Quick Hits Archive: June 7- June 13
Jun 27 2007 / Los Angeles, CAJune 13, 2007
Kenny Bartram Talks About Life After FMXPublished: 1:41 a.m. PT by Greg
Scott Bair of the North County Times has a terrific interview with Kenny Bartram, the FMX master who is moving away from the sport and into Rally Car racing. While Bartram, the 2005 Dew Tour champ, will not be competing on the tour this year (he missed a few dates last year after an injury) he will be providing color commentary on all five stops.
Among some of the other nuggets -- Bartram will star in a reality show about bull riding airing this summer on CMT (Country Music Television).
As readers of this space know, FMX has also lost Travis Pastrana to the joys of Rally Car racing, though Pastrana's been kicking butt while Bartram is still building his career. However, we do have some cool video of Bartram driving around in his rally car right here:
Let me know if you have trouble seeing this video...
Since we don't have any video of Travis Pastrana doing his Rally Car thing, check out our clip of his "Slip & Die" -- a crazy huge slip & slide built into the side of the hill. This clip we posted on You Tube is a bonafide hit with nearly 200,000 views. Watch it & weep, folks.
By the way, if you scroll down a bit, the esteemed Mr. Bair has some kind words to say about Lat34, though I would say "glorified press releases" is a little insulting when describing some of what we do. We also read newspaper columns and glorify those. Here's that link again (consider yourself glorified).
Etnies Game of SKATE at Hot Dogs & Hessians...
Published: 1:29 a.m. PT by Greg
Adam from Lat34 People was down in OC last weekend to see the eS Game of Skate as part of the Hot Dogs and Hessians tour put on by Active. Be sure to check Check it out...
Here are a couple of photos...
Puddle of Mudd Headlnes Dew AST at ClevelandPublished: 12:19 a.m. PT by Greg
Puddle of Mudd is still together -- apparently. I say apparently because the band was just announced as the lead act at the AST Dew Tour's second stop at Cleveland, OH -- the Right Guard Open. The show will be Friday, July 20 -- and Mudd's new album, "Famous" comes out a convenient four days later. It's the band's first album in four years.
To show how good a fit the band is, here's a video of theirs that features a group of skateboarders breaking and entering and vandalizing stuff before one them - a girl -- is taken away by her parents. Years later, she's tracked down by one of her childhood friends... and love ensues...
Sniff. ROCK 'N ROLL FOREVER!
Hey, It's Late Notice, But Why Not? Ask Brian Deegan a QuestionPublished: 12:01 a.m. PT by Greg
I probably should have posted this yesterday or last week or last month as we were setting up this interview, but better late than never. We're interviewing FMX superstar Brian Deegan later today in advance of the special screening next week of his bio-pic "Disposable Hero: The Brian Deegan Story." If you have any questions you'd like to ask, shoot me an email at Greg@Lat34.com and maybe I'll get it in.
Better yet, if you live in Los Angeles, you can see Deegan himself at the Lat34 X-Dance Film Festival Hollywood Screening next Tuesday (June 19) at CineSpace in Hollywood. It's free, so you have no excuses. Here's more info about the screening. and more info about the movie.
Here's the trailer, too...
Let me know if you have trouble seeing this video...
June 12, 2007
Should Skateboarding Be in the Olympics?Published: 2:18 a.m. PT by Me
There have been a ton of stories lately about the International Olympic Committee considering adding Skateboarding to the Olympics in the future -- we've pointed out some of those stories as they've come up and most have been about the positive aspects -- but now here's the backlash.
One guy over at AOL's Fanhouse blogs opened one big can of worms yesterday when he posted his opinion that skateboarding should not be part of the Olympics. Here's just a sample of his thoughts:
"Skateboarding is best left to kids at the park. The worst thing about the Winter Olympics in recent years has been the addition of sports like snowboarding, just as the worst thing about ESPN is the X-Games."
Hilarious. I always love to read an informed, well-thought out argument. Thankfully, most of the comments to the post are more articulate -- even some that agree with him (most don't).
One of the comments deals with a petition asking the IOC not to include skateboarding because of some of the following reasons:
"We feel dedicated viewers of the Olympic games will not be interested in skateboarding. Skateboarding should not be viewed or utilized as a sport or game or used as a marketing tool for the personal gain of organizations Skateboarding competition as presented to the public eye today is primarily invitational-only television productions for the purpose of attracting high paying corporate sponsors. These programs are very unpopular, poorly attended, and most skateboarders do not watch them because they do not represent what skateboarding is really about.
Hmm. Interesting -- I hear some of that, but what about that "marketing tool for the personal gain of organizations part" -- seems there's plenty of that already going on and I would say more skateboarders are fine with it than aren't (at least if they're the ones being sponsored).
The online petition has gotten more than 750 signatures, but it's a little difficult to tell how true that number is. Many of them are "Anonymous" and while Eric Koston may have signed it, it's doubtful Finnish hockey star Teemu Selanne did (unless there's another Teemu S. From Finland out there).
One thing's for sure -- there's still a lot of ground to cover before this will be decided one way or another.
Read the blog yourself or check out the petition.
"John From Cincinnati" Updates - Ratings Not Great; Credits Are
Published: 2:18 a.m. PT by Me
Well, the ratings are in for the first episode of "John From Cincinnati" and they were okay, but less so because of how huge the ratings were for "The Sopranos" before it.
"The Sopranos" went out with 11.9 million viewers -- one of the best performances ever for the series. "Cincinnati" followed with a 3.4 million audience -- a drop off of more than 70%. The show's real test will come in the next few weeks as it either slips, builds or keeps at that level...
One thing most people seem to agree on is the opening credits -- in my post from earlier today I mentioned my love of them. Seems I wasn't alone.
More about the ratings... A couple of positive reviews of the opening credits here and here.
Shaun White - Chairman of the Board or Diva? Or Both?Published: 2:18 a.m. PT by Me
Has Shaun White reached 'Diva' status? Ever since winning the gold medal at the Winter Olympics, he's been as selective with snowboard competitions as Tiger Woods is with golf tournaments. And in-between appearances on Leno and making AMEX commercials (see his latest one), Shaun's on his third publicist in the past year.
Maybe that's why it's been virtually impossible to track down
Ah well. Some good news for White -- he won an award on Spike TV's new made-for-TV awards show the "TV Guys Choice awards." Hmm... He won in "Chairman of the Board" category over Rob Dyrdek...
Some of the other winners:
Hottest Girl on the Planet: Adriana Lima (over Beyonce)
Luckiest Bastard: Cash Warren (Jessica Alba's beau)
Biggest Ass Kicker: Gerard Butler (of "300" - over Jack Bauer himself, Kiefer Sutherland)
Hottest Jessica: Jessica Alba (over Biel)
There are about 50 caetgories -- if you want, watch the show on Wednesday, June 13 at 10 p.m. on Spike TV, or you can see the results right now here...
John From Cincinnati Opening Credits
Published: 1:19 a.m. PT by Greg
So not many of you may watch TV -- that's fine. I watch a good amount and one thing I do miss (though I may not be that old) is cool opening credit for TV shows. Heck, can you imagine life without the "Brady Bunch" theme? Or "The Prisoner" or "Get Smart?"
Well, one network has kept the opening credits as a badge of honor -- usually most HBO shows have great opening credits ("The Sopranos," of course, "The Wire") and Sunday night's premiere of "John From Cincinnati" was no different -- The old surf footage backed by ex-Clash-man Joe Strummer's (with the Mescaleros) "Johnny Appleseed" at once set the table for the tone of the series, showing life in Imperial Beach in all its (im)perfection.
Oh yeah, and the show's good too. Anyway, here's the opening credits if you haven't seen it yourself.
SD Surfing Community Says Goodbye to Kauanui
Published: 12:51 a.m. PT by Greg
The San Diego surf community has been mourning the loss of pro surfer Emery Kauanui Jr since he passed away on Memorial Day -- the victim of a terrible beating. Four men have been charged in the attack but this last weekend was one for people to remember how he lived, not how he died.
On Saturday afternoon more than 300 surfers paddled out to a wave break off Windansea Beach to say goodbye to Kauanui. They circled a boat from which his mother, Cynthia, scattered his ashes into the sea. The break, which had been Kauanui's favorite, was renamed "Emery's Left."
Kauanui, 24, had his skull fractured in a fight on May 24 in the suburd of La Jolla. It all apparently started when he might have spilled a drink on someone in a bar -- he was later tracked down outside his mother's home and beaten. Seth Cravens, a friend and former classmate of Kauanui's younger brother, was identified by Kauanui as one of his attackers prior to his passing away.
The four men charged with murder are Cravens, 21; Eric House, 20; Orlando Osuna, 22; and Matthew Yanke, 20. Only Yanke is free on bail ($1 million) while others have yet to post bond ranging from $1.2 million - $2 million.
The attack has been dominating the San Diego press with tales of the "crew" the four men were part of, and the violence they might have been responsible for before being charged. Add to that Kauanui's own checkered past (previous arrests included battery and drunken driving) and there is no lack of material as the trial gets underway.
However, the paddle out on Saturday focused on the positive light Kauanui brought to many, and the celebration was memorable. Asked how Kauanui might have reacted to the event, one his friends, Derek Zemen, 22, said: “He'd be stoked.”
Read more about the memorial here...
photo credit KC Alfred - SD Union-Tribune
Quiksilver on the RisePublished: 12:17 a.m. PT by Me
If you own Quiksilver stock, a couple of things:
1. That's good. Nice of you to be able to afford stock. I've got about $50 in a juice can next to my bed for a rainy day.
2. You got about 7% richer in the last two days of trading. The stock is up after beating analyst's expectations last week. It reported revenue of $604 million, vs. expected $574 million.
The company is worth about $1.8 billion at the moment. How's that stack up against some of its competitors? Billabong is worth about $3.1 billion (US), Volcom about $1.1 billion and Rip Curl is privately-held so it doesn't reveal its value, but it likely easily passes $1 billion. If you want more figures consult your financial advisor.
Read more here about Quik. (reg. req.)
Headlines: Snowboarding is Not the Future, Women and the Dew Tour, Red Bull and Car Surfing
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Greg
There's a lot of news out there that I just can't talk about but I want you to see... So this is my sacrifice to you.... These are my headlines of note...
- Q: Is snowboarding still the future of the ski industry? A: I don’t feel that one could say that snowboarding is still the future of the ski industry, but snowboarding still remains a viable discipline in the overall snow sports industry.
- Tony Hawk kicks butt in "Fast Cars & Superstars."
- The Dew Tour may not allow women to compete, but they learn how to ride thanks to the Girls Riders Organization clinics at the first two stops.
- Red Bull has signed a deal with Freestyle Games to make some new games for the brand in the future...
- Can anyone show me when a fun day of car surfing doesn't end with death or a terrible life-threating injury?.
June 11, 2007
X Games Overhauls Surfing For X Games 13; Adds Women -- July Comp SetPublished: 1:06 p.m. PT by Greg
Okay, don't get me started on the surfing comp for the X Games taking place a whole month before the actual X Games -- I gave up that battle a long time ago. But at least the surf event is undergoing some changes which should make it a bit more interesting this year.
First off, women's surfing finally gets its due, with Megan Abubo, Layne Beachley, Rochelle Ballard, Sofia Mulanovich, Stephanie Gilmore and Lisa Anderson already announced.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the "East v. West" contest has been replaced by a “USA vs. the World” format.
All the action will take place in Puerto Escondido from July 3-6.
So far for the men, Rob Machado, Jamie O’Brien, Julian Wilson and Mick Campbell have been named -- a full list of the teams will be out soon.
Get the full lowdown here...
Red Bull's Empire of Dirt Announces Rider ListPublished: 12:32 a.m. PT by Greg
The Red Bull Empire of Dirt contest, happening on June 15 & 16 in the UK, has announced its official riders list.
The list is jam-packed with some familiar names in the world of Dirt, including 2006 Dew Tour champ Anthony Napolitan, 2005 Dew Tour Champ Ryan Guettler, and bad-ass Corey Bohan.
The UK has home-court advantage with 14 total riders, including the brothers Forte (Kye and Leo), while the US has 13 riders. Australia, the land that would be King of Dirt, only has three riders (Dane Searle, Bohan and Guettler).
Still, expect some sick action. To see the whole list CLICK HERE. Some photos of the course in progress follow...
Does America Dig "Surf's Up?' Not Much, Yet
Published: 1:17 a.m. PT by Greg
Last year, a movie about dancing penguins opened up with $41.5 million at the box office in its opening weekend, on its way to nearly $200 million total. So what would America think of some surfing penguins? Not too much so far, it seems. The movie opened up this weekend in fourth place with about $18 million, that's less than half of "Happy Feet's" opening weekend.
The movie trailed :"Ocean's Thirteen" ($37.1M), "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" ($21.3M) and "Knocked Up" ($20M) in the box office.
While a soft opening doesn't necessarily spell disaster for an animated film, which can have a long, steady performance at the box office over the family-friendly summer, But it isn't good, either.
More info...
New Online Surfing Community Launches
Published: 12:32 a.m. PT by Greg
We got a note from the guys over at an all-new Surfboards.com -- the site has relaunched as a social network for surfers. To quote CEO DK:
"We hope this gives the surfers a place to express themselves on the most appropriate site for surfing. Vendors, Sponsored Surfers, Surf Groupies and the regular Joe Surfer will have a place that is designated just for our love of all things surfing. We hope to have 100,000 or more users in a short amount of time."
They've got big plans for the site, including custom email addresses (yourname@surfboards.com), wallpaper, rank your spot and more...
We gave the site a quick looksee and it looks like a nice start. Check it out yourself at Surfboards.com.
Glifberg Takes Quiksilver BowlridersPublished: 12:12 a.m. PT by Me
The Quiksilver Bowlriders contest happened this weekend in Malmo, Sweden. Rune Glifberg, last year's third-place finisher, won the event, followed by John Magnuson in second.
Here are the results:
1. Rune Glifberg (DEN)
2. John Magnuson (SWE)
3. Alain Goikoetxea (EUS)
4. Ross McGouran (UK)
5. Nicky Guerrero (DEN)
6. Mattias Nylen (SWE)
There's a little more info at the official site here...
Damn Am Results - Schultz Wins
Published: 12:09 a.m. PT by Me
Here's a quick look at the results for the 3rd Lair Damn Am 2007 -- Street...
1. Anthony Schultz (Carlsbad, CA)
2. Dylan Perry (Tampa, FL)
3. Cody Davis (Ramsey, MN)
4. Chazz Ortiz (Carpentersville, IL)
5. Taylor Smith (Encinitas CA)
6. David Loy (Santa Ana CA)
Local Nate Compher of Minneapolis won the Best Trick comp. for street on Saturday.
June 10, 2007
Manny Mania Denver ResultsPublished: 4:12 p.m. PT by Me
Here are the top five finishers from the Manny Mania tour stop on Saturday at Emage Skate/Snow in Denver...
Final Results
1. Cody Shultz
2. Andrew Smith
3. Gordy Cousino
4. Chris O'Conner
5. Andrew Dorich
Next stop: June 18 at Sacramento's 28th and B Skate Park....
Get Ready For International Surfing Day
Published: 3:48 p.m. PT by Me
On June 21, surfers around the world will hit the waves as they might normally do, but the day will be different. June 21 is International Surfing Day -- an "unofficial, official surfers' holiday" created by Surfing magazine. Now in its third year, the event aims to promote the sport but also raise awareness about the quality of the oceans and beaches.
Tied in with the event, the Surfrider Foundation is holding more than 75 cleanup events worldwide from the US to Australia, Brazil to the UK...
Find out more here.
Hawk AWOL on First "Fast Cars" Episode, but Hamilton DominatesPublished: 3:22 p.m. PT by Me
So a few days after the fact I got a chance to watch the premiere of the ABC show "Fast Cars & Superstars - Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race" (yep, that's a mouthful). I had talked to Tony Hawk the night of the premiere and was interested in seeing how the Birdman did on the show.
But much to my disappointment, Hawk was not part of the first episode -- Laird Hamilton, however, was -- facing off against Serena Williams and John Elway. The three competed in time trials and Hamilton had the best overall time, with Elways behind him. Williams was eliminated for her slow performance.
The time trials were pretty boring. Hopefully there will be some actual racing pretty soon.
Headlines: Moore is Top Grom, Sheckler Tat, Hawk and White and Fiji
Published: 3:01 p.m. PT by Me
It's Sunday -- enjoy what's left of your weekend!
- Carissa Moore, who knocked out seven-time ASP champ Layne Beachley at the WCT 2007 Roxy Pro Australia earlier this year, has been named King of the Groms.
- Globe Fiji will be back in 2008 through 2010 -- at least.
- Heitor Alves Wins at Maldives but Jordy Smith Leads WQS Rankings.
- Check out Ryan Sheckler's new tats -- temporary or not, you decide
- Kind of buried here, but this LA Times writer says Tony Hawk's brands make $400 million a year, and theorizes that perhaps Shaun White may one day be the most recongnizable figure in all of sports. Interesting.
June 9, 2007
Australian Surfer Attacked, Needs 100 Stitches
Published: 2:55 a.m. PT by Me
That's right, 100 stitches. The injury was so severe that the boy needed four hours of surgery to repair his ankle and leg.
More about it here...
Another Shark Attack in Florida
Published: 1:49 a.m. PT by Me
Because it wasn't a hot chick who was bitten in the leg, but rather a German tourist, this story was practically buried in the metaphorical backpages of the news.
Rumor has it when the shark bit the man, pieces of sauerkraut started oozing out the German tourist's leg. Just a rumor.
Read all the details if you want...
Not Quite a Shark Attack...
Published: 12:22 a.m. PT by Me
A shark measuring nearly 20 feet in length circled a boat full of fishermen for nearly half-an-hour before taking off. The fishermen were unable to flee because their anchor was caught on the reef.
Real life Jaws?
June 8, 2007
On The Scene At the TWS AwardsPublished: 5:43 a.m. PT by Greg
Lat34 was on hand for the 9th Annual SKATEboarding Awards last night at the Avalon in Hollywood. For the straight scoop on who won (Jerry Hsu, bitches!), Read more here about it. We also have a ton of photos, with more likely to come, here. (update -- here are more photos, too) Photog Adam also has a few things in his blog here.
Here are a few highlights about the show that aren't in the story...
The red carpet pretty much opened up for everyone starting around 7 p.m. and among the first there was Christian Hossoi and his family -- not a bad way to start the day. Ray Barbee followed soon after. We got pics of all of them. Then it started to get crazy.
While the crowd lined up outside the Avalon, the inside started to fill up. Stopping by the press room were a steady stream of big names, including Hossoi, Tony Hawk, Kevin Staab, Chad Muska and Steve Berra. I talked to a few of them. I'll get some quotes up later today.
The Spider Club upstairs was crazy jammed before the show started around 9:20 p.m. Once the show started, we were told we couldn't shoot inside, so we don't. But among the highlights -- Girl's surprising win over Enjoi, which seemed poised to win everything; Mark Appleyard's no-show and how it was handled (Berra: "He's not here, so let's have another winner."); Hsu's Hsuge night.
There were people everywhere. Maybe a tiny bit less crowded than some of the concerts I have caught there (when it was known as the Palace), mainly because some chairs were set up, but it was still pretty jammed and a good 100-200 people probably never got in that were waiting outside. Security was rough outside but inside it was pretty sweet.
The awards part of the show ended at 10 p.m. and then the movie premiere of "Let's Do It!" started. Some sick stuff, but I went into the lobby with Adam Nelson (our great photog/producer) to see who might show. First we saw Best Vert winner Bob Burnquist. Soon after, Hsu made an appearance -- leaving a little early with his girlfriend to grab a smoke and hang with the Enjoi guys out front. At that time, there was still a crowd and the idiot security guys wouldn't let you back in - no matter what.
As the video wrapped, we saw a steady stream of people. I saw Jereme Rogers. Wondered what he thought of Girl's win now that he's off. Wonder if the win should include him 'cause he left after the votes were tallied? Guess no one's thinking about that, least of all the pimp himself.
Couple of random thoughts -- lots of short skirts and texting women. The guys stayed off their phones (for the most part) but women were texting left and right -- usually standing by themselves off to the side. Maybe the beau is off hanging...
A good 30 minutes after the show ended there were still plenty of people hanging inside, but the crowd outside had thinned. The party was rockin' upstairs at the Spider Club but many of the big winners had left.
We finally left and got to see some of the action outside. Lots of wandering people, and the regular crowd in Hollywood (this being Hollywood and Vine) was going to places like The Frolic Room down the street. Down the Blvd, a concert at Henry Ford (the location of last year's TWS awards) was getting out -- The Kaiser Chiefs.
Yep, just another night in LA.
I drove to Tommys, got a combo and went home to work on this -- finding myself behind a limo with a license plate that said "Holywud" -- Maybe they meant Hollywood, but I like to think that meant Holy Wood. Nice.
A few random photos -- the best of the bunch are in the gallery...
Man about town Adam Nelson on the red carpet.
The red carpet press. You know it was fun... Right?
Muska in the house.
Yeah, it's not crowded AT ALL...
Text. Text. Text. The girl on the right was typing up some interesting messages. Sample: "He did something good. Reward him."
The limo in question. Sorry about the plate being washed out. Take my word for it. HOLYWUD!
Again: More photos are in the gallery...
And: Read our story.
June 7, 2007
35th Annual Surfer Poll and Video Awards Voting BeginsPublished: 1:45 p.m. PT by Me
Surfing magazine has opened voting for the latest edition of its Surfer Poll and Video Awards... Magazine readers and online fans can vote over the next couple of months to see who will be named the top surfer (any chance it won't be ten-time winner Kelly Slater?) among men and women...
Read more about it here and see photos from last year's awards. The big day will be Sept. 11, 2007 in Anaheim.
Fuel Updates: Mike Vallely, King of Wake, Ted De Gros and Alex Moul Published: 1:16 p.m. PT by Me
Get your Fuel on -- there are a few good shows coming up that you may want to check out, including a special episode of "Drive" featuring Mike Vallely doing good (does he do it any way?) and a good "King of Wake" recap. Also, you can find out the latest guest for "Daily Habit.".
Read all about it.
Shaun White's New AMEX Commerical
Published: 2:33 a.m. PT by Me
We recently told you about the new Martin Scorcese directed American Express commercial featuring Shaun White, Sheryl Crow and many more. It took a couple of days to get the video for you to see here, but it's been playing a million times on TV...
