Cat of the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders
By Nicki Gostin
FoxNews.com
Sarah Shahi plays Sameen Shaw in the CBS drama “Person of Interest” and has also appeared in shows like “Fairly Legal” and “The L Word.” The 34 year old Texan native is descended from Persian royalty, an ex-Dallas cheerleader and a pretty good shot, too. The married mom of a three year old son spoke to FOX411 about the show, being a cheerleader and gun ownership.
FOX411: Your family tree is pretty impressive!
Sarah Shahi: (Laughs) On my Dad’s side I’m descended from the first Shah of Iran. It was the early 1900’s, late 1800’s. That’s great-great grandpa. I still have a lot of family there. I’m very close with my mother and I do keep in contact with some of her family that’s still over there. I would love to go, I’ve never been but you know it’s not very easy to get there.
FOX411: Tell me about your “Person of Interest” character Sameen Shaw.Shahi: She’s definitely a mix between Jason Bourne and the Catwoman with an appetite for violence. She’s incredibly dark. She has a dark sense of humor. She’s a loner. She’s on the team but she’s not really on the team if that makes sense.
I have a great time playing her. My favorite part of the job is doing all the action stuff. That’s pretty much why I took it. I like to do things that scare me. One of my goals is to be the host of ‘Shark Week’ and I’m terrified of sharks. I would like to go cage diving with them but only if there’s a film crew in front of me because for some reason I feel like if they’re there I’m not going to get eaten.
I love to do things that kind of intimidate me, that I’ve never done before. The idea of having to do your own stunts and be very physical. This show almost has an adult comic book graphic book feel to it. It’s very stylized and I’ve never been a part of anything like that before.
FOX411: What was it like being a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader?
Shahi: It was hmm… how to put this in the most PC way? It was very competitive I will say that, it was a great learning experience at the same time. Those cheerleaders make show business look like babies foreplay. They weigh you to the 100th of a pound. If you’re above your goal weight you have to sit outside of that week’s game. When it’s time for water breaks the veterans go first. It’s not a democracy. With all that being said, I’m not trying to paint them out to be villainous in any way. I learned a great deal about what it’s like to be disciplined and rehearse. We rehearsed for eight hours a day every single day and I was a full time college student. To be able to have that kind of foundation going into Hollywood was fantastic.
FOX411: And isn’t the pay really crappy?
Shahi: In Texas to be a Dallas Cheerleader is a very big deal. You’re told not to fraternize with the players. That this is not where you’re going to get your next husband. I think some of them, that’s exactly what they’re thinking. And yes you definitely do not do if for the pay. You know what you’re getting into though, they’re very upfront about it.
FOX411: And you’re pretty nifty with a gun.
Shahi: I am a marksman. I own a Glock 9mm.
FOX411: Do you feel like gun ownership is viewed differently in Texas than say…Shahi: California? Absolutely. Texas is a right to carry state. I was not raised with guns. My first introduction with guns came when I was cast in a show called “Life.” My character was a detective so I took it upon myself to become familiar with a gun. There’s a couple of ranges out in L.A. that I go to and it’s really fun. I keep a gun at home and it’s locked up in a place that my son is not aware of. It’s a hobby that I’ve picked up.
It’s hard to talk about guns and then not mention the mass shootings that have happened. I definitely feel like something needs to change one way or another. It’s a terrible situation. You drop your kid off at school thinking they’ll be safe, then the next thing you know, half the class is gone.
If you own a gun you need to educate yourself. It can’t fall into the wrong hands. There should be mental checks. More background checks go into adopting a dog then someone walking into a store and being able to buy a gun. I think that’s not right.
FOX411: It must be hard you working in New York and your husband and son being in L.A.
Shahi: It’s kind of miserable. It’s definitely a balancing act and it’s a lot of going back and forth. A lot of sleep sacrificed on my part but I guess when you become a mother you make this unspoken promise that you are going to put your kid first no matter what price you have to pay, so that’s what I’m doing, so I don’t turn into “aunt mom.”
FOX411: What do you like to do in your time off?Shahi: Every hiatus I try to pick up a trade of some sort. Last hiatus I learned to ride a motorcycle and this year I’m thinking of harmonica lessons. I think it’s important to keep learning a new skill. You never know Bob Dylan might need some backup.
Group photo prior to Saturday’s game against Tampa.
A Miami Dolphins Cheerleader
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Kings Vision was on hand for the 13-14 Ice Crew calendar photo shoot presented by Zerorez! Check out this profile featuring Ms. April 2014, Kelly!
Saturday afternoon at American Airlines Center – Shanelle of the Dallas Stars Ice Girls
Last Sunday the Wings Angels taught their annual Dance Clinic to the Junior Angels who got a chance to perform on the field prior to the game.
By Luke Garrat
The Daily Mail
An ex-NFL cheerleader-turned-sports journalist almost became a victim of human sex trafficking at the Sochi Olympics when she was recruited for a reporting job that turned out to be bogus.
Brittney Cason from Charlotte, North Carolina, was approached by a talent agent hiring U.S. reporters to cover the Winter Olympics last September.
Writing on xojane.com, she explained how she became suspicious when – after a lengthy application process – the ‘agent’ asked her if she had any ‘girlfriends’ she could take with her, offering them visas with no interview process, eventually prompting action from the FBI.
Ms Cason was contacted in September 2013 via her website by a man claiming to be a talent acquisition agent.
‘Given my background in sports broadcasting… and working on sports talk radio, it made sense he was recruiting me,’ she wrote.
Ms Cason was asked to submit examples of her work, and audition several times, before she was told that she had got the job with the network as a host and beat reporter for the games.
In addition to Ms Cason, she was told that another legitimate sportscaster in North Carolina was hired to work alongside her.
Her suspicions were raised two weeks before she was set to leave for Sochi, when the ‘talent agent’ said he needed to expand the coverage team and asked if she had any ‘girlfriends’ in the industry she could recommend.
His assistant, who was actually just him, sent her documents for her friend to get a work visa.
Ms Cason said: ‘I spent four months applying and interviewing and he’s sending my friend a work visa without even seeing her work?
‘Now, my friend is really talented, but wanting her passport and social security number before her reel (reporting and presenting clips) just seemed fishy to me.’
Ms Cason contacted the other sportscaster who was supposed to be going to Sochi with her and they investigated the talent agency further.
She said: ‘She and I concocted a plan to contact the production company in LA directly to check his credentials without stepping on his toes in the event we were just being paranoid.’
Upon their investigation it turned out that the production company didn’t know who he was, and advised them not to travel to Russia, and instead contact lawyers, who eventually contacted the F.B.I.
Ms Cason remarked how she was shocked at the amount of effort the ‘talent agent’ had put in to the scheme.
She said: ‘The man exerted as much effort as a full time job to pose as legitimate – and never once crossed the line.
‘Rather, he posed as a devout family man – We got the results back and suddenly needed the F.B.I.’
On the day that she was set to leave, bags packed and flights booked, Cason was instead negotiating with her lawyers and the F.B.I, as it turned out that the ‘talent acquisition agency’ was most likely a front for a sex trafficking ring.
According to Jillian Mourning, founder of the non-profit All We Want is Love, a charity that attempts to help victims of human trafficking, it is common for men to pose as talent agents in order to lure and traffic women.
Ms Cason said: ‘So many of the stories I’ve heard from survivors start with “I was hired for a modelling job”.’
Mourning told her: ‘The Olympics is a huge draw for trafficking.
‘It’s a major sporting event in a foreign country, and American women are typically sold for more in foreign countries.’
Ms Cason added: ‘Either way, this wasn’t going to end well.
‘Unfortunately I am not the daughter of Liam Neeson, so I wouldn’t have had a happy ending had I gotten on a plane.
‘For any young girl wanting to get into the business the first step is to seek a credible agent.
‘If you have to pay money for an audition, that’s a red flag for a business scam.’
A Pair of New York Titans Sirens
