The game was alright. The New Orleans Saints won despite popular support. And Peyton Manning proved he's just Eli's older brother. The Chargers vs Saints or even the Jets vs Saints would've been a better 'rated' game. But as some people and non-NFL fans always say, "We went to watch the ads, and a game broke out."

I didn't think this year's ads were up to expectations, at least mine. Yes, some were good, maybe even great for some, but they were predictable. No ooh aah factor. With the exception of the Letterman-Oprah-Leno ad of course. How did they ever convince NBC to approve a CBS ad for Late Night? Is this a trend that we'll see more of? Can you imagine Virgin's Richard Branson starring in a Jet Blue commercial? Or Justin Long (the Mac guy in the Apple commercials) pitching for Windex ('windows' cleaner ... get it?) or handling the Google phone in one of those myTouch commercials with Bill Gates (or better yet Steve Jobs)?

I still think there was something missing from the Late Night ad. Conan O'Brian. He would've made the ad perfect and complete. The door bell keeps ringing. And we get a shot of Conan outside freezing his butt off, screaming 'Let Me In!' to deaf ears. That would've been funny!

Loading mentions Retweet

It was a night of firsts for The Recording Academy. Last night's event marked the first time a Twitter dress (twitdress) was worn. Taylor Swift became the youngest artist to win the Album of the Year award. Beyonce was awarded a record-breaking six Grammys. And last night's telecast on CBS had a 35% increase over last year's, with almost 26 million viewers. It was also the first year the GRAMMY pre-telecast was shown in its entirety via the web.

But in an age of embedded product placement, Apple's iPad became an instant hit (at least as exciting as Lady Gaga's outfits) as Stephen Colbert pulled one out while announcing the winner of Song of the Year. Contrary to Colbert's tease of Jay-Z, I can assure you iPads were not included in the gift bags. At least as the brand Apple named its device a few days ago.

After the show, the attendees had more than a few after party options around Los Angeles. The official GRAMMY Celebration by The Recording Academy was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center right next to Staples. This year's theme was modeled after a three-ring circus, no doubt very interpretive of the entertainment industry.

Ne-Yo, later joined by Jaime Foxx, entertained the invited guests at the main stage. In one of the adjoining rooms, MasterCard sponsored Jazz Lounge was among the winners of proper sponsor integration.

Overall it was a fun day and night for me as it always is. Obviously it was a ton of work but very successful and self-gratifying. Everyone seemed more organized than ever before this year. And it showed in all aspects of what went on behind-the-scenes.

The Internet is already buzzing with more than enough articles, videos, and photos of yesterday's event; the show, and the artists. Instead, I posted a tiny glimpse of the not so usual side of what I came across during my time there (Flickr link). In the meantime, what did you think of Apple's attempt to promote the iPad to the 'cool' crowd?

Loading mentions Retweet

Please join the following Facebook Discussion:

Since we have the power to change the iPad from iBad to iRad, and 'pad' its features (Would the next version be called 'iPadded'?), what would you like to see added on the next generation of these hybrid mobile devices Apple has now ventured into?

While keeping in mind that Apple has created this device for content consumption, not content production.

Thanks for your input!

Besides the obvious of course; camera, TV interface, phone...

Loading mentions Retweet

Admittedly, Jane Wells of CNBC tweets "forget my pathetic attempts at cleverness" as she points you to her post entitled 'Ummm ... the iPad?'

Apparently, the Apple folks did not consider the word 'pad' as "it conjures up visions of, well, you know, woman-y thingies."

Considering 'iTampon' is at the top of Twitter Trends as I pen this blog post, Jane may be right in her premonition, "Prepare for the jokes, folks."

I guess the people who breathe office supplies, or web browsers when they came up with 'tabs' as well as the folks at NASA with their launch 'pads' (or IBM's ThinkPad) must all be men or include some women with a keen sense of humor.

Why the jokes then? Could it possibly be for some that they are Apple bashers who were looking to find something amiss with the product and picked on its name instead ... when clearly the product needs at least two more revisions to include some of the necessities it's still missing? Like a camera or cameras, or a phone, or television connection, or even multitasking capabilities. But at $499 at its lowest price point, it will still kindly (no pun intended) kill the Kindle. Heck, it might even kill Apple's own MacBook Air.

By the way, Apple and AT&T have teamed up to sell you a month-to-month data plan for the iPad. Like someone jokingly suggested, you'll know when to pay as it will be that time of the month. Unless of course you're beyond menopause. By the way, did you all come to a pause as you noticed the word 'men' hidden cleverly in menopause.

Bottom line: If you're among the branding geniuses, consider your 'brand' name wisely. Consult politicians who know a thing or two about negative ads, and correspondents who'll write funny things about you, and jokesters who'll have fun at your 'brand-new' brand name.

Loading mentions Retweet

image via gadgetreview.com.

Here's a sure thing. Apple is having a major press event on Wednesday. And it sounds like an iTablet (or iPad or some other i-something) will be announced. But the rumors are that AT&T will lose its exclusivity of the iPhone, and Verizon will add the iPhone to its lineup. It's a 50/50 prediction. Not that it will happen, but that it might be announced on Wednesday.

This is good news for Apple as it will no doubt gain new iPhone buyers/users from Verizon who held out all this time, for whatever their reason, including the 'perceived' notion that Verizon has better coverage/quality than AT&T.

Some of the unanswered questions remain. For one thing, AT&T is GSM, whereas Verizon is built on CDMA technology. Will this mean the Verizon iPhone will not be a true 'World Phone'? I am assuming the AT&T iPhone will not work with Verizon, and that there has to be a new version, a Verizon iPhone, which may or may not be available right away? Also, will the new Verizon iPhone be a 4G version, or is that still some time away?

I am not sure why this hasn't been tried: Why not incorporate the cost of the iPhone into the 24-month contract, like they do in Europe, at say $15 a month? If AT&T does that, they may at least prevent some of their own consumers (like me) to switch.

Bottom line: Competition is good. By having more options, the consumer will probably win in the end. So, let the games begin!

Loading mentions Retweet

It appears NBC was able to turn the tide around; not the anti-NBC sentiment surrounding Leno vs Conan, but the declining ratings pattern of recent broadcasts of Golden Globe Awards. According to Radio/television Business Report, The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards presented NBC with the highest 18-49 rating in its three-hour Sunday time period in five years, excluding sports telecasts, and awarded the network its biggest non-sports viewership in the slot in six years.

And it wasn't NBC's fault that it started raining as the first celebrity arrivals occurred around 2:30PM Los Angeles time. It was, however, Dick Clark Productions' and Hollywood Foreign Press Association's collaborative miscalculation not to tent the red carpet driveway into The Beverly Hilton on Sunday.

Chrysler's brand CEO donated his own 300C for the Haiti Earthquake Relief. The car was signed by many celebrities and was to be auctioned off with the hopes of raising $1M. Celebrities were handed red, yellow, and blue colored ribbons as they stepped off their limos and stepped onto the red carpet. During the telecast many celebrities mentioned Haiti either directly or indirectly, and some of them donated either their dresses or actual cash, some as much as $1M.

But the show must go on, and it did. After the winners were revealed, the after-parties (see pics) became the center of attention. For many, it made sense to hang out at The Beverly Hilton and attend one of several, rather than wait outside for their limo to show up. The Beverly Hills Police Department made sure you had no more than 10 seconds to find your ride, otherwise the 'turn-around-the-block' lasted as much as 45 minutes, as Sophia Loren and his son found out not so happily. I know because I helped them fend off the autograph and picture seekers and let them have the use my umbrella.

Speaking of umbrellas, The Beverly Hilton provided tens if not hundreds of red and white umbrellas, at no cost to anyone who needed them. And they had plenty in their inventory. I guess they were prepared. Great use of logo, branding and subtle sponsorship by the way, at little cost. Great ROI. Way to go The Beverly Hilton.

For some (different) pictures, as you've probably already seen all the 'red carpet posed' pictures on every publication, legal or otherwise, please visit the iSponsor flickr site. Now I am off to get ready for the GRAMMYs.

Loading mentions Retweet

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's 67th Annual Golden Globe® Awards will be held once again at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles this Sunday, January 17, and broadcast live by NBC.

Here's some of the best moments from past years' shows. And some trivia.

Often referred to as the prelude to the Oscars, the Golden Globes is more than just about movies and movie stars; it incorporates TV as well, and real food is served as dinner is enjoyed while awards are presented. As for dessert, BizBash reports this year's theme will be white chocolate envelopes filled with mousseline of lime and citrus cakes, which include chocolate cards that read, "The Golden Globe award goes to..." Nice touch.

The parties kicked off this week and will go on all night after the telecast. Sponsor gift bags are also filling up nicely this year. All told there will be about 6,000 people at The Beverly Hilton this Sunday, and I will be one of them. But Brangelina won't. I promise to do a follow-up post with behind-the-scenes observations, hopefully on Monday. If you're not invited or working but want to roam the hotel lobby mingling with the celebs, two-night minimum packages are available starting at $3,000. In the meantime, here's the NBC Golden Globes Widget for your own All Access.

Loading mentions Retweet