Gawker
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altarcations
The Inevitable Fate Of Amanda Congdon's Glorious Rack
It doesn't matter if you're black or white. Or gay or straight. What matters is that you're single, and the happy couples of the Weddings and Celebrations section of the Sunday NYT aren't. Professional P.Y.T. Phyllis Nefler's on the case: More »
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By Foster KamerComment by BookishLookish: I am the least snobby person on the planet--I met my husband at Coney Island High on St. Mark's Place... 5 Responses | Other threads
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the way we were
Remember when Amanda Congdon was rocketing to the top? Yeah, me neither. Videoblogging's forgotten stars.
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twitterati
The Twitterati Scrape Off a Blueprint Cleanse Stain
Feeling out of it? Then go read what media types like Amanda Congdon and Sarah Lacy are saying about themselves on Twitter. You'll feel better instantly! More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by deathbychichi: On the RSS, the placement of the horizontal rules on the twitter posts is off. It makes it look... more » | Other threads
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twitterati
Twitter Spits on Cold Racists
The Twitterati did not have a good day. Professional web personality Amanda Congdon hates racists, crackpot visionary Jeff Jarvis still hates the media, but TechCrunch editor Michael Arrington is hated most of all! More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Shamoononon, Vampire Grater - Now SWF: Also, is it Los Angeles or Louisiana that is full of racists? 3 Responses | Other threads
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twitterati
A Vile Day for the Twitterati
Was it the sad news of Steve Jobs's ailments? Or just bad fish-oil capsules? Something was off in the Twittersphere today. More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Alaska Miller: Why bother having a Twitter account? Just check this Valleywag feature constantly! 1 Responses | Other threads
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lawsuits
How daddy's money paid for Andrew Baron's Rocketboom
Here's a story far more interesting than anything you'll watch on YouTube: A prodigal scion of a wealthy family, pitted against his powerful father and an ambitious blonde. It's not a pilot for a new courtroom procedural — it's the tale of Andrew Baron's Rocketboom, an online-video startup held up, inexplicably, as an example of the potential of the medium. Sony's seven-figure deal to distribute Rocketboom is seen by some as evidence that the industry is growing up. But what it really tells us is that having access to a credit line backed by Daddy is as sure a recipe for success online as it was in the old Hollywood. The exciting plot twist: Baron's father was not always happy about the arrangement. We've only learned how daddy-dependent Rocketboom was because Fred Baron loaned his son's company a total of $810,300.40, and then took it to court in order to force repayment last year. If you think it's strange for a father to go after his own son's company in court, then you don't know the elder Baron. More »
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By Jackson WestComment by somerandomdude: I have to agree with Andrew, his dad Fred has done a lot of good. For example, has anyone... more » | Other threads
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great moments in journalism
Playboy wants top blogger to pose topless
The whole Xeni Jardin / Violet Blue thing continues to backfire on us. A female editor at Playboy.com alerted us to a "Who's the Web's hottest blogger"? contest they thought up after ogling last week's photos of the two cozied-up lady bloggers. The prize? Playboy will offer the winner a "topless or nude" photo shoot for their site. I fact-checked it with them, and let's be clear: Topless, nude, or forget it. The contestants are Jardin and Blue, plus Julie Alexandra, Veronica Belmont, Amanda Congdon, Brigitte Dale, Sarah Lacy, Sarah Austin and Natali Del Conte. I know what you're thinking: Good luck getting the winner to take it off. As a former Playboy reader (many of the articles are good) I wish they'd asked around first. It'd be easy to solicit nine very photogenic girlbloggers eager to claim the prize. Who'll be #1? Right now the obscure-but-well-shot Brigitte Dale is ahead, but I expect Veronica Belmont's Gadgetboy Army to mobilize today and sweep her to a decisive win — and a decisive NO. Sarah Austin sums up her cognitive dissonance: "Not sure how I feel about being in Playboy's popularity contest. Maybe I'd feel better if I was winning?"
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By Paul BoutinComment by Shadowlayer: @Robert Synnott: Manboobs = DO NOT WANT more » | Other threads
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bloggers
Vanity Fair displays new media acumen with "Blogopticon"
In a wonderful piece of linkbait, Vanity Fair produced an illustration featuring a number of popular "blogs" arranged in a cartesian graph from "Scurrolous" to "Earnest" on one axis and "Opinion" to "News" on another. While we're trying to grasp how the 'Wag ended up on the earnest side of the scale, more confusing is the inclusion of Salon and Slate. Apparently, if you're not printed on paper, you're a "blog" — even though both publications predate the term. But where the chart really gets things wrong is in using the disembodied head of Amanda Congdon to illustrate online video program Rocketboom. If the authors or illustrator actually watched the show or read many of the listed blogs, they'd know that Joanne Colan took over as host after a very nasty and public departure from the show by Congdon. Keep trying, guys, you're bound to figure out this Internet thing eventually!
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By Jackson WestComment by deathbychichi: You guys ought to at least be on the "scurrilous" side of the vertical axis. Jeez. more » | Other threads
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vlogs
Host Joanne Colan Leaves Rocketboom
According to a source at the Creative Artists Agency, host Joanne Colan is leaving Rocketboom, one of the Internet's first prominent news videoblogs. During her tenure, Colan never managed to transform the show (directed by creator Andrew Baron) from a quirky but inscrutable cult favorite into a mainstream online news source. (See for yourself below by watching today's weird episode.) Nor did she achieve the same web fame as her predecessor Amanda Congdon, who left a job with ABCNews.com last year. More »
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By Nick DouglasComment by Barce: I still care about Rocketboom. INTERNETS 4 LIFE. more » | Other threads
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fame
Internet-Famous Lady Returns to Internet
Jeez. Busty Amanda Congdon left her gig hosting internet video time-waster Rocketboom back in 2006? Has it really been so long since anyone's heard from her? Well, you know the story. She moved on to bigger and better things, on proper television. An HBO development deal and a gig with ABC news. Neither went anywhere. ABC had no use for her, and they were also a little peeved that she was doing "freelance commercial work" for DuPont. Her development deal developed nothing. So now she's hooked up with some production studio called Media Rights Capital to make another cheap web video program. Hooray! Did you know Congdon invented being internet-famous, btw? More » -
the internet is dismaying
Amanda Congdon Would Like to Mutter At You
Remember Amanda "Rocketboom" Congdon, that thing with boobs that did stuff on the internet and parlayed her success into a job at ABC News? Yeah neither do I. Well, whoever she is she lost her job at ABC because nobody cared and she's now returned, sad little pink hat in hand, to the internet. She's launching a new blog news internet website called Sometimes Daily. And she would like to market it to you! Mostly via a completely nonsensical video featuring her brother (?), a strange park bench, and a dildo with little fans attached to it. If someone could please explain to me what is going on in the video, it would be greatly appreciated. I think it has something to do with Amanda Congdon? Maybe? Please watch, after the jump, and elucidate. [Thanks Jossip!] More »
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Comment by kctomorrow: @IndianSlipper: You lie. It totally was. Check the side view and I promise you will see my way. more » | Other threads
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By Owen ThomasComment by ryaninmtv: Other the the ample rack space, nothing there. more » | Other threads
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comebacks
The triumphant nonreturn of Amanda Congdon
Thank goodness! Just a day after our missing-persons alert on former videoblogger Amanda Congdon, she turned up on her blog with a 794-word entry she's been working on for a month. Here's a version she could have fit in a Twitter: "I'm going daily on a new videoblog in 2008. I'm in pre-production for the new project now." More Amanda, coming to you live in less than 11 months!
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By Owen ThomasComment by Alaska Miller: @googoobaby: if only those bozos would stop ripping up the packaging to double check the item as actually inside more » | Other threads
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mysteries
Whatever happened to Amanda Congdon?
We are growing concerned. After her career as an ABC nonjournalist fizzled, the formerly famous, generously-racked host of Rocketboom has been absent from her own blog since November 27. An "under development "show with HBO has gone nowhere. On January 23, Congdon Twittered that she was "writing monster blog post reflecting on ABC and talking about what's next." Amanda, 28 days is more time than even Scoble puts into a post. Just press Publish, ok?
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By Owen ThomasComment by dalejo: Amanda is getting just what she deserves. I hope more of these web jokes go this way. more » | Other threads
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forecasts
Valleywag's 25 predictions for 2008
Valleywag is of course known for its dead-on accuracy, so our predictions for 2008 need no introduction. Inside, my 25 predictions (made without inside information) cover the futures of Facebook, Google, Digg, YouTube, Twitter, the Wall Street Journal, Apple, Yahoo, Gawker Media, AOL, Dell, LOLcats, the president, and more. More » -
andrew baron
Rocketboom creator takes on Calacanis
Jason Calacanis's human-powered search engine Mahalo is "fundamentally flawed," says videoblogger Andrew Baron. Well, we could have told you that: It's basically Yahoo's directory, 12 years too late. But Baron, best known for creating Rocketboom, trashed Calacanis's service not for its lack of originality, but for its lack of critical applause. "Mahalo is not a worthwhile product," Baron wrote, "I have never seen a single positive review of the site." What's got the guy so worked up? More »
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Comment by Longitude: I like how the dogs are so genetically f-ed with that their breathing is impacted, the fold in their skin... more » | Other threads
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the new new new journalism
Must Every Journalist Act Like A Blogger?
"The journalistic culture in which columnists were the only ones allowed to have a personality, and everyone else's bylines were practically interchangeable, is practically gone," wrote Doree Shafrir in the New York Observer yesterday about how "personal branding" has infected even that holiest of holies, the New York Times. She uses the success of former 'TV Newser' turned Times blogger Brian Stelter as an example of the reversal of protocol that's recently taken place—reporters must now market themselves as specialists from the jump, instead of spending time working different beats until finding a comfortable "sincecure" later in life, in order to prevent themselves from being seen as interchangeable and therefore, redundant. The piece is exactly the kind of thinky, finger-on-pulse thing we've come to expect from Doree Shafrir, who also really likes 'The Hills'! More »
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By Emily GouldComment by Trackback: GUHL POWAH U BETCHES! by Molly Lambert In honor of the Spice Girls reunion, We’d like to officially declare 2008... more » | Other threads
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new coke
Amanda Congdon: A Star Has Fallen
"Whatever happened to Amanda Congdon's HBO deal?" asks Broadcasting and Cable today. Last November, the videoblogging web star, whose contract with ABC News was not renewed, said that her HBO project was "going to be comedy, and I know it's going to be cross-platform." But it's almost a year later, and B&C suggests that the deal will shortly expire. Well that's good—Amanda might have overextended her mindshare with so much cross-platforming vertical integration and new media brand synergy interaction! Also: Paradigm shift! More » -
videobloggers
Amanda Congdon bounces back with best video ever
Vlog hottie Amanda Congdon has posted her best video in months — maybe ever. The fact that it's an ad-libbed outtake that could never be featured on a major news network just goes to show that she was never meant for ABC. Maybe her rumored project with the relatively uncensored HBO will work out after all. Of course, I'm still laughing too hard to admit that I'm ignoring some key problems. More »
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By Tim FaulknerComment by intaglio: That's right outside Saybrook college, looking out at Trumbull college, at Yale University. The one with sunglasses, the first guy... more » | Other threads
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quotable
Anarchic headline-discussion site Fark's predictably juvenile — if completely on target — take on a videoblogger's departure from mainstream TV: "Amanda Congdon and her world-class breasts are gone from ABC.com" [Fark] -
videobloggers
Amanda Congdon's ABC rocket goes boom!
ABC has finally realized that popular, busty, vacuous Internet anchorwomen do not translate into popular, busty, vacuous television anchors. The network is severing its one-year relationship with Amanda Congdon, who shot to Internet fame hosting the videoblog Rocketboom. So what now? More »
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By Tim FaulknerComment by Trackback: And to think that some of us get flowers on our one-year anniversary with the MSM. Others are "parting company"... more » | Other threads
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rumors
Amanda Congdon Done At ABC?
We hear that ABC News vlogger Amanda Congdon's contract won't be renewed. Congdon, who came to fame at RocketBoom, started contributing to their website late last year. She has been quite productive recently—taking tours of homes in Santa Barbara and talking about angry iPhone buyers. No word yet on the state of her contracts with DuPont.
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clips
Internet People
From Amanda Congdon to Tay Zonday — virtually every inane, pop culture Internet video "star" of the last few years who have made YouTube indispensable to millions of... Internet People! Depicted in Flash animation in under three minutes by Dan Meth, music by Dan Meth and Micah Frank.
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By Tim FaulknerComment by einnocent: wow. the last few years of our lives summed up in a flash video. im ensaddened. more » | Other threads
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politics
ABC's Net videos redefine the selling of the president
Anyone naive enough to believe that online video would democratize, and thereby improve, political discussion in America has been deservedly disappointed. In the recent presidential debates, instead of submitting questions by email — last decade's fad — Internet users were asked to vlog in their queries to the candidates. The results, far from being unpredictable and populist, were as scripted as any TV show. More »
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By Tim FaulknerComment by sample032: @sample032: damn markup... < insert blog spam here > . more » | Other threads
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amanda congdon
Future of journalism now shilling American Express on a fake trolley
[UPDATE BELOW]What's up with the bubbly former host of Rocketboom, which was supposed to be the Internet's first huge news show before it leveled off? According to the London Times, Amanda Congdon's show for ABC News is "currently in the world's top 40,000 blogs," which puts it somewhere below great-soups-ive-eaten.blogspot.com. But Congdon has always been proud of her second career as a host for corporate stunt videos, and she recently starred in an American Express ad (shown below) shot in San Francisco. It's for a good cause, in a way: AmEx is giving away up to $5 million for a world-improving project to be selected by its customers. Metaphor-makers rejoice: The "cable car" carrying journotainer Amanda through the city in this video is a fake. Okay, okay, a "replica." More » -
amanda congdon
Amanda Congdon Wearing Media Hat Today
ABC and Dupont brand Amanda Congdon addresses some salient issues concerning the Virginia Tech tragedy:You know, when I first heard about the shooting on TV in my hotel room at NAB, I turned to Mario and said "why does this always seem to happen this week in April?" Turns out, at least according to this blogger, that the beginning of spring marks "school shooting season". [sic] Do we, the media, have a responsibility to tone down coverage of these horrific events so as not to motivate copycats?
Excellent question, Racky! (For a high school journalism class, at least.) But isn't that what new media is all about? Breaking the rules? Setting your own? It's confusing these days. More » -
remainders
Remainders: Hot Or Not?
- The Post names the "9 Hottest Celebs on the Web." These include Amanda Congdon, Tila Tequila, and Brooke Parkhurst. [NYP] More »
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Comment by ambitious heckler: Some of those extra features are going to drive us all crazy. Can those annoying automatic index links at least... more » | Other threads
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amanda congdon
Amanda Congdon Strikes A Blow For Sorta Journalists Everywhere
I am not subject to the 'rules' traditional journalists have to follow. Isn't that what new media is all about? Breaking the rules? Setting our own?
That's Amanda Congdon on the recent controversy surrounding her decision to shill for DuPont. As we attempt to negotiate the new paradigm wherein the definition of "journalist" changes from "reporter bound by codes and strictures" to "perky chick with massive cans" we find ourselves filled with questions: Does an on-camera employee under the aegis of a network news department have any ethical obligations to refrain from endorsing products she may one day cover? Are we making a distinction between journalist and performer? Is ABC at this point left holding up a dead rabbit and pretending it's a fur coat? Is there anything the network won't let Congdon do? [Reduction surgery. -Ed.] Tough queries all. We'll just say that when even Jeff "Bloggers Are Better Than Educated Professionals" Jarvis is uncomfortable with your actions, it might be time to rethink your stance. More » -
media
Media Bubble: Hassan Elmasry's Campaign
- Read all about Hassan Elmasry, the Morgan Stanley portfolio manager who's trying to take the Times out of Sulzberger family hands, and the man responsible for tearing Pinch Sulzberger a new one at the late February board meeting. (In PowerPoint, no less!) [WSJ] More »
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remainders
Remainders: Amanda Congdon Puts Her Boobs Back To Work
- Ex-Rocketboomer Amanda Congdon's got a new job—as a shill for DuPont. [AdAge] More »
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Comment by rogadelic: I'll bet Amanda's cong-congs made out of DuPont Teflon...the ne plus ultra of versatility and durability. more » | Other threads
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vloggers
The new conference elite
The variety of stars at tech conferences used to be limited to bloggers, startup innovators, designers and programmers identifiable only after a glimpse at a name badge. But a new class of celeb is rising with more recognizable star power: videobloggers, often good-looking and engaging, practiced at being entertaining, and a prime target for conference-long entourages. Other techies love hooking up with a less nerdy brand of internet celeb. At this weekend's South by Southwest conference, star vloggers included Casey and Rudy from sci-fi show Galacticast and ABC News vlogger Amanda Congdon. The biggest star by far, though, was Ze Frank, host of the one-man "The Show," who cruised a few parties, hosted the annual Web Awards, and performed a Powerpoint stand-up routine at a Buzzfeed party. Prediction: "Fun" conferences (full of the geeks who do the actual work of Web 2.0) like SXSW will have more vlogger presence than "business" conferences like the upcoming suit-heavy Video on the Net. (photo by Scott Beale)
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By Nick DouglasComment by Spastic Colon: cv and delirious. it's been 14 years since Interactive was added. it's no longer a music conference. quit living in... more » | Other threads
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media
Media Bubble: Yet More Reality For MTV
- MTV names reality TV queen to head programming. Expect lots more pimping and punking! [MediaPost] More »
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vlog hot
Vlog Hot: Newsbabes Heat 1
Many thanks to the bajillions of readers who sent in nominations for the Vlog Hot poll. Prepare for a veritable blizzard of democracy as the poll launches today with over 80 video bloggers competing in 14 gendered heats (plus semis and finals!) for the big giant prize of ... what exactly? Oh yes, a photo shoot or acrylic statuette. And if you deny both prizes, we will make the statuette of you without your consent and give it to your worst enemy for use in eldritch voodoo rites. After the jump, enjoy the first clash of titans with Newsbabes Heat 1. Warning: Contains Congdon. Multiple voting now enabled! More »
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By Chris MohneyComment by WasatchMan: So, just how many spammers are there in Germany, anyway? more » | Other threads
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scams
An open letter to our pals at Paltalk
We recently received a solicitation from video chat site Paltalk to see if we'd like to join in an interview with Amanda Congdon. Talk about a short memory. A few months back, Paltalk got in touch with Gawker for a chat with Congdon and Arianna Huffington. We cooperated, on the condition that we'd get to run a highlight clip on Gawker. Unfortunately (for us), things did not go as planned. More »
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By Chris MohneyComment by raincoaster: It's like sleeping with Paris and getting a note from her lawyer the next day that unlike the rest of... more » | Other threads
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awesome taserings
Amanda Congdon: The Ultimate In Taser Porn
Okay, we know we asked for Sean Delonas before, but this is much, much better. Ladies and gentlemen, from the people who brought you Journalist Gets Tased and Publicist Gets Tased, we are proud to direct you to Rack Gets Tased. This is pretty much how our dreams play out every night, so it's nice to see in real life.
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By abalk2Comment by BillLumbergh: Still loving those tits...but man Amanda Rocketboom is starting to annoy the shit out of me... more » | Other threads
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rocketboom
Amanda Congdon and Andrew Baron duke it out
SCOTT KIDDER — Have you been watching Amanda's Congdon's much-hyped A/C on ABC? In her second episode for old media powerhouse Disney, she posts the question: "I wonder if citizen journalists will ever be taken seriously?" More »
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By skidderComment by Greasy Thumb Guzik: Citizen journalism taken seriously, yes it will happen. Amanda Congdon taken seriously, when Hell freezes over! She's just an idiot with a... more » | Other threads
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media
Media Bubble: Usual Bag of Douches
- Vivendi decides to hold on to its NBC Universal stock in spite of the fact that Jeff Zucker is allegedly a dick. [NYP] More »
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diggbait
The nine most surprisingly great business moves of 2006
NICK DOUGLAS — Good deals are obvious. Great deals are not. News Corp's $580-million purchase of MySpace was "Murdoch's Folly" no more when Google paid $900 million to power MySpace search. In that spirit, here are the top nine business moves from 2006 that don't make sense — at first. Below, the video that started Deal #1. More »
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By Nick DouglasComment by rice: Didn't Apple start shipping Intel in 06? I am now just waiting for MacBookPros to pre-bundle Bootcamp *and* Vista.... more » | Other threads
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amanda congdon
Amanda Congdon's Webcasts Are Real, And They're Spectacular
It's here, it's here, the Amanda Congdon show is here! If you're willing to sit through a thirty-second Sheraton commercial and ignore the thousands of pop-unders ABC inflicts on you, you can catch The Rack in all its unfettered, Steely Dan-clad glory. We watched it with the sound muted so as not to be distracted while we were getting off, but the Times' Virginia Heffernan reviews the performance: More »
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By abalk2Comment by centernetworks: I have written my thoughts and comments including why I think this was a disgrace to women online here: http://www.centernetworks.com/amanda-congdon-video-disappo... more » | Other threads
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amanda congdon
Amanda Congdon Set To Rack Up Presence On And Off The Boob Tube
Are you excited for tomorrow? You should be: It marks the debut of A/C on ABC, the new web-whatever-the-hell-it-is from Amanda Congdon, who "blasted out of the blogosphere," according to the promotional copy. What's Amanda's goal? "To bring the best of the web - all of its content, all of its culture, even its potential for social change - to the ABC News digital audience." Best of all, A/C on ABC will be interactive: "[T]alk to Amanda, ask her questions, help her shape her program." Worried that working for a professional news network may somehow drain Amanda of the exuberance for which she is so justly celebrated? Don't be! If the placement of those buttons on this ad are any indication, ABC has a pretty good handle on her appeal. More »
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By abalk2Comment by apollonia666: What's with that hairline? It looks suspiciously like a Tyra wig. more » | Other threads
amanda congdon
New York, 9:18 PM
Thu Jul 9
43 posts in the last 24 hours
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