Al Jazeera buys Current TV from Al Gore, prompting Time Warner Cable to drop channel.

Hormel Foods branches out as it buys Skippy peanut butter brand from Unilever.

Toyota declares a rebirth.

5-Hour Energy sees ad claims rebutted (again).

AB InBev plans to launch stronger U.S. version of Budweiser this year.

Amazon wins dismissal of App Store false-ad claim by Apple.

Apple "bet" energizes AT&T.

China recovery confidence spurs Hong Kong luxury sales.Continue reading...

Aston-Martin sells stake to Italian private-equity firm.

Citigroup sees CMO depart for Gilt.

YouTube relaunches site to feature original channels.

Coca-Cola relaunches Glaceau Vitimanwater in the UK.

Daily Beast considers charging for web content as Washington Post also plans paywall.

Delta faces California suit over app.

Ford finds opportunities in "social shifting."

Google to rein in free Google Apps.Continue reading...

Daily Beast triumphs as Newsweek announces end of print magazine.

Apple loses tablet copyright appeal against Samsung, makes 14 pt. UK apology, reportedly eyes Color Labs, will never resume US manufacturing.

Amazon pushes Kindle to US kindergarten classes.

AOL aims to make email more social with Alto.

Centrum rises on landmark medical study.

China slowdown appears to bottom out.

Facebook rallies on mobile advertising outlook.

In-N-Out Burger opens London pop-up.Continue reading...

Amazon projects 5M Kindle sales by year-end.

American Airlines makes long-awaited proposal to pilot union.

American Express expands Small Business Saturday.

Apple strikes up iTunes Match as Google prepares music launch.

AstraZeneca sees that its anti-cholesterol drug Crestor fails to beat Lipitor, by Pfizer, in new study.

AT&T and Verizon expand via cloud services.

BMW launches on-demand music service with MOG.

Cracker Barrel finally targets local customers.

Ford partners with Zynga for Escape launch.Continue reading...

Plum TV appears to be dying on the vine — and on the Vineyard, as the lifestyle channel geared at America's playgrounds of the wealthy is in the pits of despair.

Luxury-lifestyle maven Jerry Powers just resigned as CEO of the company, citing mismanagement that hemorrhaged "millions" of dollars being the final straw.

“You’ve got a board with billionaires looking over employees whose checks might not clear,” he commented to the Miami Herald, adding that “after I started, the board gave us $4 million. But they didn’t tell me about the $6.7 million in unpaid bills. The board put in another $5 million this year, and that ran out two weeks ago. On Thursday (Sept. 1), the board refused more funding.”

Powers took over the reins at Plum 10 months ago, the company’s third CEO since Plum co-founder Tom Scott, who parlayed his fortune as the founder of Nantucket Nectars beverage brand into starting the Plum media company aimed at America's idle rich.Continue reading...

What happens, evidently, when your company gets acquired by another company with deeper pockets — you get sued. At least that's what it looks like regarding a $105 million lawsuit against The Huffington Post brought by labor advocate Jonathan Tasini on behalf of more than 9,000 writers.

Clearly, it is no coincidence that the lawsuit has come soon after the February acquisition of Arianna Huffington's website by AOL for more than $300 million.

Huffington not only sold her eponymous "Internet newspaper," she also became head of newly christened The Huffington Post Media Group, which consolidates content across AOL's online properties — a streamlining, synergistic move that froze out legions of HuffPo's unpaid bloggers, not to mention the newly laid off AOL staffers.Continue reading...

Apple, poised for record-breaking sales quarter, ignites guessing game ahead of iTunes-related announcement.

AstraZeneca reportedly looks to unload unit for $2 billion.

BP attracts investment from T. Boone Pickens.

Comcast plans iPad app as top digital executive, Amy Banse, is tapped to head up Comcast/NBC Universal investment fund in Silicon Valley and top lobbyist David Cohen pushes for "self-regulation" of the Internet.

Diesel's racy ad shoot shocks law school library.

Digg's former CEO Jay Adelson lands at SimpleGeo.

EMC buys data storage rival Isilon for $2.4 billion.

Facebook, now the #3 Web company, is integrated into Microsoft Office.

FedEx, PG&E and Nissan seek U.S. government subsidies for electric vehicles.Continue reading...

Airstream peddles premium RVs in a recession.

AOL unveils beta version of new email hub. as Facebook rolls out email service.

Apple brings mobile iAds to Europe this week.

Arcelor expresses interest in buying Massey.

BHP Billiton withdraws its takeover bid for Potash in the wake of Canadian-government opposition.

Caterpillar to buy Bucyrus in $8.6 billion deal.

Daily Beast's Tina Brown begins transforming Newsweek, including plans to fold (update: incorporate) its website.Continue reading...