Everyone hears about subliminal messaging and how it affects you in your everyday life.. but do you really know what types of things make you think and act the way you do? Probably not. I heard on 99.5 that restaurants make plans to sell you more food by lowering the temperature (so you’ll order hot soup, hot coffee, and hot dessert) and playing classical music- to make you feel like you’re a fancy person with a lot of money to spend. The same goes for economy-priced joints, where techno or pop music gets you in the mood. Today, USA TODAY printed a Money cover story about retail and the subtleties of influencing consumers.. ranging from Sony Style’s vanilla-mandarin signature scent to Home Depot’s new floor layout. Pretty crazy. I can tell you though the the store I work at doesn’t employ any of these tactics, except perhaps the techno music.
In another vein, two of Edvard Munch’s paintings, including The Scream, were recovered by Norwegian police. The paintings were stolen at gunpoint from the museum a while back. I wonder why people steal art sometimes.. of course, for the money they can get by selling it to private collectors, but what do those collectors do? Lock the painting up in a tiny room where you can go sit and look at it? It’s not like you can go be like “What’s up Friends! Check out this new Munch painting I got off the black market!”
And since I just spent a week cutting clips for our Fall TV preview, I can recommend a few shows for those of you who enjoy television. The ones I thought were funny and/or really dramatic (!) are:
1. Twenty Good Years (NBC)- It’s about 2 older guys who decide they only have 20 years left of life and they’re gonna live it to the fullest.
2. Friday Night Lights (NBC) — I saw one clip about two dorky guys who got rejected by the coach’s daughter. She said “I don’t eat with football players.” He said, “I’m not a football player.” She said “I don’t eat with you.”
3. Ugly Betty (ABC)- Looks GREAT! It’s about a fashion-challenged girl who starts her first job as an editorial assistant, played by America Ferrera, at a fashion magazine.
4. The Shark (CBS) — A crime drama.. about lawyers.. Yes, another one. But I have to say this one looks very clever. The “Shark” is a former defense lawyer who switches to prosecution, where he aims to turn the DA’s office around…
And tonight, Vanessa comes! Whohooo!