World Wide Ed

Get ready for history in the making folks. Tonight, EliteXC, in a partnership with CBS, will bring the first-ever Mixed Martial Arts fight card to the mainstream when EliteXC Saturday Night Fights makes its debut on CBS (KGMB 0007 or KGMB HD 1007 on Oceanic Time Warner Cable) at 8PM HST.

A HUGE step for a renegade sport that was once completely banned from TV just a few, short years ago.

Headlining the card is Internet legend, turned MMA manchild Kimbo Slice (Kevin Ferguson). His Youtube exploits were so popular that they eventually led to a contract with the then startup Showtime EliteXC organization. Now training with retired MMA fighter and trainer extraordinaire Bas Rutten, Kimbo’s career has reached a new high. He will be facing James “The Colossus” Thompson, a 6′5″ 265 pound giant.

But in what will probably turn out to be the more competitive/exciting fights, former UFC and ICON fighter Robby Lawler will defend his Middleweight title against The Ultimate Fighter alum Scott Smith, while the most popular female MMA fighter in all the land, Gina Carano, who also moonlights as Crush on the American Gladiators, will take on future up and comer Kaitlin Young.

And… Tomorrow!!!

Former UFC legend Jens “Lil Evil” Pulver drops down to featherweight (145lbs) to take on the man who’s been dominating that division, WEC Featherweight champion Urijah “The California Kid” Faber. The rest of the card looks suspect, but it’ll also be on free TV: VERSUS Channel 0210 or HDGOLF 1216 at 3PM on Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

Check out
All MMA Television Programming for May, 2008
All MMA Television Programming for June, 2008 (coming soon)

Learn More:

• saturdaynightfights.com
• Info from EliteXC
• Info from Showtime
• Info from ProElite.com
• Faber vs. Pulver Fight Card from WEC.tv

In other news, check out “Pho Fantasy – A Tour of Hawaii’s Favorite Pho Restaurants,” my June AroundHawaii article, where I visit three of Hawaii’s favorite Pho Restaurants (coming June 1, 2008).

Pho Fantasy – A Tour of Hawaii’s Favorite Pho Restaurants

Have a great weekend y’all!

Nope, that’s not a typo. I meant to write Man vs. Mild, not Wild, cause that’s exactly what this show has become to me.

Recently, the show’s host Bear Grylls admitted that the situations presented in the show were sometimes not as intense as they were portrayed, but rather elaborate set ups by the production crew. Often times, Bear and his camera crew would even stay at hotels, while supposedly roughing it in the wild. WHAT THE?

Before the news, you would see signs of this “set up” when Bear would over exaggerate certain actions like pretending his feet were stuck in the mud more than they actually were, or over-reacting to rain splashing in his face. The funniest thing is when, 5 minutes into the show, he says he’s starving and that he has to hunt for food. He’ll then nibble on a 1 inch worm, (purposely showing the guts explode in his mouth of course), and pretend to be full from it! LOL!

And then, there was the camera crew. If these were really that life threatening, the real hero is the camera person who has to go through what Bear goes through, with one hand and 20 pounds of equipment strapped on! The show should be renamed to CameraMan vs. Wild! Ya feel me?

I can’t diss the show too much though. It does give you good hints on sheer survival, like telling time, starting fires and finding sources of water. For that, I give ‘em props. And, like a train wreck, I can’t resist watching it to see what crazy things he’ll eat next.

New Shows Air Friday Nights on
Oceanic Time Warner Cable Discovery Channel 0333 @ 6PM or HD Discovery 1333 @ 3PM

Congratulations goes to Miss Pris for being the lucky winner to my FREE (Advance Screening) to “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan” Movie Pass Giveaway Contest. LOL! Woah, that was a mouthful. She follows JMAW as the 2nd winner to these self-proclaimed, super exciting giveaways. See, you readers get spe-sho kine treats for suffering through my blog! As we keep this going, I’ll probably wanna keep a log of all the winners so here goes:

• 6/05/08 – Miss Pris wins FREE You Don’t Mess With the Zohan Movie Pass
• 5/04/08 – JMAW wins FREE Speed Racer Movie Pass

Please help me congratulate Miss Pris!

---

On a side, self-serving note, our Oceanic Time Warner Cable softball team took the 2008 Advertising Softball League Championships over Star-Bulletin last night (yeah, I’m still playing, loose teeth and all. Dumb yeah?). Below is our pic from the team “mom” for the 12 or so of you (pretty much just our team members) who are interested. LOL! TGIF tomorrow baby!

2008 Advertising Softball League Champs!

Yesterday afternoon, local boy Justin Young joined platinum recording artist (and part-time Kauai resident) Colbie Caillat (“Bubbly,” “Realize,” “Magic”) on stage for the Diversity Harmony Peace event put on by the Na Lei Aloha Foundation at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel Hawaii Ballroom. It was a star-studded event that also included local artists Keola Beamer, Raiatea Helm, Amy Hanaialii, and more, and was a follow up to the previous day’s 10th Annual Lantern Floating event at Ala Moana Beach. Below are a few snaps from the event. Mahalo to Blaine Fergerstrom for permission!

Justin Young (Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom, © 2008)

Colbie Caillat (Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom, © 2008)

Justin Young and Colbie Caillat (Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom, © 2008)

Talk to me:

Do you love Colbie Caillat too? What’s your favorite song of hers? Shouldn’t a big record label give Justin Young a shot already!?

On Saturday, BJ Penn’s flying knee knocked the living daylights out of Sean Sherk, making us reminisce about what he did to Caol Uno back at UFC 34. What impressed me more was not the victory over the former lightweight champion. It was his actions after the match.

As announcer Bruce Buffer proclaimed his victory, we saw BJ yell “Mahalo Kakou!” And as Joe Rogan interviewed him, he repeatedly sent love and thanks to Hawaii, even making a comment about how expensive gas was in Hawaii, but that he was still thankful for his fans who flew in to watch him fight. Talk about loyalty!

The best way I can describe it is that BJ Penn keeps it real. He never forgets where he came from and does his part to represent Hawaii with pride. You can see it in everything he does. From his entrance music, when he walks out to Israel Kamakawiwoole (a mix of “Hawaii 78″ and “E Ala E”), to his clothing, covered in everything Hawaii, to the way he surrounds himself with our local people. He is always proud to rep our island home, and we are so very proud (and lucky) to have BJ Penn.

OK, I think you’re convinced already that I’m a BJ Penn fan. Without further ado, here are scenes from my UFC 84 BBQ Parrrtay. Enjoy!

This is how I roll… *grin* (P.S. Welcome back Primo!)

“Put me on the Advertiser!” LOL!

Bacon-wrapped Scallops

BJ making his way to the Octagon. Dig my official UFC poster?

What did you think of BJ’s peformance? The card overall? And is it just me or is Penn’s face made of metal? I’ve never seen him bruise or bleed. What the?

P.S. Don’t forget to enter by this Thursday for your chance to win FREE Movie Pass Giveaway to You Don’t Mess With the Zohan!

Tomorrow is probably one of the biggest nights of Hawaii AND BJ Penn’s life. At UFC 84, Penn will represent the State and defend his lightweight title against Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk at the Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada.

I don’t know about you, but I’m suuuupah excited about this event. Not only because Hawaii’s own BJ Penn will be bangin’ on the big stage, but because it’s a good excuse to gather the friends at the crib for a UFC BBQ Parrrrtay (see next week’s post for scenes from the party!)!

If you haven’t ordered it already, check out the UFC 84 Info Page at Oceanic.com (for Pay-Per-View info) or the Official 84.UFC.com site.

My picks for the fight are in bold below.

UFC 84 Fight Card
(My picks in Bold)
BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk
Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine
Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic
Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida
Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes
Ivan Salaverry vs. Rousimar Palhares
Rameau Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Rich Clementi vs. Terry Etim
Jon Koppenhaver vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Jason Tan vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Christian Wellisch vs. Shane Carwin

Whatchu tink? Think I’m off my rocker? *grin* Let me have it below!

Monday’s photo was tough yeah? Give up? Here’s the zoomed out photo!

Yep, it’s the mall fronting Kekaulike Market in Chinatown. Congrats to those who got remotely close!

Ok gang, I’ve got FREE (Advance Screening) Movie Pass Giveaway #2 for y’all featuring the Adam Sandler flick You Don’t Mess With the Zohan. Earlier this month, JMAW enjoyed himself at the advance screening of Speed Racer. We’ll try to get another lucky winner for this amusing looking movie.

Since Zohan is such an odd name, how about posting your favorite weird name below? The best one wins the pass (good for two)! (Yeah, I changed it from posting a joke cause I thought that might be too hard. )

Da Details:
WHO: You and a homey
WHAT: FREE Advance Screening Movie Pass (good for two) to You Don’t Mess With the Zohan
WHEN: Thursday, June 5, 2008 at 7:30PM (opens to the public on June 6)
WHERE: Dole Cannery Theatres 18 – 735-B Iwilei Road, Honolulu
WHY: Cause you read my blog brah!

Ed’s Easy Rules:

• I will pick da lucky buggah by next week Thursday (05/29).
• Once the winner is selected, I’ll contact you via email so we can coordinate a time and place to give you the pass, OR, if it’s easier, I can leave it here (at Oceanic) for you to pick up (during normal business hours).
• Please be sure you are actually able to attend (or know someone who can) because I’d hate to pick the winner, only to find out that you can’t make it.
• Acceptance of the pass means you will not hold me or Oceanic Time Warner Cable liable for anything whatsoever.

The Official Rules (fine print on the pass itself):

• Please arrive early as seating is limited and on a first-come, first served basis. This pass does not guarantee admission, is non-transferable and is not redeemable for cash. Screening is overbooked to ensure capacity. This pass is the property of Columbia Pictures who reserves the right to admit or refuse access to the theater at the discretion of an authorized representative. No one will be admitted after the screening begins.
• Please be advised that all bags and/or purses are subject to search. Absolutely no cameras or recording devices of any kind will be allowed in the theater. Theater will be subject to security surveillance.

About the Movie:
In You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, a comedy from screenwriters Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel (Triumph the Insult Comic Dog), and Judd Apatow (Knocked Up), Sandler stars as Zohan, an Israeli commando who fakes his own death in order to pursue his dream: becoming a hairstylist in New York. Dennis Dugan directs. Stars Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan, and Rob Schneider

• Official You Don’t Mess With the Zohan movie web site
• You Don’t Mess With the Zohan Trailers
• You Don’t Mess With the Zohan movie info from the IMDB

Thanks to our time zone, we in Hawaii will be one of the last to find out the results of this season’s American Idol competition today (unless the spoiler boards is your friend), but, for the most part, wasn’t last night’s David vs. David outcome a shocker?

All along, I’ve been praising David Cook for his innovative style and star readiness factor, two key ingredients I figgah would make him the ideal A.I. winner. But David Archuleta had other plans son! Bruddah came out to win it all “dawg!”

You could see a look of determination in his eye (the eye of the tiger if you will) that you’ve never seen before, and you could hear the conviction in his voice with every note. His three choices (one chosen by Clive Davis) were spot on:

1. “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me”
2. “In This Moment”
3. “Imagine”

While Cook’s three choices:

1. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
2. “Dream Big”
3. “The World I Know”

fell surprisingly flat. I was actually bored to tears (no, not real tears silly – see Robots Don’t Cry).

An air of arrogance (which I’ve seen signs of in the past) also started to bother me when watching Cook last night. If it were based strictly on last night, from a pure singing standpoint, David Archuleta, in my mind, wins hands down. But you never know what the voting public thinks and does.

Either way, it was an interesting night to put the finishing touches to this season’s American Idol don’tcha think? Have a happy hump day y’all!

—

P.S. Congrats to the Chicago Bulls yesterday for vaulting all the way up from the 9th spot to the #1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Here’s how the top 14 went down:

1. Chicago Bulls
2. Miami Heat
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Seattle Supersonics
5. Memphis Grizzlies
6. New York Knicks
7. L.A. Clippers
8. Milwaukee Bucks
9. Charlotte Bobcats
10. New Jersey Nets
11. Indiana Pacers
12. Sacramento Kings
13. Portland Trail Blazers
14. Golden State Warriors

Talk to me:
- Who do you think won Season 7 of American Idol? David Cook or David Archuleta?
- Who’s your NBA team? Are you happy with the lottery results?

Recently it was announced that starting July 16th, A&E’s popular reality show Dog the Bounty Hunter will be making a return to the airwaves for the first time since November… nearly eight months after being yanked from the lineup for racial comments he made on a telephone conversation with his son.

Although, I’m not a big fan of Duane “Dog” Chapman and company’s over-the-top way of doing things (overdramatizing things for TV), I have to give ‘em credit for cracking down on one of Hawaii’s biggest problems: Ice (and drugs in general). And though it does bother me when they try to act “local,” I love seeing (scenes of) Hawaii getting its pub on national TV.

I’m kind of crossed on this whole return thing gang. I could do without ‘em (I’ve heard stories that they expect VIP service wherever they go), but like the publicity Hawaii gets as a result of their show.

What do y’all think?

Excited? Disappointed? Non-caring? Talk to me!

I really have to think of a shorter, more catchier name for these posts. Biting “Where In the World is Carmen Sandiego” can only take me so far. In any case, here’s this week’s challenge.

HINT: It is again, somewhere in town in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Tough one eh? Post your guesses now baby! (Answer to come on Friday!)

P.S. Don’t forget to catch BJ Penn on the Countdown to UFC 84 show on SpikeTV tomorrow night @ 5PM. See full MMA television schedule for May.

In an exciting 59 seconds last night, Egan Inoue silenced all critics by walking right through his nearly 20 year younger opponent Hans Marrero is his return to the ring. On an otherwise lackluster card which included a Sean Sakata knee injury thrown on the very first kick of the night, a Lorenzo Moreno corner stoppage (rib), and what seemed to be a give-up by Ronald “Machine Gun” Jhun, Inoue’s fight turned out to be one of the most exciting bouts of the night. Congrats Egan!

Here’s what it looked like from VIP row. Yeah, junk camera, I know!

This morning I had to laugh at myself for being a hypocrite in traffic. No ack though, I bet you all do this too!

Anytime there is a known merge from one lane to yours, it is a battle between you and the car next to you. The unwritten rule is to go every other car in zipper formation. Sometimes however, the lane merging in is empty and there are always those speeding cars trying to beat the backup and cut in at the last second. If you’re the car they’re trying to beat, doesn’t your foot suddenly get heavier on the accelerator, while saying to yourself “Um, I don’t think so!”?

So this guy did that to me this morning and, because of his momentum, he was able to get in.

!#$%

To add insult to “injury” bruddah didn’t even wave or gimme some love. Da nerve!

But then I thought to myself, what a hypocrite. I’m sometimes the guy in the right lane doing that very same thing. I always give a half hearted wave, but still, I “cheat” like them too.

C’mon, am I the only one who does this or should I be chastised for driving “intelligently”? Talk to me!

OK, working for the cable company, I know this is a bit self-indulgent, but since this blog is supposed to include the latest and greatest in MMA, I just had to plug the X1 Legends fight scheduled for tomorrow night. Not just because Oceanic Time Warner Cable is offering this event in Pay-Per-View for Digital, High Definition as well as on the web, but because it is history in the making as 42 year old local boy Egan Inoue comes out of retirement to fight for the first time in almost 5 years.

Yesterday, we had the unique opportunity to have Egan as a guest presenter on our monthly Road Runner Interactive Webinar. Following the show I got a chance to chat with him a bit and discover that he is one of the most humble, grounded guys around. It’s amazing that this very man, in the heat of battle, can turn on the fire within, and compete with the best. I mean, you’re talking a former world champion racquetball player, Navy Seal trainer and BJJ World Champion, in addition to being a former champion MMA fighter. Bruddah is driven!

Not sure exactly what the odds are against his 23 year old counterpart Hans Marrero (11-5), but you can bet that I’ll be pulling for Egan tomorrow night. Either way, I know he’ll succeed.

Fight Details:
X1 Presents Legends – The Return of Egan Inoue
Friday, May 16, 2008 @ 7:30PM
Neal Blaisdell Arena
Also, available Live on Oceanic Time Warner Cable PPV @ 7:30PM (replay at 10:30PM)
- Digital Channel 0260 – Standard Definition – $29.99
- Digital Channel 1260 – High Definition – $39.99
- x1ppv.oceanic.com – On the Web – $19.99

Fight Card (subject to change):
Hans Marrero vs Egan Inoue
Brandon Wolff vs Chad “The Grinder” Reiner
Richie Whitson vs Ray “Bradda” Cooper
Michael Brightmon vs Kolo Koka
Dylan Clay vs Ronald “The Machine Gun” Jhun
Albert Manners vs Kana “The Riot” Hyatt
Chris “Red Bull” Willems vs Brandon Visher
Sean Sakata vs John “The Warrior” Visante

P.S. I’ll be going to the live event so check back for photos shortly thereafter…

Is it just me or does goofy/awkward American Idol finalist David Archuleta really not have that much more in his vocab than “Gosh!”?

Last night, the three finalists for Season 7 of American Idol (David Archuleta, David Cook, and Syesha Mercado) did the trip-back-home for the show. To me, it gives the truest insight into the character of these contestants. The phoniness of being on the show is quickly erased and replaced with real-ness back in the real world. For the most part, they all did ok. “Archie” actually seemed to have shed genuine tears when the moment caught up and overwhelmed him. I bought it. Syesha was her usual phony actress self (I didn’t buy her crying at all), while “Big” David seemed appreciative as well (her mother is what really draws me to him… I know it’s not a manly word, but she’s soooo cute the way she hugs and supports her son!). Overall the two who should’ve made it to the top 2 did: David Archuleta and David Cook. Oops, sorry for those who didn’t watch it back yet. “Spoiler alert!”

I don’t know about you, but I think I’m leaning Cook on this one. David A’s voice is amazing, but I can’t picture him being a pop-star. He’s too stiff and goofy and maybe even a bit naive. Cookie is groomed and ready to go. Who you pickin’? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see eh?

On a side note, my beloved Philadelphia Phillies almost came back to steal one from the Atlanta Braves last night after trailing (by quite a bit) the entire game. It came down to local boy Shane Victorino with two on, down by 3. He unfortunately flied out, but what an exciting (almost) come back.

Talk to me:

• Who are you rooting for to win American Idol next week?
• Who’s your favorite team?
• What are your plans for this wonderful Thursday?
• Are you excited for another gripping episode of “Where In Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto”?