#RuleYourself

We had all thought at one time that after appearing in three Olympic Games and winning an unprecedented 22 Medals (of which 18 are Gold that swimming champion Michael Phelps would take it easy.  However he is set to join the American Olympic Team in Rio later this year to hopefully break more of his world records.

He as been very busy out of the Pool too.  He's grown a bushy beard (could he look any hottter?) and got engaged to his fiance Nicole Johnson an ex Miss California,  and they are expecting their first baby son in May.

Yesterday saw the launch of a powerful new advertisement Phelps starred in for Under Armour a sportswear company based in his hometown  of Baltimore.  The video shows Phelps putting himself through all the rigors of highly disciplined training with a very simple theme of #RuleYourself.  The message is one that we would happily share with Phelps:

It's What You Do In The Dark That Puts You In The Light

10 Days to Valentines Day .......

Just 10 days to go to Valentines Day, the one day a year when it's not just OK to be seen to be lovey-dovey with your partner, it is totally expected and even the most unromantic souls have to step up to the plate for 24 hours at least.  If you are in the latter group and need a wee push, then take a leaf out of Robin and Jason's book who have been obviously head-over-heels in love since they first clapped eyes on each other, and now having been able to share their life together with their baby daughter, are now ecstatic.  Grab a kleenex and watch this heartwarming couple tell their tale in this new advert for Hallmark Cards.

Find Your Magic

This rather stunning new TV advert for the male grooming brand Axe concludes with the statement "Who needs some other thing when you got your thing, now work on it.” And very much practicising what they preach, as well as just showing off the usual alpha macho man they include a Vogue-ing queen killing it in heels and a gay indie music geek who finds love in his local record store.

The multinational consumer goods company Unilever who make Axe said in a statement that it wants the campaign to shake off “outdated views of masculinity.”  It sure does that, and we will take them at their word and try to find our own magic.

Cloud Cleans Up In Style

We are really not sure why queerguru's BF bitches so much about doing housework as Daniel Campos (known as Cloud) makes it look like such fun. Cloud, one of Madonna's very talented dancers plays a mechanic who is forced to work through the night to clean his garage in the very first global campaign for the cleaning brand Cillit Bang. The 97-second video, which pays homage to the classic ’80s movie "Flashdance", whilst he makes the garage spotless. 

Keep Your Hair On

An advert on Australian TV for a Lynx grooming product encourages men to style their hair and make the most of it while they still have some. (we all know how that feels...) ‘Get an amazing job. Kiss the hottest girl. Or the hottest boy,’ says the narrator.  And that's exactly what the (equally hot) man above does and whilst we all sigh .....aaagh .....some very uncool people Down Under just bitched about it to the Authorities making it one of the most-complained-about commercials in Australia this year

We think its a very touching wee film especially as it contains such excellent advice that we wished someone had told us before we went bald ..... and hot men to kiss started to get thin on the ground too.

What Grandpa REALLY wants for Christmas

Forget the syrupy over-sentimentalized Christmas TV adverts from all those British Department Stores, one US personal services vendor has come up with a real cracker to promote their gift cards this holiday season.  They know what Grandpa really wants is not some sweet old widow woman to while away his days but a ....... well, wait and see what his thoughtful Grandson's gift actually is.

#MulberryMiracle

On December 25th the miracle birth in this household was not the Baby Jesus but in fact a brand new Mulberry Handbag although it attracted the same worshippers as the Messiah did himself.  This very tongue-in-check new television advertisement is causing all sorts of merriment back in the UK, but we wonder if the Evangelical Christians in the US would see the funny side of it too if it was played on their TV screens.  Asides from the fact that if truth be known they probably would not be rushing to buy the bag themselves as it is priced at a mere $1500 .....which is probably the same as gold, frankincense and Myrah put together these days.

Sappy Saturday

Gay or Straight (or wherever you are on the sexual lexicon these days) we defy you not to get misty eyed watching our sappy Saturday video of the day, courtesy of Extra Gum.

I Won't Let You Blemish the Sanctity of Marriage

Panic not as the bible-clutching matron on the steps of the church who is so-offended at the arrival of a gay couple who are about to get married that she stops them going any further as she shouts out 'How Offensive!'  As the men start to get outraged she explains that the 'blemish' on the sanctity of marriage that she is so offended by can actually be fixed.  Just with the aid of a Tide To Go stick which will bleach out the stain on the groom's shirt whoch is the real reason she is so upset.   If only Kim Davis could be erased without a trace so easily!

This is not the first time that Proctor and Gamble have done a cute gay advert for Tide , check out the one of a couple bickering over doing laundry aired on Canadian TV last year.

Gareth Thomas : Never Alone

The bravery of the former captain of the Welsh Rugby Team Gareth Thomas when he publicly came out as gay was extraordinary. His story is an amazing inspiring one and now Guinness have captured it for a new advertisement that they released today. 'Never Alone' tells the story of how Thomas's greatest fear wasn’t the opposition he faced on the pitch, but the fear of rejection from everything he had known, because of his sexuality. The film celebrates the courage of Thomas, and most importantly, the empathy shown by his teammates when he came out, showing that even when he felt he was on his own and at his lowest point, he was always part of a team.  Kudos to Guinness for making this stunning film and it is (another) reason I will want to keep drinking their stout.

You CAN Make It (thanks to Pot Noodles)

Every boy should be able to not only have a dream but be able to make it happen too.   This particular British one just dreams about boxing.  We see him lifting weights, jogging and working out with a trainer as if he is going to be the next Rocky, and then one day he finally achieves his dream and reaches Las Vegas.  The rest is magical.  Literally. 

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Kudos to the marketing guys at Pot Noodle for this totally inspirational gender-bending advert : it's a real gem.