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Survey: Droid advertising scaring men right into dutiful brand loyalty

11/25/2009 12:44:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments



Glowing red cyborg eyes, bombs dropped from stealth fighters, emotionless calls of "DRRROOOIIID" every time you get a text message -- it's enough to scare yesterday's lunch out of anyone. Verizon's no-holds-barred advertising campaign for the Motorola Droid has been so hellishly frightening overwhelmingly successful, in fact, that it appears to be paying dividends either directly or indirectly against Moto's biggest rivals. YouGov's BrandIndex -- an ongoing survey measuring brand loyalty through some secret-sauce methodology that only analysts would fully comprehend -- shows a marked spike in Moto's score in the critical adult male category, while Apple and RIM have taken hits over the same period. These numbers look terribly volatile over a relative short span, so we're not going to be rushing to any conclusions -- but by any measure, it's pretty wild to see Moto go from a has-been to besting the bulletproof cult of iPhone in just a few short weeks. In the long term, it'll be interesting to see just how deeply Moto's and Apple's carrier relationships are factoring into public sentiment; after all, momentum's certainly on Verizon's side right now.

New iPhone ads stick up for AT&T

11/25/2009 12:44:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Apple joins marketing war against Verizon with new TV spots

Apple Inc. yesterday joined the fracas between AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless over 3G coverage with a pair of television commercials that defended its U.S. mobile partner.

The ads highlight the fact that users of Apple's iPhone can take calls while simultaneously browsing the Web, sending text messages and reading e-mail when on AT&T's network. Both ads end with the tagline "Can your phone and your network do that?" -- a reference to Verizon's inability to handle calls and other tasks at the same time.

AT&T made that same point in an ad that debuted last week that features actor Luke Wilson claiming that AT&T's service has several advantages over Verizon's. "Which network lets you talk and surf at the same time?" Wilson asks, then slaps an "X" in a checklist under a column labeled "AT&T."

Wilson's advertisement was AT&T's first televised response to a campaign launched in October by rival Verizon that compared its 3G coverage to AT&T's using the phrase "There's a map for that" -- a take-off on the "There's an app for that" line most Apple iPhone commercials use when touting the 100,000 programs available from the App Store.

An executive at The Nielsen Co., the company responsible for the Nielsen Ratings, told Advertising Age last week that he expected more ads from AT&T and described the Luke Wilson ad as a "stopgap."

"It's inevitable there will be more to come. Verizon will not stop running those ads," Nielson senior vice president Roger Entner told the publication.

Since Entner's comments, Wilson has appeared in several more commercials for AT&T, including one where he stands on a huge map showing the carrier's 2G and 3G coverage areas, and another where a purported Verizon customer is forced to juggle two phones to talk and surf the Internet at the same time. That ad ends with the line, "AT&T, a better 3G experience."

AT&T is Apple's exclusive iPhone partner in the U.S. market, although some analysts have suggested that the deal, rumored to run through June 2010, may not be extended as Apple searches for a wider reach using multiple carriers, a tactic it has already applied in several other countries. Ironically, even though the new Apple commercials slight Verizon (though they don't specifically name the AT&T rival) many experts believe that Verizon is a prime candidate to become an iPhone partner in 2010.

Verizon's ads prompted AT&T to file a lawsuit earlier this month in a Georgia federal court, accusing its competitor of making misleading claims with maps that showed scanty 3G coverage. Those ads, charged AT&T, "deceive consumers into believing that AT&T customers cannot communicate in areas where they have no 3G coverage." The company asked a federal judge to issue a court order that would have forced Verizon to stop airing the spots.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten denied AT&T's request.

Yee looks for next hit with 'Triple Tap'

11/25/2009 12:43:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Director Derek Yee plays with guns in “Triple Tap," a cops-and-robbers thriller with a twist co-invested by Hong Kong’s Emperor Motion Pictures and China’s PolyBona International, and co-produced by Hong Kong Sil-Metropol Organization.

The film stars Yee stable actors Daniel Wu and Louis Koo, who last headlined the Yee-produced summer hit “Overheard."

Set in the world of the International Practical Shooting Confederation, an obstacle-course firing competition that rewards speed, power and accuracy, “Triple Tap” is “a psychological mystery about two champions that blurs the line between heroes and villains,” said Yee, who is also one of the producers of the film.

Featuring action scenes of competitive shooting as well as robbery crossfire, filming took place amidst hills and plains near Hong Kong's northern border with the rest of China. Location scouting and preparation for the film proved challenging, as the producers found many of the rural parts of Hong Kong filled with swamps, said Henry Fong, “Triple Tap” producer and Yee’s longtime producing partner. “The gunfire would trigger explosions near swamps, so we had to spend more time to find locations. We also had to modify the guns to make them safe for filming,” said Fong.

The actioner’s 50 million yuan (US$7.3 million) budget “was mostly spent on staging elaborate gun battles and post-production,” said Albert Lee, CEO of EMP, which has a multi-picture deal with Yee. Although a Hong Kong-China co-production, the film was shot in Hong Kong and post-production will also be done in the territory.

Considerations were made to accommodate the Chinese audience and regulators, with “stylized portrayal of violence," said director Yee, whose previous outing, the Jackie Chan drama “The Shinjuku Incident” was denied release in China even after the script had been approved by the Chinese censors and granted co-production status. “I want to make the gun battles aesthetically pleasing; someone getting shot doesn’t necessarily have to gratuitously disgusting, we don’t have to show all the blood and gore,” said Yee.

“Triple Tap” is set for a May 2010 release in China and Hong Kong to capitalize on the Chinese Labour Day national holidays. Expectations are high for the film, said Yu Dong, chairman of the film’s co-investor and distributor Poly Bona, who predicts higher boxoffice grosses for the gun enthusiast thriller than “Overheard," the company’s previous collaboration with Yee which took 90 million yuan (US$13.2 million) in China last summer.

“‘Triple Tap’ is more action-heavy, which will be more attractive for Chinese audiences,” observed Yu. “Furthermore, the Chinese market continues to expand, the overall boxoffice take for 2010 is projected to increase by 30%, there’s no saying how much ‘Triple Tap’ will make in China,” said Yu, whose Poly Bona had a 15% market share in China in 2009 thus far, the releases of which took 900 million yuan (US$132 million) out of the total boxoffice grosses of 6 billion yuan (US$878.5 million) so far this year.

Super Junior Lee Teuk, “The girl I wanted to marry, was two-timing with another celebrity”

11/25/2009 12:43:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

On SBS Strong Heart aired on 24th November, Lee Teuk revealed his heartbreaking lovestory which took place 3 years back.

He said, “After debut, I need to show responsibility in every matter as a leader. I even have a little pre-test about going into a love relationship.” He talks about falling in love with a woman 3 years back, “3 years ago, when I was doing schedule, a lady passed by and caught my attention. And I thought ‘So you can really fall in love with a person at first sight’.”

He added, “I thought that it will be burdersome if I have gone up personally. So I asked ShinDong to help me ask for her contacts. I said ‘This is Lee Teuk. I really like you that I think I’m in love with you. I hope we can meet up and talk’. And the woman said, ‘I feel pressured because you are an idol’.”

But to win the woman’s heart, Lee Teuk had borrowed Super Junior’s 250K kilo schedule car and prepared a CD with songs that the she may like. Lee Teuk said, “I stopped the car in a park in YeoIlDo and played the song ‘DDD’ by Kim HyeRim to lighten up the mood. She said that we have similar taste in music. She was then thirsty and as I got PET bottles and went to a nearby restaurant to fill it up with Cola and cider. She said that she felt my love and was thankful.”

He continued, “But she never told me that she like me. So I proposed ‘I want to go out with you officially’. And the woman accepted. But following that we only meet like once a week. She called and said ‘JungSoo sshi, I really wanted to watch that movie.”

“Even though it was peak hours, I went out for a date with the woman. Even though I may be caught by reporters, I didn’t care more and held the woman’s hand and we went to a cinema in KangNam. I thought that I really wanted to marry this woman and is ready to give up my celebrity life. People have saw me and asked ‘Is that Lee Teuk?’. But I didn’t care more.”

But coincidentally the woman’s mobile phone rang. And the person on the other line is a ChaeBol 2nd generation celebrity. Lee Teuk said, “I passed her the phone and pretended that I didn’t see his name, she then went away to take the call. I had the 250K borrowed car and it was said that he was waiting in front of her house with a luxurious foreign car.”

“I was so happy looking at the woman for 30 seconds. After that it was like hell. After that day, she did not contact me and we did not meet up at all. And for the next 6 months, I went into a slump. I kept calling her but she never picked up.”

Super Junior member Eun Hyuk said, “This is the first time I see Lee Teuk fall in love and get so heartbroken.”

And when asked if it is alright to reveal his love story on the show, Lee Teuk said that it is alright since he has said in a calm state. “Now that I’ve said these words out, I feel good inside. I really wanted to give up then. But I have no regrets about it now.”

Kristen Stewart's New Indie Flick

11/25/2009 12:42:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Forget the supernatural: In Kristen Stewart's next project, the New Moon star is taking a deeply human turn, playing a troubled teenager in the indie flick The Yellow Handkerchief, due in theaters in February.

Costarring William Hurt, Mario Bello and Eddie Redmayne, the movie explores the relationships between three strangers who embark on a road trip through post-Katrina Louisiana. Stewart plays Martine, a teen who hopes to escape her family, while Hurt plays Brett Hanson, a man who has to choose between his ex-wife (played by Bello) or what's next.

"The part of Kristen in Twilight is completely different from the one she plays in The Yellow Handkerchief, which is particularly interesting for Kristen's fans all over the world," says the film's Oscar winning producer Arthur Cohn. "In my personal opinion, from a pure acting point of view, The Yellow Handkerchief was a more difficult part to play."


Cohn says that Stewart got the part thanks to the recommendation of one famous former costar.

"It was Jodie Foster, whom I respect and admire, who wholeheartedly recommended Kristen," he says of her Panic Room costar, "and has always considered her a truly excellent young actress."

Whoa! Kim Kardashian Is Seriously Shrinking

11/25/2009 12:42:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

As we all know, our dear E! reality star Kim Kardashian loves to tweet photos of herself in bikinis, and this past Sunday she gave us another one. Gotta give those 2.6 million followers what they want, right?


Well, we're so used to seeing Kim in a bikini that we usually don't pay much attention, but whoa! What happened to the curvy vixen we all fell in love with? Is this the result of the camera angle, the recent spray tan, the makeup?

She tweeted along with the pic: "Quick Trim photo shoot today in Miami! I finally feel I've reached my goal!"

Let us all think back to this past September, when she tweeted a different bikini Quick Trim shot (that would be the photo on the left). There's something about old Kim we miss. Nevertheless, congrats on reaching your goal.

LG's Monaco (IQ) spotted in Telus garb, rocking WinMo 6.5 and Snapdragon

11/25/2009 12:41:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments



It's been a hot minute since we've heard anything about LG's Monaco, but now it seems as if the wait for this to transition from presentation slide to reality is almost over. Unfortunately, Windows Mobile 7 won't be onboard as previously rumored, but prospective Telus customers can look forward to LG's S-Class interface sprucing things up somewhat. Other specs purportedly include a Snapdragon processor, WVGA display, 5 megapixel camera and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, though nitty-gritty details beyond that are nil. Peep that read link if you're lusting for a few more angles, and don't kid yourself -- you are.

HP's Obsidian becomes iPAQ Glisten, officially comes to AT&T

11/25/2009 12:41:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments



Wow, talk about digging deep in the memory bank. The same phone that we spotted way back in July (known then as the iPAQ K3 Obsidian) has finally emerged in official fashion on AT&T. Dubbed the iPAQ Glisten, this all-business smartphone boasts a vanilla coat of Windows Mobile 6.5, a 2.5-inch AMOLED display, 3.1 megapixel camera, 256MB of SDRAM, a microSD expansion slot, A-GPS, 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, a QWERTY keyboard, 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. 'Course, you'll still be dealing with a resistive screen and a dated OS, but if you're turned on in some weird way, it'll be "available in the coming weeks" for $179.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and 2-year agreement.


Media abuzz over list of Korean celebs who are 'kept'

11/25/2009 12:40:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

FEMALE stars in Korea have a knack for making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

There have been reports of some going under the plastic surgeon's knife - think Kim Hee Sun and Gianna Jun and their before-and-after photos.

Some have even made news when they were found dead - think Lee Eun Joo, Choi Jin Sil and Jung Da Bin, may they rest in peace.

Now some dirt has apparently been dug out about several female stars. A South Korean publication has got hold of a list of celebrities who are allegedly moonlighting as kept women.

The list is provided by an industry source who claims that the women earn a hefty sum of money from 'providing company and extra services' to wealthy businessmen who 'keep' them.

Newcomers are said to rake in a starting fee of 25million won ($30,000), while the A-listers can command up to billions.

While the list does not state the names of the stars, there are hints about their identities.

One of them is described as 'a Miss L who became famous through a single drama'. Another is said to be 'Miss S, a regular face of mini-series'.

Another star is supposedly 'a bubbly, lively Miss C, recently seen in a popular family-oriented drama'.

According to the report, businessmen can seal their 'transactions' with these female celebrities either online or over a private meeting at high-end lounges, where they'd have to pay these women a 'drinking fee' of 3 to 5 million won.

Once confirmed as a kept woman, the celebrity must apparently sign a contract which prevents her from divulging the identity of her 'owner'.

If the man's name is revealed, she will have to pay him compensation of up to 3 billion won.

Popular actress Song Yun-Ah, 36, admitted in an interview that she was 'once approached to be kept'.

'The offer included accompanying the other party for drinks, as well as providing sexual services,' she said. 'It happened in the early years of my acting career.

'Fortunately, I turned the request down.

'I hope my fellow female artistes do not do things they will regret in order to achieve fame and fortune.'

A survey of female celebrities conducted in South Korea last month provided startling results.

A quarter of the stars polled admitted that they 'have had intimate body contact with another party against their own will'.

Furthermore, 12 per cent admitted they 'had provided sexual services' to get money and more work opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Yuen Woo-pings eyes Takeshi Kaneishiro, Zhou Xun and Jay Chou for wuxia remake

11/25/2009 12:40:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Renowned director and action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping is busy trying hard to raise S$40million to shoot the wuxia remake of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, plus cast his dream team of actors in including actor Takeshi Kaneshiro as Linghu Chong, actress Zhou Xun as Ren Yingying, and singer Jay Chou as Dongfang Bubai.

The new remake of the classic novel by Louis Cha is slated to begin filming at the start of 2010 after the Lunar New Year festivities. In the meantime, Yuen does not plan to accept any other directing jobs in order to concentrate wholly in producing the series.

Yuen has expressed that 36-year-old Kaneshiro best fits the role of the lead character, Linghu Chong. Both parties are currently engaged in talks and if the actor agrees, Yuen plans to send him to Beijing for martial arts training sessions. As the show concentrates heavily on martial arts, Yuen hopes that the main actors will receive martial arts training before filming begins to present a more lifelike portrayal of the story.

He also has plans to invite Chinese actress, Zhou Xun, to take up the female lead role as Ren Yingying. He was so impressed by her acting chops and gracefulness in his previous collaboration with her, True Legend, and decided to work with her again.

As both Kaneshiro and Zhou previously collaborated as lovers in the movie, Perhaps Love, he feels that they have enough tacit understanding of each other to bring out the best of their lovebirds characters onscreen.

Apart from these, Yuen hopes that Jay Chou will take on the last remaining lead role as Dongfang Bubai in the show. The chance of Yuen gaining a nod of agreement from Jay lies relatively high as the latter is in awe and respect of the director. The Taiwanese performer also previously agreed to guest star in Yuen’s movie, True Legend.

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