.jake olson - the kid with the biggest heart.

Today, I saw this clip of 12 year old Jake Olson on ESPN. I was taken aback at how amazing he is. Jake's story is truly an inspiration to me. This kid has more courage and heart than anyone I know. He is a reminder that strength and faith will get you through anything that life brings your way, no matter how unbearable. Jake, you are my hero.

.lines by the heart.

For millions of women who can recite these lines by heart and draw strength from their earthy take on female empowerment, it is comforting to know that the woman who penned them, Maya Angelou, continues to write, lecture and teach at age 81.

Pretty women wonder where
my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a
fashion model size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal women,
That's me.

-From "Phenomenal Women"
by Maya Angelou

.be inspired by beyonce.

Every so often, I come across a video clip that truly inspires me. One that really makes you want to do good.

This is one of them.

In this blog-worthy video clip, the beautiful and talented Beyonce surprises a little girl named Chelsea by inviting her on stage during her Australia concert last Friday, September 18 at the Acer Arena. In front of 21,000 concertgoers, Beyonce dedicates her song "Halo" to Chelsea who is a young cancer patient. As you'll see, not only did this performance touch the audience, most importantly, it touched Chelsea who had no idea she would be face-to-face with her idol Beyonce.



Love,
Peace,
and Halo,
-Christine

.where in the world is christine? + nyc trip.

Here I am! If you read my blog, I sincerely thank you. :) And, if you’ve checked back for updates and noticed it’s felt like FOREVER since I’ve posted, I do apologize. I’ve been working on some really unique events that have kept me pretty busy.

Before we get to the storytelling about one of those events, let me give you a couple of updates so we can reconnect. In case you are wondering, yes—I’m still on Twitter. I’m actually starting to consider myself a *twitterbug* because it’s kind of become a part of my daily routine. Call me crazy but it’s actually turned out to be a fun way to stay connected to folks who actually appreciate what you have to say. Weird but true. I’m not sure if you heard but Twitter went “down” for a morning (actually almost a whole day) a couple weeks back. People were freaking out. Although I wasn’t freaking out, I could understand the frustrations that people had. You see, when Twitter wasn’t working, you quickly realize that you aren’t able to connect with your followers and the people you follow. The best way for me to describe it is a feeling similar to losing your address book. Ok, maybe not THAT extreme but, I kid you not once it was back up and running EVERYONE was tweeting about what happened, why it went down, and even what they were doing while twitter was out of commission. It’s like a whole other world that exists without speaking, all via texting and web updates that disappeared for part of a day. For some, that could be kind of traumatic I guess.

On a side note, I’ve also started to try and become more consistent with my workout routine. I’ve been trying to go several times a week and I even take a cool Turbo Kick Box class that makes me feel really good after. The more I hit the gym, the more I look forward to going again. That's a good thing, right?! I’m also trying to eat better so don't let me eat anymore chips! :)

Ok—so a cool thing that happened to me in June was I got to go out to New York City and work with a really great guy. This guy wasn’t someone who was a big deal to me prior to my trip. Although I’m a big sports fan (as you may know), he was actually not even on my radar as someone of HUGE significance only because I’m from San Diego (almost complete opposite of where he lives). I mean for work, he’s important to me but personally—I took it as any other event. After meeting him, I realized why this guy is so important and means so much to the city. This guy was Derek Jeter. Yes, THE Derek Jeter, Shortstop and Captain for the legendary New York Yankees. How crazy and delusional was I not to be excited about meeting him? I mean I was looking forward to it but I wasn’t starstruck excited if you know what I mean? Anyway, my flight out to NYC for the event was direct from San Diego which was AWESOME! When I arrived to New York, I was greeted by nice, cool weather (slightly rainy). I stayed at the Affinia Shelburne on Lexington Avenue. It was a quaint hotel that was an older remodeled building. My room was cute and comfy, similiar to a very modern studio. It was in Murray Hill, a Manhattan neighborhood. I always get jet-lag when I fly out to the East Coast. You’d think that 3 hours shouldn’t mess you up too badly but it gets me every time! My co-worker Carrie and I decided to grab an early dinner before calling it a night. We walked a couple of blocks and found a pizza joint which was exactly what we were craving. We had our NY pizza and cheesecake which was the perfect way to feel welcomed by the city. I'll admit, we made a quick run out to 5th Avenue to visit the world renowned NYC Tiffany & Co. My favorite part (besides the jewels) was the elevator attendant. :) Afterwards, I went back to my room and slept.

The next morning, instead of taking the limo over to Yankee Stadium for the luncheon, I opted to try out the subway for the first time ever. Grand Central Station was a few blocks away and I thought it would be the perfect experience to walk to the subway and take it all the way to the ballpark. When I got to the station, it was really crowded. It was a Tuesday morning so the commuters were going about their business hurrying to work. I on the other hand was searching for the signs and trying to make out which train to take to the stadium. Thank goodness for friendly locals who pointed me and my co-worker the right way. I will never forget sitting on the subway for the first time. I people watched mostly and noticed that almost everyone slept on the subway and had their bags/belongings wrapped completely around their arms and/or shoulders. It made me hold my purse much closer too, lol. As we approached our stop, it was really neat to see the “old” Yankee Stadium right next to the “new” Yankee Stadium. They were literally right next to one another except for a road in-between. I thought about how great it would have been to see a game at the old stadium. After getting off the subway and walking out of the station, there it was… standing like a huge castle—Yankee Stadium. It was pretty from the outside, very clean and really big. Getting inside was really annoying because it wasn’t open to the public yet for the game that evening—so many security clearances. Now I know why they say it’s just like Fort Knox.

Once inside, it was pretty amazing. It was so new and full of inspiration from the old stadium. I remember seeing the field and thinking it looked smaller than I thought it would be but still pristine. Our luncheon with Derek took place at NYY Steak (per Derek’s request). The steakhouse restaurant was located inside the stadium. The event was for a group of contest winners that had won a trip to meet Derek and have lunch with him. I made my way into the restaurant to set up our private room. Everything looked great. One of Derek’s reps arrived, she was very sweet. A few minutes later after all of the finishing touches were complete, Derek calls and is ready to go. She and I are escorted to the players parking level where Derek is waiting. As soon I stepped out of the elevator, there he was—standing at the door holding his cell phone (I think it was a blackberry) looking much taller than I expected. He was with another rep. They introduced me to Derek and that was when I realized how personable and charismatic he was. We walked into the elevator together and as we made our way to the restaurant, I gave him the run down of every important detail he needed to know before he stepped into the private room. He listened very closely and nodded at everything I said. He asked me questions and I answered, he smiled a lot. He was an obvious a professional. The moment we stepped out of the elevator and entered the restaurant, I realized what a presence he had. Everyone stopped and looked at him and became mesmerized by seeing him in person. He smiled and greeting everyone hello to those he passed by as I walked him into the private area. The luncheon turned out to be one of the best events I’ve ever had the pleasure of working on. The media we invited were cordial and Derek was great with them. He was extremely well spoken and when the cameras stopped rolling, he became very comfortable and candid with the guests. He answered every question they asked. He ate with us and was even presented with his own steak knife by the restaurant (personalized & engraved) as his meal was brought to him. Following lunch, we had an hour with Derek for an online appearance with kid fans from all over the globe.

After the 2 hour event, I instantly became a Derek Jeter & Yankees fan. Derek impressed me so much. He was genuine and loved being around his fans. He was extremely likable and by the answers he gave during the lunch, you can tell that he is a very down-to-earth person. It truly was an honor to meet and work with him. We attended batting practice and the game that evening (which they won). It was definitely unforgettable. I even stopped at the Yankee’s store and picked up my very own NY hat. In all honesty, I hope one day I get to attend another game at Yankee Stadium. And, since my Padres can’t make it happen, I do hope Derek is able to win the World Series this year. ;) Go Jeter, go Yanks!

Love,

Peace, &
NY Yanks,
-c

P.S. Much thanks to Carrie (Online Community Manager) & Terry (Public Relations Manager) pictured above with me for your help in making this event so successful. And of course to Derek Jeter who made this all possible (even on a game day)! Teamwork~

.i will remember the king of pop.

How is it possible to be touched by the passing of a person that you’ve never met but feel like you’ve known all your life? The reality of Michael Jackson’s passing did not hit me until a few days after it actually happened. How could someone so amazingly talented and seemingly on top of the world—be gone in a matter of moments? It was much too difficult for me to handle and believe—or even want to believe. You see, I grew up with a love for music and dance. I can say with all honesty that I owe a lot of that to Michael Jackson. His music was definitely a part of my childhood. I remember playing my Dads cassette tapes filled with MJ’s music and blasting his songs in my garage while my neighbors and I danced away. We’d choreograph short routines to Billy Jean and Beat it. We even tried our best to imitate the King of Pop’s moves—as if we could. As silly as it sounds, the "Making of Thriller" was one of my all time favorite videos to watch. I'd watch it over and over so I understood how such (at the time) a scary video was made. The zombies freaked me out but once I knew the behind-the-scenes secrets, I laughed at myself for being so scared. I even memorized the dance moves which prompted my love for dance. Because of this I grew up learning the art of ballet, jazz, and even hula. Being that we were just young kids at the time—little did I realize, MJ’s music would prove to be legendary and his life would be cut without warning many years later. How could I fathom that I would be a grown adult going about my daily work day and would come across a newsflash that Michael, at the age of 50 would be rushed to the hospital with reports of cardiac arrest? At 50 years old?! Despite his tremulous lifestyle, he was a person. One who was a talented individual who was able to do what most people in this world will never EVER be able to do. That was to touch the hearts and souls of many human beings all around the globe with his voice through music, the ENTIRE globe! I choose to remember Michael Jackson as a performer and singer who possessed a priceless perfection when it came to his gift. Whatever negative comments people choose to say about him and the accusations that surrounded him are words that I will try to ignore. He is gone from this Earth now—and no one will ever know the truth about his life. What we will know is that his art is timeless—and that is undeniable. I know in my heart that his music will never get old—even as we all will. I'll never forget the man who made a white glitter glove so famous and the way he magically floated across the stage with a move we all know as the moonwalk. As Michael is memorialized and buried this coming week in Los Angeles, a part of my childhood will be with him as he is placed in his final resting place. RIP Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009).

.lakers vs. magic + twitter-bug + vick is out.

Of course, the minute I complain about the Lakers vs. Magic series being BORING—Game 2 proved me wrong. With an exciting OT victory, the Lakers proved once again why they truly belong in the Finals this year. The Lakers really pulled together, most especially Odom & Gasol (and of course KB) which was no match for Howard, Lewis & Co. The Magic stood strong but in my eyes played with no sense of urgency which I believe was the cause of their breakdown during OT. Even though I'm a Laker fan, I wanted to look Howard in the eyes and tell him, "Play like you want it, Superman!". It should get even more interesting as the series moves to Orlando for the next 3 games. I expect Van Gundy to light a fire under his team unless they want to get swept at their own home court. That would be no bueno! I caught a bit of the post-game press conference and KB was asked about his game face. "Kobe, now that the Lakers are up 2-0 in the series, are you finally able to crack a smile?" asked a journalist jokingly. Kobe responds (with no smile of course), “…what’s there to smile about, the job isn’t done”. That’s hardcore Kobe for you. As for tonight’s courtside action, I enjoyed watching Lakers #1 fan Jack chat it up with players (from both teams) and even stand up and scream at the officials as they called a foul on his Lakers. Jack wasn’t the only celebrity at the game, as I learned from my new sidekick “Twitter”.

Speaking of Twitter, it’s been a couple of weeks since I jumped on and since then…it’s been pretty revealing to say the least. The best way for me to describe it is, “Better than an US Weekly”. Seriously, I am so much more “in the know” on who’s doing what thanks to all my twitter updates. If I wanted, I could even interact with the folks that I usually only read about in the news columns or watch on TV. It’s actually kind of neat—makes me wonder; is Twitter just a fad or a great way for celebs to let their fans take a peek into their world long term? Regardless, I’m enjoying all of it… the little blurbs from T.O. as he vents about house hunting in Buffalo and The Hills cast sending messages back and forth to each other about where they are going clubbing, what their eating for dinner, and even posting photos of what they are doing. Diddy's updates are motivating and he always manages to remind me about Ciroc! Little Miley and Mr. Ashton posts random thoughts and photos quite often. Call it too much information, I call it FUN! I even heard from Kimora Lee about her new baby name first because she announced it on Twitter! Here’s the actually post when her new little one came, “Welcome into the world Kenzo Lee Hounsou. Kimora's + Djimon's baby boy was born on Saturday May, 30th. He was 8 lbs and 20 inches.” How cute! Btw, I saw an article about Kimora's announcement on people.com the following morning and they mentioned Twitter as their source for the news! Haha, by then it was old news to me! :) Kimora posted a photo of herself in the hospital (via Twitter)…doesn’t she look great?! Yes, she was twittering while at the hospital...sharing with her followers that she was in labor!
In news unrelated to Twitter; according to Profootballtalk.com—“Suspended QB Michael Vick's $10-an-hour construction job has been going smoothly and he's been showing up on time.” That’s good news considering the fact that Vick’s every move is more than likely being tracked by the NFL to aid in the decision making process by Commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell will have to answer when Michael Vick files his NFL reinstatement papers sometime after July 20. We’ll see how that goes. I’ve been torn about the whole Michael Vick saga since the day I found out about his heinous crimes. I’m a dog lover so it was extremely heartbreaking to find out that a role model who people (including kids) have cheered for in the sports world took it upon himself to cause pain and suffering to animals. All for the love of money? I really can’t accept that as a good enough excuse but then again, money makes people do crazy things. He has served his time and is seemingly showing remorse, so a second chance isn’t out of the question. I’m sure glad that I’m not in Roger Goodell’s shoes—his decision is going to upset people either way it goes I’m sure.Peace,
Lakers,
& Second chances,
-c

.tweet tweet.

I have a ton of stuff to catch you up on. I know it's been a while since I've posted and my excuse is my schedule (really!). It's been hectic the last couple of months to say the least. I'm doing well if you are wondering. Work is great and I've been busy with some really exciting events. I know when I started this blog, it was a commitment that I'd update it timely with fun and exciting stories and experiences of my life. Lately, that has been somewhat challenging. To help bridge the gap between my fellow blog friends and my scheduling issues, I decided to take the plunge and sign up for a twitter account. If CNN and Oprah can do it, why can't I? So, a few weeks ago I did it. I signed up and I was official. Funny thing was, after that...I had no idea how to update it from my iphone (such a newb). Weeks went by and finally THANKS to facebook and my wonderful friends, I found the answer! One day I posted a status update asking for some advice: "how in the world can I twitter via my iphone?". Instantly, I got some responses from friends suggesting an app called "Tweetie". I found it on the itunes store and after downloading and updating it to my iphone--WOW! I was actually LIVE and was able to see the twitters off all kinds of people. In addition to my friends, I'm following Diddy, Kim Kardashian, and Terrell Owens to name a few. It's fun and easy...what ever took me so long? Now my only problem is, do I update my twitter or my facebook. I don't have enough time in the day to do both. I'm leaning towards twitter so maybe I'll see you all on?! Follow me friends...I made it SO easy. Find me under "lovemystar"~ tweet tweet. :)

Love,
Peace,
& Tweetie~
-c

.the FABulous life of kobe bryant.

I came across this amazingly well written article by ESPN the magazine's columnist Rick Reilly. It made me smile while reading it because I could picture his experience in my mind... as if I was right there with him. These are the types of articles that I look up to. For your reading pleasure, please enjoy it below~ and BTW, a job well done Mr. Reilly.

It's 49 miles from Kobe Bryant's house in Orange County to Staples Center and yet, even in a Ferrari, it takes him 10 hours and 16 minutes.

What takes him so long? You're about to ride shotgun and find out:

7:15 a.m. Nearly $140 into a cab ride from my place, a security gate opens at the end of a very swank cul de sac to reveal Kobe Bryant, father of two, standing in front of seven vehicles—the Ferrari, the Range Rover, the Escalade, the Bentley Coupe, the two-door plastic Fred Flintstone car, the training-wheels bike and the tricycle smashed into a bush.

"You ready to go?" he asks. "I hate to be late."

I have a bag and nowhere to put it, since the Ferrari is basically a 503-horsepower engine with two seats. So he takes two helmets out of the trunk and puts the bag in.

Helmets for a car? Uh-oh.

7:21 a.m. I immediately spill my coffee in the $300,000-plus Ferrari, but how was I supposed to know he'd demonstrate its 0 to 60 mph in 3.1-seconds right at the very moment I was about to sip my delicious venti mochachino?

Trying to wipe up the puddle with my sock without him noticing and trying to be heard over the Ferrari's throaty roar, I nearly yell my interview:

Me: Why are we leaving so early for a 6:30 Clippers game?

Bryant: "Game day. Lots to do."

Me: Why does a Los Angeles Laker live clear down in Weeds suburbia?

Bryant: "It's peaceful. It's a better place to bring up kids. Nice people down here."

Me: What's the fastest you've ever driven this thing?

Bryant: "We're about to find out."

Me (to self): Did I ever complete my will?

Of course, the 11-time All Star doesn't always drive to work. Sometimes he has one of his off-duty, armed, Lakers-provided, police officers take him in a customized van so he can watch scouting DVDs and ice his feet and knees. (He ices them for 20 minutes three times a day. The man spends more time in ice than Ted Williams.) Occasionally, though, he charters a helicopter. "Sometimes, there's just things you cannot miss."

Like?

"Like my daughter's soccer game. Because what if I miss her first goal?"

Can't say I ever choppered into one of my daughter's soccer games, but still.

Bryant, 30, has been known to get up earlier than many barn owls to conduct his famously brutal workouts. One time, Larry Drew II—who now plays at North Carolina—asked to shadow him on one.

"OK," Kobe said. "Pick you up at 3:30."

But 3:30 came and went and Kobe never showed. Then, at 3:30 the next morning, he was ringing Drew's doorbell.

"You ready?" Kobe asked.

"I like to just get up and get it done," he explained to me, "then I'm back home and nobody's even up. Haven't missed a thing."

7:30 a.m. Bryant pulls the yellow Ferrari up to a massive OC health club and leaves it. This will happen many times today, leaving the car right in front of buildings. Gods do not park.

Today is a Sunday and it's bothering him that he'll have to miss coloring with his girls—6 and 2—watching Ariel in The Little Mermaid for the 1,003rd time with his girls and going to Disneyland with the girls. But he's obsessed with winning the 2009 NBA title, which means he's committed to his boys. He wants to be as chiseled as possible for the coming playoff pounding. That's why it's no surprise we're met by Tim Grover, Michael Jordan's genius strength and conditioning coach.

Grover puts Bryant through a game-day workout like I've never seen. (Warning: If you don't want to feel like a complete jelly-filled donut, don't read this next part.) Among a dozen other drills, Bryant does suicide push-ups. At the top of the pushup, he launches himself off the mat so hard that both his feet come off the ground and his hands slap his pecs. He does three sets of seven of these. This makes me turn away and whimper softly.

8:35 a.m. Bryant wheels the asphalt-eating Ferrari onto the 405 North and begins answering my questions about this remarkable comeback he's making in America, in basketball and in his life, which would be fascinating, if it weren't for the 70 mph-circus going on all around us.

People are pulling up next to us and waving. And screaming. And taking pictures with their cell phones. And honking. And craning back in their seats to see. And not watching the road. And getting too damn close. And Kobe doesn't seem to see any of it.

"Life is really good now," he's saying.

Kobe! Kill 'em tonight! Yeeeeaaahhh bbbboy!

"And it's funny. A lot of these companies who dumped us during the [sexual assault] trial [in which all charges were dropped] are calling us now asking us to come back. And I just kind of smile and go, 'No. No, thanks, homie. We're good.' But that hurt, dude. To just be dropped like that. It hurt."

The guy in the Toyota Tundra is signaling that he wants an autograph.

"But my wife and I, we toughed it out. She and I, we got through it. We're going to be celebrating our … "

Two morons are motioning to me that they'd like Kobe to get off at the next exit and take a picture with them.

" … eight-year anniversary together. And when I think about how I almost lost it, the family and everything … "

I can read their lips: "Dude! Please?!"

" … I'm just very thankful and blessed. It was really close there for awhile."

Even a Weekly Shopper reporter would follow that answer up with, "What do you mean?" But a knucklehead in a Ford truck is trying to cut in front of us so his buddy can take a picture out of the back window, so I ask, "Do you ever wreck on this commute?"

"No," he says with a grin, "but one time, this one guy was looking back and hit the guy in front of him. Not hard or anything, but he definitely hit the guy. It was kinda funny."

With all that chaos, I can't really vouch for the accuracy of all this, but I'm pretty sure Bryant says:

• He's taken up golf. Played Pelican Hill the other day with Maris Valainis, who played Jimmy Chitwood in Hoosiers.
• If I weren't in the car, he'd be listening to Lil Wayne, Jay-Z or Biggie Smalls.
• He loves marketing and advertising. In fact, he conceived and wrote a Carl's Jr. poster, which featured Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and himself, and the slogan: "They Who Endure, Conquer."
• He and his wife, Vanessa, have no nannies.
• Most sports talk radio makes him nauseous.
• He's addicted to Discovery Channel, loves to spear fish, and reads New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.
• He has no plans to opt out of his contract at the end of this season, but "you can never absolutely say no, right?"
• His daughters speak a mix of English, Spanish and Italian.
• He'd like to have a boy.

Forty minutes, 37 missed quotes, and 118 gawkers later, we've gone the 43 miles from the health club in OC to the Lakers' practice facility in El Segundo, right near LAX, for shootaround. He pulls up to the spot in front of the door, gets out of the car and doesn't lock it. It's all I can do not to get on my knees and kiss the ground.

12:03 p.m. After his two hours of shooting and stretching, we're off to a downtown hotel, where Kobe will ice, shower, sleep, eat (it's always the same: chicken, rice and broccoli), watch scouting DVDs and make calls until it's time to go. This time we're following one of the off-duty cops, who's driving the gray van.

"Why are we following the cop?" I ask.

"Because I need my jug to ice," he says.

"So why don't we take it ourselves?" I ask.

"Won't fit."

Do you love it? His ice jug gets a police escort.

"What if you can't sleep at the hotel?" I ask as he leadfoots it up the 110 North. "What do you do? Walk around downtown L.A.?"

He laughs and looks at me like I just landed from the planet Nimrod.

"Uh, no. I can't walk around LA. There are fans and then there are LAKER fans. LAKER fans are, like, 10 times more into it than regular fans."

Example: One time, he met a man who had the exact same tattoos as him. Literally, the exact same tattoos, down to the size, color, font, style, even the names of his daughters, his wife, the Bible verses, the crown, everything. And this was in Ohio.

"I mean, what do you say to something like that?" he says, still amazed. "I'm like, 'Wow.' And then I whispered to my security guy, 'Get his social security, OK?'"

12:14 p.m. Four security guards are waiting for us at the hotel. We leave the Ferrari AND the van out front, go through a side entrance, up a freight elevator, to a suite that's waiting for him. What does he pay for use of the suite for a full season? Zippo! "I just take care of them with playoff tickets."

Does the man ever see the inside of his wallet?

5:03 p.m. I get a call on the phone in my room and it's the cop, sounding urgent. "Mr. Reilly? Kobe is going to need to leave in exactly one minute. He was mistaken as to the start of tonight's game. Can you be expedited down here immediately?"

"Uh, well, yeah, I can expedite."

"Good. Much appreciated. Kobe doesn't like to be late."

So I've heard.

Turns out he thought it was a 7:30 start. "I'm such an idiot," he admits. "I do this all the time."

The drive to Staples is going to be a very expedited three minutes, so I have a lot of ground to make up.

How bad do you want this title?

"Beyond your comprehension," he says. "I'm obsessed. It keeps me awake at night."

Can this team do it?

"Yeah, we can do it. We're better equipped this time. Last time (in the finals) we ran into a buzzsaw. That Celtics team was hungry. And not just hungry, but full of hungry veterans."

How long do you want to play?

"I'd love to play until I'm 40, but I'm not sure anybody would want me then. Put it this way: I'll play as long as they'll let me."

As a couple in a red Hyundai shrieks, "Kobe! Kobe! Take care of us tonight!" he turns into the players' gate, where a guy with a mirror on a pole checks under the Ferrari for bombs. I'm terrified what they'll find.

Excuse me, Mr. Bryant? There seems to be mochachino leaking from your car?

He pulls it right up front, hops out, and immediately there's a still photographer and a mini-cam taking our picture as we walk. I try to get away, but he yanks me back into the shot. "Just mean mug it," he whispers. He wears the expression of a mafia don on the way to a trial. I try it, but I can't pull it off. I look like a man suffering upper gastro-intestinal blockage.

I try to say goodbye and thanks, but he's on the phone to his daughters, going "Ciao, bella!" as he walks into the locker room.

It's 5:31 p.m. The Kobe Kommute is over. He's still got the game to go. (The Lakers will defeat the Clippers, 88-85, with Bryant scoring 18 points on 5-for-15 shooting—proving that, occasionally, Kobe DOES miss things.) As for me, I'm so exhausted, there's only one thing I want to do.

Go somewhere quiet and watch Ariel.

What did I tell you? The guy can write, huh? Go Lakers! -c

.knock you down. [keri hilson]

It's been a while since I've posted a video of the week so I owe you a good one. This song features not 1 but, 3 talented artists. I love this collaboration, I hope you do too. Enjoy~ :)