Try flipping this house

Unless you're an AIG employee or you're last name is Winfrey - this house is probably out of your budget. Candy Spelling, TV icon Aaron Spelling's widow, recently put the mansion on the market. The asking price is $150 million. I know - people must have REALLY loved "Charlie's Angels". Even The Biltmore thinks this house is excessive.

So what makes the house so great? 17,000 sq ft with a beauty salon and barbershop - and that's just in the attic. Combine that with the other floors and you're talking 56,000 sq ft. Candy's not sure how many rooms it has, but she thinks it's over 100. And one of those is just for storing forks and spoons. Now I know why Tori was so mad.

You may be thinking: "Sure, but is it on a cul-de-sac?" Well no. But it does have a bowling alley. As well as a tennis court, 16 carports, a waterfall, 5 fireplaces, 4 wet bars and one fancy-shmancy walk-in closet. The Spelling home is the single highest priced house listed anywhere in the United States. But that does include scenery and wildlife fun. Plus I'm sure it's in a gated community.

A house the size of a Super Wal-Mart is arguably a lot for just one person and their dog. So Candy, 63, is downsizing. Meaning appliances stay! She'll be moving on up to a deluxe 16,500 sq ft LA condo she bought last year. Perfect for when the 90210 gang stops by.

Aaron Spelling helped create many tv hits such as "Dynasty", and "Fantasy Island". I wonder how he ever came up with the ideas for shows?

Showing is by appointment only.

A little type hype

Not sure what random link I clicked or the thought process behind the thread that got me there, but I stumbled upon this labor of love by IU student (grad?) John Sebasian Passfiume that won a Special Judges' Award at last year's National Addys.


Funny, I didn't see this at the Artsgarden.

Wish you could read more of it? I did. Which led me to the hard-workin' hands at Under Consideration. You have to scroll all the way down, but it's a lovely trip.

Where the Wild Things Will Be

Although not opening in theaters until October 16th, there is already much buzz about the trailer and images from the upcoming “Where the Wild Things Are” screen adaptation by Director Spike Jonze.

With so much adoration for the 1963 children’s book, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, there’s a lot of pressure not to disappoint. But if responses to the trailer, beginning in theaters today, are any indication, people are already emotionally-attached to the movie.

Speculation abounds on how Jonze will stretch a full-length feature out of the mere ten-sentence long children’s classic. And some criticize that the visual style and poster may be “too dark” for a young audience.

But who is this movie really directed toward? With music in the trailer featuring Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” and soundtrack lead by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s frontwoman Karen O, the audience will definitely skew decades older than the 3-8 recommended reading age of the book. After all, that’s who has the strongest memories of the book and who most longs to revisit their wild thing adventures. Nostalgia is a powerful force –- precisely why Jonze opted to lend his unique approach using mostly live action (think “The Neverending Story”) instead of amping it up on cgi.

Another draw is the sophisticated cast, including James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener and Mark Ruffalo who offer appearances or voices.

As audiences grow wilder with anticipation, it will be interesting to see what products and companies align themselves with the movie on the marketing front. Here's a first peek. Already better than this. Stay tuned.

Fresh Flash experiments

We love anyone who loves experimenting with ideas. And these little web gems from
Andy Foulds and Tomas Eriksson prove that the greatest step to inspiring others is to just put yourself and your ideas out there.

Maybe we overstate the case, but these underground and often unpolished experiments champion the notion that simple ideas resonate the most.

First, Andy Foulds. A little Monty Python and whole lot of PolySci go in to making this Brit's amusements something to be experienced. Many of them date back a few years (and use perennial punching bags Dubya and Tony Blair), but the thought and execution behind them are so simple and clever that they stand the test of time. You can just picture swapping in Obama dodging an AIG logo or a dancing Bernie Madoff in prison to keep it current. And if you tire of all the political potshots, you can indulge in some bubblewrap Therapy.







And with the way the stock market's been behaving lately, his Economists is better now than when he first created it in 2004. You can just hear the harumphing. Even the juxtaposition to the Google Ads at the bottom are a hoot. Just a few tweaks numbers-wise, Andy, and you've got yourself one of the best virals of '09.

Not to be outdone, we have Tomas Eriksson. From Spider to Drum Machine, Tomas certainly has no problem completely handing over the reins of his world to the user. Spider especially shows just how much attention to detail it takes to make something intuitive and effortless. Brilliantly simple. Simply brilliant. We just hope visitors find it more amusing than his cat did.



Of course, these are just a couple of examples. Who do you like? web articles

Bracket busted? Try March Adness

All right, so we're a little late coming in on this one, but Adweek has their own take on bracketology in the form of March Adness. Spots are pitted against each other, ado y ado, in a popularity contest to the death. And to make things a little juicier, you can even put your vote on the 3-point line to make it count triple or nada depending on if you make or miss. (Which has to explain some of the upsets.)




Nike and Mountain Dew have the next dance today to decide who fills out the Elite Eight. So if your basketball bracket's already busted, see if you can't pick the winners in something you actually know something about.

FWA Photo launches today

The FWA launched a new endeavor today for your daily inspiration. FWA Photo includes comments, info and links to the photographer and even a lightbox to archive your favorites. If today's post is any indication of the surprises you'll see, then FWA Photo is definitely diversion-worthy.



Bodybuilder Children by Kurt Stallaert

Share the Power

We've added a little Share tool at the end of each post that makes it easy to email or bookmark any post you'd like.



So if you find a daily dose you think someone else should take, we're happy to enable.

Earth Hour and the simplicity skyline

Today is St. Patrick's Day, and we just wanted to give a tip o' the hat to a fine wee ad we saw just the other day. It's for Earth Hour - the global brainchild of the World Wildlife Fund with the aim of having 1 billion people around the world shut off all their lights for one hour on March 28. It will serve as a petition that they will then take to the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
Conceived in the grand tradition of reversible ads.

Last year, 50 million switched off their lights, including landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and even the Coca-Cola billboard in Times Square.

So mark your calendar for March 28, 8:30pm and light some candles, break out the board games and help keep the Blue Planet blue.

(Editor's Note: Happy Birthday, Nancy.)

Who's your George Mason?

It's NCAA tourney time, and as we look over our brackets, we wonder: What underdog (Bulldog) has what it takes to make a run like the George Mason Patriots in 2006? Who has a hidden strength that can take the big names by surprise? Who will capitalize on the lucky breaks that come their way and capture the imagination of fans?

Now replace that bracket with your brand and competitors? What under-the-radar product or service do you have that is ready to go from obscurity to a household name? Are you bold enough to bet on customers like Hyundai's Assurance Program (which helped increase their sales despite the economy), shrewd enough to offer a lower-cost point of entry like KFC's new dollar menu or savvy enough to make yourself the center of the conversation through your creative experimentation like Skittles?

Right now, we're helping a client with ideas to bring their geothermal systems from the fringe to the front of customers' minds. It's green. It's highly efficient. And it doesn't hurt that thanks to the recent economic stimulus bill, homeowners can take a 30% tax deduction on the total value of the installation with no limit. It's a bigger trifecta than the one Bryce Drew hit for Valpo in '98.

So show some poise, dig deep and play to your strengths. Even if that means rediscovering what your strengths are.

March Madness Printable Bracket

Don't worry if the boss catches you. He's doing the same thing.
(click image to enlarge, then print)

Or, if you prefer class basketball

Why have One Shining Moment when you can have Multiple?
(Also applies to the BCS)

The hardest working man in sports

Mascots don't scare my 5 year old son. They frighten the living daylights out of him. I've explained they are just people dressed up in suits and they won't touch you. I even tried explaining to him that daddy used to be a mascot. Doesn't matter. He doesn't like them. Has never liked them. Will not ever like them.

Maybe Tim Klarich can help. Tim is 'The Hawk' of St. Joseph's University. What makes The Hawk the greatest thing ever? During basketball games - from opening tip all the way to the final buzzer - he flaps his wings. Constantly. Without ceasing. Imagine flapping your arms over and over for 5 minutes. Now imagine doing it in for 3 hours. Most of us sitting in the stands don't like doing 'the wave' whenever it comes around more than three times.

The St. Joseph motto is "The Hawk Will Never Die." And for over 50 years the mascot has delivered. Someone estimated The Hawk flaps his wings 3,500 times in one regulation game. And if that game goes into triple-overtime, well, Tim downs a red bull and keeps on flapping. Hey, they take their motto seriously at St. Joseph. The game's not over until the fat lady sings, or the skinny mascot kid passes out.

I don't know if their basketball team stinks, but I know Tim does. Because he never takes a timeout. Not even during one. When any timeout is called, Tim sprints on to the court to perform figure eights. Going all out sweating up his feather covered snuggie. Tim is not only a great mascot, but is immune to the Freshman 15.

Being a mascot is like running on a treadmill in a sauna wearing Shaquille O'Neal's shoes. You can't talk and can barely see. It's gruelling, hard labor. And it's the coolest thing in the world.

Now if I can just convince my five year old.

Die Hard or Diff'rent Strokes? HRW debates headline for Sears Tower name change

The beacon of the City with Broad Shoulders is about to undergo a major change.

London-based insurance company, Willis Group Holdings, will be the new tenant in Chicago's iconic Sears Tower. Check that: Willis Tower. Yes, for a skosh over $2 million USD, Willis Group will move its area offices into 140,000+ square feet of the skyscraper that will also bear its name. The naming rights were part of the deal negotiated for the space.

The name change may seem a little upsetting (and confusing for those of you riding in that taxi) until you realize that the Sears Tower was named after a company itself, a company that hasn't occupied the building in 17 years. So let's bow our heads in a moment of reverence and then hold our heads up high to the fact that this deal will help offset the loss of Ernst & Young when it moves out this summer. Still, are you going to call it the Willis Tower?

So we indulged in some free word association to commemorate the event, but before we could complete Gary Coleman's catchphrase, we saw that although clever, "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis Tower?" will be remembered as the most obvious pun of 2009.

We're just happy it's not a promotional stunt for Die Hard 5.

Say it ain’t so.

It’s over. The Beckhams of Wasilla, Bristol Palin and fiancé Levi Johnston have called off their engagement.

Things seemed so perfect-- the shiny new baby Tripp, a wardrobe of convention apparel, correctly-spelled tattoos, hopes of a high school diploma (or equivalent) and an even bigger hope of keys to the kingdom in 2012. But all that was not powerful enough to defeat the class system in Alaska. You see, the Tina Fey family lives on one side of the hill while the Levi Strauss clan lives on the other side. And ne’er the two shall meet. Oh, the tragedy for these star-crossed youth parents.

So return your gift cards to the Big Game Pro Shop. The ceremony is off.

Alas, one can’t help but wonder if controlling mothers, or mothers on controlled substances, played a part. Youbetcha. Or maybe the flash bulbs were too hot and the jealous glances too cold…. even for these hearty Alaskans.

If they can’t make it work, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Deconstructing FWA

If your awareness of what's possible on the web is limited to Google, Facebook and Hotmail, maybe you should check out the FWA. In this fickle, what's-next driven world, the FWA has managed to remain the end-all, be-all web gallery since its inception. Maybe it's that they have awarded a Site of the Day every day since 2000. Maybe it's that they have a discerning Hall of Fame selection of interactive firms that really does just showcase the best of the best (Are you listening, Major League Baseball?) Or maybe it's because they spell 'Favourite' with a 'u.'

But despite all it's super-shiny charm, the sites aren't always as functional as they are flamboyant. Even if the FWA is old hat to you, here are just a few tips to make the FWA a practical resource for the rest of us and not just some place where you curse at slow load times and shake your head at the mind-blowing budgets that must have justified them.

1. Read the descriptions

Sure, it sounds basic, but look for words like "create," "navigate," "share," "guide" and the like to clue you into sites which have made providing a unique user-led experience the designer's main objective.

Examples: Red Issue, MSNBC Newsreader

2. Use the filter

Drill down what you want to search by category, award or date. We recommend first looking through the Architecture and Photography sections. Usually what makes these sites award-winning isn't some budget-blowing special effect or video montage, but an engaging navigation system, original reveal or elegant transition technique. In other words, something you can use as a realistic source of inspiration.
















Examples: Bowen Studios, Peruvian Wharf, Gudrun Gudrun






more >>>

3. Use the dock

There are so many sites to go through (2,752 at the time of this posting), when you do find a gem that strikes a chord, add it to your dock. If you don't have time to look at sites, you can always add them to your dock based on the description or brand (or your gut instinct) and check them out later.

4. Be prepared for load times

Don't let impossibly slow load times get you down. Go ahead and do something else (I don't know...work?) while that site loads. Again, your budget may never allow you to create the wild movie-set feel that the site shows, but the way the site moves, the video loads, the gameplay is designed or transitions are created may provide just the inspiration you were looking for.

And when the site finally has loaded, shut Pandora off, close out of any large applications and clean up whatever else might slow your computer down, so you can embrace the full experience with as little buffering as possible.

Examples: Milk's Get the Glass, Pepsi's MaxFan

5. Get it for the articles

Like any sexy publication, FWA often garners more attention for its pictures than its words. But take a gander at the articles and interviews. Especially the interviews - they are very well done, providing genuine glimpses into what the top owners and designers are thinking and what they wish they could do more of, what they can't wait to see next and what didn't work the last time. Plus, you'll gain great insights about where technology is headed without the tedious load time.

6. Pump up the volume

Most of the sites on FWA have left no stone unturned in terms of creating complete sensory experiences. Don't miss out on any of them.

Examples: Swedish Armed Forces, Victor Taba, The Singing Beertap

7. Reality + fantasy = cool

Another quick scan technique is looking for images where photos or video is combined with illustrations or other graphics. These sites always seem to have gone that extra mile in creating their own world for users to play in. And oftentimes, the budget required to pull off these fantastic effects is pretty realistic.

Examples: Thank you begins with a T, Crumpler

8. Find the game sites

Gamer or not, you would be remiss if you didn't check out the winners that fall under this category. Look for brands or products you recognize. Chances are good that they have created a new way to play with their product. Use these sites as inspiration for how to hand the reins of your product over to online visitors.

Examples: Smart Car, VW Snake

9. Experiment

In the filter, there's a category called 'Experimental.' This is always worth a look. A lot of times, these are mashups using existing social media sites (like Flickr) or take digital elements we all possess and present them in a new and random way.

Examples: Flickr Time, Spam Recycler

10. Skip the movie sites (for now)

Your time is precious and the most common load-time offenders are sites for new movies. Usually what makes these sites favourites are the impressive graphics from the movie and the way the characters' world has been turned into your interactive playground. And while it makes for some pretty awesome eye candy, it's not really showing you anything that can inspire your next interactive endeavor. That being said, there have been some movie sites with incredible user-generated content that should not be overlooked.

Example: The Simpsons

11. Apply what you've learned

Use the mental notes you've taken and look at your own site. Are there any ways you can improve the user experience, give them more control or bring your brand to them in a new, exciting format? Do you have an event coming up where you can unveil a fun wrinkle to how customers can become fans? How does any of what you've seen translate into mobile or social media? Think about it a little and you just might get a little yellow strip in the corner of your next endeavor.

12. Forget FWA

Like anything web-based, there is more than one resource for discovering what's out there. And if you limit yourself to any one site, you'll miss out on some really outstanding interactive experiences like NEC's beautiful ecological effort or a humbling experience from The Hear and Be Heard Fund. (It's cached now, so you might have missed it already.)

So as you explore the World Wide Web, use resources as walking staffs, not divining rods.

web articles

T.O. finds team with "I" in it

After playing for the 49ers, Eagles and Cowboys, Terrell Owens is now with the Bills. It's like resetting the board in the factory that says X number of days since an accident. Let the meltdown countdown begin.

Free with every Joe Biden Snuggie

Coming to a White House lawn Easter Egg Hunt near you from chocolatier pinkwhitebrown.com. Although, I'm not sure how repeated headshots will help his image as a socialist. Melts in your Mao-th?

Google expands ad offering

Google announced this week that they would start offering expandable ads similar to the ones we talked about last week. Although unlike some banner ads, users will have to click on them to expand them, so no one gets frustrated by an ad that keeps blocking their view just because they moused over it.

This is good for users, good for advertisers and bad for those who host the ads on their blogs and other Google-powered sites. That's because the cost-per-click only applies if the user clicks through to the advertiser's web site (this would require a second click). But by streaming video or allowing for some interaction with their brand in the banner ad, users will likely not need to go through to the site to get the experience and take away the impression the advertiser is looking for.

Again, the beauty of interaction without interruption.

G gets F

atorade - from here on out referred by its new moniker, G - is confusing us.


Let's start with the initial campaign, "What is G?" It scrolls through on-camera appearances of every big name in sports past and present with a V/O that sounds like he's reading from the agency brief: "G is golden, G is glamorous, G is gritty...." It plays through to the point that you think it's a spoof. Like the next guy coming will be making S'mores (G is for graham crackers) or sporting a jogging suit and a gun (G is for Gandolfini).

And then there's the commercial with John Wooden who looks like either A)he doesn't know where he is, B)he doesn't know what the commercial is for or C)all of the above, and then some. We won't show it out of respect for the Wizard of Westwood.

And now we have the Quest for G: the Monty Python take-off.
To be fair, the web site brings it to life a lot better, but the whole thing falls woefully flat given the potential, even in the bright spots (by default). Sure the face-off with the Jabbowockeez is cool and has a huge offline following, but when Mel Brooks marries hip-hop with history better than you, you've got a problem (Granted, he had Dave Chapelle.) Although, we do give a big thumb's up for the appearance of Usain Bolt's ego. Too bad it's lost in a please-everybody ensemble cast.

Speaking of getting lost in this ensemble cast, it seems that the sports drink formerly known as Gatorade forgot the most obvious tie-in: G is for Garnett. Let the Captain of the Fun Police out and play with this ridiculous premise, instead of locking him into playing out a bad movie. You don't have to move a plot along. And you certainly don't have to stick to the script. Launch mascots instead of farm animals and underwear from the French fortress. Instead of the French, how about making refs or Sixers fans the antagonists? Change the fire-breathing poodle to the Phoenix Gorilla or San Diego Chicken. Get silly with it, for the love of G!

It just seems that it is getting shared on YouTube and other sites in large part because there is a strong relationship between those who like computers and those who like Monty Python and those who didn't date a lot in high school. This author being one of them. It just seems remarkable that this is the impression G wants to put out there.

Hopefully, G will find the good sense next time to give us something completely different.

By the way - an asteroid nearly slammed into us Monday

Am I the only one bothered by the fact that an asteroid just missed us a few days ago and no one's talking about it? Apparently it came within 38,000 miles, or slightly more than the distance away our satellites are from the earth. I can't imagine how long our satellite tv would be out if this thing hit.

38,000 miles might sound like a lot, but I drive more than that in a year. Which reminds me I'm overdue for an oil change. Thankfully some guy in Australia saw it through his telescope last week. Evidently our professional astronomers were too busy on Facebook to notice the huge rock screaming in the sky. These guys would have been great iceberg lookouts on the Titanic.

"Asteroid '2009 DD45' passed by and won't show its face again for another century" - says the same professionals that never saw it coming. I only ask that if you can't warn us about asteroids, at least come up with better names for them. '2009 DD45'? Even George Lucas thinks that's a bad name.

Planet Earth is safe, for now. You may go back to using your telescope for spying on the neighbors. Just keep Bruce Willis on speed dial.

Nougats of wisdom

Snickers' latest campaign, Snacklish, heads out into the world today, hitting out-of-home, broadcast and Facebook. Snickers sources say that in tough economic times, the #1 candy bar in the world is in the unique position in that it doesn't feel it competes with off-brand products in the same way cereals, detergents and other white-goods do.

Unfortunately, we've already discovered a bit of a shortfall. If you Google certain words that pop up in the campaign's ads like "nutlegience" as in "pledge your nutlegience," you will not find anything. Even if you spelled it "correctly" with an "a." Nothing?! (Except maybe this blog.) As consumers are more and more conditioned to think in terms of search words, it seems that Snickers should at least have the words in their unique word-driven campaign lead their fans to their site, their retailers or at least to other fans.

But it is just Day One. And it is a fun idea that's easy to grasp and play along with. But will consumers caramel?

Editor's note: As we dug a little deeper it seems like the online component of the campaign may be intentionally almost totally user-driven. It's the only logical conclusion, given the creative firepower behind it. Maybe Snickers is trying some sort of simple Web experiment to see if the words and word creation can be soaked up into the vernacular by bloggers, Urban Dictionary, Wikipedia and the like. Still seems like they should have greased the skids a little. Without some web legs, this campaign may be remembered best as a grammatical parlor trick. And a missed opportunity.

Wife Swap

What a stunning end to this season's The Bachelor.
Jason, who turned out to be kind of a sleeze-ball, sends Molly home and proposes to Melissa. Melissa says 'yes!' and they all play kissy-face, pet a goat and jump in a pool fully clothed with Jason's three-year-old boy. Then things get wacky.

After thinking long and hard for about 5 weeks, he decides to change it up Rock-of-Love style and dump Melissa and get back with Molly. Whaaat?! And what better way to break off an engagement to your loving fiance than in front of television cameras. He claims that his feelings have changed since the game show.

I'm guessing that Valentines Day was always hard for Jason growing up. And his five-week relationship to Melissa did shock me. Most 'Bachelor' hookups don't last half that long.

Jason goes down on one knee and crawls on all fours all while crying like a baby. By the end of the show, the only ones engaged were the viewers. Melissa accepts the rose, Jason accepts the blame and Molly accepts the apology. Meanwhile the love-struck suits at ABC live happily ever after. I think I need a shower.