Mighty Thirsty, Hex Light and Cold Fire Featured on Pitchmen Aug. 19
Thursday, August 19th, 2010As Seen on TV products featured on the premiere episode of Pitchmen season two:
Archive for the ‘Billy Mays’ Category
Will You Be Watching Pitchmen This Thursday?
Monday, August 16th, 2010
Pitchmen returns with new episodes this Thursday August 19 at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel. Anthony “Sully” Sullivan is still on board, but the looming question is if this reality series can retain its audience without the star power of Billy Mays. At the time of his death in June 2009, Billy was the most famous pitchman in America, and maybe the world. But Sully is a formidable talent in his own right, and has a great supporting cast to back him up (not to mention the inventors and their products – the real stars). So we want to know: Will you be watching?
TODAY WOULD HAVE BEEN BILLY MAYS’ 52st BIRTHDAY.
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
We celebrated with angel food cake with blue butter-cream flowers just the shade of Billy’s famous shirt. And missed him. Even though we are really looking forward to PitchMen Season 2 and can’t wait to see Sully, Billy Mays III and Arwen, it’s bitter-sweet that Billy had just hit it big when he died. All those pitches and commercials led up to a very successful show on the Discovery Channel and appearances with Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. He had just signed a deal with Taco Bell to film commercials for the chain. I can’t help but wonder what other successes would have been his – he was a big believer in the American Dream, and not even the sky was his limit.
BILLY MAYS MEMORIAL CAPS LOCK DAY: 06.28
Monday, June 28th, 2010
It’s hard to believe it’s been an entire year, but today is the first anniversary of Billy Mays’ death. Are you rocking that blue shirt? ‘Cause you gotta – it’s how we honor the greatest pitchman who ever pitched a product. A year ago today he passed away at the age of 50, leaving us to eulogize him on YouTube and mop our tears with Zorbeez (the power to absorb up to 27 times greater than paper towels or any cotton cloth!).
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! According to urbandictionary.com, it’s officially Billy Mays Day: “It’s Traditional to wear a blue collared shirt with a white under shirt. Must also wear khakis. You must use CAPS LOCK the whole day. Even when talking to family or friends. If you can grow a beard by then, you are the man.”
SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE’S SOME LINKS TO HELP YOU CELEBRATE BILLY MAYS REMEMBRANCE DAY:
- LA TIMES: ONE YEAR AGO, BILLY MAYS
- DISCOVERY CHANNEL: PITCHMEN, REMEMBERING BILLY
- BUZZFEED.COM: BILLY MAYS MEMORIAL CAPS LOCK DAY 6.28
- MYFOXTAMPABAY.COM: A YEAR LATER, BILLY MAYS’ LEGACY LIVES ON
- JACKSONVILLE.COM: TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY
- ASSEENONTVVIDEO.COM: TOP TEN BILLY MAYS COMMERCIALS
WE MISS YOU, BILLY.
Billy Mays Lonely Hearts Club Band
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010Kudos to Brandon Veski (@Twiterski) for creating this awesome Photoshop mashup of Billy Mays and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Although most of the transplanted heads are Billy Mays, Jr., we spy other Pitchmen cast members, including Anthony Sullivan (@KingSully). The Fab Four are reimagined as Billy Mays III (@YoungBillyMays) and Hindu Goddess Lakshmi now sports the lovely face of Arwen Saxon (@ArwenAnaNg). Billy Mays, Sr. even makes a few appearances. Who else can you find?
Click the image to view the hi-res version.
Billy Mays for the Suicide Ladder
Monday, May 10th, 2010This video wins my vote for best Billy Mays spoof of 2010 (so far). Great bit of editing. I especially like using Engrave It to engrave your suicide note right on the ladder.
Sullivan Productions Demo Reel Gets Us Excited for New Season of Pitchmen
Saturday, April 24th, 2010
Aaron Shedlock was hired by Sullivan Productions to search through their vast library of infomercials and put together this demo reel featuring some of the best short and long-form infomercials produced by Anthony Sullivan and his talented crew, many featuring the late, great Billy Mays. Watching this gets us super excited for the premiere of the new season of Discovery Channel’s Pitchmen.
Sullivan Productions DRTV Infomercial Demo Reel
Billy Mays: The Video Game on Yahoo! Answers
Monday, April 19th, 2010
Here is an atypical Yahoo! Answers question, because it’s funnier than its answers. But the poster is actually trying to be clever. Your Savvy Shopper definitely prefers unintentional hilariousness over intentional humor where the execution does not fully mine the comedic possibilities of the premise. Still, I’m glad the citizens of the Internet haven’t forgotten Billy. Can you help Harley with cheats for Billy Mays: The Video Game?
I just bought Billy Mays: The Video Game for my Nintendo Wii. However, I can’t get past the fight with Vince from SlapChop. I keep dying when he says “You’re gonna love my nuts” and start throwing his nuts at me. What can I do, guys?!
I returned to level three, got the OxiClean sprayer 9000 and killed Vince. Now I’m stuck on level 9,0001 (IT’S OVER 9,000!). You have to climb into a giant SlapChop machine and disable its power grid to shut it off. However, once I get inside I cannot find the power grid. I have every weapon in the game, including the pricey Billy Mays endorsed rocket launcher. I break through every cracked wall and I still can’t find the grid. What do I do now!? ):,
Anthony Sullivan shoots new spot for Mighty Thirsty
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010TBO.com reports on a new informercial filmed yesterday for Mighty Thirsty, the newest product from Mighty Brands. Anthony Sullivan inherited the role of Mighty spokesperson from the late Billy Mays. In this new spot, Sully is covered with Mighty Thirsty sponges, hooked to a parasail, then towed by a boat and dunked into the Gulf of Mexico to determine how absorbent the Mighty Thirsty sponges really are. We’re looking forward to seeing the footage, especially the behind the scenes action sure to show up in the new season of Pitchmen.
Product demonstration or wacky new superhero?
The Slow, Lingering Death of Billy Mays, Pitchman
Monday, December 14th, 2009On June 29, 2009, Billy Mays died suddenly from cardiac arrest. Six months after his passing, Billy’s pitchman career is finally nearing its inevitable end. If you surf late night TV or dedicated infomercial channels, you might see him alongside his Pitchmen partner Anthony “Sully” Sullivan as they cut up everything in sight with the Dual Saw. But his short-form spots are running less and less. Some products that Billy used to pitch, like the Jupiter Jack, are now pitched by Sully in re-shot and re-edited spots.
The last infomercial shot by Billy Mays was for Mighty Tape, a flexible non-adhesive tape that seals leaks. He completed shooting this spot the day before he died. The product has now been renamed Mighty Fixit, with Sully again replacing Billy as pitchman. This new lower-budget spot omits the dramatic underwater scene where Billy repairs a scuba diver’s hose with Mighty Tape. I’ve always wondered if underwater filming somehow contributed to Billy’s death. Is it possible an air bubble got into his bloodstream and stopped his heart? I’m not a doctor, but just sayin’. It’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.
Nothing wrong with Sully taking over from his old friend and partner. That’s business, and Mr. Sullivan is very good at what he does both in front of and behind the camera. Just noting with sadness the end of an era. Direct response TV will never be the same without the booming voice, blue shirt, khaki slacks and jet-black beard of Billy Mays, Jr. While some advertisements remain in the public consciousness for decades, most are forgotten and don’t outlive their usefulness as tools to generate sales. Future generations aren’t likely to know or appreciate the greatest pitchman who ever pitched a product.
