Product Placement ...is Nothing Sacred?

First let me thank my wife and my sister in law for nudging me off the slacker sofa and back onto the blogger train.

Now on with the show. Product placement.

I will concede that I Do Realize that it is expensive to produce a major film, especially an animated film. But is it necessary to draw in product placement? Apparently so, I guess to get voice work from Drew Barrymore and Will Ferrell requires a little more than faith in the box office receipts. I took my son to a matinee today, two tickets to Curious George, $13.... One Medium popcorn and one medium Diet Soda, there went the credit card. You know the rest... Priceless.

Here we go, we found a nice seat, sat down to share our popcorn and soda... on with the previews. It was nice, no commercials for things that aren't sold at the snack booth like Mac and Cheese, or Mercury Cougars, or Madden 2009. Just simple ordinary coming attractions.

On with show... "look Daddy Curious George! He's silly!, Curious George is pretty cool Daddy! I want to see it again Daddy!"

Well I don't want to give away any plot points here... so

[Spoiler Alert! Do not read any further if you don't want to know what happens until you get a chance to see it yourself.]

On the cargo ship George knocks over several crates of fresh fruit... DOLE fruit.

Later, when the Man in the Yellow Hat rushes to rescue George before he is sent back to the jungle, he speeds off in a Volkswagon (I guess he was obeying His own Speed).

The funny thing is that these two product logos were drawn with a much higher level of detail than the backgrounds and even the characters. That is the thing that kind of irked me... I'll allow the space for marketing, and I know it didn't mean a hill of beans to the kids in the theatre whether it was Dole or Green Giant, Volkswagen or Ford (although my son would probably recognized if it had been an Explorer), but draw your "subliminal" advertising in the same fashion as the rest of the film, thats all I'm saying. Other wise fade to black cue a real commercial and then return to flick.

Eaze on down... Eaze on down the road....

Inspiration vs. Motivation

Ever have one or the other, but not both at the same time? That is the quandry that has kept me from posting the last few weeks. "Aha... Eureka! I have a great idea! but... i don't feel like sitting in front of the computer right now", OR... "when I get home I HAVE to post my thoughts on this..."

and then the other side.... "wow, I haven't posted in a while... I really should post something... hmmmmmm, but what? Oh, maybe this..... nah, too boring..... or that, nah, no one would get it, or I'd have type the whole back story.... ah forget it.... maybe tomorrow...."

But when those two orbiting forces align, look out... its gold Jerry!

Unfortunately.... this is not one of those times... And I think, that is what keeps most of our society, or at least me, from reaching our, my, full potential.

I really should do this... but I don't know where to start... or that'll take too long... any of these sound familiar?

I lost my train of thought.... I love trains, I would love to set up my old train set... if only I had the time, or the space... Oh there it is, circled back into the station.

Motivation vs. Inspiration.

Is there any way to unite these awesome forces? form of ... a giraffe... form of ... an ice bridge.... nah, thats been done

oh, no my peanut butter is on your chocolate..... but isn't your chocolate really in my peanut butter?

Pudding.... or Popsicles? how about both!

Oh well, enough of that...

Random thought... does anyone else think that Ford missed out on something this year by not resurrecting the Torino nameplate? My uncle had one, it was an early 70s model, two doors, as I recall it was a sort of root beer color, with a tan top... I miss that car.

Later.