Something a bit more serious... and beautiful

The Lost Art of Infomercials

I've often dreamed of writing the great American novel in which the main character was a screenwriter for infomercials (true story!). Here are just a few of my all-time favorites.

The Magic Bullet


Spray-On Hair


Tom Vu's Profit Seminar


The Ginsu Knife

The Bit Characters of Seinfeld

While the chemistry between Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine is a thing of beauty, some of my all-time favorite Seinfeld moments revolve around the bit characters. I'll do a separate post on Jerry's parents (and George's could have an entire blog devoted to them!), and I've yet to locate a clip on the infamous "doorman", but here are a few of the folks who made me laugh.

The best ever -- Mr. Bookman, library cop


Jack Klompus -- sponge cake, $19.45 and the pen


Izzy Mandelbaum -- "It's go time!"


Alton Benes -- "They blew his brains out all over the Pacific."


Marisa Tomei -- "Have I told you how much I love you today?"


The Mohel -- "Deep, deep into the shag..."


Mel Torme -- "...The whole world smiles with you."


The most overrated -- The Soup Nazi

"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

This classic scene for Network is one my all-time favorite rants. It found something of a reincarnation in the smart (and thus short-lived) "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."

Great American Political Oratory

dissoi logoi

From the Ancient Greek meaning "different words"... and the reason that two fundamentally different points of view can be so compelling and yet seemingly consistent.

Might as well start at the pinnacle and shoot for balance. In the post-war era, it's hard to top these two speeches.

Mario Cuomo, 1984 DNC -- "A Tale of Two Cities"


Ronald Reagan, 1964, RNC -- "A Time for Choosing"


Of course, I'd still argue that neither could shake a stick at this chap...

Political Ads: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

So far in '08 I think the most creative political ad has got to be Obama's "Vote Different" (see recent post). And while I search for a link to Jesse Ventura's infamous "Action Figure" ad from his Minnesota gubernatorial campaign, I thought I'd put the spotlight on a few of my faves.

The Good -- "Morning in America"
Reagan for President, 1984


The Bad -- "Daisy"
LBJ for President, 1964


And The Really Ugly -- "Even if it hurts"
Springer for OH Governor, 1980

RIP: George Carlin, Genius of Comedy & Language

Born May 12, 1937; Died June 22, 2008.

On language (my all-time favorite)...


Still more on language...


On the little things we share...