Juliet Lewis Goes Nuts, Justin Timberlake Botches Danish

MTV is hyping its MTV Europe Music Awards in Copenhagen hosted by Justin Timberlake and its Backstage show hosted by Juliette Lewis and the Lick with a series of videos in which Justin botches the Danish language, Juliet smashes a computer while logging on and another in which she tells everyone to fucking log on. There's four videos in all (fourth one here) and for some strange reason, we like them.

Captain Morgan's Liquors Up Kid's Holiday

We're sure this Captain Your Halloween promotion and accompanying cheesy DRTV-style commercial are supposed to be kitsch-filled fun but, we just don't see it. Perhaps it's seeing grown adults in Halloween costumes meant for kids. Perhaps it's a liquor company's trying to make a kid's holiday into an adult's holiday. Perhaps it's just Captain Morgans' attempt to be dumb in order to be seen ad funny when it's really just dumb in the first place.

Friendster, Sharkle Get Political With Video Contest

While the entire world is busy talking about GooTube, social networking site Friendster and video sharing community Sharkle have teamed to create a political video contest in which Friendster members and the general public are encouraged to upload videos which express their political viewpoints for all to see. The contest will run through November 6 and producers of the top six video submissions will win a variety of prizes including $2,500 in cash, a $1,000 Sony video camera and four $300 video iPods. If there are any Bill Maher wannabes out there, now's your chance.

The NFL Wants Your Commercial Idea

Get of your couch and onto the set. That's what the NFL is telling people to do. The NFL wants people to create a commercial for them that will air during Super Bowl XLI. The winning idea - partially determined by fan vote - will be professionally produced with the winner invited to the shoot and handed a VIP package to Super Bowl XLI. Private parties, gifts and more will ensue. It seems we'll have wuite a collection of CGM type ads in this year's Super Bowl.

more »

Video Improved, Carbon Reduced, Blimp Thanks,

- DigiCast Media has launched a video training program for busimesses that aims to improve the quality of of all the crap on YouTube.

- Instant Karma Films has hooked up with Carbonfung.org to assess carbon emissions from producing commercials and to work towards reducing them.

- Dairy company Hood placed an ad thanking Beverly, MA residents for putting up with the company's unexpected visit to theri town in the form of a crash.

- Broadband jukebox company Ecast reports that during the first five-weeks of a Jeep Compass campaign, users have demonstrated an 8.3 percent click-through rate from the end of their paid song-selection sessions into Jeep's promotional "mini-site."

Bathroom Hand Dryer Ads Need Million Dollar Homepage Death

Soon enough, you'll walk into a public rest room, enter a stall, close the door, open the toilet seat and, on the underside, be presented with a witty ad for some "ring around the collar" laundry detergent or hemorrhoid lotion Until then, you'll have to settle for video screens embedded in hand dryers that carry ads for hand creams that tell you using said hard dryer is destroying your hands and you should stop using it immediately, hence devaluing the medium, hence making it pointless in the first place. Nivea? Paging Nivea. Please place and ad on these hand dryers so we can kick them aside as quickly as we did million dollar homepages.

Suzuki Illustrates, Chaos Conferenced, Tweens Over Sexed

- These BBDO-created Suzuki ads have some very intricate and intriguing illustration.

- Beginning November 17, the University of Texas in Austin is hosting Chaos 2006, a two day event focusing on the crazy changes going on in advertising. Yes, Bob Garfield will be in the house.

- Of you're sick of sponsoring that same old boring sports for your marketing programs, you might want to check out this combination of volleyball, soccer and gymnastics called Bossaball.

more »

Once Again, Butts And Thongs Sell Stuff

We're not quite sure Palmers is a clothing company because, just like Sloggis, the models in the company's ads, like the one featured here in Berlin, are never wearing much. A web search doesn't tell us much only offering up even more images of models wearing next to nothing. A lingerie company? A thong-wearing showgirl troupe? Some kind of bootie-based therapy or the public? It looks good to us no matter what the company does.

Google's YouTube Acquisition Kills uTube

While everyone's fawning all over Google's purchase of YouTube, the poor guys over at pipe and tube equipment company Universal Tube whose web address is utube.com wish the party would end because, apparently, several million people can't tell the difference between YouTube and Utube causing the company's president Ralph Girkins to tell CNN, "It's killing us." Indeed it is. The site is currently available. Hey Google, help a little guy out. Send a spare server or three over to these guys so your $1.6 billion party doesn't put this guy out of business.

'Meers' Make DLP TV Better

OK then. Need a campaign (1, 2, 3, 4) that explains Texas Instruments DLP technology which makes a TV's picture better and brighter? Easy. Get a cute little girl. Bring on that "elephant in the room" metaphor with an actual elephant. Put them together in environments that need DLP technology to look good and talk about the mirrors. Yes, the mirrors. You see, DLP TVs are powered by Texas Instruments chips filled with millions of mirrors that direct the light towards the TV screen. The trouble is, unless you knew that prior, you'd think it was some strange entity called "meers" that made DLP TV beautiful. Here's a tip. When casting a kid for a spot in which she needs to say the word "mirror," it helps to make sure she actually can before you cast her in a campaign about "meers," uh, mirrors.

more »