We’re (not) #1
New Leno Ad Takes A Subtle Dig At Conan
With all of the damage done by the late-night wars that eventually led to Conan O’Brien’s oust and Jay Leno reclaiming the ‘Tonight Show’ gig once again, you’d think that subtlety and good-guy cheer would be the way to go for NBC and Jay as they try to wash their hands of the mess. Not so much. In a new commercial for the return of Leno to ‘Tonight,’ they clearly use the ad not just as a reminder that Jay’s back at a new time after the Olympics, but to claim that Conan never belonged there in the first place.
In the commercial, Leno is seen driving down California’s glorious Pacific Coast Highway in a Shelby Cobra. Leno, a classic car enthusiast, is seen tearing down the highway with a “10″ decal on the side of the car, alluding to his old and failed time slot. After a quick smile, Leno shifts gears in the car, and the “10″ decal flies off to reveal one that says “11:35.”
That’s not so bad, right? Well, the real stinger is in the soundtrack.
During the ad, Leno is coasting to the Beatles tune ‘Get Back,’ which just as the time changes on the car’s decals declares “Get back to where you once belonged.”
So, is NBC saying that Conan never deserved the seat they gave him and then took away? Keep in mind, Conan can’t say anything — disparaging or not — about NBC and his fallout with the network until September thanks to his $45 million settlement.
South Koreans Using Meat for Stylus
Sales of snack sausages are on the rise in South Korea because they make great substitute fingers for iPhone users wearing gloves. This gives a whole new meaning to the term ’street meat’.
Kevin Smith Is Too Fat To Fly
Actor/Director Kevin Smith, 39, was deemed too fat to fly, at least according to Southwest Airlines.
Smith was kicked off a Southwest Air flight because he didn’t fit comfortably into the seat.
“You [messed] with the wrong sedentary processed-foods eater!” he posted on Twitter.
Smith originally purchased two tickets “as he’s been known to do when traveling Southwest,” the airline noted, but when he decided to fly standby on an earlier flight, only one seat remained. Although he had been seated, he was asked to leave.
“If a customer cannot comfortably lower the armrest and infringes on a portion of another seat, a customer seated adjacent would be very uncomfortable and a timely exit from the aircraft in the event of an emergency might be compromised if we allow a cramped, restricted seating arrangement,” Southwest said.
“I broke no regulation, offered no ’safety risk’ (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?)” he Tweeted. “I saw someone bigger than me on THAT flight! But I wasn’t about to throw a fellow Fatty under the plane as I’m being profiled. But he & I made eye contact, & he was like ‘Please don’t tell…’”
After landing in Burbank, Smith wrote, “Don’t worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised.”
Southwest issued an apology to the director via Twitter and its website.
In a statement titled, “Not So Silent Bob” (a jab at the Silent Bob character Smith plays in several of his films) the airline said: “We would like to echo our tweets and again offer our heartfelt apologies to you.”
The statement continued: “Our pilots are responsible for the safety and comfort of all customers on the aircraft and therefore, made the determination that Mr. Smith needed more than one seat to complete his flight.”
It added it accommodated the director on a later flight, offered him a $100 voucher.
The airline said its customer of size policy states travellers must be able to fit safely and comfortably in one seat or must purchase an additional seat.
However, Smith insists that he was able to put both armrests down and buckle his seat belt.
He challenged the airline to bring a row of seats on to a US chat show for him to prove he fit into them.
“If I don’t fit, I’ll donate $10k to the charity of your choice. But when I do (& buckle the belt as well)? 1) You admit you lied. 2) Change your policy, or at least re-train your staff to be a lot more human & a lot less corporate when they pull a poor girl off the plane & shame her,” he wrote.
Barbie’s New Career
Introducing Computer Engineering Barbie! Barbie is a tech geek now. Mattel made the announcement that Barbie’s profession for 2010 (her 125th career change since 1959) is in computer engineering.