USA: Kevin Federline says he never meant to insult the fast-food industry with a Super Bowl advertisement in which he plays a fry cook dreaming of stardom

Record ID: 1519932

  • Title: USA: Kevin Federline says he never meant to insult the fast-food industry with a Super Bowl advertisement in which he plays a fry cook dreaming of stardom
  • Date: 31st January 2007
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JANUARY 29, 2007) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) KEVIN FEDERLINE, ASPIRING RAPPER AND EX-HUSBAND OF BRITNEY SPEARS, SAYING: "I am not poking fun at anybody. It is not intentionally directed towards somebody who's working at a restaurant. I came from there, I used to work in a restaurant. I've worked in fast food before, I've worked in a pizza place before, I've dealt with all that stuff, and like I said, this is not at them, anybody intentional. This is like my own personal life, I am making fun at me. I am not making fun of other people or that situation at all, completely."
  • Embargoed: 16th February 2007 19:18
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVADIQUZ5MI3TGHTCZBG315QUEKU
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Aspiring rapper Kevin Federline, the estranged husband of Britney Spears, said he never meant to insult the fast-food industry with a Super Bowl advertisement in which he plays a fry cook dreaming of stardom. The ad for insurance company Nationwide Financial Services debuted on the company's Web site on Monday (January 29) and has already stirred up controversy ahead of the Sunday (February 4) game, emerging as the season's most talked about spot.
    The commercial is due to be aired during the National Football League's Super Bowl championship on Sunday, February 4, advertising's biggest televised sporting event of the year. Last year's Super Bowl drew more than 90 million viewers.
    The commercial will air during the third quarter of the Super Bowl on CBS and begins with Federline -- draped in fur coats, fedoras and gold jewellery -- rapping a song, "Rollin' VIP," in what appears to be a music video. The 30-second ad for Nationwide Insurance, has "Life Comes at You Fast" as the punch-line with Federline shown dreaming he is a rap star but then snapping out of it to face the reality of being a worker at a burger restaurant.
    A leading restaurant association has called for the cancellation of the commercial showing Federline as a failed rap star working in a fast-food eatery. The National Restaurant Association's Chief Executive Steven Anderson has written to Nationwide saying the ad leaves the impression that working in a restaurant is demeaning and unpleasant and asking the commercial to be dumped.
    "An ad such as this would be a strong and a direct insult to the
    8 million Americans who work in the restaurant industry," wrote Anderson, head of the association that represents 935,000 U.S. restaurants. "Developing creative concepts that accomplish the marketing strategies for a product should not require denigrating another industry."
    In an interview with Reuters, Federline, at his end, emphasized that the advertisement did not mean to hurt feelings of restaurant workers.
    "I am not poking fun at anybody. It is not intentionally directed towards somebody who's working at a restaurant. I came from there, I used to work in a restaurant. I've worked in fast food before, I've worked in a pizza place before, I've dealt with all that stuff, and like I said, this is not at them, anybody intentional. This is like my own personal life, I am making fun at me. I am not making fun of other people or that situation at all, completely," said Federline.
    Nationwide representatives too have defended the ad, saying it was designed to be entertaining with Federline poking fun at himself while reinforcing the company's role of meeting the financial needs of consumers.
    Spears, 25, filed for divorce from aspiring rapper Federline, 28, last November. Federline's debut album has since failed to make a dent in the pop charts -- his first album sold just 6,500 copies in its first week -- and a number of dates on his U.S. tour were cancelled due to lack of interest in the former back-up dancer's music.
    Federline, known as K-Fed, said that the commercial is only meant to poke fun at himself -- a fact that made him initially wary of taking on the project. He went on to explain how he felt his own life exemplified the theme of the ad, which is life coming at you fast and unexpected.
    "Life comes at everybody fast, I will give you an example from me working at Fresno and working at fast food restaurants to quitting my job and moving to LA to become this dancer and going through all the changes of being completely broke in L.A. and not having anything to where I am today. It has been so many different situations, just everyday, day to day, it could change. You know anything could happen," said Federline.
    Federline, whose resume includes stints as a fry cook and pizza delivery man, said he was pleased with the ad and hoped others would get the joke.
    Federline has recently taken to ribbing himself in tabloids for his shaky music career and relationship with Spears.
    When asked about the situation in his personal life and his response to the spate of recent news about Spears partying hard, Federline replied that people should focus more on his work, adding obliquely that he would never put his family or anyone he cared about in "a situation like this ever again."
    "You know, like I said before it's my personal life and that is why they call it my personal life. So, I am not really here to talk about that. I am focusing on my work and that is what I think that people should really start to focus on about me - is my work because never will I put my family or anybody that I care about in a situation like this ever again," said Federline.
    He said that amidst his new projects was the idea of having his own line of clothes. He also wants to plunge into acting and is considering several offers.
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