Hasta La Creative!

In a bid to lower our collective national IQ, MTV has greenlighted a Paris Hilton reality show, Paris Hilton’s My New BFF. (She’s on the outs with Nicole—when did that happen?!) I, of course, am always available for palling around, mainly because I have no friends who aren’t “work friends,” and even they won’t share the men’s room key or show me how to work the copy machine. (I need 956 color dupes of the new Harry Potter book jacket, front and back—what’s so strange about that?) Paris and I have a lot in common. For one thing, she enjoys the undeserved fame to which I so blatantly aspire. Also, she released an album that was savaged by the critics, which is something I’ve always dreamed of doing, because who cares what Rolling Stone has to say. Ah well, by the time BFF debuts, another bad singer’s 15 minutes will have expired, and she’ll be sorely in need of a friend. Paris and Ashley, perhaps. … Now that’s hot!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

I’m sure whoever thought of having Urkel rap about teen abstinence wanted to cash in on his then-unquestionable fame. Still, I can’t imagine it was a terribly effective vehicle for that message. For one thing, he flows like a clogged toilet—a natural rapper Jaleel White was not. But the bigger issue is that the Urkel character’s sexless adolescence wasn’t the result of self-control or moral strength as much as social awkwardness and highwater pants. Why would kids have taken sex advice from someone who, as far as they knew, couldn’t get laid anyway?

—Posted by David Kiefaber

LONDON – Endsleigh Insurance has appointed Inbox as its digital marketing agency, as part of the company’s steps to become a more digitally focused brand.

Photographer Winkler +Noah recently completed a campaign for Gasser Wurstel. Working with Art Director Cristina Baccelli and Copywriter Sara Ermoli of TBWA Italy, they created this “smoking man” campaign (no, sadly it doesn’t have that fella from the X-Files in it).

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LONDON – Centaur Media, the publisher of The Lawyer and Mortgage Strategy, is recruiting a corporate adviser to carry out a strategic review that could lead to a change of ownership.

LONDON – Media agency Carat is optimistic in its outlook for UK adspend, raising its 2008 growth forecast from 5.9% to 6.4%, but is now more pessimistic about worldwide growth.

LONDON – ITV has hired another big name in US television, Fox Broadcasting’s Lee Bartlett, to be chief operating officer of its production division ITV Global Content.

The BBC’s head of corporate affairs is to take the top lobbying role at a body representing big businesses in London.

Consumer agency Golin Harris is making a move into the healthcare market with an alliance with specialist healthcare shop Packer Forbes.

LONDON – Pepsi has become the latest major brand to embrace social networking with the launch of a multimillion-pound promotion featuring David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, Cesc Fabregas, Lionel Messi and Frank Lampard.