Jennifer Aniston kicks Brad Wollack in the groin for Smart Water. SCOOP: Brad tells all

Have you seen the new Smart Water ad yet, featuring Jennifer Aniston? She's made a video that has turned into a virus... I mean, gone viral: http://josiesjuice.blogspot.com/2011/03/jennifer-aniston-sex-tape-smart-water.html

She drew on all the elements of viral success: dancing babies, animals, lip-synching... and a kick to the nuts.

The person who got that coveted role was Brad Wollack, one of the comedians on the Chelsea Lately 'round table'.

And after the taping of one of the Sydney show tapings (see:
http://josiesjuice.blogspot.com/2011/03/rihanna-on-chelsea-lately-sydney-show.html) I cornered him and asked him, well... how his balls were feeling. As you do.

Brad explained to me how the whole thing came together.

"What they do is, they place this thing in your pants. Seriously, it's like this whole contraption they use: it’s a long strap, and there's holes on each end, and you put your feet through them and you string up this thing which pulls your pants away from your genitals. And then there's more padding underneath that, so you have a lot of resitance when it's kicked, so you don't feel it so much."

So, he didn't feel a thing?

"Hmmm, after a few takes, it’s does hurt a bit. She felt badly though. And I was like, 'You can do wharever the hell you want, Jen!'"

Even without protection he would have gone there, I ask Brad?

"I woulda done it in two seconds…!" he says with a laugh.

Before he took on the shoot and when the concept was explained, Brad says, "I was like, how does this happen? There were stunt guys who came along and showed me how to do it… it was such fun."

He adds: "Chelsea [Handler] was my agent on my that! She booked me! I got an email from her that said, 'You’re in a commercial with Jen Aniston, this Friday. You’re welcome.'

And that was that. I was suddenly starring in a commercial with Jennifer Aniston!"

Playboy. Hugh Hefner. Legends.

Hugh Hefner - the founder of Playboy magazine - is a total legend. My declaration may surprise you but I have always been a massive fan of the man and the brand. I believe you can be a feminist and like Playboy.

And now the living legend that is Hugh M. Hefner is the face of Stolichnaya Vodka.

The new celebrity-driven advertising campaign series kicks off with Hef, with the tagline: "Would You Have a Drink With You?"

Running in the US for some months, Suntory Australia & the SPI Group announced the launch of this exciting new campaign in Oz from September 2010. I was thrilled to see it on the back cover of my copy of Who magazine.

Stolichnaya - or Stoli - was the first imported Russian vodka to the US, the first vodka brand to launch a line of flavoured vodkas, and the first to introduce luxury vodka - and Stoli says that Hefner "represents a spirit of originality and like the brand itself, was a ground-breaker in his field, passionate and driven to excel."

“With the launch of this new campaign, Stoli recognises originality, creativity and passion in a call to action to the consumer,” said Andrey Skurikhin, partner at SPI Group, brand owner. “Stoli has a history of venturing into unchartered territory and the new campaign will spotlight real originals, people who take chances without asking for permission. Hugh Hefner exemplifies these shared qualities with Stoli and is the perfect individual to kickoff our new campaign.”

The ad is set in the legendary Playboy mansion, and the TV commercials feature Hefner seated at a bar having a drink with himself via split screen, revealing a few secrets. The tag line is: “The most original people deserve the most original vodka. Stoli. Lead On.”

“I’ve always tried to live my life on my own terms, with sophistication and style, and this Stoli campaign reflects those same beliefs,” says Hugh Hefner. “I was intrigued by the concept of having a drink with myself, and I’m very pleased with the final results. I think fans will get a kick out of the spots.”

For more info on Stolichnaya Vodka, visit http://www.stoli.com/ or see www.facebook.com/StoliVodkaAustralia

And to see the TV ad, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X1__f0uYNE

Fiat 500C... I think it's love

One of my earliest memories as a child was my first trip to Italy at three and a half. My parents are from Sicily and when we visited our relatives there, some of the things I remember are: Giardino Bellini in Catania, feeding swans on a summer's day, visiting plenty of churches in Leonforte, my brother undoing nonna's knitting... and my beloved uncle's Fiat 500. I can't even recall the colour - I think it was white - but I do remember piling into it with my family and zipping across the rubble-y streets of Sicily.

So when I came across this glorious advertisement in Australian Grazia magazine, I was mesmerised. The 1950s retro twist is beautiful and of-the-moment.

Not only has the iconic Fiat 500 received multiple makeovers since I first fell in love with it in the mid 1970s, it has positively blossomed.

The new Fiat 500C - the open top version of Fiat’s Bambino - is here, and oh my, I want one! I just need to figure out where to put the twin pram and twinnies' baby seats. Or maybe I can make it my little escape vehicle. I went for a spin in a convertible a few weeks ago and frankly, I didn't want to come home.

“The interest in the open top Fiat 500 C has already proven as strong as it has been for the normal Fiat 500,” explains Andrei Zaitzev, General Manager for Fiat in Australia. “So we have opened up the order books now, so everyone who wants to be seen in the chicest car this summer can be ready to take their top off the moment summer arrives!”

The new Fiat 500C is available now to order in two versions, both equipped with the 1.4 litre 74 kW engine with a choice of a manual or DuaLogic gearboxes, with deliveries starting in early January. Prices start at an RRP of $28,990 for the manual version and $30,990 for the self shifting DuaLogic version (excluding statutory and on road costs).

“The 500C has been the car to be seen in during the European summer this year and the demand, like that for its solid roof cousin, has run well ahead of supply,” explains Mr Andrei. “With limited numbers coming to Australia and existing pent-up interest, we expect the expect demand to run ahead of supply here, too, so now is the time to start planning for chic open top motoring this summer!”

The stylish new Fiat 500C pays homage to the original 1957 fabric roof Fiat 500, but today’s thoroughly modern interpretation is a far cry from the model I squeezed into way back.

The Fiat 500C comes just 18 months after the local launch of the Fiat 500. Starting from the basis of the highly successful hatchback, the introduction of a soft top version still includes four comfy seats and its comprehensive safety equipment, but it does add new functions including easy access to the boot even when the soft top is fully open, thanks to a clever system of parallelogram hinges.

The folks at Fiat have been busy with aerodynamic research which means that turbulence experienced on the move with the roof open has been reduced to a minimum. And the electric sliding roof retains the shape of the classic vehicle.

Other cool bits include a glass rear window, a third brake light built into the soft top itself, automatic climate control and the innovative Blue&Me telematics system.

The Fiat 500's accolades are pretty darn impressive: 30 awards won worldwide, 11 million internet users who have visited its website (viewing a total of 200 million pages) and more than 360,000 customer orders for the vehicle received in the 59 markets where it is now on sale.

Impressive, especially when you can consider more than half of this vehicle’s sales have been recorded outside Italy, (50 per cent elsewhere in Europe and eight per cent in the rest of the world). In each country where it has been launched, the Fiat 500 has generated enormous interest: in Japan, for example, there have been more than 5,000 orders.

"The Fiat 500 C is not merely the open version of the 500," explains Roberto Giolito, Fiat & Abarth Style Director. "In fact, thanks to the wide range of available versions, this new model is really a whole new car in its own right, with a strong personality inherited from the original 1957 model and an undoubted sentimental value brought to it by so many fans over the years. If, on the one hand, the Fiat 500 C respects the original version, on the other it enriches it with new features which, thanks to stylistic choices, afford each one of us maximum freedom of use."

A few more stats for rev-heads and car enthusiasts:

Fiat’s 1.4 litre 16V engine delivers 74 kW at 6,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 131 Nm at 4,250 rpm. The Fiat 500 C has a top speed of 182 kmh and 0-100 kmh acceleration in just 10.5 seconds. Fuel economy is impressive too: in the combined cycle, the 1.4 litre achieves 6.3 l/100 km.

Okay, I am convinced. Where do I sign?

See http://www.fiat500.com.au/ for more info or to book a test drive.

ADS I LIKE: Commonwealth Bank

I am really not a huge fan of bank ads. I mean, they don't save lives; they loan money and charge you a premium price to pay it back. There have been many bank ads which have annoyed me big-time of late. Westpac teaching kids about money. Commonwealth Bank promising to call you back (oh, gee... thanks). ANZ's Barbara living in 'bank world' is annoyingly fun.

But this one... ah, brilliant!

And somehow, a bulldog with a Cockney accent is infinitely funnier than a dog with an Aussie twang (one of my friends, visiting Tuscany this week, swears she heard a dog barking in Italian...)

I must add though I went to a Commonwealth branch on Monday: took 20 long minutes. By then the bulldog could definitely have done 100...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdRSimvvzaQ

Armani Exchange - Spring 2010

Oiled, bronzed bods, on a beach somewhere; defined abs, legs that go on forever... ah, what's not to love about the new AX Armani Exchange ad campaign?

The label's spring 2010 collection combines the freshness of spring with a vintage sophistication and up-to-the-minute techno details. It’s a kinda neo-classic style for a new generation of discerning dressers.

Built on the idea of 'seasonless' dressing, the collection is loaded with key essentials, chic separates and dramatic denim.

The campaign was shot on location in Myrtle beach, under the 2nd Avenue boardwalk.

The ‘behind the scenes’ video can be viewed on the Armani Exchange video platform – AX:TV. This new video platform also gives an inside look into the world of Armani Exchange with backstage footage at VIP celebrity parties, up-front at in-store events, and up close with the worlds hottest DJ’s.

Go to: www.armaniexchange.com/category/lifestyle.

The Spring 2010 Armani Exchange collection will be in stores from early August 2010.