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Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease: In the Bedroom
R1 - America - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Rob Fields (15th December 2007). |
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The Show
 The first time I ever had to do aerobics was in my physical education classes when I was in high school. Once the instructors had announced that we were going to do aerobics, that's when all the long faces started. Then came the grumblings, most of them from the male population of the class. I have to admit that I was one of them. The girls weren't complaining as much. Either they just didn't care, or there was a chance that some of them did aerobic workouts when they weren't in school. Still, one of the instructors said that if we didn't want to participate, we could take a failing grade for the day. It was safe to say that nobody left. So, we would be stuck in this big gymnasium for forty-three minutes having to do aerobics. This was 1987, by the way. No, Carmen Electra didn't have exercise videos at the time, but Jane Fonda did. She had a whole ensemble with her as she conducted the workout. As we followed it, we were working up a sweat. Some of the guys, myself included, were sore by the end of the period. We ended up doing aerobics workouts for four classes over a two-week period. Although I never admitted it, I did feel a little better once I was showered and rested. Now that I'm reviewing a few aerobics videos, I keep thinking back to that time. I also know my cousin, a female, also does aerobics to keep herself in shape. I don't know what celebrities she works out to, but she keeps herself looking great. Seeing celebrity workouts must be a morale booster, because they sell so well compared to other bland workout videos. I remembered this from when I used to work in video stores. Electra has had her own workout line called "Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease" for quite a few years now. She conducts these sessions in the form of exotic dancing, in exotic settings. "Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease: In the Bedroom" (2007) consists of two segments. The first is a 32:16 warm-up session in a bedroom setting. Carmen stands in front of the bed as she conducts the warm-up. She isn't actually talking to herself. As she is performing the exercises, you hear her instructions as a sort of background commentary. Eventually, she moves from the floor to the bed and continues the workout there until this segment ends. The second segment is 42:22 and is the actual workout, which takes place in a different bedroom setup. This time, she does actually talk to the viewer through the workout. There is more exotic dancing in this segment and is a bit faster paced then the warm-up segment. The workout goes from the floor to the bed and alternates. These workouts are basically intended for the purposes of exercising only. Just because you see "Striptease" on the cover, it does NOT mean just that. So if you're looking for nudity, you're NOT going to find any here. If you're planning on using this for the purpose of exercise, there are health-related warnings before the Main Menu loads up. I kept an open mind when I watched these DVD's. I know plenty of people who don't have too many nice things to say about Electra, but I can say in her favor that she takes her aerobic workouts seriously. This probably explains her figure. I liked how professional Carmen was while conducting her workouts (both segments). She sounds calm and at peace as she gives her instructions. In the warm-up, the choreography is very well done in is in tune with the commentary. In the actual workout, Carmen has her choreography down. She just goes from one routine to the next as she talks to you. A downside here is that the music is very repetitive and can get old quickly (both segments). If you're into aerobics and exercise, then you may like watching this and working out to it. If you like Electra but not the exercise, you'd be better off watching a movie or TV series she might have done. There is no real entertainment value here, unless aerobics IS your form of entertainment.
Video
This workout is presented in full screen format (1.33:1). The quality of the main workout itself is much better compared to her last workout DVD that I reviewed, "Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease: Vegas Strip". The warm-up segment is free from grain and pixels. In the actual workout, the grain is very noticeable, especially when you look at the red comforter on the bed or at Carmen's workout attire. Depending on who you are this may or may not be irritating.
Audio
The two workouts both feature an English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono soundtrack. There are no noticeable flaws to be heard in either segment. The dance music is repetitive, but you can hear every beat and every note with perfect clarity. There are no subtitles available on any part of this DVD. There are no commentary tracks present.
Extras
The only extra to be found on this disc is a 43 second introduction by Carmen Electra.
Overall
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