If Amy Sedaris pitching Downy in a perky new campaign rings a bell, it's because celebrities have been sudsing up for brands since the early days of Hollywood. Think back to the golden days of radio, when Jack Benny plugged Jello in his opening line, "Jello, everybody, this is Jack Benny," and Bob Hope promoted Pepsodent toothpaste. And in the early days of television, George Burns and Gracie Allen peddled Carnation Milk, Groucho Marx touted Prom Shampoo and Ozzie and Harriett shilled for Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix. Before he was President, Ronald Reagan stumped for Chesterfield cigarettes.

In today’s world of 24/7 social media, celebrity endorsement, backing and entrepreneurship (from Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop to Jessica Alba's Honest Company) have reached new digital platforms. This week Stamped, a mobile app and website that lets people share reviews of anything they like, announced new celebrity backers including Justin Bieber, Ryan Seacrest and Ellen DeGeneres, and investments from Columbia Records, Eric Schmidt and The New York Times Company, bringing its financing to over $3 million.Continue reading...

Teri Hatcher's relationship with Disney is set to continue beyond Desperate Housewives thanks to a new digital partnership.

The actress and former Radio Shack spokeswoman is teaming with ABC's corporate parent to launch GetHatched.com, a portal for women that's being produced by the Disney Family group.

The tagline, "A chick’s guide to life," communicates the project's goal: to become the go-to Web destination for her "peeps" (moms, working women), as Hatcher writes in her debut blog post.

It's aimed, she writes, at "women in all of our multi-tasking, chore-juggling, diverse-life role-playing glory. We ARE the force behind everything. We are the caregivers, the nurturers, the lovers, and teachers. We do the laundry, clean the house, feed the pets, drive the carpool, and as if that wasn't enough of a job, we often bring home the bacon. (And then cook it, too!)"

Of course, Hatcher herself is the draw here, not the content.Continue reading...