California Blooms, the premiere retailer of eco-friendly, boutique-grown California roses, is offering two exciting opportunities to win BIG for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day.

Starting February 1 – February 7, California Blooms has partnered with Soap Opera Digest, America’s #1 Soap magazine, to offer three lucky fans the chance to win roses from one of their favorite soap stars. Winners will receive a bouquet of two dozen stunning California Blooms roses along with a personal note from some of daytime’s biggest stars including – Kyle Lowder (CBS’s “Bold and the Beautiful”), Eric Martsolf (NBC’s “Days of our Lives”) or Scott Reeves (ABC’s “General Hospital”).

To enter, e-mail tellus@soapoperaweekly.com and put “Roses” in the subject line by Feb. 7, 2011. Please include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, date of birth and the color roses you would like. Visit www.soapoperadigest.com/blooms_giveaway.html for complete information.

Also, now through February 10, you can win a Year of Wine & Roses for your Valentine, while also supporting the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation by bidding on this fantastic online auction at Charity Buzz.com. Every month for a year, your valentine will receive a fresh, beautiful bouquet of 18 roses as well as a bottle of wine from Napa Valley’s Darms Lane Wine; perfect for romantic dinners all year round!

California Blooms roses are available in one-dozen, 18 rose or two-dozen rose bouquets starting at $39 as well as an optional vase (additional $8). Orders can be placed online at www.CaliforniaBlooms.com or via your iPhone/iPad with the FREE California Blooms App available at http://www.itunes.com/app/californiablooms.

Last Day to order for Valentine’s Day is Thursday, February 10.

likeZEBRA.com will be spotlighting indie sensation Hellogoodbye as their featured Artist of the Week beginning November 9, 2010. In an effort to grow the indie community and inspire underground musicians, likeZEBRA.com features a new artist each week. As Artist of the Week, Hellogoodbye will be giving away a band hoodie, tote bag, and an autographed CD of their new album, “Would it Kill You,” exclusively to a likeZEBRA fan.

On a mission to reignite the independent music movement, likeZEBRA provides fans with access to the hottest indie tunes. The site’s comprehensive platform also provides independent and unsigned artists with valuable music promotion tools to assist them in connecting with fans, distributing music, booking shows, and getting paid to play. Supplied with virtually every tool needed to thrive in the music business, likeZEBRA artists are getting their music heard without having to sacrifice creative control.

“More bands are opting out of their major labels and making the switch to indie. Hellogoodbye is a great example of a band thriving without a major label. They’ve found success and freedom in the indie community, making them a perfect fit for likeZEBRA’s Artist of the Week,” says Jon Taggart, Director of A&R of likeZEBRA. “As technology evolves, it continues to make a huge impact on the music industry. Artists must provide fans with digital access to their music to stay relevant, and likeZEBRA provides indie artists with the crucial tools to get their music heard.”

Excited to celebrate Hellogoodbye as its Artist of the Week, likeZEBRA will be providing fans with the chance to win exclusive band merchandise, including Hellogoodbye’s new release. Other indie bands and artists who are interested in being featured as likeZEBRA’s Artist of the Week can create a free artist profile at www.likezebra.com. Hello, indie music revolution; goodbye major record labels.

Indaba Music, the top online destination for music creation, ABKCO Records and Universal Pictures today announced that fans of super producers Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck, Paul McCartney, Travis), Dan the Automator (Gorillaz, Cullum, Kasabian, Handsome Boy Modeling School) and fellow Indaba and non-Indaba musicians can now visit their site to remix the song “Fight” from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Original Score Composed by Nigel Godrich).

ABKCO Records will release both the soundtrack (for which Godrich served as executive producer) and score albums on August 10th in advance of the Edgar Wright- (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) directed film’s national theatrical debut on August 13th.  Michael Cera (Juno) plays the title character in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a bass guitarist for totally average garage band Sex Bob-Omb, the 22-year-old has just met the girl of his dreams…literally. The only catch to winning Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is battling her seven evil exes that are coming to kill him.

The Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – Score Remix Contest, launched last week, has already received tremendous response from mixologists around the globe, with more than 1,500 musicians entering in the first seven days of the competition. Entrants are in competition to win a full band’s set of Fender equipment (see below), with the runners-up winning additional Fender gear.  Submissions will be accepted through August 16th, to be followed by a two-week open vote. After the vote, Edgar Wright and Dan the Automator will handpick the Grand Prize Winner, who will also be given the opportunity to participate in a one-on-one Indaba Music collaboration with Dan the Automator.

It seems Coca-Cola and MTV have teamed up in a nationwide search for a super lucky fan to unlock the behind the scenes coverage for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards as their “Movie Awards Insider”. What sounds really cool is that it isn’t a “random drawing”, the registerants need to prove their “movie insider” knowledge and their on-screen personality to enter. Since most of our readers are movie-geeks, I’m sure this will be easy for most of you.

Make a case in 250 words or less on why you are worthy of being side-by-side with the behind the scenes news correspondants.

The winner will join the MTV News team in LA and get mentored in the art of backstage news reporting. Then the “Insider” will cover the following:

- What’s going on in days leading up to the awards
- Interviews with show nominees, presenters, and MTV talent
- Backstage happenings during artist performance rehearsals
- After-party!!

An extra 10 entrants (each get a +1 to take along) will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the awards!

To register: http://mtvcokeinsider.com/?r=1

Registration goes through midnight EDT on May 17th, 2010.

So what are you waiting for? Go join the fun!

Eligibility: This Contest is open to legal residents of the forty-eight (48) contiguous United States and District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry.

In honor of Children’s Day (May 5th), a Japanese holiday celebrating kids, Restaurant chain Benihana is holding a art contest for kids. For every art piece submitted they will donate $1 to St. Judes Hospital. So download the form at Benihana’s site by clicking here and have your child decorate, color and design to their heart’s delight. Then submit the form at your local Benihana between April 4th and May 5th.

On May 5th 100% of the price of your Children’s Meal purchase will be donated to St. Jude.

The top online destination for music creation, Indaba Music, is proud to announce that Matisyahu fans and fellow musicians can visit www.indabamusic.com/remixmatisyahu to remix the singer’s track “One Day,” and have the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new song with the artist. Matisyahu, whose music merges reggae beats, hip-hop and rock, wants fans to create a new version of the tune, which has been used extensively as the theme song for NBC’s “Countdown to Vancouver” Olympics campaign. “One Day” is the lead single from Matisyahu’s third album, Light, which was released by Epic Records in August, 2009.

The “One Day” Remix Contest will launch on Thursday, February 11th –one day before the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. There will be a four-week submission period and a two-week voting period. A public vote will determine the top 10 winners to receive a pair of Skull Candy Agent headphones and be featured on both www.matisyahuworld.com and www.myspace.com/matisyahu. The First Place Winner and two Runners-Up, selected personally by Matisyahu, will also see a link to their mix Tweeted to Matisyahu’s 1.2 million followers and will each receive a year’s Indaba Music Pro Membership and a signed vinyl copy of Light. The First Place Winner will also be awarded the opportunity to participate in a one-on-one collaboration with the singer through Indaba Music.

Matisyahu will play a pair of shows during the Winter Olympics — at The Whistler Village Square on February 14th, and LiveCity Vancouver on February 15th. Indaba Music will integrate news and content from the Winter Olympics throughout the contest period.

Since his very first album, Matisyahu has had a reputation as an artist who transcends boundaries – musical, religious and ethnic – and encourages a united world view through his music. The singer emerged in 2004 with his debut album Shake Off the Dust…Arise, followed by Live At Stubb’s, which reached #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers charts. His sophomore studio album, Youth, debuted at #4 on Billboard, reached #1 on the Reggae Albums charts, and featured the hit single “King Without a Crown.” Appearing on shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Matisyahu is a true global artist and citizen of the world, selling nearly three million records and hundreds of thousands of concert tickets worldwide.

Indaba Music offers the leading suite of online tools that enable artists all over the world to create music together online. Members can connect with an international community of musicians to create online recording sessions, editing and mixing tracks recorded in different parts of the world using its digital audio workstation (DAW). Indaba’s collaboration opportunities have previously featured such diverse artists as Weezer, The Roots, Yo-Yo Ma, Mariah Carey, Crystal Method, John Legend, Alkaline Trio, Har Mar Superstar and more.

http://www.matisyahuworld.com
http://www.indabamusic.com/featured_programs

Fans Can Upload Impersonation Videos To CBS.Com For The Chance To Win $5,000

San Francisco – January 11, 2010: CBS.com announced today the launch of a contest searching for the best impersonation of CSI: MIAMI’s lead detective Lieutenant Horatio Caine, portrayed by actor David Caruso. Starting today through February 22nd, fans of CSI: MIAMI can log on to the contest site to upload a 30-second or less video clip of themselves delivering the most memorable Horatio Caine one-liners from the show. The top 10 videos, selected by a combination of votes from the public and CBS.com judges, will be announced on March 1st, followed by the top 5 videos on March 8th, the top 3 videos on March 15th and the winner on March 22nd.

“Ever since we created Horatio, the fans have been passionate about the character, sunglasses and all,” says David Caruso. “For years, everyone from Jim Carrey to Laurence Fishburne has tried to do their best imitation of him but I think the fans are the ones who get it right. Now is the chance for them to showcase their best.”

“Even in his eighth season, the character of Horatio Caine continues to be a major fan favorite on CBS.com,” says Joe Ferreira, SVP, Network and Studio Liaison at CBS Interactive. “We wanted to give Caine’s passionate community of fans the opportunity to show us how well they really know his character and showcase their abilities to re-enact his famous mannerisms.”

For more information about the contest, visit: www.cbs.com/primetime/csi_miami/upload

Watch The Bonnie Hunt Show every day for your chance to win a 7-night cruise for you and 9 of your Facebook friends on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest and most revolutionary cruise ship! Air travel provided by Southwest Airlines. Simply tune-in to The Bonnie Hunt Show, watch for the word of the day, and then enter online at www.bonniehunt.com/fantasticvoyage.

Each correct entry will be eligible to win the Grand Prize, as well as one of ten Bonnie Prize Packs that will be given away daily. Entry is limited to one per person per day during the promotion period (November 9 – 20, 2009).

As an added bonus, anyone who becomes a fan of The Bonnie Hunt Show on Facebook and shares the FAN-TASTIC Voyage Sweepstakes with their friends will be automatically entered to win a trip to Los Angeles to see a taping of the show.

Disclaimer: I am part of the Warner Brother’s Word of Mouth Marketing Team and am compensated for spreading the word about their TV shows and contests. This, however, doesn’t stop this contest from being totally awesome.

(Press Release from CBS.com)

Just in time for the CSI Trilogy week, CBS.com announced the launch of the CSI Zeta Casefile site, dedicated to bringing fans exclusive content from three CSI series. The Website features a new application that lets fans be part of a CSI-inspired video and create customized suspect dossiers pulling images and information through Facebook Connect. The site will also feature exclusive interviews with cast and real CSI experts, virtual tours of the three CSI crime labs, and the chance to win a trip to the set of CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION.* To access the Zeta Casefile site, please visit: www.csicrossover.com

The Cadillac sponsored site will debut in conjunction with the highly anticipated CSI Trilogy episodes. The three episode story line involves an interstate trucking ring that specializes in human cargo and black market organ harvesting set to air on Nov. 9 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT (CSI: MIAMI), Nov. 11 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT (CSI: NY), and Nov. 12 at 9:00 PM ET/PT (CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION).

This CSI Zeta Casefile application uses Facebook Connect to pull photos and information from the user’s Facebook account to produce a personalized criminal file and video, including artificial information on past crimes, aliases, and last known locations. Fans can share their experience with other fans and friends in their Facebook network.

Fans can also visit the CSI Zeta Casefile site to watch interviews with real CSI experts, who discuss the evolution of technology and innovation within CSI crime solving. Fans can take virtual tours of the labs featured on each of the three CSI series, allowing them a deeper look at the special effects, set designs and other various technologies used on the shows. The video content is complemented by a comprehensive photo gallery, showcasing stills and images of the set locations and cast interactions.

“Each of the CSI series continues to be among the most popular shows on CBS,” said Bill Binenstock, Vice President and Manager of CBS.com. “The upcoming CSI Trilogy has caused enormous buzz throughout the CBS.com CSI communities, and we wanted to build a site that would give fans a fascinating and exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the three series. The Zeta Casefile program is a creative and fun way to keep users engaged, while the behind-the-scenes content will give fans a deeper look into how the fictional CSI series are the most realistic looking shows on television.”

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of one of the 50 US or DC, 18 or over or age of majority in state of residence. Sweepstakes starts on Nov. 9, 2009 and ends at 11:59:59 am ET on December 31, 2009. Void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules and details at www.csicrossover.com or www.zetasyndicate.com

(Press Release from CBS.com)

Calling all Nuggets! Here’s your chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to dine with Edward James Olmos. Frakkin’ awesome, right? But we’re not just going to bestow this honor on anyone. You’ll need to fill out the “Viper Pilot Application” form so that we know you qualify for consideration. You will be asked to answer 10 questions. Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

1) Knowledge of Battlestar Galactica TV series as displayed in the answers
2) Creativity in formulation of answers
3) Clarity of thought in presentation of answers.

So grab your gun and bring in the cat. Good hunting!

Click here to find out more: http://www.ugo.com/battlestarcontest/

Facebook promotions are a tricky thing. Sometimes they succeed, but most times they fall flat on their face. Apparently TGI Friday’s promotion for “Woody” has been an outstanding success. Through commericals Woody offered a free burger to everyone who friended him on Facebook IF he got 500,000 fans by September 30th. By the 13th he had over the number needed. Each of those fans (from the first 500,000) will receive a coupon via email  (on October 1st, 2009) which is redeemable for a free Jack Daniel’s burger or a Jack Daniel’s chicken sandwich.

But the promotion didn’t stop there, so Woody has offered a new challenge – 1 million fans.

“While we did not underestimate the love our guests have for our famous Jack Daniel’s Grill, we may have underestimated Woody,” said Andrew Jordan, senior vice president of marketing for T.G.I. Friday’s. “This guy loves a party and will stop at nothing to get one million fans. If Woody can get one million Facebook fans by September 30, 2009, T.G.I. Friday’s will give Woody and each of his one million fans a free Jack Daniel’s burger or Jack Daniel’s chicken sandwich.”

If you want to sign up to be Woody’s friend head on over to http://www.facebook.com/fanwoody AND enter your email address on the signup page.

THQ Inc. today announced the launch of a nationwide competition to find the UK’s most imaginative and creative up-and-coming child artists.

To celebrate the upcoming launch of Drawn to Life(R): The Next Chapter(TM), the innovative new videogame releasing on the Wii(TM) and Nintendo DS(TM), which actually allows children to create their own world by drawing directly into the game, THQ has launched the ‘Your Hero’ competition. This nationwide initiative invites children from across the UK to create their own videogame hero for a chance to win art supplies for their school as well as the unique opportunity to have their creation appear on advertising billboards around their home town as part of the game’s outdoor advertising campaign.

The “Your Hero” competition centers around an online hub, where visitors can create their own character using the in-game drawing tools before entering them into the competition and sharing them with friends through the website’s gallery. Visiting guests to the site will vote for their favourite designs, with the top five from each region moving through to the final voting stage where regional winners will be selected by a celebrity judge. Each regional winner will see their creation brought to life in their local town via a billboard, win art supplies for their school and copy of the game for themselves.

An overall national winner will be selected by the celebrity judge in October and will have their design unveiled to the world at a secret London event as well as bagging a host of exclusive prizes.

Elizabeth Blackman, Product Marketing Manager for UK & Europe commented:

“The Drawn to Life brand is all about fostering creativity so we are hoping this promotion will enable children to engage with games in a creative and fun way. Drawing is fundamental to every child’s development so working to put art supplies in schools is a natural fit.”

About Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter:

In Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter for Wii, players will draw their own heroes using the Wii Remote(TM) to find the Artifacts of Power and rid the Raposa village of an evil, shadowy figure that has taken over the land. Throughout the game, players can? draw more than 100 unique items from robust drawing tools, such as vehicles, weapons and tools, to conquer their enemies. The all-new Action Drawing tool allows for objects to be drawn directly into the game to help navigate through several environments, including a sky world, a jungle and a shadow city. In addition, the game’s multi-player feature will allow players to draw their team members and equipment to compete against others in a variety of mini-games, such as soccer, hockey and basketball.

In Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter for Nintendo DS, players will be able to draw their own heroes, be it humans, animals or multi-limbed creatures, and will embark on a brand new adventure aboard a Turtle Ship to defeat the evil Wilfre and restore color to the Raposa civilization. Players will have the ability to morph their hero into a blob or a spider, adding more gameplay and allowing for players to play each level a variety of different ways. The game’s Action Drawing Tool gives each color special properties when drawing objects into the game to help solve puzzles and player progression. Along the way, they will collect coins and color drops to unlock a variety of content, including challenges and quests, customization options and hero abilities. In addition, the game’s multi-player aspect allows players to trade heroes, weapons, items and accessories with friends.