Welcome back my faithful followers. I hope you all enjoyed the President's Day break and are ready for the grand tale of my admittance into the "League of the Most Interesting". I apologize for the wait, and I know it's been a long time coming. So without further ado, I will now share with you my "Most Interesting" adventure.

     As many of you know, a few entries back I disclosed my passion toward successful advertising campaigns and how important they can be to get consumers to buy your product. I had also discussed which campaign was my favorite, and that was Dos Equis' Most Interesting Man in the World. In that entry, I had also wrote about how I had won one of their competitions to be selected as one of the "Most Interesting Apprentices" for the Most Interesting Academy in the World. The contest was a lot of fun, and will truly be an experience I will never forget. So you can imagine how excited I was when I found out last summer, that Dos Equis was running another competition entitled the "League of the Most Interesting".

     The story behind the league is simple: The Most Interesting Man has a group of the finest champions the world can offer, and they compete in all forms of competitions. Unfortunately, due to the high level of competition, and certain unforeseen circumstances, seven positions opened up in the league. So the Most interesting Man is giving the opportunity to anyone willing to accept the challenge, to sign up and create competitions, challenge other contenders , and earn medals for your wins and participation. The contest lasted the entire summer (of 2011). You won your medals based on several criteria, such as your amount of wins, the amount you participate in creating challenges for the gallery, how many challenges you win in a certain amount of time, etc... Once the league contest period was over, those who made it to the top 75 had to write a brief statement of interest explaining what characteristic they feel best qualifies them for the competition. What's the grand prize, you say? It is a few days in Oaxaca, Mexico to participate in competitions set up by Dos Equis. Since I was notified that I placed in the top 75, I replied back with my statement, and then played the waiting game.

     Several weeks go by, keeping me at suspense the entire time. Every hour, of every day, I check my email, just waiting to get an email congratulating me on my win. Then finally, on October 14, 2011, I get an email at  4:08 p.m. with the subject line "Congratulations from Dos Equis". I DID IT!!! I won ANOTHER Dos Equis competition. I was going to go to Mexico with 6 other lucky winners for an adventure we will never forget. That following week, I get a care package from the Most Interesting Man. In it was a letter congratulating me on my success, and a promotional backpack with the Dos Equis logo embroidered on it. In the letter I was told I would need this for all my prized possessions for the trip. Also enclosed was detailed information about my trip. In 6 weeks, 2 planes, and a 1 hour time difference, I arrive in Oaxaca, on November 30.

     Day 1, the adventure begins. After I land in Oaxaca, I am escorted, with two other winners that happened to be on the flight with me, to a shuttle headed for our hotel. The hotel used to be a convent from the early 1600's. When we arrive, we are greeted in the lobby of the hotel by some of the brains behind Dos Equis and the Most Interesting Man campaign. After getting acquainted, and checking into the hotel, we are escorted to our beautiful rooms. When I open the door, there is a letter on the bed along with some sort of promotional apparel. The letter was from the Most Interesting Man, congratulating me for making it this far, and discussing how tonight I will be joining the other winners for a night out exploring the local town and that there will be a welcome party for us in the courtyard of the hotel, where there will be some food and plenty of Dos Equis, so don't be late. The apparel that was on the bed was a jersey with the league name on the front, and my name on the back. The letter further explains that the jersey will be for tomorrow morning, but it doesn't say what exactly I will be doing. It just says to bring the jersey.

     So we go out into the town for a bit, and explore the surroundings. We grab a bite to eat and then head back to the hotel for opening reception. When we get back, we noticed a few more winners arrived at the hotel. We change our clothes to something a little more formal and head down to our opening reception. The courtyard was decorated with Dos Equis banners similar to the trade show packages vendors use to promote their space at a trade show. Circling us were waiters constantly bringing out food, plenty of Dos Equis beer, and we get the pleasure of live music from an instrument that looks like a giant wooden xylophone. During the ceremony, we share stories with each other and mingle with all the people from Dos Equis and other companies that helped put this event together. However, before the ceremony is over, we are warned to get plenty of rest, for we have a big day of adventure and competition ahead of us. In a true "most interesting" fashion, we ignore the warning, and instead decide to hit a local watering hole, where we drank, danced, and partied with the locals until the wee hours of the morning.

     3 o'clock in the morning can creep up on you real fast when you're having that much fun. At this point, we decide to stumble back to the hotel and back into bed. I may have gotten 2 hours of sleep before I hear a loud knocking on the door. It turns out, I am being summoned for my first "Most Interesting" challenge. So I change as quickly as I can, grab my jersey, and head down to the lobby.

     Now you're probably thinking to yourself, "What's in store for Dan next"? Well there's only one way to find out. Stay tuned next week, when I discuss Day 2 of the "League of the Most Interesting".

   Before I begin, just know that I have never seen the show Are You There, Chelsea? which recently made it's debut on NBC primetime television. Therefore having not seen it yet, I have no opinion on the content, how it is written, the quality of the acting or the entertainment value it may or may not bring. However, judging from the title of this post, it's safe to assume I have some problem with it and I sort of do. It's most likely irrelevant to whether the show itself is enjoyable, but it is a major aspect of the show. I am talking of course about the choice of the main character's name and thereby the title of the series. What's wrong with the name Chelsea you ask? Nothing really, but in this case you could argue that it's a little misleading and confusing. 

   Are You There Chelsea? is a sitcom based on a book called 'Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea' written by comedian and late night talk show host Chelsea Handler. So far you may be thinking that this makes all the sense in the world, especially if you knew that Chelsea Handler herself has a role in this sitcom. The problem is, her role is not the main character named Chelsea. Instead she plays the sister of the Chelsea character, which is probably not impossible to overcome and should not affect the way the content of the show itself is judged, but why couldn't the main character have been named Kathy or Tina, or any other female name other than Chelsea? If you are a loyal fan or follower of Chelsea Handler's work, you would very likely understand that this show was based on her book not only because of the name of the show and it's similarity to the title of her book, but because of the fact that she also plays a character in it. On the other hand, if you don't know anything about Chelsea's book, you would have no idea that this sitcom is based on it regardless of the name of the main character.

   So we can rule out the idea that the character was named Chelsea so that it would be recognized as a sitcom based on her book. Effectively causing nothing but confusion and an unnecessary awkwardness. Again, I haven't seen the show and I am sure it can be successful in spite of what I think was a mistake in naming the main character, it just seems weird to be watching a show in which the real Chelsea will be referring and talking to a character named Chelsea. I would like to think that most audiences have the cognitive capacity to look past that. After all, we are comfortable with recognizing Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer along with countless other famous characters, but it might be a little bit of a process to remove 'Jack' from the brain the first couple of times you watch Kiefer in his new series, Touch.

   I'll admit it's a weak gripe to have with a show that I have never watched, my point is just that naming the character Chelsea brings no added benefit to the show and I would be curious to know and willing to bet that a majority of people that saw only a commercial for it, assumed that Chelsea Handler would be playing a character based on herself. I suppose there could be an initial draw there, but I would think that if you are a fan of Chelsea Handler, you would tune in to a show that she was involved with regardless of the character's name. Plus, if the show is bad, it won't really matter. That being said, if the show is good it won't matter either, I just wonder why they would risk the potential for confusion even if it turns out to be insignificant.

   Another very creative and effective publicity stunt strikes again. It was two nights ago when the fans attending the Bulls / Hornets game in New Orleans were treated to a very unique and hilarious surprise. NBA starting lineup introductions have become more and more elaborate in recent years and with the music, light show, video highlights and an adrenaline filled public address announcer, the show before tip off is a great way to get the fans pumped and excited for the game. But this time would be different because this time the music was turned down a little lower and there was an additional spotlight being pointed at the guest public address announcer for this night's starting lineups. The guest announcer was none other than Will Ferrell, who was in town for the shooting of his new upcoming film. It was genius in so many ways. This surprise visit was not only extremely entertaining, (as you can see for yourself below) but when almost every media outlet was raving about it and showing highlights of it the next morning, they all explained that Will Ferrell announced the starting lineups because he was in New Orleans at the time shooting a film called Dog Fight co-starring Zach Galifianakis. The movie is currently set to debut in August of this year and will tell the story of two rivaling politicians, played by Ferrell and Galifianakas, that have Presidential hopes and aspirations but for now are simply going through the rigors of trying to defeat each other in a small North Carolinian town election that will crown one of them the representative of this small congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. I'm pretty much sold from that description alone and I haven't even seen a trailer or clip from it. I can definitely see it taking on a Step Brothers type of feel to it, but even if that's the case Will Ferrell is a comedy machine and worth seeing almost regardless of the plot of the movie. And I am sure Zach Galifianakis will bring an interesting dynamic to what seems like another entertaining buddy film in which the main characters are both hilarious and both out to get one another.

   So now the nation knows about an upcoming film that was not likely to be on most people's radar yet. No trailer or clips have been released and it is already generating a positive buzz. The best part is, we didn't find out about it because it was presented to us in the form of some kind of promotion, we found out about it because we were privileged to see this unannounced mini-performance by a comedy legend at an NBA basketball game. I don't know how some of the players were able to keep any semblance of a straight face. See for yourself!

     Well good afternoon to all my fans out there in Internetland. I hope you all have enjoyed your week so far and are preparing for the upcoming holiday Valentine's Day. I am sure plenty of you out there are trying to go about the perfect way to ask that special someone out on a date, whether it involves flowers, promotional candy imprinted with a message, or custom promotional chocolates. Whatever gimmicks you may have, it all still comes down to one thing, and that's actually asking that special someone out. Well, if you were having any issues, questions, or concerns on how to go about that, Heineken has the answer.

     Heineken launched through their Facebook page, an app called "The Serenade" which is based off of their most recent commercial entitled "The Date". Now when I say commercial, it's an understatement, as this is more of a short film. if anything. This commercial is very well executed, and very clever. It's completely different from all the other boring beer commercials out there. The commercial follows a young couple on a legendary date, overcoming obstacles involving magicians, and even a dragon, all in the hopes of the young man wooing the young woman. In the end, he ends up winning over the young lady and dancing with her in the end to the catchy 1960's Bollywood track, Jaan Pehechaan Ho by Mohammed Rafi. With the app, "The Serenade", the same band in the commercial will perform serenades for Heineken fans.

     When you launch the app, you are asked to select that special someone to send the serenade to. Then you choose from the choices given, why you want to ask the person out, followed by you think that special someone should go out with you. Once you do that, you can preview how it will look before you send it out. If you like it, just select "Finish" and it will be posted on your special someone's Facebook wall. That person will then have the option to select "Yes" or "No" after the video when it asks if that person will go on a date with you. With a total of 640 different Serenades available, fans should be able to find the perfect Serenade that will hopefully bring them romance.

     To top it off, last night Heineken hosted "Serenade Live", which was an eight hour YouTube event, during which individuals around the world had the opportunity to have the same band serenade that special someone live online, which will hopefully lead to many successful dates. You were able to submit your serenades via tweets, comments on Youtube, and even via web cam. It was fun to watch all the different types of serenades being performed.

     This was a well-executed campaign. It is very engaging for any fan or consumer. It also helps Heineken get their name associated with a holiday, plus it all ties in with their "The Date" commercial. It also allows Heineken to interact with their fan base on a level better than most brands. Bravo Heineken. 

P.S. Alright fans, I hope you didn't think I forgot. When I get back from vacation, I will discuss in great detail about my "Most Interesting" adventure with Dos Equis and The League of Most Interesting!

   You have to hand it to the E! Channel for all the effort they put into such an elaborate and lengthy plan. I'm not going to jump on the ban wagon of people that whine and complain about Kim Kardashian. She obviously had her role in all of this, but pressure from Hollywood can without question be as intense as a vice grip. I'm sure the money looked pretty appetizing as well. I'll cut to the chase. I should have filed this post under 'My Conspiracy Theories', but it wouldn't be purely my own so I'm just an observer and reporter with an opinion. It was probably easy for most people to come up with the idea that the big hour and a half long television special that led to the E! Channel wedding event of the century, that also perfectly coincided with whatever other drama was going on in one of the several Kardashian reality shows, was something that E! Channel executives not only dreamed of, but then actually made it happen. Anyone that thinks that Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries were truly in love and the reality television lifestyle ruined their relationship, might want to leave this blog and view our broad range of personalized wedding favors or browse through some of the custom Valentine's Day giveaways that Motivators has to offer.

   I'm not suggesting that the E! Channel approached Humphries mafia-style and put the ring in his hands and threatened that he better go get the job done, but there are a few very obvious things that happened in order for this chain of events to transpire and anyone who was truly paying attention probably should have seen the culmination of this relationship coming from a mile away. Let's go through what we know and what we can make educated guesses about. One of Kim's sisters has a baby and although sometimes rocky, a solid long term
relationship with the baby's father. Her other sister found true love with a professional athlete and they live fairly happily ever after when there aren't other Kardashians trying to impose drama on her life. Kim has been trying to find love with many notable celebrities, including athletes like Reggie Bush, Miles Austin and now, a fling with New Jersey Nets forward, Kris Humphries. The new couple is probably having lots of fun together, but since it's casual dating the two go about their busy lives but think that they miss each other when they are apart. Kim is likely to be in love with the idea of finding love, while Humphries is likely not in love at all, but likes the publicity that he's getting while at the same time enjoying the fact that he has very famous eye candy to hang out with. But those crafty E! Channel execs won't just sit idly by while two people try to get a better feel for each other as they progress in their relationship at their own pace. 

   Instead, like snakes they slither their ideas into the heads of those close to Kim, perhaps Kris Humphries, Kris Jenner or even Kim herself. What an opportunity it would be to record and air episodes of the happy couple planning their wedding and then having the ceremony on television. After all, the E! Channel has followed your lives for so long, it's only natural that we would document this event for you. You wouldn't need to hire camera men, we would make sure that there is no unwanted paparazzi present, and of course we would help (if not completely) fund the entire gaudy, overly extravagant wedding event. Nothing but the best flowers, decorators, set designers, dresses and tuxes for the wedding of our prize Kardashian. Not to mention a cut of the advertising bounty to be had by eager marketers, who like the E! Channel executives, are aware that Kim's wedding will be a ratings bonanza! Not to mention the material they will have already built in to their plans for the next installment of a Kardashian-based reality show.

   Even though that was written in true conspiracy theory fashion, is anyone going to dispute that what was described above isn't at the very least feasible? Anyone who thinks that's impossible doesn't understand the cut throat nature and pressures of Hollywood. I don't pretend to have first hand knowledge of Hollywood show business, and for all I know maybe it didn't happen anything like that, but some force of nature compelled these two people to decide that the commitment of marriage was the right choice after not having known each other for all that long. Who am I to judge true love, right? To be honest, I don't really care that much about what Kim and Kris do with their lives, but I have to say it did slightly get under my skin after I had to hear the words "This is how a Fairy Tale Ends" dramatically uttered by the narrator of the promo for the show's finale. Then you can imagine how it made me feel after seeing it for the fourth time in twenty minutes. This brings us to the cross roads at which we decide, is E! Channel a selfish, money hungry show business monster that willed this marriage to fruition? Or are Kim and Kris dumb for getting caught up in celebrity hype and making an ill-advised decision? Either way, something is up. I know that the infatuation stages in the beginning of a relationship can be a different story than what it is months or years later, but one of the two of them, if not both of them had to have noticed some of the things that wound up driving each other crazy enough to divorce in only 72 short days. Unless of course you weren't around each other enough to know that much about the person that you are about to commit the rest of your life to. It is what it is or was, and only a select few know what really happened. Until of course it gets revealed in some major E! True Hollywood Story special some ten years down the line. In the mean time, everyone can believe what they want to believe and let's be honest, it really would be none of our business if it weren't for the fact that they made it our business. But who made it our business? The Kardashians or the E! Channel? Should we even care? I'm sure both the E! Channel and the Kardashians are doing just fine either way, but if this were
a case that needed to be solved, Kim provided us with some decent evidence to use in what turned out to be her closing statements in the season finale of Kim & Kourtney Take New York when she said about her and Kris, "We don't have the same friends, we don't have the same interests and we just don't have much to talk about. It's not the fairy tale I wanted it to be."

    At one point it might have seemed to Chad Ochocinco that the world was in the palm of his hands. A superstar professional football wide receiver with an attitude and personality that many would argue overshadowed his actual on-field contributions. Chad was a very productive member of his team, but a primary example of his flamboyant persona is Chad's 'OCNN' media outlet, a 'news network' run by Chad Ochocinco. This publicity stunt was developed near two years ago when Chad's twitter account became one of the most popular follows in all of twitter, let alone professional athletes. For those unfamiliar with Chad Ochocinco, here is a brief history. Although this is his tenth season in the NFL, it was only his third as Chad Ochocinco. Three years ago, Chad decided to legally change his last name from Johnson to Ochocinco to reflect the two numbers he has always worn on his jersey; 85. Granted, the number eighty-five is not properly translated to the Spanish language as ocho-cinco exactly, but when you say each number individually you have the origins of Chad's name change. He would joke about his Mexican heritage and once he began regularly using the term 'ochocinco' as a way of describing himself, he saw it fitting that he legally change his name to really spice his act up a notch. It wasn't sufficient enough to simply make lists of his weekly opponents that would attempt to cover him on the field, then cross them out claiming that they didn't have what it takes to cover Chad. So Chad then upped the ante and began sending his opponents care packages filled with bottles of TUMS and Pepto Bismol because their stomachs would clearly become upset trying to game plan for the one and only Chad Johnson/Ochocinco. He was also a showman on the field itself, much to the chagrin of his coaching staff, the NFL and countless fans, especially those that opposed his former team; the Cincinnati Bengals. After scoring a touchdown he would perform an elaborate, pre-meditated celebration, often using props which is a big no-no when celebrating touchdowns in the NFL. 

    You could see how his antics would become tiresome and even frustrating if you are a football purest or opposing fan. Chad had become a sideshow and was well known for being the preeminent self-promoter in the NFL. So with a fresh new last name, Ochocinco took to twitter to expand on his celebrity empire. Despite some of the off-putting behaviors described above, Chad Ochocinco has always had a solid group of fans and they were not necessarily fans of his team. Take me for example, most of the time I am not the biggest fan of arrogant show boaters that insult or offend their opponents, but I didn't see Ochocinco as this type of person. He was always a hard worker on and off the field, he never got into any drugs or alcohol or made the kind of poor life decisions that resulted in a ticket to jail like some of his contemporaries. The only poor decisions he made could be compared to the type of decisions a child would make in the process of trying to have some fun. Despite referring to a grown man's behavior as childish, I don't mean that in an insulting way. I mean it in terms of how we develop opinions of someone based on their actions and how comparatively, his offenses are nothing more than silly and in the eyes of many, actually comical and entertaining.

    Which leads us to the OCNN. While still a member of the Bengals, Chad became frustrated over the fact that his Bengals were perpetually underachievers and hardly had the chance to compete in the playoffs, let alone compete for a Super Bowl championship. Thus, he used the power of social media and wielded his celebrity status to create a playful news network that would cover major events from his point of view, including the Super Bowl. He was even able to recruit some fellow superstar players to be his on-location reporters and in true Ochocinco fashion, he went all out and even supplied his news team with promotional embroidered caps and custom polo shirts. If you didn't know any better, they looked like an actual news network. 

    Equipped with their promotional apparel, microphones and camera men, the crew attended Super Bowl Media Day along with thousands of other members of the media and playfully interviewed and reported on the players and coaches from each of the participating teams. While this was mostly another tactic to gain more publicity for himself, this is the kind of thing that Chad would do that was not only fun to watch, but it didn't offend or hurt anyone. Except for maybe one person, Chad Ochocinco himself. I'd even go out on a limb and assume that he may have come up with this idea because he was so sick and tired of not being able to participate in Super Bowl festivities. Instead of simply attending the events to endorse a product or charity, or even simply just being there to enjoy the atmosphere like countless other NFL athletes do every year, Chad was determined to be a part of it.

    Fast forward to January 31, 2012 when the NFL held Media Day for Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. This time Chad Ochocinco would be a part of Media Day again, but this time he was not donning his 'OCNN' imprinted gear. In the most recent off-season, the Cincinnati Bengals traded the disgruntled wide receiver to the New England Patriots. The Patriots, led by soon-to-be Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, have been known for their high-scoring passing offense despite the lack of any real big name, so-called 'superstar' wide receivers. Many Patriot and Ochocinco fans alike became excited over the potential offensive fireworks that would ensue now that the always reliable Tom Brady was the one throwing the ball to the talented and always productive Chad Ochocinco. But with this change of teams, Ochocinco knew instantly that the curtains had to close on his sideshow in order to remain a member of this notoriously strict, all-business team. Which was a welcomed change for Chad because he would have traded his act for the opportunity to play for a winning, Super Bowl contending team in a heartbeat. This made fans even more excited because the potential for greatness seemed even greater without the possibility of any antics or distractions getting in the way. Sadly for Chad, despite his hard work, best behavior and zero trash talking he just didn't mix very well with the rest of the Patriot's offensive game plans. He still remains part of the team, but his production this year was by far his lowest of his career, rendering him near obsolete. It was almost hard to watch his fall from grace, especially since he seemed to be doing everything right. The Super Bowl media day was not at all what he might have imagined it to be when he longed to be on a team that made it that far. Instead of him sitting at one of the fourteen VIP podiums reserved for the highest profile players and coaches, he was forced to stand on his own at the 13-yard line, away from the gigantic crowds of reporters that were more interested in the other players and coaches. Normally, one would have expected Chad to be the center of attention like he had always tended to be, especially on such a grand stage such as this. Then again, if you are the center of attention after going through a full season with only 15 catches and one touchdown, it's likely that the attention you are getting is mostly negative. 

    So Chad Ochocinco once again did everything right. Some reporters noted that he seemed miserable and out of his element because his new team and underwhelming performance this year didn't allow him to act like the fun-loving Chad we have always known. I don't necessarily agree with the miserable part, I just think Chad has grown, learned and matured as a part of this Patriot team. He must be disappointed that his season wasn't as statistically loaded as some of his past seasons, but I don't believe that it was disappointment or misery that muted him, I would rather lean towards a new all-business Chad who would rather let his game play do the talking. That being said, if Chad had hauled in 75 passes and caught 13 touchdowns this season, he might be singing a different tune. It has been an interesting run for Chad Ochocinco, and he has at least one more game left in him to help write the end of this chapter. Based on this past season, many would predict that Ochocinco will be a non-factor in the Super Bowl just as he was in the Patriots previous 18 games. However, I am personally not as quick to write him off just yet. It is by far the biggest game of his career, he has been waiting and dreaming about playing in the Super Bowl for his entire life which according to him, was since age four when he first started playing football. Maybe the emotion of the big game will get the adrenaline pumping more and he can become more of a factor, or maybe the ineffectiveness of the Patriots' injured and hobbled All-Pro tight end, pass catcher extraordinaire and receiving touchdown leader Rob Gronkowski could open up the opportunity for Chad Ochocinco to become a Super Bowl hero. Only time will tell, kickoff is at 6pm this Sunday on NBC.

          Hello there nation! As some of you may know, last week I disclosed information about Stephen Colbert, his Super PAC, his run to be a presidential candidate, and his failure toward both. I wrote about how he didn't get many votes and therefore withdrew his exploratory committee to be a presidential candidate. I also discussed how temporarily gave control of his Super PAC to his dear friend, and now sworn enemy, Jon Stewart. Unfortunately, he was unwilling to give control of the Super PAC back to Colbert as of last week. Well folks, I have good news! On Monday, Colbert regained control of his Super PAC, and this could not have happened at a better time.

          Since everyone in the world has read my blog last week (you can see it here), all my followers and readers should have a very basic and general knowledge of a Super PAC, how it works and what it does. So it should come as no surprise as to the significance of him getting his pack back by January 31. That date is the day all PACs need to file with the Federal Election Committee and disclose how much they received in donations. By filing with the Federal Election Committee, the amount of money donated, the amount spent on the PAC's cause, and the donors names are available to the public. We now get to see how much money he was able to collect. Drumroll please....

          $1,023,121. That's right, folks. He collected over a million dollars. Now this may not sound like much, especially when you hear other PACs and candidates spending ten to thirty million per primary. However, he is a comedian who formed a PAC much later than anyone else. He doesn't have the time or the same amount of resources as these professional PACs do. Plus, I am sure that plenty of people did not donate to him just based on the principle that he is a comedian and is making a mockery of the political system.  What some people don't realize is that he isn't making the joke about the system, what he is saying is that the joke is the system. I am proud of Colbert for doing what he is doing, and being able to raise the amount that he did. I hope he raises much more and makes more ads with it. We can all help the cause by donating directly, or by buying his promotional t-shirt "Turtles don't like peanut butter".