October 29, 2004
FOUR FOR FRIDAY
Q1: National Treasure, Alexander, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Finding Neverland, The Incredibles, Polar Express, Team America: World Police, I Heart Huckabees, Alfie, Ocean's Twelve, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, After The Sunset, Meet the Fockers, Fat Albert, Ray, Christmas with the Kranks, Seed of Chucky. Which movie are you most looking forward to seeing this holiday season?
Q2: Despite the fact that ABC's Desperate Housewives is the most popular primetime TV program, Lowe's and Tyson Foods have both pulled their commercials from the show because they say the show's content is "inconsistent with the core values they want their brands associated with." Do you think Lowe's and Tyson's decision is good brand strategy? Or do you think the companies buckled to forces that would censor all TV programming down to fare for twelve-year-olds? And, are you concerned about the increasingly successful efforts of consumer lobbying groups to force marketers out of certain TV programs, or do you think such actions are long overdue?
Q3: Dropped by Clear Channel and hounded by the FCC, radio shock-jock Howard Stern has announced that he is moving his morning show to the Sirius Satellite Radio Network, a 100% pay-for-use radio service. The head of Sirius is hailing Stern's move as a "watershed event" for satellite radio. Do you think Stern's move will dramatically impact satellite radio or affect the long-term dynamics of radio use in the United States? Or, do you think Stern's move is meaningless; he's just an over-the-hill radio personality whose celebrity is waning?
Q4: Regardless of which candidate you support in next weekís election, who do you think will emerge victoriously as the next President of the United States?
Posted by Mikal at October 29, 2004 6:28 AM
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1. Alfie - Can't resist Jude Law as a womanizing scoundrel.
2. These companies have the right to spend their advertising dollars wherever they feel will best boost their revenue. That said, I think it's pretty much all posturing. Speaking of core values, I wonder if Tyson treats their chickens that well.
3. Yes - satellite radio is like cable was for tv. But eventually the censors will catch up with him there too.
4. Bush, unfortunately.
Q1: of these choices, i'm interested in seeing Ocean's Eleven was so slickly done and, with the exception of Julia Roberts, had an excellent cast. sequels are usually disappointing, but i'm hoping that the actors, especially as an ensemble, will be able to carry their weight once again.
this is also how i feel about Meet the Fockers. one of the reasons i loved Meet the Parents so much is because Robert DeNiro is one of my all-time favorite actors. i enjoy watching him in comedic roles.
finally, i look forward to seeing Ray because Ray Charles was one of our country's best musicians and i love biopics. also, i can't wait to see Jamie Foxx's treatment of such an historic figure.
>b>Q2: Lowe's and Tyson Foods caved in to "the powers that be" that try to control "family values" in this country. Regardless of the type of programming they choose to sponsor, these particular brands are such household names that people will continue to purchase them, especially because they were products well established long before "Desperate Housewives" was on the air.
This does concern me, yes, that lobbying groups are attempting to control what products are marketed to the public. Will they try having Viagra ads removed from on-air sporting events, next?
Q3: At least in the US, Stern is just an old, tired, washed-up deejay. His move to satellite may only boost his presence in countries where his program wasn't previously readily available. Then, these new listeners will tire of him too.
Q4: "Victorious" is a broad term, so in this sense, I'll say that John Kerry will be victorious in that his number of votes will be correctly tallied.
Q1: "Polar Express". Not because I like Tom Hanks so much, but I kinda love trains and the previews I saw last winter made me curious. I hope it's a nice movie and I won't be disappointed.
Q2: I usually buy stuff because I like it (that is already know it's good), not because of I saw a nice ad. Especially not for food. But I think it's good PR for a company no to be associated with something its target customers rate negatively.
But I can't understand the problem properly, being an European I never watch ABC and never eat these products (or so I guess).
Q3: Don't know the guy. I pass. But I don't thing that lots of people will switch from free to pay-for-use radio just for one guy. At least I would'nt :-)
Q4: That is, if you have a result in one week's time... Seems there's already a big mess down there in Florida, no? But I'm afraid it will be Bush, eventually.
Nice site, by the way (I love that photo with the lake). But I guess you have some CSS trouble, because I'm using Firefox for browsing and the top of your blog is a big mess of stuff at the wrong place (unless you really wanted it this way, something I doubt).
Q1: Finding Neverland. I look very forward to anything Johnny Depp plays in.
Q2: There is no morality in TV land anymore. Anyone with young children at home, is very aware of the blatant sexual content in the television programs and TV commercials. College Girls Gone Wild is a very good example. This particular commercial aired 23 times Saturday evening during a movie that I was watching with my father on the Comedy Channel. I donít have to tell you how uncomfortable it is (blurred out or not) to watch naked coeds, kissing and fondling each other, in front of ones father. Had the children been home, we would not have been able to watch the movie at all...not because the movie itself was bad, but because of the filthy commercials.
Are these the values we want to teach our little girls? There is only so much that we can shield our children from as parents. I guess we could get rid of the televisions in our homes to solve the problem, but they would just watch the crap in their friends homes. Someone is going to have to pull back the reins on the sexuality and violence at some point. I do not support censorship, but let us be sensible, there are children watching these shows too. There has to be a happy medium, between Nip/Tuck and Barney.
I applaud the sponsors for pulling their advertising. As a matter of fact, I am on my way to the grocery to buy some chicken!
Q3: Stern is an over the hill perverted has-been. He should have retired after his crappy made for TV movie.
Q4: God-willing, President Bush.
1. Bridget Jones. The first one was really good, I hope they do justice to the sequel.
2. What core values do chicken and home improvement hold? Desperate Housewives isn't going to make me NOT buy Tyson food (not that I do anyway) and I could care less where Lowe's advertises, it's not going to make me shop there more, regardless. Why are companies and people so hung up over sex?! Get over it already. This puritanical fundamentalism needs to end. We aren't a bunch of Stepford robots!
3. I think Howard Stern's move to satellite radio will have some impact on that medium. As for regular radio, it won't make much of a difference because some people have wanted him off the air for years. It will only make room for more conservatives or just plain, boring pop music stations that play the same songs over and over everyday. No creativity to their formats. At least Howard Stern is entertaining, and if I don't agree with something he's talking about on a particular day, I CHANGE THE STATION. I'm sick and tired of our constitutional rights being amended because of fearmongers. That's what it comes down to, people are afraid and spread their fear in order to oppress and control people. If you don't believe me, just look to the politicians in this country running for, and already in, office on 11/2/04.
4. No comment.
1. I've already seen Finding Neverland which was quite good. Of the others, none of them really stands out. I might see one of the kiddie-oriented animated movies if I find myself bored.
2. I don't have a TV so I have no idea what this "Desperate Housewives" thing is about. Advertising people can do what they will with their commercials. I just wish there was less of them.
3. I've never listened to Stern and I don't really care too much about radio anyway except for NPR so whatever happens, it's not going to impact me in any way.
4. I can't tell the future so I'm not even going to guess.
1. Finding Neverland and Polar Express. Neverland because of Johnny Depp and the subject matter. Polar Express because of the book and the technology behind making the movie.
2. I think it is a free world and corporations have been making decisions on moral issues for a long time for either personal or popular reasons. Most 12 year olds are more sophisticated viewers than the adults. They understand more of the subtleties of the Simpsons than the adults. I don't see where any of the lobbying has made any difference in television viewing and doubt that it will have any major effect in the future. I vote with the channel changer or the on/off switch.
3. I have always disliked Howard Stern and do not care where he goes...
4. Weekly Reader is predicting Bush and they haven't been wrong yet.
Q1: Alexander, which just looks beautiful. Polar Express because it looks adorable and of course Oceanís Twelve because the first one was awesome. I didnít know about Finding Neverland but that looks good too.
Q2: They totally caved. I actually have not seen the show in question mostly because I have enough trouble remembering to watch the few shows I do watch reqularly but I just canít figure how it could be worse than some of the crap Fox puts out or the stuff on daytime soaps. I might need to check it out and see. I think it was a poor business decision on their part in the long run because the show is apparently a big hit with their demographic. But really, who needs to be told to shop at Loweís or buy Tyson chicken anyway? These are brands people already know about. I wonder if Wal*Mart is advertising on this show? I am not horribly concerned about it because people have been trying to censor things forever and TV just gets more and more outrageous.
Q3:Stern has a following, although I am not part of it. His show really does belong on Satelite Radio and I think it is a good marriage. I also thik itís hilarious how pissed off his opponents are over his thumbing his nose at the FCC in this manner
Q4: Sadly, I suspect Bush will be re-installed. I do not think he will be re-elected by the electorate, however. This is looking more and more like another case of his winning the Electoral College or some litigation that gives the Electoral College vote to him while losing the popular vote.
1. Since the arrival of our son last year, we haven't seen many movies outside of rentals so we are way behind. I think "Ray" will be a defining movie for Jamie Foxx.
2. Desperate Housewives is a very clever adult-oriented show which we never miss. Having said that, I believe it was in Lowes' and Tyson's interest to premptively pull their ads to maintain their family image. Popular television content (good writing and acting) drives the market for advertising not the other way around. As the viewership of these shows goes up so does their advertising costs and the demand for the spots will be filled with other big brands.
3. If Sirius can market agressively and bring other big shock names on board, they will begin the migration to Satellite Radio. Shock and porn have driven other alternative mediums in the past such as HBO which brought people to cable and porn which brought the masses to the internet. Rush Limbaugh is often credited with the resurrection of AM talk radio. I predict that in about 5 years, Clear Channel will buy or merge with Sirius.
4. My EV prediction is Bush 338, Kerry 200 plus or minus 10 each way. It's always the economy.
1. Wow, thanks for the list. I have not seen any of them and know nothing of any of them...I usually check Yahoo viewer ratings to see what has high marks.
2. Never seen the show but get the idea. Tyson does treat their birds badly from what I hear. Lowe's probably has some old growth wood in their stock.(i.e. rainforest wood). Violence and random sex on t.v. and in the movies is a bad influence so I guess the position they are taking helps somewhat. The programs will keep coming but at least it shows some people are trying to fight it's inevitable onslaught.
3. Stern is on the downhill side of this phase of his career. Of course, his program is exactly what question 3 is about. It is pure garbage for the mind.
4. No one knows. I certainly do not. A few swing states are still in play. Florida, Colorado, Ohio. Record numbers of Texans have traveled to these states to support Kerry and Bush. Record numbers of new voters are registered and this helps Kerry. The Republicans are certainly trying unethical things to prevent Kerry votes and they will be successful with some of these measures. I think we will know Tuesday night, for all practical purposes, who the winner is. I do know who that will be. An attack today in America is still a strong possibility and that could influence things.
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