An Ocala native and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleader will appear on the CBS drama “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” Thursday night, playing the robbing girlfriend of Elliott from “E.T.”
Ocala native and 2004 West Port High School graduate Brooke Newton has a guest role on Thursday’s episode of the popular CBS TV show “CSI.”
Brooke Newton, a 2004 graduate of West Port High School, is slated to appear on the “CSI” episode “If I Had a Hammer,” starring opposite actor Henry Thomas, who played the wide-eyed lead in Steven Spielberg’s classic 1982 film “E.T. — The Extra-Terrestrial.”
The show starts at 9 p.m. on CBS affiliates. Asked more about her part, Newton said she did not want to give away too much and risk spoiling the plot for viewers.
The appearance caps a busy time for the actress. Last year, she played the noisy neighbor in an episode of the new Fox series “Gary Unmarried” starring Jay Mohr. She hopes the character — and the sitcom itself — will be renewed. But on May 19, she will appear in the Fox high-school musical-comedy “Glee,” playing a character simply known at this point as Leggy Blonde.
She also is on the bill for the independent big-screen film “Little Fish, Strange Pond” starring Matthew Modine and the NBC mini-series “Meteor: Path to Destruction” with Christopher Lloyd. Both projects are scheduled for release later this year.
Newton now lives in Los Angeles and already has appeared in small movie roles, including a sorority girl in the 2007 “Sydney White” starring Amanda Bynes and the 2007 film “Real Premonition.” She also plays Mrs. Flaherty in National Lampoon’s 2008 comedy “Robodoc.” She said her favorite role so far has been in the 2005 film “Natale a Miami,” in which she had to speak Italian.
Newton is the daughter of Lisa and Harlen Newton of Ocala.
Buffalo Jill Laura Breaks Cheerleading Stereotype
Laura started dancing in Salt Lake City around the age of five and she favors any modern style of dance. She had always wanted to be a cheerleader but always “chickened out” at tryouts at the last minute. Sports always came very easy to her. In high school and college (at Snow College in Utah and Northern State University in South Dakota) she played centerfield on her softball team. She says it consumed her life and she lived for it, so that’s what she stuck with.
Laura’s a huge football fan, and loves charity work. The Jills are very involved in the community and that really impressed her. So she decided to try out for the Jills. What she did not expect to love all the girls and be as close to them as she is.
“They inspire me everyday”, said Laura. “We’re an elite group of young ladies. We are educated, love football, love each other and truly feel a special bond with our community.”
Part of the Jills community and charity work involves visits to overseas US military troops. In February Laura was part of a group of Jills who were scheduled to visit Afghanistan. A plane crash landing on the runway in Bagram Air Force Base. It took a few days to complete the investigation, remove the plane and repair the runway. By the time all of that was completed, there wasn’t enough time for the Jills to complete their trip to Afghanistan.
Laura and the rest of The Jills stayed at a base in Qatar, where they watched the Super Bowl with the troops (kickoff was at 3am!) and signed pictures and calendars.
“It was great to hang out with all of them. Not to mention a very exciting game,” Laura said. “Anytime I have visited our troops, wherever they may be, they are Always so gracious. They were very happy to have us there. They love it when people visit them. I’m sure its like a having a piece of home.”
Champion Archer
Laura had been interested in archery for many years but never knew where to start. Four years ago someone suggested that she stop by a range in town and try one of the their bows. She did, and one week later bought a bow of her own. Three months later she placed 2nd at the IBO Indoor World Championship. She quickly became addicted and enjoys shooting everyday.
Since then she has won many competitions including the PA and NY State Championships, Winter Nationals, ASA Paris Texas ProAm, and the First Leg of the National Triple Crown in Bedford, Indiana.
Her bows range in weight from three and one half to six pounds, but the draw weight varies on the circumstances. When she shoots spot she’ll usually pull a 40# (40 lbs.) For outdoor and field archery tournaments she’ll raise to 56# and when Laura hunts she turns it up all the way to 60#.
This past year Laura took up bow-hunting. So far she has hunted whitetail deer and hogs, but she has plans hunt turkey, elk, mule deer, goats and caribou.
Award-Winning Chef
The Food Network is one of Laura’s favorite channels. The network had featured The Crisco National Pie Championship on several occasions. While it took her two years “to get the guts to enter,” Laura did give it shot. She developed three recipes. Her Ultimate Peanut Butter Pie won first place and her Dulce De-Leche Cream Pie won second. Laura says she was completely shocked at her success having never entered any sort of baking/cooking competition before.
She loves to bake cookies and bread, and enjoys creating new recipes. Right now she’s experimenting with Indian Food.
And if archery, bow hunting, cooking and the Jills weren’t enough, her other hobbies include water skiing, camping, boating and fly fishing. Laura says that fly fishing is something she could do everyday. When she lived in Utah she kept all her gear in her jeep and fished four-to-five times a week.
So what’s next for Laura? She’s back for her third season with the Jills. She’d love to a write cookbook or be involved with a cooking show. Hosting a hunting/fishing show is something else she’s quite interested in.
There are a couple of cheerleaders/dancers to watch for during tonight’s Miss USA Pageant.
Miss Illinois USA and Chicago Luvabull Ashley Bond
Ashley is a professional model, aspiring actress and a personal trainer. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she was captain of the school dance team.
Miss Rhode Island USA and former New England Patriots Cheerleader Alysha Castonguay
Alysha was Miss Rhode Island Teen USA 2002, placing as in the top ten at the Miss Teen USA 2002 pageant. She has also held the Miss Teen America 2003 and Miss Teen Galaxy 2005 titles.
Update: Commenters have pointed out that Miss DC USA Nicole White is a former Washington Redskins Cheerleader Ambassador. Good luck to all three ladies.
The 2009 Miss USA Pageant airs tonight at 7pm ET on NBC.
Our friend Phil is back with photos of the Bandettes pre, post and during last weekend Bandits-Knighthawks game.
Join Knicks City Dancer Erin as she leads an All-Access Tour at The Garden, plus peek in at a KCD rehearsal.
What music does she listen to when she needs to amp up for a game? Who keeps calling?
[Video: Spend a Day with KCD Erin]
Last month Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders Head Coach and Coordinator Tami Krause was crowned Mrs. Minnesota International. Tami is also a former Kings Cheerleaders and also directs the NLL Minnesota Swarm Performance Team.
Now it’s on the the Mrs International Pageant this summer in Chicago. One of the awards to be given out is the People’s Choice Award, which is based on online voting. I do have to warn you ahead of time – voting isn’t free, But if you’re so inclined, this is a nifty way to show your support.
By Ashley W.
Special to Redskins.com
April 8, 2009
Goosebumps.
Auditioning for the first time to be a member of the First Ladies of Football, the longest running cheerleading team in the NFL, was an experience I will never forget.
One would expect that dancing for 21 years–and in an SEC stadium in front of 100,000 people–I would not be so nervous.
But the possibility of becoming a cheerleader for the hometown team I rooted for from couches and stadium benches alike was a chance to bring two of my passions together.
It was tough as cuts progressed through semifinals, to finals, and to the team.
Many women you knew had been working for months, even years, to be a part of this team–but their love for dance and for the Washington Redskins radiated, and I knew that those who weren’t selected would continue to work hard with the dream of becoming part of the team.
I was lucky enough to have previously met a number of the veterans and participated in prep classes offered by the Redskins Cheerleaders staff. These classes and the wonderful advice from veterans made my audition experience so much easier.
The veterans were beyond encouraging to all rookies throughout the classes and the audition process. Their advice and assistance was priceless. Working with a large group of woman can be difficult, but I knew from the first few encounters that these ladies were both as beautiful on the inside as they were on the outside.
Although I knew we were being critiqued throughout the process, the veterans made the audition week feel like home–albeit a home in which you wear only the tiniest of clothes and everyone is effortlessly glamorous.
The final auditions were a whirlwind of emotion and although I was filled with nerves, it was like a party culminating the past week of long hours and hard work. The encouragement from both the veterans backstage and family and friends in the audience made my experience during the show extremely positive.
After our final routine, the nerves took hold.
Waiting for what seemed like an eternity to hear if my number was called…looking down at my number every 30 seconds to confirm if it was “51”…and then all of the emotions turned to joy when I heard my number announced!
I wanted to hug every person I encountered and I think I took the spiral staircase to the stage two steps at a time.
Looking around the stage at the gracious and equally ecstatic 40 women who were going to be my new family, I knew I had found the perfect new home.
Go Redskins!
Reader Tim was recently watching Jeopardy! when five cheerleading teams were featured as clues under the category “Pro Cheerleading Squads.” Here is how they were featured in order from top to bottom in the show’s Double Jeopardy! round:
$400-In the NFC West, the Gold Rush
$800-In the AFC East, the Flight Crew
$1,200-In the NBA’s Central Division, the Automotion*
$1,600-In California’s capital, the Royal Court Dancers
$2,000-A midwestern MLB team, team Fredbird
*This was the Double Jeopardy! round’s second Daily Double. The contestant who found this Daily Double didn’t feel too good about the category, so she risked only $1,000 out of $10,400 of her winnings. Her nearest opponent had $7,600.
How did you do? Check the answers (or is that questions) here.
Good friend of the Blog Gina Capelli put together this profile of herself for AlumniCheerleaders.com. I enjoyed it so much I decided to run it here:
Let’s just put it this way, my mother danced when she was pregnant for me! Dancing is literally in my blood. The second I could walk my Mom threw me into a dance class. Maybe that’s why I have had a love for performing since childhood. On weekend nights I entertained my family in the living room imitating Madonna, Prince, all the great hits from the 80’s haha. My mother and father were always behind my dance career 200% and that pushed me to make them proud. I had also been a competitive West Babylon Eagles Cheerleader from age 7-17 years old which motivated me to go the “Pro Dance/Cheer” route.
AFL NY Dragons Firedancers
After high school I decided to study modern dance and ballet as a Dance Major in Nassau College. My college was directly across the street from Nassau Coliseum where I discovered the AFL New York Dragons. In 2003 when I became a NY Dragons dancer I realized how much I enjoyed being a part of a dance team and entertaining crowds. The girls were so sweet and helpful, NEVER any drama, and they were the most supportive girls you could meet. If you had lipstick on your teeth, if you looked silly, if you just needed a friend they were the girls to call. I started my second season as a team captain which gave me the opportunity to choreograph routines and help make our team look amazing! At the end of my 2007 season I was chosen to represent the Dragons in New Orleans as a member of XXI Arenabowl AFL Dream Team. Within the same month, there was a search for 10 girls to be apart of the first ever New York Jets “Flight Crew.” Together with 4 former FireDancers we set out to the audition. Lucky enough all five of us made the 10 member team, making it a fantastic experience and absolutely unforgettable. (talk about DREAM TEAM) It was so amazing to be apart of an NFL team that was growing in the public eye so quickly. The number one memory I have was the first time we ran out of the Meadowlands Arena Tunnel at the Home Opener. The deafening roar from the 80,000 fans gave me the adrenaline rush to fly through 100 yards with a 6 foot flag and go-go boots. All 10 of us were so grateful to experience game day even when we had to dance in 50 mile per hour winds, hail, and freezing rain storms. It gave us something to laugh about on the long trip home.
Arena Bowl Dream Team
NY Jets Flight Crew
After the Jet season ended I decided I wanted to return to the New York Dragons. When I returned I was asked to dance as a NY Islanders Ice Breaker. The NY Islanders share the coliseum with the Dragons making the new experience an easy change of pace. Dancing for the NHL was a big change for me since I had been use to the football field, but I was with 7 close friends of mine making the time well worth it! The NY Dragons are now under the NEW ownership of Steve & Shanna Silva. Their goal is to improve the whole AFL experience. Their enthusiasm has shown how much they care and I am very excited to return to the new season as captain!
Gina and best friend Anne-Marie on the NY Islanders Ice Breakers
In between the ending of the Jets season and my decision to return to the Dragons, I was chosen to be an MTV MADE Coach (Streamer Episode) where I coached a Harry Potter loving girl named Jaimie who wanted to try-out for her high school dance team. While filming the show I was flown to the most beautiful island, Hawaii. Mahalo MTV! I still keep in touch with Jaimie, making sure she always pushes herself to DANCE! Outside of the Pro World, I teach everything from ballet to breakdancing and coach gymnastics at Elite Gymnastics and Dance Studio in Amityville, NY. I also currently work as a Cosmetologist on the weekend and a Talent Coordinator for AHEAD OF THE PACE during the week. PACE is an event company that provides responsible talent for events, promotions and conventions throughout the country. I personally aim promos towards Pro Cheerleaders, Dancers, Aerobics Ins., and Collegiate Dance and Cheer Teams.
With Jamie and the producers from MADE
I’ve been blessed with the opportunities I have had along with the friends I’ve made along the way. My future goals are to give back to the performers in my field and possibly to one day coach a Pro Team myself! I know the possibilities are endless thanks to the support from my family, friends, and one of New York’s Finest my fiance Vinny!
After 11 years cheering for the Carolina Panthers, our good friend Shannon McClattie retired from the squad. But she’s not slowing down at all. Shannon is the director of the AIFA South Carolina Force Cheerleaders, The Fire.
Here’s there halftime performance from last Saturday.
Shannon says she is having a blast with the girls. Their motto is “We are NOT a part of the ACTION…………..We ARE the ACTION”!!!!
There’s a mother/daughter dance off scheduled for Mother’s Day and it will even include Shannon and her mother!
More on Shannon here.
