NEWS

Olympic Rap Battle: Michael Phelps Vs. Amanda Beard

There’s blood in the water. Tuesday, on 93.7 KRQ Tucson’s “Johnjay and Rich in the Morning” radio show, Olympic swimmer and model Amanda Beard made a few sideways comments about fellow USA Olympian and national hero Michael Phelps. When asked if they were dating or had kissed, she replied, “Eww, that’s so nasty! … Come on, I have really good taste.” Phelps, who is drowning under eight fresh gold medals (not to mention endorsements and groupie love), has brushed it off, and Beard has apologized for making jokes at his expense.

Of course, Complex couldn’t let it die with such a minimal splash. We imagined the swimmers using their breath control to battle. It’s no race to the finish, just a test of rap skills. Check out the verses below and vote on who leaves who wet up.

Brian Berg’s Olympic Village House Of Cards

Photo: The Cuso

Forget Michael Phelps’s over-exposed gold-medal wins—the real spectacle at this year’s Olympics are the stunning visuals. The light show in the opening ceremony was like Kanye West’s Glow In The Dark tour on steroids, and the whole world can’t seem to get enough of Beijing’s impressive sports structures. This week, Guinness World Record holder Brian Berg broke his own record by using 140,000 playing cards to replicate China’s Olympic Village.

Even though card stacking isn’t exactly a sport, the 33-year-old pro trumped his Cinderella’s Castle from 2004 (which was 14 ft. tall), by stacking his latest creation 25 feet high. It took Berg 20 days to build the giant spectacle. Watch a video of him putting the finishing touches on the project below.

U.S.A Volleyball Team Plays With Bush

There’s not much more entertaining to watch Dubya popping up at random Olympic events. [Bastardly]

Ray Lewis really wants Devin Hester to get a Madden cover. [Das Gamer]

This is the best weekly feature, online has to offer. [CoedMag]

Uncle Murda claims to be runnin’ the city. [Nah Right]

Mega Man 3, this time with lyrics. [Double Viking]

Javier Mariscal Sinks The Olympics

With the Olympics kicking off tomorrow, it’s a festive time all around the world. Everywhere you look, there are promotional banners and corporate sponsorships slapped on the side of buses and buildings. Luckily there are also more subtle ways to pay tribute. Javier Mariscal, a designer from Spain, is showing love with sinks.

Hockey, track and field, and swimming are the three disciplines he drew into porcelain basins made by Roca. So now the only question is…who’s gonna do toilets? Sounds like a job for the Japanese. See the other two sinks below.

Nike’s Hyperdunk Ad Is In Your Face

Nike’s new ad campaign for the Hyperdunk is subtle like testicles in your eye sockets. The posterization promotes the shoe Olympic basketball players will be wearing in Beijing next month and recalls Vince Carter’s infamous dunk at the 2000 Games in Sydney, when the 6’6” USA guard leapt over France’s 7’2” center Frederic Weis. (Actually, the high-flying dunker propelled himself higher by pushing Weis’s head down—and then scraped his sweaty balls against it.)

At the time, VC was wearing Nike’s most technologically advanced hoops shoe, the Shox BB4. The Hyperdunk, which features Flywire technology and Lunarlite foam, is Nike’s lightest and strongest basketball shoe ever, and the company clearly hopes it will play a part in an equally memorable facial. See VC’s infamous teabagging of Frederic Weis after the jump.

Inside The Olympic Torch

We fully support the Tibet protesters who have been trying to extinguish the Olympic flame before it reaches Beijing, but damn, the actual torch is a pretty dope piece of craftsmanship.

Created by Lenovo, a Chinese computer manufacturer, the polished aluminum-magnesium alloy torch was worked on by 34 designers for a year before the final plan, called “Clouds of Promise,” was finalized. The red color and cloud designs are traditional Chinese signifiers, while shape resembles a scroll, which is a nod to one of China’s greatest contributions to the world—paper. The China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation designed the actual burning mechanism, which is meant to withstand winds of up to 65 km/hour, stay lit on top of Mount Everest and produce a bright, stable flame that can be seen in sunny conditions. After the jump, check out a gallery of torch photos and detailed design illustrations.

Nike Looks To China For Their Latest Designs

The latest battle for sneaker supremacy seems to be what brand can effectively nail what a “Chinese” design would entail. According to The Wall Street Journal, Nike and adidas are focused on creating footwear and apparel with Chinese design cues that will hopefully take-off, during the Beijing Olympic Games in August.
The swoosh first showed hints of their movement toward eastern-influence when they released the uber-limited Jordan 1 XQ pack (pictured), a collection of sneakers that featured dragon-inspired designs and dropped exclusively in China. In October, Nike also did a special make-up on the Lebron V that featured laser-etched cues personifying Beijing’s “Forbidden City.” In addition to the recently released footwear, Nike also has launched a line of sportswear carrying a Chinese slogan that translates to “arise and advance,”— a phrase included in China’s national anthem. So far it seems, Nike’s one-upping the three-stripes in quantity, but look for adidas to push hard on Chinese-heavy apparel as the Olympics draws closer. Click the thumbnails after the jump to see some close-up shots of the recent China-inspired kicks.