Urban Eola

Rat Pack, Brat Pack, and Frat Pack
Thursday, August 31, 2006

It all started when a drinking group of prominent entertainers started hanging out and performing together in Las Vegas. This group of legends took on the name Rat Pack in the late 1950's/early 1960's. Two more recent groups of actors have come to be known as the Brat Pack (mid 1980's) and Frat Pack (early 2000's). Of course, the Rat Pack is the most legendary and talented. These guys were true entertainers & performers -- singing, dancing, acting and even performing comedy routines and improv.

> Rat Pack > Bio > Rat Pack page
> signature: The Sands Hotel, Ocean's 11
- Frank Sinatra
- Dean Martin
- Joey Bishop
- Sammy Davis, Jr.
- Peter Lawford

> Brat Pack > Bio > Brat Pack site
> signature movie: The Outsiders
- Emilio Estevez
- Anthony Michael Hall
- Rob Lowe
- Judd Nelson
- Andrew McCarthy
- Matt Dillon
- Ralph Macchio
- Patrick Swayze

> Frat Pack > Bio > > Frat Pack Tribute
> signature movie: Old School
- Ben Stiller
- Vince Vaughn
- Will Ferrell
- Owen Wilson
- Luke Wilson
- Jack Black
- Steve Carell
- Jeremy Piven

posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:39 AM | | links to this post

Urban Eola's 28 best looking athletes (3-1)
Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Here's the breakdown (by sport):
tennis - 7 athletes
soccer - 5
football (American) - 5
basketball - 2
golf - 2
gymnastics - 2
swimming - 2
other sports (cycling, softball, skating) - 3

I guess this means tennis players are the best looking. I guess it has something to do with picking out your own style of clothes during a match and spending countless hours outside working on a nice farmers tan-less bronze.

view 28-24
28) Sebastian Telfair
27) Courtney & Ashley Kupets
26) Dwyane Wade
25) Sasha Cohen
24) Andre Agassi
view 23-19
23) Dominique Moceanu
22) Matt Leinart
21) Michelle Wie
20) Natalie Gulbis
19) David Beckham
view 18-13
18) Chris Evert
17) Ronde & Tiki Barber
15) Jenny Finch
14) Andy Roddick
13) Serena Williams
view 12-8
12) Lance Armstorong
11) Summer Sanders
10) Fabio Cannavaro
9) Amanda Beard
8) Tom Brady
view 7-4
7) Lorrie Fair
6) Freddie Ljungberg
5) Maria Sharapova
4) Reggie Bush

And the final three:
3) Anna Kournikova (tennis *retired, Russia) -- Many people would have her at #1. She didn't amount to much on the court, but off the court she's a head turner. Retired from tennis at a young age and pretty much just living off her looks now. Dating Enrique Iglesias (below). > Bio

2) James Blake (tennis, USA) -- Played tennis at Harvard, currently ranked 5th best tennis player in the world, friends with celebs like John Mayer and dating this (Jennifer Scholle). What a life. > Bio

1) Heather Mitts (soccer, US National team) -- You've seen her in the Under Armour commercials. She's dating backup NFL QB A.J. Feeley (below). Overall, she's well deserving of the title as Urban Eola's best looking athlete. > HeatherMitts.com

posted by Michael Tavani @ 6:37 PM | | links to this post

Golf threads stylish enough to wear in public

Thanks to loyal reader JB for this tip. Former Diesel designer, Johan Lindeberg started his own line of clothing (J.Lindeberg) in 1995. The collection has become very popular among PGA golfers probably because they are definitely not the average golf threads. For the most part the brand is retro in look almost conjuring up the Caddyshack days. The "JL" logo on the belt is awesome. I'm looking into getting one of those. Check out these looks as sported on PGA golfer Camillo Villegas.

> J.Lindeberg official site

posted by Michael Tavani @ 5:59 AM | | links to this post

New Urban Eola template

Same content. New design. The previous template was a little bland and needed a jolt.

Also, Urban Eola introduces the addition of the sponsorship ticker at the top of the page. Our goal for the ticker is four-fold: 1) produce even more high quality and entertaining content for young people seeking sophisticated yet interesting content 2) which will further establish Urban Eola as an enjoyable and frequently visited destination on the web 3) therefore drawing larger amounts of unique visitors 4) with the plan of attracting a title sponsor to the sponsorship ticker.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 5:38 AM | | links to this post

Urban Eola's 28 best looking athletes (7-4)
Tuesday, August 29, 2006

7) Lorrie Fair -- (soccer, USA) One of Urban Eola's all-time cutie athletes, she once was the best women's college soccer player in the U.S.. Played collegiately at UNC and has the honor of winning a NCAA title and the 1999 Women's World Cup. Has a twin sister who played professional soccer and is good friends (and once a roommate) with fellow top 28 Heather Mitts. > Bio

6) Freddie Ljungberg (soccer, Sweden & Arsenal) The Swedish World Cup captain is also a Calvin Klein underwear model. Female Urban Eola readers tell me that's enough to earn him the #6 spot. > Bio

5) Maria Sharapova (tennis, Russia) A tennis prodigy from a young age. Her family sacrificed their own lives to move to Florida when Maria was 6 to train in the States. Currently linked with Andy Roddick (UE # 14). > Bio

4) Reggie Bush (football, New Orleans Saints) "The President" is a total stallion. He's the Heisman Trophy winner, the #2 NFL draft pick in '06, chiseled like a statue, signed by adidas, and lived the college life in L.A. (at USC) that many envy. He's also solid with the threads. He dresses both classy, sporty, and urban depending on the occasion. > Bio

posted by Michael Tavani @ 3:09 AM | | links to this post

Blogging for dollars
Monday, August 28, 2006

Great article on just how big of a business blogging has become. Blogging for Dollars - Yahoo Biz

posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:45 PM | | links to this post

Lexus U.S. Open commercials

Blogger Photo Upload is not currently working, so no photos for now.

Been watching the U.S. Open and I just saw an awesome commercial for Lexus that artistically follows the life of a tennis ball. On the site, there's five different ones. Very well done. Lexus U.S. Open commercials (click the thumbnails on the right side)

posted by Michael Tavani @ 2:57 PM | | links to this post

The best streaker in the world
Thursday, August 24, 2006

"The clothes come off in a split second and I'm off. It's called professionalism." -- Mark Roberts, streaker

Mark Roberts is the Michael Jordan of streaking. Or is Michael Jordan the Mark Roberts of basketball?

Roberts has streaked a total of 380 times in the last 10 years, targeting such events as the morning news, a Mr. Universe contest, a Miss World contest, tennis matches, and his specialty, soccer matches. Nowadays, he is forced to give out his passport and other important documents before big soccer games, as a way to ensure he won't be streaking at these events.

This guy is hysterical because he usually writes hilarious and witty sayings on his stomach, back and ass (ex. at Wimbledon he had an arrow pointing down to his boys that said "New balls?"). He also does funny stuff once he's out there -- like the Moonwalk at the Super Bowl (he had "Super Bowel" written on his chest) or steal the soccer ball and take a shot on goal. He once gave the referee a red card and then streaked. He usually ends up getting tackled by security and he laughs as they carry him off the field. But by far the funniest part of his streaks is that he's the furthest thing from fit which adds to the comical value.

In his own words: "When you see me with my clothes off, you're gonna laugh."

- Mark Roberts website
- His best streaks - UEFA final, Super Bowl
- Wikipedia bio - Mark Roberts

posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:53 PM | | links to this post

Urban Eola's 28 best looking athletes (12-8)

12) Lance Armstrong -- (cycling *retired, USA) One of the most inspirational athletes of all-time. The cancer survivor and 7-time Tour de France winner was once engaged to Sheryl Crow. He's been hanging out alot recently with Matthew McConaughey. They're not going to pick up any women.

11) Summer Sanders -- (swimming *retired, USA) The former Stanford University and 1992 Olympic gold medalist swimmer has been hosting NBA Inside Stuff for 9 years. I've been watching it for all those years.

10) Fabio Cannavaro -- (soccer, Real Madrid & Italy) The captain of Italy's 2006 World Cup championship team is a stud both on and off the field. About 10 other Italian players could have made this list, but as captain, Cannavaro will have to represent the rest of the Azzurri.

9) Amanda Beard -- (swimming, USA) She's a three-time Olympian and a gold medalist. Dated NASCAR driver Carl Edwards. Likes to pose in her swimsuit.

8) Tom Brady -- (quarterback, New England Patriots) Donald Trump said he wanted his daughter, Ivanka, to date him. He's reportedly engaged to actress Bridget Moynahan. The classic All-American football player. Who's living the better life: Brady or Leinart?

posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:58 AM | | links to this post

New Urban Eola logo
Wednesday, August 23, 2006

I've designed many different looks for Urban Eola, but none of them could be considered a "true" logo. Now there's a logo. Like it? Dislike it? Let's hear your thoughts.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 3:02 AM | | links to this post

These commercials are the best of 2006
Monday, August 21, 2006

People ask me all the time what I actually do all those hours I spend on my laptop. Finally my response comes in the form of the best commercials I have seen in a long time. I thought Apple had some great commercials (Get a Mac. - May 2, 2006), but these HP commercials are so much more powerful. They represent all the types of things creative and curious people do on the computer. With all this stuff at your fingertips, I can't believe I don't spend more time on the laptop. > Official HP ads site.

Watch the whole series because they're awesome. In order: Shaun White, Mark Cuban, Jay Z and Pharrell Williams.

Shaun White

Mark Cuban

Jay-Z

Pharrell Williams

And last, a pretty cool look into the making of Shaun White's HP commercial.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:44 PM | | links to this post

Trick shots of all kind

I'm not a golfer, but these trick shots at the World Golf Trickshot Championship are pretty creative and amazing.

It reminds me of the best golf trick shot ever (filmed in one take by Tiger Woods!).

posted by Michael Tavani @ 3:01 PM | | links to this post

Urban Eola's 28 best looking athletes (18-13)

18) Chris Evert -- (tennis *retired, USA) This is an old school pick mainly because she was a major hottie back in the day on the tennis court. She now has 3 kids and is pushing 52 years old, but her glory days carry her to the #18 spot. She once had relationships with Jimmy Connors, Jack Ford (Gerald's son) and Burt Reynolds. She is pictured below in her prime and today with Maria Sharapova. > Bio

17) Ronde & Tiki Barber (football, Tampa Bay Bucaneers & New York Giants respectively) These identical twin brothers are great guys, very good football players, smart men (they both graduated from Univ. of Virginia) and first class dressers. They obviously have the same tastes in women as they both, coincidentally, are married to Asian women. They're also co-authors of a children's book. > Bios Tiki Ronde

15) Jenny Finch (softball, USA) At first look, you're probably wondering how she dropped down to #15. Although many lists would have her rated higher, I think she's a little overrated (although she is stunning from afar). Plus, she's 6'1" and I'm not into girls that could post me up. She's married to Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Casey Daigle. > Bio

14) Andy Roddick (tennis, USA) I really like this guy. He's a good guy and dresses in an Urban Eola style. He dated Mandy Moore for a couple years and supposedly dated Maria Sharapova (pictured together below). > Bio

13) Serena Williams (tennis, USA) The fact that she dated a short Jewish guy (director Brett Ratner of X-Men and Rush Hour fame) makes me think I could have had a shot. She is into the Hollywood thing more than tennis nowadays, but for some reason she does it for Urban Eola and comes in at #13. > Bio

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:55 AM | | links to this post

Urban Eola's 28 best looking athletes (23-19)
Friday, August 18, 2006

23) Dominique Moceanu -- (gymnast, USA) As someone who actually hung a picture of a 15-year-old Moceanu in my locker back in 1996, I might have been a little biased on this one. She has been out of the spotlight ever since and I was curious how she looked after 10 years of not seeing her. She definitely filled out and looks good enough to fill the #23 spot.

22) Matt Leinart -- (football, Arizona Cardinals) This Heisman Trophy winner once had flings with Paris Hilton and Kristin Cavallari (below). He lived the absolute Playboy lifestyle in college at USC as he was treated like a pro -- at all the awards shows, in all the magazines, etc.

21) Michelle Wie -- (golf, USA) I actually felt bad about putting this 16-year-old (17 in a month) on the list, but I think she's an underrated good looking athlete. At 6'1", she's a major rising star in golf, too.

20) Natalie Gulbis -- (golf, USA) Just edged out Michelle Wie to become the best looking female golfer. She received alot of exposure for her racy FHM shoot (below). She also dated Ben Rothlisberger last year.

19) David Beckham -- (soccer, Real Madrid) Most other lists would have him top 5, but I thought he got edged out this year. There's no shortage of pictures of him circling the internet. Married to Posh Spice and they have three boys with the best names around: Brooklyn (because he was conceived there), Romeo, and Cruz.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:33 AM | | links to this post

Urban Eola's 28 best looking athletes (28-24)
Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Due to recent complaints from female Urban Eola readers (namely CC) that beautiful women are too frequently blogged about on this site, this list of best looking athletes has a little something for the ladies. It's about 50/50 male to female.

On it are 28 athletes for every taste -- young, older, white, black, asian, short, tall, domestic, and international. Without any further adieu let's get to it.

28) Sebastian Telfair -- (basketball, Boston Celtics) This NYC product has one of the best smiles around. His ESPN documentary Through the Fire was an Urban Eola favorite. He also signed a long-term adidas endorsement before he even turned pro.

27) Courtney and Ashley Kupets -- (gymnasts, Univ. of Georgia) These sisters are two years apart and top-notch gymnasts. Courtney won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics.

26) Dwyane Wade -- (basketball, Miami Heat) He dresses with the best of them and his sick game makes him even more attractive to the ladies.

25) Sasha Cohen -- (gymnast, USA)She's short, but cuter and better than most other gymnasts, winning the U.S. Championships and an Olympic silver medal.

24) Andre Agassi -- (tennis, USA) A longtime Urban Eola favorite athlete, he has made the bald-headed look fashionable. He's made the biggest improvements of any athlete since the early 90's (below). His kids have the best tennis genes ever as he's married to female champ, Steffi Graf.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:51 PM | | links to this post

Borat soundboard

This is absolutely hysterical if you know Borat.
> Borat soundboard

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:44 AM | | links to this post

Do you know what LOHAS is?

It wasn't until I read the Fast Compnay magazine weblog that I learned what LOHAS is. Defined by Wikipedia: LOHAS is an acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. It is a $227 billion market segment in the United States alone but worldwide in its extent. LOHAS consumers are those who are passionate about the environment, sustainbility, social issues, and health.

An interesting piece from the blog:

Meanwhile, a recent NewsWeek article talks about the emergence of LOHAS, consumers following a lifestyle of health and sustainability. The associated brands range from Toyota’s forward-thinking Prius, a hybrid car combining a gas engine and an emissions-free electric motor to achieve amazing fuel economy, and Verdant, a green-focused magazine published by Cottages & Gardens, to Wal-Mart, who overnight became the largest purchaser of organic cotton for clothing and Grist.org, an environmental news and commentary site founded by Chip Giller in 1999.

Are you a LOHAS consumer?

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:27 AM | | links to this post

25 sites we can't live without

CNN's list of 25 websites we can't live without. Good stuff.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:18 AM | | links to this post

15 websites that changed the world

Great find by the blog yeah, kinda like that that ranks the 15 websites that changed the world. Great list except that no way Google should be ranked lower than #1.
> 15 websites that changed the world

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:09 AM | | links to this post

Currency tracker
Monday, August 14, 2006

Do you ever wonder where that paper money in your pocket has been, or where it will go next? WheresGeorge.com is a website that tracks American paper money.

> WheresGeorge.com

posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:58 AM | | links to this post

Basketball shoes for $14.98

Fed up with the high prices urban kids pay for sneakers marketed by their basketball heroes, New York Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury is launcing the Starbury One, a $14.98 sneaker he'll wear on the court this season. Discount retailer Steve & Barry's will make and sell the shoe, which is 1/12 the price of Nike's $180 Air Jordan XXI. "Two hundred to buy a pair of sneakers," Marbury says, "that's groceries for the week."

You gotta give Marbury credit for giving kids this option. The shoes are actually not bad looking either. Hopefully, this will drive the price of other sneakers down, because they've gotten out of control. Also, the nickname "Starbury" is one of the best in sports.

> Starbury site

Labels: kicks

posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:18 AM | | links to this post

50 marathons, 50 states, 50 days
Sunday, August 13, 2006

In probably one of the most unbelievable physical feats I have heard of, Dean Karnazes plans to run the Endurance 50, billed as running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days, starting September 17 at the Lewis and Clark Marathon in St Louis and ending with the New York City Marathon November 5.

I wonder how difficult this is going to be for a guy who has continuously run 350 miles in 80 hours, 44 minutes while foregoing 3 straight nights sleep.

> Wikipedia bio -- Dean Karnazes
> Endurance 50 site with course maps, schedule, info, and Dean's blog
> His website -- Ultramarathonman.com

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:58 PM | | links to this post

Old school Nike
Thursday, August 10, 2006

Old school Air Jordan shirt -- Jordan's first ever Nike's hanging off the shoulder by the laces -- One of the baddest old school shirts ever

Agassi's 1991 Nikes -- Remember these? Is that really neon yellow?

Similar theme to the Air Jordan shirt above, but with Dunk Low's

You want to see more retro apparel? Check out Solebox.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 4:32 PM | | links to this post

Running for a cure for Ellie Tavani
Wednesday, August 09, 2006

I am running the Chicago Marathon on October 22, 2006. Originally, I signed up for the marathon to challenge myself. However, my run takes on much more importance as I am running for my niece, Ellie to help raise awareness and money to fund research for Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).

This cause is especially meaningful to our family and friends that know Ellie. As many of you know, my brother, Andrew and his wife, Shawn had a daughter April 28th who was born with EB. EB is a rare skin disease in which painful blisters form due to minor friction or even no friction at all. Any runner knows that a blister on your foot can be extremely painful. Well, these blisters can form anywhere and everywhere on Ellie's little body. The disease is so rare that there is no cure. It does not go away or get better with age. Even though Andrew and Shawn have become great at treating the wounds through daily bandaging, blisters form anyway

Check out our fundraising page -- www.do26.com

Labels: personal

posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:08 AM | | links to this post

10 hottest athlete wives
Tuesday, August 08, 2006

I have a pretty good list coming out soon which I've been working on, but in the meantime check out this list of the top 10 Hottest Athlete Wives , Part I and Part II. I have to say, Teresa Lourenco (Richard Jefferson's honey -- to the right) ain't bad.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:24 AM | | links to this post

"This suit is blacknot."
Monday, August 07, 2006

As blogged about previously (Jagshemash - July 20, 2006), this movie is going to be "off the chain" funny. The full trailer is here. Check it out. Windows Media player or Quicktime.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 2:37 PM | | links to this post

Talladega Nights
Friday, August 04, 2006

This film (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) is going to be hilarious. After all, two of the funniest out there, Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen, are in it. Ferrell plays a NASCAR driver and Baron Cohen plays a French Formula One driver. Even though I'm not a huge fan of NASCAR (is driving a car fast a professional sport?) the plot and actors will make it hysterical. It comes out tonight, check it out.

Official site of Talladega Nights. Check out the on-set and red carpet pics.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:32 PM | | links to this post

America's best sports cities
Wednesday, August 02, 2006

The Sporting News released their list of America's best sports cities. Here's a sampling of the top 10:

Chicago
Miami
Dallas
Detroit
New York
Denver
Boston
Los Angeles
Philadelphia
Phoenix

posted by Michael Tavani @ 2:28 PM | | links to this post

Airtran's "GO Magazine"

I actually look forward to flying Airtran because they provide the legitimately entertaining "GO Magazine" for your in-flight pleasure. The content is diverse (business, gadgets, entertainment, city life, cultural activities, and celebrity profiles) and usually covers topics centered around the cities that Airtran flies to. I just discovered the magazine's impressive website (with fully searchable archives and articles), so now I don't have to blow $200 just to read a magazine. For some great reads, give the site a look.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:05 AM | | links to this post

A collection of photos
Tuesday, August 01, 2006

When I see interesting photos online I collect them in an Urban Eola vault for the rare occasion when there's not much else to post about. Here are some of those pics: