Homegirl Is Doing It Big

Redlight Greenlight 1-2-3!! It seemed like every night growing up I would ask my parents if I could go outside and play that game with the kids on down the street. Bronxwood Avenue between Adee and Arnow was where I spent the first 14 yrs of my life. Across from PS 76 and on the direct path of the BX8 bus. I remember it like it was yesterday, just like I remember my parents telling me "you aren't allowed to leave the block." When that happens you let your childhood imagination run wild with games to play in a confined space. And that's why my four neighbors Cherrye Davis, Jasmine and Charleen Jacobs and Dwayne Gilroy will forever have a spot in my heart.

But just as I was accomplishing one of the greatest feats of my basketball career, in beating a future NBA Hall of Famer, it seems that another kid from that little block in the BX is doing her thing as well. I just saw a trailer for a film coming out called For Flow and there she is...Cherrye Davis...doing it big. She was also an NYU alum (just throwing that out there) who let everyone know from Day 1 (of those Christmas Sing-A-Longs) that she was going to be a star. Check my girl out in the trailer for her short film debut...

 I'm proud of you

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

Allen Iverson & Jadakiss

So I was trying to find out what sneakers this guy Iverson had on in the game so I could mention it in this Dime Magazine followup on I'm working on...but then I came across these two throwback commercials and HAD to post them...oh man...classic

"and he will blow by you fast, penetrate and dish it off or let it go high off the glass"

"tryna build a team? I'm the playa ya need, heart like Willis Reed, top thief and scorer in the league"

 photo: Christian Reinhard

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

EuroCup Game 1 Recap: Rough Week For Tony Parker

About every 30 seconds during our game in Lyon, France last week a digital banner would pop up saying "Tony Parker" with some French word in front of it. I later learned that the word was "owner", as he is part owner of the ASVEL basketball club. Back in February '09 it was reported that in the hard economic times, it's never too early to begin thinking about your retirement. As the then 26yr old proved by buying himself "a nice little retirement package: a French basketball team. In an interview aired on France's Infosport cable network, Parker announced his purchase of the second largest share of ASVEL, France's most titled professional basketball team, and he will, he says, begin serving immediately as the club's Director of Operation."

Now my only hope is that us beating ASVEL last week, them firing their coach, and Tony Parker getting divorced wasn't all contingent on each other. Because I heard that Tony was sending scandalous text messages to, former teammate, Brent Barry's wife and Eva found out. To pay for the lawsuit Parker took money from the team budget, in turn the players were upset...weren't winning games and then Coach gets fired. But here at my "real life" can wait we (meaning I, since I'm the only one writing here) don't like to slander the truth nor start rumors...so until reports come out confirming why they lost to us...why they fired the coach and why Tony Parker is divorcing that beautiful wife of his I will not delve any further into these topics.

Watch More Highlights (w/ a hot techno song)

http://www.asvelbasket.com/asvel_videos.asp?id=48

Asvel Baskets fires head coach Collete

Asvel Basket relived head coach Vincent Collet of his duties at the club, Asvel basket chairmen Gilles Moretton announced on Wednesday. The move comes one day after the team lost its Eurocup opener at home against BG Goettingen. Collet was in his third season with the team. He led Asvel to the French championship in 2009 and an appearance in the Euroleague last season. This season did not go as well as Asvel started the season 2-4 in the French League and now with a loss in the Eurocup. Collet is also the head coach of the French national team.

What I do know however is that the hair on Robert Kulawick is much better than the hair on Matt Walsh

#justsaying

 Here are some sights and sounds from our trip to France's second largest city. Lyon is a city known for silk weaving and housing the headquarters for EuroNews, International Cancer Research and Interpol.

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

What Is The Deal With These Four Lokos?

I go away to France for three days and get back to a ton of emails and stories about this drink. When I first heard of this stuff it was when my two favorite rappers mentioned it on Crooked I's Hip Hop Weekly over the Hard In The Paint Beat where he claims to be "kinda f*cked up on these Four Lokos in this b*tch" and then Joell Ortiz states that he "gotta keep it movin' like dope on the block, I post like Karl Malone in the spot, quiet with the Jazz and I already spazz, and I just gave Four Lokos a shot..." After those lines caught my attention I started to look out for the "blackout in a can" and suddenly found it popping up all over the place. The website fourlokostories.com has some pretty ridiculous content (from peeing on people's faces during sex to punching old ladies in the mall and running away) that users submit about their events with the drink. Although the majority of them seem made up, I find myself believing a few like this one here...(from_NoMoLokoFoMe): My buddy and me buy 3 lokos each...about an hour and a hlaf later we go to mcdonalds and he tries to buy 3 mcdoubles. He said he was gonna pay with debit and proceeds to swipe his cell phone through the card reader (unsucessfully) and goes to the bathroom. When he got back he started screaming in anger that he paid and wanted his money back. We got the cops called on us.

Now I've had my fair share of Red Bull and Vodka's and Jägerbombs but this stuff just seems a little bit over the top. The New York Daily News reported that it's the equivalent to having three beers and three cups of coffee (I've also heard 5beers/1coffee or 3beers/1energydrink/1coffee...but you get the point). And in that same article they claimed that the drink grew popular after a story about a Bronx gang that "forced a victim to guzzle 10 cans before beating him mercilessly in what was described as a gay bias attack." If beating someone mercilessly wasn't bad enough...forcing them to drink something comparable to 30 beers and 30 cups of coffee is as f*cked up as f*cked up gets.

Needless to say, New York, along with Michigan, Washington, Oklahoma and Utah have stopped allowing the drink to be bought and sold. And collegehumor has run a "Honest Four Loko Commercial" to help the claims of those states

 

 

And although Stephen Colbert argues the other side of it...in a very humorous way...these duracell battery tasting beverages are out of control...

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Thought for Food - C-Zurrrre, Medal of Hunger Winner & Cheesercize<a>
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

Now I consider myself an experienced drinker...four years of hanging out with Matt Basford, Mike DeCorso, Dan Falcon and Chael Clark at NYU will do that to anyone...and it was a great feeling knowing that I reached my alcohol limit on three Olde English 40's and that the $20 bill I took out the ATM had enough change to get me a late night slice of Ben's Pizza (or five). So at $3 a pop for these Four Lokos...I can definitely understand the appeal...especially when that caffiene doesn't make you an "oh my god I need to lay down" drunk...but rather a "YOOOO I'M READY TO GO, WHO WANT'S ANOTHER SHOT" drunk. Things can get ugly.

But just as recently as today on *Apollokidz.com I'm learning that "The company that produces the Four Loko beverage said it will remove the caffeine and two other ingredients from its products after facing a cascade of criticism and regulatory scrutiny for producing the energy drinks, which combine high levels of the stimulant with alcohol." And as my fellow KIDZ claimed...it's not going to stop them from selling it on the black market..."when kids hear the sh*t is banned they will want it more and the bodegas will double the price..." Now as tempted as I am to at least try one, that caffiene level of three coffees and the lack of taste I hear it has is a complete turnoff...but anyone in close proximity of a binge drinker...BEWARE

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

Influencers

Just watched this documentary on **apollokidz.com** and felt like you should too

INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION from R+I creative on Vimeo.

INFLUENCERS is a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends and creativity become contagious today in music, fashion and entertainment. The film attempts to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach.

Written and Directed by Paul Rojanathara and Davis Johnson, the film is a Polaroid snapshot of New York influential creatives (advertising, design, fashion and entertainment) who are shaping today's pop culture. "Influencers" belongs to the new generation of short films, webdocs, which combine the documentary style and the online experience.

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

Allen Iverson Can't Get A Run

Although he received a warm welcome in Turkey, even after arriving late, this video was brought to my attention on ** apollokidz.com ** and I just felt like it needed to be shared.

(Allen Iverson) A.I. Can't Get A Run?
Hochgeladen von Warroomsports. - Sieh mehr Sport und Extremsport Videos.

Tyrone Hill is allowed to look the way he looks in public...and AI can't get a run?

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

The Truth About Social Media

as told by Papoose and as seen on Apollokidz.com

"I like MySpace better than Twitter, they tryna swallow us

put the finger on us, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano us, let the jails borrow us

on MySpace you had friends but on Twitter you got followers

everybody following each other like the D's

if you ask me it's sick like a disease, retweeting what they read

where I come from if somebody follow you, you better turn around and squeeze

threatening each other on Facebook...it's fake look

if you ask me if they mean it I tell you "they shook"

when the judge throw the book at you it's not a great look

throw the book in your face, you really get your face booked"

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

My President Is Black

 **as seen on Apollo Kidz**

I just finished watching Obama on the Daily Show and figured it was worth sharing...when you take time and actually pay attention to what he's done/doing/and continuing to plan on doing...it's pretty remarkable

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 3
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

and just because no blog is complete without an LOLer

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

Only In Germany

**as seen on ApolloKidz.com**

Who needs safety drivers? Not Germany's Freie University, that's for sure, which has just demonstrated a self-driving taxi to rival Google's efforts without a soul at the wheel. This laser, radar and sensor-equipped VW Passat, dubbed "Made in Germany," has a companion iPad app from Appirionto do all the hard work, too -- you just start the program, punch in coordinates and wait for the car to extract itself from a nearby parking lot and pick you up from school

The Future Is Now

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

Apollo Kidz With a Z...

So some of you know and some of you don't but it's about time you got familiar with http://apollokidz.com/

It's basically your "all you need" everyday site for urban topics. The best news source out there for anything you need to know about.

The quick history...basically a group of NYU alums started an email chain to stay in touch...that chain turned into a name...that name needed a logo...after designing a logo that name needed an idea and here we are over a year later with a full fledged plan to be your number one source for ANY and EVERY thing "present."

You should look at it like this...rather than go to Media Take Out or Worldstar Hip Hop or Rap Radar to find out what's going on in Hip-Hop...go to ApolloKidz.com. If you want to be the first for links to the New Movies or New Music...go to ApolloKidz.com Rather than go to ESPN or Sports Illustrated to find out what's going on in Sports...go to ApolloKidz.com. And rather than go to Wall Street Journal or Yahoo for Finance...go to ApolloKidz.com. And rather than go to The Huffington Post or The New Yorker for Culture...go to ApolloKidz.com And rather than go to CNN or the New York Times for Everything Else...just go to ApolloKidz.com.

You get the point?

We take what we feel are the most relative, popular and interesting stories and bring them to you, with some funny commentary to keep you engaged. If you are in the mood for a laugh check out our topics on "The Ten Most Ridiculous [something] from Oddee.com or the latest faux news story from theOnion.com. We've got that too...ApolloKidz.com is your one-stop-shop to get you through your workday...or your leisure day...or your everyday. With 8 representatives scattered on two different continents the news stories and LOL'ers (as we call them) are constantly being discussed and updated. And all you have to do is click Follow or Friend...so what are you waiting for? I know you have Facebook and I know you have Twitter...so go ahead and stay current...it only takes a second

Friend Us On Facebook

Follow Us On Twitter

We've also just began our Podcast...Check Out The First One Down Here

 http://blog.apollokidz.com/2010/10/11/circle-of-bosses-episode-1/

And Feel Free to Email Us at Holla@ApolloKidz.com

and tell us what you like, what you don't like and how we can improve...it's a process

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

Meet The Team 2010

With the first game less than 24 hours away I suddenly realized that you all haven't met the team. I didn't have enough time to get as descriptive as last year but I think it'll be okay because some of the faces should be familiar.

You guys have already met...

The Sharpshooter Robert Kulawick #5.... 
(click for Kula's 2009 description)

The Captain John Little #11...
(click for John's 2009 description)

Mr. Do It All Dwayne Anderson #22...
(click for DA's 2009 description)

And Yours Truly The Incredible Jason Boone #21...
(click for my 2009 description)

...But As Far As The New Guys Go...Allow Me To Make Introductions...

Mike Scott #4 Kent State University aka "Slim"

Besides having a freakishly long wingspan the dude is quick and has hops. Making him  the favorite for putting opponents on a poster this season. When he takes off it's a good idea to go the other way because it's normally going to end up bad  for the defense. Also as far as locker room guys go...he's top notch...so Meet Mike...

This is Mike Scott at Kent State

This is Slim against Bamberg

And here he is after his recent visit to India to study the Yoga Based Fighting Style (Dhalsim)

Trenton Meacham #7 Illinois University aka "Trent"

Your All-American Good Boy. If BG Gottingen was an American High School drama based in the suburbs he'd be the Pretty Boy Quarterback. And with Kulawick on the team that's not an easy thing to accomplish. But as "clean cut" and "on the straight as narrow" as Trent may come off as...my favorite thing about this dude is that he's not afraid to get down and dirty on that basketball court...as a teammate you cannot ask for more. So Meet Trent...

This is Meacham in college

This is Trent during the preseason

And here he is working on his post-basketball TV/Music career (Peter Andre)

Kyle Bailey #9 Santa Clara University aka "KB"

It's gotta be more than pure coincidence that those are his initials because he is a "Knowledge Base." One of the smartest players on and off the court coupled with being one of the biggest competitors and leaders I've ever played with is a great combination. When we spoke this summer it was about coming back to this team for one reason only...To Win. So Meet Kyle...

Here Is Kyle In His Villain Outfit

Here Is KB In His Superhero Outfit

And Here Is KB after Addi's Strength Program (Vin Diesel)

Adam Waleskowski #10 Florida State University aka "Awal"

Speaking of acronyms AWAL can stand for 1 of 2 things...Absent Without Authorized Leave which is what he makes opposing defenses. Honestly this guy can score on anyone...even those who pride themselves on defense. It can also stand for Around the World in A Lifetime which is what he will be able to say one day. It always helps having a guy who is a little older and who has played "here" "there" and "everywhere in between." So Meet Adam...

Here's Adam reppin' FSU

This is AWAL reppin' BGö

And here is a preview of post-bball Adam when he becomes American again (Hacksaw Jim Duggan)

Louis Dale #12 Cornell University aka "Lou"

Lou reminds me a lot of myself...minus the NFL Tight End body frame. Educated, witty and horrible with ladies, I've had the chance to room with him on every road trip so far and feel like I have lucked out. Except for that one time I walked in to him singing and dancing to Usher...that was a little awkward. So Meet Lou...

This is Lou ruining everyone's NCAA bracket

This is Dale doing whatever the hell it was he was doing

And here he is in his High School Yearbook Senior Picture (Steve Urkel)

Christoph Tetzner #13 Tip-In aka "Tetz"

Tetz is your typical Berlin Bad Ass...I had the chance to play with a few of them during my days in Bernau and although Jan and Kula think they are some...they aren't. It's good to have another one on the team. Plus the fact that he does Karate...shiiiiiiiit...that just adds to being a bad ass. So Meet Tetzner...

Here is Christoph...as his parents call him...before he hit puberty

Here is Tetzner reeking havoc for opponents (even thru 3 of em with one holding his waist he got the ball)

And here is Tetz pursuing his goal to be the Ultimate Bad Ass (Chuck Norris)

Jermain Raffington #25 Ehingen aka "Maine"

Jermain is so Westernized I forget he's a "German." Sometimes it's the music he listens to, sometimes it's the way he dresses...or possibly the fact that he speaks better English than Rocky Trice (and Chris Oliver just because I know he's reading this) but he's one dude on or off the court I know always has my back and that's a great way to feel about a teammate. So Meet Jermain

Here is Jermain jumping for a rebound (you gotta box out)

Here is Maine stylin' off the court

And here he is doing the Mambo Number Five (Lou Bega)

Cornelius Adler #31 Ehingen aka "Corny"

 Every team has a young German and he's ours. But for the guys who actually know him they'd say he's the funniest guy on the team. And sometimes I don't even think he knows it. German players can sometimes get the label of having no heart or not playing with enough heart all the time. Especially the younger ones new to the league...but I'll tell you what, Corny embodies our team philosophy that You Can't Teach Heart just as much as the most seasoned veteran...and it's because of that I know we'll be successful. So Meet Cornelius...

Here is Cornelius wearing socks with sandals (who does that?)

Here is Adler showing that White Men Can Jump

And here he is being a GIANT humanitarian (Eli Manning)

Season is officially kicking off tomorrow and it's good to know that the guys on this team are again good quality dudes. Stay tuned to find out how the team you just met does this season. 

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

Abstract City By Christoph Niemann

 I came across this article a while back in the New York Times and it's so fitting to the trip I'm preparing to take...back to the Deutschland. This will have to hold you over until I kick off the new season of Meet The Team because I'm going to spend the next few weeks getting ready to win games...until then, as always...do what you do...

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21