NEW YORK: Toy giant Mattel has entered into a deal with NBC which has seen the popular sitcom Will & Grace become the springboard for the launch of a doll modelled on the singer, Cher. The Cher doll, to launch next spring, plays a prominent role in the plotline of the show. Critics have slammed the strategy as a step towards turning TV programs into one long, seamless commercial Ñ with a few scattered scenes in between. The doll is a collaboration between the producers and writers of Will & Grace, NBC, Mattel, and a PR agency owned by advertising conglomerate, Ominicom. Their cooperation ranges from MattelÕs lending the producers a US$60,000 prototype of the doll for shooting the episode, to the scheduling of promotions of a Mattel web site. Not surprisingly, those involved in the dollÕs appearance disagree with the view that TV programs are looking more and more like infomercials. They say the appearance of the doll is a Ònatural fitÓ, and is different from much Òforced product placementÓ in many Hollywood blockbuster movies. Speeders caught in mobile trap HELSINKI: Some months ago we reported on a system developed in Scandinavia that allows people to use their mobile phones to pay for chocolate, soft drinks and other snacks from vending machines. Soon afterwards, the concept was extended to automatic car washes, and in Stockholm some motorists are now able to use their handsets to pay for parking. The Finnish highway patrol is testing a similar system that will allow them to tune speeding fines to the income of the offender. The cops send the social security number of a speeding motorist to an online database by text message to find out how much an offender can afford to pay. Suddenly, consumers in general, and motorists in particular, are becoming nervous about the amount of information the so-called m-commerce revolution is passing on to the authorities. The actual bill for the chocolate, drink, parking space Ñ and speeding fines Ñ turns up on a customerÕs next phone bill. The UK is now set to introduce a similar facility. More men opt for salon look LONDON: Men are flocking to high-class hair salons like never before, and men are responsible for a sizeable cut of the rapid growth in the multibillion dollar hair grooming industry. Not only do men account for much of the growth in the market for beauty creams and poultices Ñ they are also being tempted to spend big on their coiffure in environments that are specifically targeted at them. Once there, they are also more likely to order styles based on their favourite sports stars or celebrities, than a short back and sides. According to research, as the number of celebrity-based hair magazines increases and global access to satellite TV and the Internet grows, there is likely to be a growing homogeneity of hairstyles. London leads the field in hairstyling costs. Average spend per salon visit (both male and female) in the city is A$90, compared with A$70 in New York. NBC auctions off Lennon housebricks LIVERPOOL: The US NBC network has come up with an idea on how to recoup some of the costs incurred from shooting a TV movie about former Beatle, John Lennon, as a teenager. The movie, which went way over budget, was largely shot in the house where Lennon grew up. The 88 year-old owner of the house agreed for the first time to allow a film crew into his home Ñ and said NBC could demolish a downstairs wall to allow more room for the cameras. Executive producer Michael OÕHara came up with idea of auctioning online the bricks from the wall. Recently, some 5,000 bricks sold when Liver-poolÕs Cavern Club, where the Beatles first performed, was demolished, and are now fetching US$300 to US$500 each. The auction will run from 15 November to 4 December on NBCÕs Lennon web site.
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