Michael Jackson’s Pepsi commercial was the “first product endorsement by a superstar of his magnitude in history”. Director Bob Giraldi recalls the magic and the burnt hair incident.
June, 2009
Polls hit Turnbull. Hard.
Newspoll, ACNielsen and Galaxy have all reported in today — and they all report a disastrous tale of Malcolm Turnbull’s Utegate adventures last week. Pollbludger rounds up the numbers.
BEST OF THE COMMENTARY
- SHANAHAN: Turnbull living on borrowed political time
- SHEEHAN: Hyena pack hunts in Canberra
- MILNE: Put up and shut up
- GRATTAN: Libs are stuck with Turnbull
What about Mark Sanford’s privacy?
What should have us all in some kind of uproar is the fact that South Carolina Governor Sanford’s private emails are being broadcast all over the world, writes Lee Siegel. And yet the media is just snickering.
Michael Jackson’s death: predicted
While Blind Freddy could probably have seen MJ’s premature death a mile off, Ian Halperin in the Daily Mail had some specific predictions six months ago. A must-read, says Gawker.
The Shah’s son on Iran and revolutions
The Shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, chats to The New York Times about why Mousavi wouldn’t be better than Ahmadinejad — and defends allegations made against his father’s regime.
Sexy letters to the Pope
Wanda Poltawska was a good friend of Pope John Paul II; they wrote letters to each other for decades — sometimes about sex. Now she’s published them and the Vatican are furious.
Madoff’s wife cuts deal to keep $US2.5m
Bernie Madoff’s sorry story is almost over — having plead guilty to fraud for operating a Ponzi scheme, he awaits sentencing on Monday. But what next for his wife and their sons?
Iran “arrests” British Embassy staff
The war of diplomacy between Iran and Britain has escalated with reports that the Islamic nation has detained local British embassy staff, accusing them of whipping up post-election protests.
Sunday Mail: 64-36 to SA Labor (in Adelaide, that is)
Adelaide’s News Ltd Sunday Mail today carries a poll with a small sample of 483 showing state Labor with a two-party lead of 64-36 among Adelaide voters. A poll that roughly reflects the status quo, says William Bowe.
Obama and gays: is the honeymoon over?
As a senator and as a candidate, Barack Obama showed his views towards same-sex issues to be progressive for a Democrat. But gay rights groups say as president, he’s back-tracking.
Jackson’s legendary lean: it’s patented
How Michael Jackson defied gravity on a 45 degree lean — with a little help from engineering.
Jackson coverage was overkill
American entertainment bows to what economists call “consumer sovereignty,” and Jackson’s popularity was a clear example of that, writes Tom Rutten. Still, the media had more important issues to discuss.
Obama campaign wins ad Grands Prix at Cannes
“There will never be a political campaign that doesn’t use what they started.” The team behind the Obama-Biden election campaign have been lauded for their pioneering use of social networking.
What about the Merauke Five?
Why did the media ignore Australia’s Merauke five, now home after nine months’ detention in West Papua? Possibly because they are middle-aged, middle-of-the-road people, writes Mark Bousen.
Special Michael Jackson edition – the world’s front pages
One story dominated the front pages of newspapers throughout the world in the last 48 hours - the death of Michael Jackson.
Jackson’s death is not A Diana Moment
The outpouring of grief over Michael Jackson’s death is just false emotion, spawned from the public’s desire to be part of a community and a big event, writes Hadley Freeman.
The top green companies that… aren’t
It is actually quite easy being green these days — a few platitudes about saving the planet and renewable energy, and even the world’s top polluters are suddenly environmental crusaders. Minyanville names and shames 10 of the worst greenwashing offenders.
Brisbane band sells music for tweets
Brisbane band Yves Klein Blue are offering fans free downloads of their latest single for free — under one condition: they must tweet about the lengths they would go to see the band play at the Splendour in the Grass festival next month.
The end of retirement?
As humans live longer and longer, and the Boomer generation begin to enter their twilight yeats, the whole idea of retirement is increasingly becoming an anachronism.
Putin has supermarkets in a snag
Continuing his recent attempts to blame Russia’s struggling economy on business owners, Putin recently stormed into a Moscow supermarket and ordered staff to cut the price of their sausages.
Breakfast Media Wrap: Some harsh assessments of Malcolm Turnbull by the pundits
The pick of Saturday morning’s media
Why Ahmadinejad is better than Mousavi
If the US want any chance of negotiating with Iran over nukes and Israel, they’re much better off dealing with an unstable isolationist leader like Ahmadinejad than the moderate Mousavi, argues Thomas P.M. Barnett.
Some weekend reading from the world’s magazines
Ricahrd Farmer hand-picks some great weekend reads from around the world.
