JOHNGY'S BEAT
YOUR 316TH BEST SOURCE FOR POP CULTURE NUGGETS
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Thomas Ian Nicholas At Motor City Comic Con 2017
Monday, March 18, 2024
Friend Encounters: Tom Arnold and Jayson Maples
Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.
I met Jayson Maples several years ago at Heroes and Legends Fan Fest in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Maples was the man behind the great show, which featured a full card of matches and several other wrestlers there for a meet-and-greet.
Since then, Maples has promoted several more events, although he has relocated them to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Heroes and Legends XXI has not yet been announced, but I will report on it when it is.
The current Heavyweight champ is Anthony Toatele. My old friend from Resistance Pro Wrestling Sugar Dunkerton is the Smoky Mountain Champ.
Although not at one of his shows, Maples met actor and comedian Tom Arnold. Now there are two characters! Arnold has shown his skills on television, in movies and in clubs. He has been through a lot, but he is still performing.
For more info on Maples and his events, go to HeroesandLegendsWrestling.com. Check back here for my recurring coverage.
Jayson Maples and Tom Arnold in Gatlinburg, TN-July 2022.
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Celebrity Jersey Cards #679 Ryan Seacrest & Bill Stangis
Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing jerseys.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Ryan Seacrest has gained fame as a television host for far too many shows to list. In September, he will add Wheel of Fortune to his already impressive resume. Although a master, Seacrest will have a challenge following legendary Pat Sajak. I have no doubt Seacrest will be okay, but what will the ratings show? Seacrest delighted fans when he wore a Los Angeles Kings game for an on-ice ceremony to earn his Celebrity Jersey card.
Although his resume isn't as varied as Seacrest's. Ralph Strangis is a 7-time Emmy Award winning NHL play-by-play broadcaster. He started in the 1990-91 season with the Minnesota North Stars, moving with them to Dallas and finally retiring after the 2014-15 season. On his personal side, he was a contestant on Press Your Luck in 1984 and won $7,431 in cash and prizes. Of course, Strangis wore a Stars jersey to get on a Celebrity Jersey Card.Saturday, March 16, 2024
Nick Hausman and Haus of Wrestling
Friday, March 15, 2024
Ali Cantarella at C2E2 2020
Thursday, March 14, 2024
CM Punk at C2E2
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Appreciating Joey Roth
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Talking Travel with Jeff Jenkins
My latest interview subject has a passion for travel, a keen business sense and concern for others.. Jeff Jenkins turned his love of travel into his career and he is helping others.
Although it took him a little while to develop his love of travel, once he went on an airplane and started his journeys, he was hooked. Then it was a matter of how to make a career in the travel industry. He did that by looking at himself and what was missing from the business of travel.
As a large person of color, he noticed he was under-represented in travel. With that ChubbyDiaries.com was born. An online community of larger people of color, ChubbyDiaries.com makes the world of travel more inclusive.
Jeff has an interesting story and is such a positive person. We endured a few technical issues, but we persevered and pulled together a fun and informative interview.
Look for the interview video and recap on Global Traveler at Talking Travel with Jeff Jenkins. Also, get more info on Jeff at ChubbyDiaries.com. Lastly, please subscribe to the Global Traveler YouTube channel for all sorts of interesting travel content (and to help my job security LOL).
Monday, March 11, 2024
Friend Encounters: Christy Hemme and Jim Strong
Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.
Music and wrestling are two of my pal Jim's interests. Christy Hemme meets both requirements.
I have known Jim for many years. I first met him when he was photographing wrestling. We don't remember when we first met. He doesn't even remember an event we attended sometime after meeting. Although we knew each other, he doesn't even remember helping me when my camera died and he took pictures of me with wrestlers at a signing.
When I saw former wrestler Hemme was appearing at the Midwest Sports Buffet, I thought I might see Jim there and I did. (Maybe he'll even remember this meeting. LOL)
Hemme debuted in the WWF in 2004. She also worked in Impact Wrestling. Along the way, she also dabbled in music, with her band Hemme. I am a bit biased, but I really liked her music.
Hemme stepped out of the limelight for a while to have a family. She had one child, then had quadruplets. Recently, she started doing appearances. She looks fantastic and more importantly, she is as sweet as can be. She even remembered me, even though I hadn't seen her in years. Back a few years, Hemme was kind enough to do some promos for my site (which can be foun in the far left column).
Midwest Sports Buffet has small conventions about every month or so. Look for Midwest Sports Buffet on Facebook for more info and scheduling. I keep hoping they will bring more wrestlers like Hemme.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Celebrity Jersey Cards #678 Jim Kelly & Gordie Howe
Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing jerseys.
Jim Kelly carved a Hall of Fame career playing quarterback with the Buffalo Bills. He guided the Bills to four straight Super Bowls, but unfortunately came away with no wins. Still, his place as one of the greats cannot be denied. Kelly was honored at a Buffalo Sabres game, thus earning him a Celebrity Jersey Card.
Before there was Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux, there was Gordie Howe, aka Mr. Hockey. Howe played 32 seasons in the NHL and WHA, finally retiring at 51 years old. He actually missed two seasons, when he retired, before returning to play with his sons. Fittingly, he officially retired after the Hartford Whalers joined the NHL. Howe was part of a big celebration in San Jose, when he wore a jersey of a team that came to be a decade after he retired. Either way, it's a classic Celebrity Jersey Card for Howe.