The La Costa Film Festival near San Diego “has partnered with Mandalay Sports Media to help curate the festival’s sports-themed narrative and documentary program, as well as expand its reach to filmmakers and distributors.” The partnership allows the festival -- “set to take place at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa from Sept. 18-21 -- to continue to showcase features, documentaries, shorts and local filmmakers of all genres” while working with MSM and its co-Chair MIKE TOLLIN to “attract sports-related films and the filmmakers behind the movies” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 6/4).
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Biffle for the demonstration was suspended a couple of
feet off the ground |
SAFETY FIRST: NASCAR driver
GREG BIFFLE yesterday helped with a safety demonstration at Daytona Int’l Speedway as part of the OSHA’s National Fall Prevention Stand-down program. Biffle, in front of “hundreds of workers employed with general contractor Barton Malow and its subcontractors gathered on the bleachers,” was “suspended from a harness a couple of feet above the ground to demonstrate how a worker could use foot holds on a piece of safety equipment to support themselves in the event of a fall” (
Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 6/5).
THE FIGHTER: In Philadelphia, Bob Ford wrote BILLIE JEAN KING is “hardly mellowing” now that she is 70 years old, as “there is too much to do and too many freedoms to protect and too many people standing in the way.” King “has become an agent of change” as a woman who has “fought more than 40 years for gender equality.” She also is “an openly gay advocate hoping to end prejudice regarding all sexual orientation.” King: “I had an epiphany when I was quite young that if I was lucky enough, I might have a platform and be able to spend the rest of my life trying to get equal rights and opportunities for girls and boys” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/4).
JOHNNY COME LATELY: Browns QB JOHNNY MANZIEL and other members of the team’s rookie class yesterday participated in an assembly at Grindstone Elementary School in Berea to promote the Browns’ First and Ten initative, which is “designed to encourage community members to volunteer.” After being introduced, Manziel “spoke about the merits of volunteering." At that point, some kids in the audience "raised their arms and busted out his famous hand gesture for making money” (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 6/5). Meanwhile, the city of Cleveland’s “private reception for GOP convention scouts this week” included Manziel. Pro Football HOFer ROGER STAUBACH is part of Dallas’ effort to land the ’16 Republican National Convention (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/5).
CLOSERS GET COFFEE: Seven Seahawks players “spent some time during the past few weeks shadowing people in various departments” at Starbucks HQ in Seattle “to find out about jobs after an NFL career.” The players taking part in the job shadow program were DT D’ANTHONY SMITH, K STEVEN HAUSCHKA, OT RUSSELL OKUNG, WR BRYAN WALTERS, DE GREG SCRUGGS, CB DESHAWN SHEAD and CB CHANDLER FENNER (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/4).
NAMES: PGA Tour FedEx St. Jude Classic Tournament Dir PHIL CANNON is running this week's event in the midst of a cancer diagnosis, and event volunteers are "wearing a button” with the letters “PC” on it (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 6/4)….The Boys & Girls Club of America last night presented MLB Commissioner BUD SELIG with its Chairman’s Award at the Great Futures Gala at the American Museum of Natural History. More than $2.5M was raised through ticket sales, auctions and a pledge drive (MLB.com, 6/5)….Ravens CB LARDARIUS WEBB is donating $15,000 worth of sports equipment and apparel to the Baltimore Boys & Girls Club through his charitable foundation (BALTIMORESUN.com, 6/4)….A U.S. federal judge has ruled a subpoena “can be issued” compelling former Canucks Owner JOHN MCCAW JR. to testify in former NHLer STEVE MOORE’s lawsuit against now-Red Wings RW TODD BERTUZZI and the Canucks (AP, 6/4)….Actor MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY yesterday made an appearance at Redskins Park during OTAs. He donned a yellow T-shirt “with the old circle ‘R’ logo” (WASHINGTONTIMES.com, 6/5)….Former NHLer RON DUGUAY on Tuesday “made a one-night only appearance in the musical ‘ROCK OF AGES.’” The show “turned into a de facto Rangers pep rally the night before the team opened the Stanley Cup Final” (N.Y. POST, 6/5)….Jets WR ERIC DECKER, alongside his wife, singer JESSIE JAMES, presented an award at last night’s CMT Music Awards in Nashville (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/5).
