Natalija Verboten in a beer commercial for Union. Click to enlarge.

I mentioned before that there is an intense rivalry between the two Slovenian beermakers, Union and Lasko. Now it’s entered a fierce new level. Union fired the first shot by signing on turbo-folk singer and top-heavy superstar Natalija Verboten. Their new TV ad, which you can watch here (realplayer required), climaxes with a shot of the open-bloused Natalija leaning towards a hypnotized Union drinker. Delighted, he introduces himself as "Josko," which is also a play on the word "joska," meaning breast. So much for subtlety. Officially, Lasko hasn’t responded to the challenge but, unofficially, someone has:

Lasko’s unofficial new spokeswoman. Click to enlarge.

The tit-for-tat cycle of rivalry continues… (Thanks Dejan!)