The FCC has announced that it has canceled its upcoming December 18th meeting. As part of that meeting, the FCC had planned to vote on the proposed auction of portions of the white space spectrum which would be used for free, nationwide wireless broadband. The white space initiative generated a firestorm of controversy that pitted T-Mobile, the National Association of Broadcasters and celebrities like Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, and the Dixie Chicks against technology companies such as Google, Dell, Microsoft and Motorola. With the upcoming meeting now scuttled and a vote delayed indefinitely, the white space spectrum issue is...
Uploaded with plasq’s Skitch! Kanye West is a little upset about being impersonated on Twitter. There have always been celebrity impostors on the site (and a growing number of real celebs actively using it), but Kanye seems to get a little more sensitive about this kind of thing: he’s much more hands-on with his audience than the average star, so it’s natural that he would take it a bit more personally when someone steps in on that territory. As Twitter grows, I wonder how they’ll treat this kind of situation. Do they immediately turn over the false account, as may...
Filed under: News, OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-FreeEarlier this week, I was watching the CBS Evening News while I was at the keyboard. That means I wasn't really watching the TV screen; I was listening to the tube while working on the Mac. Therefore, I didn't even notice that Katie Couric had a new haircut. Then, from the other room, my husband called to me and asked what I thought. "Thought about what?" I answered.That was how I heard the "big" news that CBS anchor Katie Couric has a new look. Really, what does it matter? Why should it matter? She's presenting...
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Daytime, Celebrities, Talk ShowI guess I'm not surprised to hear that Oprah Winfrey has been named the most powerful woman in entertainment. You can read the full list here, in The Hollywood Reporter's 17th annual "Women in Entertainment: Power 100" special issue. OK, here's the thing about this. I really do get why Oprah is powerful. She's in charge of her own show (remember years ago when she fought to gain control and fired a bunch of people?); she's launched a bunch of other shows, including Rachel Ray, Dr. Phil, and maybe Dr. Oz coming up;...
On November 20th I setup an advertising campaign on Facebook for my startup, CloudContacts. The ad setup program crashed a few times but eventually I was able to get the ad running. I selected men and women from 25 to 53 with a college degree as my initial test audience. Facebook told me that there were somewhere about 33 million users for the demographics I selected. Clearly this 33 million number is just profiles they have, not actual activity. Here are the campaign results: 81k impressions (majority of them in the first 7 days, nearly none since) 6 clicks...
Filed under: The Apprentice, CelebritiesWhat's better than one hour episodes of Celebrity Apprentice? I would answer "zero hour episodes" but NBC is thinking a little different. Celebrity Apprentice is now going to be two hours long. That's right, Mark Burnett has announced that each episode of the next edition of Donald Trump's reality show is going to be two hours long and will run on Sunday nights. No word on when the show will debut, but sources are saying that it will probably bow in February, with cast members Joan and Melissa Rivers, Andrew Dice Clay, Clint Black, Tom Green...
Want to get in the holiday gifting spirit? Wait no longer because you can send fruitcake to your friends this holiday! PayPal has launched the Regift the Fruitcake campaign which is a basic gifting application on Facebook. The application is comprised of two basic components: a global gift tracker and celebrity videos. Fall Out Boy, Tony Hawk, Yao Ming, Ben Roethlisberger, Jimmie Johnson, and Nicole & Joel Richie, have each created videos encouraging users to donate money. The idea is a pretty cool one. The six celebrities have passed along gifts via the Facebook application, and the only way to...
Filed under: Programming, Celebrities, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-FreeThe Disney Channel has ordered six additional episodes for the third season of their ridiculously successful series Hannah Montana. The series stars teen icon Miley Cyrus in an effort to maximize her exposure before she is sacrificed for the harvest.This brings the number of total episodes of the season to 30. When does any show get thirty episodes per season? The number I've always understood to be the maximum is 24 (and that's only for a series that is actually called 24). My guess is they're trying to wring as much they can...
German photographer Martin Schoeller's new book of portraits aims to highlight the contrast between the extreme physiques of female bodybuilders and the vulnerability expressed through their eyes and nuanced facial expressions. Schoeller is known for treating all subjects the same, whether the New York-based photographer is shooting celebrities for Vogue or unknown members of the Pirahã tribe in Brazil.You can view a collection of his work at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery through 29 September 2009 or grab a copy of the book, "Female Bodybuilders," available through Pond Press or Amazon....
Filed under: Celebrities, Ratings, Reality-FreeCraig Ferguson is beating Conan O'Brien in the late, late night wars. His show scored an average of 1.9 million viewers compared to 1.85 million for Conan for the week. Ferguson's numbers increased from 1.75 million from the same time last year (the article doesn't mention Conan's ratings from last year). Now, what does this mean?Is Ferguson actually becoming more popular than O'Brien? If this is the case, then we've discovered the natural heir to the Letterman time slot. NBC must be shaking in its boots to have Conan take over Jay Leno's time in 2009.On...
December is upon us and you know what that means — time for the Sugar Network's Best of 2008! It's time to look back at the biggest news, the most important photos, the breakout stars and all your favorite products you couldn't live without in 2008. Each site on the Sugar Network will be polling you the readers about what you loved — celebrities, news, trends, movies, products, designers, stores, and more — before announcing your choices and the editors' favorites for the year to win the Sugar Awards in their categories. This year we also want to give a...
Subscribe to my podcast series It’s very challenging to network with people who are more successful than you are. I’ve been able to do this over the course of the past few years pretty successfully. I’ve spoke with over 70 successful people, just on this blog alone. The magazine I publish, Personal Branding Magazine, has highlighted even more. How am I able to do this? Well today, I want to reveal the best way to network with people that you may be intimidated by or scared of. These individuals are the ones that can help you out significantly. People...
Despite being the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, Reese Witherspoon has to be one of the most inoffensive celebrities ever. And yet the tabloids love to manufacture drama about her. She Is Jake Gyllenhaal’s Blonde Beard! No, They Are More In Love Than Ever! Reese Still Not Over Ryan’s Affair! Etc. But sometimes, even the squeakiest stars do something dumb enough to capture my attention. Exhibit A, from an interview with the BBC: What’s a typical Christmas Day for you? I have kids, so it’s a lot about opening presents. And then I start cooking and I really enjoy that part...
Everyone loves a good house party, right? Especially one with lots of good music, dancing, (drug-induced?) finger painting, pixie dust, fireworks, gambling and celebrities....
