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Iron Chef America Secretly Lovin' It

By Laura Oppenheimer in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 26, 2007 8:45PM

If watching Homaro Cantu make maki made you want to eat a Big Mac on Sunday night, you aren't alone. The Food Network's "Iron Chef America" and Oakbrook-based McDonald's are catching some heat after a McDonald's logo and the phrase "I'm Lovin' It" appeared for a split second during the show.

2007_1_mcd.jpgWhat's the story? Is The Food Network going all "Saved By the Bell" on viewers? Not so fast, says Food Network spokesman Mark O'Connor, who explained, "It was a technical error on our part and not a subliminal message as suggested by a Web site running the slow-motion playback." McDonald's spokesman Bill Whitman concurred, saying "We don't do subliminal advertising."

We don't work in TV, so maybe we don't understand — how would one frame accidentally be shown? Kottke provides two possible answers. The first possibility is the very obvious "it wasn't an accident" excuse. Sweet. We love a good conspiracy here at Chicagoist. The second possibility, which was suggested by Michael Buffington, is that a local market cable ad was dropped onto the national feed. We aren't sure what that means, but it sounds decidedly less sinister. Thoughts?