No, not "Al Green." It's "Al: Green."

Gawker has posted Martin's debut spot for The Alliance for Climate Protection, calling it "Gore-like in its earnestness." It works for me, though, since I like earnest advertising. I think the idea of playing on America's patriotic, me-first, our-way-or-the-highway sensibilities is smart, but I wish the ad had been a little more Obaman in its gravity. The chilled out "oooweeooo" soundtrack makes me worried that it will be drowned out by this year's "TOYOTATHON" or "LOBSTERFEST" ads.

The Opposite of a List (I guess)

A while back, I posted a list of my favorite albums from the past year. While it gave a nice gaze into my musical preferences, I think sometimes a single choice is a stronger signifier than a ranging compilation.

So if you lack the time or care, here's one song that effectively summarizes.

Welcome to the Brandcenter Community Theatre.

Throughout high school and college, I never participated in the drama programs of either institution. The kids that did typically kept to themselves, close knit, if a touch odd.

Being in the copywriting track at the Brandcenter has given me a new appreciation of those kids. I didn't know it when I arrived, but I was actually joining a bizarre Vaudevillian ensemble. Almost every day for the last seven months, I've marched on stage and delivered a series of ludicrous jokes, tropes, stanzas, lines, voices and characters. That's what makes school so interesting, and, I think, why forming strong friendships has been so easy. If our work was delivered in a vacuum, simply emailed in PDF form to our professors, we'd miss out on the squirmy, uncomfortable hours filled by performances worthy of the Globe. Or at least a community theatre.

Honestly. Who goes in front of 50 people, looks them in the eye, takes a breath and emotes, "Tiffany's: addict her to you."

I do. My peers do. And man, it makes you want to drink together.

Jeeves is real

A friend showed me an interesting alternative to Google last night. Cha Cha is something of an internet butler service, where you're connected via chat box to an actual human being who does the searching for you. This allows you to watch YouTube or get a snack while they cull the digital profusion for relevant results. While I'm not sure it's totally practical, the idea that someone is out there doing my bidding is a good feeling. And it is useful on some level. While writing this blogpost, my lackey Dorene found me several helpful pages about the history of the Tiffany diamond company. Thanks Dorene!

As a young person twisted by the realities of who else is using the internet, I can only imagine what these poor search guides must deal with. How many times can you possibly be asked to find violent Tony the Tiger slash fiction before you want to move to a fishery in the Maldives?

On a new found respect:

Have to give it up for the art directors. The designers. The printers. The architects. To anyone who makes a living crafting layouts and images into something you can physically hold and page through: you have my respect. It is hard. I finished cobbling together my minibook today, and it has been an exhausting, emotionally oscillating experience. My arms are tired. My bones are tired. It's had tremendous benefits, though. I'll never look at printmaking the same way again. And, as with all creative endeavors, I grew as a person.

Now we find out if I've grown into someone that deserves an internship. Stay tuned.

To the creative directors reading my blog:

It's internship season. I know you've been reading my blog, thinking to yourself "When am I going to get a shot at this kid?" The time has come. I'm accepting offers. True, I haven't provided any samples, or even mentioned the fact that I've been making fake ads for the past six months. But let's look at the facts:

1.) I'm a publicity machine.

2.) I like pretty girls.

3.) I like good music.

4.) I'm really into NPR and PBS.

5.) I can make something out of nothing.

If those aren't reasons enough to contact me, then I don't know what else to say. I'm going to post this and then start pushing the refresh button in Mail. I look forward to hearing from all of you.