Anyways, it was a good excuse to follow the Real Jamie Oliver – and maybe he’ll return the favour.

In the meantime:
Jamie Oliver has put his celebrity stamp on many products, of course – including a nice set of bowls that we have in our cupboard. Feel free to check out these Jamie Oliver Products.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Related:
Kitchen Utensils

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As a popular actor and somebody that actually wears the Burberry brand, he would be ideal for the marketing campaign, which now has to be redeveloped from scratch.

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Justin Bieber Silly Bandz!

Silly Bandz are the crazy right now. My son came home with a few of these squiggly wristbands in the shape of a few animals. He loves them, They are actively traded in the schoolyard, and sometimes kids are eager to trade just about anything to get a hold of them.

Celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker have been spotted wearing them, and Justin Bieber just launched his own variety of Silly Bandz: Justin Bieber Silly Bandz!

The Silly Bandz fad in the U.S. has already slowed a bit, but Google has touted them as a sought-after stocking stuffer this Christmas. I suspect we’ll see it on my son’s wish list as well.

More about the Silly Bands (sorry: Silly Bandz) from a parenting perspective , on parentcentral.ca.

A lot of that income comes from touring, merchandising sales, product endorsements and sales of their catalogs, although that last ingredient has taken a nose-dive the past decade.

Here are the rock bands and solo artists that added most to their bottom line between June 2009 and June 2010:

1. U2 - $130 million
2. AC/DC – $114 million
3. Beyoncé Knowles – $87 million
4. Bruce Springsteen – $70 million
5. Britney Spears – $64 million
6. Jay-Z – $ million
7. Lady Gaga – $62 million
8. Madonna – $58 million
9. Kenny Chesney – $50 million
10. Coldplay (Tie) – $48 million
11. Toby Keith (Tie) – $48 million
12. Black Eyed Peas (Tie) – $48 million

U2 sold 1.3 million tickets during their worldwide at an average price of $94 a seat – and that’s only in North America…

AC/DC has been a steady high-earner for years and years. Did I head “Iron Man”?

Beyoncé was the endorsement Queen of this list: more than half of her total earnings came from endorsements with companies ranging from Nintendo to L’Oreal and of course her growing fashion line “House of Dereon”.

Oops – she did it again. Britney is back, and is in the top 5 of top-earning artists. And her image seems to be OK again too, looking at high-profile endorsement deals with Elizabeth Arden and the Britney for Candie’s clothing line. Hope she spent that money wisely…

Jay-Z had a new album (Blueprint 3) tour, as well as investments in the 40/40 nightclub chain, the Broadway show “Fela!” and the New Jersey Nets basketball team.

Lady Gaga had a worldwide tour with million-dollar endorsements from Polaroid, Virgin Mobile, Viva Glam and Monster Cable.

Madonna is still hip after all these years. She had her own episode in the Fox hit sitcom Glee, increasing her profile to a whole new audience.

Kenny Chesney is the 500 pound gorilla in the Country world. His closest competitor, Keith Urban, didn’t come close. And sponsorships from strong brands like Corona and MasterCard helped too, of course.

Black Eyed Peas also had a good number of endorsement deals, including Target, Honda, Bacardi and Apple.

You can read more about Forbes’ list in this picture gallery.

I find the whole public mud-slinging a far from elegant feature of the American society, which has become all celebrity-crazed and media-horny.

Even celebrities are allowed to make mistakes, and should be able to suffer the consequences thereof in private. I never liked the fact that even though people are presumed innocent until proven guilty, the North-American media are filling their newspapers, newscasts and talk shows with extensive coverage of “news” that is sheer gossip, and mentioning people (even ordinary people) with full name, address and phone number.

So, for all of you who like Tiger Woods just for his skill on the golf course, or his demeanour – here are some video clips of his endorsement ads:

2 Tigers for Accenture (no more…)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tiger can’t cash his big cheque (Gilette)

Click here to view the embedded video.

What a skill… (Nike)

Click here to view the embedded video.

…or maybe not as much… (bloopers, Nike commercial)

Click here to view the embedded video.

(only human after all)

According to the Ticketmaster USA website, Springsteen and the E Street Band is the top selling act of all time at the Meadowlands having sold out 56 concerts to date:

• 19 at Giants Stadium;
• 37 at the IZOD Center.

Springsteen has always been a hot stadium act, but his performance at the Superbowl will only have enhanced the image that people have of The Boss. With his new album Working on a Dream he is at the top of his class yet again.

I could not find any tickets anymore…

Guess we will have to wait for some clips on YouTube, then.

Bruce Springsteen In Concert With Brandon Flowers of The Killers

The Boss surprised concert goers at the Pinkpop festival in Landgraaf, Netherlands on Saturday May 30 2009 when he was joined onstage by Brandon Flowers of The Killers. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band headlined the Pinkpop Festival and played the opening night of the three day event. He had a special treat in store for his fans – bringing out Killers’ singer Brandon Flowers on stage for a rendition of his 1975 hitsong Thunder Road.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thunder road live at Pinkpop (Landgraaf, the Netherlands). Brandon Flowers of The Killers joins Springsteen May 30 2009.

Now stock up on your favourite LeBron James gear:

Nielsen Online reported today that Twitter enjoyed a doubling in its user base last month, March 2009. And April will be even wilder, I suspect, with all the attention (read: hype) that celebrities like Ashton Kutcher*, Mrs. Kutcher (Demi Moore) and Oprah brought to the medium. Will the success last, though?What’s the problem?

The retention rates are still abysmal [this means "immeasurably low" according to Merriam Webster; OK, it's maybe not that bad]: only 40% of the new subscribers are still using the service ONE month later! The only silver lining is that it used to be even lower: 30%! David Martin, vp, primary research, Nielsen Online, sees this as thunderclouds hovering over Twitter’s head (head? Ah well… the virtues of having English as a second language, eh?)

Read the article about this research here.

* Ashton Kutcher had a Twitter challenge to get 1,000,000 followers (he was the first one to surpass that landmark). Demi Moore’s Tweets stopped someone from committing suicide (the story on CNN), and Oprah has carefully started Tweeting on April 17th.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some interesting excerpts:

MORGAN: But what’s astounding is the speed and the breadth of her success.  I mean, I’ve been getting calls today from China, from Russia, from Australia.  All around America, all around Europe.  Susan Boyle has gone from total obscurity in the space of five days to global superstar and that’s just extraordinary.

MORGAN: Well, I spoke to Simon Cowell who also judges “Britain’s Got Talent” last night and he’s in Hollywood and I think it’s fair to say his eyes have been going “kaching” ever since Susan’s performance because Simon is a businessman and he knows his music and he knows he’s got somebody with an extraordinary voice and this global phenomenon going on around her and I think that within a year, whatever happens to Susan on the show, whether she wins or not, I think we’re going to see a number one album around the world.

And even though she said in the interview she was not going to change her looks - she did! Today her new Susan Boyle’s look is all over the Internet. No Hollywood Make-Over yet, but that may be next…

BOYLE:  Why should I?  Why should I change?  Particularly my identity.

Here is a clip showing part of the interview:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And now the transcript of the whole interview:

LARRY KING, CNN HOST:  To people who didn’t know her, Susan Boyle, looked like she might be a producer’s idea of comic relief when she walked on to the “Britain’s Got Talent” stage last weekend.  Watch what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON COWELL, TELEVISION HOST:  How old are you, Susan?

SUSAN BOYLE, SINGER:  I am 47.  And that’s just one side of me.

COWELL:  OK.  What’s the dream?

BOYLE:  I am trying to be a professional singer.

COWELL:  And why hasn’t it worked out so far, Susan?

BOYLE:  I haven’t been given the chance before.  But here’s hoping it’ll change.

COWELL:  OK.  And who would you like to be as successful as.

BOYLE:  (Inaudible)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  What are you going to sing tonight?

BOYLE:  I’m going to sing “I Dreamed the Dream” from “Les Miserables.”

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING:  OK.  What happened after that became famous and we’ll show you in a little while.  How did you feel, by the way, Susan, when you came onstage?

BOYLE:  It felt very daunting at first, but I gradually took up enough courage.  I was very confident with the title.

KING:  Now, people laughed, though, when you walked out.  Some even rolled their eyes, they made faces, who was this lady?  Didn’t that hurt you a little?

BOYLE:  That doesn’t bother me because I knew I had to get on with my act.

KING:  So you had no question about your singing?

BOYLE:  Well, I wasn’t sure how I would be received so I just thought I’d give it a whirl.

KING:  All right.  You’re a judge, Piers Morgan.  What did you make of this whole thing?

PIERS MORGAN, TALENT COMPETITION JUDGE:  Well, I sort of feel like apologizing to Susan.  Since Susan, I know you’re listening, I’m sorry, because we did not give you anything like the respect we should have done when you first came out because it had been a long day in Glasgow, in Scotland, and lots of terrible auditions and then you came out and we thought you were going to be a bit of a joke act, to be honest with you.  And then I can remember every time I watched a clip it takes me back to that second when you had begun to sing, and I had never heard a more surprising, extraordinary voice coming out of somebody so unexpected.

And I mean that with the greatest of respect to you.  Than what happened that day onstage and I am just so thrilled about what’s happening to you now.  It’s incredible.

KING:  I think we all are.  We’ll be right back with Susan Boyle and Piers Morgan, an incredible story.  Don’t go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING:  We’re back with Susan Boyle.  The 47 year old now singing sensation.  Video, by the way, of her audition for “Britain’s Got Talent” has gone viral.  Thirty million hits on YouTube.  Piers Morgan, one of the judges for “Britain’s Got Talent”.  Before we continue with that, watch this.  Susan Boyle steps on the “Britain’s Got Talent” stage, people snickered, she starts to sing.  Watch what happens.

(MUSIC)

KING:  What went through your head, Susan, when the crowd reacted the way they did?

BOYLE:  Gosh, it’s fantastic.  I couldn’t believe it.  Couldn’t believe it.  (inaudible)

KING:  Piers, unless there’s a miracle happening, wouldn’t you say that she’s going to win?

MORGAN:  Well, she’s certainly the favorite.  Apparently she’s the most odds-on favorite ever on “Britain’s Got Talent” at this stage of the competition.  But Susan knows there are two big hurdles left.  There is a live semifinal at the end of May and then a final if she gets through that.

So anything can happen in a live show and I also judge “America’s Got Talent” and we have the same situation here this season where we’ve been doing some auditions and we’ve got some incredible acts so you assume they win it and then you see another one come and that’s what makes it so surprising and I think Susan knows better than anybody, this game has a lot to be played yet.

KING:  You agree, Susan?

BOYLE:  I do entirely.

KING:  By the way, have you taken lessons all your life?  Singing lessons?

BOYLE:  I’ve had a few singing lessons, yes.  (Inaudible)

KING:  Just a few.

BOYLE:  I had a few for two years.  A few of them over two years.

KING:  How did you select the song you sang?

BOYLE:  I sang that song because it fit within the circumstances of the particular time. It was the way I was feeling at the time, it sort of summed up what I was aiming for.

KING:  Piers what’s your thought immediately as the first notes came out?

MORGAN:  I thought it was extraordinary.  One of the most astounding moments I’ve ever seen.  We had a similar situation with Paul Potts in Britain and we had it with a guy called Terry Facer (ph) on the American show who went on to be a $100 million act in Vegas.  And the thing about these shows that I love, Larry, is that you can get people like Susan who have lived a dream all their lives but never had a chance to realize it and they’re not by their own admission the kind of stereotypical pop star look, they couldn’t get on to “American Idol” or shows like that and we are their only real hope of achieving this kind of stardom.

But what’s astounding is the speed and the breadth of her success.  I mean, I’ve been getting calls today from China, from Russia, from Australia.  All around America, all around Europe.  Susan Boyle has gone from total obscurity in the space of five days to global superstar and that’s just extraordinary.

KING:  Susan, are you going to record now?

BOYLE:  Well, that all depends on the results.  We’ll take baby steps at a time. I’ll take each day as it comes.

KING:  I don’t think you need the results.  Don’t you think she can get a contract right now?

MORGAN:  Well, I spoke to Simon Cowell who also judges “Britain’s Got Talent” last night and he’s in Hollywood and I think it’s fair to say his eyes have been going “kaching” ever since Susan’s performance because Simon is a businessman and he knows his music and he knows he’s got somebody with an extraordinary voice and this global phenomenon going on around her and I think that within a year, whatever happens to Susan on the show, whether she wins or not, I think we’re going to see a number one album around the world.  I think you’re going to see a world tour and I personally just want to say to Susan, thank you for coming on the show.

And to any Americans watching here, by the way, we are still auditioning for “America’s Got Talent.”  Susan has laid down the challenge.  Can you come and do on the American show what she’s done in Britain?

KING:  I’m saying you’re going to have a hard time finding anybody.  Susan Boyle stunned a lot of people speechless, as we said, with her singing.  Not the judges right away.  Watch what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  Without a doubt that is the biggest surprise I have had in – when you stood there with that cheeky grin and said I want to be like Elaine Fay (ph) everyone was laughing at you.  No one is laughing now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:  I am so thrilled because I know that everybody was against you.  I honestly think we were all being cynical and that’s the biggest wake up call ever and I just want to say it was a complete privilege listening to that.

MORGAN:  OK.  Moment of truth.  Here’s yes or no.  The biggest yes I have ever given anybody.

Amanda?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:  Yes, definitely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  Susan Boyle, you can go back to the village with your neck held high and three yeses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING:  I was going to say, only in America.  Only in Scotland.  We’ll be back with more moments with Susan Boyle and Pierce Morgan and she may sing a little.  Don’t go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING:  We’re back with Susan Boyle and Piers Morgan.  Susan, you’re single.  In fact, you say you’ve never been kissed.  Now you’re getting piles of fan mail.  How will this change your life?

BOYLE:  Well, I won’t be lonely.  I certainly won’t be lonely anymore.

KING:  Will you date?  Will you change the way you look?  Change your hair, your dress, your style?

BOYLE:  Why should I?  Why should I change?  Particularly my identity.

MORGAN:  Quite right.

KING:  Piers, that’s right.  It would be a mistake to try to change this, right?

MORGAN:  You know, the great appeal and charm of Susan is the way she is.  The way she looks, the way she acts.  She is her own woman and I think that is what everyone is falling in love and I’m (inaudible) and I was very touched by the very flattering remarks you made about me in the newspapers in the weekend which did not go unnoticed, particularly as you chose me (ph) over Simon as your potential suitor.  And I would like to extend an invitation to you to have dinner with me in London, Susan.

BOYLE:  I accept.

MORGAN:  Thank you.

KING:  Susan, did it bother you that people were judging you before you sang on appearance and were kind of sort of making fun.

BOYLE:  That doesn’t bother me at all.  I just got on with my act because that’s what you’re there for, to keep going.

KING:  Piers, does that surprise you that it didn’t bother her?

MORGAN:  No, because I think she’s got an amazing spirit and determination.  I think that Susan had an absolute confidence in her ability as a singer so she didn’t really care that people were laughing or not laughing.  I think she was more focused on the fact that she had her chance, a shot.  It was almost like the Rocky Balboa script.  Coming out of nowhere, and you get a shot, you take it and suddenly you’re the world’s champion.

And I think the sky’s the limit for Susan, she wants to be a professional singer.  The whole world is going crazy for her.  I think at the very least she will achieve that aim.

But what I’m really proud of, I think, is in this time of recession around the world, what Susan Boyle has single-handedly done is give us all something to smile about and feel optimistic by and inspired by and it’s a fantastic achievement to make the whole world grin and talk to each other and say, have you seen that clip?  Isn’t it amazing?  And to make people cry.  What a thing!

KING:  You are so right, Piers.  You hit the nail on the head.  Susan, will you sing just a little for us?

BOYLE:  I’ll try to.  I’ll try to sing for you.

KING:  OK, give it a whirl.  Go ahead.

BOYLE:  OK.

(SINGING)

KING:  Susan Boyle, you are – Piers, analyze that.

MORGAN:  Amazing.  That was just absolutely stunning.  To sing that with no musical backing is unbelievable.  You have the voice of an angel, Susan.  And if you don’t win this show somebody is going to have to be pretty incredible to beat.  Amazing.

KING:  Amazing.  You’re not kidding Sinatra ought to be reborn.  Susan Boyle, thank you.  Best of luck.  You’ll be singing for the Queen, Susan, I predict it.

Piers, thanks for joining us.  Susan Boyle in Scotland.

BOYLE:  Thanks very much.

KING:  Piers Morgan in London.

That is a tough act to follow.

Thanks to CNN Live’s transcript as published on http://www.cnnasiapacific.com/press/en/content/441/.

Enjoy… (the full 3:00 version)

Click here to view the embedded video.