Just forget the words and sing along

Friday, April 30, 2004

Ahh, first day of summer vacation. I spent it by finally watching Spy Kids. It was a pretty cool movie. Kind of like True Lies on acid. I remember reading an interview with writer/director Robert Rodreguiz, and he said that each Spy Kids film is designed as an homage to his favourite films. The first one, obviously, James Bond films. The second one: Ray Harryhausen monster movies. The third and final one: Tron and similar sci-fi films.

Pointless trivia note: the spy agency that the Cortez family works for in the Spy Kids films is the OSS. The OSS was the USA's precursor to the CIA, and saw most of their action during WW2.

Anywho, how did I get my hands on the Spy Kids DVD? It was in my box of Fruit Loops. I tell you, giving away DVDs and CD-ROMs in cereal boxes has to be one of the most brilliant promotions ever devised. I was working in Extra Foods when the the first CD-ROM in cereal giveaway took place, and people were constantly walking out with shopping carts full of cereal. They were obsessed with getting each CD-ROM.

But that's not all. With this current promotion, for only 2 proofs of purchase and $6.99, you can send away for a special DVD case to hold all four of the DVDs they're currently giving away. You can form your own little Kellogg's DVD giveaway boxed set. That's a nifty idea.

I still remember the coolest thing I ever sent away for from the back of a cereal box. About 12 years ago, you could get a mini NHL hockey pennent in Pop Tarts. For only 2 proofs of purchase and $6.99, you could get the whole set AND a board to mount them on. So, I sent away for it. I've still got it kicking around here somewhere. I should put that on eBay and see what I can get for it. Not only is it a highly collectable cereal promo item, it's also sports memorabelia.

Anywho, another thing I did tonight is watch the second-last episode of Friends. Next week, the final episode. After that, the final episode of Frasier. That's what I think is really weird. Because both Friends and Frasier are ending, many are saying that this is the death of the sitcom. I don't think so. They'll shove many crappy sitcoms down our throat for the next few years before it actually dies.

And speaking of crappy TV, I subjected myself to another episode of Striperella tonight. I'll admit, they've begun a running gag in that show that gets me drawn in. Whenever there is a massive crowd scene, sometimes they find a way to work in "Weird Al" Yankovic. The first time I spotted him was at a party thrown by Kid Rock, where he was juggling with a monkey. In tonight's episode, he was sitting in at a conference of super-villains. And he's always shown as most remember him: in his curly haired, bespectacled, mustached glory cirrca 1987.

Next Issue...The Last Day of School

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