Ypulse Essentials: 'Wizarding World' Opens, BrosIcingBros.com Shuttered, Email Is Dead?

‘Wizarding World’ opens for business (to the delight of Harry Potter fans everywhere.. and the struggling theme park industry in Orlando) (USA Today) (Christian Science Monitor)

- Smirnoff pulls plug on BrosIcingBros.com (And the six most insanely misguided attempts at viral marketing) (MediaPost, reg. required) (Cracked)

- Kiddix (a kid-friendly operating system, appeals to skeptical parents with a “Pay What You Want” promotion. While tween virtual world Woozworld goes for convenience, partnering with Zong to add a mobile payment option. And BillMyParents secures ties to the action sports space signing deals with three major retailers) (TechCrunch)

- Sugary sports drinks (come under fire in California schools. Speaking of contraband.. the New York Times, reg. required, opens a debate over parental accountability for underage drinking) (Los Angeles Times)

- Email is “probably going away” (with this generation of teens says Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. I say wait for college. And over on Fast Company, a more scientific analysis of the “email is dead” claims. Also a nice recap of Anastasia’s recent keynote on Totally Wired Teens at the Nassau CAP Conference) (Huffington Post) (Manhasset Press)

- Is intergenerational appeal (the key to success for ABC Family runaway hit “The Secret Life of the American Teenager”) (Mediapost, reg. required)

- Boy Scouts and MIT introduce the new Inventing Merit Badge (to “encourage Scouts to be inventive and solve real-world problems” And Nickelodeon Fit is the first fitness video game designed for kids) (Gamasutra)

- Best friends forever no more? (New York Times, reg. required, on school officials disapproving exclusive “best-friend” relationships because of concerns about cliques and bullying)

- New trailers out for “Smurfs” (and “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.” Also MTV News talks to director Edgar Wright about collaborating with “Scott Pilgrim” creator Bryan Lee O’Malley) (Pop Candy) (MTV News)

- Toshiba teams with Dark Horse comics, USA Today (to target the young Comic-Con crowd. While Disney will continue to push marketing power behind the boys) (MediaPost, reg. required) (Playthings)

- Huffington Post celebrates Neither This Nor That (for reflecting the American Muslim experience in YA literature. And in what could be a divisive casting move, Miley will star in the upcoming adaptation of Lisa McMann’s YA thriller Wake) (Cinematical)