This cinema PSA designed to illustrate the impact of smoking on health takes us to a parade. The focus is on six people on a parade float decorated with candy and fruit. The people are all adorned in hospital gowns as the float makes its way down the street, passing by spectators. It turns out these six people are in real life coping with tobacco-related disease–one for instance wears an oxygen mask, another has a hole in her throat.
They break out into song. The lyrics being crooned from the float go:
“Chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon.
Apple, honey and berry blend.
Strawberry, wildberry, tangerine.
Mango, raspberry, wintergreen.
That’s how you make cancer sweet.
Why do they make tobacco taste sweet?”
A message appears on screen which reads, “Tobacco companies’ products kill their customers. They can’t sell candy-flavored cigarettes anymore. But they still sell other tobacco products in over 45 candy flavors.”
We then her a parting chorus of, “Oh why do they make tobacco taste sweet?”
A child watches the parade in amazement.
An end tag asks us to meet the singers at thetruth.com.
Thomas Cook, 51, is one of the participants in the campaign. Cook previously appeared in the Emmy-nominated truth commercial, “Singing Cowboy,” in 2006. Images of Tom singing the words “you don’t always die from tobacco–” with an electronic voice box generated keen interest on YouTube and propelled the ad to iconic status. Cook started smoking at age 13 and was diagnosed at 38 with Stage IV larynx cancer.
Four of the featured participants can no longer work in their chosen fields or find full employment, due to physical disabilities. One gave up on his dreams of playing college baseball, after being diagnosed with cancer at age 17. Another cast member has severe physical limitations that impair his mobility and lifestyle.
This cinema :30 was directed by Baker Smith of Harvest for Arnold, Boston.
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More