Naked Women and Blu-ray: What Would You Rather Check Out?
July 15, 2008

If you are like a lot of guys, this question is stupid. Naked girls, of course! Well, this proved to be somewhat of a problem for the 'Blu-ray Lounge,' presented by Playstation and the Digital Entertainment Group party Monday night at the legendary Playboy Mansion.
The main theme of the party, tied into the ESPY sports awards, was to offer party-goers a chance to play poker with professional athletes while mingling with Playboy bunny types. 
Many women attendees were literally naked, wearing only body paint which barely hid their private parts. Playstation and DEG, rightly so, saw this as a fabulous opportunity to plug Blu-ray content at a high-profile media event. It looks like a big goal was to facilitate the press getting footage of famous guests, such as Jose Canseco, playing Playstation 3 or watching Blu-ray films. Various PS3s high-def Sony TV displays were scattered around Playboy's signature grotto.
Although well-intentioned, I'm not sure if Sony or DEG realized that it would be so hard for the party goers to tear their attentions away from the babes to check out cutting edge home entertainment technology. Most of the party action was taking place around the poker tables, and that was where many of the girls were situated. In comparison, the Blu-ray Lounge seemed a little deserted. To Sony and DEG's credit, there was at least one gal painted with a Blu-ray theme.
Hopefully, the party goers will at least become more aware of Blu-ray - just by simply seeing it heavily featured at the event. Later, when they come across players and/or titles in stores, these people should at least have a positive reaction to the products, as they should associate them with the fun they had at the Playboy mansion.
I can tell you that Hugh Hefner himself was briefed on Blu-ray...but I'm not sure how much of the information stuck. As I was leaving the party at around 9:30 or so (it was a work night!!) I saw Hef being guided over to the red carpet for interviews. One of his handlers warned him that people might ask about the Playstation 3 and its Blu-ray abilitities. Hef kinda nodded and said that he would be fine, as he and three Playmate girlfriends walked over to the red carpet line.

Posted by Susanne Ault on July 15, 2008 | Comments (0)