At San Diego’s Comic-Con, the first insight to the movie was revealed by Marvel Studios, and remember to mark May 6, 2011 on your calendars as “Thor” storms into theaters!

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the epic adventure “Thor” spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

The screenplay for “Thor” was penned by Mark Protosevich as well as Ashley Miller & Zack Stentz, and Don Payne. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige will produce the film. Alan Fine, Stan Lee, David Maisel, and Marvel Studio’s Co-President, Louis D’Esposito, will executive produce.

FarWest Entertainment has launched a global initiative Project Lotus, to find, train, groom five girls who will form a Pan-Asian girl band, to be called (tentatively) the Asian Spice Girls.
Five talented Asian women will be selected from China, Japan, Korea, Philippines and India. Music composer Shamir Tandon will be choosing the Indian singer.

When contacted, Tandon said, “The search is being organised by Elliot Kennedy, who, apart from being a Grammy winner, is a producer and has worked extensively with Spice Girls and many others like Celine Dion, Robbie Williams and Blue.”

Five girls will be shortlisted and sent to Honk Kong, from where one of the girls will be selected. The band will sing only in English and auditions will be held in Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and Mumbai.

Project Lotus culminates in the formation of 5 beautiful, intelligent and talented young Asian women from Japan, Korea, China, India and the Philippines.

The group will experience a development academy with some of the industry’s biggest names, record music, DVD’s and a TV special. A documentary in English will be filmed of this experience.

INDIA AUDITION INFORMATION
PROJECT LOTUS is the search for 5 girls to star in a new Asian girl band. PROJECT LOTUS will bring together five beautiful, intelligent and talented young Asian women from China/Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea and The Philippines.

PROJECT LOTUS is an opportunity for YOU to launch your SINGING CAREER and become an ambassador for INDIA.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
•Prepare a verse and chorus from a song of your choice.
•Dress to impress as you may only get one chance to shine in front of our judges.
•Bring your own light refreshments/snacks as it could be a long day.
TO QUALIFY FOR AN AUDITION:
•You must be 18 or over and under 25 years of age on September 1, 2010.
•You must be female.
•You must bring identification to prove your age (drivers licence / birth certificate / passport).
•You must be available within a month to attend a second audition if you are successful in the first round.
•You must not have a recording deal, a publishing contract, a management contract or any other agent representation agreement that you are unable to terminate without restrictions / obligations.
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT PRELIMINARY AUDITION: CONTACT:

Alchemist Group India CRITERIA: Female
Asian
18 to 25 years old
English speaking
Singer
Dancer
Musician (optional)
VISIT:

India Facebook Page
EMAIL:

audition.girlbandasia@alchemistindia.net
PHONE: +91 96193 69666

It’s GAME ON For Generation Y!

“Farmville now outpaces Twitter.” “One in four people plays social games online.” “More than $1.8 billion worth of virtual goods has been sold in virtual worlds.” These are just some of the headlines we see today about the popularity of online gaming, but what does this all mean for Gen Y and for brands?
Studies show that half of Gen Y plays online games, with women ages 18-34 being the most-active players and purchasers of goods in virtual worlds. In full disclosure, we have recently launched a game targeted at Gen Y women, with seven brand partners. It is easy to add more brands and is attractive for the players. It’s a win-win for both.

The eight months we spent developing this game has been a period of great learning and discovery. We have absolute certainty that there is a rabid, growing audience of Gen Y gamers that are willing to play with various brands. Here’s what we learned and how your brand can participate in the online gaming phenomenon:

You’ve got to give to get: We all want a deal and most times we will go out of our way to get one. Ever been to a warehouse sale at Barneys? The thrill of getting a deal is key and if brands can deliver an offering that either accelerates game play or adds value in virtual goods or other, they will be welcomed.
Limited edition: Create demand around your brand offering by either limiting the offer to a certain number of players, giving away a limited-edition product or providing them a way to show off to their friends. The same psychology here applies to that of people’s shopping habits. Employ some form of exclusivity in your offering and you will be more apt to get a quick response coupled with the engagement and word-of-mouth you seek.
It’s not all about you: Really, it’s not. For Gen Y, it’s all about them and their beliefs — regardless of what vehicle you market with. Specifically with gaming, it’s critical to be cognizant of why the user is there and recognize that this is not the time to disrupt them. Online advertisers have become adept at loud, in-your-face experiences. The gaming space is not the platform to do this with. Instead, be clever. The game player cares about exploration and winning. Tactfully insert yourself in their world by being thoughtful of their experience and you, too, will win.
Deliver a consistent and ongoing message: We’ve done significant research over the last few months on how brands have been integrated into games. What fascinates me most is the lack of consistent and constant messaging — I have yet to see any brand deliver an ongoing campaign on the same game with continuity.
While this space is new and it’s hard to determine what success looks like, it is the same as any medium — success will not be found in a one-off test. Let’s not forget what many years of marketing education has taught us. Although the platforms have changed, the basic fundamentals have not. Maintaining a constant, consistent and on-going message is a critical component for any long-term marketing success.

The online social gaming industry is still emerging and brands are still experimenting with how they can get involved. Although this is a relatively new phenomenon, playing games is not and the psychology of the gamer is the same as the offline game players of generations past — challenge and entertainment.

As marketers, we must take the time to understand and respect what motivates an individual to participate in game-play and then construct our campaigns to live harmoniously within this setting.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The site will remain under the management of founders Jim and Emily Greer following the closing on Aug. 1.

GameStop chief executive J. Paul Raines said, “”Kongregate advances GameStop’s digital strategy by providing a gaming platform for casual, mobile and browser games that can be promoted and played by our existing gamers.”

Kongregate joins GameStop’s own Jolt, an online game service whose first game includes the free-to-play Legends of Zork browser game. GameStop’s strategy is to promote its online games to the millions of people who come through the doors of its retail stores every day. Now it can also promote Kongregate’s games the same way. Kongregate has grown to 10 million users a month on the strength of its Flash-based games produced by independent game developers. Those users spend about 23 million hours a month playing free-to-play games, where users can play for free and spend real money on virtual goods as they go. Kongregate’s backers include Greylock Partners, Bezos Expeditions, and an angel group led by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman.

But it remains to be seen if GameStop, the world biggest game retailer with more than 6,000 stores can deal with life in the era of digital distribution, where retailers are sometimes viewed as unnecessary middlemen.

Warner Bros will lead the way promoting its intellectual properties on and in the official comic-con bag that will be received by attendee.

Warner Bros. Entertainment and Comic-Con Team Up On Official Bag for Comic-Con International: San Diego 2010

One of 11 Unique Collectibles Will Be Distributed to Each Comic-Con Attendee During Official Check-In, Featuring “The Big Bang Theory,” “Chuck,” “Fringe,” “Human Target,” “Nikita,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” “The Looney Tunes Show,”"Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated,” “Clash of the Titans”or “Brightest Day”
BURBANK, Calif. (July 2010) — For the past four years, Warner Bros. Entertainment’s limited-edition, signature oversize canvas tote bags have been a must-have at Comic-Con, with tens of thousands of fans flocking to the Warner Bros. booth on the convention floor to snag one, and Entertainment Weekly once dubbing them the Con’s “ubiquitous accessory.” This year, Warner Bros. Entertainment (WBE) and Comic-Con are teaming up to put one directly in the hands of every attendee, with the Studio signing on as sponsor of the Comic-Con International: San Diego 2010 Official Bag.

•For Comic-Con 2010, the Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing (WWTVM) unit has created 11 unique designs for the bags, with one side featuring the official Comic-Con 2010 artwork designed by WWTVM and the other side representing titles from across a number of WBE divisions, including Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment
•More than 125,000 collectible bags (24″X29″) have been produced and will be distributed to attendees when they check in at Comic-Con throughout the five days of the convention, including Preview Night
WBE and Comic-Con are unveiling artwork for four of the WBE bags, as well as artwork for the official Comic-Con side of the bags:
◦Warner Bros. Animation series “The Looney Tunes Show,” coming soon to Cartoon Network
◦Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s “Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame,” inspired by Warner Bros. Animation’s hit animated series based upon characters from DC Comics. The Videogame is available on Wii and Nintendo DS September 7. New episodes of “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” air Fridays at 7:30 p.m. on Cartoon Network, and “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” Season 1, Part 1 is available on DVD August 17.
◦DC Comics’ best-selling “Brightest Day” comic book series
◦Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray™, DVD and digital download release of Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Clash of the Titans,” available July 27
•To download images of “The Looney Tunes Show,” “Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame,” “Brightest Day” and “Clash of the Titans” bag sides, as well as the official Comic-Con 2010 artwork side of the bags, please click here:
www.thewb.com/comiccon/officialbags2010
•To download images of the creative fashions that fans have put together utilizing the Warner Bros. bags in the past, please click here:
www.thewb.com/comiccon/bagswardrobe
•Other sponsored bags will feature the following titles:
◦Warner Bros. Television series “The Big Bang Theory,” “Chuck,” “Fringe,” “Human Target,” “Nikita” and “The Vampire Diaries”
◦Warner Bros. Animation series “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated”
•For additional information about Warner Bros. Television activities at Comic-Con, follow us on Twitter @TheWBdotcom and use hashtag #WBSDCC, log on to www.thewb.com/comiccon, and read news at www.thewb.com/blog.
Created annually since 2006 by the Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing unit specifically for Comic-Con, the highly sought-after totes provide devoted fans with a handy carrying case for all the merchandise they take away from the Con and serve as mobile billboards for a selection of the Studio’s key Comic-Con titles.

Cartoon Network Enterprises and licensee Jazwares will reveal the first action figure for animated TV series “Robot Chicken,” which will lead up to the launch of a toy line. The 5-inch figure will be available this week, as well as an Adult Swim swag bag and an exclusive 2010 Comic-Con T-shirt. “Robot Chicken” co-creators Seth Green and Matt Senreich will also be on hand to sign autographs.

Toynami, which recently became the master licensee for UNKL, will also have a presence on the show floor. At Comic-Con, they will debut three toy lines with characters that include Gastro-Normous (the introductory character in the Dad Gummit Blobs line, which will be exclusively for sale at the show), SearchR and Viking. In addition, Fifth Sun has also recently partnered with UNKL for an apparel line (tees and hoodies), which will premiere in February at MAGIC. Licensing Street represents UNKL.

USA Network also returns to promote its original series “Burn Notice,” “Psych” and “White Collar” with cast- and producer-led panels.

Archaia, a graphic novel publisher, will be showcasing various properties and Archaia will host over 40 writers and artists for autograph sessions and meet-and-greet opportunities at its booth at Comic-Con …
GrapevineStar Entertainment will be at Comic-Con highlighting its MeMe and My World, Tex DunRight, World’s Favorite Cowboy and London Manga properties. Comic-Con has become one of the centers for new content and intellectual properties for film and TV… says Jacob R. Miles III, CEO of GrapevineStar

Meanwhile at this past weekend’s London Comic-Con, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Comics featured an exhibition of cover art and an original prop display, including the Tumbler Batmobile from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. WBCP worked with London Film and Comic-Con to celebrate the 75th anniversary of DC Comics. The collaboration formed part of a yearlong slate of activities taking place around the world to mark the anniversary. The exhibition of DC Comics cover art from the golden age of comics through to the current day, featuring popular DC super heroes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern, were exhibited in a dedicated DC gallery that will be branded with DC wall murals from new WBCP licensee Coolerwalls. The DC Comics exhibition featured original movie props from DC movies Batman (1989), Supergirl (1984) and Superman (1978). Visiting fans also had the opportunity to pose for pictures with life-size models of Batman and Superman, and there was an on-site shop selling a range of DC-branded products, including wall murals from Coolerwalls, posters from Pyramid and mugs and bags from Half Moon Bay. London Film and Comic-Con was held at Earls Court

Social Gaming

Social Gaming and Virtual Goods
US market size for virtual goods will reach $1.6 billion in 2010, with social gaming contributing $835 million of that total. The report, “Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming” is the latest in-depth study in the Inside Virtual Goods series, co-authored by Justin Smith and Charles Hudson.

“2009 was the year that casual games like Zynga’s popular FarmVille took over the major social platforms and changed the way millions of people socialized with friends online. Casual games introduced a rich, new way of interacting with friends on social networks, and saw the highest engagement numbers that the online entertainment industry has ever witnessed,” Justin Smith, founder of Inside Network’s InsideFacebook.com & InsideSocialGames.com, says. “With tens of millions of returning users, and millions of new visitors daily, it is no wonder that the social gaming industry saw significant M&A activity: an up-to-$400 million acquisition of Playfish by Electronic Arts, and hundreds of millions of dollars in additional venture investments. Social games are now impacting businesses across the media landscape,” adds Charles Hudson, VP of Business Development at Serious Business, and host of the annual Virtual Goods Summit.

The second research report in the Inside Virtual Goods series, “Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming 2010″ concludes that social games will alone make up half of all virtual goods revenue in the United States this year.

To get in and fully understand and get in the virtual goods and social gaming game, here are some must attend conferences and events to be held this year:

Virtual Goods Summit 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM (PST)
Wednesday, Oct. 13, 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM (PST)

The Virtual Goods Summit is focused on the emerging market opportunity for virtual goods and economies. Once restricted to the world of online gaming, virtual goods and currencies are beginning to influence the development of social networks, community sites, and many other new and exciting markets. The market for virtual goods continues to grow – join us for two days of engaging talks and panels designed to highlight important trends in this fast growing market. With estimates suggesting this market will grow from $1 billion in 2009 to $1.6 billion in 2010, this is a must-attend event for those in the games, social media, and entertainment markets.

Virtual goods beyond games
Designing free-to-play games for maximum engagement
The virtual goods market in Asia
The virtual goods market in Europe
Virtual goods and mobile applications
Free-to-play MMOs and virtual worlds
Monetization infrastructure for virtual goods
Best practices for engagement and player lifecycle management

Social Gaming Summit
11th November, 2010
The first London Social Gaming Summit is a one day event focused on the intersection of games and the social web. The event focuses on helping social games developers build, monetise, and grow their social games. We’re bringing together the leaders in free-to-play games, social networking, and payments infrastructure for a full day of panels and talks.

Virtual Goods Summit
12th November, 2010
The first London Virtual Goods Summit is a one day event focused on the emerging market opportunity for virtual goods and economies. Once restricted to the world of online gaming, virtual goods and currencies are beginning to influence the development of social networks, community sites, and many other new and exciting markets. The market for virtual goods continues to grow – join us for engaging talks and panels designed to highlight important trends in this fast growing market. With estimates suggesting this market will grow from $1 billion in 2009 to $1.6 billion in 2010, this is a must-attend event for those in the games, social media, and entertainment markets.

GrapevineStar

MTV Networks Acquires Social Express, Forays Into Social Gaming           by Gavin O’Malley, from MediaPost
Hoping to refresh Nickelodeon Digital’s offerings, MTV Networks on Thursday agreed to buy games developer Social Express. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to MTV, the acquisition marks its first entry into the popular social gaming space.

Per the deal, MTV Networks will develop social games based on original IP, as well as shows and characters from MTV, Nickelodeon and its other brands, with the first games expected to be introduced in the third quarter of the year.

MTV Networks also expected to leverage Social Express to launch a publishing platform for independent game developers.

Social Express will be integrated into Nickelodeon Digital, with Social Express co-founder and CEO Tony Espinoza overseeing social gaming strategy and development as vice president and general manager of social gaming for MTV Networks’ Nickelodeon Kids & Family Group.

Neil Souza, co-founder of Social Express and FoulPlay Media, will be vice president of technology, social games.

Both will report to Dave Williams, senior vice president and general manager of games, Nickelodeon Kids & Family Group, who reports to Stephen Youngwood, executive vice president for Digital, Nickelodeon /MTVN Kids & Family Group.

“They are set to be a key part of our growth strategy,” Youngwood said regarding Social Express and MTV’s broader gaming strategy. In May, MTV Networks game sites attracted more than 22 million unique visitors and ranked as the number one destination in the online gaming category.

MTV Networks game sites include AddictingGames.com, Shockwave.com, Nick.com Games, Nick.com Arcade, Neopets, GameTrailers, and Xfire.

The acquisition of Social Express is the latest gaming initiative for the Nickelodeon Kids & Family Group, which has also launched AddictingGames on the iPhone with the AG iNetwork and introduced a virtual goods platform to the site in the past year.

Based in San Francisco, Social Express’s veteran management team boasts former executives and developers from Apple, AOL, Yahoo and Zynga.

Casual games are serious business these days. For one, they are believed to be largely responsible for continued traffic gains at Facebook. Over the past year, traffic to the social network increased 185% compared to the same week last year. As a result, Facebook surpassed Google in terms of overall traffic for the week ending March 13, according to Hitwise.

Perhaps in response, Google in April announced the acquisition of an Israeli startup named Labpixies, which develops casual games for both the Web and mobile devices. Terms of the deal were not released, but an Israeli news source reported that Google paid $25 million for the company.

Another Company acquiring Social Gaming companies is Grapevine Star Entertainment, “Social Games are at their infancy, the most popular social games will be the birthplace of new media’s next licensable character based intellectual properties”….says Jacob R Miles, Chairman of GrapevineStar

GrapevineStar is launching a social game strategy that leverages its cause and character based intellectual properties. The company is currently reviewing social gaming companies. Interested social game companies should contact the company at info@grapevinestar.com

Instead, Def Jam Rapstar is like a karaoke game – but with all rap tracks. It will come with over 40 tracks and a microphone, and cost $70 for the 360 and $60 for the Wii. Apparently it will also have some weird free styling, user generated feature. Like, you’ll freestyle over part of the song, record it, and upload it online.

What rhymes with terrible idea?

I don’t know, but I am actually interested in this game. With a strong enough track list, this could be a fun and awesome tool. For one thing, it’s not like Dre or 2pac has an incredible voice you could never hope to match – so you’ll actually be able to learn and perform the songs in this game. From there, how shocking would it be – assuming you’re as male and nerdy as we think you are – for you to bust out a perfect “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” while hanging out with your friends?

Of course, that’ll all depend on the quality of the track list. So far, 20 of about 40 tracks are known, and they are:

“A Milli” by Lil’ Wayne
“Best I Ever Had” by Drake
“Children’s Story” by Slick Rick
“C.R.E.A.M.” by Wu Tang Clan
“Da Rockwilder” by Redman and Method Man
“Gold Digger” by Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx
“Juicy” by Notorious B.I.G.
“Just A Friend” by Biz Markie
“I Get Around” by 2 Pac
“I Get Money” by 50 Cent
“It Was A Good Day” by Ice Cube
“JJ’s Beat” by DJ Premier (Freestyle track)
“Live Ya Life” by T.I. featuring Rihanna
“Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg
“On the One” by Just Blaze (Freestyle track)
“Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa
“Put On” by Young Jeezy featuring Kanye West
“So Fresh, So Clean” by Outkast
“They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” by Pete Rock and CL Smooth

If you thought that Lady Gaga’s large doe-eyes in her “Bad Romance” video looked just a little well, too doelike, that’s because they were. Her eyes were digitally altered to appear bigger.

FDA has not approved new contact lenses that give the appearance of wider eyes. But that hasn’t stopped the exaggerated, cartoonish look from catching on among the fashion-conscious, creating a demand for special circle contact lenses that are sold illegally in the U.S. — which doctors say could be dangerous for those who wear them.

Like any contact lens, prolonged wear can lead to infections that, although rare, can be serious, experts said. If the contacts don’t fit properly — too tight or too loose — they can scratch the cornea, which can cause vision problems.

“Lady Gaga’s broad creative talents and the way she connects with her fans in her own unique manner made her a natural choice for Polaroid,” says Stephen Miller, co-chief executive officer of PLR IP Holdings. “Polaroid has had a special connection with its customers for years, we are delighted to be partnering with Lady Gaga to continue with that tradition and bring new and exciting products to the next generation.”

Rubie’s Costume Company to Make Lady Gaga Costumes

Rubie’s Costume Company has been granted the license for Lady Gaga, licensed by Bravado International Group. Pop star and musician Lady Gaga is known for her wild collection of outfits. Her signature style includes wigs of all length and styles and her unique couture costumes.

Rubie’s is now the worldwide licensee of Lady Gaga Halloween costumes and accessories. The costumes will be available for Halloween 2010.

“This is our first time exhibiting at the Anime Expo, and we think that our lineup of titles launching over the next six months is the perfect fit for the show’s attendees,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO at Natsume. “We have highly-anticipated new entries in the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series with Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar and Rune Factory 3, the triumphant return of the Lufia series with Lufia: Return of the Sinistrals, and the fun and fright-filled rhythm game, Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove.”

Information on each title is listed below. For more information on Natsume or any of these titles, please visit www.natsume.com

Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar (DS)

The bazaar is now open! Zephyr Town’s bazaar was once the grandest in the world, drawing customers and peddlers from all four corners of the Earth. These days, though, the bazaar has more tumbleweeds than customers. Maybe you can turn its fortunes around! Raise animals, harvest crops, craft rare delicacies, and then sell your wares at your very own shop! Can you bring prosperity back to Zephyr Town?

Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals (DS)

The Sinistrals, four beings of legendary power, have returned to bring humanity to its knees. It’s up to the fiery monster hunter Maxim and his eclectic band of adventurers to put a stop to them once and for all. Their adventures will take them across an expansive world packed with dangerous enemies, powerful items, and diabolical puzzles!

Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (DS)

It’s an adventure that will transform you! The people of Sharance and their horned Univir neighbors are embroiled in a bitter conflict. An age-old hatred between humans and monsters divides them. You are an adventurer with an unusual secret: you’re half human and half monster. Are you the one who can unite the humans and the Univir? And will you be in time to stop the growing evil force that threatens to destroy them both?

Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove (DS)

Gabrielle’s having a bad day. She sneezed her soul right out of her body! She’ll have to travel to Monster Town, the home of all things that go bump in the night, to get help. Only by busting out the ghostliest dance moves and thrilling and chilling people will she be able to scare up the power she needs to get herself back into her body! It’s a spooktacular rhythm adventure!

For more information on any of these titles, please visit www.natsume.com. You can also follow all of the latest Natsume news at www.natsume.com/facebook and www.twitter.com/natsume_inc.

About Natsume

Natsume Inc. is a worldwide developer and publisher that specialize in unique and family-oriented interactive entertainment software for a variety of platforms. Most known for publishing Reel Fishing and Harvest Moon, Natsume is dedicated to producing quality video games. For more information about Natsume Inc., visit www.natsume.com

Grapevine Star Entertainment, (www.grapevinestar.com) based in the Dallas-Ft worth area has been working with intellectual property owners in South America, Korea, Japan and China to help them integrate and leverage intellectual properties and new media to generate licensing and merchandis revenue. Visit GrapevineStar at the Seoul Character & Licensing Fair 2010. Are you looking for a gateway into the Korean contents market?

The Seoul Character & Licensing Fair has become one of Asia’s largest licensing exhibitions. For the past 8 years, the licensing exhibition encompassing content business and industry has provided information about trends and issues to relevant industries. The exhibition deals with all kinds of items for licensing including characters, animations, comics, games, broadcasting and entertainment. It has made progress as Asia’s largest licensing trade fair with participation of over 190,000 and 170 companies at home and abroad every year.

Seoul Character & Licensing Fair 2010, the largest of its scale, will take place on July 21(Wed) ~ 25(Sun) at Hall A, B and C, Coex, Seoul. The fair is expected to be attended by many outstanding businesses and companies at home and abroad in dealing with characters and contents. Especially, various B2B programs such as showcases, business meetings and conferences are added to provide you with ideal business environment.

We wholeheartedly welcome exhibitors and buyers from all over the world. Our aim is to provide participants with international networking opportunities for direct communication, thereby contributing to your successful business. We will offer you a professional support from preparation to the end of the fair.

Kate is one of several dozen people profiled by gravitytank, a Chicago-based strategy and design consultancy, as part of a comprehensive new study examining the social, cultural, and technological impact of today’s mobile software applications. As part of the survey, gravitytank:

- surveyed 804 smartphone users, 301 of whom own app-enabled phones (either Apple’s iPhone or HTC’s G1) to develop a quantitative picture of how they use their handsets and integrate apps into daily life

- studied (ethnographically) 20 app-phone users in their native environments

- interviewed 20 mobile app developers to understand the business opportunities they see, the challenges they face, and the realities of what it’s like to compete in an increasingly crowded app marketplace

This much is clear: app-enabled phones are transforming the way we live in meaningful ways. App-enabled phones herald the rise of a new mobile computing platform that culminates a revolution in miniaturization, connectivity, and speed that has been guiding the technology industry for many years. This shift is having deep impact on how people connect to each other, how they inter act with brands, what they buy, and how they buy it. Less than 12 months after Apple opened its App Store, these changes are already having a direct impact on people’s daily routines and be haviors, because they tap into a deep-rooted desire to lead more optimized and productive lives. gravitytank’s research reveals that apps and app-enabled mobile devices have become digital Swiss Army knives for modern living, because they provide con sumers with near-instant access to the information and services they need to enhance the opportunities each day presents — any place they go.

For example, Kate doesn’t use apps frivolously. “I don’t need iFart, iGirl, or iBeerpong,” she says. Instead, she uses them to get more done personally and professionally, to track and achieve goals, and (every once in a while) to have some fun. “I just want to get the information I need faster and better,” she explains.

Kate is not alone. According to gravitytank’s research, 50% of app-phone users view apps as essential tools for getting more done and staying organized. They view apps as an indispensable tool to manage information, tasks, work, and relationships in their busy lives. The profile of today’s app users doesn’t match the male-dominated, business-focused image of the stereotypical smartphone owner. The new generation of serious app users is gender-balanced and highly educated. Their ranks include plenty of full-time moms and college students.

What’s consistent across these users is that they’re time-pressed, and they want help: 78% of app phone users believe there are never enough hours in the day, and 77% report they are always looking for ways to use their time more effectively. That makes the fact that app phone users report spending, on average, two hours per day with their phones, with almost 40% of that time devoted to app use (not including text, email, and calls), all the more remarkable. Most of that is spent in short bursts — our survey shows that app users interact with their phones 30 times a day. All that time spent with app-phones comes at the expense of other devices: Serious app users report that they now use their TVs, laptops, and MP3 players less because of the functionality enabled by their mobile apps.

Users who see apps as essential tools to get things done are willing to pay for their benefits: 69% of these users tell us they have purchased an app in the last month, spending a total of $6 on average. Of the average 21 apps currently on their phones, approximately 25%, are paid. As Greg, a sales manager and app user from Chicago, told us, so long as an app delivers, “paying is a no brainer, if you think it’s going to make your life better.”

“Until very recently, ‘mobile productivity’ meant email and calen dar access — the tools you use in connection with your job,” says Michael Winnick, managing partner with gravitytank. “With the shift to apps, we’re seeing a much broader definition of what it means to be productive. In addition to calendars, to-do lists, and note-taking tools, the category of users we call Life Optimizers are equally attached to the apps they use for nutrition, exercise, finance, shopping, hobbies, and access to media content. In the same way that the distinctions between “life” and “work” have become increasingly blurry within the population at large, the new definition of productivity includes these life-enhancing tools alongside such standbys such as spreadsheets, instant messaging, and presentation slides.”

Put another way, apps are a very personal kind of software. Indeed, it’s useful to stop thinking about them as software at all, and instead compare them to music. Like music, apps are a social phenomenon — we love to talk about them, try them, compare them, and share them. They have one-hit-wonders, instant clas sics, and America’s Top Forty (in the guise of the Apple Top 25). They have different genres, from somber, to shocking, to frivolous. And just like music, the collection of apps on our phones tells us — and others — something important about who we are, what we care about, and what we want to become.

The comparisons to music hold for app developers as well. With the advent of dedicated apps marketplaces like Apple’s App Store, mobile carriers no longer control how apps are distributed. The result has been a stunning proliferation of creativity and in novation among software coders and entrepreneurs. The new apps marketplaces are open to one and all — from self-taught teenagers who build apps after school to venture-backed startups founded by wannabe software moguls. With tens of thousands of app titles to choose from, competition is fierce and the pressure to land a spot on a Top 100 Downloads list is intense. Suddenly, app development has become a hit-driven business that places a premium on creativity, utility, and user-experience. To generate real sales, however, developers need to learn new skills; namely, the ability to promote and market their apps in a crowded sales environment.

gravitytank’s research indicates that app-enabled phone hand sets that will change how we organize and live our lives in pro found ways. As this trend continues, we anticipate these changes will extend beyond individual phone owners, and even beyond the traditional domain of the technology or mobile wireless indus tries. Apps are poised have a dramatic impact in a wide range of fields, from education and health care to retail and financial ser vices. “As software, apps are very lightweight,” says gravitytank’s Winnick. “Yet they represent something large and important: the advent of a mobile technology paradigm that may be just as sig nificant as the birth of the Web during the mid-1990s. When we look at how apps will influence consumer behavior and the way in which software will be developed, distributed, and sold, we see that we are just beginning a social and technological transformation that will have major implications for years to come.”

Michael Jackson Estate Secures Official Merchandiser
Bravado, a global music merchandiser, has been chosen as the official manufacturer and distributor of Michael Jackson-branded products worldwide. “Bravado is the perfect partner for the estate of Michael Jackson merchandise,” says John Branca and John McClain, co-special administrators for the estate of Michael Jackson, in a joint statement. “The reputation of Tom Bennett and his team for creating compelling merchandise and providing strong product support is stellar. We are delighted to be working with them.”
A collection of licensed product is already available at retailers such as Hot Topic, Target, Old Navy and JCPenney, as well as online at www.michaeljacksonmerch.com. The line of more than 200 items includes T-shirts, “Thriller”-inspired jackets, “Who’s bad?” onesies, sunglasses, handbags and novelty items.

“We are thrilled to expand our services to become the exclusive merchandiser for Michael Jackson-related products,” says Tom Bennett, chief executive officer of Bravado. “Creating this new line alongside Michael was a privilege of a lifetime; it truly celebrates Michael’s unmistakable style and irreplaceable talent, and helps commemorate and preserve the legacy that is Michael Jackson.” The deal expands upon another with AEG Live, which had Bravado as the exclusive merchandiser for Jackson’s London tour.

“Michael Jackson merchandise will follow the leads of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Tupac expanding and growing for many years to come” says Jacob R. Miles III,  CEO of GrapevineStar Entertainment, a new media, licensing and products focused company.

Just about everyone who ever met Michael Jackson will be on television tomorrow, as the anniversary of his death brings a blizzard of reports on either how it happened or what it has meant.

Those who prefer to remember Jackson primarily for his music can turn on the radio, where several stations will go all-Michael.

Jackson died a year ago tomorrow, at age 50, on the eve of a comeback tour. Those who will talk about him include his mother, Katherine, in a paid interview for “Dateline NBC.”

His brothers Jermaine and Tito will talk with Don Lemon on CNN, while ABC’s “2-0/20″ will look at unanswered questions about his death.

The CBS “Early Show” will have artists like Marc Anthony and LL Cool J talk about Jackson, and TV Guide will show a new documentary, “Gone Too Soon.”

Here are some TV programs, all tomorrow unless noted:

ABC: “2-0/20″ special, “Michael Jackson: After Life,” 9-11 p.m.

CBS: 8 a.m. hour of “The Early Show” is devoted to Jackson.

CNN: “Michael Jackson: The Final Days,” 8 p.m., with Don Lemon, followed by a Larry King special tribute, 9 p.m.

E!: “True Hollywood Story” (repeat), 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.; “The Last Days of Michael Jackson,” 10 a.m., 3 and 8 p.m.; “Michael Jackson,” 11 a.m., 4 and 9 p.m.

Fuse: Starting today, in heavy rotation through Sunday: “A Tribute,” “The Inside Story,” “Remember His Time,” “Devotion.”

MTV: “Michael Jackson Top 10 Video Countdown,” 5-6:30 p.m.; “Michael Jackson’s Influence,” 6:30 p.m.

NBC: “Dateline,” 9 p.m., Katherine Jackson interview.

TV Guide: “Gone Too Soon,” 9-11 p.m.; “Michael Jackson’s Entourage: Where Are They Now,” and “Michael Jackson: His Family Dynasty,” 11 p.m.

VH1: “The Jacksons: An American Family,” noon-5 p.m.; “Famous Crime Scenes,” 11:30 p.m.

And on the radio:

WBLS (107.5 FM): Musical features all weekend and comments from celebrities and friends. Supporting the Rev. Al Sharpton’s tribute tomorrow afternoon at the Apollo.

WCBS-FM (101.1): Listener-voted countdown of top 40 Michael songs, tomorrow at 9 a.m., plus Jackson songs all weekend in “Hall of Fame.”

WHTZ (100.3 FM): A Jackson song every hour tomorrow.

WKTU (103.5 FM): “MJ All Day,” 24 hours tomorrow, followed by Jackson music and specials all weekend.

WKXW (101.5 FM): Tribute with Joe Henry, tomorrow at 7 p.m., leading to a Jackson weekend.

WRKS (98.7 FM): Kicks off all-Jackson weekend tomorrow at 6 a.m. with the D.L. Hughley morning show. Also supporting “Throwback Comes to Harlem” concert at the Apollo, tomorrow night at 9, celebrating Jackson.

WXRK (92.3 FM): Jackson in a 5 p.m. minimix tomorrow.

Sirius/XM: Hourly Jackson songs tomorrow over “80s on 8,” “70s on 7″ and other channels.

Reasoning Mind is a highly acclaimed math program that makes learning math in second through sixth grades not only easy but downright fun.

“Reasoning Mind engaged our students from grade 2 to grade 4, and that has been expanded to grades 5 and 6,” said Gerald McElvy, vice chairman of the program. Until he retired a few weeks ago, McElvy was president of the Exxon Mobil Foundation, which has given $4.4 million over the last five and a half years to Reasoning Minds, about a fourth of the program’s financial support.

Reasoning Mind uses computers and artificial intelligence to help children realize that they can do math, McElvy said.

“After receiving an initial review of the program, Dallas ISD executive director Shirley Ison-Newsome and a team of Southeast Learning Community principals visited several schools in Houston, where the program was being used successfully.

“Very young children were able to articulate the operations they were engaging in using mathematics vocabulary; the children maintained math journals and could explain what they had written and the mathematics behind it.”

Reasoning Mind classes started in 26 DISD schools in January, and the program has been well-received by teachers and more than 3,000 students.

“For our teachers, it has been great to watch the partnership and support they are provided as they ‘grow’ little mathematicians in their class,” McElvy said. “I look forward to watching the full year of implementation on next year, not only to see the growth in mathematics academic achievement, which I know will happen, but to also see the confidence and ‘I can do’ attitude of the children continuing to grow and develop.”

McElvy said that DISD leadership wants to evaluate the program after a full year of use before deciding on broader implementation.

Reasoning Mind is also helping DISD in a communitywide effort to improve math performance by engaging organizations to provide tutoring and other support for students. The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas is providing office space and services, and discussions are under way with Big Thought, YMCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs.

The program at the Salesmanship Club’s private J. Erik Jonsson Community School in Oak Cliff has resulted in math proficiency levels that match those of students in the Park Cities, principal Sandy Nobles said.

This fall, under the leadership of Ison-Newsome, 25 to 30 DISD elementary schools will adopt the program. If funding can be obtained, as many as 50 DISD elementary schools could take part.

Seeing progress

A Russian mathematician who settled in Houston with his family, Dr. Alexander R. “Alex” Khachatryan, is the founder, president and CEO of Reasoning Mind.

He found that with the Reasoning Mind program, it took just one semester to close the achievement gap between the scores of the predominantly Hispanic students of an inner-city school in Houston and those of the average white student. Similar improvements were reflected among advanced math students.

The program caught the attention of Houston businessman Ernest H. Cockrell, who is now chairman emeritus of the program, and Cockrell recruited oilman and civic leader Forrest Hoglund, who has homes in Dallas and Houston, to serve as vice chairman.

Hoglund, now chairman of the program, and his wife, Sally, have donated millions of dollars to Reasoning Mind through their foundation. And Hoglund, who led the expansion of Houston’s Museum of Natural Science and is chairing the capital campaign to build the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, has been the engine driving Reasoning Mind after accepting the torch from Cockrell.

Reasoning Mind, which is based in Houston and also has a corporate office in Moscow, says its goal is to serve a half-million students by the middle of this decade.

It uses program coordinators to train teachers and visit each campus biweekly.

Reasoning Mind recruits students from leading universities to serve as program coordinators, including Yale, Cornell, the University of Chicago, Princeton, Rice, Baylor, Columbia, Stanford, Spelman, Duke, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Texas and Texas A&M.

Teachers get extensive training in mathematics, and students get a curriculum that builds deep understanding through a logical progression of mathematical ideas.

Students master each objective before moving to the next lesson, meaning each student progresses at his own pace.

By offering problems of various difficulties and using artificial intelligence to adapt what each student sees based on previous performance, Reasoning Mind ensures that advanced students are challenged and that struggling students get the help they need.

Every problem comes with a step-by-step solution. An attractive interface, colorful graphics and games are interspersed with the curriculum.

Students read and watch mathematical concepts being illustrated on the screen and then demonstrate their understanding through interactive exercises.

Happy students

Using the Internet to distribute the program to schools helps keep costs low – Reasoning Mind costs the school districts around $150 per student per year, and philanthropy pays an additional $100 per student. The goal is to lower the schools’ costs to $70 per child.

In a survey taken earlier this month by more than 5,000 students who used Reasoning Mind this year, 93 percent said they liked learning math with the program, and 70 percent said they liked math more after using Reasoning Mind.

With math mastered, chemistry, physics and biology lessons propelled by Reasoning Mind will not be far behind, Hoglund said.

Besides the Hoglunds and the Exxon Mobil Foundation, other big donors include Jim and Judy Gibbs, McDermott International , Gerald and Sylvia McElvy, the Meadows Foundation, MediSend, the Harold Simmons Foundation, the Wachovia Foundation and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

To donate to Reasoning Mind, call Julie Fry at 832-476-9241 or e-mail jaf@reasoningmind.org.

Lady Gaga is inspired by glam rock artists such as David Bowie and Queen, as well as pop musicians such as Madonna and Michael Jackson. She has also stated fashion is a source of inspiration for her songwriting and performances. Gaga was ranked the 73rd Artist of the 2000-10 decade by Billboard. As of May 2010, Gaga has sold over 15 million albums and over 40 million singles worldwide. In May 2010, Time magazine included Gaga in its annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

Lady Gaga is proof that Hip Hop, R&B’s influence on Pop Culture is alive and well. The African-American segment of urban music continues to influence pop, rock, country and more.

She began her career with Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. During her early time at Interscope, she worked as a songwriter for fellow label artists and captured the attention of Hip Hop, R&B artist, Akon, who recognized her vocal abilities, and got her signed to his own label, Kon Live Distribution.

Interscope seemed to be on a roll with its first few releases, the label was faced with criticism for manufacturing what was considered cookie-cutterhip-hop. That changed when, in 1992, Iovine financially assisted Suge Knight and Dr. Dre in the initiation of Death Row Records, and arranged for Interscope to distribute its records. The joint venture hit pay-dirt when Death Row and Interscope released The Chronic, the solo debut album from Dr. Dre. Released in December, the album became a seminal hit into the new year; eventually going triple platinum, and furthermore introduced the then up-and-coming Snoop Dogg—whose own debut album Doggystyle was released in late 1993 and became a monstrous success as well, selling over 800,000 in its first week of release.

Following the success of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Death Row, Interscope became powerful labels in the industry, both collectively and respectively.

Before she was Lady Gaga, Germanotta had initially signed with Def Jam Recordings at the age of 19, after Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman and CEO L. A. Reid heard her singing down the hallway from his office.

Look for more Lady Gaga collaborations with Beyonce and other Hip Hop and R&B artists in the future as she continues to broaden her audience worldwide and continues to influence pop culture on a global scale.

IAC will relaunch an online media company Thursday that connects Web and mobile publishers with local advertising organizations. The strategy renames Citysearch LLC as CityGrid Media, which becomes the umbrella for local advertising network CityGrid, as well as publishing sites Citysearch, Insider Pages and Urbanspoon.

CityGrid Media will continue to connect the 750,000 advertisers with the more than 100 million consumers who visit the sites through about 150 publishers. Jay Herratti will run the CityGrid Media group as chief executive officer. About a year ago, he brought in Kara Nortman as senior vice president for the publishing group.

As the local market “explodes” as Google, Microsoft and Bing move deeper into the space, Herratti will continue to build a network of sites and services to support local businesses. The people supporting the business have been in place for at least a year. Herratti laid out the strategy in 2008.

“The local industry is growing at about 15% annually,” he says. “I want to beat that. And if things go well, I expect that to happen.”

Today, CityGrid Media has made incremental changes, but if Herratti plans to reach his goal it will take “growth in multiples, and I’m not there yet, because I’m just starting,” he says.

CityGrid Media went public with the plan in January. This is version 1.0, he says. The next step is to focus on improving the company’s core ad engine and data because better pricing and geotargeting keep partners happy.

We’re moving past the recession, but digital now faces an even bigger challenge: an innovation crisis. Starcom CEO Lisa Donohue discusses how a secret weapon will help the industry thrive again.

Though it’s only been two years of managing recessionary business issues, it seems like a decade must have passed in terms of the changes weathered and obstacles overcome in the digital industry. Yet the need for change is what digital was founded on, and for those nimble professionals ready to embrace the opportunities it can bring, today may be nothing less than a renaissance for advertising innovation.

“It’s our time to seize the day,” says Lisa Donohue, CEO of Starcom USA, during her keynote presentation at the iMedia Agency Summit in Austin, Texas. Donohue contends that with clients reassessing the new industry landscape and realizing the increasing need for new ideas, models, and partnerships, digital is tragically mired in outdated structures, processes, and policies that are creating an innovation crisis.

The good news, says Donohue, is that the industry already has the power to steer and control the crisis, and just needs to place more of a priority on strategies that embrace change, reward experimentation, and let creativity lead the way for others to follow.

“The recession really was good for our industry,” says Donohue. “For all the pain it caused, it gave us a clean slate. We can push the reset button on our industry. We can begin from square one where we can reinvent ourselves.”

In the social space, Starcom is adjusting by learning how to keep pace with customers, rather than focusing on what other players in the space are doing. She feels that agencies must first build the necessary tools to understand the consumer mindset and to know what behaviors they are changing. She also believes that to develop these tools and adaptation strategies, change first needs to come from within. “We need to eliminate labels between creative and media, between campaigns and advertising, between traditional and digital,” she says. “These limit us. We need to be more open source. We need to pull information from both within and outside of our own companies.”

The new world order requires new business models

Donohue believes there are four Cs that should be the focal point of the flexible, creative business models that the digital agency of tomorrow needs to be founded on: community, conversation, content, and currency.

Community. We must renew our focus on how to join, build, and communicate with groups of people, based on how those people are doing this in their own social circles.

Conversation. Agencies need to work harder to find and participate in a natural connection with consumers.

Currency. We need to be taking a good, hard look at how we earn loyalty and attention through a dialogue. This applies both to our consumer outreach and among the employees of our own organization.

Content. Content will be the key to the future of digital. We need to stop thinking about our jobs as a means to create advertising and start thinking in terms of how we can create content and messaging opportunities.

Learning to embrace change

Donohue says she takes a look at the capabilities Starcom needs to build to address the future on a daily basis. “The recession allows us to focus on this. The limited resources we’ve had to work with are empowering us to be more creative.” Donohue also stresses the need to consider data to be an aid that can unlock insights into our creative mission, rather than an impediment. “We can use it to prove our worth, rather than explain our value [to clients],” she says.

In order to drive this shift in perception, Donohue contends that we need to develop a new entrepreneurism — and that it all boils down to talent.

But is talent also in crisis in digital marketing? While there is certainly no shortage of innovative minds and creative problem solvers, the industry needs to start fostering business cultures that let entrepreneurial minds take the lead in the industry’s forward momentum.

“Our industry has operated in a walled garden for too long. We hire people from the same old pools of advertising programs. Job descriptions haven’t changed much in 10 years. But walled gardens don’t last forever. Smart people chafe at being restricted,” says Donohue. “What we do isn’t a mystery. We need to invite others in to see how it works and create new ideas.”

How we need to change

Donohue points to three key areas where change should start: structure, culture, and recognition. We need to break down the old world hierarchy to make room for talent to thrive. We need to move from organizational cultures that focus on job descriptions and segmented responsibilities to positions that allow for shared experiences and responsibilities. And we need to shift from recognizing the accomplishments of our team members through financial compensation to a system that provides a variety of meaningful rewards.

“Company leaders are not determined by title or length of service, but rather by how they respect and support each other within the organization,” Donohue says. “It doesn’t all have to be about the money. The next generation of leaders will be about learning and experience.”

Donohue closed by reminding Summit attendees that no matter what the specific reason was that drew them to this industry, there is a commonality: the need to be challenged intellectually and creatively. And this vital quest to realize the possibilities of imagination is the lens through which we must view tomorrow’s digital marketing industry.

“At the heart of this, we are all problem solvers. We want to find creative solutions to the business challenges we face. Now, we need to take those same skills and apply them to our industry itself,” Donohue says. “In leadership, you have to model the behaviors that you seek.”

Jodi Harris is senior editor at iMedia Connection.

Want to hear the latest from this week’s iMedia Agency Summit? Follow the conversation on Twitter #iMediaSummit.

Japanese clothing brand UNIQLO is the most hotly discussed topic on Twitter on the morning of May 24. The store, which is renowned for its low-cost but fashionable clothes, takes out the first and fifth places with the terms “UNIQLO LUCKY LINE?????” and “#uniqlo_line”. Twitter users are tweeting about UNIQLO in hope of winning one of the contests being held for the company’s 60th anniversary.

“Nigerian Monkey Pox” is trending in second place. “Nigerian Monkey Pox was a joke from the TV show “The Boondocks” that was on tonight”, explains one Twitter user.

In third place is the hashtag “iknowsomeonethat”. Microbloggers are spreading stories about the people they know, sharing their friends’ and acquaintances’ good and bad traits.

The hit American TV show “Lost” has finally come to an end after six seasons on air. The finale was aired on May 23 and fans of the show are tweeting about the much-anticipated ending with the terms “#lostfinale” (in fourth place), “About Lost” (in seventh place), “Series Finale” (in eighth place) and “Purgatory” (in tenth place).

According to recent news reports, Simon Monjack, the husband of late American actress Brittany Murphy, was found dead at his home in LA, USA on Sunday May 23. Twitter users are passing on their condolences with the term “Monjack,” which is currently trending in sixth position.

The name of Indian Bollywood film “Kites” is in ninth place. Twitter users are posting their micro reviews of the popular movie.

The top 10 most talked about topics on Twitter on May 24 at 9:30 AM GMT are:

1. UNIQLO LUCKY LINE?(new)
2. Nigerian Monkey Pox (new)
3. #iknowsomeonethat (new)
4. #lostfinale (new)
5. #uniqlo_line (new)
6. Monjack (new)
7. About Lost (new)
8. Series Finale (new)
9. Kites (new)
10. Purgatory (new)

Officers in the Houston area are concerned that the product sold on store shelves is nothing more than a gateway to an incredibly dangerous and addictive drug. The snazzy ad campaign fully leverages the power of the brand of “purple stuff” being sold on the streets already. Teenagers who can’t get the real stuff would likely be enticed by the substitute until the door is open for the actual product.

I spoke with Dr. Elaina George, a prominent physician out of Atlanta, about the dangers of seemingly harmless purple “drank” used by many teenagers across the country after watching Lil Wayne videos (and those of other artists who promote the cough syrup mixture being sold illegally). Here is what she had to say about the symptoms:

“Short-term symptoms include Impaired judgment, nausea, loss of coordination, headache, vomiting, loss of consciousness, numbness of fingers and toes, abdominal pain, irregular heartbeat, aches, seizures, panic attacks, psychosis, euphoria, cold flashes, dizziness, and diarrhea.”

Oh, I forgot to mention, the symptoms mentioned above are assuming your child doesn’t become addicted. Here are the long-term symptoms in the advent of addiction:

“Restlessness, insomnia, high-blood pressure, coma, or even death.”

I understand capitalist models and can almost appreciate the logic that leads companies to find even more ways to exploit ridiculous behavior in the black community. We are an intelligent and enlightened people, even if everyone can’t see the light. But there is also the question regarding whether or not there should be regulations in place to stop companies from so blatantly utilizing an unhealthy trend to make a profit. What if my company went to Montana, where Crystal Meth is a serious problem and started to sell a product called “Meth Lite”? How fast would the Montana state legislature put me out of business?

When it comes to “Sippin Syrup,” “drinking drank” and getting the “purple stuff,” the bottom line is this: Companies should not be allowed to accelerate teen drug abuse and rappers should be conscientious enough to stop giving this drug free promotion. Teenagers are sheep who follow the examples which already exist in their culture. If we are making the bed for them, then who do we blame when they choose to sleep in it? The new drink in stores called “Sippin Syrup” needs to be taken off the market NOW.

Originally Posted by Boyce Watkins, PhD

Although I can’t say that I am a mayor yet at any local Chicago establishments, visiting my favorite merchants has never been more rewarding. That is — since location-based social networks like Foursquare, Gowalla and SimpleGeo have popped up allowing me to check in, provide reviews and be rewarded with badges and discounts.
As mobile phone and social network adoption continues, these applications have a substantial opportunity to capture more users and advertisers with a solid strategy and monetize their products. Like other local search platforms, content is king for these companies. In order to be successful, it is imperative networks like Foursquare and Twitter, who also gives users the ability to turn on/off latitude and longitude, start with accurate local business listings for consumers whenever, wherever.

Accurate listings information is crucial

Checking in and notifying “friends” where you are on social sites isn’t very interesting if you are sitting at home watching television, however, if you are trying a new restaurant in the neighborhood, local, user-generated content becomes more compelling. Friends and followers want to know how is the food, ambiance, should I try it out?

In order for location-based applications to succeed with monetization, they should make correct local business listings a #1 priority, ensuring that duplicate listings do not exist and that information is up-to-date and correct. Otherwise, these applications will lose appeal.

A critical issue for all location-based networks is verification of the venue information as a way to prevent duplicate and/or wrong listings information. Read through the posts on getsatisfaction.com for merging and deleting listings and tips for fixing spelling or other errors on Foursquare and you will see the problems cropping up related to local listings venue information.

Monetization ability

So far, local businesses are showing interest in location-based sites because it adds another layer of social interaction with frequent and prospective customers. This engagement will present many monetization opportunities if these sites can get control of the local user demographic info provided via check-ins. To handle this, many speculate that location-based sites will soon offer a dashboard with sentiment analysis where businesses can identify what consumers are saying on sites regarding their products/services ultimately giving more opportunity to create targeted campaigns. This information can be very powerful as ads can be tailored to specific audiences and sent through email, SMS and/or display ads — very similar to Facebook’s ad targeting. Here is a chance to really get to know the likes/dislikes of consumers at a granular level.

For example, if a location-based site knows I am in Chicago, specifically near the Magnificent Mile, and knows my latitude and longitude it will make a huge difference in recognizing whether I am outside of FAO Schwartz getting ready to shop for toys or approaching Tiffany & Co. to buy jewelry for my wife. If I am about to enter Tiffany & Co., this would be a great opportunity for Cartier to serve up an ad or another high-end store. Location-based networks give advertisers an incredible level of granularity and opportunity to really hone in on potential buyers.

Great opportunity for local and national businesses

Beyond targeting capabilities, location-based services provide local and national businesses many SEO benefits. Google and Bing maps are showcasing Foursquare venues when people search locally. Also, for national advertisers, targeting potential at the hyper-local level is now a reality. There might be a day where a company like Nissan for example will not need a mass advertising campaign because they can target online ads to local shoppers with families, environment-focused consumers or those interested in luxury cars.

As with all local searchable content, business listing identity management is key for advertisers. Businesses need to take control of the data that is out there on various search platforms and the user-generated content that is available through social sites and applications. We anticipate many partnerships will take place in this space to merge already popular platforms (Facebook, Twitter) with those that are successfully deploying the local-social gaming experience (Foursquare, Gowalla). In the end, what will really tie everything together is access to accurate and verified local search business listings.

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* References to products and services in trendcentral do not imply our endorsement, but rather are intended to provide objective insights into emerging trends and examples of those trends. trendcentral is published by The Intelligence Group, a trend research and consumer insights company focusing on youth culture. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated Cassandra Report studies, please contact Noelle Weaver at 212-277-5244 or via email at nweaver@intelg.com.

 Labor force decline not explained by enrollment There could be a silver lining to the labor market deterioration if labor force declines among young adults were explained by increased school enrollment. There are however several problems with this explanation. First enrolled students can and do participate in the labor force.While it is easier to think of students and workers as two distinct groups, that is not the case. At the start of the recession, 45% of 16 to 24 year olds that were enrolled in high school or college either had a job or were actively looking for work. Although the reasons vary – such as the need to finance education, save for additional education or to cover living expenses – a large portion of students need employment in addition to school. We can and should not see enrollment as solving the unemployment problem for young workers; it is a problem for enrolled students, too. In the first 24 months of the recession, enrollment among 16 to 24 year-olds in high school or college increased by 861,000, while over the same period, the labor force of 16-24-year-old workers declined by 1.5 million. Even if there was no overlap, enrollment would not provide sufficient answers. 

Implications

In light of the disproportionate impact of the current downturn on young adults, the following question arises: why is unemployment so high for young workers? The job market for young adults, particularly teens, has always been highly cyclical, but the severity of the current downturn is a key part of the answer. The recession that began in December 2007 was marked by severe job loss. The number and share of jobs lost during the current downturn is truly remarkable—it eclipses recent prior recessions, and has created a deep hole in the labor market of more than 11 million jobs.1 As previously stated, younger workers are more vulnerable than other age groups. With less experience comes less job protection, an idea often captured by the phrase, “Last one hired, first one fired.” But this recession has specific qualities that reinforce this problem for young workers. Most important, the bursting of the housing bubble resulted in the loss of around $5 trillion in residential wealth. With plummeting home values and shrinking 401(k)s, many people lost a significant portion of their planned retirement. For example, the median household with a person between the ages of 55 and 64 saw their wealth fall by almost 38% between 2004 and 2009 (Baker 2009). In the face of such a loss, many older workers chose to delay retirement and either continue working or go back to work because they could not afford to retire. The size of the labor force declined by 6.3% for young workers, but it increased 8.5% for workers 55 and older. Not only are there fewer jobs in the economy, but also fewer workers retiring and opening up positions. This is a troubling development—young adults are less prepared to deal with unemployment than other age groups. They have not had many years of employment, or probably have not qualified for the highest paying positions, so their ability to save is curtailed. Hence, they are not likely to have accumulated much savings, or an individual safety net. However, without significant prior full-time work experience, many may not qualify for  unemployment insurance, or the social safety net. It is not surprising then, that young adults are also more likely to be indebted. A study by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research (Greenberg and Keating 2009) found that 37% of young adults 29 and under had more than $5,000 in non-mortgage and non-student loan debt, primarily in the form of credit cards. Indeed, according to the Survey of Consumer Finances, the highest leverage ratio for any age group is for those 35 and under, with a ratio of 44% of debts to assets. Moreover, a downturn in the youth labor market is particularly worrisome because it comes at a critical time for workers. Work during teen years is characterized as being highly path-dependent—work status in one period is very sensitive to work status in the time period before. Individuals with more work experience are more likely to work. Sum et al. (2008) have shown the importance of high school employment on post-high school employment and concluded that those who do not work in high school were more likely to be completely disconnected from the labor market. This is an intuitive conclusion, as those with work experience have both shown basic jobs skills and benefitedfrom human capital investment, such as training, that make them more attractive for further work. With a dramatic downturn in the young adult labor market, fewer young workers are being incorporated into this path. However, even if young workers are employed, they may be more likely now to be in a job below their skill level, such as a college graduate who waits tables. With such little financial security, as explained above, young workers have less freedom to wait out a downturn and  so they frequently take whatever job is available, even if it pays less than a job that matches their skill level. The loss of human capital that occurs when taking jobs in lower-level occupations is one of the principle contributors to the long-run negative effect recessions have on the wages of young workers (Kahn 2009). Indeed, there is a permanent effect of lost work experience on wages as it delays the start of a young worker’s climb (Elwood 1982). This is a serious drain on labor market potential— lower earnings, lower output, lower productivity, and the displacement of less-educated workers. Low wages also jeopardize the return to higher education.

Conclusion

The 2007 recession has produced an unemployment crisis for young workers—one that has increased labor market inequalities on a level not seen by any other age group. Whether they are one of the many who have left the labor market discouraged or one of the many that have taken low-skilled work, the recession will have a significant scarring effect on their human capital and therefore on their earnings. It is not enough for the economy to recover; young adults need robust growth in the labor market to minimize the effects of the current recession.

(New York, NY) April 7, 2010 – Key executives from Disney, LF USA, Hasbro, Mattel and Toys“R”Us will give their perspective on “The Future of Entertainment Licensing” in a keynote panel that will kick off the Licensing International Expo 2010, June 8 -10 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The panel will be held 9 – 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 8 and is free for all show attendees.

The discussion, moderated by Marty Brochstein, LIMA’s Senior Vice President of Industry Relations and Information, will cover current challenges and examine how ongoing changes in the entertainment and retail marketplaces will affect the licensing industry going forward. The panelists will also share their thoughts on what licensees and licensors need to do to adapt in today’s fast-paced business environment.

The following executives will take part in “The Future of Entertainment Licensing” keynote panel:

Rick Darling, President, LF USA – Darling also serves as executive director of Hong Kong-based Li & Fung Limited, the world’s leading consumer goods supply-chain management company. He is credited with establishing Li & Fung’s merchandising, marketing and supply chain management services in the U.S. as well as its Supply Chain Management (SCM) program. Prior to Li & Fung, Darling founded Millwork Trading Company, which was in joint venture with Li & Fung for 16 years until Li & Fung acquired it in 1998. Today, Darling drives Li & Fung’s rapidly expanding on-shore model, LF USA, which has become increasingly involved in the licensing business through its ownership of such companies as Kids Headquarters and Briefly Stated. LF USA’s strong design, merchandising and marketing front end combine with Li & Fung’s global sourcing platform to provide proprietary brands, licensed product and private label to major retailers in the U.S. Darling also serves on the board of Fashion Delivers and is Vice Chairman of the American Apparel & Footwear Association.

Karen Dodge, Senior VP, Chief Merchandising Officer, Toys“R”Us, Inc. – Dodge oversees all aspects of merchandising U.S. operations, including all Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us stores and the legendary FAO Schwarz flagship store in New York City, and leads a team of merchants in identifying worldwide product trends and innovations to maintain and strengthen the company’s position as the toy and baby products authority. She is also instrumental in building manufacturer relationships to ensure the best in-stock positions on hot products and negotiate first-to-market opportunities. A distinguished retail veteran, Dodge came to Toys“R”Us in 2007 from Marshall Fields, where she held several senior VP-level merchandising positions over a 30-year period. She is credited with spearheading the initiative to establish Marshall Fields as a fashion destination.

John Frascotti, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Hasbro, Inc. – Frascotti is responsible for leading Hasbro’s global marketing and merchandising efforts and growing its deep portfolio of brands, including Transformers, Nerf, Monopoly, Littlest Pet Shop and hundreds of other brands. Before joining Hasbro in 2008, he was Senior Vice President of the Sport Division at Reebok International Ltd. where he managed the company’s largest global business segment. Frascotti began his career at Reebok in 1989 as an attorney and switched over to the product and marketing side of business in 1990. Between 1999 and 2002 he served as President and COO of Myteam.com, a direct marketing company, before returning to Reebok in 2002. Frascotti held several senior executive positions during his tenure at Reebok, including Senior Vice President of the Fitness Division, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Licensing, and Vice President of Global Sports and Entertainment Marketing.

Neil Friedman, President, Mattel Brands – A toy industry icon who helped popularize the pairing of technology and toys more than a decade ago under the Fisher-Price brand, Friedman oversees Mattel Brands, which includes Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price, as well as toys licensed by Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 and Cars, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Thomas & Friends, Dora the Explorer and many other popular kids’ properties. Under his leadership, Fisher-Price introduced Tickle Me Elmo, one of the most successful launches in toy industry history. Friedman joined Mattel in 1997, following its merger with Tyco Toys and had previously served as President of MCA/Universal Merchandising. He is a former Chairman of LIMA’s board of directors and was inducted into the Licensing Industry Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2004, Friedman was inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame by the Toy Industry Association (TIA).

Andy Mooney, Chairman, Disney Consumer Products – Mooney oversees worldwide day-to-day operations of the business unit, which extends the Disney brand into a broad range of merchandise categories, including toys, apparel, home décor, interactive games, food and beverages, electronics, and books and magazines. He and his team have been credited with encouraging product innovation and bolstering the Disney brand by developing strong relationships with many of the world’s largest and most trusted retailers. Mooney was named Chairman in 2003 after having served as President since 1999. Before Disney, he spent 20 years with Nike, ultimately becoming Chief Marketing Officer.

To register for “The Future of Entertainment Licensing” keynote panel, go to www.licensingexpo.com and click on the University tab at the top of the page or call (888) 644-2022.

In addition to the keynote session, LIMA has organized more than 30 seminars for Licensing International Expo 2010. The complete lineup is available at licensingexpo.com.

Hip Hop and Urban Trends

The Worlds’ First Fashion and StreetWear Magazine SoJones, has been a trendsetter in identifying what is hot in the world of Hip Hop, his retail centered enterprise has given insight to the hip hop and urban community on what are the latest trends in Hip Hop lifestyle, celebrity news and of course clothing and accessories. The following article from RachelC gives us an update on What’s New, What’s Hot and What’s Not:

Catching Up with the Founder of SoJones
Article written by: RachelC

It’s been a minute since we’ve featured SoJones founder Rod “C.KhiD” Rainey. The original urban tastemaker and music artist sits down for an interview to let the readers know what he’s been into, what he’s wearing and what he’s hating!

SoJones Founder Rod “C.KhiD” Rainey
So Rod what have you been up to, what’s your new passion?

My passion’s always been art first and basketball second. I’m doing music and entertainment full time with a side of KicksAndChicks.com. As a music artist, C.KhiD, I’m having fun with the music. I’ve been singing since 2nd or 3rd grade and rapping since 6th or 7th. I’m just using that first talent I developed and using it to make my future.

My brand CKHID and C.KhiD is an aim at conquering some of the new hip hop songs and music that push nonsense. Kicks and Chicks, I have fun with that project as well but I may be selling it soon.

What are you seeing in the fashion market that you are liking? Not liking?

At this point of time, I hate how Nike prostituted some of their sneakers. [But] I love how they did the DMP and CDP Jordan packages.

I’m digging the original streetwear but hating the ones just slapping a label on clothing and tripling prices. And Sean John clothing, that should be in every stylish man’s closet.

What are you wearing right now?

I have on a C.KhiD t-shirt, black Sean John jeans with a grey fade, and Space Jam Jordans. My Burberry watch, just took it off but I like my watch. I just like to put a little value on time but not ODing.

Think Air Jordans will still be going strong in another 20 years?

20 years from now, Air Jordans will probably be less hyped if they don’t pick up a new player to carry the brand. They need a top 5 player to carry it in my eyes.

Anything you were wearing in 2009 but dropped for 2010?

2009, I dropped all the colorful stuff. Everybody was trying to be tooo ‘individualistic’ which I did from 2002-2007 hard. I look good in black, heather grey, and brown so I stepped it up into those colors.

Air Force 1s are definitely completely gone. I lightened up on Nike SB Dunks because they are releasing so many.

Switching gears to music, I hear you had a mix tape out last year that did pretty well.
Def did ! Black Box Dreams is what i call the ‘rap mixtape album.’ All original music on my mixtape and no DJs spinning, just new songs I wrote. The single “I Want This World” landed on BET Centric and VH1 On-Demand television networks. It’s gotten me a recognition on iTunes charts and I hope everybody reading this downloads anything C.KhiD on iTunes.

Who is just on fire right now for you, who are you burning out on your iPod?

I don’t listen to a lot of new artists regularly. I like to listen to people rated as the greatest song writers of all-time and songs that have lasted through generations. I study those artists and the depth of their music. The Beatles and John Lennon, 2pac Shakur, Ben E. King, Bob Marley, Elvis Presley, Sade, Andre 3000, and more.

I might bump a little T.I. or Nas but other artists, I’m not onto like that anymore.

Big plans for 2010?

I hope to see my next CD “Black Box Dreams 2″ do well on iTunes. I’m focused on improving my digital download numbers. The music on “Black Box Dreams 2″ is so incredible I’m already happy as long as people hear it. It took nearly a year to really complete this whole album and I hope the world hears me.

No help from a major record company, record station, major DJ, or co-signs from artists. I’m just going strong hoping to turn ears to C.KhiD on iTunes!

Visit www.sojones.com for the latest and hottest trends in hip hop fashion and streetwear. We salute and congratulate SoJones and wish them continued success.

The future of Hip Hop or should I say the eveolution of Hip Hop is in full effect. What do you think is in store for Hip Hop, music, clothing, lifestyle, what trends do you see?

Stan Lee - Comic Trendsetter and Godfather

Stan Lee, is one of the all time most prolific and recognizable individuals in the “Comic Book Industry”. Lovers of comic books know his name and his work. They probably have followed him of all their comic collecting lives. We all have heard of his creations. The X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, and of course the incredible Spider-Man are all from the mind of Stan-Lee. For more then forty years as an employee of Marvel Comics, he has entertained us through the comic book art created by his imagination. He has also been a crusader and white knight of sorts to the comic book industry throughout some of the industry’s toughest times and has been one of the most influential single individuals the industry has ever birthed. He is truly a Trend Force in comics, TV, Film, Videogames and of course the Licensing industry. We catch up with Stan Lee the Trend Force at his new home and company POW! Entertainment

You know you’re in a legendary place for comic book lovers when you enter the offices of POW! Entertainment (POWN). The earthy entrance is dominated by one of those retail swivel racks you find in a magazine shop, only this one is stuffed with classic comics such as Black Rider, Captain America, and Thor. An enlarged ’60s-era cover of The Fantastic Four fills one wall, an early Spider-Man cover another wall.
This four-room suite is where Stan Lee operates creating tomorrows trends. For those who didn’t spend their youth reading comics, Stan Lee is the trendsetter and godfather of comic books, the legend responsible for Spider-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, and dozens of other Marvel Comics characters who lived on the colorful pages and in the hearts of young boys everywhere. Now, at 87, Stan Lee runs POW!, short for Purveyors of Wonder.
Lee may be the wonder. At an age when most people have long since retired, he has no intention of slowing down. The new ideas still come to him at what seems like supersonic comic speed, although he no longer draws the characters he imagines. His legendary trendsetting creativity is what attracted The Walt Disney Co. (DIS), which on Dec. 31 paid $2.5 million for a 10% stake in POW! Disney has several deals with Lee, including a “first look” arrangement to turn his ideas into movies.
“We’re in the content creation business,” says an energetic Lee, sitting in a room dominated by pictures of himself with former Presidents, toys (many of them with his face in place of, say, the greenish scowl of the Hulk), and the ego soothing posters of his comics. One has the shapely figure of Stripperella, a stripper by night and super agent by day. It’s an animated show that Lee created seven years back for the Spike channel, whose clientele is a tad older than the usual comic book crowd. It only lasted a season on Spike, but you can catch Stripperella on your mobile phone, thanks to the Web site GoComics.com.
POW! Entertainment’s Creative Force
POW! hasn’t been a Wall Street superhero. Along with his business partner, movie producer Gill Champion, Lee formed POW! in 2003 through a reverse merger with a former minerals company. POW! is a penny stock, trading at a mere 13.5¢ a share. The idea of the reverse merger, the company says, was to jump-start Lee’s new business rather than go through the lengthy process of an initial public offering. The man, after all, was 80 at the time.
The truth is Lee has never been much of a winner when it comes to the business side. An earlier venture, Stan Lee Media, filed for bankruptcy in 2001, In 2005 he sued his longtime employer, Marvel, settling for more than $10 million, which he contended he was owed for movies that featured characters he created. “It was just a disagreement in interpreting the contract,” he says. “I never for a moment had a problem with Marvel. I worked with them then, am working with them now.” Stan Lee is truly a trensetter, a trend force having influenced the comic industry more than any one figure in the industry. Please share your comments about some of Mr. Lee more recent efforts with Anime and Manga, Paris Hilton and Playboy.

Nintendo's New Competition

The mobile video game industry and its players are changing. Smart phones will soon become the new entrants to the mobile game market — the iPhone and iPod Touch, both by Apple and others by Google, Microsoft and others will raise the pressure for Nintendo who is launching a new game system.
These new smart multifunction phone and music players will run games that can be downloaded from online stores and potentially at physical stores, like GameStop will help these companies build a fan base among less hard-core game players.

The following report is By Matthew Shaer…
And the 3D revolution rolls onwards. First it was movie theaters. Then it was 3D TV sets. Now it’s video game systems. On Tuesday, Nintendo announced it would soon begin selling a device called the Nintendo 3DS, which the company is billing as the world’s first 3D handheld gaming platform. There are a lot of question marks here: There is no word on price, for instance, and Nintendo has not specified how the 3DS technology actually works.
Nintendo says that the 3DS, which apparently does not require 3D glasses to properly view 3D games, should be available sometime in the next year. In an interview with the New York Times, Ken Toyoda, chief spokesman at Nintendo, said that the 3DS will get its official unveiling at E3, the annual electronics expo. “We’ll invite people to play with the new device then,” Mr. Toyoda said.

As the Times points out, there is at least one existing 3D device that works without 3D glasses. The atrociously-titled Hitachi Wooo H001 cellphone, which went on sale in Japan last year, allows owners to switch to 3D parallax view by flipping a switch on the side of the device. A new video circulating the web (see below) suggests that the Nintendo 3DS could use similar parallax mapping technology to simulate depth and distance. Perhaps it will also use an accelerometer, similar to iPhone and iPod Touch, to track tilt and change the on-screen image accordingly.

In recent months, Nintendo has sought to expand the reach of the DS handheld line, which already dominates the portable gaming market. At the end of March, for instance, Nintendo is set to release the DSi XL, a large-screen version of the standard DS. Among the first games available for the DSi XL will be “100 Classic Books” – a title designed to appeal to casual audiences unlikely to be interested in first-person shooters or sports car racing.

Are you a Nintendo DS fan? We want to hear from you. Would you consider shelling over a couple of extra bucks for the Nintendo 3DS? Or does the device look gimmicky? Drop us a line in the comments section.

Enrollment in America’s elementary and secondary schools continues to rise to all-time highs, and our younger learners continue to show gains in educational achievement over time. The overall achievement levels of secondary school students have not risen over time, but we do see some increases in the percentage of students entering college after high school and earning a postsecondary credential, according to The Condition of Education 2009 report released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

“This report allows us to take a big-picture look at the condition of American education,” said NCES Acting Commissioner Stuart Kerachsky. “What we see are some improvements, such as higher math and reading scores for 4th- and 8th-graders, but persistent challenges remain in educating a growing and increasingly diverse population.”

The Condition of Education is a congressionally mandated report that provides an annual portrait of education in the United States. The 46 indicators included in this year’s report cover all aspects of education, from early childhood through postsecondary education and from student achievement to school environment and resources.

Among the report’s other findings: 

• Public elementary and secondary enrollment is projected to increase to 54 million in 2018. Over the period of 2006 to 2018, the South is projected to experience the largest increase (18 percent) in the number of students enrolled.  
• Between 1972 and 2007, the percentage of public school students who were White decreased from 78 to 56 percent. This decrease largely reflects the growth in the number of students who were Hispanic; particularly in the West.
• The average reading and mathematics scores on the long-term trend National Assessment of Educational Progress were higher in 2008 than in the early 1970s for 9- and 13-year-olds; scores for 17-year-olds were not measurably different over the same period.  
• In 2005-06, about three-quarters of the 2002-03 freshman class graduated from high school with a regular diploma.  
• The rate of college enrollment immediately after high school completion increased from 49 percent in 1972 to 67 percent by 1997, but has since fluctuated between 62 and 69 percent.
• About 58 percent of first-time students seeking a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent and attending a 4-year institution full time in 2000-01 completed a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent at that institution within 6 years.
• The percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds who had completed a bachelor’s degree or higher increased from 17 to 29 percent between 1971 and 2000 and was 31 percent in 2008.
• Women accounted for 57 percent of the bachelor’s degrees and 62 percent of all associate’s degrees awarded in the 2006-07 academic year.

Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde will star in the live-action adaptation of the Platinum Studios graphic novel with Jon Favreau directing.
Favreau, who is represented by CAA, will direct the long-gestating DreamWorks/Universal project, which previously had Downey attached last summer. Daniel Craig has since replaced Downey. Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Ron Howard is producing with Steven Spielberg, Platinum Studios CEO Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.
Story is set in the Old West, where cowboys and Native Americans battle in Arizona (should be Texas) — until a spaceship crashes and a new enemy equipped with superior technology emerges. “Cowboys and Aliens” is based on the Platinum Studios Comics graphic novel written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley.
The popularity of 3D is evident to everyone in Hollywood. It’s pretty apparent that a comic adaptation like Cowboys and Aliens is a of film that would benefit from the 3-D treatment; but we should hope studios won’t make it 3D just because its popular instead of focusing on the story, diversity and symbolism possible from a film that has at its core the history of America’s wild wild west. I also hope they do not overlook the diversity of the cowboys. This could be result in some very interesting characters.
That graphic novel was published in 2006, but Hollywood has been hot for the high-concept project since “Cowboys and Aliens” was first acquired by Universal and DreamWorks in 1997. The script has been through at least seven rewrites.
Favreau and Downey will work together on “Iron Man 3,” which will likely be distributed by Paramount Pictures in its multipicture deal with Marvel Entertainment despite Marvel’s $4 billion acquisition by Disney.

Psychologist Craig Anderson of Iowa State University and his team analyzed existing studies of 130,000 people from the U.S., Europe and Japan. His findings held for players in Western and Eastern cultures, for male and female players and for players of various ages. They also contradict some earlier studies, whose findings the current authors say are tainted by “selection bias” — the method by which they selected studies to analyze.

The new study notes that while violence in movies and TV shows has long been examined for its potential impact on viewers’ proclivity for violence, video gaming, a much newer phenomenon, has not yet been so fully explored.

In its review of data, the new research found that exposure to violent video games was associated with aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition and aggressive “affect.” It desensitizes users and is associated with lack of empathy and a lack of “prosocial” behavior.

In an accompanying commentary, Christopher Ferguson and John Kilburn of the department of behavioral applied science and criminal justice at Texas A&M International University note flaws in Anderson’s analysis, including what they say is his own selection bias. Ferguson — whose earlier research is the main object of Anderson’s criticism — points out that, even with what he views as a bias in Anderson’s selection of studies, Anderson found only a weak connection between violent video gaming and violent thoughts and deeds. Finally, Ferguson notes that violent crime in the U.S. and other developed nations where video games are played has decreased over the decades during which video gaming has grown in popularity. The commentary concludes:

Although it is certainly true that few researchers suggest that VVGs [violent video games] are the sole cause of violence, this does not mean they cannot be wrong about VVGs having any meaningful effect at all. Psychology, too often, has lost its ability to put the weak (if any) effects found for VVGs on aggression into a proper perspective. In doing so, it does more to misinform than inform public debates on this issue.
Michael D. Gallagher, president of the Entertainment Software Association, responded in a prepared statement:

Numerous authorities, including the U.S. Surgeon General, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and numerous courts have thoroughly and critically examined the social science research and found that it does not establish any causal link between violent content and violent behavior.
Most recently in 2008, Drs. Cheryl K. Olson and Lawrence Kutner, co-founders and directors of the Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health and Media, conducted a study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice on the effects of video games on young teenagers. In contrast to previous research, they studied real children and families in real situations. In their authoritative analysis, Grand Theft Childhood, they found that ‘the strong link between video game violence and real world violence, and the conclusion that video games lead to social isolation and poor interpersonal skills, are drawn from bad or irrelevant research, muddleheaded thinking and unfounded, simplistic news reports.’
But the new study’s authors, confident in their findings, say it’s time to move toward a fix:

Concerning public policy, we believe that debates can and should finally move beyond the simple question of whether violent video game play is a causal risk factor for aggressive behavior. Instead, we believe the public policy debate should move to questions concerning how best to deal with this risk factor. Public education about this risk factor — and about how parents, schools, and society at large can deal with it — could be very useful.
“Video games are neither inherently good nor inherently bad,” the study says. “But people learn. And content matters.”

Do your kids play violent video games? Do you think those games affect the way they think or act?

Comedy Central has greenlit a standup series that Russell Simmons and Stan Lathan (”Def Comedy Jam”) will exec produce.
JB Smoove (”Curb Your Enthusiasm”) will host the urban-accented showcase, which will be taped in Los Angeles on Wednesday and Thursday for airing in summertime. Cabler has ordered six episodes of the half-hour skein.

“We’ve been trying to get into business with Russell and Stan for a while now, and this new standup series is an exciting first venture for us to partner with them,” said Elizabeth Porter, Comedy Central’s senior veep of specials and talent. Show is currently untitled.

Each of the episodes will feature three comics on the rise. DJ Cassidy is providing music.

Simmons and Lathan’s “Def Comedy Jam” franchise for HBO helped spur the careers of comics including Chris Tucker, Dave Chappelle, Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac, Steve Harvey and Mo’Nique.

To address the problems and opportunities more directly and effectively, the Association for Consumer Research has launched an initiative called “transformative consumer research,” defined as “rigorous and applied consumer research.

When we look at consumer trends and related marketing opportunities we must explore poverty, materialism, consumption and its variables, food and health, social justice, access to communications technology, economically challenged groups, immigration, culture, and ethnicity.

It is our opinion that there are not enough ad agencies, research firms or university marketing departments considering all of the above elements when researching or teaching consumer trends and marketing.

Being observant and knowledgeable of consumer behavior is critical to spotting trends before they develop. It helps to break the world down into lifestyle or niche interests. This makes your observations more meaningful and eliminates a lot of throwaway information.

Being observant includes talking with people in person, on line, reading and watching the news and then un-spinning the news, most of which is found information that others regurgitate as new, and become the World’s Greatest Trend Spotter.

How? Stop being a passive consumer of media. You have to actively deconstruct it and constantly be in “analysis mode” of what you look for and all that you read or, dare I say, skim!

For that to happen, you need an arsenal of knowledge. You have to be the one person who knows more than the next guy. Meaning: start learning from your/your clients’ customers. You’ve heard it so many times that it may seem trite, but listening is essential to forecasting trends and it’s something folks don’t think about.

What do you think?

The world is changing; opportunities to influence and improve our understanding of human behavior and marketing on a global level are available to us like never before. This raises the question… Is it time to re-examine trends consumer behavior and marketing?

We believe that next generation companies like GrapevineStar with its GSEConnect.com and many others have the right structure, resources and niche strategy for better understanding consumer behavior and trends.

The Media & Entertainment Professionals Group would like to hear your professional opinions…. Is it time to re-examine trends in human behavior and marketing?

Discuss Here or on:

LinkedIn: Media & Entertainment Professionals Group
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=100208

Facebook: Media & Entertainment Professionals Group
http://Facebook.com/MEPros

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RECOMMENDED READING

The New Rules of Marketing and Pr: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly By David Meerman Scott

2011 Trendspotting for the Next Decade By Richard Laermer
Make trend spotting a part-time job. So that when a trend actually goes big time you will have known about it, having been one who “got” it before everyone is aware of it. BUY THE BOOK HERE –>

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Communications For Marketers 2010: Find Trends or Go Home
By: Richard Laermer

2011: Trendspotting for the Next Decade By Richard Laermer

Today, if you sell anything for a living, you need to look through the news in all its myriad forms to understand how an idea becomes newsy—or water cooler talk—in first place. It’s all about finding the right trend—being on top of everything.

In the near future, it’s going to be much harder to figure out what the trends are—but that’s ok. As media becomes not a print vehicle or a TV station or even a product held in our hands, the people we depend upon for knowledge, data and worthy opinion are going to be the ones on top of the details.

To thrive as a communicator in this nascent era, the goal is to become a student of the unvarnished “influencer”—the one who brings trends to others before they have them memorized.

Dig past the superficiality of nonstop babbling columnists who have nothing helpful to say—and ignore them. Understand the new “news” will be whatever drives clicks—and those (sometimes sensational) elements often don’t match with the defining traits of previously investigative media—truth, service, objectivity, and so on.

This means you will need to un-spin the news, most of which is found information that others regurgitate as new, and become the World’s Greatest Trend Spotter.
How? Stop being a passive consumer of media. You have to actively deconstruct it and constantly be in “analysis mode” of what you look for and all that you read or, dare I say, skim!
For that to happen, you need an arsenal of knowledge. You have to be the one person who knows more than the next guy. Meaning: start learning from your/your clients’ customers. You’ve heard it so many times that it may seem trite, but listening is essential to forecasting trends and it’s something folks don’t think is in their purview.

Not quite.

• Ask customers questions about your products and services—get the difficult answers.
• Ask what they’re looking for next.
• Ask your customers what they think—just few questions, don’t abuse folks’ time—by organizing online or in-person focus groups and hear (then use) what people are thinking.
• Find out what media they’re using and what they think of current events.

Then use all that to filter the information you place for like minded folks to find.

Get filled with a new sense of cultural awareness as you read and ask and take in what people say—not half-assed thinking but actual considering what people are saying. Spend a few minutes away from your Black-i-Pre and meditate on the information someone just told you.

You will be the savvier when something suddenly hits big because you saw it coming. In this new society where everyone is hit by hype every second or two, you will be the person in your circle that collects trends…instead of bobble-heads!

That said, to know who the so-called are newsmakers in the future—you’ll need to be, well, a reporter… That means a person who breathes current events of every stripe.

And most especially, learn to be the person who reads a story and sees why a certain company was featured (or not, for that matter). Yes, I get that is a tall order requiring you to become more informed across the board. It calls for you to stop consuming only the media that interests you.

Stop reading the same old things. S-t—r—e—tch. Absorbing, studying and imprinting on lots of different subjects enable you to see the big picture. That’s when REAL and truly newsworthy starts to seep into your over-moisturized pores.

This makes you so much more aware of what people are trying to cram down your throat as faux newsworthy. For example, I read ”Pizza Today,” and it gets me a lot of useful information, as does my poring over “Call Center” magazine (uncannily still churning as “Gourmet” hits the skids).

With media growing from a handful of places to everywhere you turn and with everyone a published reporter thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Web, you must careful about what’s pretense and what’s not—and digging into EVERYTHING is your cure to getting conned.

It’s refreshing when people talk to each other with more than just a semblance of knowledge-or what we used to call “faking it.” If you market for a living, you need to be informed in a way that appears to be getting harder and harder.

Everything we turn to has become overly personalized and overtly customized. Marketers flood our mailboxes with offers that have been customized for us alone. Hundreds, okay thousands, of sites offer services to help us get info “quicker” like My Yahoo! or MyLaermer.com or MyAlreadyKnownNewsInfoWebSite.

On a more profound level, the ease with which we can arrange to be spoon-fed only what we deem worthy is dangerous. With this you become less informed than you ought to be, or would if you had to seek out all this information yourself. Just because you can find it easily doesn’t mean it’s worth finding. Customization has led us down a wily path of surreal, distorted knowledge.

My elders tell me the folks who didn’t burn up in the 1929 Great Crash days were well‐informed because they read everything available to them (which wasn’t much)! They saw cultural indicators that told them to react—fast! In pre-breadline 2010, we’d do well to follow our forefathers’ advice and cull knowledge from the broadest possible sources.

There’s no better time to learn how to become the educated news sniffer-outer. Become the one who knows the difference between a fad and a trend. To be that one you have to search for indicators of what direction a targeted country/ industry/ group is headed; to do that appropriately you have to have the know-it-all recognize something no one else has noticed is bubbling up as a ridiculously cool, and 100% brand new, trend.

Go make trend spotting a part-time job. So that when you a trend actually goes big time you will have know about it, having been one who “got” it before it took everyone over.

Richard Laermer, CEO RLM PR and Trend Spotter Emeritus

BUY THE BOOK HERE –>

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Richard Laermer is an oft-quoted source to media and other influential types on topics regarding the future of this crazed world and the author of the brand new book 2011: Trendspotting. Some background: the CEO of RLM PR, one of the only independent PR firms that

http://laermer.com/
http://twitter.com/laermer

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GrapevineStar™ Entertainment Inc. Partners with Out of the Box Publishing® Inc. to offer 10 Days in Beautiful Africa™

Grapevine, Texas | Dodgeville, Wisconsin – Historic Grapevine Texas based Grapevine Star Entertainment Inc. signed a strategic partnership with Out of the Box Publishing to release 10 Days in Beautiful Africa. Featuring all new artwork by internationally acclaimed artist Lap Ngo, integration with social media and as one part of a host of products and media initiatives to portray a positive more informative understanding of the African continent, its people, resources and contributions to the world. This new, family fun and educationally focused version of the Box’s award winning game 10 Days in Africa® is immediately available to ship.

10 Days in Beautiful Africa™

The fifth in the award winning 10 Days series of games, 10 Days in Beautiful Africa offers identical game play to 10 Days in Africa, but features enhanced educational content and entirely new graphics, fine art & illustrations. Out of the Box Publishing also offers 10 Days in the USA, 10 Days in Europe and 10 Days in Asia. All four games are widely used in classrooms, homeschool curriculum and afterschool programs, and have won a lengthy list of awards.

10 Days in Beautiful Africa is for 2 to 4 players, ages 10 to adult. 10 Days in Beautiful Africa will be available at specialty toy stores at a suggested retail of $29.99 or can be ordered for retail by contacting Grapevine Star Entertainment. Wholesale and Distributor relationships are available.

GrapevineStar has also developed corporate sponsorship programs for companies doing business on the Africa continent, Non-Profits and Educators that include special branding, message integration opportunities and special pricing. For more information contact GrapevineStar.

About Out of the Box Publishing
Since 1999, Out of the Box Publishing has been a leader in the Business of Fun! Headquartered in Dodgeville, WI, Out of the Box produces a gamut of games. From single-player to party games, from quick and light games to engaging strategy games, Out of the Box games are designed to please the entire family. Fun has always been our mission, and happiness can be found….right Out of the Box!
Visit www.otb-games.com to learn more.

About Beautiful Africa™ – A New Way to Look at Africa™
Beautiful Africa is a cause based intellectual property that features multimedia events, products and social networks, with its partners it creates, produces, licenses, and distributes educational, entertainment, and toy & gift content and products worldwide and is dedicated to positively changing the way the world looks at Africa. Beautiful Africa is represented exclusively by GrapevineStar™. Join & follow Beautiful Africa on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, BeautifulAfrica.ning.com.

About Grapevine Star Entertainment Inc.
Grapevine Star Entertainment Inc. (GSE) is a next generation media & entertainment company, an intellectual property owner and manager. GSE develops, sells, and licenses entertainment brands, products, & content integrated with social media. GrapevineStar™ also operates GSEConnect.com, a niche trends news and information site as well as SocialMediaAnalysts.com, a provider of social media solutions. Visit GSE at www.GrapevineStar.com, www.GSEConnect.com, www.GStarSite.com, www.BeautifulAfrica.net to learn more.

Jacob R. Miles III
GrapevineStar Entertainment Inc.
JMiles [at] GrapevineStar.com
214.763.1134

Leah Osterhaus
Out of the Box Publishing Inc.
Leah [at] OTB-Games.com
800.540.2304