Book Tour Virgin is Will Clarke.com

Smell's Like Teen Spirit? No, More Like Surbuban Angst and Oxycotin Withdrawals

VS.

One of the brands at the Retail Advertising Conference was Yankee Candle. They've extended their "brand" into those classy car air-fresheners that hang from rear view mirrors. The Yankee Candle folks are going head to head, toe to toe with those Pine Tree air freshener guys and their will be blood because there can only be one true air freshener in the hearts of cabbies and minivan drivers.

What I learned today at the Retail Advertising Conference in Chicago

1. The Hilton Chicago lobby is poodle-rich fancy.

2. "Sticky" is the new "Tipping Point" when it comes to annoying marketing terms that will be bandied around this year.

3. Being green isn't the new black. It's tablestakes for all retailers and advertisers thanks primarily to Wal-mart of all people. (Yes, big bad evil Wal-mart. Who saw that coming? And is this just a brilliant example of "green washing" a brand or is it for real?)

Nikki Finke Says That Chernin Says That The WGA Says That The Strike Is Pretty Much Over

Click here for more details on this rumor

Blue Skies On The Horizon For The WGA Strike?

Just hanging around, originally uploaded by Immagina.

Nikki Finke over at DeadlineHollywoodDaily reports that there's forward movement in negotiations between the Writers and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

I predict the WGA Strike will be done by the middle of February. That's because AMPTP members know that a disrupted Oscars wouldn't just be an obscene amount of lost advertising revenue for the networks, but it would be a major poisoning of the well in Hollywood particularly with the SAG contract coming into negotiations early this summer.

The North Face Jacket Is The Members Only Jacket of 2008

Before & After

THE ECONOMY	JANUARY 20, 2001	TODAY UNDER BUSH
REAL GDP GROWTH1	4.09% Over Prior 8 Years	2.65% Over Prior 7 Years
NATIONAL DEBT2	$5.7 Trillion	$9.2 Trillion
BUDGET DEFICIT/SURPLUS3	$431 Billion Surplus over the Previous Three Budget Years	$734 Billion Deficit over the Previous Three Budget Years
NEW PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS CREATED4	1.76 Million Jobs Per Year Over Previous 8 Years	369,000 Jobs Per Year Over Previous 7 Years
AMERICANS IN POVERTY 5	31.6 Million	36.5 Million
QUALITY OF LIFE	JANUARY 20, 2001	TODAY UNDER BUSH
AMERICANS UNINSURED & CHANGE IN UNINSURED LEVEL6	38 Million Uninsured 4.5 Million Less in 2 Years	47 Million Uninsured 8.5 Million More in 6 Years
ANNUAL TOTAL PREMIUM COST7	$6,230 for Family Premium	$12,106 for Family Premium
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME & CHANGE IN MEDIAN INCOME8	$49,163 $6,000 Increase in 8 Years	$48,023 $1,100 Decrease in 6 Years
PRICE OF GAS9	$1.39/Gallon	$3.07/Gallon
COST OF COLLEGE10	$3,164 per year	$5,192 per year
PERSONAL SAVINGS RATE11	+2.3%	-0.5%
CONSUMER CREDIT DEBT12	$7.65 Trillion	$12.8 Trillion
UNITED STATES & THE WORLD	JANUARY 20, 2001	TODAY UNDER BUSH
U.S. TRADE DEFICIT13	$380 Billion	$759 Billion
STRENGTH OF U.S. DOLLAR14	1.07 Euros per Dollar	0.68 Euros Per Dollar
COMBAT READINESS15	All Active Duty Army Divisions Were Rated At The Highest Readiness Levels	Not A Single Active Duty Or Reserve Brigade In The U.S. Considered “Fully Combat Ready.”
FOREIGN OIL DEPENDENCY16	52.75% of U.S. Liquid Fuel Consumption is Imported	60.38% of U.S. Liquid Fuel Consumption is Imported
VIEW OF AMERICA ABROAD17 PEW POLL OF TEN NATIONS	58.3% Viewed America Favorably	39.2% Viewed America Favorably
GREAT BRITAIN ’S VIEW OF U.S.	83% Favorable	56% Favorable
INDONESIA ’S VIEW OF U.S.	75% Favorable	30% Favorable
TURKEY ’S VIEW OF U.S.	52% Favorable	12% Favorable
GERMANY ’S VIEW OF U.S.	78% Favorable	37% Favorable

UFO Stephenville Texas on LARRY KING LIVE-JAN 18th

Stephenville Girl Who Looks Like Pat Benatar Gives Her Two Cents About Recent UFO Sightings

Pulpwood Queens and Live-Blogging Don't Mix

The plan was to mo-blog during the Pulpwood Queen's Girlfriend Weekend, but once I got to Jefferson I was swept up in this tornado of books, leopard print, and frosted-pink lipstick kisses. There was no turning back. I did however take a ton of pics and videos. They will be uploaded shortly. So check back regularly to see the updates.

Defamer Reports That The DGA Has Reached An Agreement With ATTMP.

Which means that maybe, just maybe, there's some hope at the end of the tunnel for the WGA's deal.
Defamer gives the details here.