Big Time Commercial Annoyances

Commercials have remained pretty annoying to me. Here's a few of the ones that have given me the most nightmares.


Gordon Jump-The Maytag Repairman- Jump was best known as Arthur Carlson on the classic sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. If you're a total jackass like me you'll also remember him as the creepy bike shop owner in a "special" two-part episode of Diff'rent Strokes. While replacing Jesse White as the Maytag Repairman resulted in a nice hunk of change, Mr. Carlson really couldn't cut ice as a commercial icon and his commercials eventually faded from the airwaves.




Bobby Short-Charlie- I was surfing, looking for some clips of Shelley Hack on YouTube when I shocked by a voice of the past, Bobby Short's cringe-worthy bellow. For some reason I always found Bobby Short annoying.
Although Short acquired quite an audience, the sound of Bobby Short's voice makes me have "spells."


Dell- The Dell Guy- It was another time. The "Dude You're Getting A Dell" made his debut in the late '90s. We grew accustomed to his TV presence for decades really. With his stoner-like talk and approachable demeanor, he attempted to make computers "cool." It didn't work for me, I'd never use one. Then as quickly as it began, it ended all because Young Ben Curtis was caught with the ganja.

The Good News: We'll have YouTube videos to remember him by...


Madge-Palmolive- For some reason, I have a profound attachment to Palmolive. Some might think it's "sick" or "crazy." As much as I like Palmolive, I hated Madge. She remained a mystery. I never really had a handle on what she did, all I know is she's dunk someone's hands in a bowl of water and say, "You're soaking in it."

Update: In her last spot , a drunken Madge "mistakenly" used a bottle marked Acme Skin Destroyer as her "friends" were soaking in it. Litigation is still pending.



Phil Rizzuto- The Money Store- Holy cow, what a crappy ad campaign. The late Phil Rizzuto was a constant presence on TV. As a beloved ex-baseball player he seemed a natural as a likable and reliable pitchman. Don't believe it. Despite his hail-fellow-well-met attitude, Phil and the Money Store indeed wanted their money back. In fact, if you were late with your payments, Phil would make a house call smelling of Brycleem and swinging a baseball bat "for show."

The Worst of the Lot: All of Them

Mr. Whipple

For those who didn't know, we lost Mr. Whipple a few days ago. Character actor Dick Wilson played Mr. Whipple for 21 years. The premise was simple, Whipple was a store owner who told his customers, "Don't squeeze the Charmin" and he'd do it himself. Regrettably, Whipple seemed to suffer from overexposure and the commercials lost their effectiveness.


Charmin's ad campaign has recently featured the Charmin Bears. Reportedly both are holding out for more money. Let's hope both sides can hammer this out in an expeditious manner...





One last look at one of TV's best pitchman...

The Writers Strike

Oh hi. I was all ready to have more product but my street team has gone on strike too. Before they left, they took their frustrations out on my diary as some kind of sick "message." They're hitting all the power structures now, first the writers strike, Broadway and now my blog. It's anachkee, or something like that. In any event, here's a few of the highlights and effects from the writer's strike.






Amy Winehouse-SNL Debut Canceled- Isn't that sick. I've been waiting for Winehouse to be on SNL since last winter before she was even well known as a drunk/drugger and was just a great singer. Now I have to have my dreams indefinitely put on hold. It's madness. Why can't the strikers think about me!






Jesse Jackson and WGA president Patric Verrone take a stroll. You know it's some deep doo doo when Jesse comes aboard. I've got to hand it to him, he's brought home hostages, done a lot of good. But with this? Who knows.



Family Reunion: Patricia Heaton, Phil Rosenthal and Ray Romano- Isn't it nice seeing them together again. Ray took a break from counting his money and playing video games to help the cause. I don't see Heaton's new cast mate Kelsey Grammer anywhere though and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I see him up there toting a sign...





Patrick Dempsey and James Pickens from Grey's Anatomy- We all can tell who's in the picture, right? Patrick Dempsey and James Pickens. Pickens also played Zack on Another World too and played an avuncular role in Brandon Walsh's upbringing. In short, he's been in the business awhile--but according to AP, they don't even know his name, below is their caption of this shot....

(ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy' cast members Patrick Dempsey, left, and Richard Webber join Writers Guild of America picket line at Prospect Studios in support of fellow TV and film writers on strike in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Nice...




Izzy and George fell by to help strike too. Hopefully they were filming they were filming (hopefully the breakup scene) and aren't wearing these scrubs as civilian clothes.

Part 2: That's a leisurely stroll those two have. Quit gabbing and looking simple, shake it up and start striking!

Kind of Watching It Videos

I'm having so much fun watching videos, it's really a lost art. Here's a few of my favorites...

Schoolly D- King of New York-Everyone remembers Schoolly D. As of this printing he's still with us but this is his unrepentant, darkly hilarious peak. D of course was made even more famous for his music being used in Abel Ferrera's 1990 classic, King of New York. Laurence "Larry" Fishburne decided to fall by the video shoot and clearly lost his mind and still thought he was Jimmy Jump. Classic stuff.

What Ended The Partnership: One day Schoolly D's 8 went off and Larry cried like a little girl.


Here's a candid of Christopher Walken and Giancarlo Esposito at my blog's Disco Party.






Rick James-Loosey's Rap- They don't make them like this anymore. They didn't make them like this by 1989. This is one of James's most nasty tracks--and that's why I love it. I have no idea what Loosey is doing--but knowing where Rick's head was at, it's nothing good. For this video we see a more ornate Rick James--and he looks a bit odd.

The Truth: Rick looks so high he's three feet off the ground.

During the end of the video we see Kelly Rutherford, from Generations and Melrose Place, having a lot of fun in the shower.








Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson-Whatzupwitu?- Better question is: What's up..with them? Geez Louise. This nightmare came from Eddie Murphy's 1993 Motown album "Love's Alright." We all know who's helping him out--Michael Jackson. Really? Jackson doesn't look too bad here and this is where the plastic surgery should have stopped. The problem here is all Eddie Murphy, he can't sing. The video isn't too spiffy either, two entertainers dancing in the crowds, cartoons--tons of corniness. And really? The camaraderie between these two can't make up for flying musical notes and peace signs.