Sacha Baron Cohen can sure dish out the heat, but from the looks of it, he can't take it quite as well. With the upcoming release of Cohen's gay fashionista character Bruno in theaters everywhere, it seemed fitting to post this little stunt from Sphere Agency and restaurant chain Nando's.

At the film's premiere in Sydney, a lookalike dressed in Bruno-like attire but without the convincing Austrian accent hijacked the red carpet festivities. Arriving in a Humvee with an army of half-naked models, the fake Bruno riled up the crowd and managed to display a Nando's sign that read: "This year's hottest chicks are covered in Peri Peri". A bouncer then soon grabbed the hooligan off the podium and rushed him away.

The real Cohen, adorning a helmet of sorts, was briefly captured after the incident expressing his displeasure. Nicht nicht, indeed.

Via: Illegal Ads

More: "Today's Illegal Ad: "We Wonder What the Real Wolf Boy Thinks?"

After various Big Apple-based copywriting stints at Ogilvy, R/GA and most recently Mother, Ben Hughes is remaining local and joining Wieden + Kennedy, New York as CD on the Delta account. Right on time for the discount wars.

Hughes, who is set to start after the holiday weekend, will also handle new business affairs at W+K. While his resume touts a range of client work from Dell to Stella Artois to Verizon throughout his agency travels, Hughes has also been dabbling in a little arts & entertainment as a scribe for Esquire.

More: "W+K New York Employs Charlie Murphy, Kobe, Lebron"

Due to the whole H1N1 thing. But, we hear folks will still be working cuz thangs gotta get done. Get. well. soon.

In other news, the infected person is joined by another confirmed infected person within the agency. Apparently, the two are besties — in other words they spent enough time together that their both being ill makes sense. The pair's entire team is getting checked out as well, so it sounds like things are being handled responsibly.

Wonder who the person was that tried to cover this whole thing up? Oy, some people...

We'll spare you the riveting e-mail; shop.is.closed (for today).

More: "Breaking: Confirmed H1N1 Case at R/GA Causes Pandemonium"

Andrew McMains and Brian Morrissey of Adweek delivered the sad news yesterday that Current Media, purveyors of Al Gore's ideas about journalism, have put their Twitter review on hold. We never covered this story to begin with, but we've chosen to mention it now because now that it's on hold we're worried there will be nothing to write about.

The original Tweet from Current's Jordan Kretchmer, vp of branding, shocked and awed the twasses. "This is a TwitteRFP for The Current Network. Searching for a full service ad agency partner," wrote Kretchmer.

So what's happened since this ingenious plan was hatched? Kretchmer "has exited" (read: been fired?) and the Twitter RFP is no more; well, for the time being anyway. Taking K-bomb's place is Michael Streefland, a lowly svp of marketing. Er wait, is he more senior?

Regardless, he said this of his predecessor's pet-project, "The Current RFP triggered a lot of constructive internal discussion and we realized we put the cart before the horse and need to lay down some strategic direction before we engage with a creative agency to execute upon that direction. Those discussions are happening right now and we should emerge in a few weeks with an update for the agencies."

And if by discussions he means guffaws at the total lack of order involved in vetting what probably amounts to dozens of crappy responses to the call, then yes there's a lot of talking going on. In the past, we've been critical of the consulting process involved in matching brands with agencies, but only because it's a pay-to-play system. In theory, Kretchmer's plan circumvents that issue, but Current's marketing team probably realized early on that this was a terrible idea, and decided hmm, maybe we should dig up the cash for a consultant's help. Or at least call Rahm Emmanuel; he knows some people in the corporate branding business.

More: "Target Women: Your Job, Marginalized by Captain Obvious, Sarah Haskins"

Today on the menu I showed up late, as usual. I swear, I'll get this thing down soon. Luckily, pioneering/flexible cohost Jason Boog fumbled not, and the show went on amicably. Radio = large learning curve.

Did you know Gov. Mark Sanford had a book deal in the works before this whole scandal? Yeah, he did, and now no one knows if the thing will make it to press; it was about politics or something.

CNN keeps failing and now it may cost them some money. Apparently the 25ish hours of Michael Jackson coverage they did included imagery they didn't own (or ask for the copyrights to), and now the owners want some scratch.

The Catcher in the Rye is J.D. Salinger's work, and no one is going to write a sequel, says a judge. The reclusive Salinger, 90, successfully staved off another author's attempt to publish a novel set 60 years after the original.

And finally, author Hyatt Bass came on to tell us about her new book. I swear, we'll get some ad stuff in there next week.

-He left home without us. Legendary actor/pitchman Karl Malden, recognized in the ad world for his memorable tagline for American Express Travelers Cheques, has passed away at 97. link

-Hi-speed mobile internet brand Clear has, via Secret Weapon Marketing, expanded its integrated WiMax campaign to include an outdoor component at a Portland stall ...or at least we thought it was a stall. Regardless, mobile usage never felt so dirty. link

-Rob Horning from arts & entertainment blog Popmatters offers a thesis of sorts that equates advertising to placebos. Just skip a few paragraphs down if you must. link

-W+K, London has launched Platform, an "ideas incubator" that hopes to staff creatives outside the ad realm. Some folks just can't cut a break. link

-Joseph Jaffe calls time of death on the 30-second spot right after the closing night of Cannes. link

-The fashionistas at Chanel school editors, advertisers and creatives about the proper use of the brand name. link

More: "Tuesday Odds and Ends"

Sometimes you're clicking around Craigslist and you find in the "bikes for sale" section and you find maybe one of the most random ads you've seen in all your days of c-list clickery. This is legit. Click here (safe-ish for work).

That only remaining question: what about this service costs $200? The mobility? Pretty sure what's seen in public is free-licious. Someone please call us!

More: "Boston Cops Use Craigslist to Find Accused Killer's Victims"

This one agency called Toth (which is subsequently the phonetic spelling of "toss" if you have a lisp) needs to hire some people. In Boston!

They want:
— Digital Producers
— Project Managers
— Designers
— HTML and Flash Developers (they still make those?)

Says a dude who works there: "we are primarily looking for the young and ambitious types who do kick ass, stellar work." As opposed to young people who do shitty work, natch. But no matter!

This is their Web site; don't worry, it's being rebuilt this summer.

More: "Holy (maybe) Layoffs Batman: Campbell Ewald, Zeta, DDB LA, Deutsch LA, Others"

And so it continues. According to a few sources, Deutsch LA has begun the layoff process today beginning with its account people. The reported numbers have hovered around 9 and 10 so far with over two dozen rumored to be axed when all is said and done. An email and phone call to the LA office weren't immediately returned.

More: "RGA: No Money, Mo Problems"

While on the surface, it just looks like a horribly designed T-shirt sounding the death knell for the GOP, Gawker exposes the potentially nefarious branding strategy behind this $24 eyesore.

Urban Outfitters is filled with irony beyond the messages on its shirts having been founded by ultra-conservative Richard Hayne but being one that caters mostly to liberal twenty-somethings. Hayne seems to be testing the "they'll buy anything" notion here, baiting his target audience to buy this grade school-designed "R.I.P. GOP" T-shirt as perhaps part of some pro-GOP social experiment. To quote Johnny Rotten, "Ever feel like you've been cheated?"

More: "Starbucks Food Redo: Yea or Nay?"

Sources inside R/GA tell us the agency has one confirmed case of H1N1. We won't identify the person in question, but we hear he/she is being treated.

But details about how the issue is being handled internally are coming out, and all signs point to irresponsibility by the infected person's managing director. We're told the dir. told the employee not to tell anyone, and to go home. Naturally, people found out, and now the 4th floor is (at this very moment) in a state of semi-chaos.

"PEOPLE ARE FLEEING," one source tells me. "The whole 4th floor is hysterical right now."

Another interesting tidbit just came to our attention regarding R/GA's sick policy. Writes a spy, "Here at R/GA if you stay home sick, you loose a vacation day so there isn't much incentive for people to stay away... sick or not." This note was preceded by a sentence indicating at least one other person who sits near the confirmed H1N1 case is also ill.

Update: The agency issued an e-mail, indicating that the H1N1 sufferer is "recuperating at home". Get well soon! And relax, everyone, it's the flu. E-mail posted after the jump.

Update 2: Folks on the 4th floor are no longer fleeing, and the crazed-ness has become limited to a few people. But you should know the person who's sick was listed as a judge of a cookie eating contest on Monday, which was open to everyone at the agency. We aren't sure if he/she was at work that day, though.

More: "R/GA: No Money, Mo Problems"

continued...

Just yesterday Crispin's new site launched, and though it's still in Beta, Dog + Pony's Matt Morin noticed a stark similarity between the Crispin site and Perspectv's. Whaddya think?

Via

More: "Crispin's Beta is Up"

Click play before reading on. R/GA CEO Bob Greenberg issued the kind of e-mail no one who's been doing a "good job" lately wants to receive. Yes, we're speaking of the, "So, you're not getting a raise, company. It's the economy's fault." Cue e-mail;

"Dear All: I am writing to confirm that given the current market conditions, R/GA will have to postpone our normal companywide July salary increases. We will continue to re-assess the situation as the business environment changes; and I will communicate further with all of you, at the earliest possible time. My best, Bob Robert M. Greenberg Chairman, CEO, Global Chief Creative Officer."

Yeah, we're a-holes for making light of this kind of thing. But you know, if R/GA wasn't so well known for promoting white kids who maybe weren't ready for that Sr. level spot, they'd have some flow for the folks who actually deserve the raise. Just sayin.

Update: Someone at R/GA has a confirmed case of swine flu.

Update 2: Apparently everyone on the infected person's floor is leaving the building. What's worse, we hear the person's manager told him/her not to mention the illness to anyone. Well, people found out and a source tells us, "PEOPLE ARE FLEEING...Yeah, apparently [that] floor is hysterical right now." We hope everyone is OK. Go home.

More: Remember that time they had their first layoff ever?

With a 90% overhaul of its food menu that includes a switch to items such as organic fruits and gluten-free cakes, omnipresent chain Starbucks is aiming to trim our fat and offer a wholesome complement to its $10 lattes.

To lure its customers to pay as much attention to its bakery as its baristas or their laptops, the brand has chosen the print route to promote the makeover in an ad from BBDO, New York. But does this health-conscious reinvention, which was a company "top priority", make Starbucks more attractive or even less appealing?

In a recession, people just want their caffeine and a little tummy-filler so does Starbucks' quality alone merit your money over McDonald's or Dunkin'? Or could you care less about name recognition altogether and just settle for a $1 bagel and the the diesel fuel they call coffee at the deli down the street?

More: "Cankles, It's What's for Dinner"

Yesterday it was brought to our attention that McCann SF has lost a piece of Microsoft business. The PR teams within the agency patently denied what we knew to be true. Fine, but then our sources got confirmation of what we already believed was true. Said one source, "MCCANN SF lost the MS office account. [T]his is NOT reflected in the 50 leaving now, that was based on previous loss of MS. Office will make the sting worse."

Then another, "Office is moving for the Office 2010 launch. McCann SF continues to handle Windows Mobile; T.A.G. continues to handle Xbox...they will also handle Pink/Tribe."

Adweek has a bit more on this if you care to check that out.

More: "McCann to Lose 50 in July"