Fox News "In Focus" A Love Fest For Barack Obama - Telecast Gives High Marks To Senator

I'm watching Fox News "In Focus" where they ask the question "Will Wall Street Back Barack Obama." What I expected to be a conservative bashing of the Senator was anything but.

All of the panelists, including Steve Forbes, the Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Magazine gave Senator Obama high marks for being a fresh face on the poiltical scene. And at least two of the panelists were quick to bash the idea that Senator Obama would be too liberal for Wall Street. But all believe that it's time for the Senator to address specific economic policies. Steve Forbes thinks that he will have to be more specific here at some point.

They also focused on Hillary Clinton and how she would react to Senator Obama's popularity. The Fox panelists observed that her campaign is "ruthless" and a "machine" and would take its shots at Senator Obama, but one panelist said that Barack was tough enough to take it and keep on going.

But that aside, it was a refreshing Fox newscast. I'm really excited that the Senator can win the Presidency. The campaign should get a clip of this telecast and have it copied.

CNN Trying To Ignore Barack Obama -- Why?

I am watching Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer right now and even though Senator Barack Obama drew a crowd of over 15,000 people in Oakland and held a massive fund-raiser at the Mark Hopkins in San Francisco, there was no mention of him in the discussion of presidential candidates on the program.

CNN didn't even report where Barack Obama was going to be on the campaign trail. They inforrmed us of Hillary Clinton's fund raiser in New York this evening and the events of five other presidential candidates. But CNN didn't even take time to report that Barack Obama didn't have a scheduled event for Sunday, and they've done that for other candidates in the past.

And when Wolf asked Donald Trump about the presidential election he didn't ask Trump for his view on Barack Obama.

It must be asked why is CNN trying to ignore Senator Barack Obama? Is it that they don't want him to win because he's Black? Hillary Clinton is not vastly ahead in any poll at all. It seems CNN has no problem focusing on Obama when someone brings up bad news -- and that doesn't stick at all.



Again, what's up? I thought CNN was supposed to be fair and balanced, and not Fox News!

"Online Marketing Buzz" - A New Blog

Since SBS' now has SBS-ON, I decided a new blog on Online Marketing -- see the caps -- was a good idea. It's designed to track trends in Internet marketing both to share and for SBS to use in its own work.

It's going to be a fun ride with this one. Check it out. I'm already a Twitter.

I'll have to report that online marketing is growing faster than the total rate of understanding of those who do it.

Twitter - Born In San Francisco

OK. Just when I thought the Bay Area was starting to lose it's dominance in all things online, we have Twitter , which grew out of the South Park area of The City, near AT&T Park, where the SF Giants play ball.

As to what Twitter is, to me it's a massive fad idea that's so simple I wish I'd thought of it. It's place to tell the World what you're doing. Period. That's all. Or as one Twitter employee put it "it's just a medium, and its relative worth lies in what's communicated."

Yep.

Twitter is a product of Obvious corporation, which reports that it's charge is to to create interesting things that matter to the world—and a great place for creative, smart people to work.

Nice.

Twitter's an interesting online social network that's all too perfectly viral. It makes me wonder what's next. My current charge is to figure out how better to mate our simulations with our blogs and message boards. I'll figure it out.

Zennie Abraham At Tadich Grill

I think everyone has a photo they think really captures who they are. For me, this is it. It was taken at one of my favorite restaurants, the Tadich Grill in San Francisco. It's perhaps the oldest eatery in San Francisco, and the food's the best. Always good quantity and quality. But what I like most is the history of the place, where it's served as host to so many San Franciscans and visitors of note and not, too. Regardless, everyone has to wait their turn!

If you go, get any seafood dish. The pasta's excellent, too!

American Idol Has Another Sex-Related Scandal - This One Gay Involving Mario Vazquez

American Idol can't keep itself out of sex-related scandals. If it's not Antonella Barba's sexy and soft-porn photos spread all over the Internet, or Frenchie Davis' being taken off American Idol for having sexy photos all over the Web, it's now this. A Gay sex scandal involving American Idol contestant Mario Vasquez. Here's the details from AdultWebLife:

Ask yourself this – would you drop out of American Idol to “take care of some things in your life” or would you ride that potential roller coaster of fame and see where it took you? Yeah – me too. Mario Vazquez – the only American Idol ever to quit the show after making the finals – withdrew from the 4th season, being very “vague” about his reasons for leaving only saying, “it wasn’t right for me.”

Now new information is revealed that shows there was another reason Vazquez would be in such a hurry to leave the popular talent competition… A former assistant production accountant for American Idol alleges that Vazquez sexually harassed him - and that he was fired for telling a supervisor - filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles on Friday. Magdaleno Olmos is specifically suing for wrongful termination and violation of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Among those named in the lawsuit are American Idol Productions Inc., Fremantle Media North America Inc., Fox Entertainment Group, Inc. and Fox Broadcasting Co.

In the lawsuit, Olmos claims that Vazquez withdrew from the show after the accountant came forward about the sexual harassment. He also describes in detail an incident in which Vazquez allegedly followed Olmos into a restroom at CBS Studios, knocked on the door of the stall and “made eye contact through the space in the stall door.” When Olmos tried to leave the stall he opened the door and saw Vazquez still standing in front of him, pants down and masturbating. Olmos alleges that Vazquez then tried to pull Olmos’ pants down, touched his chest and stomach underneath his shirt and genitals as he attempted to unzip his pants. According to Olmos, Vazquez then asked him if he wanted oral sex and tried to persuade him to stay in the restroom.

Olmos said that he tried to tell his superior, Eric LaPointe, who was also named as a defendant, but that he told Olmos “he was crazy” and imagining things, warning him that, “nothing could be done” and that he would “probably be fired.” Olmos was then fired on or about May 19th, 2005.

Representatives from American Idol and Fox Broadcasting Company have not come forward with regard to this lawsuit; neither has ex-Idol contestant Mario Vazquez. We’re sure more will come out as this story begins to unravel…

2007 NFL Draft - Ohio State Pro Day Video

This is the video for the Ohio State "pro-day" where Buckeye seniors eligible for the NFL Draft show their performance capabilities for NFL scouts and executives. Ohio State's Heisman Winning QB Troy Smith posted a 4.65 in the 40. Check out this video:

Eagles Replace Stallworth with Kevin Curtis

Eagles Replace Stallworth With Curtis-see below
By ROB MAADDI
AP Sports Writer
Wide receiver Kevin Curtis agreed to a six-year contract with Philadelphia on Thursday, giving the Eagles a potential replacement for Donte' Stallworth.

Curtis' deal could be worth up to $32 million and includes $9.5 million in guaranteed money, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because terms of the contract weren't released.

"Kevin's a guy that we've liked all along," Eagles general manager Tom Heckert said. "He's got great speed and run-after-the-catch ability. Kevin's a calm, smart guy that just goes out and plays football. He definitely brings tremendous speed to our team."

A third-round pick in 2003, the 28-year-old Curtis spent his first four seasons with the St. Louis Rams serving mostly as the No. 3 wideout behind Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. He has 136 receptions for 1,714 yards and 12 touchdowns in 51 games. Curtis had his best season in 2005 when Bruce missed five games, catching 60 passes for 801 yards and six TDs.

"I've accepted my role and loved every minute of it in St. Louis and played with some great wideouts out there, but I'm definitely excited about the thought and the opportunity to be on the field more," Curtis said when he visited Philadelphia last Friday.

Minnesota, the New York Giants and Tennessee also were interested in Curtis, the second receiver to join the Eagles in free agency. Philadelphia also signed Bethel Johnson, a return specialist, last week. The defending NFC East champions lost Stallworth to the New England Patriots earlier this week.

Stallworth had 38 receptions for 725 yards and five TDs in 12 regular-season games in his only season with the Eagles. He also had six catches for 141 yards and two scores in two playoff games.

Curtis could compete with second-year pros Hank Baskett and Jason Avant to start opposite Reggie Brown.

"I'd like to be a starter, but I'm open to any opportunities that are out there," Curtis said. "Outcome: I want to be out on the field playing the whole game."

The Eagles also welcomed veteran running back Ron Dayne to Philadelphia on Thursday. Dayne, who spent last season with the Houston Texans, would give the Eagles the complementary back they're seeking to go along with Brian Westbrook.

"I know Westbrook's the man right now," Dayne said. "I'll compete with him if I come here, just play hard and do what they ask -- whatever they need me to do."

Dayne had 612 yards rushing and five TDs while averaging 4.1 yards per carry for the Texans. A former first-round pick, the 29-year-old Dayne played five seasons with the Giants and one season in Denver.

___
So Dayne and Curtis will add Power and Grace to the Eagles offense, Which is fitting. Curtis might be the missing piece of the puzzle, and Dayne will have fun playing against his old Team(the Giants) Twice a season.

SXSW - Austin, Texas Swings Digital Media South Away From SF Bay Area

Now, I've been to Austin and went to the University of Texas at Arlington just up the way between Dallas and Ft. Worth. Austin was always called "The Berkeley Of The South" but that was from the perspective of nutso Texas conservatives. Now, I think Austin should be seen as a national capital of digital media, or at least the presentation of it. Just look at SXSW.

South By Southwest has been going on since 1987, but since it added the film and interactive media festivals it's really taken off and now with the growth of digital media, it's growth is viral. Viral because it's a festival about content related for digital media, and digital media itself, and then it's reported about using, you guessed it, digital media. A unique convergence. Take a look at this video blog:



I increasingly get the idea that the excitement in digital media is as much in cities like Austin or New York as it is in the Bay Area. We've got nothing like SXSW and yet it's something perfectly Bay Area. I think the main problem here is the cost of living is driving away the creative people that feed the digital media community. What's more the problem is that the Bay Area leaders are too out of touch to see this as a crisis.

When more cities -- or maybe that one city like Austin -- starts luring Bay Area firms away, then they'll wake up. But California's lost a lot of movie production activity for the same reason, so maybe not.

CB Nick Harper Jumps From Colts to Titans

Nick Harper Leaves Champs for Titans See my comments below
By Associated Press


NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nick Harper is going from the Super Bowl champion Colts to a division rival, the Tennessee Titans.

The free-agent cornerback agreed to a three-year deal with the Titans on Tuesday, agent Ian Greengross said.

"Nick was impressed with what he saw when the Colts played the Titans," Greengross said. "They played the Colts close the first time and beat the Colts the second time. He likes where they are heading."

The 5-foot-10 Harper spent the past six seasons with Indianapolis. The 32-year-old had three interceptions and 58 tackles last season as a starter.

He visited Tennessee last week and said the Titans were his top choice.

That could be in part because the future of cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones' is in question after a series of off-field incidents. Titans coach Jeff Fisher recently expressed his displeasure with Jones for failing to inform the team of two arrests last year in Georgia. Jones also was interviewed by police after a triple shooting at a Las Vegas strip club on Feb. 19.

Harper has been the Colts' most consistent cover cornerback in the past few seasons.

So Harper Is taking the Money. I can understand that. The part i can't understand is how horrible a situation the Titans are in with Jones, and were they think Harper will "take over" for Jones. Even though we heard published reports last night that he was "obtained" for "Insurance' Purposes". Sure, and i have a Bridge to sell you that connects the Bronx to Long Island.

Seahawks' Tight End Jerramy Stevens Arrested.

Seahawks Jerramy Stevens Arrested "Under the Influence" Of What?? see my end comment at the VERY Bottom


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens was accused of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana after police stopped his car in downtown Scottsdale early Tuesday.

A Scottsdale patrol officer noticed the car traveling erratically and made the stop about 2:15 a.m.

Stevens, an unrestricted free agent after five seasons with Seattle, told the officer he had "four of five margaritas" at Salty Seniorita, a downtown Scottsdale bar.

According to the police report, the officer smelled alcohol and noticed Stevens' eyes were "bloodshot and watery and half-closed. Spoke with slow, slurred speech."

As he got out of the vehicle, the report said, Stevens "dropped his cell phone and wallet on the ground, bent down to pick them up, then stutter-stepped to walk" toward the officer.

A second officer arrived and began a field sobriety test, but after Stevens "almost fell down" during the "walk-and-turn" test, the player declined to participate in any further testing.

Police said they found a "leafy green substance" believed to be marijuana in Stevens' pocket.

Stevens refused a breathalyzer test and declined to give a blood sample until police obtained a warrant about 5 a.m., the report said. Stevens was booked and posted bail and an initial court appearance was set for April 2. The blood test results haven't yet been released.

Stevens has had other run-ins with the law.

In June 2003, he pleaded guilty to reckless driving in a plea deal after being stopped in the Seattle suburb of Medina on investigation of drunken driving. He got a two-day jail sentence for that offense.

He received another five days in jail for violating his probation after he drove into a nursing home in 2000 in a hit-and-run case. Stevens was a student at Washington at the time of that incident.

The 6-foot-7, 265-pound player was a first-round draft pick by the Seahawks, the 28th selection overall, in 2002. He had a career-best 45 catches for 554 yards, a record for Seattle tight ends, in the Seahawks' 2005 Super Bowl season.

Last season, Stevens caught 22 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns.


Ok, so let's tell the cop that pulls us over "Yah Officer...i had about 5 Margaritas..and i'm crocked"
Then don't drive Jerramy! it's that simple....
And what about this "Leafy Green Substance" Oh come on now...It's bad enough you were drunk, so you were stoned too??
Nice,..did some american Indian give you the Pot?? because it would help your visions? Nice excuses there son.....

Viacom Reveals Its Stupidity, Sues Google / YouTube For $1 Billion

Viacom's suing Google / YouTube for copyright infringement, and for $1 billion in damages. An act that should make some on the East Coast happy. Now, before i get to that, I want to explain just why Viacom's being stupid and will end of with egg on their face in this lawsuit.

First, Viacom should be suing the people who copy their programs and upload them to YouTube, if they want to go after anyone at all. There are 77 video-distribution companies like YouTube and any one of them can be a target for uploading Viacom's programming excerpts. Viacom's claim that YouTube has uploaded their material shows how little they understand about the market -- video makers were solely responsible for those uploads. YouTube was just a vessel, albeit a popular one.

Second, Viacom has not taken steps to "mark" the copyright of its programming in such a way as to discourage those who clip parts of the program. What Viacom fails to understand is that people don't upload the entire program, but a part they think is funny.

By contrast, Viacom has the entire program on its Comedy Channel site and forces one to wade through their entire episode just to get to a funny part. People aren't going to do that in huge numbers over time because of the fact that the clip does not indentify something newsworthy, like Stephen Colbert ranting about President Bush. Viacom doesn't understand the dynamics of the problem.

Third, Viacom's actually benefiting from YouTube uploads, as the ratings for the shows "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" have increased by seven percent over YouTube's life as the evidence in article two below shows. How can Viacom claim $1 billion in damages in the past, when it never had a YouTube-like system to begin with, let alone a business model? They can't.



That's why -- including the other reasons I gave -- Viacom will be embarassed in court. They're just trying to clear a path for the control of video based on its shows. But that very act of economic restriction shows just how stupid Viacom's lawsuit really is. It's better to have video clips out there with ads at the back of them. What Viacom should do is this: when people upload material on Google / YouTube, have YouTube set up a Revver-like ad system and split the ad revenue for those videos that feature Viacom material. In this way, the video clip is economized and Viacom makes money from it without restricting its distribution.

That's the best way. But absent that, Viacom's Old School approach is about to get clobbered. It's going to be fun to watch.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________


Evidence One: Nielsen Ratings Count College Students:

The Nielsen ratings go to college

By Louise Story
Published: January 29, 2007

NEW YORK: For decades, Nielsen Media Research has affixed the same value to every student watching television while away at school: zero.

As a result, industry executives have complained for years that shows appealing to a younger audience have been underrated.

But, starting now, students on campuses count.

Shows like "America's Next Top Model" and "Family Guy" were expected to see their ratings surge this week as Nielsen Media Research, a unit of Nielsen Co., included the viewing habits of students living away from home in its surveys for the first time.

A jump in Nielsen ratings often means more advertiser spending, so the adjusted ratings are good news for networks with high student viewership like ESPN, Fox and CW.

Today in Technology & Media


AT&T expands wireless stores


Viacom sues Google over YouTube video clips


Study says computers give big lift to productivity


Adult Swim, a block of adult programming on the Cartoon Network that expects its 18-to-24-year-old audience to jump by 35 percent with the new ratings, is so excited about the change that it ran an ad telling viewers about it back in mid-October.

"It's going to validate what advertisers have always assumed, which is that college students are watching our programming," said Jeff Lucas, a senior vice president at Comedy Central. Lucas said that the network's own research showed that "South Park," "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" have a large student audience.

It's too early to know how much more advertisers will pay for shows that show larger audiences because of the decision to count student viewers. Network executives, of course, said they expected to be paid for the higher ratings. And if advertisers decide to spend more on shows that are popular with students, television networks may decide to dedicate more of their programming to the young audience.

The student surveys are the first of two major changes in the way U.S. viewing habits are rated. In May, Nielsen will start releasing figures on the number of people who actually watch commercials, separating them from viewers who walk away or switch channels when the ads come on. The potential impact of ad ratings on network revenue has not been calculated.

Nielsen's move into university campuses is its first step in an ambitious plan to track television viewing wherever and whenever it takes place. Long focused only on viewing of home television sets, Nielsen is building portable meters to track when people are watching, and what, in bars, restaurants, gyms, stores and other places outside the home. And within two to three years, Nielsen plans to merge data from its online unit with its television unit to calculate total viewing on all media.

"The holy grail here is how to measure consumers as they go from TV to iPod to cellphone and back," said Alan Wurtzel, president of research for NBC Universal.

But the first step — measuring students' viewing of television — comes with its own pitfalls. Students watch a significant amount of television, spending three and a half hours a day tuned in on average, though that's about an hour less than the average for the overall population, according to Nielsen. And students are not watching only television. They are among the most likely consumers to be browsing the Internet, watching streaming video, text messaging on their cellphones and playing video games — sometimes all at once.

"College students have the television on in the background at the same time they undoubtedly have their computers on," said Matt Britton, chief of brand development for Mr. Youth, a marketing firm based in New York. "They're online — searching Facebook, doing research, shopping."

Their media habits make them targets for marketers, but the question of just how attentive they are while watching television may give advertisers pause.

"The people meter just measures if the set is on and what they're watching. But are they doing their homework, are they talking to friends; what else are they doing while the ad is showing?" said Brad Adgate, senior vice president for research at Horizon Media, an ad- buying agency.

Still, Adgate said, advertisers may increase their payments to networks with large student audiences because of the perceived lifetime value of that market. "If you can get them using your product at age 20, they could be using it for the next 60 years," he said.

Until now, the 18-to-24-year-olds counted by Nielsen were mainly those who did not attend school or attended part time or still lived at home. During holidays and summer breaks, of course, many students are home and have been counted by Nielsen at those times on their parents' set-top boxes. There are 10,000 households with Nielsen boxes tracking their viewing, and from those households, Nielsen extrapolates national viewing estimates.

Evidence Two - Both Viacom Shows Have Increased Ratings Turing YouTube

Less Snooze, More News

Viewers Turn Away From Leno and Letterman in Favor of News, Fake and Real

TV hosts Stephen Colbert, left, and Jon Stewart, winner of the award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Program for "The Daily Show," attend the Comedy Central Emmy party, Aug. 27, 2006, in Hollywood, Calif. (Bryan

By MARCUS BARAM

Dec. 6, 2006 — When Stephen Colbert was a guest on "Late Night with David Letterman" in October, he tweaked the show's host.

"We're on right now, we're opposite you right now," said Colbert, whose "Colbert Report" on Comedy Central airs at the same time as Letterman's show. "I'm actually telling my audience to watch me on this show."

Letterman responded, "I appreciate it. [We'll] take all the help we can get."

Maybe the longtime late-night host, who just signed a $35 million-a-year deal to stay on the air until 2010, was reading the tea leaves when it comes to his own ratings.


Letterman's audience, along with that of rival "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," has declined, as the Nielsen ratings for both shows slipped 6 percent compared with a year ago, according to Media Life trade magazine.

And Colbert has every reason to feel generous about his audience. The number of households watching "The Colbert Report" and John Stewart's "Daily Show," the news block of Comedy Central's late-night lineup, have increased almost 7 percent compared with a year ago, according to Nielsen.

And it's not just fake news that's attracting viewers. "Nightline," which is devoted to serious reportage, also added viewers, as ratings grew 4 percent compared with last year.

Overall, the audiences for the late-night legends still dwarf the news programs. At 4.4 million, Leno attracts almost four times as many viewers as Stewart.

But expect the current trends to continue. "You have a new generation of viewers looking for alternatives," says Marc Berman, senior editor at MediaWeek.

"Leno's been on for over a decade, and people are getting to a point where they're tired. It will continue to decline. The erosion for Leno and Letterman will continue since their audience is aging."

Current events are also driving more viewers to tune in to news, both fake and real. "It's an election year, and the war in Iraq is dominating headlines, so it's natural that you have people tuning in to news," says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.