I realize this post is a little overdue, but while Semi-Pro is dying a slow death at the cinema, Jackie Moon is still pitching Old Spice and Bud Light every hour on ESPN.  I have had this post on my “to do” list for over a month and figured now might be the time to dust it off and get it online.  Somehow seeing Ferrell in those ridiculous shorts in an Old Spice commercial last night while watching Sports Center provided the inspiration to wrap this up.  So, here goes nothing…

A lot has been made in sports and entertainment circles about ratings of late.  Why?  Well, a number of factors have contributed, capped off by a few historic events that managed to capture the nation’s attention over the holidays.

Before delving into specifics, let us first address the concept of ratings.  Many automatically associate the term “tv ratings” with Nielsen.  This is understandable given Nielsen Media Research’s evolution as an American brand name, much like kleenex, band-aid, q-tip or scotch tape.  Nielsen has established its service as the industry expert when measuring the number of people watching television shows and makes its data available…

I know we typically feature predominately sports business and marketing related stories on our blog, but at the request of many teachers, we will try to integrate more entertainment business and marketing news into our posts.  Here is one such example…

Starbucks announced last week that they partnered with Apple in a joint promotional effort.  Starbucks purchased 50 million downloads from the iTunes store and will be giving away free song downloads every day through early November.  The downloads will be available on a first come, first served basis in stores throughout the country (click here to view the complete…

How do you know when you’ve hit it big?  Well, if selling millions of copies of books, grossing millions at the box office and selling millions more in licensed merchandise didn’t provide your first, second and third clue, the announcement of a planned theme park might be a pretty good indication.  We’re not talking a special ride at a theme park…we’re talking a complete theme park…20 acres worth. 

Universal unveiled plans in late May that a Harry Potter theme park will open inside Orlando’s Islands of Adventure theme park (which already houses Marvel Super Heroes and Dr Seuss islands).  The “Wizarding World…

An interesting (and slightly comedic) story in the news last week was printed on Britain’s The Observer Review Website (The Guardian) regarding a certain director and a certain American airport.

Certain phrases seem like they would be common sense to avoid in an airport, especially in today’s age of intense security.  For example, I would imagine walking into an airport and saying “I’m here to shoot a pilot” might get one in a little trouble.  Hollywood director Mike Figgis unfortunately had to learn that lesson the hard way. 

According to The Guardian, Figgis, (director of the Nicolas Cage hit, “Leaving Las Vegas”) was reportedly…

Earlier this week I was watching the ESPN morning show Cold Pizza in my hotel room.  ESPN’s uncanny ability to transcend sports is nothing short of astounding.  We’re talking about the sports network who built an empire by creating a 24-hour-a-day television channel comprised entirely of sports programming.  That feat in itself has revolutionized the industry.  Now, clearly in an effort to remain cutting edge, they seem intent on venturing outside the realm of sports programming to broadcast events of a very different nature, apparently with relatively successful results.  This particular episode of Cold Pizza illustrates my point perfectly. 

Since our curriculum base features sports and entertainment business content, I think it is about time I dedicate some of my blogging “energy” to an entertainment news story. 

That said, I couldn’t resist reading this story from ABC News:  A Jimi Hendrix Energy Drink is in the Works.  According to the story, a Los Angeles company (Beverage Concepts) says its nonalcoholic “Liquid Experience” drinks, named for Hendrix’s breakthrough album, “Are You Experienced?” will debut in April.  Hmmmm…interesting.