"Green" Billboards Work
A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Puppet
Mannequin American views and guidelines on marketing/PR trends plus bits of humor and interesting but useless information. For information on Chip's background, go to http://www.dale-brown.com/.
International Ventriloquists' Convention Draws Big Crowd of Dummies ... and Mannequin Americans
Almost 20% of the people at this year's International Ventriloquists' Convention were first time attendees ... which indicates that the art of ventriloquism is gaining in popularity thanks in part to people like Jeff Dunham, Terry Fator, Jay Johnson, Ronn Lucas and others.
At our lecture on "Comedy Writing" we sold out of our "How to Write Comedy Dialogs for Vent Characters" book. So if you'd like to order a copy, click here. (You can also order our DVD at the same link, and our book "Making it Up As You Go ... Ad-Libbing and Audience Participation.")
America's Got Talent winner Terry Fator just couldn't wait to meet Dale and myself. Here Dale is explaining that I'm in the bar.
During the convention Terry introduced his newest puppet, Jazz Man. He had just picked the puppet up a few minutes before going on stage. The puppet is pictured below and is being held by its creator Tim Selberg. Tim also created Dale's Louie the Jockey puppet which Dale is holding. (I took the photo.) Terry left the figure with Tim because he wanted the headstick controls changed a bit.
In later blogs I'll include more convention photos and behind the scenes insights into what goes on at the International Ventriloquists' Convention. (If you get your money to me fast enough, I won't include any photos that I took of you in the hospitality suite. You all know who you are.)
People Who Make Fun of Themselves, Make Me Laugh
This is a very funny commercial in the classic style of the make-believe doctor giving make-believe medical advice. Former make-believe doctor Doogie Howser a.k.a. Neil Patrick Harris, vamps soap opera-style for Old Spice Pro Strength Anti-Perspirant. In the commercial, (the blue underlined word means you should "click" on it so you can laugh along with me) Harris plays up the fact he used to be a fake doctor and that, combined with the fact you do not need a prescription for Old Spice, makes it perfectly Okay for him to recommend it.
It's one of the better spoof-style commercials that's come along recently and it made me laugh.
But I also liked the spoof Old Spice commercials with Will Ferrell. 
Old Spice must not have liked them as much because they're no longer on the Old Spice Web site. But if you click on the link you can see the entire series. Ferrell obviously ad libbed much of the dialog. And he did it as only Will Ferrell can. All that's missing is a puppet.
"Living" Billboards Attract Attention
To jazz up its Wimbledon sponsorship, HSBC commissioned two artists to make photographs out of growing grass. Brings a freakish new angle to "watching grass grow." If you click on the link you'll learn how the process takes place. Not funny, but interesting. Kohler should employ this technique at its next major golf event.
And speaking of "living" billboards, McDonalds has incorporated live plants in a salad billboard. Passersby could watch the billboard grow and fill in.
McDonalds has also created a giant egg in front of some of their stores. The egg opens between 6:30 and 10:30 a.m., the hours breakfast is served at the restaurants. It's not your average billboard and it proves the worth of a medium that, while old, still has a lot of flexibility for creative use. See time-lapse photography of the egg opening here.
New Muppet Show on Disney
This news from our friends at Muppet News Flash. The Muppets will star in an all-new original television special coming to Disney Channel later this month. The Muppets have teamed up with popular Disney Channel stars - including Miley Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale, Dylan & Cole Sprouse, Jonas Brothers and The Cheetah Girls - in the all-new television special "Studio DC: Almost Live!". The show is currently set to air in August (check local listings for details).
The special will feature singing and dancing, comedy sketches and the backstage antics of a fictional Disney Channel variety show.
The project was developed in order to introduce a new generation of fans to the Muppets - while keeping the classic feeling and tone that the Muppets are known for. However, the original Muppet Show was aimed at an adult audience and considering the "stars" featured on the new show, it appears that this version may be aimed at the teen market. If so, that's disappointing.
