In other hotel brand expansion news today, remember the Planet Hollywood Hotel brand? Let's backtrack: remember the Planet Hollywood brand?

Think Bruce Willis, 1991, celeb mania, global overexpansion. With its emphasis on memorabilia of the glitterati and admittedly so-so food, Planet Hollywood was a thinly disguised Hard Rock Cafe knock-off. In fact, Planet Hollywood's Robert Earl used to run the East Coast Hard Rock Cafes before he started his other celeb-heavy venture — which not surprisingly resulted in a nasty lawsuit.

But that sorry story is past history. Planet Hollywood, the brand, has survived ups and downs including bankruptcy. It has stuck with its restaurants and somehow managed to morph into the resort business as well, the most notable property being the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Now the hospitality side of the business has caught the eye of the world's largest hotel company.Continue reading...

Twitter fixed a security bug that disabled its website version today, and plans to step up promoted tweets (as only one-fifth of its 160 million registered users follow brands or companies).

Adobe misses earnings forecast on sluggish sales.

AIG nears sale of two units to Prudential.

BlackBerry-maker RIM could unveil its tablet (nickname: the BlackPad) as early as next week.

Clorox unloads its STP and Armor-All brands.

DC Entertainment's non-publishing business is moving to Los Angeles as part of Time Warner shake-up.

Disney former executive assistant pleads guilty to insider trading charges.

GlaxoSmithKline sues Roche, Genentech over cancer drug patent.Continue reading...

In a world where print versions of newspapers and magazines are failing every day, 42-year-old Rolling Stone magazine has found a new and novel way to extend its brand: The restaurant business. Rolling Stone will open the first of what is expected to be a chain of restaurants next summer in L.A.

The restaurant, to be located near the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, will actually function as two establishments: a restaurant and bar at Hollywood and Highland Center opening into the mall, and a late-night lounge, operated at street level on Highland Avenue.

Rolling Stone magazine has remained a stable publication despite industry shakeouts. The publication's eclectic mix of celebrity covers, music coverage, and politics/current events features has a certain appeal to progressive audiences, including baby boomers who recall its rebellious roots. Rolling Stone is no stranger to brand extensions, either -- the company publishes its own books and released a video game this year.Continue reading...