MK299- John Battelle's Blog

John Battelle wrote his blog about a new search engine called Yureekah. It was launched this week by creator, Devaraj Southworth, to help advertising agencies find where competitors are advertising.

Yureekah was launched to enable advertisers to but together a strategy and to make it easier to find information about where advertisers should make their clients visible.

I think this is a good idea because search engines are such a big thing on the Internet these days, and if this can help advertisers become more effective then it will be a big advantage for the future of brand advertising.

For more information about this and about more informative blogs, visit John's Blog Site.

vquzeshuf- NEW GREYS TONIGHT!

Tonight is another new episode of Grey's Anatomy! Last week was the first new episode since January (due to the writer's strike). I wasn't impressed with last week's new show, but tonight things should get stirred up when Addison (Kate Walsh) returns. Last week's preview shows that she is trying to motivate Meredeth to not let McDreamy go... It looks like it will be a good one. To see tonight's Grey's preview, or for last week's full episode check out VQUZESHUF.

Mariah shows off a HUGE daimond

Is Mariah Carey engaged?For information of this speculated engagement to her much younger man, Nick Cannon check out vquzeshuf.

Celebrity Fashion Under $100

Many people look up to celebrities and try to imitate their fashion, but most people (especially college students) don't have extra cash to spend $500 on a pair of shoes that they saw on Paris Hilton. A few celebrities are doing something about this and have created inexpensive clothing lines of fashions that they would personally wear. Fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker is known for her style from her popular show, Sex and the City, and she has created a clothing line, "Bitten" for Steve and Barry's with dresses (that she wears!) for only $15. Amanda Bynes also has a Steve and Barry's line, "Dear", with nothing over 20 bucks.

Other fashion savvy celebs have also been stepping out in clothes from wallet friendly Target and H&M stores. Now women and young girls don't have to envy their millionaire idols, they can just make a trip to target and have the style of these famous actresses.

*Amand Bynes in her own affordable line- skirt $15!
*SJP in Bitten dress $15
*Miley Cirus in H&M pants $20

vquzeshuf for more photos of celebrities in affordable clothes.

Socializing On the Internet -Post #4

A lot of people go on the internet to socialize. There are so many social networking websites that people of all ages use to make friends and socialize. 2 of the largest social networking websites that are commonly used amoung high school to college (and even some adults) use are Facebook and Myspace. These website enable people to go online and search for friends by name and location, as well as find random people that are friends with your friends.

Socializing through the internet is becoming even more popular than just sending out an email to contact a friend. People go online to try and find love. Dr. Phil promotes the internet website that tries to match people up and get them into relationships. Many people go online and make profiles on all these networks to try and socialize. So whether you are looking to find true love, make new friends, or keep in touch with old friends, these websites are all great for socializing with other internet users.

An article I found said that people actually spend 10 or more hours a week on social networking websites. It says that people spent more time socializing on the internet than they do socializing in real life. It also says that women use these networks more than men and the age bracket is between the ages of 18 and 29.

For more information on the growing rate of socializing networks visit VQUZESHUF.

Internet and Life -Post #3

For our group presentation, I found an article about why some people are using the internet more than before, and why some use it less. According to the article, "Internet and American Life" people are using the internet more than they used to because of their need to connect for school, work, and entertainment. People say they go online more because of faster internet connection. People who claimed that they go online less often say it is due to lack of time and interest.

Though this article is a bit old (Time Magazine, 2001) I think since it was published the rate of internet users has probably dramatically increased. Nowadays everyone, old and young uses the internet for work, school, pay bills, check the weather, email, the list can go on and on. In the past years the internet has gotten faster and easier to navigate through.

Some interesting facts found in this article:

Women are more likely to use the internet than men.
People who are well-off tend to spend more time on the internet than those with modest income.
People who need the internet for work and school spend the most time logged on.
Younger users and newcomers spend LESS time online.

To find out more about the Americans and their use of the internet, go to VQUZESHUF.

vquzshuf- Comment Assignment

I wrote a comment on someone's celebrity blog called Celebrity Smack. This website and my comment can be found at VQUZSHUF.

NY Sports Stars- Wedding & A Baby!

What's new with sports stars?

Giants quarterback, Eli Manning married his college sweetheart, Abby McGrew, in a sunset ceremony on the beach. They married on Saturday in Cabo San Lucas.

Yankees star, Alex Rodriguez has a new baby girl. A-Rod was with his wife, Cynthia, as she gave birth to their second daughter. Her name is not released, but the Yanks announced she was born Monday night in Miami.

For more information about these New York sports stars' marriage and baby, visit VQUZESHUF.

Celebrities Tie the Knot

Ashlee Simpson is engaged to Fall Out Boy's bassist Pete Wentz. They plan on getting married as soon as next month. There are pregnancy rumors that both Ashlee and Pete both will not confirm, but the couple is happy and plan on a wedding in May at a friend's house in La Jolla, California.

More recent wedding news... Beyonce and Jay-Z- did they or didn't they tie the knot? The couple will not confirm their marriage. Speculators say the nuptials took place on April 4th in New York.

One more upcoming famous wedding: First daughter Jenna Bush is marrying fiance Henry Hager on May 10th. Surprise though- she is not having a big bash at the White House, she is having a low key ceremony back home at the Bush's Texas ranch.

go to vquzeshuf for videos.

VQUZESHUF - Our new Marketing Word

Our new made up work for class is VQUZESHUF. This word will spead through search engine's results as everyone in the class uses this word (VQUZESHUF) in their blogs. The more the word VQUZESHUF is used, the more results will appear on the search engine.

Yet Another Celebrity DUI

Bon Jovi guitarist, Richie Sambora is the latest celebrity to be arrested on a DUI. He was arrested on March 25th when his car was weaving on the road in Laguna Beach, California. Sambora was in the car with his girlfriend and 10 year old daughter.

He is yet another celebrity to add to the DUI arrest list. When will these celebrities learn that they are role models? With all the money that celebrities have, why can't they just take a cab when they are drunk!?

More Celebrities arrested for DUIs:

MK299- Response to Max Kalehoff's Blog

According to Max Kalehoff's blog, "Ignorant Customers Happier With Their Choices" customers are happier with their purchases if they don't know much about the product they are purchasing. He calls this the Blissful Ignorance Effect. Customers want to be happy with their purchase since they just spent money, so the customer will "engage in whatever distortion is needed to justify the purchase." I never thought about this theory before, but I think it makes sense. If I know too much about the product I'm purchasing, I will have high expectations. If the product does not meet up to my expectations I will be mad that I spent that money.

In regards to the entertainment business- if a person wants to go to a movie that had a lot of hype, they will suck it up and pay the expensive theater prices. If the movie does not meet their expectations the customer may be mad they wasted their money. Another example of this thery would be if a person waiting on line at a supermarket may grab a magazine that catches their attention. That person may spend $4 on a tabloid because they didn't think much about it therefore no need to justify their purchase.

In conclusion, if a customer doesn't have an emotional attachment to a product, they will be a happier customer.

More Celebrity Baby News

Halle Berry gave birth to a baby girl March 16. The actress and her model boyfriend, Gabriel Aubry, named their daughter Nahla Ariela Aubry, which means "honeybee" in Arabic.

Actress, Minnie Driver is expecting. She made the announcement last week on Leno that she is 4 months pregnant.

Jennifer Lopez and husband, Marc Anthony debuted their new twins on the cover of People Magazine this past week. There is also an interview with the famous couple along with many photos of the newborns.

NCAA Tournament- Opening Weekend Excitement!

Huge sports entertainment this past weekend... the NCAA opening weekend took off with excitement. I personally have my brackets done and I am leading a pool hoping that North Carolina wins it all! The games continue this Thursday through the weekend.

It was reported last week that the actor, Patrick Swayze is undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer. This is sad news, but doctors say it is a limited amount of the disease and Swayze will continue working on upcoming projects. The actor is 55 years old and know best for his role in Dirty Dancing.

Twins For JLO

Jennifer Lopez gave birth early this morning to twins- a girl and boy. She and husband Marc Anthony have been very hush-hush about this whole pregnancy and Good Morning America was first to announce the arrival this morning. These are Lopez's firsts while Anthony has 5 now, including 3 children from a previous marriage. Lopez Gives Birth to Twins in NY

Online Shopping: Convenient or Risky? -Post #2

This is a post regarding my marketing class group topic, which is Internet usage. Who is using the Internet and why? Shopping is one of the resons people use this internet. Sometimes it is easier to click a couple buttons and make a purchase rather than drive to the store and wait online for the cashier. There are some downfalls though, such as paying for shipping and the risk of credit card numbers on the web. You decide for yourself...

E-Shopping is one of the growing activities that is making the Internet even more popular than ever. 66% of online Americans have purchased a product online. People have purchased books, toys, clothes, DVDs- you name it and it is probably offered for sale on the Internet. Many companies have made it possible to go online to purchase products instead of physically going to the store. Target and Walmart are examples of big stores that offer this service, while Amazon is one of the largest online retailers. 78% of people say they shop online because of its convenience, and 68% of people say it saves time.

While the Internet is considered convenient to most, there is a certain risk factor involved in e-shopping. 75% of online shoppers do not like putting their credit card information online. They are concerned with the safety of their financial and personal information online. Most reputable sites have a security symbol on the bottom of the page, but there is still concern with a hacker getting this information. Besides the risk factor 58% of e-shoppers have felt frustrated during online shopping. Now as an added feature a companies such as Lands End have come up with a live chat to help he customer during the check out process.

For additional information about e-shopping check out this article- Online Shopping: Convenient but Risky

Writer's Strike Ends!

Sick of watching reruns? Finally after over 3 months on the picket lines, 92.5% members of the Writers' Guild of America voted in favor to accept a deal with producers. This finally means new episodes of your favorite shows. Saturday Night Live is the first show to air a new episode with Tina Fey as the host. New prime time shows such as my favorite, Grey's Anatomy, will start to air new shows by the beginning of April.

Kanye West at the Grammys

Last night's 50th annual Grammy awards had a wide-range of celebrity performances, including musician (and I use that word loosely) Kanye West. West took home four awards, including the Best Rap Album award for his album, Graduation. When Kanye came up to give his acceptance speech, he went on first saying how he deserves all the awards. Can we say overly confident?! Kanye also went on to talk about his mom, and when the music came on to signal that his thank you speech was going for way too long, he replied: "It would be in good taste to stop the music."
Yes it is sad that his mother passed away, but if he wanted to talk about her he should have done it at the beginning of his speech instead of going on about himself first... His arrogant attiude is so ridiculous! Check it out to judge for yourself...Kanye's acceptance speech

Some of the other celebrities in attendance at last night's Grammy awards made some cracks at Kanye West. Both country singer Vince Gill, and R&B singer Usher made jokes about West and his cocky attitude!! Watch this--> Singers make fun of Kanye

Why Do Adults Use the Internet? -Post #1

Besides writing about what's going on in the entertainment world, I want to touch on the topic of why people use the internet. According to a survey conducted in January 2005, only 65% of American adults use the internet. This is a lower number than I would've imagined. I think in the past two years since the survey was taken, the percentage may have risen. The most popualer internet activity among these internet users are on the web to check their e-mail (90%). E-mail is popular because it is an easy way for people can connect to friends, family, employers, and co-workers. Many adults use e-mail to socializae as well as for work purposes.

The next most popular internet activity with 84% of users, is the use of search engines. Many people go online to Google or Yahoo to search for information. 84% of users also go online to search for maps. Programs such as Map Quest or Yahoo Maps gives detailed directions from point A to point B.

78% of users are online to check the weather, while 73% are there to check the news. Searching the web for a hobby or interests are another reason why 77% of internet users log onto the net. Though 78% of people go on the internet to check out a product and price, only 67% actully buy products online.

On the lower end of internet useage would be for playing lottery (4%) and online dating (9%). This number surprises me because there are always so many commercials for dating websites for match.com and other dating services, that I would've thought more people are online searching for their soulmate!

Only 10% of internet user go onto the web to create and post on a blog. Maybe our marketing class has brought up the percentage since this survey was taken. For a complete chart of why 133 million Americans are logging onto the internet visit this link.

Gwen Pregnant with Baby #2!

Gwen Stefani and her husband Gavin Rossdale are expecting baby number 2! Gwen is reportedly 13 weeks along. The couple tied the knot in London in September of 2002. They already have a 1 1/2-year-old son Kingston. The baby is supposedly due in June.

Though this is exciting news for the couple, I am dissapointed because my favorite band, No Doubt, was rumored to have been recording a new cd together and planning a reunion tour this year. Hopefully these plans wont be postponed due to Gwen's pregnancy.

For more news about the pregnant celeb, check out People Magazine's website.

Celebrity "baby bump" watching has become a sport to the paparrazzi...

Some celebrities that are rumored to be pregnant (not yet confirmed):

News is speculating that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are expecting another biological baby.

Tori Spelling and husband, Dean McDermott baby number 2?

Intro Blog

This blog is about entertainment news, from celebrity gossip (what did Brittney Spears do now?) to the buzz on the next big movie. This topic is a source of many gossip magazines and television shows, as well as the nightly news. Most students tend to know more about what's going on with a certain celebrity than they do real important news such as the Presidential race.


Last week on January 22, the 28 year old actor, Heath Ledger passed away. His death has been mourned by his fans as well as fellow actors. Daniel Day Lewis accepted the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) award for best actor and dedicated his award to Ledger.

'>Lewis' Best Actor Award Acceptance