Technology Slice Blog

X-Factor and Super Bowl - His caustic put downs and straight-talking style have been missed by viewers of this season's American Idol. But Simon Cowell will be making a comeback to U.S. TV screens this autumn - with the X Factor. An estimated 100million viewers in the States saw the first ever ad for the talent show air tonight during a commercial break in the Super Bowl. Despite reports that Cheryl Cole, one of the judges in the British version of the show, will be joining the line-up, nothing was confirmed in the commercial in terms of the U.S. panel. The clip shows X Factor 'X' symbols flying in slow motion, before forming into Simon Cowell. He then turns to face the camera, with epic music playing in the background, and the slogan 'He's back' fills the screen. Cheryl Cole's people are yet to comment on fresh reports the 27-year-old Girls Aloud star has landed a role. At first it looked like she had bagged the job after Fox executives were impr...

Chrysler and Eminem - Chrysler plans to air a two-minute commercial during the Super Bowl that puts its hometown of Detroit and Eminem, one of the city's musical stars, at center stage. The unusually long commercial advertises the Chrysler 200. It's set over Eminem's song "Lose Yourself" from the movie "8 Mile." The company is trying to reinforce Chrysler as its luxury brand in the year's biggest advertising showcase, which can draw more than 100 million viewers. CEO Sergio Marchionne said Friday at a conference that Chrysler bought the ad in an effort to convince people that the company has changed. He wouldn't give a cost but said Chrysler paid less than $9 million for the ad. Chrysler and Eminem

Sarah Palin and Egypt - Sarah Palin keeps on talking about foreign policy issues about which she appears to have little understanding. Politico reports the former vice presidential candidate spoke with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network on Feb. 4 regarding Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and how the White House is handling the crisis in Egypt. In her interview, Palin referenced a political ad attacking Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials in the 2008 election. She turned the ad into her own advantage when she criticized the current administration's handling of the Egypt situation. "This is the 3 a.m. White House phone call ... that call went right to the answering machine." Palin continued her assessment of the situation as to why the Obama hasn't been more forthcoming as to what they know about the Egypt crisis at this moment. "Nobody yet has explained to the American public what they know, and surely they know more than the rest...

Motorola Xoom Super Bowl Commercial - Motorola released a teaser for its Xoom tablet Super Bowl ad on YouTube today. This one-minute ad teaser is an attack on the iPad and Apple’s famous 1984 Superbowl ad. The Motorola Xoom ad starts off with a shot of earth from space and a countdown from 2011 to 1984. Some text that reads “One way to work…It’s time for more choices,” flashes on the screen before a bunch of speeds and feeds are thrown up on the screen. A full 58 seconds go by before the product is even mentioned…in small text in the corner of the closing slide. The Xoom is one of the best tablets we saw at CES 2011, but this ad is pretty bad in my opinion. Instead of showing off their own tablet, or even mentioning that they’re advertising a tablet, Motorola is speaking geek. Few, if any, everyday consumers will understand what the heck Motorola is advertising and the commercial isn’t memorable enough. There’s also no call for action anywhere in the ad. The average consumer will...

Joan Rivers & GoDaddy - Go Daddy made its usual Super Bowl appearance, featuring race car driver Danica Patrick and fitness guru Jillian Michaels. But the biggest surprise came at the end when it announced its newest spokeswoman is...Joan Rivers? That was little unexpected. Maybe she needs more money. Bridgestone's "reply all freakout" commercial was pretty funny and follows somewhat in the vein of their previous "The Hangover" knockoff commercial. The Chevy Volt commercial was pretty bland, equating their new electric car to some of the greatest inventions in history -- that commercial could be hilarious in 10 years. Joan Rivers & GoDaddy

Cooper Leaves Egypt - CNN's Anderson Cooper has left Egypt, the international cable channel confirmed Saturday. Cooper, who has been at the center of U.S. TV coverage of the tumult in Egypt, said on Twitter Saturday afternoon that he was leaving Egypt. Here's that tweet from the anchorman who was attacked on Wednesday and has been broadcasting from undisclosed locations since: “It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to leave #Egypt. CNN continues to have many teams in place. It was a hard decision to leave.” The decision to leave was aparently made Friday night. Cooper Leaves Egypt

Super Bowl Fans Seats Refund - Four hundred Super Bowl fans, who paid $900 per ticket, were denied their place at the NFL's showcase game on Sunday after an embarrassing mess-up over seating at the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium. Another 850 fans with tickets in the affected section were relocated to other areas, the NFL said in a statement. "Incomplete installation of temporary seats in a limited number of sections made the seats unusable," the NFL said in a statement. The 400 fans will receive a refund triple the cost of the face value of their $900 tickets. "We regret the situation and inconvenience that it may have caused. We will conduct a full review of this matter," said the NFL statement issued shortly before kickoff. As well as the fall-out from the seating blunder, stadium officials had to deal with irate fans frustrated at the difficulty of moving between levels by elevator in the 100,000-seat venue. Super Bowl Fans Seats Refund

Lea Michele Super Bowl - had a pair of star-studded performs take the field in Dallas -- "Glee" star Lea Michele and Christina Aguilera. In the case of Michele, we had a performer stepping out onto the biggest stage in the world and doing a solid job with "America the Beautiful." She sounded a bit nervous at times, but overall she has to be proud with her performance of a song that not too many people have been able to master over the years. (It was also a solid marketing move by Fox since "Glee" is airing after the game.) Meanwhile, Christina Aguilera gave a stirring performance of the National Anthem -- easily the best one we have heard in quite some time for football's biggest game. Continue reading on Examiner.com: Super Bowl XLV: 'Glee's' Lea Michele, Christina Aguilera perform - National TV | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-national/super-bowl-xlv-glee-s-lea-michele-christina-aguilera-perform#ixzz1DEBLt4ZQ Lea Mic...

Christina Aguilera and National Anthem - Was it just me, or did Christina Aguilera totally massacre the national anthem tonight? (It breaks my heart to say it. I'm a true Christina fan.) First, I didn't even recognize some of the notes she sang. And then, I had to play it back again and again to see that yes, indeed, she repeated the second line when she should have been singing the fourth - and even then she got the words of the second line wrong the second time! Not only that, it took her nearly 2 minutes to sing it, with all the extra diva flourishes. Ah well, the close-ups of the players getting choked up made up for it. But please, Super Bowl planners. Next year choose someone who can actually get the words right! Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/06/2636681/christina-aguilera-screws-up-national.html#ixzz1DEAzB1lq Christina Aguilera and National Anthem

Mary Cleere Haran Dies - Singer and actress Mary Cleere Haran has died at age 58 in Florida, according to The New York Times. She was hit by a car while on her bicycle on Thursday. Haran appeared on Broadway in The 1940s Radio Hour and appeared Off-Broadway in Manhattan Music, Swingtime Canteen and Heebie Jeebies. She was perhaps best known for her work in cabaret, having performed numerous shows at such venues as the Russian Tea Room, Rainbow & Stars, the Ballroom, the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, the Cafe Carlyle, and Feinstein's at the Loews Regency. She also appeared as part of the 92nd Street Y's Lyrics & Lyricists series. Haran co-produced and wrote the PBS documentary, Doris Day: Sentimental Journey and contributed to many other PBS documentaries. Mary Cleere Haran Dies

Mark Sanchez 17 Year Old Girl - According to a post on Deadspin on Friday, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, 24, may or may not have had a relationship with a 17-year old girl. The girl, who was referred to solely as E.K., reportedly sent photos to Deadspin that were taken from Sanchez’s bedroom after she spent the night with him. The extent of the relationship isn’t known at this point; Deadspin merely posted a letter they received from the girl’s lawyer, told its readers that there was more to the story, then told them to wait until Tuesday. The age of consent in New York is 17, although it’s unclear where the relationship (if there was one) took place. If, indeed, Sanchez did have a romantic relationship with a girl, it wouldn’t be the first time a famous person has wooed someone much younger. As Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock pointed out, Kobe Bryant met his wife when she was still 17 years old. Of course, Bryant, then 21, met his wife on the set of a video shoot fo...

Jon Bon Jovi Atlanta Falcons Talks - Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has engaged in confidential negotiations with Jon Bon Jovi regarding the rock star's possible purchase of an estimated 15 percent of the team for $150 million, ESPN reported Sunday, citing league sources. Both sides signed a confidentiality agreement to refrain from discussing the negotiations, according to ESPN. Blank, who acknowledged the talks Sunday morning, downplayed them as "discussions that are unlikely" to result in a deal with Bon Jovi. Blank has opened the door to the possibility of minority partners to generate cash toward his plans to build a new outdoor stadium. Bon Jovi is no stranger to professional football, having served as an owner of the Arena Football League's Philadelphia Soul from 2004 to 2009. Jon Bon Jovi Atlanta Falcons Talks

Kentucky Skinned Dogs - The grisly sight of three skinned dog carcases left beside an eastern Kentucky road has launched an animal cruelty investigation. The Greenup County game warden is looking into the case. Retired police officer George Coleman saw one of the bodies and concluded it was probably a dog because it was too large to be a coyote. "My daughter said, 'Oh my gosh, Dad, what is that hanging there on the stump?" Coleman told WKYT-TV. "She said, 'I think it's a dog."' Officials said the game warden had recently searched the area for illegal hunters and poachers. He didn't make any arrests but left his business card in plain sight on the trail as a warning. The skinned dogs were discovered the next day. Kentucky Skinned Dogs

Beckham Expecting Girl - Football superstar David Beckham and his pregnant wife Victoria have been told their fourth child is a girl after a hospital scan confirmed the news. Victoria, 36, had an ultrasound in January that revealed her unborn baby, a daughter, was healthy and developing well, The Sun reports. "David and Victoria are over the moon. This will be their last child and to be told they are having a girl is the icing on the cake for the Beckham clan," a source close to the family told the newspaper. "Victoria is 36 and David is thinking about life after retirement. For them, with a sister for their boys — who are growing up fast — this is the perfect family." "All their dreams have come true. They couldn't have wished for more." Beckham Expecting Girl