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Our Review of Beatles Rock Band, Clooney Has a Naked Man Fan, and Using Facebook Instead of 911?!

Molly — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:17:19 -0700

Beatlemania returns today as The Beatles: Rock Band hits stores, and we're here with GeekSugar's review of the hotly anticipated new game! Plus, watch cute clips of George Clooney's indecent proposal and David Beckham with his family on Ellen. All that plus two Australian girls who got lost and instead of calling the police, they updated their Facebook statuses to get rescued. Check out PopSugar Rush now!

Yummy Links: From Jay Rayner to Food Party

partysugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:50:05 -0700

Who is Top Chef Masters judge Jay Rayner?- Eat Me Daily
Can someone in New York City cook the same way they do in rural Italy? - The Epi-Log
Staying in is the new going out. - Chow
Have your Facebook image immortalized in chocolate.- The Feedbag
Introducing the pizza wallet and how to eat it. - Grub Street
Meet Food Party, a new culinary television show for puppet-lovers. - Serious Eats

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Skittles Ups the Ante With New Website

YumSugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:32:30 -0800

As the recession has affected consumer buying behaviors, the candy business is seeking to adapt. Mars-owned Skittles is no exception. In an attempt to reach out to the social media set, the fruity candy has completely rebranded its homepage.

Visitors to Skittles' main page are redirected to a search of the word "Skittles" on the microblogging service Twitter. The videos point to wacky Skittles commercials posted on YouTube; a "friends" section connects users to a fan page on social media giant Facebook; an image section leads to Skittles pictures on photo-sharing site Flickr; and those looking for information on Skittles products are connected to user-contributed online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

"Skittles lives in a world that is unexpected," said Carole Walker, VP of integrated marketing communications for Skittles. "We are leveraging what we think are the key consumer social media touch points."

The Skittles site requires users to enter their date of birth, as it doesn't advertise to users under the age of 12. Do you think this strategy to target older audiences will prove to be successful? Or is it too risky to depend on user-generated content? Does it change the way you view Skittles?

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Trend Alert: Foodies on Facebook

YumSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:15:08 -0800

Foodies may be serious about eating, but apparently they're serious about computers: Fast-food chains, food companies, and food celebrities are raising their profiles on social-networking platform Facebook.

Last month, we mentioned that Pizza Hut was the first fast-food chain to launch a Facebook online ordering system, so die-hard users never have to leave the site to order dinner. And yesterday, number one fast-food chain McDonald's launched a Facebook fan site of its own to honor the 25th anniversary of its wildly popular Chicken McNuggets.

In a push to connect to its younger customers, pizza delivery Papa John's has launched a new promotion: Anyone who becomes a "fan" of the Papa John's page on Facebook will receive an online redemption code for a free medium pizza with any online order.

It isn't just fast-food chains who are promoting themselves on Facebook - other food industry insiders are following suit. Candy company Mars advertised its "Get Some Nuts" campaign for Snickers on Facebook, and rumors about Next Food Network Star finalist Lisa Garza spread after she changed her marital status on her Facebook page.

I'm surprised to learn that Facebook has become so important in the world of food. Have you been following the food and beverage industry there?

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Would You Order Pizza on Facebook?

YumSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:31:36 -0700

Last week, fast-food chain Pizza Hut launched an online ordering system on the social networking site Facebook. Now those of you who are addicted to social networking can order dinner without having to exit Facebook! For extra-quick reordering, the application also remembers your favorites.

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Papa John Reunited With 1971 Camaro

partysugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:50:33 -0700

In what seems like a story made for television, John Schnatter, the chairman and former CEO of Papa John's, has found his long lost 1971 Camaro. In 1984, Schnatter sold the car and used the money from the sale to open the pizza joint.

Last June, he embarked on a 12-city tour in search of his former ride. He highly publicized the trip by chronicling it on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter and made special public appearances, like ringing the closing bell of the Nasdaq stock exchange, and throwing out the first pitch at a Dodgers game. After car blog Jalopnik joined in the search, a reader located the Camaro and notified the blog, who then got in touch with the pizza chain founder. Jeff Robinson from Flatwoods, KY, was able to produce the title to the car Schnatter sold 25 years ago.

In return for the car, Schnatter is rewarding Robinson with $250,000. Papa John's is so excited by the discovery that to celebrate, today they are giving away a free large, one-topping pizza to anyone who owns a Chevy Camaro. Are you surprised that Papa John found his old car?

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Food Section Sampler - Aug. 19, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:30:00 -0700

When prepared right, okra can taste reminiscent of asparagus and eggplant, with none of the slime. - San Francisco Chronicle
The hottest table in town, Restaurant City, is a virtual eatery that can only be accessed through Facebook. - Los Angeles Times
Pay attention to the story behind cheap food prices. - Washington Post
Dates are in serious demand during the Islamic month of Ramadan. - Boston Globe
To taste some of the world's most exquisite fruit, you'll have to fly to Asia. - Wall Street Journal
With Portuguese delights, the secret is in the piri-piri pepper sauce. - Chicago Tribune
If you're missing out on this season's tomatoes, make a BLT with plums instead. - New York Times

Announcing Our Free Invites on Pingg!

partysugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:30:02 -0700

Just in time for wedding season, I'm extremely excited to announce our partnership with my favorite online-invitation service, Pingg! Our fabulous designer has created a series of invitations for you to customize and send for free. Whether you're looking for an invite to an engagement or bachelorette party, bridal or baby shower, we've got you covered with multiple designs for each occasion. Pingg is incredibly easy to use: you simply upload the event information, customize the invite to your liking, and select your preferred method for sending (you can email, Facebook, or print and snail mail). I hope you will enjoy these wonderful invites as much as I do!

Come Party With Me: Bedazzle Bonanza - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:31:06 -0700

Some people may think a bad economy is not a very good time to host a party; however, FabSugar and I disagree. Now, more than ever, is the perfect time to gather up a group of friends and host an affordable get-together. That's why were throwing a Bedazzling bonanza. We'll supply the sparkling snacks and rhinestones, and everyone invited will bring an item (t-shirt, canvas tote, belt, headband) to Bedazzle. A Sunday afternoon is ideal for this sort of crafty party because it's after lunch, so only small nibbles are necessary, and on a work night - meaning no one will have a desire to drink heavily. All week, I'll be sharing the details of our party with you. Use them to throw your own fabulously creative event.

If you don't have a Bedazzler, consider a painting party, a knitting soirée, or cooking class. Save money and time by sending the invites through email, Facebook, or evite. To learn how I made the invite seen here, read more.

Find an image that illustrates your creative outlet. For my invite, I searched "rhinestones" and came across this fun picture.
Drag and drop into Microsoft Word or Photoshop.

Insert a text box and write out the details of the event. I used the Baar Sophia in size 14-18 to write this message:

FabSugar and PartySugar
invite you to
Bedazzle Bonanza!

Join us for a creative and crafty afternoon with sparkling snacks and bubbly.

Sunday, April 5th, 2009
3:00 pm
FabSugar’s Pad, San Francisco

Rhinestones provided
Please bring something to bedazzle
RSVP: partysugar@sugarinc.com
If desired change the color of the background and font.
Check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Save as a jpeg and send!

Cilantro Preferences May Be Genetic

YumSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:30:24 -0800

For every cilantro lover who basks in the bright, citrusy flavor of the herb, there's an equal and opposite voice that denounces its soapy, overly floral scent and taste. So why is cilantro (and not, parsley, oregano, or sage) so polarizing? At least one scientist believes that preference for cilantro may be a genetic trait.

Behavioral neurologist Charles J. Wysocki studied identical and fraternal twins' preferences for the herb and found that while more than 80 percent of the identical twins gave similar ratings on the "pleasantness" of cilantro, only 42 percent of the fraternal twins had like assessments. He also believes that disgust for cilantro comes from its odor, rather than its taste.

Wysocki cautioned that he hasn't run enough analysis of data to come to a firm conclusion, but this finding could explain a lot of things. After all, the Internet is rampant with anticilantro communities, from websites like I Hate Cilantro to opposition groups on Facebook, and even Julia Child wouldn't touch cilantro. What do you think of Wysocki's biological theory?

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