LeBron James May Be in Spike Lee Film

[Gina1201]

I saw him on 106 & Park. He's cute but I HOPE that his parents do the RIGHT thing with the money that he will be earning.

What's next?

[AKA2D '91]

They were just on Regis and Kelly. He is too cute. His father emphasized that this child has other interest, not only basketball.

His mother didn't look too . I am assuming the lady the little fellow kissed was his mom.


The funny thing about the child is that he was in his own world. He really wasn't paying any attention to Kelly, Pat Sajack or his father.

[Perseverance]

I also saw that little boy on Regis and Kelly and he was in his own little world. He just got the basketball while they were talking.
My six year old son was watching it with me and he was like "He's just throwing the ball, he's not shooting right". Then he proceeded in demonstrating the correct way to shoot. lol It was funny because it was true. I hope that everything works out for the best.

[CrimsonTide4]

Just saw the Mark Walker commercial; adorable little boy; now we are going to be overwhelmed with precocious kids and overbearing parents.

[Steeltrap]

This story is about a 12-year-old, 5-10 Black British runway model named Gerren Taylor. Supposedly, she's the next Naomi Campbell. She's cute, but I don't think that women over 35, who have REAL money for high fashion, will buy into a 12-year-old catwalk queen...



This is
LONDON
14/05/03 - Fashion section

'New Naomi' is only 12
By Peta Bee, Evening Standard

Gerren Taylor is perched nervously backstage, watching in awe as Alexander McQueen puts the final touches to the clothes draped on angular models who are smoking cigarettes through painted lips. Despite this being Gerren's catwalk debut, at 5ft 10in, with full lips, clear skin and long legs visible under a sparkly dress, she blends into the melee perfectly. The only difference is that she is not yet in her teens. Her agent has told her not to open her mouth, worried her voice will betray how young she is.

"Whatever you do, just don't act like you're 12," he warns. Although the McQueen organisers are aware of her age, no one wants to draw attention to it.

Her agent confides that she has been practising her walk in front of a mirror. Any nerves seem to evaporate, though, as she saunters down the catwalk, giving no one cause to believe she is anything but an experienced model. Afterwards, her agent excitedly declares her a hit - "Everyone loved her!" - and Gerren herself is unfazed by the stir she has caused. "I guess I'm just a natural," she says, grinning.

Despite her age, Gerren is currently the fashion world's hottest property. She is the youngest person ever to be signed with the LA Models agency and is being fêted as the next Naomi Campbell. As well as making her debut at the McQueen show in the US, she has appeared in seven catwalk shows, done a shoot for Teen Vogue magazine, and is in the new advert for Volvo. This week she will be a guest on 20/20, the high-profile American chat show, and next weekend she will be working with David Beckham's favourite designer, Roberto Cavalli.

This is all a sharp contrast with her home life - she isn't allowed to wear make-up when she's not working, and her bedroom floor is covered with Barbie dolls, skates and schoolwork. She never misses volleyball practice or church meetings. "If modelling goes pearshaped," she says, "I want to be a vet." And, like many pre-teens, she eats junk food by the bucketful.


Her steep rise to success began last year when she was handed a flyer for a modelling competition while out shopping with her mother, Michele, near their West LA home. "A woman gave Gerren an entry form. It offered a $250,000 contract prize," says Michele. "I told her she was too young to enter but that, if she was really keen, we would visit an agency.

"LA Models' address was on the back so we went there." Heinz Holba, the agency's director, signed Gerren on the spot and has been inundated with requests for her to work ever since.

Many clients, including McQueen, are astounded by her physical maturity. Her agent has been told on numerous occasions that she has the presence of Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen and Jerry Hall on the catwalk - all models who achieved their first international success before they hit 16. Holba says: "We don't use her age to sell her. If anything, we try to keep the focus away from it because people expect some immature schoolgirl."

Not all the publicity has been positive. The fact that a 12-year-old model is in regular work has renewed the argument about whether using very young girls in advertising campaigns or on the catwalk is ethical. While designers love their boyish frames and perfect skin, many argue that pre-pubescent girls should not be working in an environment that is often bitchy, highly competitive and image obsessed. "Backstage is not a place for a 12-year-old," says one stylist. "The girls are often semi-naked, frequently smoking and drinking."

The fashion world has begun to take steps to protect young girls. In France, the Chambre Syndicale, organisers of Paris Fashion Week, have imposed a lower limit of 16 for catwalk work. In Milan, though, a lack of regulation has seen girls such as the Estonian model, Tiiu, treading the catwalk at just 15. A spokesperson for Select Models in London confirms: "There isn't a specific law about age - it's more an unspoken rule within the industry. Our youngest girls are 13 or 14. If we see someone younger, we'll just keep an eye on them until they are older."

Likewise, a spokesperson for Condé Nast, publishers of Vogue and Glamour, says: "We have a policy of not using underage models in any of our titles. All our fashion models are 16 or above." Michele is aware that her decision to support her daughter's career is controversial, but insists her daughter isn't being exploited. When Gerren was asked to pose provocatively at one shoot recently, she was marched out by her mother. "They asked her to pull up her skirt a bit and I said 'No, that is not going to happen.'"

Still, that hasn't prevented several searing attacks appearing on feminist websites, but Michele remains undeterred. "It was Gerren who expressed a wish to become a model and I am simply supporting that. It is all fun to her. She couldn't do child modelling because she is too tall, and she earns more as an adult. But the day she stops enjoying it is the day I'll say 'That's it, enough!'"

Michele, 42, attends every photo shoot, casting call and backstage show with her daughter. She admits it is as much a learning process for her. "I am aware that there are aspects of modelling that are unsavoury," she says.

"Many of the experienced girls have told me about the eating disorders, the drugs and drink. The agency protects her to make sure she is not exposed to that side of things."


As a single mother - "I am not separated or divorced from Gerren's father, let's just say he is absent" - with no other children, Michele laughs off accusations that she is a gold digger. After working as a freelance TV editor for years, she is now also studying to become a film director. "I make enough money myself. Every cent that Gerren makes is being put into an account that she can't access until she is 18," she says. "Yes, she can have money to buy clothes and things she wants, but it is not going to affect her upbringing." Besides, she says, for many of her assignments, Gerren has been paid in clothes, such as a Richard Tyler black evening gown, rather than cash.

If the current attention is anything to go by, her limited earnings won't stay that way for long. New York model agencies are hammering on the door to get her on their books; designers such as Richard Tyler are queuing up to work with her, and Alexander McQueen wants her back on his catwalk later this year.

Next stop is likely to be London. "She is desperate to go there," Michele says. "But I don't want her to miss her childhood, and she can't fall behind with her grades. She is still a child. There is plenty of time for Gerren Taylor the model."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Find this story at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifean...5814?version=1
©2003 Associated New Media

[FeeFee]

Couldn't they wait until Gerren was at least 16 or 17?? Sheesh!!!! How long is she supposed to not act her age????

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by FeeFee
Couldn't they wait until Gerren was at least 16 or 17?? Sheesh!!!! How long is she supposed to not act her age????

I agree. That mom, IMO, is taking advantage.
At least Naomi Campbell was about 16 when she started, I recall. She was born in 1970, and I think I first started hearing about her in 1986 or '87.

[ykimber]

I just had to let yall know about this! I was at the bookstore the other day and they had never to have a book about Lebron James its called Lebron James and I looked on line and ther is also another book called King James: Believe the Hype - the LeBron James Story. I can't believe this little boy has books about him already and he hasn't even done anything yet!

[CrimsonTide4]

LeBron James Signs Deal With Sprite
19 minutes ago


ATLANTA - LeBron James has signed a six-year marketing deal with Powerade and Sprite.


Coca-Cola Co., the parent company of both drink brands, has stopped running Sprite ads featuring Kobe Bryant (news), who is charged with sexually assaulting a woman in Colorado. Company spokesman Scott Williamson said Thursday that the deal with James — this year's No. 1 pick — was "unrelated to Kobe Bryant's situation."


James has already secured over $100 million in endorsement deals, including a $90 million contract with Nike in May. The Coke deals comes a week after sports-drink company Gatorade pulled out of negotiations with the Cleveland Cavaliers (news).


James twice was named Gatorade's player of the year, and it had been assumed he would become one of its pitchmen, following in the footsteps of his idol, Michael Jordan.


His new deal with Powerade and Sprite will include advertising, promotions and appearances.


"I have been drinking Sprite and Powerade for a long time," James said in a statement. "I have always admired the way Sprite and Powerade spoke to young people and athletes, and I can't wait to be a part of it."


In addition to the Nike deal, James has signed a $6 million contract with Upper Deck trading cards.


The 18-year-old Akron, Ohio, basketball star entered the NBA draft out of high school. He has a $13 million contract with the Cavaliers.

[abaici]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
LeBron James Signs Deal With Sprite
19 minutes ago


ATLANTA - LeBron James has signed a six-year marketing deal with Powerade and Sprite.


Coca-Cola Co., the parent company of both drink brands, has stopped running Sprite ads featuring Kobe Bryant (news), who is charged with sexually assaulting a woman in Colorado. Company spokesman Scott Williamson said Thursday that the deal with James — this year's No. 1 pick — was "unrelated to Kobe Bryant's situation."


James has already secured over $100 million in endorsement deals, including a $90 million contract with Nike in May. The Coke deals comes a week after sports-drink company Gatorade pulled out of negotiations with the Cleveland Cavaliers (news).


James twice was named Gatorade's player of the year, and it had been assumed he would become one of its pitchmen, following in the footsteps of his idol, Michael Jordan.


His new deal with Powerade and Sprite will include advertising, promotions and appearances.


"I have been drinking Sprite and Powerade for a long time," James said in a statement. "I have always admired the way Sprite and Powerade spoke to young people and athletes, and I can't wait to be a part of it."


In addition to the Nike deal, James has signed a $6 million contract with Upper Deck trading cards.


The 18-year-old Akron, Ohio, basketball star entered the NBA draft out of high school. He has a $13 million contract with the Cavaliers.

I guess I shouldn't have worried so much about the HUMMER controversy. The little boy is getting PAID! LOL

[CrimsonTide4]

LeBron passes first test, leads Cavs to win

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer
October 8, 2003
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- LeBron James showed he can run with the big boys. He can make behind-the-back passes, ferocious dunks and grab monster rebounds against them, too.

In his first NBA exhibition game, James ran the show.

Just as he has always done.

ADVERTISEMENT


Cleveland's rookie played like a seasoned veteran Tuesday night, showcasing a dazzling range of skills while leading the Cavaliers to a 100-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

``I'm back to winning again,'' he said.

For one game -- James' first against a legitimate pro team -- the ceaseless hype must be believed.

This wasn't a Summer League with a roster full of retreads and rookies he was facing. These were the Pistons, who had the Eastern Conference's best record last season.

James might never be able to match the ridiculous expectations being placed upon him, but with eight points, seven assists, three rebounds and two blocked in 26 minutes, the 18-year-old star convinced more than 20,000 fans, over 100 credentialed media members and the Pistons that he's for real.

``His feel for the game is unbelievable,'' Pistons guard Richard Hamilton said. ``He knows how to play the game, even at 18.''

During an extended stretch in the third quarter, James was the most active player on the floor.

``He took over when he had to,'' Cavaliers coach Paul Silas said.

James opened the second half by hitting an open jumper, and then made two gorgeous passes on the break that his teammates were unable to convert into baskets.

Moments later, he took a crisp crosscourt feed from Darius Miles, but instead of catching it, he made a no-look touch pass to Ricky Davis for an easy basket.

``That's a gift,'' said Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson. ``That's Magic (Johnson) and (Larry) Bird being able to recognize that.''

Feeding off James' unselfishness, the Cavaliers outscored the Pistons 25-16 in the period to open a 23-point lead. Even Davis, who rarely passes up any shot, was in the giving mood and finished with four assists.

Detroit coach Larry Brown already noticed a big difference in the Cavaliers with James around.

``I don't ever remember them passing the ball,'' Brown said.

James admitted to being nervous before the game, and the butterflies might have contributed to an off night from the floor as he shot just 4-of-12.

But his passing more than made up for the misfires.

Midway through the first quarter, James came off the baseline and as he dribbled across the lane, a Detroit defender stepped in front of him. James then delivered a no-look, behind-the-back bounce to center Zydrunas Ilgauskas for a dunk.

Of his seven assists, that was James' favorite.

``I see a lot of things before some of my teammates even see it,'' James said, ``so I'm going to try to put them in position where they can score a basket.''

He was greeted with a mixture of boos and cheers during pregame introductions, and one fan paraded around the Palace with a sign that read: ``King of Over Hype''.

That wasn't all. As James got ready for the start of the second quarter, a heckler sitting behind the scorer's table got his attention.

``Hey, LeBron, your Hummer is ugly,'' the fan yelled, referring to the sports utility vehicle that led to an investigation during James' senior season by Ohio high school officials.

James had a quick reply. He turned and smiled.


Updated on Wednes

[Steeltrap]

http://www.courierjournal.com/cjspor...0703-7097.html

Meet Auri Allen, who is 12 years old, 6-foot-9 and 310 lbs.

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally posted by Steeltrap
http://www.courierjournal.com/cjspor...0703-7097.html

Meet Auri Allen, who is 12 years old, 6-foot-9 and 310 lbs.

DAYUM!!!

[Gina1201]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
DAYUM!!!

Cosign!! I could not get over this: "Allen wears an XXXL T-shirt and size-18 shoes". I feel sorry for his parents having to buy his clothes. But then again, since they are both tall also, they are probably used to searching for clothes. I wonder what his final height will be.

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by Gina1201
Cosign!! I could not get over this: "Allen wears an XXXL T-shirt and size-18 shoes". I feel sorry for his parents having to buy his clothes. But then again, since they are both tall also, they are probably used to searching for clothes. I wonder what his final height will be.

I wonder, too. But in the story, I'm tripping that Big Brother Shaq bought Auri 10 pairs of shoes.