Showing Out

Back at the beginning of the year, news emerged that EA was reviving their classic game NBA Jam and giving it a 2010 makeover, with the intention to release the game exclusively on the Nintendo Wii. Now, we get a first look at the game with the above trailer for the joint. And to be quite honest, this looks awesome. Sticking to the game’s classic play interface, the game is basically a graphically updated version of its source material, with catchphrases like “Boom Shaka Laka” and “Somebody needs to put a straitjacket on this guy!” included as soundbytes. And by the looks of it, the game will feature NBA players like Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Carlos Boozer, Kobe Bryant and a handful of others. Look out for this one when it hits retail in the second quarter of 2010.

Everything media-related these days is being converted to 3-D, so why not sports? ESPN is already on the case, with the announcement that the network has teamed up with Comcast Corp. to debut ESPN 3D on June 11th, beginning with their first 3D broadcast of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The network plans on airing at least 85 live sporting events during its first year, including college football’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. “This agreement demonstrates ESPN’s and Comcast’s shared commitment to bring the latest viewing experience to sports fans,” said ESPN and ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer in a statement. Just another reason for men to stay glued to the couch.

Have you ever looked deeply into Tiger Woods eyes? And after his recent bout with his marathon of bad publicity, do you even want to look at his overexposed self anymore? Well here’s your chance! In the above advertisement, you get to see a deadpan Tiger glare into the camera as his father Earl talks over him, asking him if he’s “learned anything” from his recent experience in the face of his return to golf. If this doesn’t scream creepy, then we’re not quite sure what does, especially given that Tiger’s blank expression is the last thing anyone wants to see of him any longer. Let’s keep this on the green, yo.

Malcolm D. Lee, the man who brought you Soul Men and Undercover Brother, is back like he never left. According to THR, Lee has signed on to direct Fantasy Basketball Camp starring LeBron James, with scribe Peter Steinfeld (21, Be Cool) currently in the process of rewriting Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz’s original script. The Universal-Imagine sports comedy focuses on five guys who “come to Las Vegas to live out their fantasy by attending the LeBron James Adult Basketball Camp only to end up dragging James into their various life issues.” Producer Brian Grazer previously stated that James’ move into comedy will be akin to that of Eminem in 8 Mile, a pretty bold declaration considering that James’ acting career hasn’t had any milestones yet. No word on when this one will drop, but mark our words: this won’t be a milestone for James, either.

You know that song that plays at the end of the CBS broadcast of the NCAA men’s basketball championship game? The one that’s been played every year since 1987? Well Jennifer Hudson’s going to give it a shot. According to the AP, the Oscar-winning soulstress will perform the David Barrett tune “One Shining Moment” this year, making her the first woman to sing the tune (previous singers include Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross). ”The song inspires you,” Hudson said in a release. ”It moves you. It motivates you and helps you reach that goal and that dream.” The song has already been laid down in L.A. on February 13th with Harvey Mason Jr., her producer who played for the Arizona team that reached the Final Hour in 1988. Guess Hudson really is a dream girl.

We usually don’t keep up with the sports talk here at Showing Out, but this one is worth mentioning. According to Yahoo, Allen Iverson, star player for the Philadelphia 76ers, may have played his last game for the team. After he missed six games to deal with medical issues concerning his daughter, the officials are considering giving him the boot. According to Yahoo’s sources, coach Eddie Jordan spoke to the players on Sunday to tell them that Iverson may not be returning to play after he missed the All-Star game. Though there hasn’t been any official announcement or decision made just yet, it doesn’t look like things are turning up roses for Iverson. Yikes.

Very interesting news item here. Magic Johnson, whose Magic Johnson Enterprises has partnerships with Starbucks, 24 Hour Fitness and T.G.I. Friday’s, is about to make his next purchase. According to Bloomberg News, the retired NBA star is in talks to purchase Johnson Publishing Co., owner of Ebony and Jet magazines and an archive of photos that document American black life for the past half a century. “There have been discussions,” said Eric Holoman, president of Los Angeles-based Magic Johnson Enterprises. “There’s no definitive agreement.” Though there haven’t been any official announcements made as of yet, this would be a good look for Johnson Publishing, since ad revenue at Ebony declined 38 percent to $35.5 million last year on a 39 percent drop in ad pages. Maybe Johnson can work some of that Magic into boosting sales.

In case you were worried about Shaq’s kitschy sports competition show never hitting the small screen again, you can put those fears to rest. According to Variety, ABC has renewed Shaq Vs. for a second season, with Media Rights Capital and Dick Clark Productions on board to produce another six eps of the show. On the series that aired last summer, Shaq trained for a week in a respective sport to compete against professional athletes (with a handicap, of course), with the basketball giant playing against Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor in beach volleyball, Michael Phelps in swimming and Oscar de la Hoya in boxing. This time, Shaq will be put in non-athletic competitions such as spelling bees or competitive eating, though he will still do sports-related challenges. We’re surprised they haven’t mentioned that Shaq will also be competing in the Shaq-Fu challenge – that game was hard!

Last night, the Super Bowl became more than just another one for the sports record books - it became one for the TV history books, too. According to THR’s Live Feed, Super Bowl XLIV set a new all-time U.S. ratings high, with 106.5 million viewers tuning in to check out the New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts game. The game was not only the first sports program to pass the 100 million viewers mark, but it edged out the series finale of M*A*S*H, which set the record with 105.97 million in 1983. This year’s Super Bowl was also up 8% from 2009’s Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals showdown, which had a record-breaking audience of 98.7 million viewers. Not bad at all! Nicely done, Americans.

This Saturday marks the SNL debut of basketball legend Charles Barkley, who hosts the first show of the decade. Above is the promo clip for the episode (which features a performance from Alicia Keys), and by the looks of Barkley’s “acting” skills, this SNL is going to be a clunker. Throughout the promo, Barkley and cast member Jason Sudeikis play off of one another, joking about Barkley’s height and showing that Sudeikis is actually pretty talented when it comes to spinning a basketball on his finger. Too bad a spinning basketball won’t be a big enough distraction from Barkley’s subpar acting this weekend. Check him out when he blunders on the show this Saturday night.