Dick Clark: remembering the late and great television-personality

Dick Clark, the iconic American TV personality, passed away after suffering a massive heart attack yesterday. Since the late 1950's he's been one of the main television personalities hosting iconic shows such as "American Bandstand" and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve".

He served as not only as a famous personality, but a savvy businessman as well. His production company, Dick Clark Productions, has produced thousands of hours of television throughout the years and even had a licensing arm which owned or operated restaurants and theaters across America.

Ryan Seacrest, mentee and friend of Clark, issued a recent statement to NYDailyNews.com stating:

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend Dick Clark. He has truly been one of the greatest influences in my life. I idolized him from the start, and I was graced early on in my career with his generous advice and counsel. When I joined his show in 2006 , it was a dream come true to work with him every New Year's Eve for the last 6 years. He was smart, charming, funny and always a true gentleman. I learned a great deal from him, and I'll always be indebted to him for his faith and support of me. He was a remarkable host and businessman and left a rich legacy to television audiences around the world. We will all miss him.”

The news hit this current day TV personality hard. Just after the news broke Wednesday, Ryan remembered the late Clark on "American Idol". Not only did Seacreast idolize him growing up, but Clark became a close mentor as well as close friend of his. Seacrest even co-hosted "New Years Rockin' Eve" after Clark suffered a stoke in previous years.

Imagine: your idol, the person you grew up watching, the person you dreamed about becoming, actually ended up being a peer and friend. It has to be heartbreaking to the American Idol host.

But, if there's one thing Seacrest learned from his late idol, was Clark's love for his work. While remembering Clark during "Idol", Ryan told the audience, "I know he's in a better place, saying 'Hey, let's get on with the show'," then added, "You got it, boss".

Who says YOLO?

Ok, so maybe you can only live once, but with today's technology you can come "back to life" as a hologram. Yes, I'm referring to the new viral sensation of Tupac's hologram performing at Cochella this past weekend.

It really is incredible to watch, and in perspective of normal concert production costs, isn't over-the-top expensive to produce. News sources estimate the hologram cost between $100 thousand to $400 thousand to create and took around four months.

With help from Dr. Dre, and a blank check received from Cochella organizers, this idea became a reality.

The mastermind behind creating this optical illusion, Digital Domain, is the same company responsible for the reverse aging in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and de-aging Jeff Bridges in "TRON:Legacy". While AV Concepts was responsible for actually projecting the image and having it perform flawlessly.

What's especially interesting, is that this isn't just a projected previous performance. Nick Smith, president of AV Concepts, describes how when creating holograms, "you can take their likenesses and voice and...take people that haven't done concerts before or perform music they haven't sung and digitally recreate it".

So is this the beginning of a new age in touring? There's arguments to be made on both sides. While some argue that it can be a cost-efficient way to bring celebrities and artists to more venues, others argue that the surprise factor and uniqueness of holograms would wear off too quickly if over-used.

I agree with the later. I don't think I'd pay to see just anyone's hologram in concert. However, if used for special occasions, I think it could really open up great opportunities in the realm of entertainment.

They're baaaack...

If you lived through the 1980s, you probably either 1, were obsessed with; 2, watched or 3, at least heard of the hit TV show "Dallas".  It brought world-wide recognition, not to mention stereotypes, to my hometown of Dallas and the state of Texas.

Since I was born in 1990, I missed out on the original "Dallas" craze. However, I'm particularly excited that TNT is bringing the show back this coming summer because of two reasons. Firstly, because my mom worked in the costuming department, so having the show picked up would be of personal interest to my family. Secondly, I think the show will do well if given the chance by the public.

To be blunt, a lot of remakes fail. Melrose Place, for example, came back to TV in 2009 and lasted only one season with horrible reviews. However, "90210", the remake of "Beverly Hills, 90210", came back in 2008 and has lasted thus far, so there's hope for "Dallas" yet.

The new "Dallas" features original cast members including Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray as well as a new generation of Southfork: Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster and Julie Gonzalo.

Using both original and new cast will hopefully draw in multiple target markets and hopefully create great new ratings for this historic show.

So stay tuned this summer, Wednesday, June 13, for the "Dallas" two-hour season premier!

An aniversary of Titanic proportions

The hit movie "Titanic" has come a long way from its two-part VHS past to the digitally remastered 3D theater experience of today. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've had its re-release date on my calendar for about five months now, so I'll be a happy camper (or should I say blubbering mess) Friday after FINALLY having the time to go see it!

The original film grossed over $1.8 BILLION since its original release in 1997, and according to the LA Times, "Titanic 3D" has grossed about $28 million domestically so far, coming in third behind "The Hunger Games" and "American Reunion". Incredible, considering the majority of the public has already seen this film multiple times before.  After taking about two years to convert to 3D, its re-release is timed perfectly with the tragedy's 100th year anniversary.

When the 2,224 passengers boarded the RMS Titanic April 10, 1912, times were extremely different. President William Howard Taft was in office, the average salary was about $750 dollars a year and America's divorce rate was 1/1000. For entertainment, people enjoyed live music or went to "talkies" on the weekends, and while radio had technically been invented, it was still in its very early stages of scientific trial.

It's crazy to think about how far we've come in just 100 years. From silent films to blockbusters in 3D, I'm sure our forms of entertainment would be incomprehensible to those living in the early 1900s. While no medium could ever come close to experiencing the actual tragedy, it will be interesting to experience this movie in 3D. This extra element allows you to feel a little more involved in the story more than ever before, resulting in a unique experience for the viewer.

While some, aka my mom, thinks this movie is corny or melodramatic, I think it's breathtaking. Of course the characters Jack and Rose are purely fictional, but they represent all of those on the voyage; all of the mothers, husbands, children and lovers that were torn apart that fateful night. It's epic, romantic and heartbreaking all at the same time. This film gives a voice to those stories lost at sea 100 years ago.

So, if you haven't already been to the new "Titanic 3D", go see it. Not only to see a spectacular movie but to remember those who lost their lives on that tragic April night.

And ladies, of course be prepared to fall in love with Leo all over again...in 3D!

Facebook, an online memorial: a place for grieving, sharing, healing

I never realized just how powerful facebook really is. While waiting at the carwash, killing time with a casual facebook check, my world changed.  My jaw dropped, tears rushed to my eyes and I was hit with the heavy news...

Today my post will be a bit different than normal.
It's time for me to get on my soap box and make sure you remember how precious life is...because all too frequently we forget.

This past Friday, my childhood friend, Indiana Graham, lost his five year fight with cancer.
He was not only my middle school sweetheart but the guy in high school that everyone loved.
He was the class clown, the baseball player, the friend of every person he met.

Even after being diagnosed with cancer sophomore year of high school, he kept a positive attitude and that big smile of his on his face. After graduation, while we all went our separate ways, he stayed at home to go to community college and receive his necessary treatments (always trying to persuade me that his dream college, OSU, was better than UT). But, despite his poor college allegiance and thanks to facebook, we were able to keep in touch and stay friends.

It was through facebook, that I stayed up to date on his life: his family, his treatments, his true love (his Mustang), his recent Make-A-Wish NYC trip and at 2 p.m., Friday the 30th, at Arbor Car Wash, the news of his passing.

Through facebook, I found out an hour after it happened.
An hour.
News that used to take a few days to circulate from family members to friends, now takes literally seconds. A gift and a curse for everyone involved.

All in all, I think the lightening-speed information sharing via social media is a good thing to have. I'm appreciative of the quick news, allowing me to quickly move my schedule around to attend his funeral service back in Dallas. I'm also appreciative of the memorial power of facebook. I think it serves as a powerful, online place for friends to grieve, share photos and memories, and ultimately start the slow healing process. As trivial as it sounds, embrace facebook and the ability it has to keep those you care about connected with each other.

I write this not to be morbid, depressing or dramatic, but to remind you to tell your friends you love them. I don't think it gets said enough. Life is short: conquer your goals, embrace your hobbies, but most importantly enjoy the journey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When I get where I'm going, there'll be only happy tears, I will shed the struggles that I've carried all these years, yeah when I get where I'm going, don't cry for me down here"

RIP Indy

What do chicken, seafood and barbecue all have in common?
One thing. McGuire Moorman Hospitality group.

After the success of Lambert's Downtown Barbecue and Perla's, Larry McGuire and Tommy Moorman seem to do no wrong in the restaurant industry. Now, their latest venture, Elizabeth Street Cafe, a french-vietnamiese fusion, is receiving great reviews as well.

Larry McGuire started all three of these restaurants and watched them grow and flourish all before his 30th birthday. However, his entrepreneurial spirit isn't stoping here. Now he, along with a few partners, are delving into the drive-through restaurant market with Fresa's Chicken opening later this year.



However, with this group's track record, it won't be your typical greasy, fast food drive-through. The same quality preparation and ingredients will go into making these to-go meals. Like the group's three previous restaurants, almost all ingredients are from local sources. Even the chickens are sourced from Peeler Farms in Floresville, Texas, where they're pasture-raised and fed non-GMO feed, resulting in a top-quality bird.

To me, it's about time Austin gets a drive-through style restaurant with a sit-down-quality taste. Sure, there are a ton of burger restaurants such as P. Terry's and Hat Creek Burger Co. that use local ingredients, but unless you want burgers every time you want a quick meal, these choices aren't very helpful.

Fresa's Chicken Al Carbon will offer half or whole slow-roasted chicken breasts and sides such as mexican street corn, grilled vegetables, spicy potato salad and various side salads. Now, busy Austinites can pick up a whole, healthy meal on the way home for their families.

So if the past is any indication of the future, I'd say these entrepreneurs have a good chance for another restaurant success story.

Homeless Hotspots: ethical or offensive?

Another SXSW has come and gone, and in the aftermath, its time for people to critique its many shows, films and...labor practices?

Yes. In case you've been living under a rock, or just have been mentally checked-out over spring break, SXSW's use of homeless hotspots is creating some extreme debate over ethical labor issues.

Thirteen volunteers from a local homeless shelter worked for the marketing agency BBH throughout the week. Each carried around a wi-fi device and donned t-shirts with, "I'm ____, a 4G hotspot", then further instructions on how to connect to the device.

ReadWriteWeb called this a "blunt display of unselfconcious gall". While a Wired blogger described it as “something out of a darkly satirical science-fiction dystopia.”


However, those working at the shelter, marketers at BBH and the actual volunteers all disagreed with the backlash of negativity.


Mitchell Gibbs, director of development at the shelter where volunteers stayed, said he was surprised by the criticism of the project. Gibbs said the project inspired "entrepreneurial spirit" among participants. He even advised BBH on the best ways to set up the pilot program.


One volunteer, Clarence Jones, 54, told The New York Times that, “I love talking to people and it’s ...an honest day of work and pay.” And, while he knows others think that he's getting "the rough end of the stick" he doesn't feel that way. 


Personally, I don't see what all the uproar is about. While I think this could have been carried out a bit more tactfully (e.i., ensuring minimum wage is met), I think the idea is legitimately good and heres why:

• The work isn't demeaning in anyway. I think everyone would have been on-board if there were unpaid interns walking around as wireless hotspots.
• Volunteers, volunteers, volunteers: It's not like BBH picked up someone off the street corner, slapped a shirt on them, and glued a wireless device to their hand. BBH collaborated with the shelter and paid the volunteers wanting to earn money during SX.

However, that being said, I do think opponents to this have a point. From what I've read the volunteers only got paid $20-$50 dollars a day, which depending on the hours worked isn't even minimum wage. 


I think it boils down to an underlying factor of guilt. People don't want to necessarily pause from their carefree SXSW experience to talk to someone who may not have such a carefree life. Though it sounds harsh, people are attending the festival to network, relax and party; not to have to think about real-world problems facing others.

Football or music, THAT is the question.

It's the choice everyone has been talking about.

Since Feb. 14th, when next season's Big 12 football schedule was announced, students have had a dire new decision looming over their heads...attend TX/OU weekend, an 83-year-old tradition between the rival universities, or attend ACL, the largest concert weekend in Austin.

For me, the choice is a no-brainer: Rid River Shootout it is. There's just simply no way I could miss it. I'm an avid Longhorn football fan and hate that Godforsaken land north of the Texas boarder. Oklahoma, I hear it's called?

However, for other UT students the choice may not come so easy. Austin City Limits is obviously one of the largest events in the city. To give you a little perspective, last year it generated nearly $73 million in visitor spending. I mean, where else can you hear the vast array of talented artists all in one weekend? So for music lovers, and partiers alike, the choice could get pretty tricky.

However, putting my critical thinking skills to use, I feel as if there's one underlying theme in both of these weekends: getting hammered. You know it's true.

Therefore, here is your 2012 TX/OU/ACL weekend plan...you're welcome.

Paint those coolers, pack your bags and hop on that bus to good ol' Dallas, Texas. Thanks to the nice 3G coverage area conveniently lining I-35, stream the live ACL acts strait to your mobile device while you sip on your beverage of choice. What did people ever do without internet?

Not only will you be getting shwasted in the comfort of a climate controlled bus, by streaming the concerts you get front-row viewing capabilities while on the way to one of the best rivalries on earth.

Now that's what I call killing two birds with one stone.

Who are you wearing?

Unfortunately, for Ryan Seacrest, it's the late North Korean dictator Jim Jong Il.

In case you missed the Academy Awards last week, the comedic actor, Sacha Baron Cohen, was up to his usual tricks as he arrived dressed as the fictional character, Admiral General Aladeen, to promote his upcoming movie, The Dictator.

Just as the red carpet interview was going smoothly, perhaps too smoothly, Sacha "accidentally" tipped the urn, pouring the Bisquick "ashes" all over Ryan's tuxedo. Although trying to keep an upbeat appearance, Seacrest obviously wasn't amused by the publicity stunt.

What seemed to be body guards brushed Cohen away as Ryan dusted off his jacket and for once, he seemed to be at a brief loss for words.

"I was surprised, but not surprised," Seacrest told an E! blogger. "In the back of my head, I said, this guy isn't coming as the Dictator to not do something—to what extent, I don't know. Whether it be a joke or something physical, I don't know."


Seacrest, being the pro that he is, said he always brings an extra jacket with him in events of unplanned spillage. In addition, you know that his costumers at E! would be all over that situation in a heartbeat as well. So personally, I don't see what the huge fuss is about.

I think it was a clever little way to draw attention to the movie and coming from Sacha Baron Cohen it's not a huge shocker. And, call me cynical, but I'm sure it was probably planned from the beginning and was okayed by Seacrest or his people.

Either way, the little publicity stunt worked. It certainly got people talking, and while the movie will probably be mediocre at best, I may have to go see it.

After all, "the heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed" sounds so ridiculous it could actually be pretty funny.

Glee shows harms of texting while driving

Don't worry, this isn't a total recap of all the latest Glee episodes. I fell off that "Gleek" bandwagon a while ago...but after reading this eonline recap of tonight's latest episode, I wish I had tuned in. Glee ended the season with addressing the new widespread dilemma of texting while driving.

The character we all love, Quinn, was in a car accident while replying to a text from Rachel and the outcome didn't look promising. Apparently, the scene has been in the works since the cast appeared on Oprah when they signed a no texting while driving contract.

Currently, our group RE.branding solutions is working with AT&T to help spread their campaign message “It Can Wait”.

AAA found that the risk for a car accident increases by 50% for those who text while driving. A shocking statistic when initial AT&T research findings show that nearly 50 percent of teens admitted that they text and drive compared to one-fifth of adult drivers.

While anti-drinking and driving messages have been around for quite a while, texting and driving is just starting to surface. The question now is how do we create success for this new message such as the drinking while driving has done?

First off, the problem of drinking while driving has been around much longer, so it's expected that it's more successful. We can start off by looking at what they've done to gain ideas and guide us to success in our new campaigns. 

For example, there’s established advocacy groups such as M.A.D.D. and S.A.D.D. which produce high-quality programs such as Shattered Dreams throughout high schools across the nation. So far, I’ve only come across a small group called D.I.A.D., Drop It and Drive, which has been established for anti-texting and driving campaigns.

 

However, AT&T has started blasting this campaign on billboards and PSA’s with the message “It Can Wait”. These short messages show short or broken texts from the deceased individual who wrecked while texting and driving.

With AT&T's campaign as well as celebrity endorsements and television scenarios, I'm confident that as time goes on the anti-texting while driving message will grow stronger. 

Need to spice up your life?

What's that? A Spice Girls reunion you say!? You may be rolling your eyes now while remembering the 1990's girl-group phenomenon, but I know in 1996 you were dancing around in your fluffy slippers and pink pj's to their breakout hit "Wannabe".

There has been talk for a Spice Girls reunion for a year or two now, with debate on whether or not a reunion tour would be profitable at all. However, past reunion tours would suggest it would be.

For example, the NKOTBSB reunion tour earned sizable profits, grossing over $40 million with 51 shows last year. Likewise, if the past is any indicator of the future, the smaller 2007/2008 Spice Girls reunion tour grossed a reported $70 million, suggesting that a larger, more publicized tour would do quite well.

Ray Waddell, Billboard Magazine employee, says that at least two decades is the ideal time to wait when beginning to market nostalgia.

"When seeking to tap into nostalgia for teens, 20 years gives those original fans time to grow up [and] get married...plus there is hopefully a little more discretionary income available," Waddell told to eonline.

However, while this idea makes sense, I feel like the girls' 2007-2008 mini-reunion could have hurt their rumored upcoming tour. While, according to Waddell, the 20-year-mark is ideal, I would think the fans who attended the last show would be less inclined to purchase tickets for a new one. Although this problem is probably only minor and could be solved by different tour cities and venues.

One thing I know, if a tour is announced, I'll be in line for tickets.

Lights, Camera, Wait.

One of the most famous super models of all time, Cindy Crawford, puts a halt on her 10-year-old daughter's modeling career.


Well, for now.


Crawford sais she was shocked to see just how much the public responded to the one picture her daughter took for Versace's new children's campaign. But with stunning looks just like her mother its really no surprise.


Right now, Kaia will have to wait until she's seventeen if she wants to continue modeling, which she's fine with.  According to her mother Kaia's response to the situation was, "I might model first because you don't have to know how to do anything, but then I want to be a baby nurse."


While I feel like Crawford made the right decision by letting her daughter choose when she comes of age, this leads to the heated debate surrounding child labor.


Some people think it should be banned all together. Some people let girls walk the runway as young as thirteen. I personally think child models and actors are fine, but there's a fine line. A line that many "stage moms" cross without any hesitation.


I think child labor laws should be strictly followed and that the children's desires be upheld with the most respect. Easier said than done in the real world. Many parents want to live their dreams through their children and reap their financial benefits leading to the exploitation of their children. Hence so many child stars who grow up with substance abuse problems due to having career-focused parents.


Thankfully, it seems in this case that Cindy Crawford has a level head on her shoulders. A trait that will hopefully be passed on to her daughter.

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards: The Good, The Bad, The Demonic...

After a week of discussing viral videos and twitter trends, it's time to bring my blogging focus back to the realm of entertainment. The Grammy Awards, which aired Sunday, proved to be just as eventful as they are every year. The stars of Hollywood came out and stirred up some good celebrity buzz, but this year instead of a giant egg incubating Lady Gaga, the public got a show from Nicki Manaj's alter ego Roman.

Here's a little Grammy recap...

The Good:

Photo courtesy of nme.com

I think almost all people could agree that honoring the late artists who passed within the past year is a classy thing to do. It not only shows respect for the deceased, but recognizes them for their lifetime of achievements brought on by following their passion for music.

Also, despite my usual disdain for artists who get win after win after win, it was heartwarming to see Adele leave with six Grammy awards, including the coveted "Record of the Year". Despite my guilty pleasure of loving catchy pop music, its refreshing to see someone who isn't a size 0, who doesn't exploit herself with over-the-top performances and who has a truly incredible a capella singing voice.

The Bad:

Ok, so there really wasn't anything too bad about this year's Grammy Awards, not even on the red carpet. Yeah, Katy Perry's hair should probably go back to black. And yeah, Fergie should have probably chosen another dress choice. But overall, no infamous Bjork incidents.

On the other hand, Sophia Grace and Rosie (see viral video post for video link) rocked the red carpet with their signature princess look looking pretty stinkin' cute.

The Demonic:

Now on to Nicki Manaj...I hate that I like her so much. While she's a good rapper and singer, her craziness is so obnoxious to me. When she first became popular, I thought her outrageous character was just an image-building move to get America's attention. But, after watching her E! True Hollywood Story, it seems as if she has always acted over-the-top, but nevertheless kudos to her for doing her own thing.

However, being true to yourself doesn't quite make rapping as your alter ego, a possessed person named Roman, acceptable in my book. In case you missed it, her exorcism-themed performance was sprinkled with dancing priests, altar boys and demonic sounding choir singers.

Although I'm not an avid church goer, or a perfect role model by any means, I am a Christian. Despite my love for the performing arts and support for artistic free-range, I really don't see why it's necessary for artists to exploit the 'wow' factor of sacrilegious performances such as this.

It has been done before,

and it will undoubtedly be done again. 

Overall, I think its just a tasteless act to get the public talking.

Its unimaginative, unoriginal and I don't think anything could persuade me otherwise.

Since the death of Osama bin Laden last year, the Navy SEALs have been thrust into the public spotlight more so than ever...giving retired Lt. Gen. James Vaught a bone to pick with the current team.

Navy SEAL Special Operations Commander Adm. Bill McRaven
confronted by retired Lt. Gen. James Vaught.
(Photo Courtesy of abcnews.go.com)

Vaught advised the current SEAL team commander to "get the hell out of the media" or else face the consequences of enemy knowledge. While reporters are not particularly a new problem the military has to deal with, the popularity of social media is. It certainly hasn't helped mitigate the spread of news stories of military stories and strategies among the general population, making it easier for this information to fall into the enemy's hands.

Courtesy of imfrance.wordpress.com

For example, according to the Huffington Post, the Sunday of the bin Laden raid, Keith Urbahn, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's chief of staff, leaked the news via Twitter almost an hour before President Obama gave an official statement. And, although no specific details were released at that time, news reports did release such details to the public. These details combined with the effects of social media, allow news to travel like wildfire in our high-tech world. 

"If you keep publishing how you do this," warned Vaught, "you're going to fly in and he's going to shoot down every damn helicopter and kill every one of your SEALs...mark my words." Smart words to live by if you're current Special Operations Commander Adm. Bill McRaven. 

Americans go crazy over viral videos

The latest YouTube video, "Giorgio loves Sonic", has become an instant hit. From Perez Hilton to The Huffington Post, everyone is reporting on this catchy video, and for good reason. He's amazing.

With a voice like that, it's not shocking that he's an aspiring musician with his own YouTube channel, as well as a pretty smart guy for delving into the world of guerilla advertising. So far, the video has been viewed over 960,000 times and has over 13,600 likes on YouTube. With so much free publicity from internet users passing this video along and being covered by numerous reporters, Giorgio is now in the spotlight...and I'm sure Sonic isn't complaining either.

While you obviously can't guarantee a post to go viral, it's been done many times before because of talented people. Sometimes on accident, like Sophia Grace singing her favorite Nicki Manaj song; sometimes to get noticed like Karmin's "Look at me Now" cover; and sometimes by what seems to be a sly trick by marketing professionals like Planet Fitness's treadmill Dancing Queen.

However, as a side note, I found an interview with dancing queen, Nicole Harris and the man who recorded her, which made it seem like an actual individual's posting. But call me cynical, or maybe just a pr major, but it just seems too convenient having Planet Fitness.com right in the middle of the camera frame.

Regardless of who posted any of this content, personal or professional, they all have two things in common. One, they all can proudly say that they've gone viral and two, they've all monetized. To expand on my examples from above, three of the four videos have commercials and all but the most recent, Giorgio Loves Sonic, has appeared, or has been offered a spot on, the Ellen Degeneres Show and the like.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Giorgio in hopes that his viral hit will help pave the way for his budding musical career. Or, at the very least, give him his fifteen minutes of fame and a nice chunk of change.

Campus Candy: fighting back against frozen yogurt monotony

It seems as if ever since my senior year in high school frozen yogurt shops have been popping up left and right. There's Red Mango, Orange Cup, Juicy Tart, The Yogurt Shop, Swirl, Tart, Berry Austin, Sweet Berry, berry this and berry that. It seems like the list could go on forever.

Yes, frozen yogurt is good; yes, America has seemingly gone crazy over this frozen yogurt fad; but no, there really isn't a difference between one store to the next no matter how catchy and cliche the store name.

Until now...

Much to Swirl's dismay, Campus Candy and Yogurt Bar has finally seemed break the monotonous streak of generic yogurt chains. I went there last night for the first time and while the yogurt really was the same as any other place, the topping selection in itself outdid the competition. The fruit was surprisingly fresh and there was a large variety of not-so-healthy toppings to up your calorie intake as well.

It also obviously sets itself apart from other Yogurt shops by offering a wide array of bulk candy to purchase by the ounce to appease my always active sweet tooth.

A cleverly centralized check-out counter located in the middle of assorted products.
(Photo courtesy of Yelp.com)

A maybe not-so-obvious characteristic of Campus Candy is the way they use technology and social media. In addition to their unique product assortments, they have several flat screens on the wall for consumers to enjoy while eating and mulling over candy purchases. A smart move to keep customers in the store just a little bit longer, allowing extra time for them to make impulse buys.

Currently, this new business does not have an 'official' website and only relies on its excellent storefront location, Facebook page and word-of-mouth for its advertising and promotional efforts. But from what I've seen and heard on campus, almost everyone knows its presence.

Will it survive the ocean of yogurt shops? My bet is most likely. Or at least until the next entrepreneur revamps this business plan and opens up the next 'big thing'.

Goodbye D.C., hello Iowa

While skimming my RSS feed earlier this week, an article from the Washington Post caught my eye. It read, "Filming movies in Washington just got harder". While its pretty common knowledge that filming on location is always more financially and legally challenging than filming on a studio set, often times art directors still feel there is just no substitute for such a powerful location as our nation's capitol.

One of the first problems facing a filmmaker wanting to shoot on location in D.C. is financing; not many places are as film friendly as California. For instance, D.C. offers little to no incentives programs for filmmakers, while other cities and states offer competitive packages.

Many productions get around these snafus by only filming establishing shots on-location and filming interiors and even exteriors at either cheaper locations or on sets. For example, the TV show NCIS, a show set in D.C., is filmed mostly in Santa Clarita, Calif. Likewise, Legally Blonde: Red, White & Blonde was filmed mainly in California studios or on-location in Illinois and Utah which both offer better filming incentives and less security hassles than D.C.

D.C. isn't the only culprit of unfriendly film stipulations though. While Austin is one of the more film-friendly cities, the state of Texas and its many larger cities offer very low financial incentives as well.

So while lack of filming incentives isn't a new problem to the filming industry, a fairly large hurdle may have just arisen. To the dismay of the filming industry, a particular patch of land with the perfect shot of the Capitol building, just traded hands from the U.S. Park Service to the Capitol Police.

Still shot from Transformers 3, courtesy of the Washington Post.

Why is this so bad, you ask? Because the Capitol Police department is notorious for not being as film-friendly as the U.S. Park Service. And while there hasn't been any concrete say in the matter yet, according to Peggy Pridemore, a D.C. location manager, "the answer from the Capitol is always absolutely no".

This unfortunately can cost the city millions of dollars in revenue because according to the article, a feature-film crew can spend almost $500,000 a day while on-location. For example, last year, the city gained $2o.5 million from commercial filming alone. So to see D.C. based films and TV shows get outsourced to other states is definitely a sad thing for the city, and filmmakers alike, to see.

A new year, a new blog

I, Rosy Baker, am going to carry on this blog even after this assignment is over. I'll blog about every good food trailer in Austin. It'll serve not only as an excuse for my overeating habits, but a writing sample for future interviewers. Its going to be great...

Or at least that was my grand idea last year, and if you scroll down a few inches, you can see it ended pretty much as quickly as it started.

But with a new year, comes a new blogging assignment. So now, with two entries a week, I'm expanding my blogging material to encompass my three favorite things: food, beverages and entertainment. 

Each week, I'll generally use one entry on local restaurant or show reviews and another on current events within the entertainment or restaurant industry. The latter will specifically focus on the business and public relation efforts which serve as the backbone for financing, special events, grand openings, premiers, crisis management and much more.

So, stay tuned because this spring season an array of events are already on the line up including Mardi Gras, Chilifest, SXSW, Hollywood's award season, new business deals and anything else that pops up throughout the semester!