Rethink.

Hugh Jackman will host the 81st Annual Academy Awards Sunday, February 22, 2009. I was thinking awards season began yesterday with the announcing of the Golden Globe nominees , but the season is now in full gear, with producer Laurence Mark and executive producer Bill Condon of the Oscar telecast announcing the news today (12/12).

The recent free coffee on Election Day Starbucks ad , which I saw during last weekend's "Saturday Night Live," is simply brilliant and brilliantly simple. Because I started SNL a little late, I could have fast forwarded through the commercial but I noticed it and watched it; I was intrigued. I was not sure who the advertiser was but I loved the text and use of movement. Take a look: Now read the text again: What if we all cared enough to vote? Not just 54% of us, but 100% of us? What if we cared as much on Nov. 5th as we care on Nov. 4th? What if we cared all of the time the way we care some of the time? What if we cared when it was inconvenient as much as we care when its convenient? Would your community be a better place? Would our country be a better place? Would our world be a better place? We think so, too. If you care enough to vote, we care enough to give you a free cup of coffee Come into Starbucks on Nov. 4th. Tell us you voted, and we'll PROUDLY give you a ...

Post Details: • NBC has unofficially begun its coverage of the Beijing Olympics • Video on NBC’s site uses Silverlight • Opening ceremony is Friday night • Prepare yourself for 17 days ‘round the clock coverage The opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing are Friday, but from the looks of NBCOlympics.com the coverage has already begun. “Today” began broadcasting from Beijing on Monday with Matt Lauer from the Great Wall of China, and early this morning – beginning at midnight Eastern – visitors to the site could see male gymnasts practice live during “podium training.” While nothing spectacular, the event shows NBC’s commitment to coverage and even a we-paid- $900 - million -for-the-rights-to-broadcast-the-games-so-we-might-as-well-SHOW-absolutely-EVERTHING motto. NBC Universal is planning a massive 3,600 hours of online and broadcast coverage; that’s more than the total of all previous televised Summer Olympics in U.S. history . But add the pre-coverage of last night a...

Post Details: • New “Harry Potter” trailer debuts • Excitement ensues Today, I digress… Last night the official trailer was posted for “ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ” on AOL. The sixth movie will open in American theaters in 114 days – on Nov. 21, 2008. (Click on photo to left to enlarge.) I was very excited to watch the trailer – to say the least. Reading the book can be compared to riding an emotional roller coaster . I was a wreck upon completing the book – after experiencing many debilitating moments. (But no spoilers here…) The trailer was darker and more nerve-wracking than earlier trailers in the series. While less than 90 seconds, the preview provided fans with sneak peeks at young Tom Riddle, among other characters, and Professor Dumbledore’s adventure inside the bewitched cave. All and all, it’s going to be tough to stave off my excitement until November, but since reading the final book in the series, “Deathly Hallows,” last summer, there’s always something to lo...

Post Details: • Redlasso suspends use of beta site • My reaction • The company’s reaction An essential element to blogging is visuals. What’s better to discussing what you saw on TV last night than using a video and showing, rather than telling? But in order to link to that video someone has to put it on the Web. If a blogger does not have fancy technology to record and capture TV on his or her computer, or let alone capture the precise moment in question, it can be very difficult to find a video on the Web. Redlasso changed this. The Web site, whose slogan is “find it! clip it! share it!”, was revolutionary in that beta users could search through 24 hours of footage on a vast selection of channels for the last week or two. Then, users could create a clip from the footage and embed the video on their personal Web sites or blogs. I recently became a member of the site and enjoyed my experience. Last week, however, Redlasso was forced to suspend its service to beta users “for the immed...

Post Details: • Free daily publishes front page editorial on texting charges • My texting story • An editorial on the FRONT?! Yesterday (7/10), I noticed something unique on the cover of the Tampa Bay Times – called tbt* and a free daily published by the St. Petersburg Times. It was an editorial. While not a hard-hitting political topic, the editorial did catch my eye – it was a photo of the new (I assume) iPhone surrounded by a sea of text with the headline “Text Robbery” at the top. The full text follows: A tbt* EDITORIAL TEXT ROBBERY It really doesn’t cost the cell phone companies anything to transmit a text message, so why do they keep jacking up the price? The new Apple iPhone 3G, which comes out tomorrow, is just the latest example of this gouging. iPhone buyers used to get 200 text messages as part of the basic voice and data plan; now they will pay $5 extra for those 200 texts. And if they go over the limit, look out. Since 2005, rates to receive and send a sin­gle text mes...

Post Details: • A look at a Washington Post profile of an Ohio town where some residents seem to believe Obama rumors • Quotes from local media coverage following the article and response • A New York Times article discussing the effect of Obama’s middle name • My thoughts A Washington Post article published last Monday (6/30) about my corner of the world – northwest Ohio – has stirred a debate in the local media and an outrage from some residents here. The piece by Eli Saslow details Findlay , Ohio – nicknamed “ Flag City, USA ” and about 45 minutes from where I live – where Sen. Barack Obama’s story seems to be twisted: On the television in his living room, [resident Jim] Peterman has watched enough news and campaign advertisements to hear the truth: Sen. Barack Obama, born in Hawaii, is a Christian family man with a track record of public service. But on the Internet, in his grocery store, at his neighbor's house, at his son's auto shop, Peterman has also absorbed another v...