Don Everly

At his training camp in Kiamesha Lake, N.Y., a few weeks ago, Michael Spinks recalled a memorable parade in St. Louis. It was the city's 1976 welcome for the Spinks brothers, Leon and Michael, who had just won gold medals in the Montreal Olympic Games. A motorcade met them at the airport and carried them to their home in the Pruitt-Igoe projects. Sirens wailed, and passers-by cheered. As the motorcade neared the projects, Michael Spinks began to giggle.

THE BEDROOM OF A LARGE '20S MEDITERRANEAN REVIVAL HOUSE IN SHREVEPORT, LA.--MORNING BILL, a man in his early 30s, is pacing back and forth between the bed and a large picture window. BILL'S mop of curly hair is a mass of tangles and his small round glasses are askew. On the bed is his wife, ELIZABETH, who's reading the paper. BILL: All he said was, come up with a story that would work as a movie. That's it. Hell, I thought the guy was just making dinner conversation.

Never mind that the United States Army likely started the trend: from Madison Avenue's traditional land of "You Deserve a Break Today," the new rallying cry is "Be All That You Can Be." Call it "be yourself," "feel good" or "non-advertising" advertising. The message: Be an individual. Be yourself. Be more of who your are. (Just don't forget to buy our product. We can help you become more of you.) Consumers beware, or at least be hip to media weather.

Nestle USA Inc. on Wednesday said that it will stop selling a controversial candy product featuring a small Disney toy inside a chocolate-covered plastic ball that critics said was a danger to children. A Nestle USA spokeswoman said the company still believes that its Nestle Magic candy was safe but had decided to voluntarily withdraw it from the market because of "an unresolved technical, legal problem" relating to a 1938 federal law prohibiting "nonnutritive objects" inside confections.

They look so harmonious. Mother and daughter, laughing and chatting in a swank L.A. hotel room, celebrating their success. Augusta, 18, says she's happy her mom lived to fulfill her dream of writing a book. Martha Tod Dudman, 49, says she's simply happy her daughter lived. The irony escapes neither of them: It was the daughter's self-destructive reign of teenage terror that gave the mother something compelling to write about.

The gig: Bonnie Arnold is a producer of animated and live-action movies, including the independently produced Tolstoy love story "The Last Station" and DreamWorks Animation's 2010 hit "How to Train Your Dragon," which has garnered Oscar nominations this year for best animated feature and best original score. Arnold is based at DreamWorks Animation Studios in Glendale. Oscar jitters: Arnold is no Oscar novice. Three films she worked on have received Academy Awards, including "Dances With Wolves" and "Toy Story.

I recently stayed at a not-inexpensive London boutique hotel recommended by a national travel magazine. When I checked in I handed the desk clerk my credit card, which is the usual procedure. He immediately put through the entire cost of my six-day stay, which is not usual. When I questioned him, he mumbled something about hotel policy.

From San Diego -- It's been so long, I almost forgot what a scam this is. Here it is NFL opening Sunday, and a fine day it is. The grass is green, the seats an eye-catching blue with banners and flags waving everywhere in this picturesque stadium. This appears to be the ideal home eight or nine days a year for any football team and its loyal following, but then this is the National Football League. Remember what that was like 17 years ago? Now as you know, the folks who work in the National Football League never say "NFL," lest someone think the National Football League really isn't something special.

Singer-songwriter Paul Overstreet has been named country music songwriter of the year by Broadcast Music Inc. for the fourth straight year. His compositions during the year included "Houston Solution," "My Arms Stay Open All Night," "All the Fun," "Love Helps Those" and "Sowin' Love." Don Everly, one-half of the Everly Brothers rock 'n' roll duo, was honored for writing "Cathy's Clown," which was the most performed BMI country song of the year.