White Lobster Or Blow As Some Like To call It

David Sheff - Nic Sheff - Books - Addiction - New York Times

Pipl - People Search

This is a great people search site. Free, has the typical sponsored links at the top, but trturns hits in a typical search format It gives a good effort and usally returns some type of info regarding the person your researching. Try it on yourself!

Jay-Z To Open Translation Advertising

JAY-Z is a Grammy-winning rapper, a club owner, a clothier, a fledgling hotelier, the part-owner of a basketball team and the former president of a record label. Now, he gets to add adman to his résumé.

Jay-Z — real name, Shawn Carter — is joining forces with another African-American entrepreneur, Steve Stoute, to open Translation Advertising in New York, an agency that will help marketers reach multicultural consumers.

The new agency will be part of Translation Consultation and Brand Imaging, which has worked for mainstream advertisers like General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, McDonald’s and Reebok.

Translation Advertising expects to announce its first clients soon, said Mr. Stoute, who sold Translation Consultation last October for an estimated $10 million to $15 million to the Interpublic Group of Companies in New York.

Interpublic, the third-largest agency company (behind the Omnicom Group and the WPP Group) also owns agencies like Campbell-Ewald, Deutsch, Draft FCB, GolinHarris, R/GA and Universal McCann. Interpublic and Translation Consultation share clients like the Chevrolet division of G.M.

Interpublic will own 49 percent of Translation Advertising. The majority stake will be owned by Mr. Stoute, 37, and Jay-Z, 38, who will be the co-chairmen.

“You know his story,” Mr. Stoute said of his new partner, who grew up in the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn. “He came from nothing and turned it into something before our eyes.”

Mr. Carter, in a telephone interview, said he considered his involvement in an agency “part of the natural growth” of his career.

“As an artist, you make music,” Mr. Carter said. “And if you see people who don’t know how to market your music, you get involved in it.”

Otherwise, what you want to accomplish “gets lost in translation,” he added, “no pun intended.”

Mr. Carter was referring to his work first at Roc-A-Fella Records and later at Def Jam Recordings. Mr. Carter stepped down last month as president at Def Jam, part of the Universal Music Group.

“He left his day job at Def Jam; he has to do something,” Mr. Stoute said, laughing.

•

The Interpublic venture, which is to be announced on Friday, is indicative of the intensifying interest on Madison Avenue in minority consumers.

One reason is the growth of the African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American populations in the United States, which together account for an estimated $2 trillion in consumer buying power.

Another is the increasing influence of minority consumers on the general market, by setting trends and influencing buying decisions in categories like apparel, automobiles, beverages, food, music and sports.

For instance, think back to the commercials that appeared nationally on Sunday during the Super Bowl, the biggest night of the year for advertising.

A spot for Diet Pepsi Max featured musicians like Missy Elliott, Macy Gray, LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes. Naomi Campbell danced in a commercial for SoBe Life Water to a song by Michael Jackson.

Another Super Bowl spot, for Bud Light, was centered on the comedian Carlos Mencia. And the basketball players Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade appeared in commercials for T-Mobile and Vitaminwater.

Some advertisers already believe there is no longer “a so-called general market,” said Lisa Skriloff, president at Multicultural Marketing Resources, a consulting company in New York, but rather a coalition or collection of diverse consumer groups.

“It’s especially true for companies doing business in ‘minority majority’ states” like California and Texas, she added.

Despite those demographic and cultural changes, Ms. Skriloff said, estimates are that ads aimed at minority consumers account for less than 4 percent of the total ad spending in the United States.

“There are major advertisers that are still not getting it, that don’t have anyone in-culture helping them, in the company or at an agency,” she added, while others “are afraid of missteps, afraid they will do the wrong thing.”

That apprehension is not totally unfounded.

“There are people who don’t understand the culture,” Jay-Z said, citing as an example a commercial for a wireless carrier “that shows guys break-dancing in the phone store.”

“It’s just not something we do,” he added dryly.

“We go into the stores and want the same thing as everyone else,” Jay-Z said, adding: “We may care about the style of the phone a little bit more, but we want our phone to work. We care about the functionality.”

Mr. Stoute described multicultural consumers as “a very loyal audience if you come to them in the right way — if you speak to them, and not speak down to them.”

•

Interpublic owns 49 percent stakes in several agencies that specialize in multicultural marketing to primarily Hispanic and Asian-American consumers, among them Accentmarketing, the IW Group and Siboney USA.

But Interpublic has not been represented in the multicultural/African-American realm for several years, since selling a 49 percent stake in an agency named GlobalHue back to its managers.

“It’s all part of the integrated-offering approach,” said Michael I. Roth, the chairman and chief executive at Interpublic — integrated not in a racial way but in a marketing way, providing clients with a multitude of advertising services that “we can bring to the table all at once,” Mr. Roth said.

Jay-Z is not the only urban entertainment figure to become involved in advertising.

Spike Lee leads an agency, Spike DDB, that is part of the DDB Worldwide division of Omnicom. And Damon Dash has announced the start-up of BlockSavvy.com, an interactive ad agency and social-networking Web site.

“If we sit in a room,” Mr. Carter said, “and offer our ideas of how to reach consumers, how to speak to them — and this is not a cocky statement — put us up against anything, and we’ll win our fair share of battles.”

Mr. Carter said his role at Translation Advertising would be to offer his creative and entrepreneurial ideas. Mr. Stoute described it as not “day-to-day operations” but rather “using his eye, his taste, his understanding of the culture.”

“As an owner of the New Jersey Nets, he’s not coaching,” Mr. Stoute said of Mr. Carter.

Mr. Carter’s work as an endorser in ads will be independent of what he does for Translation Advertising. He has appeared as part of campaigns for brands like Hewlett-Packard and Reebok.

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How to Draw a Cartoon Face from the Word "Boy" - wikiHow

Meet The British Teen Who Could Only Eat Tic Tacs..

Natalie Cooper can saviour all things except good, scrumptious food, for all she can eat is Tic Tacs.

read more | digg story

Top 5 Folky Covers of Rap & Hip-Hop Songs (W/Videos)

It’s officially a trend: acoustic, folk, and bluegrass bands can’t stop covering rap and hip-hop songs. Here are five of the best examples making the rounds on YouTube.

read more | digg story

Sum Up Life In Six Words

Everyone has a story. Can you tell yours in six words? Submit yours to be considered for SMITH's next six-word memoir book. The first book, Not Quite What I Was Planning, is out now. A very simple idea, with profound impact, here are a few, but please visit and share your six word memoir with thee world.

• Was sober 10 years, now drunk.
• Dad wore leather pants in Reno.
• I laugh to cover up pain.

Submit yours and check out others at smithmag.com.

Free James McMurtry Mp3 And Video Contest

Singer/songwriter James McMurtry is once again making a political statement through his music. On his new song “Cheney’s Toy”, McMurtry picks up where he left off with his controversial anthem “We Can’t Make it Here.” “Cheney’s Toy” reminds us that the war in Iraq is still going on — with veiled references to Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib and the stark image of a soldier who returned from the conflict, blind and brain damaged.
In order to make sure people get the message, McMurtry is giving away the song for free on February 4 exclusively through eMusic’s Daily Download. On the Super Tuesday primary day (February 5) fans will be able to download the mp3 from McMurtry’s MySpace page and Lightning Rod Records’ website.

McMurtry and Lightning Rod Records are encouraging fans to use the free mp3 to create their own videos and post them online. McMurtry will choose the best videos and post them on his official MySpace page and website. If needed, fans can create videos using slideshow applications at RockYou.com. Creators of each of the top five video creators will receive t-shirts and autographed copies of McMurtry’s new album, Just Us Kids (in stores April 15, 2008). McMurtry’s choice for the best overall video will also receive an 8 Gb Apple iPod nano with video capabilities. Fans can send links to their videos to mcmurtryvideo@gmail.com.

RED BULL ART OF CAN

OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS OF ALL MEDIUMS TO EXHIBIT ORIGINAL WORK
AT 2008 RED BULL ART OF CAN

Red Bull Art of Can is a national juried exhibition featuring artwork in a variety of media that have one thing in common—
they are all inspired by Red Bull or crafted from the iconic blue and silver cans. The juried exhibition is open to anyone with a flair for creativity and the talent to
transform an original concept into a compelling piece of art that can be shared with a public audience. Registration is free and open to artists nationwide through April
6, 2008. Sculptures, paintings, digital/graphic designs and various forms of mixed media will all be considered. Registration forms and details can be accessed at
http://www.redbullartofcan.com/.

MAKING THE CUT
Red Bull Art of Can has very few rules but the most important are: Artwork should be inspired by Red Bull or incorporate the aluminum can; and all artwork must be
submitted to drop off location or postmarked by April 6, 2008. All submitted pieces will be critiqued by a prominent panel of judges from the Houston art community.
On average, 35-40 pieces will be accepted into the national exhibit. Judges will review each piece based on the three Cs – Creativity (overall idea behind the piece),
Conceptual execution (how well the piece translates the idea) and Construction (the quality of production/final presentation). Those with the highest marks will be
featured in the 2008 Red Bull Art of Can exhibit and will receive national recognition and exposure.

A select number of pieces from the exhibition will also be included in advertising. Additionally, judges will award top honors to the three most compelling creations.
First place honors include an all-expense paid trip for two to Art Basel Switzerland—the world’s premier modern and contemporary art fair. Awards for second place
include an all-expense paid trip for two to Art Basel in Miami. Third place will be honored with a customized local art experience.

‘ALUMINATED’ VISION
The blue and silver Red Bull cans have captured the imagination of thousands of artists worldwide that have crafted pieces utilizing the cans or representing the fuel
and energy they provide. Works from past exhibits include a spectacular dragon sculpture soaring above clouds; a glowing six-foot- tall beehive complete with a colony
of swarming bees; an interactive computer program that generates ‘canned’ digital sculptures; a glittering, floor-length ballroom gown; and a six-foot-tall knight in shining
armor.

The 2008 Red Bull Art of Can Exhibition will be hosted July 11-25 in a unique custom-designed art space at The Galleria in Houston, Texas. Houston has firmly
secured its position as an internationally-recognized mecca of visual arts. Other U.S. cities that have hosted Red Bull Art of Can exhibits include Boston, Atlanta, Dallas,
Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Chicago. Red Bull Art of Can has a long international history which began in Europe in 2000. Since then, exhibits have been hosted all
over the world including Prague, Switzerland, London, Dublin, Dubai, Budapest, Vienna, Warsaw and Amsterdam.
To register and learn more about Red Bull Art of Can visit http://www.redbullartofcan.com/. For media inquiries, photos, video or interviews, please contact Nyla Hassell at
310-460-5154 or nyla.hassell@us.redbull.com.

Live Ryan Adams

The Story Of Stuff

The Story of Stuff is a very simple explanation to avery complex problem. It reminds me of the Dr. Seuss tale, "Story Of The Lorax". It is a 20 min short that a child can understand, however don't expect your local elected officials to grasp the concept right of the cuff.