Miami Heat and LeBron James win NBA title.

Abbott challenges ease of biotech drug copies.

Air France to cut 5,000 jobs.

Benetton takes Cannes award with "Unhate" campaign.

Best Buy tells investors its turnaround plan involves boosting training and services.

CBS plans to launch sports radio network.

Dow Jones plans to take Smart Money magazine to web only.Continue reading...

Sunday's New York Times magazine paid tribute to "32 innovations that will change your tomorrow" (and let designers hack its logo as part of the package). Best Buy's new ad campaign also pays tribute to student innovators, while the electronics retailer tips its hat to phone innovation, below.Continue reading...

BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion saw its shares slump today after warning Wall Street that it's forecasting an operating loss for the first quarter. With the company hiring bankers at JPMorgan and RBC to explore a sale, investors worried and layoffs looming, the Canadian government dismissed rumors of a possible takeover.

Other brand news:

Best Buy store closures spur Walmart ads.

NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg bans sale of large sodas and sugary drinks.

GM is shifting Chevrolet ad budget from Super Bowl to sponsoring the popular Manchester United soccer team.

Disney Channel joins the TV Everywhere brigade.

Exxon Mobil shareholders approve executive pay.Continue reading...

Alibaba regains control of future with purchase of Yahoo stake.

Audi will bundle SiriusXM traffic subscriptions in select 2013 models.

Best Buy tops profit estimates on smartphone sales.

Comcast leads U.S. cable operators to create nationwide CableWiFi network of hot spots, and launches integrated local ad sales.

Crocs taps bloggers to promote new styles.

DC Comics intends to bring a major character out of the closet.

Facebook's 11 percent drop on Monday sees fingers pointed at Morgan Stanley, raises more questions about its mobile strategy and creates schadenfreude moment for News Corp.'s ill-fated MySpace acquisition.

General Mills announces layoffs.

Google seals acquisition of Motorola Mobility.Continue reading...

Best Buy, JPMorgan, Yahoo CEO stumbles put ethics and mismanagement in the spotlight. JPMorgan closes ranks around embattled CEO Jamie Dimon as mega-loss is probed; and Yahoo's interim CEO Ross Levinsohn reportedly close to getting role permanently.

Amazon reportedly prepping front-lit Kindle for July.

Facebook eyes historic $12 billion to $15 billion IPO windfall and up to $104 billion valuation.

Activision Blizzard goes back to the future for new games.

Apple plans iCloud upgrade, and thinner laptops with Intel chips.

Baidu enters China's crowded low-cost smartphone market.

BMW touts "ultimate service" in new campaign.

Budweiser strikes deal with Jay-Z for annual concert.Continue reading...

Best Buy today released the results of an independent ethics inquiry, confirming that former CEO Brian Dunn, who resigned on April 10th, had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer. The company also named a new chairman of the board in Hatim Tayabji, chairman and CEO of Bytemobile.

According to the company's press release, "When the Audit Committee was first informed of the allegations in mid-March 2012, it hired outside law firm WilmerHale to conduct an independent investigation. In the interest of transparency and accountability, the board made a commitment to publicly release the findings."

The company is also in the midst of closing 50 of its big box U.S. stores this year.Continue reading...

AOL shrinks Arianna Huffington's role.

Audi documentary on LeMans to debut on Speed TV.

Barnes & Noble positions new Nook feature as marriage-saver.

Best Buy digital head takes over departed CMO's role.

Chicken of the Sea introduces no-drain tuna.

Demi Moore rebrands her Twitter account from @mrskutcher to @justdemi.

Einstein Bros. parent to explore merger or sale possibilities.

Facebook values itself at up to $96 billion in IPO as roadshow frenzy begins.Continue reading...

More and more, big bricks-and-mortar retailers have their backs to the wall. In the case of Best Buy, the shakeup has rattled the executive suite. But in the case of Target, the seachange has prompted retaliation.

Target has announced that it no longer will be selling Amazon's Kindle e-readers as a retaliatory measure for Amazon's encouragement of American shoppers to "showroom" products at retailers and then buy them less expensively online. Given that Target was the first brick-and-mortar retailer to sell the popular e-reader, the move is particularly galling for Amazon.Continue reading...