The two billion people who watched the 12-12-12 concert for Hurricane Sandy relief at New York’s Madison Square on Wednesday night may have tuned in (or streamed) for the chance to see music legends — Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, the Who, Roger Waters, Chris Martin, Michael Stipe, Dave Grohl, Alicia Keys, Eddie Vedder — but the heart of the show was the stories of people whose lives were impacted by Sandy, and who were asking the world to care and help.

As the Los Angeles Times commented, “Critiquing the broadcast of the 12-12-12 Sandy benefit concert on Wednesday night is like assessing the food at a bake sale: Maybe the muffins are oversalted or the cookies are stale, but that's not the point. The point is charity and drawing attention to the cause.”

So  kudos to Madison Square Garden (and New York Knicks) owner Cablevision, not to mention Clear Channel, Miramax's Harvey Weinstein, Chase, State Farm and other sponsors and volunteers for putting on a story-driven night of music and social compassion (the #121212concert hashtag is still lively on Twitter) to raise proceeds for the Robin Hood Relief Fund.

And in a similar (if less glitzy) vein, the American Red Cross has some stories it would like to share with you, too.Continue reading...

TD takes top spot on Interbrand's new Best Canadian Brands ranking.

JCPenney continues claw-back of new business model, plans to use term "sale" again.

Sara Lee renames North American business Hillshire Brands and narrows focus to meat.

Apple uses more celebrities in marketing; what does that say about new products?

Justin Bieber debuts another fragrance concept called Girlfriend.

Burger King expands in Russia.

Clear Channel shifts royalty deal for music artists including Taylor Swift's label.Continue reading...

Apple hires Dixons CEO as new retail chief, while iPad sales propel Apple to top of PC market over HP. Apple patent challenger Samsung, meanwhile, faces EU inquiry.

AT&T names new strategy officer in management shuffle.

Bang & Olufsen debuts cheaper line of high-tech gadgets.

Belstaff brings luxury leather jackets to London and New York with dual flagships.

BSKyB to start movie service rivaling Netflix.

BlackBerry-maker RIM posts corporate governance report indicating why co-CEO role was scrapped.

Carrefour names yet another CEO in turnaround struggle.Continue reading...

Zynga has confirmed a Wall Street Journal report by officially announcing that it's partnering with Lady Gaga on a first of its kind co-branding social gaming promotion: GagaVille, which will launch next week.

The deal brings the power of Lady Gaga's massive fan base and Zynga's game-loving audience together to promote the singer's upcoming album, Born This Way. Visitors to GagaVille, a limited edition (May 17-26) farm within FarmVille, will be the first to hear exclusive unreleased songs from the album, which will also come bundled as a free download with the purchase of a special Zynga $25 game card, available exclusively at Best Buy.Continue reading...

Royal Wedding fever sets all-time record for web traffic, including striking 3 million Facebookers in the US and UK. Does this prove the British monarchy is still relevant? Weigh in!

NASA forced to reschedule Space Shuttle Endeavour launch due to tech problem.

NFL players head back at work today (and court, as lockout standoff continues) as NFL draft gets underway.

AIG claims it was a victim in new lawsuit. 

Clear Channel pulls pro-Palestine billboards in Seattle.

CNN hires Erin Burnett away from CNBC.

Donald Trump's political future in question after f-bomb tirade.

South Africa faces booze ad ban.

Toyota and other Japanese automakers trim US ad spending.

Twitter estimates that 70% of its traffic is non-US.

ABC ratings dip without Bristol Palin, Dancing With the Stars.

Alberto-Culver settles Unilever suit.

Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us led e-commerce sales on Cyber Monday, boosted by Facebook.

BP suspends Alaska project over safety concerns.

Bank of America stock dips on news it's next on WikiLeaks' radar as Interpol targets site founder.

Clear Channel signs three-year, $60 million deal with Ryan Seacrest.Continue reading...

What’s black and white and red in the face?

Since The New York Times ran an expose of the toxic corporate culture at Tribune Co. – owner of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and other mega-media brands – Tribune has been falling to pieces.

Of course, Tribune has been attempting to put bankruptcy court behind them since its 2007 acquisition by real estate magnate Sam Zell. But more to the point these days is that Zell’s hand-picked CEO, Randy Michaels, seemed to have established a modus operandi at company headquarters in Chicago that only could be described as ink-stained raunch.

That led to Michaels’ recent departure, as Tribune creditors began to press for a whole new start for the company. And now, there is growing pressure for various Michaels confidants, associates and fellow travelers to leave the company as well.Continue reading...

Gatorade will undergo a $30 M facelift in 2010, again. [AdAge]

H&M strives to keep the fashion fresh and the margins profitable. [NY Times]

Wal-Mart goes after Amazon's weakness: the distribution chain. [WSJ]

Asda steals Sainsbury's slogan: "Good food costs less at Asda." [Times of London]

Google in talks with T-Mobile to sell the Nexus One at a discounted price. [WSJ]

Clear Channel's slowing decline tempers hopes for an advertising recovery. [WSJ]Continue reading...