Franken/Stein Yahoo Ad...

[insein]

http://www.newsday.com/entertainmen...181.story?coll=ny-nyc-entertainment-headlines

On the spot

MONTY PHAN

April 24, 2004


Newsday's weekly look at commercials that, as they say on Madison Avenue, cut through the clutter.

Yahoo!

(Soho Square agency, Manhattan)

Liberal Al Franken and conservative Ben Stein. Ex-California Gov. Gray Davis and an eighth-grade school treasurer. They all, it turns out, Yahoo.

Oops - "Do you Yahoo?" is no longer the search engine's slogan. Now it's "Life Engine," as illustrated by a half- dozen new commercials, which began airing last week during the finale of "The Apprentice." In them, two professed Yahoo users appear side by side in a split-screen format, taking turns addressing the camera and describing how the search engine is used.

In one, Stein, the former Richard Nixon speechwriter and game show host ("Win Ben Stein's Money"), and liberal commentator Franken both talk about how Republicans use Yahoo. Franken says Republicans can use Yahoo to research which yachts to buy; Stein says they use Yahoo to figure out how to save the world.In another, Davis is with "Ashley," the eighth-grade treasurer. Davis says he's using Yahoo to find an agent. Ashley says she uses Yahoo to alert friends when she runs for student government. Davis says, "One actor got to be governor, so maybe a former governor can go into acting." Ashley says, "Being popular, it kind of helps you out." Each spot uses the "Life

Engine" tagline.

Anyone see it? IT was pretty funny. Stein talks about how Republicans use it for novel things and Franken keeps saying they use it to look for boats. I wish. We need a few more tax cuts though.

 

[Hobbit]

The FrankenStein duo debated here at the University of Arkansas. It was hilarious, especially when Stein uttered the immortal words, "f*** you." In the end, Stein came out as his usual self while Franken came out looking like a maniac...a maniac who made several valid points, but a maniac, anyway. He got quite flustered several times.

 

[acludem]

Franken and Stein are actually friends and were probably putting on an act...though I didn't see this debate. I have, however, seen the two of them on talk shows at the same time. I saw the Gray Davis yahoo ad on TV tonight and it's actually very funny.

acludem