Turn on the TV and you’re just about guaranteed to come face-to-face with a celebrity or public figure selling a product or service. While those spokespeople may carry an air of respect and trust with consumers, what happens when the product they so happily lent their voice to turns out to have devastating affects on the consumer? Not much really, but it might be time for that to change. [More]
celebrities
Rapper Will.i.am Late For United Flight, Throws Twitter Tantrum
By 10.9.14
When you’re flying internationally, you should be sure to leave plenty of time until your flight when you arrive at the airport, especially if you plan to check bags. Let’s say three hours if you’re flying out of a sprawling air metropolis like New York City’s JFK airport. These limits apply even if you are famous. Yes, even if you’re one of the Black Eyed Peas. [More]
Study: Putting Celebs In Ads Is Ineffective, But Everyone Loves Ellen DeGeneres
By 1.29.14
Turn on your TV during prime time and you’ll inevitably see a cavalcade of celebrity faces, ranging from Oscar winners to “Wasn’t that the guy in that show we watched that one time?” Attaching a star to your brand is something that advertisers have done since the first rock retailer made a cave drawing of Thutronk the Hunter carrying one of his store’s special stones. And yet, science says that people just don’t care, and that it may have a negative impact on your brand. [More]
Time Warner Cable Saps Patrick Stewart's Will To Live
By 9.14.12
If you’ve ever thought that being a celebrity entitles you to a hotline that instantly fixes all those annoying problems that bother the rest of us, Sir Patrick Stewart has news for you. The actor, best known for managing to look authoritative in that silly outfit from Star Trek: The Next Generation, says that his ordeal with Time Warner Cable has taken away his will to live. [More]
Alec Baldwin Tweets Rant About Starbucks Employee By Name And Store Address
By 9.8.11
Maybe he was riding the high of Ben & Jerry’s launching the “Schweddy Balls” flavored ice cream named after the famous SNL sketch he was in? Whatever the reason, Alec Baldwin turned his 100,000 megawatt star power and 323,235 Twitter followers on a Starbucks barrista Wednesday who apparently left him with a burnt taste in his mouth, tweeting that the guy was “uptight” and had “an attitude problem.” The tweet named the coffee worker by name and gave the cross streets of the Starbucks location he was at. Kind of like killing a gnat with a RPG, no? [More]
Quiz: Who Is That Celebrity Trying To Sell Me Something?
By 8.8.11
While there is certainly no shortage of celebrities willing to step in front of the camera to shill for a product, there are countless ads featuring the unidentified voices of famous folks. [More]
Study: Putting Celebrities In TV Ads Only Makes Them Worse
By 1.14.11
Do you buy Activia because Jamie Lee Curtis says you should? Or a Sony TV because Peyton Manning is their pitchman? What about that stash of Extenze you keep in the bedside table — did you purchase that on the recommendation of Jimmy Johnson? A new study shows that the answer to all these questions is probably a big “no.” [More]
Soup Nazi Back In Business, But Not Actually Around To Yell At You
By 7.22.10
Al Yeganeh, the man who inspired Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi character, closed up shop six years ago, but this week he re-opened his business at the same location on 55th Street in NYC under the name “The Original Soup Man.” The company is now a franchise with locations in nine states and Washington, D.C., and unfortunately (for us, but probably not for him) Yeganeh doesn’t actually do any counterwork–he’s just the brand at this point. [More]
Get Your Rock & Roll Buzz On With Whitesnake Wine
By 6.14.10
Tired of the same old stuffy wines? Are they missing that special something that would blow your hair out to epic proportions and make Tawny Kitaen writhe half-naked on the hood of your car? Thankfully, come July 1, that hole in your life will be filled… at $24.95/bottle. [More]
Okay, Who's Been Using Tyler Perry's Credit Card?
By 5.17.10
Writer/director/actor Tyler Perry updated his website on Friday with a friendly letter to his fans. He talked about wrapping up his latest theatrical tour, and how beautiful his vacation spot was, and then ended on a strange note: “By the way, some idiot stole my credit card number. Can you believe that? Take a look at all the stuff they charged. If you know any of these people, call the police.” The charges, mostly airfares between L.A., Las Vegas, New York and Fort Lauderdale, came up to more than $28,000. [More]
Lindsay Lohan Sues E*Trade Over Talking Baby Commercial
By 3.9.10
Does the milkaholic baby named Lindsay in the latest E*TRADE commercial remind you of a certain celebrity? Lindsay Lohan says it’s supposed to be her and is a jab at her own milkaholism, and she’s suing the company for $100 million and seeking an injunction to get it off the air. I agree that the baby playing the milkaholic doesn’t give a very good performance, but I always assumed it was supposed to be Lindsey Buckingham. [More]
Madonna Planning Clothing Line With Macy's
By 2.22.10
Women’s Wear Daily says that Madonna is in talks with Macy’s to launch an exclusive women’s collection that would include apparel, accessories, intimates, and footwear. “Label names under serious consideration for the product lines include Material Girl for the apparel and Truth or Dare for the lingerie and underwear.” I’m crossing my fingers there’s a “Papa Don’t Preach” maternity line in the works as well. [More]
Don't Tweet The Identity Of Your Plane's Air Marshal
By 2.17.10
On a flight yesterday, minor celebrity Kim Kardashian figured out that the guy next to her was the air marshal, at which point she excitedly announced it to her followers on Twitter. “Jim the air marshall makes me feel safe!” she tweeted. But it’s okay, she understands how security protocols are supposed to work; after some of her followers complained about what she’d done, she responded, “[I] highly doubt anyone is twittering like me on this flight! shhh.” [More]
Craig Ferguson Badmouths Continental Airlines
By 12.16.09
I just assume that celebrities get better treatment from airlines, but this story from Craig Ferguson proves otherwise. Here’s a tip for gate agents: if you’ve just told a TV personality who volunteered to get off a flight that his reward is a 6 hour layover, it’s probably not a good idea to add, “Don’t badmouth us on TV!” [More]
Let's All Judge Britney Spears' AMEX Bill
By 9.23.09
TMZ has obtained documents from Britney Spears‘ court case that include her AMEX expenses for the first 11 months of her conservatorship. Let’s take a look…
Report: Billy Mays Used Cocaine In His Last Days
By 8.7.09
The Hillsborough County, Florida medical examiner’s office reported this afternoon that toxicology results show boisterous master pitchman Billy Mays had used cocaine sometime in the days before his death. This may have contributed to his fatal heart attack.
Kellogg's Brand Reputation Takes A Hit After Dumping Phelps?
By 2.24.09
Supposedly, Kellogg’s “brand reputation” is in the gutter after canning Phelps over the pot photo, slipping from #9 to #83 in a list of 5,600 companies. We’d believe it more if this “reputation index” chart from Vanno, a brand index company, didn’t look like someone was given PowerPoint and 3 minutes and told to produce some convincing evidence for a press release.
