Has anyone noticed many more Apple switch ads recently? What’s more, has anyone noticed a trend that they seem to offer commercials right after a television show first goes into commercial? Since I have a TIVO, I noticed that I’m much more likely to get sucked into the first commercial before realizing I can fast forward to the point where the television show picks up.
Tags: [TIVO, Apple, marketing, advertising, RWRW]
Where do you draw the line for decency in Halloween costumes?
Tags: [Bill Maher, Steve Irwin, Halloween, costume, decency, RWRW]
The NY Times is reporting that CBS will be advertising itself and its popular television shows on your eggs using laser imprints.
I wonder how effective it will be. I mean, who except the person who prepares the eggs will see the logo? Perhaps it will spark a discussion. Have they done research on how many eggs are consumed by households? If you are at my home, it seems the only time we can make eggs is on the weekends. Perhaps CBS should consider advertising on prepared goods as well - like the packaging for cereal, oatmeal, breakfast bars, etc.
Tags: [CBS, television, RWRW, eggs, advertising, food]
I wish I could attend this event hosted today by Rush Limbaugh at the Heritage Foundation.
Featured guests include Michael Chertoff, writers and producers from the ‘24′ show, and cast members taking the roles of Chloe O’Brian, President Charles Logan, and Tony Almeida. Unfortunately, the event is sold out, but you can watch it streamed live at 10 a.m. E.S.T. at Heritage.org. or here.
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Tags: [24, terrorism, RWRW, Rush Limbaugh, Heritage Foundation, Michael Chertoff, national security]
This will certainly brighten your day. I usually never get choked up or get chills, except for the occasional sports movie like Field of Dreams, Hoosiers, or Rudy. However, this real life story might beat them all. I think a movie will be made of this one…
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Tags: [basketball, autism, rochester, high school, feel good, youtube]
It seems with my posting lately that I should rename this the “Bono Blog” - yet another post about him. Anyway, even though I only saw a part of last night’s Grammys, I was excited to see U2 perform “One” with Mary J. Blige. In case you do not recall, U2 and Blige performed the same song for the Katrina Hurricane Relief Effort. Watching U2 and Blige perform “One” that night moved me to tears - this is what music is all about. U2 preaches a message of coming together, a message that became that much stronger when Blige joined in. Here are some of the lyrics from the song:
One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we’re not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each otherOne…life
One
In the Katrina aftermath where there were charges of racism, Blige and U2 cut through the accusations and held the standard high for us - how we should all aspire to end racism and live together in harmony. I know, a bit sappy this early in the morning, but sometimes I think change can only happen if we have a dialogue that’s uplifting rather than divisive - the blogosphere itself sometimes stirs up more divisiveness than harmony in our dialogue.
I know I’m a big fan of U2, but does last night’s performance (or the Hurricane relief performance) affect you the same way? Below is a clip of last night’s Grammy performance.
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Tags: [U2, Bono, One, Blige, Mary J. Blige, Katrina, Hurricane, Grammys, Grammy Awards, racism, unity, music, video]
I find it very interesting how catty network news / television hosts can be. Do they really have anything newsworthy to talk about or do they act like teenagers in an effort to entertain and increase ratings? Take the following video, for example.
I like Keith Olbermann from the 1990s - when he was working at ESPN. His wit and humor were fantastic there while quipping about topics that carried little weight. However, I’m not sure a news role best fits his style. He would instead make a good late night talk show host.
Hat tip to Norm
Here’s another teenage catfight between Olbermann and O’Reilly:
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Tags: [Keith Olbermann, Olbermann, Bill O’Reilly, O’Reilly, FOX, MSNBC,
Now this is one talk show I’d watch…BetaNews reports that Family Guy’s Stewie Griffin will be getting his own talk show. The article states,
“Stewie fans rejoice: the vocal tyke will be getting his own talk show. The show would be based on familyguy.com and other News Corp properties. While it would not be the first time an animated character has hosted some kind of talk show — Space Ghost was first on Cartoon Network — it has already gotten the attention of several Madison Avenue advertisers.
News Corp plans to target younger demographics with the program, the same that have become loyal weekly viewers of the television show both on Fox and in syndication. “We think that the property is perfectly suited for that audience,” Fox Interactive Media president Ross Levinsohn said in a statement. The show is planned to launch as an Internet-only feature later this year.”
Tags: [Family Guy, BetaNews, Stewie Griffin, talk show, Seth MacFarlane, FOX]
I just had to pass along this fake news story by The Onion:
LOS ANGELES—Fox Entertainment president Gail Berman announced Thursday that the network is pulling the plug on ALCS, the new three-hour drama/comedy about two rival clubs competing for the coveted “pennant,” just two shows into its run. “This uninspired series featured a cast of uninteresting characters, a hackneyed plot, and more boring narration than actual meaningful dialogue,” Berman said. “We tried to find an audience on Tuesdays, then on Wednesdays, and we were prepared to move its time slot to Friday nights or Saturday afternoons before ultimately realizing that the series had zero potential.” Television experts cited several other possible reasons for the early cancellation, such as the overly expensive sets and costumes, the show’s subject matter, and the fact that the series’ projected breakout character—a brash, outspoken black man named Carl Everett—tested very poorly with audiences. Fox remains optimistic about its other fledgling program, NLCS, but critics say the series has “very little chance” of making it past seven episodes.
I recently commented on Kanye West’s antics, and W.C. Varones pointed out another gem when West took part in the Live 8 festivities in Philadelphia. Here’s what he said to MTV:
“[t]he concept of AIDS alone—what my parents always told me, who are activists—is that it was a man-made disease in the first place that was placed in Africa just like how crack was placed in the black community to break up the Black Panther Party.â€
I do not deny that racism exists in America. However, I have a hard time accepting some of the recent claims. What concerns me most is that it seems that these claims only fuel the fire of racism - they are destructive (not constructive) criticisms. I do know of friends who believe that the reaction to Katrina was racist, but I just cannot get to the heart of this belief.
In contrast to Kanye West, U2 is such a class act. Despite criticism from more ignorants like Mos Def, U2 performed a phenomenal rendition of “One” with none other than Mary J. Blige for the Hurricane Relief Benefit: Shelter From The Storm. So, instead of introducing divisive dialogue, U2 preaches a message of coming together, a message that became that much stronger when Blige joined in. Here’s some of the lyrics from the song:
One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we’re not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each otherOne…life
One
Here’s the kicker. Despite Kanye West’s criticism of white leadership and Mos Def’s criticism of Bono for “turning his back” on the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, Kanye West will be opening for U2 on the December leg of their North American tour!
Tags: [Kanye West, U2, Mos Def, Mary J Blige, Katrina, Hurricane Katrina, racism]