Say What?: Commercials That Made Us Scratch Our Heads

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎7‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 12:03 PM, theatremouse said:

There's some Domino's 50% deal this weekend and in the ad the voiceover says something about  whatever toppings you want, implying even weird combos are fine.

It totally sounds like the VO says "barbecue, banana, pepper pizza". I did a mental double-take and realized they meant "barbecue - banana pepper pizza" ie pizza with barbecue sauce and banana peppers, but the intonation implies the weird combination they were suggesting people might want is barbecue sauce, bananas and peppers and I was having a hard time for half a beat considering if bananas on pizza were a thing.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who wanted to try and BBQ banana and pepper pizza!

[Pink-n-Green]

On 7/6/2019 at 2:37 AM, Rescue Mama said:

Why can't the damn mom pause her own book, look at the clock herself or turn her light on herself??? 

I couldn't imagine asking a piece of technology to do those things. 

We can only imagine what happens when mom goes to the bathroom

[Silver Raven]

On 1/10/2019 at 10:45 AM, meep.meep said:

I've been wondering this for a long time:  where are the regions where fungal infections are common?  I might be going there all the time and not realize it.

On the other hand, I'm willing to believe that this is a euphemism for something else, but I'm too old to figure it out.

California's Central Valley.  California Valley fever is a disease caused by fungi in the dirt.  I had it when I was a kid.  It was nasty.

[peacheslatour]

I don't get the Alexa commercial with the grandpa and the song that goes Valerie.

[Brattinella]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I don't get the Alexa commercial with the grandpa and the song that goes Valerie.

I think it is Grandpa bragging about how he learned how to use Alexa.

[Maverick]

 I hate that commercial because I keep expecting to hear Steve Winwood, not whatever that is.  

[Jamoche]

On 7/21/2019 at 2:49 PM, Browncoat said:

You have to shell out more $$$$ to get any family tree type information.

The family tree stuff they have for my family comes from my mom's own research, back when Ancestry was first starting out and suckered a whole bunch of amateur genealogists into uploading their data.

[friendperidot]

Several years ago when all the genealogy shows were first popular, the shows like Who Do You Think You Are and Genealogy Roadshow, and it seems like there was another one. But my sister was not internet savvy and did not have any kind of internet connect. She kept seeing ads for Ancestry and was bugging the crap out of me to join, I had done the free time and had looked around, but I could not get through to her that stories like they showed on tv were not on Ancestry, they had done a lot of research on the people and scriptwriters had taken the research and put them into stories. Finally, she's a little more internet savvy and has done her own free account on Ancestry and understands now, that the info has to come from someone. One of my cousins has put a lot of info on there. I wrote up a family history for a newly found cousin that had been adopted at birth so she could figure out all the connections of the names she found on Ancestry. I gave another cousin permission to put the story on Ancestry so it can be found by people wanting to know something about the family. I still have to write a history of my mother's family. But we have a family group on FB and I am encouraging all the older family to write up their memories of family and put it there. Because I want to know about the people, the names and dates are nice, but who were they, how did they get from point A to point B, why did they do things, like come to America. That stuff isn't there and will never be there because there's no one left to write it up and put it there. I am among the oldest in the family. And I really wish I had paid more attention to the stories my grandparents told.

[Tom Holmberg]

7 hours ago, friendperidot said:

And I really wish I had paid more attention to the stories my grandparents told.

My favorite genealogy story was the patron who came in the library back in the day when we ordered census microfilm for people to research their family.  She was looking up her great-grandfather and she wanted to know what an entry meant.  After her grandfather's name, where occupation went, it said "Moron."  The dangers of genealogy. 

[Suzn]

9 hours ago, Jamoche said:

The family tree stuff they have for my family comes from my mom's own research, back when Ancestry was first starting out and suckered a whole bunch of amateur genealogists into uploading their data.

The trees on Ancestry are only as good as the mostly amateur people researching and compiling. Probably most of us who have uploaded trees have inadvertently perpetuated some misinformation.  When I was a beginner, I uploaded a tree to Family Search and later found a mistake I'd made, with no way to correct it.  I can't retract the tree or overwrite it.  I won't get into a long thing here, but it takes evaluating, comparing, and simple logic to have reliable information.

[Suzn]

8 hours ago, friendperidot said:

Several years ago when all the genealogy shows were first popular, the shows like Who Do You Think You Are and Genealogy Roadshow, and it seems like there was another one. But my sister was not internet savvy and did not have any kind of internet connect. She kept seeing ads for Ancestry and was bugging the crap out of me to join, I had done the free time and had looked around, but I could not get through to her that stories like they showed on tv were not on Ancestry, they had done a lot of research on the people and scriptwriters had taken the research and put them into stories. Finally, she's a little more internet savvy and has done her own free account on Ancestry and understands now, that the info has to come from someone. One of my cousins has put a lot of info on there. I wrote up a family history for a newly found cousin that had been adopted at birth so she could figure out all the connections of the names she found on Ancestry. I gave another cousin permission to put the story on Ancestry so it can be found by people wanting to know something about the family. I still have to write a history of my mother's family. But we have a family group on FB and I am encouraging all the older family to write up their memories of family and put it there. Because I want to know about the people, the names and dates are nice, but who were they, how did they get from point A to point B, why did they do things, like come to America. That stuff isn't there and will never be there because there's no one left to write it up and put it there. I am among the oldest in the family. And I really wish I had paid more attention to the stories my grandparents told.

Preserving those stories is so important! If you get your information on Ancestry, it stays whether you keep a subscription and it is not lost to history.

[mmecorday]

Quote

 I hate that commercial because I keep expecting to hear Steve Winwood, not whatever that is.  

Or The Monkees!

[funky-rat]

12 hours ago, Maverick said:

 I hate that commercial because I keep expecting to hear Steve Winwood, not whatever that is.  

31 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

Or The Monkees!

I was just about to type that when you beat me to it.  🤣

[cpcathy]

18 hours ago, Brattinella said:

I think it is Grandpa bragging about how he learned how to use Alexa.

In actuality, grandpa would never use the Alexa because he's afraid of it.

My MIL won't even google anything, she's so fearful.

[Dirtybubble]

This has probably been mentioned before but scary little dude in the Dr. Pepper commercials does NOT make me want to drink Dr. Pepper!  What is he, an elf?  An 80s rocker that shrunk?  Why does he want me to drink Dr. Pepper so badly? 

[peacheslatour]

45 minutes ago, Dirtybubble said:

This has probably been mentioned before but scary little dude in the Dr. Pepper commercials does NOT make me want to drink Dr. Pepper!  What is he, an elf?  An 80s rocker that shrunk?  Why does he want me to drink Dr. Pepper so badly? 

I was fairly indifferent to him to first eight thousand times that commercial was on. Now I want to reach into my tv, pick him up by his stupid wig and smash him against something hard.

[margol29]

This commercial may only play in Indiana and Illinois but it really bugs me. 

What are they trying to make Wisconsin seen like a trip to the Mardi Gras? 

https://ispot.tv/a/oV51

[docmatt]

On 7/21/2019 at 11:03 AM, theatremouse said:

There's some Domino's 50% deal this weekend and in the ad the voiceover says something about  whatever toppings you want, implying even weird combos are fine.

It totally sounds like the VO says "barbecue, banana, pepper pizza". I did a mental double-take and realized they meant "barbecue - banana pepper pizza" ie pizza with barbecue sauce and banana peppers, but the intonation implies the weird combination they were suggesting people might want is barbecue sauce, bananas and peppers and I was having a hard time for half a beat considering if bananas on pizza were a thing.

Several years ago I was studying in New Zealand. Bananas on pizzare a thing there. Not a thing I tried, but still a thing. 

New Zealand is not known for its cuisine

[funky-rat]

16 hours ago, Dirtybubble said:

This has probably been mentioned before but scary little dude in the Dr. Pepper commercials does NOT make me want to drink Dr. Pepper!  What is he, an elf?  An 80s rocker that shrunk?  Why does he want me to drink Dr. Pepper so badly? 

L'il Sweet.  I actually like those commercials - not sure why.  I don't like Dr. Pepper at all.

He's played by Justin Guarini.  The dude who came in 2nd on the very first American Idol (the one Kelly Clarkson won).  I don't watch that show, but I know enough people who do.

He's said in interviews that it was some weird character thing he did as a joke for his kids, and he's now making lots of bank on it.  Wish I could do that - I can do all kinds of funny voices and stuff.

[cpcathy]

I love L'il Sweet. Those commercials make me want a Diet Dr. Pepper.

To confuse us even more though, regular Dr Pepper has a different spokesperson, some old-timey guy. My husband saw him and went, "Where's L'il Sweet?"

[Bastet]

On 7/24/2019 at 1:46 PM, Dirtybubble said:

This has probably been mentioned before but scary little dude in the Dr. Pepper commercials does NOT make me want to drink Dr. Pepper!  What is he, an elf?  An 80s rocker that shrunk?  Why does he want me to drink Dr. Pepper so badly? 

I found out while watching TV with my mom recently that she absolutely hates that guy.  She doesn't often react that strongly, and it amuses me when she does.  I don't share the same intensity, but I can't stand him either and absolutely do not understand the point of him, or how he could be conceived of/received as anything other than annoying.  And yet he was and he is; those have been airing for a while now, so I guess we're stuck with the little shit.

[Prevailing Wind]

Guarini is the son of former Atlanta police chief Eldrin Bell.  Guarini is his step-dad's name.

[peacheslatour]

I think I've figured out why I think the Olive Garden lady is the Pirate Mom. It's the way she says "tomorrow".

[Suzn]

On 7/24/2019 at 4:33 PM, peacheslatour said:

I was fairly indifferent to him to first eight thousand times that commercial was on. Now I want to reach into my tv, pick him up by his stupid wig and smash him against something hard.

I think this is the appropriate thing to do with pest of his nature.

[Ashforth]

Li'l Sweet is indeed played by Justin Guarini from S1 of American Idol. He rocked a bitchin' head of hair that got him compared to Sideshow Bob on the AI message boards. He was a talented singer but veered into schmaltzy and was of course ultimately defeated by vocal powerhouse Kelly Clarkson.

I'm hope he's making a ton of money from Dr. Pepper! I think Li'l Sweet is adorable and he cracks me up. I've always thought he was modeled after Prince and perhaps that was why he's such a wee fellow.

[catlover79]

On 7/22/2019 at 1:56 PM, Ubiquitous said:

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who wanted to try and BBQ banana and pepper pizza!

Hey, they put everything else on pizza - why not bananas? 😂

[smittykins]

Can’t be any worse than pineapple!

[AntiBeeSpray]

On 7/22/2019 at 11:01 PM, Maverick said:

 I hate that commercial because I keep expecting to hear Steve Winwood, not whatever that is.  

That's me too! I expect to hear the former and when I don't... I go 'what is this crap?' XD.

On 7/26/2019 at 8:50 AM, Ashforth said:

Li'l Sweet is indeed played by Justin Guarini from S1 of American Idol. He rocked a bitchin' head of hair that got him compared to Sideshow Bob on the AI message boards. He was a talented singer but veered into schmaltzy and was of course ultimately defeated by vocal powerhouse Kelly Clarkson.

I'm hope he's making a ton of money from Dr. Pepper! I think Li'l Sweet is adorable and he cracks me up. I've always thought he was modeled after Prince and perhaps that was why he's such a wee fellow.

Holy crap... I would have never guessed it was him! I did too and I still do for what it's worth.

[Ubiquitous]

3 hours ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

That's me too! I expect to hear the former and when I don't... I go 'what is this crap?' XD.

I am so glad it's not just me!

3 hours ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Holy crap... I would have never guessed it was him! I did too and I still do for what it's worth.

Ditto.

22 hours ago, catlover79 said:

Hey, they put everything else on pizza - why not bananas? 😂

I've seen stranger things: corn, shrimp,...

Uncle Maddios has a "peachy keen" pizza in the spring and early Summer that is good.

[Browncoat]

Shrimp is delicious on a pizza!  So is lobster, and smoked salmon.  Not on the same pizza, though.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Shrimp is delicious on a pizza!  So is lobster, and smoked salmon.  Not on the same pizza, though.

There was a Gino's Pizza when I was growing up that had tuna fish pizza.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Shrimp is delicious on a pizza! 

Indeed; I eat that a fair bit.  Shrimp is an available topping at all the local pizza restaurants I know of (smoked salmon, scallops, mussels, and/or clams are on the menus, too; I'm not sure about lobster), and most have a frutti de mare as one of their specialty pizzas. 

[peacheslatour]

The thought of cheese with fish makes me gag.

[Browncoat]

I love me a good tuna melt, too.

[Brattinella]

5 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I love me a good tuna melt, too.

Tuna Melts are wonderful!

[Prevailing Wind]

Bagels with cream cheese & lox are good, too.  I also bake haddock filets with a coating of bread crumbs & grated romano cheese...it's excellent!

[mmecorday]

Quote

The thought of cheese with fish makes me gag.

Aunt Raffy, is that you? 😄

[Ubiquitous]

Why is Jeremy Renner passing up a tour bus to a concert for an off-road jeep drive and why does he jump on stage and grab the microphone at the end?

[Bort]

47 minutes ago, Ubiquitous said:

Why is Jeremy Renner passing up a tour bus to a concert for an off-road jeep drive and why does he jump on stage and grab the microphone at the end?

According to Renner's imdb bio, he's also a musician.

[mmecorday]

Maybe he can sub for the Humira singer whose U.C. or Crohn's makes her appearances unreliable.

[topanga]

On 7/27/2019 at 2:57 PM, peacheslatour said:

The thought of cheese with fish makes me gag.

I hear ya. Someone served me a tuna melt once. Once. 

[Tom Holmberg]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

I hear ya. Someone served me a tuna melt once. Once

Patty melts (and Monte Cristos!) good, tuna melts, not so much, but I'm not a big fan of tuna.  Sorry Charlie.  Some tuna salads sandwiches are okay, as long as they aren't too tuna-y; tuna casserole, gag me with a spoon (but then most casseroles are pretty bad).

[Ubiquitous]

9 hours ago, kariyaki said:

According to Renner's imdb bio, he's also a musician.

Wow, I did not know that!

[Bort]

4 hours ago, mmecorday said:

Maybe he can sub for the Humira singer whose U.C. or Crohn's makes her appearances unreliable.

He wouldn't even need much rehearsal. The only lyrics are "AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAA..."

[Jaded]

10 hours ago, kariyaki said:

According to Renner's imdb bio, he's also a musician.

1 hour ago, Ubiquitous said:

Wow, I did not know that!

Edited July 29, 2019 by Jaded

[Jaded]

I like this one better though.

 

[OpalNightstream]

6 hours ago, mmecorday said:

Maybe he can sub for the Humira singer whose U.C. or Crohn's makes her appearances unreliable.

He can easily sing her songs. They all go “ahhhh ahhh ahhh ahhhh”. That’s it. 

[funky-rat]

22 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Patty melts (and Monte Cristos!) good, tuna melts, not so much, but I'm not a big fan of tuna.  Sorry Charlie.  Some tuna salads sandwiches are okay, as long as they aren't too tuna-y; tuna casserole, gag me with a spoon (but then most casseroles are pretty bad).

I like tuna salad, provided they don't have a load of mayo, and aren't full of crunchy stuff (celery, onion) or fruit (yes, I've seen it).  I don't like Monte Cristos, but I don't like French Toast, so that's probably why.  I love tuna casserole, but I dislike tuna melts, because mayo, plus served hot = blech for me.  My husband loves them.

[peacheslatour]

3 minutes ago, funky-rat said:

I like tuna salad, provided they don't have a load of mayo, and aren't full of crunchy stuff (celery, onion) or fruit (yes, I've seen it).  I don't like Monte Cristos, but I don't like French Toast, so that's probably why.  I love tuna casserole, but I dislike tuna melts, because mayo, plus served hot = blech for me.  My husband loves them.

Aha! A fellow mayonnaise hater. Blech.

[funky-rat]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Aha! A fellow mayonnaise hater. Blech.

I like egg salad, and some tuna salads (not a fan of ham or chicken salad), love deviled eggs, and I like some macaroni and potato salads (I'm fussy), but prefer them to not have a ton of mayo.  Just enough to make it "wet" and I prefer to taste other flavors.  I do NOT want mayo in any way, shape, or form on any sandwich, hot or cold.  Just nasty.  And don't even get me started on Miracle Whip. BLERGH!

Edited July 30, 2019 by funky-rat