Maul of America

I SAID IT FIRST!

Trailer for WARM BODIES --  a zombie movie about star-crossed lovers. 

Alternate Title ...wait for it... ROMERO AND JULIET (try the veal, folks).

Location, Location, Location (Part 2)

More unfortunate ad placement surrounding new LINCOLN movie.  This time, from Friday's Detroit Free Press.

Location, Location, Location

Other than THAT, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the new Bond movie?

Sticker Shock

At $40K a pop, the Chevy Volt is NOT priced for the 99%'ers.  According to GM, the average income of the Chevy Volt buyer is $170,000/yr.  Tax breaks for the rich, anyone?

So, I got a chuckle out of this piece by MSNBC contributer, Rick Aristotle Munarriz that pumps up the Chevy Volt by denigrating gas stations (they're a hassle and dangerous). Not really a selling point 99%'ers in $12-20K cars can take advantage of. But, hey, let 'em eat cake:

"Gas stations are a hassle. Taking five minutes out of a commute to refuel may not seem like a lot of time, but it adds up in a world where time really is money. (And then there's the radio programming that gets interrupted.)

There's also a safety issue. Robberies, assaults, and worse happen routinely at gas stations around the country. You'll never see an electric-car maker try to drive that controversial point home, but it's true."

"Niche"

In A Little Kiss, while trying to calm down an extremely distressed Pete Campbell (his nose bloodied after a run-in with that damn support beam), the always unflappable Ken Cosgrove tries to put things in perspective for his colleague. Cosgrove quickly charts out the optimistic business course he expects their careers to follow: "piddly" accounts, then mid-sized ones before moving on to "niche companies." Niche companies are those that deliberately specialize in a very specific and narrow line of business.

However, Ken pronounces the word "niche" as it's commonly said today: "neesh." It struck me as a possible anachronism.

...Full Post at Basket of Kisses

Life of the Party

“Zou Bisou Bisou” was trending on Twitter today as a result of Jessica Paré's (Megan) cover version of the song performed on last night's Season 5 opener of Mad Men as the centerpiece of Don's surprise birthday party scene.

Prepared for the interest, AMC is already offering a clever limited-edition vinyl version of Paré’s rendition from on their website for $6.98.  Given the deliberate choice of the song because of its banality, which is borne out in the episode by the reaction of other party goers, actually paying seven bucks for the number seems akin to forking over $10 for a DVD of the "Elaine dance" from Seinfield.

From 1962: Gillian Hill's version of Zou Bisou Bisou:

 

Save Ferris

A teaser video has hit the webosphere hinting that Matthew Broderick will use a Super Bowl ad as a vehicle to reprise (sorta) his Ferris Bueller character.  

One can only hope that's all it is.

From Time:

If the report holds, that would mean that the Super Bowl’s millions of viewers could find themselves staring at commercials starring a graying Ferris Bueller in a Hangover-addled 30-second plot line that involves the character careening around in Honda vehicles. Sounds par for the course for Bowl ads — meaning, it might be surreally fun.

Luckily, They Didn't Type "Rady"

An example of multi-level stupidity.   Exactly WHAT did the counter person call out when the customer's order was ready?

From Gossip On This:

Papa John’s Apologizes for Calling Asian Customer “Lady Chinky Eyes”

Papa John’s has been on the receiving end of some major backlash after an Asian woman who recently paid a visit to the pizza restaurant tweeted a photo of a receipt that had “lady chinky eyes” printed on it where her name was supposed to go.

Minhee Cho, a Korean-American from New York City, posted the photo of the receipt with the racial slur on it to her Twitter page, where it was quickly retweeted by hundreds of people.

Within hours, the photo had become viral with nearly 30,000 views.

Misdirection?

I get WHY it's an issue. However, in the actual patent application, Microsoft never specifically calls a GPS feature that's designed to guide drivers away from high crime areas (and bad weather) an "Avoid Ghetto" option.

So, the quotation marks "journalists" have been using in most of the stories on this are somewhat questionable.  I'm not sure exactly who they're quoting.  Maybe each other.

Also, something buried in the patent application and NOT getting much attention is a GPS feature that monetizes redirecting drivers in order to get them to buy stuff:

"Moreover, a reward operation can take place in relation to user response to a commercial detail (e.g., presented with a pedestrian route). For example, an advertisement can be played that a user should stop at a highway exit for a cup of coffee. If the user takes the exit, buys the cup of coffee, buys a different item, etc., then payments of varying amounts can be made to an advertisement hosting service."

With Everything Please, Mine I'll Have

There's no truth to the rumor that Quick had considered calling the new menu items a "Royale With Cheese."

From BuzzFeed:

“Choose your side of The Force.” To promote the re-release of “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” in 3D, the France- and Benelux-based fast food chain Quick is launching the Darth Vader Burger on a Sithy black bun. A less frightening looking (read: boring) Yoda Burger will also hit select locations through March 1.