – Third Arm
weird…third arm enhances his beer drinking experience

In between Q3 and Q4…

ABC Sports – All Star Sunday
babes in bikinis running on the beach with the sports featured in the games next week. (I skipped all the other ABC promos since it seemed like they actually shot this for the event. Everything else is a plea for ratings on the regular shows. (Jimmy Kimmel aside)

WB Mason
I hate this ad. silly B&W detective story rip off

Toyota – 4Runner
4Runner Ad – basic ad usually runs locally.

Q4
Budweiser – True
Guy listens to his date talk, until he can listen to the color commentary on TV instead. Looks like he can really listen… True.

ESPN – Without Sports
TV finally breaks. I have seen outdoor and transit here in NYC

Cadillac – CTS
Resistance is Futile? I never thought of them as the Borg…

Sony – Selling it all for your chance at greatness
When your kids ask where the money went, show them the video.
Man travels to Russia, then into space…

AT&T Wireless – Antique Band Wagon
Again – what are they doing? So damn stupid. They compare wireless with all its advantages over wired lines. They were still a wired phone company last time I checked!

Budweiser – Designated Driver
Well how ya doing guy is back to annoy Tim McGraw(?)

Mastercard – Priceless
Leaving your cash at home, with human representations of each bill. Ha ha

AOL Broadband
Playing back the commercials after the game…wow. That’s the best they can do? The only benefit of broadband is watching commercials (he says writing while watching the superbowl, blogging the commercials from his Road Runner (AOLTW) Connection)

ESPN HD
Promo spot…Coming Soon!

MyFico.com
Get educated on your credit score

Ozzy on DVD
osbournes on dvd

Michelob – Ultra
whenever I see this ad I always thing it should just be Gatorade instead.

Final – Tampa Bay 48 / Oakland 21

Thank goodness this is finally over. It was fun but exhausting capturing every commercial. I had no idea what I was really getting into. whew!

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ESPN going HDTV

Thank to this tip from AudioRevolution I know that ESPN is going HDTV at the end of March 2003.

ESPN HD will include 100 live telecasts in its first year featuring Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, and the National Hockey League — produced and distributed in high-definition HDTV.

The resolution on ESPN HDTV will be 720p like parent company ABC. Where can you see ESPN in HDTV? This is no answer yet as ESPN is currently in negotiations with Cable and Satalite providers.

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The Big Heist: How AOL took Time Warner

I just finished watching this show on CNBC. I highly recommend it to anyone interesting in the media space. The program, CNBC’s first documentary is an excellent account of what and how the merger of these giants came to be. They have captured interviews with great business minds like Sumner Redstone, John Malone, Michael Eisner, Rupert Murdoch, and Bob Pittman in addition to Steve Case and Gerald Levin as well as a host of others. Certainly a timely replay given Steve Case’s news tonight.

Exactly three years ago, America Online exchanged its astronomically priced stock for the Time Warner media empire. A clash of corporate cultures began almost immediately, and the merged company has suffered ever since. CNBC’s David Faber exlores the much-maligned merger through interviews with media moguls and the people who built AOL Time Warner.