--------- PRODUCT PLACEMENTS OF THE WEEK ---------

Mr. Clean, Charlie the Tuna, Twinkie the Kid and more will appear on the Lions Gate feature film Foodfight!
http://www.cocojambo.com/branded_entertainment/weblog/

American Eagle to appear in the apprentice.
Staples will get product placement and buy time during the show The Office
http://www.itvx.com/ppnews.asp

--------- PROSPECTS TRACKING ---------

Mars Shows the Dark side of M&Ms
The Chocolate M-Pire strickes back, setting to launch dark M&M candies and a set of action figures in anticipation of the upcoming Star Wars release. Meet the M-Vader and watch the officiat trailer here:
http://www.mms.com/us/mpire/qt_large.jsp

Delocator (www.delocator.com) launches grassroots anti-Starbucks movement
"Currently, independently owned cafés around the world are under aggressive attack; and their numbers have been sharply decreasing for many years. delocator.net is a means to preserve these local businesses. Transnational corporations, like Starbucks, Diedrich, Gloria Jean's, and the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf are at the forefront of this assault. Starbucks is the most powerful.The standardization of this spatial, social, and physical experience is hostile to the historical culture of the café and is dangerous, ultimately, to democratic principles."
http://news.agendainc.com/mt-agenda/content/archives/2005/04/_delocator_laun.html

Parents Television Council Releases Top Ten Corporate Sponsors of MTV Sleaze
The Parents Television Council issued a report on the "Top Ten Sponsors of MTV Sleaze" and found that Procter & Gamble was the leading advertiser supporting the smut-filled MTV cable network.  In individual letters, the PTC also called on each company to defend its sleazy actions. This new report comes on the heels of a recent PTC study which found that MTV programming contains much higher levels of sex and foul language than anything found on adult-targeted broadcast television.
http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/release/2005/0330.asp 

MSN Teams With Sprite to Market to Teens
MSN and Sprite teamed to create The Scenario, a website that includes three distinct experiences through which teens can discover new music, connect with each other, and interact with Miles Thirst and the Sprite brand.
http://money.cnn.com/services/tickerheadlines/prn/sfw038.P1.03222005212655.09195.htm

------- OTHER NEWS -------

Wal-Mart To Break First Asian American Campaign
WAL-MART TUESDAY UNVEILED PLANS FOR its first ever ad campaign aimed at Asian Pacific American consumers. The campaign, which will feature TV, print and radio ads developed in Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese and English, will run in select markets, including Los Angeles, Houston, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose beginning April 1. -- J.M.
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=28674&Nid=12778&p=280433

CELADOR INTL. Launches Branded Entertainment Division
The company said the division will work closely with marketers and advertising agencies in the creation of advertiser-funded programming, events, broadcast sponsorship, barter deals and other branded-entertainment opportunities. Celador launched Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the U.K. in 1998 and the show is now licensed to more than 100 countries.
http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=44677

Pamela Anderson New Face of Viva Glam
Today, Pamela Anderson has joined Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliott, Linda Evangelista, Chloe Sevigny and Boy George as spokesmodel for VIVA GLAM V lipstick and lipglass, the fund-raising arm of M.A.C. Aids Fund.
http://www.adrants.com/2005/03/pamela-anderson-new-face-of-viva-glam.php

CBGB faces closure over unpaid rent
CBGB, the club that helped launch everybody from Blondie to the Ramones, faces closure if it does not resolve a dispute over unpaid rent with the homeless charity that owns the building. Its logo is distributed globally from strip mall to high-end boutique with no contribution to the growth and evolution of the CBGB brand.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/08/music.cbgb.reut/

TiVo tests pop-up-style ads
The first test feature--a tag--pops up on the screen when a viewer is fast-forwarding through an advertisement.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-5644197.html