On one hand we get told how we are becoming an ever more unshockable society, desensitised by ever increased violence, sex, drugs (and of course rock n roll) in the media around us. Yet 2007 experienced the highest ever number of advert complaints (a total of 14,080) according to ASA.

Coming out top was the Department of Health with their “Get unhooked” advert aimed at getting people to quit smoking, which prompted 774 complaints. Running on TV, press, internet and posters the campaign was unmissable, and certainly seemed to create a stir! Those who complained said the adverts were offensive, frightening and distressing. Don’t worry – you won’t be chased by a real fishing hook piercing your cheek! They just want you to drop the cancer stick! I have to admit it made me shudder and feel uncomfortable, but then don’t we need more shocking tactics like this when it comes to changing people’s perceptions and behaviour on topics like this?

On a lighter (and rounder) note, the 10th most complained about advert was awarded to the Sun for their bus T-side campaign, with page 3 girl Keeley promoting the new 20p cost of the paper. I actually worked at CBS outdoor at the time, who surprisingly have a rather stringent copy approval process. The 10p pieces were originally considerably smaller when copy was first submitted… these complainers should be grateful that there are these measures in place – I’m sure the original nipple-clad buses would have ranked this ad higher in the complaints chart!

So after finishing a punishing 4 year evening psychology course last summer I have been feeling at a bit of a loose end – what else is free time for but to study!? Bearing this in mind my thoughts have lately turned to learning a language. I hate the fact that I can’t get much futher than ordering a glass of wine in European countries and to expand my horizons I decided to learn Espanol.

I was toying with expensive courses and online learning programmes when I happened to come across the perfect tool from one of our very own lovely clients Ubisoft!  My Spanish coach is a game for the Nintendo DS which allows you to learn at your own pace and on the move. Its bite size lessons are perfect as instead of having 20 mins dead  time on the tube each way time I can brush up  my language skills. And next time I head off to Spain I may be able to venture out of the bar (maybe)!

I have to admit I was a little slow on the uptake, having only watched the first series a month ago on loan from Mr. Fineman. I also didn’t actually realise the second helping of superhero excitement was just around the corner until Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli) was on Chris Moyles’ breakfast show this morning. Thank god it wasn’t too late! My only concern is how I’m going to cope with just one dose a week. Shows like Heroes, (and 24) are best watched by boxsets, when you are involuntarily compelled to get through at least 3-4 episodes in a row. And that’s on a light night. I guess I’ll just have to contain my excitement.

This may be controversial, but did anyone else find the last episode a bit dissatisfying after such a great build up? Although inevitably they left enough cliffhangers to carry our curiosity over to the new series. What happens to Hiro? Will Sylar come back somehow? What about Peter and Nathan? Well, as Chris Moyles pointed out this morning, it’s a bit of a giveaway that Milo is talking about filming the new series. More Peter Petrelli is fine by me! I just really hope it doesn’t turn into another Lost  that spirals into a rambling, unresolved mess of twists and milked plots.

Either way I’ll be watching. Season 2 starts this Thursday (24th April) on BBC2 at 9pm.

HIRO!!!!

In the early hours of Sunday morning Joe Calzaghe defeated Bernard Hopkins in a win that possibly ranks him as the greatest British boxer of all time.

In determining this claim we could examine the rather impressive stats of Calzaghe’s undefeated 15 year career… 11 years as WBO super middleweight champion (after defeating Chris Eubank in October 1997), 45 fights, 45 wins, 32 by way of Knock-Out (KO), Current WBO, WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine super middleweight champion and Ring Magazine light heavyweight champion after defeating Hopkins.

What the stats can’t show you is the heart and desire of the man. On Saturday night Calzaghe did not get off to a good start. Hopkins knocked him down with a right hand in the first round and began to get the better of Calzaghe on the inside. As the rounds went on, Calzaghe began to find his rhythm by landing combinations at close range. Hopkins’ key weapon was his right hand, but after a few rounds Calzaghe could see the right hands coming and blocked the shots with his glove. According to CompuBox, Calzaghe landed more punches on Hopkins than any of his previous opponents. In the end, judges Chuck Giampa (116-111) and Ted Gimza (115-112) scored the fight for Calzaghe, while judge Adalaide Byrd (114-113) scored the fight for Hopkins.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Calzaghe – cite_note-11 Following his victory, Calzaghe said, “I knew this wouldn’t look pretty tonight. He’s so awkward. He gave me some good shots. It wasn’t my best night, but I won the fight. The world title in a second division and a win in America is just icing on the cake for my career.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Calzaghe – cite_note-12
To defeat an American, in America, with an American referee, three American judges, a partisan American crowd cheering on your opponent and after being knocked down in the 1st round is no mean feat. Though, with Calzaghe’s ability and record, should we be surprised? Or should we bow down and declare him the greatest British boxer of all time? I vote the latter…

The music scene doesn’t just start and stop in London. Whilst V festival has an off shoot up north (somewhere), most of the festivals still tend to be found relatively close to London. Obviously so a bunch of horrific sloanes can have a ‘festival experience’ and complain at high volume about the mud/people/the dust/warm booze (delete as applicable). Stay at home and watch it on BBC3 instead, please!

Anyway in Scotland they tend to get on and do there own thing and have the excellent T in the Park and also a less well known affair called Triptych which has showcased some of the worlds best alternative, creative and avant garde music which sadly comes to an end this year.

Out with the old, in with the new though as Tennent’s, the festivals organisers, have hit upon replacing it with Tennent’s Mutual which will take place in Oct and Nov 2008.

So far fairly so what. That is until you learn what makes Tennent’s Mutual something really quite interesting, it allows everyday people to be involved with putting on the festival. You have to sign up before 30th June, and starts with a start up fund of £150,000, and members then can vote, nominate, debate who the acts should be, which venues & decide ticket prices!

Will be interesting to see how the event gains momentum but with something that brings the passion out in everyone it can’t fail to be a success I think and really harnesses the community aspect of the internet as well as truly democratising it

Could initiatives like this be the start of the next facebook or myspace?

http://www.tennentsmutual.com/

Mmmm… chocolate. One of my favourite things on the planet. So I couldn’t help noticing Cadbury in Media Week’s brand barometer, following the most recent “glass-and-a-half production”. The new ad broke on 30th March, days after Terminal 5 opened its doors. I have to admit the first time I saw it I did think it was an attempt by BA to make the chaos seem more appealing, making light of losing luggage by blaming it on those cheeky trucks running riot after hours. Bad timing indeed. But how did “Trucks” fair against it’s precursor? According to BrandIndex, while our old friend Gorilla Collins pushed Cadbury’s “buzz” up 5 points, the racing airport vehicles have not managed to keep up the buzz-mentum, (two points down since the ad debuted). Oh dear. Maybe this chocolate factory is getting a bit too willy-wonky for their own good! Whatever happened to the old self-indulgent, tongue flicking, mmm-I’m-making-love-to-my-chocolate kind of ads, a la Flake? Oh yeah, they’re back. Except with the obscenely irritating Joss Stone. Mind you, at least the new Flake ad makes me want to eat chocolate, although not in the direct way I imagine they hoped. Rather, I’m so wound up with annoyance but that idiot prancing around on my TV that I crave a hit of cocoa to curb the anger! If you ask me, Aero have the right idea in getting girls to drool over a chocolate ad – put the confectionary in front of a half naked Smith from Sex and the City. Mmmm indeed!

After bouncing balls, exploding paint, plasticine rabbits now it’s foam. Exactly what this has got to do with cameras and camcorders is pretty much anyone;s guess but it looks like someone had a lot of fun filling a few square blocks of miami with foam and letting it all float about a bit.

Guess it’s not something you see eveyday so probably worth a picture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpP_BlSDBgc

Is it wrong to vote for the next Mayor of our great capital based on the fact that they are rather amusing on ‘Have I Got News For You?’

That’s pretty much my justification at present for voting for Boris come May the 1st. I know little of each candidates respective manifestos but am drawn to Boris as he is the one Tory I can actually stomach. Fair play to Red Ken, he has done a pretty good job so far and London is at present apparently ‘thriving’, however I think its time to freshen things up, especially after you watch this……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWIUp19bBoA&feature=related

Tobermory calling 911, Womble Tomsk asking ‘what’s going down in the hood?’ If this seems almost like treason to you then PACT are doing the job with their new clip intended to highlight how British Kids TV is under threat.

British cult classic, The Wombles has been given an American makeover to highlight the need to invest in British children’s TV as just 1% of all new programmes are made in the UK.  Check out the clip at http://www.britishkidstv.com/ and then register your views on the petition!

There’s not much I have to watch on telly these days but the Apprentice is lighting up my Wednesday evenings.  This series looks set to be a corker with Siralan at his pantomime best and the best comedy duo on TV bar none, Nick ‘n Margaret, withering for England.  It’s scandalously biased but the editing is fabulous and also manages to make London look like the best city in the world.

Standout characters so far are Raef (and his hair) and the unbelievably awful Jenny, who should have been sacked last week but wasn’t because she’ll make good TV.  From what we’ve seen so far, they’re all pretty useless, but my money’s on someone from the school of hard knocks winning this year after Sir Alan picked posh last time round.  Blardy marvellous.