A CHRISTMAS STORY AD SPIN-OFFS --CASHING IN WITH A LEGEND

A CHRISTMAS STORY....is a story of spin-offs this holiday season...by Joyce Schwarz, blogging at www.hollywood2020.blogs.com. Is it Sacrilege or is it Satisfying to see these spin-offs....according to notes and comments on Youtube.com and reception from the press...the crowd seems to be giving more kudos than pans to these commercializations of the 1983 film.

NOTE....we at Hollywood2020.blogs.com would never trust that all of the comments at Youtube.com are real-- we think that they are reel too...made up by the ad agencies and fans of the video that is being promo'd...but who knows? It's all virtual online isn't it?

See our previous blogs about the film, trivia and the restoration of the house that was used as the outside view in filming in Cleveland, Ohio --on the mythical "CLEVELAND STREET".

A big reason for the popularity of A CHRISTMAS STORY is the annual marathon showing by the TBS cable network, which starts each Christmas Eve; in 24 hours, the movie is shown a dozen times in a row. THE NEW YORK TIMES describes Cingular's new commercial by saying:  Cingular Wireless by the Atlanta office of BBDO Worldwide, part of the Omnicom Group, recreates the central narrative of the film in 30 seconds, replacing the BB gun that Ralphie desires with a cellphone. YOU'LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT....YOU"LL RUN UP THE BILL... Adults in the movie insist to Ralphie “You’ll shoot your eye out.” In the commercial, the refrain becomes, “You’ll run the bill up.” A happy ending ensues when Ralphie’s parents buy him a prepaid Cingular cellphone, the GoPhone. POP CULTURE AND ADVERTISING...advertising and entertainment -- winning duos? Truly, the commercials and other ads featuring A CHRISTMAS STORY...show how advertising and pop culture are intertwined or maybe even how advertising and entertainment are increasingly complementary -- and one steals from another-- or licenses as it may be, because of course Cingular did have the permissions from Time Warner. Trends in popular culture...some blame it to the dumbing down of society....of the cult followings of a few...or of fads...popular culture is but one window to our world...But it sure provides plenty of talk around the water fountain (if one still exists at your company) or in our time the fodder for viral videos. Being out of sync with popular culture seems to have more impact than being politically incorrect...because the new popular culture in modern societies IS often politically incorrect. I know that when I lived in Hawaii, my tidbits of popular culture were always a bit ahead of my crowd at work and socially....I was 'too mainland'....now with 24/7 satellite (back then Johnny Carson arrived via tape a day late) and the Internet...it's hard for anyone not to know what's hot or what's not...and of course who Paris HIlton is or isn't...fascinating.... I always wonder when I look back on the 'movie stars' or starlets of the 20's or 30's or even 40's and 50's and wonder where are they now...who were those famous or infamous men and women...will Paris Hilton just be a twinkle in the past 20 years from now...who knows ...and who cares (besides Paris of course)... .but then along comes a re-rerun or encore presentation as they are now called of BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY's on Christmas Day...and I too wish I could find a real-life place that makes me feel like Tiffany's...oops maybe I do as I look out on the twinkling holiday lights just brightening Marina Del Rey, California....GO FIGURE!.....whatever floats your boat-- hmm where is that slang dictionary when I need it...