Hard to believe the 4th of July is almost here.  Where did June go?  Maybe I spent too much time blogging… Nah! (I just high-fived my laptop. Too much time at the computer?)

Here are the latest links related to advertising, marketing, entertainment, the internet and anything creativity-related.  Enjoy!

• Rest in Peace, Billy Mays.  It’s still very hard to believe that he died at 50, three days or so after appearing on Conan, and after the summer of celebrity deaths we have already had.  AdAge wonders what will happen to his ads.
• Remember those weird Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft ads? The weirdness continues with Dean Cain.
• Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson. Director Bob Giraldi remembers working with “the gloved one” on the famous Pepsi campaign.
• Yes, We Cannes = A bunch of creative types try hard to pump themselves up in France, Obama-style.
• Wear your favorite New York Subway line on a t-shirt! (I have a feeling these shirts are a lot cooler if you wear them outside the city.)
• Are public bathrooms the new hotspot for advertising? Well, maybe it’s not a “new” concept…but the methods seem to be getting more creative.
• Pringles switches from “once you pop, you can’t stop” to “once you click, you can’t stop” with this banner ad.
• Remember “pokes” on Facebook? They’ve made the jump to Twitter. (I know. I’m not excited about it either.)

Brian Laesch wrote this blog for Eleventh Hour.

In a move that surprised nobody, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Blake Griffin with the #1 overall pick in last night’s NBA Draft.

I would just like to say, “Congratulations and Welcome to LA,” to RoboClip (nickname I just made up).

I think it’s a great move (and a great nickname). Blake Griffin showed last season with the Sooners, and in his offseason workouts, that he is ready and willing to work hard and play hard in the NBA. Here is GM/Head Coach Mike Dunleavy’s take on his pick:

The Clippers may now have, by committee, the most talented frontcourt in the league. But it’s also really crowded. You would assume they will try to trade somebody. It’s tough to imagine a rotation of Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby, Zach Randolph and Blake Griffin working. But if I was Mike Dunleavy, I would love to have the option. Combine that with a healthy (hopefully) Baron Davis, Eric Gordon and Al Thornton? Wow.

As you may know, I’m a Chicago Bulls fan. I grew up in Illinois. I’ve never claimed to be an LA fan. Although, for a brief time, I did try to be a Clippers fan since I couldn’t bring myself to root for the Lakers. Ultimately, I had to give up on that effort, but I wouldn’t mind seeing them finally succeed. I think Blake Griffin will help with the turnaround. But if not…I think they should move back to San Diego, move to Anaheim, or become the first NBA team to play their home games outdoors at the LA Coliseum. Think about it… I’d go to those games.

Anyway, congratulations to Blake Griffin. Here’s to RoboClip turning around the franchise, and to “RoboClip” becoming his real nickname.

Brian Laesch will only charge the Clippers $60,000 for the use of “RoboClip.” It’s a steal!

Nestle’s Kit Kat along with its agency, JWT Japan, has recently been awarded the Media Grand Prix at the 56th Cannes Lions International Advertsing Festival for their unique distribution method.  JWT took the translation of Kit Kat –Kitto Katso means “surely win” — and with the Japanese tradition of sending students good luck before taking their high education exams, Nestle created “Kit Kat Mail.”

Here’s JWT Japan’s Edible Postcard Campaign below:

One of the most innovative ideas of recent times, Kit Kat mail created 20,000 new purchase points within the Japan Post outlets, competition free!  This was the first time japan Post has ever joined forces with a private company.  Throughout this campaign Kit Kat earned $11 million worth of free publicity and though the campaign was originally geared toward the students and thier exams, Nestle will keep the Kit Kat Edible Postcard as a permanent product.

Matt Suttner gives kudos to JWT Japan and Nestle for finding a new niche in the system.  Feel free to wish me or Eleventh Hour luck on our next blog by sending us Kit Kat Mail!

With an amazing U.S. Open finally concluding, I now bring you this week’s list of news, opinion and/or video from around the “creative world.”

• NBC & CBS don’t agree on the future of broadcasting.  I told them they should resolve it by simultaneiously airing a new show, “I’m a Network Exec, Get Me Out of Here!,” on both networks.  No response.
• Twitter co-founder, Biz Stone, shared some secrets of success at Cannes.
• Beatles, RockBand.  RockBand, Beatles. You guys should get along just fine.
• The Facebook community named Corona the top beer.  I wonder if time of year has anything to do with the results.
• Perez Hilton assaulted by Will.i.am? Not newsworthy at all, but here you go.
• “The Story of Twitter in Picture Form” via TechCrunch
• Did you rush out and wait in line to get the new iPhone? If not, here’s a review. (Assuming, that if you already have one, you drank the kool-aid a long time ago and a review wouldn’t sway you anyway.)
• “The Proposal,” starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, won the Box Office this weekend.  “The Hangover” is still lingering, and “Up” is still in the air. (Clever descriptions of their place on the B.O. list.  I know, I’m good.)
• New Balance Shoes remind you that America still exists.

Brian Laesch is a professional link compiler who once lived in Spain for five weeks.

Here’s a guide on what to DVR (or TiVo) this weekend. (Because “What To Watch” is out-of-date.) I don’t expect, nor do I hope, that anyone will be spending the weekend indoors watching television, but there are some things you may want to watch at a later date.

The Zen Master himself, Phil Jackson, will be on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien tonight. I hope he wears his Malcolm X hat, commemorating his 10th title. Plus, the master of vowels himself, Shia Labeouf, will be Conan’s top guest. I don’t understand why Shia LaBeaouf gets top-billing over Phil Jackson, but maybe they are basing it on demographics…and the fact that Phil may engage in a Zen-like discussion that would literally put people to sleep before they finished watching the show (but if the TV is left on, how does that hurt ratings?). Anyway, I guess we’ll find out. Maybe Shia will let Phil go first. Make that, maybe Steven Spielberg will let Phil go first.

Speaking of the Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher and other members of the 2009 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight. I hope they bring the trophy. Given the usual crowd on a Friday night around Hollywood Blvd., where they film Live, I expect some aftershocks of rioting.

And before that, on NBC, if you are into disturbing mysteries, Dateline has the story of two murder mysteries. One of which hits a little too close to home.

Other than that, unless you want to watch Alec Baldwin on SNL, again, the U.S. Open coverage on ESPN and NBC is where it’s at. Although, I don’t expect you to actually TiVo that. That’s one show this weekend that is worth watching live. As long as you are watching it live from a beach, pool or yacht, while soaking up some of that summer sun. (But if you don’t have a beach, pool or yacht part to attend this weekend, any social gathering will do.)

This has been my guide of “What to DVR” for the weekend of June 19th - June 21st. It’s completely biased and fine-tuned to coincide with my individual tastes. That doesn’t make it any less awesome though.

Have a great weekend!

Brian Laesch is a television critic for 11thr.com/blog.

Ad Age has came across a unique new ad campaign with Zack16.com.  The viral campaign features a fictional 16-year-old boy who while sleeping had his “guy parts” swapped with “girl parts.”  Chicago based Procter and Gamble’s is spearheading this campaign and connects with Tampax when the main character sneaks into a girls’ restroom to search for a female vending machine.

Eleventh Hour has learned that the edgy though controversial idea has mixed reviews but what’s new?  I enjoyed the prospective of the young male unsure of what is to come for him.  Below is Zack’s Day 1 of his unexpected changeover.

The creative prospective is a pleasant switch from the traditional female ads that create an uneasy and awkward feeling for those viewing the ads.

Matt Suttner had an eye opening experience this past weekend which allows him to relate to the 16-year-old Zack.  You learn something new everyday.

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers for winning the 2009 NBA Championship last night. In honor of Phil Jackson’s 10th title (which I can personally celebrate, since three of them came with the Chicago Bulls), here are ten links that you will hopefully enjoy.

And in case you were wondering where you are: this blog is a personal extension of Eleventh Hour.

Who is Eleventh Hour?

A boutique agency specializing in the recruitment of skilled personnel. Find out more here.

Here are the links:

• Cannes Festival entries are down 20%. Attendance is down 40%.
• AdAge’s Henry Blodget says “Sorry, There’s No Way to Save the TV Business.”
• ‘The Hangover’ won it’s second consecutive weekend and I contributed to that. I may go see it again.
• Google competing with Geico? Not exactly…but they putting out strikingly-familar inanimate objects with “googly eyes” advertisements.
• Have you seen the “Hammer Pants Dance” yet?
• Facebook is already approaching 6 million custom usernames.
• Re-Inventor of the Wheel Looking for Investor Through TechCrunch (That’s my headline, at least.)
• Fidel Castro’s son was duped online by a Cuban blogger in exile who posed as a woman. (I guess this counts as being from the “Creative World.”)
• ‘Hunch‘ will make decisions for you. (Making manual decisions for yourself is so 2008.)
• ADWEEK posted a Q&A with David Lubars, chairman and CCO of BBDO North America and president of the Cannes Film and Press juries.

Brian Laesch wrote this blog while wearing one of those Phil Jackson Malcom X hats.

According to an article on Advertising Age, which refers to a Chicago radio station interview with Jay-Z, Wendy’s new ad that parodies a boy band using the popular Auto-Tune pitch-correcting technology, recently used in a ton of songs, was the final straw for Jay-Z, and the reason he called for the death of the “gimmick” that has become a “trend.”

In Jay-Z’s words (via Advertising Age):

“I just think in hip-hop, when a trend becomes a gimmick, it’s time to move on,” Jay said in an interview with Chicago radio station WGCI on Tuesday. “I saw a Wendy’s commercial and they’re using Auto-Tune. They’re joking on it. It’s like, OK, enough of that. … It was a trend. It was cool in the beginning. Some people made great music with it. Now it’s time to move on.”

Talk about great free publicity. Personally, I thought the spot was hilarious, but I didn’t expect it to cause one of the bigs of hip-hop to lose it. I just figured Auto-Tune, in the way it’s been used, would die out soon enough. I do think it’s ridiculous how much it’s been used lately…but it’s kind of fun. Even if it masks the true talent level of the artist (sorry, T-Pain).

Not that I’m an expert, but I am a listener.

And now, apparently, the most influential Wendy’s Frosty advertisement ever:

And, a bonus, “Frosty Posse Behind The Scenes”:

Brian Laesch…or should I say…Briaaannhhnnn Laaeesrcchhh (with Auto-Tune) wrote this blog.

Last night’s episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was a blast from the past when Mark-Paul Gosselaar stopped by the show in his Converse high tops and stonewashed jeans.  Gosselaar stayed in the character of Zack Morris, all grown-up, for the entire interview.  Morris visited Jimmy Fallon’s show to promote his second season of Raising the Bar, which his alter ego, Mark Paul stars in.

From one of the early episodes of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Fallon has pushed for a Saved By The Bell reunion and after the classic performance by Gosselaar, it may just become a reality of his show!  Tell me this doesn’t bring back some memories for you thirty somethings…

To read more about the hopeful reunion of the Bayside classmates, check out the after show interview with Zack Morris.  Come on Kelly and Screech, it’s alright, cause you’re saved by the bell.

Matt Suttner enjoyed all the references, the brick sized cell phone and the Zack Attack rendition, Friends Forever, with The Roots.

Eleventh Hour is here on this Monday to get you caught up on some of TV’s most drama filled stories of the week.  Included in this 11thr blogspot are: Oprah and her medical advice, Colbert takes his comedy to Iraq, Disney and Miley sign for fourth season and Speidi and J&KPE can be linked in the same category as CRAZY!

• Oprah reacts to Newsweek magazine title, “Crazy Talk: Oprah, Wacky Cures & You.”  It’s possible Oprah has been on a Bon Jovi “Bad Medicine” kick lately and not thinking rationally.
• Steve Colbert journeys to Iraq to tape four episodes titled, “Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando.”  Colbert’s attire for the episodes is undisclothed.
• Miley Cyrus agrees on small screen season four of Hannah Montana.  With all her global success the countdown is on to see if she catches any Britney Spear’s flip out flu.
• “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here” contestants Heidi and Spencer are out of their minds.  As much as I loved the first ten to fifteenth seasons of “The Real World,” reality TV in my eyes is no bueno.
• I am thankful to say I haven’t viewed one episode of the five seasons of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” but the show is beginning to turn into John and Kate disregard their 8.

Matt Suttner tried to steer clear of the TV drama but somehow Reality TV t-boned me.