January 31, 2014

I'd like to meet the man who started the fistbump greeting. I would shake his hand. Then, I would ask: "Now, was that really so bad?"

Last May, a Cheerios ad featuring an interracial family earned an overwhelming amount of online criticism, followed by an equally overwhelming amount of online support. A new commercial featuring the same actors and characters, will be presented during Super Bowl 48 this Sunday. And guess what? The family is growing. Take that, haters!

There's a tradition for Super Bowl week, for EA Sports' Madden Super Bowl simulation to make a prediction regarding the game's outcome. In the last 10 years, the simulation has been right 8 times. This year, the prediction is that the Denver Broncos will defeat the Seattle Seahawks, making Peyton Manning the first quarterback in history to win the Super Bowl with two different teams. Now that's drama.

Last weekend, I encountered my first "advertorial." Like the infomercial, it's a method of advertising without admitting to advertising. I know of the old adage that no one went poor underestimating the intelligence of the public, but this is downright insulting.

A man who bought one first class ticket on an Eastern China Airlines flight used it to acquire a free meal in the VIP lounge, exchanged his ticket for a flight for the following day, then repeated the process for more than 300 days and 300 free meals. When airline officials finally caught on, he cashed in his ticket for a full refund. I am conflicted about this; the cheapskate in me finds the scheme brilliant, while the lazy sloth in me thinks that was a lot of trouble to go through. Meanwhile, the fat guy in me just wants to know what was on that menu.

While some news sources report that the freezing cold weather has brought down the number of tickets being sold for Sunday's Super Bowl, others report that the number of prostitutes making themselves available for the venue is at an all-time high. Some people say that the two reports are in conflict. Unfortunately, I can totally believe there are more people willing to risk frostbite to pay for sex than to pay to see the Seahawks, Broncos, or Bruno Mars. Really, how sad is that?

One Florida woman admitted in court that she brought her 15-year-old daughter to New York in hopes of connecting with a pimp who could use her for prostitution during Super Bowl weekend. The really sobering thought is, she's just one who got caught.

Singer Kevin Jonas and his pregnant wife Danielle are offering to rent their New Jersey mansion for $20,000 per night from now through February 9. The deal also includes four tickets to the Super Bowl, and a portion of the proceeds will go to charity. The home, which has six bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, a walk-out basement, a billiard room, a home theater complete with stadium seating and a 3-D projector, a 6,500-bottle wine cellar, and an in-ground saltwater pool, is currently vacant, as, according to Kevin, "we have moved out of our home to make room for our new family of three." Just how big is this baby going to be?

Eric Lawson, the fifth "Marlboro Man", died this week at 72. Like his four predecessors, all featured in ads for Marlboro cigarettes, Lawson died from a smoking-related illness. At the risk of seeming insensitive, I'm sensing a pattern...

And now, a message that may or may not be directed to anyone in particular: .Even though the first amendment says you have a right to free speech, every mother believes her baby is beautiful.

Agape'-- P