Which brings us to my favorite and least favorite current commercials. I would also like to point out that I searched the internet high and low and could not find either commercial online, but if you watch television at all I'm sure that you have seen these two ads.
I never thought I'd see the day, but my favorite current commercial is for McDonald's. In the ad a man awakens and as he walks to McDonald's various people attempt to interact with him, but he disregards them all by saying something to the effect of, "I haven't had my coffee yet," or "Not until I have my coffee." Don't ask me why, but I think it's hysterical. Now, I don't think I've ever had or will ever have coffee from McDonald's (I'm a Dunkin' Donuts guy), but the commercial, in my opinion, is an overwhelming success.
My least favorite commercial by far is the Jared Galleria of Jewelry ad that depicts two women in a house. Woman #1 is working on a crossword puzzle and asks Woman #2 what a 13 letter word for marriage proposal is. Woman #2 looks stumped, so Woman #1 says, "He went to Jared," as she shows her engagement ring. This commercial is so horrendous that it makes me want to vomit. Everytime it's on I quickly change the channel so that my eyes and ears don't have to put up with the piercing pain of annoyance that the ad evokes.
I obviously watch a lot of television, but in the past year and a half I've significantly decreased the number of commercials that I view (although based on the past few paragraphs I clearly still see plenty). Because my profession requires me to work primarily at night I am reliant on my DVR (which I love) to record all of the shows that I would normally watch if I were at home.
Sure most shows can be found online, especially the day after they air, but to me DVR is a godsend (should this word be capitalized?). Seriously, can you think of a greater invention in the last 15 years? Not only does it allow you to watch your favorite shows at your own convenience, but it also allows you to fastforward through the commercials.
My TV viewing habits have gotten to the point where I'll avoid watching a show during it's regularly scheduled air time, just so I can watch it later without having to sit through the commercials. I also sometimes start watching an hour long show that I'm recording about 20-30 minutes in and I end up avoiding almost, if not all of the commercial breaks.
But which shows do I record, you ask?
Well here are the shows that I have set up a series recording for on my DVR:
1.) Jeopardy! (CBS M-F 7PM)- Not only do I record the best game show on TV, but I write down how many questions/answers I get right as well as what the Final Jeopardy question/answer is (an excel spreadsheet is in the works). What can I say? One of my goals in life is to be on the show someday. I'd also like to be a contestant when Alex Trebek is still hosting and the clock is certainly ticking.
2.) The Daily Show (Comedy Central M-T 11PM)- Jon Stewart, although he admittedly leans liberal, is a terrific interviewer. Stewart's correspondents (dubbed The Best Fucking News Team Ever), especially John Oliver and Jason Jones, add plenty of humor to the show.
3.) The Colbert Report (Comedy Central M-T 11:30PM)- Colbert is the sharpest, quickest-witted television host going. His improv skills are the most apparent during interviews, in which he routinely dominates his guests. His fame is currently at an all time high now that he's been on the cover of Sports Illustrated and won a Grammy in the past two months.
4.) How I Met Your Mother (CBS Mondays 8PM)- It's a little strange to see Neil Patrick Harris, a homosexual, so effectively pull off his alpha male character Barney Stinson, but his humor drives the show. Well, that and Jason Segel, who can't not be funny.
5.) The Big Bang Theory (CBS Mondays 9:30pm)- If you watched this show once you'd probably never watch it again. I used to watch it because it was on right before How I Met Your Mother and now it's debatable as to which show is funnier.
6.) 24 (FOX Mondays 9PM)- 24 is great because (aside from Bauer being a badass) you can start watching at the beginning of each season and you won't miss a beat. For example, I've seen Seasons 1,2,7, and now the first few episodes of Season 8. This show is so entertaining that so far they've made Freddie Prinze, Jr. a likable character.
7.) Lie to Me (FOX Wednesdays 9PM)- I gave this show a shot back when it first premiered and I still feel that it's worth watching, but it's not a show that I really look forward to. In fact, sometimes I choose not to record an episode if I see a preview commercial and don't like the proposed storyline.
8.) Damages (FX Mondays 10PM)- I think I watch this lawyer drama mainly to figure out if Rose Byrne is hot or not.
9.) Glee (FOX Tuesdays 9PM)- When I first saw previews for this show I assumed that I would never watch it because it seemed a little feminine with all the singing, etc. That was until my friend Kate talked me into watching it and I discovered that it's actually quite funny. Also, I'm officially in love with Lea Michele who plays Rachel on the show.
10.) Modern Family (ABC Wednesdays 8PM)- I'm not sure what the target demographic is for this comedy, but I think it appeals to anyone from the ages 15-65. Like it's name suggests, the show deals with modern family issues (interracial, homosexuality, raising kids in the technological era) in a light-hearted sense.
11.) Top Chef (Bravo Wednesdays 10PM)- I only understand about 2% of the culinary lingo, but for some reason I find this show to be incredibly entertaining. I'm convinced that whoever does the casting is an absolute genius because I routinely like and dislike an equal number of the cheftestants. Oh, and by the way, did I mention that Padma Lakshmi is the host?
12.) The Office (NBC Thursdays 9PM)- I don't know anyone that doesn't watch this show. Or at least I don't know anyone that's watched more than a few episodes and not liked it. In my opinion, it's reached Seinfeld/Friends status in that people generally accept that it's a great show.
13.) 30 Rock (NBC Thursdays 9:30PM)- 30 Rock is definitely deserving of all of those Emmy's that it has won. It is hands down the best written comedic show on television. Case in point, one of my all time favorite television lines came from a Season 3 episode:
Tracy: You like Phil Collins, right?
Jack: I've got two ears and a heart, don't I?
14.) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX Thursdays 10PM)- Just an absolutely, ridiculous show. I find the episodes to be hit or miss, but when they hit it's virtually non stop laughter for 30 minutes.
15.) Mad Men (AMC Sundays 10PM)- This period drama is simply fascinating. I started watching from the get go and it's been picking up steam ever since.
If you've seen all of Season 3 then check out this excerpt from Malcolm Gladwell's most recent book "What the Dog Saw":
Herzog worked at a small advertising agency called Jack Tinker & Partners, and people who were in the business in those days speak of Tinker the way baseball fans talk about the 1927 Yankees. Tinker was the brainchild of the legendary adman Marion Harper, who came to believe that the agency he was running, McCann-Erickson, was too big and unwieldy to be able to consider things properly. His solution was to pluck a handful of the very best and brightest from McCann and set them up, first in the Waldorf Towers (in the suite directly below the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's and directly above General Douglas MacArthur's) and then, more permanently, in the Dorset Hotel, on West Fifty-fourth Street, overlooking the Museum of Modern Art. The Tinker Group rented the penthouse, complete with a huge terrace, Venetian-tiled floors, a double-height living room, an antique French polished-pewter bar, a marble fireplace, spectacular skyline views, and a rotating exhibit of modern art (hung by the partners for motivational purposes), with everything-walls, carpets, ceilings, furnishings-a bright, dazzling white. It was supposed to be a think tank, but Tinker was so successful so fast that clients were soon lined up outside the door. When Buick wanted a name for its new luxury coup?, the Tinker Group came up with Riviera. When Bulova wanted a name for its new quartz watch, Tinker suggested Accutron. Tinker also worked with Coca-Cola and Exxon and Westinghouse and countless others, whose names-according to the strict standards of secrecy observed by the group-they would not divulge. Tinker started with four partners and a single phone. But by the end of the sixties it had taken over eight floors of the Dorset.
Sound familiar? It doesn't end there. Here's an article about a legendary 1950-60's ad man named.....Draper Daniels. Knowing this, don't you think that the opening credits of Mad Men should at least say inspired by true events?
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