"Miracle on Hudson" Jet Lands on Auction Block
Chartis Insurance is auctioning off the "Miracle on the Hudson" — the United Airlines Airbus A320 which Captain Sullenberger landed in the Hudson River last year, saving the lives of all 155 people aboard; the auction for the "as is" jet is scheduled to end on March 27 at 4:30 p.m. EST
Source: MSNBC.com, 1/21/10

January 25, 2010: Sign Off - 50th Anniversary of Bubble Wrap
Stephen Colbert honored the 50th anniversary of Sealed Air Corp's Bubble Wrap cushioning on the January 25 episode of The Colbert Report by placing one sheet of the infamous packaging material on his studio shelf — however, he could not resist the temptation to pop the air bubbles
Source: ColbertNation.com, 01/25/10

Congressman Joe Wilson to Deliver State of the Union Response Via Facebook
Congressman Joe Wilson — the South Carolina representative who made headlines for his famous "You lie!" outburst during an Obama speech — decided to deliver his reply to the President's State of the Union Address Wednesday night via his Facebook fanpage
Source: AllFacebook.com, 01/27/10

U.S. Speedskating Finds Fans in Social Media
The U.S. Speedskating team has won more medals for the U.S. than any other Olympic team, making it the most successful winter Olympic sport, however, despite their success in the rink the team has trouble securing sponsors; U.S. Speedskating has turned to social media, using Facebook, online engagement, digital video and Twitter to connect with a younger generation of fans with hopes of creating enough buzz to attract new sponsors
Source: ConvinceandConvert.com, 01/20/10

Misery Index — Which City Has the Most Depressing Local News?
Think your city has the most depressing evening news?  Asylum.com conducted a survey of readers from 10 major U.S. cities to find out which city's nightly newscast is the biggest downer — the "Misery Index" shows what topics (accidents, crime, corruption, local news etc.) each of the cities cover, and what percentage of broadcast time is spent discussing them
Source: Asylum.com, 01/27/10

PETA: Replace Punxsutawney Phil With Robot
Not everyone is happy about Groundhog Day — animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), is protesting the treatment of Punxsutawney Phil, claiming that it is unfair to keep him in captivity and subject him to large crowds and the media spotlight, suggesting that an animatronic version would be more animal-friendly; the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club feels that PETA is just trying to get publicity, and that the groundhog is "being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania"
Source: MSNBC.com, 01/27/10

American Apparel Seeks Bootylicious Butts
American Apparel has launched a search for The Best Bottom in the World — to enter, participants must submit a photo of themselves wearing a pair of the brand’s skin tight undergarments by February 21
Source: AdRants, 01/28/10

Social Media Marketing: How Pepsi Got It Right
An article from Mashable! discusses how PepsiCo is scoring big with DEWMocracy, a social media-driven campaign in which 470,000 users voted to choose the name, color, flavor and graphics of a new Mountain Dew product — coupled with the recent launch of the philanthropic Pepsi Refresh Project, the megabrand is spending $20 million on social media crowd sourcing efforts in place of the usual Super Bowl commercials
Source: Mashable.com, 01/28/10

Travel Site Kayak Sells Seats On Lost’s Oceanic Flight 815
Kayak is offering travelers a new option for traveling Down Under, but visitors might be hesitant to push the "book" button – fares for Oceanic Flight 815, the plane that crashed on the first episode of ABC’s Lost, come up as an option when searching for flights from Sydney to Los Angeles; the much anticipated final season of Lost debuts February 2
Source: Mashable.com, 01/19/10