Joaquin Phoenix is still acting fairly wacky these days (the term industry insiders are not using). The reclusive, bearded, former-actor who shunned Hollywood has become the subject of his own documentary entitled, “I’m Still Here” (directed by Casey Affleck). However, he didn’t even show for the world premiere at the Venice Film Festival today. (No word on if it was in honor of Labor Day.)

That’s a pity, since Phoenix, the brooding, respected, totally serioso actor in Walk the Line and Gladiator, has been a gossip-writer’s dream subject for two years now — from Oct. 2008, when he announced he was renouncing movies to be a rap artist, through his infamous gig Feb. 11, 2009, on The Late Show With David Letterman, when the star showed up in his fat bearded-guy look and glazed, incoherent persona, cuing Letterman to ask, “What can you tell us about your days with the Unabomber?” and to cap the interview with “Joaquin. I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight.”

Still AWOL at the world premiere of his movie — which plays the Toronto Film Festival Friday, the same day it opens in Los Angeles, before a limited run in other cities — Phoenix left plenty of questions unanswered. Like: Is this movie for real? Many industry sages believe the whole thing is an elaborate hoax: pulling a Garbo at age 33, declaring he was going to excel in a new field he was unprepared for, sitting for a feature-length portrait, warts and all (in fact, nothing but warts), by Affleck, his sister Summer’s husband. Tired of having to interpret other people’s scripts when he possesses the soul of a creative artist, Phoenix says plaintively, “I don’t wanna play the character of Joaquin any more.” Yet he is fully aware of the paradox that an ex-actor is the subject of a movie: “My life is becoming a film about me not wanting to make a film.”

Truly unbelievable.  Even director Casey Affleck admits that audiences will be confused.  Huh?

Even director Casey Affleck admit that audiences will be confused.  What?

I said, even director Casey Affleck… Oh.

You’ve gotta give it up to GEICO and The Martin Agency.  They keep bringing simple, memorable, humorous spots to TV/Internet.  Between the Cavemen, the gecko, and these new animal-inspired ads, they know what they are doing when it comes to building a brand name and building up brand equity.

If you haven’t seen them, here are a few of these ads. Enjoy these while on break…

Woodchucks

Little Piggy

Octopus

Or is it the NBA that got lopsided, once Lebron James decided to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to play for the Miami Heat? I guess that depends on who the Heat put around these guys…but one thing is for sure: Wow. Like it (people in Miami and/or fairweather, bandwagon NBA fans who usually just collect jerseys and sneakers) or hate it (everybody outside of Miami), it’s going to be a dominate force in the NBA for a few years. (Then again, so were the Cavs this year…and we saw what happened in the playoffs… Of course, they still weren’t this stacked.)

Here’s the celebration in Miami. I don’t buy the fact that this was a last-minute decision. In fact, I believe they did it this way on purpose. 1) To screw other teams (like the Bulls) by not allowing them to go after other options. 2) For the massive publicity/promotion/hype.

The other thing I wonder…is if Lebron petitioning to change his number to #6 this past season was a telltale sign we all overlooked. People immediately thought Chicago. What nobody realized is that the Miami Heat also randomly retired Michael Jordan’s #23 years ago as well. Interesting.

Anyway, it should be an interesting year in the NBA. The Lakers still no longer look like the most stacked team in the league…but still appear to be a formidable opponent.

I thought about calling this week’s edition of links “Around the Creative World (Holiday Purgatory)”…but figured that might be a bit depressing. You know the time of year though: in between Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve. It’s a blah time of year. If you are lucky enough to be off work, you might still be enjoying yourself. If not, you are counting down the days until the new year so you can move on. At least, I know I am.

But there is one good thing about this time of year. Almost every single media outlet, in every medium, is releasing lists of the “Best of the Year.” And in this case, “Best of the Decade.”

• Avatar has just barley been release, and already AFI is singling it out as one of it’s eight significant moments of 2009.
• In case you were wondering, yes, Virginia, Facebook was the most visited site on Christmas. (Oh…your name isn’t Virginia?)
• Here are the 10 most-read AdFreak posts of the year.
• Do you want to know where digital marketing is going in 2010? Advertising Age thinks they know…
• And, Mashable has five things you need to know about mobile advertising for 2010.
• AdvertisingAge: Looking for a Second Career? Consider Being a Community Manager
• Do you have what it takes to apply for the position of “Twitter Genius“? I think I do…but I’m not sure that I want that title.
• In closing, here is Jack Bauer interrogating Santa Claus. (Also featured in The Rundown.)

Brian Laesch wishes you and yours a Happy 2010.

Breaking News on CNN (with live video) has announced that NASA discovered water on the moon with their “bombing” a few weeks ago. Amazing stuff:

(CNN) — NASA has discovered water on the moon, based on data from the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, that plunged into the moon last month, the principal investigator for LCROSS said Friday.

Anthony Colaprete said at the start of his comments to reporters, “Indeed, yes, we found water.”

Unbelievable. I just took my glasses off like Walter Cronkite and sat here, moved and speechless…

OK, I didn’t do that…but I am wearing glasses. This may be another one of those iconic space moments though. It’s the closest thing my generation has to a moon landing so far (which still isn’t anywhere near the “orbit” of that moment. Hey-oh.) It will be fascinating to see how these studies continue to develop. Unbelievable. Maybe we will need to add a picture of the moon to the header for this blog.

Anyway, here are some great, related stories:

It’s Official: Water Found on the Moon

NASA Moon Crash Found ‘Significant Amount’ of Water

‘Significant amount’ of water found on moon

NASA: Evidence of water found in moon crater

Brian Laesch is the blogger who posted this,  “and that’s the way it is.”

Speaking of basketball and being creative (two of my favorite things), the NBA has launched a new video version of their rule book on NBA.com. The video rulebook displays video from actual NBA games and discusses the accompanying rule or violation with a text “Commentary” to the side of each video.

From my understanding, the video rulebook is not complete, but will be contributed to continually. And it is not meant to take the place of the Official NBA Rulebook:

Note: The NBA Video Rulebook website is not meant to be a substitute for the Official NBA Rulebook. If there is any discrepancy in the language between the explanations listed on this site, and what is written in the Official Rulebook, the Official Rulebook takes precedence.

Still, from a fan’s standpoint, I really like it. I think it’s an innovative edition to a professional sports league’s official website. The internet (and society in general) has become more of a “visual learning” type of place. I wouldn’t be surprised if other leagues followed suit. This will help fans understand more of the calls they see on the floor. It’s helped me already. I really didn’t know about “dislodging an opponent in the post with the knee” until I checked out this video. Rather than adding another silly player blog (not that there’s anything wrong with that), or an insignificant celebrity’s perspective of the game, I believe this is a feature that adds real value to the site, and celebrates the core of the NBA: actual basketball.

I’m so pumped that I’m going to march on Washington, with a fist in the air, in support of this new NBA.com feature…

Too passionate?

Sorry, I really like basketball.

Brian Laesch once scored 36 points in a Hollywood industry rec league game. He’s bragging about that right now.

Welcome to Around the Creative World for October 13, 2009. I’ll be bringing you an assortment of links that cover an assortment of media-centric topics from an assortment of places. You can then sort through them and see what sort of links you like best.

Sointenly!

Shout-outs to the Three Stooges on that one. Rest in Peace, Curly. Stay up, homies. (It’s funny how that actually sounded kind of gangsta, but it was meant to be a joke.)

Anyway…

• I saw Paranormal Activity this weekend. I think it’s been a Trending Topic in Twitter for a week straight. If you liked Blair Witch Project at all, you’ll like this movie. It was fourth at the weekend Box Office, pulling in $7,900,695, but I have a feeling it will be right back up there next weekend, if not higher. I’d also predict a good percentage of people (teenagers) going back to see it a second time.
• AdvertisingAge: Fox, Burger King Team Up for Jessica Simpson Fat Joke
• Guess what? Bing is slowly starting to gain it’s share of search advertising dollars. I’m still not happy with them on a personal level…but I’m also rooting for them. (So I’m internally conflicted…about whether or not I like Bing. That’s all I’m talking about.) Is this a backlash based on Google elitism? Or do people simply like to view backdrop Ansel Adams photos as they search?
• J.J. Abrams set to produce another project for Paramount. No surprise there.
• Did I mention that I wrote a book? (Hoping someone in Paramount development sees this blog.)
• Wine bottles (filled with movie posters, unfortunately) have been showing up on beaches around the world to promote “Bioshock 2.”
• ADWEEK: Brands Seek Fans on Facebook
• Did I mention that Eleventh Hour is on Facebook? (I’ll give you a break from the Twitter link… Oops.)
• Did I mention that I’m on Facebook?
• You ready for Godfather-inspired vodka? I know I am…if it’s free.
• BrandFreak: ‘2012′ ads unlikely to mention that Mayan elders dispute premise
• Mashable: Want to Remotely Start Your Car? There’s an App for That
• Is there a class divide in social networking? I’ve been saying for years that Myspace reminds me of a once-affluent neighborhood that lost a corporation’s national headquarters and turned into a ghetto. (That’s why I now rap about what’s going on in my Myspace hood. I’m from the streets. Not really.)

Brian Laesch occasionally syndicates this blog on BrianLaesch.com.

In an attempt to celebrate the end of the week, here is what I like to call a “viral buzz.” It may be a term that is a little too…”markety”…but it definitely describes what I am going for.

This is another Andy Samberg/Lonely Island/SNL effort, now featured on FunnyOrDie.com. (I’m trying to drop as many names as possible.) The ending isn’t supposed to make sense. I didn’t like the initially, but it’s grown on me since the rest of the video is funny. At the least, the song and video are catchy. You’ve gotta hand it to Andy Samberg/Lonely Island/SNL. They definitely make things that stick in your brain, for some reason.

“I’m not part of your system, I’m an adult.”

Truer words have never been spoken. This song is so deep that I don’t even know how to explain how deep it is. It’s mad deep. And if you don’t like this blog, I don’t care. Throw your laptop on the ground to get back at me. I’m not part of your blogosphere system, I’m an adult.

Brian Laesch is an adult.

After Chicago lost in the first round of the bidding for the 2016 Olympic Games, I spent the weekend entire weekend in deep though, sitting on the same rock and eating nothing. I didn’t sleep. I just pondered the meaning of life. And at the end of the weekend, I came away with a clearer conscience, and a view of the future eerily resembled ABC’s new one-hour drama, FlashForward.

Just kidding. None of that happened. But it does suck that Chicago lost.

Here are the links:

• Is Twitter ruining the Hollywood studio movie marketing machine? (I’ve been saying this for months. About time someone wrote an article about it.)
• Speaking of Hollywood, Zombieland won the weekend Box Office with $25 Million. And here’s a Twitter search that shows overall good comments about the film.
• Have I mentioned in the past…and don’t stop me if you’ve heard this before…but have I mentioned that Eleventh Hour is on Twitter?
• The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is starting to crack down on blogger payola and celebrity Tweets. Meaning, bloggers will be required to disclose any free money or stuff received in exchange for endorsing a product. I guess there goes my under-the-table endorsement deals with Ab Circle Pro, Time Life’s Golden Age of Country CD collection and the Snuggie. It was fun while it lasted.
• Who else thinks Bud Light Wheat sounds pretty good for tailgating this fall? (Full disclosure for the FTC: I did not receive free Bud Light Wheat beer for posting this…unfortunately.)
• BrandFreak.com: Twinkies are beating Coke and Pepsi in movie product placement as of late.
• AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com is blowing up, with a book deal and a Universal Pictures deal. Does this mean they have to pay a percentage to every family member who appeared in a photograph on their site? That would be cool.
• Are you ready to watch the end of the world, again, in a movie? From the Director of Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow (no…seriously) comes 2012. Maybe I’d find this more entertaining if I’d stop watching those history of the Earth shows on History Channel late at night. Here’s my tagline for the film: “Trust us, the special effects really do make it a good movie this time!”
• Are you ready for the “Battle for Milkquarious”? (I actually saw this actor’s real band play at The Roxy on Sunset one time. Not surprisingly, it was just as weird as this commercial. But I give the guy props for getting paid, if nothing else.)
• And, The Simpsons recently did a send-up to social media.
• Did I mention that Eleventh Hour is on Twitter?

Brian Laesch is an independent blogger, but would not hesitate to become a corporate one…as long as he was still able to write exactly what he wanted.

Welcome back to Around the Creative World. Today is 9/29/09. I really should have done that 9.9.9 joke this week. 9.29.09 works better than 9.23.09. Oh well. Live and learn. The next time one of these unique dates comes around, I’ll be ready to poke fun at the next preceding date that is best served for the purpose of a marketing phenomena to sell movies, etc. But for now…here are some links from around the creative worlds of advertising, marketing, entertainment, the Internet and more…

• AdAge: Can Twitter Rake in the Ads to Justify $1 Billion Valuation? If CNN’s Rick Sanchez has anything to say about it! You can bet your fotos del dia on it.
• Burger joint Red Robin has had some success on Facebook. (Disclosure: I was moved to post this link due to a craving for Red Robin.)
• Secret Service is investigating a Facebook poll regarding Obama. I won’t even repeat the question, but it’s horrible. What is wrong with people?
• Here’s a cool new Gillette commercial featuring Atlanta Falcons’ Quarterback Matt Ryan. So glad that football is back. (What? Is Week 4 too late to say that?)
• Are you ready for live CNN video news feeds via your iPhone? I know I am…but first I need the iPhone.
• Here’s a weird/very creative way to visualize just how fast Comcast High-Speed Internet with PowerBoost is.
• Apparently, I’m the only one who finds this Apple Store love song annoying. BrandFreak likes it, and it has a high rating on YouTube. It’s making me feel like I’m 60 years old, wondering what’s wrong with the youth today. Oh well. Gotta go tend the garden. I’ll be right back.
• OK, I’m back from tending the garden. Speaking of gardening, Australia would not let me into their country if I really was. Good thing I just made that up for the purpose of illustrating that I’m feeling older.
• Google Wave invitations (100,000) start going out tomorrow. Is it time for the next big shift in the technological plates that make up the Internet? Is this like a reverse-Pangaea effect? Am I getting too cute with this link? My bad.
• Here is the entire pilot episode for The Cleveland Show on Hulu. I haven’t watched it yet, but I’m a fan of the Family Guy, and my brother interviewed to be a production assistant on this show, so I figured it was worth posting.
• Have I mentioned that Eleventh Hour is on Twitter?

Brian Laesch has written for 11thr, The Rundown, BrianLaesch.com and a desktop folder full of scripted material that nobody will read.