I was watching this week’s episode of LAS VEGAS just now. I just saw sweet Mary, who they’re hardening up this season, smoking.
Her ex boyfriend, she show’s white hunk said it was ok, because she was stressed.
I call the age card again, and start rambling like the grey haired father figure I made fun of when I wasn’t one of them.
TV is still teaching us it’s OK to smoke, and I believe somebody is behind it, on purpose.
Remembering a movie called WAG THE DOG, I wondered how the smart people would pull it off. They WAG THE DOG. It’s an old trick. Change the news.
Britney Spears had to shave her head to get the news to shut up about Anna Nicole Smith.
We’ve heard a lot about product placements again in history. Commercials in the show, as some would describe. When done right, they make a show more believable, because no kid ever asked for a Cola. Kleenex and Hoover and windbreaker and elevator are all brand names we use in life like the product name. TV’s just letting characters use brand names.
But when they up it a notch, and start talking like commercials, then we notice, and lose realty for a moment. The Zeppelin.
MAD TV has the most obvious product placement sketches among the shows I watch. I havn’t decided whether they do it so blatent it’s part of the joke, or whether they’re just whores for free Yaris 4 doors for the staff.
I’d like mine in orange. The frequent mentions of Yaris wouldn’t be so bad, because I sincerly believe Yaris owners probably do refer to it by name. Some cars you call cars, and some you call Keep, or Caddy or Corvette or Yaris.
The odd part is when MAD TV starts spewing about it’s luxury features like they mixed up their cue cards with a dealer brochure. I know more about Yaris than I needed to.
I’m thinking of buying one. How did that happen?
But back to the topic I started with… TV has shown me it’s a good idea to have some ciggarettes in my pocket or purse, or under my t shirt sleeve if I were to be so inclined to choose that atire. They’re still bad, but everybody lets you smoke when bad things are happening to you. Then it’s OK.
I wonder what the executive meeting with the writers was all about. Studio 60 has taught me that anybody can talk to anybody about anything in the real world. Did anybody try for ciagette use by the main characters in a positive situation was the opening bid, and this was what everyone settled on.
The ciagette lobby has always accepted that brand recognition and publicty are not always related. In the brand recogniotion game, no publicty is bad publicty, and such, maketing does care about image… it just cares you know it’s name.
People buy brands they know are big. If you smoke to fit in, you don’t buy independant brands. You buy what everybody else buys.
We know, through pop culture axioms, coke is #1 and Pepsi is #2. We know McDonalds beats Burger King. We do not however hear so much about who’s #1 in smokes. But you can believe they do. Then again, maybe it’s as obvious as Coke, but I just am out of the loop. I never smoked.
Not cigarettes anyway, he said with a TV style wink. A drum roll was noticable absent.
I need a drumroll and a rim shot on a button. My life would be better with a laughtrack. I am often the punchline guy.
SNAP BACK
The summary closing, that cigarette companies could have started paying or rewarding in some way, writers for including references to smoking again. Pop cul;ture needs to be smoking on TV.
On the one hand, it would be more realistic. Successful “Hot” men and women in the real world do smoke. So do many of the less-hot people in everyday life, although on TV, less of them smoke. The lower class always smoke on TV.
In order to lessen the complaints of the vocal few who love to complain. Give them a one two punch, although that is a horrible anaolgy for this.
West Wing taught me the technique. Use the news. Hide stories behind big stories.
Oh look, A Zeppelin.
UN-PAUSE
