While his contemporaries continued to channel the sport’s core sponsors into career success, White became an overnight industry, trading niche overachievement for mainstream sports superstardom, his image used to launch clothing lines for US superstore Target, his face fronting campaigns for American Express and Hewlett Packard and his signature splattered across the covers of posters, books, DVDs, video games.
When we read stories like this we think back to the time when Shaun was just a tiny kid in a helmet standing quietly by as his mother begged event organizers to let him forerun the US Open halfpipe even though he wasn’t technically old enough.
British actor Charlie Bewley who plays the vampire Demetri in the latest installment of the Mormporn series Twilight apparently spent a couple years hanging out in Whistler snowboarding according to an interview on Entertainment Weekly’s PopWatch blog.
I really did enjoy snowboarding. I played rugby most of my life and then I switched to snowboarding, which provided me a lot of inspiration. I think in some respects, spending time in the mountains was something that prompted me to stay away from England and take up a path less trodden.
Obviously inside by Tony “Ride” Hawk, Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert recently went skateboarding with Congress woman Jackie Speier, Representatives Jim McGovern and Patrick Kennedy. He even nearly tried dropping in on the staircase.
He rolls quite well it should be no surprise: Colbert pushes mongo. Skateboarding starts at 5:20 into the clip.
Some reality TV guy (Jon Gosselin?) went surfing this weekend in Hawaii, according to US Magazine. We’re thinking this one photo will do more to clear the lineups than any threat of killer Great Whites . . . on the other hand he looks like great chum.
Our favorite E Television announcer Sal Masekela may not have kicked Diddy’s hiney (or bettered Oprah’s 1994 time of 4:29:20), but he did finish all 26.2 miles of the New York City Marathon and in so doing ended up raising $80,000 for Stoked Mentoring, according to a story on UsMagazine.com.
“One hundred percent of the money I raised will go to Stoked.org,” Masekela told Usmagazine.com before the race. After crossing the finish line, Masekela Tweeted: “Well Tweeps, I let you down. Didn’t beat @iamdiddy. Hit a wall from hell at 18. Finished around 5 hrs. Hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
To beat Diddy he needed to be under 4:15. But no matter. He finished and Stoked Mentoring wins big.
In six days Sal Masekala will be running in the New York City Marathon to raise money for Stoked Mentoring and to kick Diddy’s ass in the process (“Combs has pledged a donation if that happens”). And he told the Los Angeles Times that he is very scared.
“I’ve never been more scared to do anything in my life,” said Masekela, host of E! Entertainment’s “Daily 10” program and longtime TV host of the winter and summer X Games. “In fact, I think I’d rather paddle into 20-foot Waimea Bay by myself than run in the NYC Marathon. However, this isn’t about me. This is about the at-risk and disenfranchised teens desperately in need of the opportunities ‘Stoked Mentoring’ provides. I’m doing this for them.”
While we find it difficult to believe that Sal is that scared, we will say that we’d much rather watch him paddle out at Waimea during the Eddie than watch him pound NYC pavement, but it’s great that he’s doing it for a good cause. Click here to make a donation to Run Sal Run. Follow the jump for Sal’s training video.
While we were doing something else, Pamela Anderson was at a “private home in Malibu” with the US Snowboarding’s Olympic hopefuls . . . frolicking “with celebrity families in 40 tons of snow.”
Olympic snowboard coach Bud Keene was obviously an extremely attentive instructor getting Pam right up on her slippery, pink, Mammoth box. . . click the link for more photos
Yes, this is Ryan Sheckler acting. . . as opposed to being Ryan Sheckler reality TV star. He plays a young hockey star with The Rock in The Tooth Fairy.
Last night while we were hunkered down waiting for the Samoa tsunami to hit all the other glamour stars were at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre for the premiere of Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page’s new roller derby film Whip It. Even Covergirl Gretchen Bleiler. One question: where’s Hotel? He looks good on black carpet, too?
Seems like the “skateboarder as businessman” angle on Tony Hawk is getting pretty dusty, but that hasn’t stopped Entrepreneur Magazine from using the hook to discuss Tony’s newest video game (and controller) Tony Hawk Ride which comes out November 17, 2009 just in time for Christmas.
How does he feel about the launch?
I’m scared to death about it because I know how much is riding on it, how much Activision has invested in it. I brought this idea to them, and they’ve dedicated two years of development and research, but who knows how it’ll do? It’s a scary prospect. But I know it’s good.
The UK’s Independent attends a Burton Snowboards autograph signing session and brings us all up-to-date on the marketing machine zeitgeist that is Shaun White, Inc.
