We’re not big fans or anything, but we don’t quite understand why some people think this is a big deal–and we certainly don’t expect any apologetic follow-up appearances. It’s not like she’s Milli Vanilli, who weren’t anywhere near the studio where their “hits” were produced. Even Yo-Yo Ma, acclaimed cellist who obviously could have played it live, chose not to play it live in 2009.

Still, she is a pop star, and public perception is very important to her career. We have a feeling Lady Gaga would have made a joke out of the fact that she wasn’t singing live–which is probably why no one invited her to perform.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Wait, who actually likes iTunes?

The big stat: nearly twice as many Facebook members (61%) “like” retail brands as celebrities or TV shows. We don’t quite see the point of liking a chain store, but millions of Americans clearly do (though only 26% turn to social networks for information about things they want to buy).

Some other, less surprising findings from the study:

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HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes recently posted a list of seven up-and-coming networks that might gain influence in 2013, so we thought we’d review it to see whether any of these shiny new toys might prove valuable to PR professionals.

The list:

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According to author Rob Tarkoff of Lithium Technologies, some of the most socially successful brands have moved beyond Facebook by establishing their own “on-domain customer communities”. In other words, they encourage fans to participate in social media forums located within their own websites.

Tarkoff writes that “The most cutting-edge B2B and B2C brands are placing bets on on-domain, owned, social media hubs where they can control the brand, guide the experience, and drive real business outcomes.”

Sounds great–so who are they? We’ve chosen to highlight six:

1. American Idol
2. Sephora
3. American Express
4. Google AdWords
5. BMW
6. Starbucks

Click through for details on each.

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Excited yet? The “exclusive” TMZ video of the two arguing during Idol auditions resembles the beginning of history’s most tedious catfight. We can’t really understand any of it, but we get the general impression that Nicki is a little intimidated by Mariah’s seniority and that Ms. Carey is playing this year’s J.Lo by steadfastly refusing to be upstaged by anyone.

One thing is clear: Barbara Walters raised the stakes on Thursday’s episode of The View by repeating Mariah’s claim that Nicki threatened to “shoot the — b*tch” while walking offstage. Minaj then got a bit defensive (and slightly insane) on Twitter, mocking Carey for hiring more bodyguards while the show’s publicists loudly claimed that no one had made anything resembling a death threat.

Is this what passes for excitement in Seacrest-world? We’re already bored, but we guess we need to ask what the show’s producers and third-party stars think about all this deadly-serious drama.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As we mentioned earlier today, we paid a visit to the PromaxBDA event, where entertainment marketing is the big focus. This morning’s panel discussion, “Targeted Marketing: How to Affect Audience Uptick Through Inclusive Marketing” offered case studies that showed how major brands, Fox Broadcasting , Lifetime, and CNN among them, are reaching multicultural audiences.

Because of this year’s Census numbers, a lot of the discussion focused on how to target Hispanic audiences. However, targeting one group doesn’t mean you’re not reaching others. The examples presented showed how audiences don’t live in a cultural vacuum, and what works with one group may relate to others as well.

In one interesting example, Danny Mandelbaum, marketing brand director for Heineken, said a commercial that had been intended for Hispanic audiences (above) went over so well, it’s now being shown in countries around the world.

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Pepsi

The sponsorship includes online content, a multi-platform marketing partnership, and “weekly in-show integrations and placements.” Will the feisty Brit be wrapping his hand around a conveniently placed Pepsi cup on the air rather than pretending to ignore the bright red Coke cup sitting six inches in front of him?

“That to me would be the wallpaper,” said Frank Cooper, an SVP at Pepsico when the New York Times asked about product placement. “We’re really going a layer deeper.”

Coke, Ford and AT&T are American Idol‘s sponsors. Pepsi is now the exclusive beverage sponsor of The X Factor, but the Times says the program could sign other partnership deals.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

“The fact that Fox is scheduling a media event for the (anticlimactic?) announcement bolsters those who believe that the network is merely trying to build buzz for the aging reality show,” Brian Stelter writes on the New York Times Media Decoder blog.

Among the list of judge possibilities are Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez (who at one point seemed out of the running because she was being a diva but is now rumored to be signed for $12 million), and Elton John.  If the show is trying to build buzz, mission accomplished.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.