This rant was inspired by the showing of The Italian Job last night on FX. Specifically the part where they're going through a montage about how they're setting up. The camera zooms in on a blueprint and suddenly you hear a "Woosh!" and flames come shooting out of it. Was someone on the otherside taking a blowtorch to the blueprint? Oh, no, it's just an ad for Rescue Me on FX and the fire is blazing around the bottom of the screen.

For what it's worth, I think TNT is much worse about this practice, but I still can't understand who in their right minds thought it was a good idea. I can see why it's being done...with increased DVR usage people are skipping the standard commercial breaks. If an ad plays while your program plays, you can't skip it! Nevermind that it might detract from the show. Or in the case of some of TNT's ads, completely distract from it to the point of annoyance. For example, they pick a drama-filled moment of Minority Report to do the following:

1. Popup the Nascar logo where the TNT watermark usually is positioned.
2. Have 3 little guys come running out from the side of the screen to the logo.
3. Proceed to have them act like this is a pit stop and they are servicing the Nascar logo.
4. Complete with OBNOXIOUS SOUNDS that are much louder than the program being watched. I really want to miss key names and plot points so I can hear the non-existent NASCAR logo tires getting changed.
5. In case it wasn't enough distraction, have one of the guys leave by leaping over the logo and landing behind it.
6. Fade the logo back to TNT.

What would be equally effective is the following:

1. Have a little guy come and walk out from the side.
2. Mute whatever program I'm watching, regardless of what is going on. But try to do it when there's crucial dialog going on
3. For extra effect, have the guy set off fireworks that fill the screen so I can just barely still see what's going on in the program I thought I was watching.
4. Have him scream at a volume much louder than the program I'm now pseudo-watching, "HEY! OVER HERE!! LOOK AT ME!! I'M AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN!! HEY!!! WATCH SAVING GRACE!!! IT MIGHT LOOK CRAPPY FROM THE PREVIEWS, BUT I ASSSURE YOU IT'S MUCH CRAPPIER THAN THEY MADE IT LOOK!! SERIOUSLY, WATCH IT!!! IF YOU DO YOU WILL SUPPORT MORE ADS LIKE THESE, AND I CAN TELL THAT'S WHAT YOU REALLY WANT!!!"
5. Once his shouting is finished he can start running laps around the perimeter of my TV screen for the rest of the program shouting "WHEEEE!"
6. For added effect, never unmute the program I was watching.
7. For bonus added effect, fade the program I was watching to black so I can only see the ad.
8. For double bonus effect, get a fist to come flying out of the screen and punch me in the face.
9. Finally, for ultimate effect, put the name of a TV show on the fist.

A funny but sad example of how it's all going to end up

There's people complaining about the new ads on the TNT messageboard.

There's also talk that TBS has even paused a show at a punchline to deliver an ad/promo and then resumed after then ad was done. If that happened you'd find a shoe through my TV. But I haven't seen this personally so I can't confirm.

And if you liked this rant, you'll probably find this as amusing as I did.