|
NEWS
July
2002
Page
4
-
Nick's
Doesn't Mind Getting Wet
back up
Source: Savannah NOW
Drambuie On Ice remains coolest Super Cat
By: Donald Heath, Savannah Morning News
Click here
to get straight to the part about Nick.
Two days ago, the drivers of powerboat Drambuie On Ice decided
against defending their world speed record in the sixth-tenths of a
mile Kilo Run.
Super Cat Division rival boat Tommy Bahama competed in the spectacle
off the Savannah River and set a new mark.
But Sunday, Drambuie's Hugh Fuller and John Tomlinson weren't
conceding anything when faced with their latest challenge in the
Savannah Offshore Grand Prix off Tybee Island's north beach.
"I think it was the toughest race we've ever had," said
Fuller, after defeating Tommy Bahama and a fleet of three other
boats for Drambuie's third win in four outings during the American
Power Boat Association racing season.
In-Mocean Again (Super Cat Light Inboard), Critical Lift (Super Cat
Outboard Triple), Nick Carter Racing Team (Super Vee), Vertical
Extreme (Super Vee Light Single), Pier 57/Stainless Marina (Super
Vee Light Twin) and Team Donzi (Factory 2) also pulled out victories
in their respective divisions.
Overall, 34 boats competed in two separate races Sunday, completing
the inaugural event in Savannah. The best race of the two-day event
may have been the last. The Super Cats are considered by many as
powerboating's premier division. The boats cost nearly $500,000, and
can produce speeds of nearly 140 mph.
Tomlinson said Thursday Drambuie wouldn't compete in the Kilo Run
because of the curvature of the river. Drambuie set a world record
in 2001 when it ran 139.8 mph at Osage Beach.
But specification changes in the division made the mark obsolete.
Tommy Bahama jumped at the opportunity to claim the record with a
speed of 132.2 mph.
Fuller said Tommy Bahama may have been the faster boat Sunday.
Fuller, however, grabbed an early lead and positioned the boat to
slow the opposition.
Throughout much of the action, both Drambuie and Tommy Bahama
bounced up and down waves like riders on a rollercoaster.
Nearly two-thirds of the way through the 18-lap race on the
five-mile course, driver Paul Nemschoff of Tommy Bahama lost control
and the boat spun out.
"It just got away from me," Nemschoff said. "There
was no peach in Georgia today."
Earlier in the race, a choppy sea of 3-4 foot waves took its toll in
the Super Cat Light Inboard competition. The boat American Racing/Rexhall
Motorhomes flipped over right in front of turn No. 6 at the beach,
prompting emergency action from divers off a helicopter.
The divers quickly got to the boat, freeing driver Brian Schiekle
and throttleman Rick Hartman from the upside-down boat.
Neither Schiekle nor Hartman were hurt.
Some involved with the racing Sunday didn't mind getting wet. Singer
Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys sat on
the shore, dipping his toes in the ocean while watching his boat
Nick Carter Racing Team take the checkered flag for its third win of
the season.
"I have a hard time watching them race because I don't want to
jinx them," Carter said. "To see (the boat) come in
(first) is awesome."
In-Mocean Again was awesome again as well, winning its
third-straight race on the Super Cat Light Inboard circuit. And when
the day had ended, throttleman Joey Gratton knew he had spent a day
battling the elements.
"Right now, I feel like I just got run over by a truck,"
he said.
Sports reporter Donald Heath can be reached at 652-0353 or dheath@savannahnow.com.
SUNDAY'S RESULTS
Super Cat
1. Drambuie On Ice
2. Tommy Bahama
3. DeSantis Chevrolet/IGA Hometown Wheels
4. WHM Motorsports
5. Baker Engineering/Pro Cam
Super Cat Light Inboard
1. In-Mocean Again
2. Liquid Metal
3. Dirty Duck
4. How Sweet It Is
5. American Racing
Super Cat Light Outboard Triple
1. Critical Lift
2. Flowmaster
3. Money Shot
4. Snakeman Racing
Super Vee
1. Nick Carter Racing Team
2. Phoenix Waste
3. Media Master
Super Vee Light Single
1. Vortec/Extreme
2. High Noon Racing
3. Poker Run.com
5. Solarized
Super Vee Light Twin
1. Pier 57/Stainless Marina
2. UTZ Quality Foods/Castway
3. Rodriguez Group
4. Lucas Oil GM Scarab/International Offshore
Factory 2
1. Team Donzi
2. Herbott Racing For A Cure
3. R&S Offshore Racing
4. Snap-On-Talking Tools
5. Sonic Racing
6. Total Marine Racing
7. Speedwater
8. Harwich Concrete Block/Pier 57
-
Howie
Interview with Celebrity Close-Ups Magazine
back up
Source: Celebrity
Close-Ups Magazine
Interview By Cindy Holthouser
What is new with the Foundation this year?
Howie: Since last year, we have done so much. We went on the
cruise again, a seven day cruise to Cozumel, Ocho Rio's, and the Grand
Cayman Islands, which was very successful. Since then, I've done a
couple other fund raisers here and there. There are a lot of fund
raisers going on, that have been set up all around the United States.
They raised a lot of money again this year, I don't have the number
yet, we're still working on that, but we've done very well. I've
partnered with CC& A again for this, Kraft-Nabisco has gotten
involved this year, Nabisco has partnered up and sold to Kraft, so
Kraft is the main sponsor which we are very excited about. Just
putting together this show, very very pleased with the rock star
talent we've got this year, it's a little bit different then last
year, it's more of a rock thing then a pop thing. Why did you decide
to go with older type artists then last year? Howie: You know, it just
fit. Every year I think it's cool to get a different genre of music
and different types. I always like to try to keep a little bit of
variety just because I know that why the major age demographic of our
audience is from teenagers to adults and I know REO Speedwagon and
Survivor, growing up on the music their music as well. We've even
opened up for REO Speedwagon back I'd say, six years ago. So, it's
like I say, their great, it's cool to have. I'm very glad that they
would come. The lead singer of REO Speedwagon has a family member, I
think it's his stepson that has Lupus. So they are very outgoing, very
encouraged. It's fun, each year it gets bigger and bigger.
Since last year, have they gotten closer to finding a cure?
Howie: They've been working a lot! They'll be getting pretty close
here pretty soon. we're talking to a lot of doctors. Last year we gave
$125,000.00 to UCLA research center which they were very excited to
use towards different ideas and perspectives on how to do it.
Since the 9-11 tragedy, has it been a struggle for Lupus
research?
Howie: I don't know if it has been a struggle. There has been a
lot of attention put on to 9-11, which our foundation definitely
supports all the victims. We've even got a lot of charity work going
on, I'm actually getting ready to go to New York here in a couple days
to sing on a song called "United We Sing", which is going to
be a fundraiser type song, a collaboration of a bunch of different
artists. All the proceeds go to the victims of 9-11. There has been a
lot of light shed upon the victims and to get relief and help for
them, so our foundation is very supporting and in a heartbeat, take a
backstep to that, because that is a big thing as well and is something
that needs immediate attention. The foundation is for Lupus, but we
are getting a bunch of attention and it's not something that is going
to happen overnight.
You are obviously using your celebrity to promote awareness, does
it sometime sadden you that this is the only way to bring overdue
attention to the disease?
Howie: It's sad to think that Lupus hasn't really been brought out
up until now. I'm happy to be able to bring a lot of attention to it,
but it does sadden me that it had to be personal with artists
credibility to bring it. A disease affects everybody, I realize that
if I can make a difference, and I can use my celebrity power to do it,
I'm going to do it. If it helps me to get out there and to bring more
awareness by getting on to talking to different people, by doing
interviews, by being on TV and stuff like that, it's all for a good
cause. I accept that and it gives me more of a self worth going on by
doing this every day.
Will there be another cruise?
Howie: That's going to be the next focus I think after this. A lot
of attention has been put on to putting this fund raiser together
because it's a big event and it takes a lot of time, so probably after
this the next focus will start going on doing a cruise at Christmas
time again.
Will there be a website to get information?
Howie: Yes, The Dorough Lupus Foundation.org is the website,
www.doroughlupusfoundation.org, and on that it talks about everything,
the different upcoming events, facts about lupus. It talks about how
people can send donations and even in regards to donations, how they
can receive a merchandise piece that we're selling. We have jackets
out, we have the bears, we have "Pollyanna's Theme", which
is the theme song for the foundation. There are different ways that
people can send in a donation and at the same time get something back
for a good cause.
Do you think that Lupus is under-addressed internationally and what
more can be done to spread awareness throughout the U.S. and other
countries?
Howie: I think Lupus definitely is not, awareness is not promoted
enough all around the world and that's why my goal is to get it around
the world. That's why me and my sister went down to South America the
year and a half ago and did a fund raiser down there, Argentina as
well as Puerto Rico just recently. We did a benefit concert there as
well, which we got $25,000.00 donated to the Foundation. So,
definitely, we are trying to get out there as much as possible, not
only in the States, but around the world. I think through our website
and having a lot of Backstreet fans, we are starting to notice that it
is getting more awareness. We have a lot of fans coming from Japan
that sent us donations as well as coming to the event today. Up in
Canada as well. One of our things that we really pride ourselves is
when a certain country asks us for help in their country with the
disease, we definitely put the money that is raised in that country,
back in the country. Like, Canada, they gave us a proposal about
trying to do a paleoclinic in Chatham, a small town in Ontario. We
gave them 24 or 25 thousand Canadian. The reason why we did that is to
show it's not all about the money coming into America, we keep it all
here. I know Lupus is all around the world, it is not only here, so we
are trying to let people know that they are helping their own
countries as well.
This question comes from Madas who has suffered with Lupus for many
years now. Her question was, "I have Lupus, and it has begun to
affect my daily life and movement. It is not contagious and I have
nothing to be ashamed of yet it is treated as an unmentionable disease
in so many quarters. Even here in the UK, my children don't like to
tell people what's wrong with Mommy. Why do you think that happens,
and did your family ever experience that, too?"
Howie: I find that on a daily occurrence people come up to me and
say, "You know what? Lupus is such a hush-hush disease, nobody
knows what it is about." A lot of times people feel like they'll
be alienated if they talk about it because people might think they
have Aids or something. Just because the knowledge is not out there
amongst people about the disease. But luckily, on the same hand,
people have come to me and said, "Since you've gone out there and
been speaking clearly about the disease and encouraged people to get
checked out by the doctors", now people I think don't feel as bad
because they're like, it's something that people are starting to get
to know. They may not know what Lupus is but at least they are
starting to hear the word "Lupus". That to me is the biggest
thing to me, just to have people say, "I didn't know what Lupus
was, but I went to see my doctor and I'm all good." A lot of
times I see kids that come up to me and say, "I have Lupus,"
or "My mom has Lupus" but "I feel so uncomfortable
talking about it, but now that you brought it out to people, I don't
feel as uncomfortable." It's really good.
Can you give us an update about what is going on with
Backstreet?
Howie: Well, we're actually right now in the studio, recording for
the next album. Each of us are just doing a lot of our own charity
work right now for their different foundations. The guys are very
supportive of them down here and very excited for me. That's about it,
like I said we're just in the studio writing and recording for a new
album.
We had some fans write in asking, "Are you single, or did you
find that special someone in your life?"
Howie: I am dating someone, yeah. I'm very happy about it, I
always very happy that the fans are very supportive of all of us and
our different life endeavors, whether it's charity work, whether it's
family, whether it's getting married, whether it's eventually having
kids for all of us. I'm very happy that the fans are very supporting
and understanding and realizing that we do have normal lives.
The album you are recording right now, did you write any special
songs that might possibly make it on the album?
Howie: I actually was in L.A. in February for the whole month and
I wrote about 20 different songs, and I think out of that I might
hopefully be pretty lucky and get a couple that might go for the next
album that I'm very excited about. I don't want to say which songs it
is in case it doesn't get that one, I feel like a dork later on. It
looks like the group has been writing a lot. We've written about ten
songs already and out of that we are hoping to have at least four or
five that will be the creditability. We're just experimenting right
now, writing with a bunch of different writers, just working on
it.
We hear the acting bug has hit you. Would you like to pursue an
acting career more while Backstreet is on hiatus?
Howie: Uh-huh, sure. Probably, we've all talked about, each of us
have said we want to give each other the space to do individual stuff,
especially during the down time of the group. I mean the group has to
come first, before everything, before our own individual stuff
foundation-wise, everything. But, during the down time, we do give
each other the space to do individual endeavors, whether it's acting,
singing, dancing, producing, whatever it is, or even just having
normal lives, we give each other the space. So, actually, I think
during my down time here, probably after the next album, if we do take
a break, I'll probably definitely start getting into doing some
acting.
Have you ever gone skinny dipping and have you been caught?
Howie: [LAUGHS] Nope, I have never gone skinny dipping so since
then I can't say I've ever gotten caught.
Are you going to be doing any private shows with Backstreet to do
with the Lupus Foundation or anything else?
Howie: What we've been talking about, trying to put some stuff
together, whether it's a golf tournament, or possibly next tour doing
a couple of charity shows where the money goes to our foundations.
Last year, each ticket that was sold, 25 cents went to our
foundations, as well as we had different things we sold out there for
merchandise. I did a bear, Brian had healthy heart T-shirts and stuff
like that. We know that the fans are very supportive of our
foundations, so we like to do credible stuff that makes them feel like
they can hang out with us, at the same time give to a good
cause.
Have you thought about changing the event to a different
state?
Howie: Not so much about changing to another state, but we're
talking about possibly adding it to some other states. That's all up
in the works. To put together something like this is a lot of work, it
takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of effort to try to get artists
to give up their time, to fly into another town, give up their days
off. But we are definitely talking about the idea of possibly taking
it to another state as well.
Is there one thing that you have not done in your lifetime that you
still want to do?
Howie: Hmmm...
Get married?
Howie: Eventually get married, eventually, not anytime soon. I'm,
uh, actually, I'm enjoying life the way it is right now, with me and
the group and I just feel like marriage is a matter of timing. I think
marriage and having a family, starting a family, is definitely
something that to me I believe is you definitely have to make sure
it's the right timing for you. I think right now with the busy
schedule for the group and everything, it's just not the right time.
It wouldn't be fair to my loved one or to if I had kids, it wouldn't
be fair to put them through all this craziness.
Finish the sentence: I get scared when I...?
Howie: I get scared when I have to take shots. [injections]
If I can't sleep I...?
Howie: If I can't sleep I make myself sleep because I don't have a
problem, knock on wood.
The most funniest thing I've ever done was...?
Howie: The most funniest thing that I've ever done was, good lordy,
a lot of things I don't think are funny, a lot of other people think
are funny, on a daily occurrence. But, I think it was maybe when I was
younger with my sister Angie, we were over my neighbors in Indiana. A
friend of ours told us that the traditions is to run out in your long
johns in the hallway. For what reason I don't know why and I don't
know why I was stupid enough to believe him, but I did it. And I ran
from one room into the next room. I thought it was pretty funny, I
didn't think it was that funny actually, but when I thought about it.
Now that I look at it, I definitely don't think it was that
funny.
I want everyone to know about...?
Howie: My Dorough Lupus Foundation.
And when I look into the sky, I think of...?
Howie: Peace, God, and my sister Caroline.
Do you think that DLF has a hard enough profile that if you
suddenly or unexpectedly leave the foundation, that it could continue
to be successful without you?
Howie: I hope so. I hope the Foundation carries on a life of it's
own. I at least try to dedicate as much time as I can to it, but
unfortunately, I'm only one person and that's why I thank God it's a
family foundation, it's not the "Howie" foundation, that's
why I have my sister, all my family works for the foundation. That's
why I'm very thankful that we have a lot of fans our there that create
a lot of events to bring awareness to the foundation on it's
own.
I, myself, have a sister with Lupus in the family. My older sister
suffers from Lupus and I had an uncle that died suddenly without any
warning that he had Lupus. Do you have any advice for friends and
family who are learning to understand the disease?
Howie: I would just tell them to try to educate themselves as much
as possible about it. Talk to your doctor. There is definitely several
doctors that specialize in Lupus. There are a lot of great doctors
that we work out in the West Coast. There is actually books out there
on Lupus. Try to take care of yourself. If you do have Lupus,
definitely take your medications. Make sure you protect yourself when
going out in the sun. Do what you can.
Have you changed in any way due to the 9-11 attacks, and what has
changed about you?
Howie: I definitely have changed by now having to go to the
airport definitely early. Being on time, that's for sure, I can't no
longer just go the airport. In the past I'd be there fifteen minutes
before the plane takes off and hurry up and get on it. I think I've
learned as well, I've changed...I don't know. You know, we lost a
member of our crew that was on the plane.
It makes you more nervous to get on the plane?
Howie: It definitely makes me more nervous now, but I think now
our airports are the safest they've ever been, because there is
heightened security. I can't even go with fingernail clippers in my
bags anymore. So, I think, I'm not as scared, but you never
know.
Do you have a message for the fans?
Howie: Just once again, thank you for all the support, especially
with my foundation. It's definitely been brought all around the world,
making them aware, as well as they have been making other people aware
of the disease. Once again, thanks for all the support with the
Backstreet Boys as well. I'm definitely looking forward to them
hearing our new album, which will be out hopefully sometime before the
end of this year. And just KEEP THE BACKSTREET PRIDE ALIVE!
-
Britney
Goes Backstreet back
up
Source: TeenMusic
Britney Spears is taking a pop at her 'N Sync ex-lover Justin
Timberlake - by duetting with his arch rival Backstreet Boys singer
Nick Carter.
Britney will croon with Nick on his forthcoming solo album.
A friend says, "Nick wants his record to be a huge success. So he
got the nerve to ask Britney to do a song with him and much to his
surprise, she agreed."
The Backstreet Boys are on the same record label Jive as Britney and
'N Sync.
The pal continues, "Britney and Nick have been friends for some
time. But even so, he never dreamed she would do a duet with
him."
The pair have only been close for a few years. Britney and Nick got
off to a bad start when the hunky singer publicly slammed her, but
later apologised for his "lapse in judgement."
A music industry expert predicts fireworks in the video, saying,
"These are two of the hottest people in pop. It's going to be a
really sexy song and even steamier video."
|
