Lady Gaga, Alexander McQueen, Foursquare, Food Trucks, eBooks and the Feature Film The Social Network Among USA Network's Top 'Character Approved' Ideas and Influencers of 2010

Lady Gaga, Alexander McQueen, Foursquare, Food Trucks, eBooks and the Feature Film The Social Network Among USA Network's Top 'Character Approved' Ideas and Influencers of 2010

USA wraps up the year by posting Best of Character Approved 2010 Lists and a Special Holiday Gift Guide at characterblog.com

NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- USA Network's Character Approved Blog (characterblog.com) has chosen Lady Gaga, Alexander McQueen, Foursquare, Food Trucks, eBooks and the feature film The Social Network among many others as some of the biggest cultural influencers, trends and ideas of 2010. Each of the eleven experts who contribute weekly updates to the blog handpicked ten people, places and/or things that have had the greatest impact in 2010 across architecture, art, design, fashion, film, food, music, social good, technology, theatre, and writing. The lists also include events whose effects reach far beyond their designated category, such as the freeing of Aung San Suu Kyi, the introduction of the text "Haiti" campaign, the release of the documentary Waiting For Superman and the success of the nonprofit Making It Right New Orleans.The year-end content was announced today by Alexandra Shapiro, USA's senior vice president, brand strategy and digital.

"USA Network is proud to recognize the game-changing innovators, innovations and influences of 2010," says Shapiro. "We created the Character Approved Top Ten Lists as a way to celebrate all of the contributions over the past year that have made a mark on the American cultural landscape."

The Character Approved Top Ten Lists are just one example of how USA has expanded the scope and reach of its Character Approved multimedia campaign following the launch of the Character Approved Blog (characterblog.com) in July of this year. The blog was created to pay tribute all year long to the people, innovations, and trends that are positively affecting our culture and are deserving of the network's "character seal of approval."

In addition to the Top Ten Lists, USA has created a new way to honor the characters in our own lives with the inaugural 2010 Character Approved Holiday Gift Guide: http://www.usanetwork.com/email/ca_giftguide.html. The guide is designed to help consumers find the perfect gift for every character on their list including The Sophisticate, The Gentleman, The Hobbyist, The Gourmand, The Sportsman, The Technophile, The Traveler, The Teenager and The Kid.

2010 CHARACTER APPROVED TOP TEN LISTS

ARCHITECTURE - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2010/12/top-10-of-
2010-architecture.php
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1. Architecture and Social Networking
2. LEED Version 3
3. Make It Right New Orleans
4. Lincoln Center's New Facelift
5. Inner-City Arts
6. Assassin's Creed 2
7. Calatrava Visits Denver
8. St. Louis Arch Gets a New Park
9. Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park: Under Construction (After 37
Years)
10. Serpentine Gallery Pavilion

ART - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2010/12/top-10-of-2010-art.php
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1. Murakami's Balloons at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
2. Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop
3. The Selby is in Your Place
4. Mary Ellen Mark and Martin Bell's Latest Collaboration, Prom
5. Faile at the Perry Rubenstein Gallery
6. Marina Abramovic at MoMA
7. JR Wins The TED Prize
8. NY Art Book Fair
9. RE:FORM School, a REDU Project
10. Banksy Re-Imagines The Simpson's "Couch Gag" Sequence

DESIGN - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2010/12/top-10-
of-2010-design.php
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1. Industrial Facility
2. Davin Stowell and Tom Dair
3. Scott Wilson
4. Marc Newson
5. Jane Thompson
6. Yves Behar
7. The iPad
8. Cardborigami
9. Rob Forbes
10. The Converse Store

FASHION - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2010/12/top-10-of-2010-
fashion.php
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1. Alexander McQueen
2. Ralph Lauren 4D Spectacular
3. Lanvin for H&M
4. New York Fashion Week moves to Lincoln Center
5. The Rise of the Personal Style Blogger
6. Lady Gaga
7. The Popularity of Independent Designers
8. The Re-Embrace of Luxury
9. The Prevalence of the Curvy Model
10. Chanel's Spring 2011 Collection

FILM - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2010/12/top-10-of-2010-film.php
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1. The Social Network
2. 127 Hours
3. Toy Story 3
4. Waiting for Superman
5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
6. Life in a Day
7. Christopher Nolan
8. The Kids Are All Right
9. The Town
10. Let Me In

FOOD - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2010/12/top-10-of-2010-food.php
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1. April Bloomfield
2. The Food Matters Cookbook: 500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living
3. Artisanal Spirits
4. Bacon is Officially Over
5. Seattle Urban Farm Company
6. Food Trucks
7. Rob Levitt
8. Otarian
9. OpenTable Goes Mobile
10. Canning for a New Generation

MUSIC - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2010/12/top-10-of-
2010-music.php
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1. Kanye's "Runaway" video
2. Robyn's Body Talk
3. Cee Lo Green
4. Bandcamp
5. Daft Punk's Tron Soundtrack
6. Florence and the Machine
7. Beck's Record Club
8. Nick Cave's Grinderman 2
9. Daytrotter
10. Bonnaroo

SOCIAL GOOD - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2010/12/top-10-of-
2010-social-good.php
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1. Text "Haiti"
2. Pepsi Refresh Project
3. The Giving Pledge
4. Levi's Revival of Braddock, Pennsylvania
5. Ben Affleck's Eastern Congo Initiative
6. TOMS Shoes Sells Its Millionth Pair
7. The Girl Effect
8. Crowdrise
9. JUMO
10. Aung San Suu Kyi Freed

TECHNOLOGY - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2010/12/top-10-of-
2010-technology.php
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1. SMART Boards
2. Groupon
3. Foursquare
4. Microsoft Kinect
5. The Tablet Revolution
6. 3D TV Technology
7. EasyBloom
8. Eton
9. LG Expo & Pocket Projectors
10. Kickstarter

THEATRE - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2010/12/top-10-of-2010-
theatre.php
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1. Stephen Sondheim
2. Patti LuPone
3. Green Day
4. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
5. David Bryan
6. The Merchant of Venice
7. Denzel Washington
8. Bernadette Peters & Elaine Stritch
9. Alfred Molina
10. Michael Crawford

WRITING - Link: http://www.characterblog.com/2010/12/top-10-of-2010-
writing.php
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1. Stieg Larsson
2. Ebooks
3. Roger Ebert's Journal
4. TIME Magazine's Issue Featuring Jonathan Franzen
5. Twitter for Readers and Writers
6. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot
7. James Fallows
8. Finishing the Hat by Stephen Sondheim
9. To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Celebration
10. Book Bloggers Take Their Place in the Literary World

ABOUT USA CHARACTER APPROVED BLOG

The USA Network Character Approved Blog (www.characterblog.com) celebrates the people, places and things that are transforming the American cultural landscape. They're Character Approved-worthy of USA Network's "character seal of approval." The blog site is updated regularly and features exclusive content in the following eleven categories: Architecture, Art, Design, Fashion, Film, Food, Music, Social Good, Technology, Theatre and Writing. The Character Approved Blog is an outgrowth of USA Network's annual Character Approved Awards that pay tribute to the innovators who are influencing our opinions, our style, and our view of the world.

ABOUT USA NETWORK

USA Network is the #1 network in all of basic cable and is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes. A division of NBC Universal, USA is the cable television leader in original series and is home to the biggest hits in blockbuster films, acquired television and entertainment events. Viewers come to USA to find television's best in critically-acclaimed and award-winning original programming, such as BURN NOTICE, ROYAL PAINS,WHITE COLLAR, COVERT AFFAIRS,PSYCH, IN PLAIN SIGHT, LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT and WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW, as well as the highest-rated acquired originals, including HOUSE, NCIS and LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT. The award-winning USA website is located at www.usanetwork.com, which is home to the popular new casual gaming site, www.characterarcade.com. Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

SOURCE USA Network

USA Network

CONTACT: Kristin Schulman, +1-212-664-4140, kristin.schulman@nbcuni.com

Web Site: http://www.usanetwork.com

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