Idolator

50 Cent's Curtis has already been pushed back to September, but apparently he's going to spend his time between now and then finding a whole new world of half-baked sexual metaphors to plunder:

Zwinktopia, the fashion-conscious virtual community from IAC/InterActiveCorp., is letting major musicians set up shop in its universe, with deals for a boutique from rapper 50 Cent to tout an upcoming album and virtual merchandise from rock bands like the Clash, the Sex Pistols and Slipknot.

The deals mark a first for both the musicians and the growing Zwinktopia community, home to more than 6.5 million registered "Zwinky" users who create and dress Web characters, then use them to interact with friends online.

What started as a game mimicking a child's play with baby dolls has burgeoned into a new business opportunity for entertainment and brands, the next frontier for Web growth after social networks like News Corp.'s MySpace.

Executives involved in the deals said they were still working out the financial model for the business.

"It's the equivalent of sending a marketing team to a new country where there is a new economy," said Chris "Broadway" Romero, creative director of digital media for 50 Cent.

The rapper's virtual store will allow Zwinky members to dress up characters in 50 Cent gear for free and provide a chance to listen to his next album "Curtis," due in September.

Later on in the piece, a Zwinktopia user says that the flirting in Zwinktopia is so torrid, "you have to watch R-rated movies a lot to know what everyone is talking about." We're taking this to mean that 50 will fit in just fine.

Rapper 50 Cent enters virtual world Zwinktopia [Reuters]