Despite being effectively fired by Mitt Romney during the first presidential candidates' debate, Big Bird doesn't need the president going to bat for him. Obama's campaign released a TV commercial (description: "According to Mitt Romney, it's not Wall Street you have to worry about, it's Sesame Street") criticizing Romney for making the Sesame Street star, as the brand ambassador of PBS and the federally-funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Public Enemy #1. The Sesame Workshop wasn't amused, responding:

Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns. We have approved no campaign ads, and, as is our general practice, have requested that both campaigns remove Sesame Street characters and trademarks from their campaign materials.

That's right — the president of the United States was schooled by puppets, but his campaign still has not taken down the offending video, despite the request, by this writing. Whether Sesame Workshop's lawyers sends a cease and desist letter (unlikely) remains to be seen.Continue reading...

Apple wins legal round in U.S. over iPad trade name in China.

Birds Eye commits to "GenVeg" effort to get kids to eat vegetables.

Chase pitches pre-paid debit cards.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo carry calorie fight into New York subways.

Delta pulls ads from Comedy Central's The Daily Show.

Disney gets earnings boost from cable.

Dole considers breakup.

Domino's gluten-free crust challenged.

Facebook IPO bandwagon moves to Boston, ditches video.

Ford struggles with Thai suppliers after last fall's floods.Continue reading...

Facebook marketing director Randi Zuckerberg is taking aim at "trolls," so-called because they harass others on the web, calling for an end to anonymous online commenting.

At a social media panel this week in New York, she stated that web users would "behave a lot better" if they used their real names when commenting and communicating online. "I think anonymity on the internet has to go away," she said. "I think people hide behind anonymity and they feel like they can say whatever they want behind closed doors."Continue reading...

Here's the fauxmo (faux promo) for Verizon's iPhone, as brought to you by those cut-ups at CBS's Late Show with David Letterman. The mock spot picks up on a theme that also emerged in Jon Stewart's Daily Show response to the Verizon/Apple iPhone deal, after the jump.Continue reading...

TD Bank acquires Chrysler Financial for $6.3 billion.

News Corp.'s bid for BSkyB cleared by EU.

Apple plans exposed by insider trading suit.

Bank of America and other Wall Street firms face increased scrutiny on executive pay.

Betty White voted entertainer of the year by AP.

Brett Favre retirement leaves muddles NFL legacy.

CBS is looking to renegotiate Katie Couric's contract.Continue reading...

Last night, future Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Brett Favre threw his 500th touchdown. The next closest quarterback is in the low 400s. He threw that touchdown against a team for which he played one year in 2008. Yet, the news surrounding Favre was all about a sports blog's accusations that Favre engaged in sexual harassment while on the New York Jets team. These accusations from Gawker Media's Deadspin blog against the legendary NFL icon raised an interesting questions about legacy and reputation... specifically, Deadspin's.Continue reading...

When your brand is build on being provocative and something of an iconoclast, you're going to go after other brands, including other iconoclasts. Which is what Jon Stewart's The Daily Show and Jezebel are doing.

Gawker's post-feminist blog recently accused Comedy Central's The Daily Show of being sexist by not featuring more women. Stewart swiped back on-air (see the 2:05 mark here) while his female staffers responded with a mocking note posted on the show's website.

It's all great for business as far as Gawker Media owner Nick Denton is concerned.Continue reading...

As fate would have it, Jon Meacham was scheduled to promote his new PBS show (which premieres tonight) on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show the same day the Pulitzer Prize-winning editor of Newsweek found out his day job was on the line.

Instead of cancelling or using the occasion to play the "oh, woe is me" card, Meacham proceeded with the taping on Wednesday to outline his vision for rescuing the financially strapped media brand in the wake of the Washington Post's decision to sell the magazine and its assets.

He seized the opportunity to evangelize about Newsweek’s importance as an important brand for analysis and original reporting – despite its faltering financials - and to suggest that the brand flip its business model.Continue reading...