It’s a hot Saturday afternoon and the 424’s are roaring so loud one can barely hear the distant cries of enthusiasm from the bleachers.Irwindale Speedway has transformed into a jungle of classic cars and Tommie’s ’72 Chevy Monte Carlo is leading the pack. Chevelles, Novas, Dodge Darts; they all whip around the track at lightning speeds, yet none quite as fast as the blue 96 car.Its yellow and silver decals are only a blur from the grandstand vantage point.It’s now or never.It’s white-knuckle time.It’s Tommie Mason.
Tommie has been into racing ever since he can remember.No one is into it more than he is, possibly the same, but no one more.He races his muscle car every other week at the same track he works for: Toyota Speedway of Irwindale.And by ‘works for’ I mean ‘dedicates his life to’.Like I said, racing is Tommie’s life.
Announcing races at the track: Tommie does it.Head of Public Relations: Tommie does it.Track website: Tommie does it.Entertainment promoter: Tommie does it.Filming the races: well, you get the point.The only thing Tommie may not cover is the demolition events.His girlfriend does.
This all came to be once Tommie and his friend Jeffrey Best started their low budget race films back in 2006.It began as a joke as they took an entry level JVC video camera Tommie had received as a Christmas gift to the racetrack.Complete with a non-functional toy microphone they headed up to Willow Springs in Rosamond and pretended to cover an event.Young and naive, they could’ve never imagined what would eventually transpire from this novelty act.Some of those in attendance that day were indeed fooled into believing that Tommie and Jeffrey were actually covering the event.Even the toy microphone was passed off as being genuine.
Eventually they decided to get serious and take the act to Irwindale.They began by interviewing the racers, this time with a real microphone.People began to notice them and before too long they had full permission from the track to film their endeavors, even maintaining 100% licensing on whatever they shot.The track members were so impressed they took it one step further by offering both Tommie and Jeffrey jobs.
Racing has completely consumed Tommie’s life.99% of his time is spent coordinating one thing or the other for the track.Even his love life with his girlfriend Shayla revolves around the speedway, just as the cars do.When asked what he sees for his future Tommie responds, “I don’t care if I just pick up trash, I just want to be involved in racing.”With passion like that, it would be hard to believe anything less for Tommie.
One of the greatest lyricists of all time, GURU (Gifted, Unlimited, Rhymes Universal), passed yesterday at the age of 43. He had been battling with cancer for over a year and had been in a coma since February.
GURU was the voice and one half of the legendary hip hop outfit Gang Starr, which is almost unanimously acclaimed as one of the best hip hop groups of all time. They never reached the commercial success that others had, but in a way, that seemed to add to the true nature and allure of their music.
GURU's lyrics preached righteousness and truth to one's self. He was a man of the people who touched upon real experiences in a voice that proved to be street-tough yet poetic. GURU was a teacher. A professor of day-to-day struggles, whose charismatic rhymes brought peace during rough times.
It's wonderful to see all the love directed at GURU via Twitter and other internet sources today. Proof this man touched many peoples' lives in one way or another. Unfortunately, rumors are spreading quickly about the validity of GURU's final letter to his family, friends, and fans. Speculation has it that Solar, GURU's latest producer and self-proclaimed best friend, actually wrote GURU's final words, which included harsh remarks towards DJ Premier (the other half of Gang Starr). There's plenty more to this story which will keep hip-hop conspirators raving for years to come, I'm sure, but I'd rather keep this post a positive one by remembering all the good things GURU did for us.
So although today is a sad day for music, specifically a struggling hip hop culture that continuously seems to be losing the plot more and more as time goes by, we celebrate your life and the music you left us GURU; may you rest in peace.
Being the newcomer on any kind of scene is never easy. Thick skin and strong will are required. One must prove his or her validity and work hard to gain acceptance. So is the case of Harrison Katz, the 19 year old college student turned local politician.
Katz is running for one of three seats available in this year’s Santa Clarita City Council elections. Yes, the odds are against him, not only due to his age, but also being a democrat running in what is widely regarded a conservative town. Yet none of this has stopped Katz from persevering.
After registering for his candidacy in late December, Katz has tirelessly ran a convincing campaign that has caught the attention of almost an entire town.
But will it be enough?
Nearly 40% of Santa Clarita is under the age of 25, but only 5% are between the ages of 20 and 25. If you add 18 and 19 year olds to the mix, the number would still be under 10% of the voting population. And of that percentage it’s unclear how many will vote.
Not to say that only young adults will be voting for Katz, fresh blood and new perspective make for a persuasive campaign, especially in today’s political climate. And Katz is no stranger to politics. His father, Martin Katz, was Ted Kennedy’s campaign finance director during his run for U.S. president in 1980.
“He’s got an interest in improving the community, he thinks he can bring a unique perspective to the city, and he certainly takes it seriously,” says Martin about his son.
Katz’s previous political experience includes being an aide to a Congressional candidate here in the 25th district, as well as serving as an intern in the Southern California office of the former Lt. Governor. Katz is also the founder and president of COC’s Political Science Club.
Please check out my interview with Katz from earlier this week, and also don’t forget to vote on Tuesday April 13th. More info at http://votesantaclarita.com
President Obama signed the bill today which will end the role of banks as 'middle men' in the lending process for college students.
The signing ceremony, which acts as the final piece to the health care reform law, took place at a Virginia community college just outside of Washington D.C. today.
According to the president, "the banks hired an army of lobbyists" to keep the bill from passing. Obama stood with the American students though, in order to strengthen our nation's education process and help preserve the student loans' true intention: to help advance education, not the bank's profit margin.
LA was thoroughly embarrassed as they were handed their first loss of their 5 game road trip last night by the Oklahoma City Thunder, with a score of 91-75.
The first bad omen was when Phil Jackson called a timeout only 90 seconds into the game. The Thunder's first possession resulted in 2 free throws after grabbing 2 offensive rebounds, while the Lakers' first 2 possessions resulted in turnovers. The Thunder took an early 17-6 lead, and we might as well have called the game there. Russell Westbrook came out hot with 9 early points, and finished 10-13 shooting in the game. Artest was called for 2 early fouls keeping him from playing the type of defense we have come to expect. The Lakers scored only 15 points in the first quarter, their lowest all season.
The 2nd quarter didn't start out any better for the Lakers as the Thunder were able to easily extend their lead to 17. It looked like there might have been a sigh of relief for the Lakers when the red hot Westbrook headed to the locker room after twisting his ankle, but returned after a timeout to score more of his 17 first half points. Kobe had 7 turnovers at the half, and when the Lakers headed into the locker room they were down by 19 with only 34 points. Again, another season low.
I doubt you really want to hear anything about the 3rd quarter. Just know this, the Lakers broke their season low for points in a quarter, for the second time in one night with only 13.
The Lakers threw in the towel down by 33 at the start of the 4th. Adam Morrison and the rest of the bench came out with the team's best quarter scoring 28 points to Oklahoma City's 11, and still suffered a 16 point loss. And in case you weren't already following the trend of the game, the Lakers set another season low with 75 points for the game. The team shot 39% from the field and a whopping 2-15 from three point land.
The Lakers are headed back to Texas tonight to face the Houston Rockets, who are most definitely hungry for Laker blood. The game can be caught locally at 5:30pm on KCAL9 or 710 ESPN Radio.
