Retired UNC-Chapel Hill men's basketball coach Dean Smith, who once coached Nike Jesus Michael Jordan, has spent a huge part of his life looking up to black guys. Thus, it makes perfect sense that he's come out in support of Barack Obama's bid for POTUS.
CONTINUED »
So Whitney, your fearless associate editor, and Michael Phelps, America's latest obsession, gathered in the same room last night and nobody died. That, in itself, is a victory. Nobody got engaged either, which is a slight failure, but the entire evening was one of the best nights of my life, so I'm not sad. Well, maybe a little.
To kick off the evening, my plus one and I arrived at Bowlmor Lanes to celebrate the bowling alley's 70th anniversary. Colie, some washed-up former Real World-er, was taking names at the door and herded us upstairs to the fifth floor, where we were handed glasses of champagne and encouraged to eat — and I was in heaven. There was filet mignon, mushroom-stuffed chicken breast, Caesar salad, pasta … and a chocolate fountain. I am, admittedly, a food whore, and this chocolate fountain made my night. I stood in front of it for a good 10 minutes, taking strawberries and dipping and eating them one at a time. The rest of the line had to go around me to get to the dessert tray while my plus one walked across the room because she was embarrassed. I don't blame her.
Sean Avery skated (ugh!) his way into your fantasies playing for the New York Rangers, but you'd never know it from all the summer buzz. Avery "begged" Anna Wintour an internship at her body dysmorphic disorder magazine and the queen relented, as she needed to learn some pro tips on gracefully bodychecking underlings while making impromptu exits.
Now that time has run out on Avery's NY experience, he is cramming in all the Fashion Week activities he can before he moves to Texas to join the Dallas Stars, earn $15.5 million over four years, and never, ever talk about his experience in men's fashion again. Until the press junket for that New Line movie.
So what did his summer as a clothes horse teach him? How to talk like a snotty New Yorker, natch:
CONTINUED »
As Michael Phelps continued to win one gold medal after another before breaking the world record and taking home eight, Speedo and Visa were by his side capitalizing on all the free publicity for its brand. Even Nike turned the injury of China's hurdler Liu Xiang into a marketing opportunity by releasing an ad affirming the company would stand by its endorser. So what did Puma — a sportswear brand focused on speed and style — do when Jamaica's Usain Bolt became the fastest man alive? Absolutely nothing. CONTINUED »
Because Slate just had to find out why more white people aren't winning sprinting medals, the folks there turned to the old argument that West Africans are genetically predisposed to running better than whites.
Michael Phelps won eight gold medals over the weekend, which officially sent the media into a frenzy, dubbing him the greatest athlete of all time and whatnot. It's not really surprising, but after the miraculous finish from Friday night's 100m fly we were admittedly a little nervous.
Know what helps pumps millions into the university athletics umbrella NCAA? The same thing that pumps millions into magazine publishers and criminal defense attorneys: booze! Though the NCAA supposedly has the interests of college athletes in mind as it sucks in huge broadcasting revenues for its games — they've got a $11 billion deal with CBS — they also allowed alcohol sponsors to advertise during games. This upsets some people, like college presidents, who pointed to beer sponsorships during the NCAA men's basketball tournament "embarrassingly prominent." Too bad there's nothing the NCAA can do! Or so it says. CONTINUED »
These shots are for a new Olympic advertising campaign in the U.K. from Powerade, the sports drink owned by the Coca-Cola Company. The spots feature athletes like jumper Phillips Idowu and swimmer Gregor Tait all sorts of naked performing their sport of choice. Says the company's marketing director Cathryn Sleight: "Everyone is used to seeing athletes in competition or winning, but we wanted to give people the chance to see the real make-up of an athlete and their muscle and power, celebrating the body and spirit and the hard work that goes into training for all athletes whatever your level." And also to show that Michael Phelps isn't the only sex symbol who can shill. [DM]
(Click for larger version)
For its fourth season of Hard Knocks, HBO insists it won't give in to the tabloidization of everything in life, and that its sports show about a professional football team during training camp — this season it's the the Dallas Cowboys — won't make much of, say, Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson's relationship. Instead, insists NFL Films president Steve Sabol, "Ninety-five percent of our efforts will be focused on what happens on the field and in the locker room." And don't think that means frontal shots of Terrell Owens.
So why pick a team like the Cowboys, which is rife with gossip page nuances — Romo-Simpson, Vegas stripper shooting personality Adam "Pacman" Jones, larger than life owner Jerry Jones — and not deliver the gossip-y footage? Because, says Sabol, "there is good drama with these characters, and there are arresting personalities from the administration down to the field."
Alas, so many missed opportunities! No chance to see Jones try and negotiate his way back into the NFL. No chance to see Jones try to buy Cowboys.com. And no chance to see Simpson lead Romo around by the hand before throwing him in the back of a SUV and darting off to their separate hotel — to stay out of the team's spotlight — for an evening of tabloid speculation.
Looking to "Ruin Romo" for inspiration, the most asshole-y of Blue Jays fans enjoyed torturing Alex Rodriguez as the Yankees played the Toronto team up north over the weekend. To their credit, they did not use the scariest of all Madonna photos. [Mollygood]
Though it's losing Project Runway to Lifetime, Bravo is still home to the most robust, and formulaic, set of reality shows out there. Top Chef is a runaway hit with legions of fans; Make Me A Supermodel, though featuring the annoying Tyson Beckford and equally plain Nikki Taylor, was a drama-filled vamp-fest; Step It Up & Dance, the So You Think You Can Dance knock off, was decent (we're told); the new season of Shear Genius promises more haircare drama; and Top Design is coming back with new producers.
The format for all these shows goes like this: Line up a trio of industry experts to act as judges (there must be at least one Simon Cowell character); employ an attractive, personable, and mostly vanilla host(s); then roll out casting calls to New York, Los Angeles, and anywhere in between where wannabe actors can mingle with genuine talent in a house where cameras roll 24/7, all in an effort to win a modest cash prize and an industry gig where you won't become too famous to overshadow the next season's cast.
So what are Bravo execs going to do now that nearly every niche — yes, even real estate — have been covered? CONTINUED »
Tommie Smith, the Olympic gold medalist who, along with fellow Olympian John Carlos, staged the Olympics’ most infamous political protest, the iconic image of which can be seen plastered on dorm room walls from coast to coast, has changed his tune about mixing politics and the Olympic Games. International disapproval of the Chinese government has led to numerous protests and threats of protests over the upcoming games in Beijing, but the former track and field medalist says athletes should focus on their events.
According to a study performed by AdAge, "In a survey of 907 people, 37% said they believe it is somewhat or very likely [the National Basketball Associated] rigs its games, and the number jumps to 41% among fans who describe themselves as "casual" or "avid" followers of professional basketball." And that's before the FBI investigation of referee Timothy Donaghy, who was accused of passing along inside information to gamblers. [NYS]
Former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, who once auctioned himself off on a date with two other men, announced his retirement earlier this month. Now, he's headed to out to pasture where many high-profile ex-athletes end up: television sports. He's signed with Fox to be an analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, where he'll be paid to take the shit-talking out of the locker room and into the living room.
To promote justhowclose to the action it gets, and its impressive ratings, ESPN sent media buyers in Asia these "You can't get closer" eyeball packages, created from actual basketballs, footballs (sorry, soccer balls), and baseballs. The direct marketing campaign supposedly drew "extremely positive" reactions from recipients, who promptly kicked the thing down their office stairwells because it kept staring at them.
(Click below for larger version) CONTINUED »
Editorial Director
