giveaway

13 Stories

NYC Police Battle Crowd Drawn by Streamer's Giveaway

Twitch personality's promise of free gaming consoles, PlayStations attracts thousands to Union Square

(Newser) - Thousands of people filled Manhattan's Union Square on Friday afternoon for an internet personality's hyped giveaway that got out of hand, with some in the crowd clambering on vehicles, hurling chairs, and throwing punches, leaving police struggling to rein in the chaos. Aerial TV news footage showed a...

Brewery's 'Solid Gold' Beer Cans a Solid Scam: Contest Winners

Winners of BrewDog contest say 'solid gold' beer cans allegedly worth $20K are actually gold-plated

(Newser) - Poet George Arnold preferred beer to gold , but winners of a Scottish brewery's recent giveaway were led to believe they'd be getting both, and they're now torqued about what was actually delivered. The UK's Advertising Standards Authorities says it's looking into claims by those who...

Witherspoon Wanted to Help Teachers. It Backfired

One million educators applied for a free Draper James dress; there were only 250 available

(Newser) - Reese Witherspoon said she wanted "to show teachers a little extra love" in offering free dresses through her fashion line, Draper James, earlier this month, per Glamour . But love is hardly what teachers are feeling following the promotion, described as a way to honor those who are "working...

Billionaire to Dole Out $9M in 'Serious Social Experiment'

Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa wants to see if $9K will make 1K lucky winners happier

(Newser) - Money supposedly doesn't buy happiness, but a Japanese billionaire thinks it might at least cheer some people up. Just a couple of weeks after Zozo founder Yusaku Maezawa donated more than $18 million to a Japanese city hit hard by a typhoon, the fashion-minded entrepreneur is back in the...

This $1.3M House Is Yours With a Winning $19 Essay

Canadian homeowner announces contest for home near Rocky Mountains in Alberta

(Newser) - When Canada's Alla Wagner tried and failed to sell her home in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, she took inspiration from the movie The Spitfire Grill and came up with a writing competition of her own. The contest has a $19 entry fee and involves participants submitting a 350-word...

Lawmaker Is Giving Out Free Assault Rifles

Says death threats won't disrupt his plan

(Newser) - Giving away semi-automatic weapons in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in US history might sound ill-advised, but that's exactly what a Tennessee state rep plans to do. Andy Holt announced last week that he'd give away an AR-15 —a weapon used in mass shootings such...

John Oliver Curses Out Oprah, Gives Away $15M

Take that, debt-buying companies

(Newser) - What better way to drive home the topic of debt than to give away $15 million? That's exactly what John Oliver did on Sunday's edition of Last Week Tonight after covering the issue, which, as Oliver put it, is "the reason that Nicolas Cage has made so...

Envelopes of Cash Being Hidden Around SF

Real estate millionaire says LA is next

(Newser) - Someone who has made a lot of money in the San Francisco real estate market is giving some of it back—in $20 and $100 bills stuffed in envelopes hidden around the city. All that's known about the anonymous millionaire, who uses the Twitter handle @HiddenCash : He's between...

NYC to Pleasure-Seekers: No Free Vibrators for You!

Insists it's due to permit, crowd issues

(Newser) - Sorry, seekers of free vibrators, but New York City has put the kibosh on Trojan's sex toy giveaway . The company started doling out its Tri-Phoria and Pulse products yesterday as planned, but after just a few hundred pleasure-seekers were made very happy with their free swag, a City Hall...

Bill Maher to Oprah: Enough With the Materialism

He sees her 'Favorite Things' episodes as a sign of what's wrong with America

(Newser) - Bill Maher has a special Christmas message for Oprah Winfrey: Tell your “worshiping flock to sit down and stop losing your s**t over material stuff.” In a video on his website , the Real Time host called Oprah’s annual “Favorite Things” episode “one of the most...

Oprah: You All Get a 2012 VW Beetle!

Winfrey gives away yet-to-be-unveiled car

(Newser) - Oprah's always giving stuff away to audiences, but yesterday's gift was a bit over the top: The top-secret, redesigned 2012 VW Beetle. The talk show host, who owns the current model, featured the VW Beetle on her show yesterday as one of her "favorite things" and all 275 members...

Oscar Winners Giving Away Movie for Free

Documentary backers to raise awareness about cleft palates

(Newser) - The makers of one Oscar-winning documentary is trying an unusual marketing tactic: they’re giving away the movie for free. Ads will appear in 125 major papers tomorrow urging readers to request their copy of Smile Pinki, winner of the Best Short Documentary prize at this year’s Oscars. What...

Axl Outraged by Dr Pepper Promo Fizzle

Fury over 'exploitation' of fans in promo that offers free drinks linked to album release

(Newser) - Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose is furious about a nationwide soft-drink giveaway linked to the band's latest album that went bad, reports E! Online. In a promo not authorized by the band, Dr Pepper offered free 20-ounce bottles if Guns N' Roses' new album was released in 2008. But...

13 Stories