tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30490836484339714352024-03-21T04:24:22.027+00:00Christmas CountdownSoaking up the hype and excitement of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-51916516887709349162010-11-15T23:04:00.002+00:002010-11-15T23:43:29.812+00:00Iceland go All-In with an absolute stomperIceland's Moulin Rouge based advert is awful and awesome in equal measure. The use of T-Rex's 20th Century Boy is something of a mixed blessing - fantastic riff well used, but inappropriate to the extreme! Still, much more watchable than Argos' Bing - which is now confirmed to have been withdrawn after a shower of complaints.<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8Z2nLwEfAoo"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8Z2nLwEfAoo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-43227114584227977112010-11-14T20:14:00.002+00:002010-11-14T20:14:43.035+00:00John Lewis go for a "John Lewis" type of Christmas advertOK, perhaps that's too cruel a description of their Xmas ad, but ten seconds into the 60-second ad on the first viewing I was very sure that it was an ad for John Lewis! It's also pretty good, if a little bit obvious for them.<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mpV-xagkTDU"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mpV-xagkTDU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-8359716375833096082010-11-13T12:30:00.001+00:002010-11-13T13:03:40.564+00:00More music channels switch over to Christmas programming42 days to go, and VH1, MTV Classic, and Smash Hits now feature rather a lot of Christmas videos, joining Bliss which had a two-week head-start on them. With Remembrance Day out of the way, the Christmas run-up is now switching to top gear. Of course, that means that the music videos are a bit obscure at times, with plenty of awful novelty tracks - "Is This The Way To Santa's Grotto?" is just the start of it, so bad that the music video isn't on <i>any</i> of the online video sites. So, I'll just leave this one with you to cringe over...<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VNgw549Vy0U"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VNgw549Vy0U" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> Dear me...Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-64867217531265737842010-11-12T23:04:00.003+00:002010-11-13T10:20:40.620+00:00Cue the Co-Op...Gabriella Chilme's returned to the annual Christmas gig with "Warm this Christmas" for the Co-Op's Christmas ad campaign. 6 weeks to go...<p> See the ad at 3m20s in:<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ax8_ec3eNX8"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ax8_ec3eNX8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-38239686599802791252010-11-12T22:54:00.002+00:002010-11-12T23:07:21.576+00:00Let the third wave commence......starting with a newcomer to the Festive Fray: Matalan. It's a great debut:<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9g9DB_1WNAc"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9g9DB_1WNAc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-34412570330962193252010-11-10T20:03:00.002+00:002010-11-12T23:06:55.058+00:00Have Argos retired Bing off?No sign of the awful Bing Crosby Argos advert for a few days now - have they retired it out of shame? Here's one of their better Xmas ads from 2007:<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wGBGsJOt6QM"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wGBGsJOt6QM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-29275142277530783382010-11-09T23:49:00.003+00:002010-11-09T23:52:26.388+00:00Glade's quickie isn't one to be missedWith the second wave of Christmas ads having peaked, it's nice to still have the odd unmissable one to watch out for. Small but perfectly formed, enjoy it at 1m10s into Youtube's XmasTVElf's third collection of Christmas adverts:<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mlttD43NdrA"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mlttD43NdrA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-38723324616362796202010-11-08T11:47:00.001+00:002010-11-08T11:49:21.140+00:00It's not *all* television, you know...Radio also plays its part at Christmas - some of the best live radio is done on the overnight shifts during Christmas and New Year. Or at least it was back in the '80s.<p> Picture the scene... BBC Radio 1, 1980-something - well before the big 1989/1990 shake-up which turned it from the most popular station in the country to something a little more youth-orientated. These are the times of Simon Bates, Steve Wright, Gary Davies, and of course DLT - Dave Lee Travis. The relief DJ at the time was Adrian Juste, who also did a comedy clips show every Saturday. Saturdays for me would start with Saturday Superstore or Going Live on BBC1 before switching over to Adrian Juste's Radio 1 show.<p> Now this was the 80s... the comedy which reached the primetime airwaves wasn't exactly cutting edge - if you were lucky, you'd get some Jack Dee, but it was mainly '50s/'60s/'70s vintage, such as Kenneth Williams and Les Dawson. But come Christmas, Adrian Juste also had a four-hour graveyard slot Christmas and New Years Eve, I think running from 10pm to 2am.<p> Well after the watershed.<p> I don't remember if it was live (probably not), but the extended show allowed for some original sketches to be written and performed, leading to material which was a little edgier. Edgier for a teenager, that is - this stuff leaned more towards early The Mary Whitehouse Experience rather than anything sharper, but teenaged me loved it.<p> Fast-forward a decade or two and suddenly the sharper comedy is the mainstream, and Radio 4's comedy line-up contains a good cross-section of what's available. Listen Again on the BBC website is a wonderful invention. Ironically, it's the longest-running show which is pushing the primetime boundaries - "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue" has some very rude (and sometimes quite graphic!) jokes, especially the tales of their scorer, Samantha. Then, in 2003, they did a Christmas extended special, their take on A Christmas Carol. It featured comics from the current scene, plus the four stalwarts who date back to the '60s. The mix of current material and legendary performers was a hit with me - give it a whirl...<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RIiMk-cCvt4"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RIiMk-cCvt4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-52603314086010564742010-11-07T14:02:00.002+00:002010-11-07T14:03:42.560+00:00A Christmas ident Easter EggI hadn't noticed this before, but TV Ark has highlighted this on Youtube. This is one of the 2004 BBC1 idents - look in the bottom right corner about 20 seconds in as one of the kids falls off the bouncing pudding and fails to get on again. Awww!<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PtjxKoWqFi0"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PtjxKoWqFi0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-45414942905745323562010-11-07T11:22:00.002+00:002010-11-07T11:22:52.507+00:00Boots' "Here Come The Girls" adverts continue to please and annoyNo sign of the ultra-long Christmas advert yet, but the best of the current ones is the following:<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hXrXdJzTrKk"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hXrXdJzTrKk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> And the most annoying?<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mx0Gk8L72IU"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mx0Gk8L72IU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> Although the tech support ad rings true...<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/D9bSjiOlbqw"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/D9bSjiOlbqw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-26642609461212896832010-11-06T13:07:00.002+00:002010-11-06T13:09:41.167+00:00Christmas 24 is on during the November weekendsAs mentioned before, Christmas 24 is on <i>now</i> on Sky channels 327 and 328. Put your mind on the hook and let the festiveness wash over you! Although as I said before, don't expect greatness - flicking through the listings on the EPG shows that the movies on this weekend weren't amongst the better ones they showed last December!Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-86397776743855796252010-11-06T12:53:00.002+00:002010-11-06T12:54:42.160+00:00More Christmas adsA quick catch-up of the other Christmas ads that have appeared recently:<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n-xL8GCXZOk"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n-xL8GCXZOk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> Very.co.uk have produced a less annoying advert than the one they produced last year, but the M&S food adverts are just inappropriate with their current disco theme.<p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-10608825013084020402010-11-05T18:26:00.002+00:002010-11-05T18:28:58.883+00:0050 days to go......and I've already bought the Christmas cards for this year. The Christmas lights in town are due to be switched on soon, and the Christmas markets will start to pop up here and there over the next few weeks. Next week I'll be giving serious thought about how to decorate my house - it's been renovated all year, so this will be the first "proper" Christmas it will have had since I moved into it. I'm not one for those cheap foil gardlands or tinsel, but I do like a big tree with plenty of lights on it, surrounded by festive tealight holders. But what else to do?<p> The Christmas food is starting to appear in the shops - there's plenty of Stollen (sort of a marzipan bandy fruit cake thing), but what is this country's obsession with mincemeat?! It's OK in small doses, but a British Christmas seems to hang on to Christmas pudding, mince pies and fruit cake. I'm going to have to dig out some festive recipes for the raisinophobes such as myself. The only recipe I have so far is for sugar cookies! I'll hopefully find a killer liebkuchen recipe - a German spiced cake-ish cookie that gets coated in either chocolate or a sugar glaze.<p> And then there's the drink - I have a bit of a soft spot for spirits. Whoever invented Mint Choc Baileys deserves a knighthood - not sure about the appeal of the new Hazelnut Baileys that's just been launched. For the tea-totallers, the coffee shops have started doing Gingerbread Lattes, plus various twists on eggnog and hot chocolate - I'm quite looking forward to trying those the next time I'm in town.<p> It may be 50 days away, and a horrendously large cliche, but the Holidays Are Coming...<p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-45788289067131280732010-11-04T18:51:00.002+00:002010-11-04T18:52:29.433+00:00Littlewoods have a bit of a grower...This is warming on me and gets better on each viewing - traditional without being cheesey...<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pIfeYl5tEWo"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pIfeYl5tEWo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-23761230885418867962010-11-03T19:53:00.002+00:002010-11-03T19:55:10.179+00:00Thinking about Christmas Trees...... and I cannot decide if this is the tackiest or greatest Christmas tree ornament ever...<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3UEKhCHELVc"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3UEKhCHELVc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> And taking of Pacman and Christmas trees...<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9j22cnSfE4U"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9j22cnSfE4U" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-65841943722714029612010-11-03T19:44:00.002+00:002010-11-03T19:54:52.060+00:00One for the kids - Santa has a blog!And it looks quite established, going for a few years giving news from the North Pole before giving a running commentary on the big night. Cute - <a href="http://clauschronicles.blogspot.com/">take a look...</a><p>Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-75317549374967093022010-11-02T21:38:00.002+00:002010-11-02T21:39:43.151+00:00Could this be the new Coca-Cola ad?Rumours are that this will be shown from mid-December, with last year's trucks ad being shown from mid-November.<p> It's cute and imaginative - and hooked me in with the snowglobes! We'll see if it gets to Britain...<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aymE5yeB66Y"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aymE5yeB66Y" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-78558965812571276992010-11-02T21:07:00.002+00:002010-11-02T21:08:47.237+00:00Hobbycraft recycle last year's adAnd the next wave keeps on coming. I say new - Hobbycraft had the same ad last year - but this still stands up on its own quite well, and gets bonus points for using "Christmas Wrapping" as the background music.<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qrKXiEfwHVc"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qrKXiEfwHVc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> At this rate, the mid-November wave must be either tiny or massive, depending on how you look at it all. Intriguing - at this time of tight purse strings, does the sales sector think we're going to be flexing our credit cards this Christmas? Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-41288759464296632422010-11-02T20:08:00.002+00:002010-11-02T20:10:04.706+00:00Tesco makes their play......and it's a tad broad - a simple ad with a rip-off of Keeping Up Appearances, but it'll do.<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4UEuTT5KcZg"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4UEuTT5KcZg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-65472408875185061892010-11-02T19:18:00.002+00:002010-11-02T19:20:14.462+00:00Pringles plays a belterIt's seasonal, it's Christmassy, it has a vague hint of magic thanks to the Nutcracker Suite - it's a perfect festive advert!<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/m638hFATPxk"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/m638hFATPxk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-82237982640061557802010-11-02T12:32:00.002+00:002010-11-02T12:33:11.068+00:00The new Marks and Spencer advert is out......and it's not entirely festive. Peter Kay plus the M&S regulars dancing to the Bee Gees in various styles. It's well shot and edited, but aside from a load of Santas at the end, it seems out of place. Hmmm. I prefer the Take That and Shirley Bassey ads.<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q5QjzGMNOWI"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q5QjzGMNOWI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> <p> Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-50371163478320566622010-10-31T19:33:00.003+00:002010-11-02T12:33:37.303+00:00The calm before the stormOK, so we've had the first wave of Christmas commercials, with the very nicely done IKEA musical number appearing on high-rotation, but this is just the beginning. Usually everything kicks off soon after November 11th, once Remembrance Day is out of the way, and we still haven't seen M&S and Tesco (amongst others) play their hands yet.<p> That's a good enough pretext for a bit of nostalgia, isn't it? Here's a selection of ads from 1983. There's a bit of everything: booze, chocs, presents, and rounding off with a Woolworths Christmas ad the like of which we haven't seen from them for decades, nor will we do so again post-administration.<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SzzxZRXJPQg"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SzzxZRXJPQg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-90151737257703399852010-10-31T12:16:00.002+00:002010-10-31T12:19:23.325+00:00Bliss music channel goes all-Christmas tomorrow!Bliss music video station (Sky channel 372) is due to switch over to wall-to-wall Christmas music tomorrow from 6am if you believe the Sky EPG. Yikes. Surely one for the channel hoppers out there and for those who want a quick shot of festive music to put them in the mood for Christmas shopping.<p> Or something.<p> Still, there are a few festive songs out there which lean towards being more season-neutral. Flying Pickets' "Only You", for instance, plus Paul Young's "Love Of The Common People" - I didn't realise that was a Christmas track until I caught the music video a few years ago, which made me appreciate it even more due to the brass instrumental bit in the middle. But I'm struggling to come up with other low-festive Christmas tracks.<p> Although it does give me an excuse to indulge in a guilty pleasure - I love this track, and I really shouldn't: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFhnBRZsfW8">Bo Selecta's "Proper Chrimbo"</a>. Enjoy...Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-22137949083784328422010-10-30T14:15:00.002+01:002010-10-30T14:17:46.599+01:00Channel 4 used to be able to do Christmas presentationIt's been a few years since Channel 4 had a stab at Christmas presentation. Sure, they'd put on festive shows, films and specials, but the bits in-between - the idents and trailers - share the style that is used throughout the year.<p> It's a shame, because even though Channel 4's budget is much lower than its competitors, it used to punch above its weight in terms of presentation. What do you think?:<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/z7PoDi3ADKg"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/z7PoDi3ADKg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> And even though few people would watch their closedown - this was back in the days before 24-hour broadcasts - they'd come up with the odd gem:<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-Hry37YWn6g"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-Hry37YWn6g" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049083648433971435.post-6899287375069246742010-10-28T23:30:00.002+01:002010-10-28T23:31:39.954+01:00SONY doesn't quite get it rightA bit of an oddity with SONY's Christmas advert - sure, it's a re-telling of a Christmas Carol, it gets the imagery right, and the script's not bad, but it doesn't seem to hang together very well and it's not entirely imaginative. Here's the full two-minute version:<p> <center><object height="288" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mt9f0h27JDo"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mt9f0h27JDo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="288" width="480"></object></center> <p> Class under "appropriate, but not great".<p> Linus Jolfortiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341482784352975252noreply@blogger.com4