Madonna to sell shades by wrestling with a hunk in a bathroom

Some public bathrooms are lit up like Vegas. So, sure, sunglasses might be helpful to protect against the fluorescent glare. Is that why Madonna is sporting shades in an apparently co-ed bog in an upcoming ad campaign? Maybe. But she's also promoting a line of specs she designed for Dolce & Gabbana under the name MDG. In fishnets and a tiny black leotard, Madge is still drawing from her early-'90s Erotica period, right down to the crucifix (not so much a statement anymore). Most of her fashion spots have started to blend together, and this one's no different from any other Madonna-with-hot-young-partially-clothed hunk. (That's the must-have accessory, aside from the shades and shoes and such.) Still, it has a certain stylized appeal in the hands of photographer Steven Klein. Whether it will move sunglasses is an open question.

—Posted by T.L. Stanley

A commercial with a threesome? It's almost expected nowadays

As the decade comes to a close, it's worth reflecting on whether we would have seen an ad like Dolce & Gabbana's "Threesome" back in 1999. For those of you who don't watch MTV, the ad features a nattily dressed woman and man who are soon met by another spiffy-looking man and begin cavorting on the couch as a trio. The fun is interrupted by a woman clad in a black dress out of Little House on the Prairie, who then screams. Fade to black. D&G is no stranger to controversy, of course. The Italian fashion brand got flak in 2007 for a print ad that seemed to be promoting gang rape. But maybe the brand isn't just being outrageous for its own sake this time, and is instead in tune with the zeitgeist. PopEater has declared 2009 to be "The Year of the Threesome" and cited Hilary Duff's tryst on Gossip Girl and Britney Spears's song "3" as proof. In advertising, D&G didn't even get there first: Calvin Klein did with a billboard that even got the attention of Manhattanites. So, what can we expect in December 2019? Perhaps by then, D&G will go the Marilyn Manson route and go door to door trying to shock people.  

—Posted by Todd Wasserman