Me, Myself & Media.

Last night was the final episode of "Ugly Betty", and although I have not had time to watch it yet, I am sad nonetheless. I am not a huge TV fan and never have been. However, this isn't to say that I haven't ever had favorite TV shows, because I certainly have. Generally there is one show that I will make time to watch. In the summertime, it's "So You Think You Can Dance", and in the past I've DVRed "Biggest Loser" and "The City". My most favorite, favorite show of the last five years has been, without a doubt, "Ugly Betty." I love everything about it -- especially the comedic timing and the show's flamboyant, exaggerated characters, my favorite being Marc St. James. Coupling Becki Newton, Michael Urie, America Ferrera, Ana Ortiz, Mark Indelicato, Eric Mabius, and Vanessa Williams was a beautiful, brilliant idea, and I cannot believe that their run together is over. This was one race I never wanted to end.

I almost want to postpone watching the last show for as long as possible, as if that perhaps makes the finale less real. At the same time, I have been reading glorious reviews about how everything ends on a happy note, and that audiences are left feeling optimistic about Betty's future in the fashion world. In the recent episodes, Betty's braces have come off, her hair has become less frizzy, and her botched fashion sense has developed into a more cohesive, stylish mess. She's more confident, more... fearless. Proof? "Maybe you're thinking of the old Betty, because the new Betty is fearless. Look, no bangs!" Wait, you mean that Betty isn't ugly after all? Shocking, I know.

When TV shows end, I always worry about the cast of the show. What is next for this bunch? I'm not sure, but they are all so talented, and I am positive that good things will come to them. I must admit, I'm not sure that I am ready for Michael Urie to be anyone other than Marc St. James -- he is fantastic as that character. Marc and Amanda's zingers will be missed for sure -- "I swear on the abs of Mark Wahlberg", says Marc. "Wow, you are serious," quips Amanda.

Last night, "Ugly Betty" became a top trending topic on Twitter for the first time -- where was the support all along the road? Was there nothing we could do to save the show? I suppose that I will have to accept the reality sooner or later, and bid the show farewell. Bye, bye Betty!

Simon Fuller, the mastermind behind American Idol, has a new pet project -- "If I Can Dream". This web-based reality show follows a small group of young Hollywood hopefuls as they train, audition, perform, etc. The premise is about watching these talented individuals grow from nobodies to stars, right in front of our eyes. An online American Idol, if you will. 


I had heard about the show in January when it aired, but it wasn't until the other day that it was brought to my attention again. I have long been an American Idol fan, but unfortunately this semester has been rather chaotic, what with graduation looming on the horizon. Over spring break, I was lucky enough to catch up on some of this season's Idol performances. I was absolutely heartbroken when my very favorite contestant, Alex Lambert, got kicked off way too early. At that moment, I swore that I was through with this season. And true to my word, I haven't watched a show since. 


Just two days ago, I read online about how Alex Lambert would be joining the cast of "If I Can Dream", and I was ecstatic -- even sent out a tweet saying "Our God is good for SURE. @truealexlambert is BACK -- Looks like I'll need to start watching @ificandream". This little message was retweeted and replied to by a fellow fan, @ohalexlambert, who told me that I need to check out the show's website. Late last night, I did just that. And boy was I creeped out by what I saw. There are lots of cameras throughout the house streaming LIVE footage. Not only that, but at the bottom of the page, there is a little picture of each individual and if you hover your mouse over the person, it will tell you which room they are in, and you can go to that room and watch them... live... all day long. It is literally Big Brother style. I had to get off the site ASAP because I felt intrusive and inappropriate. I still intend to watch the show, which is shown once a week on Hulu; however, I will probably be avoiding the website from now on. 

During my workout this morning, I watched the most recent episode of "Modern Family" and was pretty surprised when the opening scene revolved around Phil Dunphy, one of the show's main characters, requesting none other than an iPad for his birthday. The rest of the show developed into a big plot to get Phil this coveted new gadget for his birthday, starting with his wife's sleeping in and getting to the Apple store too late to catch one of the first shipments. Normally there are a few different, evenly weighed plot lines going on; however, this week the focus really on the quest for the iPad. The show climaxed when Phil finally gets the iPad into his hands, and all of the characters are standing around "ooh"ing and "ahh"ing at the majestic nature of Apple's newest device. All riled up, Phil declares, "Touch it! But don't touch it!!"


The iPad wasn't just "placed" into this episode of "Modern Family" -- it was truly an iPad commercial. Phil even went so far as to say, "It's like Steve Jobs and God got together to say, 'We love you, Phil.'"


Wow. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole thing. Half of me wants to say "Touché Apple" and the other half is a little repulsed by how desperate the entire show seemed. If I found out that Apple had NOTHING to do with the show, then maybe I would think it was more humorous. After all, most "modern families" probably have THAT person who is dying to get their hands on the iPad.


All in all, I still love "Modern Family" and I still want an iPad, so no harm done. But maybe a little more subtlety next time, please?

Once known for his NFL football playing skills, Isaiah Mustafa's fame is now directed towards his acting skills. Starring in Old Spice ads has recently turned Mustafa into a cult celebrity, joining the likes of advertisement stars Milly Mays and the Dell Dude.

I cringed when I heard the news, although I was not even remotely surprised. Sarah Palin's got her own reality TV show? Bad idea. I mean, to be completely honest, I actually "liked" Sarah Palin a whole lot. I thought that she was funny, I liked her personality, and I especially liked declaring how great she was in front of my dad, who stubbornly declared that he would "move back to Scotland if she were to be his VP." Nevertheless, I do not think that a TV show is the right track for her to go down. She can throw her dreams away of having any major political position now -- reality television seems to bring out the worst in everyone (besides Whitney Port of "The City", who is flawless). I believe that the reason for this is that when someone signs up for a reality TV show, they are signing over the rights to their reputation to a producer who is more interested with ratings and profits than with your public persona. The power of editing threatens to take comments out of context and make things appear as they were not -- in essence, creating drama, which is what viewers want to see.


According to Peter Liguori, COO for Discovery Communcations, Palin's show will "reveal Alaska's powerful beauty as it has never been filmed" (hopefully not describing Sarah). "Sarah Palin's Alaska" will be on the TLC, home of the once-popular "Jon and Kate Plus 8". Getting advertisers to sign up for the show has been a challenge so far, as brands are uneasy about taking the risk to advertise on such a controversial figure's show. "Conservative companies don't want to ruffle any feathers," said Ira Berger, director of national broadcast at the Richards Group. Nevertheless, Berger points out, "If you're the number seven brand in a six-company category, then why not shake it up and take a chance?" It will be interesting to see who signs on, that's for sure.


Whether people wanted her as their vice president or not, Palin does have quite a strong following -- her book "Going Rogue" sold over 1 million copies in its first month on the shelves. Not to mention her sustained position in entertainment magazines due to the scandal involving her daughter's ex-fiance (and father of her grandson) Levi Johnson, who made headlines with his racy pictures in "Playgirl" magazine. Sarah Palin: from maverick to reality TV star? 

During the height of Toyota's public meltdown due to their massive recall efforts, Claire and Phil Dunphy were still trucking along in their Toyota Sienna for all of America to see. This couple, from ABC's new sitcom "Modern Family", are seen driving in their car on numerous times throughout the show -- all part of a massive product placement deal that ABC signed with Toyota, long before the days of their crisis. Unfortunately for "Modern Family", the episodes are taped in advance, and the show producers are unable to yank the Toyotas driven by many of the show's characters. Denis Riney, Executive VP at BrandLogic, believes that for at least a year, there will be "some negative rub-off on other properties and people that associate with [Toyota]." However, I am not sure that I agree with Mr. Riney's estimations.


Not much of a TV fan, I try to stay away from getting hooked on the latest shows, because I try to be as productive with my time as possible. That being said, "Modern Family" is a must-see. My best friend managed to corale me into watching it with her one day, and I fell in love. The show makes me snort with laughter -- the one liners and comedic timing are absolutely perfect, and they really do represent a true modern family living in America today. Do I think that Cameron and Mitchell, the show's happily married gay couple, driving around in their eco-friendly Prius is going to have a negative rub-off on the show? Not at all. There are still millions of Toyota cars being driven around in the world, and although Toyota's brand image may be damaged for the time being, I do not think that their product placements will harm the brand image of popular TV shows. Doesn't this just make the Dunphys and the Pritchetts more like, well, modern families? Perhaps they have already gone in to get their cars inspected, and like the masses of other Toyota users have gone back to to the roads, able to feel safe that their automobile has received the stamp of approval?


This opinion may seem counter to the idea of product placement's purpose being to associate the show with the brands being incorporated into the content -- a sort of "guilty by association" scheme. Personally, I do not fully agree with this idea. I think that product placements help to increase reach and the number of total impressions, but even after watching "American Idol", I do not position Coke as a young, hip drink coveted by all in America. Maybe product placement strategies need to be reconsidered in order to be more effective, or perhaps it's just that all of my advertising classes have rubbed off on me and I am now a more savvy-audience member, taking note of, and knowing the relationship behind, these strategic in-show ads.

While I may be one of the only people in America who did not watch the Super Bowl last night, my roommate did beckon me downstairs when Tim Tebow’s commercial aired. And I was mildly disappointed at how ambiguous the spot was. I suppose the ad had received so much publicity before the game that I expected an ultra-controversial message, driving the point that abortion should be banned. However, the spot merely alludes to the fact that Mrs. Tebow’s doctors had suggested that she abort Tim due to medical reasons, but that she refused. She called him her “miracle baby.” And then he tackled her to the floor.

I actually thought it was very appropriate and cute -- but I would like to have seen a little more emphasis on the message that abortions should be made illegal in America. For the amount of money spent running that commercial, you think that there should be a little more oomph to it. At the end of the spot, the Tebows told viewers that they could go online to Focus on the Family’s website for the full story.

Interested in seeing what the press thought about the advertisement, I scoured AdAge.com this morning and came across an ad titled “WWJD? He’d Skip Most of This Year’s Super Bowl Ads” by Bob Garfield. The article says, “Seriously, have you not noticed that Jesus gets as many plugs as the Monday night prime-time lineup?” I was so excited to read that line. It’s true -- I always get so excited when I see prayer circles before games, or when you read bible verses written on players’ cheeks. Or even better, when you have sweet quarterbacks like Colt McCoy thank Jesus for his victory after a game. It is a beautiful and moving thing to see Christianity displayed in such a highly publicized industry. Both Colt and Sam Bradford are featured on www.IamSecond.com, which is a website devoted to celebrities discussing their faith and how they are second in life to Jesus.

Anyways, I thought that the Tebow spot was innocent enough, and I hope that all of the controversy surrounding the ad dies quickly. I know that a lot of Americans dislike Tim (the author of the article said he was “pro-TiVo” but I think that he seems so genuine and I like him a lot.

After Apple’s reveal of the newest piece gadget -- dubbed the iPad -- many tech savvy bloggers have been blasting off messages of excitement, anticipation and feeling of awe at Apple’s ability to continually produce products that further the boundaries of modern gadgetry. However, there has been a large amount of criticism and disappointment from the tech community about features that are missing from the iPad, one of which being Flash software.

At first, I felt like people were overreacting about their dismay at the lack of Flash, but after thinking about it, I do find it strange that a product which Apple is touting as the ultimate personal entertainment device would be missing a software which enables most advertisements, websites and online TV shows to run. In an article on MediaWeek.com, Mike Shields points out that without Flash, the increasingly popular alternative TV venue Hulu.com will be unavailable. According to Shields, “Hulu, which reached 43.7 million unique users in November, streamed a record 924 million videos”. These numbers are staggering -- and I must admit, I am one of those unique users. Do not get me wrong, I am an avid iTunes downloader, mainly thanks to my parents generosity in giving me a monthly iTunes allowance.

However, as my hard drive filled up and my laptop began to move slower, I decided to try Hulu.com, so that I would not have to buy Ugly Betty and House episodes and have them take up so much space. Before using this site, I was morally against it -- thinking that it was furthering the death of commercials. However, after watching an episode of Ugly Betty and being interrupted four times throughout the show to watch ads (which you are unable to forward through), I realized that Hulu was even better than TiVoing for advertisers. After a couple of episodes of the show, I could recite to you the NyQuil spot in my dreams -- and this is an advertisers greatest wish.

So while I am still very excited to get to play with an iPad when it finally arrives at Apple stores, I may perhaps hold off from buying one until iPad numero dos comes to the market, hopefully with the addition of Flash software. Still an owner of the original iPhone, I am reminded that patience is a virtue with Apple’s techie gadgets every time that my little sister quips out her iPhone 3GS and whizs about Safari at a speed unknown to my seemingly decrepit cellular device.