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Zodiac Killer
2007-03-04 07:10:00
I saw Zodiac last Friday and walking into the theatre I was pumped for what I thought was going to be the best movie of the year. The trailer I saw on the internet left me in anticipation for the release. The cast was completely "star-studded," including the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr.. Plus, the movie was directed by David Fincher! David Fincher is one of those directors who makes a movie every couple of years. His movies up to Zodiac have had great stories and deep plots keeping the viewer glued to the seat. Movies like Fight Club, Se7en, and Panic Room he directed have all been hits, or at least I see them that way.Then Fincher made Zodiac which was hyped up on radio talk shows, television, and posters. When I heard the movie was two hours and forty minutes, I wasn't worried, I figured this was going to be a non-stop thriller. Well, I was wrong and Zodiac left me tired and ready for bed at the conclusion. There was too much background ...
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Watch The Office- TONIGHT
2007-03-01 22:47:00
Just in case you don't know, my favorite show is The Office . Make sure you watch it tonight on NBC at 8:30. It's an old episode, but none the less, it will still be an enjoyable experience. Here are some of the best clips from the show.
More About: Watch , The Office , Night , Tonight

Catalyst Ranch Chicago
2007-02-25 18:09:00
Over the weekend my school's business club took a trip to Chica go . We visited Deloitte, Leo Burnett Chicago, Chicago Board of Trade and a few other companies. I was looking forward to Leo Burnett the most, but I was pleasantly surprised with Cat alyst Ranch. They are a "creative meeting" space that "believe ideas, learning and break-through thought thrive when people are placed in an environment that stimulates and invigorates the senses." They are an alternative to expensive hotel meeting rooms full of hidden charges and excessive costs. Not only is Cata lyst Ranch more affordable than hotel meeting rooms, but a million times cooler.Our club met with the owner/president, Eva Niewiadomski who gave us a tour of the meeting rooms and explained the benefits of the designs. The rooms are filled with vintage furniture, children's toys, and interesting gadgets. The rooms are inviting and homey, thus as people become more comfortable they will be more productive. At first I was re...
More About: Catalyst

Real Life Napoleon Dynamite
2007-02-19 19:33:00
You know that guy in those Nissan Sentra commercials from a few months ago? The ones where he lived in his car for seven days? Well, I have found the guy's blog and he is a real life Napoleon Dynamite . He is Marc Horowitz and one interesting guy, to say the least. His blog is randomness in its highest form and the guy is a goof (meant in positively). Nissan made a good choice by casting Horowitz because not only is he funny, but a very likable person. He seems creative and though his art isn't amazing, the thought behind his work is impressive. It will be interesting to see where his career goes. Here is a link to his photography company.
More About: Life , Real , Pole , Mite

Gig Posters
2007-02-16 01:18:00
If you're big on design, posters, or music- you have to check out GigPost ers .com. On GigPoster s.com bands can submit poster designs and announce their next performances. Not only is it a great place for bands to get some street cred, but a place for artists to show off their work as well. Here are some of my favorite bands and their posters.

Becoming a Vegetarian
2007-02-11 15:46:00
Thursday morning I was in the library getting some homework done when I came across a book called The Young Vegetarian s Companion. I started to flip through the pages and came across some interesting stuff. Anything in meat can be obtained through a balanced diet of natural foods. The biggest criticism of being a vegetarian is they don't get enough protein, however, the average American consumes too much of it. I have given up meat in the past and even though it was difficult, in the end I felt healthier. For all the benefits read this.
More About: Aria , Ming

Summer Road Trip
2007-02-07 03:36:00
I have always wanted to take a road trip, or at least with in the last few months. I want to get an SUV, drive across the country and go off-roading. I want to camp out, swim, and partake in town festivals. I have been spending time creating an itinerary which includes driving from metro-Detroit up to Marquette, Michigan. Then from Marquette, I plan on going West through Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana. Everybody is all high on Colorado, well I am high on Montana. Montana's biggest city has 90,000 people and the state's population is smaller than the city of Detroit. This leads me to me next point.I would want to start an advertising agency in Montana. At first, I would work for a major agency and make some contacts. From there I would create an agency and get a client. I would hope to have craziest, best, and most effective work. My agency would have a similar mentality to that of Fallon. Fallon feels they must have one heck of a portfolio if clients a...
More About: Summer , Trip , Road Trip , Road

Advertising Blogs
2007-02-05 12:31:00
There is no way to escape it. No matter what advertising blog you visit today, I can almost guarantee they will be reviewing ads from last night. There's nothing wrong with that because we expect to see the best commercials of all year on Super Bowl night. Advert ising agencies showcase the best work they are capable of creating for the biggest night on television. Problem is, many fell short.Every year it seems the commercials get worse or there are less memorable spots. Either way, the Bears didn't win and I only saw one commercial for Cadillac who sponsored the entire post game show. It would have been nice to see a new Modernista! commercial for Cadillac. It also would have been nice to see one great commercial during every break. I won't hate though, the game was still exciting and ended early enough so I could actually get some sleep.
More About: Blogs , Blog , Sing

PostSecret
2007-02-03 15:24:00
I was working on my blog and simultaneously watching CurrentTV when there was a pod (short movie) about some guys blog. I decided to let my fingers take a break and see what the deal was. Turns out, people send this dude postcards with their secrets written on it. Every week the blog is updated with about twenty new postcards. They can be, "a regret, hope, funny experience, unseen kindness, fantasy, belief, fear, betrayal, erotic desire, feeling, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything - as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before." Look below for an example and take a peek at Post Secret .
More About: Posts , Postsecret

I Love a Good Rabbit
2007-02-03 15:18:00
Well, if I had to buy a hatchback tommorow, I'd take VW Rabbi t. I like the looks and the affordability. Hopefully they will work on the fuel mileage, otherwise everything else is great. Had the Saturn Astra been available I would have choosen that, I mean just look at it- it's sweet.
More About: Love , Good

I Love a Good Hatchback #3
2007-02-01 00:35:00
Honda Fit: This little hatchback not only looks good, but has a price tag to match. The fit I built costs less than 18,000 and comes with 16" rims, a spoiler, and a 200 watt sound system. However, there are some problems that would make me think twice before buying this car. There is no roof rack or hitch to store a mountain bike and the car only comes with four doors. I am all about a car's looks and to me, there is a big difference between two and four doors. All that aside, I like the Fit's fuel mileage of 33 city, 38 highway and the fact it looks better than the Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris. I would have included the Mazda 3, Subaru Impreza or the Saab 9-2X, but they are out of the price range. I also neglected to review the Dodge Calibur or Pontiac Vibe because I don't like their stylings. Therefore, my favorites are the VW Rabbit, Honda Fit, and Suzuki SX4. I'll reflect on the three choices in my next post.
More About: Love , Hat , Back , Good , Hatchback

I Love a Good Hatchback #2
2007-01-30 22:59:00
VW Rabbit: I'm not big into the VW cult, but I do like the VW Rabbit and GTI. Since the GTI costs around $26 grand moderately equipped, I opted for the more affordable Rabbit. The two door Rabbit I built had 18" wheels, a roof rack for my mountain bike, iPod jack, and a body kit. The car costs less than $19,000, but there was one major drawback- gas mileage. With out the roof rack, the car gets a meager 22 miles per gallon city and 30 highway. Out of all the hatchbacks I will write on, the Rabbit may have the worst fuel economy, however it does have the best look.MINI Cooper: Loading the MINI website froze my computer, thus I won't even comment on the brand that caused me to re-write this post. I will say this, the MINI is overpriced, underpowered, and has questionable looks. The reason I included MINI in my posts was because last week's edition of Ad Age had a little segment about the cars ad guy's drive. Surprisingly, a few of them drove MINIs so I thought it would be...
More About: Love , Hat , Back , Good , Hatchback

I Love a Good Hatchback
2007-01-30 00:28:00
For some reason I love cars. Ever since I was kid I wanted a Chevrolet Camaro. With age I have come to the realization a Camaro would be completely impractical for obvious reasons. So lately, I have been spending way too much time researching affordable cars I hope to buy once I get my first job. I have concluded no matter where I live, I want a hatchback. If I can afford to buy a second vehicle I would like a Jeep or SUV for off road excursions, road trips, or other fun activities. Plus, if I am working in a temperate climate the SUV/Jeep would be nice for winter. In terms of hatchback selection, I am sad to say American automakers offer a weak line-up. I am all about driving American, but the foreign hatchbacks offer a much wider selection. I am pro-environment and would be doing most of my daily driving in my Eco-friendly hatchback so I hope that would negate my SUV use. Here is the first of a series of posts on my favorite hatchbacks:Suzuki SX4: This car has gotten rave ...
More About: Love , Hat , Back , Good , Hatchback

College Posters
2007-01-26 12:54:00
I was walking around school today when I noticed nine or ten college posters which were exactly the same. Despite the posters being for different colleges, all the images and captions were the identical. The pictures were of beautiful landscapes such as trees, lakes, or open fields. Since all the images were the same, the poster's copy would have to keep the reader interested. Well, the copy read, "Crap" or "Boring" so I didn't even take the time. It's time to change the college posters we put in high school. They need to be creative, funny, and interesting because every college campus already has a nice tree they can put in posters. It's time to be different, it's time for the posters to cater to young minds. How about a little Belushi?
More About: Posters , College , Post , Poster , Coll

Recruit Ireland
2007-01-24 13:03:00
Straight out of Dublin, CHEMISTRY's latest work on RecruitIreland .com takes onomatopoeia to the next level. In the two spots released thus far, a "Beep" and a "Creak" discuss their new jobs. Originally, the "Beep" worked on answering machines and the "Creak" worked in houses. However, the two of them are able to get out of their dead end jobs thanks in part to RecruitIreland. Here are the two spots.Head Gear Animation did all the animation for RecruitIreland.com which was probably a cinch compared to other spots. Check out their MTV Spots and ESPN spot which looks a bit more complex. They offer a handful of animation styles and animation alternatives. It's clear, their style of animation is unlike anything else, which their clients seem to like. They have done work for Coke, Nestle, Kraft, Ikea, Kellogg's, MTV, and tons of others.
More About: Land , Elan

The Second Coming Mash Up
2007-01-23 22:39:00
Here is Wieden + Kennedy's latest work on Nike. I've criticized Nike in the past for using the same idea over and over in their ads, but this is an exception. Like all Nike commercials the music is great, but this is much more than a music video. Nike is pushing the launch of the new Air Force 52's through "The Second Coming." I see the "Second Coming " as the re-birth of basketball culture in the form of new-age retro. The spot features Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and a handful of other NBA players including seasoned vets (hence new-age retro). Nike has created a website based on The Second Coming. There you can mash up your own commercial with the shots and music offered. Then you can send your mash up to your buds or post it on your website.The website was built by the interactive agency Sarkissian Mason who have done a lot of Mazda work. Take a look at The Awesome Adventures of Wild Child, a trailer of a Mazda 3 staged on a slot car track. The Wild Child Adventure is ...
More About: Mash-Up , Econ , Ming

Are You Generic?
2007-01-22 22:05:00
One of my favorite websites is Are You Gene ric?. Focused on clinging to individuality, Are You Generic ? criticizes, "unethical corporations, censorship, the slanted media, hypocrisy, excessive advertising, and plain stupidity." The website hopes to, "fuse the cry of protest and demonstration with aesthetic graphic design -- to replace logos with rallying statements of assertion." By using culture jams as seen above, Are You Generic? hopes to send a message that will alter lifestyles. Sure, some of their beliefs are questionable, but what I enjoy most on the website is their focus on design, specifically street art. Street art adds flavor and color to the bland urban streets. For street artists, the world is literally their canvass. I have some pictures of street art on the bottom of the post.Are You Generic? also sells t-shirts that, "critique and reclaim our social and mental environments." I am tired of buying shirts because they have a fancy name on it. Just ponder the t...
More About: Neri

Coke's Birdman
2007-01-20 17:22:00
I haven't seen a weirder, cooler, or freakier commercial in my whole life. I don't even have anything to say, except this is one sweet commercial. The comments from viewers on AdCritic.com have voted it "World-Changing" more than any other spot I have come across on the site. The only negative comment said the spot was a "rather conventional ad." If that guy thinks the spot "conventional," then I want to see what he thinks isn't.The agency behind the work was Santo from Buenos Aires. Muy Bien Santo, this is better than any Coke work in all of the US. I went through Santo's work and to me it is stupid, for lack of a better word. I think except for this Coke spot and one of their spots for Lux cosmetics, all their work is lack luster and goofy. Too bad, because it would have been interesting to see all their spots at the same level as "Bird man."
More About: Birdman

Rep D-Town
2007-01-19 17:50:00
If you have lived in Detroit or you're still "repping" the city- you gotta have the goods. Advertise the fact you lived in one of the US's most dangerous cities. Check out Detroit Shirt Company.
More About: Town

IBM- Doing the Dirty Work
2007-01-19 17:25:00
Is this IBM's attempt to defend Windows and the P.C.? Sorry about the subtitles, I guess the Japanese like The Kinks too. The work from Ogilvy & Mather New York may have missed the boat. Everybody is singing, the world is polluted by flowers- what is going on here?
More About: Work , Dirty , Dirt , The D , Doing