• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, December 3, 2009

If you haven't seen them yet, LG and Young & Rubicam have released a series of funny ads featuring James Lipton encouraging teens to "Give It a Ponder" before sending hurtful, gossipy or sexually explicit text messages. The PSAs aim to cut down on "sexting" and other bullying behavior on cell phones.

In the four spots, Lipton bestows his carefully-trimmed beard on young texters as they're poised to blast mean-spirited messages, giving them a moment of chin-stroking pause before doing any damage. His spirited portrayal of a catfight in one may be the greatest performance yet by the Inside The Actor's Studio host.

But will the send-up of his own Master Thespian image be lost on the YouTube generation? Perhaps LG and Lipton should extend the campaign to the grown-up texting transgression-driving while texting. Since handing his beard to someone would in itself be too dangerous, they'd have to come up with a new concept.

Maybe Lipton could urge drivers to "Be In the Moment," as he wrests a cell phone from a behind-the-wheel texter and launches into a lecture combining safe driving tips and Method acting techniques. And then perhaps the driver heads off a cliff anyway to save himself from Lipton's overbearing pomposity. That end might not be the best for a PSA, though. Any other ideas for how LG can exploit Lipton's genius in other mobile ads?