Entries from May 2009 ↓

Yet, “Rapper’s Delight” isn’t the best aspect of “Cog,” a 2-minute Honda commercial, produced by Nike stalwarts Wieden + Kennedy, which aired in the UK during 2003. That would be its sheer visual inventiveness and luscious backstory, one of filmmakers going to insane limits to create a vision that, until the moment the lights go dark, only exists inside their heads.

I recently discovered this spot while doing research on Rube Goldberg machines…and I was looking those up as an aspect of some religious writing I’m doing…which is, I should say here, what I’ve always loved about the net and, certainly by extension, Wikipedia: Its serendipitous nature, and that, following it, you never end up where you started or expected…that being, I think you’ll agree, what this advertisement is about, too.

While this juxtaposition of Yanni’s 1992 Dare To Dream and Ween’s 1994 Chocolate and Cheese CD covers, above, encourages a freaky moment of sexual ambiguity—due, depending on your orientation, to Mr. Chryssomallis’s striking ‘stache or model Ashley Savage’s bodacious ta-tas—it’s got nothing on this catalog of 15 unfortunately placed ads.

The lineup includes billboards for a juicer and a fitness center that should have got someone fired, and a subtle computer error jab. But, mostly, they appear to be combinations of content and advertising created by web-based optimizing software; the kind that, based on keywords, sticks a relevant advertisement on the page one is reading. Of course, as this coffee ad shows, sometimes the placement is just a little bit too relevant.

At MEDIA ASSASSIN, we work to make our heds particularly catcy, but, in this instance, need any more be said? It’s Crispin Glover on Happy Days!

I know what you’re thinking: Crispin Hellion Glover, the actor whose note-perfect George McFly in 1985’s Back To The Future broke him out—and whose subsequent appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and in the ratfest remake Willard (here, he sings Michael Jackson’s “Ben”) weirded audiences out—was on Happy Days?

Yep. In November 1983, the seventh episode of the 11th and final season—long after Happy Days had both literally and figuratively jumped the shark in September, 1977—Glover appeared as truant Roach in the series’ “Vocational Education” piece.

Crispin Glover! Not even the fact that he’s sharing the scene with noted “series killer” Ted McGinley as Roger, the school principal, dilutes the joy of this.

Today’s edition of NONFICTION is, in part, a broadcast of a conversation on self-publishing with Ellen Lupton, director of the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, and author of the new book, Indie Publishing: How to Design and Produce Your Own Book, a step-by-step guide to being your own publisher.

It should have aired last week, but, due to technical difficulties, didn’t. It’s a great talk, so I’m eager for you all to hear it. Hopefully, there’ll be no more boo-boos this time.

Tune in at 2 pm. If you’re outside of the New York tri-state, check out our stream on the web. If you miss the live show, dig into our archives for up to 90 days after broadcast.

UPDATE: NONFICTION was pre-empted on Friday for a five-hor, “May Day special.” I was not made aware of this until I arrived at the station to do my show.

I’ll keep you abreast of when I air this, and other, programming.