I watched Whip It twice. I watched it on the way from Narita to Chicago last week. I watched it again on my way back from Chicago to Narita earlier this week. Whoever chooses in-flight movies for American Airlines has good taste. Whip It (2009) is all about the raunchy, raucous world of roller derby.

What is roller derby? It is quite simply hot girls on roller skates. Well, at least that’s how it should be. I remember watching roller derby back in the 80’s on channel 13. For some reason, the mixed-gender L.A. Thunderbirds made lazy Saturday afternoons more bearable. Whip It, through its modern take on an American classic sport, makes all-girls roller derby as hip as Band of Outsiders deck shoes.

I was cautious about the movie. It reeked sappy chick flick during the first 5 minutes. Then, lead character Bliss (played by Ellen Page a.k.a that girl from Juno) is introduced to roller derby.

That’s when the fun starts. Bliss meets the members of the Hurl Scouts roller derby team; Maggie Mayhem (Saturday Night Live’s Kristen Wiig), Rosa Sparks (Eve), Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore). Bliss also collides with lead villain Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) and meets the Michael Buffer of Roller Derby “Hot Tub” Johnny Rocket (Jimmy Fallon). Lots of legs, cleavage, short shorts, girls crashing against girls, a hot tub scene with two roller derby girls, more legs, more cleavage and more girls crashing against girls; what’s not to like?

Hey, it’s a sport.

And it’s also a fun movie to watch. Whip It’s delectable cinematography and kickass soundtrack helped make an 11-hour flight a walk in the park or a relaxing skate on the rink. I suppose knowing the movie was also directed by Drew Barrymore makes it all the more chic. Besides, any film that features a) 38 Special’s Caught Up In You in a montage b) a scene featuring a collection of vinyl records and c) two roller derby girls in a hot tub is a legitimate, real-deal cool movie to me. This, my friend, is a chick-flick with balls. MH    

Notes from Game 1 of the PBA Finals between Purefoods and Alaska:

• Final Score Purefoods 81-Alaska 77
• Best Player: Marc Pingris 13 pts 6/9 FG 13 rebs 2 assists 2 blocks
• Purefoods limited Alaska to just 77 points in Game 1, matching Alaska’s lowest output this conference. Guess which team was responsible for Alaska’s previous 77-point game? Purefoods.

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Chicago, IL - This time we had better seats. Unfortunately, we didn’t see a better game. When we watched the Bulls-Knicks game at the United Center last Saturday, we were seated all the way up in what is the equivalent of Upper Box A if we use the Araneta Coliseum as reference. For the Bulls-Sixers game last night, I received 4 complimentary tickets from the NBA Commissioner’s Office.

We didn’t know how good our seats would be. All I knew was that they should be better than the 60 USD seats we had days ago. As it turned out, I was right.

We were guided to Section 112, just three rows away from the basketball court and two steps away from Vince Vaughn.

My sincerest thanks to Joanitte Rodriguez, Senior Manager for  the NBA’s International Distribution, and Martin David, BTV Network Manager, for helping us secure such a great view of the game.

Okay we had a fantastic view of a not-so-fantastic game. Well, if you’re a Bulls fan, I guess the outcome was as good as a dramatic one-point win at the buzzer. The Bulls gored the Sixers as early as the first half. Derrick Rose blasted by opponents. Kirk Hinrich knocked home open jumpers. Taj Gibson was a force on both offense and defense. By the end of the third quarter, the game was over. The Bulls eventually notched their 4th straight win and looked like a legitimate playoff team on the floor.

In contrast, the Sixers have had an up and down season. They win against big teams, then, they lose big to mid-level teams. The three biggest names on their roster are Allen Iverson, Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand.

Iverson really looked like a senior citizen out there last night. He still has that boyish defiance in his eyes. He used to defy odds, criticism, authority. Nowadays, he’s preoccupied with defying father time. Never knew sporting cornrows had no age limit. It’s always tough to watch a former 6-feet force of nature finally succumb to gravity. Hey Iverson can still light it up. He has 6 games with 20 or more points to prove it. Last night, however, he looked more like a 14-year veteran than a 2010 All-Star.

The Bulls’ biggest name is one of the league’s youngest stars. Rose is the cornerstone of a franchise that hopes to sustain what it started last season. He shoots, rebounds and distributes. The only thing he doesn’t do for the organization is dress up as Benny the Bull.

And the Bulls have surrounded Rose with acrobats. Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and new acquisition Hakim Warrick help Rose in the speed department. Gibson and Warrick even conspired for several open-court slam dunks against the Sixers. While Brad Miller and Kirk Hinrich, who became the Bulls’ all-time 3-point FG leader last night, provide experience, it is Rose who’ll determine if Chicago blossoms in the playoffs or not. MH    

The all-access media pass around my neck was my ticket to All Star Heaven, come game time on All Star Sunday.

Walking the hallways of the (gigantic, gargantuan, enormous) Dallas Cowboys Stadium, I could easily amble into high security areas, and just as easily pass and bump into countless athletes and celebrities.

Standing outside the stadium, in the freezing cold and icy wind. Thanks for ruining the shot, JWebb

Just to give you an idea of how unbelievable this structure is, it seats 80,000 people, but can comfortably house 100,000 (with SRO). There are more than 3000 LCD TVs located around the stadium, so you never miss the action on the floor no matter where you are.

Plus, there are all sorts of food counters, swanky bar areas, private function rooms, private glass viewing rooms, and even a binoculars rental place.

Jeezus

Check it:  a) every. single. All Star. walking around easily and unguarded in the areas around their locker rooms b) literally bumping into Usher and Shakira backstage c) passing the backstage TNT camera set-ups with the likes of Sheryl Miller and David Aldridge hanging around before going on cam).

Walking courtside out in the arena, I could slip past the heavyset guards into the restricted access areas surrounding the actual court (plus: a) walking by the TNT set-up again, with Charles Barkley sitting around, b) checking out the elevated court firsthand a.k.a. attempting to touch court with fingers, c) stargazing, with celebs such as Shaq, Diddy, and Floyd Mayweather literally a stone’s throw away)

Everyone setting up on court and in the TV areas before the game

The 2010 All Star Game broke the Guinness World record for most people in attendance at a sporting event, with a total number of spectators clocking in at 108,713

Watching the first quarter  up in the press box

Mico and Jason’s set-up was at a great spot by the court, and Shaq’s seat was right in front of them. In fact, whenever the camera panned Shaq, the Philippine flag was visible at the upper right hand corner, and Mr. Mico Halili, at one point, even stuck his hand into the frame and waved at the camera.

Mico and Jason, proudly representing the flag

That’s me and THE BACK OF SHAQ’S HEAD!!!

Karla and I got lost countless times trying to find our way around the stadium, and of course, camwhored to death, weaving in and out of the biggest names in sports, showbusiness, politics, and the like.

Karla and I with the Bobcats mascot at courtside. The day before, the Dallas Mavs Man hugged me from behind at the American Airlines Center while I was doing an on-cam spiel, so I just included him in the spiel!

This is where we were at halftime: Right by the pathway of the players to head back to the locker rooms.
Here’s Dwight, KG and Paul Pierce

Amare and Bosh

Lebron right in front of me

Shooting spiels at courtside after the game was over
So maybe the Slam Dunk Contest was the worst most people can remember. Or reactions from NBA fans on Twitter and Facebook have surfaced, claiming that there wasn’t much action and excitement at this year’s All Star Weekend, which I beg to disagree with.

The game itself broke records of people in attendance for any sporting event, the stadium played a huge, exciting role in the event, and the players themselves got down and dirty on the court. I don’t remember a recent All Star Game being this competitive, and this fiercely fought out till the end. Whatever your sentiment may be about the 2010 All Star Weekend, I have chronicled our own amazing experiences in Dallas in this blog.

It was pretty awesome.

Nash and Kidd: I love you Steve!

That’s all folks!

I have never been as crazy starstruck as I was on this day. Sshhh, don’t tell anyone, cause it could actually get me into trouble. As members of the media, we’re expected to behave professionally and are not allowed to have photos with or ask for autographs from the players.

We headed into the East/West All Star practices in the Dallas Convention Center mid-morning, which was available to the media and to the public (although, obviously, they didn’t have the same access to the court we did) It was quite a spectacle, with the Harlem Globetrotters and other dancers performing in between practices, and special contests and shootouts going on in a little show with the players, for the benefit of the crowd.

It was quite a struggle, elbowing my way through hordes of international reporters, writers, cameramen and the like, but check out who I got to interview!

Some folks from the NBA initially thought was Mico was JET LI! So we made him pose like him in our hotel lobby.

East All Stars at center court

“If Jesus payin Lebron, then I’m payin Dwyane Wade.” – Jay-Z

Whatta photo. Wade. James. Johnson.

Lakeshow stars: Pau and Kobe swarmed by media

Interviewing Al Horford

Interviewing Chauncey Billups

Mico and I fighting over Deron Williams

Trying to inch closer to Dirk

Gotcha! Dirk and Pau Gasol were the nicest, most sincere interviewees the entire All Star Weekend

The King! I was underneath that gaggle of arms, recorders and microphones. I kid you not.
Karla took this shot from outside

Interviewing Derrick Rose

Interviewing Tim Duncan

Talking to Pau Gasol. That’s really the back of my head! Check out the BTV logo on the mic

With Dwight. He recorded a message for all Filipino ball fans, saying he wants to come and visit the country, pronto! Calling all possible people who can make this happen!!! Watch for the video on BTV

Interviewing Chris Bosh

Waiting for Amare

Back at the American Airlines Center in the evening for All Star Saturday! With Karla and Donna in the press area