Blocked From White House, Shaq Loses Bet

Links to Rick Astley feed in official tweet

(NEWSER) - OK, so they may be a year or two (or three) late from the peak of the trend, but the White House Twitter feed got in a little "rickrolling" action today. In response to this tweet from someone complaining that the press briefing was a little dull, the White House responded : "Sorry to hear that. Fiscal policy is important, but can be dry sometimes. Here's something more fun." The link led to Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up video. If you need to relive the Astley glory, follow the Huffington Post link for the video. Or click to watch one of the more imaginative rickrolling examples. More»

Drops the news in online video

(NEWSER) - Shaquille O’Neal is ending his Hall of Fame NBA career—not that he’s told the Celtics. The Big Diesel/Shamrock announced his retirement in a brief video posted online today. “We did it. Nineteen years, baby,” he said. “I want to thank you very much, that’s why I’m telling you first, I’m about to retire.” When ESPN asked why he’d announced it that way, he replied, “Once a businessman, always a businessman. I am the emperor of the social media network.” More»

'Marketing giant' heads to sports-mad Boston

(NEWSER) - Shaquille O'Neal will be paid the veteran minimum as a Celtic , but he probably won't have to worry about making ends meet—Boston businesses are already lining up to pitch endorsement deals, reports the Herald . "The minute I heard about him coming, I thought about the idea," says the owner of the serendipitously named Summer Shack restaurants. "It’s a great fit and a great idea." More»

VP reminds president health care reform is a big deal

(NEWSER) - Get out the equipment you used to break down the Zapruder film, and set it to "lip-read"—did Joe Biden really remind President Obama that signing health care reform bill is "a big fucking deal"? Talking Points Memo asks—and White House press secretary Robert Gibbs seems to confirm that he did indeed. Gibbs tweets : "And yes Mr. Vice President, you're right..." You be the judge, above. More»

Get real, inside connections with athletes

(NEWSER) - Being cooped up during the winter can be tough on some, but not hard-core sports fans. And social networking adds a new dimension, so if you’re still on the fence about Twitter et al., former NBA star Jalen Rose, writing for Mashable , tells you why you should get in the game:

• Give yourself a voice: Instead of yelling at the TV, hit up, say, Shaquille O’Neal ( @THE_REAL_SHAQ ), and you might even get a reply.