The one time of the year we don’t get up to use the bathroom during commercial breaks has come and gone, and it’s time to assess whether our impending bladder infections were worth it. In short, never mind the game: How about them Super Bowl ads?

If you like cute animals, disembodied hearts and a nearly naked Angelina Jolie, it was probably a good night for you. Here's a rundown of some of the more female- (and fauna-) centered spots from the broadcast and my picks for the best, most boring and just plain bad ads.

The Best

Bridgestone: What’s better than talking animals? Screaming animals. I didn’t say my taste was all highbrow. P.S. Does anyone else think this squirrel is related to the famous Dramatic Prairie Dog?

Budweiser: Maybe I had too much of their product beforehand, but the whole "Rocky of the animal kingdom" thing worked for me. … continue reading

I like to keep an eye on what the boys over at AfterElton are doing — and they’ve been raving about Ugly Betty for so long now, as one of the gay-friendliest shows on U.S. TV, that I figured I should check it out when it came over to the U.K. last year. While I can’t say I completely share their enthusiasm — the main gay character, Marc St. James, seems way too much like Jack from Will & Grace to me, and as such he isn’t exactly breaking any new ground — the show itself is fun, and quite sweet, and I would probably watch it quite happily, if it were not for one thing.

That one thing is Dulux, the international paint company that sponsors Ugly Betty in the U.K. Before every episode starts, and at the beginning and end of each advertising break, I have to watch another Dulux commercial. Now, normally this wouldn’t be a big deal — after all, you can just press the mute button and think about something else for five minutes — and perhaps I shouldn’t even be calling attention to this. But here’s an example of the Dulux ads that have been running recently in the U.K., on the theme of paint colors that are a “perfect match”: … continue reading

Thanks to Brian at AfterElton.com, a couple of Dolce & Gabbana ads have made my Monday a little brighter (and gah, is there anything darker than a Monday right after a holiday?).

The ads (currently airing on TV, though I have yet to see them) depict two people on the go, rushing to meet their dates for the evening. But their dates aren't quite who you'd expect them to be. In fact, their whole world seems to be full of unexpected elements — really gay ones.

There are two versions of the ad, one for the ladies and one for the gentlemen. (Though I guess reasonable minds might differ on which one is which.) Here's one version: … continue reading

Love 'em or loathe 'em, you couldn't look away from Sarah Michelle Gellar's pictures in her Maxim spread. But some SMG fans are choosing to focus on the more wholesome side of her career.

This week, Adfreak.com posted this adorable clip from a Burger King commercial Gellar did when she was four. … continue reading

Here's the thing: I use Dove. I like Dove. I happen to think they make nice soap. And if they also happen to put out some nice television ads, well, all the better. But recently the brand and its Campaign for Real Beauty have come under fire by critics who have cried hypocrisy because Dove is owned by the same company that puts out, among many other things, Axe body spray. On the one hand, positive messages telling young girls about having good body image; on the other, sleazy messages telling young boys about bagging hot chicks. Oh, the conundrum.

Dove’s latest ad, called “Onslaught,” is interesting for many reasons. In the clip, an adorable red-haired girl smiles innocently into the camera, only to be bombarded with a montage of images urging her to look “younger, smaller, lighter, firmer, tighter, thinner, softer.” … continue reading

Let me start out with an apology. This post will make you watch commercials. Actually, if I’m going to split hairs, this post really only requires that you listen to commercials. So, if you’re against our culture’s rampant consumerism, just click play and turn your head. OK, end of apology. Though, really, considering all the great music in commercials these days, I don’t think I have much to be sorry about. In fact, quite the opposite. I mean, any ad that includes a phenomenal artist like Feist is an ad that will make me stop channel surfing.

Each time the ever-present iPod nano commercial featuring Feist’s video for “1234” comes on, I feel like dancing. Or, more accurately, I feel like dancing in a big Technicolor Broadway spectacular. Thanks to Scribe Grrrl, I had discovered the Canadian chanteuse before the ad hit the airwaves. Since the commercials began airing, Feist’s album sales have soared. To which I say, bless you Steve Jobs. … continue reading

Yes, friends, it has come to this. I am blogging about a bag of chips. No, I have not been stricken by an acute case of the munchies. I swear. Really, I swear. That’s just patchouli. Would it make you feel any better if I said that this is really a post about Missy Elliott, masquerading as a post about chips?

Missy recently signed a deal to be the new spokeswoman for Doritos Collisions, the chips with two flavors in one bag. The campaign’s high concept (seriously, I swear it’s patchouli) is that Doritos Collisions are like music mash-ups. They’re two great flavors/songs that go great together. Or at least that’s what the marketers say. Me, I’m both amused and perplexed by the new TV ad. Does everyone else see the cowboy, or have I wandered into a David Lynch film again? … continue reading

Last week the patty melts hit the fan for Carl's Jr. (or Hardees, if you're from my neck of the U.S.), when they released a new commercial as part of their new "flat buns" campaign. That is, flat grilled rye bread. But it's too much to expect the company who brought us Paris Hilton making soapy love to a Bentley to resist anatomical puns about the female body, so it's really no surprise that their new commercial features this:

Yeah, that's Teacher getting a little naughty to the tune of a rap called "flat buns." Here's the entire 30-second spot: … continue reading

Alicia Silverstone is showing skin instead of eating it. The long-time vegetarian is appearing au naturel in a new PETA campaign promoting vegetarianism. I have to say, if this is what happens when you eat your veggies, someone pass the broccoli.

The former Clueless star takes it all off in a new TV ad that began airing today in Houston and Dallas (picked because they rank among the least healthy cities in the United States; sorry, Texans) and will expand cross-country later. The spot features a naked Silverstone emerging from a pool and slinking around while extolling the benefits of meat-free living. “There is nothing in the world that has changed me as much as this. I feel so much better and have so much more energy,” she says. “It’s so amazing.”

… continue reading

You know how sometimes you see a commercial and it's gorgeous or funny or quirky and you can't believe something that great was a commercial? And then you realize you have no idea what it was advertising, and you never really do even after you've seen it umpteen times?

That might happen to you with this one, but I'm pretty sure you won't care. These young ladies could be advocating a national ban on pappadums and I'd still think the commercial rocks. (You don't understand: I really love pappadums.)

The video (thanks, filmgrrrl!) is after the jump. … continue reading

We probably all share a love-hate relationship with commercials. Good ads, while still trying to sell us something, can be inspiring. Bad ads, well, that’s why they invented the remote control. And then there are the ads that, for whatever reason, leave us speechless. Let’s take a look a couple examples of the latter.

At first glance, these Brazilian ads for Itambé Fit Light Yogurt appear to be nothing but lovely, sexy, refreshingly different shots of plus-size models reenacting famous scenes from films (Mena Suvari in American Beauty, Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch, Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct). But the devil, he is always in the details. Read the fine print tagline and get a slap in the face: “Forget about it. Men’s preference will never change. Fit Light Yogurt.”

My reaction went from “Oh, how cool!” to “What the hell!” in 1.5 seconds flat, too. These ads are more than offensive; they’re cruel. Each model has a confident radiance that is then mocked mercilessly by an industry that wants us to feel bad so we’ll buy their stuff. In protest, I’m going to look up that American Beauty beauty and invite her to roll around in rose petals with me. Seriously, she’s hot. … continue reading