Sideswipe: July 27: The Hoff's gone off

Rico and David Hasselhoff promote Air New Zealand. Photo / Supplied

Adfreak.com writer David Gianatasio is scathing about the Hoff/Rico ad. He writes: "Air New Zealand's sub-muppet mascot Rico could be described as appealing only if we change the definition of the word to 'grating and unacceptable in the extreme'. Likewise, watching the frizzy freak play a talk show host/psychiatrist in this 'On the Skycouch With Rico' clip and trade double entendres with goofy pop icon David Hasselhoff could be called amusing. But only if we agree that 'amusing' now means 'cringe-worthy and stultifying'. A brain-boggling waste of time."

Trying to offend? It works
Hell Pizza might want to tone down its trying-to-offend advertising after reneging on a $10,000 pledge to children's charity KidsCan. The ad to promote the pizza chain's lamb shanks depicts a white fluffy bleating lamb with two wooden sticks on wheels attached by a harness replacing its missing legs. "Not funny and kinda sick," says one reader.

Dryer out of control
A British couple must pay £3000 ($5630) because their tumble dryer was too noisy. Dereck and Arlene Brown were fined after Harrow Council officers found the faulty machine was making their flat shake and was so loud it breached the level at which noise is legally considered a nuisance to neighbours. The couple used the dryer at night, disturbing the people in the flat below.

The great wine crash ...
A forklift malfunction dropped 462 cases of Australian wine worth more than $1.2 million. The Mollydooker wine was being loaded for shipment to the US at Port Adelaide. All 5544 bottles of 2010 Velvet Glove shiraz (worth $225 each) were destroyed. Winemaker Sparky Marquis said the incident had left him "gut-wrenched".

Kansas tonsil biggest yet
According to Guinness World Records the record for largest tonsil ever removed is 5.3cm long, 2.8cm wide and 1.8cm thick. Justin Werner of Kansas was notified last month that his tonsils easily beat the previous record. (Source: Associated Press).