Home Entertainment : ‘O.J.’ Fitness Tapes in Stores Wednesday
How does the notion of exercising with O.J. Simpson grab you?
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No doubt, for obvious reasons, some people will find it weird or offensive. But Playboy Video is guessing that many will be intrigued by the idea. As a result, Playboy decided to go ahead with marketing “O.J. Simpson: Minimum Maintenance Fitness for Men.” It will be out Wednesday at $15.
“This is not for men who are going to the gym or men who are heavy weightlifters,” said Jeff Jenest, Playboy’s senior vice president. “The tape has information on diet and nutrition and nudges men into being more fit.”
Actually, it is a good exercise tape, assembled under the guidance of fitness expert Richard Walsh, geared to toning with minimal exertion. There are cardiovascular and stomach/back workouts, plus sections with exercises to do in hotels, offices and airports. For 70 minutes, Simpson is at his personable best, particularly on the amusing outtakes at the end of the tape.
This isn’t some old video that Playboy dusted off and marketed to take advantage of Simpson’s recent notoriety. He filmed it May 25-27, not long before he was arrested for the June 12 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Releasing it now, just as jury selection for Simpson’s trial is getting under way, is not exploitative, Jenest insisted.
“We had planned (all along) to put it out about now,” he said. “Fitness tapes sell best in the fall because they’re good Christmas gifts. We had plans to do an infomercial starring O.J. to launch the tape, but we never had a chance to shoot it.”
The tape wasn’t edited until after Simpson was in jail, which, Jenest said, did not affect the final cut. “It’s the program we would have produced anyway,” he said. “There’s nothing in it that wouldn’t have been included otherwise--and we didn’t look to add anything that might be exploitative.”
Did Playboy consider not releasing the tape?
“For a few weeks after the events of June 12, we pondered our options, but we decided in the final analysis it was worth putting out,” Jenest replied. “If there had been a huge outcry against him, we might have thought twice about putting it out. But the response was balanced enough that we didn’t feel it was risky to put it out.
“We finished editing it and it looked so good, we felt it deserved to be released. Also, we had invested a great deal of money in producing it, and we wanted to recoup our investment.”
Playboy chief Hugh Hefner did, however, screen the tape for representatives of Simpson’s defense team. “If they had said to us, ‘The tape will do great harm to O.J. in some way’ and ‘Please don’t put it out,’ I think Hefner would have gone along with that,” Jenest said. “But the defense had no objections.”
Jenest wouldn’t comment on Playboy’s financial arrangements with Simpson. It is typical with these sorts of videos that the host, like the author of a book, would share in the profits.
Jenest said it was his idea to market a fitness tape for men who don’t work out. “Most of the men’s fitness tapes are the Dolph Lundgren types--heavy-duty weightlifting for bodybuilders,” Jenest explained. “But for busy men who aren’t comfortable in the gym or don’t have time for the gym, here’s a way to reach those people with a program that will keep them more fit.”
As to how Playboy settled on Simpson as host, he said, “We needed a star for the project--someone men could relate to, someone who was not too young but not too old, a nice Everyman kind of guy. We considered Nolan Ryan and Joe Montana but O.J. was our first choice.”
Jenest said that interest in the video is tough to gauge at this point. Retailers are being cautious about stocking it, he said. “They don’t know how customers will react. They have to be sure customers won’t be picketing their stores. So far, though, no retailers have said they won’t carry it.”
He believes there will be an audience for it. “Some people who would have bought it before the tragedy won’t buy it now because they’re opposed to him,” Jenest said. “But there are people who wouldn’t have bought it before but will buy it now because of the novelty value.”
The tape also will be available through mail order: (800) SWEAT OJ.
Special Interest
One of the most fascinating documentaries to come out in recent months is a 90-minute tape showing choral director Robert Shaw at work readying a group for a Carnegie Hall concert. “Robert Shaw: Preparing a Masterpiece, Vol. 4” is $40 on Carnegie Hall Video, (212) 247-7800. . . . If you want to bone up on etiquette or instruct someone--probably your kids--lacking in social graces, an invaluable guide is “It’s Not Just Eating! A Guide to American Table Manners.” A one-hour tape on Allan Fine Productions for $30, (212) 879-0805.
Fans of veteran comedian Alan King should find most of the jokes on his two new comedy tapes amusing. “The Very Funny World of Alan King” available for $20 (45 minutes) and $30 (90 minutes) from Consumer Video Marketing, (800) 66-MUSIC. . . . A good way to get kids tuned into recycling is an informative, 25-minute documentary called “Garbage Day,” from Childvision Educational films, at $15, (800) 488-1913.
What’s New
“The Paper” (MCA/Universal). A throwback to those frantic 1930s newspaper movies, this movie is about a day in the life of a New York tabloid, focusing on the investigation of two young blacks accused of murder and the torturous conflicts of an editor, brilliantly played by Michael Keaton. Part exciting drama and part hokum, it features an outstanding cast, including Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei and Robert Duvall. Ron Howard directed.
“BackBeat” (PolyGram). Set in the early 1960s, when the Beatles were playing small clubs in Hamburg and the band’s leaders were art-school buddies John Lennon (Ian Hart) and bass player Stu Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff). Too much time is spent on the meandering romance between Sutcliffe, who eventually leaves the band, and a photographer (Sheryl Lee). The movie becomes supercharged when it centers on the trials of Lennon and the struggling Beatles. Both Hart and the re-created Beatles music are superb.