Celebrity

Despite being a regular blight on the right, Rachel Maddow seems to have a friend in hockey mom/former governor/author Sarah Palin. The latter's new Going Rogue tome, already a classic to the Matt Drudges of the world, got some lengthy promotion in between segments on last night's The Rachel Maddow Show.

To be fair, though, the ad, which you can see on Gawker, seems to be more about conservative rag Newsmax--"the Highlights of conservative news magazines" as the site puts it. Still, like the Mac takeover of PCMag.com from the other day, the Maddow/Palin juxtaposition seems just as bizarre considering the former VP candidate is a regular Maddow target (i.e. above) and was even made fun of on last night's show itself as Gawker points out. Now the debate remains whether Maddow was even aware of this or not.

Update: An MSNBC spokesperson tells us, "Newsmax didn't advertise nationally on The Rachel Maddow Show. Some commercial time is reserved for local cable operators, who sell the time themselves."

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Let's have a little bit of Friday fun and watch this quick peek at Wednesday night's Fleshbot Awards, which Gawker don Nick Denton sent to the blogosphere yesterday. Pistachio spokesman/Playgirl model/babymaker Levi Johnston won for "sexy achievements," though we're not sure if that's more for his Palin baiting or his love of eating (and showing off) nuts. Don't worry, it's pretty tame compared to what you'd usually expect from Gawker's porn site.

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Publicis Modem's interpretive dance ad for Fruit Gushers continues to endure thanks to a nod from Conan O' Brien. This week, the Tonight Show host paid tribute to the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by showing how Germans are celebrating in their homeland. Not sure if they know the Danse Goosh background, but sidekick Andy Richter jokes that "what makes it particularly German is the joylessness." Enjoy.

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McCann Paris unveiled this ad featuring perennially dapper George Clooney meeting perennially quirky John Malkovich in heaven. The premise? Clooney's Nespresso craving cost him his life via a falling piano and he ends up meeting Malkovich (playing God) above the clouds. Robert Rodriguez apparently helmed the spot so we were hoping for something ala Desperado, Planet Terror or hell, even Spy Kids. Instead, we're stuck with this 30-second spot that you'll actually need some Nespresso to get through.

Via Animal New York

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With his forever-delayed album Before I Self Destruct finally hitting shelves on November 16th, 50 Cent is celebrating by launching a new cologne called Power. Cleverly priced at $50.50, the 1.7 oz. bottle that provides the "smell of success" is sold exclusively at Macy's. As Prefix says, we're wondering how much impact his claim that "Jay-Z isn't from the hood anymore" has.

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The design world can take a few cues from this new Web site (JimCarrey.com) for Jim Carrey, actor, comedian, all-around kooky dude. Having grown up with Carrey's antics, I'm hard pressed (and not nearly creative enough) to dream up a better representation for a man whose acting career has run the rails from funny to fucked-up.

The site itself is a bit 'internets-hungry' which is my highly-technical way of saying if your connection isn't strong, you may have trouble seeing it. I won't give away the fun, so check it out.

Credits—
Production House: 65Media

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Weezer. They're a band. And now they have a Snuggie, something you may have heard about once or twice. Their version is the same as the original, except that it reads "Weezer" across the front. Are you sensing the flatness of my voice?

The reverse robe was first brought to market earlier this year, and though it grew to Web-memey fame, it has since lost some of its mojo. Hell, there were Snuggie pub crawls for awhile. But this feels off, to at least those of us who grew up with Weezer. You can buy a Weezer Snuggie and their latest album 'Ratitude' for $30. Or just an MP3 version of the album for $3.99.

Could be good if you ruin a sweater by getting a thread caught on something. No word if there's a pocket for your hash pipe. Ha, ha ha, ha ha.

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The world is big and evil, and maybe the scariest part of it is the celebrities. They control everything, from what clothes and perfume we wear to how we do our hair and perform sexual acts. They make us start fight clubs and save the manatees and buy Hannah Montana lunch boxes, which we totally don't need. And we have no control whatsoever over any of this, because we're just weak and mega-incapable of individuality, choice, et al.

Because we're a clan; humans are, I mean. We follow leaders and leaders are people with (usually) charm and looks and money and large faces/muscles/breasts/buttocks. We're sucking from their collective teet, which when not used as a metaphor means we give them our money, even when we don't have it. There's a movie detailing all of this and, well, let's just hope they don't mention advertising anywhere in there. In fact, I bet the advertising lobby somehow convinced these guys to make the film and leave out stuff about this business, which is in no way complicit in any of this. No sir, nothing to see here.

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While Deutsch's DirecTV spots over the past couple of years have had their moments, reviving dead celebs to shill for the brand seems a little cold (no pun intended). Following last year's Poltergeist-based advert starring Craig T. Nelson and the long-since-deceased Heather O' Rourke, we're being treated again to another ad launched suspiciously around Halloween featuring the late, great Chris Farley and David Spade in a scene from Tommy Boy. Maybe Spade just needs the money, but it leaves us feeling a little skeeved out.

Via Gawker and AdFreak

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It's been 36 years since Bruce Lee passed away, but the martial-arts star's legacy continues to endure and has now evolved into a "powerhouse global brand" according to the Wall Street Journal.

Thanks to Lee's daughter Shannon, who snagged the rights to his image from GE's Universal Studios, the legendary ass-kicker's likeness has spun off into licensing company Bruce Lee Enterprises, prodco LeeWay Media Group and branding deals with Lucky Brand Dungarees and Charter Communications. According to WSJ, daughter Lee hopes to churn out $5-10 mil a year from the branding bonanza, which will eventually be complemented by a new social networking-based site, an arrangement with Corbis' Greenlight, a Broadway musical next year, and who knows, perhaps even a Bruce Lee version of Graceland.

While we're sure not how Lee's flights of fancy will translate on The Great White Way, Shannon Lee tells WSJ she "[feels] very responsible about having a certain level of care" when it comes to all the various branding efforts. Her goal is to not only raise his profile here and in China, but to shine a light on her pops' values like sticking up for what you believe in and breaking down racial, gender and generational barriers. At the very least, it makes us want to revisit Enter the Dragon this weekend.

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