A&E Top 10: Greatest TV Commercials

Viewers familiar with the occasional network television look at commercials from around the world may be disappointed by this program, which features no enjoyable nudie European commercials or those sometimes baffling and hilarious Japanese ads, but rather A&E's version of the 10 best American commercials. The contents are not only sadly predictable, they also clearly favor recent color offerings. You will see no "brusha-brusha-brusha with the new Ipana," nor any cutaway look at the inner workings of the body while relief speeds through the system, but rather more attention than most sane people would ever want to see focused on such overexposed entries as "Where's the beef?" The usual jaunty A&E narration tells the story of how the featured commercials were created, aired and received, which is fine with Speedy Alka-Seltzer and friends, but a little tedious with some of the more recent ads, and while the program does bring viewers up to date on the "Mikey likes it!" Life cereal kid, this is strictly an optional purchase. Aud: H, P. (M. Tribby)