Wrigley says it's suspending ad campaigns featuring Chris Brown as its spokesman for Doublemint gum. The company stopped short of saying they will drop the troubled R&B star completely. A company statement expresses concern about what it calls "serious allegations made against Chris Brown." He was arrested Sunday night for an alleged battery on a woman, and canceled his Grammy performance. Wrigley said it would suspend any current advertising or any related marketing until the situation is resolved, adding that the 19-year-old should be "afforded the same due process as any citizen."
ISF: Oh, come ON. It's not like he was smoking pot or anything at a party. He just beat up a girl! Give the guy a break...
Two headlines on Friday morning:
(1) Economy shrinks at 3.8 percent pace in 4Q (AP) - The economy shrank at a 3.8 percent pace at the end of 2008, the worst showing in a quarter-century, as the deepening recession forced consumers and businesses to throttle back spending.
(2) Exxon Mobil sets record with $45.2 billion profit (AP)
ISF: Huh. Am I the only one who sees anything wrong with this picture?
What the fuck is up with Celebrity Exhaustion (CE)? It seems like every other week there's some new celebrity or pseudo-celebrity who suffers from "exhaustion" and must be hospitalized. The latest being Lindsay Lohan's girltoy, Samantha Ronson, DJ-extraordinaire. What's really exhausted is their illegal drug supply. Do they think the American people are that stupid? Oh, wait...they did vote (allegedly) for George W. Bush. Twice. Now I'm exhausted. Medic!
Publicist Howard Bragman confirmed that TV icon Ed McMahon and his wife have no plans to move from their home, which has been facing foreclosure for nine months. Bragman said he doesn't have details about the deal that's allowing the 85-year-old McMahon to stay, but added: "They ain't leaving." Public records show there was a series of transfers of the loans last month on McMahon's house. A Southern California company, Foreclosure Trackers Inc., has taken credit for brokering the deal and say they plan to negotiate a better deal for McMahon. For months, several people, including Lee and Donald Trump, have pledged to help McMahon and save his house.
WP: Whew. Thank God. First the automakers, now Ed McMahon. I hope the gov't has a plan in place to help out the oil companies next, now that gas has gotten "cheap."
In a time of bleak financial news, Bragman expressed hope that the resolution to McMahon's situation served as a good omen. We hope every other American in trouble has the same experience," he said.
WP: Yes, Bragman (ironic name, eh?), I'm sure every other American will have the same experience with Donald Trump and mortgage companies. Thank you for your genuine concern. Now kindly take your legal fees and get the fuck outta my face.
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/delgo-worst-opening-ever.html
Umm...here's why the film did poorly, people: nobody had ever heard about it or seen anything about it! I saw Madagascar 2 and Bolt in the past couple of months. Neither featured a preview of this Delgo. There was no buzz about it online. There was nothing about it in Entertainment Weekly. I was flipping through a magazine a couple of weeks ago at the doctor's office, saw an ad for the movie, and thought, "What's that? I've never even heard of it." Then Monday comes around and I see that the movie opened this past weekend. It looks like crap anyway from the movie poster, but a little promotion (and previewing) of the stupid movie might have helped it. A little .
T.R. Knight has asked to be released from his contract with "Grey's Anatomy." The actor, who plays Dr. George O'Malley, has asked to leave the ABC medical drama because he is unhappy with his storyline, the person said. Knight has three years left on his contract and the network has indicated they will release him, said the insider, who could not be identified because they were not authorized to discuss negotiation details.
ISF: "Oh, boo woo. Woe is me. I'm unhappy that I'm making only $125,000 an episode doing a story I don't even like. I know I signed a contract, but it's not legally binding, right? I want to star in movies like my friend Katherine Heigl. However, since I came out a couple of years ago, I'll probably be typecast as gay and never get a "real" film role other than some cheesy independent gay film or alongside Anne Hathaway as the "gay friend." But that would be better than my making $125,000 an episode doing a story that makes me -- sob! -- unhappy..."
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on Tuesday on charges he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bid
der in what a federal prosecutor called a "corruption crime spree." Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field, according to a federal criminal complaint. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired. Federal investigators bugged the governor's campaign offices and placed a tap on his home phone and Chicago FBI chief Robert Grant said even seasoned investigators were "stunned" by what they heard on the tapes.
ISF: What's even more stunning is that 'do of his. And, really, isn't that the bigger crime?
(To read the whole story, click here.)
Rapper 50 Cent is facing a challenge to his street cred — from Taco Bell. Lawyers for the fast-food chain are calling his federal lawsuit, filed in Manhattan, another attempt to "burnish his gangsta rapper persona by distorting beyond all recognition a bona fide, good faith offer." The squabble is over a fake letter sent out by Taco Bell Corp. asking 50 Cent to change his name for one day to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent to help publicize its value menu. In return, the company offered to donate $10,000 to the charity of his choice. The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, has sued for trademark infringement. Jackson's attorney, Peter Raymond, says he wonders why Taco Bell would use his client's name in an ad campaign.
ISF: What an ass. Can you sue now for "trademark infringement" when they haven't even done anything yet? I'd tell him where to shove his Two Quarters.
Democratic aides say Speaker Nancy Pelosi intends to seek legislation to provide relief to the battered auto industry, and wants it done in a post-election session of Congress likely to convene in the next few days. Pelosi is not expected to specify how large a bailout she wants. The aides who described her views Tuesday did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The speaker's decision comes a few days after General Motors warned it is rapidly running out of cash, and Ford announced its situation was only slightly better.
ISF: I'm sorry, but I CANNOT feel sorry for the automobile industry. They've been screwing over the American people for years and now they want protection from the government? For what? They haven't made any improvements to their automobiles' mileage. The Ford Model T got 25 miles per gallon in 1908. My 1993 GEO Metro got 40-45. My 2007 Chevrolet Aveo gets 27. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture? They have the capability to produce more efficient cars...yet they don't. If they're looking for a bailout, why not stick their hands out to the Oil Companies who are obviously already paying them to be fuel inefficient?
With record low approval ratings and intense criticism for his handling of the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina and the economy, the word most used to label George W. Bush's presidency will be "incompetent," historians say. Harvard University political history scholar Barbara Kellerman said when President-elect Barack Obama takes over in January, people may view Bush in a new light. "I think it's possible when people have stopped being as angry at the Bush administration as they are now ... that they will realize that some of this is just ... the luck of the draw." Kellerman, author of the book "Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters," noted that Bush has not had luck on his side for the past eight years. "He [Bush] has been a quite unlucky president. Certain things happened on his watch that most people don't have to deal with -- a 9/11, a [Hurricane] Katrina, the financial crisis, being three obvious examples," she said. "And yet they happened on his watch. He is being blamed," she said.ISF: Kellerman, you're giving Bush way too much credit. I don't think anyone believes that George Bush has the power to create disasters like 9/11, Katrina, the Iraqi War, or the financial crisis. He's too stupid to even comprehend how to put something that complicated together. However, he is being (and should be) blamed for the handling of each situation (and more). A good leader knows how to prevent problems and/or solve them when they happen. Bush did neither.
Bush, meanwhile, who has long defended his decision to invade Iraq as a way to spread democracy, could also see criticism dissipate over time if Iraq becomes a thriving, stable country. "If you imagine that an Iraq in 10,15 years is actually a vibrant, stable democracy and other countries neighboring it move in that direction ... I think you'd have a strong Bush revisionism," Zelizer said. "How things unfold in coming decades can help repair a battered presidency," he added.ISF: That's great. Maybe Bush should have run for president of Iraq instead of the U.S. since his focus was on making THEM a better country than his own.
Wrigley says it's suspending ad campaigns featuring Chris Brown as its spokesman for Doublemint gum. The company stopped short of saying they will drop the troubled R&B star completely. A company statement expresses concern about what it calls "serious allegations made against Chris Brown." He was arrested Sunday night for an alleged battery on a woman, and canceled his Grammy performance. Wrigley said it would suspend any current advertising or any related marketing until the situation is resolved, adding that the 19-year-old should be "afforded the same due process as any citizen."
