Eager to put a winless 2010 behind him, Tiger Woods will make his PGA season debut this weekend at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, CA. 

“I had some things to do at home, I worked at those things at home, then I came out here,” the embattled golf pro told reporters at a press conference today. He  also said this was the first offseason he’d had in nearly six years where he wasn’t trying to recover from an injury or personal problems.

“It’s nice to have an offseason where I wasn’t in pain and recovering [from] something,” he added. “I’ve had so many darn surgeries. It’s been awhile since I had an offseason like this where it’s been nice to start up again, nice to practice and build, and that’s been fun.”

Woods appears to be loosening up his image.Continue reading...

While there's something to be said for brand names that stand the test of time, one that seems to hark back to the golden days of radio is RadioShack. The company got its start in the early 1920s as a supply house for radio and electronics hobbyists.

Over the years, RadioShack remained a source for hobbyists and, later, for consumers who needed batteries, cables, and esoteric electronic components they couldn't find anywhere else. Then technology changed. Boy did it change.

But the name RadioShack hasn't changed. And that may be the biggest problem of all for this retail brand, which just saw its CEO step down and fighting for its life.Continue reading...

Gwen Stefani for HP, Michael Jordan for Hanes, Dr. Dre for HP, Peyton Manning for Sony, Lady Gaga for Polarioid, Lance Armstong for Radio Shack, Michael Vick for… ArTran?

A new study confirms what a lot of people on both ends of the advertising paradigm suspect: celebrity endorsements aren't worth it. My colleague Sheila Shayon earlier pondered this question — find out why the evidence is swinging in favor of taking back the swag bags and shutting down the gravy train.Continue reading...

Every day brings more news of brands signing up celebs as the face and ambassador of their product or service. But with Fifty Cent making almost $8.8 million from a single tweet — if that estimate is to be believed — it has to be asked if the power of celebrity endorsements still holds true. The Kardashians' kollective future is riding on it!Continue reading...

Tiger Woods may have closed 2010 as the most polarizing figure in golf (if not all sports). But Rush Limbaugh might open the new year by taking Tiger’s place.

Radio-talk king Limbaugh — beloved by conservatives, vilified by the Left, and a curiosity to just about everyone — will be laying bare his golf game beginning Tuesday night on the Golf Channel, as the latest celebrity to become part of The Haney Project.

The idea of the series is that Hank Haney, who teaches the pros to play, tries to take the golf game of some middling but well-intended amateur to a much higher plane.Continue reading...

In year-end sales figures released today, US automakers post gains (first since the recession) as Toyota lags and Ford moves to second place behind GM. Lexus held off Mercedes-Benz and BMW to hang onto the top US luxury auto brand.

Apple's iPad is being embraced by the educational market for in-school use.

BitTorrent has more users than Netflix and Hulu combined.

BMW's electric hybrid sets $200K price point.

Consumer Reports sees packaging shrinking on US grocers' shelves.

GE unloads $6B worth of debt.Continue reading...

Last year will be one both Tiger Woods and Brett Favre would just as soon forget.

The Woods debacle was voted top sports story of 2010 by the Associated Press and not for reasons any sports personality would be proud of. Tiger's troubles started but didn't end with the revelation of his marital infidelities.Continue reading...

Tiger Woods' "humbling return to the public eye" has been voted the #1 sports story of the year by members of the Associated Press. The AP's top 10 after the jump.Continue reading...