Gladiator Ad Banned Because Contestants Breasts Are Too Large

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Hot women with big breasts always seem to get the bum deal and it makes no sense.

Morbid Furniture – Coffin Couches (GALLERY)

(TrendHunter.com) Here’s a sofa that’s quite literally to die for. If you want to add a touch of creepiness to your house, these awesome Coffin Couches should do the trick — they’re made of genuine recycled coffins. Perfect to lounge on while watching a scary movie…

“Our niche happens to be 18 gauge steel coffin…

Digital radio sales near 7m mark

LONDON – Nearly half a million DAB digital radios were sold in the first quarter of 2008 – up by 28% year-on-year, according to the Digital Radio Development Bureau.

Mobile Phone Replaces Cue Cat in Magazine Interactive Feature

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Well, it’s better than Cue Cat.

Naughty Tableware – Souper Fin (GALLERY)

(TrendHunter.com) Bringing a touch of naughty to the kitchen, each piece of Philippe Di Méo’s unique collection of erotic tableware, Souper Fin is inspired by sex and love toys. Let’s hope your date shares your sense of humor when she sees that wine bottle cap!

The collection is designed in collaboration with sev…

Toyota Tundra ad may cause actual cursing

Instead of fighting actual obscenities, perhaps the FCC could start cracking down on lame humor based on stuff that rhymes with obscenities. They could start with this Toyota Tundra commercial. Yes, “truck” rhymes with a word you can’t say on free TV. But much of the dialogue here doesn’t even make sense. “Shut the truck up,” is a stretch, but contextually appropriate. “What the truck is your problem?” sounds like something my high school principal would have said. This kind of language is probably worse for children than the stuff they’re trying to avoid.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Bird Rings – Jewelry with Exotic Feathers (GALLERY)

(TrendHunter.com) If you like eccentric accessories, take a look at these Space Mermaid Bird Rings!

Although we’ve featured avian influences in fashion before, it was mostly in the form of elaborate couture headpieces and dramatically feathered gowns. For the most part, none of these looks have been realistically we…

Torture Couture III – Ashton Kutcher’s Ass Kicking in Details (GALLERY)

(TrendHunter.com) Ashton Kutcher will appear in the May issue of Details Magazine and already it’s generated controversy as some of the rather violent photos were already leaked online, making their rounds in the blogosphere. The cover of the magazine shows a very hip-looking Kutcher with the caption, “Ashton Kutcher…

Models star as lorry drivers in TK Maxx campaign

LONDON – TK Maxx, the labels-for-less retailer, is launching an ad campaign to promote its daily delivery of fashion brands.

NBC tests sanity with pretzel-like ‘Earl’ ads

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If you want a glimpse into the mind-numbing, soul-crushing future of advertising, look no further than this bizarre promotion for NBC’s My Name Is Earl. Or is it for esurance? Or the new Speed Racer movie? It’s like one of those Russian dolls. Let me explain: First, there’s this banner ad on MSNBC. It offers to catch you up on the plot of My Name Is Earl with a summary by NBC president Jeff Zucker. That would be strange enough, except the NBC promotion is also “brought to you by esurance.” Clicking on the banner directs you to a pre-roll video for esurance, but the ad actually focuses on the insurance company’s tie-in with Speed Racer. After the pre-roll, you finally get to see the promotion you wanted to see. But guess what? Zucker starts off by showing you an esurance ad on his monitor! This fantastically pointless pig-pile of marketing doesn’t make me want to watch Earl, or buy insurance, or go see Speed Racer. It makes me want to throw Zucker in an alley with Roddy Piper and a pair of sunglasses.

—Posted by David Griner

Deconstructing the Audi RS6 with gymnasts

Audi has been creating (or rather constructing) some fascinating spots lately, like the “strings” spot I wrote about a few months back.

This most recent spot from BBH London continues along the deconstruction & construction path, stylizing the internal workings of the Audi RS6 via Hugarian Gymnasts. Certainly not the first thing I would think of, but the suspension of reality and the acceptance of the gymnasts loosely representing the internals of an RS6 engine does something fairly powerful, and certainly creates an interesting spot.

So the ultimate question: do gymnastics, string figures, and automotive orchestras work to sell cars and change brand awareness? Or does it simply yield commercials that are interesting to watch?

Beer Commercials Deceive Aliens, Happier Planets Sought

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OK, seriously. Just what is it about beer that is supposed to make life perfect? How did beer, swill such as Miller Lite no less, become the answer to all of life’s ills?

Philips tries out epilator on transvestite

Transvestites don’t get too much airtime in advertising, but DDB has launched a campaign in Europe for Philips’s Satinelle Ice Epilator (a hair-removal device) that stars an L.A.-based transvestite dancer named Karis. DDB’s Neil Dawson says it’s no cheap stunt. Men, he claims, have a notoriously low threshold for pain; thus, a man who needs smooth legs is the perfect test model for an epilator that promises a less painful hair-removal experience.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Photo Paintings – Fusion Portrait of Mephisto (GALLERY)

(TrendHunter.com) Emerging Chinese photographer Maleonn fuses over ten years of training as a painter with his unique, theatrical photography style in the captivating Portrait of Mephisto series.

Each piece of the series began as a black and white photograph which was then printed on watercolor paper. Each piece is …

Gender Divide as Art – The Pink and Blue Project (GALLERY)

(TrendHunter.com) “The Pink and Blue Project” recently seen at the Jenkins Johnson Gallery in New York City, is a humorous collection of photographs which are according to Luxury Culture, “astute reflections on gender consumerism and aesthetics.”

South Korean artist JeongMee Yoon was inspired by her 5 year o…

Lava Lamp Shots – LED Glasses Go Dark When Empty

(TrendHunter.com) Decades after they were deemed cool, are you still fascinated by lava lamps? If yes, why not revive one of the funkiest lights of the disco era with these psychedelic LED shot glasses?

As long as they’re containing liquid, the internal LEDs of the Lava Lights glow red, blue and green. After you’ve …

Ultra Deadly Meals – Tiger Fugu

(TrendHunter.com) Some people like to live life on the edge, and while seek their adrenaline through extreme sports, others do it through extreme cuisine. The world’s most deadly food is Torafugu or Tiger Fugu, the filet mignon of blowfish. The epitome of dangerous luxury meals is Tiger Fugu sashimi, served totally r…

Sorry Disney, But You’re Kind of a Skank Factory

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Next month’s Vanity Fair features “provocative” photos, taken by Annie Leibovitz, of Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus.

Everton FC courts CEOs for stadium naming rights

LONDON – Everton Football Club is sending a promotional DVD and DVD player to CEOs in a bid to find a naming rights sponsor for a new stadium it hopes to open in 2010.

Everest windows returns to TV after two decades

LONDON – Home improvement firm Everest is mounting its first national TV advertising campaign in 22 years.