I should stay home with Carl more often, if stuff like this is what I can expect in the mail on those days:

And particularly when it’s personalized:

All right, all you readers out there who have a passion for brew. I’m working on a project at school where we are–TA DA–promoting the whole damn category of beer.

The slight catch is that those silly beer brewers have already launched a campaign (you may have seen the “cheers” commercial during the Super Bowl), but we need to tell them whether or not it is a good idea.

So, in the name of good market research, take a few moments to check out Here’s To Beer, the campaign website, and tell me what you think. Is this information that is useful to you? What do you think?

To many, Super Bowl Sunday is a celebrated athletic contest. To those of us studying marketing, it’s a case study in progress. (In fact, today, we trudged through a short, one-hour midterm and were rewarded in the second hour of class with a screening of several brand-spanking new beer commercials to be aired during the big competition.) It’s funny, in the ad world, they talk about who “wins” the Super Bowl–which one big commercial strikes a chord? USA Today and the Wall Street Journal both have polls that crowns a winner.

**Spoiler alert!** I don’t know if the beer commercials I saw will win, but at least two were pretty funny. One involved an office full beer hidden like Easter eggs, and the mayhem that would ensue; another showed two roommates who came up with a way to hide the refrigerator stocked with beer–a revolving wall that unfortunately, revolved into the neighbor’s apartment.

Anyway, watch the game for the commercials. And if you’re interested in seeing what some of my schooling is like, my professor will be on the NBC Nightly News this evening!

OK, seriously, I usually like the Washington Post. They provide good, in-depth coverage of all goings-on inside the Beltway. But
this?!? I must say I’m wondering about the editors…

Do we really need to know the role astrological sign plays in political decisions?

If, like me, you enjoy watching the childish taunting and catfighthissyfits of cable network talking heads, then you, like me, will enjoy this video clip of MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann in an apparently on-air dressing down of Fox News pundit Bill O’Reilly.

It’s a train wreck, yes, but it’s a HILARIOUS train wreck.

(Quicktime required, but OH SO WORTH IT)

RE: the State of the Union last night (if you missed it, don’t worry, you didn’t miss much), my reaction pretty much echoed Wonkette’s, particularly where it concerned “human-animal hybrids“.

Seriously. Where the hell did that come from?

You all know I love this time of year. “Highlight” nominees:

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Philip Seymour Hoffman – CAPOTE
Terrence Howard – HUSTLE & FLOW
Heath Ledger – BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Joaquin Phoenix – WALK THE LINE
David Strathairn – GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.

## Have seen WALK THE LINE, and Phoenix is good but not outstanding. Really need to see GOOD NIGHT and CAPOTE.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
George Clooney – SYRIANA
Matt Dillon – CRASH
Paul Giamatti – CINDERELLA MAN
Jake Gyllenhaal – BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
William Hurt – A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

## Haven’t seen any of these. Would be nice to see Matt Dillon pick this one up.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Judi Dench – MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
Felicity Huffman – TRANSAMERICA
Keira Knightley – PRIDE & PREJUDICE
Charlize Theron – NORTH COUNTRY
Reese Witherspoon – WALK THE LINE

## Witherspoon is good in WALK THE LINE, but based only on reviews, my guess is this goes to Huffman for TRANSAMERICA.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams – JUNEBUG
Catherine Keener – CAPOTE
Frances McDormand – NORTH COUNTRY
Rachel Weisz – THE CONSTANT GARDENER
Michelle Williams – BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
CRASH
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
MUNICH

## Spielberg versus Clooney! Worlds collide!

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
CRASH
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
MUNICH

## Wow, so, I’ve got my work cut out for me before March 5. Casey! You want to go to the movies…?