Behind the scenes at the Daily Reel...

LIZ: Oh, hey. Alicia Silverstone is naked in this new ad.

SPENCER: Really? Batgirl? Link, please.

...three minutes later...

SPENCER: Ohhhh.

LIZ: What?

SPENCER (disappointed): It's for PETA.

LIZ: Yeah. Sorry.

SPENCER: Yeah.

Apple is using Feist's "1 2 3 4" to class up their new iPod Nano TV spots. The commercial is pretty standard Apple fare: a shot of the product and a bunch of hands doing various things to it. Not the most interesting thing they've done, but hey, the song is great.

My only complaint is that the damn thing is so small that we don't really have a good view of Leslie Feist's sexiness (but you can see the whole adorable music video here). They should have used the song for iPod touch commercials so we could get some full-screen action. Think, Apple, think!

Here's a little known fact: at some point in the 80's, the marketing teams responsible for launching virtually all new software lost their collective minds. Don't believe me? Check out this "rap" video promoting MS-DOS 5.

I can't do it full justice -- you really have to watch it -- but there's some scientist guy, and he's rapping, and then he shrinks for a while, and there are some dancing elephants, and then he's full sized again, and... seriously, just watch it.

And if that alone doesn't convince you that insanity was spreading through Microsoft's ad department like wildfire, have a look at this promo for Windows 386. (Don't be fooled by the first couple of minutes; the crazy kicks in at about 2:15.)

I don't... and why... and with the.... <sigh> My head hurts.

If I ever get my hands on a time machine, the first thing I'm doing is going back to the pitch meetings for these two promos, so I can witness for myself the ad guys acting them out as a delighted Bill Gates shouts, "YES! I LOVE IT!" After that, I'll go kill Hilter and do a bunch of other stuff. But first, I'm finding out what's with Microsoft and all the rapping.

Michael Mann directed this searing trip up and down the field for Nike and NFL Football, which combines amazing visual effects with some damn fine rough-and-tumble pigskin action. Featuring the San Diego Chargers's top defensive player Shawn Merriman and St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson, sports guy Alan Bloom assures me that this ad represents the players at their absolute best. And the director of Miami Vice and Heat makes a fine showing as well, using the score from his film The Last of the Mohicans for ultimate dramatic effect.

After watching, you'll wonder how the post-production team was able to create the seamless shifts in the weather, moving from sun to snow in the blink of an eye. The green-screen and rotoscoping help create an intense visual experience, unlike anything you've seen before -- off or on the field.