We think the chart must have been upside down or something.

[Story.]

Labels: Karen Hughes, Political Spin, public diplomacy

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• Instead of playing house, Kim Kardashian's 9-year-old and 11-year-old sisters play Girls Gone Wild (Allie Is Wired)
  
• Hitmoms are out to whack the Burger King dude (Make the Logo Bigger)
  
• There's no altruism in Green PR (The Buzz Bin)
  

"Do you respect Media Snackers? Tell me why" is a post that many of my blogger friends are talking about today, and Susan Getgood and Kevin Dugan asked me for my two cents. So here it is.

Media Snackers are defined as Web-gen folks who like to get their news, information and entertainment in bits and bytes at a time, from many different sources. They don't want to read a whole newspaper, or even watch an entire half-hour television program, to get what they want.

Another way to put it: Everyone has ADD today -- and most of them are damn proud of it.

Too much Media Snacking, and too few healthy meals, leads directly to this. Do you know that a substantial percentage of high school students think that we fought with the Germans against Russia in World War II? I guess Ken Burns' The War isn't "snacky" enough for them.

Ideally, snacking should be part of a balanced diet that includes reading a book and watching the news on BBC every now and again. But you know, once reading becomes broccoli in the public's mind, it's probably a lost cause.

Having issued those cranky caveats -- yeah, I snack, and I know my readers snack, too. So here are four ways I pander to snackers:

1. Spin Thicket. It's a community for snackers interested in news related (sometimes vaguely) to marketing, media and entertainment.

2. Pick of the Thicket, formerly Pick of the Orchard. A daily link fix culled from Spin Thicket.

3. The Dirt 100. I created this as a quick way for snackers to find top celebrity and entertainment blogs, ranked in order of popularity.

4. Photochops. Almost every day, I see something in the news that ticks me off, and I want to write a rant on it. Because I know that most people don't want to read a thousand-word rant, and because I rarely can take two hours to write one, I usually go with the picture's worth a thousand words approach.

OK, enough of all that. Here's the fun part -- who should I torture by tagging them? How 'bout: Paul, Cam, Rohit, Colin and Mack.

Labels: Media News, MediaSnackers

And they favor it, too.

Say what you will about the White House. It may not be good at a lot of things -- but its performance on the war drums is hypnotizing.

[Story.]

Labels: George W. Bush, Iran, Political Spin, Zogby

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• Best Buy sucks (The Consumerist)
  
• Bikini girl lays out plans for taking over television (Break.com)
  
• How do you know when Marilyn Manson is dressed up for Halloween? (X17 Online)
  
• Alert Dateline: Tom of MySpace has been lying about his age (TechCrunch)
  

Labels: Candyland, Iraq, Political Spin, war

Recently, as we were flipping through Playboy for the articles, we happened upon a reader survey that asked which of five fantasy-inducing women's professions was the sexiest. The results:

1. Cheerleader (42 percent)
2. Nurse (20)
3. French maid (15)
4. Stewardess (12)
5. Woman cop (10)

It occurred to us that this sexual stereotyping -- perpetuated by scantily clad women at Halloween parties annually -- is a form of branding. It affects what both men and women think of these professions. In fact, it almost certainly impacts who enters these careers, the pay scale, job satisfaction, and on and on.

Our question is, on balance, are these stereotypes a plus or minus for these five professions?


CHEERLEADER



Adult women don't step into a cheerleader's uniform unless they want to be viewed in a sexual context -- at least not since Tex Schramm reinvented the profession in 1972.

As Camille Paglia writes, "In my youth, the blond cheerleader occupied the glittering apex of the high-school social pyramid. It seemed that feminism might sweep her away, but no, she went professional in a big way with the Dallas Cowboys at their 1970s, Roger Staubach-era height ... Only retrograde Dworkinite prudes could fail to see that the cheerleader's sassy physicality is itself a product of modern women's liberation ...

"[T]he boob-shimmying, tail-wagging, crotch-baring cheerleader doing her jumps and splits is a prime example of what I call pagan exhibitionism, a sacred, life-affirming, sensual principle that Judeo-Christianity has never been able to bury. Her vibrating, multicolored pompoms are the spring flowers of the goddess, breeze-blown promises of eternal fertility (see Botticelli's "Primavera"). Like manic dandelions, they tickle and they flail, whipping up the masses into Dionysian enthousiasmos, a frenzied state of can-do ecstasy that ignites the team to victory."

Hear, hear.

Stereotype Impact Index: POSITIVE



NURSE



This is actually a very serious issue for the Center for Nursing Advocacy, which believes that "linking sexual images so closely to the profession of nursing -- to even the fantasy idea that working nurses are sexually available to patients ... continue[s] to discourage practicing and potential nurses, foster sexual violence in the workplace, and contribute to a general atmosphere of disrespect. Desexualizing the nursing image is a key part of building the strength the profession needs to overcome the current shortage, which threatens lives worldwide, and to meet the challenges of 21st Century health care ...

"Naughty nurse and other stereotypical images add to the chronic underfunding of nursing research, education and clinical practice. This is because health care decision makers--many of whom are sadly uninformed about what nursing really is--are less likely to devote scarce resources to a profession that has become so degraded in the public consciousness."

OK -- maybe the Center for Nursing Advocacy is a little hardcore (sorry, poor choice of words.) But they do make some good points.

Stereotype Impact Index: NEGATIVE



FRENCH MAID



Since we only come across French maids at Dallas Halloween parties, we'll throw in au pairs and exchange students as an extension of the French maid brand. And in the U.S., at least, the stereotypes may contribute to the dangers facing young women coming here from abroad, which are documented on the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students' Web site.

Stereotype Impact Index: NEGATIVE






STEWARDESS



Of course, the problems here start with the job title itself; it's "flight attendant" now. As Wikipedia explains, "Particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, the airlines [advertised] the attractiveness and friendliness of their "stewardesses." National Airlines used pictures of attractive stewardesses with captions like "I'm Kristin. Fly me." Another airline, Braniff Airways, had them changing clothes during the flight, wearing one garment while greeting passengers and another for serving meals. In advertisements, this practice was called the "air strip," and was advertised with suggestive music. A policy of at least one airline required that only unmarried women could be flight attendants, and airlines often fired attendants that were deemed too old or unattractive."

By the 80s, this go-go era of the "sexy stewardess" had come to a close, as the NLRB and flight attendant unions brought an end to age limits, size limits, and limitations on marriage and pregnancy. Last year, Hooters Air -- an ambitious attempt to revive the days of the sexy stewardess -- announced its defeat.

So really, all that's left of this once harmful stereotype is the lingering perception that flight attendants are fun-loving and attractive. Since most attendants entering the profession remain young, single and looking for adventure, such associations aren't necessarily a bad thing.

Stereotype Impact Index: NEUTRAL



WOMAN COP



The "sexy lady cop" stereotype is a little different from the rest; the others play off roles men associate -- or at least used to associate -- with women, such as (1) cheering us on, (2) caring for us when we're sick, (3) cleaning the house, and (4) bringing us very small bags of peanuts. The lady cop stereotype, by contrast, plays to men's submissive side.

But it's certainly a hassle that real women cops don't need. Alone among the professions we're discussing here, law enforcement is male-dominated; women have fought for years to earn equal treatment and respect. As one recent study concludes, "Women police officers continue to face career barriers in the form of discrimination, negative stereotyping and sexual harassment."

Stereotype Impact Index: NEGATIVE

(This is a re-post, rejiggered for Halloween. Pics from -- where else? -- Costume World, Nyteez and Adult Costume Shop.)

Technorati tags: Nurses, Cheerleaders, Stewardesses, French Maids, Women Cops, Playboy, Stereotypes

Labels: branding, costumes, Halloween, Marketing Views, sexy

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• What if Jason Voorhees were gay? (Gay Friday)
  
• Gen. Petraeus' PR guy blows up at lefty blogger (Salon)
  
• Writers Bloc Comix: Advocating a Hollywood union's case through comics (For What It's Worth)
  
• Little did you know that MC Hammer was Irish (Break.com)
  
• Blog for Hope update (Copywrite, Ink.)
  

Labels: Blog for Hope, Gay Friday, Writers Bloc Comix

That's the theme of my latest Movie Smackdown for screenwriter Bryce Zabel. Check it out.

Labels: Bryce Zabel, Knocked Up, Media News, Movie Smackdown

I had a fun time yesterday chatting with my friend Neil Foote's online journalism class at the University of North Texas. Students, don't hesitate to drop me an e-mail to follow up on any of the things we discussed, or any questions you might not have had time to ask.

Now, for folks in Dallas, here are two upcoming speaking engagements where you can find me:

On Nov. 15, I'll be speaking at a Business Wire Media Breakfast on the topic "Riding the Multimedia Wave: Producing and distributing your content to traditional media and online audiences." For more information, contact Susie Wolan.

And on Nov. 16, I'll be speaking to the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter of CEO Netweavers. Details to come on that one.

Hope to see you there.

Labels: Business Wire, CEO Netweavers, dallas, Marketing Views

Actually, if you don't mind, let's try something else.

See, we generally will not click on a list-based blog post anymore, so if you didn't click on this one for that reason, we don't blame you. (If you did click on this because of the list, bear with us for a moment.)

Lists are about the surest indicator of a lazy mind you will find online these days -- like bulging, vacant eyes are the surest sign of a sociopath.

But since you came here for a list, we'll give you two:

---

4 Reasons Bloggers Like Lists

1. You can write a list without knowing how to write. No need to organize your thoughts into a natural narrative flow. No need to build momentum around a thesis. Any idiot can put two sentences (or in this case, three sentences) together and then go on to the number 2.

2. Lists confer an authority you don't really have. It's great to read a post from a 19-year-old Digger who says there are "8 Ways" to do anything. Let's be clear: There are eight ways that you know of, or think you know of, because your Mommy, Daddy, and your geek buddies told you about them. The other 57 ways, you have no clue about. Oh, and by the way, six of your eight ways are simplistic bullshit, and the other two ways, everybody with two brain cells to rub together already knows.

3. Blog lists require an equal balance of verbal and math skills. For example, the ability to count to 10 is fairly commensurate with the verbal wherewithal needed to compose most 10-point blog lists. So if your head hurts after writing up 7 points, that's your little brain telling you to stop there.

4. Blog readers like them.

---

4 Reasons Blog Readers Like Lists

1. They can be skimmed easily. Most people don't read this part of the entry; they just read the bolded title, "They can be skimmed easily," and move on to number 2. Reading this far probably means you're either really bored or that you received a perfect score on the reading comprehension portion of the SAT. Congratulations.

2. You can stop at any time. Many people get confused trying to follow a person's idea from one paragraph to the next. Each point in a list is self-contained, so you can stop at any time without getting disoriented or light-headed.

3. Lists make you think the blogger knows what he's talking about. The blogger's "8 Ways to Make Money Online with a Digital Camera and Your Girlfriend" follows in the rich tradition of Moses' 10 Commandments and Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points. This is true even though six of the "8 ways" are bullshit, and the other two ways, everybody with two brain cells to rub together already knows. Which brings us to number 4.

4. Lists tell you things you already know. And who doesn't get a little ego boost from that?

Labels: blogging, blogs, Digg, Media News

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• Dos and don'ts of online reputation management (infOpinions?)
  
• Why Ragan Communications inspires both admiration and loathing (Copywrite, Ink.)
  
• PR pros don't have ethics? (Strive Notes)
  

Labels: PR ethics, Ragan Communications

Labels: Celebrity Culture, Girls Gone Wild, Joe Francis

Will parents ever learn? Not in Dallas, apparently.

And it's "sluttishly," isn't it?

Labels: Argyle ISD, dallas, Media News

You know, deep deep down in our bodies, we at Media Orchard long to be one of those tough, take-no-prisoners journalists who gets to sit down with Denzel Washington or Angelina Jolie to conduct hard-hitting interviews that result in balanced and in no way ass-kissing profiles.

As fate would have it, we're stuck writing this damn blog instead. But we can at least live the dream, if only through plagiarism, by borrowing actual questions from celebrity interviews and asking them of our micro-celebrity friend Mike Orren. (We would credit the publications we stole the questions from, but since we'd just be embarrassed if we were them, we decided against it.)
***


Gone are the days of the liquid lunch in Dallas. But from the moment he sits down among the power players at a bustling Greenville Avenue sushi joint and orders a round of champagne, it's clear Mike Orren is a throwback. The Pegasus News founder has dressed for the occasion in an expensive-looking Italian suit and a crisp cobalt blue shirt, which just happens to match his piercing brown eyes.

As Orren cradles a yellowtail sashimi gingerly in his chopsticks (revealing a nurturing side?), I begin to pose questions between munches on the bar's first-rate edamame.

How do you keep your energy up? Why are your eyes so bright?

I pretty much subsist on a diet of caffeine, chlorine and fear. The bright eyes come from swimming with my dogs every day at our palatial I-30 and Buckner family compound. That and I always sleep through Tuesdays entirely. That helps me recharge my batteries.

You've been called a "man's man." Describe what that means to you.

It means that even though I was an entrepreneur, at some metaphysical level, I think I am always working for "the man."

What are your co-workers like to work with? A delight?

Like my childhood copy of The Wizard of Oz counseled: "Pay no attention to the people in front of the curtain."

Although you're the president of Pegasus News, it's been said that you are always willing lend a hand to help out your staff.

Everyone knows that I write every damn word, sell all the ads, write the code, build the servers, sweep the floors, and hand-carry every byte of this digi-rag straight from our office through the tubes of the Interwebs and right into your living room. I put some other names on the masthead so I wouldn't have to take all the phone calls.

What are some of the pranks you pull in the office?

I like to practice reality-show dismissal lines. So I walk up to people and say things like "the Tribe has spoken," and my favorite: "You're fired." (Laughs hysterically, wipes tear.) Oh, that Donald. Or is it "that the Donald." Anyhoo, that's always good for yucks. We also have some toy crossbows, slingshots, etc. that a former intern sent us. And, perhaps the biggest prank is renting an office that's always freezing cold, even in the middle of summer.

Where does your sense of humor about yourself come from?

Greensboro, NC, along with the rest of me.

What's your idea of doing something especially romantic?

Coming home with a take-out dinner and an 18-pack of Natural Light and capping the evening with the announcement that I'm quitting my job despite minimal cash reserves in order to start an Interwebs news company. Then, you can just imagine the romantic turns the evening might take from there.

Is sexy really a state of mind?

(Puts hands to temples and stares forward uncomfortably and in silence until the interviewer moves to the next question.)

If you were president, how would you deal with Darfur?

I personally believe... that U.S. Americans are unable to do so... because... Uh... some people out there in our nation don't have maps... And... uh... I believe that our education, like such as in South Africa and... uh... the Iraq, everywhere, like, such as... And I believe that they should... ur education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S... uh... Or, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries... So we will be able to build up our future... for our [children].

Can you make a connection between the glory of Achilles and your own glory?

Wow. You did your homework. You're clearly referring to the hit song by the Metal band Manowar. It's true that I left college early (although I did graduate) in order to work as a roadie on their 1993 comeback tour. I went under the name "Bloodaxe." Their music made a great impression on me -- well, my eardrums at least. And I chose the name Pegasus in homage to the fantastic themes in their music.

How do you stay grounded?

I try not to. Being grounded has never really worked out for me. I find it's best to keep your feet in the clouds and your head somewhere slightly above ground. If you can pull that off, everything else just falls into place.

[Would you like to be the subject of our next micro-celebrity interview? It's very democratic -- just e-mail us your request to be interviewed at info@ideagrove.com and we'll have you feeling as special as Brad Pitt's seventh cousin in no time.]

Labels: Media News, Mike Orren, Pegasus News

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• Media myths about the Jena Six (Christian Science Monitor)
  
• Web 2.0 is a great opportunity for bullshitrs (Common Sense PR)
  
• Grow a mustache ... help a kid (Only in Houston)
  

Damn, we're good. Here's this week's New York Times story.

And here's our exclusive report from Oct. 5.

Labels: Blackwater, branding, Burson-Marsteller, logos, Marketing Views

Media Orchard has exclusively obtained the full portfolio of photos that Halle Berry planned to share with Jay Leno on an Oct. 19 taping of the Tonight Show. After speaking with some of the Jewish people who work for them, the pair decided to cut the routine short.





[Watch the edited video here.]

Labels: anti-Semitism, Celebrity Culture, Halle Berry

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• Celebrity gossip sites are at the saturation point (New York Observer)
  
• Joe Francis goes wild on prosecutor (E Online)
  
• Five more suing Borat (The Smoking Gun)
  

The president was said to be "amused".

[Story.]

Labels: George W. Bush, Iraq War, Pete Stark, Political Spin

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• Taco Bell to give away free tacos -- but the catch is, now you have to PAY for the e. coli (The Consumerist)
  
• A frat party video of epic proportions (College Humor)
  
• Women are not for decoration -- well, some women, anyway (Independent Sources)
  

A new study of media coverage of studies of obesity has concluded that headlessness may be a contributor to excessive weight gain.

"We've read almost every study on obesity as reported in the media, and there is compelling evidence that many overweight people -- and particularly morbidly obese people -- are headless," said Dr. O.R. Chard of the Center for the Study of Media-Reported Studies. "Whether this link is causal or merely correlational is as yet undetermined, but certainly merits further study."

Dr. Chard cited evidence from numerous sources, including an Australian study of schoolchildren:



New U.K. government data showing a sharp rise in obesity in that country:



A report on 300 studies to be presented at the Obesity Society conference in New Orleans:



A new study on the relationship between obesity and the ability to float:



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Labels: Media News, Obesity

Then...



and now...



She did it to Socks; will she do it to America?

[Story.]

Labels: Hillary Clinton, Political Spin, Socks

You've been such a good online community for marketers (see previous post), we're rewarding you with a cookie.

The next time you visit the site to submit an article or comment, you'll be given the option to have Spin Thicket remember your login info. Check the box, and it will save you a step in future visits.

We're working on other ways to make participation easier, too. Stay tuned.

Labels: Marketing Views, online communities, Spin Thicket

One day this here C-List Blogger got all worked up thinkin' 'bout how that ole A-List Blogger had been cuttin' up his capers, bouncing 'round till he'd come to believe he was the boss of the whole dadgum blogosphere. The C-List Blogger decided to lay some bait for that big-timin' A-List Blogger.

He got some tar and mixed it with some turpentine, fixed up a contraption that he called an Attack Post. When he finished makin' it, he put a straw hat on its head and sat the little thing in the middle of Memeorandum. The C-List Blogger, he lay off in the bushes to see what would happen.

Well, he didn't have to wait long, 'cause by and by the A-List Blogger came pacing down the road -- lippity-clippity, clippity-lippity -- just as sassy as a jaybird. The A-List Blogger came prancing along until he saw the Attack Post and then he sat back on his hind legs like he was astonished. The Attack Post jus' sat there, it did, and the C-List Blogger, he lay low.

"Good morning!" says the A-List Blogger, says he. Attack Post didn't say a word, and the C-List Blogger, he lay low.

"What is the matter with you then? Are you deaf?" says the A-List Blogger, says he. "I'm going to teach you how to talk to respectable folk. If you don't take off that hat and say howdy, I'm going to bust you wide open."

Attack Post kept on saying nothin' till the A-List Blogger finally drew back his fist, he did, and pow -- he hit that Attack Post on the jaw. But his fist stuck and he couldn't pull it loose. The tar held him.

"If you don't let me loose, I'm going to hit you again," says the A-List Blogger, says he, and with that he drew back his other fist and pow -- he hit the Attack Post with the other hand and that one stuck fast, too.

"Turn me loose, before I kick the natural stuffing out of you," says the A-List Blogger, says he, but the Attack Post jus' sat there. Then the A-List Blogger jumped it with both his feet. Then the A-List Blogger yelled out that if that Attack Post didn't turn him loose, he was going to butt it crank-sided. Then he butted it and his head got stuck.

The C-List Blogger walked out from behind the bushes and strolled over to the A-List Blogger, lookin' innocent as a mockingbird.

"Howdy, A-List Blogger," says the C-List Blogger, says he. "You look sort of stuck up this morning," says he. And he rolled on the ground and laughed and laughed until he couldn't laugh no more.

By and by he said, "Well, I expect I got you this time, A-List Blogger," says he. "Look at all those comments agreeing with me about Attack Post, and all those inbound links to Attack Post, and how Attack Post got you all flabbergasted and brought you down a notch or two. You've been prancin' 'round this old blogosphere a might long time, but now it's the end. I'm goin' to be the new A-List Blogger in this here brier patch."

Then the A-List Blogger started talking mighty humble.

"I don't care what you do with me, C-List Blogger," says he, "Just so you don't write a 'NUTHER post about me. Roast me, hang me, leave me here stuck to this Attack Post -- but please don't write a 'NUTHER post about me."

Of course, the C-List Blogger wanted to get the A-List Blogger as bad as he could, so he caught him by the behind legs and slung him off the Attack Post so he could write a 'NUTHER post about the A-List Blogger.

There was a considerable flutter when the A-List Blogger struck the bushes, and by and by the C-List Blogger heard someone call his name. Way up on Technorati Hill, he saw the A-Lister sitting cross-legged on a chinquapin log combin' the remains of the Attack Post out of his hair with a chip. The C-Lister knew he had been tricked.

A-List Blogger hollered out, "Born with links, bred with links. I was born and bred with inbound links jus' like the one you gave me!"

And with that he skipped out just as lively as a cricket in the embers of a fire.

Labels: Marketing Views, Memeorandum, Technorati

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• Rebecca Romijn: media trained (The Huffington Post)
  
• ABC's PR department is all about the quid pro quo (Romenesko)
  
• Fox cuts pay of secretaries, blames pending writers strike (Fishbowl LA)