sundries

[rm]

At some point today, I get my headshots back.

GoDaddy.com and their fucking ads: you know, I've always been annoyed at them for their fake lesbian bullshit, but then last night on some whim I decided to actually go to the website and look at the longer, Internet-only versions of the ads, and that's when I got even more confused and angry.

Because the sexism and lesbian fetishization in the TV version of the ads was significant, it sure was never surprising to me. But my jaw hit the floor when I discovered that the longer "too hot for TV" versions of the adds included not just bad, PG-rated stripper dancing, but also disgust from the involved characters about the lesbian implications. Homophobia and "use our product for the hot lesbian fantasies" all in one package (with the sexism of course)? Talk about offensive and also thematically muddy. I am boggled.

And wow do I miss the days of the truly great Superbowl ads. It may seem cheesy or weird or dated to you now, but I saw that ad on its one actual airing and it was like we didn't know what had just happened. And my dad worked in advertising! It was just... HUGE. A lot of it is the ad's ridiculously great sound design and the context of the moment -- it was the cold war, it was 1984, there was this sort of spectre of strong unfeminine Eastern European female athletes out to steal our Olympic glory (so to use that woman, and the sledge hammer! and and and! WOW), and the ad took all that stuff and twisted it around in this way that was both terrifying and exhilerating. Like when she breaks the screen and there's that blast of white light and dust over the people (some of whom are wearing gas masks) listening to the speech and it's so "here, have some nuclear apocalypse fears." It's SO smart. It's such great writing. Still is. Although, like I say, I'm not sure it makes any sense if you weren't there. And hey, love those visual references to Metropolis.

Sarah Palin gets busted with notes for a speaking engagement on her hand. Most annoying thing that's likely to come out of this? It will make peopel who already like her like her more because "public speaking is hard" and she's "one of us." NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.

Poor DC has another storm on the way.

reannon links us to this album of dating advice from the 1930s. I feel myself disappearing just reading it.

Also from reannon, an Iowa bill would exclude LGBTQ students from protection from bullying and harassment.

Meanwhile, I'd been hearing noise about this all weekend: The Prop 8 trial judge is gay. The general assumption is that the forces against Equality are going to blow a gasket over this and later, if they lose the case (as is generally expected based on the way the thing is going), use this as a (totally offensive and specious) grounds for appeal. I remain continually amazed at just how many types of ugly keep winding up in the big mess that is all things Prop 8.

A Well-Written War, Told in the First Person.

Efforts to save St. Vincent's.

Thoughts from Buffy that are not CoE related (see last night's post for that): "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is a GREAT episode (it's also a great song, that I've been humming ever since). It's so well-written and really, sincerely disturbing despite being hilarious. Worth viewing as an editorial on fame, among other things.

Comments

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

I remain continually amazed at just how many types of ugly keep winding up in the big mess that is all things Prop 8.

I hadn't heard the latest rumour you mention, but between the Prop 8 case and the DADT repeal it's a whole ugly mess indeed.

I am *so* glad I missed out on the commercials for SB44, because I think I would've wanted to throw things at the telly if I'd paid them any attention.

Speaking of attention, why in the world are we paying Sarah Palin any? Good grief. (The only silver lining is that the hardcore Tea Partiers are not happy to have been co-opted by Republicans such as she. Too mainstream!)