Ten Things to Know About Mobile Marketing New-media expert looks at mobile marketing's future.

By Bianca Fox

To stay on top of the mobile marketing game, there are 10 things to keep in mind, according to Steve Smith, a new-media consultant and columnist, and editor of "Digital Media Report" for MinOnline.com and "Mobile Media Report" for TelecomWeb.com.

1. Voice-activated mobile search and ad-supported directory assistance on the voice channel have a lot of potential on a platform where mobile Web and video get all the hype. Google and Microsoft are pursuing speech-recognition solutions to the mobile-interface problem.

2. In early 2008, Apple finally will open its famously closed iPhone deck to third-party developers. Expect an explosion of creative mobile solutions and interfaces that may not touch a large share of mobile customers directly but will inspire innovation.
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3. Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), the graphical version of SMS text messaging, represents a rich visual and animated palette that marketers have leveraged overseas for years. If U.S. marketers and media don't push carriers to finally make this platform as interoperable (and thus successful) as SMS across their networks, they are missing an opportunity to move mobile forward.

4. Media brands are getting tired of waiting for carriers to get their acts together, when it comes to on-deck advertising policies. They have begun jockeying for position on the tiny deck. Direct-to-consumer is an idea whose time has come. More big media are doing an end run around the carriers by launching mobile websites that are accessible from any data-capable phone. 2008 will be the year of D2C.

5. The most popular mobile data format, by far, is SMS, and many of those are text alerts and opt-in messages from news organizations. SMS ad networks are growing. Dynamically serving short text ads and links into these messages started slowly in 2007, but it goes into 2008 with impressive response rates and a massive potential inventory.

6. Attracting more than 1.25 million unique visitors a month to its off-deck movie video site in less than a year, MyWaves has become a bellwether for the explosion in D2C video. The iTunes-like system pushes to phones most of the same video shows and podcasts you can get on an iPod or iPhone, but it streams them over the air and into most WAP browsers. Mobile video becomes cheap, easy and accessible to consumers and marketers.

7. Pricy, over-air mobile music did not pan out for carriers in 2007, but no one wants to let go of the dream of using handsets to sell and promote music beyond a flattening ringtone market. In 2008, this is the platform that will pull the record industry into the inevitable: ad-supported music downloads. A recent study found that two-thirds of consumers prefer that model for phones, and carriers and labels will have no choice but to follow.

8. The January auction of the 700 MHz spectrum may be the priciest in history, as Google and others bid up a band that the FCC has declared will have open-access rules. Winners must let third-party equipment access some block of their wireless band, which opens the door for an unimaginable number of wireless business models. Let the games begin and the startups pour in.

9. There will be a lot of chatter in 2008 about the QR Code, the two-dimensional visual bar code made popular in Japan but years away from U.S. ubiquity. Phones scan a unique UPC-like stamp on any real-world object to pull in more information or offers. Hold a phone up to a movie poster, and get a trailer, movie times or even tickets. The prospect of making the physical world this interactive (even "transactive") is too delicious to ignore. But we need a standard.

10. Resistance is futile. Touch screens, saner interfaces, widgets, integrated deck applications, and better email and Web experiences all will have a place on the many new phones that will try to emulate the lessons of the iPhone, while their makers deny that this is what they are doing. Suck it up and admit it: The iPhone changed everything.

Labels: Mobile 2008

Showbiz

MacGowan exclusive

EXCLUSIVE: POGUES' SHANE TELLS HOW HE MADE IT TO 50 Smoking, drinking and partying keep me alive

By Gavin Martin Mirror Music Critic 24/12/2007

Shane MacGowan (DM)

It's a milestone most people thought Shane MacGowan would never live to see. But on Christmas Day the legendary Pogues hellraiser will celebrate his 50th birthday.

And as the booze-loving Irishman raises (presumably several) glasses to toast his half-century tomorrow, he is determined that the party will carry on right into the New Year.

Why break the habit of a lifetime?

Here, in an exclusive pre-birthday chat with the Mirror, Shane - the man behind the controversial Christmas classic Fairytale Of New York - gives his, surprisingly coherent, opinions on everything from the Spice Girls to his teeth. And even offers some advice to fellow caner Amy Winehouse.

But first things first. Given that he has the sort of thirst that keeps the average off-licence in business, along with well-documented drug problems, did he ever expect to reach 50?

"To be honest, I never thought too much about getting to 50," says Shane.

"But if everybody is making bets that you are going to die at 4.30 tomorrow afternoon you just tend to think, 'F*** it, I'm not going to die as long as those f****** are alive.'"

We meet a few hours before he is due to leave London for his combined Christmas and birthday bash in Ireland with his long-term girlfriend Victoria and his parents.

His luxury room in a Knightsbridge hotel is a scene of hard-partying devastation.

Half-finished and empty bottles of cider, vodka, port, Dubonnet, wine, lager, gin and beer sit on every available surface.

Books - biographies of Eric Clapton and Sam Cooke, poetry by WB Yeats, and a biography of Stalin - are strewn everywhere, while piles of CDs, clothes, a bedside pack of Tarot cards and several overflowing ashtrays add to the general debris.

Wearing the same shirt and trousers he wore on the previous evening for a night out with Kate Moss and various other celebrity pals, Shane - whose skin has a deathly white pallor - lies flat out on his bed while his ghettoblaster belts out Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven at full volume.

While we chat he takes regular swigs of retsina, slugged straight from the bottle, and chain-smokes, holding his cigarette perilously close to the bedclothes.

The empties scattered around give a good indication of how he plans to spend tomorrow.

"I'll just drink wine, cider and gin - and anything else I can find," says Shane. "I think Victoria and her sister might have something special planned.

"I used to go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, but if I don't manage that I might go on Christmas Day. I go to Mass every now and then.

"Smoking, drinking, partying - that's why I've stayed alive as long as I have. And I've got better with age, that's what's meant to happen.

"I party my way through life, it's what I like to do. I'm even partying right now, only I'm doing it on my back. Booze is definitely good for your voice - it greases the whistle."

Then he laughs his distinctive laugh, releasing a sound like steam escaping from a broken-down engine.

At an early birthday party thrown for Shane at his favourite North London pub The Boogaloo, all his exes - including former Pogue Cait O'Riordan - were in attendance. How has he managed to stay on good terms with them all?

"Well, I'm a nice guy and a romantic at heart," he says with a smile that exposes raw, bloodied gums and barely any teeth at all.

But the longest-standing affair of his life has been with alcohol.

Shane began boozing before he'd even started school...

SHANE ON BOOZE..

"I was actually four when I started drinking, I just remember that Ribena turned into stout and I developed an immediate love for it," he recalls.

"There have been times when I was doing loads of acid when I didn't drink so much, but I don't like not having a drink around."

SHANE ON HIS LOOKS..

"It's quite frightening to see pictures of myself because I sometimes remind me of my dad, but my skin is as smooth as my mother's," says Shane, who seems totally unconcerned by the fact that his years of hard-partying have taken their toll on his appearance.

In fact, he adds: "That's where I get my good looks from - in 1954 my mum was Colleen Of The Year, she did a bit of acting up in Dublin too."

Still there is one thing about the way he looks that he is not very happy with and intends to change.

Next year, Shane - the most infamous walking dental disaster area in rock history - plans to address the appalling state of his teeth.

"I am going to get my teeth done - emergency dentures to stop my face falling apart," he says.

"It's not painful but your bone structure is kept in by your teeth, so I might get some dentures in and leave it at that, or get them done gradually."

SHANE ON FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK..

Last week The Pogues' most celebrated song, Fairytale Of New York, hit the headlines, thanks to the BBC's hastily withdrawn decision to censor it. The controversy helped propel the single to No.4 in the Christmas charts.

Of the furore, Shane says: "That's just typical of the way this country is going down. I mean, it's practically a police state."

The song holds mixed emotions for him ever since the tragic death in December 2000 of Kirsty MacColl, who sings on it.

"Kirsty really made that record, she had the character down properly," he says. "There was a lot of chemistry between us. She was a great laugh.

"But I still think that Kirsty is alive. I don't know exactly how it all works but I know that some people's molecules hang around - and Kirsty is one of them.

"I think God, the Tao, the force, the spirit, whatever you want to call it, is all connected."

SHANE ON AMY WINEHOUSE..

Hard-living singer Amy certainly earns Shane's admiration.

"She'll last quite a while," he says. "She has great lyrics and sounds much more grown up and mature than all the screeching f****** harpies that are around - you can't tell one of them from the other.

"But Amy really stands out." What about the personal problems Amy has had to face, can Shane advise her on how to cope?

"I was 14 the first time I was busted and I'm still here," he shrugs. "People worry about kids and drugs and all that, but it's been going on for ever. It's all part of life.

"I don't have a mobile phone, I don't have a computer or an iPod - I don't have any of that crap. I think it's much better to be like Amy Winehouse than to be aged 24 and stuck in front of a computer all day.

"If you are stuck in front of a computer you aren't actually living, you're living by proxy."

SHANE ON THE SPICE GIRLS..

Mention of The Spice Girls' reunion brings a particularly villainous chuckle from Shane.

"That's what you get for having free speech," he jokes. "I wish 'em luck. Posh Spice is the one that's got it together the best - she's rich, in the news all the time and looks good.

"I'd like to hear them do a Pogues song, they'd be great screaming along to The Boys From The County Hell or doing the dance of the seven veils to The Dark Streets Of London."

SHANE ON THE FUTURE..

He might be laid flat out, but Shane - the Yuletide Miracle Man - won't be kept down. He plans to carry on, as usual.

"Early death doesn't run in my family, both my mother and father's sides tend to live well into their 90s," he says. "My parents are still alive, they are in their late 70s and don't want to die. And neither do I."

We'll all drink to that, Shane...

features@mirror.co.uk

Labels: Shane

The baseball from the final out of the 2007 World Series is at Jonathan Papelbon's home in Hattiesburg, Miss., according to the Hattiesburg American.

Well, part of it is.

The rest? You should ask the Boss.

If he could talk, he might say it was delicious. But the most he'll say is "woof."

"Boss," you see, is Jonathan Papelbon's dog. Boss likes to play with baseballs. And Boss found the baseball that Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek gave the closer after he struck out the Rockies' Seth Smith to clinch Boston's second World Series title in four years, the newspaper reported.

And Papelbon was left with a common excuse for not doing one's homework to explain what happened to a historic baseball artifact.

"My dog ate it," Papelbon told the newspaper. "He plays with baseballs like they are his toys. His name is Boss. He jumped up one day on the counter and snatched it. He likes rawhide. He tore that thing to pieces.

"I'll keep what's left of it," he told the paper.

After the 2004 World Series, the Red Sox and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz haggled over custody of the ball that produced the final out of the team's Series championship in 86 years. Both sides eventually decided to give the ball to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Labels: Dog Days of Summer

PITTSBURGH -- Richard Desrosiers never made it to Heinz Field to watch his beloved Steelers play football, but his widow helped him fulfill his dream in death.

Thanks to some help from sympathetic donors, Kathleen Desrosiers attended Sunday's game, bringing an urn with some of her late husband's ashes, as well as his ring and two pictures of him. He had died in March of a brain tumor.

"I couldn't take the tumor away. I couldn't take the pain away. I couldn't make him better. But I can do this," Kathleen Desrosiers, 60, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Though he lived in Exeter, N.H., Richard Desrosiers adopted the Steelers at an early age and followed them closely. He named his dog Steeler and his wardrobe, by his widow's estimate, was 95 percent Steelers gear.

Braving the biting cold and the Steelers' disappointing 29-22 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Desrosiers waved her new Terrible Towel, showed off her painted face and warmed her head with a Steelers hat.

She called it "an overwhelming experience."

"It's sad to think that he got here in death," she added. "But this is where he wanted to be. It was what he asked me to do. I got to be with him one last time while he did something he wanted more than anything else in the whole wide world."

Amy Litterini, a western Pennsylvania native who now lives in New Hampshire, was the couple's counselor during Desrosiers' yearlong battle with cancer. She arranged for the purchase of the two tickets to Sunday's game and raised money for Kathleen Desrosiers and one of her sons to spend a night in a Pittsburgh hotel.

Desrosiers was covered with a Steelers blanket when he died, and at his funeral, his two stepsons honored his memory by donning Steelers jerseys.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Labels: Football

(CNN) -- The new year will see new shows from Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, says NBC.

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" will return with all-new episodes on January 2, according to a statement from NBC. The shows had been in reruns for two months because of the Writers Guild of America strike.

"During the 1988 writers strike, Johnny Carson reluctantly returned to 'The Tonight Show' without his writers after two months," said NBC's Executive Vice President for Late Night & Primetime Series, Rick Ludwin, in the statement. "Both Jay and Conan have supported their writers during the first two months of this WGA strike and will continue to support them. However, there are hundreds of people who will be able to return to work as a result of Jay's and Conan's decision."

Both shows will return without their writers, The Associated Press reported, leading to conjecture over what form the programs will take. In recent years, late-night talk shows have been as much about scripted comedy routines as talk, unlike the raconteur-driven versions of the form hosted by people such as Jack Paar.

In a statement, O'Brien acknowledged that "[a]n unwritten version of 'Late Night,' though not desirable, is possible -- and no one has to be fired. So, it is only after a great deal of thought that I have decided to go back on the air on January 2nd," he said.

"I will make clear, on the program, my support for the writers," he continued. "Of course, my show will not be as good. In fact, in moments it may very well be terrible. My sincerest hope is that all of my writers are back soon, working under a contract that provides them everything they deserve."

Both Leno and O'Brien have been paying staffers' salaries since early December, following in the footsteps of David Letterman, who has paid the employees of his "Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" since the strike began November 5. Letterman's production company owns both his and Ferguson's shows, which air on CBS.

Leno, O'Brien and Letterman are all guild members.

Letterman has been in negotiations to bring back his and Ferguson's shows with their writing staffs, according to an article in The New York Times Sunday. Jon Stewart, whose "Daily Show" on Comedy Central has also been in reruns since early November, has also trying to establish an interim agreement with the guild that would allow his show to return, according to the Times.

Residuals and new-media revenues are the primary issues driving the walkout.

Since the strike began, only NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly," among late-night talk shows, has returned to air. Daly, who's not a member of the Writers Guild, says NBC told him to come back or 75 members of his staff and crew were going to be laid off. His show resumed December 4. E-mail to a friend

Labels: Late Night Shows

December 13th, 2007.

Today is a sad day for a game they call "Baseball."

Straight A’s, With a Burger as a Prize

FAST-FOOD chains often post nutritional report cards about their product ingredients on restaurant walls. Now one is using children’s report cards to help stimulate sales.

The McDonald’s restaurants in Seminole County, Fla., and the Seminole County School Board have agreed to reward students for good grades and attendance during the 2007-8 school year with Happy Meals.

The program replaces one that for the last 10 school years had been sponsored by local Pizza Hut restaurants, according to the school district.

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade can now receive a Happy Meal from a local McDonald’s restaurant as a “food prize,” as it is described, for achievements like all A’s and B’s in academic subjects or two or fewer absences from school.

The “report card incentive,” as the program is called, is a business partnership between the owners of the McDonald’s restaurants in Seminole County and the school board, according to information published on the jackets in which the children receive their report cards.

The jackets are used throughout the school year. Teachers put report cards in them, and students take them home for their parents to sign to let the teachers know the report cards have been read.

The jackets also bear a cartoon of Ronald McDonald, the chain’s brand mascot for children, and its Golden Arches logo.

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The jackets also feature photographs of Happy Meal menu items like Chicken McNuggets.

“Turning report cards into ads for McDonald’s undermines parents’ efforts to encourage healthy eating,” said Susan Linn, director of an advocacy organization in Boston, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

“It’s a terribly troubling trend,” Ms. Linn said, because “it really, clearly links doing well in school with getting a Happy Meal.”

The commercialization of educational culture, particularly in elementary schools, has long been a contentious issue. It has become more clamorous in the last decade as hard-pressed school districts seek to raise money for academic programs, sports and extracurricular activities without raising taxes.

Billboards advertising products and local merchants can be found on athletic fields outside schools and inside schools on gymnasium walls and scoreboards.

In some districts, ads appear on the sides of school buses. And some districts play radio programs, with commercials, over the buses’ public-address system.

The New York City Department of Education is considering a proposal to give all students free cellphones, which would use text messages — produced by an advertising agency, Droga5 — to promote achievement. The plan includes sponsorship opportunities for cellphone makers, service providers and other marketers.

In e-mail messages to reporters yesterday, Ms. Linn urged McDonald’s to “immediately stop advertising on children’s report cards” and attached an image of a report-card jacket sent home with Cathy Griffith, who attends fourth grade at Red Bug Elementary in Winter Springs, Fla.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Cathy’s mother, Susan Pagan, said the jacket caught her eye when her daughter brought home her report card with “some very good grades.”

“Ronald McDonald and the photo of the Happy Meal,” Ms. Pagan said. “I was like, ‘O.K. What’s this all about?’ ”

“I thought this was appalling,” Ms. Pagan said, because “you get a reward for good grades by eating — and eating fast food.”

When Pizza Hut sponsored the program, Ms. Pagan said, “I don’t remember it being so blatant.”

And even if that sponsorship had continued for many years, she added, today’s concerns about childhood obesity ought to call the program into question.

“I’ve worked in advertising and marketing for over 21 years,” said Ms. Pagan, who runs Creative Angle Media, a company in Winter Park, Fla. “There’s a tasteful and professional way for large corporations to sponsor such programs.”

“This just seemed very inappropriate, very blatant and direct, into the hands of my daughter,” she added.

When the local Pizza Huts sponsored the program, according to the school district, the Pizza Hut logo appeared in place of the McDonald’s symbols. There were no photographs of the Pizza Hut food prize, which was a personal pan pizza. Pizza Hut is owned by Yum Brands.

During the 10 years of the Pizza Hut sponsorship, “we did not receive any complaints,” said Regina Klaers, a spokeswoman for the Seminole County Public Schools in Sanford, Fla.

Ms. Pagan is the only parent to complain so far about the McDonald’s sponsorship, Ms. Klaers said, adding that district administrators and members of the school board discussed her concerns this week.

Asked about the propriety of a school district’s offering fast food as prizes for achievement, Ms. Klaers said the jackets described to students “some alternatives” to the standard Happy Meal menu items.

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There is a lengthy paragraph in the bottom right corner, in small type, explaining how the students can choose as their side dishes either French fries or apple slices, which McDonald’s calls Apple Dippers. Their beverage choices are listed as milk, apple juice or a soft drink.

Nationally, McDonald’s does not sponsor any programs that reward schoolchildren with food, said Danya Proud, a spokeswoman for McDonald’s USA in Oak Brook, Ill., part of the McDonald’s Corporation.

The program in Seminole County is local, Ms. Proud said, and participation in such promotions is “a very local decision.”

As for the healthfulness of the Happy Meal menu items, Ms. Proud said, the Chicken McNuggets, which can be chosen in place of a hamburger or cheeseburger, are made with white meat. She also reiterated the options to select apple slices instead of the French fries and to replace the soda with low-fat milk or apple juice.

“There’s variety on our menus so parents can make the choice about the Happy Meal most appropriate for their child,” Ms. Proud said.

At the Seminole County school district, Ms. Klaers said, the food prize program is re-evaluated each year. Next spring, when the district is making plans for the 2008-9 school year, “we are planning to revisit what is on the jackets,” she added. In the meantime, Ms. Klaers said, the current jackets will remain in use.

The sponsorship covers about $1,500 of the $1,600 it costs each year to supply and print the jackets, Ms. Klaers said.

The district “partners with local businesses on lots of different levels” to defray costs, she added, but has a policy against selling the naming rights to schools to marketers.

In other words, Ms. Klaers said, do not expect a “McDonald’s High” in Seminole County.

Bob Bertini, a spokesman for Wendy’s International in Dublin, Ohio, the third-largest hamburger chain behind McDonald’s and Burger King, said yesterday that his company had no national program to reward students with food items.

“It is possible that some of our franchisees and stores may be supporting their hometown school districts with attendance or good-student awards,” Mr. Bertini said in an e-mail message, “but I have not heard of local markets where this is occurring.”

At Burger King Holdings in Miami, a spokesman, Keva Silversmith, said yesterday that school-related promotions on a corporate level were devoted to college scholarship programs.

He said he was not immediately able to determine whether there were food-prize programs sponsored by owners of local restaurants because of the time required to check with field-marketing offices.

Labels: School

Led Zeppelin: The Song Remained The Same

Led Zeppelin has just completed its set at London's O2 Arena. Below, the set list from one of the most anticipated concerts in recent rock history, the legendary U.K. band's first full show since 1980.

Led Zeppelin has played:

"Good Times, Bad Times"
"Ramble On"
"Black Dog"
"In My Time of Dying"
"For Your Life" (first time ever played live)
"Trampled Underfoot"
"Nobody's Fault But Mine"
"No Quarter"
"Since I've Been Lovin' You"
"Dazed and Confused"
"Stairway To Heaven"
"The Song Remains the Same"
"Misty Mountain Hop"
"Kashmir" ("They're starting to look tired now but that riff is still big enough to fill the 02," says a spy inside)

Encore:
"Whole Lotta Love" ("The crowd is going ballistic," says our source)
"Rock and Roll"

Labels: LED Zep

Cheap Gear Rundown

Because even guys need clothes...

Denim Gear: Citizens of Humanity Warehouse Sale
Sat and Sun at 5715 Bickett St, Huntington Park
RSVP for this sale, and get 50% off high-end jeans and knits; forget to RSVP, and you'll witness humanity's darkest side when they force you to pay full price.
RSVP at TheDenimRevolution.com

Artsy Gear: Obey Sample Sale
Fri and Sat at 500 W Carriage Dr, Santa Ana; 714-429-1595
Major discounts on tees from the graphic artist who brought you "Andre the Giant Has A Posse" (you'd Obey too if your posse leader weighed 525lbs).
The flier is here

Lotsa Different Gear: New Mart Sample Sale
Fridays in December at 127 E. Ninth St, Downtown; 213-627-0671
Every Friday this month, each suite in this fashionista plaza will feature sample sales from different designers, like Calvin Klein, Tommy Bahama, and SFLA. Or go Saturday, for a sample sale of loneliness.
Check it out at NewMart.net

Classy Gear: Barney's NY Designer Sale
'til December 14th at 9570 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills; 310-276-4400
40% off button-ups from Hartford, polos from Original Penguin, and sweaters and sport coats from Ermenegildo Zegna (from his E-Z-Duz-It collection, fool).
Check out the gear at Barneys.com

Everyday Gear: Guess Warehouse Sale
Sat at 1901 E. 15th St, Gate 3, Downtown; 213-765-3100
50-90% off jeans, jackets, shoes, and tops: no kids under 12 allowed, which's only a problem if you Guessed wrong sometime in the past 11 years.

Basics Gear: Nation Ltd Warehouse Sale
Fri and Sat at 950 S. Broadway, Downtown
This small label's offering 70% off their super-soft, solid-color tees, made vintage-y by washing them over and over again -- which contrary to your protestations, does not create a "grandfather clause" of hygiene.
Check out the clothes at NationLTD.com

Trendy gear: Lisa Kline Blowout Sale
Sat- the end of Jan at 140 Robertson, Mid-Wilshire, 310-385 7113
30-75% off items like Melting Pot Denim, Habit Sweaters, and Modern Amusement shirts at this pop-up shop, which'll be operating all month long. If the pop-up lasts more than four weeks, advise it to consult a physician, as this may be a sign of a serious medical condition.

Labels: clothes...

Jingle Bell Rock

Stuff your stereo with these holiday tunes

Bing Crosby's a peach, but you're better off setting the mood at your holiday party with chestnut-roasting standards by these top acts. Retro: The Vince Guaraldi Trio, A Charlie Brown Christmas Newly remastered from the original 1965 recording. This jazzy, melancholy disc still has the power to trigger mass nostalgia in any crowd. Favorite tracks: Linus & Lucy; Greensleeves; O Tannenbaum Rocking: The Smithereens, Christmas with The Smithereens Best known for British Invasion-styled singles “Blood and Roses” and “Behind The Wall Of Sleep,” the Smithereens show their indie roots on this crunchy, guitar-oriented album. Worth it alone for the chugging cover of the Ramones’ “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight).” Favorite tracks: Run Rudolph Run; Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight) Sultry: Diana Krall, Christmas Songs Krall’s interpretations and phrasing of popular holiday jingles recalls both Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra (but hotter). A smoky, swinging affair perfect for holiday cocktails or late nights by the fire. Favorite tracks: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; What Are You Doing New Year's Eve Funky: Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra, A Very Ping Pong Christmas With the kind of rounded, softened beats you’d hear in the lounge of a boutique hotel, Shawn Lee’s aptly named Orchestra makes the standards sound cool again utilizing an array of vintage instruments. A hip-hop “Jingle Bells” sports porno guitars and, you guessed it—bells. Favorite tracks: Jingle Bells; Little Drummer Boy; Carol of the Bells Crooner: Harry Connick, Jr., Harry for the Holidays Josh Groban and Michael Buble may have holiday records running up the charts at the moment, but neither is as cool as this 2003 bestseller. Featuring swinging big band arrangements of classics like “Frosty the Snowman” that recall Bacchus parades at Mardi Gras every bit as much as sledding. Favorite tracks: Santa Claus is Coming to Town; I'll Be Home for Christmas; Frosty the Snowman Single: The Killers, “Don’t Shoot Me Santa” Download this sinister track, where proceeds go to Bono’s RED charity for AIDS awareness.

Labels: Music... Makes the people...

Sneak Peek: "Juno"

Lindsay Weir, Angela Chase, Daria Morgendorffer...meet your big screen counterpart.

Unless you've been living in a pop culture vacuum for the past few weeks, you've probably heard the buzz about Jason Reitman's follow-up flick to "Thank You For Smoking," a high school-based dramedy called "Juno."
It's my favorite movie that I've seen this year, and I've watched a boatload of amazing stuff. Here's why (and it doesn't include the adorable Michael Cera in his golden little shorts):

Ellen Page: As Juno, she's a breath of fresh air—what I imagine Ally Sheedy in "Breakfast Club" could have been if she'd told Molly Ringwald's character where she could shove that headband in the magical makeover scene. There are rumors that her performance could score Ellen an Oscar nom, but when asked about it at the press day, she just rolled her perfectly made-up eyes. She also went off on the reporter who kept trying to steer the convo toward the movie's take on abortion. Love her.

Kimya Dawson: Thank Ellen for introducing Jason to this indie folk goddess; when he asked her what kind of music Juno would listen to, she hopped on his computer played a few songs. "[Kimya Dawson's music] is really unique and it's quirky and all of those things, but it has heart to balance that," she has said. "I loved how it was just bare-boned, and I feel like that is similar to Juno, the film in general and the character. She has a sarcastic wit that she hides behind, but she's also just an extremely genuine, honest, says-what-she-thinks human being, and I feel the film's like that as well."

Diablo Cody: This is a woman who really loves words, which explains why the film's sharp, quotable dialogue is so much freaking fun. She's also a woman with a feminist agenda; as a former stripper, Diablo revealed that she plans to infiltrate Hollywood by posing as a guy's gal and then take the old boys club out at the knees. "The attitude toward women in this industry is nauseating," she has said. "There are all sorts of porcine executives who are uncomfortable with a woman doing anything subversive. They want the movie about the beautiful girl who trip and falls, the adorable klutz." Juno, who strides through this fictional world like she owns the joint, is anything but.

"Juno" hits theaters nationwide on December 14th. Click here to watch the trailer.

- Caroline Stanley

Labels: Moooovies...

Rockefeller Center in Manhattan has been boasting of its giant, festive tree since 1931. Every year, New Yorkers gather around to watch the spruce illuminate the New York skyline.

However, let’s not exclude those who do not celebrate the very holiday the tree symbolizes. Fortunately, the world’s largest menorah is located just a few blocks from the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. The menorah caters to the Jewish community who will commemorate the first night of Hanukkah tonight.

For each night of Hanukkah, one candle on the 32-foot-high candelabra will be lit. Take a trip to the Grand Army Plaza on 59th St. and 5th Avenue to watch the lighting.

Make sure to bundle up and snuggle up to someone special with whom you are celebrating to shield you from the chill. Afterwards, celebrate the festival of lights with dancing and a sufganiyot (a jelly donut). The lighting of the 4000 lb. menorah begins tonight at 5:30 p.m. EST in New York City. For more information visit, Cityguide.aol.com.

Labels: Hanukah