Turner made a surprise appearance on stage during a speech by AOL Time Warner chief executive Richard Parsons. Turner stepped out from behind the shiny curtain, grabbed a microphone and belted out, "Watch out Bill Gates and Microsoft -- here we come!" Turner then slapped Parsons a high-five before disappearing behind the curtain. Although they share a competitive spirit, Turner and Case did not share the stage. The chief executive did appear onstage with comedian Dana Carvey to highlight AOL 8.0's many new features: An exuberant Case joked with Carvey during his presentation and at one point shook his backside to the audience during Carvey's well-known "Hans and Franz" routine. "AOL rocks!" Case screamed. Case focused much of his attention on AOL members and the various online communities that have sprung up on the service. Case and other AOL executives attending the event emphasised the service's community feel and member satisfaction. Case described AOL 8.0 as "a return to spirit -- that sense of passion that has driven AOL over the years". Tuesday's event was hosted by Carvey and featured a musical performance by pop singer Alanis Morissette. It also showcased the 2,000 or so AOL members in attendance to highlight the power of AOL's online communities. As part of the glitzy launch, AOL will begin a multimillion-dollar television and print advertising campaign to highlight version 8.0's new features. The company will also begin its massive direct-marketing campaign by distributing millions of CD-ROMs carrying software for the service to more than 65,000 retail outlets, 660 chains and other locations across the US, including Target, Office Depot, Circuit City and United States Post Office. AOL is also getting creative with the soon-to-be ubiquitous CD-ROMs. The company will distribute specialty discs designed by celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Enrique Iglesias, Donna Karan and basketball player Magic Johnson.
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