Shopping Around ... Too Cool for School

• For just a split second, I thought this was real: The Home Shopping Network Introduces Talking Presidential Candidate Doll® Collection. Hey, I’ve come to expect anything from the company that sells Banana Bunkers!

• Wanna be an easy rider? Enter the QVC Orange County Choppers Sweepstakes. The Grand Prize is $10,000 cash plus an Orange County Choppers bike that will signed by Paul Teutul Sr., Paul Teutul Jr., and Mikey Teutul and has an engraving that has "QVC Inaugural Show October 9, 2008" on it. You know, you just can't get much cooler than having QVC engraved on your bike. Good grief! Who made that decision? Probably the same guy that likes to put "DMQ" on the face of all the Diamonique watches. QVC has improved by leaps and bounds, but don't kid yourselves, QVC is still not considered cool.

• HSN is also having their own Great Gift Giveaway. Although I still haven't figured out exactly what they are giving away exactly.

• Kim Parrish--of the Kim Parrish Collection on HSN and former QVC host--will be touring around the country giving workshops for Miss America's Outstanding Teen to give contestants inside look into the organization and the acting/audition process. Maybe she'll find the next VP candidate? You never know!

• You might want to read this before you go investing in all those gold coins sold on home shopping. Basically, buy what you like, don't buy because you probably won't get a huge ROI if you ever decide to sell them.

• I looove Project Runway, so it's only fitting that I love all the PR alums that come to QVC. Chole Dao was one of--if not the--first to do this. Dao says her pieces on QVC typically sell out. "It was scary because you don't think you can sell 10,000 units of anything, but I do," she said. Not only are her pieces selling out on QVC, she's also got her own line of electronic accessories at Verizon, she’s a spokesperson for Dove, and she's got some higher-end fancy duds on her website. Check ‘em out!

• It's not on her website yet, but Lori Greiner's upcoming TSV for November 9th looks like it's da bomb, baby! This absolutely ginormous jewelry cabinet swivels 360 degrees and can hold up to 700 pieces of jewelry and it opens up into a 3-way mirror. Although I do not enjoy looking at my bra bulges and muffin top in a 3-way mirror, I do appreciate the huge jewelry storage capacity. Here's a picture from The Insider:
  
  

Speaking of The Insider, when in the heck is QVC gonna wise up and start giving out free subscriptions for its most loyal customers? If you spend over a certain amount of money with QVC, wouldn't it behoove them to extend this mere pittance of a gesture of goodwill? It could even be an online copy. In fact, I would probably prefer that.