HP board shakeup and chairman exit gives CEO Meg Whitman a chance to shake off troubles.

BP faults Deepwater Horizon claims overseer, launches first brand-wide fuel loyalty program.

BMW prepares X4 crossover for U.S. market, makes vehicles greener with fewer cylinders, less gasoline.

Al Jazeera America hires CNN's Ali Velshi as anchor.

Amazon's Jeff Bezos leads $5 million investment round in Henry Blodget's Business Insider.

Apple reportedly signs music labels for streaming service as Google's YouTube clinches deal with Universal Music.

Best Buy may have turned the tide on showrooming Amazon.Continue reading...

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...

Today, 24-hour news network CNN unveiled new branding for 2012 political campaign coverage. CNN's new motto states that its political coverage makes it "America's Choice 2012," a tagline that "reflects our commitment to helping American voters make that choice."

CNN is not joking. But Jon Stewart was when The Daily Show used the exact same branding in 2008.Continue reading...

While Rupert Murdoch is understandably embroiled in matters involving another News Corp. property on the other side of the pond, Fox News has been intensifying its own battle in the United States, finally deciding it's had enough of the self-appointed media watchdog, Media Matters for America.

The network — which has always gone its own way, of course — lately launched a bold on-air editorial campaign against Media Matters, the not-for-profit liberal-watchdog organization that has sworn Fox’s demise as its raison d’etre (although it's also having a field day with Murdoch's News of the World scandal).

Former conservative-turned-progressive journalist David Brock heads Media Matters and has sworn to take down Fox as part of the organization's mission to attack "conservative misinformation" in the media.Continue reading...

Trending on YouTube today: Donald Trump's response to a zinger (below) by Jon Stewart. The Comedy Central host took a swing at Trump for eating pizza with a fork while dining in New York this week with Sarah "Is She or Isn't She?" Palin.

It's the latest video blog (vlog) by Trump, who who caught vlogging fever in February (one of our favorites: his Geico rant) as missives from “From the Desk of Donald Trump.”Continue reading...

A year ago British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver won the TED Prize to further his goal of promoting healthy eating to children.

His latest TED video updates his Food Revolution campaign's progress, which includes sending a mobile "teaching kitchen" across the US this year and five community kitchens coming to New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Baltimore and Dallas.

The series of the same name returns to US TV (on ABC) on April 12th — and it's off to a controversial start before it even airs.Continue reading...

Al Jazeera plays 'galvanizing' role in Middle East, as Egypt blocks web and messaging as unrest escalates, and WikiLeaks releases US/Egyptian cables.

Amazon grows at the cost of profits; announces winners of first script contest.

Borders seeks possible bankruptcy financing.

BP spill claims in the thousands challenged as fraudulent.

Caterpillar beats analyst estimates on China sales.

Bratz/Mattel trial is underway in Los Angeles.Continue reading...

Foursquare this week reported staggering growth in 2010. With 6 million registered users, it grew 3,400% last year for some 381,576,305 check-ins. 

The location-based brand's largest check-in stunt to date was the Jon Stewart-Stephen Colbert "Rally To Restore Sanity" in Washington, which received 30,525 check-ins.

Also notable last year: 50,000 Americans checking in on Election Day from 23,500 polling places, and its first outer space check-in, from the International Space Station, on October 22.

The places generating the biggest number of check-ins in 2010 related to food — in one creative marketing tie-in, 224 people named Wendy checked into Wendy's restaurants — followed by offices, shops, gyms and concert venues.Continue reading...