Life

I was a QVC junkie

Ann Nichols — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:40:00 PST

I was going to be one of those mothers who never allowed their children to watch anything on television, aside from the occasional educational program about stars, or baby possums or how All People Are Good. It was an idyllic, wholesome vision that was completely shattered around the time I discovered that the only way I could take a shower or make a phone call was to put the baby in front of "Teletubbies" for 15 or 20 minutes. The shattered bits were ground into a fine powder with the arrival of my stepdaughter, who could, at the age of 7, recite the entire plot of every episode of "Rugrats" with barely a pause for inhalation. We were a TV family. The only saving grace was that my son Sam really, genuinely hated most little kids' shows (particularly "Barney") and preferred to watch videos in which two dynamic types named Dave and Judy rode helicopters, trains and fire engines. But I digress.

A boob gag that actually works

Kate Harding — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:13:00 PST

It takes a lot, in 2010, to come up with a "My eyes are up here, dude" joke that actually feels fresh. But this spoof ad for "Forehead Tittaes," starring Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard, actually pulls it off. The "scientific" claims are spot on ("Lab tests prove that Forehead Tittaes actually redirect the male gaze from the chest to the general area of the brain"), William Fichtner's silent turn as a lecherous boss is delightful, and Lesley Ann Warren's total commitment to the gag she got stuck with is a sight to behold. Enjoy.

Gaga and Beyonce's epic sandwich spread ad

Mary Elizabeth Williams — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:50:00 PST

How do you rack up over 650,000 hits on YouTube in just a few hours for something that's essentially a ten-minute commercial? You'll need girls in prison. Lady Gaga. Beyonce. Mass murder. Oh, and sandwich-making. The music video for the power duet "Telephone" premiered online late Thursday night, and it's both a return to the "music video as entertainment" event and a masterpiece of lurid product placement.

Confessions of a call bear

Rusty McMann — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:20:00 PST

Dig if you will the picture: A middle-aged man stands in an elevator on the 26th floor of the Palazzo, one of the most luxurious (well, expensive) casino/resorts on the Las Vegas strip. At 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, he's a pretty big guy, though he "carries it well." His red hair is cut in a flattop, and he has a closely cropped beard, but he doesn't look particularly imposing. He's dressed in a faded sea foam green Banana Republic polo shirt, khaki shorts from Target, and Birkenstock sandals. Over one shoulder is a small messenger bag. He stands in the corner and tries to look like everyone else; he may or may not be checking messages on his PDA, but he's pushing buttons on it and appears busy.

The lawyer prescribes a C-section

Amy Tuteur, M.D. — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:45:00 PST

The NIH Consensus Conference on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean has just released its findings offering strong support for a far more liberal policy regarding vaginal birth after C-section (VBAC).

Holy scandal: Condom machines in Rome

Tracy Clark-Flory — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:20:00 PST

Six vending machines chock-full of condoms -- that's the plan at a high school in Rome to encourage students to have safe sex. It's a practical, no-nonsense approach: Make buying contraceptives as easy as buying a soda, and maybe teens will be more likely to protect themselves. But, of course, there are few places where the words "condoms" and "high school" go together without at least some controversy -- and that's particularly true in the home of the pope, where the mere mention of contraception can be treated as blasphemy.

Lindsay Lohan: Possibly not completely insane

Mary Elizabeth Williams — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:12:00 PST

She probably thinks Carly Simon wrote "You're So Vain" about her, too. In a feat of solipsism impressive even for a starlet, Lindsay Lohan up and sued E-Trade this week because one of its kooky talking-baby ads featured a boyfriend-stealing, lactose-abusing baby named Lindsay.

Standing up like a man

Michelle Rabil — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:11:00 PST

A couple of years ago while clicking around the Web site of a well-known travel retailer, I discovered a miracle product that has changed my life and caused some to question my commitment to my gender: The Urinelle "urination funnel for women" -- or, as I affectionately refer to them, "pee cones."

The secrets of selling to women (and men)

Margaret Eby — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:12:00 PST

Let's play Don Draper for a minute. You're a high-powered advertising executive, and you've got a fancy new Rolex to sell. You want to place a print ad that'll grab that coveted 18-35 demographic, for both men and women. So how do you capture the attention of the guys flipping through Golf Digest and the ladies who subscribe to Travel & Leisure? Aha! For the men's ad, focus on a close-up of a trophy. For the ladies, add horses.

Tweeting through a tragedy

Mary Elizabeth Williams — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:04:00 PST

One minute, your two-year-old child is playing around in the backyard. The next, he isn't breathing. How long before you tweet about it? How long before you tell your followers on Twitter that he died?