Ad Critique - Overstock.com Diamond Ring

This is another commercial that I have been meaning to critique.



Why must women constantly be portrayed in such a vapid way? More bothersome than her juvenile, hysterical reaction to being gifted an engagement ring, is the sudden change in the engaged female's demeanor to that of nagging selfishness. Why should she make an issue of her fiance, who so generously gifted her a diamond ring, using the savings towards a gift for himself? It's so unlikeable of her to bring up the first month's rent when it comes to his watch but not to her more expensive diamond ring. Then, for the final nail in her character, she accepts his purchase upon demanding that her lover never be late... like, ever.

What is the intention of ad execs when they feature such characters? The male is portrayed as generous and fiscally smart, and the woman is portrayed as hot, giddy, uptight and controlling. What is the attraction for consumers? Shop at Overstock.com and pacify the naggy bitches in your life that you want to continue to bone?

The couple in this commercial are clearly getting divorced.

Law School Deans Protest Too Much

*Picture courtesy https://catmacros.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/busted/

Check out this recent article in the New York Law Journal regarding the reaction of law school deans to the decline in scores of the most recent July 2014 NY Bar Exam.

The article describes law school deans as being puzzled, dismayed and even angered by the results and the conclusion by the test administrators that the drop in bar passage is not representative of issues with the test but that "the group that sat in July 2014 was less able than the group that sat in July 2013." Brooklyn Law School's Dean was so incensed that he called for a mass apology to his entire class of graduates.

I'm no expert but I'm actually puzzled by the deans' puzzlement. My understanding is that law schools have been graduating way too many lawyers than justifiable by the need in the legal market and most schools have been slashing admissions standards. 

These articles are just a small sampling of those addressing the legal market burst bubble:

There would be enough legal jobs for law graduates if law schools hadn’t slashed admissions standards.

The Real Problem with Law Schools: They train too many lawyers

Just How Bad Off Are Law School Graduates

From the last article referenced above: "Prospective law students are already responding to the dismal job market. Applications to law school are expected to hit a 30-year low this year — down as much as 38% from 2010. Some law schools have responded by shrinking their class sizes, and there have been predictions that in the not-too-distant future some lower-ranked law schools might have to close entirely."

Shrinking class sizes means shrinking budgets - less students generate less money. So most law schools have relaxed their admissions criteria to enroll students who may not have otherwise made the cut. So, why the surprise that these students may not be as strong when it comes to passing the bar exam?

The New York Law Journal article included these stats:

"Brooklyn Law School saw a 9.5-point decrease, to 84.5 percent from last year's 94, which had been a record for the school. But the academic profiles for the class of 2013 and class of 2014 were nearly identical, Allard pointed out: both had median LSAT scores of 163. Indeed, the credentials for the national classes of 2013 and 2014 were identical as well. Each had median LSAT scores of 157 and median GPAs of 3.42, according to Law School Admission Council data."

Now, I'm no statistician. However, I know lawyers and most of them don't have the mathematical expertise to be spewing statistics. In the hands of attorneys, statistics are often misused and carelessly inserted to provide weighty authority to faulty arguments. 

Here's my question for a statistician - what does a median really represent? Does this data actually support the conclusion that the credentials for the classes of 2013 and 2014 are identical? I doubt this. In fact, it's my guess that despite sharing the same median LSAT score and GPA, the credentials of the national classes of 2013 and 2014 are not exactly identical. 

The median is simply the measure of the center of the data. Here's more helpful info I googled (from http://www.nedarc.org/statisticalhelp/basicStatistics/measuresOfCenter/median.html):

"When the mean and the median are the same, you know that the dataset is "normally distributed." When the mean and the median are different, you know that the data are "skewed" in some way."

So, this naturally begs the question, what are the mean GPAs and LSAT scores for the national law school classes of 2013 and 2014? The answer to this may help settle the question of declining bar passage, probably the natural consequence of the actions taken by law school deans that now leaves them dumbfounded.

Return to Walking Dead - Season 5

After a strong start to the season, this show returns to disappointing after multiple sluggish episodes culminating in an inane ending to tonight's "Crossed." It really annoys me when Walking Dead forces their characters to do things that completely undermine them- for example, Sasha's ineptitude tonight. I won't even elaborate because it's so uninspiring in its stupidity.

I wish the writers would make more intelligent choices instead of thoughtless ones that don't even drive the pace of the plot forward and therefore are usually worthless. 

Now, I turn my attention to a cake pop. 

Mmmmm. That's better. 

Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Contest Semifinalists (My Picks)

Although Doritos initially expected to announce up to 30 semifinalists by Monday, November 17, this has been delayed as they are still reviewing submissions. 

In the meantime, here are entries that stood out to me:

50 Shades of Nacho Cheese: This commercial is a take on "Fifty Shades of Grey" which is a clever strategy considering Universal has teamed up with Doritos for the contest and Universal will be releasing the "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie in February 2015, soon after the Super Bowl.
This commercial will especially resonate with the legions of global fans obsessed with Fifty Shades and therefore has cross-promotional appeal. If this commercial goes viral/is aired during the Super Bowl, it would introduce Fifty Shades to a broader audience than simply the readers of the book - I envision male Super Bowl viewers who would otherwise be amused by this commercial, are explained the inside joke by the Fifty Shades fans in their lives, i.e. wives/girlfriends/boyfriends? and are then coaxed into accompanying said Fifty fans to the movie - ahhh, see how Doritos brings lovers/freaks together.




Dog Dreams - This one featured awesome special effects, a Doritos truck and the perfect dog for the concept! How did they do that!? I'm curious how much this commercial cost to make. Not sure why the house is decorated like it's from the 70's though?



Craveman - Although my initial instinct would be that cavemen have already been overdone (Geico), this commercial was really well made. Check out the Nacho Cheese impression of Michaelangelo's "The Creation of Adam." Again, how much did this one cost to make!?



Dorito King - This one is my brother's favorite. It is successful because of the talented actors, particularly Marcus Johns who I think is a real comedic standout. I expect to see him make it big and he already has a substantial Vine following.



A Dorito A Day Keeps the Doc Away - This one is my brother-in-law's favorite. It's a well-made commercial with cool effects. It's also being well-promoted because it stars a pro-wrestler.



The Last Bag - This really well-executed commercial packs in a lot of action in just 30 seconds and I now realize firsthand how challenging that is to pull-off. The throwback to multiple Universal movies was really clever too (especially to my fave). However, this entry uses original music - which sounds great but is illegal according to the official contest rules. It doesn't seem fair that this commercial would move forward for that reason to me since all rule-abiding entries were limited to only the music provided by Doritos.



Girls Only Party - Once again, it's the talented cast that really makes this commercial a stand-out for me. The girly men are hysterical. I love the scene with the hand-slap followed by girly laughter.



The Lemonade Stand - This is a really well-made commercial. However, as nicely as this idea is executed, there's something awfully saccharinely manipulative about the whole thing. I think I got diabetes just from watching this. I'd like Doritos to ultimately go for something edgier as their winner.



Old Enough (Version 2) - There's something simultaneously creepy and captivating about this odd little commercial. Again, great casting enhances the production and I like the diversity of the cast which is lacking in previous contest finalists. However, I don't get why the little girl would be too young for Doritos? I'm not sure that Doritos wants to endorse that message even if I see Super Bowl viewers getting into the hot model.



Hurry Back - Clever premise that was executed nicely. Great acting and loved the expression of the little girl at the end.




I wonder how many of my picks will make it to the semifinals!

By the way, if you would like for me to review your Doritos commercial entry, comment with the link below.

UPDATE: Check out additional great entries that I missed before writing this post by reading the comments! For example, why does Doritos Angler have so few views?! It's hysterical!

Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Contest

I'm rooting for this one to win!

"50 Shades of Nacho Cheese"

“One Lovely Blog” Award Nomination! Thanks to my BFF!

So, I had been neglecting this blog for no good reason when my BFF and favorite blogger of somekernelsoftruth.com inspired me to post through her nomination of my sad little blog for the "One Lovely Blog" award. 

Now, I am diligently following the rules for accepting the nomination:

1) Many thanks to somekernelsoftruth.com for her support and encouragement! She may be my only reader but that may be all I need to know!

2) Done!

3) Share 7 facts/or things about yourself:

• I, too, cannot swim;
• or bike;
• I once pitched a screenplay to James Cameron. Although he hasn't called me (yet), it was one of the greatest moments of my life thus far. I envision accepting an Oscar and including him among those I thank - maybe he'll remember me?
• In 2009, I won my seat to play in the World Series of Poker main event and was eliminated on Day 2. I can't wait to play again and win a WSOP championship bracelet! At $10,000, it's too pricey to buy-in to directly - any sponsors?
• I want to write a screenplay for a (time-travel) movie so cool that JC and Joss Whedon (writer-creator of one of my favorite television series of all time) would want to meet me as enthusiastically as I have wanted to meet them.  
• I did not start said screenplay (yet) riddled with doubt and plagued with writer's block and laziness. I'm working on that. I don't really buy-in to numerology but it was very inspiring to read about my "Life Path Number" - 22 - aka a Master Builder. It made me feel better about being a late bloomer ("It can take someone with this number well into their adulthood before they manifest their dreams because they have to go through trials, and learning experiences before they mature enough to incorporate their true calling in their life.") 
• I hit exercise session 81 today and am happy to have not dropped exercise (yet).

4) My Award "Nominees" - You can see how dated my blog reading has been because most of my nominees have been discontinued for years. I guess this is fitting somehow, as my blog was on life support until revived through this nomination. It would be awesome if my subsequent nominations had similar effect:

somekernelsoftruth.com - I don't care if she's already been nominated and if it appears I am just returning the favor - but, she really is my favorite blogger!!! 
Not only is she an excellent writer, she is as thoughtful, insightful and kind on her blog as she is in real life. 
What's funny is how many new things I learn about her just from reading her blog, although we have been best friends for over twenty years! Am I that dense or inconsiderate of my BFF to not have realized the formative nature of her wonderful childhood friendship with a tree or to have summarily dismissed this personally recommended sitcom only to appreciate its comedy in syndication now, more than 16 years after it first debuted?
I also didn't realize she was an air tourist! What!? That's the total opposite of me - I hate air travel although I appreciate its existence because I am all about getting to my destination using the fastest option possible. However, I regularly try to first, sleep deprive myself before the scheduled departure, then knock-out on the flight, hopefully not awaking until landing.

http://anna.typepad.com/ and http://anna.typepad.com/diary
Anna John, aka suitablegirl, was my favorite blogger for years almost a decade ago - how time flies. I remember eagerly checking her blogs regularly, always excited to read a new post and to follow what she shared about her life. She had such a unique, vivid and sassy writing style, and I hope she continues to write because she was really great at it. Sadly, she seems to have discontinued these blogs. She was also the co-founder of another innovative group blog that I'm sorry has also been discontinued.

https://twitter.com/scorps1027
Another discontinued blog nomination and shout out to another favorite blogger/writer from back in the day. I hope this lady puts out a novel one day because I would gladly buy it.

http://theintrospectiveblog.wordpress.com/
The most recent blog I discovered via my encounter with a blogger through my lackluster exploration of okcupid.com - he was too uptight for even short-term communication but he can write.

The Walking Dead Season 5 Premiere - "No Sanctuary"

*Very cute zombie love picture courtesy of redundantthoughts

My love! Could it really be!!? Have you finally returned!?? (and along with it my recently defunct blogging)

Finally!!!!! After a sluggish and disappointing Season 4, and even as implausible scenarios persist (the feeding, changing, and no-(zombie-drawing)-crying of Judith), the Walking Dead reemerges months later in all of its former glory. They even made Carol a bad-ass! 

The question that lingers is can this wonderful momentum continue throughout the season or will it be reserved only for the mid-season/season finale?