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Let’s do a little “Whatever happened to…”
Commercials can be a really strong jump start for memories and nostalgia. In fact, I think they can sometimes trigger a certain feeling in us even more than TV shows because they were repeated 700 times when we kids and we remember them strongly, even though we don’t see them any longer.
After the jump we catch up with three classic commercial icons from the 80s. One famous for swinging a hammer, one famous for getting confronted by his dad, and one famous for fishing.
First off, listen to these two cover songs by a man named Reid Maclean.
Fantastic, right? You’re probably wondering who the heck this guy is and where you can buy his albums. You might know him from this spot in the 80s:
Yup, Reid is the “I learned it by watching you!” kid. He’s in his 30s now and an accomplished musician. Here’s his site, where you can find out about his album Bright Fading Star and listen to a few tracks. “Full Time Job” and “Ne’er Do Well” are really beautiful and have become two of my current favorites.
Here’s a classic ad, probably the most famous computer commercial of all-time. It ran only a couple of times, once during the Super Bowl:
The woman swinging the large hammer is Anya Major, who was a discus thrower and one of the few people who could actually swing that thing. She went on to play “Nikita” in the video for the Elton John song and also released her own album. She lives in England.
And how about the famous Oscar Mayer “Fisherman” commercial?
His name is Andy Lambros and he was four when he made that commercial. He’s owned several businesses since then and is also a musician. Here’s his site, though it looks like it hasn’t been updated in a while.
The Wackness Official Movie Trailer
Sony Pictures Classics has released a new trailer for one of my favorite films of the year - The Wackness. They’re calling it the “official trailer”, and I actually like it much more than the the previously released teasers. It plays equal attention the relationships between Peck, Thirlby, and Kingsley, the 1990’s nostalgia, and the incredible soundtrack. I could have done without the Mary-Kate Olsen button at the end, but I understand she might be a selling point.
Hunter points out that they probably should have played up some of the great critical reaction the film has gotten on the festival circuit. But at the same time I can understand that the target audience might not care about quotes from movie critics. I’m still waiting for the inevitable red band trailer. As I’ve said before, this film is a tough film to sell. Director Jonathan Levine told me that SPC was planning on doing a lot of word of mouth screenings to raise awareness. I think the best thing they could do is pack a theater with people and show them the film, as they will surely recommend it to ten of their friends.
Watch the trailer in High Definition on Yahoo. The Wackness hits theaters on July 3rd 2008.
Veronica Mars meets Weevil — on Heroes?
We Veronica Mars fans take whatever bones the TV world will throw at us. We mourn the loss of the well-written female super-sleuth series, and we’ve been kicked while we are down with the cancellation of Moonlight, where we at least got to see Jason Dohring every week. Could there be a little love coming for the VM fans?
If you watch Heroes, you could be in for a real treat this fall, when Francis Capra, of Weevil fame, joins the cast alongside former Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell.
We don’t know much about Capra’s role except that his name is Jesse and he will be evil. Weevil playing evil — a rhyme I just had to make and a role I’m looking forward to seeing. Even though I don’t watch Heroes, I’ll tune in to see what Capra’s got for us.
So, VM fans, enjoy the reunion of Veronica and Weevil this fall, and try not to let that bothersome Heroes story line get in the way of the VM nostalgia.
New Kids Have Tough Time Hangin’
Ah, nostalgia can be so forgiving.
The very grown-up New Kids on the Block didn't exactly have the right stuff when they hit the stage outside the Today show Friday morning and performed a medley of their biggest hits, but that didn't seem to matter to the more than 3,000 screaming NKOTB fans who stood in the pouring rain to watch.
The reunited group will be hitting the road later this year for a North American tour. While we don't know if there will be an opening act, we're guessing Marky Mark won't be available.