Honda Civic Sings Its Way to Success

Honda Civic gets an A+ for creativity with their rendition of what a car sounds like in this You Tube video. I'm not sure how many cars it sells, but it sure is entertaining.

CBS Is Homophobic; Network Offers Insulting and Dishonest Reason for Rejecting Gay Dating Ad

CBS has refused to air a gay men's dating service advertisement. In a statement to ManCrunch (the sponsor), CBS says: "After reviewing the ad, which is entirely commercial in nature, our standards and practices department decided not to accept this particular spot. . . We are always open to working with a client on alternative submissions." CBS also says that the advertisement "is not within the Network's broadcast standards for Super Bowl Sunday."

TRANSLATION: Although we will air commercials about Tim Tebow's mother's reproductive choices, cow flatulence, urination, erectile dysfunction, beer guzzling dudes, E-Harmony, Match.Com, and heterosexuality as a general matter, we think that the sight of two gay men making out is offensive or that the scene will offend our audience.

Some readers may recall that during Superbowl 2007, CBS aired a Snicker's commercial in which two men "accidentally" kiss and then have a meltdown about the moment. One of the men suggests that they "do something manly" to overcome it. This spot was fine, but a "real" gay kiss is substandard.

CBS is insulting its viewers. The Network's deceitful explanation for rejecting the advertisement only makes matters worse.

PS: Here's the ad. It's actually quite funny -- except I was a little troubled with the black guy staring in amazement at the sight of two gay men.

Michael Steele Tosses His Remaining Credibility Into the Gutter

RNC Chair Mike Steele has decided to leverage his remaining .01 ounce of credibility by appearing in a Republican smear advertisement designed to inspire panic among the nation's seniors. The commercial will promote the GOP's notoriously false and misleading Healthcare Bill of Rights for Seniors.

FactCheck.Org has the details on this pathetic development: RNC’s Steele to Seniors: “Stand With Us.” Steele has become a huge disappointment.

Selling Obama

According to Bloomberg.com, President Obama has directed White House attorneys to construct a plan to prevent the unauthorized usage of his image. Such a plan could encounter difficulties under a First Amendment analysis, as public figures receive less protection of their privacy and images.

The plan could also prove difficult from a cultural standpoint. Obama ran his campaign as the tech-savvy candidate. He made tremendous usage of the Internet to raise money and to spread his name and image around the world. Youthful supporters from Wil.I.Am. to Obama Girl invoked his name and image to his (and their own) benefit. Now, as president, Obama delivers weekly Youtube addresses, has reworked WhiteHouse.Gov to fit his own style, and apparently cannot relinquish possession of his Blackberry, despite the possibility that the public might have the right to access his communications.

The print and broadcast media have shamelessly marketed Obama. Virtually every magazine has displayed him or some other person of his immediate family on their covers multiple times. And many of the major newspapers sold "special" inaugural editions to rake in the dough (no - they were not being sentimental).

Big industry does not have a monopoly over Obamericalism. Local and independent vendors have marketed Obama t-shirts, posters, and other products.

With so many Obama-related products already available for public consumption and with Obama marketing himself as a global icon, White House lawyers will likely have a difficult time reining in the unauthorized usage of the president's likeness, even if they can devise a constitutional plan. And given the extent to which the proliferation of Obama's image helped his candidacy, the proposal to control its use seems inconsistent with past practice.

Question: After Obama authorized the DNC to put his smiling face on "commemorative coffee mugs" in order to raise money, why stop now?