Take the ending off this and it becomes a powerful PSA – one that says, “Just because someone’s in a wheelchair doesn’t mean they’re not a regular person.”

But as a commercial for a betting site starring 4 troublemaking guys who just like to have fun, the fact that they are all in wheelchairs isn’t exactly a fact that escapes you. So why was that casting choice made, exactly?

It would be nice to think that people are indifferent enough to disability that a commercial with 4 guys in wheelchairs would play the same as if they weren’t, but that’s not exactly realistic, is it?

What do you think?

First they spoofed the old (Bid Red chewing gum, DeBeers diamonds), then the current (Twilight). You can feel them relishing the fact that they have a clear story to tell about how they’re better, in contrast to the hastily assembled Luke Wilson defense that seems to boil down to “But We Have the iPhone.”

The Big Red commercial is the oddest one of the bunch, for me. How did they acquire the rights to this song? Wrigley’s is still making Big Red, right? Is this the first time a well-known commercial for a totally different brand has been repurposed like this? What marketing lunatic thought up this brilliant idea? Have a look:

“Big Red”

“Shadows”

“Vampire”

You can expect to see more of this, I’m sure – Verizon is unlikely to stop milking this opportunity. Leaving us wondering if AT&T and chubby Luke will step it up with some more inspired material of their own.

As the [unattributed] author points out, the Superbowl ads are “not advertising. In fact, they’re a freak show of advertising.” Most weren’t truly creative in any way, and the spots that were stood out on their own merit (we’re talking to you, Google). But the good ones were few and far between, and the over-the-top stunt advertising feels tired and overdone (bravo, Pepsi, for bowing out this year).

Oh well. At least the game was good. And The Who (or, the surviving members, anyway) may be old, but they pulled out a rocking performance (with the help of a few whippersnappers and a totally insane light show).

Happy Monday, folks!  Mashable has all the ads, if you’re looking to check ‘em out…

In this long lost video from 1983, the “distinguished actor William Shatner” (as he is called in his introduction here) recites Poe’s classic “The Raven.”

Is it campy, overwrought melodrama? Of course. That’s what makes it fantastic.

When I saw this, I wondered aloud, “Why the hell does he have a book tucked under his arm if he has the piece memorized?” My girlfriend promptly yelled from the next room, “Because he’s William F—ing Shatner, he can do whatever he wants!”

Then I posed a followup question: “So, whaddaya think; will this man ever be called a ‘distinguished actor’ again..?”

Quoth my girlfriend: “Nevermore.”

Via Vulture.

The point of this device is not to give you a bigger iPhone, or a sleeker laptop. It is a media consuming gadget, and after you’ve dropped five to eight hundred bones on it, and you’ve got your AT&T data plan, then come the paid magazine subscriptions, video channels, e-books and other iTunes-esque purchases required to use this thing.

I don’t know about you, but as much as I would like to tote around a sleek new Apple gadget so I can watch episodes of Lost and read Maxim, who has the time or opportunity? I’ve got a couple games on my iPhone to keep me busy at the bus stop, and when I have time to watch TV, I do it at home, on my computer or television (speaking of which, when is the industry going to step up the union of similar devices instead of creating unnecessary in-betweens?). If I wanted to read books on a screen (which I don’t), I’d buy an e-reader that’s not as harsh on my eyes as every other device in my life. And I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s a way to read newspapers and magazines in full color and clarity without all that annoying pinching and tapping.

So, in summation: Apple has created a device that is less portable than a smartphone, does less (way less) than a laptop, can’t run multiple applications at once, has a closed development platform, no USB, no flash, no camera, no stand, and is likely to charge you for content every time you want to consume it (which appears to be the main thing it was designed for).

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Hell, if on-the-go media consumption is your thing, spend away, my friend.

Me, I think I’ll pass…

This is almost as bad as that.

In the video below, you’ll see Saatchi & Saatchi/Buenos Aires (on behalf of their client, Andes beer) making some wild generalizations about boyfriends wanting to be at bars with their buddies, and girlfriends wanting them to be at home. What they cooked up is so ridiculous you will think it must be fake: a soundproof booth installed in local clubs that allows men, when their cell phone starts ringing, to duck in, select a background sound, and lie to their girlfriends about where they are.

Brilliant, right?

Oh, and sexist and deceitful. On the other hand, maybe Saatchi’s market research suggests that Andes’ target customers are mostly sexist and deceitful. Hell, they must have done something right, because guys actually used these things. They used them a lot.

So Andes got all sorts of publicity for a unique approach, not to mention a ton of grainy black & white video of the guys lying to their girlfriends, which they can use as A) free advertising or B) blackmail. So who really gets hurt?

Oh, right, the girlfriends. But they probably drink wine or something.

(This dude probably has the iTrust app, too.)

Via Digital Buzz.

Except that the little critter is an unholy abomination, and we don’t trust it for a second. Don’t let that evil little furby near your chopping knife, argyle sweater man! No good can come from it!

Being from Vermont, we can say that around these parts, Fairpoint has some serious brand image issues to sort out. Last year major technical problems caused a tidal wave of complaints from customers. And then the regulators came in. And then, rumors of a possible bankruptcy.

And with recent revelations that Burlington Telecom dipped into the city coffers to the tune of $17M, (results of that report apparently forthcoming) we seem to be having some serious communications breakdowns in our little corner of the country these days.

Oh well. At least we’ve finally got 3G.

Point is, if you’re trying to get back into the good graces of the public in New England, maybe this spot isn’t the best use of your dough. We know it’s supposed to be cute-weird, but it’s actually more weird-scary-dumb. How about you stick to fixing your service problems before you try to get precious with us, hm?

Via AdFreak.

So, let’s assume for the moment you’re extremely mistrustful of your significant other. But to put a passcode on your phone would be tantamount to advertising that fact. Now there’s a handy little app that not only tricks your partner into thinking your phone is frozen, but tracks their every move when attempting to snoop on your phone.

Okay, so if they’re smart they’ll push the home button and the app will close out, but not before you’ve recorded their attempts to mash a few buttons.

Then, it’s as simple as confronting the person, explaining that you’ve downloaded an app to confirm your suspicions about that person messing around on your phone, and then engaging in a knock-down, drag-out fight about how insulting it is to each of you that neither person trusts each other.

What fun!

The whole concept feels a little like entrapment to me. On the other hand, if they’re snooping, I suppose they deserve it, right?

On the other hand (yes, this person has three hands), if you need this app, maybe you need to reevaluate your dating criteria. Or at least keep incriminating data off your phone altogether.

Of course, as cool as it is, we can think of plenty of people we would want to keep far away from this kind of thing. Including:

• Uncle Bill. “Bill, it’s Thanksgiving. Nobody wants to see pictures of your genitals. Put the phone away, Bill!”
• Your kids’ friends’ parents. “Hey, great to see you! Guess what, Madison just had her dance recital! Want to see it?”
• Teenagers. “Everybody listen up! Anna just dumped me! Check out this nudie pic she sent me 2 months ago!”
• iPhone Users. “Ha. What do you have, the Samsung? The iPhone is so much better. More intuitive, better visual quality – no comparison, really.”
• Your mother. “Everyone sit down. Switch off the lights. Oh, it’s not working. I pushed the button, it’s not working.”
• Bosses too cheap for a real projector. “C’mon, crowd around, all 300 of you. Can you all see? Good.”

Of course, these people are going to get their hands on this innovation whether we like it or not, so we might as well accept it. We’re going to start collecting embarrassing photos of them now, to use as blackmail whenever they whip out their projector phones in the future…

Samsung:

LG:

Both:

It looks a little like what might happen if Wes Anderson directed a production of Noises Off! with a mod theme and a corporate sponsor.

Click here to read an interview with the director and watch all the videos.

Here’s our fave:

Via The Denver Egotist & Brand Flakes.