Well kids, the end of 2008 is upon us…there were some good times, and some bad times, and along the way there were lots of things to help us forget about the bad times.
Anyway, my end-of-the-year gift to you is a list of listicles that OTHER people compiled as the “Best of…” for 2008. I’ve been kind of busy with jetting around and what not, you know, so I’ll just refer to their lists/expertise, and skip out on all that well, extra work.
Happy New Year! Enjoy the links below…and I’ll see you in the ‘09!
As if things weren’t bad enough for U.S. retailers, with the sagging economy and frigid temps and blizzards keeping shoppers away…those kids over at Best Buy are really not having a jolly good time as their high-hopes in Guns N’ Roses’ come-back fell short. Like, nearly a million copies short.
After devoting lots and lots of dollars for the exclusive rights to sell the CD, Chinese Democracy, Guns N’ Roses’ first album in over a decade,well let’s just say the endeavor brought with it the sounds of crickets rather than an anticipated cha-ching! cha-ching! because in the first two weeks only 318,000 albums had been sold (Best Buy had stocked up with 1.3 million copies). Everyone has an excuse: blah, blah, blah, but in the end the already-troubled Best Buy looks incompetent (since Wal-Mart had a similar deal with AC/DC’s release of their latest album, and sold over a million copies in the first two weeks) and as far as GNR? Well, let’s refer to lead man Axl Rose’s expert opinion (an excerpt from The Wall Street Journal):
“Chinese Democracy” generated its share of publicity, thanks in part to the negative reaction Mr. Rose’s album title elicited from the Chinese government. But while AC/DC did its part to ensure its album’s success — it granted dozens of magazine interviews, and 50-something guitarist Angus Young put on his iconic schoolboy outfit for another world tour — Mr. Rose went AWOL.
The reclusive singer declined interviews with Rolling Stone and the New York Times, according to people familiar with the matter. He also didn’t complete a music video in time to promote “Chinese Democracy”….during a question-and-answer session on a fan Web site last week, Mr. Rose remarked that “it very well could be true” when a questioner suggested his detachment was hurting sales. But, he added, “What I have to say a lot of people have no desire to hear.”
Well, there you have it…guess the Best Buy kids should have done a bit more research rather than spent that fateful brainstorming meeting reminiscing about the good old days of the early ’90s, and how awesome Axl Rose was.
Pictured, left-to-right: Some awesome fake rich kids
Here’s this week’s Fun Fact Friday: if you are a member of a super wealthy family and said family has always been painfully obvious about keeping a low-profile/not chatting about the family biz then it’s probably not a good idea to blab to your friend for his lame-o documentary about what it’s like to be from a wealthy family. I’m just saying…’cause that very thing happened to a young woman by the name of Nicole Buffett, granddaughter of one, mega-rich gramps, the illustrious Warren Buffett. Mr. Buffett was severely disappointed that she agreed to be interviewed for “The One Percent,” where she spoke of her grandfather, and without his prior knowledge/approval. So, of course he disowned her, because that’s what rich people do. And NOW she has to get by the really, really hard way–ON HER OWN! Can you imagine??
Those resourceful journos at Marie Claire have the full story here, and thanks to them we have all learned a very valuable lesson…and below is a trailer for the (very) forgettable documentary…
In case you missed it, major history was made on daytime television last week…someone actually bid the exact amount on The Price is Right’s much-coveted Showcase Showdown (that’s the big finale at the end of the show, you know, that they spin the big wheel to get to). According to my sources, this has never happened before (yes, I find that very hard to believe myself, as it is painfully obvious that only the top most brilliant and savvy consumers are allowed to be contestants).
Anyway, here is the clip…but any admiration I ever had for Drew Carey (the new host, took over for Bob “Debonair” Barker) has slithered away as he could not be any less excited over this momentous occasion. I mean, c’mon, what kind of GAME SHOW HOST doesn’t freak out over something as awesome as this? Something that only happens once every 40 years? Drew is clearly way too jaded for this gig–BRING BACK BARKER!!
Well kids, the end of 2008 is upon us…there were some good times, and some bad times, and along the way there were lots of things to help us forget about the bad times.
As if things weren’t bad enough for U.S. retailers, with the sagging economy and frigid temps and blizzards keeping shoppers away…those kids over at Best Buy are really not having a jolly good time as their high-hopes in Guns N’ Roses’ come-back fell short. Like, nearly a million copies short.
In case you missed it, major history was made on daytime television last week…someone actually bid the exact amount on The Price is Right’s much-coveted Showcase Showdown (that’s the big finale at the end of the show, you know, that they spin the big wheel to get to). According to my sources, this has never happened before (yes, I find that very hard to believe myself, as it is painfully obvious that only the top most brilliant and savvy consumers are allowed to be contestants).
