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1. Earlier this week, I was watching the DVD bonus features included with season one of The West Wing. Let’s say there was a deleted scene that showed media consultant Mandy Hampton being fired for making comments detrimental to President Bartlett. (There wasn’t; this is all hypothetical.) If I were putting together a West Wing quiz, would “she was fired for making comments detrimental to President Bartlett” be the correct answer to the question “What happened to Mandy Hampton after the first season?” Or when the directors chose not to include that scene, did it cease to exist?
It may be an unfair quiz question (how many people regularly watch DVD bonus features while wheezing on the treadmill?), but I’d love your opinion on the larger question—did deleted scenes really happen?
2. As another class of graduates pours into the workforce, let’s talk about career paths. Which of your friends has the best job? (And, more importantly, what’s the job?) I’ll let you define what exactly “best” means—hours worked, money earned, satisfaction derived, and so on.
3. Help me diversify my cookout options by sharing your favorite grilling recipes. [I should apologize to our Dietribes team for stepping on their territory. Sorry Allison (writer), Johanna (photographer) and Meg. (researcher).]
4. We’ll end with a commercial that’s been baffling me for over a year. The spokesman for Procede—a hair restoration tonic—is Giuseppe Franco, a Beverly Hills salon owner. That makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is this line at the end: “Now you can try Procede absolutely risk free! The exact product selling at Giuseppe Franco’s of Beverly Hills for $450, for just $19.95!”
I hate to go all Andy Rooney on you, but if you were doling out almost $500 for this at Giuseppe’s salon, wouldn’t you be incredibly angry that he was hawking the exact same stuff for $20 during Mike and the Mad Dog on the YES Network? OK, that’s not the question. This is: what strange commercial or infomercial do you spend way too much time deconstructing (or at least thinking about)?
[See transcripts of previous Friday Happy Hours]
Comments (31)
Comment
There are some interesting cooking tips on Ctrl+Alt+Chicken.
posted by Benjamin M Strozykowski on 5-23-2008 at 1:26 pm
Interesting question about the deleted scenes, Jason. I recently watched some of the deleted scenes from the film “A League of Their Own,” which is one of Kara’s favorites. One scene depicted manager Jimmy Dugan (Tom hanks) making a pass at married star Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis).
I’m happy this scene didn’t make the final cut, but honestly, it makes me feel differently about the whole movie now that I’ve seen it. The relationship between those two seems ruined with the knowledge that Dugan behaved that way.
So even thought I enjoy the film, it’ll never be the same for me. I almost wish I had never watched those extras.
posted by Sandy on 5-23-2008 at 1:30 pm
1. I don’t know if they happened but it would make an interesting quiz or post (”Which scene was actually deleted?”) You’d have to make up some fake ones.
2. I have a friend who retired after 35 years of being a lawyer. Now he sells tickets at a minor league baseball stadium and absolutely loves it. He doesn’t make a lot of money, but he’s plenty rich already.
3. My wife adn I started grilling fruit this year, honeydew melon was tasty.
4. That commercial for spray on hair always stuck wiht me.
posted by Anthony on 5-23-2008 at 2:10 pm
1. Did deleted scenes really happen?
Depends. Is it a movie based on a book, where the deleted scene is already a part of the official cannon? Then it happened, just wasn’t shown. Is it a deleted scene that provides an alternate “reality” to the “reality” that was included? For example, if Mandy was fired in the cut scene, but promoted in the included scene, the cut scene was a rejected “reality” and thus, did not happen. However, if it can coexist with included information, I would think it “happened” but was not included for other purposes.
2. My friend Jill is a librarian at the Disney archives. So she gets to look at all the original prints and spends the entire day thinking about and working with all kinds of Disney stuff. Though her husbands job may be just as cool - he’s an entertainment writer for USA Today
3. Cut up potatoes onto a sheet of foil, add lots of butter and garlic salt. Close up the foil and toss on the grill for 15-20 minutes. Yum!
4. All of them. I love it when infomercials show someone doing something the hard, old-fashioned way (It’s so challenging to cut a straight line with silly old scissors!) and then how insanely simple it is with their project. Cracks me up every time.
posted by Corrine on 5-23-2008 at 2:14 pm
1.Most of the time deleted scenes did “happen”, they just aren’t shown. Extended scenes did happen as well. Alternate scenes didn’t happen as there’s a replacement for it. Basically it’s a canon argument. If the show addresses why X happened in the main show, that’s always “canon”. If it’s not addressed in the main show, but in a deleted scene that’s also canon. After that we can talk about what the producer wanted but that’s null and void in the long run (sorry Rowlings, can’t change people’s sexual orientation after you finished writing the last book)
Basically deleted scenes can only add explanation to a show or movie, they can’t contradict what is already in the final product (final being after the show or movie series is finished).
Sadly this means the midichloreans of Star wars is “correct” over everything the extended universe said, but it’s the way it works… I loath to say it but I think I made an argument for Greedo to shoot first, which means I must now disagree with everything I’ve said here, even though I hold it true.
2. I think I have the best job of my group of friends from college. We were computer science and I became a video game programmer. Pretty proud of the job too. Seems to be what everyone wants (and still wants) to be.
posted by Kinglink on 5-23-2008 at 2:20 pm
True story:
Several years ago, my partner and I would stay up late and watch old game shows on GSN. One mainstay was a commercial for a denture adhesive that announced “BETTER HOLD” while the fine print said “vs. no adhesive”. That’s right, “our product is better than nothing at all”.
This went on for several weeks, and we’d laugh every time the fine print came up. Then one day, they changed the commercial — now, it was set up as a mock interview: “Why don’t you use adhesive?” “I don’t need it, don’t like the grit, etc.” “So we asked them to try [our brand].” “I love it!”
We were stunned, then looked at each other and asked, “What do you think of that?” “I’m not sure. Did you brush today?” “Not since this morning. When was the last time you flossed?” “I don’t know.” And we immediately ran off to address our lack of dental hygiene.
We thought this was so funny, we went to the manufacturer’s website and told them this story, thinking they’d get a chuckle out of it too. “We hurried off to brush and floss because we never, ever want to use your product.”
The next morning, I got a nice response: “Thank you for your comments. I’m sending your email to our director of advertising right away.”
The next night, “BETTER HOLD…vs. no adhesive.”
Apparently, the new commercial backfired — they’d rather have people lose their teeth and buy denture adhesive.
posted by Jeff on 5-23-2008 at 2:25 pm
RE: Best Jobs
I have a friend who works for the Dept. of Fish and Game.
From what I gather, it’s mostly checking traps by the river and filling out paperwork. Recently, though, one of the lakes near her was overwhelmed by a certain species of fish that was unnaturally introduced. It was so serious that the Dept had no choice but to send her and anyone else they could spare to eradicate the area.
And yes, that’s the official government term for what they did: Eradicate. ‘To destroy all traces of: abolish, annihilate’
That just blew my mind. How many people get to say they’ve “eradicated” something for their job. How many people can honestly put on their resumes “Skills: Species eradication.”
And if that’s not awesome enough, while I’m sitting here in my little cubicle.. She’s hiking through the woods with huge backpack full of heavy electrical equipment.
Why? They’re going to the outlying streams in the area, zapping the fish, and counting them while their stunned.
I’m futzing around with printer drivers, she’s eradicating species and zapping things with a Ghostbusters-sytle backpack stun-gun.
My friend’s job is awesome
posted by James on 5-23-2008 at 2:38 pm
My favorite take on infomercials was one I read where a blogger (can’t remember who; ’twas years ago) was talking about a commercial for a cooking gadget. The “old-fashioned” method showed a woman drying to drain spaghetti in a colander and spilling it all over the sink. The blogger’s conclusion? “Don’t cook while you’re drunk!” I think of that every time I see one of those commercials now.
As far as deleted scenes go, I have to agree with Kinglink: It’s a question of replaced vs. not shown, e.g. retcon vs. flashback.
posted by Joanna on 5-23-2008 at 2:47 pm
I usually avoid watching deleted scenes because I can usually tell why they were deleted in the first place. They bring the movie down with jokes, actions, and reactions that just don’t work. The only exception to this rule would be the Judd Apatow movies of the past couple of years.
As far as money goes, my friends that went the nursing route probably have the best jobs. But the most interesting by far would be a friend that got a job at Saturday Night Live right out of college. She gets to meet all kinds of cool movie stars and musicians. One of her best stories is when she met Adam Sandler. Upon hearing her southern accent he asked where she was from. When she responded “North Carolina,” he said “Whoa that commute must be hell.”
My two favorite things to grill are jumbo shrimp with spicy seasoning salt, and corn on the cob. Shuck a fresh ear of corn and wrap it in tin foil. Grill for about 15 minutes, then rub with butter and salt.
I guess this falls in line with bafflement: I love to watch that infomercial for the small, flying-saucer-shaped grill that can cook two different foods at the same time. That woman puts the crappiest-looking leftovers in there, but when they come out my mouth is watering. What gives?!?
posted by ba on 5-23-2008 at 2:48 pm
On deleted scenes:
I don’t think they happened at all. Even if it was cut strictly to manage running time, it still was not presented in the original cut and therefore is not part of the original work as such. All that is shown happens, anything else was not seen as important to include and therefore can be regarded as not having happened.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to compare movie adaptations to the original books. Although the story is (or at least should be) the same, expressing the same thing in words and film are two totally differnt things. Even if the movie version is loyal to the cannon set by the book, I think it should be regarded as a work in its own right, not as as an extension or part of the book’s universe. Some of the best adaptations change the story to work so it works in the movie format, such as Jurassic Park and The Princess Bride (you may not agree with my choices, but you get the idea). Some events in these movies happen in the movie version, but not in the book and vice versa, and if there is a single cannon then we have a serious problem, and both are approved by the auther either by writing it or allowing the movie to be made. If we leave them as seperate entities, it’s way more practical and easier to deal with.
posted by Graham on 5-23-2008 at 3:00 pm
As it happens, I run a trivia-related business from triviahalloffame.com, and this issue has come up before. Deleted scenes don’t officially happen because they sometimes contradict each other or the narrative in the final product.
posted by Paul Paquet on 5-23-2008 at 3:50 pm
The infomercial that boggles me the most right now is the one for the green veggie bags that are supposed to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh for weeks on end.
The thing that confuses me is that they explain how regular plastic bags trap in the natural gases released by the produce and those trapped gases are what causes them to rot. The green bags apparently have magical properties that allow them to vent these gases and therefore the vegetables stay fresh longer. You can keep strawberries in the fridge for two months according to them. Ok fine. Then why do they show how the green bag keeps banans from turning brown vs them sitting out on an open counter?!? Wouldn’t something sitting out in the open be the most beneficial method of keeping it fresh based on their explanation. How does the green bag help the bananas? Wouldn’t it trap the evil gases? I don’t get it!
posted by Lisa on 5-23-2008 at 4:22 pm
4. Dual Action Cleanse. So messed up, but sooooo fascinating.
posted by frumpiefox on 5-23-2008 at 4:26 pm
There’s an ad for a retractable awning (can’t remember the name, something like Sunrise Catcher) that makes no sense as it’s shown. The benefit of this thing is that you can raise it when it’s particularly sunny (or rainy, I guess), so you can better use your patio. But in the commercial, the owner is operating the awning from her screen door; she’s raising the awning, see, but if she were to lower it, she’d cover the door completely, not to mention the window. That tells me, the average viewer, that when the thing’s not in use it blocks everything, making it all kinds of useless.
posted by Dan on 5-23-2008 at 4:56 pm
He was really hocking the stuff? There was sputum involved?
Yuck. That’s disgusting. It’d be bad enough that he was hawking the stuff for $20.
Grilling? Just clean ears of corn, butter them liberally, roll them in aluminum foil, and toast them above the coals.
So many people boil the ears in water, and the corn ends up tasting cobby. It’s a lot better if you stand the ears upright in your spaghetti pot, with just a half inch of water, and steam them until they’re hot. But when you grill them, the sugar in the kernels carmelizes, and they’re SO much better.
posted by Harl Delos on 5-23-2008 at 6:18 pm
Not to be selfish or anything, but I think I will have the best job out of all my friends. Currently I am in graduate school working towards becoming a marriage and family therapist, but once I’m done with that I am going to be a sex therapist! I don’t know about anyone else, but that sounds super fun to me!
posted by Lizzy on 5-23-2008 at 7:26 pm
1. Didn’t happen. Directors and/or producers made a conscious decision to leave it out of the story. So, while it may have been a part of the original script, it didn’t make the cut, therefore it’s not part of the finished story.
2. My dad has the best job. He’s retired, and works part-time at an Anheuser-Busch resort facility as a maintenance guy. He gets kick-ass gifts, a clothing allowance, discount Bud gear, and free beer. What more can you ask for?
3. Favorite easy grilling recipe: grilled romaine. Cut romaine heads in half lengthwise. Brush cut sides with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Grill cut-side down over medium heat for about 45-60 seconds, or until lettuce barely begins to brown. Drizzle with Caesar dressing (preferably homemade–Bobby Flay has a great recipe) and eat. I know it sounds strange, but trust me and give it a shot.
4. All infomercials baffle me. I spend more time wondering about the poor people who get sucked in to these things, and why they’re awake at 3:00am.
posted by bre on 5-23-2008 at 8:05 pm
I have the best job of my friends (well, the ones that don’t do the same thing)… nursing. Yeah, you deal with a lot of crap (literally and figuratively) but the pay is great and you can’t beat the 3 12-hour shifts/week.
posted by Jess on 5-23-2008 at 9:45 pm
1. No. Deleted scenes are put there so fans of a series or film can see what other ideas the writers and directors had- in other words, what COULD HAVE happened, but did not. The most obvious example would be deleted scenes directly contradicting the final product, making it impossible for both events to have occurred.
2. I have the second-best job- I work for ESPN, which basically entails nothing but watching sports all day. It doesn’t pay much, but it’s worth it for the atmosphere, the camaraderie, and the, y’know, watching sports all day. But the best job goes to my friend who is a professional classical musician, which, in essence, allows her to fly around the world on private jets and play music. Lucky b*tch.
3. I have no idea, as I couldn’t cook (or grill, or whatever) if my life depended on it.
4. I have thought about that same commercial- you would be surprised how often it pops up during sports programming at work- over and over and over again. I am most baffled by why Mr. Franco would endorse the product, thus showing that his $450 service is completely useless. Why would you undercut yourself by over 95%?
posted by Mike on 5-24-2008 at 1:02 am
I think it depends on the reason it was cut. If it was a decision on the part of the director/writer/showrunner/producer/etc. in an effort to better serve the narrative of the story, then OK, it “didn’t happen.” But if it was just cut for time and would otherwise have been included, especially if it’s later included in an extended edition (à la LOTR) then yes, it is canon. Mostly I rely on the guidance of the creative forces behind the project, since they’re the ones telling the story.
posted by Celeste M. on 5-24-2008 at 2:44 am
In answer to question 2, about the best job, it would be my boyfriend.
He works as a blackjack dealer, and makes a base pay of 6.25 an hour, but averages each paycheck about 15.95 in tips, so he makes 22.20 an hour, playing a card game, yes it’s repetitive, but he makes great money, and has great hours. And makes about 40k a year, which sucks, because I work as a receptionist, and make around 25k a year.
Weird..
posted by StephanieAnn. on 5-24-2008 at 2:53 am
There’s a commercial here for a cosmetic - “Thin Lizzy” powder. Apparently, it replaces ALL makeup, including blush, face powder, eye shadow etc. And you can use more to make yourself look more ‘tan’.
The hilarious thing about this ad is it shows women attempting to put on regular liquid makup - and getting frustrated because it’s very difficult! ha!
Also, you can use the powder on your legs to make them look tan…but wouldn’t it just rub off?
posted by Dawn on 5-24-2008 at 5:07 am
3. Veggie Fajitas are yummy and easy! Just marinate some portobella mushroom caps, grill them until their cooked all the way through, then slice them up into slice like you would fajita meat. You can also grill the red bell peppers, onion, poblano peppers, etc. to go along with them. Offer up shredded pepper jack cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo and guacamole on the side. (And don’t forget the tortillas!)
Easy guacamole: get as many avocados as you need and add cilantro, salt and lime juice to taste and mash it all up with a potato masher until you hit the consistency you like.
Pico de gallo is easy to make. You just chop up tomato, red onion, fresh jalapeno and cilantro, mix it all together with a little lime juice and let it sit for a few hours before you serve it.
And this may be because I’m southern, but I LOVE grilled corn with butter and Tony Chachere’s on it. The Tony’s more spice (if you can find it up there) is lower in sodium but the flavor is awesome. And, unlike traditional seasoned salt, there’s no msg! Hooray for the absence of neurotoxins! Butter, a little salt and some cayenne pepper is great, too.
Wrap the corn in tinfoil and cook in the husk until done, then remove the husks and place the corn directly on the grill for just a couple of minutes.
Thank goodness I’m going to a cookout today! I’m starving now!
posted by nikki on 5-24-2008 at 9:33 am
Crap. “they’re” not “their.”
Also, nice use of a picture of Moira Kelly in a post.
posted by nikki on 5-24-2008 at 9:36 am
A friend of mine from high school has a cool job. She does A&R for an indie label. I’d like her job! (I’m in customer service, which isn’t nearly as exciting.)
As for deleted scenes, there’s usually a pretty good reason it’s been cut, which other Flossers have mentioned above. I just wanted to say that I think one of the funniest deleted scenes is from season 3 of “The Office” where Michael names his computer Harvey and makes it “talk” to Jim and Pam. I quote it all the time!
posted by Krie on 5-24-2008 at 10:19 am
1. I don’t care about deleted scenes much, the only one I’ve ever taken the time to watch is the one weird cut scene from “The Breakfast Club” during the hallway chase.
2. I will third having the best job as a nurse. I’m a public health nurse, which means I get to drive all over the city all day visiting people in their homes to take care of them, and educate them on how to take care of themselves. My office is my car, my schedule is independent, the pay is fab, it’s satisfying and fun, AND I have great career security.
3. Fave grillin’ recipe (I’m married to a professional chef, too - do you hate me yet?) are sweet potatoes or yams cut into thick coins, painted with a quick whip of butter, brown sugar and nutmeg and put directly on the grill for about 5 min. a side. Let ‘em burn a little bit for maximum crispy charred goodness.
posted by Zx on 5-24-2008 at 2:36 pm
I think it depends on why they were deleted. Sometimes they’ve got director/actor commentary in addition to just the scene; I think if it was deleted because it didn’t fit, no, it shouldn’t be counted. If it was deleted for time alone, then yes, it happened.
posted by Sarah on 5-24-2008 at 10:32 pm
4. There is one commercial that struck me a year ago. It’s selling a “wonderful portable recorder” perfect to remember anything you don’t want to forget. You press a buton and then you can record everything from your shopping list to your kids name or the birthday of your mother.
Screw your pens and paper, a portable recorder is what everyone needs.
posted by Daphnee on 5-24-2008 at 11:20 pm
1. Thw scenes can’t exist for the simple reason that if an aired scene contains dialogue or reference that is inconsistent with a deleted scene its obvious that the aired scene would trump. Deleted scenes therefore can’t have occurred as it would allow for inconsistencies to arise.
posted by Mike D on 5-25-2008 at 11:44 am
I’m with corrine on the potato/garlic foil thing, only I like to add onions and carrots, too.
Avacado cut in half and placed face down is amazing. Fill the middle up with salsa and sour cream. Delightful!
posted by lady H on 5-25-2008 at 12:30 pm
My husband has lately been obsessed with grilling crab legs. It’s super easy. Take a crab leg cluster, spray it with cooking spray (e.g., Pam) and sprinkle on the seasoning of your choice. Place them on the grill for 2 or 3 minutes, flip and grill for 2 or 3 minutes more. So easy and so yummy!
posted by Hamster on 5-26-2008 at 7:29 am