Dunkin’ Donuts Yanks Rachael Ray Ad

Lifted from: Boston.com

Does Dunkin’ Donuts really think its customers could mistake Rachael Ray for a terrorist sympathizer? The Canton-based company has abruptly canceled an ad in which the domestic diva wears a scarf that looks like a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men.

Some observers, including ultra-conservative Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin, were so incensed by the ad that there was even talk of a Dunkin’ Donuts boycott.

‘‘The keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad,’’ Malkin yowls in her syndicated column.

‘‘Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant and not-so-ignorant fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons.’’

The company at first pooh-poohed the complaints, claiming the black-and-white wrap was not a keffiyeh. But the right-wing drumbeat on the blogosphere continued and by yesterday, Dunkin’ Donuts decided it’d be easier just to yank the ad.

Said the suits in a statement: ‘‘In a recent online ad, Rachael Ray is wearing a black-and-white silk scarf with a paisley design. It was selected by her stylist for the advertising shoot. Absolutely no symbolism was intended. However, given the possibility of misperception, we are no longer using the commercial.’’

(In case you’re wondering, the stylist who selected the offending scarf was not Gretta Enterprises boss Gretchen Monahan, who appears on Ray’s TV show as a style consultant.)

For her part, Malkin was pleased with Dunkin’s response: ‘‘It’s refreshing to see an American company show sensitivity to the concerns of Americans opposed to Islamic jihad and its apologists.’’

Uhh… Okay…

The Quest For WiiFit

Since it was released, my wife has been wanting to purchase Nintendo’s WiiFit. Needless to say, as with most of the new Nintendo gear, it was impossible to find. Thanks to a good friend who has some “pull” we were able to get our hands on one (at a cool discount)! I will eventually post some pictures of the unboxing on my Flickr page and maybe a few notes on how cool (or not) it actually is. Until then… Here is a trailer for the device:

DVD Pick ‘O The Week 5/27/2008

Sylvester Stallone has been going through some sort of late-in-life insanity. He is attempting to “wrap-up” all of his BIG characters with one last film for each. The first of which was the 2006 film, ROCKY BALBOA… The latest was this year’s RAMBO (the fourth and final film in the FIRST BLOOD series). In honor of that latter, we have the DVD pick of this week:

Rambo – The Complete Collector’s Set

This set, of course, includes the entire First Blood Series of films: First Blood – Ultimate Edition / Rambo – First Blood Part II -Ultimate Edition / Rambo III – Ultimate Edition / Rambo – Special Edition.

This IS NOT Rambo…Enjoy:

Slow-Motion Punches

What I’m Reading Now

Another purchase from the D.C. Road Trip.

McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern – Issue #13

Blame Canada

Yesterday, I was scanning through the vast world of the boob-tube and I came across South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. I actually (even though I love the show) had never seen the movie. After watching it, and laughing my ass off, I was speaking to my wife about the soundtrack being nominated for an Academy Award… That made me think of Robin Williams’ fantastic performance of “Blame Canada” from the 2000 awards show.

Here it is… Enjoy!

Weezer “Pork And Beans”

RESULTS…

OH WELL… WE BOTH LOST.

(But…)

WE BOTH LOOKED HOTTT!!!

Tonight’s The Night!

This year, I did my first play in quite a while. I played Oscar Madison in a redux of The Odd Couple called: Oscar & Felix: A New Look At The Odd Couple.

Well, I found out a couple of weeks ago that I was nominated for Best Actor for the performance and the award show is TONIGHT! I also had the honor of having my wife in the play. She portrayed a Spanish neighbor (and love interest). She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress!
As I said… The award ceremony is tonight and we are both very nervous and excited!
WISH US LUCK!

DVD Pick ‘O The Week 5/22/2008

I know that I’m a couple days late with this week’s pick but with the road trip and having to catch back up on work… Things have been busy!

Square Pegs – The Complete Series

Square Pegs was a CBS comedy television series that aired during the 1982-1983 season. The series followed Patty Greene (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Lauren Hutchinson (Amy Linker), two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High School.

(from Wiki)
“Created by former Saturday Night Live writer Anne Beatts, the series was much acclaimed by critics at the time for its realistic (if comic) look at teenage life, reflecting a sensibility somewhat similar to the John Hughes teen comedies of a few years later.
The show lasted one season; the first two episodes had strong ratings, but plummeted shortly after. A TV Guide article dated June 9, 1984 blamed the show’s failure on the inexperience of its staff, and drug use on the set; nevertheless, it struck a chord with many Generation X viewers and many of its catchphrases and characters are still fondly remembered by fans.”

Forget about Sex In The City… This is Sarah Jessica Parker’s BEST ROLE!!!