Monday, May 28, 2007

Natural Erotica

I think these are the most beautiful sights any straight man can have, don't you agree?

MC Miker G and DJ Sven - Holiday Rap

The original white rappers?

Friday, May 25, 2007

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

You Wish

My heart goes to all the mourning Reds fans out there. But without the halo effect of the Vato Theorem to back them up like in '05, did you actually think they had a chance?

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Heinz TV/C

Justice - D.A.N.C.E

Lucky Number 19

We threw him a helluva bash, and now he's lucky number nineteen here, representing Indonesia by himself.

Blank

An entry in this year's Jawa Pos AdFest Student Competition. No idea what the concept is, I just like the cat.

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Suitable for Humans

Humankind always has a soft spot for sleek cars (hence our willingness to patiently wait for the Transformers movie). Well, at least that was the whole notion behind this Publicis-made Renault's latest commercial, in which a giant uses the car to catch his food (via Adrants).

Coincidentally (or not), Toyota sort of thought of it before, as shown in this one Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia-made commercial. Hmm.

Europeans should watch out for Asians, I guess.

C'est Magnifique

First, there's this French dude who was collecting human sperm for his art project. Come again? (Pun intended.)

Now, Paris is exporting dog shits! No, not that Paris. And definitely not Tinkerbell's. (via AdScam)

Attention New Biz People!

"Basically, you are a pimp,"

Monday, May 21, 2007

2005

Okay, so much for my prophecy. But 2007 is very much like 2005 now, with that Liverpool versus AC Milan rematch in Champions League this week.

Anyone's betting on Spurs versus Pistons in June?

Friday, May 18, 2007

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Most Questionable

Dirk got voted as MVP. His team bombed in the first round. Maybe D-Wade was right all along.

1997



Who's with me in predicting that it's going to be Jazz versus Bulls all over again?

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Better Shared Than Stolen

Leo Burnett Milan bagged the 2007 Grand Clio for TV/Cinema for its Ariston TV/C last week, whose execution somehow I find alarmingly similar to a storyline for Honda CR-V conceived back in 2005 by my former hotshot Creative team, Irwan Fakhruddin (Octocomm Asia) and Freiza Respatiyanto (Matari), during our tenure in our former office, ahem, Leo Burnett Jakarta. The difference is, ours has never been executed, yet.

Therefore, since it is very unlikely that the storyline will ever see the light of day again (because we no longer work for the Honda account, none of us still works at Leo Burnett Jakarta, and even the Honda account is no longer with Leo Burnett Jakarta), not to mention that comparisons to that award-winning Ariston commercial will drown us alive should it get produced and aired, we choose to share it with all of you right here, right now. (Mamen, I believe you’d allow me to do this.)

At least, if indeed it got produced somehow, or should someone somewhere come up with similar idea and execute his/her version, the eternal argument of Been Done will have a chronological explanation attached to it.

Am not saying that we thought of this kind of execution before the Milanese guys did, because for that I’d argue that Great Minds Think Alike ha ha. Or probably it’s simply a Burnetter thing. At the end of the day, they got it produced, we didn't.

Client: PT Honda Prospect Motor

Product: New Honda CR-V (thematic 2006 campaign)

Objective: position New Honda CR-V as the perfect SUV for urban life rather than for the great outdoors which all the others claimed to be.

Proposition: The great outdoors is actually in.

Title: Urban Jungle

Description:
One sunny morning we see the New Honda CR-V leaves a house which is actually a cave, crawling thru the slow but chaotic traffic of a sprawling metropolitan jungle. Even though the vehicle is surrounded by concrete, steel, rubber and asphalt during its commute, slowly we begin to see a pattern and resemblances in everything around it. Dump trucks lining up slowly crossing an intersection like a small family of pachyderm, a fleet of motorcycles zigzagging across lanes indifferent to gazelles, yellow taxis tailgating on Vespas like cheetahs pouncing on hapless calves, humans acting akin to chimpanzees frantically trying to hail the microbuses which are just like their wildebeest. And there are the telephone poles and the traffic lights sprouting everywhere alike to trunks of the densest forest in Borneo, amidst the high rises of office buildings, plunging entrances of subway stations and underpasses similar to its hills and steep valleys. A huge airplane silently passing by way up in the sky, not unlike an eagle stalking its prey from above, while news choppers buzzing like dragonflies just over our huge concrete garden. The more we observe it, the more we realize that actually the jungle is already around us, and it started the moment we left the calmness of our driveway. Just outside the comfort of the cabin of New Honda CR-V.

All this, over the soothing tune of Telepopmusik’s Breathe.

Directed by Frank Budgen (I wish).

But now that Ariston had beaten this type of execution to the award shows, there goes our dream of a Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix. So if anyone out there would love to produce this storyline and post it on YouTube, please do so (how can we resist the power of the Consumer Generated Anything). Also if any advertising agency out there would like to borrow this idea and produce this storyline, we’re fine with Joe Pytka, Traktor or Michel Gondry (if Mr. Budgen is unavailable). Just make sure that you’d fly the three of us for the shoot (plus per diems). We promise we’d be very quiet on the set the whole time.

The idea is still a crap to some people anyway.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Recycled Strategy

Agency: Leo Burnett, Indonesia (circa October 2002).

The visuals are self explanatory. Either someone's campaign didn't leave enough impact, or someone else's AE forgot to prepare his/her Competitor Analysis properly.

Agency: BBDO, Indonesia (circa October 2005).

Ariston TV/C

Grand Clio 2007.

Leadership Issues

Even though D-Wade shouldn't have dissed Dirk, bottom line is the white boy choked. Big time. In the first round. To the, gulp, Warriors.

Neither of these guys are still in the Playoffs though, simply because the 90s doesn't recognize their teams. Come again?

Yes, we're in the 90s now.

How to Get Aligned to a Much Better Post in a Reshuffle

Last week, SBY announced his new line-up for the Cabinet (just in time for the Playoffs, no?). Two familiar names recently under massive public criticism (and calls for resignation) persistently resurfaced in somewhat better positions, namely Hatta Rajasa of the travel disasters fame and Sofyan Djalil of the infamous Gates-gate (d’oh) and his planned NEWSdotCOM lawsuit. Surprised? Not if you’re an Indonesian. We’re very used to such twisted logic.

Mr. Rajasa was assigned to the post of State Secretary, most likely an executive decision that might be traced back to the high body count he amassed during his tenure as Minister of Transportation (especially in Q1 Y2007) which rivaled all three RoboCop movies and Braveheart combined. Just imagine the number of fatalities and bad luck he’d bring to the table which, statistically at least, should be enough to rinse the Indonesian government from its corrupt officials and start it anew with a squeaky clean slate. Yeah, right.

While Mr. Djalil was assigned to the post of State Minister for State-Owned Enterprises, probably as a result from the pact he previously made with the Devil himself during his stint as Information and Communication Minister (even though the mischievous plan was botched). State-Owned Enterprises and Windows Vista Enterprise? Hmm, the plot thickens. “If at first you don’t succeed,” well, we all know how it goes. Did Mr. Djalil really sell his soul? We still couldn’t believe that the Devil would’ve cut a bargain deal like this one, though.

Now you know how to move up the ranks quickly, if you’re an Indonesian bureaucrat. As long as you survived IPDN first.

3 Years Wait

And to think that I’ve waited three years for this shit.

Forget the hours of waiting in front of the ticket booth, caught up in the deafening shrieks of hyperactive teenyboppers (my very own daughter included) all too eager to watch this must-see “grown-up” movie which every single one of their peers has seen on the very first screening since his/her mom had pre-booked the ticket from April. Am talking about the three years wait which started exactly from the moment I got my lazy ass up from my seat at the end of the second movie, with a craving feeling that I believed can only be fulfilled by the third installment of this beautiful saga.

Even though consistently cursing the highly kept secret production notes which “accidentally” kept on leaking out and toyed with my curiosity, I applauded the selection of Thomas Haden Church and Bryce Dallas Howard yet questioned the appointment of Topher Grace. Church could’ve played either Sandman or Eddie Brock/Venom perfectly (as it was heavily “rumored” during that time these villains were confirmed to appear) since he possesses very similar physical characteristics to both, which kind of left Grace as the odd man out. When it was finally revealed that Grace will play Venom, I just couldn’t escape nightmares of a scrawny symbiote with skinny fangs. For me, that’s Strike One, Raimi.

Then along came the movie trailers, with an unprecedented CGI-fest guaranteed to blow our mind. As impressed as I was by those trailers, somehow I felt cheated. The trailers showed so much action-packed scenes from the movie, they practically left nothing for the audience to expect from the film (except for Venom’s true form and, of course, the dialogues). Strike Two.

Finally the wait was over, and there we were lining up amidst a mob of chest-high web-heads screaming impatiently in front of one of 21 Cineplex’s many studios. Soon thereafter was one of the most disappointing 139 minutes of my life, started with the highest of anticipation only to end in a Brock-like hatred toward the filmmaker. Raimi obviously was trying to cram one too many plots into this already very complex epic, probably due to the unclear nature of another sequel lining up for his paycheck. Well, I guess he just wrote off the possibility of a Raimi-made fourth installment on his own. I don’t care if the younger (read: underage) viewers loved his adaptation, because for someone who grew up visiting Rubino and DH Comics almost every after-school for his latest hit of Spidey tales, there were just too much perversion than any true Spider-Man fan can handle. (I am still not going to spoil the film for you, though) And his rendition of Venom (which was about the ONLY worth-waiting-for subject left out from those damned trailers) was fugly! Effin' ugly! Strike Three and you’re out!

Perhaps Raimi intended to hit this one out of the park, with the bases fully loaded. Unfortunately his (presumably) last swing at bat was off the mark. Way off.

But Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy was smokin’ HOT! Hey Parker, I’d most definitely take her over MJ any day.

(likemind) jkt This Friday!

After a dismal turnout last month, (likemind) jkt is back in full force this Friday, May 18th at 8 a.m. (yep, you read that right), back to the original spot Starbucks, Setiabudi One.

Also back as co-host is Yousuf, our favorite Indian. Yay!

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Consumer Generated Sports

Ah, the sweet smell of the Playoffs! However, this year's bracket sure brings back a lot of memories. And with the Jazz, Warriors and Bulls back in the picture, it must be safe to assume that we're officially in the 90s again.

But 2007 just ain't goin' out that easy, don't you even think about it. As fittingly vintage as it seems, now the "it" phrase CG no longer stands for Computer Graphics (well, ain't that one a true classic) but Consumer Generated, or in layman's term, ordinary people dishing out mediocre crap.

Apparently 2007's CG has also infected the NBA, especially in a post-Jordan era when living legends no longer roam the hardwood. Cases in point:

Western Conference Semis
  • Utah Jazz having heydays over their opponents without the household names of Stockton and/or Malone on any of their jerseys but a mere Boozer?
  • Golden State Warriors making it this far without Run TMC but a bunch of regulars?

Eastern Conference Semis

With all due respect to LeBron, I believe the "consumers" have taken over the league.

Monday, May 7, 2007

X-Ray Vision Test

via Who Do You Think He Are.

Concentrate, and you shall see. On second thought, you don't have to.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Vishnu for President



via Gatra.

Isu Reshuffle

Vishnu Juwono Sayangkan Pemberitaan Kesehatan Ayahnya
Jakarta, 1 Mei 2007 15:04

Vishnu Juwono, putra Menteri Pertahanan Juwono Sudarsono, menyayangkan pemberitaan media massa seputar kesehatan ayahnya.

"Sebagai salah seorang yang hampir setiap hari bertemu dan berinteraksi dengan beliau (Juwono --Red), selama menjabat sebagai kabinet Indonesia Bersatu di bawah pimpinan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, beliau tidak pernah menderita stroke atau sakit jantung," papar Vishnu, melalui email kepada Gatra.com, Selasa (1/5).

Vishnu sangat menyayangkan sejumlah pernyataan melalui media massa dari para politisi, pengamat politik, atau aktivis, yang mengindikasikan bahwa Juwono tengah menderita penyakit tersebut selama membantu Presiden Yudhoyono.

"(Pernyataan Juwono sakit stroke atau jantung --Red) Sangat menyesatkan dan tidak berdasar sama sekali," tegas Vishnu.

Kendati demikian, lanjut Vishnu, wacana politik yang kerap dilontarkan berbagai tokoh soal reshuffle beberapa menteri di bawah Presiden Yudhoyono adalah hal yang lumrah. Menurutnya, sah-sah saja seluruh lapisan masyarakat mengeluarkan pernyataan-pernyataan seputar perombakan kabinet, karena setiap orang berhak untuk mengemukakan pendapat.

"Akan tetapi menjadi lain maknanya apabila informasi yang dijadikan spekulasi tersebut merupakan info yang jauh dari kenyataan yang ada," ujar Vishnu, seraya mencontohkan spekulasi menimpa ayahnya itu.

Namun, melalui email itu pula, Vishnu mengatakan bahwa pernyataannya tersebut bukanlah sebuah klarifikasi, khususnya kepada Presiden Yudhoyono. "Institusi Kepresidenan tentunya sudah memiliki informasi ini (kesehatan Juwono --Red) melalui aparatur negara dan sistem manajemen informasi pemerintahan yang ada," tulis Vishnu, yang bekerja sebagai dosen FISIP Universitas Indonesia ini.

Pernyataan ini, kata Vishnu, dikeluarkan berdasarkan inisiatif pribadinya, tanpa adanya arahan maupun dorongan dari pihak mana pun. "Termasuk, dalam hal ini, ayah saya," tambahnya.

Dengan pernyataan keprihatinannya ini, Vishnu menyelipkan sebuah pesan bahwa kesehatan Juwono yang menurutnya telah menyesatkan opini di masyarakat, diharapkan dapat meredam budaya mengejar kepentingan politik jangka pendek dengan menghalalkan bermacam-macam cara. "Salah satunya dengan menyebarkan berita-berita yang menyesatkan dan tidak bertanggung jawab. Sebaiknya dihentikan," tulis Vishnu.

"Sudah saatnya dimulai dibangun budaya pembuktian kinerja, rasa sportivitas tinggi, penggunaan cara-cara yang beretika dalam mewujudkan suatu keinginan untuk berbakti kepada masyarakat melalui sebuah jabatan politik."

"Alangkah idealnya, bila hal tersebut dapat diteladani oleh para elit masyarakat yang saat ini mempunyai pengaruh kuat dan mempunyai kedudukan yang cukup penting di republik ini," pungkasnya. [EL]