It seems like Oz: The Great and Powerful is gearing up to be quite a flick. This is a prequel to the much beloved Judy Garland classic from 1939. It takes place years prior to Dorthy and Toto’s arrival, this time focusing on the arrival ‘the Wizard’; James Franco. I’m a big fan of Franco, and I can’t wait to see him in his portrayal of the Wizard, as he arrives in the land of Oz. His character is described as such:
“a fast-talking snake oil salesman and illusionist who flees a traveling circus and winds up whisked away in a hot air balloon by a tornado to Oz where he must face off against real magic and the sisters battling for control of the land.”
Yesterday I was perusing a colleague’s blog and noticed a video she had posted that was simply titled “Top Spin 4“. It had a screen shot of an attractive woman’s behind with the play button overlaying it. Me being a typical guy instantly clicked the video to watch. (What guy wouldn’t?)
It took me a minute to realize the woman starring in it was Serena Williams, because I’ve never thought she was very attractive to begin with; or maybe that was her sister Venus. Either way Serena was looking good in this now controversial video, so take a minute to check it out. Seriously though, the video is one minute long:
Here is Yahoo Sport’s take on it:
The 60-second spot for “Top Spin 4” features a scantily-clad Serena playing the new video game against an actress wearing even less clothing. The matchup is billed as “the world’s sexiest tennis player” against “the world’s sexiest tennis gamer.” There are shots of nearly bare bottoms, unseemly facial expressions and lots of cleavage, accompanied by a thumping techno beat and suggestive moaning. At the end of the ad, Williams asks breathily, “You realize this is a fantasy, right?”
Was the video super sexy? Yes. Was I offended by anything in it? No. Was their outrage over this commercial? Apparently there was, but that depends on your point of view. I’m not sure who out there was complaining about it, or who deemed it too sexy, but I would assume a lot of women see it as objectifying them. There were probably groups with no stake in it complaining like the NAACP or the NRA. Maybe PETA was offended by the leather booty shorts she was wearing, or that her fishnet stockings were offensive to fish.
I did enjoy the irony of the ‘E for Everyone’ rating that showed up before the sex charged commercial.
2k sports has come out to say:
“As part of the process for creating marketing campaigns to support our titles, we pursue a variety of creative avenues, this video is not part of the title’s final marketing campaign and its distribution was unauthorized.”
But one has to wonder if that’s the truth. A lot of time and money obviously went into making the commercial, and it looked pretty final to me. Even amidst the flurry of “outrage” Serena Williams has twittered how she is proud of the video, and how it turned out. I say more power to her.
I can’t figure out why people in this great country of ours get so offended by things like this. If it was Derek Jeter swinging a bat in his underwear and grunting suggestively, would there be an uproar? (Hoepfully that never happens.) What was 2k sports going for with this ad? Was it intended to be leaked like some sort of celebrity sex tape to garner a viral buzz about their new tennis game? Maybe, and if it was then mission accomplished. What the hell, I might even watch a little tennis this summer.
And by the way, Serena Williams is not the sexiest tennis player in the world. This is:
Caroline Wozniacki
Sincere apologies if this offended or outraged anyone. I apologize you have a stick up your ass.
It’s here! The newest Green Lantern event! I’m hoping this one is at least almost as good as Blackest Night, and on par with the Sinestro Corps War. And let me tell ya, the first part did not disappoint. Not one bit! In the prologue for War of the Green Lanterns we learn that Krona, a member of the Guardians’ species, and antagonist of the story, was once to be inducted onto the council of the Guardians. And he might still be there if not for his insistence that emotion is a necessary part of being a Guardian, and life for that matter. Because of this he draws the ire of the council and is arrested. It was unclear if he escaped, but the ring leader’s of each emotion are shown visions of Krona’s past where he reprogrammed the Manhunters to turn on the Guardians, and annihilate a whole sector. This sector as it turns out was the homeworld of Atrocitus, the leader of the Red Lanterns who vows vengeance against Krona and those who stand in his way.
Grizzly Bomb 