MTV News |
- Lil Wayne's Jail Time: A Prison Guard Breaks Down His Routine
- Lloyd Banks' <i>V5</i> Is 'Going Back' To His Roots
- Lil Wayne Talks Seven New Videos, Including One For Drake, In Pre-Jail Clip
- Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony Features Neil Young, Michael Buble
- Jennifer Lopez Spoofs 'We Are The World,' Olympics On 'SNL'
- Nicki Minaj Pulls Double Duty For BET's 'Rip The Runway'
- Inward Eye Pay Tribute To Vancouver At Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony
- Neil Young's 'Long May You Run': Behind The Olympic Closing Ceremony Song
- Daniel Radcliffe Is 'Hypnotized' By Olympic Curling
- Olympic Skeleton Racer Katie Uhlaender Gets A Lesson From Carl Lewis
| Lil Wayne's Jail Time: A Prison Guard Breaks Down His Routine Posted: 01 Mar 2010 04:15 AM PST Rapper is expected to start one-year prison sentence Tuesday.
Now that Lil Wayne's teeth are in order, the superstar MC is expected once again to turn himself in to authorities, this time on Tuesday, to finally begin his one-year prison sentence stemming from a 2007 arrest on gun charges.
The rapper will be formally sentenced in a Manhattan courtroom by Judge Charles H. Solomon after last month's postponement due to Wayne's dental surgery. Wayne is scheduled to enter his plea, and authorities will then whisk him away for processing at New York's Rikers Island. There, Weezy's world will be unlike anything he's experienced before in his life. According to a prison guard who spoke with MTV News, the Cash Money lyricist's hectic life of recording, touring and performing will be replaced by a regimented routine that features wakeup calls at 4 a.m. and dinner at 3 p.m. The guard, who declined to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the information, said Wayne should be treated like a regular inmate for the most part, obvious safety concerns aside. "He'll be housed with inmates who are classified in his category, and he'll be able to be a regular inmate," the guard said. "He'll be able to watch television, go into the day room and congregate with people of his classification." Wayne's classification, however, will most likely be decided based in part on his fame, the guard said. The guard also suggested Wayne would be placed in the Eric M. Taylor Center at Rikers, on the north side of the facility in East Elmhurst, New York. "It's a high-class area where he will be segregated from [the general] population," the guard explained. The rapper, though, won't be in a dormitory setting, as a retired corrections officer told MTV News last month. He'll likely have his own 10-by-15-foot cell with a toilet, sink, bed and one window. "He'll be able to see another wall [outside the window]," the guard said. Wayne also will not be able to make many of his own decisions during his incarceration, including what recreation he participates in and the option to work. "He probably won't be assigned a job, just to keep things quiet," the guard said, alluding to the rapper's safety and the overall safety of the unit he's placed in. When Wayne graced the cover of Rolling Stone recently, he said he would bring an iPod loaded with music he could write to; the guard, however, emphasized that an mp3 player would be classified as contraband, meaning the rapper would not be permitted to have one. Weezy will have plenty of downtime, though, of which he can choose how he passes the time. In between the rapper's 4 a.m. wakeup calls for breakfast, 11 a.m. lunchtimes, 3 p.m. dinners and evening lights out, he has a number of options. He's allowed to receive two visits per week, which can be any day of the week or weekends at various times. With his commissary money, he can purchase a transistor radio. It's unlikely that he'll visit the law library, as he has no appeal to make for his case; he's widely expected to be released after eight months if he serves with good behavior. If he wishes to participate in religious activity, he can be excused to visit the places of worship within the prison. Throughout Wayne's sentence, he'll have an intermittent amount of time to interact with fellow inmates. According to the guard, that decision is one that is made by the governing officers of the facility to keep things orderly. For the most part, Wayne will be isolated and treated like any other numbered prisoner at Rikers Island. "He'll have no preferable treatment at all. He'll be treated like a regular inmate," the guard said, with one added caveat: "He may have heightened security. A guard will walk with him when he moves from location to location." Related Videos |
| Lloyd Banks' <i>V5</i> Is 'Going Back' To His Roots Posted: 01 Mar 2010 04:15 AM PST 'Just reflecting back in the studio,' he tells Mixtape Daily of the new tape.
This Week's Main Pick Street Kings: Lloyd Banks and DJ Whoo Kid Holding It Down For: The G-Unit Mixtape: V5
Real Spit: Two days before we were originally supposed to shoot the Lloyd Banks Mixtape Daily segment, the G-Unit rapper was arrested in Canada on assault charges. While waiting on his trial, Banks has bounced back with the hit single "Beamer, Benz or Bentley" with Juelz Santana. The entire G-Unit is currently on a two-month European tour, but their youngest member left a gift for the streets on the Net. Yes, we got Banks in front of the cameras to perform a record from the mixtape for the first time. Banks started his latest round of mixtape rampaging toward the end of 2008. The onetime Mixtape Artist of the Year at the Justo Awards said he had to get his spot back. "Just reflecting back in the studio," Banks said of his underground assault. "Just going back. People always say, 'Go back to your first album,' I went back further than that. All the success came from [my early mixtapes] Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank Part 2 all the way to Part 4. I was like, 'You know what? I did that in a matter of two years.' I said, 'I'mma do what I did in two years in one.' I did Return of the P.L.K.; that came out in September [2008]. I went from that to Halloween Havoc; it came out in Halloween. Cold Corner came out in December [2008]. Then it was 4-30-82 [last spring]. Then V5 [in December]. "By the time I got to V5, it was a good five or six months between tapes," he added. "I didn't plan it like that. I just never stopped recording and touring. By the time V5 came, I felt a little pressure. I told them it was gonna get better every time. I think people embraced it." Banks' official album is due later this year. It will come out independently. "I'm aiming towards summer," Lloyd said of the release. "Mid-summer, late summer. I won't drop an album until I feel the buzz. You know, as an artist, when you feel it. I'm working independent. Everything they've heard the past year has come out my basement, including 'Beamer, Benz or Bentley.' When you first come on as a new artist and you hot and you got a buzz, you could sell doo-doo on a stick. The label makes you feel like they did it, when they just called their boy and dropped the record off. "Now it boost my confidence when I know I can make a record in my crib, send it out and receive finances from it," he added. "Whenever it's through iTunes or whatever other outlet you have, I'm happy with it. I'm not gonna rush it, though. If it came out after this year, it wouldn't matter to me, as long as it's the product people expect." Joints to Check For » "Power Back" "I was in the zone when I wrote that record," Banks described. "It was actually a typo [on the track listing]. It was supposed to be 'Power Pack.' You know what the power pack is, people. That's the vein I was in. I was reflecting. It was real rap. It wasn't about having the best punch line. I wrote the record for me, and it was real things said in it. I really had a homie that was well on his way as far as basketball goes. He went to college, and somebody slipped him something [in his drink]. He ain't been the same ever since. It was more a record for me and the people I grew up around. Every city has something that reminds you of yours. I like tracks with music," he added about the soulful soundscape. "Tracks with things going on." » "Rather Be Me." "My record is gonna sound like that. How it's put together from top to bottom and ends like a movie," the Punch Line King said. "That's the route I wanna take my album. 'Rather Be Me,' is a deep record. It's one of the joints. I didn't let nobody hear it when I was recording it. I was in the zone. It felt like a movie to me. It's crazy, because a lot of people think I'm talking to somebody in particular, but it's not. It's talking to anybody that's a coward. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. When you hear the little funny things like, 'Banks doesn't want to be G-Unit.' N---a, I am G-Unit. This [tattoo] been right here on my hand. Before anybody was signed, it was me, Tony Yayo and 50 Cent. To take that away from me is like taking away my legacy, to a certain extent. We worked too hard for somebody to tell me to drop my G-Unit." » "We Remain." " 'Chronic, Fiji and a brand-new Lamborghini. When you see me, it's a half a mill easy,' " Banks raps. "Rap needs me. That was me just going. It was a record that wasn't necessarily recorded for the mixtape. I felt I needed that, where it was a full, long verse, a bridge. That's as gutter as it gets. That's one of the first songs I recorded for V5. It set the tone. The 'Green Day' record, 'Southside in the House,' all those records were spawned from that record. It's just dark, man. You could see yourself in your neighborhood, and it's me reflecting. I still come back to this neighborhood where my friends still stay. To go from success to being doubted to having success all over again, I feel like the underdog and that the streets are behind me." For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos |
| Lil Wayne Talks Seven New Videos, Including One For Drake, In Pre-Jail Clip Posted: 28 Feb 2010 12:18 AM PST Rapper also shows off his awards and Twitter T-shirts in exclusive video.
Nino Brown: The Road to Rikers, Part 2 On Saturday night, Lil Wayne and DJ Scoob Doo sent in a video clip featuring footage they shot that afternoon. Among other things, Wayne said it was time to party before he begins his expected one-year prison term at New York's Rikers Island. But in fact he was doing the exact opposite. Wayne was back at work, filming several more music videos before his sentencing on gun charges on Tuesday.
"I'm shooting seven videos today," Wayne said in an exclusive new clip, shot in his trailer on the Miami video set. One of the videos of the night was for the Rebirth track "Runnin'." "I'mma show y'all the [work] ethic of a true artist," Wayne says in the clip. "You know what I'm talkin' about? Seven videos. I shot 10 in two days before. Now we about to do seven in one night. ['Runnin' '] was one. Next we about to do Drake's song called 'Afrika Boombatta.' " The New Orleans Fireman then began mulling over his wardrobe for Drake's shoot. He was deciding between one of his brand-new tees promoting his Twitter account, @liltunechi, or a funky interpretation of deceased legend Marilyn Monroe. "Gotta wear one of my @liltunechi shirts on there," Wayne said. " 'Cause that song is a fun song. So I could wear that. Then again it's Drake, so you might wanna get a little fly for his sh--." Wayne then pulled out a T-shirt featuring Monroe with tattoos all over her arm. "Yeah, that's stupid," the Birdman Jr. said of the Monroe shirt. "I might have to rock that." This latest clip of Wayne starts with the acclaimed performer showing off all the BET Hip-Hop Awards in his house. Later he says he needs more VMAs. "I got a house full of BET Awards," Wayne said with a grin. "I got one MTV award. MTV, holla atcha boy now. I'm not gonna mess up your function. I'm just gonna come get my award, thank God, thank my 'hood, thank my fam. I ain't gotta perform. "Give me an award for nothin'," he continued with a chuckle. " 'The award for nothin' goes to Lil Wayne.' That's all I need. MTV award for nothin', man." Wayne and DJ Scoob Doo are also filming the reality DVD "The Nino Brown Story Part 3." The first two installments are available at DJ Scoob Doo's Web site. Check back with MTV News for more of Wayne's "Road to Rikers." Related Videos Related Artists |
| Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony Features Neil Young, Michael Buble Posted: 01 Mar 2010 09:16 AM PST Canadian actors Michael J. Fox, William Shatner and Catherine O'Hara also represent their country during finale.
With Olympic revelers still amped up following Canada's epic overtime win over the United States in the gold-medal hockey finale, the 2010 Winter Games came to an end in Vancouver on Sunday (February 28) during a music-filled closing ceremony. Though many athletes had long since left Olympic village, American gold medalists like skier Lindsay Vonn and figure skater Evan Lysacek stuck around till the very end. The evening featured performances from Neil Young, Michael Bublé and rock band Inward Eye, as well as appearances by Michael J. Fox and William Shatner. Inward Eye got the festivities started with a rendition of their song "Day After Day." Later, Young took center stage with just his guitar and harmonica to croon "Long May You Run" as snow fell from above and the torch flicked overhead. "With your chrome heart shining in the sun," the Canadian-born Young sang. "Long may you run." Later, Michael Bublé appeared dressed as a member of the Canadian Royal Mounted Police -- complete with red uniform and wide-brimmed hat -- to sing "The Maple Leaf Forever," before ripping off the getup to reveal a white tux. A string of Canadian actors -- William Shatner, Catherine O'Hara and Michael J. Fox -- took turns poking fun at the Olympics and their national heritage. "We are a people who know how to make love in a canoe," Shatner said. O'Hara entered with the assistance of some vigorous sweeping from two curlers for a send-up of Canadians' oft-mocked politeness and how all Olympic visitors had worn out their welcome. "I don't care what language you speak. When you pee your name in the snow, we know who you are," she joked. Fox received by far the biggest applause of the night as he introduced himself and announced he would always root for Team Canada. "If I'm watching the U.S. and Canada play hockey, I'm sorry, I'm wearing a Maple Leaf on my sweater," he said. Earlier, a trio of young Canadians -- pop star Nikki Yanofsky, singer/songwriter Derek Miller and "Canadian Idol" winner Eva Avila -- joined together to perform "Let's Have a Party," a song written especially for the games. The ceremony got off to an amusing start with a tongue-in-cheek nod to the botched opening ceremony, when one of the pylons that made up the Olympic flame failed to deploy. This time, a clown crawled out of the floor after "fixing" the problem, allowing the pillar to rise and light up the sky. The evening veered off into some downright trippy territory at time, from a video teaser for the 2014 Sochi games that called to mind Tim Burton's aesthetic for "Alice in Wonderland" to an orchestral-backed interpretive dance featuring "Tron"-like characters encased in huge bouncing bubbles. While the ornate Russian ballet told us little about what the Sochi games will be like, the spectacle was certainly something to behold. Moments of seriousness cropped up during the night. Organizers paid tribute to Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvil, who died during a training run before the games began. And following the 8.8 earthquake Saturday in Chile, that nation's team returned home before the closing ceremony. But one athlete, Noelle Barahona, could not get a flight out and decided to stay. She was seen entering the stadium proudly waving the Chilean flag. Before Young, Bublé and Fox made their appearances, IOC President Jacques Rogge made clear that the Vancouver adventure had come to a close. "And now, in accordance with tradition, I declare the 21st Olympic Games closed," he said. Related Photos |
| Jennifer Lopez Spoofs 'We Are The World,' Olympics On 'SNL' Posted: 28 Feb 2010 09:54 AM PST J. Lo's television blitz continues with 'How I Met Your Mother' cameo, rumored 'Glee' appearance.
Jennifer Lopez might be between record labels, but her television appearances have been fast and frequent. After filming an episode of CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" last month, playing a sexy self-help guru who seduces Neil Patrick Harris' character, Lopez hit "Saturday Night Live" for the first time in almost a decade.
"The first time I was on this show was 10 years ago. ... Back then I was single and traveling around with a big entourage," Lopez said, opening the show in a form-fitting black leather dress. "But people grow up; now I'm married with two beautiful children." The singer/actress went on to have an awkward conversation with comedian and "SNL" cast member Kenan Thompson, who was posing as a discarded member of her 1990s entourage, flanked by two drag queens wearing her infamous green barely-there dress and a denim bodysuit. All ended well as Thompson left the stage with the drag queens in tow and J. Lo began the show. Another skit portrayed "We Are the World 3," a spoof of the recent remake. Lopez played Rihanna, wearing a black and white Balmain-inspired leather jacket with gold hoops, hipster sunglasses and a blond cropped wig. "There comes a time, eh!, when we heed a certain call, eh!" Lopez sang, poking fun at the "Rude Boy" singer. In the next skit, Lopez was part of a Winter Olympics curling team. She played a confused Telemundo reporter covering the Winter Olympics in another. "We don't understand these, es loca!" said Lopez, wearing an orange blazer. The strangest clip had to be a mock celebrity news interview in which Lopez was questioned by Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, leading the Bronx native to scream "paciencia y fe" ("patience and faith") like a madwoman before stomping out of view. Lopez also performed two guiter-led songs including the Danja-produced, Wynter Gordon-written "Starting Over" from her forthcoming album, Love? Her LP is slated to hit stores this summer. Lopez still has not specified what label she has signed to, but Deadline Hollywood, the blog that originally broke the story of the Sony split, reported that she is in talks with Island Def Jam. Neither she nor her former label, Sony Records, has discussed what precipitated the split, but Deadline speculated that it might have been a response to the poor critical and commercial reception to the album's first official single, "Louboutins," which failed to light up the charts. Lopez's episode of "How I Met Your Mother" airs March 8, and she is rumored to be in talks for an appearance on the Golden Globe-winning show "Glee." Related Artists |
| Nicki Minaj Pulls Double Duty For BET's 'Rip The Runway' Posted: MC hosts and performs on show, which airs March 15.
NEW YORK — With Lil Wayne scheduled to turn himself in to begin his one-year prison sentence on Tuesday, the rapper's Young Money crew will undoubtedly move into the spotlight as they look to keep their boss' brand burning hot. Drake is the heir apparent, but YM's lady of rhyme, Nicki Minaj, has proven she's just as capable of being a Weezy ambassador. On Saturday night, the female MC entertainingly pulled double duty hosting BET's "Rip the Runway" with actor Pooch Hall and performing alongside Ludacris.
"Pooch, you haven't even complimented me on my shoes yet," Nicki said, teasing her co-host as the pair introduced the show, set to air March 15 on BET and Centric. "The Game" actor quickly made amends, christening his counterpart "Sexy Minaj." She certainly earned the praise: Her hot-pink minidress was hugging her curves like a long-lost relative. The dress was one of many outfit changes for Minaj. Ludacris got the crowd off their feet for the first of many times throughout the night when he kicked things off with his latest single, "My Chick Bad." "My chick bad, tell me if you seen her," Luda rapped. "She always bring the racket like Venus and Serena." Minaj stormed onto the stage for the third verse, much to the delight of her fans — there were plenty of Barbiez on-board — in a snake-print bodysuit and pink wig. "Trash talk to them then I put them in a Hefty," she rhymed. "Running down the court, I'm dunking on them Lisa Leslie." Along with the "Rip the Runway" performances, new designers' spring and summer lines were presented. BET's "106 & Park" co-host Rocsi Diaz, Sean John model Miguel Perdomo and artist Amanda Diva were among those strutting down the catwalk. Upstart MC B.o.B. a.k.a. Bobby Ray performed his first single, "Nothin' on You," as the Tennille White Chicago line was showcased. Trina was partnered with Haute Couture during her performance. Newcomer Roscoe Dash and Soulja Boy Tell'em had the rowdiest performance of the night, hands down, with "All the Way Turnt Up." The song was paired with sporty clothing line Protege and featured a model in high heels frantically dribbling a basketball to the beat of the horn-laden number. "We alll the waaaay turnt up," Roscoe sang on the chorus as SB darted back and forth across the stage. A solo turn by Nicki Minaj and performances by Janelle Monáe and Estelle featuring Kardinal Offishall rounded out the proceedings. Related Photos Related Artists |
| Inward Eye Pay Tribute To Vancouver At Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony Posted: 01 Mar 2010 09:16 AM PST Winnipeg-based band electrifies BC Place along with a mass of snowboarders.
The 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver ended with a massive victory for Team Canada over Team USA in men's hockey, marking one of the single greatest athletic achievements in Canadian history and leading to an energetic and celebratory performance by Winnipeg rockers "Inward Eye" during the closing ceremony Sunday (February 28). Consisting of brothers Dave, Kevin and Anders Erickson, Inward Eye led the charge as a mass of snowboarders flooded the floor of BC Place and gathered around the lit torches at the center of the stadium. The band provided an upbeat rendition of the song "Vancouver," leading the thousands of people gathered before the stage to leap up and down with unrestrained bliss, chanting the words "Oh, oh, oh, Vancouver" along with the members of the band. "Wow, that was a crazy feeling stepping out in front of 65,000 people and a few billion watching at home," lead singer Dave Erickson wrote on the band's MySpace page shortly after the energetic performance. "All I could think was, 'Don't fall off the stage!' " Commentator and sports journalist Bob Costas described the Inward Eye performance as representative of the differences between the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. "The opening ceremony is long on ceremonial aspects and protocol; the closing is much less so," he assessed. "It's a big party, and it will go long into the Vancouver night." The sibling trio of Inward Eye have performed together since 1997, but the band only recently launched its debut album, Throwing Bricks Instead of Kisses, in August. Following the conclusion of their worldwide television debut, it's likely Inward Eye status in the global music scene is only just beginning. "It feels good right now," Erickson said. "Time to kick back and enjoy the moment." Related Photos Related Artists |
| Neil Young's 'Long May You Run': Behind The Olympic Closing Ceremony Song Posted: 28 Feb 2010 08:12 AM PST Canadian-born singer/songwriter also performed the song on Conan O'Brien's final 'Tonight Show.'
At the closing ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics on Sunday (February 28), Canadian-born singer/songwriter Neil Young took center stage -- or, rather, center snow at BC Place Stadium -- for a games-ending performance of "Long May You Run." Standing beneath the flickering lights of the Olympic torch with his guitar and harmonica, Young's mournful song capped 17 days of world-class competition and might have sounded familiar to TV viewers: He performed the same song a month earlier, during the final episode of Conan O'Brien's run on "The Tonight Show." While the tune seems to be finding itself a cultural statement in 2010, it's been around for more than three decades. In 1976, the Stills-Young Band -- headed by Young and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Stills, both former members of the folk-rock group Buffalo Springfield -- released the album Long May You Run. Reaching #26 on the Billboard chart, the disc ended up going gold. The album was originally envisioned as a reunion between Stills and Young and former bandmates David Crosby and Graham Nash, but tension between the four resulted in the brief formation of the Stills-Young group. The duo didn't last for long, as Young bailed in the midst of the '76 tour and Stills was forced to finish the remaining dates without him. The title track is said to be an ode to Young's first car, a 1948 Buick Roadmaster hearse. "Although these changes have come/ With your chrome heart shining in the sun," go the lyrics. "Long may you run." In January, during O'Brien's final "Tonight" appearance, the late-night host said Young had been the first person to call him and offer support when his battle with NBC management became public. Similarly armed with only a guitar and harmonica, Young offered a soaring take on "Long May You Run" that acted as an emotional counterpoint to O'Brien and Will Ferrell's performance of the Lynyrd Skynyrd rock anthem "Free Bird." At Sunday's ceremony, Young stood in the midst of the cavernous stadium and belted out a tribute to the spirit of the Olympics. "We've been through some things together/ With trunks of memories still to come," he sang. "We found things to do in stormy weather/ Long may you run." Related Photos Related Artists |
| Daniel Radcliffe Is 'Hypnotized' By Olympic Curling Posted: 28 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST 'It's that thing where they go really slow — and then they go mental for a few seconds!' the 'Harry Potter' star explains.
When the Olympics are going on, as they have been for the past few weeks, we are a country torn asunder. Some people watch them, some watch anything but them, and a small-but-increasingly vocal minority would undoubtedly love to have Quidditch included in competition. Recently, we caught up with "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe who, while discussing his work with the Trevor Project (a nonprofit suicide- and crisis-prevention hotline for gay and questioning youth), was eager to express some thoughts that should delight all three factions. "As a Brit, the winter Olympics aren't something you get all heads-up about," the London-born star explained. "But I have been watching a bit of the hockey."
Excuse us? The boy wizard is a fan of the blue-collar sport overflowing with bruises, blood and beer-soaked fans? But wait, it gets weirder. "I've been amazed at how much I've been [enjoying] curling," Radcliffe said of another sport he likes watching, one that is as intrinsically Canadian as it is endearingly silly-looking. "[I like it] just because it demands so little of you to watch it." Always diplomatic, the 20-year-old star stopped short of dissing curling. "It's a highly skilled thing, I'm sure," Radcliffe said of curling. "But to actually watch it is very easy. It's like you're being hypnotized or something! "It's sweeping!" he laughed. "It's that thing where they go really slow — and then they go mental for a few seconds! I love it. So I've been getting into the curling; Sweden got caned last night by Canada." Radcliffe loves the Olympic sport so much, in fact, that he said once Harry's Quidditch days are over, he may trade in his Nimbus 2000 for a different sort of broom. "I could be [a curling athlete]; yeah, there we go," Radcliffe laughed. "When 'Potter' finishes, I can do that." Related Videos |
| Olympic Skeleton Racer Katie Uhlaender Gets A Lesson From Carl Lewis Posted: 28 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Olympic great comforts racer after disappointment in Vancouver.
No matter what the results are for an athlete in the Olympic Games, to participate in the Olympic movement is indescribable. To hear "USA" screamed by not only your family but also by other nations' people who you have touched and inspired is an experience that truly teaches you what the Olympic spirit is. After going through four surgeries (from breaking my kneecap twice) and losing my father less than a year before the Olympic Games, it was a huge accomplishment for me to qualify for Vancouver. It was even more insane to have the fastest starts despite being barely six months from my last surgery. (Too bad I didn't drive down the track as fast as I ran to curve one.) The Olympics is something we work years for, and it is over in minutes — everything has to be perfect. Nike is the only sponsor I have, and it's a small deal, but they are full of love for their athletes. They noticed that I was unsure of what was next, and that I was a bit disappointed in the way things had gone down leading into my race since I had really wanted to bring home a medal for my country and my father. Nike sought to remind me what I was a part of, so they told me I was going to watch long track with Carl Lewis! A lot of my disappointment came from how I wanted to walk away from the race prepared, with everything in place, and somehow I allowed that not to happen. I worked so hard for four years, and I walked away wondering what if? Carl listened and said the key to success is finding a support group you can depend on and one person within that group that will look you in the eye and say, "You will be Olympic champion." At this point I could feel my eyes watering up, and I realized that one person had been my father. I was crying in front of Carl Lewis! I was so embarrassed, but I couldn't help it. He looked at me as though he was about to start crying as well, and told me how he had also lost his father at 23. I was shocked! He assured me it was going to get better, and asked me what I thought my father would say to me now. He told me my father had been around long enough to make sure I was ready to go out and be the woman he raised me to be, to represent my country and my family name, and to know he has left me with the tools and the knowledge I need to win. I need to let go, and once I'm able to do that my father will be even closer to me. I need faith that I am prepared to face life without him. The rest will come. It's about finding that person that I can count on no matter what in this new chapter of life without my father. No one will replace him, but it's time to grow and evolve into, hopefully, that Olympic champion he knew I could be. Carl helped me realize I can't do this alone, and it will be very important to find that key support. He reminded me what the Olympics are truly about: educating and inspiring those around us to live life with passion and integrity. Those were the basic principles my father taught me, among many other life lessons, and I am honored to be a part of that. There are so many athletes here that have inspired me and picked me up, and not all of them were American. It's not about nation, it's not about glory; it is about inspiration. |
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