Plenty of folks are unhappy with Lance Armstrong, the once beloved American cyclist who has recently been stripped of his seven Tour de France victories due to damning evidence and eyewitness accounts that he took performance-enhancing drugs. The whole fiasco has cost Armstrong tens of millions in sponsorship dollars, with some donors even asking Armstrong's Livestrong foundation to return their money.

So what else can happen to the guy? Well, a few villagers in the UK took a 30-foot-tall effigy of Armstrong and burned it as part of the annual Guy Fawkes bonfire celebration, the Daily Mail reports. The effigy features Armstrong wearing a bike helmet and a yellow jersey and holding a sign that said, “Racing bike for sale no longer needed.”

UCI, the international governing body of cycling, is also feeling the heat. It's being sued by Swiss-based sportswear company Skins for $2 million, as it claims that the Armstrong doping scandal has hurt its brand. The company never sponsored Armstrong or UCI but has sponsored riders and cycling teams in the past few years.Continue reading...

Adidas "away" football kit for England's Chelsea FC shares love with Samsung.

Apple loosens app store policies to enable publishers to set pricing.

Ford sued over Sync claims; looks to compete with Toyota with hybrid minivan.

Google acquires Admeld for $400M.

Hillary Clinton reportedly in talks for World Bank role.

McDonald's embarrassed by parent's play area investigation.Continue reading...

What do Schick, Subway, H&R Block, Taco Bell, Wrigley and GM have in common? They’ve all pulled their ads from MTV’s controversial series Skins after the Parents Television Council (PTC) called it “the most dangerous show” on TV and began targeting advertisers last week to jump ship.

During the second episode of the US remake of the racy British teen drama, movie studios picked up the slack. MTV ran ads during Monday's broadcast, including Sony's Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It, Screen Gems' thriller The Roommate, Warner Bros.' The Rite and Unknown, DreamWorks and Disney's I Am Number Four, and Universal's Sanctum 3D.

Why would movies support the controversial series while chewing gum and fast food brands are running scared?Continue reading...

President Obama's State of the Union address urges bipartisan collaboration to help US better compete globally, boost jobs and the economy, and "out-innovate, outeducate and outbuild" while technology innovation will be the nation's "Sputnik moment." Also mentioned: Facebook and Google.

Best Buy's Super Bowl ad to feature Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osbourne, while Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, GoDaddy, Disney, Paramount and Universal will use the Super Bowl's massive TV reach to tease upcoming releases. Suzuki joins the Super Bowl ad derby with plans to air regional spots for its Kizashi model.

Facebook buys mobile ad firm Rel8tion.

FDA and US dairy industry spar over milk testing.

Ford is expected to announce huge profits on Friday.Continue reading...

Super Bowl XLV will offer a match-up between classic franchises when the Green Bay Packers play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Arlington, Texas, on February 6. Mercedes-Benz hints at Super Bowl attack on Lexus with Serena Williams, while Papa John's, Intel, Monster, Dr Pepper, Denny's, Universal Orlando and text-answering service KGB take a pass on returning to this Super Bowl. Fox, meanwhile, rejects potentially controversial Super Bowl ad, creator says.

Air France to disclose safety criticisms of review panel.

The BBC is shedding about 25% of online staff, and moves away from celebrity coverage and in-depth financial analysis.

Conde Nast prepares “Bite me” campaign for Bon Appetit magazine.

Facebook reaches deal with German regulator over “friend-finder.”Continue reading...

Apple's App Store nears 10 billion app downloads (the most popular? Facebook) as iPad gets high-profile endorsement from Kathy Giffords.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt to get $334M as he cedes role to cofounder Larry Page and moves to chairman position on April 4.

HP shakes up board of directors.

IBM is giving non-executive employees $1,000 in stock.

Intel nears EU approval for McAfee deal.

KFC is China's favorite import.Continue reading...

It's not enough to for a brand to know what its consumer wants, it also must know how to reach that consumer to communicate what the brand has that the consumer wants. What good is a brand that nobody knows about?

That's why the Suddenly Fem brand is releasing its first US national commercial on major cable networks to reach its target consumer, crossdressers. But it may be working at cross-purposes.Continue reading...

AIG returns focus to selling insurance.

Alibaba expands supply network in China.

AOL will premiere new track for Lady Gaga, whose brand strength continues to soar.

EBay trails general online shopping growth.

ESPN readies network dedicated just to the University of Texas.

General Motors once again shuffles top ranks.

Google is expected to post strong earnings, while Google Voice is ready to port numbers.Continue reading...