Most popular posts of 2021: Netflix criticism, live events post-Covid and lying clickbait

Here are the top 10 most-viewed stories on Tech-media-tainment in 2021:

1. Netflix is taking away the ability of subscribers to reorder their streaming lists (Aug. 1, 2021)
2. Erin Burnett a lesbian? Shakira in the Hells Angels? No, just lying clickbait (June 27, 2021)
3. Conference organizers take steps to restart in-person shows after pandemic (July 17, 2021)
4. Newest physical hall of fame is devoted to monster trucks (July 18, 2021)
5. The reopening of the economy can’t come soon enough for E3 (June 19, 2021)
6. Journalists are getting buried by irrelevant news pitches (April 18, 2021)
7. Post-Covid reopening delayed by delta variant (July 16, 2021)
8. Lessons from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2021 (Aug. 16, 2021)
9. Return of live events post Covid crisis still in question (April 17, 2021)
10. How the conference industry sees the reopening of the economy post-Covid (April 14, 2021)

Photo: Netflix screen on an iPhone. (Netflix)

I wish I were going to CES 2022 in Las Vegas, just to see how it turns out

With so many large tech companies pulling out of the in-person CES 2022 conference because of the Covid pandemic, I had no choice but to cancel my trip to the show. After all, I cover publicly traded consumer technology companies for Investor’s Business Daily.
Still, I wish I were going to Las Vegas next week just to see how the physical CES 2022 show turns out. Because right now, the main halls of the convention centers look like they’ll be pretty empty.
Some tech press are predicting a train wreck of an event. And as someone who went to the poorly attended last Comdex show in Las Vegas in 2003, I’d be a good person to make a judgment on that.

CES pullouts make the press look cowardly

Most large tech media organizations have said they will not attend the in-person CES 2022 and plan on covering the show remotely. They include CNET, Engadget, the Verge, TechCrunch, IGN and TechRadar.
I think that’s a mistake. As some pundits have noted, journalists have covered wars and natural disasters but here they won’t cover a tech conference that has health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of Covid. That’s not a good look for the Fourth Estate.
Without boots on the ground in Las Vegas, they won’t be in a position to assess for themselves how the in-person show went.

CES 2022 could be a boon for startups, small firms

Many hundreds of companies are still exhibiting at CES 2022 despite concerns about the more-contagious omicron strain of Covid-19. These are mostly smaller companies looking to drum up business and get media exposure. Show organizers say over 2,200 companies are confirmed to exhibit in person at CES 2022.
What tech media do show up to CES 2022 will have no shortage of interesting companies and products to write about, especially at Eureka Park, home to numerous startups.
At a typical CES, big, well-known companies tend to suck up all the oxygen. They get the lion’s share of media coverage at the annual show. At next week’s physical show, they won’t be a distraction for journalists who will now be able to focus on the little guys.

Digital is a poor substitute for in-person coverage

Tech media outlets say they’ll be able to provide complete coverage of CES 2022 remotely. But that’s a lie or they’re fooling themselves.
Judging from last year’s all-digital CES 2021 and preparations for the upcoming show, the online presentations will cover only a fraction of CES 2022.
The Consumer Technology Association, the show’s producer, says the digital aspect of CES 2022 will carry more than 40 livestreamed conference sessions, keynotes, and press conferences. But a number of those likely will be prerecorded corporate presentations for Media Day, which is held the day before the show officially opens on Jan. 5. Many conference sessions will be available only for on-site attendees.
And you can’t walk the expo show floor and discover new and exciting products sitting in front of a PC screen in your home office.

Photo: Moen Inc. demonstrates smart home products at CES 2020 in January 2020. (Consumer Technology Association)

2022 predictions in technology and media

The new year looks to begin just like the old year, with the nation gripped by the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s also starting off with a bunch of year-ahead predictions that most likely won’t happen. But hey, they’re still fun to consider. (Check out last year’s predictions for 2021.)
What follows is a compilation of interesting predictions for the technology and media industries in 2022.

Netflix possible acquisition target?

Internet television network Netflix could be acquired by a large media company in 2022, says Phillip Swann, editor of TV Answer Man.
“I predict that Netflix Chairman Reed Hastings and his team will conclude the time is right to join with a rival to form an even more powerful company – one that can survive a long-term streaming war that will be even more expensive than the current one,” Swann wrote in a blog post.
Two buyers make the most sense: Disney and Comcast, he said. “If I were betting today, I would bet on Disney. But either company could be in the hunt,” Swann said.

Roku: Acquisition target or studio buyer?

Depending on who’s talking, streaming video platform Roku either will be acquired by a larger company or bid for a major studio in 2022.
Hub Entertainment Research analyst Peter Fondulas predicts a large company like Apple could buy Roku. The deal would help Roku’s expansion into international markets and give Apple customers a lower-priced alternative to the Apple TV box, according to Fierce Video.
Media analyst Michael Nathanson told CNBC that Roku might buy a studio, such as Lionsgate, to bolster the exclusive content for its Roku Channel. But it likely would face other bidders such as Comcast’s NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, Netflix and Disney.

Twitter, Pinterest acquisition targets?

MKM Partners made several “black swan predictions” for internet companies in the year ahead. It calls these “high-impact, low-probability” events.
It’s possible that Twitter and Pinterest will no longer be independent public companies after 2022, MKM managing director Rohit Kulkarni said in a Dec. 23 report.
“Both companies have had issues during 2021, with media reports surfacing around M&A. If the stock price stays under pressure, we wouldn’t be surprised if such speculations start swirling again. Twitter has a new CEO while (former CEO Jack) Dorsey leaves the board. Pinterest altered executive compensation this week – such events increase the likelihood of M&A speculations on both Pinterest and Twitter,” Kulkarni said.

NFT bubble might pop

Activate Consulting, a management consulting firm for technology, internet, media, entertainment, and sports businesses, predicted that non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, will continue to grow in 2022. NFTs are unique blockchain-based digital assets such as artwork, videos, games and recordings.
“Buying, collecting, and trading non-fungible tokens will become a mainstream behavior,” the firm said in a news release. “Many industries are creating NFTs, including art, fashion, sports, video games, and consumer products. Every technology and media company will need an NFT strategy.”
However, “NFTs could be experiencing a speculative bubble,” Activate Consulting noted.
But others are highly skeptical about the worth of NFTs.
“NFTs will remain hyped to oblivion (and) some people will lose their shirts,” James Ball, global editor at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism at the Guardian, said in his 2022 predictions.

Photo: Television from Best Buy brand Insignia running the Fire TV operating system from Amazon. (Best Buy)

Here’s why I’m canceling my trip to the in-person CES 2022 conference

As much as I wanted to attend the return of CES to an in-person event in Las Vegas, I can no longer justify the trip.
I was holding out hope that exhibitors would not give into fear about the ongoing Covid pandemic and would show up in force to CES 2022, which officially runs Jan. 5-8. Organizers of the conference had set measures to keep people safe, including requiring attendees and exhibitors to be fully vaccinated against the airborne disease and to wear masks and socially distance indoors.
But major exhibitors this week began canceling their attendance at the show. Eventually enough dominoes fell that I had to cancel as well.
Companies canceling include Amazon, AMD, AT&T, Casio, General Motors, Google, iHeartMedia, Intel, Lenovo, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Pinterest, TikTok, T-Mobile, Twitter and Waymo. Other exhibitors plan to have a scaled-down presence at the show.
I have no doubt that CES 2022 will continue with an in-person event, though it will be much smaller than in past years. It will not be canceled though, despite calls by a vocal minority on Twitter.
But an increasing number of registered attendees will switch to the companion online version of the show. However, the digital version of the show is a poor substitute for the experience of discovering new technology products in person.
I believe the media that do attend CES 2022 in Las Vegas will see a lot of cool devices that will generate some interesting articles. Those articles likely will focus on the many smaller companies exhibiting at the show.
But I focus mostly on large, publicly traded companies. And those are the types of exhibitors that have been canceling attendance at CES 2022. Those corporations are more concerned about liability issues and the optics of sending employees to an in-person conference amid a wave of infections from the omicron variant of Covid-19.
I’m not going to fly across the country to watch online press conferences on my PC or tour sparse exhibit halls.
So far, only one of my interview appointments has canceled, but I’m sure there will be more in the week ahead. That’s why I’m switching to online coverage of CES 2022. That includes phone interviews, Zoom calls and watching videos of keynotes and panel discussions.
It will be just like the all-digital CES 2021, which took place after the in-person show was canceled because of Covid. But I didn’t find the online CES 2021 very engaging.
I have attended every in-person CES conference since 2000. And I’m not looking forward to more time stuck in my home office. Damn you, Covid!

Photo: Internet meme of Mark Cuban from ABC’s “Shark Tank.”

Nude celebrities on magazine covers in 2021

A host of beautiful female celebrities stripped bare for magazine covers in 2021. The common practice sells magazines and generates publicity for the stars.
Supermodel Paulina Porizkova, 56, posed nude or practically nude on two magazine covers.
She wore a revealing, sheer black bodysuit for the May cover of Vogue Czechoslovakia. (See articles by Page Six, Fox News, Us, the Daily Mail, CNN, and People.)
Porizkova followed that by appearing naked on the September cover of Los Angeles magazine. (See articles by Los Angeles magazine, Page Six, and the Daily Mail.)

Fellow supermodel Naomi Campbell, 50, posed topless for the spring issue of i-D magazine. (See articles by Page Six, the Independent, and People.)

Pop star Miley Cyrus went topless for the cover of Interview magazine’s fall issue. (See articles by Interview and InStyle.)

Rapper Cardi B covered her privates with her hands on the March issue of Interview. (See article by Interview.)

English model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley posed naked for the April cover of the U.K. edition of Elle magazine. (See articles by Elle and Cosmopolitan.)

Actress Elsa Pataky posed topless for the June cover of Elle Spain. (See articles by the Daily Mail and Nine.com.au.)

Two-time ski-jumping world champion Juliane Seyfarth posed naked for the cover of the March edition of Playboy Germany. (See articles by Yardbarker, News.com.au, and the U.S. Sun.)

Actress Megan Fox stripped naked and held a gun to her boyfriend’s crotch for the Autumn/Winter 2021 issue of British GQ Style. (See articles by the Daily Mail, the U.S. Sun, and the Mirror.)

Model Kaia Gerber posed topless for the cover of M Magazine’s November issue. She covered her bare breasts with one arm. (See article by the Daily Mail.)

That’s just magazine covers. Other celebrities posing in their birthday suits for magazine pictorials included Ayesha Curry (spring issue of Sweet July), Lady Gaga (December issue of British Vogue) and Doja Cat (January 2022 issue of Rolling Stone).

The most controversial magazine covers in the U.S. in 2021

The most controversial U.S. magazine covers of 2021 were criticized for being tasteless or offering dangerous messages, among other things.
What follows are the magazine covers that generated the most news coverage and social media outrage in the past year.

Newsweek magazine was accused of fearmongering with its Nov. 5 issue. It featured a photo of a scared child wearing a face mask with the cover line “Would you give this kid a shot?” The subhead, in smaller black print, said “Health experts strongly back a Covid vaccine for children,” then in red, said “Parents aren’t so sure.” (See article by Mediaite.)

The June cover of Los Angeles magazine was too racy for Gelson’s supermarket in L.A. It covered up the image of Kim Kardashian exposing her bare bottom in a reenactment of an iconic Coppertone ad. (See article by the Hollywood Reporter.)

V magazine came under fire in late October for its cover that featured singer Madonna recreating Marilyn Monroe’s death scene. (See articles by Today, the Sun, TMZ, Uproxx, the Daily Mail and Page Six.)

Critics condemned the December issue of Newsmax for describing Russian President Vladimir Putin as the “master of the world” on its cover. The issue featured a photo of Putin with the cover line “Vlad the Great.” It claimed Putin as the de facto leader of the world now that Donald Trump is no longer in the White House. (See articles by the Washington Post and Newsweek.)

Meanwhile, partisans blasted Time magazine for its over-the-top attempt to make U.S. President Joe Biden look cool. One critic said the June 21 cover was “sycophantic.” (See articles by Fox News, the Daily Mail, and Blaze Media.)

Time magazine also was roasted for its Sept. 27 issue, which featured an awkward cover shot of Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle. The photo seemed to show an emasculated Harry cowering behind his wife. (See articles by Fox News, Page Six, the Sun, Mirror, the Daily Mail and Mandatory.)

In May, N magazine apologized for putting Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy on the cover of the glossy Nantucket publication. N magazine had received backlash from readers over the cover story. (See articles by Page Six, Boston.com and Fox Business.)

The cover of February’s Vogue magazine was called disrespectful to Vice President Kamala Harris because she was photographed in casual attire, including Converse sneakers, in front of cheap-looking backdrop. (See articles by the Hill, the Daily Beast, CBS News, the New York Times, Today, Page Six and CNN.)

And finally, W magazine attempted to pull its latest issue before it could hit store shelves. The cover featured rapper Travis Scott and his partner and child but would have hit newsstands after the Astroworld Fest concert tragedy. (See articles by TMZ, Complex and the Daily Mail.)

Bonus cover:

Social media trolled People magazine for its Jan. 10, 2022, issue, which published in late December. The cover story titled “Betty White Turns 100!” hit newsstands three days before her death, which occurred a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday. She was born on Jan. 17, 1922. (See articles by Insider, the Daily Mail, and Meaww.)

Related article:

The most controversial foreign magazine covers of 2021 (Tech-media-tainment; Dec. 19, 2021)

The most controversial foreign magazine covers of 2021

The most controversial foreign magazine covers of 2021 touched on hot button issues of race, body image, gender identity and politics.
What follows are foreign magazine covers that created a stir in the past year.

French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo angered some readers with its March 10 cover. It depicted Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II with her knee on the neck of granddaughter-in-law Meghan Markle. Critics blasted the cover as racist for evoking the U.S. death of George Floyd. (See articles by Newsweek, CNN, NBC News, the Independent, and Daily Mail.)

The U.K. edition of Cosmopolitan got people talking with a series of covers for its February issue. The magazine used photos of plus-sized models with the cover line “This is healthy!” Critics said the magazine was glamorizing and normalizing obesity. (See articles by the Daily Mail, the Independent, the Federalist, Newstalk and LADbible.)

British Vogue took flak for its glamorous makeover of young pop star Billie Eilish in its June cover story. She swapped her trademark androgynous baggy clothes for a sexy Gucci corset and skirt over Agent Provocateur skivvies, accessorized with latex gloves and leggings. (See articles by the New York Times, the Wrap, Slate and the Evening Standard.)

The Chinese government ordered the April issue of Harper's Bazaar China pulled for featuring K-pop girl group Blackpink member Lisa on its cover. Lisa is associated with German sportswear brand Adidas, which is boycotting cotton from China’s Xinjiang region, where forced labor has allegedly been used. (See articles by New Straits Times, Jing Daily and Malay Mail.)

Rolling Stone India took heat for omitting singer, rapper and lyricist Arivu on its August cover. The cover featured singers Dhee and Shan Vincent De Paul but not Arivu, who wrote or co-wrote and performed two recent hit songs with the pair. (See articles by India Today, She the People, and the Quint.)

French magazine Causeur ran a cover image of five ethnically-diverse children with a mocking title “Smile, you are great replacements!” Critics said the September issue manufactured fear of demographic change and stoked anger against minorities. (See article by TRT World.)

U.K.-based medical journal the Lancet came under fire for describing women as “bodies with vaginas” on the cover of its Sept. 25 issue. The journal said it was trying to be inclusive of trans people. But critics said the wording dehumanized women. (See articles by the Daily Mail and Lipstick Alley.)

Vogue Italia faced criticism for its September cover that showed the white sand beach of Rosignano Solvay, Tuscany. Environmentalists said the cover presented a false image of the shoreline, which is home to a chemical plant guilty of directly disposing waste products into the nearby sea. (See article by Euronews.)

Covid omicron wave threatens to disrupt CES 2022

Still known to many as the “Consumer Electronics Show,” CES 2022 is set to open in two weeks in Las Vegas amid a winter wave of Covid-19 infections from the more contagious omicron variant. That fact is making potential attendees nervous about going to the large technology trade show.
The Consumer Technology Association, producer of CES, is taking numerous steps to minimize the risk of its conference becoming a super-spreader event. It is requiring all attendees to provide proof of vaccination and wear masks while indoors at the show. The conference also is distributing one complimentary Abbott BinaxNOW Covid-19 Self-Test kit to each attendee upon receiving their badge.
On Friday, CES announced that it has more than 2,100 confirmed exhibitors for the in-person show. That’s up from the 1,943 exhibitors that participated in the all-digital CES 2021 last January after the in-person show was canceled because of the pandemic. But the last in-person CES show in 2020 had 4,419 exhibitors.
The Consumer Technology Association hasn’t disclosed how many people have registered for CES 2022. But it has said “tens of thousands” of people have signed up. However, CES 2022 will be a hybrid event with a physical show plus a digital component for industry professionals and media who can’t or won’t attend the show. That means the registered attendees number includes a mix of online and in-person attendees.
The last in-person CES two years ago attracted 171,268 attendees. TechRadar reported Friday that just 21,000 attendees are expected for CES 2022.
More than 2,400 members of the media have registered for CES 2022, Gary Shapiro, chief executive of the Consumer Technology Association, producer of CES, said in a post on LinkedIn. But how many will show up in Las Vegas?
Meanwhile, some smaller conferences have canceled their in-person shows this fall and winter because of Covid.
For instance, on Dec. 15, JPMorgan canceled its annual health-care conference set for Jan. 10-13 in San Francisco and will go virtual instead, CNBC reported.
Some companies that usually attend CES are taking a pass on the upcoming show. (They include Dell, Logitech and iRobot.) Others are sending skeleton crews or are just attending special events like Pepcom’s Digital Experience or Showstoppers.
CES organizers are setting low expectations for the event, given the on-going pandemic.
CES 2022 will showcase the latest automotive technology, digital health, food tech, smart home, televisions, and other advancements. Augmented reality glasses, the metaverse, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and space tech are poised to make headlines at the upcoming show, which officially runs Jan. 5-8.
Based on commentary on Twitter, some people are getting cold feet about attending CES 2022 in person because of Covid-19.

BREAKING: Jefferies cancels their CES Conference cocktail party citing, "the rise in COVID-19 cases." It's unclear whether CES, slated to be held in Vegas in January, will be in-person.

— Lydia Moynihan (@LJMoynihan) December 17, 2021

The Covid-19 forecast is bad.

Wear a mask.

Skip #CES2022

2 shots aren't going to stop #Omicron

Upgrade your masks. https://t.co/VBLbXyetm7

— David Michaels (@michaelsecom) December 17, 2021

Second year in a row. 😭

Technically, #CES2022 is a hybrid event this year, but I ain't flying no virus-tube to Omicron Beta just to see some 8K TVs. pic.twitter.com/F7K7WFZTo7

— Stephen Double-Vaxxed Clark (@theMediaman) December 17, 2021

I'm sitting this one out #CES2022
All I want to do there is put shared hardware on my face!

— Nicole Lazzaro #Metaverse #BLM (@NicoleLazzaro) December 16, 2021

Taking cue from #Queen who cancelled holiday plans due to #Omicronvariant #COVID19https://t.co/VXLUYGgPmg

Another factor: #jpm2022 going virtual

After lots of though I have cancelled plans to attend & speak at #CES2022

I'm not royalty. Just a girl w a #publichealth degree pic.twitter.com/anKGfmncbv

— Jane Sarasohn-Kahn (@healthythinker) December 16, 2021

I’m thinking every conference on the calendar for 2022 will be watching #CES2022 very closely. https://t.co/JWbXrlkxti

— rich pesce (@rpesce) December 17, 2021

In light of Omicron, anyone re-evaluating their #CES #CES2022 plans ?

— Dr. Rana el Kaliouby (@kaliouby) December 18, 2021

I'm reading about people starting to cancel #CES2022 plans. If you really want to know if its true look at available seats on airlines leaving LAS on Friday January 7th. So far my LAS-EWR has had no significant openings. If attendees are having 2nd thoughts they haven't acted yet

— David Danto (@NJDavidD) December 18, 2021

Related reading:

Will Omicron Shut Down CES 2022? (ChannelNews; Dec. 6, 2021)

Will Covid-19 variant omicron impact CES 2022? (Tech-media-tainment; Nov. 28, 2021)

D.C. Jingle Ball 2021: Good show even without Doja Cat, AJR

When iHeartRadio announced the music acts for its 2021 Jingle Ball Tour, I was impressed with the lineup of artists. The tour is back this year with in-person shows after canceling its 2020 holiday tour and going virtual because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the 2021 Jingle Ball tour was rocked by high-profile cancellations by artists because of the disease. Coldplay, Lil Nas X, Doja Cat and AJR dropped out of the tour after they or members of their teams caught the coronavirus. Also, Dua Lipa canceled because of laryngitis.
Two of those acts, Doja Cat and AJR, had been scheduled to perform at the D.C. show at Capital One Arena on Dec. 14.
The Jonas Brothers headlined the D.C. tour stop. Other acts included Megan Thee Stallion, Black Eyed Peas, Saweetie, Tate McRae, Monsta X, Bazzi, Dixie D’Amelio and Tai Verdes.
The not-family-friendly show was good despite the absence of the two big artists. I particularly liked Saweetie, Monsta X and Tai Verdes. (See review by the Washington Post.)
Here are some tweets from me and others from the show:

@iHeartRadio #HOT995JingleBall at Capital One Arena in DC pic.twitter.com/5YpuQJ0A37

— Patrick Seitz (@PatrickSeitz) December 15, 2021

At DC Jingle Ball. Just watched Monsta X and Dixie D’Amelio perform. #HOT995JingleBall pic.twitter.com/m6yMcZx5M0

— Patrick Seitz (@PatrickSeitz) December 15, 2021

We LOVE @dixiedamelio !! #HOT995JingleBall https://t.co/9cK5eb7jBi

— HOT 99.5 🎄 (@hot995) December 15, 2021

Backstage hangs with @OfficialMonstaX ✌️@CapitalOne #HOT995JingleBall pic.twitter.com/b1eA5maj4A

— HOT 99.5 🎄 (@hot995) December 15, 2021

Forever dancing with @OfficialMonstaX 💃 #HOT995JingleBall pic.twitter.com/BGTtd9gb9r

— HOT 99.5 🎄 (@hot995) December 15, 2021

At DC Jingle Ball, Tai Verdes sings about, what else, drugs. #HOT995JingleBall pic.twitter.com/oRuWddZyFm

— Patrick Seitz (@PatrickSeitz) December 15, 2021

Ready for that mic drop @taiverdes 🎤💥 #HOT995JingleBall pic.twitter.com/rKtTBO2zaQ

— HOT 99.5 🎄 (@hot995) December 15, 2021

Bazzi now at DC Jingle Ball pic.twitter.com/wai7VT5irt

— Patrick Seitz (@PatrickSeitz) December 15, 2021

Saweetie puts on booty-riffic performance at #HOT995JingleBall pic.twitter.com/egaLjmWLd3

— Patrick Seitz (@PatrickSeitz) December 15, 2021

YES! take care of yourselves babes! #HOT995JingleBall @Saweetie pic.twitter.com/LkJFEc3CYN

— HOT 99.5 🎄 (@hot995) December 15, 2021

My ICY queen 👑👑 @Saweetie #HOT995JingleBall pic.twitter.com/hq497GpPAN

— HOT 99.5 🎄 (@hot995) December 15, 2021

Heyyyy @saweetie - can we be Best Friends?! 👯‍♀️💖 #HOT995JingleBall pic.twitter.com/wrSAyGLsSP

— HOT 99.5 🎄 (@hot995) December 15, 2021

That's my BEST friend 🥰@Saweetie @CapitalOne #HOT995JingleBall pic.twitter.com/0NrXeduIxQ

— HOT 99.5 🎄 (@hot995) December 15, 2021

Black Eyed Peas at #HOT995JingleBall pic.twitter.com/qXNAn95Eia

— Patrick Seitz (@PatrickSeitz) December 15, 2021

Tate McRae at DC’s Jingle Ball tonight pic.twitter.com/oxpDzzvlua

— Patrick Seitz (@PatrickSeitz) December 15, 2021

OKAYYYY @tatemcrae, bringing the heat backstage at #HOT995JingleBall 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/OZUq9j5zeB

— HOT 99.5 🎄 (@hot995) December 15, 2021

thank you for blessing our #HOT995JingleBall stage with ur presence, HOT GIRLLL! 🔥🔥 @theestallion https://t.co/crZefInszm

— HOT 99.5 🎄 (@hot995) December 15, 2021

Megan Thee Stallion at DC’s Jingle Ball pic.twitter.com/3n4zfGuXFT

— Patrick Seitz (@PatrickSeitz) December 15, 2021

Twirking queen Megan Thee Stallion pic.twitter.com/ydkqdzGW8v

— Patrick Seitz (@PatrickSeitz) December 15, 2021

tina snow outsold the entire holiday season #MeganTheeStallion
see you next time hottie @theestallion #HOT995JingleBall 💫❄️💫 pic.twitter.com/aPM46JFKUO

— jaz ↯ 🎰 POST CONCERT DENIAL?! ❅ (@dreamieur) December 15, 2021

Jonas Brothers closed out #HOT995JingleBall with a boisterous set. pic.twitter.com/fpuNlxGRzc

— Patrick Seitz (@PatrickSeitz) December 15, 2021

If there was a @JonasBrothers & Megan @theestallion collab last night at #HOT995JingleBall...I would have combusted. https://t.co/DfXQ1AoHF9

— HOT 99.5 🎄 (@hot995) December 15, 2021

JINGLE BALL 2021!!🎁🎄
Thank you to all our performers and fans for making #hot995jingleball the best one yet!

📸 Craig Hunter Ross pic.twitter.com/qAyHOucgNQ

— Capital One Arena (@CapitalOneArena) December 15, 2021

Visit to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign an eye-opener

I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1984 and hadn’t been back to campus in nearly 31 years until my visit on Saturday Dec. 11.
It was a chilly, yet mostly sunny day at U of I when two fellow graduates and I toured our old haunts. We were in town to watch the Fighting Illini men’s basketball team host the University of Arizona Wildcats at State Farm Center, formerly Assembly Hall. Unfortunately, the Illini lost 83 to 79.
The weather was a lot better than my last trip to campus on Dec 22, 1990. On that date, I met up with a friend to watch the Illini defeat the Louisiana State University Tigers, led by Shaquille O’Neal. I had to drive back to the Quad-Cities that night in a blinding snowstorm. That was one of the scariest driving experiences of my life.
The U of I campus has changed significantly since my last visit. For instance, north of the Illini Union is a greatly expanded computer science and engineering area.
The Illini Union has kept its stately entrance area but remodeled much of the interior with new facilities for studying, recreation, commerce and just hanging out. When I was there, the union had a Plato terminal in the front hall. Plato was a computer network before the internet.
The Main Quad looked the same and so did the surrounding historic buildings such as Altgeld Hall, Foellinger Auditorium and Gregory Hall.
But many familiar businesses from my days as a college student in the early 1980s are long gone.
Garcia’s Pizza in a Pan is no longer on Wright Street near Green Street, across from the Alma Mater statue. (Garcia’s is now in northwest Champaign. The once large regional pizza chain is now down to just two locations in central Illinois, according to the News-Gazette.)
Papa Del’s Pizza is no longer on Wright just north of Green. (It’s in a new, larger location west of campus on Neil Street.)
Even Kam’s bar, “The Home of the Drinking Illini,” on East Daniel Street is gone and the building demolished for new construction. Kam’s was a hangout mostly for members of fraternities and sororities, aka Greeks. It has moved to a new location at First and Green streets, further away from the university.
Another bar that’s kaput is Cochrane’s, which was known for its Little King’s beer nights, offering three small beers for $1. It was located on Wright just north of Green.
Also gone is Mabel’s, a nightclub where as students we had watched Jay Bennett from our dorm floor at Taft Hall play. Bennett later was a member of Wilco.
The Campustown area has seen the most changes with numerous high rises replacing one- and two-story buildings. Other places we used to hang out are gone as well including the Space Port video game arcade, Taco John’s, the Co-Ed movie theater, and a record store that sold new vinyl LPs and cassettes.
On Saturday, we had lunch at Murphy’s Pub, which has expanded its Green Street location since we were students.
The Daily Illini campus newspaper has moved a couple of blocks south from its location in the basement of a building on John Street near Wright. I spent many hours in the newsroom there as a student both working and writing school papers.
The U of I campus looks more metropolitan since we were students. Back then, it was a major university located between a couple of midsize towns amid the cornfields of central Illinois.

Photos: Foellinger Auditorium as seen from across the Quad at the Illini Union (top); exterior and interior of State Farm Arena (bottom) (Patrick Seitz)

Will Covid-19 variant omicron impact CES 2022?

Just as tech companies are gearing up for CES 2022, a scary new variant of Covid-19 threatens to hang over the annual consumer electronics show.
The Consumer Technology Association is returning to Las Vegas for an in-person CES conference in early January after canceling this year’s physical show because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
CES 2021 was an all-digital event. CES 2022 will be a hybrid event with an in-person show plus a digital component for industry professionals and media who can’t or won’t attend the show.
On Friday, the World Health Organization designated the omicron strain of the coronavirus a “variant of concern.” South African scientists said the variant is behind a recent spike in Covid-19 infections in the country’s most populous province, according to the Associated Press.
The conference industry has struggled to return to normal since the Covid-19 pandemic began in early 2020.
On Nov. 1-4, about 40,000 people attended the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal. Last year’s event was held online because of the pandemic. (See articles by DW and Fast Company.)
However, on Nov. 23, broadcasting technology show IBC canceled its December in-person event as the Covid-19 situation worsened in the Netherlands. The event was due to take place at the RAI in Amsterdam Dec. 3-6. (See articles by Variety and the Hollywood Reporter.)
CES organizers have signed up over 1,700 exhibitors for the 2022 show and “tens of thousands” of registered attendees so far. The last in-person CES, in 2020, attracted 4,419 exhibitors and 171,268 attendees.
CES 2022 will take place Jan. 5-8 with pre-show media events starting Jan. 3. Attendees must have proof of Covid-19 vaccination. They also likely will have to wear masks inside and on public transportation.

Related articles:

CES 2022 will be half the usual size, but at least it’s in person (VentureBeat; Nov. 24, 2021)

CES 2022 to Have Smaller Footprint, Fewer Attendees (Media Play News; Nov. 18, 2021)

Digital CES Component Here to Stay as ‘Almost a CES Bonus’ (Consumer Electronics Daily; Nov. 15, 2021)

CES 2022 will be a rebuilding year (Tech-media-tainment; Oct. 30, 2021)

Will Covid-19 pandemic loom over CES 2022? (Tech-media-tainment; Oct. 9, 2021)

Photo: The anchor desk from the all-digital CES 2021. (Consumer Technology Association)

Pat Benatar tops my picks for Rock Hall induction once again

Now that the 2021 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been enshrined, it’s time to start thinking about the next class.
At the Oct. 30 ceremony in Cleveland, the hall inducted 12 groups and individual artists. That’s double the six performers inducted in 2020. (The hall also inducted one non-performer this year: music industry executive Clarence Avant. That makes a total of 13 inductees.)
Artist inductees this year included Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Go’s, Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Kraftwerk, LL Cool J and Todd Rundgren. The hall also inducted session musician Billy Preston, heavy-metal guitarist Randy Rhoads, “Father of the Delta Blues” Charley Patton and soul-jazz performer Gil Scott-Heron.
I’m hopeful that the Rock Hall will pick another large class of inductees in 2022 to deal with its growing backlog of worthy artists.
For the third year in a row, I’m promoting powerhouse singer Pat Benatar, who dominated the early MTV music television era, as my top pick for induction. She paved the way for such modern artists as Pink and Hayley Williams of Paramore.
After Benatar is in, we can talk about other worthy female artists. Here I would include Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow and Cyndi Lauper.
The only female artists that I wouldn’t mind getting the nod before Benatar would be Carly Simon and Kate Bush, both very deserving as well.
Here’s my current list, in order of preference, for induction into the Rock Hall. The first year of eligibility is in parentheses, based on data from Future Rock Legends.

1. Pat Benatar (2000)
2. Joy Division/New Order (2004/2007)
3. Phil Collins (2007)
4. INXS (2006)
5. Carly Simon (1997)
6. Kate Bush (2004)
7. Siouxsie & the Banshees (2004)
8. Duran Duran (2007)
9. The Smiths (2009)
10. Smashing Pumpkins (2016)

Related reading:

Tina Turner and The Go-Go’s Enlisted A Secret Weapon To Finally Gain Entrance To The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame: The Music Documentary (Decider; May 17, 2021)

Metal Snubs: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 10 Worst Omissions (Ultimate Classic Rock; May 19, 2021)

Eminem’s potential Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2022 would be a polarizing game-changer (Cleveland.com; Aug. 4, 2021)

Lessons from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2021 (Tech-media-tainment; Aug. 16, 2021)

Taylor Swift, Dave Chappelle and more can’t-miss moments from HBO’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction (USA Today; Nov. 19, 2021)

Photo: Cover of Pat Benatar’s second album, “Crimes of Passion” (1980)