First up, is a special feature on actress and comedienne Anjelah Johnson. She’s a Bay Area native and former Oakland Raiderette who’s got rising celeb status in Hollywood! Anjelah’s popular comedy sketches for Bon Qui Qui and the Nail Salon have gained her worldwide attention, plus she has a 1-hour Comedy Central special on the way. On The Flipside she talks about her experience cheering on the Raider Nation!
Plus, we head down to the American Airlines Arena where the Miami HEAT dancers stop traffic to unveil their brand new dancers poster and magazine!
On November 20 at 8:00 p.m., the front steps of the AmericanAirlines Arena will be transformed into a scene right out of a nightclub complete with music, lighting, and the 4-time Most Popular Dance Team in the NBA—the Miami HEAT Dancers! The event will mark the formal unveiling of this year’s Dancer poster and the ladies are pulling out all the stops. They’ll be hitting the catwalk, and projected onto the 3-story high MiamiMediaMesh, giving you 3400 sq. ft. of attractive, spectacularly fit women rocking bikinis and eveningwear. This event is open to the public so bring your friends and start your weekend off with a healthy dose of the Miami HEAT Dancers. You would want to be here.
Football fans at this year’s Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will have the opportunity to cheer on their favorites when the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders take on active duty soldiers in Iraq via webcam in a “Guitar Hero” Challenge, courtesy of Armed Forces Insurance (www.afi.org) and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The battle will take place at the AFI booth in the Bowl’s Armed Forces Adventure Area from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on December 30.
Leavenworth, Kan. (Vocus) — Football fans at this year’s Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will have the opportunity to cheer on their favorites when the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders take on active duty soldiers in Iraq via webcam in a “Guitar Hero” Challenge, courtesy of Armed Forces Insurance (www.afi.org) and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The battle will take place at the AFI booth in the Bowl’s Armed Forces Adventure Area from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on December 30.
“More than 10,000 fans are expected to attend the Adventure Area, so we plan on a spirited crowd to watch the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders take on the soldiers through cyberspace,” said Tom Dials, chairman of AFI. “It’s a great opportunity to let our troops know we support them while having some fun in the process.”
Families of competing soldiers will have reserved seating in the booth to view the competition. Donations will be accepted at the booth and used to create and send care packages to men and women serving overseas in active military duty through Give 2 The Troops, a nonprofit organization. In addition, fans also will have the opportunity to win prizes by competing in Guitar Hero contests, which will be ongoing in the AFI booth all weekend.
This is the second year AFI has served as the title partner for the Armed Forces Adventure Area, a festival designed specifically to celebrate military service. In addition to the Guitar Hero Challenge, the Adventure Area will feature booths from military branches and other corporate partners, along with military equipment and hardware on display. The festival is free of charge and will be located outside the main entrances of the Amon G. Carter stadium the day before the Bowl (December 30) from 3:00 – 8:00 p.m. and on game day, December 31, from 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. The Guitar Hero Challenge will be administered by Pro vs. GI Joe, a nonprofit organization that provides troops serving all over the world with opportunities to take on professional athletes or celebrities in heated head-to-head video game competitions—both online and in person.
About Armed Forces Insurance
AFI was founded in 1887 by military leaders with a single mission: to protect the people who protect our nation. The company provides premium quality, competitively-priced property and casualty insurance to military professionals throughout the United States and overseas. Headquartered in Leavenworth, Kansas, AFI understands that military members have unique circumstances and insurance needs, enabling the company to offer a level of personalized service that’s unequaled in the industry. For more information, visit the Web site at afi.org or call 1-800-495-8234.
About the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), will be televised live from Amon G. Carter Stadium on Thursday, December 31, at 11:00 a.m. (CST) on ESPN. The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will feature schools from Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference.
Ticket prices for the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl are $50 for sideline seats, $40 for upper deck seats and $20 for end-zone tickets. Military veterans receive half off any $50 or $40 seat and active-duty personnel get in free via the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl corporate military ticket underwriting program. A portion of local ticket sales will go to designated military charities. Tickets for this year’s game can be obtained by calling the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl office at 817-810-0012, or by going to the Web site for more information at www.ArmedForcesBowl.com.
This is completely unrelated, but you have got to check this out. It’s an electric guitar t-shirt. It’s a shirt, with a guitar on the front, and you can actually play the guitar. How freakin’ cool is that? Check it out on ThinkGeek.com.
MiamiHeat.com has been updated with lots of new stuff about the 2009-10 Heat Dancers. Click here to read all about the ladies on the team. (Then click here to see the wallpapers.)
Our pal Matt from the Midwest sent us a heads-up on Brooke Long, former San Diego Charger Girl, Los Angeles Laker Girl, Los Angeles Avengers A-Team Dancers, and Miami Heat Dancer.
Brooke is featured in Buffalo Wild Wings’ new Secret Agent ad campaign. In the ads, Brooke kicks booty as Agent #024. Click here to watch the video.
As a rookie on the Miami Heat Dancers team, Michelle Lowry doesn’t quite know what to expect when she performs tonight for the Heat’s first official game of the season. But maybe not knowing is half the thrill.
“I cannot wait until we get in the arena and everyone’s screaming,” said Lowry, a 2005 Palm Bay High grad who auditioned for and made the 2009-10 dance team in July. “It’s going to be so much fun.”
A dancer since age 4, Lowry has been trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical and hip-hop. While in high school, she performed with the Palm Bay High Precision, the school’s dance team. She’s always wanted to dance professionally, but she wanted a college education, too. After high school, she went off to Florida State, and in May, graduated with a bachelor of science in marketing.
“It’s hard to be a dancer as a career,” she said. “People do it, but you really do live paycheck to paycheck. So I decided to go get a degree and explore different areas as far as careers are concerned.”
She didn’t get many chances to dance in college, so after graduation, she decided to audition for pro teams. Of about 200 who auditioned for the Heat dance team, 25 made it. The process was rigorous and competitive, and you always had to be “on,” Lowry said.
“It was the first team I tried out for,” she said. “It was a weeklong audition process, and I made it, so it’s pretty exciting. And I moved my life down here (Miami) a week later.”
Lowry’s plan was to be a part-time dancer and a full-time graduate student–she’d been accepted into an MBA program at Florida International University. But the school told her she couldn’t do both because of the program’s no-work policy.
She had a decision to make.
“It really sucks because that’s one of the things I definitely wanted to do is get my MBA, but I’ll get it and I’ll get it on my own terms,” she said. “But right now, this is something that is once in a lifetime, so I had to take advantage of it.”
Lowry had a pretty good idea of what it would be like to be part of a professional dance team. Her older sister, Jennifer, cheered for the Atlanta Falcons and danced for the Washington Wizards.
“You meet a lot of great people,” Lowry said. “The dancers you dance with, a lot of those women go on and do amazing things.”
The Miami Heat Dancers have been voted fans’ favorite NBA dance team for the past three seasons.
Lowry has a yearlong contract with the Heat. If she wants to be on the team again next year, she’ll have to try out again.
In the meantime, she’s going to enjoy the practices, games and life in Miami.
“It’s like a whole ‘nother world down here. . . . South Beach is like a mile from my house, so it’s crazy,” she said.
Lowry’s mom, Glenda Hege, and stepdad, Don Hege, live in Palm Bay.
Our once in a lifetime journey started at 8:00 am at PDX. BlazerDancers Caitlin, Cristi, Taren, Eri, Mari and Mary Ellen and I began our trip to NBA Madness 2009 in Taipei, Taiwan and Hong Kong!
So much excitement in the air as none of us have ever been to China. This is the first International trip for all of the ladies as BlazerDancers. Our journey took us through San Francisco, directly to Tokyo and finally about 20 hours later to Taipei, Taiwan! Of course through customs and the challenge of finding our way to correct baggage claim area. Luckily we have Eri who understands some of the language and was able to guide us through the airport. Or first challenge - Caitlin’s luggage with all of her uniforms, shoes, accessories is missing! Our first event is in the morning and Caitlin has nothing to wear! Luckily each dancer packed one uniform and shoes in their carryon just in case of emergency! Thank goodness for that last minute idea. Always be prepared!
We were greeted at the exit by our fabulous escorts Doris and Zeno who will be with us for our stay here in Taiepei. The nicest two people we could be lucky to work with. The second we exit the airport we’re overwhelmed by the heat and humidity! It must have been 90 degrees but it felt like 110. Our Rockstar Energy Drink Sweats were perfectly comfortable for the long journey here but it was time for a quick little adjustment to survive the temperature. As we traveled for an hour by bus to the fabulous Shangri-La hotel in Taipei, we were able.to see the city by night. It never sleeps. It’s like New York City. What stood out most…..the Vespas1 They’re everywhere. We were later told there are 22 million people here…..and……22 million Vespas! One of our hosts says he has three of his own. Just imagine New ork City cab drivers on Vespas, weaving in and out of traffic and serious speed. Everyone rides them, adults, kids and familes, yes we saw three people on one Vespa! We’re hoping to rent some for a tour of the city while we’re here.
Once checked in at the Shangri-Lal we had a late dinner at one of the many bar/restaraunts here at the hotel on the 38 floor. We were able to see the beautiful city of Taipei by night and for the first time, the tallest buidling in the world, Taipei 101. Amazing! Can’t wait to see it up close.
Time to nestle in and try to get some sleep. NBA MAdness 2009 begins tomorrow!
Wan an - good night!
Caitlin, Taren, Cristi, Eri, Mari, Mary Ellen
Miami Heat: Your Miami HEAT Dancers have been chosen! Twenty-five of the most dazzling and talented women the Miami HEAT has ever seen have been selected to defend the title of the NBA’s Most Popular Dance Team. Congratulations to Odaymis, Natalia, Ashley F., Samantha, Julissa, Tiffany,Ashley Allen, Natalie, Michelle, Luanna, Maria, Erika, Yesenia, Shea, Taliah, Edwina, Susannah, Taryn, Katie, Stephanie, Julie, Sarah, Sari, Jenny and Shara!
Football fans at this year’s Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will have the opportunity to cheer on their favorites when the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders take on active duty soldiers in Iraq via webcam in a “Guitar Hero” Challenge, courtesy of Armed Forces Insurance (www.afi.org) and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The battle will take place at the AFI booth in the Bowl’s Armed Forces Adventure Area from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on December 30.
