The New York Times Book Review section this week features a big two-page ad for the Penguin Classics/ NBA cross-promotion. This involves a handful (well, four– a shop-teacher handful) of NBA/ WNBA stars promoting books in the Penguin line, the best of the lot being Dwyane Wade talking about Pride and Prejudice. You can get poster versions of the ads from the site, featuring tasteful black-and-white shots of the players reading their chosen books.
Of course, it looks sort of like they’re promoting new editions of the books read by the players, a cross-marketing opportunity that, alas, still exists only in film, where David St. Hubbins is listening to “Washington Irving read by somebody named ‘Dr. J.'”
This probably goes a long way toward explaining why that’s not what they’re promoting, actually…
I’m still waiting for the Adam Morrison edition of Beloved. And The Iceman Cometh, read by Shaq.
I always thought that was brilliant. What makes it such effective satire is the moments after you laugh, as it dawns on you that it’s sadly believable…