Hasta La Creative!

AKQA teamed up with HBO, Rock the Vote and Civic Nation to launch a star-studded plea for viewers to “Use Your Voice. Use Your Vote.”

The spot opens up with Issa Rae, creator, star and co-writer of new HBO series Insecure, asking, “Can we talk about real power?”

“Real power is made sitting here talking to you,” adds Bryan Cranston, who stars as LBJ in HBO’s All The Way biopic and, of course, is best known for his portrayal of Walter White—a character who knew a thing or two about power.

Other HBO stars, including Martin Starr (perhaps best know as Bill Haverchuck on Freaks and Geeks, one of the best characters in television history) and Jimmy O. Yang of Silicon Valley, a handful of Ballers cast members and Gary Cole of Veep all add to the message, which is mostly a familiar one: just get out there and participate in democracy, already.

There does seem to be a specific focus on targeting young voters with the implication that armchair activism is ultimately meaningless if you don’t actually cast a ballot. Causes including environmental concerns and equality also get a shout out. Poorna Jagannathan, who starred in HBO’s The Night Of, summarizes the approach with her line, “We are the generation that will use our dialogue and our voices to make sure our conversations never stop.”

Now, can we discuss the Night Of finale, or is it too soon? (We liked it. People need to stop expecting perfect resolutions for everything.)

Bryan Cranston, the DEA's No. 1 pain in the ass during his iconic run as meth kingpin Walter White on AMC's Breaking Bad, has been getting some press lately for his early-'80s work in the commercial below for Preparation H (a product that basically defined the Reagan Era). Cranston's earnest take on lines like "It accelerates the absorption of oxygen to help shrink swelling of inflamed hemorrhoidal tissue" is so unironic, it's ironic.

UProxx posted a bunch of his ads from that decade, and Cranston's vaunted range is on full display. He's a smarmy "high-paid fashion model" for JCPenney, a bugged airport runway worker for Deep Woods Off, and a B.O.-cursed bus commuter dressed up as a skunk for Shield deodorant soap. (In some of these, his glib line deliveries and feathered hair remind me of the late, great Phil Hartman.)

Breaking Bad co-star Aaron Paul also did some early commercial work, notably a mind-blowing Juicy Fruit ad with a telekinetic twist from 2000, also posted below. (I wish Paul would shill for Preparation H and coin the catch phrase, "For when it itches, bitches!") On Breaking Bad, Cranston and Paul's characters often escape by the seats of their pants, but with their peril growing as the show winds down to its final episode, it will take more than Preparation H to save them from a painful end.