May 11, 2008 by traveler.

American Gladiators returns tomorrow night, and there are a few new gladiators.

[Editor’s note- Jeez. I barely got this post up and then NBC yanked their vid (above). Check out this other promo]

Last season’s winners Monica & Evan have been transformed into Jet and Rocket. I will be curious to see how frequently they are used. This season’s contenders better pray they don’t go against Rocket in the wall. Rocket and Jet are both strong competitors, but the transition to Gladiators might be a bit rocky. Joining them in the pantheon of Gladiators is Phoenix. Her background in track and field should prepare her for Gladiator life- too bad there isn’t a hammer throw event in American Gladiators.

I’ll be tuning in to the new season of American Gladiators. New gladiators, new events- it should be fun. Also, if you want to get up-to-date info on the show, check out this blog. In the mean time, stay strong, brother.

Posted in Video, Sports, TV, Pics | 1 Comment »

May 11, 2008 by traveler.

Wow.  I just wrote a post about Baskin Robbins, and they are in the news again.  This article in USA Today details Baskin Robbins’ latest plan- selling soft serve ice cream.  

Ever since its introduction, Baskin Robbins has focused exclusively on hand-scooped ice cream.  Generations of scoopers have the Popeye-style forearms to prove it.  NPD Group’s research shows that soft serve represents 70% of ice cream servings, though.  The International Dairy Foods Association says that soft serve sales topped $4.6 billion in 2006.  I personally eat more soft serve than hand-scooped ice cream.  I don’t know, however, how Baskin Robbins will convince me to buy their soft serve.  Baskin Robbins will have to establish its own niche to differentiate itself from established soft serve shops like Cold Stone, Dairy Queen, Pinkberry, and more.   Going soft can be surprisingly hard (sorry- couldn’t resist).  Everyone does the soft serve/mix-in thing- will B-R go down that route or forge its own path?  

The timing of this announcement is notable because of Irv Robbins‘ recent death.   This announcement is likely a result of Baskin Robbins’ assessment of the marketplace.  Seeing this growing market segment, they probably hope to grab market share based on their brand identity.  Hopefully they bring something fresh and we have more ice cream options coming this summer.

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