Names In The News

Reporters Without Borders Erects Billboard Along Rose Parade Route

Media rights group REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS has erected a billboard in Pasadena, California, along the Rose Parade route that features “interlocked manacles and chains” that evoke the five Olympic rings.  The board, which was paid for by L.A.-based Visual Artists Guild, is in protest of a float supporting the '08 Beijing Games (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE, 12/4).

TRICK SHOT: Modell’s Sporting Goods CEO MITCH MODELL and Celtics President RICH GOTHAM were recently working on a sponsorship deal, when Modell introduced Gotham to his “agent,” who turned out to be actor ROBERT WUHL, dressed as his lead character on HBO's "ARLI$$." Gotham: “When Mitchell arrived at our office to try to get a deal done, I never expected to be negotiating with ‘Arli$$’” (BOSTON HERALD, 12/4).

COURT REPORT: A jury awarded $9.5M on Friday to the family of late Blackhawks D KEITH MAGNUSON, who was a passenger in a car driven by former NHLer ROB RAMAGE that was involved a head-on collision on December 12, 2003. Ramage, who was convicted last month of impaired driving in the incident, and National Car Rental of Canada were the defendants in the wrongful-death suit (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 12/1)....Former NFLer and Fox broadcaster BILL MAAS will be tried March 10 on felony drug and misdemeanor weapons charges in Pekin, Illinois (USA TODAY, 12/4).

NAMES: Mavericks coach AVERY JOHNSON on Friday will deliver the keynote address at Southern Univ.’s fall commencement (BATON ROUGE ADVOCATE, 12/1)….Cowboys WR TERRELL OWENS’ birthday party at the Glass Cactus at the Gaylord Texan Resort doubled as a charity event, with funds going to the Catch a Dream Foundation. Actor JAMIE FOXX, actresses KENYA MOORE and ELISE NEAL, singer MICHELLE WILLIAMS, WTAer SERENA WILLIAMS and Pro Football HOFer MICHAEL IRVIN attended the event (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 12/4)….The Triple-A Int’l League Lehigh Valley IronPigs named its mascot “PorkChop,” but dropped the name after finding that the term is offensive to Hispanics. The mascot’s new name is “Ferrous” (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 12/4).