Formula One Drivers Heat up the Catwalk for Sir Elton John’s Foundation

Prior to winning the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend in Monte Carlo, Jenson Button, along with six other Formula One hotties, took part in a fashion show at the Amber Fashion event to raise funds for the Elton John Aids Foundation.

Strutting the catwalk for charity were Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Mark Webber, Adrian Sutil, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Sebastian Vettel and F1 veteran David Coulthard. The sports hottest drivers wore designs by Petra Ecclestone- daughter of F1 Management CEO Bernie-from her F1 inspired men’s wear collection FORM…Mark Webber commented on his second appearance as a model for the event: “Last year my knees were shaking a bit, but now it’s all routine! Could the catwalk be a career for me? No. So far I’ve never been a fashion junkie, but you never know - never say never!” Jenson Button also returned to the catwalk for the second year in a row: “Whatever you might think, a modeling career was definitely never my ‘plan B,” said this years Monaco Grand Prix winner, “I do this here because it is a fun event and it is for a good cause. Hopefully the guests will put their hands in their pockets and get some money out this evening. For us drivers it’s a nice break to do something different.” Indeed…strutting their stuff seems like a pretty good ‘something different’ to me…to view photos of our F1 babes decked out in FORM fashions, visit the F1 website HERE.

Seen at the Monaco Grand Prix…Josh Hartnett (L)-looking sexy as hell-chatting it up with George Lucas…and actor Jesse Metcalf (far right) giving Mark Webber a run for his money in the ‘hot’ department.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

Celebrity Athletes in 2008
2008 has been a great year for some of our favorites. Yes, I made a vow to take the month off but unfortunate I can’t stay away…too many of our guys are out there playing Santa, making cookies with kids and spreading the holiday cheer…I couldn’t possibly cover all the action, just a few memorable moments that made my estrogen spike and my man question my sanity…

Rafa is sitting tight at number one after sending the Swiss Mister down the rankings ladder and finally clinching his spot atop the world rankings…Our kitten Camilo Villegas grabbed a few headlines, several trophies and a shit load of estrogen en route to 2009…Lewis Hamilton became the youngest champion in Formula One history and owned the word “class” while kicking ass in the face of racism…we fell in love with Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt while raising awareness for genocide…Men’s USA Basketball did us proud and brought home the gold…and we, the people, elected one of the hottest ballers alive to be Our President. All in all, I would say a mighty good year.

Ideally, I would elaborate on Carmelo Anthony’s ‘Very Melo Holiday Event’ which was held in Denver…however, I am at a loss for words. Only one comes to mind…Geez-Us. Carmelo Cares people and don’t ever doubt it. “It’s important to me to make a significant impact on the communities that have positively affected me. My family and I are committed to growing my Foundation so that we can continue to help families in need.”

Another Nugget up to do-gooding…Chauncey Billups, along with Ray and Rodney Billups-spread some holiday cheer during a holiday event for families at the Hiawatha Davis Rec Center in Denver.

Shane Battier gets mad props for helping this little kid from Casa De Esperanza pick out some toys during the Houston Rockets Season of Giving in Houston…and gotta give a massive hug to the most underrated ‘giver’ in the League-Ron Artest…Ron-Ron made cookies during the Rockets event and passed out gifts along with Luther Head, Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey…

And this is the fifth year in a row that the NBA has teamed up with ‘Feed the Children’… This years event in Detroit saw five Pistons -Kwame Brown, Allen Iverson, Jason Maxiell, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace- stepping in as the Fab-Five for this years ‘Miracle in Motown’ where they fed five thousand families…For me, the Pistons embody something that transcends basketball. Off the top of my head I can’t think of any controversy, jail time or scandal involving the Motown boys that would deem them unworthy of praise, so correct me if I’m wrong-until then, they get my vote for sincerity, good will and never saying no when asked to help others.

Have a safe and happy holiday season…remember to check out all the celebrity philanthropy we’re covering at Look to the Stars…have a rocking new year, hug a child and I’ll see ya in (yikes) ’09.

As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo

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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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

WET TRACK A TREAT FOR SOME
Monza. It’s the fastest track on the circuit…and moisture on the track can cause problems for some, such as Lewis Hamilton who chose the wrong tires in qualifying-or the moisture can work magic for others such as Sebastian Vettel, who became the youngest driver ever in the history of Formula One to qualify first…according to my dreamboat-gridboy- extraordinaire - Peter Windsor-it’s because Vettel “Love’s it when its wet.”

NO!! Off to a bad start as rain caused problems with Peter Windsor’s ‘camera’ and we weren’t able to follow him as he worked the grid for the pregame show…they tried to appease me by running an interview my grid-beast did with Lewis Hamilton…Lewis talked about being really grateful for his opportunities and how close he is now with his family, faith, and religion…all fine and dandy but I wanna see Windsor on the grid already…audio only with Mark Webber: “The grip level is reasonable…” he says as I curse the camera men who can’t get my Windsor on screen…cut to some lame stock footage explaining the mechanics of a Red Bull car-would have cared if Windsor were talking but he wasn’t…I can’t even see him…microphone works…not fun…missing a priceless moment as we hear Windsor approach 1997 Italian GP winner David Couthard from the Red Bull Team, “David can I join you as you walk back to the car…I know you’re not a great man for emotion and all that stuff but this is your last ever European Grand Prix, your thoughts?” Couthard wished it were a dry track…blah, blah, blah…we then get a shot of Bernie Ecclestone walking around with an umbrella…technical difficulties with Windsor’s camera have crushed my Sunday morning fantasy…the race starts with a safety car…Hamilton way down at 15th…giving Massa an edge to overtake Hamilton in championship points…safety car gone and we are green at Monza…the spray from the rain soaked track giving the drivers a intense visual impermanent in most spots…cant see anything…

Sebastian Vettel maintains the lead…Jarno Trulli is 6th and catching up-apparently my new Italian crush is very good at “wet driving”…Hamilton at 13…5 laps in and nothing too exciting yet…Vettel is about 9-mph quicker per lap than the other drivers, putting the others to shame but then again he doesn’t have a driver in front of him spraying the track….Timo Glock skids off for a second…all are using extreme wet tires….Windsor tells us the rain has backed off a bit…and is clearing up but of course there’s still on ton of water on the track…oops, Vettel just lost 6-seconds by running over a ‘sleeping policeman’….hear comes Hamilton trying to overtake but doesn’t quite make it, “Its still very, very wet”…Hamilton takes over Kovalainen for 11th… Massa overtakes Nico Rosberg…Hamilton edges passed Glock…he passes another…more rain expected in about five minutes…Vettel still leading…amazing…Hamilton up to 7th place…round and round they go…Hamilton up to second now, amazing considering he started fifteenth…Vettel in lead…lap 23…Hamilton now 2.6 seconds faster than Vettel on last lap…can Hamilton win this after starting so far back in the pack? Hamilton clocked fastest lap at 34.3…Vettel with 36.3 seconds…Hamilton only needs a 7-second fuel stop to complete the race…hasn’t pitted yet…Massa stuck behind Heidfeld…Jarno pits in 9.4…less than one second separates Hamilton and Vettel with 27 laps to go…Hamilton pits…it has to be a perfect pit stop…damn 9.7 seconds…too long…enters back in tenth…no traffic…technically leads the way because everyone ahead of him has yet to pit…Kovalainen in second chasing Vettel…24 laps to go…the sexy voice of Peter Windsor chimes in with a weather report…Alonso pits in 9.8…Hamilton in sixth now…apparently, rain is a concern for everyone except Hamilton…up to fifth now with 22 to go…Jarno back in tenth…Webber spins into a 360, regains control beautifully…18 laps to go…Jarno pits…Vettel hasn’t pitted yet…Hamilton has now moved into second…Vettel pits in 6.7…Hamilton pitted again, this time in 5.2…17 laps to go…Hamilton must close the gap of about 34-seconds in order to win this race…Massa at sixth…Hamilton inching up on him…15 laps remaining…Hamilton lays fastest lap at 32.869…gap between Massa and Alonso was 8 seconds and is now 5.5…Hamilton is desperately attempting to pass Massa…Vettel lays down a personal best of 33.569…Hamilton closes the Massa gap to 2.4…but still at seventh…Hamilton hasn’t been able to pick up any speed…his pace is dropping off…could be the tires…4 laps remaining…if Massa places ahead of Hamilton, our baby will lose his first place standing in championships points…

Vettel is amazing as he dominates first…Kovalainen in second…final lap, on Vettels radio “few drops pozzeeble, few drops pozzeeble.” And just like that, Sebastian Vettel becomes the youngest driver ever in Formula One history to win a race. His first win, and the first win for his team. Second: Kovalainen, Kubica third….Massa sixth, Hamilton seventh. So, despite a Peter Windsor-less visual, and a lousy place by Hamilton, it was still worth it to get up early and watch our speed demons accumulate their championship points.

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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

LEWIS HAMILTON: RAIN MAN
Generally, I wake up on Formula One race days at 4:30 for Peter Windsor, today, I thought it appropriate to change my wake-up call to 4:20 because after all, it is my favorite time and these races, for me, are events. Call me crazy, but I could easily ditch my Athlebrity posts in exchange for a full time Formula One blogging job. I know there are pa-lenty of local bars that air the event, but its way too early to make a public appearance, plus, my sofa is much more comfortable than a bar stool at 4:30AM.

Good thing I did wake up early…like an adrenaline shot, the news hit me that chances are ‘very, very good’ that US Grand Prix will return in the 2010 season!!! If this does happen, I’m officially representing all the cougars who wanna be pit girls. I promise to just hold the sign and not molest Windsor or any drivers if given the job. Now…on the grid…we join my favorite pit boy, Peter Windsor. The damp and dry conditions are discussed…the ‘spray’ and ‘lottery element’ to the race…oh, the unpredictability of these conditions.

Windsor attempted a few words with Nick Heidfeld who was busy with the German TV crew…so he wandered up to Mark Webber who “is always good for a comment in these conditions”…Webber was mid conversation with someone as Windsor worked his magic proclaiming ‘Live on Speed” before sticking his microphone in Webbers face to ensure he did in fact comment. Priceless. They chatted about the track being part wet and part dry…then Windsor moved down the grid and spotted Robert Kubica. “Robert Kubica over here, I’m dying to ask Robert why he’s not as quick as Nick but I’m not quite sure how to phrase that.” Again, priceless words from the mouth of the grid-side beast. No holds barred…commercial break…Windsor back on the grid.. Windsor: “Yes, let’s go and have a chat now to Nick Heidfeld who’s bounced back beautifully from that performance in Valencia, Nick outta the car now, um, you know what, Robert Kubica didn’t want to talk so I think that’s kinda a good story.” Again, the master busts into a conversation Heidfeld was having with someone else, sticks the microphone right up there and says “Live on Speed”…seriously, who could say no to this man? Heidfeld said he was ‘happy with conditions’…Windsor says hi to a Timo Glock rushing by…”But lets have a look at the Raikkonen situation and Massa”….continues “to Rob Smedley here, Rob can we have a quick word”…Rob was mid interview when Peter noticed and gracefully bowed out “Oh, oh, sorry, “ he said to the other reporter, “far be it for me to intrude on the gorgeous Austrian television crew”…Peter sends it back to the booth.

Right back down to the grid with Peter Windsor and Bernie Ecclestone (owner, F1 Management). Peter asks about the rumored US Grand Prix for 2010. “2010, I don’t know about that,” said Ecclestone, “we’re trying our best.” Venue? Location? “We have two or three ideas” Windsor asks: “Indianapolis one of them?” Ecclestone smiles: “We have several ideas”. Tight lipped but definitely seemed optimistic to me….

The dark clouds looming over the 4.25 mile “epic” track added to the excitement of the starting grid. Lewis Hamilton got first pole with Felipe Massa chillen in the front row next to him. Behind them in the second (row) were Heikki Kovalainen and Kimi Raikkonen. Row three: Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso. Next row Mark Webber and Robert Kubica. And we need not worry about the other rows…except for sexy Jarno Trulli in sixth, this is the first time he’s qualified outta the top ten since 2001 and apparently is “very slow through this track.”

Lots of tire smoke at the start, cars off the track, Hamilton first, a bit of chaos…Hamilton holds position, Massa and Raikkonen on his heels…the curves wetter than the race track…Jarno Trulli skids off on the first turn but quickly regains control of his car in a miraculous save…Raikkonen makes a move to overtake Hamilton as he rides on his ass…and he actually passes Hamilton to take first due to a minor error by Hamilton (not to mention some sick driving skills)…Raikkonen holds the lead ahead of Hamilton. Hamilton pit stop at lap 33 and rejoins at 7th place…Raikkonen holding strong…pit stop lap 32….pulls out without a mechanic attached to his car this time…he rejoins ahead of Hamilton…how, I don’t know, but he lands in third…leaving Massa in first (but without a pit stop)…Massa pits…now it’s a battle for first and we’re only on lap 13. …Was happy to hear the announcers informing us that Rubens Barrichello racing suit is being auctioned off on Ebay for charity…but there are a couple on there and I cant confirm it is for charity….Nelson Piquet then gives us the first crash as he skids and hits the safety wall. “Im okay,” he says,” But I’m out.”

Hamilton is inching his way back up…now in 4th…Raikkonen keeps setting ‘fastest lap’ times…Hamilton gets back into second…Massa back in third…Alonso in fourth…the sun is shining but the dark clouds are still looming…chatter about the Ferrari engines…Raikkonen-the defending champion-is predicted to win, putting “his stamp of authority” on the track…Even if he wins, Hamilton is still 8 points ahead in the overall championship race ‘points’…gloomy clouds loom lap after lap…Hamilton closing in on Raikkonen…fifteen laps to go…chit chat about the Ferrari tires….Hamilton starts to lose a bit of time on Raikkonen…gap now 1.916 seconds between them…Hamilton must be kicking himself for his guffaw outta the gate…G force in his car 4.4-insane…9 laps to go…Raikkonen 2.1 seconds ahead of Hamilton…still no rain-how odd the weather men were wrong-5 laps to go…1.2 second gap….not looking like an easy task to get in front although he closed the gap by .6 tenths of a second off his last lap…go Lewis, go…4 laps to go…oh…raindrops? Hamilton drawing closer…YES he passes him….lap 2…raindrops make it slippery…I can’t believe what I just saw…OMG….2 laps left and Raikkonen WIPES OUT! Cars are skidding everywhere…its down to car control…Hamilton in first…where is Massa….oh, in second…Alonso in third…slippery corner…take your time Hamilton you got it….Unbelievable!!!!

Seriously, this was without a doubt the BEST final three laps I’ve ever seen. Final podium: First: Hamilton, Second: Felipe Massa, Third: Nick Heidfeld. Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton for winning the Belgian Grand Prix…but did he really win? According to the bozo’s in charge, Hamilton was stripped of his victory because: “ Stewards deemed Hamilton did not properly allow Kimi Raikkonen to re-pass after overtaking the Ferrari driver by cutting the Bus Stop chicane with 3 laps to go.” Straight up bullshit in my book, but then again, I’m a bit biased due to my massive crush on Hamilton.

According the Speed: McLaren has informed the stewards at Spa-Francorchamps of its intention to appeal the decision to strip Lewis Hamilton of victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, the FIA confirmed on Sunday evening. The news means the result will now remain provisional until a hearing of the International Court of Appeal. Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was declared the official winner of the race after stewards issued championship leader Hamilton with a retrospective 25-second penalty (click here for story).

And yet another great start to my Sunday.

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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

GOLF FITNESS ACADEMY FEATURING CAMILO VILLEGAS

A headline often spotted in my dreams has now become a reality. On a new episode of Golf Fitness Academy, co-hosts whoever and whoever are joined by “PGA Tour star Camilo Villegas”, or as we purrfer, our sexy, lawn crawling kitten. In the episode, Camilo speaks directly to our libido by explaining “the importance of strengthening and lengthening muscles” while demonstrating a total body workout routine. I repeat, a total body workout routine. He stretches, sweats and taunts us while he works out to help add speed, power and flexibility to his golf swing. (Thank god for my daily 6 AM downward dogs). What more could we possibly ask for? Camilo Villegas demonstrating exercises targeting the (yes) Upper Body, (oh yes) Lower Body and (oh hell yes) Total Body. Episode 2: Camilo Villegas, airs Wednesday, April 18, at 10:30 p.m. EDT. It will re-air April 19 at 2 a.m., April 22 at 4 p.m., April 23 at 6 p.m., and April 24 at 5:30 a.m. The Golf Channel: Sneak preview…god bless ‘em.

F1 BAHRAIN: LEWIS HAMILTON SECOND

And now’s he’s really done it. F1 rookie babe Lewis Hamilton has made history. This fine beast has now completed three successive podium finishes. “I’m very pleased with today’s result. To have finished on the podium three times out of three is fantastic.” Hamilton finished second, placing him ahead of teammate Alonso for the first time. There hasn’t been a F1 rookie driver of this caliber since Jacques Villeneuve placed 2nd in his first race in 1996. Hamilton is being widely compared to a number of elite athletes including Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher, arguably the best F1 racer in history. On Autosport.com, Williams’ team boss said: “I thought after we got rid of Michael, ‘Now we’ve got a chance again.’ But then another superhuman turns up. Hamilton is a different character, I think, but purely in terms of caliber or quality of skill, what I’m seeing so early in this man’s career is remarkable.” Our beast on wheels will next race on May 13 in Spain. And from the look of things, I expect we’ll be seeing another sexy champagne-podium finish there as well.

THANK YOU MICHAEL BALLACK
“It’s a big, big final, between first and second in Premier League, between two semi-finalists in the Champions League,” Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports. “It’s a very special feeling, I think the game was amazing. It was the kind of game where you win you are crazy with happiness but you have a lot of thoughts for your opponents. They gave us a game - it was not a surprise to me I was waiting for this - they fought like heroes.”

As sexy Jose Mourinho explained, our Chelsea babes had a fantastic victory over the weekend, teasing us with the prospect of facing Man-U in showdowns for the Premiership AND the FA Cup. “Independent of what happens for the rest of the season, we could win everything, they could win everything or even if we both win nothing, Chelsea and Manchester United are two unbelievable teams.” Indeed. Chelsea’s 2-1 victory was sealed with an overtime goal by Michael Ballack and his arms.

VAMOS ON CLAY

Our delicious tapa, Rafael Nadal, was supposed to lasso my libido for the doubles-match this morning as the Monte Carlo tournament kicked off. Instead, our beast of biceps lost his first round doubles match with partner, Tomeu Salva-Vidal. In efforts to get more of a Rafa-fix, I tried to get more info on his book. According to Rafa’s website, “the thinking behind the book was explained, it has always been thought of more as the story of a champion than as a biography so to speak. The authors wanted to point out that the story begins with the time when Rafa Nadal suffered his foot injury in December 2005. The book tries to relate how the tennis player from Manacor dealt with this difficult time (the most decisive moment of his career) and then pick up his spectacular career during the 2006 season which saw him go on to demonstrate to himself, and the whole world, his champion fibre.” Um-hum. Rafa’s champion “fibre” confirmed that part of the proceeds from the sale of his book would go to a Foundation that he is creating.

DIEGO MARADONA UPDATE

“During his first 24 hours in the hospital, Diego Maradona has not suffered the symptoms which caused him to be admitted,” said a statement from Maradona’s doctor. “However, there are some changes in test results which make it advisable to keep him in to monitor how he develops. The patient remains stable and the next press release will be delivered on Monday midday (Argentinean time).” Our furry spitfire will remain at the clinic where he will be looked after by a medical team including doctors and psychiatrists supported by obesity, nutrition and liver specialists. Sounds like the staffs got their work cut out for them.

ANDRE AGASSI AND TONY HAWK

Yes, Andre Agassi accidentally hit Steffi in the mouth with his tennis racket, causing her to need a few stitches. But buried under the accidental hit, is a better story. Oprah has sponsored a reality show called “The Big Give” which involves fundraising. On this particular day, filming was taking place at an elementary school in Houston, for a segment on a fundraising competition between Agassi and skateboard-god Tony Hawk. Hawk and his group gave a free skateboarding and BMX show near Minute Maid Park and collected toys for kids and an unspecified amount of cash, while Andre and Steffi hit balls. The school will receive roughly $300,000 in upgrades and supplies from the Oprah sponsored reality show. “The kids there need help as much as any in society,” Agassi said. “There’s mold in the building, which creates health issues. You have to be healthy to learn. They also need computers — theirs have been around longer than I have — they need books, they don’t have a playground, and it’s been broken into 12 times. We have a challenge. The challenge is to be effective not just in what we do but how we do it, and I think the difference is going to be reflected in these kids’ lives.”

NIKE THANKS DON IMUS
Nike ran a full-page ad in Sunday’s N.Y. Times indirectly thanking former CBS Radio host Don Imus for his comments about the Rutgers Univ. women’s basketball team, without actually mentioning his name. The ad reads, “Thank you, ignorance. Thank you for starting the conversation. Thank you for making an entire nation listen to the Rutger’s [sic] team story. And for making us wonder what other great stories we’ve missed. Thank you for reminding us to think before we speak. Thank you for showing us how strong and poised 18 and 20-year-old women can be. Thank you for reminding us that another basketball tournament goes on in March. Thank you for showing us that sport includes more than the time spent on the court. Thank you for unintentionally moving women’s sport forward. And thank you for making all of us realize that we still have a long way to go.”

MAMAS BOYS

We got a delicious season of Chunky Soup ads to look forward to. The starting line-up for the new “Mama’s Boys” Campbell’s Chunk Soup campaign are: LaDainian Tomlinson, Matt Hasselbeck, Vince Young, Larry Johnson, Jonathan Vilma, DeMarcus Ware, Devin Hester and Todd Heap. The eight beasts will be the largest group of NFL players to promote the soup, which is in its 10th season of featuring the league’s players. Look for the new ads to break on September 6th.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda
delinda@athlebrities.