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Thread: Celebrities studying martial arts?

  1. #316
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    Willie Nelson

    5th degree TKD black belt at 80. That's awesome.


    In the “Who Knew” catagory Willie Nelson will receive his 5th Degree Black Belt in the art of Gong Kwon Yu Sul, a modern Korean martial arts system. At a ceremony on Monday, April 28 at 7:30pm, Grand Master Sam Um will be promoting Nelson at his studio, Master Martial Arts, located at 3425 Bee Cave Rd C-4 in Austin, TX. The celebration takes place two days before Nelson’s birthday.

    Nelson has been a practitioner of martial arts most of his life, starting with studying kung fu when he was a songwriter in Nashville. In the past 20 years he has been training in the art of Tae Kwon Do and Gong Kwon Yu Sul often practicing techniques while traveling on the road in his bus, Honeysuckle Rose. Just prior to his 80th birthday last year, Nelson told Men’s Health Magazine, “Really, all my life, Charles Atlas and Bruce Lee were on my mind. It’s a good form of exercise, especially as you get older. I went through school playing all kinds of sports. I played shortstop. I ran track. I played football. I was a pole vaulter. Then when I went to Nashville, I got into some martial arts and kung fu. I liked it. We used to offer kung fu lessons to the kids in town. It’s good for you.”

    Willie embarks on a tour this summer with co-headliner Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas. Also this summer, Willie will release a new studio album that was produced by Buddy Cannon.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #317
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    5th degree TKD black belt at 80. That's awesome.
    Totally awesome.

  3. #318
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    Robert Downey Jr. again

    He learned from the master! Wing chun fan Robert Downey Jr. proudly sports a new funky Bruce Lee T-shirt
    By Helen Zhao
    Published: 22:32 EST, 10 April 2014 | Updated: 00:46 EST, 11 April 2014


    Robert Downey Jr. trains for his action roles using techniques made famous by martial arts legend and movie star Bruce Lee.

    And he paid tribute to the late icon, stepping out on Thursday in a funky grey T-shirt featuring Bruce on the front.

    In the image, Bruce is shirtless and working a set of turntables, with a pair of headphones around his neck, as he boogies to the beat.


    Keeping it casual: Robert Downey Jr. stepped out in a funky grey T-shirt featuring Bruce Lee on the front in Malibu, Los Angeles on Thursday

    The 49-year-old actor kept it extremely casual on his day out in Malibu, Los Angeles, teaming the shirt with a pair of grey sweatpants, along with a blue sweatshirt tied round his waist, and grey sneakers.

    The Ironman star looked quite stoic as he headed to his destination, carrying a cup of coffee and a little black briefcase, while shielding his eyes with round brown sunglasses.

    The father-of-two accessorized with a necklace tucked into his shirt, a beaded bracelet, and a watch.


    Funky: In the image, Bruce is shirtless and working a set of turntables, with a pair of headphones around his neck, as he boogies to the beat

    An action hero best known for his role as Tony Stark in the Ironman franchise, Robert trains using the Wing Chun technique Bruce Lee popularized, according to Men’s Fitness.

    He is likely utilising such a technique to stay in shape these days, as he is in the midst of filming The Avengers: Age of Ultron, slated for release in 2015.

    Robert can next be seen as a fired chef who reinvents himself as a food truck owner in the comedy Chef, out May 9, starring alongside Sofia Vergara and Scarlett Johansson.



    Grey day: The 49-year-old actor teamed the shirt with a pair of grey sweatpants, along with a blue sweatshirt tied round his waist, and grey sneakers

    Whilst he may admire Bruce Lee, Robert credits much of his success to wife Susan Levin.

    'The old saying is true — behind every good man there's an incredible woman,' he has previously said. 'I owe a huge amount — if not all — of my success to Susan. We make a great team, and all that luck I spoke about, that's Susan.'

    The 40-year-old film producer helped him kick his drug addiction.


    His idol? The father-of-two sported another Bruce Lee shirt last July

    'She told me, "I'm not doing that [drug] dance with you. I'm drawing a line in the sand here." She was absolutely clear about it,' Robert told Parade Magazine in 2008.

    'That doesn't mean that other women, business associates, movie directors, insurance companies, judges and law enforcement hadn't been clear about it too.

    'It was that, before I met Mrs. Downey, I just didn't give a god****. What changed is that I cared.'

    Together they have a two–year-old son, Exton, while Robert also has a 20-year-old son, Indio, from a previous marriage.
    I'm only posting this here today because I have a similar shirt.
    Gene Ching
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  4. #319
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    Jeremy Bieber

    Not really a celeb but a celeb's dad. Not really Kung Fu, but Kung-Fu style.
    Jeremy Bieber Accused of Kung-Fu Kicking Alicia Wadden, Breaking Her Jaw
    by Hilton Hater at April 17, 2014 3:48 pm. Updated at April 17, 2014 3:48 pm.

    Already seen as a bad influence on his son, Jeremy Bieber now stands accused of breaking a woman's jaw 12 years ago.

    Alicia Wadden, a mother of one, alleges that Justin Bieber’s dad kicked her “kung-fu style” in the face, fracturing it in two places and leaving her unable to eat solid food for two months.




    It’s unclear what kind of relationship Wadden had with Bieber at the time of this supposed incident, but she says it began verbally and then escaped after she slapped Jeremy across the cheek.

    "Then out of nowhere, he kicked me in the face and I fell to the ground," Wadden tells The Daily Mail. "I must’ve been knocked out because all I remember is waking up and not being able to close my mouth."

    Wadden livd just a few block away from a hospital at the time and says she ran there afterward with bits of her tooth falling down her throat.

    Back then, she accepted $1,000 from Jeremy Bieber to remain quiet, but is coming forward now as a warning to Justin.

    "He seems to look up to his dad, but he needs to know what he is really like,” Alicia says. “I used to be a huge fan of Justin, I would always think how nice and polite he was, but his dad is a terrible influence on him. He thinks he can get away with anything he does, but I want him to know he can’t."

    Jeremy Bieber already has a bad reputation.

    He was on board a private plane with his son in February in which Jeremy and Justin were extreme abusive to flight attendants and reportedly very high as well.

    Joe Jonas also came out recently and said he isn't surprised about Justin Bieber's downfall because his dad is a party animal.

    "Justin needs to realize that his dad isn’t the man he seems to think he is,” Wadden concludes. “He looks up to him and that is dangerous because it seems he wants to behave like him to win his approval.”

    Gene Ching
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  5. #320
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    Willie Nelson 5th degree black belt

    Found this pic on his Facebook page

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    Last edited by TaichiMantis; 04-29-2014 at 04:52 AM.
    "The true meaning of a given movement in a form is not its application, but rather the unlimited potential of the mind to provide muscular and skeletal support for that movement." Gregory Fong

  6. #321
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    Ricky Nelson learning karate on 'The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet' (1961)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiF7JH0Q6vs&sns=em

    What really interests me about this clip is Ricky Nelson's onscreen 'sensei', Bruce Tegner. Old-time MAists will remember Tegner as a prolific author of books on various MA and self-defense during the 1960s and '70s. My own first MA books were little Bruce Tegner paperbacks that cost around a dollar brand new, back in the early '70s. Tegner was a very legitimate judo man, but although I was always aware that karate was not his specialty, until I saw this clip, I never realized how bad his karate really was. Of course, back in 1961, VERY few Americans knew anything about karate, so to many ordinary people, this segment was probably pretty impressive. It's actually not too bad for a TV karate/wrestling scene, considering the time period.

    The late Ricky (later, just Rick) Nelson later went on to actually study karate, then switched to Jeet Kune Do under Dan Inosanto, who described Nelson as 'A good martial artist for the time'. Rick Nelson died in a plane crash in 1985.
    Last edited by Jimbo; 06-26-2014 at 08:49 AM.

  7. #322
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    Leo

    Well, not really.

    Leonardo DiCaprio Does Kung Fu In Front Of His Girlfriend - On A Yacht! See All Of His 'Cool' Kicking Moves HERE!
    7/23/2014 7:35 PM ET




    We’re not sure if Leonardo DiCaprio is a method actor but if he is, his next role must be as a kung fu ninja!

    Oooo! We smell Oscarrrrrr!

    Leo is enjoying some fun in the sun down in the South of France this week and was caught high-kicking and fighting air in front of his girlfriend Toni Garrn!

    Why so violent, LD?

    Remember when he brawled with an MMA fighting friend at a Coachella party earlier this year?

    Maybe he’s shadow sparring in preparation for another skirmish!

    Or maybe Leo’s just doing some cardio to get back in shape?

    Either way, we bet all those moves must really impress Toni!

    Hiiiiya!

    [Images via BauerGriffinOnline and FameFlynet Pictures.]
    Gene Ching
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  8. #323
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    Well, not really.
    This is nothing new. Back in the '90s, as he was waiting for his audition for Titanic, DiCaprio was outside doing 'karate kicks'. Some footage showed him trying something like a jump spinning kick and falling down. Reportedly, James Cameron did NOT want DiCaprio, but someone convinced him to give Leo a try.

  9. #324
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    Ryan Guzman

    Guzman is probably taking that ol' 'it's just dancing' critique in stride.
    From martial artist to actor/dancer to singer, Ryan Guzman will take on a challenge
    Jim Easterhouse Los Angeles Times (MCT)
    2:00 PM, Aug 10, 2014

    James Dittger

    Aspiring star Ryan Guzman took an unusual path to Hollywood, including a few years as a martial arts fighter. It wasn't exactly acting school, but it taught him some valuable lessons.

    "I learn through experience. That's how I've always been," Guzman said. "With fighting, I didn't learn until someone punched me in the face."

    Making a movie may not be as brutal — at least not physically — but his time in the ring helped Guzman understand the need to learn from your mistakes and soak up as much information as possible. The 26-year-old, who had a breakout role in 2012's dance spectacle "Step Up Revolution," is starring in the follow-up, "Step Up All In," which opens Friday. He plays Sean Asa, a Miami street dancer who, along with his crew, struggles to find work in the cutthroat world of professional dancing.

    "I don't like being complacent," Guzman said. "There's so much work to be done, and I'd rather attack my flaws, because they are my weakest points, and make them my strongest points.

    "I think it's the struggle that makes you and not the success. Before becoming an actor, there was a lot of hardship, a lot of struggle, a lot of things that I did that I didn't want to do. You do that struggle to get what you want."

    Growing up in Sacramento, Guzman didn't dream of Hollywood or acting. He was into sports, especially martial arts and baseball. He pitched in college, but after an injury and unsuccessful arm surgery, Guzman quit baseball and refocused on martial arts, fighting in welterweight tournaments. After a disheartening loss, he decided that his future lay elsewhere.

    One option was modeling. He had appeared in ads for Abercrombie & Fitch and other companies. Despite his early success, though, Guzman didn't want to pursue it as a career.

    "Modeling was never for me," he noted in a recent interview. "I never really enjoyed it at all. It's very vain. It was either try acting or go back and fight."

    He opted for acting in Los Angeles, recalling, "I came out to L.A. with $25, I think, to my name, a minivan that I was driving, and living in a one-bedroom apartment with five guys."

    Arriving in L.A. in 2010, Guzman started doing commercials, which led to roles in smaller films and TV, including the series "Pretty Little Liars." Then he got his big break, landing the male lead in "Step Up Revolution." His natural athleticism helped him fit into the physically demanding dance role. The Lionsgate movie went on to gross $140 million worldwide.

    Guzman knows that dance-oriented movies for young audiences aren't taken very seriously by the industry. But he isn't bothered by that — the "Step Up" series is meant to please audiences, and that's enough for him.

    "We're not chasing Oscars here. We know what we are," Guzman said. "I want people to know that it's OK to have fun. With all the craziness going on in the world, why can't you just step into a movie theater and lose yourself?"

    Guzman, whose father is Mexican, is also pleased that his role in the "Step Up" series isn't a stereotyped Latino character. "Hispanic people come in all different colors, shapes and sizes. I want to show that I am proud of my Hispanic culture and that nothing is out of reach for Latinos."

    Still, Guzman wants to grow beyond the dance genre. "I'm never going to take away from the blessing that I got from being able to get into the film industry through (dancing)," Guzman said. "But I'm looking to expand my horizons as an actor, a director, as a producer."

    In 2013, Guzman acted, directed and wrote his own short film, "Deceit," which dealt with how the mind can manipulate reality. Next year he has been cast alongside Jennifer Lopez in the thriller "The Boy Next Door." Guzman will play Noah, the neighbor of Lopez's divorced character. The two become romantically involved.

    Another role is in the planned 2016 musical "Jem and the Holograms." Guzman will get a chance to do something he hasn't done before: sing.

    "It was the first time I've sung in front of people," Guzman said. "I literally had a 15-minute vocal lesson in the back of an alleyway with the vocal coach for ‘Jem and the Holograms,' and that was it. When I told (my family) I was singing, they were like, ‘What? You have a horrible voice.'"
    Gene Ching
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    More Gisele

    She's in an Under Armor ad working a bag. You'll have to follow the link to see the ad.

    Gisele Bundchen Shows Off Some Serious Kung Fu Skills for Under Armour
    New Ad and Microsite Also Imply She's Impervious to Social Media Comments

    It's not enought to be physically fit these days, if you're a celebrity -- you have to have a thick skin too. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen demonstrates she has both (as well as showing off her Kung Fu skills) in this new spot for Under Armour. The ad, by Droga5, shows Bundchen working up a sweat with some martial arts practice while social media comments about her are projected onto the walls. Some are positive -- "OMG I love her" -- but others are *****y and negative, such as "She's old" or "Stick to modeling." There's even reference to her marriage to Tom Brady. The overall impression: Here is one tough cookie, both physically and mentally.

    The spot is the latest in the brand's "I Will What I Want" campaign, which has previously featured other inspirational women such as ballet dancer Misty Copeland. Under Armour and Droga5 have also developed an interactive digital experience around the spot, which will stream real-time social commentary about Bundchen around the film.

    Creative director at Droga5, John McKelvey, told Creativity: "All women face contradicting opinions and expectations. Gisele's profile means she lives under the microscope, amongst the noise of even more different opinions, praise and criticism. Gisele proves, through what appeared like an unlikely partnership, that she is a strong woman inside and out who uses her will and focus to tune out comments and will what she wants. Because will beats noise."

    Under Armour's signing of Bundchen as a spokeswoman, announced this week for what's reported to be a multi-year deal, follows her appearance in ads for a string of other brands, including H&M and Victoria's Secret.
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    Anne Hathaway & Robert De Niro

    Well, not really.
    Far from Flawless! Anne Hathaway and co-star Robert De Niro playfully film outdoor Tai Chi scenes for new movie The Intern
    By Jessica Earnshaw for MailOnline
    Published: 07:02 EST, 11 September 2014 | Updated: 08:06 EST, 11 September 2014

    She plays his new boss in upcoming comedy The Intern, however it was unclear who exactly was following who between Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro on Wednesday.

    The Hollywood stars got to grips with Tai Chi as they filmed scenes in Brooklyn's Prospect Park for the 2015 flick.

    The pair appeared to see the funny side of their poor skills as their characters attempted to keep up with the rest of the group during the outdoor class.


    Active lifestyle: Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway looked to be having fun as they filmed a Tai Chi scene in New York City on Wednesday



    Easy does it: The actor was seen moving his limbs very slowly as he shot The Intern with the brunette beauty

    The 71-year-old movie star stuck his tongue out playfully, while seemingly trying to coordinate his hands with his feet.

    At one point, both Anne and Robert looked more like they were dancing badly as opposed to performing classic moves from the Chinese martial art.

    The Raging Bull and Taxi Driver legend was also spotted checking out what his companions were doing, while displaying his balance by standing on one leg.


    Leg it! The 71-year-old was accompanied by a number of extras in Prospect Park, Brooklyn


    Playful: Robert seemed a little distracted while Anne was fully concentrating on her actions

    The father-of-six's costume was kept simple for the shoot, teaming a blue jumper with dark chinos and matching plimsolls.

    Meanwhile 31-year-old Anne's trim figure was impossible to miss in her skinny jeans, which were worn with a chunky knit and a long cardigan.

    Her monochrome checked socks caught the eye, and contrasted against her smart black brogues and sunglasses.
    continued next post
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    continued from previous


    Hunched: He opted for a green jumper for his work-out, while surrounded by active-looking characters



    All arms and legs: The Raging Bull star appeared to be copying someone standing in front during the session


    That doesn't look right! The stars appeared to come up with their own moves during the scene


    Back and forwards: Anne was dressed casually in dark skinny jeans and chunky navy knit

    In The Intern, Anne plays Jules Ostin, the founder of a fashion based e-commerce company who hires Robert's character (Ben Whittaker) as an intern to run her errands.

    Some 40 years older than his boss, the widower initially meets resistance from Jules before she learns to respect him and what he has to offer.

    The comedy also stars Rene Russo, Zack Pearlman, Andrew Rannells, Adam DeVine, Anders Holm and Nat Wolff.

    Directed by Nancy Meyers, the film is slated for a September 25, 2015 release.


    Star power: Robert's costume was finished off with navy trousers and matching plimsolls


    In time: In The Intern, Anne plays Jules Ostin, the founder of a fashion based e-commerce company who hires Robert's character


    Focus: The comedy also stars Rene Russo, Zack Pearlman, Andrew Rannells, Adam DeVine, Anders Holm and Nat Wolff

    A while to wait: Directed by Nancy Meyers, the film is slated for a September 25, 2015 release

    She's rarely been seen away from the set in recent weeks, but between takes earlier in the day, Anne enjoyed some time out with a cuddly companion.

    Keeping herself hidden from what remained of the summer sun, the Academy Award winner found the perfect place to relax with her pup Esmeralda, while covering herself with an umbrella.

    Making herself comfortable, the brunette beauty sprawled out on a green blanket and even took her shoes off before taking snaps of the pooch.


    More like dancing: Anne polished off her attire with flat brogues and a long cardigan

    There are more pix of Anne and her dog if you follow the link in the previous post.
    Gene Ching
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    Marybeth Melendez

    Seems apropos to Staten Island. It's Shaolin, after all....

    Martial arts, social work drive ambitions of Assembly candidate Marybeth Melendez

    Marybeth Melendez fundraiser ****tail party
    By Rachel Shapiro | rshapiro@siadvance.com
    on October 20, 2014 at 8:00 AM, updated October 20, 2014 at 8:01 AM

    STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When Marybeth Melendez gets stressed-out and needs some "me" time, she takes out her old nunchucks and practices.

    It's a throwback to her time as a competitive martial arts athlete and teacher -- all the while being blind and a mother of three.

    Now, Ms. Melendez, a Democrat, is running against Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn). Her national karate competitions were about 16 years ago, but the candidate still carries with her what karate, judo and tae kwon do taught her.

    "Know when to enter, know when to exit; know when it's time to defend and know how much is necessary to get the job accomplished," she said is an understanding that has carried her through her adult life.

    "Throw that in with my social worker experience and I'm a force to be reckoned with."

    Her vision loss seems more empowering to the 48-year-old than it does limiting, especially when she explains what she has done.

    She was born with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic degenerative condition in which eyesight worsens over time.

    "So I knew my entire life I was going to lose my eyesight," she said.

    HELPING PEOPLE IN NEED

    That hasn't limited her from being in the field of social services, first as a social worker and more recently as a clinical therapist, helping people in need of housing, medical services and mental health services navigate the red-tape system and find what they need.

    She crammed in some of this experience when Hurricane Sandy, and before that, Irene, hit

    When Hurricane Irene landed, Ms. Melendez was attending the College of Staten Island and stopped by Edwin Markham Intermediate School, Graniteville, which was being used as a shelter, and offered her services as a social worker.

    Before long, she was put in charge of the crisis center, helping people with the trauma of the event.

    When Hurricane Sandy hit, she stopped by that same school. Again she was put in charge of the crisis center. But this time there was much more work to be done.

    "I slept there for nine nights," she said.

    Many people with medical and mental health needs came in and the shelter lost power and didn't have enough supplies.

    "People were freaking out," Ms. Melendez said. "But remember, in the dark is when I'm the best."

    The trial by fire set her off into her next mission: feeding and clothing people in New Dorp Beach whose homes had been destroyed.

    She collected cooked meals and brought them down to the storm-ravaged neighborhood and from there started offering other basic items to people. Residents spared from the hurricane visited with donations, and soon tables lined several streets in the area.

    She saw many people with needs, from seniors stranded in their homes when Sandy hit because Access-A-Ride was suspended, to people still waiting on the city's Build it Back to get back into their homes.

    She decided to get into politics, a field she had avoided even though high-powered politicians had suggested it to her.

    One of those people is now former Gov. David Paterson, whom she called a mentor and one of her best friends at a fundraiser in Stapleton recently.

    The former governor, also legally blind but seeing more than Ms. Melendez can, attended the event for her at the Staten Island Artists Building on Wave Street.

    Paterson, chairman of the New York State Democratic Party, said Ms. Melendez has served people and championed their causes.

    He said government isn't for those who have great power and great resources, "government is for people who have problems, people who need solutions, people who are looking to have a voice in the same system that they pay taxes to as well."

    Ms. Melendez met Paterson, then the governor, when she was an undergraduate student at CSI. He gave her a recommendation for a competitive fellowship and while she wasn't selected, she got out of it the state's first black -- and blind -- governor as her mentor.

    Another well-known name that she counts among her mentors is former Mayor John Lindsay. She met him while working in a law office, he took her under his wing and made her his legal researcher

    He taught her that ethics, passion and logic are the keys to law and public service -- "that way you can serve the people you really want to serve."

    A HISTORY OF OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

    She recalls a time when she was a young, blind mother, who was forced to retire from her job as a legal researcher and secretary in a law firm at age 23 because of her worsening eyesight. She was more like a single mother because her husband, from whom she is now divorced, was not around much, she said.

    She struggled to find things she could do with her three young children in tow.

    "When you're blind, taking three little kids to the park was terrifying," she said of the years raising her kids in Bay Ridge. She moved to Staten Island just after September 11.

    She and her children started taking lessons at a karate school across the street and it led to her mastery of the sport and she went on to teach it.

    She had been a ballerina as a child and found that "karate is ballet with power."

    Before she was able to harness that power, she had to overcome a bit of adversity.

    She had lost her house in the divorce, was unemployed because of her vision loss, was collecting $1,300 a month in Social Security -- and no landlord would rent to her and her children. She couldn't get social services because her income was "too high."

    "This is why I fight like hell because I get it, I've lived it," she said.

    Knowing firsthand the difficulties for some people in making ends meet, Ms. Melendez said she sees how policies in place don't work.

    "Policy must safeguard and streamline the services and opportunity for people to get ahead," she said. "The policies in place don't do that right now."
    Gene Ching
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    Justin Bieber!

    It's boxing but at least it's under Mayweather.

    OCT 22
    Justin Bieber is training boxing under Floyd Mayweather and he isn't good
    5:56p ET Posted by The Haymaker Crew



    Walking out with Floyd Mayweather wasn't enough? Apparently not for Justin Bieber.
    The wildly popular (if you're a 12-year-old girl) pop singer is actually training boxing under the tutelage of Mayweather, the top boxer on the planet. Does that make Mayweather's gym in Las Vegas the pound-for-pound most irritating place on the planet?
    There is actually video footage of Bieber hitting mitts. The good news is he's better than "The Situation." The bad news? He isn't good at all and he probably thinks he's doing awesome. Bieber's hands are too low, his chin is up in the air and he's throwing nothing but arm punches.
    So, please. Let's hope he takes a few amateur fights soon just for the sheer entertainment value of some blue-collar dude from the Midwest knocking him on his butt.
    Does his entourage know it can't get jump into the ring when Bieber's face is getting punched?
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    Mark Zuckerberg

    Mark Zuckerberg, 'Pushing Hands' Of A Kung Fu Master
    Learning Mandarin is just part of the Facebook founder's ambitious but subtle strategy to return to the Chinese market. Huo Yuanjia (and Ang Lee) would be proud.
    Meiqi An (2014-10-23)



    Mark Zuckerberg has apparently learned more from the Chinese than just Mandarin.

    The Facebook founder wowed the world again this week, handling a 30-minute Q&A in Beijing almost entirely in the Chinese language that he's been privately studying for the past four years. (And yes, he did an admirable if rather-short-of-perfect job with his Mandarin)

    But beyond the language, Zuckerberg has also clearly learned a lesson or two from his Chinese Kung-Fu idol Huo Yuanjia, applying the martial arts “Pushing Hands” technique – using gentle movements to redirect your opponent’s force and undermining his natural instinct – toward his even bigger goal of gettting Facebook back up and running in China.



    The native country of his wife's parents has banned Facebook since 2009. Since then, China is one of currently nine other countries, including Iran, North Korea and Cuba, where the little blue “F” cannot be found on the Internet.

    Instead of attempting direct negotiations with the Chinese authorities as he'd done before, Zuckerberg now appears intent on a more "pushing hands" approach. So there he was on stage promoting Facebook without even mentioning the word “Facebook,” and accepting a place on the board of China's Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management.


    Zuck working the room in Mandarin.

    But also what the social media billionaire said to his Chinese audience showed a master's touch for mixing flattery and sincerity. When he was asked why he is learning Chinese, Zuck said: “There are three reasons that I learn to speak Chinese, the first one is that my wife is Chinese, her family speaks Chinese and her grandmother only speaks Chinese. I want to talk with them. Second reason, I want to learn Chinese culture. China is a great country and I think learning the language can help me get a better knowledge of the culture. And thirdly, Chinese is a very difficult language, and I am a person who loves challenge!”

    He also had a self-deprecating joke ready, recalling that when he told his Chinese-American wife Priscilla Chan that he had trouble listening in Mandarin, she replied that he didn't listen well in English either.


    [Note: Taiwanese-American director Ang Lee, whose first family drama feature was the 1992 Pushing Hands, must be taking notes!]

    Zuckerberg also announced that 20 young Chinese graduates have been hired by Facebook this year, with many more in the years to come. He also sprinkled in a bit of American-Dreamlike inspiration for his hosts: “I created a company not because I wanted to create a company: It is because I want to change the world.”

    But one question seems to linger: Which will be more difficult, learning Chinese or getting Facebook back in the hands of the Chinese people?
    Let's see a Push Hands contest between Zuck & Jack Ma.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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