Robbing Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger has agreed to participate in an ABC pilot currently billed as "Let's Rob Mick Jagger." The comedy is from Rob Burnett, an executive producer of David Letterman's late-night show, and his writing partner Jon Beckerman. The two, as they were hashing out the idea, wondered if they could create a "serialized comedy" series a la "Lost" or "24."

Word on the street is the plot involves a group of would-be robbers who get the idea for their target from a TV tour of the celebrity's lavish New York penthouse. If ABC does commit to the series, Mr. Jagger has agreed to appear regularly, though not in every episode.

So What, Another TV Show?
You see, ABC is very smart. A major music celebrity has apparently committed to frequently appear in one of their television shows...sounds like great ratings...aka advertising dollars...aka preparing a new show to kick of ABC's television podcasting? And this all on the heels of NBC's Jeff Zucker announcing NBC's TV 360; every program on NBC will have a broadband component or a mobile application. The competition is getting stiffer as more platforms for broadcasting are being explored... who would have ever thought that Mick would come to the "small screen?"

Source for info: AdAge and New York Times
Tags: Mick Jagger , News , ABC , TV , Programming , Television , Rob Burnett , Let/'s Rob Mick Jagger , NBC , Jeff Zucker , TV 360 , broadband , Media , advertising

Our RandEM week/end Adventure!

Miss Emily Day left the yellow brick roads of Kansas and spent about 4 days with Ryan and I this past week/end. Emily is one of my dearest friends in the world and it was so much fun and such a comfort to get to spend time with her!

The other times that Emily has been to visit me in Fort Worth have been rushed and planned around either me moving in or out of a dorm @ TCU, me graduating from TCU, or me getting married. So it was really nice that this trip had nothing else going on, so Ryan and I were able to take her around and show her some highlights of Fort Worth. The above picture is one that we took of ourselves at Fort Worth's Main Street Arts Festival.

The picture to the left is one that Ryan very artistically snapped of us standing just out side of the Kimball Art Museum.

The frisbee pics were taken at Oakmont Park near our casa...we're clearly preparing for a mean game of frisbee as Emily is stretching and I'm getting the game face on, and below you can see our mad skills in action!

Tags:

Fort Worth , Main Street Arts Festival , Friends , Kimball Art Museum

Update on Selling My Wedding Dress...

Over the past couple of months I have considered (and still am) selling my wedding dress. Please keep voting!!! Here are my thoughts in considering this decision...I'm clearly leaning one way right now....

Thoughts on why I would NOT sell my dress
* To have another keepsake from our wedding.

* In case our child(ren) want to see it in person.

Thoughts on why I would sell my dress
* I only wore it for 1.5 hrs. We had our reception before our ceremony, so the bulk of our wedding day I wore a simple white sundress at the reception.

* I wouldn't have to worry about storing it for the rest of my life

* EVEN IF we had a daughter, she probably wouldn't want to wear my dress at her own wedding...styles change...body shapes are different...she'll probably be really stubburn like Ryan and I and wouldn't dream of doing something like wearing her mom's wedding dress...

* While I really love the dress I wore at our wedding, it isn't the focus of our marriage or even the most significant symbol from that day or our relationship that I own.

* Someone else who might not otherwise be able to afford a dress could have the one that I wore.

* I think I might have asked my Mom once to see her wedding dress to which she replied, "Um...I think your Grandma might have it, but I'm not really sure." I said, "ok, I'd rather see the pictures anyways." and then my life went on.

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Scientifically evaluate your rear?

A team of British academics have developed a mathematical formula to determine just how perfect your posterior is. Ryan passed along this FOX News article from a couple of days ago that I can't help but post about! Can you really beat FOX News interviewing Sir Mix-Alot, who FOX News calls a said "booty expert," about what he thinks makes a nice rear??!!
"They got to be juicy, round, with a little jiggle to it," the "Baby Got Back" rapper told The Post yesterday, laughing hysterically. "The bubbliness does matter." But there's only one way to measure the most desirable derriere, he said. "You know it when you see it," he said. "We could debate this all day."

To see the mathematical formual and read the full FOX News article, click here

Tags: Fox News , Sir Mix A Lot , Fox-News , Baby Got Back , Fun News

It's all about...

Who do you need? Well according to this banner, the answer is yourself, "ME." (all of the colored t-shirts say "ME.") I think this is a nice commentary on the focus of society and the challenges that our culture presents to seriously going beyond the "ME."

Tags: Me Generation , Self , Life , Culture

A Flop of an Idea ...Consumer Created Chevy Tahoe Ad

Last month I posted about General Motors Corp.’s web contest that used a technique called video mash-up to let consumers insert their own copy and create customized 30-second commercials for the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe.

The Results? Well, let's just say Chevy probably isn't considering most of the submissions. Rather than getting a creative ourpouring from consumers, Chevy has recieved a number of ads that attack the SUV as a gas-guzzler, a contributor to global warming and a war-monger. "Don't buy me," read the copy over an SUV in one commercial.

In a world of consumer-controlled content, the consumer can't be controlled. That's a lesson learned the hard way by General Motors Corp.,

Consumer driven considerations... from adage's Kris Oser
Chevy's miscue set the video-Internet world abuzz about how to protect a brand while still ensnaring consumer involvement. It's a pressing issue at a time when video mash-ups-the practice of taking content from one medium and "mashing in" content from another to create an entirely different video clip-are the darlings of the consumer-generated content craze.

What's a Mash-up?
A mash-up can include content from a TV show conjoined with home movies from a camcorder, or a video ad rearranged and rewritten by a consumer. The term mash-up was originally used to describe the DJ practice of mixing tracks from different songs to create unique tunes.

Closing Thoughts
It will be interesting to see if any other corporation opens up a "create your own" advertising contest after Chevy's mishap. I'm surprised that they didn't consider that they might recieve a plethora of critical ads...you know, given that the Tahoe is a very large SUV that does consume a lot of gas, envionrmentalists tend to be passionate and vocal...but hey, bad press is still press! The Chevy website invites consumers to join them online in the "Chevy Boardroom" on April 27 at 8 p.m., EDT, as the five finalists are announced and the Grand Prize winner is revealed. I can hardly stand the excitement.

Tags: advertising , Marketing , Media , Tahoe , chevrolet

A Little Paint on the Barn if you know what I mean...

I read the most humorously pathetic quote today off of Colossiansthreesixteen.com that is from Mary Mohler, the wife of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president R. Albert Mohler, Jr.:

...Mohler tells females that they ought not even go to check the mail without first “putting a little paint on the barn” (wearing make up)...

Grandma & Grandpa

Tonight we had the pleasure of spending the evening with Ryan's grandparents who are visiting from Colorado. We had a wonderful late afternoon and evening talking, eating and walking around our neighborhood with them. I always enjoy watching Grandma and Grandpa interact with one another. They are a very loving and encouraging Christian couple, and they remind me a lot of my mom's parents whom I love and respect very much. We really enjoyed seeing and visiting with them! Grandpa was even kind enough to offer up marraige advice as we said goodbye: "It's not 50/50. It is 110% and 110%; it is worth it to give extra to the person you love, and never go to bed angry...but I'm sure that you already know that by now." :-)

Keep Up, or Fall Way Behind...Web 2.0 etc...

MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, Orkut, MyPraize, Xianz...what are all of these online sites/communities and are they "safe"? MySpace, in particular, has recently gained negative media and public attention after being linked to the immigration protests of the past weeks, weekend party violence, and inappropiate relations between adults and minors. In hopes of saving her 13 and 11 year-old daughters from the "sin" and "dangerous people" found on the likes of MySpace, my boss recently banned her 2 pre-teen/teen girls from participation in any related online community.

I am just on the fringe of the generation that is really utilizing and connecting through these various online communities. Facebook hit the secene as I was finishing up my undergrad degree at TCU , and I just never really got in to any other online forum. What is the draw to these communities and other personalized media? RC of strangeculture.blogspot.com offers up some suggestions in a recent post titled Our Own Private Paradise.


Online Communities and the Church
So in the world but not of it...MySpace or MyPraize (MyPraize was created by Joshua Holmes, student at Liberty University)...are online communities a wise choice for Believers...should Christian parents highly moniter or ban their children from them? I think these are all good questions for Believers to consider and figure out. My husband teaches high school and frequently tells me about the significant role that MySpace and Facebook play in his students social interaction. As these forums grow and their users do the same (in years that is), the significant role that online communities will continue to play in the lives of people will most likely increase, and I think that the Christian community would be missing out on understanding their culture if they were to completely ignore them.

Cheese Factor
I didn't have to spend too much time on Xianz's site to realize how much I don't like it....the banner line for Xianz... "It's not MySpace or YourSpace...It's HIS space!"

More Exellent Information about online communities
New Blogging Tool for Christians by tallskinnykiwi.com
How Your Church Can use MySpace by churchmarketingsucks.com

Tags:MySpace , Online Community , Facebook , social networking , web 2.0 , Church , Christian , xianz , MyPraize

Wahab's $218 trillion phone bill

I know that I have gone over my cell phone min. before, but I have to admit that I never saw a phone bill as high as Yahaya Wahab, a Malaysian man who received a U.S. $218 trillion phone bill and was ordered to pay up within 10 days. The following are a few exerpts from an the AP wire story...

Wahab said he disconnected his late father's phone line in January after he died and settled the 84-ringgit (U.S. $23) bill, the New Straits Times reported. But Telekom Malaysia later sent him a 806,400,000,000,000.01-ringgit (U.S. $218 trillion) bill for recent telephone calls along with orders to settle within 10 days or face legal proceedings, the newspaper reported.

It wasn't clear whether the bill was a mistake, or if Yahaya's father's phone line was used illegally after his death. "If the company wants to seek legal action as mentioned in the letter, I'm ready to face it," the paper quoted Yahaya as saying. "In fact, I can't wait to face it," he said.

Closing thoughts...
Hopefully this is just a huge mistake and Wahab will get to laugh this off and have a good story for his grandkids...

Tags:Malaysia , Phone , news , Telekom Malaysia , Yahaya Wahab

Katie Couric is off to CBS

On the 15th annivsary of Couric's start at NBC/TODAY, she announced her resignation to join CBS and become the first woman to solely anchor a network evening newscast.

You can check out the video from Couric's announcement on the Today Show by clicking Here.

In the past 13 months, Bob Schieffer has improved the CBS Evening News ratings significantly...the newscast has won 740,000 new viewers in the last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. Mr. Schieffer knew the “Evening News” assignment was temporary, and has publicly supported the quest by CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves and CBS News and Sports President Sean McManus to woo Couric to CBS News.

Only question is... Does Couric have the respect and repore to match Schieffer's in terms of viewership?

Tags: Katie Couric , today show , NBC , CBS , journalism , Media , Bob Schieffer , CBS Evening News , news

A little Bob

This evening I get the opportunity to attend TCU's annual Scheiffer Symposium that is titled “The Changing Communications Landscape” and the panelists will discuss various factors affecting the ways in which news is distributed and received. Bob Schieffer will moderate the panel.

I have a lot of respect for Mr. Schieffer's journalistic integrity and his conversational approach to moderation and interviews. Tonight I am looking to hear what factors Judy Woodruff (former CNN anchor) and Jill Abramson (managing editor of The New York Times) say affect their choice of story dissemination, specifically how embedded journalism has impacted cable news (more on the part of Woodruff). I will especially be looking to hear if Abramson mentions the affects Jayson Blair's 2003 plagiarism scandals have had on editing/fact checks/story choice at The NYT.

Tonight's featured panelists: Bob Schieffer, chief Washington correspondent for CBS News, interim CBS Evening News anchor and moderator of Face the Nation (TCU graduate and for whom the Schieffer School is named); Jill Abramson, managing editor of The New York Times; Larry Kramer, founder of Marketwatch.com and president of CBS Digital Media; Judy Woodruff, former anchor of CNN’s Inside Politics and correspondent for PBS’ The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer; and Len Downie, executive editor of The Washington Post.

Tags: Bob Schieffer , News , journalism , TCU , Texas Christian University , CNN , New York Times , Media Bias , CBS , Jayson Blair , communication , journalists

Will Katie Couric say "Good-Bye" to NBC?

Speculation is mounting this week surrounding whether or not Katie Couric, NBC's 15-year-vetern and darling host of the Today Show, will leave the network to become the host of the CBS Evening News. If Couric were to take the CBS job, she would be the first female to ever serve as the solo anchor of a flagship network.

Couric is currently finishing out her $65 million contract, under which NBC paid her more than $15 million per year, that is not up until the end of May.

Michele Greppi of Advertising Age writes:
Because Ms. Couric is the biggest star -- and collects the biggest paycheck -- in TV news, there have been months of frenzied speculation and false rumors about every angle, including whether her ambition to sleep later and become the first female anchor to solo as the top network anchor was stronger than her long friendship with Jeff Zucker, the former “Today” executive producer who now is the president of the NBC Universal Television Group.

High Stakes for NBC
NBC arguably has more at stake than CBS in the situation. NBC can’t afford to run off viewers by making the wrong choice of successor to Ms. Couric on the cushy couch next to Matt Lauer, Ms. Couric's polished co-anchor for the last nine-plus years. Neither does it want to lose any of the in-house contenders, especially the well-regarded “Weekend Today” co-anchor Campbell Brown, who might feel their career hopes have been thwarted.

CBS Risks
To be sure, much money rides on CBS’s gamble that Couric can successfully make the leap from TV best friend to TV navigator of weighty news stories.

Tags: NBC , CBS , Katie Couric , Today Show , News , Media

Opening Day 2006

Today is the opening day for the Texas Rangers! I am personally not a huge fan of the Rangers, per se, but I do love everything about the opening day for the baseball team of where ever I live. I grew up going to opening day of the Kansas City Royals with my family, so I guess in some ways it is a little tradition we had. And today North Texas has really beautiful weather outside and the Rangers are playing the Boston Red Sox; a great combo for an opening day!


Tags: Opening Day 2006 , Baseball , Texas Rangers , MLB

Nintendo for Baby Boomers

This is taken from an article by Beth Snyder Builk from Ad Age

Nintendo’s newest video game is a workout for your brain. And baby boomers will snap it up.

At least that’s what Nintendo hopes will happen this spring with the U.S. video-game release of “Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day” in April and “Big Brain Academy” in May. Judging by booming sales in Japan and enthusiastic previews by European and U.S. reviewers, Nintendo likely won’t be disappointed -- though it does face a challenge marketing to a demographic that defines games as Monopoly and Scrabble.

Who Needs Brain Exercises?
Both the Japanese and U.S. Brain Age games are based on the work of popular Japanese neuroscientist and author Ryuta Kawashima, whose studies show that certain reading and math exercises help stimulate the brain. He and some other researchers touted by Nintendo contend mental sharpness can be strengthened with brain exercises.

How Brain Age Works
In Brain Age, players try to quickly complete exercises including simple math equations, reading aloud, drawing pictures and memorizing numbers. The game then scores the results on an age scale of 20-70 to reveal the user’s “brain age.” Big Brain Academy is similar but allows for up to eight competitors. Both are played on the Nintendo DS system, which is dual screen writeable device, and both will be priced around $20.

Closing Thoughts
Baby Boomers are approaching the retirement age, so I guess they will need something to do...why not join their grandkids on Nintendo...although, I agree that marketing a video game to a Scrabble/Monopoly/Life generation may be difficult.

Tags: Nintendo , Baby Boomers , Retirement , video game , brain exercises , Ryuta Kawashima , Marketing , technology