I love that more people in the US are starting to pay closer attention to the game of soccer. ABC’s coverage of the U.S. loss to Ghana attracted some 14.86 million viewers, making it the most-watched men’s World Cupmatch ever in the United States. The 1999 women’s World Cup final, in which the U.S. defeated China, is the only match to average more U.S. viewers (17.97 million). Those numbers sound impressive at first glance, until one realizes that in comparison, a regular-season episode of American Idol this year pulled in 6 million more viewers than the men’s game; in a down year for Idol.
Another dose of reality check was kindly delivered by a friend of mine who grew up in London and now plays for the LA Galaxy (Landon Donovan‘s team). We spent six hours today watching tens of YouTube videos of soccer games played in England and Europe this past year and I realized soccer is like a religion for the fans in those countries. The same can probably be said of soccer fans everywhere else in the world other than the US; and probably Canada, but let’s leave the Canadians out of this.
Other countries’ fans live, breathe and literally bleed soccer to the point that I think soccer means more to the rest of the world than even American football may mean to us in the States. Having realized how little fan support the US team receives in comparison to other teams across the world, I am now even more proud of all that the US Men’s World Cup team was able to achieve this year.
Would love to hear what you all think about this? What will it take for soccer to gain wider acceptance in the US? Will the US ever be able to win a World Cup? Thoughts?
Knight and Day uses some pretty bad computer-generated imagery to bring to life one of the most over-the-top, predictable, silly, far-fetched movies I have ever seen. And I absolutely loved every minute of it. Cameron Diaz and (gulp) Tom Criuse bring so much charm, humor, chemistry and charisma to the screen that I forgot time and time again how unbelievable the storyline really is. I just didn’t care; I let go, sat back and enjoyed the mindless ride. And laughed out loud more than I can recall at scenes which were meant to be funny.
This movie definitely helped me remember why I used to jock Tom Cruise as an actor. He is definitely out of my dog house and back on my good side, at least as far as his artistry is concerned. And, I think this is a pretty damn good date movie too – a perfect mix of action, comedy, and chick flick-ness; a recipe which is hard to get right. Overall, it’s a great feel good, light-hearted summer movie. What are you waiting for? Go see it already.
In honor of the one year anniversary of the death of Michael Jackson – I will re-post pictures taken by CelebMagnet from Michael’s Star on the Walk of Fame exactly a year ago. Rest in peace MJ!
Oprah and reality TV producer Mark Burnett (Survivor &The Apprentice) are joining forces in search of the next big TV star. As part of their search, they are holding online auditions and the winner will host his/her own TV show. Brilliant.
My friend, Nava Ghalili, is auditioning for this opportunity of a lifetime, and I am asking you on behalf of CelebMagnet to consider voting for her. You can watch Nava’s audition reel here and vote for her here as well. You can vote for free, without registering, and as many times as you like. But remember, voting for this round ends July 3, 2010.
Why am I pushing Nava? Because Nava has always been in the forefront of empowering young people; a cause near and dear to my heart. She has travelled the world since she was 13 years old, giving motivational talks to people her age and younger. Her youth outreach programs have won the praises of international entities dedicated to improving the mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing of the teenage generation. At 21 years of age, Nava was one of the youngest television news journalists to work alongside professionals in her field. She has worked internationally as a news anchor, reporter and motivational speaker for youth empowerment. If you need more convincing, you can click here and read all about Nava and what she is up to these days.
Yesterday I took the day off from blogging to spend time at Universal Studios with visiting out-of-town friends. But no day seems to be without a celebrity sighting these days. Before I left for Universal, my morning started with me running smack into Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens while I was taking my dog for her morning walk. Not sure what he is doing in LA; he was on his cell, but still managed to throw a huge smile my way and say “hello.” I have to say ladies, he is one fine looking man in person. Seconds later, I ran into a sadJake Pavelkawho was trying to dodge pesty paparazzi that were trying to take pictures of him on the day a nasty gossip story about him was sold to Star Magazine by his ex-fiance, Vienna Girardi.
I won’t tell you what Jake told me about the situation; but I will say that I felt horrible for him and gave him one big huge hug to make him feel better 😉 Don’t hate. But, we should all be so lucky that when our relationships end as they oft do, our ex’s won’t sell nasty lies to a tabloid for $50,000. Yup, that’s what Vienna did.
So, after all this excitement and hoopla, unto Universal Studios I finally went at 12 noon. This week has been filled with lots of accidents in the celebrity world, and the self-made Celeb Magnet was not spared from the mayhem.
First, Katy Perry suffered a mysterious injury at the MuchMusic Awards, requiring 17 stitches. Then, Lady Gagatook a tumble at Heathrow Airport when strutting on the non-fashion runway on her ridiculously high platform boots.
Then, there was I, the ever-injured Celeb Magnet. I was brutally attacked by a huge, bulgy-eyed, gappy-toothed, scary-looking yellow square cheesy-looking monster, better known by some as SpongeBob SquarePants. I ran into SpongeBob at Universal Studios and he, she, it (?), asked me to give him, her, it a hug. And when I did, he poked me. Right in the eye. With his protruding nose. Oh boy. Only me. Can I sue Universal? Or better yet, can I sell my story to Star Magazine? Here is my proof below. Click on the pic to see my agony in its full glory. And the little yellow bugger is adding insult to my injury by waving me goodbye:
If you caught Cyndi Lauper on The Celebrity Apprentice, you know the girl knows how to have fun! Cyndi was so well-liked by the fans that she is now getting her own reality show that will document her family life.
The singer best known for 80’s pop hit Girls Just Wanna Have Funwill star alongside her husband of 19 years, David Thorton, and theirson Declyn, 12. Lauper describes the show as “the comedy of our lives.”
Mark Burnett, the producer behind TheCelebrity Apprenticeand Survivor, is producing the show that will follow the trio around their New York home. I for one can’t wait to watch this eccentric singer on TV; am hoping the show will fill the magical void left behind when the Osbournes left the reality realm. What a week for Cyndi –her latest Album Memphis Blues also was released Monday, on her 57th birthday. Happy belated Cyndi!
I’m confused. What is being promoted here? A tribute to Michael Jackson or Katherine Jackson‘s book? You be the judge. Sometimes, I am so happy I am not superuper rich. Because when I die, I will just die. No one will try to profit off of my death.
Many actors dabble in music and many musicians try their hands at acting. Some never make a dent. Other less fortunate ones fail miserably. But every once in a while, a multi-talented few burst through the barrier and make the crossover from one art form to another flawlessly. Janina Gavankar is that fast-rising star who seems to be able to do it all.
You have seen the 26-year old Dutch/Indian beauty Janina as “Papi” on Showtime’s hit series The L Word. This past Sunday, you saw Janina debut her role as a cop in ABC’s new summer series The Gates, a show which celebrates bloodthirsty vampires, hungry werewolves, and other supernatural creatures.
But what you may not know about this talented actress is that she is also a trained pianist, vocalist, and orchestral percussionist. Her new video, a haunting, gut-wrenching remake of Kanye West’s Love Lockdown debuted six days ago to rave reviews, many calling it better than the original. AmIInTrouble.com first broke the story of her video last month and you should click here for the full exclusive story. In the meantime, enjoy Janina’s video–But, I warn you, don’t be fooled by the undeniable sexiness of it. By the end, you will feel every painful emotion gnawing at Janina in this cathartic video:
CelebMagnet had the chance to sit down with Janina and get answers for some questions posed by CelebMagnet readers:
CelebMagnet: What inspired you to remake Kanye’s Love Lockdown? Janina: I was going through a dark period, and I needed something. This song was that something. I needed it, and made the video.
CelebMagnet: Which is your first love: Acting or singing and when did you decide you wanted to act/sing?
Janina:I grew up training to be a classical musician. I play piano, percussion, and I sang opera first. I realized I wanted to be an actor quite late (in high school), and it changed my whole trajectory. Music informs my work. I can’t tell you how many times I play a piano piece, or a marimba piece and have a moments when I realize what’s being said, in the same way I break down a script. The better musician I become, the better actor I become.
CelebMagnet: Do you consider yourself a minority? And if so, have there been any obstacles in your way because of it either in the music or the acting world?
Janina:I was built color blind, so I work color blind. It’s hard enough to be a girl in the industry. If I gave any credence to another obstacle, I’d be done for. I just keep my nose down and work hard. It may be cheesy, but I’ve lived by the artist code of “If you build it, they will come.”
CelebMagnet: What is next on the plate for you in terms of both acting and singing?
Janina:My new show The Gates premiered last Sunday at 10 PM on ABC. Too exciting! And I’m quietly making more music. I’m going to pick my next projects wisely… so stay tuned…
‘Twas the night before the long-anticipated World Cup match between USA and Slovenia. I met with an Iranian-American man late at night at a cafe in Hollywood, while the rest of Los Angeles was still out celebrating the LA Lakers 2010 Championship win.
This man wanted to tell me all about his “plot” to overthrow “the government” while everyone was “sleeping behind the wheel” watching the soccer match the next morning at 9:30 AM. When I asked him “which government” he had in mind, he responded, “all the governments, so no one feels left out.” Sound scary? Not if the man doing the plotting is comedian/actor Maz Jobrani.
Maz is by far one of my favorite comedians and is best known as a founding member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, which featured some of the top Middle Eastern-American comics in the world. The Axis of Evil Comedy Central Special premiered in 2007 as the first show on American TV with an all Middle Eastern-American cast. I have seen Maz perform live stand-up comedy several times in Los Angeles. So, it was an absolute privilege and pleasure to be introduced to Maz through a mutual friend, actor Anthony Azizi.
My “interview” with Maz was quite unique. He is literally a one-man show, leaving almost no need for interruptions for mundane questions. His words just flow, and anyone around just listens. So, before I could ask any personal questions, Maz continued with his rant to overthrow the government. He wants to overthrow the government to legalize marriages between zebras. He wants to legalize chewing gum. I think he also said he wants to legalize pot, but I think he was joking about that one. And he will “have a Big Mac to celebrate” once he succeeds. “Forget it, I changed my mind. I am overthrowing McDonald’s.” By this time I realized I should just record Maz because my pen could not keep up with notes. As soon as I turned on my camera, his rant had already found yet another victim:
Maz then changed gears. And got a bit more serious. I asked him about the funny Public Service Announcement (“PSA”)he had done for Iranican to encourage Iranian-Americans to participate in and list themselves as “Iranian-American” on the 2010 census. I asked, “Maz, was that a real PSA?” Maz said, “Of course it was.” And he continued to explain what that PSA is about and why he says Iranians always put “zero” on forms:
I then posed to Maz some questions that Celeb Magnet/Maz fans had asked me to ask of Maz:
Edward: “Maz, when did you know you are funny?”
Maz: “I knew it the second the doctor slapped my ass when I was born. Most babies cry, I laughed. So, I knew I was funny then. I also knew then I would be into S&M, but that’s another story.”
Sepi: “How did your family react to you wanting to be an actor/comedian when Iranian men are expected to be doctors, engineers or lawyers?”
Maz: “I acted at an amateur level all through grades 1-12 and and college. I wanted to study acting in college, but my parents wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor. I had absolutely no interest
in being a doctor, so I studied political science in the hopes of going to law school and becoming a
lawyer. My junior year at Berkeley I took a year and studied abroad in Italy. There I had this professor
that I thought was amazing. I decided I wanted to emulate him and be a professor. So, when I came
back to the States I applied for grad school in Political Science.
I got into UCLA’s Ph.D. program for political science, but at the same time I started auditioning for plays at the UCLA theatre department. I got into a few of their plays and realized that acting was my real passion. It had been a few years that I hadn’t really done any because I had followed the path my parents had wanted me to follow. But by the time I started grad school at UCLA I was mature enough to realize I had to do what I wanted to do with my life and that meant acting. I dropped out of grad school and started auditioning for independent films in LA. I then got a job at an advertising agency to help pay the bills. I decided I would act as a hobby and I got into a play. It wasn’t until I was 26 when I decided that I was going to pursue acting professionally. My parents were worried at first but did not stop me. My dad lived in Iran, so, he did not have much to say about it. My mom recommended that I also study automobile mechanics as a backup because I could always be a mechanic in any country as opposed to a doctor or a lawyer who would have to study and be licensed locally.”
Jason: “You play a lot of shows, sometimes back-to-back in the same venue; do you have an exact joke list for each show?”
Maz: “The shows I do in Los Angeles where I live are usually short 15-20 minute ‘workout sets’ where I try my new jokes with a live audience. My out of town shows are usually 1+ hours and I change orders of jokes and use different ‘crowd material’ for each show, you know, my spontaneous interactions with audience, which is always new based on what the audience gives me to work with. I like to change the order of the listed jokes too so it is exciting for me as well. But that makes the job harder too, because sometimes changing the order ruins the set up for the next joke when I go out of order. And worse, sometimes mid-act, I wonder if I have already done a particular joke I want to do next during the same set. When that happens, I start the new joke slowly, and wait for crowd reaction. If their laugh is authentic, I know this is the first time they are hearing it! If the laughter sounds forced, I know I must have already done that joke. It doesn’t happen often. But I have heard other comedians do the same jokes in the same set and not even realize.”
Shadi: “When will you perform again in Washington, DC?”
Maz: “Actually, I will start a US tour in January 2011 and will be performing in Washington, DC around the Iranian new year, either on March 20 or 21st. I will also be recording that show as my new DVD.”
Raamin: “Do you know you look like Mexico team’s goalkeeper, Oscar Perez Rojas?”
Maz: “Oon toppoltareh.” Translation: “He is chubbier.” Maz continued: “And, I have a more refined nose. People also tell me I look like the guitarist for Velvet Revolver, Dave Kushner.”
Steve: “Where else will you be performing next?”
Maz: “I will have sporadic US shows this year, am going on an international tour this month to places like London and Sweden, and will start a full US tour in January 2011.” You can catch all of Maz’s tour dates on his spankin new website by clicking here.
Parting Words
I asked Maz what he wanted to tell his fans. He said, “Go buy my DVD, Brown & Friendly.” During my interview with Maz, he found out I love Adam Lambert. So, he also had a special message for Adam Lambert fans:
For the rest of his fans, and I suppose Adam Lambert fans too, he had the following message:
Maz and I then goofed around a bit as you can see before we parted ways. He gave me his business card; I think that means we are now BFFs. For all I know, the number on that card is a voice service/answering machine only. I can always dream. All I do know is that I cannot wait to hear Maz’s new material at his next show.
So, I will be checking out Maz’s new websiteoften to know when and where he will be performing next.
Maz Jobrani is by far one of my favorite comedians and is best known as a founding member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, which featured some of the top Middle Eastern-American comics in the world. The Axis of Evil Comedy Central Special premiered in 2007 as the first show on American TV with an all Middle Eastern-American cast. I interviewed Maz last week and you can find that interview in full here. When Maz found out I am a huge Adam Lambert fan and that Adam’s fans frequent CelebMagnet, he videotaped this special message for all of Adam’s fans:
.” During my interview with Maz, he found out I love Adam Lambert. So, he also had a special message for Adam Lambert fans:
