Acting!

Is the health craze finally over? Despite the fact that they're still using the slogan "Eat fresh," Subway appears to be getting more and more desperate to catch up to Quizno's in the "sandwiches that really aren't even pretending to be healthy" department. Maybe it's the difference between lunch and dinner, since Subway's latest ad campaign is evidently pitching sandwiches for the latter, but seriously: a meatball sub smothered in mozzarella cheese and served on garlic bread? Could anything be farther from the spirit of the Jared ad campaign that basically helped make Subway a household name? A foot-long meatball marinara is well over 1000 calories according to Subway's nutrition facts, and it's not clear to me that this even takes into account the garlic bread. I'm not saying that Subway has to produce only sandwiches that adhere to a strict calorie limit, but there's something mildly deceiving about positioning yourself as the sole health-conscious restaurant in the fast-food sphere and then starting to roll out items like this; some people may be fooled into assuming that because it's Subway it's still totally good for you no matter how much cheese and butter you're downing. And yes, I'm a big personal responsibility advocate and I wouldn't back a suit against Subway for such things - I'm just saying it's a little shady. Sure, people should look up this stuff, but you can't ever underestimate the laziness and stupidity of the population at large when it comes to this sort of thing.

Although honestly, I'm far more bothered by the commercial, which features Jon Lovitz being, and I'm fairly confident of this one, about as annoying as a person can be. Was he hired for this gig based solely on the "Master Thespian" sketches on Saturday Night Live 20 years ago? Every time he screeches "And now dinner! Subway Restaurants!" I silently prepare my TV for its upcoming death by defenestration.