Consumer Passion

Borders and Waldenbooks to Host 'SpongeBob Day of Happiness' Kids Party July 18th

From the press release:

In celebration of the SpongeBob SquarePants' 10th Anniversary, Borders and Waldenbooks stores nationwide will host a "SpongeBob Day of Happiness" kids event July 18 beginning at 2 p.m. Kids of all ages won't want to miss this opportunity to enjoy an afternoon of free fun in honor of the quirky yellow sea sponge, his zany sidekicks Patrick and Squidward and all of the inhabitants of Bikini Bottom.In addition to enjoying a variety of entertaining activities, fans can also look forward to receiving fun prizes and giveaways including ponchos, magnets, temporary tattoos and balloons. (Prizes and giveaways will vary by store.)

To find out if your local Borders or Waldenbooks store is hosting a "SpongeBob Day of Happiness" party, click the Store Locator tab on Borders.com and search for your favorite store, and then click on the store's page to view a list of upcoming events. Events may vary from store to store.

Interesting facts about Mr. Squarepants (via Wikipedia):

• In 2007, Time Magazine name it one of the greatest television shows of all time

• SpongeBob is one in a long line of cartoons designed to appeal to adults as well as children.  Certain innuendos, in particular, are intended to go over younger viewers' heads.  For example, SpongeBob tried to show his grandma that he was a mature adult by wearing sideburns and a derby, and listening to free form jazz. 

Jeopardy! Will Tape Live from CES

Not this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, which is taking place as I type, with 140,000 attendees and a zillion media types, spurting out so much information about gadgety things and company announcements that I feel compelled to wait a bit ... take a breath ... and let all the electronic sugar buzziness die down before I start spotlighting some of the cool things igniting passion among consumers.  But I need to mention something that will take place at next year's CES.  Jeopardy!, one of the most popular TV game show ever, will tape at least ten shows from the floor of the 2009 CES, becoming the first such show to do so. 

It's a fabulous idea.  Jeopardy and sister show Wheel of Fortune are masters at keeping things fresh and interesting, and this will not hurt those efforts at all, especially with the tech and gadget set.  Jeopardy! will do two weeks worth of shows from a stage built to be part of the Sony Pictures Television booth. 

"Jeopardy! has embraced all of the latest technologies, including the Internet, mobile platforms and HD," said executive producer Harry Friedman, "which will make it especially exciting to produce the shows from CES."

Both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune made TV history in 2006 when they became the first syndicated series to broadcast in high-definition.