pitchmen

Although Billy Mays died two weeks ago, the powers that be have determined that the show -- and Mays' amazing showmanship -- must go on. Before his death, the famed pitchman recorded commercials for two new products, Mighty Tape and the Mighty Putty Super Pack. Media Enterprises, the marketing...

The death of a direct-to-consumers product spokeman isn't ordinarily something that would send ripples through the media world. But Billy Mays, who died unexpectedly on Sunday at age 50, was no ordinary spokesman. He was, rather, both a true entrepreneur in an industry of pretenders and a budding...

If you've ever had insomnia, you've probably clicked on the TV to see a late-night infomercial. You know, a long-winded ad featuring a fast-talking person hawking anything from ab-crunching gizmos to vacuum machines. Opinions about infomercial pitchmen range from entertaining to annoying, but a...