"Hero" Of The Day: Coaches Initially Hesitant About Videogame Ad
Metallica "loved the idea" of having college basketball coaches Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Rick Pitino (Louisville), Roy Williams (North Carolina) and former coach and current ESPN analyst Bob Knight appear in an ad for Activision's "Guitar Hero: Metallica" videogame, but Ron Mohrhoff, who produced the ad, said that the coaches were a "little reluctant at first," according to Roger Van Der Horst of the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER. Mohrhoff said that the coaches "'didn't want to be portrayed as over the hill' or made to look foolish 'standing there in their underwear.'" But he added the coaches in fact "had a blast" at the shoot. Mohrhoff said that the ad "took four days to shoot -- two in Raleigh for the coaches, one in the San Francisco area for the band and one for the living room set to be shot in Los Angeles." The coaches filmed their scenes separately, and Williams said that they "probably would have had more fun together." Williams: "If you'd had all four of us there at the same time, it would probably have taken 30 days to do a 20-second commercial, because it would have been so hard to get all of us to do exactly the right thing at the same time" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 3/31).
STRANGE BANDMATES: ROLLINGSTONE.com's Daniel Kreps wrote the "juxtaposition of college coaches and heavy metal icons make for the strangest pairing ever in a commercial." But "we can watch Rick Pitino cluelessly play drums with only one hand all day" (ROLLINGSTONE.com, 3/30). ESPN's Jim Rome said, "Metallica has to be wondering, ‘Who scheduled this stop on the ‘Death Magnetic Tour.’ Do you think anybody in that band can name more than one of the coaches in that spot? Better yet, can any of the coaches name even one guy in that band or even one song?" ("Jim Rome Is Burning," ESPN, 3/30). ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser: “This is a great ad. … What bothered me about the ad was that I recognized (the coaches), but I didn’t recognize Metallica” ("PTI," ESPN, 3/30). Rome said on his syndicated radio show, "Coach K might be waiting for the release of ‘Guitar Hero: The Air Supply Edition.’ This he can handle.” However, he added, "You’ve got to give them this: It’s amazing the sort of guys they get to do this. ... They get everybody: supermodels, iconic NBA stars, (HOF) coaches" ("The Jim Rome Show," 3/30).
THUMBS DOWN: In Philadelphia, John Gonzalez writes the commercial is "every bit as disturbing as it sounds." Gonzalez: "The commercial left me with two nagging questions: Is there any advertising agency that hasn't used the clichéd 'Risky Business' adaptation? And if seeing Coach K in his underwear makes me go blind, can I sue?" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 3/31). ESPN's Rome said, "I like it, except for Krzyzewski rolling out in his drawers. You can file that under, ‘Things you can’t un-see.’ Good luck un-ringing that bell" ("Jim Rome Is Burning," ESPN, 3/30). In Long Beach, Frank Burlison writes the ad is "bizarre." Burlison: "Guys, did you do it for the money, or on a dare?" (Long Beach PRESS-TELEGRAM, 3/31). Author John Feinstein: “Bob Knight in underwear is funny? … It just shows that these coaches will do anything for a buck” (“Washington Post Live,” CSN Mid-Atlantic, 3/30).
ORIGINAL ROCKER: Lakers G Kobe Bryant appeared in an ad last year for "Guitar Hero World Tour" along with Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps and skateboarder Tony Hawk, and Bryant said, "To me, that was just fun. Honestly, that's what we do at home. It was really easy for me to go up there and just do that. I basically just had to act like I was at home with my wife and kids." He added of his public image compared to five years ago, "We did make a change, an adjustment. We wanted to allow people to see who I truly am as a person and not let them be influenced by their perceptions" (USA TODAY, 3/31).
|
