ANTAWN JAMISON STEPS UP FOR THE DR. DONDA WEST FOUNDATION

On November 4, I’m hoping each and every one of you gets out to vote for Obama (or Tina Fey if we can get her on the ticket). Afterwards, I’m also hoping those of you who live in the D.C. area can find your way to Ibiza for the recently announced Give Back Concert Benefit. This is the first hip-hop benefit concert in the nation’s capital to raise funds and encourage giving back to the community, while also benefiting the Dr. Donda West Foundation. The (Live to Give) campaign specifically focuses on inspiring young adults to give back by voting (for Obama) in the upcoming historic election. The concert came to fruition via teamwork from the Dr. Donda West Foundation, Washington Redskins NFL Hall of Famer Darrell Green and the ‘Live to Give Campaign.’

The Give Back Concert Benefit will kick off with a voter registration drive with Washington Wizards Star Antawn Jamison…but get your tickets early because the first 200 pre-sale ticket purchasers will be invited to a private meet and eat greet with Antawn Jamison at the ESPN Zone located in Washington D.C.

Although Kanye will not be performing, on October 10 and October 20, 2008 two “surprise mega performers” will be revealed. The performer who will be revealed on October 10, 2008 is a hip-hop heavyweight with his first two albums debuting at number 1 on the billboard charts. The second performer who will be announced on October 20, 2008 has won various prestigious awards including 1 Grammy, 4 BET Awards, and 1 teen choice award.

Pre sale tickets go on sale September 26, 2008 thru October 9, 2008. Tickets will be available through livetogiveback.org; or charge by phone (301) 605- 5324. The Live to Give Campaign’s first annual Give Back Concert Benefit will donate proceeds to select charities including the Dr. Donda West Foundation, Rick Ross Charities, the Antawn Jamison Foundation, and the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation.

About the Dr. Donda West Foundation:
In 2008, Kanye West changed the name of his foundation to the Dr. Donda West foundation, as a permanent tribute to her extraordinary legacy and passion for education and children throughout the world. The mission of the Dr. Donda West Foundation is to help combat the severe dropout problem in schools across the United States by partnering with community organizations to provide underserved youth access to music production programs that will enable them to unleash their creative ability and reach their full potential. Kanye’s vision, and thus the vision of the Dr. Donda West Foundation, is its inaugural program, “Loop Dreams”, a music production program designed to motivate students to stay in school and graduate. Dr. Donda West Foundation is committed to providing high quality programs in partnership with community organizations such as Challengers Boys & Girls Club in South Central Los Angeles, California where Loop Dreams is currently implemented. Kanyewestfoundation.org

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Delinda Lombardo
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HERE KITTY-KITTY-KITTY-KITTY

Someone has crawled their way out of a five-shot deficit to win the Tour Championship…yes, our favorite Columbian lawn-crawling sex pot closed with a 4-under 66 after beating Sergio the ‘Spitter’ Garcia on the first playoff hole with a two-putt par.

How many starts have we patiently waited through-about 84- to see Villegas win…but two in a row? And to top it off, this lands him second in the FedEx Cup (behind Singh) and is slated to take over as No. 6 in the world ranking…and with the Tour victory, Camilo Villegas pockets $1.26M and adds another $3M in bonus money for his second-place finish in the FedEx Cup.

And right about now I’m wondering…Tiger who? Yeah, I know many around the globe adore Tiger, and I’m certainly not comparing the Tiger to the Kitten, but I am saying its high-time Tiger stays home, chills with family and makes room for those who have been suffocated by his presence. And I don’t mean ‘suffocated’ on the greens, I mean suffocated as in ‘playing in his shadows’. Most of you have seen the throngs of fans lined up along the ropes just for a glimpse of Tiger…while some of us followed the lesser known packs of hotties dressed in Lindberg and Burberry.

I remember the first time I saw Camilo on the greens, emerging from the mist with a look of confidence to match his insane swagger. At the time, I didn’t know much about golf, but as I heard other golf aficionado’s mutter ‘who’s this guy coming up on 18’ I was the first to chime in, “Dah, its Camilo Villegas, from Columbia?” Perhaps due to high estrogen levels, my blinders rarely saw passed our kitten. Granted, Ian Poulter, Adam Scott and Aaron Baddeley appeared on my radar, but none are as special as Camilo. The second time I saw the kitten in the flesh, he was enjoying a practice round. How many people were following him that day? One. Me. Anyway, if you’re a regular, you read that entire post…and finally, the last time I was breathing the same air as Camilo, the estrogen brigade had caught on and I was no longer the sole admirer drooling over his every move.

Congratulations Camilo Villegas, my friend. You have worked hard, remained focused and infused a lethal dose of sex appeal into an old sport. Thank you, thank you, thank you for so many wonderful rounds and the many more future wins you have yet to tuck under that mouthwatering belt you got on.

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Delinda Lombardo
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SINGAPORE GP: LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION- ALONSO!

The Singapore GP brought new meaning to the term ‘lights, camera, action’ as I awoke early to catch my favorite grid-boy Peter Windsor bask in the glow of the newly installed soft lights which illuminated the first ever Formula One night race. A 5.067-kilometer street circuit was created in Marina Bay for the event, but preparations have been tricky according to Toyota’s Italian driver Jarno Trulli.  “I’ve seen the plans and the Grand Prix looks amazing so far, even if before we can get a real idea I would like to drive on the circuit for the first time, or anyway to see the first the circuit laid down, to understand especially the safety, the corners, the speed - and then you get a better idea about the set-up and the kind of down force we’re going to have.”

And now, lets take it down to Peter Windsor on the grid: “The atmosphere is just brilliant. More than ever before there are a lot of smiling faces around the cars and the people.” As he speaks, he eyes the crowded grid like a lion stalking its prey along the Serengeti plains…first victim is Flavio Britore (managing director, Renault) who strolls by as Windsor grabs Flavio by the arm. Flavio turns around to find the microphone in his face: “Flavio, we’re live on American television, Speed, first of all what are you thoughts on the atmosphere here?” He echoes Windsor’s sentiment…Windsor spots Italian GP winner Sebastian Vettel…”Live on American TV” (someone whispers in Vettels ear) as Windsor ignores the interruption: “Live on American TV, great job at Monza mate and enjoy the race.”…Vettel says thank you and Windsor turns his microphone back towards the grid in efforts to find a more flavorful meal…Sir Jackie Stewart feeds a few words to P-dogg, saying he was initially skeptical but all is good…the grid beast then moves in another direction, proclaiming. “There’s Mark Windsor who’s looking like he wants to be interviewed” he approaches, “Mark, hasn’t been a great weekend so far mate, but anyway, you got a few honors, you were the first guy to hit the wall.” Webber scratches his head, ”Yeah, exactly…one of our weaker qualifying performances in the last the year.” Windsor: “But what do you think about the show?” Webber: “We need to do more of these.” Cut to commercial break…back to the grid…Windsor with Nelson Piquet. Piquet, in his usual blah-blah-blahness, “Yeah, qualifying was a pity because testing was really good and me, plus the team, screwed up with strategy, with set-up, we, we thought we could have found it a little bit more in qualifying but the car went in another direction, plus going in the traffic but it’s gonna be a good start with Fernando next to me so it’s a good chance to show the team how strong I can be.” Windsor, apparently grasping what Nelson was saying this time: “Good luck Nelson”…In chimes the commentators: “Poor old Nelson Piquet, this is supposed to be fun kid!”

(Above: Sutil, Hamilton, Rosberg) Massa, Hamilton, Raikkonen…a single championship point separates Felipe Massa and Hamilton (Hamilton owns that point)…. starting 11th is my Jarno Trulli in row six…Fernando Alonso starting back in row 8…and they’re off…61 laps in total…Trulli moves up two positions…Massa holding strong in first with Hamilton about 1.2 seconds behind…Raikkonen about 5 seconds behind…three laps in and Massa/Hamilton are running way ahead of the pack…Nico needs to get by Trulli to maintain his dignity…debris on the track, yellow flag….Massa and Hamilton still fighting for first…Trulli falls to 11 because his fuel load is heavy…Raikkonen is routinely setting fastest lap…putting the pressure on Hamilton who is 3.227 seconds ahead of him….oh-another fastest lap just clocked by Raikkonen…

Speed then cuts to a voice over of an interview Windsor did with Sebastian Bourdais about the passing of Paul Newman. Bourdais: “Obviously, we keep a lot of very good memories from him and spent a lot of times to do a lot of good things around him, especially for kids, and ah, just a great character, a guy who enjoyed his life…I know he will be dearly missed. It’s just a sad day.” And suddenly, in the midst of my tears welling up at Bourdias words-we cut to Nelson Piquet’s car smashed against the wall of the track. “A very sad day and we see Nelson Piquet into the wall, heavily.” Can we get a safety car? Here she comes…14 laps into the race…pit lanes closed when safety car is out…guys need to refuel…Piquet can’t get off the track…so he runs across it…Barrichello is stopped on the track now, he just pulled to a stop…Kubica refuels and gets a ten-second penalty…but if you’re gonna run outta fuel you’ve got no choice. Barrichellos car being pushed off the track…crane on the track hoisting the remains of Piquets car…pit lanes now reopen…

Massa leads the parade into the pit lane and pulls out with the fuel hose still attached. The mechanics rush to him in efforts to remove the hose…they cant seem to get it off…Massa has the engine running very hot…and it looks like it’s over for Massa-oh, they got it off and he’s off after losing close to 30-seconds…major, major f*ck up by team Ferrari…there’s the safety car again…Hamilton pitted after Massa…the cluster f*ck bottle neck opening of the pit lanes has now given us a new line up of Rosberg in first and Trulli in second…Hamilton is way down in 8th…and we’re less than 20 laps into the race… and just like that things can change in the blink of an eye…and now I’m told that due to time restraints, they may not be able to televise then entire race-I’m gonna go insane if they cut me off here…

Hamilton in sixth behind Couthard…making his way back up to the front…33 laps remaining…Massa way back in sixteenth place…Mark Webber seems to be done as they push his car into the garage…Trulli now leading the race…just about at the halfway point in the race but he has yet to make a pit stop…Alonso inching up on Trulli…Trulli remains the fastest man on the track right now but he’s about to pit…Hamilton in fifth…Alonso up to second…Trulli pits in 9.9 and reenters at eighth, his fuel is gonna weigh him down a bit…28 laps to go…Alonso now back out front….Hamilton back to fourth…Raikkonen passes Trulli….Alonso pits in 7.6…20 laps remaining…Coulthard blocking Hamilton from second…he’s gotta get around and passes beautifully while fighting for a podium finish….Hamilton pits in 7.7, Coulthard pits at the same time…7.0 but has a problem with the fuel hose and losses time before he takes to the track again…Alonso enjoying his first place run…Rosberg moves up to third…18 laps remaining…Hamilton in fifth working his way up…Trulli in sixth…Alonso, Glock, Rosberg leading in the one, two, three positions…13 laps…Rosberg now in second… 11 laps to go, Sutil rams into the water-wall after Massa cuts him off…car on fire…safety car…Trulli is out of it-game over for my Italian racer after he had a meeting with the water-wall as well….

The final ten laps host Alonso in first, Rosberg in second and Hamilton in third…it’s do or die time…Safety car keeping ‘em slow until debris is removed…its all come down to the brakes-according to Windsor…nine laps remaining…safety car gone…restart underway…if Hamilton can pass Rosberg he’ll pick up two (championship) points….Alonso holds a secure lead with his “soft, prime tires”….nose to tail, Hamilton challenges Rosberg…Alonso is at about at a 6 second lead….yeah, we see you Alonso…Raikkonen hits the curb with four laps remaining…and yet another casualty…

Gotta give mad props to Alonso for blowing em all away (his 20th career win)….final lap…and AGHHHHH, my DVR says “enough” and the Speed Channel cuts my Sunday morning fetish short. Fortunately, nothing happened in the last lap, and in Formula One’s first night race, Fernando Alonso captured the Singapore Grand Prix after starting 15, Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead by seven points and finished third, while Nico Rosberg took second. With 15 of 18 races completed, Hamilton has 84 points in the driver standings, followed by Massa (77) and Robert Kubica of BMW Sauber (64).

Once again, thanks to Peter Windsor for the wonderful early morning wake up call…and thanks to the drivers for making this very special night race a success. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching these guys-is that if you’re ever in a car with them, let them drive but dear god don’t let them pump the gas. Seriously, I’ve never seen so many ‘refueling mishaps’ as I have in Formula One.

RIP PAUL NEWMAN: YOU WERE THE MAN AND WILL FOREVER BE MY COOL HAND LUKE.

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Delinda Lombardo
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JARVIS GREEEN HASN’T FORGOTTEN KATRINA VICTIMS

“They’re not going anywhere. They’ll keep coming, and we’ll keep fighting. That’s all part of it.”
Jarvis Green on Louisiana hurricanes

August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans. It’s three years later and an embarrassment to this country that people are still without their homes. Many remain homeless, and yes, the legal complaints are pouring in about contractors who’ve left victims to cope with shoddy and incomplete work, as well as fraud. Even though the media spotlight seems to have shifted to other more newsworthy tidbits, we’re still witnessing a plethora of do-gooders stepping up to fill the gap left by FEMA and help ease the pain of those suffering. And we’ve got another one to add to the growing list of mighty-mighty-fine men stepping up to the plate. New England Patriot Jarvis Green.

Greens Foundation, the Jarvis Green Foundation, provides aid to single working mothers that have sustained a loss. So when Green heard about the Jefferson family it wasn’t hard to predict what he would do. The big beastly linebacker kicked in $25k to aid the single mother of four in the purchase of a new home. The family closed on the house September 17, and Green is making a house call on Friday, September 26 at 11:00 AM to see how the family is doing.

Green, through his foundation, is committed to assisting those victims, especially single mothers, and to keeping them in the hearts and minds of those who may be able to help.

If you live near Providence Rhode Island, check out the Jarvis Green Foundation cocktail party being held at the Two Forty Two Restaurant (October 23), or the Mini-golf Tournament being held the next day. Both benefit his foundation and are a great way to give back to those in need while having a bit o fun with the big guy.

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Delinda Lombardo
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WILL FERRELL GOES RON BURGUNDY AT EVENT

Craig Pollard, a local golf entrepreneur, cancer survivor, double amputee, and a USC fraternity pal of Ferrell’s, founded Cancer for College…and I can’t believe a year has gone by since the last Cancer for College Golf Classic and fundraiser. This years’ event was held at the Country Club of Rancho Bernardo and proved to be an overwhelming success, raising more than $250,000 for cancer survivors.

Ferrell addressed the media wearing black/white checkered shorts, an ‘Army Man’ t-shirt, and a pair of gold Pumas. I actually hadn’t noticed they were Pumas until I asked him when the Nike Air Force Ferrell’s were going to be released. “No, not Nike. Nike’s bad.” He said before explaining the science behind the gold kicks, “They were actually built for me from scientists at NASA, so I can actually levitate for 30 seconds at a height of 15 to 20 feet. I don’t know how that will help me with my golf, but that’s just a cool trick.”

Another cool trick Ferrell has performed is helping the event grow from a little known backyard fundraiser, into one of the premier charity events in San Diego. It’s taken the local news this long to catch on and thankfully someone had the gumption to ask Ferrell how Ron Burgundy would cover the event.

“It is a glorrrious day,” said Ferrell as Burgundy, “here in beautiful Son Diego, we’ve got a record turn out, I thought there’d be more media here frankly, for someone of my stature, in fact, I’ll have to say as I look out into the face of the media here, you guys look like a bunch of idiots compared to when I was in the news game. Have some class, some dignity. I don’t see anyone wearing a suit. I don’t smell any cologne”

After the funny man had the media warmed up, he got serious about his support for the event. “For all of the things Craig has been through kind of physically and emotionally, he’s probably one of the most upbeat, positive people you can ever be around,” Ferrell said. “He just epitomizes . . . perseverance. The fact that he’s so involved in helping others when he could easily sit back and say, ‘Woe is me,’ he never does that. He’s just kind of a shining example to everyone who meets him of the power of being positive and having a great outlook on life.”

Two of Ferrell’s playing partners, Emil and William, were excited about taking part in the event. “We expect to be slightly above par even though it’s a scramble,” Emil said as he proudly sported the same black/white shorts as Ferrell, “Will (Ferrell) keeps us in the game.” William was curiously out of uniform and dressed in a military jumpsuit, instead of the shorts. “I wanna support our troops right now in Iraq,” he explained, “You know, sport the jumpsuit and give a little preview for tonight’s bidding.” William won the jumpsuit at last years auction. ”They’ll be some great items up for bids tonight, and, its all for the kids!”

One interesting addition to this years Cancer for College event was golf professional Chance Manning. Manning gave out tips to those who rolled through the 2nd hole. Emil and William were the first to celebrate the appearance of Chance. “If anyone can help, its Chance” Emil said “I don’t know who else to turn to?”

All in all everyone involved with Cancer for College was moved by the spirit of Craig Pollard, and the support of Will Ferrell. Ferrell has generously donated more than one check to Pollards foundation. “His loyalty has been phenomenal,” Pollard said. “Those two commercials that he did for the Super Bowl – all that money went to the charity. Budweiser paid him $250,000, Proctor and Gamble $500,000.”

Also gotta give shout out to BogeyPro for once again providing the humors tee-box signs along the course…they did a great job of keeping the golfers smiling despite the brutal heat.

Photos from the event available here and on my ‘Event Photos’ page.

Also, look for my coverage of the event on Look to the Stars.

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Delinda Lombardo
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HOUSTON ROCKETS TAKE AIM AT HURRICANE VICTIMS

“The one thing about a hurricane or a disaster like this, it doesn’t matter how much you make, it doesn’t matter what profession you have, it doesn’t matter if you’re a pro athlete or an account executive, we’re all going through the same things.”
Houston Rockets CEO Tad Brown.

Houston Rocket CEO Tad Brown, former Rocket Calvin Murphy, support staff and players, pulled up to the University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium yesterday to distribute food, water and toiletries for victims of Hurricane Ike.

“We’ve worked with this group, Feed the Children, in the past with Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Katrina and also the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation,” said Brown. “We wanted to make sure we got them here, got the goods that we could distribute and bring some help and hope to the people who right now are going through some tough times.”

The Rockets purchased four tractor-trailers full of love to aid families affected by the hurricane. Luther Head, Aaron Brooks, Rafer Alston and others smiled as they loaded and unloaded goodies. “It means a lot to me,” guard Rafer Alston said. “I understand the situation that the city is in. I think there’s a dire need right now for us to give back. So I rushed over here as fast as I could to help…This neighborhood reminds me of my neighborhood back in New York,” Alston said. “So I can relate to the people who grew up around here, for one. Also, they get a chance to see us live and in the flesh out here helping, just like ordinary people.”

Aaron Brooks was more than happy to help. “From the time I’ve been here, it’s just good to see a smile on their faces,” Brooks said. “We want to just show them hope that everything is going to be all right in the future. This is just an opportunity to give back. It’s been a time of devastation. It’s just good to give back.” More from CEO Tad Brown: “We’ve got a very conscientious group. They may be professional athletes, but they’re also a part of the Houston community. Once we sent the word out that we were doing this as a team, they were here and willing to help…I know they not only provide support as volunteers, but they’re going to bring some fun to people who are coming here. It’s about getting back to normalcy. People saying, ‘Hey, Aaron Brooks just gave me some food. That’s pretty cool.’ Just shake a hand, give somebody a smile. That goes a long way at a time like this.”

There is some great video footage of our hotties handing out the goods and expressing their support…check it out HERE. Indeed, the Houston Rockets are a mighty-mighty-fine organization.

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Delinda Lombardo
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BARON DAVIS: PART TWO

A little explanation about my previous post regarding Baron Davis.

First of all, I ‘buried’ the post on my own accord. I was not asked to remove it by anyone. And yes, all of it was true. I’m not afraid to say it, print it or confirm it.

I posted it simply to prove a point, to see if my hits would go through the roof. And they did. You all responded beautifully and as expected. (This excludes my regular readers of course).

When I write about the good stuff, charity events, hotties holding kids, giving back to the community etc, it’s not quite as interesting as an article about sex, drugs and ballers is it?

That piece on Boom is the tip of the iceberg compared to the stuff I see going on everyday. No surprise there. Without the sugar coating there’s a demon hidden among most of us.

The problem is that you-the ‘gossip rats’-(not my regulars)- lap-up valueless scandal over things I feel are much more important- I can almost feel Elvis Costello cringe as he sings the immoral words of Nick Lowe: ‘What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?’ A motto engrained in my soul since he first uttered those words.

Granted, my blog wasn’t the forum for that post, but I assure you it wasn’t a rash decision to publish it. It wasn’t done out of spite, hatred, anger, or ‘oh I wanna be famous’, it was posted to prove a point. You’ve been mere pawns in the larger issue of what sells more books: Scandal or Charity work. Often times, in order to gauge the public interest, a publisher will ask a writer to run an article…so in this regard, I thank all of you gossip rats for inadvertently promoting me and my material. And before you say you won’t buy my book, you’ve already proven you will.

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Delinda Lombardo
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JOSH HOWARD DON’T SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM?

I for one don’t have a problem with Josh Howard NOT singing the national anthem. Back in July, Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony hosted a flag-football game for charity. The video below was taken at said event, and now everyone’s got their panties in a twist because at 1:42 into it, Howard looks into the camera and says: “The Star-Spangled Banner’s going on right now and I don’t even celebrate that s–t. I’m black, goddamnit.”

After watching another video from a devil-worshipping-event Republican gathering where two hillbillies were selling “Obama Waffles,” I don’t blame Howard. In fact, I love this country too but I won’t sing the National Anthem either. Why? Because our rights have been highjacked by the Bush administration. This country isn’t what it used to be since the Rep’s stole the Presidency from Al Gore. If Obama takes office, I’ll sing the National Anthem at the top of my lungs…but right now, as people still wait for aid from a hurricane long-gone by, as funding for schools is directed towards a ridiculous war, and we, as women, are on the cusp of losing our right to chose- hell no I ain’t gonna sing either.

Could the bigger issue be that Howard said –oh god no- “I’m black.” Absolutely. Do you think if there was footage of Tom Brady saying he doesn’t sing the National Anthem you’d ever see it? Doubt it. What Howard is saying (IMHO) is that black people don’t count in this country. We know the history, so I’m not going to get into it. I don’t care if every single black person in this country refuses to sing the Anthem, but I really hope and pray that each and every one of them gets out and votes for Obama. That way, maybe we’ll see guys like Howard and the rest of the black community standing proudly alongside those of us who understand the larger issue.

Hold your head high Josh Howard…this too shall pass.

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Delinda Lombardo
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