Indiana Jones & Raiders of the Fat Fridge

We need laws, not suggestions, argues Mark Bittman

(NEWSER) - The FTC’s new guidelines against marketing junk food to kids don’t go nearly far enough for Mark Bittman. “Instead of announcing, ‘We have guidelines you must follow,” the New York Times writer complains, “the FTC said, in effect, ‘We have voluntary guidelines we hope you’ll follow—they’re voluntary, you understand—and in five years we’d like you to voluntarily comply with these voluntary guidelines.’” More»

Successful franchises pay out for their creators in 2008

(NEWSER) - Forbes ranks the entertainment industry’s top earners age 50 and older in the last year:

1. Oprah, 55, $275 million. Viewership for her show may be waning, but Winfrey’s diverse enterprises, from a magazine to satellite radio to her Harpo production company, remain wildly profitable.
2. George Lucas, 65, $170 million. The Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises continue to pay their creator handsomely.

Lucas spent 15 years persuading Spielberg and Ford of new idea

(NEWSER) - It seems like a sure thing: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, in on 13 of the 100 highest-grossing movies ever, revive the billion-dollar Indiana Jones franchise. But Lucas spent 15 years trying to convince Spielberg and Harrison Ford to do Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, due out May 22. Why the discord? It all came down to what Hollywood calls a MacGuffin, Vanity Fair reports. More»

Congress wants data on childhood obesity

(NEWSER) - The FTC dealt out 44 subpoenas yesterday to food companies, including McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Kraft, seeking information on how much they spent on advertising to kids. The businesses have until November 1 to comply for a report the FTC is preparing for Congress on marketing practices and child obesity. More»

Cereal giant plans voluntary nutrition, marketing changes

(NEWSER) - Averting a threatened lawsuit, Kellogg will reformulate its cereals and snack foods to make them more nutritious—or keep them as is and stop targeting advertising at children under 12. The plan affects about half of the company's offerings, meaning that fans of Pop-Tarts and Rice Krispies may be getting a little healthier whether they want to or not. More»