Patriots QB Tom Brady said that the shoot he did for a viral Under Armour video that appeared on Funny or Die “had the feel of ‘Saturday Night Live,’ where he has appeared multiple times.” Brady: "There's a lot of ad-libbing that goes on." The WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Vranica & Jannarone noted Brady was “noncommittal” when asked if he wants to make more comedy videos. Brady: "I'm glad football season is starting in a few months so I can do what I really like doing." Funny Or Die, whose backers “include venture capital firm Sequoia Capital and Creative Artists Agency, holds appeal for marketers partly because it has a sizable audience.” comScore found that the site had “eight million monthly unique visitors” in April, making it “the biggest comedy video site.” But “too much success could undermine Funny or Die's business model, which is based on paying actors little or nothing” (WSJ.com, 6/10).
TIME FLIES: In London, Mike Dickson reports tennis player Andy Murray is “expected to sign up to a watch company this week.” An “interesting little sideshow after the moment of victory is to see tennis players put on their sponsored watches immediately after matches.” Maria Sharapova “gesticulated to her support team to get her a watch moments after winning the French Open” (London DAILY MAIL, 6/11).
DRINK TO THIS: In New Orleans, DiAngelea Miller noted H&B Beverages co-Founder Brian Brothers’ research “led to the development of a new sports drink, EX5, which Brothers created using a flavor-enhancing compound" developed by LSU. The drink “has 8 grams of sugar, compared with Powerade, which has 34.” H&B Beverages execs “teamed up with Budweiser to distribute their sports drink originally in Baton Rouge, and then expanded to other areas throughout Louisiana.” Bottles of EX5 “hit local store shelves this spring” (NOLA.com, 6/10).
