Notice ME: The Obama New Yorker cover

You’ve seen it (or heard about it) by now but a lot is being made about the New Yorker cover featuring Barack Obama and his wife.

 

Apparently, it’s meant as a satirical showpiece for a glowing article attacking the scare tactics being used by opponents of the presidential hopeful, but it is already causing a media firestorm. Obama’s camp is attacking it and apparently many think it’s in low taste, whatever the intent of it is. Of course, The New Yorker is defending it as satirical art.

 

Whatever your opinion of the cover is, The New Yorker has achieved their goal. They are now a media player (at least for the present) in the Presidential campaign. However, it’s a little disingenuous for them to play innocent as to why people may be offended. They knew what the reaction would be, and they love the results.

 

The any attention is good attention adage is more prevalent now than ever before. No one remembers the intent, the purpose or the consequence. They just remember your name. The New Yorker may take a beating for awhile. However, this will soon blow over and I imagine the New Yorker will still be on the forefront of most people’s minds; which is exactly what they wanted when they published the cover.

 

 

 

VISA “Go World” campaign earns the gold

I’m not really in the mood for the upcoming Olympics.  The infusion of steroids, high-priced athletes, and lack of a true rivalry of Soviet proportions have made the Olympic Games just another athletic competition.

 

However, I have enjoyed the VISA Go World campaign. These inspirational ads are wonderfully shot, motivational and really hit to the point of the Olympic spirit.  The spots feature great moments of Olympics past and create a little chill every time you watch them (especially the Derek Redmond spot). Add Morgan Freemans’ narration and you have a winner.

 

I imagine this Olympics will be full of controversy, especially with China as the host nation. With the time difference, the ratings will probably be low. Additionally, with the exception of Michael Phelps and Dara Torres, there isn’t a great athlete/story to get behind. We are way beyond the Dream Team being interesting.

With all this being said VISA attempts to convey true Olympic spirit, and they overwhelmingly succeed. The Olympics are really about that one great moment, that special story, and the unexpected twist. That might be reason enough to watch.

 

 

Judge for yourself:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Olbermann & Patrick Together Again: But will anyone care?

Long before Keith Olbermann was an egotistical know-it-all shill for the Obama campaign he was and egotistical know-it-all Sportscenter anchor. Teamed with Dan Patrick, the duo was entertaining, funny and informative. Since they parted ways in 1997 we have been subjected by ESPN to countless imitators whose partnerships never quite worked.

 

On Monday, NBC announced they are going to try and re-capture the magic by bringing these two together again. Besides, some media coverage, and Olbermann’s show coverage, the announcement seems to have been received with apathy. The question is will anyone care? Will this bring in more viewers? The answer is no.

 

Most sports fans no longer connect Olbermann to sports. He has taken his career on a political path. Plus, did his addition last year make Sunday Night Football more interesting?? Nope.

 

(Does Bob Costas really need help hosting a pre-game show anyway?)

 

Patrick has moved from ESPN and is still in the sports business, but will he draw viewers? Does his name carry any special cache that will suddenly make people tune in early for highlights? Doubtful.

 

Besides the obvious advertising revenue, it’s puzzling to see NBC waste money on high-profile talent like Costas, Olbermann, Patrick, etc. for a pre-game show. By the time they are on the air, most fans know the scores, and what has happened over the course of the day. The show is an exercise in frivolity and ego gratification. The addition of Dan Patrick doesn’t add any informational weight or entertainment value. It will only further add to a show of smug personalities only entertaining themselves. If football fans want that they can always turn to ESPN.

 

Communication with a purpose

I speak an open and disinterested language, dictated by no passion but that of humanity. To me, who have not only refused offers, because I thought them improper, but have declined rewards I might with reputation have accepted, it is no wonder that meanness and imposition appear disgustful. Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are, without regard to place or person; my country is the world, and my religion is to do good.

 

-  The Rights of Man (1791)

 

I was thinking about one of America’s greatest communicators, Thomas Paine. Paine is often under appreciated as one of the voices of the American Revolution. Born in England in 1737, Paine lived and worked in Britain until the age of 37, when he moved to the American colonies.

 

He wrote Common Sense in 1776 advocating independence for the American Colonies from Great Britain. He also wrote The American Crisis, a series of pamphlets distributed between 1776-1783 that supported the Revolution.

 

As John Adams said, “Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain.”

 

To inspire the troops, George Washington ordered “The American Crisis” to be read out loud to his men:

 

These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.

 

To listen to Paine makes one realize the power of words, and their ability to inspire, encourage and change the course of history. Today, as we barbecue and head to the beach, we should think about words and where they have led us, especially as we head for a presidential election that seems full of words. Whether they will inspire remains to be seen, but Paine’s words remain strong 230 years after they were written.

 

Here come the Hogans?

Do I smell a mega reality extravaganza coming?

 

First, we have the divorce of Linda and Hulk. Then Nick Hogan gets thrown in jail. Then Linda is dating a 19 year old. Apparently Hulk has his own action. Now Linda says Hulk is stalking her. And coincidentally, not to be left out the mix, Brooke has her own show coming in a few weeks.

 

Has there ever been a better promotional set-up than this? They won’t even need to run commercials for the show. Just tune into Larry King and E every night.

 

“No One Knows Best!” Coming to VH1 in 2009! Let’s see… the judge orders they all live together in the same house for a year and wacky adventures ensue. I’m hooked already.

 

The Incredible Hulk or An Incredible Waste of Time

If Marvel was intent on making a bunch of prequels to The Avengers they should have at least been honest about it. Instead we are going to be forced to watch a bunch of movies that are designed to build up to the Avengers release in 2011. First there was the mundane Iron Man and now we have The Incredible Hulk, which is incredibly forgettable.

 

It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just not good. This seems to be a re-occurring Hollywood Blockbuster theme. Give us enough to not want to jump out of a window, but don’t make anything that really challenges the audience in anyway.

 

I won’t bore you with the movie because there isn’t much to say except Edward Norton surviving in the Brasilian favela is more unbelievable than him turning into a green mutant.

 

I have some hope that The Dark Knight will be good. If not, I will quietly have to say that Kung Fu Panda might have been the best movie of the summer….

 

Good Bad Commercials: Eastern Motors

A catchy jingle can go a long way. Even a bad commercial can be unforgettable if you throw in a few stars (Ray Lewis, LaVar Arrington, Clinton Portis, Carmelo Anthony) and a song that will stick with you for about 9 weeks.

 

Eastern Motors accomplishes unforgettable with their pulsatingly (I know that’s not a word) bad, but memorable commercial.

 

Whatever you think of the quality, it does the job. You’ll remember the name. It makes me wonder that if companies spending thousands on production of high-end commercials achieve the results they need.

 

This obviously won’t work for everyone, but sometimes simple and annoying can go a long way.

 

Product placement overkill: More Iron in your Diet?

If you want to get the gist of Iron Man just watch the trailer. It about covers all you need to know about the movie. Rich guy. Playboy. Cool toys. Has a change a heart. Becomes a super cool bad guy killing machine. It’s not a bad movie. It’s just not very good either. You won’t be pulling your hair out or gouging your eyes with soda straws. However, you’ll leave rather unfulfilled.

 

Except if what you are craving is the latest in gadgets, cars and other accessories. Iron Man practically beats you in the head with product placement. There is no subtlety to be found. Basically, it’s a two hour commercial that cost a lot of money ($135 million) to make.

 

It starts with the car.  Of course Iron Man happens to drive the Audi R8.

 

Then he takes a spin to get some food. Of course super-rich heroes like Burger King.

 

And his sunglasses are changed in every frame. 

 

It was kind of cool that Iron Man uses my phone. However, I wish I could talk to Pepper on it.

 

I’ve accepted the merging of art and advertising, but at least give us a little story. Paying for a $10 commercial feels rather cheap to me.

 

I’ll never forget Sarah Marshall

I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall last week. It was good in the style of 40 Year Old Virgin. If you haven’t watched the movie you won’t get the reference but who cares, you’re smart, and you’ll catch up. The main character, Peter, composes dramatic music for a TV show, and he meets this girl while trying to forget about Sarah Marshall… hence the title of the movie. He tells her that his passion in life is this Dracula musical he is working on. So they are out and she has him perform this song in front of this bar. In his mind this song is dramatic and heart-wrenching. As he starts to perform the whole bar sits in stunned disbelief. It’s a hilarious scene. He is kind of confused yet keeps with it and finishes the song. Then he realizes he shouldn’t be embarrassed. It’s not bad; it’s just not what he thought it was.

 

Is there a point to this? Of course. Sometimes when we set out doing something we become so locked into what we want it to be… we don’t see what it really is. This is often the case when we are writing or designing or developing something. It’s good to be open-minded and go with where our vision takes us.  What we have in our mind is not always how others see something or even what it is meant to be. Flexibility is so important. Flexibility in life. Flexibility in ideas. Flexibility in thought. So don’t get frustrated, learn to be flexible. It might open your eyes to a whole new world.

 

Let’s be honest, the ESPN NFL Draft coverage stunk this year

I admit it. When the NFL announced that the first round of this year’s draft would be ten minutes a pick, I was excited. I also applauded moving the draft back to 3 p.m. It all made logical sense. Shorten the first round from last year’s 6-hour marathon and move it later in the day. Boy, was I wrong. This year’s draft was horrible, and ESPN’s coverage was horrible, almost unwatchable. I didn’t watch the NFL Network’s coverage, but I am sure they didn’t fair much better. True, it may have been aided by the fact that there were no real sexy picks this year. When Matt Ryan is the 3^rd pick, you know things are bad. However, I tend to think that the shortened time added to viewing misery.

 

The time limit reminded me of speed dating. You get the gist of it, but no real substance. Yes, I think you’re ok, I might want to talk to you again, maybe even go on a date with you, but I really know nothing about you except the fact that you’re cute, and you haven’t annoyed me in five minutes, so let’s meet again.  That’s about how the draft went. We saw the pick, and we learned very little. By the time the pick was announced and the bogus post-pick interview was finished, Roger Goodell was turning back around to the podium. Bring back the 15 minutes. So what if it’s a marathon afternoon. What else are we going to do on a beautiful Saturday in April? I miss the endless discussions about whether Darren McFadden is a gang-member. Or whether Chris Long would have been drafted as high if his name were Chris Wilson? All we had was Mel Kiper shooting dirty looks at everyone, Chris Berman going, “whoa,” and Chris Mortensen telling us erroneous NFL executive insider information. 

 

As for the cast of characters…Chris Berman is just a caricature of himself at this point. He looks like one of those talking dolls that spits out catchphrases. Berman had cool catchphrases….20 years ago when he first used them. I used to have a Dr. Evil one that said funny one-liners and it was pretty funny for about a week. Then it became annoying when everyone came by my desk and threw it down seven thousand times. That’s about what Berman is now. A Dr. Evil doll that has worn out it’s welcome. Isn’t it about time Mike Greenberg replaces him and officially become the most overexposed annoying guy on ESPN. Dan Patrick has left realizing his dream of taking over Berman’s mantle would never come.

 

Mel Kiper. I’m a big fan. I grew up not far from where he did, and remember watching him as a kid, but he just looked genuinely pissed off for the entire broadcast.  He obviously hates Todd McShay, and pretty much anyone who disagrees with him. He went for extended periods without even speaking. Also, I’m from Baltimore and I’m biased, but Kiper is such a homer for the Ravens that it annoys me. Ok, we get it, you have season tickets, you love Ozzie Newsome, but not every pick they make is great. Joe Flacco was a reach at 18. Everyone knows this. He may (I hope) turn out to be great, but it was a reach.

 

Todd McShay. Where did he come from? What makes him an expert? I get the feeling that ESPN execs are trying to line up Kiper’s eventual replacement, and wanted to pick the most annoying guy in the world. Enter Todd McShay. He’s handsome, he has a devilish smirk, he disagrees with everything Kiper says, he’s perfect.

 

The rest of the cast was unimpressive. It’s hard to have 97 people contributing on a broadcast. Maybe next year they’ll go back to the 15 minute first round format.  Or maybe they’ll mix up the ESPN crew a little. Or maybe I’ll just watch the NFL network. Maybe Deion Sanders was throwing out pearls of wisdom…. On the other hand, maybe I’ll just go out and enjoy the weather that day.