Hardee S Food Systems Inc

When CBS--and initially NBC--refused to run L.A Gear's TV spot for its new sneaker last week, L.A. Gear figured that the best way to get even was to cry foul. "I got a bomb dropped on me by the networks," said Sandy Saemann, L.A. Gear executive vice president. "I had to find a way to maximize whatever was thrown at me." So, the sneaker maker shipped off biting press releases that lambasted the networks.

Hardee's announced a new, leaner quarter-pound hamburger, but competitors said the fast-food company is playing catch-up. The Rocky Mount, N.C.-based company on Tuesday announced "The Lean 1," a quarter-pound burger with an average of 18 grams of total fat, which it described as the lowest-fat burger in the business. A spokesman for competitor Wendy's said that firm's quarter-pound single hamburger has 15 grams of fat, lower than any of the competitors.