Multimillionaire actors Mark Wahlberg and Will Smith stand to add another staggering $1 million to their fortunes if they agree to duel against each otheri in a celebrity boxing match live from Las Vegas. The Hollywood Boxing Federation — which has featured matches with celebs Michael Lohan and Danny Bonaduce — has offered the A-listers [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Muhammad Ali’
Mark Wahlberg Will Smith Offered $1 Million For Celebrity Boxing Match
December 20th, 2010 |
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Laila Ali Pregnant Again
September 29th, 2010 |
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Laila Ali is expecting her second child with husband Curtis Conway. The former boxing champion and Dancing With The Stars announced her pregnancy in a video message to PEOPLE Magazine on Wednesday. “I am pregnant again! I’m three months, and I’m so excited, my family is excited,” Ali exclaimed. “I’m hoping it’s a girl this time!†Laila [...]
Shannon Price Can’t Afford To Pay For Gary Coleman Funeral
June 4th, 2010 |
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Just when you thought things couldn’t possibly get any shadier…. Gary Coleman’s ex-wife is hoping fans of the iconic child star will look into their hearts and dig deep into their wallets to help finance his weekend funeral.Coleman died last Friday after a fall in the couple’s suburban Utah home left him with an intracranial hemorrhage. [...]
Shannon Price Explains Why She Removed Gary Coleman From Life Support
June 3rd, 2010 |
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Shannon Price is explaining her decision to remove her former husband — actor Gary Coleman — from machines that were keeping him alive.Price — who Coleman divorced in 2008 but continued to romance until the day he died — pulled the plug on his life support after the former child star, 42, was fatally injured [...]
Christina Aguilera Muhammad Ali Haiti Relief PSA
January 27th, 2010 |
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International humanitarian Muhammad Ali and pop powerhouse Christina Aguilera have joined forces to bring relief to survivors of the 7.0 earthquake that shook Haiti Jan 12.
With the help of public service announcement released Wednesday — the songbird and the boxing legend hope to raise funds for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Haitian relief [...]
Bomber rams car into volleyball venue
January 1st, 2010 |
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LAKKI MARWAT – At least 95 people were killed and over 100 injured on Friday in a suicide blast in Shah Hasankhel village, some 25 kilometers away from Lakki city.
As many as 95 dead bodies besides over 100 injured persons were brought to Lakki city hospital, a police official and hospital sources told TheNation. “A suicide bomber hit his explosive-laden double door cabin against the wall of a playground where a volleyball match was in progress between two local teams”, eyewitnesses said.
They said that some houses around the playground were badly damaged and some of them also caught fire as result of powerful blast.
They said the dead bodies were scattered all around while the injured persons were rushed to the hospital.
“We made announcements on loudspeakers and called the residents of the nearby villages to reach for rescue operation and shift the wounded persons to the hospital”, a villager said, adding that the area people arranged transport facility to take the injured and the dead to hospital.
Later, police vehicles and ambulances also reached the site of explosion and started shifting the victims of suicide blast to the hospital”, eyewitnesses maintained.
“A meeting of Shah Hasankhel peace body was underway in a local mosque at a small distance from the playground when the explosion took place”, a member of peace committee told. He said that it was a huge explosion which badly damaged the doors and windows the of the mosque building.
“The broken pieces of doors and windows fell on us but all the members of the peace committee remained unhurt”, he added. “Smoke engulfed the whole village after the attack”, he further told. An official informed that two FC personnel and two police constables were also among the injured persons while two FRP cops also went missing. “At least ten injured persons were referred to Bannu in precarious condition.
A team of doctors from Bannu district also arrived in the city to assist the local physicians and paramedics to cope with the situation. The death toll may increase as the dead bodies were being brought to the hospital till the filing of this report.
Some of the deceased were identified as Abdul Manan, Muhibullah, Sanaullah, Ziaullah, Muhammad Ali, Fareedullah, Abdul Manan, Hayatullah, Abdul Qadus, Abdul Rehman and Muhammd Nawaz. Police and hospital officials were busy recording the names of the deceased and the injured persons.
APP adds: Meanwhile, the NWFP government announced compensation for the victims of deadly suicide explosion in a volleyball match in Lakki Marwat district.
The government announced Rs300,000 for each deceased and Rs100,000 for each injured.
Boxing was Allah’s way of getting me fame to do something bigger
September 18th, 2009 |
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From biographies to big-screen adaptations, Muhammad Ali is without doubt the most prominent Muslim in sporting history. His story has become an allegory of an underdog’s rise to prominence: young black baptist boy grows up in America’s Deep South to become world champion, an Islamic convert and
Muhammad Ali’s warm Irish welcome
September 1st, 2009 |
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Legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali has unveiled a plaque commemorating his Irish roots during a visit to the town from where his great-grandfather emigrated to the US.
Thousands of people turned out to give Ali a rapturous welcome to the western Irish town of Ennis, in County Clare.
The 67-year-old was made first honorary freeman of the town, the streets of which were decorated with pictures of the boxer in his prime.
The honour – conferred by the town council – also recognised Ali’s sporting achievements and charity work.
Ali’s ancestor, Abe Grady, lived on the Turnpike Road in the town, before moving in the 1860s to the US, where he married an African-American freed slave.
The BBC’s Charu Shahane says it was more like a presidential visit than a welcome for a long lost son.
Ali – who suffers from Parkinson’s disease – did not address the crowd, but spectators chanted his name while he shadow-boxed.
His visit brought back memories of previous trips to Ireland.
The three-times world heavyweight champion fought in July 1972 at Dublin’s Croke Park, where he was victorious over Al Blue Lewis in a non-title bout.
Ali also made a moving visit to Ireland during the 2003 Special Olympics.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The web’s best film clips on: rebirth
July 22nd, 2009 |
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A last post from me as my time on this column comes to an end, but fret not – the revival, the reboot, the revamp is already under way
I didn’t want to get all Sinatra on you for my last Clip joint. The blog is – I hope – moving on to bigger things, and so I thought it was best to finish with the most mysterious and striking, the downright raddest, of story shapes: rebirth. Seeded in our psyches through the seasons, it winds its way down to us via the ancient Greeks’ valet of vegetation, Dionysus, then was cranked up to the very top of the metaphysical rollercoaster by our Christian friends: petite mort followed by glorious return. It’s a toughie to use now without self-regarding messianic hints – nice for A-listers with airs, annoying for everyone else – but don’t lose patience yet.
I have a feeling the rebirth archetype will claw back credibility very soon. Things are edgy on planet Earth: distended seasons, curdling economies, environmental “stress”. There seem to be two choices: hubris and The End, or hope. Art-wise, there’s been a bit too much cheap hubris going around for a while now – and I can only afford two or three cinema tickets a month. So how about something new?
1) The triumph of individual feeling over the mechanical: Neo’s return to life at the end of the first Matrix is really an instant of realisation, rewarded with an effect that is truly special – Agent Smith’s bullets hanging in mid-air.
2) A simple kiss finally brings light through the prison bars to Martin LaSalle – the “strange path” he must follow in Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket, Dostoevsky in miniature.
3) “The preacher said that all my sins is washed away, including that piggly-wiggly I knocked over in Yazoo.” If wronging pigs is high on Tim Blake Nelson’s fret-list in O Brother Where Art Thou?, I have a lifetime of bacon sandwiches to atone for.
4) Hauling a stone Buddha to the top of a snowy mountain is one way of gaining spiritual enlightenment; you have to wonder if Kim Ki-Duk was totting up extra karma points by playing the monk himself (and making an excellent movie) in 2003′s Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter … and Spring.
5) A certain Dickensian cocklewarmer has seen a fair few rebirths itself, but it seems like the screenwriter for 1988′s Scrooged had a few lines before adapting A Christmas Carol: Bill Murray’s redemption-by-telecast (very 80s) goes on and on.
I’m swivelling the spotlight on everyone who strutted on the red carpet for last week’s lead character roll call. This was our A-list:
1) “I done something new for this fight. I done wrestled with an alligator … ” Norman Mailer thought he was scared, but Muhammad Ali finds a star performance in adversity, drunk on his own humour and eloquence in When We Were Kings.
2) An entire universe emanates from one man, always 8° out of true, perpetually in need of light rearranging: Jacques Tati as Monsieur Hulot.
3) I found the final scenes of This Is England so intense and unmediated, it really felt like Shane Meadows was almost channelling something. Having a performer on board as charismatic as Thomas Turgoose, vulnerably whippersnapping, was a big help.
4) Boris Karloff is magnificent in The Bride of Frankenstein, learning the rudiments of language and gentleness from his new, blind friend. (I have visions of Arnie being much the same in his first acting lessons in LA: “Smoke – good!”)
5) And this week’s winner is … chris7572, for selecting Gena Rowlands as Gloria in her husband John Cassavetes’s 1980 thriller. I’ve never seen it, but this clip from the start – in which Gloria makes a snap decision on behalf of a Puerto Rican street kid carrying a heavy load – sank straight in like a chamber full of lead. And 99% of it is her presence: totally self-assured and indomitable, with a hint of world-weariness around her eyes that plays straight into the 70s high-civic-tragedy mode Cassavetes lays on from the start. A tone itself passing out of favour, as brasher stars, synth soundtracks and 80s glibness were beginning to take over town. Chris7572, don’t forget to email catherine.shoard@guardian.co.uk to claim your prize.
Thanks to AJBee, frogprincess, steenbeck and greatpoochini for the rest of this week’s picks
Thanks also to all those who’ve emailed her to enquire about writing Clip joint in the future, as we’re handing over to you, the people, to keep things going. Are you up to the challenge? Might you fancy getting paid – in gold bullion (oh, all right – pounds sterling) – every so often to pick your favourite clip on a particular subject? The floor is open – email Catherine if you’d like to get involved.
I want to say a massive thanks to everyone who’s helped build up Clip joint and made it a most excellent forum during my two-and-a-bit years writing it. I’ve learned an awful lot, and it’s been great trading film knowledge and divining the tastes behind those unsettling monikers. Of course, I’m looking forward to being a gamekeeper-turned-poacher, and posting comments on Clip joint discussions to come. I have to give a special mention to the hardcore (in order of appearance): earbud, frogprincess, MrDNA, ShatterFace, timthemonkey, Owlyross, Tombo, sotac27, doravale, iainl, ElDerino, phaine, daredavid, StevieBee, steenbeck, drbendyspoogun, quipu, mike65ie, SOMK, AJBee, MrWormold, leroyhunter, nilpferd, davidabsalom, jamie12, MsSauerkraut, Si27, Benj, TheDudeAbides, chris7572, greatpoochini, metalmicky, pompeyplayup. And anyone else with their hand on the DVD remote.
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Sandcity at the Olympic Park
July 18th, 2009 |
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For two months now, the Olympic Park has been living with its sand sculptures. Despite the rain and the odd storm, they are still standing. But they are only made of sand…
Ephemeral heroes
The two giant sculptures were created as part of the Heroes exhibition at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne until 13 September. Because of the material used to make them, they symbolise the fact that the glory and fame of the athletes celebrated in the exhibition can be as ephemeral as a castle made of sand…
Seventy-five tons of sand…
Seventy-five tons of sand were needed to produce these statues. They were created by Dutch sculptors who specialise in these kinds of works, which they create on beaches or in supermarkets. Once the subject is sculpted, it is sprayed with a mixture of water and glue, which holds the whole thing together.
… for two giant sculptures
There are two of these statues. The first, standing 2.5m tall, represents the great Michael Phelps, whose achievements in Beijing last year (eight gold medals) astounded the world. The second, 5 metres high, pays tribute to sports heroes from various eras. These include the Greek Spiridon Louis, the first Olympic and marathon champion, in 1896 in Athens; boxer Muhammad Ali; the German skater Katarina Witt, who made her name with her unforgettable Carmen; and the man who is now the greatest tennis player of all time, Switzerland’s Roger Federer…
The statues will remain on show until 13 September, when the Heroes exhibition closes. On that day, the public will be invited to destroy these magnificent, but rightly ephemeral creations…
Find out more about Sandcity and their amazing compositions.
Hope amid horror
July 11th, 2009 |
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By Komla Dumor
BBC World Service, Cape Coast
The 17th Century Cape Coast Castle overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Ghana is a testament to man’s inhumanity to his fellow man.
A few metres below where I am sitting, thousands of black African captives were kept in conditions that make me shudder even to imagine.
They were chained, naked and hungry in hot filthy conditions – waiting for slave ships that would cart millions to a life of degradation and humiliation.
As I went below into the darkness of the cells, those who came through here whispered stories to me in the silence – women clutching crying babies, groans of pain, and tears, yes, so many tears.
I saw the faces of those dragged and whipped, kicking and screaming through the door of no-return into the belly of a slave ship.
This is a desolate, dark, miserable place.
I have been to the Cape Coast Castle before and it is always traumatic.
But in this place of human shame there is a light.
It is a tiny square in the corner of the high wall that the architects of this place provided to ventilate the thousands they so insensitively crammed into this dungeon – through it a single powerful stream of light shines.
No ordinary visitor
Two centuries after the first major attempt to end the slave trade, another visitor with an African father and a white American mother will stand close to where I am and perhaps battle with the same emotions.
But he is no ordinary visitor – Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States.
"Coming to Ghana is, for many African Americans, the equivalent of a spiritual journey"
He is the man who is widely seen to embody the hopes a generation of black, white, Hispanic and Asian people around the world.
The people of Ghana are extremely excited about President Obama’s arrival.
His pictures are everywhere. Songs have been written in his honour.
His choice of Ghana is significant on many levels.
Ghana was the first black African country to attain independence from British rule in 1957 – an inspiration to others across the continent.
At the time, many African Americans, burdened by segregation and discrimination, looked to Ghana and its founder Kwame Nkrumah as a beacon of hope.
The story is told of Vice-President Richard Nixon – the US guest of honour at our independence celebrations – who greeted a well-dressed black man with the question: "So how does it feel to be free"
The man replied: "I don’t know… I am from Alabama."
Frustration
The local papers have been running pictures of a young Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King celebrating Ghana’s independence.
Coming to Ghana is, for many African Americans, the equivalent of a spiritual journey so common to all faiths.
Generations of African American doctors, lawyers teachers and educators still call Ghana home.
At independence, Kwame Nkrumah declared that this was "Our chance to show the world that… the black man can manage his own affairs."
Decades later we are still struggling to prove it.
The frustration runs deep across Africa, from Ghana through Nigeria to Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Contemporary politics does not take notice of something as vague as the word "hope".
The Obama presidency will be measured by how he deals with a global economic crisis, the threat of terrorism and the spiral of environmental degradation.
It would be naive for Africans to assume that the election of Barak Obama means an economic windfall for the continent or that the president does not have a strategic interest in securing this region’s oil.
That ‘thing’
Bill Clinton and George Bush both came to Ghana during their presidencies.
Nonetheless, the emotion involved with the arrival of Barak Obama is immeasurable.
What Barak Obama represents is that "thing" – the thing that Maya Angelou says "Makes the caged bird sing."
I see it in the faces of young girls from northern Ghana who carry back-breaking loads for a few cents in the markets clutching dreams of owning their own business.
I see it in the face of the taxi-driver who works extra hours so his children can go to a better school than the one he attended.
I’ve seen the same look on the face of a young doctor at Korle Bu teaching hospital who is overworked and underpaid and still delivers some of the best medical practice in Africa.
They do not want a handout, they just want a fair chance to achieve their potential.
That look is called "enyidaso" in the Akan language of West Africa.
It is the light that shone hundreds of years ago on the tear-stained faces of the human beings who passed through the Cape Coast dungeons.
Barak Obama calls it "hope."
Komla Dumor presents BBC World Service’s The World Today programme. Born and raised in Ghana, he worked for Accra-based Joy FM, Ghana’s leading commercial radio station before joining the BBC.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.