The clients I've cared about the most are the No Js, the ones who nobody knows-- said Cochran, who proudly displayed copies in his office of the multimillion-dollar checks he won for ordinary citizens who said they were abused by police.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., who became a legal superstar after helping clear O.J. Simpson during a sensational murder trial in which he uttered the famous quote "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit," died Tuesday. He was 67.
Cochran died of a brain tumor at his home in Los Angeles, his family said. "Certainly, Johnnie's career will be noted as one marked by 'celebrity' cases and clientele," his family said in a statement. "But he and his family were most proud of the work he did on behalf of those in the community."
With his colorful suits and ties, his gift for courtroom oratory and a knack for coining memorable phrases, Cochran was a vivid addition to the pantheon of best-known American barristers.
The "if it doesn't fit" phrase would be quoted and parodied for years afterward. It derived from a dramatic moment during which Simpson tried on a pair of bloodstained "murder gloves" to show jurors they did not fit. Some legal experts called it the turning point in the trial.
Soon after, jurors found the Hall of Fame football star not guilty of the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
For Cochran, Simpson's acquittal was the crowning achievement in a career notable for victories, often in cases with racial themes. He was a black man known for championing the causes of black defendants. Some of them, like Simpson, were famous, but more often than not they were unknowns.
"The clients I've cared about the most are the No Js, the ones who nobody knows," said Cochran, who proudly displayed copies in his office of the multimillion-dollar checks he won for ordinary citizens who said they were abused by police.
"People in New York and Los Angeles, especially mothers in the African-American community, are more afraid of the police injuring or killing their children than they are of muggers on the corner," he once said.
By the time Simpson called, the byword in the black community for defendants facing serious charges was: "Get Johnnie."
Over the years, Cochran represented football great Jim Brown on rape and assault charges, actor Todd Bridges on attempted murder charges, rapper Tupac Shakur on a weapons charge and rapper Snoop Dogg on a murder charge.
He also represented former Black Panther Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, who spent 27 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. When Cochran helped Pratt win his freedom in 1997 he called the moment "the happiest day of my life practicing law."
But the attention he received from all of those cases didn't come remotely close to the fame the Simpson trial brought him.
After Simpson's acquittal, Cochran appeared on countless TV talk shows, was awarded his own Court TV show, traveled the world over giving speeches, and was endlessly parodied in films and on such TV shows as "Seinfeld" and "South Park."
In "Lethal Weapon 4," comedian Chris Rock plays a policeman who advises a criminal suspect he has a right to an attorney, then warns him: "If you get Johnnie Cochran, I'll kill you." The flamboyant Cochran enjoyed that parody so much he even quoted it in his autobiography, "A Lawyer's Life."
"It was fun. At times it was a lot of fun," he said of the lampooning he received. "And I knew that accepting it good-naturedly, even participating in it, helped soothe some of the angry feelings from the Simpson case."
Indeed, the verdict had done more than just divide the country along racial lines, with most blacks believing Simpson was innocent and most whites certain he was guilty. It also left many of those certain of Simpson's guilt furious at Cochran, the leader of a so-called "Dream Team" of expensive celebrity lawyers that included F. Lee Bailey, Robert Shapiro, Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld.
But in legal circles, the verdict represented the pinnacle of success for a respected attorney who had toiled in the Los Angeles legal profession for three decades.
Cochran was born Oct. 2, 1937 in Shreveport, La., the great-grandson of slaves, grandson of a sharecropper and son of an insurance salesman. He came to Los Angeles with his family in 1949, and became one of two dozen black students integrated into Los Angeles High School in the 1950s.
Even as a child, he had loved to argue, and in high school he excelled in debate.
He came to idolize Thurgood Marshall, the attorney who persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to outlaw school segregation in the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision and who would eventually become the Supreme Court's first black justice.
"I didn't know too much about what a lawyer did, or how he worked, but I knew that if one man could cause this great stir, then the law must be a wondrous thing," Cochran said in his book. "I read everything I could find about Thurgood Marshall and confirmed that a single dedicated man could use the law to change society."
After graduating from UCLA, Cochran earned a law degree from Loyola University. He spent two years in the Los Angeles city attorney's office before establishing his own practice, later building his firm into a personal injury giant with more than 100 lawyers and offices around the country.
Flamboyant in public, he kept his private life shrouded in secrecy, and when some of those secrets became public following a 1978 divorce, they were startling.
His first marriage, to his college sweetheart, Barbara Berry, produced two daughters, Melodie and Tiffany. During their divorce, it came to light that for 10 years Cochran had secretly maintained a "second family," which included a son.
When that relationship soured, his mistress, Patricia Sikora, sued him for palimony and the case was settled privately in 2004.
Although he frequently took police departments on in court, Cochran denied being anti-police and supported the decision of his only son, Jonathan, to join the California Highway Patrol.
He counted among his closest friends Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks, the city's former police chief, and the late Mayor Tom Bradley, who had been a Los Angeles police lieutenant before going into politics.
But in the Simpson case, Cochran turned the murder trial into an indictment of the Police Department, suggesting officers planted evidence in an effort to frame the former football star because he was a black celebrity.
By the time Simpson was acquitted, Cochran and co-counsel Shapiro were on the outs. Shapiro, who is white, had accused Cochran of playing the race card and of dealing it "from the bottom of the deck."
Simpson, meanwhile, was held liable for the killings following a 1997 civil trial and ordered to pay the Brown and Goldman families $33.5 million in restitution. Cochran didn't represent him in that case.
After Simpson, Cochran stepped out of the criminal trial arena, concentrating instead on civil matters. For a time, he represented high-profile athletes and music stars in contract matters.
He remained a beloved figure in the black community, admired as a lawyer who was relentless in his pursuit of justice and as a philanthropist who helped fund a UCLA scholarship, a low-income housing complex and a New Jersey legal academy, among other charitable endeavors.
Johnnie Cochran, gone too soon. Rest in peace, young man.
Tennis Stars Venus and Serena Williams to Get Real for ABC
Can tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams score a ratings ace?
That's what ABC Family TV is hoping for as it unveils a brand-new reality series starring the sibling tennis champions.
According to the network, the yet-to-be-titled series will follow the sisters around and unveil the details of their formerly private personal lives.
"The series will provide our fans with an up-close, inside look at our lives away from the tennis courts," Venus said in a statement. "We're very excited to branch out into a new medium," added Serena.
The six-episode series, which will bow in July on the family-friendly network, will feature the dynamic tennis duo "coming of age, as they find their place in the world outside of tennis," per a release from the network.
Until now, the William sisters have been known for their quirky fashion sense, aggressive tennis styles and record championship titles, often coming up against each other in tournament play.
Between them, they have 11 major singles titles. Currently, Serena is ranked at No. 4 on the pro circuit and Venus is rolling in at No. 8, though both have held the top slot at one time or another.
It appears that the sisters aren't satisfied with just breaking into television, however. They have also co-written an book for pre-teens called Venus and Serena: Serving From the Hip: 10 Rules for Living, Loving, and Winning.
"It's a great book for teenage girls who deal with different issues," Serena said in a statement. "Growing up, I would have loved to have had such a positive role model to look up to and try to be like and try to emulate. We love having that opportunity to say, 'Look, you can be like us; you can be successful and at the same time have high morals and high self-esteem and be a very nice person at the end of the day.'"
Lest fans forget, the Williams sisters are still playing tennis. This week, they're taking the court in Key Biscayne for the NASDAQ-100 Open. Both sisters won their matches Sunday and are moving on to the next round.
NBC The Contender Alert -- Peter Wins for the East
I love the slow-motion effects during the fights on The Contender. Adds drama, especially when one fighter appears to be winning in slow motion, then BOOM! the opponent explodes with a flurry of powerful punches. In his secound match, Peter gave what, to me, was one of the fights of his life .... and WINS! So, exciting. Michael is nobody's loser. He fought with all his heart to win not just for himself but for others, too. That's never the mark of a loser.
NBC The Contender, Close Match, 10-Point-Must Scoring
Each boxing match featured in The Contender is sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission and the results – win, loss or draw – become part of the boxers' professional records. So, how exactly do the judges score the fights to determine the winner? Read the blow-by-blow to find out!
The Perfect Ten The judges independently score the fighters each round using what's known as a "ten point must system." The boxer who wins the round in a judge's opinion is awarded ten points by that judge. The judge awards the other boxer nine or less. If a judge determines the round to be a tie, both boxers earn ten points. Each judge records his or her results on a scorecard.
At the end of the bout, the points on each scorecard are totaled and the boxer who wins a majority of the cards is the winner. If the winning boxer has the most points on all scorecards, the boxer wins the fight by unanimous decision.
Style and Substance Judges use the following criteria in scoring a round:
* Clean Punching – landing damaging and legal blows
* Effective Aggressiveness – moving forward while landing blows
* Ring Generalship – controlling the fight and movement in the ring
* Defense – blocking or dodging blows
The referee may penalize a boxer who fouls his opponent by deducting points from the boxer's score. All judges must subtract the points from the offending boxer's score for that round.
A Knockout Score When a boxer is knocked down, the referee begins a ten count. If the fighter doesn't get up to his feet by the end of the count the referee will call the fight by knockout.
Throwing in the Towel A manager or chief second of a boxer can toss a towel into the ring as a sign of surrender. A boxer who surrenders loses the fight.
Jennifer Aniston filed for divorce from Brad Pitt on Friday, court papers showed. The petition filed in Superior Court seeks dissolution of the actors' marriage based on irreconcilable differences.
A long-rumored split between the "Friends" star and the "Ocean's Twelve" star was confirmed in January when they released a joint statement saying they were formally separating.
The couple married on July 29, 2000, and have no children. It was the first marriage for both.
Calls to Aniston's attorney and to Pitt's publicist were not immediately returned Friday evening.
In her divorce petition, Aniston asked that her maiden name be restored. The actress took Pitt's name legally when they married but continued to use Aniston professionally. Pitt, 41, and Aniston, 36, began dating in 1998 after being set up on a blind date.
They were married on Malibu bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Part of Pacific Coast Highway was shut down to accommodate the influx of the 200 guests.
Among those who attended were actress Cameron Diaz and most of Aniston's co-stars from "Friends."
Until rumors began swirling that the A-list couple were about to split, there were near-constant tabloid rumors that Aniston was pregnant. The actress had said she and Pitt eventually wanted to start a family.
The two remain co-owners of the Plan B production company with producer Brad Grey.
Aniston shot to fame on "Friends," which ended its 10-year run last year as one of television's highest-rated comedies. She also has starred in such films as "Along Came Polly," "Bruce Almighty" and "The Good Girl."
Pitt's career includes "Ocean's Eleven," "Fight Club," "Meet Joe Black," "Seven Years in Tibet," "Sleepers," "12 Monkeys," "Legends of the Fall," "A River Runs Through It" and "Thelma & Louise."
NBC The Contender Retaliates with Recap After Assult from Network Nuclear Weapons
We decided to offer a second look at the achievements of these brave warriors--said Mark Burnett, executive producer.
NBC announced today that it would add a special "recap edition" of its The Contender reality-competition boxing show, to be shown on Sunday, March 27 (Easter Sunday) at 7PM ET/PT. This special edition will serve as the lead-in to the show's regularly scheduled 8PM broadcast of its fifth episode.
According to Contender executive producer Mark Burnett, "Due to tremendous feedback from our fans, we decided to offer a second look at the achievements of these brave warriors. The episode showcases the first four fights of our series. You will see the impressive wins of Alfonzo Gomez, Jesse Brinkley, Ishe Smith and Sergio Mora."
Intermixed with the fighting will be new footage and comments from show co-hosts Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard. Stallone told TV Guide that the recap would start with "me interviewing the wives, showing a different aspect, and then Sugar Ray and I will be recapping the four wonderful battles in the ring. We will sit there with the four winners and analyze what they did. You are going to meet them up close and personal."
Why the recap? According to Stallone's comments, one reason is that the show's premiere was disrupted by the "nuclear weapons" (Stallone's term) dropped on it by other networks. To disrupt its scheduled premiere on Monday, March 7, CBS pulled new episodes of its hits Two and a Half Men and CSI: Miami out of February sweeps -- costing itself vital (and expensive) sweeps ratings simply to disrupt NBC's Contender premiere. Then, to compete with the show's first Sunday night airing, ABC aired a special two-hour edition of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, its only Top 10 reality hit, beginning at 7PM ET/PT on March 13.
Given that The Contender premiered to somewhat disappointing ratings, CBS's strategy appeared to be at least somewhat successful, with NBC using a special Thursday night broadcast of the series to expose the show to additional viewers before settling it into its regular Sunday evening time period. Unfortunately for NBC, the CBS and ABC strategies appeared to work well, with The Contender's first Sunday night broadcast delivering a poor performance before rebounding in its second Sunday night broadcast.
By adding the recap, NBC apparently realizes that people who have missed the first fights have missed the three world-ranked boxers in the series: third-ranked junior middleweight (in August, when the fights took place) Peter Manfredo, who lost to Alfonso Gomez in the show's premiere; third-ranked welterweight Ishe Smith, who defeated Ahmed Khaddour in The Contender's third episode; and Top 15 junior middleweight Jesse Brinkley, the boxer who beat former world middleweight title challenger Jonathan Reid in the show's second episode. Also fighting and winning was undefeated former U.S. Olympic alternate Sergio Mora, who defeated the late Najai Turpin in The Contender's fourth episode.
When asked by TV Guide about the future of the show, Stallone noted that, while it was struggling in the U.S., in part as a result of Fox's low-rated "copycat" show The Next Great Champ, it was doing well in England and had been purchased in Germany, Australia, Italy and Spain. He attributed the existence of the recap to the fact that "the studio executives caught all the chat on the Internet and it was so positive, they thought they were really getting something at the grass-roots level." By giving people who had missed some or all of the first four episodes a chance to catch up so near the beginning, NBC is clearly hoping to capitalize on that buzz.
Due to East boxer Jeff "Hell Raza" Fraza coming down with chicken pox last week, the other boxers voted Peter Manfredo back on to the show to replace him (despite his Episode 1 loss), and rumors have him fighting the West's Anthony Bonsante in a fifth episode rematch of their grueling May 2004 fight.
Will people (especially women and older men, since the show has done very well in the Men 18-49 demographic) watch the show, given a second chance? And will they enjoy it more if they see the backstory behind Peter's and Anthony's own second chances? Sunday's ratings will tell the tale.
Stallone, for one, is hopeful. He told TV Guide that he is already planning the show's second season, which would be "dramatically different" from the first.
NBC The Contender - Najai Turpin, Jeff Fraza Depart, Peter Manfredo Jr Returns
In the fourth episode of NBC's reality-competition boxing show The Contender, chicken pox ended up giving one boxer a second chance, while two other boxers left without the $1 million first prize.
In the featured fight, the East's Najai, Nitro, Turpin (11-2, 8 KOs) lost a five-round unanimous decision to undefeated West middleweight Sergio, The Latin Snake, Mora (now 13-0, 3 KOs), Meanwhile, the East's Jeff Fraza (16-2, 10 KOs) came down with chicken pox and had to leave the show because he was contagious. The fighters were given a vote to bring back a boxer to replace him and selected Peter Manfredo, Jr. (21-1, 10 KOs), who had been defeated in first episode of The Contender -- the closest fight so far for the show.
Consistent with the "take the toughest fight possible" theme of the show so far, Najai Turpin chose to fight the heaviest, strongest, tallest fighter remaining on the West, Sergio Mora. Although Najai landed a flurry of blows in the second round and continued his pummeling of Sergio through most of the third round, Sergio may have pulled the third round out with a late flurry, and he clearly dominated the other rounds en route to victory.
With his win, Sergio joins fellow West boxers Alfonso Gomez (who defeated Peter in week 1), Jesse Brinkley and Ishe Smith in the quarterfinals. Will an East boxer ever win?
With his agonizing loss to Sergio, Najai (whom we learned slept in the closet because of his fear of being shot and kept no one close to him except his charming 2-year-old daughter Anyae) exited The Contender with little hint that six months after this fight, he would end his life in an apparent custody dispute with his girlfriend over Anyae. At the end of the show, NBC broadcast an appeal for a trust fund for Anyae.
In extra footage on The Contender's Yahoo! web site, there is a dispute on the West squad between Ishe and Miguel Espino, who wants to break from the boxers' strategy to date and take the easiest fight available to him in the first round (which would have been Jeff prior to his illness). However, the editing of the show pointed instead toward an upcoming "rematch" between Peter and the West's Anthony Bonsante. The two had fought each other in a 12-round light middleweight fight in Rhode Island just three months prior to the beginning of The Contender, with Manfredo winning a unanimous but gruelinhg decision.
NBC, The Contender, Najai Turpin Suicide Touches Fans Deeply
I had to share this one comment where more can see how the lost of one life, so tragically, has touch so many so deeply:
This is from an unregistered used named SADSAD:
I am so very sorry about these tragic turn of events. Although we can never know what went on inside of that car or what went on inside his mind, I believe that we surely know that Najai was a deeply emotional man. You could tell that whatever happened in his past, deeply changed him. He had a quiet strength and eyes that held a story. A story that he wanted desparately to be heard, but would never speak it. His heart held so many hopes and desires. I will be praying for his family and especially his little girl, who I hope will grow to have as much heart and strength as her father did. To Anyae: Grow and make your father proud!
New York -- already a multimillion-seller, The Purpose Driven Life, the spiritual guide by Rick Warren is even more in demand, thanks to the book's role in resolving a hostage dilemma in Atlanta.
A man originally arrested for rape, Brian Nichols, was captured at an apartment complex where he had taken a woman hostage during a 26-hour attempt to escape and manhunt. The hostage, Ashley Smith, has said she helped persuade Nichols to free her by reading from Warren's 33rd chapter, How Real Servants Act, which opens with two bible verses:
Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Mark 10:43.
You can tell what they are by what they do. Matthew 7:16
And continues:
We serve God by serving others....
No doublt this chapter has had a lot of re-reading recently. Which of the six characteristics of real servants offers the greatest challenge to you?
Real servants make themselves available to serve.
Real servants pay attention to needs.
Real servants do their best with what they have.
Real servants do every task with equal dedication.
Real servants are faithful to their ministry.
Real servants maintain a low profile.
Nichols is now accused of killing a judge and three others during a rampage that started in an Atlanta courtroom.
The book, meanwhile, has soared on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. reaching No. 2 Thursday on both lists of bestsellers. Sales have "skyrocketed" at Barnes & Noble stores, according to Carolyn Brown, a spokeswoman for the superstore chain.
Warren's publisher, Zondervan, said Thursday that no additional printings were planned. The book was released in 2002 and has already sold more than 21 million copies.
This book has emerged as a key element in the life of Ashley Smith, and probably will get due attention also if Ashley's purpose is revisited in dramatic detail on film or television.
Saigon Says Fiddy Masterfull, Fat Joe and Jadakiss Should Have Chilled
Fat Joe and Jadakiss look like they're promoting bullsh!t.... They were stupid for going at [Fiddy], Saigon said.
During a recent online interview, Saigon shared that he thought Fat Joe and Jadakiss took "Piggy Bank" too seriously. The Yardfather also mentioned that Fiddy masterfully orchestrated his album's release by hyping the single months before The Massacre, only to squash the beef with The Game on the week of its release.
Sai added that Joe and Jada should have fell back instead of retaliating at a time where 50 is making peace.
"Now, 50 shows the people that he has a heart. Now, Fat Joe and Jadakiss look like they're promoting bullsh!t. He's won already. They were stupid for going at him. If I'm Fat Joe, I'd be like, 'You won, you beat me.' What Fat Joe did on the radio was perfect when he just talked on the radio."
Inside me, I got a whole lot of pain and I'm gonna bring it to whoever I fight--Turpin said in the series.
AP. Los Angeles - The suicide of Philadelphia boxer Najai Turpin hangs over Sunday's episode of "The Contender," the NBC reality show in which he competed.
Turpin was among 16 boxers vying for a million-dollar prize and a boxing contract, and a bout with him is featured in the episode airing at 8 p.m. EST Sunday.
"Inside me, I got a whole lot of pain and I'm gonna bring it to whoever I fight," he says in the series.
Turpin shot himself Feb. 14 in Philadelphia while sitting in a car with his girlfriend. His death, which came after filming was completed. And, according to his brother and the series producers, was unrelated to the series.
"He came from nothing to do something because it's hard out here. The show was never the problem, boxing and all of that was never the problem. It was a personal problem," the brother, Diediera Turpin, said this month. (Fans of this website aren't buying that. One reader commented that if the girlfriend-personal thing was the real issue, Turpin might of blasted her first, then himself.)
Will we ever really know.
Photo Caption: Najai Turpin's coffin is taken from Mount Olivet Tabernacle Baptist Church following his funeral service Friday, Feb. 18, 2005 In Philadelphia. Sugar Ray Leonard, and Sylvester Stallone were pallbearers.
He's just very distrustful of people--says Jackie Kallen, the den-mother for The Contender.--He reminds me so much of a little animal that has been mistreated.
Najai Turpin, the Philadelphia boxer who died by suicide on Feb. 14, steps up to fight in the next episode of NBC's The Contender, the reality show in which 16 middleweights compete for a $1 million prize. The show will air Sunday at 8 p.m. on Channel 10.
Preview of the tape, this episode is perhaps the most intese of the matches aired so far. It is also perhaps the most anticpated match, considering the tragic aftermath. A young promising boxer steps into the national arena, and shortly thereafter takes his own life. So sweet success, so bitter the mysterious lost. We won't spoil the moment by revealing how the fight turns out, but the episode is a must see for Contender fans.
Taped in September in Pasadena, Calif., the episode is a tearjerker. Turpin, who died at age 23, talks about his pain and aspirations. He plays with his 2-year-old daughter, Anyae. Glimmers of joy burst through his wary reserve.
"Naj is the contender that most confuses me," Jackie Kallen, the show's on-screen "den mother," says during the episode. "He's a sweet guy. He's just very distrustful of people. He reminds me so much of a little animal that has been mistreated."
Jury voted 11-1 in favor of acquittal, Robert Blake, Baretta to TV Fans, Found Not Quilty of Murder, Solicitation Charges
LOS ANGELES - A jury acquitted tough-guy actor Robert Blake of murder Wednesday in the shooting death of his wife four years ago, bringing a stunning end to a case that played out like pulp fiction.
The jury also acquitted Blake of one charge of trying to get someone to kill his wife, but deadlocked on a second solicitation charge. The jury voted 11-1 in favor of acquittal and the judge dismissed the count.
The 71-year-old star of the 1970s detective drama “Baretta” dropped his head, trembled with emotion and sobbed heavily as the verdict was read. He hugged his lawyer and later almost fell while reaching for a water bottle.
The adult daughter of Blake’s wife sobbed quietly in the back of the courtroom.
The jury of seven men and five women delivered the verdicts on its ninth day of deliberations, following a trial with a cast of characters that included two Hollywood stuntmen who said Blake tried to get them to bump off his wife.
Blake had faced life in prison; prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.
Blake was charged with shooting 44-year-old Bonny Lee Bakley in their car outside the actor’s favorite Italian restaurant on May 4, 2001, less than six months after their marriage.
The defense called it a weak case built largely on the testimony of the two stuntmen — both of whom were once heavy drug users.
No eyewitnesses, blood or DNA evidence linked Blake to the crime. The murder weapon, found in a trash bin, could not be traced to Blake, and witnesses said the minuscule amounts of gunshot residue found on Blake’s hands could have come from a different gun he said he carried for protection.
Prosecutors said Blake believed his wife trapped him into a loveless marriage by getting pregnant. They said Blake soon became smitten with the baby, Rosie, and desperately wanted to keep the child away from Bakley, whom he considered an unfit mother.
Bakley had been married several times, had a record for mail fraud and made a living scamming men out of money with nude pictures of herself and promises of sex.
“He was tricked by Bonny Lee and he hated her for it,” prosecutor Shellie Samuels said in closing arguments. “He got taken by a small-time grifter.”
Mother of Mario Vazquez says: I do not know what's happening. I feel horrible about it.
NEW YORK -- Mario Vazquez insists that his decision to split from American Idol is personal. Nothing personal, Mario, but your Fans are abuzz with their own theories.
"My gut and intuition told me it wasn't time to do this," Vazquez told The Associated Press. "I had to focus on some personal areas in my life with the little bit of privacy that I have."
Come on, now Mario, that response sound so .... politically correct. Your growing fan base deserves a little more than "personal" excuse.
The New Yorker's own mother, Ada, didn't know about his decision until a local TV reporter showed up at her doorstep.
"I do not know," she told Fox 5 News. "I heard it from your mouth so I do not know what's happening. I feel horrible about it."
See, Mario, you even hurt Mom's feelings.
Fans felt just as bad. Messages on the official "Idol" Web site ranged from "Post here if you will miss Mario" to "Mario Vazquez Fans UNITE!" Working together, many attempted to piece together the puzzle on why such a promising contestant would call it quits.
Allright, Mario, hear this: don't let us find out that this dramatic exit was all part of you plan. Man, we will really feel betrayed. For now, here's what we, you fans, are thinking. Realistic? Ridiculous? You tell us, Mario.
First Theory: He didn't want the "American Idol" contract.
Sure, the winner of "Idol" receives a heaping helping of media attention, but they also are beholden to a record deal with the show's executive producer that many in the industry call restrictive. So maybe Vazquez saw a loophole, some fans posted.
Vazquez: "In all honesty, I'm not able to talk about contracts. ... It's nothing with 'American Idol' in particular, it's just things I really need to take care of in my life."
Second Theory: He's got a skeleton in his closet.
Contestants have been dismissed from previous "Idol" editions. One was arrested, some failed to disclose arrest records and one posed for an adult Web site. Could Vazquez be hiding something just as detrimental, or even more personal, and decided to bow out before it was found out?
Vazquez: "Crazy." And, for the record, "Everything is fine with my health."
Ok, so you're health. Now, explain that Vera Wang in your closet.
Third Theory: He's going to testify in the Michael Jackson case.
OK, it's a stretch. But Vazquez does have a connection to the Gloved One. The crooner sang backup on "Whatever Happens," a track from Jackson's 2001 "Invincible" album. In a questionnaire on the "Idol" Web site, Vazquez called the experience his "proudest moment in life so far." However, Vazquez wasn't listed as a possible witness for either the defense or prosecution in Jackson's molestation trial. And Vazquez is back in New York while the trial is continuing in California.
Vazquez: "Crazy, that's how it goes," he said, singing the answer. "No, I'm not. It was an amazing experience to work with Michael Jackson, who is a legend. It's unfortunate what's happening with that."
Despite all the hubbub, Vazquez was sticking to his story — and to his dreams of music stardom.
"I don't think it's by any means an end to my career," he said. "It's just things you need to take care of in life .... I will always be singing. This won't be the last you hear of Mario Vazquez."
We sure hope not, Mario. We would have loved you, even if you had gotten the boot.
Theory Circulating. Fox American Idol Mario Vazquez Has Secretly Signed Recording Deal
Theory circulating within the music industry that Mario Vazquez had secretly signed a recording deal.
Is Mario Vazquez still under contract with 19 Entertainment, the British management company and record label, which created and co-produced American Idol?
JACQUES STEINBERG (NYT). -- Mario Vazquez, a Bronx-born singer who became a fan favorite on Fox's "American Idol" this season, spoke at some length yesterday about his abrupt departure from the show over the weekend.
But in his comments - in a telephone interview from the office of a Fox publicist - Mr. Vazquez, 27, only deepened the mystery of why he had left the show at what would seem to be an unlikely moment. One of 12 remaining finalists in what is effectively a national talent show, he appeared to have some momentum heading into the final rounds.
"It was some personal areas I really needed to focus on," said Mr. Vazquez, who grew up in Kingsbridge and graduated from the LaGuardia arts high school on the Upper West Side. "It was my intuition, that gut feeling everybody has."
He added, "It's unexplainable."
Asked if he had left because of a matter concerning his health or the health of a family member, Mr. Vazquez responded, "That would not be accurate."
Mr. Vazquez said he knew the story of Frenchie Davis, a contestant who was sent home two years ago after it was revealed that she had posed topless on a Web site. Asked if he had left in anticipation of a similar revelation, he replied, "Not at all."
He added, however, "No one is perfect here."
Fox publicists were equally circumspect. A spokesman for the network, Scott Grogin, said: "Mario left the show of his own volition. We certainly respect his decision and his right to privacy."
Mr. Grogin declined to comment any further about Mr. Vazquez or a theory circulating within the music industry that he had secretly signed a recording deal.
According to MTV.com, Mr. Vazquez, who won raves for his renditions of songs like the Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?", is still under contract with 19 Entertainment, the British management company and record label, which created and co-produced "American Idol" and has overseen the careers of several contestants.
Reached last night, Eric Green, a spokesman for both 19 Entertainment and "American Idol," said, "We don't comment on the contracts for the show or the personal lives of the contestants."
When the next installment of "American Idol" is broadcast, at 8 tonight, Mr. Vazquez will have been replaced by Nikko Smith, who had been eliminated in the semifinals. Fox announced the switch on Sunday in a brief e-mail message.
But Mr. Vazquez, who worked for the fashion designer Vera Wang before appearing on "Idol," cautioned against writing off his music career, saying, "This won't be the last you hear of Mario Vazquez."
American Idol Finalist, Mario Vazquez, Walks Away At Top. The Best To Come
Vazquez American Idol Run Dies, His American Dream Thrives
By César G. Soriano, USA TODAY. Former American Idol finalist Mario Vazquez says quitting the competition "is all for the best" and vows that fans haven't heard the last of him.
Vazquez, 27, made the media rounds Monday to explain why he decided to leave the hit talent show on Fox just as the final rounds begin (Tuesday, 8 ET/PT). But he did not elaborate on the "personal reasons" that led to his decision.
"There are priorities I have to take care of — personal, private things — and I hope my fans can be respectful of what little bit of privacy I have remaining," Vazquez said by telephone from his native New York. "I can't be sad. But I was disappointed that I had to make this decision. I knew I was going to disappoint a lot of people, but I always follow my gut."
Nikko Smith, who was voted off the show last week, was chosen to replaced Vazquez.
Vazquez said he struggled with the decision "throughout the competition. I couldn't show I was worried or anything. Truly, I was excited making the top 32, making the top 24 and then the top 12. But it was hindering a bit."
He denied reports that he left the show in a dispute with Fox or Idol producers but declined to discuss the specifics of his contract. "American Idol has been nothing but wonderful to me. They felt disappointed I had to go, but they respected my choice."
His family was still in the dark Monday. Rich Vazquez, his brother, said he spoke to Mario briefly. "He hasn't divulged anything. I'm as clueless as you are. He just dropped this bomb on us. It's for a good reason, I guess ... but I'm presently upset."
Vazquez says he felt bad that his family and friends had to hear the news secondhand. "They're all a bit shocked and disappointed like I thought they would be. It might take them a bit of time to understand." He added that his decision had nothing to do with his family.
Many fans considered the charismatic Vazquez a front-runner. His song list focused on old-school R&B such as Stevie Wonder's Do I Do, a performance that caught the superstar's ear. "He sounded pretty good," Wonder told USA TODAY at Sunday's TV Land Awards.
Vazquez, who sang background vocals on the Michael Jackson single Whatever Happens, says he has no intention of quitting his musical dreams. "I'm always going to have a passion for music, no matter what."
"I absolutely love women and find them incredibly sexy," not said by Pitt, but Jolie!
You know, our week just wouldn't feel complete unless we gave you a rundown of the latest Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston rumblings. Yes, the friendliest separated couple in Hollywood continues to generate headlines, although thanks to their publicists, those headlines are a whole lot less salacious than they could be.
The New York Post says Pitt's rep is taking aim at Star magazine, which purportedly "watered down" its cover story this week ("Brad and Angelina -- Together Again!") after the A-lister's legal pitbulls mentioned the word "lawsuit."
"They said that Brad and Angelina Jolie were laughing about his split with Jennifer Aniston during reshoots on Mr. and Mrs. Smith his mouthpiece tells the paper. "They claimed they had an eyewitness. But the reshoots haven't even happened yet. I told them I was furious that they'd stoop so low."
The story now focuses on Pitt and Jolie's upcoming reunion to film additional scenes for the spy thriller. "And if it's anything like the first time they filmed together," teases Star, "the chemistry between the co-stars will have everyone talking on-set and off."
Meanwhile, are Brad and Jen trying to work things out or are they still on the road to splitsville? The London Sun claims the twosome, who repeatedly crossed paths during Oscar weekend, have decided to go to couples counseling to talk through their problems.
But an insider tells the Chicago-Sun Times that they are still headed for "the most civilized divorce in the history of Hollywood." What's more, says the mole, Pitt vacated their $17 million Beverly Hills mansion last week.
Meanwhile, whatever happened to April Florio, the unknown model who generated some buzz by denying an Us Weekly story that linked her to Pitt? She's now blaming the ensuing PR storm for the demise of her marriage to a Florida firefighter.
"We're separating," Florio, 22, tells the New York Daily News. "My attention was towards the whole Brad Pitt thing ... so I'm sure that had something to do with it."
And finally, Jolie isn't letting a little thing like being labeled a home-wrecker in the Pitt split (a rumor denied by all parties) draw her attention away from two things very close to her heart: humanitarian work and hot girl-on-girl action.
On Tuesday, the Oscar-winning bombshell and UN goodwill ambassador generated major press for the newly opened National Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children in Washington, D.C., which will provide free legal help to kids who arrive unaccompanied in the U.S.
"The point of all this is, when children cross into this country alone and they're scared, we must hear them out before we make the choice to either allow them asylum in our country or send them away," the actress, who donated $500,000 to get the center off the ground, reportedly told the National Press Club. "It is unethical to not listen to these children. Because without legal representation we are sending children to court to represent themselves in a language that most of them don't understand. And expecting them to recall accounts so frightening and humiliating, they wouldn't want to tell anyone, let alone a room full of strangers."
When not focused on altruism, Angelina's thoughts are apparently drawn to sex, but not with any of the usual suspects.
"I absolutely love women and find them incredibly sexy," she's quoted as telling OK! magazine. "I have loved women in the past and slept with them, too. I think if you love and want to pleasure a woman, particularly if you are a woman yourself, then certainly you know how to do things in a certain way."
"It's just a personal family thing," Vazquez told the Web site. "My family is my top priority."
Mar 14, 10:14 AM EST. The Associated Press. NEW YORK -- "American Idol" finalist Mario Vazquez, citing "personal issues," withdrew from the talent competition Sunday, and producers of the Fox show called in the son of a baseball Hall of Famer as backup.
Fox bumped Nikko Smith, the son of baseball great Ozzie Smith, into Vazquez's spot because Smith got more votes than Travis Tucker when both were voted off Wednesday, the network said.
Now, viewers of the No. 1-rated series will get a chance to reconsider their votes as Smith and the other 11 finalists perform Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST. The show airs live to the East Coast and is tape-delayed on the West Coast.
Vazquez, 27, had been picked by many fans and three fellow finalists as a favorite to win the competition.
He told TV Guide's Web site that he dropped out to "take care of some personal issues with my family in New York.
And with 'Idol' being a live show, it just wouldn't have worked out schedule-wise."
Vazquez said his departure had nothing to do with Fox or the show itself.
"It's just a personal family thing," he told the Web site. "My family is my top priority."
Smith, 22, of St. Louis, said in an interview before Sunday's announcement that he wasn't surprised to have been voted off.
"I wasn't as disappointed as people thought I would be because I've made it so far," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I'm happy to get all that exposure. Millions and millions of people watch the show, and hopefully somebody saw me and liked what they saw."
Following Fox's announcement, a relative of Smith told the Post-Dispatch the family had been asked not to speak about his callback. Smith was not available for comment.
Vazquez is not the first to leave "Idol" unexpectedly, though few have done so willingly. Last year, George Huff was called back to Los Angeles when contestant Donnie Williams was cited for DUI. And in 2003, three contestants were dropped by Fox, two for failing to disclose arrest records and another for posing on an adult-oriented Web site.
Fox, American Idol Pick Final 12, Can Mario Vasquez Win Above All
Who does Mario Vasquez like? "I think anyone here can do it," he said.
March 11, 2005 -- If you ask the people who really know — the 12 fi nalists on this year's "American Idol" — they'll tell you the winner will be . . . Mario Vasquez. Minutes after the final 12 were chosen on national TV, we asked the contestants whom — besides themselves — they thought would come out on top of this year's competition. Every year the producers say this is the best "American Idol" field yet. But at the halfway mark of this year's "Idol," it really does seem true.
The voting among the 12 finalists confirms that any one of five or six singers could be the next "Idol." "If I had to pick, Mario," says Carrie Underwood, the blond finalist with a strong preference for country music. "Mario's great," says Anthony Federov. "But I really don't want to answerthat question." (Too late, Anthony.) Nadia Turner, the Miami torch singer with the smokey voice and an early favorite, also picks Mario.
Who does Mario like? "I'm not gonna answer that," he says. "I think anyone here can do it." There is a three-way tie for the No. 2 spot among: * Rocker Bo Bice ("He's always consistent, even in his lesser performances," says finalist Scott Savol). *
New Jersey music teacher Anwar Robinson ("He's so humble," says finalist Jessica Sierra.) * The exuberant Mikalah Gordon (who is Anwar's choice).
Interestingly, Mikalah picks Nadia. And Constantine Maroulis, the Long Island rock singer whose toe-to-toe competition with fellow long-hair Bo is one of the show's most promising stories, picks — drum roll, please — Bo to be the next "American Idol."
The finalists were chosen by popular vote — more than 100 million phone and text message votes were cast — and announced Wednesday night. This year, the elimination rounds were changed to ensure a more even balance between boys and girls — following complaints last year that the women seemed to dominate the contest.
This year, there are six men and six women. But next week, the competition heads into the final stretch in a form most fans of the show are familiar with. One competitor per week — the one with the least number of phone-in votes — is eliminated until only two are left standing for a finale that, in years past, has been the most-watched event on TV outside the Super Bowl and the Oscars.
Caption & Photo Credit: (From left to right) Front row: Carrie Underwood, Mario Vasquez, Mikalah Gordon and Jessica Sierra. Back row: Constantine Maroulis, Nadia Turner, Bo Bice, Vonzell Solomon, Anthony Federov, Lindsey Cardinale, Anwar Robinson and Scott Savol. Photo: Gregg DeGuire / WireImage What do the oddsmakers think? Visit the Entertainment Category at: Rewarding Promotions and Exciting Competitions
NBC The Contender, Ishe Smith Sends Ahmed Kaddour Home
Ahmed Kaddour Ahmed was born in Lebanon and raised in Denmark. He had a very successful Pro career as a European boxer until he was noticed by a US promoter/manager who signed him up and brought him to Houston. To date, Ahmed has a perfect pro record at 18-0. His amateur record was 81-1 and he claims he was robbed in his only loss ... fighting a local fighter in Germany.
Ahmed lives with (and is supported by) his girlfriend, Brandy, a very beautiful 20-something television host who is moving to LA to expand her career. Ahmed will follow her to LA as Hollywood is his "destiny." His peers even call him "Hollywood", and he embraces this nickname because he feels that he IS Hollywood personified.
Good looking yet extremely vain, Ahmed plans to be a top model and movie star as well as a world champion boxer. He thinks his opponents don't take him seriously because he is "so pretty." He claims the truth is that the reason he's so pretty is because no one can hit him. Count on Ahmed to stir the pot and create some controversy with his cocky and flashy look and personality.
Ishe Smith Ishe loves God, his family, and boxing... in that order. He was born and raised in North Las Vegas by a single mom and lives his life with integrity. He has had great success in his undefeated boxing career, but has been taken advantage of by promoters and agents along the way and recently had to declare bankruptcy. His strength is his wife, LaToya, his 2 year old son Ishe Jr., and his faith. He is gentle and loving with his family, and respectful and humble with everyone else. He is an usher in his church every Sunday.
LaToya is to Ishe as Adrian is to Rocky. She won't let him give up on his boxing dream, even though they now have to live with her parents. She believes in him, inspires him, and sees his boxing skill as his gift from God.
Ishe's mission on The Contender is to restore the integrity of the sport he loves and to provide for his family. Ishe trains with religious zeal and keeps meticulous journals and logbooks of everything he does during the day. He doesn't drink, smoke, or go to strip clubs. He doesn't respect fighters that don't train hard, and deems them a detriment to the sport. He can talk tough with any one and considers that part of the sport. Ishe will not suffer fools. He has trained with superstar boxers, including Fernando Vargas, and feels he can hold his own against anyone...he just needs an honest chance.
Ishe fought Alfonso Gomez in 2001 and won.
Ishe fought Ahmed tonight and won!
Coming Attraction--Sunday, March 20th, Three Have Gone Home--One of Them Comes Back!
MONTREAL, March 9, 2005 -- The Contender may have struggled in ratings on Monday, March7th, placing third behind FOX and CBS, but online gamblers raced to place bets on their favorite boxer to take home the million-dollar prize. "As soon as Alfonso Gomez and Peter Manfredo Jr. were paired to fight in Monday night's bout, wagers featuring 'The Contender' lit up," said Mike Foreman, BetUS.com spokesperson. "Within 15 minutes, our site logged over 100 bets." According to Foreman, BetUS.com was taking numerous bets on the 15 'Contender' candidates until after midnight before the betting frenzy died down. Bets on Gomez and Manfredo Jr. were accepted by the sportsbook up until the moment the two boxers entered the ring. "As soon as Gomez challenged Manfredo to box, we posted odds on that fight immediately allowing for a 15 minute betting window," said Foreman. "About half the bets accepted Monday night were on Gomez and Manfredo, with Manfredo being the favorite to win. I know many of our customers were surprised when the Gomez, the underdog, won the fight." Foreman stated that gamblers are favoring Jesse Brinkley and Ishe Smith from the West team and devout Catholic, Jimmy Lange and "Baby Face" Ahmed from the East team. Most bets to win the million-dollar prize have been wagered on these four boxers. "After what happened in the ring Monday night, it will be tough to call the winner of Burnett's new reality show," said Foreman. "These fighters are competing under unique circumstances. There's a lot of pressure on these young men -- one screw up and you're out, regardless if you're a talented fighter or not." On March 9th, BetUS.com was offering odds on the 14 remaining 'Contender' boxers. Lange is a crowd favorite, listed at 2/1 to win, followed by Brinkley posted at 3/1. Gomez, who won last night's fight, is inching his way up to the winner's circles. He's listed at 7/1 to win the million-dollar prize.
& nbsp; East &nb sp; &nbs p; ; & nbsp; &n bsp; West &nb sp; &nbs p; ; West
Jimmy Lange 2/1 &nbs p; ; Jesse Brinkley 3/1 &nbs p; Tarick Salmaci 45/1 Jonathan Reid 7/1 &nbs p; Alfonso Gomez 7/1 &nbs p; Miguel Espino 50/1 Juan De La Rosa 4/1 &nbs p; Joey Gilbert 9/1 Ahmed Kaddour 6/1 &nbs p; Ishe Smith 12/1 Jeff Fraza 20/1 &nb sp; &nbs p; Sergio Mora 30/1 Brent Cooper 25/1 &nb sp; Anthony Bonsante 40/1
In round 1, Jesse came out swinging hard but didn't always connect. Jesse's cornerman told Jesse that he gave up the first round because he was trying too hard for a single, knockout punch. In round 2, Jesse and Jonathan traded punches. Jonathan landed some good ones, but Jesse answered with a hard uppercut. In round 3, Jesse landed a devastating blow, staggering Jonathan. Sly said Jesse won the round "big time." But Jesse's cornerman reminded Jesse that he hadn't won the fight yet. In round 4, Jonathan was back and landed a solid uppercut, but Jesse fought back with shots of his own. In round 5, Jesse landed several shots to the head and had Jonathan against the ropes.
The Contenders
Jesse
Jesse is a loud and lovable country boy. He is the class clown - all about fun, all the time. He has an abundance of energy and a great sense of humor, even about himself. Jesse loves to have an audience laughing at his jokes.
He learned how to fight from Rocky movies and a heavy bag his stepfather hung in his garage. He soon developed a tough-guy reputation and quickly began knocking out all the kids in small-town Yerington. His amateur career was very brief, as he hated fighting with headgear, disliked the amateur point-scoring system, and just wanted the chance to knock guys out.
Jesse's dream is to fight DeLaHoya, but if that doesn't happen he would be just as happy living out in the desert, hunting, fishing, and drinking beer for the rest of his life. We'll see how this country boy fares in the big city.
Jesse lives with his long-term girlfriend, Coleen, and their two children, Steyr and Denaya.
Jonathan
From the wrong side of the tracks, Jonathan spent three years in prison for armed robbery. He has what at first appears to be an ornery or contrary demeanor, until you see that he is putting you on. He actually has a great sense of humor and that humor is his most lovable trait. But the other side of the Reid Dawg is a serious, experienced, tough-as-nails fighter. He's a veteran in and out of the ring and has had a rough life.
Jonathan is a great storyteller, and his warmth and humor come through when he opens up. He's very grounded and religious but not over the top. He is married to Anna and has four children, with a 5th on the way. He says a million dollars won't change their lives because they already have the things that count.
"We are here today to show that people can rise even above the most difficult circumstances and together we can put negativity behind us," 50 said at the conference. "This is an opportunity for people to see us make peace."
After feuding for over a week, 50 Cent and The Game called a truce during a press conference held at Harlem's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture yesterday.
The two rappers shook hands and took the opportunity to donate a combined total of $253,000 to the Boys Choir of Harlem. Reports say that, although Fiddy and Game stood onstage together, the two barely made eye contact during the press conference.
"We are here today to show that people can rise even above the most difficult circumstances and together we can put negativity behind us," 50 said at the conference. "This is an opportunity for people to see us make peace."
Shortly after, Chuck Taylor stepped to the mike and apologized for last week's incidents."I just want to apologize on behalf of myself and 50 Cent," Game offered. "I'm almost ashamed to have participated in things that went on in the last couple of weeks."
Following Game's brief speech, as cameras snapped countless photos, the two awkwardly embraced and stood together with 50 stretching his arm over Game's shoulder. Game nor 50 smiled during the episode.
The truce took place on the eight anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G's murder, who was feuding with Tupac Shakur, who was killed in September 1996. Fittingly, numerous people in attendance wore T-shirts to commemorate Biggie.
The truce comes ten days after 50 and Game's entourages squared off in front of New York's Hot 97 radio station. The incident was sparked after Game, who appeared on Hot 97 earlier that night, heard 50 on the radio telling listeners that he had been dropped from G-Unit. The Compton rapper and his squad then drove back to the station and confronted 50's security, who prevented them from entering the building. Police say an unidentified member of 50's crew then shot Kevin Reed, of Game's crew, in the leg. Shots were also fired in front of Violator Management offices later that same night.
Things seem to be worsening when Game reportedly dared 50 to "Come and get me" during a performance in Los Angeles days after the incident. Reports say that Game also called out the rest of G-Unit, Tony Yayo, Young Buck, Lloyd Banks and Olivia. Just when the feud seemed to be escalating, 50 told Angie Martinez, during another Hot 97 interview this past Monday, that he would extend an olive branch to his former protégé.
Since the shooting, Reverend Al Sharpton has called for radio stations to ban artists that commit or encourage violence for 90 days. Russell Simmons and Reverend Run of Run-DMC also attended the press conference.
Imagine a reality show where the contestants can actually punch each others lights out!
Now that's reality and perhaps that's what gives The Contender authentic TV reality. The show premiered Monday and aired its second episode Thursday. If you're caught up in this reality, you probably know the show is moving to Sundays.
We're going to get to know the boxers through melodramatic vignettes about their families and lives and struggles. Then we'll cheer as they try to put each other unconscious. (How long will it be before MTV does a hip hop version.) Each episode of The Contender ends in one battle between two contenders. The loser is off the show.
As the final bell rang in the Thursday episode, Alfonso was lifted up onto the shoulders of his celebrating cornermen. The official decision was unanimous. Alfonso was the winner! Peter eliminated.
What's Alfonso's story? His family moved from Mexico to the United States when he was 10 years old, and he's been boxing ever since. Mr. Gomez took over Alfonso's training after a month of watching another trainer teach his son an amateur style of boxing. Having been a boxer himself, Alfonso's father preferred a pro style and taught Alfonso the 'Mexican Style of boxing.' Alfonso only takes orders from his father, and will ignore almost everyone else, particularly when it comes to training - he won't undo what he and his father have been working on for fourteen years.
Alfonso graduated high school with an 80-10 amateur record and decided to go Pro. He also wanted to get a B.A. degree which meant a move from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The 17-year old was going to move out alone, but his parents wouldn't let that happen. They sold their business and home and moved their three sons to Tustin, California. The entire family has made huge sacrifices to ensure their Alfonso has everything he needs to become a champion. Alfonso wants to give all that they've given back to them and sees this competition as an opportunity to get him closer to his goal. He is confident that he's going to win, and so is his family.
Alfonso fought and lost to Ishe Smith in 2001.
Of course, all the boxers, and the families who lovingly support them in the show, were screen-tested and chosen for their looks, their character types, and gripping back stories. And yes, the climactic fights are edited and scored with music, as if they were movie scenes.
But the bruises - and the lives these guys have built around the brutal sport - are real. This is the show that includes Najai Turpin, billed as "a tough, punching street kid from Philadelphia fighting for a better life for his family." His story is too real. In the early hours of Valentine's Day in West Philly, months after the series was taped, Turpin committed suicide.
"The episode in which he was most depicted will stand as a wonderful testament to who he was," an NBC statement said. "It will not be changed." The network won't say which episode that will be.
Boxing is experiencing one of its periodic revivals. Million Dollar Baby won the best-picture Oscar by showing how magnificent and horrible a sport it can be. Russell Crowe plays '30s champ Jim Braddock in Cinderella Man, coming later this year.
The Contender could be a further coup for a sport that hasn't been in network prime time regularly since the mid-1970s. That was when Muhammad Ali was still punching, Sugar Ray Leonard and his fellow 1976 Olympic champs were heroes, and Rocky won its own Oscar.
Because boxers often come with pathos and conflict, it's no surprise so much drama has been built around them (Raging Bull, On the Waterfront, The Great White Hope, Requiem for a Heavyweight, The Harder They Fall, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Body and Soul). Last year, four or five treatments for boxing-based reality shows floated around Hollywood. Fox produced one last fall, in partnership with boxer Oscar de la Hoya. After a few swings in prime time, it got kicked to cable.
The Contender comes from Mark Burnett, whose Survivor and The Apprentice have defined the slickly produced fake voyeurism that reality viewers love. Burnett is joined by movie producer Jeffrey Katzenberg as well as Leonard and Rocky creator Sylvester Stallone, who act as sort of good-Trump/bad-Trump cohosts.
They probably wished for Trumpier ratings. The premiere drew an estimated 8.1 million viewers from 9:30 to 11 p.m., according to Nielsen Media Research. That's far short of the 15.1 million NBC's Medium has averaged in the 10 p.m. slot. CBS finished first from 9:30 to 11 as Two and a Half Men got 17.4 million and CSI: Miami had 21.7 million.
Give the producers credit for using legitimate fighters instead of ringers. Jonathan Reid, according to Stallone's voiceover, is "a seasoned pro with a checkered past" and a 33-1 record. Reid once fought a guy who has fought middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. We meet Alfonso Gomez, "an unknown Mexican-born fighter just trying to prove he belongs," and Anthony Bonsante, "a single dad whose career has been all about providing for his children."
Of course, it's still network TV, so the boxers are split into teams for silly games that determine who fights whom. No personality conflict or contender's fear of disappointing family members is left undocumented.
Fight scenes are backed by music reminiscent of Rocky, with strings and horns conveying heroism and a time-running-out timpani banging down the seconds. (Katzenberg hired composer Hans Zimmer, whose extensive movie work includes Gladiator.) Conspicuously absent is an on-screen clock timing rounds; there's no way to know how much the action has been edited.
Still, even in this staged arena, we get what thrills and repulses us about boxing: two desperate people trying to hurt each other for the entertainment of the crowd.
At the end of the first episode, after losing in an upset to Gomez, Peter Manfredo Jr. appears with his face busted up. "I feel like I let everybody down, not just myself, but my wife, my father, my daughter," he says. "All's I can hear is my father in my head." And the show just ends.
Expect similar "coulda been a contender" regrets to conclude every episode. It's contrived and manipulative, sure. But nobody has to say, "You're fired."
Did Najai Turpin Commit Suicide Because of Reality Show The Contender?
The Najai Turpin Valentines' Day suicide Not Related to Appearance on NBC Reality Drama The Contender, Say PA Police and Family
Philadelphia police and the family of tragic boxer Najai 'Nitro' Turpin, 23, believe the Valentines' Day suicide was unrelated to his appearance on the NBC reality drama The Contender.
Philadelphia police told the New York Daily News that Najai and his long-time girlfriend Angela Chapple had argued in his car over custody of their 2-year-old daughter Anyae Chapple in the early morning hours of February 14, 2005. At around 4 AM, Angela Chapple left the car, and Turpin fired the fatal shot into his own head.
But Chapple disputes the police description that she and Najai had had a dispute or altercation prior to his suicide. However, at least one of Najai's six siblings (five brothers and a sister) isn't so sure.
Appearing on Access Hollywood yesterday, Diediera Turpin, 29, said, "The one question that everyone wants to know, 'What did [Angela] say to him inside the car that day to make him just lose it?'" He acknowledged the uncertainty about the in-car conversation -- "We don't have no knowledge of what happened" -- but noted that Angela had not talked to any member of the Turpin family since she witnessed Najai's death. All Najai's brothers and sisters know is that "we don't have a brother no more, that he is gone."
For her part, Angela Chapple, who also appears on The Contender with Najai, issued a written statement the day after Najai's suicide that did not address the final minutes of his life: "[Najai] was mine for the last seven years of our lives. As in all relationships we had our issues, but in our bond we had more love than issues. What he did to himself was terrible and everyone who knew and loved him will miss him. Because of the kind of man that he was, the impact of his loss will affect everyone deeply."
In a previous interview with the Philadelphia Daily News, Najai's sister Launita, 20, said that Najai had been very pleased with his portrayal on TV. "He was so excited. He couldn't wait to see the expressions of people when they saw him on TV. He reached his goal. He got to TV. He was famous. He told me he could do anything. He was rich," she said.
In yesterday's interview, Diediera echoed that sentiment. "The show was never the problem, definitely. Boxing and all of that was never the problem. The focus, everything, just comes back to the relationship. Like I said, it was a personal problem."
If anything about the show may have been a factor in Najai's death, in Launita's view it may have been the $1,500/week stipend paid to the boxers to keep in shape while waiting for the show to air. She noted that "lately he wasn't training like he was. He just wanted to go partying. He was tired a lot. He'd go out a lot, then come home and sleep on the couch. He told me he was too tired to train."
On the day of Najai's death, he was slated to go back to the Poconos to resume training. In the finale of The Contender, a championship match will be fought between the final two fighters, of which Najai was not one, but undercard matches will feature boxers chosen by the public from the eliminated contestants. Might Najai have been one of them had he lived?
Executive producer Mark Burnett certainly felt he might be. Burnett told the NY Daily News that Najai "would have very, very likely been chosen to fight again" because "everybody loved Najai. Even though he was a ferocious fighter, he was a cuddly teddy bear."
Although the facts indicate that the suicide was not related to the show, several writers who dislike reality TV didn't hesitate before exploiting Najai's death to trash both The Contender and reality TV in general. Typical of that genre of article was Brian Lowry of Daily Variety, who leveled this broadside at reality TV:
Five years ago, the Chicken Littles among us were warning this would happen, that it was only a matter of time before somebody died in connection with one of these programs.... Maybe [Najai] was disturbed, maybe a background check didn't detect signs that he was suicidal, maybe he would have done this anyway, without becoming a "Contender."
Maybe, but I have my doubts, just as I doubt this latest black eye on the unscripted genre will yield any long-term changes, or that Burnett's image will be stained by his knee-jerk "the show must go on" (must it? really?) response.
Variety clearly has decided to not let the facts get in the way of a good story. At least Lowry expresses that his hostitlity is a product of only his "doubts," not the facts.
Later in the article, though, Lowry goes further. Through the use of an unidentified, anonymous source, he charges the producers of The Contender with "at the very least[,] negligence in the casting process -- either in conducting an insufficient background and psychological check or in overlooking red flags."
Perhaps Lowry is an expert in undisclosed psychiatric research, but we have never been aware that there was ANY test that would disclose "red flags" with regard to future personal and psychiatric problems that would be so accurate that the failure to heed them would rise to the level of "negligence" (a term with a well-defined legal meaning) . If Variety is aware of such tests, it should disclose them.
Equally willing to jump to condemnations is the entertainment website Zap2it.com. In an article reporting on a conference call about Najai by show producers, writer Daniel Fienberg slipped in this comment:
While pinning any direct blame for Turpin's death on the "Contender" crew may be harsh, there's little doubt that the show's unexpectedly lengthy delay did little to help the fragile fighter's condition.
"Little doubt" that the delay hurt Najai? In fact, based on the comments of Najai's sister Launita, Najai may have looked upon the continuation of the $1,500/week payments as a blessing. There simply does not seem to be any evidence that the delay harmed Najai in any way, except perhaps by giving him more time to get used to a weekly paycheck from the show's producers.
After several years, reality television viewers have come to grudgingly accept that -- as is their prerogative -- many entertainment writers regard reality TV as a blight on the small screen. Their readers also have their own prerogative however -- the right to wonder if those same highbrow journalists have done the public a significant disservice by allowing their clear anti-reality bias to result in the presentation of a factually-false picture of Najai's death.
Photo Caption: Najai Turpin's coffin is taken from Mount Olivet Tabernacle Baptist Church following his funeral service Friday, Feb. 18, 2005 In Philadelphia. Sugar Ray Leonard, and Sylvester Stallone were pallbearers.
NBC, The Contender - Final Two Boxers to Fight May 24th for Million Dollar Prize
The final two contenders will fight live at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on May 24th for one-million dollars.
Sixteen of the most promising fighters in the country arrived at a specially constructed arena, the Contender Gymnasium, to live, train and fight. Each fighter has a different story; all share the same goal: to fight at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for one million dollars and the chance to change their lives and the lives of their family. Modern gladiators? Maybe. "The Contender" is a new unscripted series about the search for the next boxing superstar.
To bring it to us, NBC has joined with Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone ("Rocky"), executive producer Mark Burnett (NBC's "The Apprentice," "Survivor") and Jeffrey Katzenberg, Co-Principal, DreamWorks SKG. "The Contender" is a joint production between Mark Burnett Productions, DreamWorks Television and Rogue Marble. Stallone, Burnett and Katzenberg are the executive producers.
The series will follow 16 professional boxers as they come to a training camp to follow their dream of becoming a champion boxer. The driving force behind the series will be the pursuit of the American dream and the natural trials, tribulations and heartbreak inherent in that quest. The canvas of the show gives viewers a first hand look into the real life hopes, triumphs and defeats of the contestants and how this single-minded, consuming commitment affects their families.
Mark Your Calendars
The final two boxers will fight live at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on May 24th for one-million dollars.
"This series will tell compelling dramatic unscripted stories as we watch these 16 men follow their dreams of being a Contender," said Burnett. "We're looking to reclaim a part of America that has been missing: where are the Mohammad Alis? Where are the Sugar Ray Leonards?"
Stallone and international sports legend Sugar Ray Leonard will serve as both hosts and boxing mentors to this group of fighters as they each try to improve their skills in order to rise to the rank of professional boxers.
To win rights to the show, NBC had to pay the highest per-episode price ever paid for a reality show. Judging by a screener of the premiere sent by NBC to Reality TV World, it looks like the price was worth it, with the well-produced show appealing to both boxing and non-boxing fans alike.
An ongoing worry for NBC concerning The Contender has been whether TV viewers, especially the Adult 18-to-49 demographic that forms the backbone of reality television viewers, will respond to the personal drama of a reality-competition series focused on the "sweet science" of boxing, which has been in severe decline in the United States ever since the retirement of heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali. One way to deal with that is to make most of the show about something other than boxing.
As Stallone states during the premiere's opening voiceover, The Contender "is about the lives, loves, hopes, dreams, and fears" of its "sixteen heroes." Similar to the approach taken in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby, The Contender's actual boxing is secondary. taking a backseat to the "up close and personal" profiles of the boxers' lives and the strategy employed by the teams in setting matchups. In a sense, the fight that culminates each week is a tribal council or a boardroom session, with the difference that the losers (despite their tough-guy image) are free to cry.
One question lingering in the background -- and the first question that everyone asks about The Contender -- is the portrayal of Najai 'Nitro' Turpin, the 23-year-old Philadelphia welterweight who committed suicide on February 14 of this year. Najai's most visible moment in the premiere was his super-short re-creation--before he's even formally introduced--of the famous run up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art from Rocky, and we learn shortly thereafter from Stallone that Najai is "fighting for a better life for his family." Other than that, Najai was jsut seen in a sparring match. Nothing really stressful.
As previously disclosed, the boxers are divided into two teams: East and West. The boxers live two-to-a-room in what is apparently a converted industrial building (reminiscent of the fake apartments in Trump Tower occupied by the participants in The Apprentice), on a second floor that overlooks an open area containing the program's "Contender Gymnasium" training facility, in the style of 1950s factory offices that overlooked the factory floor. The boxers' families are located in off-site "Contender housing," and the boxers are apparently allowed to spend the night before the fight with their families (and a few million of their closest friends via the ever-present cameramen).
Each week, the teams will compete in Survivor-style "challenges." The premiere, for example, features the teams in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, racing to the top of Mount Lee (where the "HOLLYWOOD" sign is located), with a couple of included activities that give one of the teams unexpected difficulty. The winning team gets a great privilege: to select both the boxer from its team that it wants in the five-round match at the end of the episode AND the boxer from the opposing team that he has to face. Losing boxer in the match is eliminated.
Obviously, a lot of strategy comes into play at this point for the winning team; it's very important to send your guy out against someone that he can beat. In the premiere, the winning team is swayed to pick the match-up by the fact that one contestant on its team really wants to fight a contestant on the other team, and the rest of the team yields to his passion. Whether that was a good strategic decision can only be determined in the ring, which leads to an absorbing final match that will draw in everyone who watches it, boxing fan or not.
"He became deeply depressed and agonised [after he was evicted]. He felt degraded as a person and didn't see any meaning in life," said Nermina, wife of Sinisa Savija, shortly after Sinisa's death. "He was a glad and stable person before he went away, and when he came back he told me, 'They are going to cut away the good things I did and make me look like a fool, to show that I was the worst and that I was the one that had to go.' It is not a game when you choose ordinary people and put them under great pressure, constantly in front of the camera."
Do we care to really understand the psychological pressure TV contestants are put under on reality shows? We love to see the underdog struggle and triumph! Do we feel anything at all when the underdog struggles and self distructs?
After being voted off Swedish television's Expedition: Robinson in 1997, Sinisa Savija committed suicide. Was the show to blame - and if so, why didn't his death make TV producers think twice about the format?
What follows here is an archived piece we read some time ago by Esther Addley of the Guardian. Today, in light of the recent suicide of Najia Turpin, The Contender, this story, Sinisa's Story, appears incredibly poignant.
Sinisa's Story
Friday, July 26, 2002. The news, when it comes, he seems to take well enough. A small sting of hurt behind the eyes, then a resigned attempt at a smile and a little shrug. Sinisa Savija leans over to exchange brief handshakes with his fellow contestants, before scrambling to his feet and turning briefly to make a stab at farewell. He manages only a game "Get on with supper!", before the show's host lays a kind but firm hand on his shoulder to lead him away, and he is gone.
Rarely can a small snatch of footage have been so closely studied for clues into the mind of a character on television, yet offer so little insight. Rewound time and again, studied frame by frame, there is nothing that could possibly hint at what was to come. It is a dignified reaction - one would hope to appear so composed having been told, with several cameras in your face, that you were a loser, a reject, the least popular person in the group. But by the time the Swedish viewing public got to see the footage, Savija was already two months dead, driven to a desperate suicide, according to his family, by that snatched, stinging moment of rejection.
It is almost exactly five years to the day since Savija left his home in Norrkoping in central Sweden for a nearby railway crossing, and stepped into the path of a speeding commuter train. The 34-year-old had returned only four weeks previously from the remote island in Malaysia where he had been competing in Expedition: Robinson, the Swedish version of the reality gameshow that was to appear some years later in the UK as Survivor.
Tonight, in the UK, the current run of Robinson's spiritual successor, Big Brother, comes to a close. It is a series that has provoked some of the most vicious vilification ever seen of normal people who happen to be appearing in a television show. Commentators and family members have expressed fears that the contestants, when they leave, may be at risk of violence or even suicide as a result of their treatment. Unless producers and press are reined in, the argument goes, something very terrible could happen. The sorry fact is, it already has.
Savija was the first contestant to be expelled from what was arguably the first-ever reality TV contest of its kind anywhere in the world - and according to those who knew him best, he took his life as a result. The bare facts alone, one might think, would be enough to give other broadcasters a moment to pause. Rather than frightening off other programme-makers, though, the experiment by Swedish state-funded broadcaster SVT in 1997 has been emphatically endorsed by other networks, which have scrambled to commission their own versions of this and similar formats. By last year, 40 different versions of Big Brother alone had been commissioned around the world.
But the story of Savija remains a nagging, cautionary tale - not least because successive participants in Big Brother and other shows have complained of depression, ruined reputations and trashed careers after taking part. Are we certain that reality TV programmes do not risk the mental health of their participants? And is it possible, before long, that we could see another tragic casualty?
The crucial question, and one that can never fully be answered, is the extent to which Expedition: Robinson contributed to Savija's death. As far as his wife Nermina is concerned, the programme is entirely to blame. "He became deeply depressed and agonised [after he was evicted]. He felt degraded as a person and didn't see any meaning in life," she said shortly after his death. "He was a glad and stable person before he went away, and when he came back he told me, 'They are going to cut away the good things I did and make me look like a fool, to show that I was the worst and that I was the one that had to go.' It is not a game when you choose ordinary people and put them under great pressure, constantly in front of the camera."
If the programme is to blame, however, there are few hints in the episode screened after Savija's death. His contribution, in fact, has been edited almost to invisibility. There is one particularly poignant moment where he is filmed sitting around a camp fire on his first night, exclaiming how excited he is. "It's a fantastic experience to be here. I'm not going to bed!" In fact, he was to last a mere four days on the island before being overwhelmingly voted off by his fellow contestants. He died on July 11 1997, nine weeks before the first edition of the pre-recorded show was broadcast.
The programme's producers, in their defence, hint at darker motives behind the suicide. "It's never been proved that this show was the reason it happened," says Gunilla Nilars, a senior producer in SVT's light entertainment department at the time, who went on to be executive producer of Robinson in 2000 and 2001. "If you asked a doctor, he would say he had problems already. He wasn't fit in his head, you could say."
Savija had lived in Sweden for only a few years when he volunteered for the show. Originally from a village in Bosnia, he and his wife had fled the former Yugoslavia during the worst years of the war. "Of course everyone was affected by the war," she told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, "but Sinisa did not lose any loved ones. The reason for our coming here was that he was half-Croatian, half-Serbian, and I'm a Muslim. We didn't belong anywhere." Sinisa won a place at law school and they settled in Norrkoping, a small city 100 miles south-west of Stockholm. He loved sport, particularly basketball, and applied himself to learning Swedish.
In the spring of 1997, Savija decided to apply for a new programme being advertised by SVT. Eight men and eight women would be placed on a desert island, divided into two teams and left largely to fend for themselves, all the while competing with each other for a cash prize of 500,000 krona (£33,500). On his application form for the programme, he described himself as "peaceful, not subject to moods and very active". Friends said his selection for the competition made him as "happy as a child".
But if Savija applied for Robinson partly to affirm his sense of belonging, he was certainly unprepared for the very public rejection he would instead experience. Tore S Borjesson, a reporter at Aftonbladet, interviewed the contestants in depth before, and during, their time on the island. "I had a feeling when I met Sinisa that he was a bit shy, but he was certainly positive about it. I know he was active in sports, so he was a competitive guy. But what I remember clearly is that when I went out to the island after three days to interview the contestants again, he was the one who was suffering. It is very hard, he was saying, I can't take this. I think it was the whole thing - the physical conditions, and then the pressure to find his place in the group, and the risk of being voted off."
His less-than-fluent Swedish didn't help. "He didn't get on with so many people," says Martin Melin, the policeman from Stockholm who went on to win the series, and to become an overnight sensation in Sweden. "It's a social game, that's how it works. I think I won because I was friends with everyone, and I can get on with people from different social groups, different backgrounds. But Sinisa was a bit of a loner.
"It works the same way as it does in the country as a whole. If you are a refugee and you don't know the language and the culture - well, you're not in the group. You're different."
Despite Nermina Savija's accusations of bullying on the island, there is no detectable sense of menace in the tapes of the show to explain her husband's actions. (Indeed, after years of increasingly outrageous reality programming, the programme seems terribly tame and even a little dull, with rather more hugs and laughter than backbiting, and tasks that are almost amusingly innocent.) By the time the show transferred to the US, eagerly aped by CBS, executives were declaring definitively that Savija's suicide had stemmed from his exp
The clients I've cared about the most are the No Js, the ones who nobody knows-- said Cochran, who proudly displayed copies in his office of the multimillion-dollar checks he won for ordinary citizens who said they were abused by police.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., who became a legal superstar after helping clear O.J. Simpson during a sensational murder trial in which he uttered the famous quote "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit," died Tuesday. He was 67.
That's what ABC Family TV is hoping for as it unveils a brand-new reality series starring the sibling tennis champions.
Jennifer Aniston filed for divorce from Brad Pitt on Friday, court papers showed. The petition filed in Superior Court seeks dissolution of the actors' marriage based on irreconcilable differences.
AP. Los Angeles - The suicide of Philadelphia boxer Najai Turpin hangs over Sunday's episode of "The Contender," the NBC reality show in which he competed.
Najai Turpin, the Philadelphia boxer who died by suicide on Feb. 14, steps up to fight in the next episode of NBC's The Contender, the reality show in which 16 middleweights compete for a $1 million prize. The show will air Sunday at 8 p.m. on Channel 10.
LOS ANGELES - A jury acquitted tough-guy actor Robert Blake of murder Wednesday in the shooting death of his wife four years ago, bringing a stunning end to a case that played out like pulp fiction.
You know, our week just wouldn't feel complete unless we gave you a rundown of the latest Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston rumblings. Yes, the friendliest separated couple in Hollywood continues to generate headlines, although thanks to their publicists, those headlines are a whole lot less salacious than they could be. 
Mar 14, 10:14 AM EST. The Associated Press. NEW YORK -- "American Idol" finalist Mario Vazquez, citing "personal issues," withdrew from the talent competition Sunday, and producers of the Fox show called in the son of a baseball Hall of Famer as backup. 
March 11, 2005 -- If you ask the people who really know — the 12 fi nalists on this year's "American Idol" — they'll tell you the winner will be . . . Mario Vasquez. Minutes after the final 12 were chosen on national TV, we asked the contestants whom — besides themselves — they thought would come out on top of this year's competition. Every year the producers say this is the best "American Idol" field yet. But at the halfway mark of this year's "Idol," it really does seem true. 
In round 1, Jesse came out swinging hard but didn't always connect. Jesse's cornerman told Jesse that he gave up the first round because he was trying too hard for a single, knockout punch. In round 2, Jesse and Jonathan traded punches. Jonathan landed some good ones, but Jesse answered with a hard uppercut. In round 3, Jesse landed a devastating blow, staggering Jonathan. Sly said Jesse won the round "big time." But Jesse's cornerman reminded Jesse that he hadn't won the fight yet. In round 4, Jonathan was back and landed a solid uppercut, but Jesse fought back with shots of his own. In round 5, Jesse landed several shots to the head and had Jonathan against the ropes.
From the wrong side of the tracks, Jonathan spent three years in prison for armed robbery. He has what at first appears to be an ornery or contrary demeanor, until you see that he is putting you on. He actually has a great sense of humor and that humor is his most lovable trait. But the other side of the Reid Dawg is a serious, experienced, tough-as-nails fighter. He's a veteran in and out of the ring and has had a rough life.