Brain Spew

The most adorable Secretary of Defense, ever.

brainspew — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 09:04:47 +0000

I know I’m more than a few days late on this one, but I thought I’d commemorate his resignation with some of the lighter moments from his ~~reign~~ time as Secretary of Defense.

That’s kinda gay.

brainspew — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:47:16 +0000

Nothing better than a solid awkward silence during a live TV broadcast. I realize no one will believe me when I say this, but I was actually watching this game when this happened. ESPN, you so ~~funny~~ homophobic.

Again gracias to Harrison.

…passes it to the man, shoots it, and boom goes the dynamite.

brainspew — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:38:23 +0000

Here’s an oldie but a goodie. Classic clip of a kid absolutely biting it on his (I’m assuming) first attempt at a sportscast. I know I mentioned Ricky Gervais a couple posts ago, but seriously this has to be the most painfully awkward thing I’ve ever seen.

Hidden gem alert! Be sure to watch for the mouthed “I’m so sorry” during the tennis bit. Priceless.

Special thanks to Harrison for bringing this gem out of retirement.

Wait! I’ve got it! What about user-generated content! No one’s doing that! Perfect!

brainspew — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:31:44 +0000

Ok, I know…seems like everyone’s answer nowadays seems to be user-generated content. Every website you go to has a link to where you can “upload your video.” Hell, even the NFL is looking for a user-generated Superbowl commercial. But, there are some companies out there that are doing it well. Well, at least not completely terribly.

Butterball has actually put together a relatively brand-appropriate user-generated content piece for themselves. They realize that they do one thing…turkeys. And what do turkeys equal? Everybody…Thanksgiving, that’s right. And what does Thanksgiving equal? C’mon you can do it…family, good job. So user-generated video, plus product that is solely related to a family holiday, equals…drumroll…video “wish you were here’s” brought to you by Butterball! I’m being a by cynical here, but it actually works decently for the brand. After all, it is basically all they’re about. My only major gripe: step it up with the copy please. “When family comes together Thanksgiving is perfect. Make it perfect.” No shit Butterball. It’s a good thing you told me to invite my family or this holiday could have gone horribly wrong! If you do go to the site, check out Jack, Carey and Katie. That little girl is ridiculous.

Ladies and gentlemen, here they are…douchebags of the year Jim DuBois and Ethan Chandler!

brainspew — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 07:19:30 +0000

Ricky Gervais, eat your heart out. Best part of this clip: taking a song about a man with AIDS making a final plea to his father and turning it into a song about a corporate merger. “And we’ve got Bank One…on the run! What’s in your wallet? It’s not Capital One!” Genius.

Late breaking news!

brainspew — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 07:02:46 +0000

Cripsin, Porter + Bogusky are good at advertising! I know, I know…who are they, right? Apparently they’ve been doing decent work for some time now, and here’s one of the latest installments. It’s not exactly piss-your-pants funny, but damned if it ain’t exactly right for the target. One of four funny, good ads. These are the web versions, I actually think the made-for-air versions are even better. Click here to check all four out.

Up is down.

brainspew — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 06:47:07 +0000

I’m not quite sure how to reprimand myself, but somehow…some way, I have managed to like a campaign done by JWT. By no means Cannes material, these ads aren’t earth-shattering. But surprisingly, they don’t suck. Wow, I just said some JWT ads don’t suck. I’m going to hell. Note to JWT: continue to use Reginald Pike’s (who are valiantly attempting to save one of their actors from losing his SAG card) Perlorian brothers, you may just find yourself continuing to suck less.

Commercials: Moustache (personal favorite), Nana, Mobile Pizza.

Great googly-moogly!

brainspew — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 06:24:28 +0000

This is why I love advertising. You’re given a clear assignment: “Design a flag in the style of medieval jousting tournaments; such as the flags of medieval Sweden, Denmark and Liberia.” What do you do? You design a flag in the style of medieval jousting tournaments, such as the flags of medieval Sweden, Denmark and Liberia, right? Not if you’re in advertising, you don’t. Cheers, TBWA\Chiat\Day.

Definitely, definitely good drawing.

brainspew — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 06:05:28 +0000

Savants are amazing. We’re still, just recently, only beginning to understand how and why they are the way they are. On top of that, some of the most important research and discoveries about alzheimer’s disease are directly linked to savant syndrome.

Below are a couple videos of a fascinating example of savant syndrome. Steven Wiltshire can draw an entire city after just one good look. And I don’t mean a skyline like every other artist, I mean the entire city.

Breaking the law…legally.

brainspew — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 05:38:36 +0000

Some might argue that the illegality of street art is essential to it being legitimate. However, for many (most?) of us, that’s not really a comfortable proposition. Yet there are still many people itching to get involved. Surprisingly, in addition to all the skate parks that have been popping up across the nation, a slew of taggable walls are being built/designated. Only problem is, how do you find one in your area? Lucky for you, I’m here. Well, me and theANTI…who offer a Google-mapped list of all such walls in the country. Unfortunately, the list is only as good as the people who visit it (it’s user contributed), so if you know of a wall, help a 12 year old avoid juvie and submit that shit.