Alex Rodriguez’s journey from “A-Fraud” to ALCS hero and World Series Champion has too many chapters to sum up in 160 characters. Still, a timeline of the Yankee slugger’s cell phone use reveals a similar, scapegoat-to-superstar storyline.
With the Bronx Bombers’ season over and the World Series in process – featuring New York archrivals, the Red Sox, zoning in on their own Championship – A-Rod opted out of his contract. Strangely, he and agent Scott Boras chose to release this news by a voicemail message. The beleaguered millionaire may not have wanted to meet face-to-face with Yankee GM Brian Cashman or deal with the tough New York fans, but this gaffe put Rodriguez in the doghouse throughout the major leagues.
As one of baseball’s all-time greatest hitters, it’s no surprise that Rodriguez would seek out advice from another legend at the plate. In his own words, “I mean, it’s kind of like, if you’re a writer, why wouldn’t you want to talk to Ernest Hemingway?” Only problem here is that Alex’s “Hemingway” and text-message buddy turned out to be Pete Rose, the Hit King who nevertheless is under a lifetime ban from the game.
Here’s where things heat up. When Cynthia Rodriguez served her ex-husband with divorce papers, she backed up her suit with threats that she would release Alex’s texts to Madonna. At the time, both Rodriguez and the Material Mom denied any shenanigans, but the pair’s SMS love notes would usher in the dawning of the ill-fated “A-Rod-ica” affair.
Of course, it’s not so scandalous when you’re already divorced. Back on the prowl in Miami, Rodriguez was introduced to actress Kate Hudson, on whom he’d been crushing hard ever since seeing the movie Almost Famous. The two kept in touch over the winter via tender texts, and early in 2009 started dating. While she’s been getting an allegedly chilly reception from Jeter’s GF Minka Kelly, after the 2009 season A-Rod’s enjoyed, nearly everyone in New York sees Hudson as a good luck charm.
Hip surgery early in the year looked certain to doom A-Rod’s – and the Yankees’ – 2009 season. Without their superstar, the team got off to a horrendous start, but everyone in the organization breathed a huge sigh of relief when Manager Joe Girardi received a text from Alex saying “Everything’s great.” Rodriguez would return to the team May 8 against Baltimore, and on the very first pitch of his first at bat, swatted a three-run homer that would prove to be a very good omen for 2009 after all.
What do you think is going to happen? Visit Predicto.com to register for the text message-based mobile game that has everyone predicting the outcome of sports, pop culture, news and entertainment events. Along with being able to vote on surveys, including this one, you’ll get updates when the answers are revealed.
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It was a big day around the Predicto TV offices on Seventh Avenue when John J. Oliver stopped by recently. In the two years (yay us) that Predicto has been around, this was the first time that a professional psychic has paid a call on us. We were thrilled to welcome the co-star of ‘Haunting Evidence’ on truTV to make Predicto predictions of our favorite celebs.
John was a gracious and nice guy as he settled in for an interview in our office (John facing south, at his request, for better feng shui). At this time of year John is gearing up for 2010 predictions, and he made so many for us, we will have to break it down into multiple episodes. In this clip, watch him focus on celebrity couples Brad & Angelina, Chris & Rihanna and Jay-Z & Beyonce.
Of the erstwhile Chris Brown and estranged girlfriend Rihanna, “You’re going to see wonderful romantic news or news of new children” and Jay-Z & Beyonce, “I don’t get this strong feeling like I do with other celebrity couples… I wonder if their relationship in large part is a publicity vehicle, I wonder that when I see their auras together.”
Since first opening its doors in 2007, the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge has offered temporary housing for over 2,500 cancer patients. For the second year in a row, Hope Lodge teamed up with Showtime to help raise funds and awareness for its facilities and patients. This year’s fundraiser was a tailor-made event held in Tribeca at the Metropolitan Home Showtime House, where top designers from around the world created one-of-a-kind rooms built around the cable network’s top shows – Dexter, Weeds, Californication, The Tudors, Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara.
In between touring the spectacular 14,000-square-foot facilities and taking part in a silent auction, supporters took the time to share their thoughts on some of the biggest topics being talked about by the Predicto community.
LeBron James is on top of the pro basketball world, and now his story is on the big screen. At the listening party for the soundtrack to his new movie ‘More Than A Game’, LeBron and his friends celebrated in style. We talk to Akon and Ester Dean, along with the movie’s director, Kris Belman. The stars played Predicto and answered questions about hot topics in sports and music. Check out Episode 41 of Predicto TV now!
Polls are helpful for research in many areas for the government, advertising agencies, businesses and more. They’re also often used to arouse public opinion on celebrities. Polls become doubly interesting in this right.
A poll doesn’t have to take itself too seriously and neither do those who choose to vote. All answers are subjective and are usually designed to be completely valid. These subjective opinions may help shed some light on the source of a particular celebrity’s charisma.
An interesting celebrity survey, for instance, would be the question for Predicto’s premium mobile subscribers that asks, “Will Michelle Obama accept an offer to guest star on ‘30 Rock’ this year?”
While the question plays on the show’s reputation for its high-profile guest stars and challenges the integrity of appropriate First Lady conduct, just the fact that it was asked and produced a good number of responses stands as a testament to the new First Lady’s acceptance into pop culture.
For people with opinions on politicians, athletes and celebrities, poll questions are available for easy access through SMS. Visit Predicto.com for details.
When it comes to celebrities, polls provide a raw insight into public opinion. These opinions are untainted by the personal vendettas of individual critics and haters or, worse, flatterers.
From polls, one can learn about controversies surrounding a number of movie or television stars and share their feedback about a number of issues. In turn, celebrities that respect the opinion of the public can take this feedback and use it as a gauge of their marketability to supplement the feedback they get from their peers and awarding committees.
Surveys may feature questions about an actor’s taste in hairstyles or fashion, public demeanor, choice of roles or endeavors, views on politics and social issues, and especially their relationships.
In an industry that relies so heavily on public opinion, comments about celebrities in polls provide the most accurate feedback.
Visit Predicto.com today to participate in fun and highly engaging celebrity polls.
During the first weeks of the year, national dailies, news Web sites and Internet forums usually provide forecasts involving the country’s most famous celebrities. A celebrity prediction may feature the analysis of experts in the field or of the results of public surveys.
Such forecasts usually include developments concerning the personality’s career, love life and endeavors in different fields, and how they would fare amid the year’s prospects.
Indeed, it is not uncommon to find annual predictions about which Hollywood couples will seek divorce, about which team will triumph in the year’s Super Bowl, or about which politicians will win or lose in the polls.
Today, such forecasts can be available daily and include the public’s view solicited through SMS.
Predicto’s mobile service subscribers can even win prizes by voting on featured celebrity predictions. Visit Predicto.com today to learn more.
Movie stars, television actors, hosts, politicians, athletes and musicians are the frequent subjects of talk shows, daily news, paparazzi photos and predictions.
Through these, the media not only establishes their fame but also make celebrities easier to identify with by exposing their life behind the limelight: their interests, experiences, successes, failures and flaws.
For celebrity predictions in particular, the public learns about celebrities through context clues during the course of the game. These forecasts are usually presented with the help of analysts familiar to the field.
For instance, sports commentators examine various statistics and showbiz insiders remain aware of celebrities’ prospects in the entertainment industry. Even numerologists and astrologers contribute.
Today, predictions may also include the public’s views. Through the use of technologies such as SMS and the Internet, millions of people can now engage in countless forums and surveys to contribute their opinions.
Although celebrities have a right to make their own decisions, there’s nothing wrong with taking a cue from public opinion once in a while. Celebrity polls, as long as they’re not taken too seriously, allow celebrities to go with the flow and play to their strengths.
A celebrity poll is a fairly accurate vehicle of public perception. Celebrities can either take offense at their intrusiveness or recognize them as a tool for improvement and react to them as businesspeople might react to the stock market.
Like it or not, the success of celebrities relies on the dedication of their fans, and who could be more dedicated than people who spend money to make their opinion about a certain celebrity count in the form of a vote? At Predicto Mobile, the views of fans are solicited through daily celebrity polls on a variety of topics. Visit Predicto.com to learn more.
Predicto cell phone surveys appear on ABC News, Variety magazine, MyFox LA and other popular media outlets. These surveys highlight the excitement that comes with participants being able to vote on topics important to them. Not only do registered Predicto users get to vote, they can also make comments for other users to read.
Popular among both male and female texters (with 45% of users being male), Predicto is currently the largest paid mobile community service. It’s similar to an online social network for texters and some people like it even better than regular social networks. Many say it’s because they can log on from any location, at any time.
Getting messages from Predicto lets subscribers in on hot celebrity topics without having to spend hours in front of the TV or on the Internet. Predicto’s cell phone surveys let users stay in touch with the world around them.
Visit Predicto.com or call (800) 360-0518 for more details.
We know how much you love celebrity gossip – now make your opinions heard! Predicto is your source for one of the most popular spicy celebrity gossip blogs on the Internet! You can also participate in exciting SMS survey blogs right from your own cell phone. At Predicto, we bring you the week’s hottest news and recap your predictions. Connect with the Predicto Mobile community and join in the fun today!