Reality TV Genre Spawns Magazine

Today marks the launch of "Reality Check," a trash magazine covering trash TV. Published by Primedia, the magazine will cover everything and anything that has to do with reality TV. Shoot me.

Chilean Toothpaste Maker Sponsors Guinness Record Breaking Kiss

A Chilean toothpaste maker sponsored a massive facial suckage in a bid to break a Guinness world record. A total of 8,890 men and women gathered in Santiago to lock lips for at least ten seconds thereby breaking the previous record set in February 2000 in Sarnia, Ontario when 1,588 pairs swapped spit.

MyPetFat Promotes Dieting With Fat Sack

In one of the odder diet-of-the-moment programs, MyPetFat approaches the promotion of weight loss a bit differently than other programs. It grosses you out into losing weight by giving you a sack of fat to carry around with you reminding you of how disgusting fat can be. Rather than try the fad-of-the-week diets, all you need now is your sack of fat from MyPetFat along with the programs helpful and motivational advice.

With the mantra, "fat, it's all in your head," MyPetFat founder Jay Jacobs set out upon a personal mission to lose weight and in doing so, developed this so called dieting aid. Who knows the psychologyy behind it, whether it works or whether it's a joke. But, it sure would make a great surprise stocking stuffer for next year.

MyPetFat is sold in three sizes from one once to five pounds so you can determine how much you want to be disgusted into losing weight.

BET Launches College Reality Series

Not to be left out, BET has announced its own reality show which will be set Southern University, Baton Rouge, La and premiere January 28 at 9PM. The series will follow eight different students as they navigate their way through both the social and the academis aspects of colleg life.

"There is college life, and then there's black college life," said BET Senior Vice President of Music, Entertainment Programming and Talent Stephen Hill. "Those who have been around historically black colleges and universities know there are social, cultural and attitudinal differences from the more mainstream institutions."

For those of us that don't know those differences, here's our chance to find out.

PartyPoker.com Replaces Chrysler as Lingerie Bowl Sponsor

After getting cold feet and bowing to interest groups, Chrysler withdrew its planned sponsorship of the Lingerie Bowl, the "alternative" pay-per-view half-time show featuring women wearing next to nothing while playing contact football. Event producer Horizon Productions has found a replacement sponsor signing a deal with PartyPoker.com. Earthquake Media in New York negotiated the deal on behalf of PartyPoker.com but terms were not disclosed. Our guess is PartyPoker got a great deal. It's also a much better match of media and advertiser.

"It is refreshing to have a title sponsor that is decisive and does not allow a few radical groups to dictate how they spend their advertising dollars or with whom they partner," Mitch Mortaza, president of Horizon Productions and creator/executive producer of the event, said in a statement. "Our new partners will allow us to produce the kind of sexy and edgy Lingerie Bowl that made the event such a media darling and fan favorite."

Winning 'Bush in 30 Seconds' Ad Chosen

Last night at an event in New York City, liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org selected the winning ad submission for its "Bush in 30 Seconds" contest. The contest was designed to "best tell the truth about President Bush's failed policies."

The winner was 38-year old Charlie Fisher of Denver, Colorado, whose ad, called "Child's Pay," shows a young children working in a grocery line and in a factory with the tagline, "Guess who's going to pay off President Bush's $1 trillion deficit?"

You can view the winning ad and all finalists here.

Anit-Smoking Campaign Uses Replacement Smokers

Acknowledging the need for tobacco companies to attract "replacement smokers," this American Legacy Foundation campaign from Havas' Arnold and MDC Partners' Crispin Porter + Bogusky features manequins with orange stickers that say "replacement" and a girl who says, "My dad died from emphysema from smoking six years ago. I haven't met his replacement yet."

'Friends' May Air Again as November 2004 Reunion Special

TV Guide says a "Friends" rep is denying a big payout to the stars to shoot a reunion special to air in November 2004 which, of course, means it's true.

A Friends rep is denying a report that NBC has agreed to pay Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer $2 million apiece to shoot a 90-minute reunion special to air in November 2004. The rumored get-together was supposedly going to be taped right after production wrapped later this month on the hitcom's final episode and show the gang getting together for Thanksgiving dinner

Trump's 'Apprentice' to Remain on Thursdays'

The success of the premiere airing of NBC's Donald Trump reality series, "The Apprentice" last Thursday combined with the void of programming on Thursday, has led to NBC's decision to keep the show on Thursdays instead of running it Wednesday where it was slated to live out its run. The show averaged 18.5 million viewers according to Nielsen.

Fefe Dobson Gleans Success From Viral and Online Marketing

Singer-songwritwer Fefe Dobson went from obscurity to a top ten artist on MTV's TRL in less than two months with the help of some smart online and viral marketing. 360 Youth helped the singer get in front of teens and college students with in-school promotions, database marketing, catalog marketing, a contest and email marketing.