Interview: Steven Jackson
Earlier this week, I had the privilege of interviewing NFL great Steven Jackson, of the St. Louis Rams about his charity work for an exclusive interview on Look to the Stars.
Without question, Jackson IS one of the good guys. He is passionate and sincere about helping kids stay in school while encouraging them to love and respect each other.
There are lot of athletes who can talk-the-talk, but I’m finding very few actually back it up like Jackson does. He is a stellar example of how all our ‘heroes-celebrities-athletes’ can add substance to the lives of others without letting fame get to their head.
I encourage you to read the interview, it shatters any ‘dumb-jock’ notion you may have about NFL players, cuz what we have here is a (cue-music) mighty-mighty-fine man.
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
Seven Days in Utopia with Robert Duvall: Interview
Seven Days in Utopia with Robert Duvall: Interview
“It’s nice to see a film that doesn’t have all the gratuitous sex and violence.”- Robert Duvall on playing Johnny Crawford
Brilliant interview with the great Robert Duvall as he chats with golf-blogger extraordinaire Tony Korologos from ‘Hooked On Golf Blog’ about his latest role in the film ‘Seven Days in Utopia.’ Duvall chats about golf, Tiger Woods, inspiration, sex, drugs, and claims that working with Billy Bob Thornton for an upcoming film was “one of the greatest moments of my career.”
- SEVEN DAYS IN UTOPIA follows the story of Luke Chisolm (Lucas Black), a talented young golfer set on making the pro tour. When his first big shot turns out to be a very public disaster, Luke escapes the pressures of the game and finds himself unexpectedly stranded in Utopia, Texas, home to eccentric rancher Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall). But Johnny’s more than meets the eye, and his profound ways of looking at life force Luke to question not only his past choices, but his direction for the future.
Based on David L. Cook’s best-selling book Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, SEVEN DAYS IN UTOPIA also stars Melissa Leo, Deborah Ann Woll, Brian Geraghty, Jerry Ferrera, Joseph Lyle Taylor, KJ Choi and Kathy Baker. The film is directed by Matthew Dean Russell from a script by Cook, Rob Levine, Russell and Sandra Thrift. The film was produced by Mark G. Mathis (Brick, Precious) and Jason M. Berman (The Dry Land).
The INTERVIEW can be heard HERE.
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
Samuel Eto’o: The Worlds Highest Paid Athlete VS Racism?
Samuel Eto’o: The Worlds Highest Paid Athlete VS Racism?
A lot of interest this week after soccer stud Samuel Eto’o left Inter Milan and signed a three-year deal with some random Russian club, Anzhi Makhachkala, for an estimated $29M PER SEASON which could essentially make him the highest paid athlete in professional sports.
“This evening, Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o signed a personal three-year contract with Anzhi Makhachkala,” the club said in a statement issued after Eto’o completed a medical on Wednesday evening.
For more on the beautiful inner-drama of soccer transfers and fighting Russian billionaires, the Wall Street Journal breaks it down nicely for ya.
But we here at Athlebrities are wondering what he’s gonna do with all that cash? About four years ago, he established a foundation with the mission of delivering the less privileged from abject poverty and he recently visited a Sports study center in Gabon. It also seems a natural fit for Eto’o to possibly do something big to combat racism in soccer?
Over the years, Eto’o has been the subject of racist taunts by an opposing teams’ supporters, who’ve made monkey-like chants whenever he had possession of the ball. Referee’s have let it slide, claiming the behavior of the crowd is ‘normal’. At one point, Eto’o walked off the field and video captured him saying “No mas” (“No more”). Last year, as the racists again began chatting, they were drowned out by the rest of the stadium who chanted loudly enough to drown them out. A small step but progress none-the-less?
Due to ongoing racism, Eto’o stopped bringing family members to matches. “It is something that has affected me personally. I think players, leaders, and the media have to join forces so that no one feels looked down upon because of the color of their skin. At this moment in time I prefer my children don’t go to football matches. In the stands they have to listen to things that are difficult to explain to a child. It is better they aren’t exposed to it.”
And with that, Athlebrities would like to see Samuel Eto’o use some of the big money to establish a ‘No Mas’ campaign in efforts to stomp out racism in sports.
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
Michael Irvin on Cover of OUT Magazine
Michael Irvin on Cover of OUT Magazine
Granted, I’ve never been a huge fan of NFL athlebrity, Michael Irving, but when a straight, professional athlete with three Superbowl rings poses on the cover of OUT Magazine to openly support ‘gay issues’, then he’s all right by me…
Excerpt:
- Today, Irvin is a widely respected football commentator with weekly appearances on the NFL Network. He hosts The Michael Irvin Show on Miami’s WQAM with former World Football League player Kevin Kiley. For two years, the pair has delved into gay issues; in recent months, they have turned their attention to the subject of athletes, coaches, and team executives coming out of the closet. Now, Irvin is waiting for the day when America has its first openly gay active athlete in one of the top four professional sports leagues.
”If anyone comes out in those top four major sports, I will absolutely support him,” says Irvin. “That’s why I do my radio show every day. When these issues come out, I want to have a voice to speak about them. I think growth comes when we share. Until we do that, we’re going to be stuck in the Dark Ages about a lot of things. When a guy steps up and says, this is who I am, I guarantee you Ill give him 100% support.”
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
Rafael Nadal Heats Up Vogue Magazine
Rafael Nadal Heats Up Vogue Magazine
“I’m not very brave about anything in life. In tennis, yes. In everything else, not very.” Rafael Nadal, Vogue magazine, June 2009
It was less than a month ago that our Spanish delicacy, Rafael Nadal, landed in Time magazine as one of their most ‘influential’ Heroes & Icons…now, Rafa has made his way into the June issue of Vogue magazine, where journalist Gaby Wood penned a great interview and famed photographer Bruce Webber snapped some mouthwatering images of our beast during the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
Gaby’s article is fantastic, perhaps one of the best I’ve read in relation to Rafa. She captures his essence and persona perfectly while giving us a glance of Rafa’s closely guarded inner circle…and she definitely knows how to capture the reader’s attention and libido: “…I make my way over to the practice court,” she writes, “Rafa is shirtless, sweat streaming down his front, the deep thwacking sound of his inhuman forehand filling everyone’s ears…”
We learn that our Tapa enjoys fishing, golfing, going to the movies, and spending time with his girlfriend. We learn that the humble words he speaks transcend the court- opting to fly commercial instead of using private jets…and he speaks highly of nemesis Roger Federer, “He’s one of the greatest tennis players in history, if not the greatest. But the thing that makes you improve isn’t any individual—it’s the demands of the sport itself.”
Gaby also asked Rafael how he felt when he saw Federer crying in Australia. “Well, a bit odd, no? I didn’t really know what to do. I felt sad for him. Those are difficult moments when you’re living through them, but over the years they become moments that both he and I will be able to look back on fondly—they’re emotional moments.”
I had my own emotional moment as I read about his pre-match rituals: “He’ll sleep between seven and nine hours, then have a plate of pasta for breakfast…just beforehand, he always has a (gulp) cold shower; then his physio, Rafael Maymo, helps him put on all his tape…”
But perhaps the most enlightening thing we learn about Rafa is that he’s in dire need of a visit from Delinda: “Being home alone at night makes me a bit nervous. If I’m at home alone I have to sleep on the sofa—I can’t face going to bed. I’m there with the TV on and all the lights on…”
Rafa also speaks of his new foundation, which aims to educate underprivileged children all over the world. “I’d like to help people who don’t have enough to live on,” he says, “I’d like to help everyone I can.”
I don’t know about the rest of ya, but Rafa has certainly helped me decide where I’m spending my summer vacation. Vamos our little ‘Rafalet’, va-mos.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Interview with NBA Player Keyon Dooling’s Wife Natosha
Forget About LaLa, We’ve Got Natosha.
Last post was about Lala Vasquez and her ejection from the arena. The amount of attention given to the incident only seemed to incite Melo haters and give some Mav’s fans an excuse to air their hatred. I wondered (again) why we don’t give the same amount of media coverage to the NBA wives who deserve it? And by deserve it, I mean deserve it based on their good acts…and maybe if we did, might we change the world for the better? I’d much rather read about the ‘real’ difficulties of being the wife of a pro-athlete rather than the inability of a woman to keep her cool because her hubby is a supa-star.
Earlier this month, I conducted an interview with an incredible woman…I waited to post it because I wasn’t sure how to tie it in so-to-speak. And I’m glad I waited, because regardless of LaLa’s behavior, none of us are privy to the stress some NBA wives are under- and oftentimes, behind many of our mighty-mighty fine players, there’s an even mightier fine woman who serves as a foundation of strength and inspiration for her husband.
One such woman is Natosha Dooling, wife of NBA player Keyon Dooling (Nets). The couple has three beautiful daughters, and aside from her duties as a mother and wife, Natosha always makes time for charity work.
Her forthcoming book “My Eyes and Hair” chronicles her life and her husband’s struggles, the heartbreaking loss of a child and the adversities she faced while growing up. She aspires to help under-privileged kids, with a focus on girls aged 7-19, to provide scholarships or assist in their education so they can finish college and become successful.
Natosha also interests me because she isn’t what we envision the ‘typical’ players wife to be. She’s never been escorted out of a game or garnered tabloid headlines due to something she did to blemish her husband’s reputation. In fact, she’s actually enhanced it. Obviously, I’m impressed beyond measure with a woman who can raise three kids, write a book and raise money for charity while encouraging others to do the same. And that’s precisely why I jumped at the chance to interview this amazing woman.
Natosha spoke to me about her childhood and what propelled her to get involved with charity work. “Growing up and seeing a lot of unpleasant things in my grandma and aunt’s neighborhood actually inspired me to help others. I saw a lot of teen pregnancy, teens being picked up by drug dealers from school, young girls getting AIDS and dropping out of school. It was so bad that I just felt I needed to do something about it since I am from that same neighborhood and it could easily have been me.” she told me, “The joy of seeing a change in people’s lives, seeing someone come from a worse situation and making it a great situation is what attracts me to charity work.”
Natosha’s strength of character stems from her mother, who encouraged confidence: “I overcame adversities with my mom’s strength. No matter what was going on or what other people would say about me, she always gave me confidence and always told me every day how pretty I was,” she said, “She always encouraged me to make sure I get a man to treat me right. She is always so proud of me. She just gave me so much confidence and that helped.”
Aside from family, Natosha has drawn inspiration from others who’ve touched her life. “My first grade teacher, Mrs. Logan inspired me as a child. I wouldn’t have gotten through 1st grade without her. She was my inspiration and she made sure I stayed on my tasks…My cousin, Kathey Lacount, gave me hope,” she continued, ”Besides my mom, I could always go to her for anything. She took care of me and was there for me way before the money and to this day, she still has never ask me for anything.”
Her forthcoming book “My Eyes and Hair” was partially inspired by the difficulties in her life and the negativity she endured simply for being ‘an NBA wife’: “My book is about my life how it started and what I have been through and how tough it is to be an NBA player’s wife, how good God is to my family and I, as well as my relationships with friends and family. I was inspired to write it because one day I was just playing around with the computer and happened to google my name and a web page popped up about NBA players and their wives/girlfriend. I found Keyon’s page and it was filled with woman’s insolent comments and just talking about me rudely. Saying things that were not true and for no reason, so I thought to myself, I should write a book.”
For those who still think the life of an NBA player’s wife is a cakewalk, think again-especially when children are involved. “The most difficult decision I have had to make is to keep having to move my kids every 3 years. Part of me just wants to give up, say forget it and just live in Florida, let Keyon travel and I’ll see him on holidays. But my kids are still young and they need their dad right now so that’s very difficult for me.”
But what’s not difficult for Natosha, is earning the love, trust and admiration of her mighty-mighty-fine husband. “My wife inspires me in many ways- spiritually, emotionally and mentally- everyday watching her inspires me to want to do better as a husband and a father,” Keyon told me.
And this, my friends, is the kind of piece I personally would like to read more of…Inspirational woman who enhance this lives of those around them and not those who get into silly courtside arguments. I know there are many more NBA wives out there doing good…so hit me up if you prefer love over hatred, because after all, you contribute greatly to your mans success.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Bono Interviews George Clooney
Bono Interviews George Clooney
For those of you who missed it, Bono interviewed George Clooney for the Time Magazine ‘World’s Most Influential People’ Special on CNN. They talk paparazzi, fame, celebrity, life lessons, activism and most importantly, the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. It runs 38:56 minutes and gives us great insight into two of the world’s most ‘necessary’ men.
More HERE about the interview.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Interview with Former NBA Player Derek Strong
Interview with Former NBA Player Derek Strong
You may not recognize the name, but take notice because you’ll want to know this mighty-mighty-fine man. Derek Strong hooped it up in the NBA for ten seasons…laying it out from 1991 to 2001 with the Washington Bullets, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Clippers.
And he did something remarkable after retirement. He became the first NBA player to successfully transition into NASCAR as a driver. He also founded Derek Strong Racing, which is the first team in NASCAR history to have African-American female owners! Dawn Whitaker and Erica Hill (each minority owners) are the first in the sport…Erica also co-founded Peace International, a non-profit organization whose primary mission is to build schools in remote areas throughout the world.
This girls’ interest was piqued when Look to the Stars spoke to Derek from the red carpet at the recent Shane’s Inspiration event. The mission of Shane’s Inspiration is to create playgrounds for disabled/handicapped kids…“I played in the NBA for about 11 years and every year we did something with children’s hospital, we did things to help inner city children and I’ve been around children practically all my life, and I think it’s very important that we do get out there because they are our future,” said Strong from the red carpet.
But that wasn’t enough of a quote for me, so Derek Strong indulged me with a little Q&A….
Delinda: Was there one particular event that made you want to become involved with charity?
Derek: “Yes, when I went to the children’s hospital. It really touched me, seeing these kids hooked up to IV’s all day, confined to their unit, You didn’t know if they would live to see the next day. They are just starting out in life and they have been in the hospital everyday fighting cancer or another illness. And I want to help- help the kids, help the families, help find a cure because they should be outside playing with other kids. They should be on the playground not in the hospital.”
Delinda: I know from our conversation that you were exposed to a lot of charity events and community related activities as part of the NBA. In your opinion, are participating players really interested in helping out, or are they just playing along?
Derek: “You know, almost every employer has an outreach program- it goes beyond the individual. And it really depends on the person’s character, for me it was inspiring. You may have a player going to an event where they kind of just go through the motions and do nothing else, but others can be inspired. It teaches them to grow, plants the seed so to speak.”
Delinda: In terms of Strong Racing, have you had the opportunity to work with any kids?
Derek: “That’s what I’m trying to do now. I want somehow for our racing team to donate a percentage of our wins to the hospitals and organizations that help the kids. As I’ve said, children are our future. As an adult we can guide them in the right direction and help them. As the future generation, they’re our future survival, and the more we give them and guide them in the right direction, they’ll turn out ok.”
Delinda: You founded Strong Racing in 2001, how has it been going?
Derek: “Well we started racing in 2001 and we progress every week. We have potential to do very well. When we started, we declined a bit, but now we’re finding the chemistry and I think we’re going to do well.”
Delinda: What talent would you most like to have?
Derek: “The talent to heal.”
Delinda: What trait do you most admired in others?
Derek: “Resilience. When someone is planning on doing something, and no matter how hard it is, they stay course until they get what they want. I admire that.”
Delinda: What is your most treasured possession?
Derek: “My family.”
Delinda: Do you have any superstitions?
Derek: “No. A black cat can cross my path and I don’t care!”
Delinda: What’s the most annoying question you get asked?
Derek: “I don’t think any of them are annoying, I enjoy when people ask me something.”
Delinda: How do you recommend other people get involved in charity work?
Derek: “First thing is to find what touches you, what moves you. And then research. Find an organization that benefits your cause. Get involved. Follow you heart.”
Delinda: Do you think Hollywood is sort of ‘obligated’ to get involved?
Derek: “I don’t think anyone is ‘obligated’ but I do think there should be some involvement.”
Delinda: Aside from family, who has been a personal inspiration?
Derek: “A teammate of mine from college, he was like my brother and taught me about life and kept me on the straight path.”
And what a better path than one that led him straight into the hearts of children?
Thank you Derek. Thank you for the interview, but more importantly thank you for the compassion to help those who need it most. I’ll be watching you…
For more info on Derek Strong and the Strong Racing team, please visit the Strong Racing Team website.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Finesse Mitchell Interview
WHY IS FINESSE MITCHELL SHOWING UP ON MY BLOG?
As some of you know, I also work with a site called Look to the Stars. Since I joined them over a year ago, I’ve been asked to conduct some great interviews as well as contribute some of our good-guy athletes to their growing database of celebrities doing good deeds. A few months back, I interviewed writer/director Amy Sewell about her new film ‘What’s Your Point Honey?’
- ‘The film puts a new face on political leadership by introducing seven possible contenders coming down the pipeline, while revealing inequalities that still exist today. Six years ago, with the support of the The White House Project, CosmoGirl! launched Project 2024, an initiative to get more young women involved in politics so that we could see a day when just as many women as men run for the highest office in the country – getting beyond gender to agenda.’
In my discussion with Amy, the idea was born that Look to the Stars start a ‘Honey’s We Love’ column where we interview men (Honeys) who stand for gender equality. Now, it takes a mighty-mighty-fine man to earn a Honeys title, so for me, it was a no brainer to get Finesse Mitchell on the Honeys list.
Finesse was a regular on SNL (2003-2006). He killed me then and he kills me now-without hesitation one of the best comedians we got around at the moment. He has a dating advice column for women in Essence magazine, has written a funny-yet informative- book called ‘Your Girlfriends Only Know So Much,’ has appeared in ‘Mad Money’, ‘Who’s Your Caddie’ and ‘The Comebacks.’ And after attending Chris Webbers Bada Bling (for the third year in a row) I noticed something remarkable about Finesse Mitchell (Aside from the fact that he is always at charity events).
I, like Finesse, love to sit back and people-watch. One thing that enticed me to nab him for a Honeys interview, was his interaction with his fiancée Jessica. Over the course of several days, I never once saw Finesse walk ahead of his girl. I never once saw him without her by-his-side. And when I say ‘by his side’ I mean both literally and as an equal. I’ve covered many events and seen way too many celebrities and/or athletes with wandering eyes, who treat their women like a ‘trophy wife’ or ‘arm-piece’ and walk ahead of them as if their women weren’t equal. This was not the case with Finesse. And after interviewing him, I know I was correct in my assessment of him.
Read the interview at Look to the Stars where Finesse explains his reason for the Essence column, what his guilty pleasures are, and what his ‘most treasured possession’ is.
Like what you read? Subscribe to my RSS feed for daily email updates! (link on top right)
As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com
Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo Interview on ESPN
Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo Interview on ESPN
Another writer who is fed up with reading crap stories by major media outlets who continually ignore the humanitarian efforts of celebrities and athletes tipped me off to this piece…The article was penned by Ric Bucher on www.sports.espn.go.com. Clearly, Yao Ming and Dikembe are schooling the rest of the boys on what it is to be “real men.” Real men have big hearts, souls, smiles and pa-lenty of love for those who need it most. They inspire us and make us forget about those who make it rain, steal from friends, assault women, drag race and create unnecessary controversy that contributes nothing to this world except grief.
In part, Bucher wrote: Mutombo is as well known for his humanitarian efforts throughout Africa—capped by the completion of a $29 million, 300-bed hospital in Kinshasa last fall—as he is for his NBA exploits, which include four Defensive Player of the Year awards. Yao has followed his lead and has been a one-man Red Cross in China, where he organized last summer’s charity game in Beijing between NBA and Chinese stars and has started a relief foundation for victims of Western China’s earthquake last spring. Still, Yao could always use some advice. So Mutombo flew down, and The Mag tagged along…
- My favorite paragraph from the entire piece comes from Yao Ming, who says:
“ What inspires me are the stories that have come out. There is a picture on a website of a teacher who, when the earthquake was happening, put four kids under a table and put his body on top of the table. When the school wall came down, the teacher died but the kids were saved. You can’t stay away when you hear stories like that. When my foundation raises the money to rebuild those schools, we’re going to name the schools after those teachers.”
Once again, if that doesn’t give you goose bumps or a lump in your throat, I would venture to guess you have no soul?
Like what you read? Subscribe to my RSS feed for your daily dose! (It’s that little red button on the top right!)
As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com
Camilo Villegas Grinds into Historic Round at British Open
CAMILO VILLEGAS: “LET’S GRIND”
Did you kids really think Delinda wasn’t on top of the Camilo Villegas situation? Between his precious knit cap, his stellar second round, and his taunt crawling along the greens, I’m about to lose it. Seems that finally the rest of the world is taking notice of our kitten-maybe he just needed ‘this’ much more than a sexy stance and flashy clothes to land on the ‘are-you-kidding-me’ map. A win would have been great, but we’ll take a historic second round score of 5-under 65 at Royal Birkdale if that’s what it takes to make people take notice.
Between Greg Norman and Camilo Villegas both rewriting the history books, I’ve hardly notice the wind, rain or absence of Tiger Woods at The British Open. In fact, his absence has been a blessing, giving some of our other talented golf-babies the chance to shine. Sure, Villegas has dramatically dropped down the leaderboard, but there’s still pa-lenty of talent to watch. The 53-year old Norman is stealing the show much like Rocco Mediate did during the US Open. Norman shot a round of 72 and grabbed a two-stroke lead going into Sunday’s final round.
We also have my flash-kat Ian Poulter stirring things up as he sits T9 next to Rocco, and Adam Scott has choked himself down to T27 after losing a battle with the wind-still, lots of coverage of the Burberry babe makes it worthy of watching.
For those of you needing an extra dose of Camilo Villegas, and when I say extra dose, I mean an extra dose complete with sexy wisps of hair, a Columbian accent and how he went into the round by saying (gulp) “Let’s Grind” check out this yummy video interview on FootJoy.com.
Like what you read? Subscribe to my RSS feed for your daily dose!
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com