Referring to Paul the Pincher, one of the character options in Levi's 501 jeans new "Unbutton Your Beast" viral campaign , "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno said Friday: "Let me tell you something, if you've got a crab claw coming out of your jeans, you might want to unleash some penicillin." The controversial Web campaign allows users to create and email phallic "monsters" that pop out of Levi's 501 jeans.

The Ad Council will announce today a new campaign on behalf of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Association -- Glsen (pronounced glisten) -- that aims to discourage bullying and harassment of teens who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Some spots feature actress Hilary Duff and comedian Wanda Sykes.

Hyundai Motor America has purchased all of the six units abandoned by General Motors for next February's Academy Awards telecast. It may feature the upmarket Genesis. As a sponsor of the Oscars for the past 11 years, GM spent some $13.5 million in ads for the event last year, or 10% of ABC's estimated $130 million annual award haul, according to Academy Award insiders. GM had also paid a premium to be the exclusive automotive sponsor of the Academy Awards telecast; it's unclear if Hyundai has also paid for such exclusivity.

I'm not quite sure how this qualifies as news, but it's the headline in a major Detroit newspaper so it must be.

Marketers of all ilks are in rapid-response mode as the economy worsens. Ad Age conveniently created a one-page chart of some of the deals, taglines and strategies concocted by major retailers and casual-dining chains to lure traffic to their establishments in these worrisome times. Another column charts spending and -- surprisingly -- it's up in most cases. Could it be that some marketers are finally paying heed to the AAAA's hoary admonition that lean times are the best times to advertise? The Times , meanwhile, has a roundup of reassuring advertising from financial institutions. With good reason. …

I happen to be of the opinion that it's nuts let a kid drive a new car, so whoever can figure out a way to retrofit an innovation that Ford announced Monday will have my gratitude. The MyKey, which will debut next year as standard equipment on the 2010 Focus, aims to help watch over new drivers as would a parent. Among other things, MyKey limits the vehicle's top speed and audio volume, provides early warnings about low fuel, and mutes the radio until the teenager buckles up. But it doesn't, as far as I can tell, …

The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday over whether tobacco companies can be sued in state courts for deceptive advertising of "light" cigarettes. Three smokers from Maine have accused Philip Morris of falsely marketing low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes as less harmful than regular brands. Parent company Altria says that it met federal requirements for warning labels about the health hazards of cigarettes and that the lawsuit should be thrown out under a federal labeling law that prohibits states from regulating cigarette advertising "based on smoking and health." Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, often the deciding vote …

General Mills has launched "Pssst...," http://pssst.generalmills.com an online network that gives members the scoop on the latest product news and offerings, and Kraft has kicked off Kraftfirsttaste.com, which lets consumers share the newest coupon and sampling offers. Pssst uses an initial survey to help gauge product preferences. Once registered, users can voice their opinions via blog posts, share online coupon offers and recipes, and test new sample kits via the mail. Kraftfirsttaste.com also includes features such as a member spotlight, product reviews, discussion boards and a photo-sharing tool. Both companies are following the footsteps of Procter & Gamble …