Turn Up The Noise, Turn Up The Bok

"I wish there was a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence. There's a knob called, "brightness," but that doesn't work."

-Unknown

A couple weeks ago Patrick, wrote an entry titled, "What's You TV Gripe." At the time I read it I didn't really have any particular gripe about TV. I have been a constant viewer of all things TV since I was a child. Granted, over the years my taste in programming has definitely changed more then once. Just last week I was speaking with my therapist, Sarah, about this very subject. When I was a little girl, I LOVED watching 6o Minutes. Yes, while other children were glued to their seats watching, The Wonderful World Of Disney," I was watching, in-depth reports by Morley Safer about corporate greed or marveling at the "Point/Counterpoint" debates of James J. Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander. Heck, all noise would have to stop at the end of the show when Andy Rooney would share his musing of the week. I was a weird kid. Actually, it all came from the desire to understand the world. See, it was difficult in my house when I was a little girl, so I watched things other children didn't, to seek answers to the deep questions I had. I didn't spend all my time on the evening news, and news magazine programs, in fact, some of my favorite moments on TV didn't come from regularly programmed network shows...nope...I loved commercials.

For the most part, I found commercials to be funny. Sometimes, even most the serious ones, seemed to have an amusing tone to them. Like the Kleenex commercials, which at times, could make my cry. How's that for irony? LOL. And I ask you, who could forget the hysterical, "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is," of Alka-Seltzer? LOL. Or the Oscar Meyer boy sitting on the dock, discussing his love of bologna, in lyric verse. Who says television isn't educational? I learned how to spell B-O-L-O-G-N-A from that commercial. LOL. So, ok, now we have firmly established the fact that I have always been a commercial geek, it should be said that once in a while, I do have a gripe.

Does anyone else find the fairly new Burger King, "Bucking Chicken" commercial to be hysterical, and yet slightly annoying? I laughed my butt off the first time I saw it. I mean after all, it was one or more guys, in a giant chicken suit, with a cowboy riding on it's back, trying to keep the chicken from bucking him off. LOL. The thought of a pissed off giant chicken is too funny, although it does leave one with a slightly spooked feeling when that commercial is followed by a news report on Bird Flu. Between Mad Cow disease, and Bird Flu it gives one the feeling that maybe we would be better off if we stopped pissing off the animals. Sigh.

I guess the thing that disturbs me the most about the "Bucking Chicken" is the phrase, "Bucking Chicken." See, it's a little too close to...ummm...well..."(Profanity) Chicken." Sorry, but a pet peeve of mine is when people, especially adult people, say something like, "the F word," as if saying it out loud will somehow cause me to swoon, get the vapors or otherwise turn inside out, if they said the, "F word." I am pretty much going to hear that particular word in my brain anyway...so what's the point in tip-toeing around the subject? Adults should just be adults and find a word that wouldn't cause someone to be offended. Still, at times, such as when quoting someone else, one will find themselves using a term they wouldn't otherwise. It happens.

I don't know, I don't curse very often, but once in a great while something, not so nice, will come flying out of my mouth. It only happens when I either fall off my chair at the therapists office, or when I have come out of a public bathroom with my skirt tucked down in my under-roos. There is just no good time to pull one's dress out of the bum. LOL. So, anything that might tempt me to use unfortunate words, I find a bit annoying, like the phrase, "Bucking Chicken." Oh well, in the grand scheme of things, it is a minor annoyance, I am no big fan of Burger King anyway, and at least it isn't as weird as the sponge monkeys from the Quiznos commercials. Now my favorite commercials at the moment, are for Travelocity, which features the Gnome. I love watching him being blowing up, or getting electrocuted. LOL. I can't help it, garden gnomes give me the wiggins. They have ever since I had that freaky gnome in my back yard that I swear was tripping me. LOL. Of course, that was more about me then him. LOL.

Ok, your turn, tell me what your favorite/least favorite commercials are. Do you have an absolute favorite of all time? Do you enjoy watching Retromercials?

-OndineMonet
"The Chicken"
Half Moon Bay, California
October 24th, 2005
Afternoon