ABC has covered, and re-covered, the multifarious demographic spectrum of America with the "stars" it has selected to appear on its Dancing With the Stars reality competition series over the years. It is part of what has made the show so successful as it enters its 13th season on September 19. But arguably, the network has never selected a specific person almost solely because that star is the most appropriate exemplar of a demographic niche.

Until now. With the naming of Chaz Bono, the transgendered offspring of Sony and Cher Bono, as a contestant in its new cast, ABC has crossed an interesting boundary in the roster of non-professional contestants in its continually appealing dance contest.

It has always sought to fill certain categories that variously appeal to parts of its audience, including hard-bodied professional athletes, determined Olympic champions, comedians, and octogenarians such as Cloris Leachman and Buzz Aldrin.

DWTS also has unblinkingly featured openly or presumedly homosexual contestants such as Lance Bass and paired them with the opposite gender. This isn't to say that "identity politics" or any kind of politics at all have been kept out of the show.Continue reading...

Anheuser-Busch InBev moves to trademark US city area codes, while Apple trademarks "280."

Charlie Sheen hopes to return to TV in Anger Management.

Claudia Schiffer launches a fashion collection.

CNN cancels Eliot Spitzer's talk show.

Ford is the first brand on Google+, with two accounts.

Louis Vuitton and Burberry awarded biggest counterfeit settlement in Canadian history.

PyeongChang, South Korea, selected by IOC to host the XXIII Winter Olympics in 2018.

Nancy Grace's Casey Anthony obsession boosts ratings for HLN.

P&G, Asda and Tesco consider joining brand advertisers that are boycotting News of the World.Continue reading...

Apple store employee moves to unionize.

Chipotle expansion plans hit by rising costs.

Citi defends delay in disclosing hacking.

Dell gives precedence to Chinese market for tablet roll-out.

Dole blitzes US cities to pump up banana sales.

Edmunds.com to launch Groupon-type channel for cars.

Ford is ordered to pay $2 billion to dealers in old pricing dispute.Continue reading...

Maybe it's time for straight news on cable to throw in the towel. In an increasingly noisy environment, cable television has become a place for loud, opinionated voices rather than reasoned, objective reporting. Think of it as talk radio with video.

As we've reported, that trend leaves CNN uncomfortably in the middle, leaning neither toward MSNBC's left nor Fox News Channel's right on the US media spectrum. The result is a squeeze play that has seen CNN losing viewers—and talent, with high-profile departures indicating a venerable TV brand in danger of losing its identity and audience.

Last November, acerbic anchor Lou Dobbs left the network, followed by veteran global correspondent Christiane Amanpour's departure in March (although she doesn't pop up on ABC News until August).

Now anchor Campbell Brown is out, of her own accord, and she has made it very clear why: "she was unable to compete with the opinion-mongers that dominate cable news in prime time," reports the New York Times.

Campbell feels she doesn't have the heart for the posturing and vitriol that's dominating cable news these days—or as the above clip during the Haiti earthquake aftermath shows, perhaps it's a case of having too much heart.Continue reading...