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...started getting passed around Hollywood, and that's how we met Will Ferrell and Adam McKay (director of Step Brothers), who were starting this new production company. They asked if we had anything else we were working on, so we told them this story about a disgraced Major League pitcher...
Things aren't as dire on the American stock-car circuit. But without question, NASCAR, which kicks off its racing season with its most prestigious race, the Daytona 500, on Feb. 15, has stalled. More than any other major pro sport, NASCAR depends on corporate sponsorships to fund its operations. Those logos splashed all over a driver's racing suit aren't just for show. The sponsorship has grown to the point where the more corporatized circuit has alienated a portion of the sport's beer-drinking core. And as these companies pull back on their marketing budgets...
NASCAR's popularity exploded, in part, because it's one of the more fan-friendly major sports in the country. The drivers are often remarkably accessible, even signing autographs for fans on race days. NASCAR may need to get even cozier with them. As NASCAR raced to the top of the American sporting scene, it might have taken its base a bit for granted. "We need to engage the fans with more passion," says driver Jeff Burton, a 17-year Sprint Cup veteran. "We need to be creative, to come up with better ideas." One thought officials are kicking around...
...purge sins or serve other pious ends in the second. There are secular water fasts, tea fasts and grapefruit fasts, to say nothing of the lemon, maple-syrup and cayenne-pepper fast. Jews fast on Yom Kippur; Muslims observe Ramadan; Catholics have Lent; Hindus give up food on 18 major holidays. Done right, these fasts may lead to a state of clarity and even euphoria. This, in turn, can give practitioners the blissful sense that whether the goal of the food restriction is health or spiritual insight, it's being achieved. Maybe it is, but there's also chemical legerdemain...
...companies appear to be fighting a losing battle. As losses mount and order books shrink, mass layoffs are necessary for survival. In Japan, where carmakers and consumer electronics manufacturers are confronting unprecedented losses, many of the country's most famous firms have been forced to break tradition and announce major job cuts. Just this week, carmaker Nissan said it would reduce its global workforce by 20,000, or about 8%. A few days before Nissan's announcement, Panasonic announced 15,000 layoffs and NEC another...