Last week in Vancouver, British Columbia, special guest lead singer JD Fortune and INXS rocked the BC Place Stadium Wednesday evening during the band’s sold out Vancouver Olympic Victory Ceremony concert.

Fortune, wearing Delite sunglasses by Kaenon Polarized delivered a gold medal-worthy performance, ending with the enthusiastic crowd’s demand for an encore, the first and only time of the Olympic concert series. From the moment he hit the stage, JD mesmerized the audience with his larger than life stage presence and vocal performance. Highlights of the night were Canadian #1 single “Pretty Vegas,” which Fortune co-wrote, and a heartfelt version of the ballad “Beautiful Girl.” The concert was the first time Fortune performed with INXS since their “Switch” world tour in 2007.

“I was so honored to perform at the Olympics with INXS here in my home country, and I am overwhelmed by the fan support pouring in from all over the globe,” Fortune said.

Fortune also wrote and recorded The Death of a Motivational Speaker–a collection of songs that began as an idea for a solo concept album. Instead, it evolved into an ongoing artistic event of audio, video and interaction shared directly with his fans via his website. This new entertainment business model has proven an overwhelming success as evidenced by the millions of hits on the site.

One of Fortune’s songs, One More Day, (Election Day) will be featured in promotional spots for the new CBS prime time drama from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Miami Medical, which premiers Friday, April 2 at 10/9c.

Her much-hyped Go Daddy commercials have begun to be leaked online and are creating quite the stir. Danica stars as a trio of iconic movie women—a brunette Marilyn Monroe, a “Flashdance”-era Jennifer Beal, and a “Weird Science” siren Kelly LeBrock.  These commercials are getting crazy pre-game buzz, to see the first, check it out here.

Word on the street is also that Danica will be making her prime time television drama debut as a guest star on CSI: NY on CBS. The show will air on February 18^th and features Danica Patrick and Antonio Sabato Jr. playing Formula race car drivers who get into an explosive car crash during an expedition race through New York City.

And, all of this is leading up to her debut of yet another sort—the IndyCar star who recently announced she will be dipping a toe into NASCAR, signed a two-year deal with JRM last month. Danica Patrick will make twelve or thirteen NASCAR starts in each of the next two seasons, trying to conflict as little as possible with her open-wheel schedule. As of now, her debut is still slated for this year’s second Nationwide event, at Auto Club Speedway in Southern California.

We can’t wait!

Upcoming race: February 13th ARCA series in Daytona – this will be her stock car debut!

Last Saturday night, Sublime with lead singer Rome took the stage at 8:00pm at the 20th KROQ Acoustic Christmas concert as a surprise guest.  No introduction.  Just 30 minutes of Sublime’s past hits along with a new song sprinkled in for good measure.  The band includes 2 of the 3 founding Sublime members along with new lead singer Rome Ramirez (Arlo Matte Black Rx clear lens) and Todd Forman on horns and keyboards (Burnet Havana Rx clear lens).  KROQ’s blog may have summed it up best:  8:19 PM: Never thought you’d see the day Sublime would take the stage again?  We never lost faith.  “Love’s what I got, Don’t start a riot, you’ll feel it when the dance gets hot… We’re burnin up in here.”

Nice Surprise! We just noticed ads for the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie, The Squeakquel, featuring Kaenon Polarized’s semi-rimless metal sunglass frame – Spindle S3 – in their huge national print and outdoor promotion campaign!  Opening nationwide on December 23rd just in time for the hoards of holiday movie-goers, you’ll see the film promoted everywhere over the coming weeks–on billboards, bus wraps, print and film promotions across the country with Simon sporting S3. Click here to view the trailer: http://www.munkyourself.com/

Drummer, Bud Gaugh, took his place on stage wearing Gauge Black G12. Lead singer, Rome, lead the crowd through the Sublime set while wearing clear lenses in Beacon Black. Read the full article in Rolling Stone Magazine.

Below are links to live recordings at the World Famous KROQ studios in Los Angeles. Bud in Jetty Matte Black and Rome in his clear lens Beacons.

In and amongst the music fans, celebrities and paparazzi, Kaenon Polarized was actively reaching out to introduce the brand’s premium polarized eyewear to new customers and to reinforce the brand’s relationship with a loyal and rapidly growing clientele.

At this year’s Outside Lands, Kaenon Polarized eyewear adorned diverse talent including members of headliners Dave Matthews Band, Incubus, Pearl Jam, Tenacious D, Modest Mouse and M.I.A., as well as other artists such as Zee Avi, Brett Dennen, West Indian Girl, Cage the Elephant, JJ Grey and Mofro, Mastodon, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, The Duke Spirit, Dengue Fever and many more. While some musicians were all about the fashion and style and what would look best on stage, others couldn’t wait to try them out in their sports of interest. Artists like JJ Grey (Jetty C12) and Brett Dennen (Burny C12) selected Kaenon styles with our SR-91 lenses in Copper to better enhance their love for fly fishing. Regardless of motivation, one common theme resonated with festival goers and musicians alike and that was the clarity and comfort provided by their Kaenon sunglasses.

Moreover, the positive outreach enjoyed at the event lingers with festival goers and Kaenon consumers long after the music has stopped. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements regarding where and when Kaenon Polarized can be seen at the next music celebration.

Another great write up featured on MTV.com

One of the products that came in handy in the abnormally hot sun (for San Francisco, at least) were Kaenon Polarized sunglasses. We spotted artists all weekend rocking these shades, including members of Mastodon and Cage the Elephant. Originally developed for sailing and ocean sports, the polarizing lenses translate well to the bright summer days of the festival season. Thankfully the folks at Kaenon boasted enough styles to satisfy all of the varying tastes within a band, dodging any potential breakups over the weekend. Plus, all of the sunglasses came in a nifty little carrying case with a custom Outside Lands logo.

At this year’s festivals, the list of Kaenon supporters has included: members of Phish – Mike Gordon, Page McConnell, Jon Fishman; Bill Kreutzmann of The Dead; String Cheese Incident; Brett Dennen; Soulive; Matisyahu; Flogging Molly; Ben Harper; Gabriela y Rodrigo; Erykah Badu; The Decemberists; Keller Williams; Robert F. Kennedy, Jr (yes, the environmentalist who is fighting to save the world’s waterways – and an avid fisherman); members of The Daily Show Team – John Oliver, Wyatt Cenac, Kristen Schaal; FUSE TV host – Steven Smith; Grace Potter; MGMT; Citizen Cope; Passion Pit; Andrew Bird; Santigold; The Dillinger Escape Plan and many, many more.

Every year in June for the past 8 years, 80,000 festival goers from all over return to a small farm in Manchester, TN for an annual music pilgrimage known simply as Bonnaroo. This unique 4-day music festival features a diverse collection of over 150 artists showcasing their talents on 8 different stages.

Three weeks later, over the 4th of July weekend, Kaenon Polarized also made a strong presence among 40,000 festival attendees and artists alike at Rothbury. Similar to Bonnaroo in the musical festival aspect, Rothbury differs in that it’s a more intimate setting, nestled on a ranch in Rothbury, Michigan. Featuring headliners such as Bob Dylan, The Dead, Willie Nelson, Damian Marley “Jr. Gong” & Nas, The Black Crowes, along with fan favorites such as Umphreys McGee, The Disco Biscuits, Matisyahu and Girl Talk. Below are just a few shots of Kaenon in action.

Next up is Outside Lands in San Francisco, August 28-29, 2009. Hope to see you there!

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Danica Patrick Bikini Shoot – FOR SHAPE MAGAZINE – ON RACKS NOW
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/04/exclusive-video-danica-patrick-bikini-shoot

While some people walked out sporting new shades from Kaenon and happy feet wearing Olukai sandals, others loaded up new SUP boards, board shorts and apparel from Hinano. The biggest winners of the day were those who walked out with new owners, eagerly awaiting the short journey to their new homes. Seventeen dogs were adopted at the event and 3 more found new homes on Sunday, with some already making it on Facebook as the newest addition to the family.

The best part was how much FUN it appeared everyone was having at the event.  The day was long, but it went very quickly.  It is incredibly rewarding to meet our customers in person and share an experience such as this, where together we can help others in our community. Lastly, congrats to all of the raffle ticket winners. Brad stopped by Monday to pick up his prize!

Many thanks to all our co-sponsors and everyone who stopped by to partake in the festivities, we can’t wait to do this again next year!

Just a few shots from the Kaenon Polarized Yacht Party…stay tuned for more images and highlights!
 
Guests enjoyed music, sunglass fittings and getting up close and personal with several of Kaenon’s Professional Athletes, including Long Beach Grand Prix racer Danica Patrick.

Danica Patrick, IndyCar Racer and Jamie Sterling, Big Wave Pro Surfer

Arie Luyendyk, Jr. and Versus commentator Lindy Thackston stop for a photo with Steve Rosenberg

Bev Patrick and Danica Patrick try on the latest styles, many of which were inspired by Danica

Top Deck – where many on board went for refreshments and fresh views of Long Beach Harbor

Ryan Briscoe, Steve Rosenberg and Taryn Owens

Guests were lining up to try on some of the new colors unveiled during the party

Aft view of the party

Serving up more than new styles

Jamie Sterling and Steve Rosenberg

Last week we added Kaenon Polarized hats and t-shirts to our online store and not a moment too soon.  As 23 year old star of the CW hit Gossip Girl, Chace Crawford sets the hearts of young fans everywhere a twitter. Hat or no hat, this Hollywood heart throb has caught the attention of more than just teen age girls.  Adorning the likes of celebs and professional athletes alike, Kaenon’s hats are have been in high demand. Simple, functional and stylish, they are quickly becoming a must have item.  To order yours, check out our Kaenon apparel section.

ESPN Host Trey Wingo wore Burny and analysts and former Super Bowl winners Mark Schlereth (Segment Gold C12) and Marcellus Wiley (Spindle S2) showed some love on the most famous sports network in the world. Click here to watch a clip.

Super Bowl – Where the commercials are as important as the Game itself
Mega growth domain name company Go Daddy.com bought 2 Super Bowl ads and used both to showcase Kaenon Polarized race car driver Danica Patrick. Portrayed in a shower in the first ad, she wasn’t wearing any Kaenon’s here – but then again – she wasn’t wearing anything! Ad #2 showed a court room with other “enhanced” beautiess. In typical Go Daddy form, using sex appeal and a play on words to drive Danica’s Q rating even higher. While Kaenon’s weren’t part of the commercials, Danica represented Kaenon Polarized in typical style last weekend at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

Spotted in Colorado by In Touch Magazine last week, Spanish actor and singer Antonio Banderas was seen wearing Kaenon Polarized Hard Kore while walking with his daughter Stella around Aspen’s Buttermilk Resort. Banderas has appeared in several major Hollywood releases, including Evita, Interview with the Vampire, Philadelphia, Desperado, The Mask of Zorro, the Spy Kids trilogy, and the Shrek sequels.

Everybody loves Kaenon, er, Raymond.

Hi-gloss magazine Vegas Golfer features this shot of Ray Romano wearing Hard Kore as he participates in the 7th Annual Joe Pesci Celebrity Skins Game to benefit the Saint Barnabas Health Care System at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ. Romano, best known for his role in the long running sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, is an Emmy Award winning actor who clearly doesn’t compromise – on the screen, or off.