Wise Ideas

The One About The Abs

First it was Michelle's arms.  Now it's "Elaine's" abs.  I did not see that coming.

As anyone who has stood in line at the grocery store check-out counter in recent days already knows --  Michelle Obama's rock-hard arms on the cover of Vogue are being challenged by the rock-hard abs of 48-year old Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the cover of Shape. 

My first thought - "who knew" - was quickly followed by remembrances of the Seinfeld years when "Elaine" wore tent dresses to hide her pregnant and post-pregnant body -- just like the rest of us middle-aged moms.  However -- those thoughts were even more rapidly followed by pangs of jealousy and the sad realization that my abs, regardless of how many hours I spend in the gym, will never, ever look like that.

Oh, "Elaine" --- what have you done!?  From beloved "every-girl funny-girl" to object of envy and resentment -- all during one trip to the grocery store. Not even the hint of a nipple on a Christmas card can repair the damage those abs have done to my image of you.

Not that the guys don't appreciate it.  "Sure, there's been some airbrushing, but at this point I'd like to welcome back my Elaine Benes crush," one obviously male write posts on TheSuperficial.com. 

Of course, in the age-old tradition of magazines like Women's Health and Shape, cover "models" dish on their health and fitness secrets.  In the April Shape, Julia/Elaine confesses to keeping chocolates in her desk drawer, admits that her "biggest food vice is bacon," and says she keeps healthy by spending a lot of time outdoors and shopping at local organic farmers’ markets.  If it were really that simple, all of us mothers-of-two would be walking around in belly shirts and low rise sorts. 

This would be hilarious material for a Seinfeld episode if it weren't so....so....frustratingly unrealistic for the millions of us 48-ish year old moms struggling to retain some semblance of our 30-something bodies. None of us ever expected to look like Madonna at age 50 --- but to look like Julia/Elaine?  That somehow seemed realistic - until now. 

The only thing that could make the resentment go away is for Julia/Elaine to come back down to earth by turning her cover photo into comedy -- maybe during the upcoming reunion appearances with her Seinfeld buddies on Curb Your Enthusiasm.  Reality-based comedy gold! 

Almost as "funny" as NYTimes Op-Ed-ster David Brooks comments about Michelle's biceps to fellow Op-Ed-stress Maureen Dowd.  “She’s made her point,” he said. “Now she should put away Thunder and Lightning.” 

On second thought - how about a show where Julie-and-her-abs and Michelle-and-her-biceps become super heroes in Spandex and save our country from economic and humorless disaster.   Oh, that's right...it's already happened in the Female Force comic book series. 

 (not that there's anything wrong with that). 

A Bunch of Twits

My 8-year old daughter has yet to develop that internal filter between the brain and the mouth, the one that should be preventing her from saying out loud anything that pops into her head.

And while some people say they think she's adorable and outspoken -- she's starting to cross the line into annoying and inappropriate.  It's only a matter of time before her mouth starts getting her in serious trouble, which is why we've been spending so much time explaining to her why it's wise to always think BEFORE you speak.

Apparently, this is a lesson politicians, TV talking heads, and people with waaaay too much time on their hands have forgotten -- because they are "saying" what they are "thinking" all the time now, using Twitter.

This week we got to "hear" John McCain's thoughts (or "Tweets" if you use the lingo) about the earmarks in the Omnibus spending bill:  "2 million 'for the promotion of astronomy' in Hawaii because nothing says new jobs for average Americans like investing in astronomy.”  We also get to learn about David Gregory's every move prior to Sunday's Meet the Press:  "646 am. Just got to NBC. Almost showtime."

And these are just two examples of the hundreds and even thousands of talking heads that have turned Twitter from a niche techie past-time into a mainstream media must-do.  Don't we hear from these people enough already?!  TV-types, and those who seek out TV-types like politicians, seem to be particularly caught up in this narcissistic new form of "reporting." 

But print journalists, like The WaPost's Howard Kurtz, are calling it like it is.  "With that kind of pipeline, who needs television?" Kurtz gleefully asks.

The NYTimes TV Watch writer Alessandra Stanley was a little more verbose, and sarcastic.  "Left alone in a cage with a mountain of cocaine, a lab rat will gorge itself to death. Caught up in a housing bubble, bankers will keep selling mortgage-backed securities — and amassing bonuses — until credit markets seize, companies collapse, and millions of investors lose their jobs and homes," Stanley writes. "And news anchors and television personalities who have their own shows, Web sites, blogs and pages on Facebook.com and MySpace.com will send Twitter messages until the last follower falls into a coma."

Of course, the Twitter community was incensed by this slap in the face....and couldn't stop tweeting about it.  All this gave great joy to Jon Stewart, who let Samantha Bee make a twit of herself this week on The Daily Show.

The good news is that if you don't want to "listen" to these Twitterers, you don't have to...you need to be a Twitterer youself, or log onto a users Twitter page to read all these mostly-meaningless posts (although marketing managers have learned the power of Twitter, thanks to the so-called Motrin Moms). However, that sets up a Twit vs non-Twit world...more divisiveness we don't really need at this point. 

There's no telling at this point if Twitter is a passing fad, or here to stay.  But like my daughter and her unedited mouth - its just a matter of time before someone's Twittering gets them into hot water.  Because although it may seem like an incredibly instant form of journalism, if there's no editing between brain and thumbs -- someone's bound to Tweet something they shouldn't have. 

And that will be news. 

Showing Advertisers Who's "Boss"

If this were your average blog about marketing and media, today's post would be all about the winners and losers of yesterday's most-talked about competition.  No, not the actually football game played on Super Bowl Sunday, but rather the competition among TV commercials played in between the action on the field.

However, this isn't your "average marketing blog."  It's a blog that about marketing, media and everything mom.  And if there's one thing most moms don't really have time to do, it's sit still for six-plus hours on a Sunday afternoon in front of the TV.  Even if it's Super Bowl Sunday.

The SFChronicle's Baby Blog, called The Poop, blogged about the ads live during yesterday's game - even "posting videos from some of the best and worst commercials of Super Bowl XLIII."  But without trying to be too sexist, I should point out that the writer of The Poop is a man (as well as The Chronicle's "Cultural Critic")....and that he obviously was NOT in charge of taking care of the kids during the game, because if he was, he wouldn't have the time to be blogging about anything, much less live.

So here's my not-very live take on yesterday's ads ("Mom, come here....you gotta see this,"), from your average mom on Super Bowl Sunday.

**Saw the last 10 seconds or so of the SoBe lizards/dancing football player ad.  That was $3 million wasted. (Or is that $6 million for a 1 minute spot?). Does SoBe even sell $3 mil worth of product?

**What's the story with Will Ferrell and Matt Lauer?

**I liked what I saw of the Bob Dylan/Will I. am Pepsi ad.  But Dylan hawking Pepsi still seems unseemly to me.  And tying soft drink sales to Obama-esque optimism seems opportunistic.  But hey, that's the "beauty" of marketing.

**Loved the Star Trek movie trailer...but obviously am out of it because I didn't even know they had made a prequel. 

**Why did I get weepy during the Peter & the Wolf Coke ad?  Hormones, or just an insatiable craving to be happy.  Note:  I cried during last year's, Stewie vs Charlie Brown Coke ad too.  Must be the classical music.

** CareerBuilder.com?  How about SaveMyJobFromTheManEatingEconomy.com!

**One word:  Cash4Gold.com.  This is what it's come to.

And finally, the winner of best Super Bowl ad of 2009, was the commercial right smack dab in the middle of the game for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, who is - not coincidentally - launching a new tour this week and has a new album out.  ("It's not rocket science" he told Bob Costas, as The NYTImes reports). Not only did The Boss get a whole 12 minutes to promote himself and his band - but the NFL paid HIM for it. 

Now that's showing everyone who's "Boss."  And moms can really appreciate that.

Of Paul Blart, Snuggies and Oxen

Happy Year of the Ox! 

Today marks the beginning of Chinese New Year.  As the Asia Times points out, "The Year of the Rat has ended in a global economic meltdown and a crisis of confidence unseen since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Can the ox - the strong, hard-working symbol for next year, which begins on January 26 on the Chinese lunar calendar - carry us forward to better times"

I'm no fortune cookie -- but two recent posts on this blog, and the attention the topic of those posts is getting in the mainstream media today -- are indicative of where the Ox is heading.

The first was way back on January 6th (still the Bush Administration), when I wrote that "acccording to Box Office Mojo's yearly box office results, all of 2008's top grossing movies were rated PG-13 or under," proof that Hollywood has discovered family values and is finally valuing families.

Apparently, the proof is in the pudding eaten by rotound movie sensation Paul Blart: Mall Cop, which for a second weekend in a row, ruled the box office with $21 million in ticket sales.  In today's Media Equation column in the NYTimes, David Carr writes that "according to Box Office Guru, theater revenues are up 9 percent so far this year and the recent Martin Luther King's Birthday weekend was the biggest in history, surpassing Memorial Day weekend and Thanksgiving weekend."  Driving that record breaking long weekend, in a segway no less, was Paul Blart. 

I've seen Paul Blart. It's no Finding Nemo, but my kids loved it.  We paid matinee prices, took our own snacks, laughed at the silliness of it all, and felt good leaving the theater having gotten out of the house and enjoyed a family experience for under $40.   And in these times, that's what its all about.

My second fortune cookie post was titled "Recession Buster: As Seen On TV!"  I wrote that increasing anecdotal evidence showed that the infomercial industry is a huge beneficiary of the recession.  Because of low TV ad rates and high anxiety among shoppers, "it seems millions of us have taken up offers AS SEEN ON TV (a phrase that must always be shouted) and bought ourselves a Snuggie (The Blanket With Sleeves!), a Buxton Over-the-Shoulder Orangizer bag, the Craft Lite Cutter, and a lifetime supply of Debbie Meyer Green Bags."

In a much longer, more journalistic explaination of this "theory," the The NYTimes today talks to all the network ad people and several direct marketers, who say it's gotten so bad/good -- that now the infomercial companies are fighting for prime time ad time.  But even more indicative is an article in today's AdAge, which announces that "Marketing's New Red-Hot Seller" is the "Humble Snuggie." (The Blanket with  Sleeves!).

"The quirky little blanket with sleeves has become the raiment of the zeitgeist, with more than 4 million units sold in just over three months and more than 200 parody videos on YouTube," writes AdAge.  However, the article quotes a Portland, OR marketing guy by the name of Doug Garnett as saying that "it was the quirky problem-solution DRTV ad that made the difference, not the design," for the Snuggie.

Not quite true.  It's the recession, the anxiety and the feeling of safety and cocooning that is making the Snuggie ---- not just the ad.  Just as it's the feeling of a happy ending for an overweight every-man that's making Paul Blart a hit.

At least, that's what my fortune cookie is telling me on this Chinese New Year Day. Happy Year of the Ox. 

Culture Quake

You know there's been a cultural earthquake when there's more buzz about Michelle Obama's "morning after" dress than there is about the Oscar nominations. (What?  They announced those this week?)

The era of O.J. is over.  Welcome to the Age of Obama. 

Not only is it a relief NOT to be bombarded with news of Lindsay's latest love interest, or Brittany's constant breakdowns - it's refreshing.  Just like the seemingly average family of four who invited a bunch of strangers into their new house this week so they could just look around.  

Sure, Dad's the leader of the free world.  But mom is a work/life juggler who wears clothes from Target and J.Crew, the girls are goo-goo eyed over the JoBros, and Grandma is crackin' the whip making sure nobody gets too big for their britches. 

Imagine, a "normal" family as pop-culture icons.  Order your "Marvelous Malia" and "Sweet Sasha" dolls now! (Although Ty begs to differ).

TIME Magazine claims that "to say that the culture is changing with President Obama's election is not to say that he has made it change," because cultural shifts occur over time, and TIME believes it's too early to tell. 

But this is no longer a weekly magazine world.  It's a Twitter world.  And shifts occur these days with the blink of an eye rather than a turn of the page.  

Already, pop-culture in the form of product advertising and marketing campaigns are being driven by Obama....or rather the things Obama represents.  Starbucks' "I'm In" advertising effort is a direct play on President Obama's call for community service, which got a big plug from Barack buddy Oprah on her show this week.  Audi has its "Progress is Beautiful" effort. Ikea's "embrace change" mantra even features a website where you can design your own Oval Office.  Coke is rolling out its new "Open Happiness" campaign, while Pepsi's new logo and campaign is a direct "rip-off" from the Obama campaign, as MediaBistro points out. 

Little did President Obama know that his election would ignite a new cola war.

Sure, we've seen cultural influences come and go within days, weeks or months.  But President Obama and his family are much more than flavors of the week.  They have become our iconic touchstones because they are the definition of cool.

John Quelch, the senior associate dean at Harvard Business School and co-author of "Greater Good: How Good Marketing Makes for Better Democracy," tells CNN that there are "four key components to Obama's cool: he's street cool, family cool, technology cool and culture cool."  That pretty much covers all the cools.

Having the Obama's as our First Family makes us all cool.  And cool is something we haven't been called in awhile. 

Enjoy your weekend - fellow cool families!

TV For All Seasons

Jack is back trying to save the world again.   Randy, Paula and Simon reunite tonight and introduce a new friend and a bunch of new wanna-be stars.  Lost is found.  Medium becomes more than a memory.  Those of us without a dish get to catch up with Coach and Tami Taylor, and all the Dillon Panthers and their girlfriends.  And that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what's premiering on cable.

January is what the major broadcast TV networks have traditionally called "midseason."  But SFChronicle TV writer Tim Goodman better explained this January with the succinct phrase,  "Winter is the new Fall."

It took years of dwindling ratings, hideously bad shows, the coming-of-age of cable and a writers strike to get the five broadcast TV networks to realize that their Jurassic-era strategy of only rolling out fresh material in September and October was dated, not to mention boring and unsuccessful.

Goodman says this year's winter season TV landscape is particularly exciting, because after suffering a particularly brutal fall due to some reallllly bad shows, the networks basically are getting a do-over.  "Television looks more exciting now. Good series are returning. With any luck, completely fresh and original freshman shows will be launched, and you will watch them and like them," Goodman writes. "Smell the brisk January air, people. Taste the optimism."

For TV viewers, the fall season was rescued only by the dramas known as the Summer Olympics and the Presidential Election.  But the dreary days of November revealed that the new shows that networks had been promoting were better left unwatched.  Nielsen numbers show the viewership of the five broadcast networks dropped 12 percent in November compared to last year.  Which makes Heather Havrilesky ask on Salon.com, "Why do they hold out on us like this? Network executives should make it official and shift all the best shows to January."  

TV critics from Sacramento to Detroit all agree. 

There's no denying that America's viewing habits have changed -- leaving broadcast TV to boldly but wrongly rely on the old saw "if we air it, they will watch."  Wrong.  Too many choices out there. Not only from creative cable-types at HBO, Showtime, AMC, and the like - but also from Hulu, YouTube, Joost and a host of other online TV viewing sites.

There may have been a time when TV viewers dog-eared the Fall Season TV Guide every September and followed eagerly along with the new shows on their favorite channel.  But that was back in the Mad Man era -- when we only had three channels to choose from and TV Guide was worth more than $1. 

Broadcast TV isn't dead - far from it.  With Americans watching what some might say is an alarming amount of TV - an average of 8 hours and 18 minutes of TV a day according to Nielsen - the audience has never been bigger.  There's just a "new world order in TV Land" as the Chronicle's Goodman puts it.  And that new world order is that people are watching TV in different ways, and on different platforms.  And they won't watch crap.

Which means that to survive, the networks need to rework their tired old model and program TV for all seasons.  That, and put a few decent shows on once and awhile.

Mixed Signals

There may only be one president at a time, but President-Elect Barack Obama has stepped into the breach prior to his inauguration and is putting the brakes on something that impacts every single American household.

Using taxpayer dollars to bail-out greedy, poorly run and regulated businesses?  No.

Putting off that switch to digital TV thingy.

Last week Mr. Obama said and did what no-one in the broadcasting industry or government had the cojones to say or do.  That is, admit that the February 17th deadline for the federally mandated switch to all-digital broadcast television, called DTV, is a massive failure waiting to happen.  (Techically, Mr. Obama is asking Congress to approve the delay). 

"It was a giant miscalculation by our federal government," Joel Kelsey, a policy analyst with Consumers Union tells the LATimes.  And "the list of who's to blame is long," he adds, starting with broadcasters, public safety agencies and telecom companies eager to get their claws on all the new airspace that will be created when TV goes from analog to digital.

And if I just lost you there, that - in a nutshell - is how this whole thing went terribly wrong.

Because, despite a $1 billion dollar marketing campaign by the TV broadcast industry and government, INCLUDING daily and nightly TV ads, a special NASCAR race, and countless news stories on the TV news warning people that their screens will go dark if they are not prepared, PEOPLE DON'T GET IT!

Even millions of people who tried to get it by sending away for digital converter box coupons offered by the Commerce Department are screwed, because the whole coupon campaign was mishandled as well, as you can read in this AP article in the SFChronicle. 

In the letter to Congress requesting the delay, John Podesta, co-chair of Mr Obama’s transition team, called the funds set aside for the coupon campaign “woefully inadequate” and said over 1 million coupon requests have been left unfulfilled...a number that will undoubedtly double by the end of January. (Get yours - or not - by applying at dtv2009.gov).

Considering that a whole bunch of communications experts are behind the switch, this whole thing was very poorly communicated to the American people.  NYTimes' tech writer Eric A. Taub sites a Consumers Union survey, which found that "while 90 percent of the nation is aware of the transition, 25 percent mistakenly believe that one must subscribe to cable or satellite after February, and 41 percent think that every TV in a house must have a new converter box, even those that are already connected to cable or satellite."

In fact, Nielsen Media Research estimates are that nearly 8 million American households are unprepared -- with untold numbers of others in "fringe reception" areas that will go dark as well.  

Let's fact it.  This is marketing and public education gone wrong on a mass scale.  Any agency that would mess up a campaign this bad in the private sector would be fired.

AdAge points out that delaying the switch by a few months will end up costing broadcasters more money in yet another last-ditch marketing effort to educate and identify households that still, still, don't get it. 

But it can be done. There have been bigger marketing challenges.  Just ask the black man with the middle name of "Hussein" who's being sworn in as President of the United States in about a week.

The Recession Buster: AS SEEN ON TV!

Along with libraries and mail carriers with back problems - another beneficiary of the recession has come to the fore:  the infomercial industry. 

Although new retail sales figures make it painfully obvious that Americans have drastically cut back on their discretionary spending -- it seems millions of us have taken up offers AS SEEN ON TV (a phrase that must always be shouted) and bought ourselves a Snuggie (The Blanket With Sleeves!), a Buxton Over-the-Shoulder Orangizer bag, the Craft Lite Cutter, and a lifetime supply of Debbie Meyer Green Bags.

Sure, we all get a kick out of the enthusiasm of BILLY MAYS (another phrase that must always be shouted) standing in a wind tunnel with an American flag glued back together with Mighty Mendit, "the fast, easy way to mend, hem and wear it again!"  But it turns out, as The New Jersey Star Ledger reports, that these TV pitchmen are raking in the dough at a time when regular retail outlets are sinking.

As A.J. Khubani, President of Telebrands (PedEgg, the PushUpPro) explains to The Ledger, the recession's impact on TV ad rates combined with consumer desire to save money creates the perfect storm for the direct market industry.  "The cost of television time goes down and viewership goes up. When people don't have money, they spend more time watching television," Khubani says.  "You could say we're getting beachfront property at trailer park prices."

"I want to save customers money by selling products that, used in the right way, can help them do projects instead of calling a professional in," explains BILLY MAYS, a former Atlantic City boardwalk pitchman-turned-media superstar. "People say I yell, but I put my heart and soul into it.  I'm upbeat and I maximize every second because time is money."

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.

It seems the best selling products are those that claim to save.....save anything.  Time, money, space.  It's all about saving - something Americans haven't been doing for the past two decades.  Now though, it's all the rage.

Khubani told NPR's All Things Considered this week that although most informcial products seem tailor-made to sell in tough times, most of these fabulous products were in the pipeline long before the economy tanked. 

But now that BILLY MAYS and Vince Offer have moved from late-night TV to prime time, we ought to embrace them with open arms and thank them for keeping our economy rolling with Swivel Sweeper and ShamWow sales.  WOW!

Ron Popeil should be proud.

"G" Whiz

Like most average moms busy with hosting and child disciplinary duties during the New Year's holiday -- I did not have the pleasure of popping a beer, plopping down and watching any of the bowl games at any great length. 

This explains why I am so late jumping into the "What is G?" discussion.

In fact, I'd been unaware there even was such a discussion until Tuesday night, when while watching a rerun of House, an intriguing 60 second black-and-white commercial aired, ending with just a big capital G on the screen.

"What the (bleep) is G," I asked my husband, who didn't make it through any bowl games, either.  "I don't know," he responded.  "What endorsement does Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Billy Jean King, and Usain Bolt have in common?"  he asked. 

My first guess was Google...and though TOTALLY WRONG, it was the place I turned to for some answers along with hundreds of thousands of other people.

It turns out G is for Gatorade, minus the familiar lightning bolt logo and the actual spelling out of its name.  As The Wall Street Journal reports this week, PepsiCo is using this mysterious ad to create buzz in a rebranding and redesigning campaign aimed at creating new Gatorade customers from outside the traditional sports drink sector.  That is, people who don't watch, or participate in, sports.

To rebrand and redesign such a successful product is a huge risk - especially since Gatorade still controls 76 percent of the sports drink market (with Coca Cola's Powerade far behind).  "Our strategy is to create consumer intrigue and ensure everyone stays tuned for more in our quest for G," a Gatorade exec tells The Journal.  

But while the G-spots (as AdAge cleverly calls them) may be intriguing people enough to search online for who's behind them --- they apparently aren't getting people to actually join the "quest."  According to AdAge, "five days after the (New Years Day) launch, despite plenty of online inquiries, the commercial had garnered barely 70,000 views on (YouTube). A second version of the spot, featuring a new cast of athletes and posted on Jan. 4, had less than 900 views after two days."

One marketing guru even told AdAge he thinks the G spots are too subtle.  But while Matt Cutler, VP-marketing and analytics at Visible Measures, tells AdAge it's too early to count out the G campaign yet, he says if the viral video doesn't catch on soon, it never will.  

Which explains why a middle-aged couple like us discovered the G-spot on House, and not on the Rose Bowl. 

Still, there's a huge difference between watching a viral video -- and buying a product that you've survived without so far, (especially in such financially-tight times).

So what is "G?"  For Gatorade it seems, G stands for "Gamble."

Families are Boffo Box Office!

Jennifer Anniston may not be at the center of a multi-million dollar Best Actress Oscar campaign, but she is being treated like royalty at 20th Century Fox.  That's because her newest movie, Marley and Me, remains "top dog at the box office," as the LA Times puts it, having raked in $106.5 million since its opening two weeks ago.

In a crowded holiday field with a lot of Oscar contenders vying for attention and ticket sales, the three movies that have consistantingly drawn audiences over the winter break are Marley, Adam Sandler's Bedtime Stories and the Brad Pitt "vehicle," The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  

So what - you may ask - do all these films have in common?  They are all rated PG-13 or PG or just plain G.  In other words, movies you can take your whole family to (although few under-13 year olds would want to see Benjamin Button.....).

And although you might argue that it was the holidays and of course there were a lot of family movies in theaters - you need to look at the bigger picture (so to speak).  Because In fact, 2008 might go down in film history as the year Hollywood discovered family values and started valuing families.

According to Box Office Mojo's yearly box office results, all of 2008's top grossing movies were rated PG-13 or under.  And in last year's top 20 grossing films, only three were rated R (Sex and the City, Wanted, and Tropic Thunder).  The rest were suitable for viewing by anyone 13 and under - most of whom were accompanied by a parent who had to drive them there anyway. 

An article in Monday's NYTimes argues that Superheroes including The Dark Knight, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk helped rescue the movie industry in a year in which recession started eating away at discretionary spending like movies.  According to box office tracking service Media By Numbers, U.S. ticket sales totaled $9.6 billion last year, down less than 1 percent from the year before. 

“Considering the economic climate, I think that’s a pretty terrific result,” Michael L. Campbell, CEO of Regal Entertainment Group - the nation's largest chain of theaters - tells the Times.  “This industry is as recession-resistant as any I can think of.”

Recession-resistant?  Not so fast.  I would argue that if Hollywood all of sudden started rolling out a ton of un-family friendly fare --- they would see box office receipts drop like the Dow.  The key, it seems, is to make movies the whole family can see - because it is that niche audience that is still spending $9 bucks a head to be entertained.  A fact that other businesses should take note of as they struggle through these precarious times.

So while Jennifer, Owen and Adam may not be walking up to the podium to accept a gold statuette next month --- they will definately be walking the red carpet on Oscar Night, blinded by the flashes of the paparazzi and confident in the knowledge that even though they were far from a nomination --- they are box office gold in the eyes of their bosses and fans.