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The backlash against Jerry Yang continued after Yahoo publically admitted it would have been willing to sell to Microsoft below $37 a share. Portfolio manager Gordon Crawford, whose Capital Research owns over 6% of Yahoo, expressed out-and-out disgust at Mr. Yang for what he characterized in the WSJ as “overplaying a weak hand.” (Cynopsis 5/7, http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-yahoo7-2008may07,0,264309.story 5/7)

Yahoo expects to sell out 50% of its video ad inventory during its “upfront” meetings with advertisers this year, according to Silicon Alley Insider including inventory on partner sites such as Comcast, Forbes, MobiTV and MLB.com. That’s up from 30% presales achieved last year. (Cynopsis 5/7)

Microsoft won’t be pursuing tie-ups or takeovers to replace its failed Yahoo bid, says chairman Bill Gates. Microsoft dropped its three-month pursuit of Yahoo on Saturday. The software giant had “put a lot of effort into talking to Yahoo” and is now “focused on its independent strategy.” (Iwantmedia 5/7, http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/145574/microsoft_wont_pursue_other_partnerships_says_gates.html 5/7)

If MySpace were to lose its top spot among social networks, it would have a long way to fall. Though U.S. visits to the powerhouse are down 5% since last year, the News Corp. site still commands nearly 74% of the social networking market, according to Hitwise.  (Iwantmedia 5/7, http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/05/06/myspace-facebook-still-on-top 5/6)

Web video startups like MyDamnChannel.com are vying for attention at Digital Hollywood, the annual conference in Los Angeles. However, one observer notes that a destination site may be “antithetical to the nature of the Web, where the point is to bounce around.” (Iwantmedia 5/7, http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2008-05-06-digital-hollywood_N.htm 5/6)

Coolspotters, a new site from Connecticut based startup Fanzter, will launch later today. It’s an eye-candy celebrity-focused site that shows users the products celebrities are wearing in various photos. Users can then talk about and, of course, purchase those items. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/07/want-to-dress-just-like-celebrities-youll-like-coolspotters 5/7)

Pope Benedict will text message thousands of young Catholics on their mobile phones during World Youth Day in Sydney in July, hoping going digital will help him connect better with younger audiences. The church also will set up a social networking site akin to a “Catholic Facebook.” (Iwantmedia 5/7, http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSSYD19071020080507 5/7)

Let’s call it a battle of the religious social networking sites. God’s Social Network launched late last week allowing users to meet other Christians,  post prayers, post blessings, upload/download sermons, get inspiration, etc.  Just to refresh your memory, Godtube launched in August of ’07 and has peaked at just under a million users as of this posting.

Cartoon Network is inviting kids to play along with Ben 10 using a new online tool allowing web savvy kids to construct their own games around the show. Prepackaged Ben 10 games currently dominate the top 10 most popular games at CartoonNetwork.com, according to the network, holding five of the top ten spots. (Cynopsis 5/7)

MSNBC.com introduced a new online toolbox called NewsWare to serve as a storehouse and incubator for in house and user generated apps and widgets. A selection of customizable news tickers, visualization tools and the Facebook app NewsBlaster are up there now. (Cynopsis 5/7)

Entertainment Rights inked deals with YouTube, Joost and Babelgum to provide all three digital platforms with a selection of its kid/family-targeted animated content with the launch of the Retro Heroes channel.  Under the deal, YouTube debuts a version of Retro Heroes featuring short-form webisodes from ER’s library, while Joost and Babelgum will also feature selected long-form programming.  Entertainment Rights programming includes He-Man, She-Ra, Felix the Cat, Rocky & Bullwinkle, The Archies, Fat Albert and Casper the Friendly Ghost. (Cynopsis 5/7)

CBS Radio will launch an Internet radio network in June that will provide access to all 140 CBS stations, as well as the AOL Radio network, through a single media player. Later in the summer, CBS will introduce Play.it, an online portal allowing users to create their own radio stations. (Iwantmedia 5/7, http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/FREE/607707191/1084 5/6)

Accenture’s annual Global Media Content Survey indicated media executives are determined to focus on new platforms to drive growth in advertising, film, music, publishing, radio, the internet, videogames and television. When asked to identify the largest drivers of revenue growth over the next five years, two-thirds (66%) of respondents cited new platforms or new ways of delivering content. And nearly two-thirds (63%) of respondents said they will pursue a “multi-screen” distribution strategy, which includes television, online and mobile delivery. (Cynopsis 5/7)