You looking to find some of the biggest names in Hollywood all in one place? Movie stars, basketball players, producers? Head over to Koreatown in LA. There is an internet cafe that isn't really an internet cafe. It actually holds a high-stakes, cash only poker game that requires a $100,000 minimum buy-in, plus a $50,000 initiation fee into the club. Wonder why a celebrity who always said they would never do a commercial suddenly turns up in one? How about because this A+ lister lost $2M in one night. Of course, his pain was eased by the companionship of several different women during the night. You do get something for that $50,000 initiation fee.
George Clooney? I noticed him doing the voice over in a commercial the other day, although I can't remember what it was... maybe a car.
ReplyDeleteWhat basketball players have done commercials lately? Ent specifically mentions b-ball players, and then refers to person in question as a "celebrity"- makes me think basketball player was a hint.
ReplyDeleteJack Nicholson? He's always refused to do commercials (as has Tom Hanks).
ReplyDeleteGeorge Clooney has done commercials in the past. I think this makes a point to not say A+ actor, rather A+ 'lister' and 'celebrity'. I think it's a celebrity other than an actor...
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:42, and he was in SOMETHINGs gotta give... ;o)
ReplyDelete~mel
harvey keitel
ReplyDeleteAlso the phrasing "You looking...?" reminds me "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!"
ReplyDeletecould it be Martin Scorsese? He is definitely one of the biggest names, A+, and is in a new American Express commercial. I don't think i've seen him in one before.
ReplyDeleteDennis Hopper? He is doing those financial house commercials.
ReplyDeleteBrad Pitt did a beer commericial....
ReplyDeleteJack is a great guess because of The something comment and I too thought of Something's Gotta Give, but what commercial has he done?
ReplyDeleteTime to head down for some Korean barbecue.
GGA
Whenever I hear gambling, I always instantly think "Ben Affleck"....has he done any commercials?
ReplyDeletehmm I like the Brad Pitt guess. But it was probably before Ange. the Heineken ads were done a few years ago...
ReplyDeleteOkay, I cannot find a single thing about 'ol Jack but he is my #1 A "plus" lister. That said, I thought about the film There's SOMETHING about Mary and found out that Ben Stiller just recently started doing ads in Japan. It's a stretch though - he is SO not A+, maybe A/B in my book (but mostly B).
ReplyDelete~mel
Nevermind, he started doing them in '01. Damn my overzealousness! Sorry kids.
ReplyDeleteJack snatched up next door neighbor Marlon Brando's Mullholland drive estate as soon as he died (i.e. with little notice). He has been Hollywood royalty for decades. Do you really think a single poker game would wipe him to the point where he was FORCED into commercials?
ReplyDeleteNo, I think the point may be that his gambling is starting to get really out of hand, so he needs extra play money. Not that one night he lost some cash. Shoot, I lose $2M shopping for shoes. Just kidding, I only lost one million. And that's becuase the shoes were only made out of oompa loompas.
ReplyDelete~mel (yes, my coffee is starting to kick in)
Rober DeNiro-American Express-My Life My Card
ReplyDeleteI truly think it's an actor. Athletes do not say "I'll never do a commercial." That would be nuts...they make most of their money in celebrity endorsements. They have to supplement their income in order to insure they continue to make money long after they retire. Actors must continue to work in order to keep the lifestyle they are accustomed. IMO
Mary Mac, you took the words right out of my mouth. Do you know how many people gasped when they saw DeNiro selling out for AmEx? Even Russell Crowe couldn't believe it. Ri-donkey-lous! Oh, and DeNiro loves the ladies...never could be faithful.
ReplyDeleteNEXT!
Tracee
Thanks Tracee
ReplyDeleteAnd at the Koreatown "Cash Only" High Stakes Poker Game ....they DON'T take American Express!!!
Yeah me! I think I may have actually gotten one!
I didn't even think about the "cash only" part! :) My god, can you imagine having to travel with $2M? Ick.
ReplyDeleteGood job!
~mel
but i though Deniro did the commercials cause Amex was a huge sponser for his Tribeca film festival..i saw that as a tit for tat thing
ReplyDeleteMary Mac,
ReplyDeleteWhat else makes me think that it's Bobby is on wikipedia about foreign ads using celebrities, it says this:
In more recent years, possibly because of the faster spread of information made possible by the internet, American celebrities have been more open about doing foreign advertisements, as well as increasing their advertising presence in the United States. Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has become the spokeswoman for T-Mobile, and a variety of reclusive celebrities such as Robert DeNiro and M. Night Shyamalan have done individual advertisements for American Express.
I thought it would give more examples. This most be shocking that he's pushing credit cards. The evilest of evil. LOL!
Tracee
I think it is scorsese cause ent would have said that it was a A list actor if it was an actor
ReplyDeleteanon 2:28 you're right...
ReplyDeleteIn five years, Tribeca has become a fat-cat festival - it's sponsored by American Express, for which De Niro shills in ads, - from NY post
(Silence).
ReplyDeleteFirst time posting, be gentle.
ReplyDeleteI think DeNiro might be right because the "you looking" intro sounds like his famous line from Taxi Driver... "You looking at me? Are you looking at me?"
(golf claps)
ReplyDeleteDeniro's been invovled with Amex for over 6 years - Scorsese for a couple of years because they funded a documentary he made - Amex seems to have a lot of long term celebrities shilling....can't find anyone 'suddenly' doing it for them. I take the BI as saying it's more of a recent thing then a long term commitment.
ReplyDeleteBrad Pitt did a commercial for overseas sometime last year...but as stated previously he's not shy about doing them.
I just saw a story somewhere about an illegal gambling place that was busted. Maybe it was in Page Six. I think it involved a t.v. mobster.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't an A+ lister have the $2 million to pay it off without needing to do a commercial? But then again, anyone who loses that much in one night at that kind of place has probably been losing money for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI don't really think he's an a-lister but what's the deal with Tony Parker doing a SUBWAY commercial???
ReplyDeleteI'm going with Jack Nicholson... This is from Wikipedia - "Few may know that more recently Nicholson has been featured as the voice in the Nokia N95 'there's a thing in my pocket' advert."... The Something inference - A+ actor with a passion for LA Lakers - and for as much as he's acted/awards he's won - how much cash does he really have?
ReplyDeleteActually the Nokida voice is the guy "The Prophet" from Big Love...forget his name. You can google the ad, I think it's on youtube or something...unless there are more ads...?
ReplyDeletesorry! I should've just linked it for ya...
ReplyDeletehttp://youtube.com/watch?v=WS54VEJF5Gw
Tony Parker is quite cheap. In France, he's modelling for ready-to-wear costumes from Monsieur de Fursac.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the DeNiro American Express ad was already directed by Martin Scorsese. And Robert DeNiro had already been whoring for money for years anyway (Meet The Fockers, Rocky and Bullwinkle, dubbing "A Shark Tale" or "Arthur and the Invisibles"). The ad created a stir because of the Ground Zero reference, not because it starred DeNiro.
Bob Dylan starred in a Victoria's Secret ad but he never said he would never do a commercial and spending two days with Adriana Lima in her underwear (and pissing self-righteous fans) could be incentive enough. Actually, he could have earned the sum by just licensing a few of his own songs.
My guess is that the blind item is not about a movie star (as it takes great care not to mention the star's activity). I'd bet on a singer (who doesn't write his own songs) or a celebrity who's not mostly known as an actor.
The Prophet on "Big Love" is Harry Dean Stanton. The commercial sounds like him and it wouldn't be the first time Wikipedia is wrong.
ReplyDeleteI know that was supposed to be him on the Nokia ad, but it sounds nothing like him and I don't think Nokia would pay Jack for his voice and then let him disguise it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sticking with Bobby for now.
By the way...the illegal poker thing was with the kid from the Sopranos. I thought that was in New York.
"Harry Dean Stanton"
ReplyDeleteWho the hell is he?
There are only a tiny handful of A+ listers, mostly older guys such as Nicholson (who could lose millions without noticing), Clint, Bobby.....
But why can't these guys go to Vegas?
Actually Harry has a huge character actor career. You know who he is...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001765/
Brandalove,
ReplyDeleteBen Affleck has indeed been in commercials before. Back in my native Norway, around 2000/2001, he used to be in L'oreal shampoo-commercials. In one commercial he grabbed a hold of his hair and pulled it, as if to show how healthy it is. It always made laugh since I think he has hairplugs. He he.
F.
I think the focus is to look at celebrities who haven't done ANY commercials overseas because that would point to the biggest clue. Do we know if DeNiro or Nicholson has shilled for any foreign countries?
ReplyDeleteTracee
Any New Yorker knows that Robert DeNiro isn't in Los Angeles enough to warrant such frequent activity in Koreatown. His Amex commercials have been around for way too long for this BI to be relevant.
ReplyDeleteOne A-Lister who has made a big hit in LA's Koreatown is actor Nicholas Cage. In fact, he married a gal (Alice) that frequented the club scene there ("allegedly").
I'm surprised no one put that together yet. You're welcome.
Nic Cage A PLUS lister? Not buying that, sorry....
ReplyDelete4:18 - spot on! Nic is an Oscar winner that can definitely open a movie - A+. Bravo!
ReplyDeletegeorge cloony
ReplyDeleteOscar over a decade ago and when was his last monumental success? If you can call Adaptation a commercial success in 2002, sure. An Oscar win does not an A+ make...
ReplyDeleteNic Cage has been doing commercials in Japan for years.
ReplyDeletewhat about clint eastwood? he's doing the come to california commercials now - don't think i've ever seen him in one before.
ReplyDeleteAndy Garcia...He's been in some commercial recently(AmEX?), and he's a movie star, and I think he's a producer(not of anything big budget, but just the same)...Plus, he's in the Ocean's trilogy which is about casinos(gambling)...Just a guess...
ReplyDeletekiefer sutherland
ReplyDeleteWhere is this place located exactly?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of AmEx commercials, what about Bobby DeNiro? Remember that Ent's BI's don't necessarily mean brand new news.
ReplyDeleteGeorge is too damn frugal with his money to blow it on gambling. In interviews for the Ocean's movies Matt Damon and Don Cheadle say he's horrible at it - always loses.
ReplyDeleteIf it was in NY I might agree with DeNiro but it's gotta be Nicholson. It says "A+".....
Cyn
Jack was in "Chinatown"
ReplyDeleteAccording to IMDb Nic Cage did a commercial in Japan in '99. And Robert De Niro has been in 6 commercials since '69.
ReplyDeleteGeesh, I wished some of you locals would check out this place...the outside of course, who could afford the cover charge, and get back to us. This person obviously has a gambling problem. A-plus, or not, addict is addict.
ReplyDeleteMidwest Surfer
what i wanna know is where is this koreatown "internet cafe" anyway?? i mean, it sounds kinda swanky or at least not a dive. any la-ers know?
ReplyDeleteanyways..wouldn't be the first time nic cage's been in koreatown. rumer has it he met his wife at some kinda speed dating bar that sets guys up w/ asian women
jj
De Niro lives in New York.
ReplyDeleteAmerican Express is a primary sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival.
Russell Crowe? BIG controversy a couple of years ago when he criticized DeNiro and Clooney for shilling product. So, obviously that rules out those two, who have been doing ads for some time.
ReplyDeleteCrowe, otoh, piously insisted that real actors do not compromise their articstic integrity. Who else has been so outspoken on this subject?
If we *suddenly* see him in a commercial or print ad, he's the one.
Also, if it is him, I'm glad to see his little sparrow of a wifey hasn't completely domesticated him.
Ben Affleck can be currently seen on Dutch television for Axe Body Spray.
ReplyDelete~American in Holland
Last night I saw a commercial for the first time and thought - gee, I'd never imagine this guy would do a commercial ... then BAM ... I thought of this BI.
ReplyDeleteIt was Paul McCartney in an Apple I-pod or I-tunes commercial.
He is certainly A+list.
debi
McCartney is definitely A+ list BUT he's one of the wealthiest men in the world! $2 million is nothing to him! (even after his divorce settlement)
ReplyDeleteJust because Bobby lives in NY doesn't mean he doesn't hit LA when he's filming a movie. How long are they at location shoots? A month, a week? Whatever he probably goes out and gambles.
ReplyDeleteAnd if it's running prostitution this right up DeNiro's ally, in the past there were allegations that he took part in a prostitution ring in France and he doesn't live there either.
And though he has some clunkers in the past, so does Jack..they're noth A+ compared to other actors out there. This BI isn't revealing that why these producers, actors and athletes are doing commercials, it's WHY they're doing them.
Tracee
Did no one notice the BI says the A+ lister is *suddenly* doing commercials? Did no one notice DeNiro has been doing them for a while and that he has never said he wouldn't do them?
ReplyDeleteOnce again, Crowe is the only A+ lister who has made a big deal out of never doing commercials.
George Clooney has hit back at Hollywood rival Russell Crowe, after the Gladiator actor slammed stars who appear in commercials. The Antipodean actor was particularly scathing of Clooney, Harrison Ford and Robert De Niro, who have all plugged products on television outside America. Crowe said, "I don't use my celebrity to make a living. To me it's kind of sacrilegious - it's a complete contradiction of the f**king social contract you have with your audience." But Clooney has hit back - and suggested Crowe uses his celebrity to promote his rock band 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts. He says, "I'm glad he set us straight. Because Harrison, Bob and I were putting a band together called Grunting For 30 Feet, and that would also fall under the heading of 'bad use of celebrity'. Thanks for the heads up."
ReplyDeleteIn fairness to Crowe, he hit right back:
ReplyDelete"But Crowe is adamant his accuser's contracts to promote a wide range of products including BUDWEISER beer in the US, MARTINI and FIAT cars in Italy, and suits in Spain is the real manipulation of celebrity status.
Crowe says, "I had a good laugh when Clooney tried to compare doing ads for suits, and a car and a drink to what I do as a musician. An endorsement is about money. My music is from the heart."
Not content with slamming his rival's commercial appearances, the GLADIATOR heart-throb rubbishes Clooney's acting ability and career motivation.
He adds, "The job is to take on other characters, otherwise you could just call every character you play the same name. What's the character in this film, George? George, is it? George plays George in the new movie, George.
"I believe if you take on characters for a living, you can't make yourself into an icon in order to sell a pair of shoes."
ouch - poor clooney, crowe would totally kick his ass...
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteouch - poor clooney, crowe would totally kick his ass...
Oh, yeah. I TRULY love Russell Crowe. Smart, funny, a fantastic actor with integrity (I do hope he's not making a commercial)and yeah, one of the few h'wood hunks who could threaten to kick some ass and then actually be able to do it.
Antonio Bandares is A, but A+ is questionable; could be using some of wifey's family money; is the bee voice of some allergy med, I think...how about his name in the hat.
ReplyDeleteMidwest Surfer
Is it possible that the "A+ lister" meaning could be extended to include say, a television actor... I ask this because I just heard Mr. Kelsey Grammer doing a bit of voice over work on a car commercial and I thought "Well, now he's got to be considered A+-ish in the realm of television riiiight..."
ReplyDeleteRobert DeNiro does the Amex commericals because they sponser his Tribeca Film Festival in NYC. He has been doing those commericals for a couple of years now and the commericals always sport his TFF logo. Not a surprise there.
ReplyDeleteI'm following with the Nick Cage idea - this is not the first time this one has come out - although I heard it was a card room in Carson and not Koreatown.
ReplyDeleteRussell Crowe will never do a commercial. He has integrity as far as his work is concern. At the moment, he's quite busy with the going-ons of his South Sydney rugby league team so don't expect to see him doing an ad anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is Nicolas Cage, he is currently endorsing Mont Blanc pens. I saw the ad on the newspaper the other day.
Ed norton did some Nike voiceover.
ReplyDeleteThis is MORGAN FREEMAN.
ReplyDeleteWhy else would someone like him be doing an Axe commercial?
How did everyone miss Cuba Gooding Jr doing the Hanes commercial(s?) with Michael Jordan.
ReplyDeleteEverything fits.
it's Dicaprio: Enty just outed him today
ReplyDelete