So maybe Peggy Olson didn't hit a homerun with her Bean Ballet idea for Heinz in last night's premiere of Mad Men, but in comparison to the real commercials airing in 1966, was it really that bad? Check out commercials that aired that year below, including many for food products, and one for Heinz Beans—Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce's potential client. more ›

Last year, the Volkswagen Vader ad was declared the most entertaining non-football part of the Super Bowl, and it was well deserved: a Star Wars-obsessed kid is gonna be more entertaining than a Black Eyed Peas halftime show 11 out of 10 times. But how can they follow up such a masterpiece? We already knew from their teaser that the scientists at Volkswagon were up to something involving Star Wars and dogs. But have they taken things too far to achieve the ultimate level of synergetic viral cuteness? Watch below and decide. more ›

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney wants to win the Iowa caucus. He's been trying to relate to voters with awkward small talk but apparently a multi-millionaire management (ahem, "restructuring") consultant former governor of Massachusetts who thinks corporations are people is really desperate to strike a chord. Because yesterday he promised to put commercials on public broadcasting stations—and specifically called out Sesame Street. more ›

Much to the chagrin of science nerds across the country, PBS has announced that they will be adding commercial breaks to their programming this fall, starting with Nature and Nova. So much for your uninterrupted viewing pleasure. more ›

One year ago today we wrote about protesters calling for the retirement of McDonald's mascot Ronald McDonald. And, for a while, he did seem to be less omnipresent. But that was then. The hamburger-pushing clown is back in a new set of McDonald's ads starting to air next week and now he wants to make some home movies for your kids. Naturally, some parents groups that were already concerned about obese American children are not amused. more ›

We understand why Super Bowl commercials are such a big deal/big business for advertisers, especially in this age of TIVO, DVR and Netflix; what we do get is when did Super Bowl commercials become their own freakishly well-oiled medium? Last year, a Snickers commercial featuring Betty White shot her back into stardom and made her the feel-good story of the year. Now this year, we get previews (some teasers, some full spots) of the commercials, and some websites are even live-blogging the ads on Sunday! Ad aficionados can check out the teasers here, and (spoiler alert!) see the schedule for their airings here. If that doesn't satiate you, you can also see a gallery of the "greatest" Super Bowl commercials here. more ›

Your $2.25 subway fare now comes with an added bonus: baseball highlights to help take your mind off of your neighbor's fingernail clipping. Today the MTA rolled out the first ever video commercial inside the Times Square shuttle. Forget reading a book or playing BrickBreaker; now you can watch replays of the previous night’s "exciting post-season action," brought to you by TBS and Major League Baseball! more ›

So, how 'bout those commercials? USA Today has a ranking of all the Super Bowl ads, which places the Snickers commercial featuring Betty White in the #1 slot. A bit further down, that car commercial that's narrated by Michael C. Hall, has Noah Kalina staring into a camera again and lets women across America know their husbands f*cking HATE THEM and just want to drive their Dodges, baby... placed #23; the Simpsons shilling for Coca-Cola comes in at #30; and the Christian group's (actually not all that controversial) anti-abortion commercial placed #54. You can watch all 63 commercials there, or at CBS. more ›

An animal near and dear to the Gothamist heart has been embroiled in a Super Bowl controversy! This year's wardrobe malfunction is now the debate over an animated ad from SalesGenie.com that features pandas. more ›

Now that the focus is on the many state primaries held on next Tuesday, February 5, the political campaigns are spending money on advertising in those states. Which means we get to see those ads in here in New York, as many delegates are up for grabs. We haven't seen any ads from the Republican candidates (perhaps realizing spending ad money in blue-city NYC is an expensive and not very cost-effective solution) yet but we have seen ads from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. more ›

"Broadway Joe" Namath (who's now hitting AARP-age) will be larger than life when his life story hits sacks the big screen. Starring as the Hall of Fame quarterback (and ladies man) will be none other than Jake Gyllenhaal, who will likely only have to do a touch of bulking up for the role.While other quarterbacks racked up bigger lifetime stats, Namath became the first football player to achieve rock-star status. The pic will tell the... more ›

EVENT: White Castle is sponsoring an "over the top" (heh) event today at Port Authority...it's the 30th Annual White Castle Empire State Golden Arm Tournament of Champions. Over 100 ladies and gents will face off to become the arm wrestling champ! The event starts at 12:30 and the finals begin at 3:30pm. More info here. 12:30 and 3:30pm // Port Authority Bus Terminal [North Wing/Main Concourse at 625 8th Ave] // Free MUSIC: The Scotland... more ›

Pitchfork-approved blog darlings Tokyo Police Club have spent the last year and change transitioning from flavor of the month boy band to reputable musicians with an enviable knack for short, hook-happy hits. On Thursday night these clever Canucks will have the chance to further extend their fan base when they perform at the “Woodie” Awards; they’re nominated for a “Breaking Woodie”. Broadcast on the 24-hour college network mtvU, the award show will feature performances by... more ›

Musical theater star and lounge singer extraordinaire Robert Goulet died yesterday of pulmonary fibrosis while awaiting a lung transplant in an L.A. hospital; he was 73. more ›

Earlier this year the National Park Service ended Circle Line's contract to run their ferry service between lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (Hornblower will take over in October). Below you can check out some old footage of what their 3-hour boat tour had in store back in the day (with old-timey commercials played over the footage). more ›

It was reported last week that the 71 year-old Hartsdale, Westchester Carvel -- the very first outpost of the ice cream shop -- will likely be demolished at the end of next summer to make room for businesses that presumably make more money. Yes, the 68% milkfat solid, sidereal softy known as Cookie Puss is crying tiny crunchy tears as we speak; Flying Saucers are slowing down for their final approach. While the building’s current location is the site of the original Carvel store, the fact that it has been renovated over the years to look more retro apparently complicates bids for historic preservation. Tom Carvel, the chain’s gravelly voiced founder who also used to narrate its television commercials (vintage WPIX, anyone?) once lived with his wife Agnes in quarters behind the shop. more ›

Maine improved to 11-4 Tuesday with seven solid innings of pitching and a home run while batting. Lastings Milledge went 3-for-3 with a home run as well and every Met except David Wright had a hit. (Maybe Wright was tired from filming commercials?) more ›

Animal rights protesters held a rally outside the National Football League's Park Avenue headquarters yesterday to ask for quarterback Michael Vick's suspension from the league. Earlier, the Atlanta Falcons star was indicted on federal felony charges for dogfighting. Here's what the Department of Justice's press release (PDF) said:

According to the indictment, the defendants were involved in an ongoing animal fighting venture based out of a property located in Smithfield, Virginia, from early 2001 through on or about April 25, 2007. The property was purchased by Vick in June 2001. Since that time, the named defendants formed a dog fighting enterprise known as “Bad Newz Kennels” and used the property for housing and training pit bulls used in dog fights. From at least 2002, the defendants and others sponsored dog fights at the property, where participants and dogs traveled from South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, Texas, Alabama, and other states to participate. Generally, only those accompanying the opposing kennels and “Bad Newz Kennels’” associates attended the fights. more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week: more ›

It appears that the iPhone day incident between a television news producer and a charity mascot seems to be more than that it appears. The mascot, from a group that calls itself Hungrr was involved in a verbal altercation with the producer and was then asked to move along by the police. Watch the video for yourself, here. more ›

This morning, starting at 6:00 a.m. WABC radio (770 AM) is tossing out its right-leaning talk format for WABC Rewound - twelve hours in favor of how it sounded in its music radio top 40 glory days of the 1960s and 1970s for the eighth straight year. We always loved the retro sound, even though we weren’t around to hear it when it was new, so we definitely will enjoy hearing how radio sounded back when mono AM radio was king – complete with jingles, news, and commercials. more ›

The $80,000 will go toward educating the public about possible side effects of pesticide spraying, and creating alternative ways of keeping insect-borne diseases at bay. The money will be split between the five nonprofit environmental groups that filed a federal lawsuit in 2000 to stop the city from spraying malathion. more ›

Governor Eliot Spitzer has reached the 100-day mark of his term as New York's highest official - now, just about 1360 more to go! His biggest battle thus far has been getting a budget passed (the final budget was a couple billion more than what he proposed and many deals were made secretly, but it was only a few hours late) while one of the most vocal fights has been the televised war of the words between the hospitals union and Spitzer over the hospital closings. Naturally, Spitzer is pretty pleased with himself, as he tells the Post:

My reflection on the first three months and as we move into the first 100 days is that we've accomplished virtually the entire agenda we set out to accomplish in this time frame. We've made significant steps forward on a range of issues that were tough and will bare fruit. There's much work to be done in the context of both government reform, energy...and interests not addressed in the budget such as a judicial [pay raise] agenda."

A look at some noteworthy television this week:
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Perhaps you've seen the Kleenex commercials where an actor playing a therapist sits with a red couch in a busy public space, ready for people to share their thoughts and feelings - and maybe have a good cry. Well, the Kleenex "Let It Out" campaign was in Times Square over the weekend, where cameras were rolling for passers-by to add their experiences to the reel. Until Greenpeace came in. more ›

Superbowl MVP, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is set to host Saturday Night Live tomorrow. Saying, "The only thing I've done live is play football, and that's the best thing I do. I've told everyone those commercials are very taped and very edited, but being live is kind of like a game." more ›

DANCE: A little while ago we told you about Matthew Bourne's adaptation of Tim Burton’s cult classic Edward Scissorhands into a dance performance. Scissors...dancing...sure, why not? The show opens tonight, and from what we've seen on the commercials that have been running - seems to capture the essence of the movie. more ›

Apparently, sexy Hollywood beefcake is what Columbia College is trying to promote at its Class Day this year! Last year, father-of-fellow-Columbia College-student Senator John McCain spoke, to wide protest. This year, Columbia College has selected Matthew Fox, star of Lost, to be the main speaker. more ›

Is it just Gothamist or does anyone else wish they were selected for jury duty at the United State District Court in Manhattan after reading the NY Times story about dodgeball movie dreams and theft. Judge Shira Scheindlin, the same judge who presided over the most recent John Gotti Jr. trial, ruled that a lawsuit from David Price, a national amateur dodgeball champion, and his writing partner Ashoka Thomas against the makers of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story could go forward. more ›