After Sandy, even Apple is giving to the Big Apple. The Cupertino, CA-based tech giant is giving generously to New York City and Northeast residents who were hard hit by Hurricane Sandy, as reported by 9to5Mac: “We just got the above email via an Apple employee from CEO Tim Cook showing the Cupertino company is looking after those on the other coast of the U.S. Apple will donate $2.5 million to the Red Cross to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims.”

The donation comes on top of an iTunes page for the Red Cross, where 100% of value is passed on to relief efforts. Apple’s recent link on their homepage that directs traffic to the Red Cross iTunes page is a major move as their site garners close to 35 million unique visitors monthly, placing it #23 in Compete’s popularity rank of websites. “It’s a prime bit of real-estate and it’s nice to see one of the five major links on the page go to relief in the wake of Sandy’s devastation of the eastern seaboard,” notes TheNextWeb.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is being praised for boosting Apple’s charitable giving, ad being seen as “determined to change the company’s stingy reputation — as one of the few major American corporations that before had barely donated to charity,” reports the New York Post. “Tech titan Apple at last donated something to charity worth talking about: $100 million… [which] still leaves Apple in an unusual spot — far behind its peers.”Continue reading...

Gaggles of celebrities will be running around New York tonight at Fashion's Night Out events, and U2 fans in particular will be flocking to Bloomingdale's.

That's where Edun will host its FNO party featuring its "Storytellers and Liars" menswear collection for fall/winter, with guests Bryan Greenberg and Victor Rasuk, from HBO's How to Make It in America, along with the organic label's founder Ali Hewson — and with any luck for those fans, her husband (and label co-founder) Bono, too.

One of a number of FNO shopping events that Bloomingdale's is hosting tonight, Edun will transform the Metro Level Men’s Department of into a temporary club: The Double Seven and The Lambs Club Pop Up, billed as "the ultimate gentleman’s lounge complete with special guest DJ, handcrafted cocktails and tasty bites." The first 100 people to make an Edun purchase will receive a limited edition Edun Live tee.Continue reading...

AOL considers paid content.

Ben & Jerry's kicks off food truck in San Francisco with free ice-cream.

Bloomberg pushes for a wider TV audience.

Cadbury's Naomi Campbell ad ruled not racist.

Cartier joins Burberry, Louis Vuitton and other luxury brands by launching Youku video channel in China.

Cisco turnaround takes longer than expected.

Coca-Cola accuses Goldman Sachs of manipulating prices.Continue reading...

As Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark finally officially opens this week on Broadway (to a less than glowing review from the New York Times), Sesame Street presents its ode to Disney, Marvel and U2's troubled Broadway production — SpiderMonster, the Musical — as a promo for its own return in September.

Weekend news: Lance Armstrong's former teammate, Tyler Hamilton, accuses him of taking performance-enhancing drugs (including during a Tour de France) in an interview on CBS's 60 Minutes — a charge the cycling champ denies. Click here to watch part 1 and part 2 of Hamilton's interview.

Also: Lady Gaga pops up on NBC's Saturday Night Live (and in a Google commercial); Tim Pawlenty confirms he's running for president; Beyonce, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift earn Billboard nods; Disney's box office Pirates booty; the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh and LeBron James prevail against the Chicago Bulls' MVP Derrick Rose; and more.Continue reading...

On the eve of her new album release, Lady Gaga tops Forbes' 2011 list of top entertainers — defined as the most powerful people in entertainment based on Forbes' calculation of their earnings (pretax income from May 1, 2010-May 1, 2011) and media clout (print, TV, radio, online and especially social media).

The artist formerly known as Stefani Germanotta is Forbes' new #1, notching $90 million in earnings in the past year, while the in-transition Oprah was #2 with $290 million but far less social media and digital clout. View the new top 10 below, and the complete 2011 list here. 

Below, see why Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber (the youngest to make Forbes' list, he debuts at #3), U2, Elton John, Tiger Woods, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Simon Cowell and LeBron James made the top ten in this year's celeb rankings.Continue reading...

ABC's Desperate Housewives renew contracts with eight-figure salaries. 

Amazon launches $25 cheaper ad-supported Kindle.

NFL players, owners ordered to start federal mediation.

Donald Trump goes on the warpath against New York media.

BP gives Florida $30 million for advertising.

Costco undercuts cheapest gas prices but stocks $1M diamond ring.

David Beckham says he will collaborate on a kids clothing line with pal Snoop Dogg.

Experian says 30% of searches came from Bing last month.Continue reading...

She's the queen of social media. Now, Lady Gaga is on track to pass U2 as the world's top-earning performer. 

Forbes estimates that the 24-year-old artist, who earned an estimated $64 million last year, will rise from #7 on its list of the world's highest-earning musicians to #1 this year, with assumed 2011 earnings in the $100-$130 million range.Continue reading...