Now that all of the Lebron whoopla is over, we-in true New Yorker fashion-are back to bitter. Sure, we were into the whole thing in the beginning, but now that we’ve had time to really sit and think about it, Lebron’s not all that anyway. The basketball’s most popular free-agent was being courted by every wannabe-power team in the nation over the past few weeks, only to choose the Miami Heat as his new home-team. Can we blame Lebron for rejecting NY and refusing to go down with a sinking ship? No. Are we upset anyway? Yep. Here are 5 reasons why us New Yorkers are hating on the King’s big decision.

1.

“The King” Has Nothing On Kobe

While the entire country is going gaga over King James, Kobe remains comfortably seated on the b-ball throne. Kobe has more than proved himself as a winner, yet James is still struggling to build his resume. As the NY Post put it, Lebron has the “it factor,” but lacks the wins to back it up:

LeBron has it even if hasn’t won anything yet except one Eastern Conference title and one trip to the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant is currently the official crowned king of the NBA, you bet he is. He has five NBA titles, two in a row, he finally beat the Boston Celtics a couple of weeks ago, which for a Laker is like becoming a made man in the mob.

So the final verdict is, he wouldn’t have been that great for us anyway.

2.

Only The Strong Survive

They say that “if you can make it here, you’ll make it any where.” Well, we have a strong suspicion that Lebron wasn’t too sure whether he could make it in the apple.  While we all looked to him as the trump card for the flailing Knicks, it seemed that the pressure was to great. It was a challenge of Jordan proportions and Lebron just wasn’t ready to step his game up. Its ok though, James, you’ll probably be better of with your Miami crutches teammates anyway. Once again the Post puts it best:

New York would have meant pressure. Staying in Cleveland would have meant pressure and as we know LeBron, unlike Ewing, cannot handle the pressure.

Here’s what fellow bitter  New Yorker Spike Lee had to say:

3.

Money In The Bank

In light of the recent budget cuts taking place in NYC schools and public services, blowing hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars on a ball player seems highly unreasonable. Whether or not the salary proposed to Lebron for his tenure with the Knicks has anything to do with NYC budgeting (which we doubt), spending astronomical amounts on one player just does not appeal to us anymore.

4.

Gridlock

The only thing New Yorkers hate more than cowards is traffic. Can you imagine the gridlock surrounding Madison Square Garden that would result from the rush of new fans headed to Knick games (Not to mention the train congestion)? Thanks but no thanks!

5.

Thou Art Not God

We think the whole chalk-dust-in-the-air thing is ridiculous. Perhaps our initial bids to plant the King James movement in NYC added to the God complex that Lebron is undoubtedly developing, but hopefully this new bitterness0after-rejection will bring him back down to size.

Ok all bitterness aside, Lebron is a great player that will thrive in any environment. Yea, we’re mad he didn’t pick us, but we respect the fact that he’s taking Miami to the next level, and was brave enough to go against the grain, choosing the Heat, which no one expected. We’re mad, but we’ll get over it!

All hail Miami’s new King!

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Kanye West: Hip-hop Wunderkind Goes Broadway

It was bound to happen ever since Nike threw $90 million at LeBron some six years ago (going on seven). At the time, Bron was being labeled “The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated and rocking the #23 in green and gold to suggest that he was, in fact, the heir apparent.

Over the years, we’ve seen Bron transform into the physical behemoth that may one day overtake MJ’s playing legacy. For sneakerheads, though (like myself), it’s been highly questionable whether or not he-or anyone for that matter-could overtake MJ’s kick game. Penny failed. So did Kobe. And Iverson had a spark when he started, but Reebok’s just plain ol’ garbage.

Back to 2003 when MJ hung it up for the last time, his last on-court signatures, the XVIIIs, were simple yet luxurious and of course, technologically forward-thinking-everything associated with Jordan Brand. Since, the designs have been rather head-scratching, from the woven cover guard of the 19s and the clunky space-boot look of the 20s-Who knew space boots would catch on, word to Kanye? -to the straight up half-assed 24s AJ 2009s.

Recently, pics of the AJ 2010s (25s) have surfaced. They have a window/eye smack dab in the middle of the shoe to represent MJ’s ability to “see through the competition.” The shit just looks like a goddamn hole, patched up with mesh. It’s the bottomed-out low point of the declining franchise (a charge once leveled at the 15s).

As for the LeBrons, they’ve evolved from the outlet-ready Air Zoom Generations to the Flightposite-esque 4s to the underwhelming 5s and 6s. But now we’ve reached numero seven. Out for some time, a looming all black colorway (probably cosigned by Jigga) is the zenith of the line thus far. After misguided, space-shoe abortions like the Huarache 2k4s, the LeBron 7s represent some of Nike Basketball’s best design work since (surprise) 2003, when ballers were blessed with the Zoom Ultraflights and Zoom Flight 2k3s (just wear tube socks).

Compared to those lightweight triumphs, the 7s are on the opposite side of the spectrum in terms of build (veering towards the Nike Total Foamposite Max in terms of proportions). Yet one look at the shoe and it’s clear that this is Nike’s signature shoe, perhaps across all lines. The feeling is similar to the one you had when you first saw the XIs, XIIIs, or even XVIIs-that this was the work of the best designers in the world. And if there was any confusion, it’s now evident that LeBron, not Kobe or MJ, is the face of the brand, Nike’s signature athlete.

Can’t say it didn’t take a while, though. By shoe number seven, there had been the iconic Air Jordan Is, IIIs, IVs, and VIs. The hit rate for the LeBron line hasn’t been quite the same but it’s finally his time. Maybe things will transpire on the court similarly.

The director and producer of the new LeBron James documentary More than a Game discuss their labor of love.

GIANT: How did your involvement in More Than a Game come about?
Kristopher Belman: I started working on it about eight years ago. I was a junior at LA’s Loyola Marymount college, but I’m from Akron originally so I wanted to make a film about my hometown. At that point, LeBron and those guys were making some noise on the high school basketball level so I thought it would be a good way to kill two birds with one stone: I’d make something positive about my hometown and also silence some of the jokes about Ohio I was hearing in school. So I approached the school with the idea of making a 10-minute short film and they let me attend one practice. I went to that one practice and then happened to show up the next day and nobody said anything. So I turned that one practice into the next eight years of my life. At some point, I knew I needed to figure out a way to bring in the professional finishing touches and that’s when I ended up meeting with Harvey.

Harvey Mason Jr.: I was introduced to Kris by my babysitter, who was a friend of his. I met him and was blown away by the three-minute trailer he showed me. I knew there was a great story there. Since I wasn’t a film producer, I initially tried to introduce him to a few people I knew in the industry. But no one really seemed to really get the message of the movie, so after four months of meetings, we decided to do it ourselves.

GIANT: Was LeBron involved with the project already at that point or did you have to secure his permission during production?
Mason Jr.: We made the movie and when we got to a place where we were confident about it, we approached LeBron. We wanted him to be involved in the marketing, so I wanted to make sure he was happy with it. We brought him on a little more than a year ago when the movie was 65% complete and he was involved from that point forward.

GIANT: I noticed that he has an executive producer credit on the film. Did he have any say in the editing process?
Belman: None of the players saw a finished version of the movie until the Toronto premiere. His credit was more about support than anything. Once he saw what I was doing and felt I could do it on a professional level, he was like “What can we do to make this the best film possible?”

GIANT: Kris, was it a little weird to be an independent filmmaker struggling to pay the bills while the subject of your first film was making millions of dollars in the NBA?
Belman: It was definitely interesting. My graduation from college was definitely one of the lowest points in the process of making the film, because once LeBron entered the NBA, it became a different situation getting in touch with him. Meanwhile, I’m working at a coffee shop and the student loans are kicking in and I don’t have camera equipment for free anymore. I was looking for financial support and everyone’s offer would be “Let’s write you a check for six figures to buy the footage off you.” That was something I never entertained, but it did get a little depressing to be working at a coffee shop and someone is offering you a lot of money–just not for the right reasons. I remember thinking, “This is never going to happen, I’m never going to get this done the way it needs to be done.” But I felt this story had to be told no matter what.

GIANT: What was your working relationship like? Were there any times that you butted heads over the content of the film?
Mason Jr.: I don’t remember us ever having a disagreement. Kris was the driving force in the editing room, while I made sure the special effects and marketing stuff was happening. But we definitely had a good partnership; if he liked something, I said “Let’s try it” and if I liked something he said “Let’s try it.” There was never a point where we took anything personally and it became “Don’t do this” or “Don’t do that.” We were both ready to try anything and more often than not, the right choice won out.

GIANT: What were some of the documentaries that influenced you?  Hoop Dreams had to be in the mix right?
Belman: The ones that spoke to me the most where those that followed multiple characters, so films like Murderball, Spellbound and Go Tigers.  Hoop Dreams was always on my radar because I love it–it’s one of my top ten films of all time.  I can’t say it directly influenced the style of More Than a Game, but it was inspirational in that it took two characters no one had ever heard of and made them compelling for two hours.  So every time that someone would tell me, “You should just focus on LeBron, because no one cares about Coach Dru Joyce,” I’d just think about Hoop Dreams and how brave the filmmakers were to explore these lesser-known characters.

GIANT: Is there a reason that the film doesn’t address the “student” part of being a student athlete?
Belman: There were a lot of different elements I tried to tackle.  I interviewed teachers and fellow students, but during the editing process we realized that while these themes were interesting and served one purpose, they were disrupting the flow of the narrative.  The film explores six main characters and that’s a lot of people to support and develop.  So to keep the flow, we decided to pull out those themes.  Also, they were really good students, so there wasn’t a lot of conflict with the scholastic aspect of things.  LeBron graduated with a 3.5 GPA and all the other guys were right there behind him or ahead.

GIANT: While LeBron has enjoyed tremendous success, none of his high-school pals have made the leap to the NBA.  Is there really no ill-will between them as the film would have us believe?
Mason Jr.: All these guys know they’re not LeBron and that he’s a very special athlete.  By the same token, they’re all still best friends.  They all still hang out together and LeBron is very generous with them.  He doesn’t elevate himself above the rest of them; he does everything he can to make sure they’re on the same level.

GIANT: What do you hope that moviegoers take away from More Than a Game?
Mason Jr.: I hope they get a good feeling at the bottom of their stomach and that they leave the theaters feeling that anything is possible.  It takes hard work and dedication and loyalty, but you can do great things.

More Than a Game opens in limited release on Friday and expands to more theaters in mid-October.

“This all started in a little gym with a linoleum floor on Maple Street.”

-Coach Dru

Believe it or not, More Than A Game is about more than LeBron James. This basketball documentary takes you on the journey of the St. Vincents/St. Mary high school basketball team also known as “The Fab Five.” LeBron James, Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, Willie McGee, and Romeo Travis embark on taking their small Akron,Ohio team into the big leagues by winning a National Championship.

More Than A Game is inspirational. These young men came from broken homes and poverty stricken neighborhoods, but they came together to form an elite squad. From Dru’s seven three point shots in one game to Romeo’s tough defense, these boys worked hard and played even harder. LeBron was not the only player with talent, all of the boys embodied something special.

However, More Than A Game is held back due to its total blind eye toward James’ antics to get into the NBA. It briefly touches on his controversy before he was drafted, but it doesn’t take it to the point where we would think anything bad about him. He is shown as an angel in More Than A Game, as a matter of fact he was “King James!” The documentary also does not answer the very obvious question of why none of the other players made it into the NBA. It doesn’t even attempt to capture the essence of education as a back-up plan in-case you don’t make it pro. In fact, I didn’t see one book in the entire movie.

It may have some flaws but More Than A Game is definitely a heart-warmer. It’s no Hoop Dreams, but it captures that inner child that might have been lost in time with the maturation of bills and rent. That inner child that once had those dreams of being the best basketball player alive, or dreamed of being the next Michael Jordan. More Than A Game makes you want to be great again!

All in all ~ Good Movie!

Watch it in theaters. The sounds of LeBron dunking on guys half his size and the sound of Dru’s three point shots going Swoosh are priceless.

Trailer:

These A-listers can’t keep themselves out of the public. Find out which celebs are making headlines and have made todays GIANT list…

1. Jennifer Hudson: For dropping her load! Congratulations on her new baby boy. 

2. Taraji P. Henson: Simply for remaining classy and sexy while oiled up in her new Men’s Fitness Photoshoot.

3. Diddy: Who else can drop every group signed to Bad Boy but have two brand new shows on MTV in the works? I also blame him for Sara Stokes psychotic stab fest with her husband, if only she had a career…

4. Rihanna: For deciding getting frisky with a dj in Pink Elephant was more fun than attending the Teen Choice awards. Good Girl Gone Bad you say, more like good girl turned vampire. 

5. Lebron James: Holding down the crown as King James on the court and becoming the Michael Jordan of our time. 

6. Cassie: Looking fabulous and stunning while attending the GIANT/SoBe Lifewater event. 

7. Kim Kardashian: Trying to maintain banger status sans Reggie, but the blonde hair isn’t for everyone. 

8. Russell Simmons: Despite his divorce and nasty rumors, Uncle Russell remains consistent with keeping a new pretty young thang on his arm.

10. Ludacris: Keeping fellas fresh in this time of recession with his upcoming TAG fragrance.

Nike must have known that its star basketball player Lebron James was going to be named the 2008-2009 NBA MVP yesterday, Monday May 4. How else then would you explain the commemorative edition of his sneaker, the Zoom LeBron VI coming out so soon?

Hitting Nike retailers on May 30, the shoe will retail for $150. Nike’s also released a Witness tee, which will retail for $30 and is available staring today, May 5.

HAPPY STAR WARS DAY…MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!

Hopefully you’ll get the pun on words and similarity with today’s date.

MODEL AS MUSE EXHIBIT

May 6 – August 9, 2009

Tish Galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC present The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion.  A focus on iconic models of the twentieth century.  The exhibit made possible by Marc Jacobs will feature haute couture and ready-to-wear accompanied by photography and video.

CIARA OUT TOMORROW!

Hmm…not sure how I feel about the cornrows.  Any thoughts?

KING JAMES NAMED MVP

ESPN @ 4pm EST

A press conference has been called this afternoon at St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio to name Cleveland Cavaliers’ Lebron James MVP.  A well deserved award I might add.

Congratulations Lebron!

TREKKIES!!!!

Star Trek releases this FRIDAY!  Zoe Saldana makes a graceful appearance as Nyota Uhura.

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO…MANANA!!

According to the Associated Press, Lebron James, the 24-year-old star player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, is expected to be named the most valuable player of the NBA today, May 4. 

James will be the youngest player  to receive the award since Moses Malone took it from 1978-1979. He will also be the first Cavalier.

The star athlete has had a phenomenal season, averaging 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists.

James chose his high school alma mater Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Ohio to receive the award.

There must be something about Madison Square Garden this week.

Days after Kobe Bryant scored 61 points against the New York Knicks at the legendary arena, LeBron James scored a 50-plus point trible-double against the Knicks. King James scored 52 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. The Cleveland Cavaliers star joins Michael Jordan as the only player to have multiple 50-plus point performances at Madison Square Garden (they also share the same number 23) and becoming the first since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975 to have a triple-double in a 50 point game. At 24 years-old, LBJ is the youngest NBA player to score more than 12,000 point-plateau.

Long live the King.

GRAMMYS!!!  Who’s Taking One Home?, 50 Has a Message For Ricky Ross, Holmes’ Super Bowl Catch! PLUS, Guess Who’s Turning 30?, Celebrate BLACK HISTORY MONTH!

Congratulations to the Steelers, and Santonio Holmes for the winning catch!

Although some of us claim to be celebrating throughout the year (as we should), February marks BLACK HISTORY MONTH!

Here’s a little BHM trivia for you… I’m sure most of you wonder ‘Why February (it’s the shortest month of the year)’ and  ’Who made that decision?’

A: Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a son of former slaves was studying at Harvard when he noticed the the lack of black-american contributions mentioned in his text books.  Woodson aggravated by this founded the Journal of Negro History and in 1926 launched “Negro History Week” during the 2nd week in February, which aimed to bring national attention to the contribution of blacks.

“The father of Black History”

He chose February because of the birth of two great men who demonstrated a strong role in the advancement of black American poplation, Frederick Douglass (Feb 14) and Abraham Lincoln (Feb 12).

Since then, America gave black history recognition as “Negro History Week” and later as “Black History Month.”  It was a natural transition considering all the events of African-Americans that also occurred in this month.

Feb 23, 1868 – W.E.B DuBois, founder of NAACP was born

Feb 3, 1870 – The 15th Amendment passed, granting blacks the right to vote

Feb 12, 1909 – NAACP was founded

Feb 21, 1965 – Malcom X was assassinated

Feb 4, 2007 – Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts becomes first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl.  Lovie Smith, his counterpart coaching the Chicago Bears was also an African-American.  As the first African-Americans to coach the big game they made history.

EXHIBITS to check out in honor of this month

Barkley Hendricks at the Studio Museum Harlem (ends March 15, 2009), 144 W.125th St. NY, NY

Road to Freedom:  Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956 – 1968 at the S. Dillon Ripley Center at the Smithsonian in DC (ends March 9, 2009), 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW, Washington, DC

America I AM: The African America Imprint, a touring exhibition to celebrate 400 yrs of African American contributions to this country (ends May 3, 2009) at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St.

***51st GRAMMY AWARDS***

When: Sunday, Feb 8th @ 8pm EST

Where:  Staples Center in LA (broadcasted on CBS)

And the nominees are…

SCENE: Just about any and every artist who had something to do with music in ’08 will be there.

LOOK: Ok, if you are attending the show or just going for the evening festivities keep in mind, unlike the Oscars and Inauguration, you will not need a gown or tux.  This is a dressy occasion, but think cocktail attire with your own personal edge.

For her…

Whether pants or dress, bring a bit of edge to your look.  Geometric shapes are in many collections  this Spring and a perfect way to bring a bigger and bolder mode to simplicity.  Making such a strong statement, your hair should be pulled back ie. up-do or low ponytail, but off your face.  Make-up, worn heavier on the eyes (even try a cat-eye), and a nude lip.  Minimal (1 piece) to no jewelry and a fabulous heel, yet the focus is on your ensemble.  Everything else are just the trimmings.

Lanvin, Moschino, Kai Kuhne, Stella McCartney

For him…

A suit isn’t a requirement, but probably the easiest to put together.  However, you can do a great pant or dark denim jean with a button down shirt and an intricate jacket as the focal point.  A fresh cut or shape up is always a must…  Oh, and a special scent is definitely a plus (as long as you don’t layer on too much.)  It certainly leaves a lasting impression, trust me when I say that.  Hard bottoms shoes or even a rugged boot makes an interesting contrast. Btw, please try to lose the sunglasses for evening events.  It’s more inviting without and less ‘trying too hard to be the cool kid’.

Dior Homme, DSquared, Dior Homme

WEEKES’ THROWBACK:  Public Enemy ‘Harder Than You Think’

NBA GAMES:

Thur, Feb 5th

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Feb 1: Lauren Conrad, 23

Big Boi, 34

Feb 2:  Shakira, 31

Feb 4: Oscar De La Hoya, 35

Feb 6: Axel Rose, 46

Feb 7: Ashton Kutcher, 30

Chris Rock, 43

Feb 8: Seth Green, 34

WOD (word of the day):

INIMlCAL (i-nim-i-cal) adj. – Unfavorable; unfriendly; hostile; adverse in tendency or effect

i.e. 50 makes an inimical address to Rick Ross’ comments on Shade 45.  Check out what 50 has to say below!

LeBron James is one of the best basketball players in the world and off the court he’s one of the best dressed men on the social scene. It’s not easy dressing a 6 foot, 8 inch and 250 pound baller, but the Cleveland Cavalier’s small forward does it with ease and confidence. When he’s not in uniform or sporting his LJ 23 Nike sportswear, you may find King James rocking Ralph Lauren, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton or Gucci. James is now on the cover of GQ — a slam dunk recognizing his satorial swagger. Witness LBJ’s style.

For more Celeb Style, click here!

With the baddest man-child on the planet getting Sundance love for his self-titled documentary Tyson and ex-Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin getting his own reality show, GIANT pondered what other athletes were deserving of some shine.

LeBron James

A documentary of his senior year in high school is nearing release but we’d much rather see a more up-to-date day-in-the-life.  Everyone wants to know what it’s like to be king—and hang out with Jay-Z.

Pacman Jones

The frequent trips to the PO might slow down the pacing of a reality show but at least you’d be guaranteed a weekly trip to the titty bar.  After the NFL commish said no more makin’ it rain outside the house, Jones put a strip club in his crib.

Charles Barkley

Sir Charles needs to get his own 24/7 EdTV action going with the amount of quotables he’d serve up on the daily.  Twitter could never suffice.

Manny Ramirez

Admittedly, this would’ve been better had he still been in Beantown, the height of his “Manny Being Manny” days.  Whatever he was listening to in his Oakley mp3 sunglasses as he zoned out in left field every game would be revealed, as well as whether or not he liked spelling his name when taking between-innings bathroom breaks behind the Green Monster.

Mike Vick

Everyone wants to get a taste of penitentiary life, right?

-Devin Chanda

Teams and individuals are always looking to stay on top by making a big splash, on or off the field. Here’s the 8 moves from the past year that did the most to assert dominance or cement a legacy—by any means.

8. Coach Drops Pants, Wins Job

Down at halftime of an October game against the shitty Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers interim coach Mike Singletary tried to fire up his team… with a deft, downward pull of his pants. “I used my pants to illustrate that we were getting our tails whipped,” he said. It didn’t quite work—they lost 34-13. However, since the incident, the Niners began beating the teams they’re supposed to (i.e. god-awful St. Louis). As a result, Singletary is about to put pen to paper on a permanent deal.

7. Lakers Decide Kobe Can’t Do It Himself

It took the Lakers’ front office a while (three years, give or take) to realize what everyone already knew (Kobe ain’t MJ), but they finally got him some help. On February 1, Kobe received a replacement Shaq—except Spanish and the occasional pansy. Pau Gasol can ball, though, and his chemistry with Kobe is blossoming—to the point where the Lakers look like the favorites to win the title, after beating the Celtics recently.

6. Manchester City Becomes Rich, Bitch

In Manchester, there’s two big soccer teams: Manchester United, and fugly step-child Manchester City, loved only by those with an acquired taste for under-achievement and Oasis fans. With the ex-Man City owner facing jailtime, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE decided to buy the team for about $300 million, instantly making them the richest club in the world. The Sheikh then bought Brazilian striker Robinho from Real Madrid for $50 million, a British record and a sum which doesn’t even include Robinho’s playing salary.

5. Bron-Bron Doing Bron-Bron

Which means being the third dude ever to be on the cover of Vogue (albeit a kinda racist one), having Hov make diss records for you when bum-ass scrubs (DeShawn Stevenson) wanna step to you, throwing powder all over Weezy F. (he’s dirty anyway) in one of his Nike ads, getting Nicole Scherzinger (she’s bad) all wet in another Nike ad, and continuing to be worshipped in Cleveland though he doesn’t care to be there.

4. Nadal Wins Wimbledon…

It marked the first time Roger Federer, arguably the greatest tennis player ever, was beaten in a Wimbledon final, and thus the reason he eventually lost his world No. 1 ranking—which he held for 237 consecutive weeks—to Nadal. It wasn’t easy for Nadal, considering the battle between the Spaniard and the Swiss was the longest final match ever at Wimbledon, clocking in at right under 5 hours.

3. Phelps Touches Down In Beijing

With the exception of the 4x100m freestyle relay where his homeboy had to save his ass and the equally nerve-wracking 100m butterfly, Michael Phelps won just by showing up.

2. Yankees to Red Sox, Rest of League: “Got Ya, Bitch!”

The Yankees weren’t supposed to spend more after spending $240 million on two pitchers and another $30 million on taxes because they spent $240 million. But then they spent another $180 million on the best free agent available. Why? Because they can. Because “you play to win the game.” Because what every other team calls “unfair” or “ridiculous,” the Yankees call “ruthless commitment.” Catch up.

1. Usain Bolt Quits The 400

The Jamaican sprinter was supposedly too lazy for the long distance. So he asked his coach to run the 100. Phelps may have won the most gold medals, but Bolt started celebrating 60m into his race. And he DJ’d the afterparty.

-Devin Chanda

Two thousand and eight was definitely a year of change. African American culture reached an all time high, thanks in part to the 8 GIANTs of ’08 listed here. Check out the movers and shakers who elevated, remixed and redefined “celebrity + style + culture” in ’08.

1. Barack Obama flipped the script on humanity. The first African American President in the United States is “extraordinary.” His integrity, idealism, and fearlessness helped Obama rise above and realize his own dream for a better country….he just happens to be black. Like MLK, Gandhi and JFK, Obama is a leader with grace, conviction and a dream. This is a GIANT step for mankind. Let freedom ring…

2. Jayonce, The Carters, or just J&B. Call them what you want, but Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) and Beyonce Knowles had a GIANT year. First, the hottest rapper and the hottest pop star get secretly married. Then Jay tours the country with Mary J. Blige. Next, Beyonce released the hit single “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” and the rock ‘n’ soul bio pic “Cadillac Records.” They are both scheduled to perform at the Obama Inauguration. Both have clothing deals and other businesses. If that is not enough, Forbes named the duo the riches on their “Hollywood Power Couples List” with earnings of $162 million.

3. Diddy once said: “Can’t stop; won’t stop.” In 2008, he proved that was his mantra. Combs did this: Executive produced and starred in the film adaptation of “Raisin In The Sun”, produced the hit reality TV shows “Making of the Band” and “I Want To Work For Diddy,” the fashion documentary “If I Were King”, held the 10th Anniversary Sean John fashion show with all Black models, released his new Estee Lauder fragrance “I Am King”, promotes Circo Vodka and helped campaign for Obama (with a little help from his friends MJB, Jay Z, and Kevin Liles.) GIANT, indeed.

4. Big Willy!!! Is anybody bigger in Hollywood than Will Smith? Nope! Smith had another amazing year doing what he does best, making movies that people want to see. From “Hancock” which grossed over $624 million world wide and his recent release “Seven Pounds” has recently grossed $16 million in three weeks. What makes him really GIANT is that he’s a positive role model and a family man. Jaden Smith, his son was just taped to play in the remake of “The Karate Kid.” His wife Jada Pinkett-Smith is also pretty hot. Now that’s a leading man or is that a fresh Prince.

5. Witness LeBron James become an icon. The 24 year-old basketball wunderkind turned King James lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Eastern Conference only to loose to the Boston Celtics. James then served as Co-Captain of the Team U.S.A. Basketball and helped win the Gold at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. LeBron made history (and a bit a controversy) when he appeared on the cover of American Vogue with model Giselle Bundchen. He was the first African American man to appear on the publications cover, ever. His LeBron James Family Foundation continues to help single mothers and their kids nationwide. James even hosted a fundraiser for his foundation at Ralph Lauren’s Mansion Flagship in Manhattan in 2008. Oh yeah, and he has that huge deal with Nike, Coke, and Bubblicious. Big things.

6. Southernplaylistics. They always said the South would rise again, but in 2008 the prophecy came true. In fact, if it wasn’t for Southern rap music, hip hip might have had an early retirement. No fears, Lil’ Wayne, T.I., T-Pain, Timbaland and Flo-Rida helped keep hope alive. Weezy sold over a million copies of “Tha Carter III” it’s first week. T.I. stayed at the top of the charts for three months with “Paper Trail.” T-Pain and Flo-Rida had hip hop jams all over the radio, music videos and the Internet. Southern GIANTs keeping it crunk.

7. Tyler Perry is a GIANT. WIth the success of his Madea franchise, Perry, the actor, writer, director, producer, released “The Family That Preys Together” which grossed $129 million and had another successful year with the hit TV series “Tyler Perry’s The House of Payne.” With all that money, Perry opened the first African American owned film studio in the United States (located outside of Atlanta). Among the luminaries to come out and celebrate this historic occasion were Oprah Winfrey, Sindey Portier, Cicely Tyson, Will Smith, Hank Aaron and many others. Now that is the big picture.

8. Rihanna, the native of Barbados, has given “It-Girl” status a whole new meaning in 2008. She re-released her album “Good Girls Gone Bad: Reloaded” and exploded. Collaborations with Maroon 5, T.I. and Justin Timberlake kept Rihanna’s audience broad and wanting more. Creative and dramatic videos by Anthony Mandler like “Disturbia” and “Live Your Life” made her a modern day muse. Her cutting edge style kept her all over the blogs, covers of fashion magazines and the tabloids. Her “secret” relationship with R&B triple threat Chris Brown peaked the media and fan’s alike. Then Rihanna appeared in the new Gucci ad campaign. As she sings: “Take A Bow.”

I think Alexander Wang said it best when he stated “Anyone can get dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress in their off days, that are most intriguing.”  These celebrities have proven over and over that whether on or off the red carpet they exemplify style.

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NBA All-Star LeBron James is already larger than life… and now his life is hitting the big screen.

According to The Urban Daily, Lionsgate Films has acquired the rights to More Than A Game, a doc about LeBron’s high school days in Akron, Ohio. For more on the film, click here.

Source: The Urban Daily

After rocking Ralph Lauren’s Official Parade Outfit to the opening ceremony at the Olympics earlier this year, the Cleveland Cavaliers baller LeBron James and the all-American apparel designer have teamed up again to create a product of an unlikely, but valuable, nature.

Made in the signature colors of Lauren’s Purple Label, 300 limited-edition basketballs have been signed by the NBA All-Star and are being sold at $1,000 a piece to benefit his eponymous Family Foundation.

Thanks to his silver script work (set against a black surface with purple lining), 100% of the net proceeds are going to the organization which aims to inspire children to participate in athletics, maintain an academic focus, and also empowers and offers benefits to single-parent families.

This King James knows just what his people need.

-Danielle Cheesman