THE TKTV NEWSLETTER
Season 2, Episode 27 aired August 30, 1999
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CONTENTS
1. Intro
2. Kim's Commercial Comments
3. Don't miss
4. TV Trivia
5. Favorite quotes of the week
6. A totally unrelated link
1. Intro
It's hard to send out weekly newsletters when I'm always out of town during the summer. To new subscribers who are confused, I apologize. To those of you who have been around for awhile, I figure you've stopped caring. And to my dad, I'm very sorry I misspelled "yarmulke" last newsletter. At least I realized I was misspelling it!
So, anyway, because of Labor Day, there will be no newsletter next week. I'm actually warning you ahead of time. And hopefully in the next newsletter we will have a guest article about "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" with a little inside information on the show.
A friend of mine who just got back to New York from Germany said that it finally feels like fall. I said that it's not really fall until the season premiere of "Beverly Hills 90210" on September 8th...the beginning of the fall season. I can't believe that this is really going to be the last (tenth!) season of BH90210. I have literally grown up with these kids.
I know many of you stopped watching years ago, and the show has gone more and more the way of Melrose (with everyone having dated and been enemies and been friends again more times than you can count), but there is still something comforting about watching Kelly and Steve and David and Donna go through the Hollywood version of what I've been going through in my own life.
Okay, so not all of my friends from high school went to college with me. And I definitely did not grow up super-rich in California. And my parents don't have drug problems and are not coming out of the closet. But my friends and I in high school and college were pining over people of the opposite sex (and sometimes the same sex), making and losing friends, making good and bad decisions, trying to figure out when to have sex for the first time, and fearing the fall off the cliff that was graduating from college. Meanwhile, friends have come and gone. People we thought we'd be friends with forever have left town and lost touch, and people we just met a few months ago have suddenly become incredibly important people in our lives.
So anyway, I'll admit it, although I've never shot my own rapist last spring, I'm still looking forward to seeing Kelly deal with the aftermath this fall. I'm also just looking forward to the beginning of the fall season, and since my old favorite BH90210 is the first show to return with new episodes, to me it symbolizes this beginning.
Meanwhile, while you're waiting, go see "The Sixth Sense" while it's still in theaters. It's definitely the best movie I've seen all summer.
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3. Kim's Commercial Comments
Old Navy and Gap. They're both trying to be catch our eyes and ears with their off-beat, atypical style of advertising. It seems like the two are in a contest to see who can be further from average. I'd say both companies are doing a pretty good job of that, at least with their advertising. For a couple of clothing stores whose inventory consists primarily of khaki pants, I give each major kudos for ads that are much more colorful. Too bad for Old Navy that "colorful" doesn't necessarily mean "good."
What spot has me laughing? It's a tie! Gap: Everybody in Cords & Gap: Everybody in Vests
These two spots don't exactly have me rolling on the floor laughing (ROTFL for those of you who frequent the chat rooms), but they are certainly memorable. Every time I see one of these commercials, I can't get the tune out of my head. It lingers with me all day... as I drive to work, as I eat my breakfast (yes, at work), as I try to get my creative juices flowing, and as I try to do just about everything else I try to do in the course of a typical day. It just won't go away! Not that either of the songs are that bad. As a matter of fact, they're kind of catchy. ;-) Ummm, I think that's the point, huh?
Anyway, the first spot, "Everybody in Cords" features a group of too-hot twentysomethings in a series of relaxed positions against an all white backdrop. The camera floats just above their heads. They seem to be looking directly into it as they sing the words of the Donovan classic, "Mellow Yellow."
"I'm just mad about Saffron. She's just mad about me." As the camera moves across the group, the voice of person it's focusing on becomes louder and more distinct. (And, by the way, I don't know where they find the people for these spots, but they are all disgustingly beautiful.) "They call me Mellow Yellow... they call me mellow yellow." The group sings as the camera pulls away. The screen fades to white and the words "Everybody in Cords." The next shot is a Gap logo. Period. End of conversation. Errr, I mean end of commercial. That's it. Nothing spectacular. No technical firecrackers. Just a catchy tune and some great looking models/actors.
In the other spot "Everybody in Vests," the setting is similar. There are, however, a few variations. The second spot features the musical backdrop of Madonna's "Dress You Up In My Love." And... the people are all standing in this one. But the idea is pretty much the same. The camera moves from one pretty face to the next while they all sing. Again, nothing spectacular. But you know, somebody once said "Less is more." I don't know who said it. I'm not sure I always believe it. But it seems to be working here.
What spot has me cringing? Old Navy: Sister/Sister (Tech Vests)
First let me say that there is certainly no love lost between myself and these Old Navy spots. I've written about them before and they've _never_ made the "laughing" section of my column. They're just downright annoying. And I'm sure they work to get the products seen. They even stick with me throughout the day. The problem is that I don't want these to stick with me. If I have to see Magic sitting in a booth, or talking on the phone, or doing whatever else it is he does in one more of the spots, I think I'm going to scream. And the cast of characters they put in these things! Arghh!
This latest one features the set of twins who starred with Jackee' in that teeny-bop sitcom "Sister Sister." The two are young and attractive and I guess if anybody was going to make the spots look good, they could do it. But, as they strut through the camera's line of sight, they come upon another set of twins. "Sister sister?" The boys ask. "Brother brother" they announce, just before slamming their chests into one another in some kind of football-esque type high five.
Then there's some music... a little dancing... a few flashy smiles... a remark about Magic that's intended to be witty... and that's it. If I knew of a way to roll my eyes in print, I'd do it. But I don't. You'll just have to trust me.
You can view all of these spots at adcritic.com.
Until next week...
TKTV is always looking for new guest writers. Do you have an idea for an article? Write to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of "guestwriter."
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4. Don't miss
It's all about Mondays this summer. The only new shows are on Mondays. The Parkers, a Moesha spin-off, is on UPN. Thanks, which I oh-so-highly recommended last week (yeah, right) is on CBS. Grown Ups, starring Urkel (I mean, Jaleel White) is on UPN and Katie Joplin (anyone got an opinion on this one?) is on the WB.
The season premiere of Beverly Hills 90210 is the first long-awaited premiere of the fall season. It's followed by the series premiere of Fox's new show, Get Real. Get Real is that show you've seen ads for where the teenagers talk directly to the camera.
The Prime-time Emmys!!!
For details and lots more fun TV to look forward to, see
http://www.tktv.net/index.html?/upcoming.html
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5. TV Trivia
Last week's question was: What "X-Files" star was in an episode of "Space: Above and Beyond"?
First prize goes to Allan. The answer was, David Duchovny played Handsome Alvin, an artificially intelligent robot pool shark.
Second place prizes go to Carley, MikeyJake (who must watch more TV than I do), Lindsay, and Tom M.
I guess this was a hard one. :)
This week's question is from Ken. What two regular (at any time) cast members of "Family Ties" are currently regular cast members of prime-time shows? (Not guest stars.) Wow, I miss "Family Ties." It seems like all the family-based sitcoms these days are the really stupid ones.
Send answers to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of tvtrivia.
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6. Favorite Quotes of the Week
From "Will and Grace"
"Are you out of your mind? Are you so intent on ruining your life? My God, Pamela Anderson makes better choices than you!" -Will
and
"I haven't seen a kiss that uncomfortable since Richard Gere and Jodie Foster in Summersby." -Will
From "Futurama"
"Didn't you have ads in the twentieth century?" -Leela
"Well, sure, but not in our dreams. Only on TV and radio...and in magazines...and movies, and at ballgames, and on buses, and milk cartons, and T-shirts, and bananas, and written in the sky. But not in dreams, no sirree." -Fry
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7. A totally unrelated link
Joe Online
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We all enter the world in the same way: naked, screaming, soaked in blood. But if you live your life right, that kind of thing doesn't have to stop there. -Dana Gould