Hollywood Links

By now you know that Ron Artest is going to be raffling off his championship ring with the proceeds being donated to his mental health initiative Xcel University. What you might not be aware of is that Artest will be hosting three events – known as The Ring Series – with the final event being the raffle of his ring on Christmas Day. You can enter your name in the raffle and get info on the events, all of which will take place at L.A. Live’s The Conga Room, by going to Ron’s website. Last night, the series got underway [...]

There is a certain level of celebrity that comes with being a Laker. There is also another level of visibility that is inherent with being a World Champion Los Angeles Laker. Over the years, Laker wives have become almost as well known as their on-court counterparts. Cookie, Vanessa Williams, Vanessa Bryant and the most recent addition, Khloe, will attest to the marrying power achieved by entering into the Purple and Gold family. Not to be left out of this famous fray, both Sasha Vujacic and Shannon Brown announced themselves as the latest to join the Laker celebrity wives club this [...]

Not able to make it to the parade today?  Have no fear, you can stream it straight to your cubicle online.  Just don’t tell your I.T. department you’re eating up all of your office’s bandwidth! Click here to stream the parade live, starting at 10:45am PST Funny how Boston fans are somewhat quieter this week, isn’t it?

According to TMZ.com, the worlds most trusted news source, Tiger Woods mentioned to a “friend” that he needed to go out and purchase a “Kobe Special” after an extremely mysterious accident this week. Of course the insinuation is that Tiger was unfaithful to his wife in some way and needed to purchase a ring like the one Kobe bought his wife after his admitted infidelity in the Colorado scandal. Regardless of whether or not Tiger said anything of the sorts, it’s at least somewhat humorous to know that 6 years after it happened, Kobe’s $4 million gift is still resonating [...]

Another Laker has fallen for a celebrity- Sasha Vujacic was recently photographed holding hands with Maria Sharipova.  I can’t bring myself to waste this space with the photo, so go to TMZ if you want to see it. Sasha: Dating someone famous won’t get you more minutes.  I hope I’m not the first one to tell you that.  Alternate suggestion: Drain 3′s, defend without fouling, and don’t try to dribble when it’s not your role.  That’s what the fans want from you (or… at least raise your profile enough to be worth more when you are inevitably traded).

Watching the game last night reminded me of some advice I’ve given to various women over the years.  It is a simple concept and makes a lot of sense if you think about it: Everything is relative.  Especially beauty. If you are going to be out and about (at a Laker game, for example) and people are going to be looking at you to see how you look, remember that the women around you will provide a reference point to determine your beauty. That said, if you want to be viewed as attractive, don’t sit next to a beautiful model. [...]

Lamar Odom didn’t just get a new contract this summer, he got a new girlfriend. The Los Angeles Lakers star is now dating reality TV star Kloe Kardashian. Word on the street is that he’s as into Khloe as he is fashion. Looks like the Kardashians traded one L.A. sports celeb, ex-USC Trojans star Reggie Bush, for another. According to Hollyscoop, Khloe met the Candyman at Ron Artest’s party in Hollywood on August 27. The two later left the nightclub together. Apparently, the couple has been inseparable ever since that night. They were also spotted together out in L.A. on [...]

This picture of Kobe’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, at the ESPYs definitely made some waves recently. All I have to say is I thought Smush was long gone from the City of Angels. Anyway, check it out  (hat tip: Red’s Army via Black Sports Online)…

Last night on the red carpet at the ESPY Awards, Jordan Farmar gave the lip service he had to about the Lamar Odom situation the Lakers have found themselves in. Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony echoed what I’ve been saying for over a month now — L.O. was the key to the Nuggets series.

Today, we remembered the King of Pop at the poignant Michael Jackson Memorial. During that ceremony, Lakers legends Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson spoke about M.J. It was nice to see Kobe speak on behalf of my generation, a generation that was reared by the fully arrived King of Pop. But what was really amazing was seeing Magic, no stranger to tragedy himself, speak about his friend and a family he had known for 30 years. What stood out to me? Magic calling Mike his idol. I really found it interesting that an entertainer motivated him to become a better [...]