• Hope for retailers as consumer still need to complete back-to-school shopping (Reuters/NRF)
• DreamWorks gets US$825 million in corporate financing (Hollywood Reporter)
• Is the death of social media upon us? (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Blockbuster to offer movies on mobile devices (CNNMoney)
• Summit Entertainment launches official Twilight Conventions (MTV)
• Where have all the toons gone on Cartoon Network? (L.A. Times)
• Walmart thinks globally to act locally (Wall Street Journal)
• Disney CEO says Pixar’s Up doesn’t have franchise potential (Orlando Sentinal)
• G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra soars at international box offices (Reuters)
• Sony files patent for laughing detection for PS3? (Siliconera)
• How Hot Topic is keeping its retail sizzle (Fast Company)
• Real world dollars to come from virtual goods (eMarketer)
• Toys stir up brain activity in babies: study (MSNBC)
• US retail in July sees slight decline (Bloomberg)
• Music video games’ popularity tops sports titles (New York Times)
• Sesame Workshop employs Muppet Diplomacy in Palestinian territories (CNN)
• Facebook’s growth accelerates twice as fast as Twitter in July (TechCrunch)
• July UK retail sales see a slight spike (New York Times)
• Target ending e-commerce deal with Amazon (Wall Street Journal)
• What keywords are kids plugging into search engines these days? (CNet News)
• Toy industry picks up in India (The Economic Times)
• Are video games as recession-proof as we originally thought? (L.A. Times)
• Who needs The Force when you have lightsaber chopsticks? (Wired/GeekDad)
• The impact of internet tech on the family’s daily routine (The New York Times)
• G.I. Joe draws US$100 million globally on opening weekend, but will it last? (L.A. Times)
• When stylish vampires attack: Twilight sweeps Fox’s Teen Choice Awards (BBC)
• Mugging it up, Star Wars style (Geek Dad)
• First there was Augmented Reality, now there’s Augmented ID? (YouTube)
• High-end kids clothing sales suffering (Wall Street Journal)
• At least somebody in TV’s making money right now – cableco Comcast profits up 53% (New York Times)
• Masher Media, another kids virtual world hopeful enters the scene, raises US$300,000 in first-round funding (paidcontent.org)
• Reviews on new G.I. Joe flick start rolling in (Time)
• Production on Spider-Man the Musical halted? (Variety)
• May he rest in peace: Five great John Hughes moments (NPR)
• Watch out for the camera robot! (Wired)
• Target’s same-store sales fall by 6.5% (Forbes)
• Activision expects repeat of holiday 2008 vidgame shopping patterns for this fall (L.A. Times)
• Top 10 global retail trends to watch (The Age)
• Looking to jazz up your kids promo efforts? Consider virtual graffiti (Springwise)
• A look at the trailer for Ponyo from Hayao Miyazaki (MTV/Movies Blog)
• Who knew microbial diseases could be so cute and cuddly as plush? (Giant Microbes)
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