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...

Expedia's Netherlands agency (Woedend) takes inspiration from the legendary Saul Bass and the Catch Me if You Can title sequence in this new :20 commercial and :10 tag-ons.

Watch more new spots — from Target, Pepsi Max, Victoria's Secret and other brands — after the jump.Continue reading...

"The idea is that he's shooting a film, but he's an actor in a film shooting a film." That's the Blue Steel-worthy explanation in the behind-the-scenes look at Gerard Butler's latest spot for L'Oreal Men. Butler's take: "He's like the ultimate dude you want to be." See the dude in action after the jump.Continue reading...

A&P files for bankruptcy.

Amazon reveals holiday boom in Kindle sales.

Apple reveals its top-selling apps of the year.

Buick underwrites travel series on MSN.

BYD seeks to charge up its U.S. business.

Carlsberg innovates global growth.

Coca-Cola and Apple lead global “word-of-mouth” brands.

Coty and L’Oreal snap up prominent local brands in China.Continue reading...

Apple's iPhone displaces Samsung on home turf of Korea.

Chevron boosts spending by 20%.

eBay may be liable in Europe for L'Oreal trademark breaches.

J&J recalls Rolaids over particle fears.

MasterCard acquires prepaid card business.

Pfizer (and its $10 million richer outgoing CEO) dragged through WikiLeaks muckraking, as US probes cyberattacks.

Twitter grew by more than 100M new accounts this year, as announced in a microsite; 8% of online Americans use Twitter, adds Pew.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is named "CEO of the Decade" by MarketWatch, with Ford CEO Alan Mulally named "CEO of the Year."

BMW reports highest global sales growth so far this year.

Cheesecake Factory inks credit line for expansion next year.

CNN says Parker Spitzer talk show keeps rising amid the tensions.

Fortune Brands splits into three companies: spirits (Jim Beam, Canadian Club), home (Moen faucets) and a golf business.

Hyundai signs extended global FIFA World Cup sponsorship deal.Continue reading...

AGL to buy Nicor in huge natural-gas deal.

AT&T deals with failing grade by Consumer Reports.

Bank of America tops mobile banking apps in new study.

BP weighs sale of North Sea assets to help pay for Gulf clean-up.

Bright Food of China nears purchase of GNC.

DecorMyEyes Google-abuser arrested as Google boosts "nicer" advertisers.Continue reading...

Amazon launches mobile price-comparison engine that threatens store retailers.

Apple sells 2 million Beatles songs in first week.

Dolce & Gabbana namesakes indicted on tax evasion charges.

EBS and other Irish banks are up for sale as bailout request puts nation on brink of collapse.

Foursquare takes on the TSA with “Baggage Handler” badge, as TSA launches iPhone app to advise travelers.

Gibson sues PaperJamz paper guitar-maker WowWee and retailers including Toys'R'Us and eBay.

Google allows promoted tweets to real-time search results.Continue reading...