Queen of Sports

Sports Date Of The Week: How Do You Know

Last night, we went to a screening of the new film, How Do You Know starring darling Reese Witherspoon, legend Jack Nicholson, quirky Owen Wilson and hottie Paul Rudd. By looking at the previews you wouldn’t know this film has a sports angle to it! We were pleasantly surprised by what a great romantic comedy this one, definitely one of the best of the year.

The movie opens with a cute sequences of little kids playing tee ball, the little girl is better than the young boy and because of that, he pushes her to the ground. Fast forward years later and you see Reese Witherspoon, who plays Lisa, a 31-year-old softball player for the Olympic gold winning USA softball team who is on the brink of a career jolt. She asks her fellow softball teammate and friend to set her up with a non-athlete, in walks Paul Rudd (George) who is struggling with a career and personal crisis of his own. But Lisa has begun dating Matty, played by Owen Wilson who is a $14 million-a-year major league baseball player for the Washington Nationals. One of our favorite scenes came after Lisa and Matty spend their first night together, she opens the drawer to find hundreds of brand new toothbrushes in girlie colors. Then Matty offers her a change of clothes, he opens up a part of his closet filled with several pink Washington Nationals sweat suits in various sizes. Typical athlete and very funny.

One of our other favorite moments in the film involves a conversation between Matty and his teammates in the Nationals bullpen. We aren’t going to spoil the line for you here, but you’ll know it when you see it. Shout out to actor Domenick Lombardozzi who you’ll recognize from his appearances on Entourage, who delivers the funny line.

The movie proceeds as a tug-of-war for Lisa who has to choose between George and Matty. Who is the best fit for her? Which one will she choose?

Grab your man and take him to this romantic comedy. While it won’t be nominated for any Oscars, it’s very cute. It opens in theaters this Friday, December 17th.

Photo: Sony

Mark Wahlberg And Christian Bale On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated

Few faces not directly linked to sports appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale were awarded the special honor, appearing on the cover of the magazine that rates the movie the two star in, The Fighter, as the best sports film of the decade. While not an athlete professionally, Wahlberg deserves the credit. He says he spent three and a half years training in boxing to prepare for his role. He has already been nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as boxer Micky Ward. Check out our review of the movie here.

Photo: SportsIllustrated.com

Sports Date of the Week: The Fighter

We have a great suggestion for this weeks Sports Date of the Week! We were lucky enough to be invited to a screening of the new Oscar buzz-worthy film, The Fighter starring Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams.

The movie is based on the true story of two Boston brothers trying to make a name for themselves in the Boston world. It chronicles the relationship between half-brothers Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale), known as “The Pride of Lowell” and Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) as Dickie tries to push Micky to make a name for himself in the boxing world.

Dickie, whose claim to fame was a fight with legendary boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, falls into the dark world of crack cocaine which was documented in the HBO series America Undercover and he is in and out of jail while Micky is trying to gain respect as a boxer. Amy Adams plays Micky’s girlfriend and one of the most amusing parts of the film are the scenes with Dickie and Micky’s seven sisters.

Our least favorite part of the film was Amy Adams. We are a big fan of her other movies but this role just didn’t work for her. We thought Blake Lively’s portrayal of a true Boston girl in the movie The Town was a lot better.

The film opens Friday, December 10th and is already being talked about as an award-worthy film.

Photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures – © 2010 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved

*Thanks to Jeff Friedman for the invite!

Sugar Ray Leonard Attends “The Fighter” Premiere

Legendary boxer Sugar Ray Leonard attended the premiere of the movie, The Fighter last night at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Sugar Ray makes a cameo appearance in the film and walked the red carpet with wife Bernadette Robi.

Make sure to check back tomorrow for our review of the boxing film starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale!

Photo: PR Photos

Sports Date Of The Week: Heaven Can Wait And Football Pizza!!

Check out this weeks Sports Date of the Week! Since we are now in the middle of the holiday season, it’s December 1st and the weather is gettin’ chilly, this week we suggest you stay inside and bring the sports to you.

We suggest you rent Heaven Can Wait, a 1978 film starring Warren Beaty, Dyan Cannon (who can been seen sitting courtside at almost every Laker game), and Julie Christie.

Warren plays Joe Pendleton, a quarterback preparing to lead his team to the Superbowl when he is almost killed in an accident. An overanxious angel plucks him to heaven only to discover that he wasn’t ready to die, and that his body has been cremated. A new body must be found, and that of a recently murdered millionaire is chosen. His wife and accountant, the murderers, are confused by this development, as he buys the L.A. Rams in order to once again quarterback them into the Superbowl.

Here is a clip from the move:

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And to follow in the football theme you should pick up Boboli’s new football-shaped crust at your local grocery store. The Boboli brand is near and dear to our hearts because we used to make our own pizzas all the time when we were kids. Why not bring that fun back into the kitchen with your man!

We decided to do one that incorporated some of our favorite things, gorgonzola cheese, fingerling potatoes and rosemary. How good does out pizza look?

This pizza is also perfect if you are hosting a tailgate party (just throw on the grill) or a Superbowl party! Check out the Boboli website product locator to check availability in your area!

* Big thanks to Nicole Jacobson!

The Summit Action Sports Film Festival Coming To Breckenridge Colorado

The Summit Action Sports Film Festival is a four day film festival which will consist of three days of film screenings, an awards ceremony, a photography exhibit, plenty of sponsored parties and live entertainment all centered around the action sports industry. The first annual film festival will be taking place in Breckenridge, Colorado December 8th-11th. While all the films being showcased at this year’s festival are snowboarding and skiing related, the festival organizers hope the films will expand to other action sports fields like surfing and skateboarding in the years to come. For more info. on this year’s festival and to watch some of the trailers that will be featured, visit the festival’s website.

Coming Attractions: Rajon Rondo

Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo narrates his own “movie trailer.” Check it out below:

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Athletes Channel Iconic Film Stars In ESPN Magazine

Lindsey Vonn channels Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, appearing on the cover of the December issue of ESPN the Magazine. Other athletes appear in their “Movie Spectacular” issue as movie stars, including Sabres goalie Ryan Miller as Carl Spackler from Caddyshack, Danica Patrick in Anchorman, Chad Ochocino in The Hangover, and Mariners pitchers Garret Olson and Felix Hernandez in Pulp Fiction.

You can check out some behind the scenes footage of Ryan Miller during the photoshoot below.

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NFL Network Debuts Documentary On Bill Parcells’ Life

The NFL Network filmed a documentary about the Dolphins coach, Bill Parcells, who stepped down as executive vice president of football operations in September to become the “daily consultant” for the Dolphins. Called Bill Parcels: Reflections on a Life in Football, it debuted on Friday, November 19th. The 90-minute documentary features sit-down interviews with Parcell, as well as footage from practices, meetings and games. In the documentary, Parcells, 69, makes it clear he’s not ready to retire from the game. Saying near the end, “Get me back out there. I can do this one more. That’s how I feel.” This leaves open the possibility for Parcells to be lending his efforts to another team in the NFL. For now, he is still a part of the Dolphins organization.

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini Attends “The Warrior’s Way” Screening

Italian-American boxer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini was at “The Warrior’s Way” screening in Los Angeles on Friday night.

Ray held the World Boxing Association lightweight championship for two years in the 1980s and inherited his nickname from his father, veteran boxer Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini.

“The Warrior’s Way” is an upcoming fantasy action movie starring South Korean actor Jang Dong-gun, Kate Bosworth and Geoffrey Rush.

Photo: PR Photos