What commercials are your latest favorites? Which ones make you run for the mute button?

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

Answers

well, it's not a really recent commercial and i think it has even been dicussed here before, but my favorite is the one for the e-toy company where the kid is running around the front yard with a raincheck in his hand yelling "i love my raincheck!" cracks me up every time i see it.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

"yesss, gooey cheese!"

Nuff said.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

i kind of stopped watching tv recently, but the good ones i remember - that denny's one, where the limo pulls up and a rooster gets out and the disco song "i'm just a love machine, and i won't work for nobody but you" plays. oh man. it's a pee-your-pants moment.

that and the VW jetta one - with the couple in the car driving along, and the man says "you remember that 'home movie' we made" and the chick is like "oh yeah" and he says "i think we just returned it" and you see the brakes just slam hard and the voice over says "abs breaks standard on the all new jetta" or some such thing. too cute.

there used to be a bunch more. commericals are little shows unto themselves - when they're good :)

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

My all time favorite I'd have to say is that o.b. tampon commerical. This little kid (5 or 6 maybe) is talking to his friend and showing him the money he has saved up in a jar. His mother is outside his room on her way to do laundry and overhears his friend asks him what he's going to buy with it. The kid: "I'm going to buy o.b. tampons." (The mother looks in shock, so she leans closer to the door to eavesdrop.) His friend: "What are you going to buy those for?" The kid: "Don't you ever watch tv?! If you buy o.b. tampons you can go horseback riding, swimming, bike riding, running..." (*THUD*) The kids run out of the room to say what the noise was. The mother is laying on the floor rolling with laughter.

Ok, so it's better if you see it. :)

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

That Iams (dog food) commercial with the Irish Setter... Shows him crawling up the stairs to a treehouse (I think) first with a little girl when he is a puppy, then running up as an adult with her as a teenager, and finally, arthritically making his way up the stairs as an old dog with greying muzzle when she is a young adult. Makes me bawl everytime as I sit here with my crew ranging in age from 8 weeks to 8 years knowing none of them will live long enough to suit me.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

the creepiest commercial i remember is the bud ice with the pengins. and they run around ans sing that doo be doo be doo song. i had nightmares for months about pengins coming out of the frigde and chasing me.

: )

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

Every fall, I look forward to the "back to school" commercial from Staples. You know, the one with the dad leaping and dancing through the store as his very sullen, grumpy kids follow behind, as the soundtrack plays the Christmas carol, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." Cracks me up every time I see it.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

Oh, Cathy, I know what you mean. That commercial just makes me cry.

There's a newish commercial for some tax group (don't remember who) where the guy is planning to do his taxes himself, and he just starts getting crazier and crazier. It makes me laugh.

I'm sure there are more...

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

I only watch Hallmark Hall of Fame Movies for the commercials. Oh my gosh---the one where the old lady doesn't get any mail in her mailbox and so her neighbor goes out and buys her a card and sticks it in the box and then she goes over to visit with her---Instant Waterfall! Or the one titled "Working Mom" where Mom comes home to find the house a wreck, laundry everywhere, the kids haven't had a bath, no dinner--just chaos---and then, the kids ask her to read them a story and there is a card in the book saying something like"I love you Mommy"---big ol' tears! I'm such a sap! I also used to think that the Penguin Beer commercials were spooky. I'm sure that there are a million that I will think of when I finish, but right now I am drawing a blank. Wait, just thought of one more that I hate---Actually it is a series--not like the cute little coffee commercial series with the couple who were always borrowing coffee from each other or running into each other over coffee---This one is a Pittsburgh-based commercial series with Jerome Bettis(or however you spell his name)for some sort of truck(you can tell that I really pay attention to it) and Jerome feebly attempts to deliver lines about how to get to Schenley Park(in a truck) or how strong the truck is(just like him) or my favorite---Jerome at the Shrink analyzing ink blots---of course he sees the truck. I immediately flip the channel.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

This is the commercial i hate the most.

I want my babyback babyback babyback babyback babyback babyback babyback i want my babyback babyback babyback babyback babyback babyback chili's babyback ribs, chili's babyback ribs babyback babyback babyback babyback BARBECUE SAUCE.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

that sign language ad makes me cry, too, pamie! ditto hallmark card ads, and the old "reach out and touch someone" long distance phone ads. i'm enjoying these pets.com ads with the hand puppet! "i'm here to play with the tabby cat!" it's just so darn cute! the taco bell dog rocks, too. i really liked the budweiser penguins, i didn't find them creepy at all. but, i also didn't see anything wrong with the carl's jr. ad that looked like a slasher film, so i guess there's no accounting for taste! i detest the loud, shouted commercials for monster truck ralleys or wrestling! don't those redneck idiots have volume control?

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

I hate all the 1-800-COLLECT and 10-10-whatever ads. Every single one of them. And the Blockbuster ad about video game rentals, the one with the people with the huge, throbbing blisters on their thumbs. It grosses me out.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

I love that commercial for I think Blockbuster, where the people in line ask what the movie is about, and this guy crawls out from under the counter and gives them the movie in the "Movie Trailer Voice" and then he shrugs and crawls back under, and they look totally nonplussed.

I really miss the Michelin tire commercials with the Michelin baby zooming around in the middle of a tire. I thought they were really cute.

I totally agree with whoever said that they hated all 10-10 whatever commercials. I want to smack the crap out of that guy. What the hell is his problem? Also the Taco Bell dog.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

Jan,

That was actually a Hollywood Video commercial. I remember, because I worked at Blockbuster at the time when I first saw that commercial, and I remember thinking how much better "their" commercials were than "ours" were. Also, that wasn't just the "movie trailer voice", that was the actual "movie trailer voice GUY," which only added to my admiration of whoever thought up that spot.

So, I'm a movie geek. Sorry.

My favorite commercial right now is for Outpost.com. They've got a few that I've seen, and they're all a bit over the top, but the best is the one where the "ravenous wolves" attack the high school marching band. Has anyone else seen that spot? As the old man in the ad says, "That's good stuff!"

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

There's a commercial for Aer Lingus where they show air hostesses looking at passengers, and they see the people differently to everyone else (eg, a little boy is walking down the aisle in the plane in normal gear - jeans, runners) and the air hostess sees him with a 'spaceman' suit on and brings him to the cockpit to see the captain (ok, this is ridiculous, I'm welling up as I type this).. and another shot of two mexican guys in suits looking at a map, and the air hostess looks at them and sees two explorers in 'Indiana Jones' type dress. Jeez...I cry every time. Oh - and Cyndi Laupers 'True Colours' is playing in the background. Excuse me - I need to get a tissue.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

My latest favourite one is the one featuring the HampsterDance site!

Least fave: That annoying little girl on the Pepsi commericials. Her and the Taco Bell dog shoule be put in a crate and dropped off the Golden Gate Bridge.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

oh my god. I doubled over laughing when I saw that Chili's commercial typed out. Baby back, baby back, baby back... UGH! I hate that thing and now I'll be singing it all the way home.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

Ok, go with me on this one.

I saw this ad last night for the first time, so I can't remember what it was selling -- I think some "better way to invest your money" or something. But it has this group of three men (I think) in the park discussing their ideas for investments, but not getting anywhere. Then, this duck comes up to them saying the name of the advertised company, which conveniently sounds like "quack quack." Of course the guys don't understand him, and just throw him this little piece of bread. Well, the duck gets this LOOK and gives the bread bit a sharp little kick, sending it straight back at the one man, hitting him square in the chest. The guys just turn and look at this duck, saying more insistently "QUACK QUACK."

Now, I think there is more to this advert, but by this point I am laughing so hard I just can't stand it -- it didn't help my situation that I was already in a silly mood. Every time I think of that duck's little leg kicking the bread crumb PA-TWANG! right at the guy, I just crack up.

That's my Most Recent Favorite, I think. The sign language one is good, too -- but anything with ASL in it is great for me... I love the fact that the media is taking notice of it, and allowing it to become more prevelant. :) And that ad is SO sweet. I wish there were more REAL little kids as kind and thoughtful as that.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

The outpost.com commercial with Martin Mull shooting gerbils through the "O" is the name is priceless.

Also the one where Kordell Stewart is throwing footballs to knock out the marching band members like ducks in a shooting gallery is a scream. I don't know if that's also outpost.com, but it is quite funny.

Finally, the "Meaty-Cheesey Boy's" Jack In The Box commercial, where the overweight marketing guy is almost too caught up in his own move- busting to ask "What's a target?"

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

I'll be predictable -- SportsCenter commercials are by far the best, followed closely by any other ad by ESPN. The "ESPN The Magazine" ads are great, too. Anyone see the Y2K-test SportsCenter ad, where Mark McGwire bashes a computer with a baseball bat? Priceless.

I detest that old Brummmel & Brown commercial with a psycho couple dancing around a giant tub of the damn butter. Any jingle that uses the words "boogie-woogie" needs to go.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

The McDonald's commercial where they show a little girl and her mother in several different locations (the girl's room, outside on a bench, etc), and the little girl is struggling with reading a book out loud to her mother. Finally, she finishes reading the book and says "The End!" And the mother congratulates her for working so hard, and treats her to lunch at McDonald's to reward her for all her hard work. Then it shows them at McDonald's, and the McDonald's worker hands the little girl...

A braille menu.

Oh, instant tears. I'm teary-eyed just thinking about it.

http://www.bitchypoo.com/bitchypoo.html

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

Ok, that's two for the SportsCenter ones. Jenga! Jenga! hee hee!

My husband has an unreasonable hatred of Jack (of JitB fame.) I seriously despise those psychic phoneline commercials. If I can help it, not even one second of those things gets airtime on my tv.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

Oh man, I just thought of another one.

You know that commercial for cnet, where they have a guy wearing a sign saying "The Wrong Camcorder" and a guy wearing a sign saying "The Right Camcorder", and then there's a guy wearing a sign saying "You", and "You" starts walking toward "The Wrong Camcorder" and then a guy wearing a sign saying "CNET" comes over and grabs his hand and walks him over to "The Right Camcorder".

Man, I love that commercial.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

My favorite commercial right now is one none of my friends have seen. It starts like "This summer, everything, yes, EVERYTHING is getting blow'd up!" Then it shows these movie-trailer scenes of random things exploding, like a boat, an outhouse, a couple in the park. There's this awesome shot of maniacal villain punching detonator buttons with an evil "Oh my..." Then the announcer again: "Trimount Studios brings you this summer's $200 million blockbuster: BLOW'D UP!" Then we see some guy in his house watching this commercial, he grimaces, goes over to the ETrade website (I think it's ETrade) and types in "Trimount Studios", "3000 Shares", "Sell", CLICK. Just as the commercial ends we hear the announcer again: "This movie's gonna blow." Gets me everytime (but of course it's funnier on screen and now I've probably ruined it for you).

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

well its not on tv, its on the radio for .. shoot.. i dont know what its for..

anyway its the one where little alanis morissette is in class and the teacher says "class, who can give me the definition of irony..., yes, alanis" and little alanis says" its like 10 thousand spoons when all you need is a knife?" and the teacher says" not exactly, uh billy?" and little billy says, "the definition of irony is..." but alanis interrupts him and says "stop opressing me billy. every time i scratch my nails down someone elses back i hope you feel it. WELL ?! can YOU feel it?!!!!"

oh man that makes me giggle every time

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

You think you're hormonal?! I cry when I see COTTON commercials.. you know the ones.. with the old couple dancing and the family at the picnic while the jingle, "The look.. the feel.. of cotton.. the fabric of your life.." UGH! and don't even mention Halmark commercials.. :)

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

I know they aren't so new, but I still laugh out loud everytime I see an M&M's commercial; especially the cannibal one, "that's just not right." god I love that. And the one where Yellow throws himself on the floor and tells the guy that he can't eat candy thats been on the floor, "Who says?" Okay..so I'm a freak.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

Okay, this is actually an entry that I wrote about a week ago, but I can't resist posting it here, because, well, it's just so on topic.

My trashy TV watching has ground to a halt, at least for this week. I have, however, seen enough commercials to last me well past my hundredth birthday. Two in particular disturb me, though.

First off. That god forsaken talking Taco Bell dog. I don't know what the hell these people were thinking. A skinny, hairless, teeny, pansy-assed talking dog. Uh-hunh. There's a great concept.

I can see the conversation now...

Executive 1
You know, I'm thinking that this dog idea might be good.

Executive 2
Yeah, you know, dogs are cute. Chicks dig that.

Executive 3
No. That's stupid. No one will ever buy a talking dog.

Executive 2
You know, as much as I hate to say it, I think that I'm with Number One on this. Chicks do dig dogs.

Executive 3
Would you guys forget about the chicks already? Back to the dog!

Executive 1
Right. The dog is good. I mean, it's cute, it's furry...
Executive 3
It's not furry. It's a hairless freak, that's what it is!

Executive 2
Don't talk about the dog like that! This dog is going to be our salvation.

Executive 3
Um, guys? Don't we use dog meat, sometimes?

Executive 1
No one knows about that. We don't use dog meat. We use dog by- products.

Executive 2
Hey! Shuttup! We're trying to make a major marketing decision here, people! Isn't anyone listening? We need the dog.

Executive 1
Yeah. People love small hairless animals. It'll be cute. It can talk. We can make small stuffed toys in it's image.

Executive 2
The dog will be the symbol of a new era for us.

Executives 1 and 2, in chorus
Long live the dog!

Executive 3
I need a drink.

Yeah, there's a brilliant marketing ploy. Take a small, squeaky, hairless dog of the variety that most people want to kick, and make it into your company's new "symbol". Why didn't I think of that?

I tell you. These people in marketing have something wrong with their heads.

One or two of the dog commercials would have been fine. But this is getting insane. Plus, they used the "Chicks dig it" line in a commercial. Hello? Is anyone home in there? Where are their heads?! The most recent one, though, it probably the stupidest. Picture of food. Picture of dog saying "goopy". Picture of food. Picture of dog saying "goopy" again. Repeat this half a dozen times. Tada. We have a commercial.

What kind of freak thinks this shit up? Who the hell thought that it would be a swift idea to take a dog that looks a hell of a lot like foor to begin with and then make it into a commercial, hunh? Don't they have someone screening this shit?

And, you know, way up there with the lovely taco bell commercials are those damn Old Navy commercials.

I didn't like Old Navy to being with, because, quite frankly, I can't afford to breathe in the damn place. However, it was the commercials that cinched the decision.

I hate Old Navy

Here, does this ring a bell with you?
"Performance fleece/Ooh it's fine!/Performance fleece/I'll be there at nine!"

That was from over a year ago. I still know all the words. I can still do the damn dance.

There was the cargo vests. (Is that what those damn things are called?) And cargo pants. And cargo shorts.

Enough with the cargos, already! Get over it!

There was performance fleece, there were cargos, there were vests and jackets and hats and god-knows-what-else. It's a little unnerving, to be honest.

Even their website is annoying. The first thing that you hear is irritating music, just like on the commercials! Oh, joy. Let me get up and do a little dance to the happy music. Rah.

Anyhow, in the spirit of ripping on commercials, I'll leave my critique of their site alone. (Although I have to admit that I find it very 1998 that you can't order online from them yet. Hello, where have they been? Don't they know that all the cool kids have secure servers now?) Anyhow. So I found their section on their advertising.

Here's a direct quote from their page...

What's going on with your TV commercials?
We're celebrating everything Old Navy stands for -- family, fun, fashion, and value.

Remind me again how they think that these values are being represented? Colour me disturbed, thankyouverymuch.

Who the hell wrote those irritatingly catchy jingles, anyhow? Why the hell aren't they writing teenybopper, happy-go-lucky scream-along- in-your car songs? What are they doing writing Old Navy commercials, for chrissake!? I mean, really. If you're good enough to write a commercial that I'm still singing a year after it's been off the air, than I would think that you can write a hit pop song pretty easily.

Sigh. Damn commercial people.
-Meghan

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2000

Yes! The E*Trade ones! Those are cute. (If it is E-Trade.=) The ones where people are selling stock over the phone.

Not only is the "BLOW'D UP!" one funny, but there's another one along the same lines:

Donut shop.
Guy on the phone: "Yeah, this place is going to make us RICH!"
Guy on the phone sees rat riding on the conveyer belt eating a donut.
"Uhh, lemme call you back."
(Insert selling stock on website through phone here.)
Person at donut shop: "Can I help you?"
Sold-Stock Guy: "Yeah, should HE (pointing at rat) be wearing a hairnet?"

It is pretty funny.

Ditto to everyone that has trashed Old Navy, Taco Bell and the Pepsi chic. Yuck yuck and yuck. (=

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

I love that "raincheck" commercial. Love it. A cute one I saw a few weeks ago was one where you see Brett Favre walking around his house with his helmet on and then he stops like he's listening to something (through his helmet) and he goes to his baby's room, picks her up, and she has the little headset on. How cute!

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

I'm with ya' on the Old Navy trip, Meghan. I still have nightmares of the one with Eartha Kitt in the tent. I think she ate Magic and spit out the Taco Bell dog. "Gooey"

The newest bit to freak me out is the Pringles commercial with the two insane clay-mation things making funny faces and chasing each other around. Not since the mini-van commercial with the wommereiners (I never liked the photos or calendars either- why do they have people hands? That's just wrong!) or the Duracell family, has TV made me quite so nauseated. That's saying a lot considering I watch VIP, LA Heat AND Pacific Blue.

Ok, I don't really watch them, I just sort of flip to them to laugh a little every once in a while. Well, except for VIP- can't get enough!

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

Don't you love how you can watch some commercials over and over again, and LOVE every second of them, and yet you still have no idea what they're trying to sell? That's so funny. Do you know any commercials like that? I guess that's a question for another forum.

Lindsay: word on that "Quack-quack" commercial. That cracks me up every time I see it, and so far I've only seen it muted. (Don't ask.)

The VW Jetta commercial is so funny too. Saw it again last night on ER. Still makes me smile.

I haven't heard that Alanis commercial but it sounds darn funny!

Here's one I really like. I can't quite remember what it advertises (see what I mean???), but it features a freaky, perky Mr. Rogers-like walking around in his spotless house talking to his furniture. The couch pillow, the lamp, the clock, a painting.... Saying things like, "What's that? Oh, you're right." "So, who would like to order out for pizza?!!! Hm? Hm? IIIII'mmm buying!!" Again, I don't quite remember what they're selling, but I find it hilarious.

On the bad end, I have found that for the last decade or so, any commercial having to do with phone products--basic service, collect #s, 10-10-whatever, anything--will consistently fill the very top of my Most Annoying Commercials list. They are so consistently godawful. Except I find David Arquette funny somehow. I don't know why. Paul Reiser, however, should go jump off a cliff. Soon.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

There's a coke commercial airing (I think only in Canada, eh?) where this group of kids is trudging along thru the snow towards the lake. Hokey gear slung over their back, cooler in hand... and someone's little sister trailing along.

She watches as they joyfully clear off the snow and set up the game. Just before the game starts, her big brother gives her the "c'mon" look with a half smile... she lines them up, and in a sweet, high voice, starts singing... "oh, canada, our home and native land..."

*Sniff*

I'd rather grab a kleenex than a Coke.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

Aww, Andrea, just the idea of that commercial makes me want to cry. How sweet.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

That Alanis commercial sounds hilarious! Is it a local radio commercial? I haven't heard it...

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

Who ever mentioned that radio Alanis commercial, that thing cracks me up! It's for some on-line, mp3/music site.

I absolutely LOVE the handpuppet dog for petsmart.com (or whatever it is) When he starts singing "What goes up, must come down... spinning wheel spinning..." I just laugh my fool head off.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

There is a new one for some kind of potato chip where a hockey player guy asks his neighbor for some ice. The neighbor hads the hockey guy some chips, and he likes them. He keeps coming back, asking for more stuff, ("Hairdryer?") and being handed the bag of chips. Eventually, he knocks on the door, snatches the bag, and runs. The neighbor grabs some hockey gloves, goes stomping down the hallway, and knocks on the hockey guy's door. The hockey guy answers, and the neighbor throws down his gloves and punches him. Hilarious.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

i like that hockey one, too. but i'm partial to hockey commercials, because one of my all time favorites is the mastercard commercial that fox aired during hockey games last year, with dominic hasek. "pads for legs: $1400. glove for hand: $400. mask for face: $800. having a slinky for a spine: priceless." i adore that commercial.

and my favorite of the holiday season was the amazon.com singing guys. "nothing left to do today but worry about y2k soaking in a bubblebath with 15 days to go..."

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

That's Mark Messier in that Pringles commercial. I love that one. When the neighbor goy drops his gloves and pounces on Messier...Gawd. Cracks me up!!

Okay, and the send.com giver guy commercials are hilarious! The one on the radio where he's singing "12 Days of Christmas" and gets to two turtle doves and says "who wants turtle doves? They are messy, stinky and will poop in your shoes"...only you can't hear his hysterical little French accent when I type it out...Anyway, I almost rearended the Vette in front of me because I totally lost it when I heard that ad....

And the AFLAC duck still cracks me up when he kicks that bread back at the guy. Even though I saw the ad a bajillion times during the Whtever-the-Hell-Bowl on New Year's Day it still puts me on the floor.

I think I probably watch too much TV or something.....

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

Errr...I meant guy. Neighbor guy. =o)

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

"Slinky for a spine? Priceless." I LOVED that one. But, then again, I love hockey. And Hasek, for that matter. Yum.
Anyone remember the old Levi's Wide-Leg jeans commercial where an entire operating room full of people start singing 'Tainted Love', along with all the machines beeping and whooshing?
I genuinely miss that commercial.
And then there is the other Volkswagen one where they go driving through the French Quarter on a rainy day and everything is going in tine to the music. I wish that would happen more often when I was driving.
(And I'll just apologize now for any typoes I have made or will make in the future. This keyboard really sucks.)

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

I love the chip one with Mark Messier too! Hillarious!

One of my two all-time favorites is for some kind of beer or something where a guy comes into his apartment and goes to the refrigerator, and it cuts to his dog, whining because he wants to eat. The guy grabs a beer (or whatever) and it cuts to the dog with the food bowl in his mouth. The guy goes into the living room and sits down on the couch, and it cuts to the dog - banging his food bowl against the counter. The guy tilts the bottle back for a big swig, and it cuts to the dog dish flying through the air and smacking the guy in the back of the head.

The other is for Hoover - shows a woman vacuuming. There's this big, fluffy cat lazing around on the floor. All of a sudden the light blub flashes, then goes out and you hear this loud "RRREEEEEEAAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR".

I also like the ad for superglue where two nuns are walking along and the little tiny pee-pee falls off of a statue and they have to take it to the Mother Superior to glue back on.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

Well another Canadian one that is funny...I hope some of you get the chance to see it...there's this sweaty athleticy guy walking down the street with a hockey bag, holding a stick. The sun is shining, and he's bouncing along. But as he walks down the street an old guy sitting on a bench across the street reading a paper keels over, others etc....he looks around, keeps going. Finally he is walking under a tree and dead birds start falling on the ground all around him. He stops, notices his hckey bag is open a little. He bends over to smell it and almost pukes. He then zips the bag up and keeps going. I think that was for Molson Canadian beer. Pretty much all the funny commercials here are Labatt's (the street hockey game with the business man using his umbrella and briefcase as a goalie) or Canadian.

Those are all pretty good commercials. Anyone else seen them?

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

My friends were telling me about the duck quacking commerical just last week! I think I've seen it. I also like the raincheck commerical:) Another commercial that I love that came out about year ago for Awia (sp?) was the one where they show the younger guy driving and an older man in the passenger seat. They're both wearing black and the driver pushes in a tape and out comes Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". So he starts dancing and singing to it and all the ppl. driving around next to him are laughing and smiling while his passenger gives him a dissproving look. Then the camera pulls away and we see he's driving a hearse. I think thats the reason why I bought the Queen CD:) I also like cotton commericals. They make me think that if I wear cotton, I cn dance and move around like them... What else? I can't think of anymore now...

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

I love that one where that big gray cat is sitting on the stairs and suddenly sneezes, and his hair flys off in huge clumps. I think it's for some allergy medicine. It kills me every time.

Also, "I love my raincheck!!!"

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

There was this McDonalds commercial that aired during the 96 Olympics, there is this little boy that wanders onto the runners track and gets into starting position..then you hear the gun go off and the boy starts running...as he is running he is getting older, little boy...teenager....college student...until he is the olympic track star crossing the finish line to a cheering crowd. And as the congratulating crowd begins to walk away, he turns around as if he feels someone is looking at him...and there at the starting line is standing the little boy staring at him in admiration.--It looks alot better than it sounds and it made me bawl.

Oh--and one more--the LifeSaver's commercial with the little girl sitting with her daddy under a tree watching the sun set--Daddy says: "Going....going...gone" and the little girl says.."Do it again daddy"----aaaiighhghh! sniff sniff :)

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

HATE -- Old Navy (who doesn't?), Taco Bell dog (he USED to be cute), and 10-10-anything (where sitcom stars go to die). My all time most hated comercial is from several years ago, it was for a car company (Volvo maybe?). Anyway, it shows a sonogram and you can see the baby moving around and hear the parents going 'Oh, look! It's an arm!', 'It's heart is beating!', etc. Then the announcer comes on and says, "Is something inside telling you to buy a Volvo?" GAG! PUKE! DIE!

LOVE -- Although the Pepsi commercials with the little girl are annoying, have you seen her spots for Bravo? They crack me up! She's supposed to be this great independent film director and people like Lily Taylor, Matt Damon, etc. are in her movies. The one that makes me laugh the most is where Lily Taylor is in tears and asks the little girl, "Do you think I've got it?" and the girl is all "No. You've never had it we're replacing you." in this little voice that she has. It cracks me up. Also, Hollywood Video had a radio spot a while back where they would summarize movies in about 30 seconds and then go 'Not satisfied, rent it tonight.' Those were really funny. The one for _As Good As It Gets_ is the best. They have great impersenators and the dialogue is basically 'My son is dying!' 'I'm crazy and don't care about you' 'I was beat and now I have to talk to my Parents! And I'm gay' 'Let's go on a trip!' 'I hate you' 'I love you' 'I love you too!' THE END. Cracks me up every time.

Anyway...

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

the "pardon me, do you have any grey poupon?" ads, many were funny. also i can't remember what suv or what ever it was, but it starts out with the little girl hearing the strict teacher over this girl saying, "remember you must stay within the lines." finally the girl grows up and drives this vehicle every where but staying within the lines - - and her expression - wow

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2000

anotehr Canadian one...

This one was for Zellers, which is like Walmart, but.. friendlier.

Anyway, shot if living room: Woman is scurrying around putting finishing touches on decor. She is mumbling to herself about how this year everything will be perfect. the dog, of course, just stares. She's lighting candles when the bell rings.. "Oh that's them!" she squeals.She runs to the door, and we see her from behind as she anwers wearing her red blouse, apron and... the you see her big ass and her old lady underwear in her pantyhose because she forgot to put on her skirt! ahahahaha!

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2000

Hehehe...I too doubled over laughing when I read the "babyback ribs" ditty all typed out. One current favorite is for this Drano/Liquid Plumr (is that how they spell it?) rip-off called...Foaming Pipe Snake! HAHAHAHA. Why, oh why, would anyone even think to call a cleaner a "foaming pipe snake?" And the commercial's pretty cool too...."when the foaming pipe snake goes to work, nothing can stand in it's path" and then there's this foam violently attacking a pipe that is decorated to look like a jungle. The Comedy Central "Indecision 2000" bits with Mo Rocca, Steve Carell and Vance DeGeneres are funny too. They get to talk to all the presidential candidates and make fun of them. Yay! But my all time favorite commercial has to be the infomercial for the "Monster Ballads" CD, which is a collection or horrible love songs by 80's cheese metal hair bands. My friends and I have this puppy memorized. Some choice lines (which must be said in this deep, pseudo-dramtic voice): "They taught us how to love." "Every bad boy has a soft side." It must be seen t

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2000

Agreed on the truly annoying Old Navy commercials. I can't quite agree with the 10-10 commercials, as, without them, I wouldn't have found out about 10-10-220, which has saved me a *lot* of money on calls to Israel, so I can't complain.

My favorites would be a couple of really old radio commercials, going back over a decade. One was an ad for Kodak Instamatic cameras, which went something like this:

"He was safe!"
"He was out!"
"He was safe!"
"He was out!"
"My dad got a picture of it with his Kodak Instamatic camera!"
[Voiceover sales pitch deleted]
"Well, what does it show?"
"Remember, it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game!"
"You were out..."
"Kodak. Because time goes by."

Come to think of it, that loses a LOT in the transcription...

Otherwise, these was this series of commercials for grapes in which the ingredients for other kids' snacks were used. "Well, I've got [insert long string of chemicals and disconcerting ingredients, ending with 'xanthan gum']." "Wanna trade?" "Sure; I'll never make the team anyway..." "Hey, why don't you kids try grapes?!"

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2000

I love punk rock Stewart on the E*Trade commercials. Isn't he the older Pete from Pete and Pete? Oh Love.....
I love the pets.com puppet. Cause, you know, pets can't drive.
The sign language Oreo's commercial? Waterworks..
There's another one that the reason i wanted to reply to this. Maybe I'll remember later.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2000

The ESPN ones are great ... my all-time favorite was on the air back when Craig Kilborn was still a SportsCenter host, and it showed the ESPN company basketball team playing Bristol Plumbing (or something like that). Of course, the ESPN team included actual NBA players: Juwan Howard, Cherokee Parks, Pooh Richardson etc. One of the opponents yells, "Hey, wait a minute -- you're using ringers!" To which Kilborn responds, "Just play the game, Plumberboy."

Cracks me up. I use that line now when I'm playing basketball and a friend makes a questionable foul call.

On the other hand, any commercial with 80s music automatically starts off with two strikes against it in my book -- I will not have my childhood used to sell hamburgers!

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2000

oh man, i just went through and read these and oh geez, i must have watched a lot of t.v. at some point as i remember most of these.

anyway - my favorite commercial right now has to be the one for the VW cabrio. i actually caught the premier of it. it's the one that opens with a shot over a river with moonlight on it, and shifts to these kids driving along in a cabrio and there's nick drake's pink moon playing and there are fireflies in the air and a huge moon up in the sky and everything is that glorious shade of night blue - and they pull up to a party and everyone is all rowdy and all the kids in the car sort of look at eachother. then they drive away into the night again. that commercial *always* gets to me. the way the boy in the back looks at the girl sitting next to him - it's amazing how a damn car commercial could be poignant.

oh that alanis radio spot is hilarious!

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2000

Jason, Brie, and Allyson... thanks for proving that I'm not hallucinating -- that duck commercial really does exist! And it's sooo funny... I'm laughing again just thinking about it.

I thought of another one, though -- you know that AGS Mutual Funds one (or something like that) with Gumby and Pokey? They go into the book into this little plastercine (sp?) paradise, sit down beside the beach and give each other this great "aw YEAH" look... hehehhe, funny in a cute way (not like the duck, which is funny in a hilarious way). :)

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2000

There's a commercial here in the UK for Ore Ida frozen chips (french fries), where this girl of about 10 asks her sister (who's about 6), 'Which do you like better, Daddy or chips?' And it shows the little girl on the schoolbus, going through her normal day, and you can hear her thinking 'Daddy or chips?' over and over. Then she sits down to eat tea with her sister, and her father pats her on the head, leans over her and grabs a chip off her plate, stuffing it in his mouth. The little girl turns to her sister and says, 'Chips.'

Also, when I was in America last month, I was actually frightened by the amount of adverts for websites and all things Internut.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2000

Yeah! More fellow Canadians! Andrea, I always cry at the Coke "Oh Canada" commercial too! I also love the Molson commercial with the smelly hockey equipment and the Zellers commercial previously mentioned.

Zellers also had a good commerical when "Victor Newman" from the Y&R was the spokesperson. Normally, that character is such a prig, but he was so funny in these commercials. The set-up is this: the actor plays Victor, who is a really rich man, in these commercials also. But, he's sick of all these riches, and the spoiled woman who spends all of his money. He asks the spoiled woman, "Why can't you be more like her?" and gestures out to the home audience, to Mrs.Homemaker watching. He starts fawning to our Zellers shopper, how smart she is, how sensible with her money. He edges closer and closer to the camera, cooing all the way, when WHAM! he smacks into the camera, nose smunched up against the lens. The look on his face is priceless.

Wonder why they don't run those anymore....

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2000

The one I hate and love at the same time is the Pepsi commericals with the little girl and all her scary voices (you know that "Joy of Cola" crap...distrubing, but funny.

Hate with a passion all the Taco Bell commericals with that damn dog...and I am with you Pamie about the commerical with the little boy and the sign language...too precious!

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

Crap! Thought about two more I wanna mention. I love that "Rain Check" commerical...poor pathetic kid and there is a commerical out now bout some type of candy with a monster and a bus and he is trying his damnest to shake out the little bus driver...kinda like trying to get that last piece of candy out of the box or something...anywho its so funny!

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

I know a few sports ones have been mentioned.. but the NHL ones from a few years back are by far the best! The one of Messier and Gretzky playing chess is the best of the bunch (Where Messier sends the chess board and pieces flying when Gretzky has out manuvered him!)

Honrable mention to the Nike ads.. a short one in particular where a goalie (Habs goalie I think..) sneaks into the Maple Leafs dressing room and writes stuff on the chalboard like "Mats (Sundin - Leafs star player) Is Sweedish" or "Mats loves ABBA"

And the old Bo Jackson ad's after he had his hip replacment surgery where they had this huge produstion set up for him with a song and dance and a ton of singers.. and midway through the production Bo stops it all and says "I don't have time for this" and walks away. The ad then quickly cuts to another athelete (Gretzky, George Forman, Joe Montana were three of the guys I can remember) saying "But I do.. hit it!!" and the song and dance continues... hehe funny stuff!!

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

There is a great ad campaign in the UK at the moment for Fiat Punto cars. The boy driver version is meant to be for girls, and has him talking about how the car has lots of cubby holes 'for make-up and hankies' and a power-steering 'girlie' button. The girl driver version talks about how the cars got a big grunty engine 'so the boys will have something interesting to talk about when the football season is over' and how the bodywork is sleek 'so you can fantasise about pulling in it'. It's brilliant, very tongue in cheek.

My other favourite ad at the moment is for New Zealand tourism, complete with fantastic shots of NZ's great outdoors, with Crowded House's 'Don't Dream It's Over' as the theme music, but that's just because I'm very homesick.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

HATE: Energizer family gave me nightmares...

Old Navy ANYTHING...

Santa packs are comin', Santa packs are comin'...

There's another christmas commercial for Indiana's Hoosier Lottery that has these chicks singing, "Holiday Cash is in the air, Holiday Cash is everywhere; Seasons Greetings from the Lottery to yooou!" ... Actually, I hate almost all the Hoosier Lottery commercials...

The "Joy of Cola" crap makes me incredibly angry, and I know she's cute and all, but I can't stand to look at that little girl.

LOVE: e-Trade commercials kick butt...

VW commercials are just cool as Hell...

There were these Kia commercials a while back where they started out looking like really bad local car commercials, the owner of the dealership superimposed over an arial-view of his car lot with big flashing text across the screen, and in the shots of the car lot there was some guy in a gorilla suit and a cheerleader jumping around; my favorite of that bunch was the one where you see a dealership owner with a southern accent wearing a bad white suit and he goes "We're slashing prices!", and there's these guys in ninja suits with swords "sneaking" up on him, and he turns and karate-chops them and they fall -- the most hilarious thing was, the local dealership monopoly in Fort Wayne (Bob Rohrman) had a commercial just like that, where the owner kicked some ninja guys' asses, but they were totally being serious about it.

And the last commercials I love aren't on the TV, they run on the classical station here in D.C. It's sorta reminds me of those Ad Lib books we used to get in elementary school from the bookmobile. Here's a rough dialog example:

Boy: I am so excited about this new--

and then this guy with a Ben Stein-like voice breaks in and fills in with the word "book"

Boy" --I got yesterday. It has so many--

Ben Stein: chapters

Boy: --and lots of really hard--

Ben Stein: words.

Boy: But that's okay cuz I have a--

Ben Stein: dictionary

Boy: --full of secret codes and stuff, and a better--

Ben Stein: vocabulary

Boy: than my friends do. I have been--

Ben Stein: reading

Boy: --nonstop for three days. My thumbs hurt from--

Ben Stein: turning the pages.

Boy: I love this--

Ben Stein: book

Boy: --so much.

Then an announcer comes on and says: "Don't you wish that your children sounded this excited about reading?" I think that it's for a library or some D.C. Council on Literacy or something like that. It's definitly lost something in the translation here, but it's really a cool commercial. The one with the little girl talking about how much she loves "Mark Twain" is great cuz it's obvious that she was originally talking about Ricky Martin.

Okay, I'm thru with boring you.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

Both love and hate all those "Obey your thirst" ads. They do a good job of making fun of all the standard ads, but then they say, "Don't pay any attention to their advertising; listen to US!" Blah.

"I think we just returned it."

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

I can't stand that car ad with the dogs dressed in suits and such, driving, reading the paper, etc... I think it's because they have human hands. That's just creepy. I saw one last night where the creepy human/dogs were standing next to their minivan, and they had a normal dog as a pet. What's with that?!? Barry pointed out that the pet dog should have had a human head.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

Mary Ellen--

Those dog commercials are done by William Wegman, a photographer/videographer/artist who uses his dogs as the subjects for his work. I love his stuff (he does some great bits for Sesame Street, and his portraits are really breathtaking sometimes), but Eric finds the entire thing very creepy. I dragged him to an exhibit once here in town and the whole dog head/human hand thing freaked him out too.

I just love the patience in the dog's eyes. You can tell they know they're good dogs.

The video clips are great if you ever get a chance to see them. He does little experiments with the dogs. There's an ABC video of them spelling out the ABC's. You can catch some of that on Sesame Street.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

I admit, I get teary at the cotton commercials and lately I've been welling up over the latest nike/michael jordan ad with the Stevie Wonder song (sung by someone else). I like VW ads too, but specifically the one where the guy is sitting alone, moving around and obviously singing, but we can't hear him until his friend opens the door and the song is Mr. Roboto...it made me chuckle. I hate those AT&T/Paul Reiser ads too, except lately my friends and I have been saying "I've got to call Fraance...which is very close to France"

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

I think my husband and I are are the only two people who really liked the Buddy Lee commercials. "Wait a minute...that's not my car...THAT'S my car!" Plus, a guy we know looks exactly like Buddy Lee, so it just cracked us up even more.

There's a radio commercial for some brand of beer that dedicates itself to the unsung heroes of America. They sing a tribute to Mister Bowling Shoe Picker Upper, one line saying that if he makes one false move when matching up pairs, that we'd all be one a one-way road to Blisterville. There's another one dedicated to Mister Giant Foam Finger Maker, the inventor of the one-size-fits-all #1 hands at baseball stadiums. Of course, I can't remember any of the good lines now, but they definitely cracked me up the first few times I heard them.

Does anyone else have commercials for their local radio stations that just stink out loud? They try to be funny and do sight gags, and end up just making me vomit. There's a reason why these people are on the radio and not television. Let's keep them that way okay? Steve and Vickie, I'm talking to you.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

I love that orange juice commercial where the Dad's trying to get his son to drink it:

DAD: C'mon, you have to drink OJ, it tastes good and it's good for you.

SON: I don't believe you.

DAD: Well, who would you believe?

SON: I dunno.... Robert Loggia.

Then Robert Loggia walks in through the wall and the dad just stares dumbfounded as Loggia goes, "Drink your OJ, it's good for you and it tastes good," and the son goes, "Sure, if you say so, Mr. Loggia!" while the mom looks on, all proud.

Sigh. It loses something in the translaton, but when the kid goes, "I dunno.... Robert Loggia," it gets me in stitches b/c it's so random.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

Waaaay too much thinking about TV. I'm scaring myself!

The Kia ad set in Hawaii where they rent the Kia and drive the hell out of it and return it all nasty and the Hawaiian rental guy is jumping around yelling "What you do to my car?!"....and even better, the Kia ad set in the swamps in Louisiana where the Cajun guy is driving Mr and Mrs Suburbia around the swamps and he's yelling "AIIIIIEEEEE" and the husband says "Try it honey, aiieeee"....Okay, well I find them very funny.

And one more...local homemade commercial that gets run in the Indianapolis area -- when I was in college it just killed me. (Of course it's not meant to be funny!) It's this total used car salesman type guy doing his spiel...but it's for Don's Guns. That's the name of the business. Don's Guns. Imagine the worst local car dealer's ad but substitute Don pushing his guns. Well, maybe you have to see it. Anyone out there from Indy that can help me here???

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

The most annoying commericial I have ever heard in my life, is a radio commercial advertising a furniture store. I believe the store is local to North Carolina, so you should all count your lucky stars that you do not have to listen to it.

The furniture store is called "That Furniture Place". Someone thought it would be a good idea to hire these two annoying, screaming, screeching women to do a little "who's on first" type skit as a commercial.

"But what's the NAME of that furniture place?"

"That Furniture Place!"

"Are you going to tell me what the name is?"

"I already did!"

Annoying woman with a high pitched screech screams:

"NO YOU DIDN'T"

And on and on and on and on.........

It is seriously the most aggravating sound I have ever heard.

I had to attend a little business expo for my company and I saw that they had a booth. I went over and told the people working there that I was so offended and aggravated by that irritating commercial that I would never shop their store. I meant it, it's that bad.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

i absolutely hate thoes comercials for thoes new medicines. they start out ok, but then at the end they have all the possible "side effects" The side effects are so sick. there is one ..zenical maybe? that says you could experience a "oily gasious discharge" OMG i just thought i was going to be sick.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

oh Jesus! I had forgotten about that Zellers Xmas add! Thanks for the laugh. And, i agree with Allison Lowe that the grey cat sneezing ad is great.

Remember that mini van ad where the dog sits in the front seat, and says to the driver "hit the cat. HIT THE CAT!" Loved it. Sadly, the spca got it pulled for cruelty to animals.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

Don't know if this Staples ad plays outside New England:

Staples guy reads order: "That's a lot of rubber bands!" Another guy: "I'm on it!" Staples truck drives through the city: "Whether you're a big business", ...through a little town: "A medium sized business," ...pulls up at the fish pier: "Or a small business, Staples delivers" Delivery man to lobstermen, who have lobsters pinching them all over: "Here are your rubber bands". Lobsterman: "Thanks, we needed them!" Delivery man: "And would you like a catalog?" Lobster grabs the catalog.

Other Boston area favorites are Jordan's furniture stores parodies of national commercials. Remember the ball bearing rolling around a car hood to show you how well it all fit? Jordan's Furniture had a ball bearing running around the piping on a sofa. Now they're running their own version of the VW "That was interesting" commercial.

Yes, I like that VW "anti-lock brakes!" commercial too.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

HATE: Those Audi commercials with the beautiful music and images that talk about how you are not going to let life pass you by, how you are going to get closer to nature, take risks, stay forever young . . . Okay, fine, but you don't do this by purchasing an automobile. I hate these commercials perhaps because they play on such deep human emotions and fears . . . and it's all in the service of something that isolates you from people (take the bus!), pollutes nature (take the bus!), and entices you to elitist conformism. At least emotional AT&T commercials are plugging something that really does connect you with people . . .

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

has anyone else seen the new 7up commercials?? with the new slogan "7up-yours"... with the guy with the shirt that has the 7 on the front and the "up yours" on the back... and he's walking down the street saying "7... up yours!" to everyone.... funny....

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

Oh, count me in on hating ads for controlled substances. It does tickle me how they don't cut away from the sweetly inoffensive file footage of housewives arranging flowers, suburban dads giving piggyback rides, etc. when detailing the side effects, so you get serious cognitive dissonance hearing a voiceover intone "the most common side effects include headache, menstrual pain, stomach upset, diarrhea, boils, scabies, maggots, prolapsed colons..." while the shiny happy well-groomed people wander around grinning benignly. I always think they must be pretty good actors to appear so placid, what with their diarrhea and maggots and all.

I am a sucker for ads with hand puppets, including, of course, pets.com. Ziploc had an ad campaign that consisted of a smiley face drawn on someone's fingertip with a ballpoint pen; the [unseen save for his finger] actor would wiggle the finger and talk in a high-pitched voice about how easy it was to form an airtight seal, because "Even I [the finger] can do it." The best part was (and still was, last time I looked) that Ziploc packaging featured a photograph of the tip of some guy's finger with the ballpoint-pen smiley on it subtitled with the logo FINGERMAN IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF PROCTOR AND GAMBLE (or whomever makes Ziploc bags.) The idea that someone would, or COULD, trademark drawing a smiley face on your finger was something I found secretly hilarious. I think I may draw one on my finger right now and break some intellectual property laws.

More on the puppet front: this ad may be just a WA-state thing, but there's another one I like where two chicken puppets driving a car get pulled over by a cop. He asks them for some ID and they say, nervously, that they're Foster Farms chickens, and the cop disgustedly starts pulling fast-food wrappers and pop cans off the slovenly dashboard and hollering, "Foster's Farms chickens are fed a diet of pure cracked corn to ensure quality! You're not from Foster's Farms!" The chickens' expressions are just priceless.

If you ever wonder what kind of immature dolt is getting suckered by all those talki

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2000

My all time favorite commercial is an old Christmas commercial from I guess 2 or 3 years ago. It's for Hershey's Kisses and has them lined up in a triangle shape. One by one they lift up by their little paper strips as if someone is ringing them and they play Jingle Bells. Makes me feel all happy and warm inside. :-)

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2000

Dean, I just saw the Staples ad the other day. I'm in Delaware. Pretty funny!

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2000

My office, everyone, seems to be enamoured of the Lincoln ad which morphs through various scenes, constantly revealing that each shot is a microscopic subset of another. Hard to describe, but neat.

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Nordstrom Shoes series, unless maybe it only runs where there _is_ a Nordstrom Shoes store. It's "Make Room for Shoes," and has at least three entries:

1. Car pulls up to random house. Young girl gets out, goes to the passenger side, and with great effort pulls an unconscious, snoring guy in an undershirt and boxers out, then picks him up, staggers up the walk, and plops him on the doorstep. She pulls out a stapler (!) and staples a note to his shirt: "Please take care of my husband." Tagline over shot of a half-empty closet.

2. Beautiful, shiny, fifties model convertible (let's just say a cherry '57 Chevy) pulls into a junkyard. Woman gets out. Moments later, the car is dropped in the massive metal crusher, and it groans and pops as its utterly destroyed. Cut to exterior of house, happy husband trots out the front door with a rag and bucket as the garage door opens. Tagline as he sees the cavernous, empty garage with a crate-sized block of reddish metal tucked to one side.

3. Rear of a big moving van as it tools down the freeway. The door whips open, and we see a woman standing amongst her packed belongings, surveying the roadway. Then she just starts hurling things. Lamps. Chairs. Dressers. A sofa. We watch as the freeway is plunged into chaos, cars and buses swerving and crashing and slamming into furniture. It's so realistic and unexpected, I didn't know _what_ was seeing the first time it came on.

Pets.Com ads are my current faves. Reminds me of Sifl and Olly. I also like the Aiwa hearse ad, and the VW home movie ad. My mother not only likes the Taco Bell dog ads, but has the whole set of Taco Bell dog toys too. Lord have mercy.

The recovering Trekker in me loves Shatner's new lounge-act gig for Priceline.Com. It's so camp!

I like the "C|Net" digital camera ad too (especially since I wrote a review for 'em and got lots of feedback), but the oversensitive minority in me is bothered by the fact that they so clearly went out of their way to cast minorities (good), but The Voice of Reason is still white. I know, it's silly... activism runs in my family.

Tearjerkers? The McDonald's braille ad, and ASL ads, sure. There was a good run of long distance ads (i.e. a family reunion over the phone) that would get my wife and I all teary. But the all-time waterworks winner is (I think) from Visa. "Daddy, can I?" Starts with a little girl wanting to to outside to play, all the way up to getting married. Even the short version with entire verses cut out gets to us.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2000

I totally forgot about the Hershey's kisses Christmas bells comercial... love that one.

Also, does anyone remember the Sun Fizz commerical! I was just thinking about it today. It has the stereotrypical Mom unloading the groceries asking the kids if they want some Sun Fizz, which looks a lot like Sunny Delight. Then the little Sun jumps off of the bottle and yells out in this cute little squeaky voice "I'm full of vitamins and minerals!" Then the mom and kids look at each other a sream. They start to run out of the house, but the Mom trips on something and it on the floor. The kids look back and the Mom reaches out her hand while the camera does that weird zoom in/out thing and she shouts "RUN!" Cracks me up. I don't really understand how that's going to sell some Sprite, but whatever.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2000

I really liked that Sun Fizz commercial. I saw the Mark Messier commerical yesterday and the guy who he takes the Ruffles from is the guy that played "The Wiz" on Seinfeld. Just a bonus trivia factoid.

I hate the word "factoid."

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

Love the Sprite ads, every one. "Grant Hill drinks Sprite? Grant Hill drinks Sprite!" (shot of kid drinking Sprite, then dribbling basketball up to the basket, jumping--missing, falling on his ass)-- "AAAAAAAUGH!" Hee hee!

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

Love love love the VW commercials. Especially the Jetta one where the couple is driving down the road and everything goes in time to the music. Mr. Roboto is cool, too. I didn't think anyone else had seen the Cabrio commercial where they all drive around and head to a party. Then you see the brake lights and they pull out. Love it.

Those etoy.com ads just make me want to cry. So sweet. And the "I Love My Raincheck" is hilarious.

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

My husband calls me in to the room everytime this Budweiser commercial comes on.

The one with the guys saying "wwwwhhhhhaaaaaaasssssuuuuuuupppp"

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2000

Oh my Gawd!!
The new Bud commercials with the two lizards and they're talking about how the ferret posed for naughty pictures....and then they show all these Playboy-type pics of the ferret....
I was HOWLING! On. The. Floor!!!!!!!
I so cannot wait for the Super Bowl commercials!

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2000

brie....I am so jealous that I did not see that commercial. I love the ferret.

I also can not wait for super bowl commercials, especially the budweiser!

My favorite super bowl commercial from last year or the year before is the one where the swamp caught on fire and the frogs say bud, weis, ...............(long pause) and the little weak "er" from the sizzled frog hanging from the tree. The lizard was so pissed!! I was howling on that one!

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2000

I wasn't as blown away by the commercials during the Superbowl as I had expected to be, but I did like a few of them.

My favorite was the Michelob commercial - the guy bagging groceries, chunking the eggs in, dumping a plant in upside down, etc. Then he bubble-wraps the beer and carefully marks it FRAGILE. Cracked me up.

Also liked the E-trade commercial with the monkey and two dim-wits clapping to a little song, and then the words, "Well, we just wasted 2 million dollars. What are you going to do with your money?" flashed up.

I thought the Christopher Reeve commercial was very well done and inspirational, but it made me sad. Charlie looked at me and rolled his eyes as if to say, "Great, here goes Lisa getting all teary-eyed again. Geez!"

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2000

Not sure if this is new in the USA but I hadn't seen in here before.... It's a Johnson & Johnson commercial with Randy Newman at the piano singing about how different we are and how it's important to be happy with yourself. Great commercial!

-- Anonymous, February 01, 2000