DEAR SUN SPOTS: Do you know where the pretty little girl who used to sing and dance to Pepsi commercials a few years back is now? I think her name was Joy. Thanks for your information. — Joan Mahaffy, Auburn

ANSWER: Even when Sun Spots used to watch TV, she avoided commercials with an old-fashioned VCR and lots of fast-forwarding, so she had no idea as to which commercial you were referring. For an answer she turned to her colleague Jason, who manages to keep up with all things entertaining even while chasing two tiny girls around the house.

Jason offered this:

“Assuming I’m thinking of the same little girl, this is her, Hallie Eisenberg: http://tinyurl.com/ay5n7d8 (Wikipedia). 

“This is what she’s up to now: http://tinyurl.com/bgaubab (vulture.com).

“She’s Jesse Eisenberg’s sister. I did not know that. He was most recently the star of the movie ‘The Social Network’ about the origins of Facebook.”

In the commercials Jason found, an adorable curly-haired girl asks for a Pepsi using other people’s voices, including Joe Pesci and Aretha Franklin. Sun Spots didn’t find any singing or dancing in the clip she saw, but Jason said he couldn’t find any other possible options. Hopefully this is the one you are curious about.

As to what she’s up to now, for those without computers, vulture.com offers this on her comeback:

“Now 17, she’s co-starring in her older brother Jesse’s new indie movie ‘Holy Rollers,’ out tomorrow, a fact-based drama about Hasidic teens in Brooklyn smuggling ecstasy. Eisenberg plays her brother’s onscreen little sister, Ruth Gold, and … she’s just barely recognizable from her days of soda-pitchwoman fame. The particularly astute pop-culture watcher may recall Eisenberg had a big-screen career back then, co-starring in stuff like ‘Beautiful’ with Minnie Driver and Kathleen Turner, and ‘Paulie’ with Tony Shalhoub and a parrot. The particularly obsessive pop-culture watcher may be aware that Eisenberg has continued to act regularly since, most notably in 2006’s ‘How to Eat Fried Worms.'”

And Wikipedia offers this on her childhood:

“Eisenberg was born in East Brunswick Township, N.J., the daughter of Amy, who worked as a clown at children’s parties, and Barry Eisenberg, who ran a hospital and later became a college professor. She has two siblings, actor Jesse Eisenberg, star of ‘The Social Network,’ and Kerri. Hallie was named after a character in the 1991 film ‘All I Want for Christmas.’ She was raised in a Jewish family that originated in Poland and Ukraine.”

DEAR SUN SPOTS: It was good to read information about the white, talented dog in the Travelers Insurance commercial (Dec. 21).

I usually press the mute button during commercials. Some programs have more commercials than content.

My favorite commercials are GEICO with the gecko, the Travelers ad and Alex Rodriguez the ball player on WPME. His mother worked two jobs until 11 p.m. After school he went to the Boys & Girls Club. I also like the one with Sully for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

I don’t tire of the above commercials, but I press the mute button for all the others. — Joanna Walsh-Ward, Lewiston

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