STEVECOWARD.COM

• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Universal Orlando Resort
  Orlando, Fla (May 31, 2007) – Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Universal Orlando Resort are partnering to create the world’s first fully immersive Harry Potter themed environment . . .
  (tags: youth culture books media entertainment)

• All aboard for the Harry Potter rollercoaster [Reuters.com]
  (tags: youth culture books entertainment media)
• Teen Smoking Rates at a Standstill [NPR]
  Until just a few years ago, the news was pretty good: The numbers of teens who smoked was declining. But no longer.
  (tags: youth culture smoking drugs media)

J.K Rowling, who became the world’s first billion dollar author on the back of Harry Potter’s success, has given the go-ahead for the creation of a Florida theme park dedicated to the schoolboy wizard.

Are they kidding? Maybe some sort of Harry Potter ride, but a Harry Potter theme park???

Read the full story here.

Technorati Tags: youth culture, harry potter, theme park, roller coaster, movie, book, orlando

• ‘American Idol’ Vs. The Super Bowl [Advertising Age - MediaWorks]
  Tale of the Tape: A Showdown Between the Biggest Live Events on TV
  (tags: youth culture television entertainment media)
• Consumer Health Daily [UPI]
  More than one-third of the alcohol consumed by teens 11 to 14 years old came from their parents, friends’ parents or guardians, a U.S. study found.
  (tags: youth culture alcohol drinking parents)
• All the Mag Stats You Can Handle [Advertising Age]
  Don’t Feel Like Poring Over the Latest MRI Report? Here Are the Highlights
  (tags: youth culture media)
• Helping teenagers date responsibly [Pocono Record]
  While it’s natural for teenagers to be attracted to one another, and that dating is the socially accepted outcome of such attraction, most parents agonize over the dating experience and all the things that can go wrong.
  (tags: youth culture dating parents)
• Teens need parents’ help to resist alcohol pressures [Democrat & Chronicle]
  Many parents don’t understand the tough laws and liabilities that apply when anyone under age 21 drinks alcohol or uses drugs in their homes.
  (tags: youth culture alcohol drugs parents)
• Effectiveness of Anti-Smoking Ads Questioned [NPR]
  Big Tobacco’s public service ads aimed at steering kids away from smoking could be having the opposite effect, according to a recent study by The American Journal of Public Health.
  (tags: youth culture smoking drugs)
• Apple Starts Selling Unrestricted Songs on iTunes [FOXNews]
  Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iTunes Store started selling thousands of songs without copy protection Wednesday, marking the trendsetting company’s latest coup and a model for what analysts say will likely become a pattern for online music sales.
  (tags: youth culture media music internet)
• Apple hides account info in DRM-free music, too [ars technica]
  Apple embeds your account information in all songs sold on the store, not just DRM-free songs.
  (tags: youth culture music technology media)