Since 2012 the N.F.L. has added a special touch to draft day: It personalizes the jersey given to each first-round selection. But how do they do it so fast?
“After a team makes its first-round pick…workers from Stahls’, a company that specializes in personalizing sports gear that is hired by Nike, then jump into action. In advance, they made nameplates for each of the 30 prospects at Radio City in the color scheme that matches each of the 32 teams’ jerseys, or 960 nameplates in all.”
The very first Top 10 List? “Things that almost rhyme with peas.” You can watch it before. Speaking of the list, Letterman’s fictional Top 10 Office has been located in 11 different cities. The first was Milwaukee, followed by Lebanon, Pa.; Lincoln, Neb.; Oklahoma City; Omaha, Neb.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Tahlequah, Okla.; Oneonta, N.Y. (the last Late Night home office); Sioux City, Iowa (the first Late Show home office); Grand Rapids, Mich.; and the current city, Wahoo, Neb. Incidentally, Nebraska has hosted the most home offices, with a total of three.
https://youtu.be/gKjBNuGypnw
Kobalt founder and CEO Willard Ahdritz has laid out ambitious plans for his company over the next six months, from expanding into new territories to helping drive a $30 billion industry.
Ahdritz told Billboard that Kobalt has “grown 40% per annum on average for the past 10 years”, with a 98.5% client retention rate despite avoiding lock-in terms.
Looking ahead at the next six months, the exec said: “My target is to increase the number of people we are able to monetise from 400 million to 1.5 billion people. If we as an industry can get this right, we should be able to double the industry’s total revenue from $15 billion to $30 billion. That is what we are targeting.”
Via Music Week
adidas has partnered with Spotify to launch adidas go, the first running app that uses iPhone’s accelerometer to instantly match a runner’s favorite music to their workout.
adidas go calculates the user’s stride rate to automatically identify and play tracks with matching beats per minute from Spotify’s extensive music library. This brings runners a unique and intuitive way to improve their running experience with the perfect music to match their workout.
“For many people having the right music playing while you run can provide the perfect boost of energy to enhance your running experience,” said Adrian Leek, General Manager of adidas Running. “adidas go lets your energy level control the music that plays during your run, so you’re always in control. For the first time, instead of runners listening to music, music will listen to runners.”
adidas go also allows runners to effortlessly expand their running soundtrack to explore new music on the go. The app intuitively streams Spotify tracks that match the runner’s interests based on their preferred playlists, artists and genres without having to assemble playlists before they head out
Once a workout is complete, users have the chance to review and save their distance, time, pace and adidas miCoach Runscore as well as the new music they’ve experienced to add to their collection. Users can then share their results on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
adidas go will be available for iOS only via the Apple App Store, with support for devices from iPhone 4Smodels or later beginning April 10. When opening the app for the first time, users enter a 7-day Spotify Premium trial. Users can either pick workout playlists from their existing preferences or select from a number of proposed playlists that adidas provides. After the trial expires there is a choice between upgrading to Spotify Premium and using their local music library.
You’ve played a few gigs for the 30th anniversary tour in the U.K. already and you’re getting ready for Canada and the States. Do you notice any differences between the U.K. crowds and the North American ones?
Generally speaking, an audience is pretty much the same the world over. You’re standing in front of a bunch of people that hopefully have bought your records and seem to know what you’re all about. Obviously, the longer you’ve been around, the friendlier the audience is.
Back in ’85, during the Psychocandy times, it wasn’t necessarily like that. There was a lot of hostility from the audience because, basically, the Mary Chain grabbed people by the throat. Live, it was quite aggressive. We were quite shy people so the only way we could think to do it was to get pretty fucked up on stage, which made it all a bit chaotic. It wasn’t “show business,” put it that way. A lot of people had heard the hype and had been coming along out of pure curiosity. You certainly weren’t standing in front of an audience that you already had in the bag. You had to win them over. We were not very good at doing that.
How have you changed as a performer over the years?
I’ve come to terms with what I can and can’t do. But back in those days, I felt as if I just didn’t have what it took, andthat was a lot of the reason I would get very, very drunk or take drugs on stage. It’s because I just never felt good enough. I used to want to be Iggy Pop but I couldn’t — I was just too crushed with shyness. It’s not easy for me. I don’t talk to the audience and I hope at this stage of the game, people know that I’m not being aloof and I’m not being rude. I just focus on the songs and by doing that, I think I enjoy it now more than I ever have.
Via Spin
I’ve decided that this pug should have been in The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” video. It’s certainly this dog’s theme song.
Discover the hidden talents of comic book legend Stan Lee as he teaches a very unique acting class. Directed by Kevin Smith and starring Tara Reid, Michael Rooker, Lou Ferrigno, Jason Mewes, and an Audi S8, it’s time for the world to appreciate the subtle art of cameo acting.
https://youtu.be/N8m-NxpUIP0
In part two of Kate Spade’s #MissAdventure web series, the always amazing Anna Kendrick gets mistaken for a personal meditation instructor while staying at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Hollywood, California.
You can watch part one here:
“Weird Al” Yankovic made an unboxing video for his 2015 Grammy Award for “Best Comedy Album of 2014” that he won for his Mandatory Fun album. I think I might make mine for when I get the JUNOs next week.
“Ohhh, look at this! I can make my own molds of Grammy Awards from now on.”
Follow us on Instagram @thatericalper
Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.
Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com
© Copyright - That Eric Alper
