DirecTV Won't Let Stars Rest In Peace

It started out as a clever, yes, a very clever gimmick. Recreate famous movie scenes with the original stars to shill for DirecTV. But what happens when the recreated scene features a celebrity who has gone to meet their maker? Do it anyway, taste and tact be damned!

I caught the ad with Chris Farley in "Tommy Boy" a few nights ago, and found that yes, there was some serious talk going on about the tastefulness of having the deceased actor advertising for a cable company, since, you know, he's DEAD and stuff. Where will the advertising people stop? What of Farley's family, and his good friend David Spade, who was also in the tv spot? Was this really kosher?

I happen to think it's in poor taste not just because the spot features someone who has died, but because I know *I* can't look at Chris Farley doing one of his buffoonish characters without remembering the very sad circumstances of his death. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I think the commercial is creepy. Watching Spade interact with his dead friend all in the name of selling a product makes me feel kind of dirty.

Chris Farley's family signed off on the commercial, and everyone seems at peace with it, so maybe I'm making mountains out of molehills. But one thing I'm sure about is that this next spot that parodies "Poltergeist" is DEFINITELY in bad taste.

Heather O'Rourke, who played Carol Anne, died while still a child. I'm supposed to find a commercial that uses a dead child to push a product entertaining? Clever? I think it's macabre and more than a little gross.

So maybe, DirecTV, you stick to recreating scenes where the actors who are selling your product are alive and able to say yes or no to being in your commercials. They ARE funny, and clever, I just think the spots should be reserved for the living.

Comments

[BaltimoreGal]

Didn't they have one with John Wayne too? Or am I remembering things wrong?

Personally, I don't mind the Farley one because it is one of my favorite scenes with him. It makes me laugh and that was all he really wanted out of people. But the one with Heather O'Rourke always did seem wrong to me.

[brandi]

I totally agree! I hadn't seen the Poltergeist one, but when the Chris Farley one came on it gave me the ickies. Really more because of David Spade than Directv, even... it seems wrong of him to use something iconic of theirs to make some extra money. Gross.

[TRLarson]

DirecTV = classy. Hey Dish, jealous? Sure there are plenty of dead celebs and people willing to sell them out for you too. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEMg90MgNbg Also a cool parody: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YiyFk2GuPM

[tonya]

I've only seen the Chris Farley/David Spade one and my first thought was "wasn't david spade his best friend?". I figured David Spade wouldn't want to do it - regardless of the family signing off.

Agree with BaltimoreGal though, Chris Farley just wanted to make people laugh. I think he would've found it funny.

[iambellaluna]

I've never seen the O'Rourke one—but that seems questionable since her situation was different than Farley's.

I didn't really mind the Farley one though. I LOVE that movie! Especially that part. It did make me think "Sad, he's RIP, but hehe anyways. Gawd David Spade is an asshole."

What I thought was even worse and creepier was when Orville Redenbacker was being used in pop-corn comercials last year (or two) with a super-imposed mouth. Yikes.