Arguably one of the most exciting components of any award show is the red carpet.  Everyone's always eager to see who showed up, who's wearing what, and what celebrities will say when put on the spot. 

Television personality Joan Rivers has long been known as the ruler of the red carpet.  But following eight-year-old Sophia Grace's appearance at the 2012 Grammys, there may be a new Queen Bee (even if she did take a short break to nibble on some promotional candy).  Check out the highlights of Sophia Grace and her cousin Rosie interviewing musicians before the 54th Annual Grammy Awards:

There's no denying the duo is adorable.  But what's more impressive is how on point Sophia Grace is.  Mashable reports that the young girl was particularly astute at "knowing how to get the big celebrities to talk to her, being aware of Taylor Swift’s wardrobe choices and of course, understanding the importance of Flo Rida’s shades."

All in all, I think the two girls made the occasion extra-fun.  What do you think?  Should the pair host more red carpet events?

This time of year is a very exciting time for me. As a music critic and freelance blogger, this is the time of year where summer festivals announce their dates and line-ups. Each passing week determines how busy (and how expensive) my summer will be.

After missing last year's Bonnaroo (and a one-off performance by Buffalo Springfield) I have become determined to attend Bonnaroo. I attended the 2010 festivities and despite the 15 hour drive each way (which I did in one take) and the arid 90+ degree days, it was really the best time. I anxiously awaited an announcement from the festival's publicist (a man I have worked with in the past) only to find the festival was taking a more unorthodox approach to announcing the line-up. 

This year, the festival giant announced its lengthy lineup via a Spotify playlist. Eighty-one songs (one for each artist that is scheduled to perform) creates a playlist that is over 5 hours long. The festival lineup (and playlist) has some pretty well-known names throughout and the most cutting-edge artists from every genre under the sun. For those who want a little something extra, the festival has performances from some stellar comedians (Conan O'Brien, Greg Giraldo and Aziz Ansari headlined in 2010) and stages with large TVs. 

Tickets for the festival will be available on Saturday, February 18. For more information, visit the Bonnaroo website. 

If you have plans to make a big announcement in a unique way, be sure to use promotional products to get your news out there.

People suffering from Bieber fever all over the world are quite jealous of one little girl this morning.  Six-year-old Avalanna Routh, who's battling a rare form of cancer, scored a date with the highly sought after pop star just before what's arguably the most romantic day of the year:  Valentine's Day.

According to MSNBC, the young Boston girl was flown to New York City [Monday] to spend the day with Bieber "after an online campaign and a report by NBC Boston affiliate WHDH caught the eye of the pop star."

Their interaction was one of mutual admiration; MSNBC reports that the two signed autographs for one another, messed around with Bieber's hair, and played promo games. Afterward, Bieber felt compelled to Tweet:  "That was one of the best things I have ever done," he wrote. "She was AWESOME. Feeling really inspired right now."

Routh, who continues to fight an aggressive yet rare form of cancer called ATRT, claims she's loved the teen heartthrob since before she was born.  That's why she's affectionately referred to as "Mrs. Bieber" -- a term which spurred worldwide trending of the hashtag #MrsBieber once news spread about their special rendezvous.

One of my favorite parts about my job is talking to my customers about what they do, and why they are ordering. Last week, I spoke to Jayson who is an export service representative at Rosenbauer America. But what does Rosenbauer America do? They make fire trucks! They also made the truck that is Sentinel Prime in the Transformers movie! When I was told that, I was blown away, and needed to ask for some swag. Jayson was kind enough to send me a huge package of their custom imprint promotional products that they have ordered. Below is an image of what I was sent: A custom imprinted lapel sticker, customer imprinted patch and lapel pin, promotional golf tees, personalized calendar, a screen printed T-Shirt, and an engraved bottle opener (reason they called to re-order). I am so excited to have received all of these amazing giveaways!

Lately I have been so tired of listening to the radio stations and the same music replaying over and over again. It drives me insane! how many times can you really listen to Adelle on everything radio station. That is why I love my ipod, I just plug it in to my car and listen to my favorites. Custom MP3 players are great for this exact reason, and I get to choose what I listen to and it isnt repetitive.

I am a huge sports fan and love football and baseball.  The bleak few months after the Super Bowl are especially boring for me.  I don't watch too many t.v. shows and the cold weather makes it difficult to go to any outdoor establishments. I try to dabble a little in basketball and hockey but  it does not do much for me.  Thankfully, I have recently discovered Words, Scramble and Hanging with Friends.  I put my promotional iPad case on my iPad and I was ready to roll.  I have to admit, at first I wasn't sold, but after a little while I was hooked. Think I can't handle 20 games at once? No big deal!  Give me my promotional water bottle and a comfy chair and I'm all set. Thank goodness for a worthy distraction until my Mets are finally back!

A Taiwanese television commercial is coming under fire for mocking the late Steve Jobs.  The Android tablet TV spot features Taiwanese impersonator and comedian Ah-Ken donning angel wings and a halo, and runs for approximately 20 seconds.  Check out the clip below:

While the advertisement does not specifically Mention Jobs' name or any Apple products (like the custom iPod cover), Ah-Ken, who sports a black turtleneck and jeans in the spot, looks eerily similar to the Apple cofounder.  At one point, the comedian even says, "Thank God I get to play with other tablets," while taking out an Android-powered ActionPad device.

According to Mashable, the TV ad is particularly hard-hitting because the late Jobs had expressed that he felt Google's Android operating system was a copy-cat of Apple's iOS.

What do you think -- is the new commercial disrespectful?

This past Thursday January 26th, Ken, Laura, Samantha and myself attended the SAAGNY winter showcase 2012.  The plethora of trade show items were amazing.  Any promotional product you could think of was there.  Any item you may want imprinted they had on display.  It really makes you think about how many of these items you come in contact with every single day.  We all had a great time walking the show and are looking forward to selling many of these item to our customers!

If you're like me, you're more interested in watching the Super Bowl's over-the-top ads than any of the game.  And that's fine -- after all, companies that choose to advertise during the huge event spend $3.5 million for a measly 30-second spot.  

This year, there's a lot of buzz surrounding one Super Bowl commercial in particular.  The catch?  Nobody knows what the ad is selling yet.

But let's talk about what we do know:  The commercial stars Matthew Broderick (who appears to be very anxious -- someone get him a promotional stress ball!), alludes to the hit 1986 film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and will air in full on February 5, 2012, also known as Super Bowl Sunday.

Intrigued? Check out a 10-second teaser for the advertisement below:

What do you think the ad is selling? Leave a comment with your ideas!

If Netflix's New Year's resolution is to rebound after its multiple flops in 2011, it's certainly off to a good start.  Last year the on-demand Internet streaming media service was slammed with backlash from customers who were unhappy with price hikes.  Then, Netflix attempted to rebrand its DVD service as Qwikster, another ill-received move.

But according to Mashable, that's all in the past: "Netflix on Wednesday announced it added 220,000 streaming subscribers in the fourth quarter and posted earnings of $0.73 per share and revenues of $876 million, beating Wall Street forecasts."  The positive performance is a good sign for the company and its shareholders.

Most importantly, investors are optimistic about the company's future, as well.  Mashable reports that "Netflix’s stock price has bounced back from a low of $64.53 in early December to $94.84, the company’s stock price at the close of the market on Wednesday." During trading after hours, the stock rose even more.

What do you think? Should we mark January 26 on our promotional desk calendars as the day Netflix made a comeback?