Ten commercials male-bashers will love
Have you ever noticed that men are often the butt of jokes on television? Whether it’s the goofy, lazy husband on sitcoms or the incompetent, oversexed guy on TV commercials, men are often shown in a bad light (I know, I know, woman only make 70 cents for every $1.00 a man makes, but it’s almost Father’s Day so let’s talk about this, OK?). AskMen.com has a list of the 10 worst male-bashing commercials on television.
The Pizza Hut ad. Gah. Another commercial that shows that it’s the mom that can cook and the dad that has to call for takeout. I would guess that even a lot of women wouldn’t like this ad, since it reinforces the whole “women belong in the kitchen and men work and have to order takeout” stereotype. And that AT&T ad. Believe me, there’s no way a guy would admit so to his wife in such a stupid way that he lost $5800 in Vegas. The part you don’t see is when he goes on and on and tells her about the hooker that he was with the night before.
But the one that gets me is the ad for Dairy Queen. There is no other commercial right now that makes me want to throw my remote at my TV. A little girl completely manipulates a boy and gets a free dessert from him, and then tells her mom that “it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.” For one thing, I really doubt a girl that age would even be familiar with that saying, but second, this just reinforces ridiculous stereotypes and really sends a bad message (can you imagine the uproar if the roles were reversed?)
The mom’s expression at the end says it all. She seems to realize “oh my God, I’m raising a whore.”
Yoko Ono Imagines Legal Defeat
Like the rest of us, Yoko Ono has to live in a world that’s one with the fair-use doctrine.
John Lennon’s widow has lost her bid to keep 15 seconds of her late husband’s song “Imagine” out of a documentary about scientists and educators who support the theory of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution.
Ono, son Sean Lennon and publisher EMI Blackwood Music Inc., which holds the rights to all of Lennon’s music, sued the makers of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed in federal court last month, arguing that the unsanctioned use of “Imagine” in their film implied that the family had willingly licensed the song.
“Internet ’bloggers’ immediately began accusing Mrs. Lennon of ’selling out’ by licensing the song to defendants,” Ono’s suit charged.
But U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein agreed with the defendants that their use of Lennon’s most revered solo tune was allowable under the fair-use doctrine, which “provides that the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes of criticism and commentary is not an infringement of copyright.”
“They put the song to a different purpose, selected an excerpt containing the ideas they wished to critique, paired the music and lyrics with images that contrast with the song’s utopian expression, and placed the excerpt in the context of a debate regarding the role of religion in the public life,” Stein wrote in his decision.
Ono has said she will appeal the ruling.
Christina Aguilera’s Date Night
Christina Aguilera's expression suggests many things, but we're pretty sure the new mom is thinking: We hired a babysitter for this? I could be sleeping!
Knowing you'll have to wake up in an hour to feed a crying cutie can put a damper on a wild night on the town.
Stump the King - NYPD Blue - VIDEO
As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the FCC has levied a $1.4 million fine against Disney for an episode of NYPD Blue. The fine comes as a reaction to an extended shot of Charlotte Ross’s bare butt in an episode of NYPD Blue back in 2003.
Now, I’m sure we all have different opinions about the fine. Some of you think it’s wrong to fine creative works for their mode of expression, even a TV show. Some of you think the fine is appropriate because you don’t want your children accidentally seeing any nudity and some of you, like me, think that Disney and ABC should be given an award for showing us what is very possibly the most beautiful butt ever seen on film.
What amazes me is that the FCC didn’t fine Disney when they showed Sharon Lawrence’s butt or even the horror that was Dennis Franz’s naked behind but the magnificent backside of Charlotte Ross is grounds for a fine.
In case you haven’t seen it, treat yourself to the clip below.
In keeping with this post’s sexist attitude, here is this week’s question…
Who was the first person to use the word “tits” on NYPD Blue?
I can’t believe it took a whole day for someone to get the correct answer, but Big Ted finally came through. Congratulations!