Home > Cricket > Forget Brendon McCullum and Steve Marsh - the IPL and Twenty20 need Brad Pitt and Homer Simpson!
Forget Brendon McCullum and Steve Marsh - the IPL and Twenty20 need Brad Pitt and Homer Simpson!
If the IPL moguls are looking for real global recognition, they should draft in some of the big names of showbiz, politics and business.
by Greg Smith on 14 May 2008
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The IPL has viewership as its focus, and although I'm not a huge fan (unfortunately I'm a traditional Test cricket fan) I have some really good suggestions for the TV channel moguls.
As far as I'm concerned, IPL or any Twenty20 cricket is all show. It's Hollywood or Bollywood meets cricket. Within this equation lies my recipe for TRUE 'through the roof' global television viewership figures. (Nice Mr Media Mogul drop me a couple pennies if you put this into action next season)!
I say it's an exhibition, so let's bring in the pros. Actors really know this bling-bling business better than sportsmen so why hesitate enlisting them. This is how it could work. Each team should have one or two stars, and here are some of my candidates:
Brad Pitt - Arnold Schwazenegger - Bill Gates - George Clooney - Donald Trump - George W. Bush - Osama bin Laden - Pamela Anderson - Steve Jobs - Bono - The Dali Lama - The Pope - Archbishop Tutu - Jonny Wilkinson - Prince Harry - Homer Simpson - Rodney Rude - Naomi Campbell - Jim Carey.
Obviously this list is merely an example. None of the above have been confirmed and the list could vary. Please SMS your candidates to 0800 - IPLSTARS
Within the format of Twenty20 cricket, there is HUGE potential for spicing up the show. Consider these options:
Round 1: Showbiz - Brad Pitt's XI take on Pamela Andersons XI. Huh-huh? You like? Ah ha!
But wait, it gets better!
Round 2: Politics - George W. Bush XI v Osama Bin Laden XI? Play nice!
Round 3: Religion - The Pope v Bono. Ah, what's the difference or maybe The Pope v Bishop Tutu? Somebody should have thought of this 300 years ago!
Round 4: Business - Donald Trump v The Rockafellas.
Round 5: Computers PC v Mac - Bill Gates v Steve Jobs. Nice! Bring on those bloggers!
Round 6: Sports - Jonny Wilkinson v Tiger Woods.
I think you get the picture and so we can continue ad infinitum. This IPL-plus is the future, I tell ya. The game isn't about the skills and results so let's get these Pros in and really juice up this lame-ass version of the IPL.
I'm booking my ticket for the Rodney Rude and Homer Simpson final. Hope to see you there.
Comments (2)
by Nanette Kerrison on May 16, 2008
Gather together a mottley collection of Americans, selected from the above possibilities...Although I think Greg has been careless in omitting Oprah, Brittney and Paris Hilton...say 24 in total. 12 on each side...take their mobile phones off them.... And put Shane Warne (minus his mobile phone) in charge of making BOTH of them proper teams (including err - how to play Cricket etc etc) ... and have it set up like Big Brother...ie they're all together locked up somewhere, and viewers can log on and watch Warne trying to explain the LBW rule to Paris Hilton.... And Bono and Bin Laden can referee - as they're probably both familiar with the game... Who knows - George Bush may have a nice second career as a spin-bowler....
by Greg Smith on May 16, 2008
I like the way you think... this type of 'Survivor' of cricket would beat some of the other crap we currently have on the telly, for sure !
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