JOpinionated

Stand Up To Cancer on Friday Night; Make a Donation, Win TV on DVD

jo@jopinionated.com (JOpinionated) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:19:31 GMT

On Friday night (September 5, 2008), the big three networks are joining together to host a televised Stand Up To Cancer benefit show.

Those appearing and answering phones include Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Christina Applegate, Jennifer Aniston, Lance Armstrong, Halle Berry, Beyonce, Jack Black, Mary J Blige, Josh Brolin, Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, Jon Favreau, Fergie, America Ferrera, Sally Field, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Neil Patrick Harris, Salma Hayek, Scarlett Johansson, Masi Oka, Danica Patrick, Rihanna, Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank and Carrie Underwood, among many others.

In addition to making financial contributions of any amount online or via phone on Friday, there are a few entertaining options for doing the same. You can bid on celebrity experiences and personalized videos from the cast of Lost and other TV, film, music and sports stars. All proceeds benefit SU2C.

I have already placed an order for one of the above for a friend (details are hush hush until she receives it). Over on my Lost blog, I have the following contest in place and wanted to extend it to everyone.

If you make a donation of any amount or purchase one of those experiences/videos above from now through Sunday, simply send me an email or leave a comment below and your name will be put into a hat. The name I pull will receive an autographed Counting Crows iTunes gift card and a season of Lost (or your favorite show) on DVD.

Easy enough, right?

We all know someone who has been affected by cancer. Tune in on Friday. It's time to stand up.

Please Excuse the Dust

jo@jopinionated.com (JOpinionated) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:32:15 GMT

Good times.

Although I've been working for days on a new blog template in order to unveil the new logo in grand style, my lovely hosting service (yes GoDaddy, I'm talking about you) has decided to combine the old with the new and it is not pretty.

So please excuse their dust and stay tuned for the actual new look in the next few days.

Thanks!

-Jo

Blog Logo Design Contest: And The Winner Is...

jo@jopinionated.com (JOpinionated) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:53:26 GMT

I really enjoyed the wide variety of styles that all six designers applied to their creations, and appreciated the time and effort that each took to participate in this contest!

The competition was fierce, but ultimately I had to choose just one logo.

The winning designer is Brian Kelley, for his second entry:

We are going to tinker with it a bit and perhaps change the background color, but when I placed this particular logo atop a mock up of my new blog template and upon t-shirts and other merchandise, it really popped and looked both amazing and professional.

Brian did his homework and discovered that I am a huge Oakland A's fan; thus, the green and yellow backdrops on subsequent submissions. I also like that his design includes a contemporary upgrade of two of the pop culture graphics that I currently feature (music & film), while the old-school television represents and reminds me of how I began this journey (in the 70's, for hours in front of the small screen before remotes or VCRs/DVRs). In addition, it is important that he placed the name prominently, as it is a brand I am trying to expand, and that the font is crisp yet playful.

I informed Brian via email today, and for his winning design, he has chosen to split the $100 value prize in two; $50 cash (for a new Wii game) and a $50 iTunes gift card!

THANK YOU so much to Josh B, Nick H, jbyrondeansigns, John N & Anna H for their contributions! I am in awe of your artistic abilities, my friends.

The Return of Fall Television: Week 1 Picks

jo@jopinionated.com (JOpinionated) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:42:50 GMT

My TiVO is ready and so am I. Here are the shows on this week's agenda:

MONDAY (tonight)
Raising the Bar
TNT

The Middleman
ABC Family

WEDNESDAY
Bones
FOX

Sons of Anarchy
FX

Project Runway
Bravo

FRIDAY
Stand Up To Cancer
ABC, CBS, NBC

SUNDAY
Mad Men
AMC

True Blood
HBO

Entourage
HBO

Sorry, but I've never followed Prison Break, One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl or The Shield. And I will not be tuning in to the new 90210 either; not without Andrea Zuckerman!

Blog Redesign Contest: All Entries - What Do You Think?

jo@jopinionated.com (JOpinionated) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:28:31 GMT

This has been a great competition, and I am very pleased with the submissions. I would like to thank the following people for their time and graphic designs:

Josh B
Nick H
jbyrondeansigns
Brian K
John N
Anna H

I am going to be choosing the winning logo in the next day or two, but would love YOUR feedback. Here are all of the entries; feel free to pick your favorite and leave a comment!

Thank you to everyone who participated - I really appreciate it.

1. Designed by: Anna H

2. Designed by: Brian K

3. Designed by: Brian K

4. Designed by: jbyrondeansigns

5. Designed by jbyrondeansigns

6. Designed by: jbyrondeansigns

7. Designed by: John N

8. Designed by: Josh B

9. Designed by: Josh B

10. Designed by: Josh B

11. Designed by: Nick H

There were several versions of many of these logos, but in the interest of space I chose one each.

Thoughts??

Blog Redesign Contest: Entry #10 (Something to Talk About)

jo@jopinionated.com (JOpinionated) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:15:00 GMT

Here is the 10th and final submission for my new logo contest, from Anna!

I will post all on Monday so that you can post your thoughts and vote on your favorites from the 10 entries.

Thanks Anna!

Blog Redesign Contest: Entry #9 (What's In a Name)

jo@jopinionated.com (JOpinionated) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:07:38 GMT

With only an hour left remaining in the contest, we have a new submission! Here is one from John N:

Thanks John!

I have no idea whether any additional designs will arrive before midnight, but I really appreciate all of these submissions.

Stay tuned...

Blog Redesign Contest: Entry #8 (Hello Yellow)

jo@jopinionated.com (JOpinionated) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 20:50:15 GMT

The multiple submissions continue! Here is the second logo entry from Brian K:

The winning designer will receive their choice of $100, $100 iTunes gift card or 3 seasons of TV on DVD ($100 value). The lucky logo will appear on all of my branded sites and on merchandise, and the artist will receive a permanent link to their blog on this one.

There are a few hours left to enter this contest, for those who are procrastinating...

Thanks again, Brian!

Blog Redesign Contest: Entry #7 (Panopticon)

jo@jopinionated.com (JOpinionated) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 09:29:57 GMT

The competition is ON!

The contest ends tonight at midnight, and here is Josh B's second submission (including multiple versions & colors)!

I aim to post all submissions at once tomorrow, for your voting pleasure.

Thanks, Josh!

Blog Redesign Contest: Entry #6 (The Notebook)

jo@jopinionated.com (JOpinionated) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:15:47 GMT

Our friend jbyrondeansigns is officially the busiest woman I know. This is her third submission in my new logo contest, and she included three versions again!!

For those of you who thrive on last-minute projects...the deadline is tomorrow (8/31) at midnight!

Once all entries have been received, I will post all of them at once for YOU to vote on. Of course I will ultimately decide upon the winning submission, but your input and thoughts about each will be taken into consideration.

Thanks again, jbyrondeansigns!