the world beyond recruiting

Hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day!  Three day weekends are always a great way to start a four-day work week.  Here are some links from around the “creative world.”

“The American” won the weekend box office. “Machete” came in second.

AdvertisingAge: What Big Brand Are Spending on Google

Ever sat back and wondering, “Hmm…I wonder what are the top 10 viral ads of all time?”  Now you know.

AdAge: Israeli Teens Swipe Wristbands to Update Facebook Status

Joaquin Phoenix skipped his own world premiere of “I’m Still Here” at the Venice Beach Film Festival today.

CNNTech: Kanye West and how Twitter’s changed how we communicate

For old time’s sake: ImmaLetYouFinish.com

BrandFreak: ‘Machete’ spoofs imagine other films based on racial stereotypes

AdFreak: Fake girl plays in traffic to scare bad drivers

In case you are looking, here are 100+ upcoming social media and tech events

Here are some great links brought to you by Marina del Rey-based boutique recruiting/staffing agency Eleventh Hour. You heard about that one movie called Inception?

• THR: ‘Inception’ steals weekend with $60.4 mil
• Following a strike, the “Jersey Shore” cast is close to reaching a deal. (I know. Big news.)
• Big Brother led yesterday’s TV ratings with a 2.3 rating and an 8 share.
• AdFreak: Dude rides mower across America for Sears
• Crash test dummies Vince and Larry join exhibit at The National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian
• BRANDWEEK: Online Video Consumption Rises
• Village People are “deeply dismayed” over the YMCA changing it’s name to “The Y.”  Seriously.
• Nike’s new “Engine” spot proves that the voices in your head can be a positive. (With an emphasis on “can.”)

Brian Laesch is an independent blogger posting for boutique recruiting/staffing agency Eleventh Hour.

We are halfway through June–about two and half weeks from the fourth of July. What do you do? What do you do? Summer is here. It is going somewhere. You better seize the moment. (Or maybe this is just what I’m telling myself right now.) Either way, enjoy these links from around the creative world, check out Marina del Rey-based Eleventh Hour, and then go outside and do something.

• Karate Kid won a, quite frankly, really weak box office this weekend, grossing $55.7 million.
• Two different studios are trying to talk Peter Jackson into directing “The Hobbit” films. At this point, it seems that we can expect these films in 2020.
• Hollywood Reporter: Boxoffice futures market gets green light
• AdAge: Japan’s BeeTV Draws Big Buzz by Only Broadcasting to Mobile Phones
• ADWEEK’s Ad of the day: ESPN’s “Power of 10″
• BRANDWEEK: Exxon Blogs About BP Spill
• Best Buy has released a mobile app that works in conjunction with the new 3D film Despicable Me to translate the speech of the “minion” characters in the film. I don’t know what the minion characters are, but it sounds cool.
• Mello Yello is back with a retro logo. (I didn’t know it was still around either.)
• Bud Light has crammed 32 fans (one from each country competing in the World Cup) into a house and “eliminating” them from the house when their team is eliminated. Should be interesting. Hopefully they checked criminal records.
• Speaking of the World Cup: The Internet Loves/Hates the Vuvuzela [Randomly Viral]

Brian Laesch is an independent blogger blogging for Marina del Rey-based recruiting/staffing agency Eleventh Hour.

Hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day. Governor Schwarzenegger, Mayor Villaraigosa and actor Jon Voight led the celebration/observation of Memorial Day at West Los Angeles National Cemetery yesterday. That’s what was going on in Los Angeles, home of boutique recruiting/staffing firm Eleventh Hour. Here’s what’s going on around the “creative world”:

• R.I.P. Dennis Hopper
• Shrek topped a slow Memorial Day weekend box office (worst in 17 years).
• Guillermo del Toro has left The Hobbit. Who will take over as director?
• AdAge: Americans Downing Less Beer, Sparking Brawl Among Brewers
• Volkswagen weaves their arm-punching campaign into the opening of Jimmel Kimmel Live.
• Tom Cruise vs. Tom Cruise in an MTV promo. Remember when Tom Cruise was on the verge of crazy and it seemed like his career (or at least, reputation) was beyond repair? It seems that he’s recovered nicely.
• A baby takes over Rodeo Drive (or somewhere) in a jort-inspired diaper.
• TechCrunch: GeeksOnAPlane In Korea: 12 Demos From Local Startups
• And, some more Chris Klein auditions have leaked onto the Internet.

Brian Laesch is an independent blogger contributing to Eleventh Hour’s “the world beyond recruiting.”

Not sure how we are halfway through March. Time always flies, but in this case, it seems especially fast. It must be the excitement of spring…or the aftereffects of two very long weekends.

Here are your links for March’s hump day. I think SXSW is going on, or something. I haven’t been cool enough to go, so I have no frame of reference, but I’ll act as if I do.

• SXSW kicked off this weekend. It is so awesome. It’s, like, the coolest festival that any generation in the history of the world has ever put together. (See?)
• Alice in Wonderland won the Box Office this weekend, taking home a cool (because Johnny Depp is in the movie) $62 mill. The quote from one of my Facebook friends? “Johnny Depp is a b****!” Uh, OK then… Although, I’m assuming she isn’t a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic, so I wouldn’t put too much stock into her “review.”
• The Hollywood Reporter: Jay Roach to receive “Director of the Decade” award at ShoWest 2010.
• Sacha Baron Coen, Ben Kingsley and Martin Scorsese are going to work together.
• Sony Pictures chairman/CEO Michael Lynton wants movie theater concessions stands to health it up. I agree, it’s a noble effort, but…good luck with that.
• In case you haven’t heard, March Madness is here. Sobe is letting you face off in a “Sobe Lifewater Zero Inhibitions Bracket Challenge” against a celebrity. The prize? You get to meet said celebrity. I’m playing against Kendra. Although, I’m not really sure what I would gain from meeting her since she’s married.
• Advertising Age’s “Ad of the Day” is the new Muscle Milk spot entitled “Katie.” I saw this ad about 10 times over the weekend, while watching NCAA basketball conference tournaments. And, personally, I completely agree with this ad being the ad of any day.
• James Cameron is bringing Titanic back to the big screens in 3D. Seems like a joke, right? It’s not.
• BrandFreak: Burger King’s WhopperFace puts your face on a burger wrapper
• Word to the wise: Don’t leave a Bruins hockey game, unless you want to be dead, apparently.

Brian Laesch is an independent blogger for boutique recruiting/staffing agency Eleventh Hour.

Happy Super Bowl Week. Can’t wait for football to resume after a weekend off… What’s that? They played the Pro Bowl yesterday? Seriously? Oh…

Anyway, get your popcorn ready…and your burgers, hot dogs, beef brisket, Doritos, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Beer, and anything else you consume on Super Bowl Sunday. The match-up between the Colts and Saints should be a good one.

Here are this week’s links:

• Here is Adweek’s official Super Bowl ad coverage.
• Ever wonder how the “Punch Bug” or “Slug Bug” game started? Volkswagen answers.
• A really bad Charles Barkley Taco Bell campaign launched…
• Here is Ad Age’s Super Bowl coverage.
• BrandFreak: Naming experts split on whether ‘iPad’ is a terrible name or not
• Beyonce took home a record-breaking six Grammy’s last night. (Or so I’m told.)
• By the way, Avatar won the box office, again, for a seventh-consecutive session. No big deal.
• NBC has renewed “Parks and Recreation” for a third season. I, for one, am glad. This show is extremely underrated and has only improved since it’s first season.
• Netflix has added about 300 indie films for on-demand streaming.
• And, in case you haven’t heard, “Jersey Shore” is returning for a second season with it’s original cast members. Our country is going down the tubes, because of the tube, but it’s never been so much fun.

Brian Laesch compiled these links for Eleventh Hour’s “beyond the world of recruiting” blog.

Happy Avatar Day. Today is the day that James Cameron’s Avatar most likely surpasses Titanic as the top grossing film of all time. Proving that technology really is taking over our lives. It now dominates movies, too. I know Avatar is the first movie I’ve ever liked, strictly because of the effects. Digital effects are never supposed to be the star of a film–or so I thought–but that’s the case for Avatar.

I’ll be interested to see what James Cameron will do around 2019 to top this. Maybe he’ll create the first film experience where local actors in costumes are hired to come out of the screen and interact with the crowd during the film. Theaters across the country, and worldwide, will spend thousands installing new IMAX movie screens with doors in them… But until that day, I guess we’ll have to watch this outdated 3D stuff.

• The Hurt Locker has been voted best film by the Producers Guild of America. Really glad to see this film getting the praise it deserves.
• As mentioned, Avatar, with an estimated $1.841 billion in worldwide boxoffice, is expected to pass Titanic as the top grossing film of all time.
• Conan O’Brien’s final Tonight Show aired on Friday. In case you didn’t see it, here it is on Hulu.
• Speaking of Hulu, Nielsen is preparing a system to include all ad-supported online TV watching in their ratings.
  
• AdAge: Why This $3 Million Baby Is Back on the Super Bowl
• Jeff and Erin are getting married!!! Who are Jeff and Erin? I have no idea, but their Hollywood blockbuster trailer-style “save the date” video is fairly epic. I kind of want to crash their wedding…but I’ll probably be busy on 10/09/10.
• In a somewhat uncomfortable situation, the “Pants on the Ground” guy performed a private show for the Minnesota Vikings. (The Vikings are on the ground after blowing that game against the Saints. At least, Favre is.)
• And, did you hear the White House has it’s own iPhone app? Press Secretary Robert Gibbs loves it!

Brian Laesch has compiled these links for Eleventh Hour’s “beyond the world of recruiting” blog.

Right before the Cowboys game

Happy Thanksgiving Eve Eve. I hope you are ready for a great meal with family, friends or loved ones. If not, I hope you have somewhere good to go, or good people to be with. And, if not, I wish I could help you out…but I’m too busy being underemployed…

Here are some creative links from around the “creative world.” This is the blog post that updates you on the intangibles, tangibles, and intangibles wrapped in a tangibles’ clothing. Some of these links are business-related, but most are reviewed under the criterion known as “cool.”

• ABC is halting production on “FlashForward.” My initial reaction was that the general public learned their lesson from “Lost” (myself included). But apparently, the work stoppage was built into the production schedule from the beginning. In related news, the fact that Daily Variety calls ABC “the Alphabet” irks me.
• Speaking of production, general public, and irking–in no particular order–FX has won the rights to air the first Twilight film. (I only included this link for SEO purposes. )
• Apparently, Axe body spray is stronger than destiny. Just buy it and you’ll be stealing someone’s soulmate in no time!
• HootSuite has added support for Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter lists. Good for them. I’m a fan.
• Mashable: 5 Important Tips for Successful Web Meetings
• German government officials believe Google Analytics is illegal. I’d say, “nein,” but I don’t speak German.
• Domino’s Noid is back. In my opinion, you can thank those idiotic former employees who posted disgusting videos that I won’t link to.
• Oooohhhhh. Apple throws a grazing hook in the direction of Verizon. (I told you this feud is getting good. Let’s get it on.)
• OTB New York has won the right to show a hot chick in their ads.
• Is Foursquare the next Twitter? (I think it all depends on whether or not CNN’s Rick Sanchez embraces it.)
• In closing, since this is the “Creative World,” here’s a Yahoo! Digital Short called “The Creatives.” I’m glad these three don’t actually dress like hipsters. It gives me hope that I can someday be a normal creative guy. But then again, I also have a big problem with the whole “we actually don’t pay them very well at all” thing.

Brian Laesch is a blogger who compiled this list of links for Eleventh Hour.

The Balloon Boy’s father (a.k.a. the poor man’s Bruce Jenner) just called me. He said he wanted to be mentioned in this post. Geez. Some people just can’t get enough publicity. I’ll let the lesser, CNN, cover him. We will continue to tackle the real, pressing issues.

Here are your links for the 21st day in August in the year 2009:

• The Lebron James movie, “More Than A Game,” may be in 33rd place (with limited release) on Daily Variety’s Box Office list, but I think it should be first. I saw it this weekend. Great documentary. Of course, maybe everybody didn’t played high school basketball like I did.
• Here’s another weird ad that will never be on television but is featured on CREATIVITY. I’m a big fan of New Balance shoes, so I won’t hold them accountable for this stupid advertisement. (Do I get a free pair now?)
• Here’s an interesting interview with Twitter Co-Founder, Dom Sagolla. He answers every question in 140 characters or less. Hey-oh! (No? Nothing on that one? OK.)
• Barnes & Noble has launched it competitor to Amazon’s Kindle: Nook.
• Burger King has added the quarter-pound double cheeseburger to it’s $1 Menu. I guess it’s not really “creative” but it does make me hungry.
• Vanilla Ice is back…and promoting South African beer.
• ADFREAK (via College Humor): Pixar lamp’s future suddenly not very bright
• Adidas is making a push with their “Basketball is a Brotherhood” campaign to remind fans (and kids who remind their parents to buy basketball shoes) that they have NBA All-Stars on their roster too. It’s not all Nike.
• Bing has signed a deal with Twitter and Facebook to include status updates in their results. Wow. I can’t wait to see more status updates! (Not really.)
• Are you ready for Google’s new music service? It will be interesting. But, are you ready for cragislist’s new music service, in which you download text files of the song lyrics and sing them yourself? It’s going to revolutionize the digital music industry. (I mean, Google. I made up the craigslist thing.)
• Did I mention that Eleventh Hour is on Twitter?

Brian Laesch wrote this using a computer.

It’s Monday so you know what time it is. (No, not #musicmonday time on Twitter. What are you? 16?) It’s time for Around the Creative World! I know. You are pumped.

• President Barack Obama would like to send you a 3 million dollar inheritance. Please respond with your bank account number, routing number and full contact information. (OK…not exactly, but as AdAge points out, the healthcare email spam was a misstep.)
• ADWEEK: ‘Basterds’ Is Twitter Age’s 1st Success Story
• Good morning, Vietnam! Are you ready for ‘American Time!?’ (What year did they make this ad?)
• Brett Favre agonizes over major electronics purchases too.
• Don Draper likes the new BMW 3 Series, despite it not existing when he was “alive.”
• That reminds me… Did you know Eleventh Hour is on Twitter? (I know, that didn’t make any sense.)
• The New York Times is too good for JCPenney.
• French’s weird little Mustard Man has earned a spot at the upcoming Advertising Icon Museum in Kansas City, Mo.
• Michael Moore is set to release his new documentary, ‘Capitalism: A Love Story.’ Oh boy! Can’t wait to hear more about the recession! (Fine…I’ll probably see it.)
• Now you can publish your Facebook status to Twitter using SocialToo.
• TechCrunch: Entire German City Bans Hand Shaking

Brian Laesch has compiled this list of links for Eleventh Hour.