erikdepressant

Those commercials all get the eyeroll from me, paramitch. It's a shame, because I usually like the songs in them. Their sappiness is just so over the top. And you're right; there's nothing subtle or realistic about them. I think their formula is: [(older hit song) + (simplified dilemma) + (sentimental imagery)] X message = recruitment I don't want to sound like I support The Foundation or anything, but it is sad that in the 21st Century, we still need to remind people to do the right/nice thing. Whenever they show one with adolescents, my mind replaces the soundtrack with the My Chemical Romance song "Teenagers." ETA: I'm too old to know this, but here's "Teenagers." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6EQAOmJrbw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDxoKF3qvAo Message received, Wendy's! I get that you hate my guts. You can stop trying to drive me away with your commercials now. I agree to stay out of your restaurants.

Not to go too far off topic, but I seriously question the motives and usefulness of the FDA nowadays. Regarding the Belviq commercial, I wish willpower did come in a pill.

Yeah. Because it's no longer ego-stroking enough to make women imagine you have big genitals. On a side note, I cannot endure commercials where they have adorable children delivering spontaneous gems of cute. I think AT&T ran an entire ad campaign of kids in fake focus groups a year ago. Maybe the little shits aren't handed a script, but they spend all day on set getting coaxed, guided, and reshot for multiple takes. ETA: Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_3AZQiKcU

After the first time I saw that commercial, it went on the mandatory-mute list, and Dr. Pepper went on the boycott list.

Probably an unpopular opinion, but it seems to me that between truck drivers and sedan drivers, a larger percentage of truck drivers are assholes behind the wheel. Probably a grumpy old man opinion, but it seems to me that nothing is wonderful to kids unless it's on a smartphone screen or has game controllers attached.

"Buick. Our redesign is so unexpected, we're complicit in kidnappings."

Her lazy ass doesn't even roll down the window or open the door to yell, "Over here!" Such comedy! Yogurt Bitch would have let her husband get into the wrong car, only to ask, "Babe, what are you doing?"

They could bring Lance Bass on as friend-of. He could go after Kyle the way Dede went after Taylor at the Malibu party.

LisaV: In Palm Springs, after graciously allowing Rocio to eat with everyone at the table like a member of the family, did anyone help her with cleanup or dishes? Brandi: Have you started looking for your next forever home and next status-symbol SUV? Eileen: Is VVP's script going into production? Eileen: Do you think you'll come back next season? Brandi: Since your houseguest is doing you no favors as a hair stylist, is he at least giving you money towards utility bills? All: In the moat around your house, would you rather see your swans or your gays?

That is so fucking awful I can't even... who? ...the bile... That may have earned them a lifetime boycott from me.

Charmin has lost me with that shit, pun intended. First off, if you don't "enjoy the go," it's probably due to dietary or medical reasons (or, if you watch House Hunters, you know that dated bathroom decor ruins the go, and linoleum floors prevent the go altogether). If you have a particularly harrowing go, the toilet paper afterwards won't make you remember that go fondly. Secondly, is the competition for consumer loyalty so fierce Charmin had to invent a benefit of its product? Watching toilet paper absorb gallons of blue liquid and then hold a stack of quarters didn't win over enough customers? Now it retroactively makes a bodily function enjoyable. Thirdly, when did our lives become so dreary that they needed the go to become a ray of sunshine? Charmin, ship your toilet paper to the third-world countries where people are dying from the go and tell those people to enjoy it. And finally, the bears and their lack of moderation... Peeping-tom children... Harassment of TSA workers... Those bears passed enjoy; they're proselytising zealots for asswiping nirvana.

The women responded more favorably to their own reflections if they could see red trucks behind themselves.

I'm willing to bet money that the producers strongly encouraged Brandi to attend that party. I would also bet that Kyle was under the influence of production when she started squabbling with Brandi after the non-apology. As far as the guests at the party, Alex Zeidel said it best in his episode recap:

I hate to defend Brandi, but if the other women were more interesting than she was, we'd see the footage. I think Eileen and LisaR are the reason people are watching the show this season; however, I also think their novelty will wear off really quickly. Once Max's heritage story is resolved, what will LisaV bring? I forgot to watch the end credits of the episode with Max and the website. The cynic in me said that we'd see "Promotional consideration by ancestry.com." For all we know, he found his birth family years ago, and this is just a concocted story.

Thanks, BusyOctober. I posted above that there's no point in Kim's attending the reunion. Now I'll add that there's no reason for her to continue the blog, either. I'm not sure anyone's going to believe what she wrote.

If I were Kim, I wouldn't even bother going to the reunion. Since Bravo's story for her this season is "relapsed addict," anything she says at the reunion to clarify/contradict that is going to end up on the cutting room floor anyway. That may also be why she's not blogging, if she's stopped watching the show. OTOH, where there's... um... smoke... um... I can't believe LisaR would be gasping "Addiction!" so often just to make Bravo happy; I think she says it because she believes it.

The other exception was the very first FarmersOnly.com commercials. They found some really dumpy-looking people for those; I immediately thought of MADtv's "Lowered Expectations" dating ads. The newer commercials feature more attractive models (and are probably therefore more dishonest).

I've seen a few episodes of all the RH shows except DC, but the only ones I regularly watched were BH and Atlanta. I think after this season, I'm done with all the Housewives for good. These people were doing way better than most of us before they even signed on. I just can't imagine that the money and fame they got for doing these shows was worth it. They may not believe in souls, but they should know their names and reputations don't belong to them anymore. I would be mortified if someone was discussing me or my family on boards like this. Even if the characters we're watching are 99% fictional in 100% fictional storylines, sometimes I cringe for them. Either they have really thick skins, or the fame is just too sweet. ETA: I talk shit about all of them and didn't mean to come across as sanctimonious. I just wanted to say that being cast on one of these shows isn't something I would ever choose for myself.

Thanks, Lola16.

I apologize for being too lazy to research this... Has it been firmly established as fact whether or not LisaV and Ken knew Max's birth family? I wondered if the V-T's are just worried that Max would be ashamed of or disappointed by his biological family.

Well, if he gets castrated, "...her bear will be there to keep her company (see shot of her jumping into bed with it)." Poltergeist did for clowns what Jaws did for sharks.

Smittykins, I finally saw that commercial for the first time today. Just boggling. It's almost a parody of itself, to the point of being self-defeating. The tone is "Even if you buy this ironically, it's still a terrible gift." How do they expect to make money? I would buy it for a kid's bedroom I guess. What I really disliked was the juxtaposition of sexual innuendos and infantilization. In case I wasn't the last person on Earth to see it:

When I watched that LisaR/Brandi scene, I immediately wondered when and why it was filmed. For all we know, it was shot towards the very end of filming, after something went down with Kim, so Bravo could claim they weren't at fault or weren't exploiting Kim's relapse. I have nothing to back that up. Heck, it could have been one of the first scenes filmed. Do you remember that really transparent legal-CYA scene after Russell's suicide? The women randomly got together with Taylor and her counselor, heard the approved talking points and prepared speeches, and then moved on. Taylor even said something laughably vague like, "Things got violent." For some reason, watching the LisaR/Brandi scene gave me the same vibe. YMMV.

You're right about Warren Buffet and the Koch Brothers, Prevailing Wind. The Kochs own politicians, and we'll be treated to plenty of commercials for those products in 2016. Not looking forward to it; the midterms were ugly enough.