KINDER, GENTLER COMMERCIAL LINEUP KIND OF LAME.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic Is it possible to create a decent Super Bowl ad without employing a flatulent flatulent characterized by flatulence; distended with gas. horse? Inspiration seemed lagging in this year's commercials, but that can hardly be blamed on ad writers working clean. (Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American R&B/soul singer, actress and author. She is best known for the hits she recorded during the 1960s and 1970s, for both the Motown and Buddah Records labels, with her group Gladys Knight & the Pips, the most playing rugby? Huh?) Here are the most noteworthy Super Bowl commercials - for better or worse - in a climate calling for kinder, gentler content. 1. FedEx. Concept: A wryly cynical effort to create a generic ``best'' Super Bowl commercial, featuring a celebrity (Burt Reynolds Burt Reynolds (born February 11, 1936) is an Oscar-nominated Emmy Award-winning American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Paul Crewe in the original version of The Longest Yard, Bo 'Bandit' Darville in ), a dancing,talking animal The talking animal or speaking animal term, in general, refers to any form of animal which can speak human languages. This can by itself be interpreted in several manners, as listed in the below sections. , a cute kid and attractive women. Execution: The most telling gag - noting that the sales message is optional. Which was certainly true in many of the other spots. 2. Ameriquest. Concept: A mini-market customer, speaking into his cell-phone wire microphone, tells a friend ``You're getting robbed,'' and is promptly misinterpreted by the mini-market employees, whose response is violently slapstick slapstick Comedy characterized by broad humour, absurd situations, and vigorous, often violent action. It took its name from a paddlelike device, probably introduced by 16th-century commedia dell'arte troupes, that produced a resounding whack when one comic actor used it to . Execution: An actually funny spot, though it's vague how it relates to the product. 3. Budweiser. Concept: Sequel to last year's winner about a donkey joining the Bud Clydesdales. Now, a veritable zoo wants to get in on the act. Execution: Still cute, but revisiting the idea again will definitely be lame. 4. Toyota Prius The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric vehicle developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation, and one of the first such vehicles to be mass-produced and marketed. The Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997, and worldwide in 2001. . Concept: People walk in place, cars' tires spin but they don't move. The hybrid car hybrid car, hybrid vehicle hybrid n → Hybridfahrzeug nt or -auto nt emerges, signifying true progress in transportation. Execution: Visually intriguing and the rare ad where the concept has something to do with the product. 5. Cadillac. Concept: A father stops his daughter from eloping - only because she took off in his Cadillac. ``Take your mother's car,'' he tells her. Execution: Sort of funny and underscores the Caddy's elitism e·lit·ism or é·lit·ism n. 1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources. . 6. T-Mobile. Concept: A man's dog has swallowed his cell phone - and the vet hears it eating up costly minutes in the pooch's belly. The guy must take drastic measures. Execution: Nice, only slightly exaggerated evocation of a grave cell- phone irritation. 7. Godaddy.com. Concept: Before a government hearing, a model asks permission to demonstrate a cheer for her product by undulating. She's told she's ``upsetting the committee.'' Execution: The evening's one provocation, but it depended on viewers understanding the nuances of the FCC's current climate of fear - an optimistic assumption - and could've been funnier. A follow-up ad,even more benign, was rejected by Fox. 8. Heineken. Concept: Paparazzi pa·pa·raz·zo n. pl. pa·pa·raz·zi A freelance photographer who doggedly pursues celebrities to take candid pictures for sale to magazines and newspapers. chase actor Brad Pitt as he ventures out to buy a 6-pack. Execution: A spot that aggrandizes Pitt's celebrity more than the beer. Pitt does commercials overseas, but does he also need to do lame spots here, too? 9. Diet Pepsi Diet Pepsi is a low-calorie carbonated cola, introduced in 1964 as a variant of Pepsi-Cola with no sugar. Its current formula in the United States contains only the artificial sweetener aspartame, but the current Canadian formulation contains both aspartame (124mg/355ml) and . Concept: After P. Diddy grabs a ride to an awards show in a Diet Pepsi truck, they become the new hot ride. Execution: Which has nothing to do with the drink itself and really isn't all that amusing. 10. McDonald's. Concept: Two banal spots on a miracle French fry shaped like Abraham Lincoln. Execution: Perhaps those who worship tortillas with the image of the Virgin Mary can take offense, and this sorry set of commercials can create some controversy after all. |
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