Top stories: China buffs its image; Apple buys LaLa; video game actors gripe

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Our reporter in Beijing, David Pierson, writes that China has launched its first global ad campaign to burnish an image marred by recalls of toxic toys, poison pet food and other products. As China faces rising trade barriers for its exports, the commercial portrays satisfied consumers enjoying Chinese-made goods, and touts the notion that China’s manufacturing prowess benefits nations around the globe.

Read the story here.
And watch the commercial here.

What’s behind Apple’s purchase of LaLa.com? If you think it’s because Apple is positioning itself to offer a subscription music service, based on LaLa’s streaming technology, you’re probably wrong, Jon Healey writes.

Read his blog post here.

Many video game actors are concerned that their pay for voice work isn’t keeping pace with the industry’s breakneck growth. They want a bigger cut of industry revenue, which has more than doubled in the U.S. since 2005, to $21 billion in 2008 -- about twice the amount of movie ticket sales in Canada and the U.S.

The concerns have fueled a standoff between video game companies and the Screen Actors Guild, whose members recently rejected a proposed contract that covers voice work in the video game industry.

Read the story by Richard Verrier and Ben Fritz here.

-- Pat Benson

Upper photo: The apple logo on a building. Credit: Associated Press.

Lower photo: A voice actor makes character sounds. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times