1.
Cross-country drive on 2 gallons of gas
ALBANY, N.Y., Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The New York state lottery has apologized to Italian-Americans after it aired a series of TV ads that featured Sopranos-esque mob characters.
The ads, for a $3 million scratch off game called "Ba Da Bling," featured the characters singing about the game in Brooklyn accents to the tune of Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," the New York Post reported Monday.
Italian-American groups expressed distaste toward the ad, and one group, the Sons of Italy in America's New York chapter, issued a complaint to the lottery commission that decried the stereotypical portrayal of their ethnicity.
"Here we go again, the traditional stereotype of the Italian-Americans, they belong to the mob," said Stella Grillo, a representative of the group.
"I know a lot of people are saying you are overly sensitive," she said. "But Americans have become more sensitive to most racial groups, and it should apply to Italian Americans."
The lottery apologized in a letter to Grillo, saying the commission did not mean to offend anyone with the ads, which were scheduled to stop running Monday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Additional Odd News Stories | |
CALABASAS, Calif., May 28 (UPI) --
Pop singer Justin Bieber is being investigated for battery after allegedly hitting a paparazzo who tried to take pictures of him, California authorities said.
|
WASHINGTON, May 28 (UPI) --
Rolling Thunder motorcyclists moved into Washington as part of the annual Memorial Day weekend ride held in remembrance of war dead and those missing in action.
|
MEMPHIS, May 28 (UPI) --
A California auction house said Elvis Presley's original crypt in Tennessee, where the King was entombed for two months, is going up for auction.
|
To avoid a meltdown in 2006, Ford Motor Co. mortgaged the farm putting up its assets – including its Blue Oval logo, and F-150 pickup and iconic Mustang trademarks – to secure $23.5 billion in credit.
|
| Stories | Photos | People | Comments |
View Caption
