Disney - what a brand!

As soon as I landed into Orlando everything that had been on my mind evaporated. I was transported into a fictitious world of craziness; everything was huge, colourful and shiny. I remained in a trance for two weeks and not a single thing would break my reverie.

Although I'm not a lover of contrived settings I loved Disney. It took me back to my childhood and my husband and I played like kids for the entire holiday. It was also refreshing that everything worked, toilet paper was always in the holder and there was free water in all the parks, unlike everywhere else on the planet. The people were incredibly happy despite having to repeat the same script over and over again; I was treated like a true Princess.

The sweet shops were like a Willy Wonka wonderland. Everything was huge and I watched everyone indulging. People were ordering the entire shop whilst I ordered my one chocolate covered strawberry, the size of my head! Still the shop assistant at the till looked at me like an alien and asked disapprovingly, "Is that all?"

Disney was the best adventure I've had in a long time.

Get on your bikes and ride!!

Boris has got one thing right – it’s great that he wants to get Londoners out on bikes. The pay as you go bike system seems to have slowly taken off, but it isn’t actually until you get out of London that you really begin to appreciate being on 2 wheels.

Last weekend I made my maiden voyage on the London to Brighton bike ride. I started with a small dose of trepidation, as everyone had told me about ‘The Green Monster’ and at 54 miles it was a little way further than I had trained for. But soon after starting and seeing unicyclists, long-tail skateboarders, shuffle-boarders, tandems and all manner of fancy dress this soon disappeared.

Being out in the country with the roads to yourself felt incredibly liberating. Passing fields of livestock, seeing cars giving way to you and seeing signs reading ‘Is your bum hurting yet….gel saddle covers 100yards!’ added to the enjoyment.

All in all it was a fantastic event / race / ride / day out, made all the more acceptable that any funds raised, went to a worthy charity.

It’s not for everyone, but even if you only do a few miles at the weekend, getting out on a bike is still one of life’s simple pleasures.

I love a portion of JFK

Most of our parents will remember what they were doing when President John F. Kennedy was shot on that fateful day in 1963. All I know was that it really affected my parents, probably the same way that Lady Diana's death affected me.

With that in mind, I eagerly awaited for the start of the new mini TV series called "The Kennedys", a dramatized record of events that lead up to the terrible event.

I adore historical dramas, so I wasn't let down by this marvellous production.

It's initially centred around the power of John's father Joseph, a man of greed who achieved success through manipulation and money. He thought he could buy everything and everyone, but in doing so built up a folio of enemies ready to revenge.

The series, which has its critics, is beautifully observed photographically, has stunning acting performances including our very own Tim Wilkinson portraying Joseph Kennedy himself (last time I saw him was when he was taking his duds off in "The Full Monty"), and Katie Holmes playing Jackie Kennedy so realistically - it's frightening. This, I believe the result of her herself researching the character in depth.

The production is laced with real history, The Bay of Pigs, the Cuban missile crisis, the civil rights struggle and the mob connection. But amongst all these events, there are other interesting untold stories like the fact the Jackie wanted to divorce prematurely, but was bribed by Joseph not to after offering her $1,000.000 from a trust fund.

All this underpinned with the tension of the imminent and horrific assassination attempt soon to dramatize the world.

Worth watching I'd say.

DON-8r

Do you ever find yourself crossing the road, rumaging in your hand bag or pretending you are talking on the phone in order to avoid that on-the-street charity worker shaking their collection box at you for a donation? We all do it!

Well a 21 year old student from Dundee has invented DON-8r - a rather cute little robot collection box who is powered by the donation you put into him!

There are the obvious downfalls to our little friend of children just filling him with penny's as they make him waddle about, and his little frame, i'm sure people could pick him up and walk away with said donations in tact however - what a fabulous little scheme. I know my usual negetive response to collection boxes was suddenly transformed into playful curiosity when I was approached by DON-8r. I don't think you will ever be able to completely replace charity workers as i'm sure he will need a minder but what a wonderful idea!

Check out DON-8r in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8Db5n2ZN7A&feature=player_embedded

Photos have been downloaded from http://timpryde.com

Sad news from the world of music...........

I read this morning on my way to work that Clarence Clemons passed away at the weekend after suffering a stroke a week ago.

To those who weren't aware and I must admit I am one of them, he was the sax player with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and was a memeber of the band for nearly 40 years.


It was only whilst listening to my fav morning radio show last week that I learnt that he has also played on Lady Gaga's record " The Edge of Reason" and they spoke about Clarence for quite a while and how it was great to hear a sax solo on a song for a change.


Jo, I know, is a rather big fan of this group and would probably do this announcement with far justice and knowledge than I ever could.


R.I.P. Clarence


for those of you who would like to hear Clarence in action on Lady Gaga's song please follow this link curosey of You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeWBS0JBNzQ

What a load of balls

I was all geared up to blog today about something really dire but the day's dire enough already - grey, wet, windy, miserable.

Then, lo, like a fairy godmother something inspirational appeared to brighten my day.

Remember the great Bravia balls campaign? See http://bit.ly/izVDB6 if you need reminding of its genius. Anyway it's been remade to promote Sony as the official partner for HD coverage of Wimbledon.

Ok, so it's not got the same production values as the original and the end's a bit cheesy, but it's a tactical campaign with its tongue firmly in its cheek. I think it's great and it brought a smile to my face on a wet Friday, so do take a look http://bit.ly/kuAcra.

The only thing missing is I think the vocals in the original lifted it to another level and they're not part of the remake - no doubt Jose Gonzalez is now a tad more expensive than he was originally.

Wimbledon starts next week. Now, where's my brolly?

May the 'force' be with you

I am sure that everyone will have seen the VW 'force' ad by now, but it continues to give me a huge grin from ear to ear every time I see it! It reminds me of my son when he was around 6/7 and his role-playing with a black cape I made for him, his favourites were Batman, Skeletor (Masters of the Universe) and of course Darth Vader!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJB3ScpWbg for a smile

Image courtesy Mediaweek, link courtesy Youtube, ad courtesy Deutsch (LA).

FedEx logo

I was amazed to discover that many of my colleagues couldn't actually see the subliminal arrow in the FedEx logo!

When it was pointed out to them, there were shrieks of disbelief as they suddenly discovered it.

Even more interesting is that once they were aware of it, the bigger it became.

For all of you who are still trying to find it, here's a clue!

Falling Down - and getting up laughing

I love a good music video! Video killed the radio star and all that. Well, MTV certainly helped create a new wave in film making, and there are some videos that make you smile, frown, yawn and sometimes even laugh. I’m not a fan of watching band members just dancing around in a line or just mime singing to camera….surely they can be more creative than that? But when you look outside of the realms of boy and girl bands, to something with some edge, you oft find a gem. And it’s a great skill in its own right – Sabotage by the Beastie Boys anyone?

A brilliant film of the 90’s, Falling Down, has just been given the Foo Fighters treatment. It’s actually a pretty accurate rip-off of Michael Douglas’s character, William Foster suffering a memorable mental breakdown spurred on by the ills of a decaying society – only funny. Attention to detail is key with these parodies, and the horn-rimmed glasses, short sleeved shirt and striped tie all fit perfectly on D.Grohl esq – as does the detail in the opening traffic-jam sequence focussing on bumper stickers and the virtual pressure cooker you feel building up inside the car.

If you’ve seen the film, this video will remind you of it, only perhaps from a funnier perspective.

If you haven’t seen it, try it – but don’t expect a barrel of laughs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PkcfQtibmU

How well do you know the Woodies?

Over an account management team lunch yesterday we learnt some interesting facts about our fellow Woodies.
Can you tell which Woodie each statement belongs too?

Woody 1 was a Prima Ballerina...

Woody 2 can blink as fast as a humming bird (it's not a scientific fact!)...

Woody 3 has an ancestor who was mates with Samuel Pepys...

Woody 4 has worn a £20k Gucci dress but wasn't allowed to keep it...

Woody 5 will never mix Cointreau and cigars again...

The best things in life are simple

Yes I know it's yet another picture of a van, but I just couldn't resist it (and I'm not moving or driving in case you're thinking I'm committing a major driving offence!)

I have always thought the best logos are powered

by an idea.Take the Fed Ex logo for example. Maybe a little subliminal, but just so simple how the contours of the E and the x form an arrow, which of course is relevant to the service itself. Brilliant.

And not on such grand and international scale but just as impressive, take the logo featured on the van. No overworked and complicated typography, drop shadows or colour palettes, just a one colour logo with a big idea that is relevant to the product. And so simple. And simple to print.

Both photographs by D Wilson

Isn't it funny what some teenagers think are 'dire' whilst to others it 'inspires'

My daughters and their friends never cease to make me chuckle.

Take last weekend we were all watching 'Britain's Got Talent' which is more like 'I think we've come to the end of the road talent' and we were chatting about the super cool dancer 'Steven Hall' and would they be embarressed or impressed if their Mum or Dad danced and lip-synced like him. They thought that was highly hilarious as they can't bear to see their good 'old' mum dance but said it would be really cool if their Nan or Grandad could strutt their stuff on the dancefloor like him!!

The following day we went to see the new X-men film and took one of their friends with us as she really wanted to see it as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the film (even better, I managed to stay awake all of the way through it!!). When we got back in the car the friend announced she'd forgotten to see if her Dad's name was listed on the credits! "Sorry" we all chorused "your Dad had something to do with the film?" "oh yes" she replied "he just does the animation/special effects and you know the new Andrex adverts, he helped on that as well, he's done loads of other stuff as well" she added. My daughter's were really impressed but the friend didn't seem too bothered she was more embarressed that he'd helped on a toilet paper advert.............

Now I'm thinking back to when I was a teenager and cringed as I think about how I felt about the things that my Mum and Dad did, be it their work or how they danced. Still I've got my Sister's 40th birthday party this coming weekend I wonder how the girls are going to react when I start dancing next to them...............Should it be "Mum" dancing or should I start practising my "Steven Hall" routine?????

Picture courtesy of itv.com/bgt2011

Cow hoof & ankle soup and Behavioural Economics

This post is a rare combination of something that has inspired me at the same time as being dire. You’ll catch my drift in a moment.

I was reading the magazine in last Saturday’s Times. It was a food special and contained an article from a food journo talking about his worst ever meal.

It turns out that the Armenia is renowned for its shocking cuisine, amongst the most heinous dishes is, wait for it ‘cow ankle, hoof and brain soup’. Hope you’re not eating your lunch as here comes the recipe - Strip the hair off each ankle and pop the ankle/hoof combos into a pot with one lovely fresh cow brain. Simply simmer for 36 hours, scrape off the fatty floating deposit and voila delish. Serve with lashings of vodka with a side order of garlic.

A meal fit for a king – non?

Well yes, absolutely, and now here comes the ‘inspire’ bit. The whole popularity of Khash as it’s called, is due to what BE calls ‘scarcity value’ The whole reason it became so popular in the first place was due to the king of Armenia seeing his servant’s children looking healthy and asked him what they ate. The servant replied it was Khash and so the king, thinking it was this that would do the trick began to eat it himself (and who indeed wouldn’t imagine the health benefits galore to be enjoyed through the consumption of cow hoof?) Once the peasants got wind of it (and I can only image the wind one might get post Khash) it suddenly became super popular. So there you have it, BE applied to Calf hoof and ankle soup.

Image © 2005-10 MrC