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The Oprah Shop goes online

Oprah storeMy favorite moment in last week's 30 Rock, in which Oprah Winfrey made a guest turn -- and a good one -- was when Liz accepted a piece of Rhode Island salt water taffy from O. This lead to Oprah rattling off some of her "wonderful favorite things" for this year -- paisley tops, sweater capes, Calypso music, Chinese checkers, high-heeled flip-flops.

Well, you don't have to be Liz Lemon -- or wait for the annual Christmas show -- to check out Oprah's real faves. The Oprah Store is launching online this Friday. There's been a real store since last January located in Chicago across the street from the Harpo Studios, but this site, which will be an expansion of the mini-shop that's been online for a while, will capture the breadth and scope of the year-old brick and mortar store.

Continue reading The Oprah Shop goes online

TiVo and Amazon to let you buy stuff from the comfort of your couch

TiVo Amazon products
Amazon and TiVo are teaming up to make short work of the infomercial. Well, that's not exactly how the companies are promoting the new "Product Purchase" feature. TiVo customers will be able to order items from Amazon using their TV, TiVo, and remote control. No web browser or computer necessary. And no need to place your order in the next 15 minutes to get a free bonus gift.

Users will see links to products popping up in various parts of the TiVo interface. For example, if you're looking at a listing for a late night talk show, you might find links to buy books, CDs, or DVDs from that night's guests.

The advantage of ordering from TiVo is that you can make impulse purchases while watching a program, while recording the rest of the program in the background for later viewing. Of course, as anyone with a penchant for picking up candy and trashy magazines in the grocery store checkout lane can tell you, it'd be nice to have the choice to opt-out of the service in order to avoid impulse purchases.

Behold, the Oprah store

oprahJust like Disney and NBC before her, Oprah is opening up her own store for Oprah-themed merchandise. It's going to be in Chicago, naturally, adjacent to Harpo Studios where she currently films her show.

The store is supposed to draw the Oprah audiences inside after they view a taping, but it will inevitably become a draw for just about anyone as Oprah is both the Queen of the World and the High Empress of Chicago.

Items available in the store will be pretty much the same stuff you can find in the Oprah Boutique on her website, such as the Oprah iPod cover, African crafts, clothing, DVDs, and the baby gear. It would actually be neat if the store would also feature some of her "favorite things" that she lists in each edition of her magazine.

[Via TV Tattle]

Go on a Jack Bauer shopping spree

jack bauer; kiefer sutherlandSpecial Ops watch: $450

Canvas messenger bag: $17

Amber-tinted Aviator sunglasses: $113

Making women think you're Jack Bauer: Priceless.

The pop culture fanatics over at Uncrate have compiled a list of must-have items if you want to be like Jack. Buying every single item will set you back approximately $1,000. It will also make you look like a stalker. They've included everything from Jack's pocket-size monoscope (binoculars) to his 9mm handgun. All they're missing are cargo pants and voice lessons on how to always speak in a breathless whisper.

HBO opens store in New York

hbo store; bryant parkHBO opened its first retail store near Bryant Park in New York City last Thursday. Amy over at NewYorkology took a peek inside the store and posted a few photos, including swag like a calendar from The Sopranos (oooooh!). On top of television show swag and DVDs, the store also sells some $120 handbags named after each gal on Sex and the City. And there are some museum-style items that were actually used on the network's shows, such as shoes that Carrie wore on Sex and the Billy Bass singing fish from The Sopranos.

Apparently the HBO store in NYC has some exclusive items, but you can also do a little HBO shopping online.

[Thanks, Amy!]

Shop by remote? There goes the bank account.

remote controlsIt seems like HSN has been promising this for a long time, but that time is finally here. The shopping network is debuting its shop-by-remote system for digital TV customers. HSN viewers have to pre-register their credit card information with the network and then point and click. No special remote or cable box is needed.

When it comes to interactive television, we're a little behind the times here in the good ol' USA. Britain and Asia have 39 interactive television channels but the technology development here in the US has been a little bumpy.

HSN shop-by-remote will be available first in New York and Hawaii and other cities will get the service in coming months.

Primetime TV becomes Home Shopping Network

kellie pickler nicole miller dressProduct placement doesn't even begin to describe this doozy. The fashions and furnishings from some television shows and movies will soon be available on a new website, called StarStyle. At least six production companies, including 19 Entertainment, which produces American Idol, will make clothing, furniture and other items seen on the shows available for purchase on the website. You can shop by show, product, or brand name. You can even shop by character, meaning that you can buy the same (but not the exact) Nicole Miller black dress that Kellie Pickler wore last week on Idol. Yes, you can also get the 'Ace' look. There are 'set tours', where you pick out and purchase furnishings from all sorts of shows including As the World Turns, Guiding Light, and The Young and the Restless. Soon, the website will also allow you to shop the fashions in music videos. Does that include gold teeth and Bentleys?

How to save money on cable

fccThe FCC just released a report that says Americans would save up to 13% on their cable bills if the cable companies would just let us buy channels individually. That can't be making the cable companies happy, which insist on not only pushing channel packages on us, but also on raising their rates as much as 6% each year.

Channels I'd dump if I could buy cable a la carte:

Continue reading How to save money on cable

Spears spends megabucks on baby

Britney Spears apparently went on an after hours shopping spree for what rumors say will be a baby boy. What drew me to this story was not Britney, or her spawn, or the fact that she has the celebrity clout to demand Petit Tresor in Beverly Hills stay open just for her, but the fact that she spent $10,000 on baby stuff. I don't shop at many Beverly Hills boutiques, so maybe that's not much money, but I'd like to hear what a "real" non-rich mother would purchase with that kind of dough. Heck, you could probably buy your kid another sibling for that.

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