Posts Tagged ‘ESPN’

Velvet ropes hung gingerly from metal stanchions throughout Nokia Plaza. Satellite lots bordering Staples Center transformed into gifting suites and production base camps.   And if you followed stars’ Tweets, then you know that many of them descended upon Los Angeles for the summer’s biggest awards show.

My regrets, movie and tv junkies –  this awards shindig was of course, for the athletes. With Seth Meyers hosting, the 2011 ESPYs aired last night from the Nokia Theatre at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.

There were many highlights from the night, especially the music scene — featuring funky soul man, Raphael Saadiq, as the leader of the house band …

… and N’Sync-er turned actor, Justin Timberlake, as a presenter.

Because the worlds of music and sports are so intertwined, Positively Celebrity is celebrating this annual gathering of modern day Goliaths by saluting athletes’ major contributions to music!

Lakers megastar Kobe Bryant had humble beginnings as a rapper. Long before he donned the “24,” Bryant joined forces with R&B singer, Brian McKnight, on “Hold Me” back in 1998 (see Kobe’s rap at the 2:39 mark).

You’d have better luck winning the lottery twice than beating Carl Lewis in a foot race when he was in his prime.  Lewis left competitors in the dust during his track & field days, but his Star Spangled Banner performance at an NBA game in the early 90s left people plain confused.

Unfortunately, Carlos Arroyo’s stint with the Celtics has been uneventful, but at least his music career is seeing some success.  Last year, Arroyo released “Se Va Conmigo,” and the single made a big impression on reggaeton charts.  Check out the remix featuring Ivy Queen.

Without Michael Jordan, the movie, Space Jam, would have never existed. And without the movie, we would have never known the awesomeness that is the Space Jam soundtrack. So thank you, Michael Jordan, for making it possible to enjoy the music of Monica, Seal, and the Quad City DJs on one CD.

For more of the latest music news and reviews from Erica Renee Davis, check back often right here on Positively Celebrity.

These new artists will be rocking our music worlds this year! Check them out!

PIA TOSCANO

I have a confession. I haven’t watched an American Idol episode in its entirety this season. So when my Facebook news feed was filled with statuses that read, “Pia’s gone…unbelievable!” and “Won’t be watching now that Pia’s off!,” I had to figure out why this chic was such a big deal. Thanks to YouTube and her slew of talk show appearances, I, too, fell under the trance of make-up artist turned Idol outcast turned the next-big-thing-since-Jennifer Hudson, Pia Toscano.

She has the vocal strength of a young Whitney, classic beauty comparable to Carrie Underwood, and the sophistication of a Miss America contestant (not to be confused with Miss USA…fyi).

The spotlight was already shining brightly on Pia because of her talent, and now that she’s media’s new obsession, Pia can bank on — well, laughing all the way to the bank – as her music career goes from 0 to 160. Rumor mill has it that Interscope is courting Pia and that she’ll release her debut single soon. Idol who?

CRIS CAB

Move over, Biebs. There’s a new, barely-legal heart throb taking over the music scene. And his name is too bad he’s still in high school Cris Cab.

Infusing hip hop, reggae, and pop, the Miami native has famed producer, Pharrell, in his corner as he works on his debut album.

In his video for recent release, “Good Girls,” Cab looks like he could be John Mayer’s long lost little bro, and his tone, voice inflections, and lyrics are eerily similar to those of Wyclef Jean.

Looking forward to Cris Cab’s takeover!

INTERCEPT

Their song, “Rest of My Days,” is featured on the popular Jam Party video game.  They’ve played Austin’s Red Gorilla Fest 3 consecutive years. Their inboxes are flooded with fan mail requesting Skype lessons to learn how to play their music. And despite thriving success, the four hotties that make up indie rock band, Intercept, are 4 of the most humble musicians ever!

I had the honor of crashing one of their studio sessions, and the quality of their songs in person sounds as perfect it does on the radio or on television. The group - Christian Knudsen (Lead Vocals / Rhythm Guitar), Jeff Knudsen (Lead Guitar), Jason Weiner (Drums) and Phil Romo (Bass) – has an extremely busy summer ahead as their tour includes shows in Nevada and throughout southern and northern California.

Intercept’s music has also been featured on ESPN, MTV’s The Real World, and the Ghost Whisperer. And in a time when mediocre music dominates airwaves, it’s the kind of music you pray to hear when you turn on your radio. Stay updated on Intercept news by following their pages – Facebook.com/intercepttheband, @Intercept1 on Twitter, and http://www.mspace.com/interceptmusic.

You could call Spike Lee the basketball auteur. Not only a huge basketball fan, he’s filmed some of the most famous Nike commercials ever with Michael Jordan; shot a full length feature called “He Got Game,” in 1998 starring Celtics superstar Ray Allen; and is currently working on a documentary feature of Jordan’s last 2 NBA seasons.

His latest hoops project to hit the airwaves is a behind-the-scenes look into the NBA life of Lakers star, Kobe Bryant. The project, entitled “Kobe Doin’ Work,” is a documentary of Kobe’s game vs. The San Antonio Spurs on April 13, 2008. Spike used 30 cameras to captures Kobe’s every move in the game. The film was inspired by the 2006 documentary about soccer star, Zidane, entitled “Zidane: A 21^st Century Portrait.”

Bryant later recorded a commentary for the Lee film, describing his thought process behind every screen, shot, and pass. As it happened, Kobe laid down the commentary just hours after annihilating Spike’s beloved New York Knicks with a 61 point performance. The film airs at 8PM Eastern on ESPN, May 16.

Since his imminent fame after winning a staggering eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, Michael Phelps has been making appearances everywhere from London, to Frosted Flakes boxes, and every other advertisement on TV. What hasn’t Michael Phelps been up to since the Olympics?

He’s replacing Tony the Tiger on Frosted Flakes cereal boxes. He’s destroying computers at the ESPN office in their new ad. He’s the golden boy of Visa. He’s partying in Vegas.  He’s sitting in box seats at the Steelers Browns game. And he’s getting great ratings for SNL.

According to Davie Brown Entertainment, an LA-based talent agency that compiles a celebrity endorsement index, Phelps is now the number one sought-after celebrity beating out basketball legend Michael Jordan for the top spot.

It is said 95% of American consumers now recognize Phelps—an upgrade from 33% prior to the Olympics. As Perez Hilton commented yesterday, Phelps has the Midas touch.