Too many factors couldn't be controlled in my life recently, and I came down with a nasty variant of influenza. Whether the stress of 17 hours of travel, no sleep for an evening, being stuck in a middle seat between a sneezer and wheezer, or a stressful work day immediately thereafter the aforementioned were the ultimate primary culprit, I am now paying the price. For those who haven't experience the flu, it's not fun. Colds with their coughs and headaches and congestion are a relative field day compared to the additional body pains that accompany the flu, and do not accompany sleep. Not being able to get regular sleep surely is prolonging my flu bout, but I'll just keep trying all the tricks and recommendations I've heard from all.
Anyway, while suffering the day away trying to get comfortable on a typically comfortable couch, I for once was forced to stay in, and take in current American pop culture. I spent 6 hours in front of a TV, and found myself intrigued, shocked, dismayed, and encouraged...
1. Are Geico and Progressive insurance companies competing for the worst commericals on television? If you want to run such trite ads, please please choose a reduced frequency.
2. Why are so many American advertisements using a British-accented voice over? (Are we really so insipid to not catch on that a British accent doesn't make the person, or product, smarter/better?
3. Grammar is all but dead in popular culture. I think we may have hit the tipping point where idiomatic definitions of phrases have outnumbered the actual definition. E.g. pleading the fifth (but not carrying the "because it could incriminate me"), using "could care less", instead of couldn't care less, and many more. What saddened me most about this one was that I watched a few C-level executives speaking today, and the incorrect tense, grammar, and word choice flowed. A few mistakes are fine, but the constant flow I noticed from two execs was dismaying
4. All collegiate BigTen university commercials are 95% identical, save for the specific logos and still shots. Why make a very expensive commerical if it doesn't convey much of anything about that's university's experience?
Penn State's Men's Basketball team cannot play while on the road. I viewed a crushing loss at Minnesota (who has fielded a great team this year!), making it a big fat 0-9 on the road record. Ouch...keep the heads up team.
5. T.G.I Friday's wins the award for the worst series of commercials I watched. Their food offerings didn't seem worthy of a plate either.
6. Reality TV really has "jumped the shark". Airtime has been given to the most uninteresting situations/people, and these shows cannot possibly go much further, so hopefully soon, rock bottom will truly be stricken, and the air will fill with entertainment or informative programs once again. I was surprised just how low these show producers aim when aiming at the American public...Hollywood has admitted we're idiots, in large part.
7. Sex continues to be at the center of most advertising...the more things change...
8. Catherine McCormack in Braveheart was so unbelievably attractive! No makeup, thank you very much. Even in this medieval era film, her natural beauty flows through.
9. The truth in advertising award goes to Kleenex for their "cool touch" product...this is finally a variation on the hoary facial tissue that is truly different! Kudos, Kleenex.
So, I'm fairly certain you got little use from reading this blog entry, but perhaps it was just a wee bit more entertaining than the latest episode of Alaskan Pawn and Child Beauty Pageant. Here's to you not contracting the flu this season!
