That's Megan Fox... But That Isn't Her Thumb

Megan Fox is great, but most ads are in 'meh' territory

(NEWSER) - It's a rare year when the Super Bowl itself eclipses the ads, but 2010 was such a year. Bob Garfield declares in Advertising Age that most of the spots were skippable and asserts he is "totally pro-TiVo." His picks for a few of the (relatively speaking) best and worst: The good (3.5 or 3 stars):

• Audi: This spot about overzealous eco-police is "very funny for all the obvious reasons."
• Chrysler: The company figured out a way to "reach manly men without bullying girly men" in a spot selling Dodge Chargers.
• Budweiser: The 15-second spot for Select 55 offers "no horses, no babies, no jokes. Just 15 seconds of interesting news."
• Denny's: It's overdone, sure, "but the public doesn't care about novelty." The chain successfully promoted its free breakfast Tuesday, and people will line up.

Chrysler ad a political football

(NEWSER) - God bless America ... and the Chrysler bailout ... seemed to be the message that left football fans misty-eyed after Clint Eastwood's Super Bowl Chrysler ad. It's "halftime" in America, and we're all pulling together for a brighter economic future, says the gravelly-voiced star. But Eastwood was opposed to the bailout that made the Chrysler turnaround possible, and now the ad has become a political football as Dems score points with it and the GOP tackles it, notes ABC News . “Saving the American Auto Industry: Something Eminem and Clint Eastwood can agree on," crowed White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer on Twitter, referring to Eminem’s Chrysler ad during last year's Super Bowl. "Powerful spot," chimed in Obama re-election strategist David Axelrod. But George Bush's political maven Karl Rove snapped that he was "offended" by the ad, which he argued was orchestrated by the administration to paint a rosy future. More»

Matthew Broderick stars in 'Matthew's Day Off' for Honda

(NEWSER) - The full-length Ferris Bueller-inspired Super Bowl ad is here, and AdWeek dubs it "awesome." Matthew Broderick stars in "Matthew's Day Off," a Honda ad in which he calls in sick to a film shoot in order to do all sorts of fun stuff in his CR-V. The extended version of the ad (watch in the gallery) clocks in at nearly two and a half minutes, and according to its YouTube page, features more than two dozen references to the 1986 movie. "Broderick doesn't sully the original film's reputation here," writes Tim Nudd. "Quite the opposite—this is how a tribute should look." More»

Even superstars get the itch to pinch

(NEWSER) - Despite their fame and (sometimes) fortune, even celebrities occasionally turn to crime. The Frisky rounds up 11 (alleged!) celebrity thieves:

• Miranda July: The indie filmmaker admitted in the New Yorker that she stole some Neosporin as a college freshman—then peed her pants when apprehended. Even so, she says she kept on shoplifting, even from Goodwill.
• Farrah Fawcett: She took clothes from a boutique and was charged with shoplifting in 1970, but she called it "vigilante behavior"—citing the store's unfair return policy.

She may or may not have had a boyfriend at the time...

(NEWSER) - Megan Fox was theoretically dating now-husband Brian Austin Green while filming Transformers, but that apparently didn't stop co-star Shia LaBeouf. Asked by Details if he ever hooked up with Fox, LaBeouf nods and explains, "Look, you're on the set for six months, with someone who's rooting to be attracted to you, and you're rooting to be attracted to them. I never understood the separation of work and life in that situation. But the time I spent with Megan was our own thing, and I think you can see the chemistry onscreen." More»