Los Angeles Lakers To Be Honored During Special Olympics Bash
Los Angeles Lakers To Be Honored During Special Olympics Bash
EVENT SPOTLIGHT: This Sunday, October 4, on the historic Santa Monica Pier, the Los Angeles Lakers will be honored at the Special Olympics Southern California’s 40th ‘Birthday Bash’… Lakers legends Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy will be representing the Lakers (which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year)…Honorary Chair and California’s First Lady, Maria Shriver, will also attend the event with Special Olympics Board Member, and event founder, Anita Green.
“We are thrilled to be honored by an organization as important and meaningful as Special Olympics. On behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers, I want to congratulate Special Olympics and all its athletes on 40 wonderful years in the Southern California community. We look forward to working together with Special Olympics and continuing its mission for years to come.” Lakers General Manager, Mitch Kupchak.
The party, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. includes an appearance by the Laker Girls as well as an exclusive opportunity to take a photo with (and kiss) the Los Angeles Lakers’ Championship trophy….the family friendly bash includes rides, game booths, a silent auction, entertainment and for those willing to donate a little extra- a VIP brunch spread prepared by 35 of LA’s top restaurants.
This celebration commemorates 40 years for SOSC, which was founded by Olympic Decathlon Gold Medalist, Rafer Johnson. “What started 40 years ago with 900 athletes, three track and field events and two swimming events was the stepping stone for our organization, which has grown to 13,000 athletes,” said Bill Shumard, SOSC President and CEO. “I’m proud that Special Olympics can be credited with not only introducing sports to people with intellectual disabilities but for creating more accepting and inclusive communities.” Since its inception, the event has raised more than $4.5M.
Confirmed guests: Maria Shriver, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, James Worthy, Magic Johnson, Jim Hill, Rafer Johnson, Tami Farrell (Miss California, USA), Carrie Prejean (Former Miss California), Brandon Molale, Wynne Wharff, CC Perkinson, Christine Devine, Morgan Weirich, Scott L. Schwartz, Jo De La Rosa, Daniel Curtis Lee, Malik Barnhardt, and more to be announced…
General admission tickets are $45 and include unlimited rides, eight game booth tickets, and a meal coupon for Pacific Park’s Food Plaza. VIP tickets include unlimited rides and 12 game booth tickets and a special VIP Brunch for $150 per ticket for adults and children over age 5 and $500 for a package of 5 tickets. For tickets or further information, contact Special Olympics Southern California at www.sosc.org/pierdelsol or 562.354.2605.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Celebrities & Charities: Inaugural Noble Humanitarian Awards
Inaugural Noble Humanitarian Awards
Finally, an awards show that doesn’t recognize how well you act but rather how well you act towards others…on October 18, 2009, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the charity community and its brigade of Hollywood supporters will gain global recognition when the inaugural Noble Humanitarian Awards takes place…The two-hour event, produced on behalf of the non-profit Celebrity Charity Awards Corporation, seeks to annually honor up to a dozen charities and celebrities who actively support them, elevating awareness of these organizations and the impact of their work inaugural Noble Humanitarian Award.
Inaugural charity honorees include: The Art of Elysium, Best Buddies, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, DoSomething.org, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Keep a Child Alive, The Salvation Army, Stand Up To Cancer and Women’s Sports Foundation.
This is huge on so many levels…while we do have other ‘humanitarian’ awards out there that earn some media attention- this one isn’t going to fly under the radar. Think ESPY’s meet the OSCARS…it’s brilliant, and necessary…Celebrities will be accepting awards on behalf of the charities being honored…a few examples include: Laila Ali: Women’s Sports Foundation, Jessica Biel: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Alicia Keyes: Keep a Child Alive, Joel Madden: The Art of Elysium and Brett Ratner: DoSomething.org.
During the ceremony, each will be presented with the trophy award, designed by Antonio Banderas, with personal touches added by children who participated in The Art of Elysium workshop at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children. Other performers and presenters will be announced closer to the event.
Props to Janeen Mansour, the creator and executive producer of the Noble Humanitarian Awards. “Celebrities have long given their time to charity, championing causes they feel passionate about. Their support draws media coverage, and organizations benefit. With the Noble Awards, we aim to turn the spotlight back onto these celebrities and charities in an effort to provide recognition, to educate, to inspire, and to encourage even more support from the Hollywood community and the public at large. It’s an annual celebration of service and volunteerism,” explains Mansour.
The Noble Humanitarian Awards are produced on behalf of the Celebrity Charity Awards Corporation, a 501©3 non-profit organization. With the staging of the first annual awards on October 18, 2009, the Celebrity Charity Awards Corporation will launch a year-round campaign to better unify the efforts of charities with celebrities, influencers, media and everyday citizens in order to create an effective forum for change and service. For more information, please visit www.thenobleawards.org.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
L.A. Dodger Russell Martin Donates Big to the ‘One Drop Foundation’
L.A. Dodger Russell Martin Donates Big to the ‘One Drop Foundation’
It’s rare for me to have anything nice to say about anyone involved with MLB…but, once in a while, a player will step-up and remind me that hidden between the cracks of a tainted sport, there are a few athletes who are interested in bettering the world. And now, Los Angeles Dodger Russell Martin has landed on my radar after the two-time All-Star catcher announced he will be donating $600,000 to the One Drop Foundation.
Martin has been named spokesperson for One Drop, whose mission is to fight against poverty by providing access to water and raising awareness among individuals and communities about the need for mobilization to make safe water accessible to all.
“We take water for granted, but there are people around the world struggling to get it and that’s unacceptable to me,” said Martin. “You start making money and you can give it to wherever you want, but I wanted something close to my heart…I wanted to find something important to me. It doesn’t get more important than water, and when you think about it, some people don’t have it.”
Additionally, Martin has committed to hosting an off-season fundraiser for One Drop and is planning to make an international trip this winter on behalf of the organization that was started by Guy Laliberté, the founder of Cirque du Soleil.
According to One Drop, every eight seconds a child dies somewhere around the world from lack of drinking water and Martin has committed himself to making a difference. Current projects exist in Nicaragua and Honduras, while One Drop has also undertaken previous efforts in Africa.
For more info on Martin’s involvement, please visit his official website, Russell Martin 55.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
The Best Thing About the Lakers Win?
The Best Thing About the Lakers Win?
I’ve been getting a lot of flack for not being a Lakers fan…as you all know, I cheer for character, so it was hard for me to watch Dwight Howard lose to Kobe Bryant and Gasol. My distaste for the Lakers also stems from the behavior of their fans. Sorry people, but I’d like to hear just ONE Lakers fan give props to an opposing team-any opposing team…but I have yet to see that happen. Instead I witnessed the ‘amazing’ destruction of police cars, burning trees, broken windows and looting in celebration of the Lakers 99-86 victory over the Magic…
But…there are some good guys on the Lakers and perhaps the non-violent and sane Lakers fans will use their passion productively and support Jordan Farmer and his foundation?
Farmar’s gearing up for two days of fundraising to benefit a variety of charities supported by his foundation including Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, Seeds of Peace Camp, Peres Peace Center Basketball Clinics, and others. The inaugural Jordan Farmar Celebrity Golf Classic and Gala will be held on July 19-20 In Los Angeles…the Gala will be Sunday evening at Ten-Ten Wilshire in L.A. and the Golf Classic will be held on Monday at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California.
At the Gala guests will get to mingle with Jordan and a plethora of invited hotties and celebrities while enjoying the usual party swag- awesome food, music, and auction items to include unique sports memorabilia and event packages…the following day, athletes and celebrities will golf for the greater good. For those interested in a night of fun I highly recommend you purchase a ticket to the Gala because they are only $100.00 and it will be a sell-out. You can’t even go to a Lakers game and get out of Staples Center for less than that, so why not cough up a few bucks to party with some Lakers and their celebrity fans? (For ticket information, call the Jordan Farmar Foundation at 310 473-5445 or visit the website.)
Partial list of hotties invited to Jordan Farmar’s “All White Affair” include: George Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Earvin Magic Johnson, Rob Morrow, Mia Hamm, Flea, Kenny Lofton, Royce Clayton and Darryl Strawberry (Huh? He still around?), UCLA coach Ben Howland, and Lakers’ teammates Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza, Derek Fisher, and others.
Hope to see ya there…
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Will “King of Clay’ Ferrell & His Tennis Match for Charity
Will “King of Clay’ Ferrell & His Tennis Match for Charity
“I’ve been called the Ricky Hatton of tennis-from what I’ve heard- cuz I’m quick and I like to drink a lot.”
Will Ferrell is popping up at charity event so quickly I can barely keep up with him…last weekend the funnyman took on tennis legend Mats Wilander for the K-Swiss Global Tennis Showdown in L.A. to benefit the Swedish School of Los Angeles. All in all, the event raised more than $50,000 for the school…
There are three videos on Youtube from the event…and each has been viewed less than 2000 times. This particular video is great because whoever filmed it laughs contagiously throughout…but the sad thing is, although the event raised a lot of money, it could have raised a lot more. If you watch the video, notice how many empty seats there are. Why? This event cost less than a night out at the movies, and you could have actually met Ferrell, bid on some silent auction items, filled your belly with some delicious barbequed treats and enjoyed a performance by the Dan Band.
If you missed this charity event featuring Will Ferrell, fret not. Ferrell is an all around athletic-talent and will be showcasing his golf skills on the greens for the Cancer for College event this September in San Diego. I’ve gone every year to support the event, which provides scholarships to cancer victims. And every year, Ferrell has gone above and beyond to ensure everyone in attendance gets a little TLC…and seriously, I don’t want to get another email asking me how I get to meet so many celebs- I’ve been pointing you all in the right direction for a long time…and today, I’m pointing all Will Ferrell fans to the Cancer for College website for more info on how you can attend-but you gotta act fast, the event has sold out every year and this year will be no exception. I better see ya there.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
David Beckham ‘Buys’ Time on AC Milan
David Beckham ‘Buys’ Time on AC Milan
AC Milan announces that David Beckham will remain with the Rossoneri until June 30
Finally, the saga of where Golden Balls will play has been settled. Our English beast will remain “on loan” to the hot Italian club AC Milan until May 31, the end of the season. While I’m not well versed on contracts etc…I do find it chuckle-worthy to read that Beckham’s ‘on-loan’ status is more like a “pay-to-play” arrangement. He and AC Milan are both shelling out big bucks for Beck’s to kick it Italian style. We don’t know how much Beckham or AC are paying for Becks to remain with the Italian studs, but it’s said to be a “multimillion dollar deal.” The Galaxy originally had Beckham on the chopping block for $10M, but AC apparently thought he was only worth $3M. I do know if I had deep pockets, I too would pay millions to hit the field alongside Maldini, Nesta, Gattuso, Seedorf, Pirlo, Kaka and Inzaghi….
“I’m grateful to both clubs for making this dream come true,” said Beckham, “My family is happy and settled and will remain in LA. The perfect result for 2009 would be for me to help Milan to reach the Champions League and for the LA Galaxy to make the playoffs and win the MLS Cup.”
Sir Golden’s first game with the Galaxy will be July 16 against the New York Red Bulls…but the game I wouldn’t miss goes down on July 19-an exhibition game between (gulp) the aforementioned smoking hot Italian squad (AC Milan) and the Galaxy.
And for all you So-Cal readers chomping at the bit to know who and what team Galaxy is all about, you are invited to join them at the 2009 LA Galaxy Kickoff Luncheon on Thursday March 19 at the Manhattan Beach Marriott Hotel. The event includes lunch and a short program and raises funds for the LA Galaxy Foundation’s charitable endeavors
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Hard Hats for Humanity
Hard Hats and Hotties for Charity?
Love this one…Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity is auctioning off autographed hard hats for charity… more than 70 hats have been signed and donated for the charity auction…bid on hard hats signed by such artists/humanitarians as U2, Ricky Martin, Justin Timberlake, The Jonas Brothers and more… while there are no “athlete” signed hard hats on the chopping block, I can’t resist anything Bono related, especially when I see him swinging a hammer and building a house. Ditto goes for Ricky Martin.
“I have had the chance to personally give the keys to several families moving into homes sponsored by the Ricky Martin Foundation in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, an organization I’ve been involved with for many years. I’ve been fortunate enough to see with my own eyes the difference a home makes in the life of a child,” said Ricky Martin. “Now, by simply bidding on an item in an auction, you have the chance to change lives and build hope.”
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles launched the online auction today at Clothes Off Our Back…the auction will run through March 6th at 5:00 pm PST with 100% of the proceeds helping to build more affordable homes in Greater Los Angeles. “Through our non-profit organization, Music for Relief, and our ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity we have had the opportunity to not only sponsor homes, but also to go and build the houses ourselves, and to meet the families that were moving into them,” said Dave “Phoenix” Farrell of Linkin Park. “We hope this hardhat auction will raise awareness for Habitat’s mission and help raise funds for families in need.”
The following is a partial list of celebrities who have autographed hardhats for the auction: 30 Seconds to Mars, Alejandro Sanz, Carrie Underwood, Chris Pine, David Archuleta, Enrique Iglesias, Gavin Rossdale, Governor Schwarzenegger, Green Day, Kate Beckinsale, Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Kellan Lutz, The Jonas Brothers, Josh Groban, Justin Timberlake, Kyle Howard, Linkin Park, First Lady Maria Shriver, Michael Johns, Miley Cyrus, Neil Diamond, Ne-Yo, the Pussycat Dolls, Ricky Martin, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Third Day, U2, Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron. A complete list of celebrity supporters of this auction can be found at the auction site: CLOTHES OFF OUR BACK.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Catching Up with Dikembe Mutombo
Catching Up with Dikembe Mutombo
Don’t get excited-when I write ‘catching up with Mutombo’ I don’t mean I was blessed to meet the big guy-trust me, when I get an interview with him you’ll be the first to know…for now, we’ll have to settle for a great piece from SI.com. (The photo is from Vanity Fair 2007)
Our finger wagging baller has been a very busy humanitarian-as I’ve said before, Deke is a humanitarian first and baller second…and once again, his efforts trump most. His Mutombo basketball kicks by Peak will be released soon-they include his No. 55 and a logo of his finger wagging back and forth. “By the time I retire, I want to see if I can have a shoe that can be sold in Africa that will allow every African child to have the shoes at the low cost of $15 to $20. So every parent can afford to put the shoes on the feet of their kids” he said. Dare I say ‘Yes You Can’? And with much better success than we’ve seen from other-ballers-and-their-low-cost-shoes-sold-at-places-that-go-out-of-business-and-you-don’t-back-it-up with-actions-anyway…but who am I to knock someone for trying…
Deke’s Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital has been open for just over a year. “We have celebrated the first year of the opening Dec. 7,’’ he says, “We celebrate the first year when the world is crashing. Economically the world is crashing, spiritually the world is crashing. There is war all over the places right now, in Africa, in the Middle East, in Southeast Asia. We have to stay strong, to continue to do God’s work. Otherwise all of these people will perish.’’ An American consulting firm has told Mutombo that the hospital may become self-sustaining within another three years. This year, he says, the hospital is in need of $2 million to remain open. “If 100,000 people will each donate $20 to the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, we will have $2 million to give treatment to women and children and the oldest people who are dying every day from malaria. There is a child dying in Africa every 35 seconds. Last year alone more than 2.5 million children died in Africa because of malaria. It costs maybe $10 to treat each person. So imagine when somebody is donating $20, he is already saving the life of a child at the hospital.’’
This is really a simple request from Deke…just 20 bucks. Yeah, the economy sucks. Yeah twenty bucks is a lot of money to some people. But maybe next time you fork over $4.20 for a ‘no-whip grande cap with extra bullshit’ you’ll think about the fact the your spare change can save a life…if not, then your on the wrong blog.
Event Notice
This Sunday at the Saddle Ranch Chophouse on Sunset Boulevard (Los Angeles), LA’s hottest women are going to ride the mechanical bull for charity. Yes I will be there-and no-while I am the queen of (a-hem) bull rider, I will not be riding the bull…I will be interviewing the celebrities in attendance and taking lots of photos…Babes on the Bull…hope to see you kids there.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Federline and a Baseball Cap for Charity?
SAY WHAT?
The thing that bothers me is that Lewis Hamilton was less than 100 miles from my house and I didn’t know about it. (Where are all the good PR people these days?). The Formula One sensation has been ‘dating’ Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherziner for a few months, and I gotta say, they’ve had some incredible dates. They attended Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday bash in June, where they rubbed elbows with Bill Clinton, Oprah, Sir Elton John and many other A-listers.
And last Thursday, Hamilton and his lady were in Los Angeles for the launch of EA Sports’ Madden NFL 09 at the STK nightclub in West Hollywood. Yes, it pains me to even write about it…but regardless of Lewis evading his inevitable Delinda encounter, the British beast enjoyed the company of Britney Spears’ former husband Kevin Federline. Yes, Lewis Hamilton threw out a few hand signs as he enjoyed hanging with K-Fed and his crew…the gamut of celebs at the event included the likes of ‘Austin Powers’ star Verne ‘Mini-Me’ Troyer to Playboy boss Hugh Hefner.
Wanna get closer to Lewis Hamilton? Well, the closest I can get you is in his baseball cap. Hamilton has donated an autographed cap for a celebrity auction being held in London on September 21 to benefit the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.) It may not sound like much, but with Lewis’s fame, this simple donation could yield a windfall for the cause. You can check it out here.
Also, please check my Celebrity Athletes Charity Events Page for an event near you. Its updated almost daily. The latest not-to-be-missed-event is a three day Elton Brand Friends and Celebrity weekend.
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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com