10 July 2009

Air Flow Foam

I'm watching CourtTV.

I know. It's a disease. First, it's the American small-claims court programs, now it's CourtTV. I can't explain it. I probably need help.

So anyway, I'm watching CourtTV, and they have, of course, a courtside reporter talking about the testimony in the court case we've just seen. You know, one of those reporters who have to be really good at watching things and then talking about what they've just watched. The kind of person you HATE to have at movie nights because they're always chattering on about how "this is my favourite part! The woman in the hallway looks down the stairs - RIGHT THERE! - and she sees that the carpet isn't where it's supposed to be. It's quite revealing."

Or, worse yet, "Did you notice that in that scene we just watched, the woman looked down the stairs and notices that the carpet isn't where it was supposed to be? That indicated to me that the woman either suspected someone ...or someTHING, ha ha ha, was in the house with her, OR, more likely, that she was overcome with guilt at having had a quarrel with her daughter earlier in the night."

No popcorn for you, sister.

Anyhow, so I don't know if this reporter actually went to school for repotery, or if she got her microphone at the bottom of a Cracker Jacks box, but she's wearing enough makeup that I couldn't tell what nationality she is, or even if she has any actual skin. And while the flags behind her were flapping away in the wind, her hair **did not move**. I find that extremely disturbing.

So you KNOW that she smells like hairspray and perfume. And that she uses scented products in her laundry.

"Where is this going, cenobyte?" you're asking. "It's your own damned fault if you choose to watch CourtTV."

It is! I know! You're right! But stay with me for a minute here.

So she starts flapping her hands in front of her face as she's relating what's just happened in the courtroom in case you missed that segment. Then she starts twitching, flipping her helmet hair around all over the place. Perhaps 'flipping' isn't the right word....

Anyway, she is apparently beset by a plague of locusts. Or a mystery of noseeums (which has GOT to be the very best word for 'little tiny biting insects' ever), or a scratch of mosquitoes, or a herd of flies or something. And I'm thinking "That woman probably smells like a buffet for every insect within twenty miles, and she probably doesn't even realise why."

On a completely unrelated note, the next time I have a party, I want to invite the ShamWOW/SlapChop guy in attendance. He has a HEADSET, people. A headset. Also, he says the stupidest things ever. "You're going to love my nuts" always makes me grin. And he's a complete letch. I always imagine that before "Vince" (apparently that's his name) landed this sweet, sweet job as the most annoying infomercial guy ever (the OxyClean guy died, apparently), he was some dirty street kid pickpocketing and smoking butt-rollies, swearing at the people who had money and didn't know what to do with it.

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18 June 2009

This really happened at The Bay

Cast of Characters:
Senior Vice President
Advertising Executive
Marketing Director
Junior Assistant to the Marketing Director's undersecretary

INT: OFFICE MEETING ROOM
The large room is extravagantly decorated in carved mahogany and oak trim. Lights hang from the high, pressed tin ceiling, casting diffuse light on the enormous oak table that fills the room. Oak armchairs are pushed in around the table. SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE, and MARKETING DIRECTOR occupy three chairs at the far end of the table. JUNIOR ASSISTANT TO MARKETING DIRECTOR'S UNDERSECRETARY stands near the refreshments table at the other end of the room. Bright sunlight is visible through a tiny slit in the heavy green velvet curtains. Mounted deer and moose heads, along with mounted fish, birds, and a beaver cast small shadows on the wall.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Sales were down last quarter. The third consecutive quarter. Damn this recession!

MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE AND MARKETING DIRECTOR
Nod sympathetically, scratching something on to notepads.

JUNIOR ASSISTANT
[Pokes away at a PDA/iPhone]

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
I have to make a report to Mr. MacDonald later this month, and I'm not looking forward to it. I hope you have some good news for me.

MARKETING DIRECTOR
Uh...

MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE
Actually...

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Yes? Out with it, man!

MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE
Well, we have an idea...

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Yes?

MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE
Have you ever seen a program called Three's Company?

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
With Jack Tripper? And those hot babes? I LOVED that show.

MARKETING DIRECTOR
We ALL loved that show, sir.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
I don't see what that has to do with...

MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE
Who was your favourite character on that program?

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Oh, I liked the blonde with the huge bazooms!

JUNIOR ASSISTANT
[Sighs, keys something else into a PDA]

MARKETING DIRECTOR
EVERYONE likes the blonde with the huge bazooms!

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
I still don't see what that has to do with...

MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE
Well, do you remember Mr. Ferley? Mr. and Mrs. Roper? Remember how they were always

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING DIRECTOR, MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE
[simultaneously] meddling in those kids' affairs?

[all three laugh]

MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE
Well, here's the pitch, sir: our new spring line is going to be a huge hit. It's going to virtually fly off the racks!

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
[leans forward, cupping chin in hand] Go on.

MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE
We call our spring line...

MARKETING DIRECTOR
Roper & Ferley!

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
...not getting you...

MARKETING DIRECTOR
We've brought pictures...

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Oooh! I love pictures!

JUNIOR ASSISTANT
[Sighs again, rolls eyes.]

MARKETING DIRECTOR
[to Junior Assistant] Bring those pictures over here, would you?
[to Senior Vice President] We had them laminated.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Fancy!

MARKETING DIRECTOR
[shows 8x10 glossies of clothes that look like clown puke]

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Gentlemen, it's perfect!

JUNIOR ASSISTANT
Are you kidding me?

[all three glare at Junior Assistant]

No, seriously. That was the stupidest show ever. It was horribly misogynistic and propegated the stereotypical gender-specific myths that women were objects and men could do no wrong!

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
[glances at MARKETING DIRECTOR]

MARKETING DIRECTOR
[to SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT] I'm sorry sir, I...

JUNIOR ASSISTANT
Good God Almighty! I didn't get a fucking Master's Degree in Communications so that I could sit in this stuffy office and listen to a bunch of windbags go on about what a great idea it is to sell monstrously ugly neo-psychedelic synthetic fabrics to aging hippies and people who missed the 60s! You know what's going to help this company? **Customer Service** is going to help this company. **Responsible management** is going to help this company. But me? I am not going to help this company. [hurls PDA at the wall, where it shatters into myriad shards. JUNIOR ASSISTANT marches out of the meeting room, swearing and gesticulating madly.]

MARKETING DIRECTOR
[staring, open-mouthed]

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
[glaring]

MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE
...so if you'll just take a look at this line we call 'Urban Muumuu', sir, you'll see that we can't go wrong!

Lights dim as MARKETING DIRECTOR, MERCHANDISE EXECUTIVE, and SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT crowd around the stacks of shiny photographs.


-----
Seriously. I can't think of any other reason why the HBC would be selling those godawful clothes. Unless....

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20 February 2009

Terribly sorry about that

You know I love you. Right?

Right.

Well, I'm terribly sorry about that Really Long Time with no words.

I'm also somewhat intrigued that advertisements that target young, successful young women tend to put them either in 'power suits' and board rooms (filled with men) or in a home full of children, while adverts targeted at successful young men have them driving their motorcyles or truks. Or possibly sexing things up at the local club with some floozy. I see this in shampoo commercials. Weird.

My favourite advert is the one for the Subaru Forester where a half dozen sumo wrestlers get all sexy washing the thing. It makes me happy *every time I see it*.

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