Look To The Stars News: Carlos Mencia

Lovitz Loves the Environment

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:04:00 -0000

SNL alumni Jon Lovitz, comedian/actor Carlos Mencia, actress & Grammy Award winning singer Tia Carrere, and marine life artist Wyland are teaming up for an evening of comedy and environmental education.

The evening will take place at LA’s newest stand-up comedy venue, The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club, on Tuesday, September 8th. Lovitz will headline the show, and there will be a guest performance by comedian/actor Carlos Mencia. The evening will also include a special performances by actress and Grammy Award winning singer Tia Carrere and an appearance by marine life artist and conservationist Wyland.

The main show starts at 8:30 p.m, but fans can take advantage of a rare opportunity to mingle with Lovitz, Mencia, Carrere, and Wyland at an exclusive VIP pre-show reception.

Sponsored by Volvo, the evening will benefit the Wyland Foundation. The foundation wants to dispel the widely-held belief that the ocean is a source of fresh water. According to a recent survey, 45 million Americans (mistakenly) think that it is. The future relies on a well-educated public to make the right choices for the sustainability of our natural resources, long-term economic success, and the overall health of our environment. Funds raised at the comedy event will support Wyland Foundation children’s environmental education program at a time when education budgets are being cut across the country.

Tickets are on sale now at www.thejonlovitzcomedyclub.com. All proceeds will benefit the non-profit Wyland Foundation.

Keanu Reeves Wins Celebrity Motor Race

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:00:00 -0000

It was auto racing at its most thrilling as actor Keanu Reeves prevailed over a highly competitive group of stars of film, television and sports to win the Celebrity Category of the 2009 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. “The King of the Beach,” six-time Toyota Grand Prix winner Al Unser, Jr., finished first among all drivers and won in the Professional category, followed closely by NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Johnny Benson.

Despite enjoying the lead for most of the race, world champion pro skateboarder Danny Way’s hopes of gliding into Victory Circle were dashed when he and Fonzworth Bentley, host of MTV’s “From G’s to Gents,” mixed it up in the ninth lap, giving Reeves the opening he needed to cross the finish line in his race-ready Scion tC only seconds before E! Entertainment Television’s Executive News Editor Ken Baker and comedian Carlos Mencia.

Actress/singer Raven Symone was the first of the drivers to discover – the hard way – how difficult the 1.97-mile street circuit through the downtown streets of Long Beach can be to navigate, but the plucky Disney star remained as upbeat after the race as the jovial Mencia, who surprised everyone with his third-place finish among the Celebrities.

It was Reeves, however, who claimed to be “in shock” at his triumph. “It is such a great feeling,” said the new celebrity champ after the race. “Bentley and I had been going at it for most of the race, but when I got to the last lap and came around the fountain turn I almost couldn’t believe it. I figured, ’I’m just gonna go get it.’”

“This field had the crowd cheering through the entire race,” said Les Unger, Toyota Motor Sales USA national motorsports manager. “Each of the celebrities and the pros were hungry to take home the trophy this year, and they brought their best to the show. Throughout training and practice, they were intensely focused but they also enjoyed the experience, which is exactly what the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is all about.”

In the Professional Category, Unser overcame the pros’ 30-second handicap by the eighth lap and held off the scrappy Benson and Southern California Toyota Dealer representative Tom Rudnai, president of Longo Toyota in El Monte, Calif., who came in third overall. The 2008 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race winner, ESPN/ABC pit reporter Jamie Little, came in fifth among the Pros.

Mencia echoed the feelings of the rest of the drivers, concluding by complimenting Unser, saying, “It was humbling to be in this thing with a guy [like Unser] who has dominated this track for so many years, and still he made us feel great about being here, smiling and giving us tips. He was always smiling…even when he passed us on the track he was smiling!”

Toyota will donate $5,000 to Racing for Kids in the name of each celebrity racer, and another $5,000 to the winning racer’s charity of choice. Racing for Kids is a national non-profit program benefiting children’s hospitals in Long Beach and Orange County, Calif. Toyota has donated $1.7 million on behalf of the race and it participants and various children hospitals since 1991.

Additionally, a $15,000 donation was made in conjunction with the annual “PEOPLE Pole Award.” Sponsored by PEOPLE magazine, the award was given to Danny Way, this year’s pole-position winner of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race qualifying session. Way selected the Action Sports Environmental Coalition (ASEC) as his charity, to support ASEC’s mission of progressive eco-education and empowering people to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. Way is hoping the funds generated by the “PEOPLE Pole Award” will enable ASEC to build a “green” skate park for kids in Hawaii.

Keanu Reeves To Race For Charity

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Actors Keanu Reeves and Luke Wilson are among the many stars set to take to the race track in this year’s Toyota Pro/Celebrity Grand Prix.

The celebrity race has been held every year since 1977, and has attracted stars such as Gene Hackman, Jason Bateman, Rick Schroder, Stephen Baldwin, Donny Osmond, Sean Patrick Flanery, Nancy Lieberman, Daniel Goddard and Josh Brolin. Last year’s race was won by ESPN/ABC pit reporter for NASCAR Nationwide Jamie Little.

Every year, Toyota donates $5,000 to Racing for Kids, a non-profit program benefiting children’s hospitals in Southern California, in the name of each celebrity racer, and another $5,000 to the winner’s charity of choice. The car company has donated close to $1.6 million to various children’s organizations since 1991.

This year’s participants will drive Scion tCs in a 10-lap race, as part of the 35th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, on April 18. Other celebrities taking part this year include Adrien Brody, Alex Trebek, Tyson Beckford, Raven Symone, Jon Hamm, Tim Daly, Eric Close, 24’s Mary Lynn Rajskub, comedian Carlos Mencia and E!’s Ken Baker.

More info about the event can be found here.

Eva Longoria To Join Stars At Cancer Gala

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Padres Contra el Cancer – a non-profit organization committed to improving the quality of life for Latino children with cancer and their families – will celebrate its Eighth Annual Fund-Raising Gala, EL SUENO DE ESPERANZA, on Tuesday, October 7.

Chaired by Eva Longoria, the event has a theme of “An Evening for Celebration and Hope” and will pay tribute to the organization’s extraordinary children and families.

Joining Longoria for the evening will be Padres Ambassadors Yancey Arias, Adrian Bellani, Angelica Castro, Matt Cedeno, Beto Cuevas, Cristian de la Fuente, plus guests such as Jessica Alba, Billy Bush, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Marcia Cross, Oscar De La Hoya, Jamie Foxx, Terrence Howard, Felicity Huffman, Mario Lopez, Constance Marie, Carlos Mencia, Brittany Murphy, Ana Ortiz, Tony Parker, Ken Paves, Paulina Rubio, Roselyn Sanchez, Ryan Seacrest, Jessica Simpson, and many others.

Tickets to the event – which will take place at Hollywood and Highland’s Grand Ballroom in the Kodak Theatre – cost $1,000 and can be purchased here.

Celebrity Soccer Match Scores For Charities

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:24:53 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

Former US soccer player/World Cup champion Mia Hamm and her husband, Major League Baseball player Nomar Garciaparra, have rallied some of their closest celebrity friends for a charity soccer match benefiting Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Mia Hamm Foundation.

Nearly 6,000 fans attended the event at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, on January 26 to witness celebrities play the “beautiful game” while raising awareness about bone marrow disease. Fittingly enough, it was Mia Hamm who scored the first goal for her team, while Garciaparra coached his team from the sidelines, unable to play due to Major League Baseball restrictions.

“No one else has an event like this, where they get to go out and play soccer,” said Garciaparra.

The Celebrity Soccer Challenge, which aims to be an annual event, was inspired by the loss of Hamm’s brother.

“I understand the pain of bone marrow disease first hand,” explains Hamm on her website. “In 1997, my brother Garrett passed away from complications related to aplastic anemia. Through an all-star exhibition soccer match, we are able to raise awareness and funds for bone marrow disease research, and to support families through the marrow transplant process. It was clearly my most satisfying moment away from the field.”

Through her foundation, Mia Hamm has brought her competitive spirit to the field and beyond in support of raising funds and awareness for bone marrow transplant patients.

“You change a family’s life — not just the recipient’s, but the entire family’s life – forever,” she said. “You change that despair and struggle they’ve had, and give them an opportunity for hope.”

During halftime, Hamm appealed to the audience to get tested for the National Marrow Donor Program Registry, while recipients of transplants were also on hand to tell their stories.

“If I got just one more person signed up, that’s one more opportunity that someone out there has,” she said.

Hamm inspired at least one participant to take action – Paul Caliguri, who was playing on team Nomar United.
“During halftime, I heard the stories and I was so moved,” said Caliguri. “I’m registered now. It’s fantastic. I ran up the stairs and came back before the end of the game.”

Team Mia FC’s roster included such celebrities as retired Baseball pro Mike Lieberthal, New England Revolution players Taylor Twellman & Pat Noonan, Chris Albright of the U.S. Men’s Soccer team, actor Milo Ventimiglia, comedians Andy Samberg and Seth Myers of Saturday Night Live fame, soccer hero Eric Wynalda, actor Eric Braeden, actress Elizabeth Shue, and Ty Pennington.

“I’m friends with Mia, because she was on the show with us one time,” said Pennington, host of ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’. “Shining a light on the bone marrow thing is really cool. I lost a cousin to it, but another friend of mine fought it and won. There really is hope out there. A cotton swab [the testing method for the registry often is a cheek cell sample] goes a long way.”

Team Nomar United included skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, musician Rivers Cuomo, US soccer player Landon Donovan, actress Bianca Kajlich, Ted Colleti, actor/comedian Carlos Mencia, Dodgers VP Kim Ng, Peter Vagenas of the LA Galaxy, and actor/activist Anthony LaPaglia.

The light-hearted game, which was played with lax rules, even gave some celebrities a chance to play against their own heros: “I was pretty stoked to play with Tony Hawk,” said Paul Caliguri, a member of Team Normar United. “I was trying to feed him the ball so he could score, but maybe he needed a skateboard to do that.”

More praise came from Rivers Cuomo of the band Weezer, who knocked in Nomar United’s first goal: “It was a dream come true,” Cuomo said. “Passing with Landon Donovan and going against Mia Hamm — it’s just unreal. I was terrified, but I was so excited that the excitement overcame the terror.”

And perhaps the highest praise came from Los Angeles Galaxy’s general manager Alexi Lalas: “As far as I’m concerned, Mia Hamm in the soccer community is royalty – so when the queen calls, you go.”

Donations from the Celebrity Soccer Challenge will benefit bone marrow transplant patients and their families. All proceeds from the event will benefit funds set up at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Look To The Stars News: Carlos Mencia

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