Natasha Lyonne turns her Poker Face to Super Bowl commercials and M&Ms
Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) exposes the M&M Super Bowl hoax in a new commercial for Poker Face set to air during the game
TV News Natasha Lyonne
Charlie Cale is moving up in the world. Natasha Lyonne is the star of a new Poker Face Super Bowl commercial about Super Bowl commercials, the list of which includes a commercial for Peacock’s Poker Face. It’s sort of an Inception scenario, but worse because it’s an ad, and also better because Natasha Lyonne is in it.
In the ad, much like in Rian Johnson’s newly-minted hit TV show, Charlie is questioned about her ability to sniff out lies by a drinking buddy while they watch the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. The “friends in that beer commercial” actually hate each other. The kid in the Google Pixel ad is actually a 19 year old. And then there’s the whole M&M situation….
You didn’t need to be a human lie detector to guess that the M&M culture war controversy wherein the company yanked its “spokescandies” from their jobs was Super Bowl bait. However, this ad (made in partnership with M&M, mind you) confirms as much when Charlie helps her drinking buddy realize that “the M&M characters never left.” It does seem a bit strange to expose the hoax while the hoax is still ongoing, but then, nobody really thought the whole Maya Rudolph brand pivot was going to stick.
The company may have fooled a few people by releasing that open letter in the wake of Fox News’ faux outrage, but now that the campaign has taken an April Fools-esque turn by changing the candy’s name to “Ma&Yas” and filling the treats with “chewy, chunky clams.” Believability is obviously no longer the name of the game for this prank, but at least we get more Maya Rudolph out of it.
It’s a nice bit of synergy for Animal Pictures, the production company headed by Rudolph and Lyonne. Rudolph is a producer on Poker Face, and the duo has also produced their own shows like Russian Doll and Loot, as well as projects like the animated comedy The Hospital and the teen romantic comedy Crush. Now their Hollywood hot streak extends to complementary commercials during The Big Game.
9 Comments
I love Maya Rudolph as much as anyone, but it doesn’t change the fact Mars caved to Tucker Carlson and his meth-addled flying monkeys. This minority of right-wing dickfarts remain relevant because some people are too chickenshit to tell them to fuck off forever.
TC’s demographic is probably 60% (or more) of the profit base for the Mars candy company.
You obviously haven’t been paying attention (or reading this or any other articles about Maya and the M&Ms)…
Mars Marketing team have got to be the top of the game. Personally Peanut M&Ms are my favorite, but I don’t even think about the others on my own were it not for the commercials. Anticipating the TC stuff probably wasn’t difficult, but actively trolling him with this is a huge (delightful) risk. Also more Maya is a win for everyone.
If you don’t think this was planned well in advance of (and actively anticipating) Tucker’s little tantrum, then I have a few things to teach you about marketing.
Carlson conquered a whole planet?!
I’m getting the impression they didn’t cave to Tucker Carlson so much as played him like a harp. They didn’t scramble to come up with this whole Maya Rudolph mascotless campaign in the wake of his overwhelming power, they had it ready to roll out as soon as he took the bait.Which both entertains and depresses me.
BUT WHO’S GONNA FUCK THE CANDY!?
*sighs, unzips pants*