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Movies, music, electronics -- there isn't a whole lot that Japanese electronics and entertainment conglomerate Sony (NYSE: SNE) doesn't do. And to the list of things that it does do, you can add "report fiscal 2007 earnings." They're due tomorrow morning.

When Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) sells you a computer, it comes loaded with Mac OS X -- and that's simply a very pretty version of Unix.

Whoever said you can never have too much money apparently never met Citigroup (NYSE: C).

After years of growing into a global powerhouse that planted its foot in everything from credit cards to investment banking, Citigroup has become too big for its britches. Following months of agonizing losses and share dilutions that made investors want to pull their hair out, CEO Vikram Pandit thinks he knows what it will take to get Citi pretty again: a $400 billion diet.

I'm amazed at the general lack of concern about rampaging energy prices' far-reaching effects on our economy. As last week wrapped up, FedEx (NYSE: FDX), one of the companies generally pegged as an economic barometer, raised another cautionary flag regarding fuel costs' impact on its operating results.

How did Apple do it?

My son asked me for an iPod for his birthday. I figured he really meant that he wanted an MP3 player of any type, and I asked him if he wanted to try the simple, utilitarian MP3 players from Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG). "Oh, no, Dad," he said in response. "It has to be an iPod."

It's becoming a thrill a minute at Cablevision (NYSE: CVC), the Long Island-based cable and entertainment company, which soon will morph into a cable, entertainment, and publishing concern.

By Matthew Reilly

Many people enjoy a glass of beer now and then. But I don't think that anyone, except maybe an aspiring carny trying to impress David Hasselhoff and Jerry Springer on America's Got Talent, would enjoy glass in their beer.

By Timothy M. Otte:

Consumer products giant Unilever plc (NYSE: UL) reported a whopping 39% increase in earnings per share, to $0.68 for the first quarter of 2008. But before you get too excited about the results, it pays to dig a little deeper.

What's the antidote to spiraling fuel costs?

How about carjacking some wheels and taking a joyride on someone else's gas tank? Better yet, why not do it virtually from your home to make sure that only your cartoon persona risks getting arrested?

If this is XM Satellite Radio 's (Nasdaq: XMSR) last quarter as a stand-alone company, we can't say the company went out with a bang.

So once again, educational-software specialist Blackboard (Nasdaq: BBBB) has beaten guidance -- this time, its own. Let's check in with CEO Michael Chasen for his thoughts on the quarter: "We had strong financial results to begin 2008, with our revenue and earnings significantly beating our original guidance [thanks to] ... continued strong growth in our licensing and managed hosting sales and ... better-than-expected results from our acquisition of The NTI Group."

Speech recognition specialist and Motley Fool Hidden Gems recommendation Nuance Communications (Nasdaq: NUAN) will report its fiscal second-quarter results after the bell on Monday. Listen up, because here is what's on tap.

When I was a youngster, I remember seeing a book by the late comedian Alan King, with a cover photo of a broken fortune cookie. The book's title: Help! I'm a Prisoner in a Chinese Bakery.