Hollywood Reporter Article: Magic Mike Homoerotic Undertones Part Of Marketing To Attract Gay Male Community!!
11:57 AM PDT 6/26/2012 by Pamela McClintock
Warner Bros. paid for a “Magic Mike” float in the West Hollywood gay pride parade, while female fans of “Fifty Shades of Grey” are going gaga for the male striptease dramedy.
From gay pride promotions in six cities to piggybacking on the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon, Warner Bros.’ marketing campaign for Magic Mike has relied on unconventional means to whip up interest in the male striptease dramedy.
So far, it seems to be working. Many box office observers say they won’t be surprised if the film, directed by Steven Soderbergh, overperforms when opening at the domestic box office on June 28, much as Warners’ big screen adaptation of Sex and the City far exceeded expectations on the strength of females.
PHOTOS: From ‘Showgirls’ to ‘Magic Mike’: Your Guide to 50 Years of Stripper-Themed Movies
And, also like Sex and the City, Magic Mike has sparked heated interest in the gay community, thanks to the buff and scantily clad cast, including Channing Tatum (the movie is loosely based on his days stripping), Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyferand Joe Manganiello.
Warners has aggressively gone after this demo, paying for a Magic Mike float in the West Hollywood gay pride parade earlier in June and doing gay pride promotions at similar events in five other markets, including San Francisco and New York.
Enlisting the help of the Karpel Group, which specializes in marketing to the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community, Warners helped secure features in the leading gay press. Manganiello appeared on the cover of Out Magazine, whileThe Advocate published a piece on McConaughey.
Gay moviegoers can certainly move the box office needle, but it is females who will fuel most of Magic Mike’s earnings.
Initially, Warners found there was trepidation among grown women about openly embracing a movie about male strippers. Tatum in particular has became a leading star in terms of romantic dramas, but now, his female fans are being asked to accept him in an entirely different role.
Everything changed this spring when Fifty Shades of Grey burst onto the scene. The novel, which is being adapted into a feature by Focus and Universal, suddenly made it okay for women, and moms, to talk more openly about their sexuality.
PHOTOS: ‘Magic Mike’ LAFF Premiere
“The timing couldn’t have been better,” says Warner Bros. president of worldwide marketing Sue Kroll. “When you have the Today show covering Fifty Shades of Grey, that’s as mainstream as it gets. You can never plan for a cultural phenomenon like this.”
The heart of Warners’ female-targeted campaign has centered on encouraging females of all ages to do something for themselves and go and see Magic Mike with their friends. The push seems to be working. Interest is keen among females both under and over the age of 25, according to pre-release tracking.
And Magic Mike has generated a huge conversation on social media (Warners has made an enormouse push online in marketing the film). Research firm Fizziology says three percent of the conversation about the movie also mentions Fifty Shades of Grey, and that many of those commenting are moms.
“Anytime you see two or three percent, you are seeing a trend, says Fizziology COO Jen Handley, who founded the company with Ben Carlson. “And I’m surprised by just how bawdy the conversation, considering this is an audience that tends to be more reserved. They are just putting it all out there.”
Carlson adds: “In our three years, I don’t think we’ve seen a conversation about a movie that has been this explicit and sexual in nature.”
Online ticket service Fandango reported on Tuesday that Magic Mike is already generating 36 precent of all pre-sale business, a sure sign that females are making set plans to see the film (there also was big pre-sale business for Sex and the City).
Blind Gossip Reveals Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes Fake Marriage Is Over She Is No Longer His Beard!!!
The Five Year Mark
SOLVED!
[BlindGossip] They have passed the five-year point, so the marriage is over! They are living separately, their public appearances as a couple are down to once or twice a month (tops), and any time together is as much about keeping the child/ren connected to the whole family as it is to be seen together for the paparazzi.
Here’s the timing for the announcement of the split: He has two big projects this year. She has already agreed to chip in and help promote the first project with red carpet appearances and positive interview mentions. If that occurs (and we believe it will), the official split will be announced during the summer lull. If she takes an additional payout and waits until after the second release, the announcement will be made approximately New Years 2013.
SOLVED!
It’s Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes! Source: BlindGossip.com
The situation is exactly as we described to you back in April 2012:
1. The five-year contract is up
2. They were already living separately
3. Their public appearances were down to once or twice a month
4. The timing of the announcement is taking place after they have finished promoting the first big project (Rock of Ages)
5. The timing of the announcement is during the summer lull (Announcing on a Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend is also a nice touch)
She rejected the additional payout to stick around for the promotions for Jack Reacher. Katie Holmes is out of there!
Milos Raonic Loses In Second Round Of Wimbledon Is He The Real Deal Or Just Canadian Media Hype?
I am not surprised that Milos Raonic lost to Sam Querrey in the second round of Wimbledon because I knew it was going to be a tough match. Querrey defeated Raonic 6-7 7-6 7-6 6-4. On paper, Raonic was the favourite because he’s ranked number 21 and Queerey is ranked 64th. However, Querrey is a former top twenty player and he’s coming back from an elbow injury.
This is a terrible result because Rafael Nadal lost yesterday and the door was open for Raonic to do some damage at Wimbledon. Raonic was supposed to reach the fourth round at least and he already has beaten Andy Murray. Since Raonic is the twenty first seed losing in the second round just proves he has a long way to go before he can be considered a contender at a grand slam. Raonic has won three small events in his career but he hasn’t demonstrated that he is ready to take the next big step.
The question has to be asked is Milos Raonic just Canadian media hype? Are Canadians expecting too much from Raonic? In Canada, we have never had a male tennis player ranked in the top twenty five. I understand the excitement of having a talented young Canadian male player competing for Canada. However, Raonic isn’t even ranked in the ATP top twenty he’s currently ranked number twenty one. Raonic hasn’t beaten the big three Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer. Raonic lost to Federer three times this year in in three set matches. Raonic is close but he still needs a lot of improvement in his game before the Canadian press should call this young man a contender.
How can Raonic be a contender to win Wimbledon when the kid isn’t even ranked in the top ten? I believe Raonic is too nice, too soft, too Canadian. After Raonic lost to Querrey he’s smiling and having a conversation with him. Why is Raonic smiling he just lost the match no need to smile. Where is the bitterness and the anger? Where is the rage? Raonic should be furious at himself for not coming through with the victory.
Milos is an attractive, intelligent young man and he’s very thoughtful but I am not sure if he has the killer instinct? Raonic seems to want to be liked by his peers on the ATP Tour the question is why? The professional tennis tour is competitive, but I am not sure if Raonic has that intense desire to become a champion? I am not saying Raonic needs to be rude but I think he needs to distance himself from the other players emotionally.
Raonic has never reached the quarterfinals of a grand slam event and he hasn’t won a Masters series title. The Canadian media are obsessed with Raonic’s big serve which is a weapon. Raonic also has a powerful forehand and he volleys very well.
However, a closer inspection of Raonic’s game reveals some weaknesses. First, Raonic’s backhand is a weakness and the other men on the ATP Tour have figured it out. Raonic has an excellent slice backhand but his two handed backhand he makes a lot of errors off of it. Raonic tends to hit his two handed backhand into the net a lot. Second, Raonic also has a poor break point conversion rate he doesn’t break serve enough. Raonic can hold his serve which is very important but he has difficulty breaking his opponent’s serve.
A lot of Raonic’s matches have 7-6 scores because he’s not breaking serve enough and hoping to win the set in a tiebreaker. In order for Raonic to reach the top ten he needs to break his opponent’s serve. Raonic’s coach Galo Blanco need to help Raonic realize he’s got to improve his return game if he wants to become a champion.
Raonic only broke Querrey’s serve once despite having five opportunities to break his serve.
Third, Raonic’s movement isn’t the best he moves okay for a six foot five man but he isn’t quick. Raonic needs to improve his movement on the court.
Fourth, I think the Canadian media is to blame because the expectations are simply too high for Raonic. He is only twenty one years of age he needs more time to mature mentally and physically into his body. Finally, I think Raonic needs to improve his fitness he’s skinny but he needs some definition on his body he seems rather fragile. Raonic doesn’t have the ripped abs and muscles like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Also, if Raonic was more physically fit he wouldn’t get tired in his tennis matches.
Gayblackcanada 