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The Battalion
Page 3 A • Thursday, February 6, 2003
Where the wild tilings star
‘Girls Gone Wild' stops in College Station on its first national tour
By True Brown
THE BATTALION
It has become a staple of late-night televi
sion advertisements. It has become synony
mous with spring break and March Gras. Its
simple, descriptive title has become a part of
household language in colleges and high
schools across the country. It has even been the
center of more than a couple lawsuits.
But most of all, it is a phenomenon.
When Joe Francis came up with the idea for
“Girls Gone Wild” six years ago, he didn't
know that he was on the verge of becoming a
multi-millionaire, complete with two private
jets and a cult-like following that spends mil
lions on his videos.
In 2002, the “Girls Gone Wild” series claims
to have sold 4.5 million DVDs and videos.
“I sort of think I understand it now,” Francis
said. “It’s really gotten so popular. Everybody
in life wants to be successful, but I don’t think
you ever set out thinking you will achieve this
kind of mass with anything that you do.”
After producing 83 videos, Francis has begun
his first tour across America. The tour will stop
at more than 30 cities, including College Station
tonight at Oxygen in Post Oak Mall.
Francis said that at tonight’s party, students
will get a taste of spring break a month early.
“What we do is take spring break and trans
plant it to any time of year, anywhere,” he
said. “It’s ‘Girls Gone Wild’ live. They are all
shooting events, and the camera crews will all
be there.”
The tour, Francis said, will culminate during
spring break in Panama City, Fla., with the
first-ever “Ms. Girls Gone Wild” contest.
The contest seems to fit in with the way
“Girls Gone Wild” has progressed, where each
^concept toes the line a little more.
Butwhy is “Girls Gone Wild” so popular?
Francis, who started his career producing the
“Banned From Television” series before focus
ing on the “Girls Gone Wild” brand, has never
been accused of having tasteful programming.
That hasn't stopped the “Girls Gone Wild”
phenomenon, which seems to gain more popu
larity every year.
Jason Sellers, a junior wildlife and fisheries
science major, said he credits the show’s popu
larity to its edge-pushing style.
“Sometimes they have crossed the line a lit
tle bit,” Sellers said. “I think girls do that sort
of thing for the recognition. They see the video
cameras and think this will be their chance to
get on TV. They’ll get that little bit of fame
from being seen. If the girls want to do it, it’s
their decision to.”
Francis, however, said one of the biggest
reasons for its popularity is something that you
can see on prime-time television any night of
the week: reality-based programming. With the
advent of shows such as “Fear Factor,” “Joe
Millionaire” and “American Idol,” Americans
have shown that they enjoy anything that shows
real people in real situations.
Francis, maybe more than any other produc
er, has taken advantage of the craze.
“1 just couldn’t watch sitcoms anymore,”
Francis said. “1 was sick of that crap. Plus,
everything with girls was either Playmates,
which 1 got tired of looking at because they
were all stripper chicks, or hardcore pornogra
phy, which is fun every once in a while but it’s
not for everybody.”
Also, Francis took advantage of the “girl-
next-door” fantasy.
“It’s real girls,” he said. “There was nothing
out there that had real girls.
“You look at other people who would adver
tise about the girl next door. Well, this actually
is the girl next door. You could go next door
and find this girl.”
Armed with that rparketing scheme, what
Francis stumbled upon was something that took
vas founded when
on a single San Ai
72. Today, in additim
i stations, Clear
loor advertising
icert promoter.
957 received a Han:
:eived the Distinguish
i A&M and was i;
g & Cable Hall of ft
and Graduate Schoo
named after the Cif
LLION
hief
iday during the fall and spring sen#
ilversity holidays and exam periods)?
77840. POSTMASTER: Send addi**
ion, TX 77843-1111.
5<M University in the Division of Studf 1
1 Reed McDonald Building. News#
http://www.thebatt.com
idorsement by The Battalion..Forca'
advertising, call 845-0569.Advert^
Aonday through Friday. Fax: 845-26Ir
<M student to pick up a single cop^
e $60 per school year, $30fortlw‘ ;
rge by Visa, MasterCard, Discover/
od
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4
0 979-822-2222
HO|l P.M-, FSIBIIO
$1.00 U CALL ITS TIL 10 P.M.
250 BAR DRINKS AND $1.50 LONGNECKS TIL 11 P.M.
$1.50 CHUGGERS, $2.50 PITCHERS ALL NIGHT
ALL LADIES FREE UNTIL 10, LADIES 21 AND UP FREE ALL NIGHT
Guys with college ID $1.00 til 10
♦ With special guest: Six Bridges
♦ All Tickets $8.00 in ad vance (from the Hall,
Ca venders & Baskins) or $10 at the door
♦ $1.00 U-CALL-ITS AND $1.50 LONGNECKS ( TIL 10 PM!
♦ Tickets $12 a t the door or $10 in advance
♦ Advance tickets on sale at Ca venders, Baskins, and the Hall
♦ $1.50 CHUGGERS AND $2.50 PITCHERS!
♦ “Holding Her and Loving You” & “Once in a Blue Moon
COMING SOON TO THEHAUj*
Saturday, February 15th: Kevin Fowler
Friday, February 21st: Great Divide
The Texas Hall of Fame encourages you to drink responsibly and always
designate a driver. Free soft drinks to designated drivers over 21.
off like a rocket.
Now, “Girls Gone Wild” has reached a point
where celebrities are even asking Francis if
they can be part of the action.
Francis’ latest video is a collaboration with
rap superstar Snoop Dogg. Francis said Snoop
Dogg came to him with the idea.
“He’s a big ‘Girls Gone Wild’ fan, and he
called me and said he wanted to do it,” he said.
“So I went over to his house, sat on a bean bag,
and we emerged five hours later with a deal.”
The result was one of the most popular
“Girls Gone Wild” tapes to date: “Girls Gone
Wild: Doggy Style.” Francis’ next video, set to
be released in about a month, will feature
another rapper, Eminem.
But phone calls from celebrities and a
bankroll in the millions have not come easy:
Francis’ videos have become the
center of litigation several times. The most
recent case, Francis says, was decided in
his favor by a federal court.
“We’ve won every
lawsuit,” he
said. “It (is
usually) a girl
who flashed for
one of our cam
eras attempting to
sue us for invading
their privacy, which
is absurd. It sounds funny
because if you take off your
clothes, how is someone invad
ing your privacy?”
Lawsuits aside, the “Girls
Gone Wild” empire has kept
growing in its young six-year
life. For Francis, it’s all very
simple. In fact, he sums his
company’s entire existence very
simply: “It’s a whole lot of fun,”
he said.
IVAN FLORES • THE BATTALION