New Colorado Lotto Spot.

See the new Colorado Lottery spot by Cactus. It promised instant fun but didn't deliver, although the spot probably would've been mildly amusing if it weren't buttressed by a threat to hit us with talent fees if we host the goddamn ad and don't take it down by October 6.

Fucking wet blankets.

Because Even Religious Paraphernalia is Fair Game

Some guy who makes Presidential kippahs is experimenting with a John Edwards "cheater" kippah. But he's not sure if he really wants to sell them because he read The Secret and doesn't want to send negative energy into the universe.

Go help him make up his mind.

Mushrooms Marketed, Frumputantes Invade, Olympics Opening Ceremony Trashed One! More! Time!

- At left: a French mushroom ad! OMG cute. Caption: "Paris mushrooms: it's when they're in your mouth that they're the happiest." Go make them happy. Our resident expat PT Ford isn't so amused.

- Nothing starts the day off better than a kung fu drink ad.

- Dario at Invoke sent us this shot of the Newfoundland-based Hits 99.1 FM van.

- Worthless but interesting tag cloud tool. This one lets you pick fonts and colors. Pop in a URL, see what your homepage mentions most. (Adrants loves itself some Leigh.)

- Public School Intelligentsia learns us a new word: frumputante. Think cash-money bag ladies in Juicy Couture sweats. Streaky hair a plus. Ugh.

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Liberty Mutual Believes in the Kindness of Man

In "Lighthouse," a (very!) short film by Exopolis, a wee seaside community helps light a path for ships long after technology fails them. Very cute. Created for Liberty Mutual's "Responsibility Project" by Hill Holliday.

See a previous effort, "Mandy and Lester" by RSA.

Oh Look! It's A Blatant Advertorial!

If you're into reports then you've heard of MarketingSherpa. If you've bought their reports, you know they're good. If you sometimes can't get approval from your management to buy the reports, you may be in luck. For the next three days, MarketingSherpa is offering a 30 percent discount on all reports.

Why? The company is moving to bigger office space and, well, perhaps they just felt like being nice. Here's some of their most recent reports:

- B-to-B Lead Generation Handbook

- 2008 Landing Page Handbook

- 2009 Search Marketing Benchmark Guide

- 2008 The Online Advertising Handbook + Benchmarks

- 2008 Email Marketing Benchmark Guide

Yes, Adrants does get a percentage of the sale but I've read some of these reports and they are excellent. If you want to call this an advertorial, feel free to do so. I just think it's something nice we can do for you.

Yearbook Yourself Offers Farrah Fawcett Feather

Well here's a new one. You know those companies that own, operate or manage shopping malls that always seem to think shoppers actually care about anything other than what stores are in the mall? No? Don't feel bad. No one does though it seems one is out to change that.

The Taubman Company LLC has launched Yearbook Yourself, a site on which you can upload your picture and see what you would look like through the decades from the 50's to the 90's. Wat to see what you look like with an 80's Farrah Fawcett haircut? Go for it. The Jennifer Anniston hair craze of the 90's? have at it. Gidget's bob from the 60's? Come on. You know you want to. James Dean in the 50's? Why not?

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iPhone Kill Switch, Quibblo Quizzes, Jilted Man Toasts for KFC

- iPhone apps have a "kill switch" that empowers Apple to yank any app off your phone whenever it likes. Steve Jobs says they'll never "pull that lever" unless an extreme situation calls for it (like if an app were disseminating a virus) -- but hell, the I'm Rich app wasn't hurting anybody and Apple was quick enough to pull that off the ropes.

- Glad Facebook wasn't around when Shakespeare was. Hamlet might've been much different (but still such a riot!).

- One expat rails against marketing stereotypes about the French, particularly sexy maids and misuse of "Ooh la la."

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Tylenol Wants You to Feel Better Fast.

Got a problem? What you need is a NASCAR driver who knows nothing about you and talks in metaphors. Try not to go racing out to buy Tylenol all at once.

Bravo, except not, to Deutsch/NY.

Benetton Uses Prayer to Stitch Up Chinese/Tibetan Differences

One thing I love about Benetton: it never knows when to leave well enough alone. "Victims," the current issue of its company magazine Colors, uses the tragedy of the SouthWest China earthquake to try mending the China/Tibetan conflict.

The issue includes 30 shots of quake victims integrated with 30 prayers written for them by Tibetan monks. An accompanying Benetton ad displays a Tibetan monk and a Chinese soldier bowing toward each other, possibly in greeting, apology or shared grief. Readers can send their own prayers over for inclusion in a campaign exhibition.

Provocative as always, but I generally have trouble hating on Benetton (except when they fired Toscani). The "Victims" ad campaign is running in Italian newspapers and in French daily Le Monde.

Cannibal Sushi! Unclaimed Twitter Handles! Olympics Ceremony Demystified! Lots and Lots of Boobies!

- A Wired journalist attributes the success of Weight Watchers to its RPG format. (You know, like EverQuest or Final Fantasy.)

- The pretty little girl who sang "Ode to the Motherland" for the Olympics opening ceremony was a pretty little mime. Reps said they wanted a flawless girl with a flawless voice; but one had the looks and another had the pipes so they mashed them up. "We must put our country's interests first." Riiiight.

- Seven in 10 companies on the FTSE 100 have unclaimed handles on Twitter. Companies are advised to lock that down before a hater (or an impersonator) does. (Via @benkunz.)

- It may not really be cannibal sushi, but the psychological effect can be just as fucked-up. (Via @TJCNYC.)

- Got more than a handful up top? Pull your shirt off and join the Wonderbra mosaic.