Current Sixers Dancer Kate and former Sixers Dancer Amber-Joi have started a have started a website called Phillyin.com.
Their mission?
To take an active role in promoting the “up-and-coming” City of Brotherly Love, through the eyes and ears of the personalities of phillyin.com. The focus will be on setting the record straight about what Philly has to offer, while helping to cultivate and document this on-going transformation from “old school” caterpillar to “A-list” butterfly, and having a ton of fun along the way.
Amber-Joi also has a post up about the upcoming Sixers Dancers Alumni performance scheduled for this Monday.
The business was started by four black women who won’t discriminate in helping clients.
By Kevin Turner
Jacksonville.com
The partners in the new Jacksonville law firm Dorrell, Gale, Middleton & Wright say they want prospective clients to know that in addition to being African-American women who are parents of young children, they’re also qualified to handle virtually any case.
In an age when some attorneys specialize in narrow areas such as divorce or foreclosure, the partners of the new firm, which opened in January, say they want to be seen as a one-stop legal shop for anyone in Jacksonville - regardless of their race, sex, age or income.
“We are a full-service law firm. Between the four of us, we run the gamut,” said Dana Dorrell, a former Jacksonville Jaguars Roar cheerleader.
Dana Dorrell (from left), Angela Mathews Gale, LaFonda Gipson-Middleton and Regina Wright have formed a law firm they hope will help clients in search of more personalized service. But they’re parents of young children as well, and plan to lean on each other for support. They tried to seek similarly focused law firms for advice, but there weren’t any. “We’re the first of this size in the region,” Mathews Gale says.
LaFonda Gipson-Middleton, Angela Mathews Gale, Regina Wright and Dorrell come from different private practices and can handle civil cases ranging from personal injury to family law.
“We don’t want to restrict ourselves,” Mathews Gale said.
Duval County Judge Pauline Drake recommended they give the partnership a try to help further the visibility of successful African-American women in Jacksonville.
“It was my desire to put together a full-service firm of African-American women from all areas of law,” Drake said. “They put a lot of thought into it - in terms of their work to set it up. They really had the ambition and desire to do this.”
With Drake’s encouragement, the four discussed the idea in March 2009, they said. The idea took and they opened their new firm in The St. Joe Co. building.
“We met for lunch and found we still liked each other after a year,” Gipson-Middleton said.
All four say they’re aware that starting up a new law firm is a leap of faith. Gone is the pay security and services that come with working for a larger firm, they say. But they’ve brought clients with them, and they hope referrals and marketing bring in new clients.
Drake said the four are models for others.
“This sends a message to other African-American women that this is an achievable goal,” Drake said. “I think young women today need to see positive role models to give them something to aspire to. This is good news.”
In putting the new firm together, the foursome said they tried to seek out advice from other law firms partnered and run entirely by African-American women in the region, so they could anticipate pitfalls.
But they soon realized there weren’t any others.
“We’re the first of this size in the region,” Mathews Gale said.
Service comes first
Besides their experience, the four said they aim to give their clients a level of personal service and contact that larger firms aren’t able to match due to their high workloads. For example, Dorrell said she often got clients in her former practice who said they had come from large firms and were frustrated they couldn’t ever reach their attorney on the phone. Some said they didn’t even know who their attorney was.
All four partners are members of the Daniel Webster Perkins Bar Association, a Jacksonville attorney group dedicated to the African-American community; the Florida Bar; and the Jacksonville Bar. Wright, the first African-American woman to practice law in Columbia County, comes from Jacksonville’s Fourth Judicial Court as a division chief dealing with juvenile and repeat cases. Dorrell has taught business law at the University of Phoenix; Gipson-Middleton was given an award in 1999 for trying the most cases while she worked for the public defender’s office; and Mathews Gale, a former staff attorney with Jacksonville Legal Aid, is an expert in pro bono guardianship cases.
Parenthood in play
And all four women understand the demands of parenting. Gipson-Middleton has a 19-month-old boy; Mathews Gale has twin 3-year-olds; Dorrell has a 3-year-old boy; and Wright has a 5-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy. Working with others who understand the demands children can make on work time help keep the firm flexible because they can provide coverage for each other, they said.
But as far as the public’s perception is concerned, all four say they want the public to look beyond their commonalities and view them as attorneys.
“We want to ensure that is not the focus,” Mathews Gale said. “We don’t want to give that impression.”
The foursome will have an open house March 25 in their office in Suite 130 of the St. Joe building to introduce themselves to the community, said their publicist, Teresa Durand. It will also mark about a year since their fateful meeting, she said.
Dana is graduate of Alabama State University and Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
In this episode of On The Flipside Aubrey visits with actress, comedienne and former Oakland Raiderette Anjelah Johnson on the set of her new movie “Our Family Wedding.” She speaks about her relationship with her on-screen sister America Ferrera and the rest of the star-studded cast which includes Forest Whitaker, Carlos Mencia, Regina King and Lance Gross.
Plus in this edition’s Sideline Distraction, we watch as the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl Cheerleaders spring into action at a beach-side “Battle of the Beauties.” See the ladies of the AFC go head to head with their NFC counterparts in beach volleyball, tug o’ war and flag football…they squeeze in some of their famous dance moves too!
“True Beauty” will premiere on MONDAY, MAY 31 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC, following the regular time period premiere of “The Bachelorette”.
Executive producers Tyra Banks (“The Tyra Banks Show,” “America’s Next Top Model”) and Ashton Kutcher (executive producer of “Punk’d” and “Beauty and the Geek”) team up again to put their spin on beauty in Sin City. Five gorgeous females and five hot men will live together at Planet Hollywood Hotel while they compete (they think) to become the “Face of Vegas.” Unbeknownst to them, they’ll be deliberately challenged by moral situations to see if they really are kind, generous and compassionate and have what it takes to be truly beautiful inside and out.
The women contestants are Amy Schmoldt, a 22-year-old bartender from New Brunswick, New Jersey; Erika Othen, a 25-year-old singer/cocktail waitress from Long Island, New York; Liz Parada, a 31-year-old model from Hollywood, Florida; Michelle Mozek, a 21-year-old dancer from Dallas, Texas; and Regina Villano, a 22-year-old teen pageant queen from Tabernacle, New Jersey. The men are Craig Francyzk, a 29-year-old retail manager from Winnipeg, Canada; David Palmer, a 24-year-old DJ/astrologer from Huntington Beach, California; JD Scott a 26-year-old real estate agent from Los Angeles, California; Michael Allen, a 25-year-old actor/model from Miami, Florida; and Taylor Bills, a 24-year-old former professional athlete from Irvine, California.
The attractive contestants assume they’re being judged solely on their physical attributes when, in fact, the episodes will showcase two sides of each person, one that displays outer beauty as well as one that exhibits inner beauty. One person will be eliminated each week based on their behavior and how well they ranked in each challenge, as they’re evaluated and critiqued by the judges. At the end of eight episodes, one winner will be declared who has successfully demonstrated both inner and outer beauty. That winner will receive a $100,000 cash prize and a feature article in People magazine.
Dancing with our Local Stars — a benefit for the American Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Relief — is 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, March 13 at the San Marino Club, 1685 E. Big Beaver in Troy.
Local celebrity appearances include: Nicole Blaszczyk (Miss Michigan), Lila Lazarus (TV personality), Eric Hipple (ex-NFL quarterback), Heather Zara (WDIV traffic reporter, former Detroit Automotion Dancer and Detroit Fury Cheerleader), Natalie Sentz (WDIV reporter), Ryan Field (Fox Sports Detroit reporter), Jeannette Greco Pawlowski (Mrs. Michigan), Deena Centofanti (Fox 2 health reporter), Dr. Michael Gray (renowned cosmetic surgeon), Damara Anderson (WWJ producer and reporter), John Poppeo (WDIV photo journalist), Scott Lusader (former Detroit Tiger), and more.
The benefit will include a dance competition with local celebrities, a dance showcase by professional dancers, general dancing throughout the evening to live entertainment by the Steve King & the Dittilies, an hors d’oeuvre buffet with a cash bar, a silent auction and an opportunity for you to dance with a local star — 100 percent of proceeds from the auction and the dance with the celebrity will go to the American Red Cross to support its Disaster Relief Fund. Admission is $25 per person. Everyone is welcome, singles and married couples.
‘American Idol’ + ‘Real World’ = New Web series ‘If I Can Dream’
by Vlada Gelman Entertainment Weekly
3/2/2010
YouTube is littered with videos of people seeking stardom, so why not make a web series about them? That’s just what American Idol creator Simon Fuller has done with If I Can Dream, a reality Web series launching today that follows a quintet of aspiring artists live 24/7 on ificandream.com and in a weekly recap on Hulu [watch here].
The five hopefuls will live together in a spacious Los Angeles home outfitted with 60 cameras following their every move. Viewers will be able to engage with the artists in real time via Twitter, MySpace and blogs, and can select which camera feed they’d like to view. The contestants can even log on to their own computers and spy on their roommates down the hall.
Despite all of the cameras pointed at them — on a recent visit, PopWatch counted at least five in the living room alone and an average of 3 per bedroom — the Dream team say they aren’t nervous about living their day-to-day lives under the spotlight.
“There’s been times today where I’m like, ‘Oh, man, I’m on camera.’ I really have forgotten already,” said Amanda Phillips, a former NFL cheerleader from New York who hopes to become an actress/model.
“This is the worst place ever to play hide and seek,” joked Kara Killmer, an aspiring actress from Texas.
The group’s Ford Fiesta car is wired with cameras, as well, allowing viewers to follow the cast as they go on auditions and dates and generally sit in traffic, as most Angelenos are accustomed to doing; some will be dealing with the experience of navigating LA streets for the first time.
“I can’t wait to see them driving around, getting lost,” said producer Michael Herwick. “It’ll be hilarious.”
As part of the series, celebrity mentors will come in to help the hopefuls in their quest for the Hollywood dream. Singer/songwriter (and Miley Cyrus ex) Justin Gaston and actor Ben Elliott would freak if James Taylor walked through the door, while Phillips wants to meet Will Ferrell. Once they land a job and exit the house, a new aspiring artist will be chosen by viewers via MySpace auditions. But will the original hopefuls want to leave the plush digs?
“This isn’t reality TV. There’s no judges or voting off. There’s not a pot of money sitting at the end,” said Killmer. “The goal is to get a job that will allow us to get out of the house and to move on to a bigger career. This is just the first step.”
We’re starting a new weekly (hopefully) feature called “Five Questions with…”
We’re happy to kickoff the new feature with blogger, fitness competitor and former CFL Cheerleader Robyn Baldwin.
Growing up Robyn was a dancer. She was formally trained in Ballet and grew up performing in full length ballets with her school (Les Petits Ballet) in Ottawa.
In 2004 Robyn cheered for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. When she cheered for Hamilton it was an outdoor stadium. The uniform had long sleeve tops and full pants and the cheerleaders called them “the snow suits”, in the summer they were sweltering but the uniforms did their job and kept the ladies from being cold in the Fall. Robyn says while it was fun cheering outside, however, she learned to give up the lip gloss or her hair would be blown by the wind and stick to her lips.
The next year she graduated from McMaster University with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce (major in Marketing) and a minor in Political Science. She moved to Toronto after graduation and cheered for the Toronto Argonauts in 2006
Robyn in her Argos Cheerleader uniform
Today Robyn works in advertising. She’s a media supervisor for a large size advertising agency in Toronto. It’s the financial, strategic side of the business. She tries to figure out based on consumer behavior and media habits how the media budgets are best spent.
She’s also a fitness competitor and model. She was featured in the February/March 2010 of Inside Fitness Canada as one of Canada’s Hot and Fit 100.
1. How do you make time for your day job, modeling, working out and competitions?
I am a great multitasker. Since I was in High School I’ve always been overly involved in as many activities as possible. In High School it was student’s council, running leadership camps, singing in the choir, musical theatre, and band. In University it was no different, musical theatre, dance club, cheering for the Ticats (in my 4th year) and business clubs such as organizing the McMaster World Congress and launching McMaster’s Apprentice program took up alot of my spare time outside of class. When I moved into the working world I still wanted a life outside of the office. Cheerleading for the Argos was a great escape and passion for me. Now that I’m older I still wanted a new hobby and passion to have outside of my career. I discovered fitness. Since University I’ve always been a gym rat but never a dedicated one. In January 2009 I made a commitment to a healthier lifestyle. I’ve been eating clean, lifting weights and pursuing a second career as a fitness model and competitor. I’ve learned true time management and I get up a lot earlier! Right now I’m in the gym at 6:30am lifting weight with my trainer, then it’s off to work. I may do yoga or cardio at lunch time or research a new blog for my website. Then after work I do 20-30mins of cardio and home I go to relax, do food prep and pack my gym bag to do it all over again for the next day. I also dedicate Sunday afternoons to grocery shopping and the majority of my meal prep time. I’ve been modeling since University as a hobby so I’ve know for a while how to schedule shoots. I just make sure to work it out w/ photographers to shoot on weekends or in the evenings after work.
2. What do you hope folks take away from your fitness posts and vlogs?
I was inspired to find fitness by a cover model for Oxygen Magazine. Ashley Harrison was on the cover in January 2009. She cheered for the Ticats in 2005. All it took for me was looking at the photo and saying “why can’t I look like that too?” Through my blog posts about fitness and my vlogs about my training I hope to inspire at least one person to try a new exercise, get motivated to go to the gym or simply take little steps to feeling healthier. If I can inspire someone else to try a fitness competition as an end goal to a healthier lifestyle then it would be my pleasure. Getting comments on my pictures on facebook or about my gym tweets on twitter or about my vlogs means the world to me. Having someone tell me for the first time that I inspired them gave me more goosebumps then stepping on stage for the first time.
3. What made you decide to become a fitness competitor?
I decided to become a fitness competitor because I love having goals. Having a time line to get fit really pushes you to take control of your eating habits and fitness level. I like having that date to track my workouts so I know how hard to push myself so that I can build more muscle. I also love the feeling of being on stage. I’m a performer so I crave those spotlights! I also like the community that it has. The women and men are very supportive towards each other and meeting people at workshops or at the shows have created great new friendships in my life. Just like cheerleading… There are some girls from my 2004 and 2006 teams that I still talk to on the daily and will always be a part of my life. Fitness competitions have provided that too which is awesome.
Robyn in her first fitness competition.
4. How have you done so far?
My greatest accomplishment so far in the fitness contest circuit was placing top 10 in the UFE Halloween Mayhem 2009 show in October. I competed 5 times last year. 2 times I have no idea how I placed. 2 times I placed top 10 and 1 time I placed dead last. Each time I learned something new, went through emotional roller coasters but definitely learned that I can always improve and that I definitely am hooked on competing. I also learned that your placements doesn’t define who you are or your career in the fitness industry. Obviously I want to win. I’m a competitive person but I’m still loving the journey, process and how far I’ve come so far.
5. What plans do you have for 2010?
I would love to get my WBFF pro card and continue competing. I am what you call a hardgainer. So although when my metabolism changed and I developed “skinny fat”. It’s really hard for me to put on muscle. I have already gained 5 lbs since December 2009. My goal is another 10 lbs of muscle by July 2010.
I am creating my vision board for 2010. In addition to 2010 competitions, I would love to get published in more magazines. A cover with Oxygen would be a dream came true as that’s where it all started. I would like to create more fun vlogs and possibly do some writing for the fitness magazine and online world.
I plan to thrive at my media career and prove to myself that I can really do it all. My blog has three aspects to it that are centered around being an Alpha Female. I talk about fitness and how I stay healthy and active to be able to accomplish my career and fitness competing. I talk about career tips and then I talk about social media which helps me balance all my obligations, find new opportunities and manage my personal brand.
I also want to throw in some travel just to be able to experience new places as well. I’ll fit it all in for sure.
From Inside Fitness: One of Canada’s Hot and Fit 100
Nuclear Cowboyz gear up for freestyle motocross at IZOD Center
By Anthony Stoeckert NewJerseyNewsRoom.com
25 February 2010
Ronnie Faisst has a lot on his mind when he’s riding in the motocross extravaganza Nuclear Cowboyz. He has to do his tricks, be in the right spot at the right time and coordinate with other dirt bike riders.
Oh, and one other thing.
“There are girls out there dancing, you need to make sure you don’t run over a dancer,” he says.
Nuclear Cowboyz — coming to the IZOD Center Feb. 26-27 — is a choreographed freestyle motocross show featuring dirt bike tricks, pyrotechnics, music and those dancers (knowns as the Nuclear Cowgirls). As Faisst explains it, traditional motocross involves dirt bike riders racing. In freestyle motocross riders perform individually and are judged, based on execution, the difficulty of jumps, and other factors.
“So it’s not about going fast — it’s about how many jumps you can get in and what tricks you can do with the jumps,” he says.
Faisst grew up in Mays Landing and started riding dirt bikes when he was 8 years old. “We had five acres where I grew up and we had a little place to ride in the backyard,” he says. “And there was a gravel pit up the street from my house so I’d ride there.”
He rode at motocross tracks in Englishtown and New Egypt and in Pennsylvania and upstate New York. He turned pro in 1995 and moved to California in 1997. He’s gone on to compete in the X Games and Gravity Games — winning a bronze medal performance at the 2006 Winter X Games. Nuclear Cowboyz is a change for him because it’s so tightly choreographed.
“It’s a big, big show, a great show for entertainment,” he says. “It’s never been done here in America and to bring our sport and put it in a choreographed show, if you want to see a freestyle show, this is the best one to see.”
Those dancers Faisst steers his bike away from are the Nuclear Cowgirls, whose ranks include Adar Wellington, who grew up in Cherry Hill and studied dance at Rutgers. Ms. Wellington describes the show’s story as “Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ on bikes” with two gangs competing against each other on dirt bikes.
“The guys are incredible, they do tricks that are phenomenal,” Wellington says. “I’ve been doing this with them a couple of months and it never gets old for me. It’s explosive, these guys are fearless, they do the craziest stunts on these bikes.”
Being a Nuclear Cowgirl means dancing in dirt amidst all the special effects and dirt bike riders. Ms. Wellington, who was captain of the New Jersey Nets Dancers before moving out to Los Angeles, says she wasn’t exactly sure as to what she was auditioning for on her Nuclear Cowgirl tryout.
“We didn’t know what we were getting into until we already made it,” she says. “Once it was explained to us, we still didn’t really get it until we were actually in the arena with the motorcycle guys and we actually saw them doing what they do. It wasn’t clear until we were actually in it. It’s definitely one of the most interesting jobs I have to put on my resume.”
She’s particularly excited about coming to New Jersey and having her family see the show. She promises audiences will be on their edge of the seats throughout the action.
“I’m nervous the entire time, my jaw is clenched the entire show,” she says. “And when the show’s over, I let out a deep breath, it’s pretty scary.”
The Ironettes (cheerleader-esque backup dancers) appear in the beginning of Iron Man 2 (in theaters May 7th). On of the Ironettes is played by former Denver Broncos Pro Bowl Cheerleader Renee Herlocker.
Renee was supposed to have a bit of dialogue, but because Robert Downey Jr. was having a hard time remembering his lines, they shortened the whole scene and her lines were cut.
Angela King Designs, Inc., premier costume designer to professional sports, recently launched Go Wild! Wear, a long-awaited ready-to-wear collection of Angela’s top designs. Angela is proud to introduce a powerful sales team of professional cheerleader alumni, who are experienced sales professionals. The team is located across the United States and trained to serve Go Wild! Wear customers on a personal level.
According to owner and chief designer Angela King-Twitero, “This group exceeds the normal scale. These ladies are leaders in their field and were stars on their individual teams. Not only do they share a love for the cheerleading industry, but also create one amazing group of business women!”
Sales representatives work directly with teams, studios, and other dance and cheer contacts to select attire, ranging from boots to uniforms, and even junior wear. “Our goal is to outfit performers from head to toe,” says King. “Go Wild! Wear allows teams of various budgets to receive the sought after AKD style quickly and affordably, allowing us to spread our twenty years of experience in the industry to all levels of cheerleading and dance.”
To learn more about the Go Wild! Wear collection, visit www.gowildwear.com or call 1-877-97GOAKD to speak directly with one of the following representatives.
Laura Eilers: Lead Sales Rep, Northeast Territory and Missouri/Kansas
Location: Richmond VA / Columbia, MO
• Director of the Richmond Raiders, “Lady Raiders”, Indoor Football (current)
• Executive Director/Founder Going Pro Entertainment, LLC (current)
• Kansas City Brigade Assistant Director (1 year)
• St. Louis Rams Cheerleader (1 year)
• Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader (5 years) Team Captain (2 years)
• Kansas City Wizards Girl, MLS Soccer (1 year)
• Former Dance Instructor for UDA
• Former Benedictine College (KS) Spirit Squad Coordinator
• Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.89 GPA
Darlene Clancy: Sales Rep, Florida and Mid North Territory
Location: Jacksonville, FL
• Director of the Jacksonville Axe Men, “Axe Maidens”, American National Rugby League (current)
• Member of “Sweethearts for Soldiers” and Director of Media Relations
• Professional Cheerleaders Alumni, Inc - Board Member
• Jacksonville Jaguars Cheerleader (2 years)
Rani McLenon: Sales Rep, Southwest Territory and Nebraska
Location: Phoenix, AZ / Omaha, NE
• Director of Dance Camps and Spirit Store, UDA (current)
• National Cheerleading Director for a youth sports league
• UDA Veteran of the Year Nominee
• Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader (1 year)
• Arizona Cardinals Cheerleader (1 year)
• Omaha Beef Dancer, Indoor Football (1 year) Voted MVP 2008
• Dance Instructor
Kelly Barker: Sales Rep, Southeast Territory
Location: Atlanta, GA
• Co-Owner of “Dance and Cheers 2 You!” (dance and cheerleading camps)
• Main Choreographer for Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader Alumni
• Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader (6 years) and Captain (4 years)
• Duke University, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
• Cheerleader, Duke University
• Falcons Pro Bowl Cheerleader (1994)
• Featured dancer in MC Hammer’s “2 Legit to Quit” Video
“True Beauty” will premiere on MONDAY, MAY 31 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC, following the regular time period premiere of “The Bachelorette”.
Dancing with our Local Stars — a benefit for the American Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Relief — is 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, March 13 at the San Marino Club, 1685 E. Big Beaver in Troy.
