1. AOL has announced that it plans to buy the Huffington Post for $315 million. Arianna Huffington will become editor in chief of all of AOL’s content sites, including TechCrunch and Engadget. According to Arianna’s memo to site contributors, nothing will be different except “more people reading what you wrote.” [via The Atlantic]
2. The iconic terminal that was once the home to TWA at JFK airport might be getting a second life in the form of a small, high-end hotel, according to the Wall Street Journal.
3. According to USA Today’s Ad Meter, two ads tied for the top Super Bowl commercial among viewers — the spots for Doritos and Bud Light — and they both happened to star dogs.
4. The second trailer for JJ Abrams’ latest top secret movie Super 8 debuted last night during the game, and while it doesn’t reveal much more than the original teaser did plot-wise, you definitely see more of executive producer Steven Spielberg’s influence on the project. [via TotalFilm]
5. Fox has announced that the X Factor’s winner will walk off with a $5 million record deal — aka the largest guaranteed prize in television history — in a joint venture between Sony Music and Simon Cowell. The show is set to debut this September. [via TVline]
After four years building the Huffington Post into nonstop-news central, Arianna Huffington is eyeing Oprah’s territory with the launch of the HuffPost Book Club. Her first selection praises the slowness that’s gone missing from our lives. So, is the queen of 24/7 news downshifting? She spoke with us about how she likes to disconnect, why she’s holding book discussions over Twitter, and what’s stopping her from making a Tina Brown move into print publishing.
Today, we listened to the most organic music in the world. We learned French and then contemplated the future of reading. We rode the Google Wave. We laughed at George Clooney’s new ride, which looks like the Segway’s lesser-loved brother. We were slightly confused by Sufjan Stevens’ new hula-hoop movie. We learned the virtue of selfishness in preparation for the Atlas Shrugged mini-series. We wanted to play the viral Tron 2 arcade. We discovered the key to seduction via the Huffington Post. And finally, we hit the gym before trying out for the new Bruce Lee biopic.
It is an insane world we live in right now: Someone has bid $13,000 in a charity auction for a two- or three-month internship at The Huffington Post. According to Ad Age, “The auction runs through May 28. Minimum next bid is $15,500.” We’re just putting it out there — an internship at Flavorpill is free. And involves free lunch on Fridays. [Via @The_Rumpus via Ad Age]
“Since FDR’s New Deal, corporations and wealthy families have been non-stop finding new ways to get tax breaks, deregulation and entitlements from the government. The crush of lobbyists on Washington and purchase of the media by corporations has created a big business-run government and a worthless press leaving Americans screwed and ill-informed. The end.”
- You remember that viral video The Landlord? Well the director, Adam McKay, has some strong opinions about what’s happening in America right now and more importantly, WHY. Do you agree with him? Do you miss Pearl too?
Like we said, “tabloid headlines,” people. The actual, verbal smackdown wasn’t quite so dramatic, but it did send a roll of chuckles/gasps through the auditorium at the 92nd Street Y, where folks gathered last night for a panel talk with HuffPo bloggers. The catfight in question ensued when an audience member broke the news (someone so didn’t follow instructions to turn off all cellular devices) that Caroline Kennedy had removed herself from the New York Senate “race,” and asked for reactions from the panelists.
Erica Jong — somewhat predictably — immediately rose to Kennedy’s defense, asking us whether we could truly know how much she had sacrificed, raising a family under intense scrutiny and sheltering them, instead of perhaps, you know, forging a political career that might have prepared her for a seat in the Senate. After Jong howled that Kennedy naysayers were sexist, Ephron leaned into her mic to dryly reply (also: fairly predictably), “Oh come on. Not everything is sexist.” Just as fur began to fly on stage, panelist Paul Rieckhoff — who happens to be the founder and head of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America — gamely swept in to redirect the conversation. Yes, it took a former Army lieutenant to end a spat between two 60-something women.
The discussion on whole was one big Obama love-fest, with Arianna Huffington and her fellow panelists extolling his virtues and their hopes to a huge room of Democrats. “Preaching to the choir,” and all that, yes; but find a few other takeaway moments worth sharing after the jump.
