It Must be the Shoes

• Kobe Bryant back with Nike.  You know the drill on this.  A couple years ago, Kobe had this trial-thing going on, and I can't recall an advertising campaign since.  Introducing, the Zoom Kobe I.  I don't know if these will make you a better hoops player, jump higher, or win court cases.  But Kobe is back in the ad-biz.  Maybe he can sink a 3-pt shot tonight...
• Barry Ritholz has been discussing M2 and M3 over at The Big Picture.
• I have Jim Cramer's Mad Money on in the background!  BOOYAH!
• If you subscribe to WSJ online, read the column on AOL to offer the vintage TV shows online for free.  Shows like Wonder Woman and Welcome Back Kotter.
• Linda Carter played Wonder Woman, but did you know Debra Winger played Wonder Girl?  You can impress your friends with this kind of trivia, by the way.
• On a day that the market was BORING and flat, Semiconductors (SMH) managed to move up
• Yahoo is coming out with some sort of "easy way" to create your own podcasts.  I think that's a good idea.  I think podcasting needs to branch out from nerdcasts and on to the right-brained folks.  Kind of like blogs have done.
• Up your nose with a rubber hose!
• Is Martha Steward fired from The Apprentice? I watched one of the early shows, and just didn't like it as much as Donald Trump's version.  The latest ad campaign on CNBC touts that one contestant is like Omarosa (from a previous Apprentice).  Is that good?
• Hey 80's metal fans!  Motley Crue not only extends their tour, but plans on making a new studio album afterwards.  That would be their first since 2000's New Tattoo.  Which was a pretty good effort, IMHO.  Some of my coworkers at the Fun Factory went and saw them play when they came to town over summer, and said it was a blast.   I once went to a Motley Crue concert.  In 1986! 
• Kind of an interesting entry over at Captain's Quarters on the "bush lied about WMDs" thing.  Of course, he didn't lie; nor did all the Democrats who supported the war at the time.  Although the latter may now be lying about what their position was back then.  Either that or short memory.  You be the judge.  Anyways, like I mentioned earlier, if we applied contrarian strategies to the Republican Party at this point, I think they're a raging buy.  Positive divergences while the crowd thinks the GOP will never win another election again.
• This kind of title infuriates folks who pay for high energy:  Tax rate falling for many big oil firms.  Granted, we're not quite as mad as we were when gas was over $3.  And windfall profits taxes are a bad idea conceptually.  But emotionally?  C'mon, pay what you owe folks.  And be generous with your profits.  Would we care as much if instead of CEOs getting ridiculous bonuses, the profits went into a "save the baby ducks fund?"  No.  We'd let that go.  Who doesn't like baby ducks?  But in the pocketbooks of rich CEOs?  Not when we're buying fleece for the winter.
• Well, I mentioned the other day that CNBC was asking about a year-end rally, even though we're already in the midst of one.  Heck, how close are we to the previous rally highs?  Now, Fortune asks:  Are We In For a Year-End Rally?  A hedge fund analyst says "speculative juices" are flowing as the holiday season nears. Dell shares rose on news that the PC maker will buy back stock.