kelvinc

Dude you just make me throw up in my mouth. :x I do hope that model's expression on the cover can be something more interesting than your average sexy pout. Something along the lines of Bar's cover on Heeb magazine would really make my day. It will also never happen in a thousand years. SI is not known for thinking outside the box, and whenever it tries the results aren't great (like the Beyonce cover).

SI has gotten more rookie-heavy over the past few years. I like it, 'cuz I was getting a bit sick of them having the same models over and over, such as the fact that Heidi Klum was in it eight years after her 1998 cover. Not all the rookies are my cup of tea (I don't get the appeal of HF models like Cintia), but to each their own, and I appreciate the spirit. I think Brooklyn would work very well on the cover because she has much broader appeal to the SI demographics than other models: she speaks with an understandable American accent and knows her football, so the multiplier effect of being on the cover is much higher. It's the same reason why the cover worked well for Marisa. Having a non-US model isn't necessarily awful, but it's almost a waste of the PR coverage (as unfair it is to them).

The preview site is up. Add "data 'dot' xml" to the above URL, and you get the data file for the Flash video player... ...which lists all the models! Brooklyn Decker Demaris Lewis Irina Shayk Daniella Sarahyba Jessica White Cintia Dicker Ariel Meredith Jessica Gomes Anne V Hilary Rhoda Jessica Hart Tori Praver Kim Cloutier Melissa Haro Esti Ginzburg Bar Refaeli Julie Henderson Lucia Dvorska Jarah Mariano No ABB, no Marisa... ...looks like more than half the models are freshmen or sophomores. Seems like the Marisa cover was a sending-off. I prefer Brooklyn but I'd put my money on Bar on the cover. They do seem to prefer going with the more famous ones, and apparently being Leo's on-again-off-again GF is better than being Roddick's fiancée for that. Also, preview videos (even for days beyond today) are available by adding the following after the URL above: 'slash' assets 'slash' (number from 1 to 6) 'dot' flv Gotta run... ....I think the assassins from Time Warner are at the door now! PS: from the context it looks like a February 10 launch, which agrees with what Amazon has been saying for a while now.