… then you’ll want to make sure to have your Blackberry, iPhone or other internet-enabled mobile device handy this Saturday when the singer’s concert performance, Mariah Carey Live In Las Vegas, becomes “the first concert to be simulcast to mobile (internet enabled phones) and other digital devices worldwide.”
If her Today Show performance is any indication, Mariah can still hit notes well above what most singers and air raid sirens are capable of.
You may want to spring for that special unbreakable glass faceplate on your mobile device if you’re planning on listening to Mariah as she performs a mix of her …read more

In some weird cosmic coincidence, it was probably Patrick Swayze who, as his character Dalton in Roadhouse, gave the best advice for hosting an awards show. The recommendation: “Be nice.”
Neil Patrick Harris was funny, likable, self-deprecating and, as a result, the star of last night’s Emmy Awards show. The veteran actor proved to be a crisp and efficient host as well as the show came in only three or four minutes over schedule.
Harris lost to Two and a Half Men’s Jon Cryer in the “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series” category prompting a good-natured bit between a …read more

The people at vitaminwater have a bold new program.
And it has nothing to do with the unique way they user only lower case letters and highlight the typeface in the name of their product.
They’re throwing down the creative gauntlet (or maybe just giving their flavor-inventors some time off) as they let you, the consumer, design the next big thing in vitaminwater land.
Utilizing a “flavor creator lab” on Facebook and a white-coated female avatar who speaks with a Bogart-style lisp, the folks at vitaminwater have pretty much reinvented their entire web presence around the program which gives water lovers …read more

The magpie is a bird with black-and-white plumage. The dictionary characterizes the birds as possessing “noisy, mischievous habits.”
Kind of like the Ashton Kutchers of the bird world.
Wikipedia describes the birds as “opportunistic scavengers that will eat anything once they have discovered it is edible.”
Twitter users who cling to the notion of Twitter as a pure social networking destination will think both descriptions are appropriate for the advertising service, Magpie.
Magpie bills itself as “the largest Twitter Advertising Network” and says they are all about “generating a conversation for your brand within a …read more

Tampa-based La Bonita Ole announced the launch of their “Save The Tortillas” campaign on Friday. With the present state of the 17-year-old tortilla company in danger, President and CEO Tammy Young is launching the effort to save her business.
La Bonita Ole filed voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2008. And through the bankruptcy, they have been able to stay afloat. But control of the company could be shifted away from Young by SunTrust Bank, who plans to sell the company.
“We do believe, had we been in a normal banking environment, our company probably wouldn’t be in the situation we are …read more

The all-new Infiniti G Convertible has launched a multi-platform marketing campaign — “Own the Sky.” The campaign includes interactive online components on websites such as Yahoo, MSN, CNET, Hulu, NY Magazine, KBB.com and Edmunds.com. The effort also includes both print and TV spots.
For a full day on Yahoo, the sun from the homepage’s weather icon is inspired to literally move across the page as the G Convertible’s hardtop roof retracts. Another rich media experience enables users to be their own DJs, using stars in the sky to mash up a mix of their favorite jams, a hat tip to the …read more

Gas Station TV and Toyota announced the launch of “Prius Neighborhood” on Monday. Prius Neighborhood is a unique TV program that broadcasts consumer-generated information on Gas Station TV. First of all, you might not know about Gas Station TV, so let me clear that up first.
Gas Station TV is broadcast to consumers on at-the-pump screens as they get gas at fuel stations across the country. It has proven to be a good time to captivate customers with information and advertising for those four or five minutes of natural pause in their day.
The new Prius Neighborhood allows consumers to submit local …read more

Facebook is opening its doors to user names. Previously, users logged in to Facebook using their email address. But as of 9:01 p.m. Pacific tonight, that all changes. User names are up for grabs. And the hype is through the roof right now.
When a service first starts up, many of the early adopters rush to get the best names, or the user name that they sign up for on most services. For instance, my name is common. It’s pretty hard to find becky as an open user name. So I try something else. In the last several years, I pretty …read more

As we discussed earlier in the week, Microsoft is launching a major marketing campaign, estimated at $80 million to $100 million, to promote their new search engine. Bing will be the successor to Microsoft’s Live Search. You probably heard of Bing being developed in recent months under the name Kumo.
When you head to Bing.com right now, you will see a “bing & decide. Coming soon …” There is a “Find out more” link which takes you to a video about Bing. There are also links to Bing’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Since its launch on Thursday, the Bing Facebook page …read more

Oftentimes Twitter, Facebook, blogs and other social networking sites can be used for charity causes and other good works. This weekend is one of those times with the 525 Teens movement for Memorial Day Weekend fundraiser Tweet to ReMIND.
Mack, Cathryn, Nora and Claire Woodruff, whose father is ABC News correspondent and ReMIND.org founder Bob Woodruff, released a video asking teens nationwide to join the movement. As you probably remember, Bob Woodruff suffered a traumatic brain injury while reporting in Iraq in 2006 when a roadside bomb hit his vehicle.

The Woodruff kids and 525 Teens urge all their friends and …read more