St. Louis Native Prince Charles Martin Wins IBF World Heavyweight Title

Prince Charles Martin, a native of St. Louis, won the vacant IBF World Heavyweight boxing title over the weekend. Martin was awarded the title after his opponent, Vyacheslav Glazkov, suffered a knee injury in the third round and was unable to continue the fight.

The title was vacated by Tyson Fury, the WBO, WBA and IBO belt-holder, when he refused to defend his title against Glazkov and instead schedule a rematch with Hayden Panettiere’s fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko.

Prince Charles Martin, who was born in St. Louis and still has family here, won in less than dramatic fashion when Glazkov slipped and tore his right ACL after throwing a punch in the third round. The 29-year old Martin is now 23-0-1 as a professional with 21 knockouts. His first title defense has not yet been schedule

.@stprincecharles defeats @CzarGlazkov & brings home the vacant IBF Heavyweight World Title #WilderSzpilka #Boxing https://t.co/lLpkKbYJbW

— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) January 17, 2016

The Martin-Glazkov fight was an undercard fight on a bill headlined by Deontay Wilder defending his WBC Heayweight Title against Artur Szpilka. Wilder won the fight with this viscous knockout of Szpilka in the ninth round seen below.

.@BronzeBomber knocks out @szpilka_artur in round 9 and retains his WBC heavyweight title #AndStill #WilderSzpilka https://t.co/aB8J3liY8T

— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) January 17, 2016

Jayson Tatum & Alecia Sutton Named McDonald’s All-Americans

The final rosters for the 2016 McDonald’s All American Games were announced yesterday. Two St. Louis-area prep athletes were named to the teams. Jayson Tatum of Chaminade College Prep was named to the East boys team while Alecia Sutton of Parkway North was named to the East girls team. Tatum has committed to play at Duke next season while Sutton has committed to continue her playing career at Texas. Sutton will unfortunately miss playing in the game after suffering a torn ACL in the recent Visitation Christmas Tournament.

Bradley Beal Named To 30-man Finalist List For 2016 Team USA Roster

USA Basketball released a 30-man finalist list for the team it will field at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. St. Louisan Bradley Beal was on the list with the likes of Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and others. The final 12-man team will be determined in June.

Ride Along 2 Takes Weekend Box Office Crown

Ride Along 2, starring Kevin Hart, Ice Cube and Olivia Munn, debuted with an estimated $34 million over the weekend to take the weekend box office title. The film, which I saw and enjoyed, is the sequel to 2014’s Ride Along, which made $135 million during its theater run.

The Revenant added 184 screens across the country and made an estimated $29.5 million. Star Wars: The Force Awakens added another $25 million to its box office take and now had earned almost $1.9 billion worldwide.

I also saw 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi over the weekend and must say it’s a pretty amazing movie. The film made $16 million in its opening weekend, but expect it to have a strong second weekend of release due to positive word-of-mouth.

Miley Cyrus Moving In With Liam Hemsworth

The Miley Cyrus-Liam Hemworth relationship is apparently back on. Miley was photographed unloading her stuff from U-Haul truck at Hemsworth’s Malibu house. The couple got engaged in May of 2012, but broke up in September of 2013. Various pictures of the two together recently have fueled speculation that they are back together and movie fast. Miley recently posted a picture on Instagram that appears to show her wearing her engagement ring from Hemsworth.

Joe Strauss Laid To Rest

The late Joe Strauss was laid to rest over the weekend. Before the private funeral ceremony, a public visitation was held on Thursday evening for the late St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist and former radio show host on CBS Sports 105-7/920. InsideSTL Enterprises chief Tim McKernan was among those who spoke about their late friend. McKernan also announced plans to honor Strauss and the late Bryan Burwell, also a columnist and radio host like Strauss, with the Joe Strauss/Bryan Burwell St. Louis Sports Media Dinner this December.

Mike Shannon’s Closing Downtown St. Louis Location

It was announced yesterday that downtown St. Louis steakhouse Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood will be closing for good at the end of this month. The restaurant, named for the former St. Louis Cardinals player and current KMOX broadcaster, has been open downtown for almost 30 years. It previously occupied another spot downtown, but has been next to Busch Stadium since 2006.

Shannon, a native St. Louisan who graduated from Christian Brothers College high school and then attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, had a nine-year major League Baseball career. He played 882 games for the St. Louis Cardinals during that time. He then started working on the team’s broadcasting team and still does to this day.

Mike Shannon’s Outfield, the restaurant’s outdoor bar area popular with attendees for Cardinals game, has also seen its last baseball season.

Shannon and his team released a statement saying that the businesses other restaurants, in Edwardsville and at Lambert International Airport will remain open. They will also look to franchise the Mike Shannon’s Grill concept, seen in Edwardsville and at the airport.

No plans were announced for the building that currently houses Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood, which Shannon owns.

Mile 277 Also Closing

Mile 277, a restaurant/dance club/live music venue in Sunset Hills is also closing. The venue announced the closing in a Facebook post that cited, among other things Ballpark Village, as a contributing factor to the “significant losses” the businesses had sustained. Multiple comments pointing out the distance between the two venues led to management posting a separate Facebook post clarifying their earlier statement and addressing the comments made.

Harry’s Restaurant & Bar Closing Too

Kevin C. Johnson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has confirmed that Harry’s Restaurant & Bar downtown is also closing. The restaurant’s attached Horizon at Harry’s venue is also closing at the end of the month. The a co-owner of the business, which has been open for almost 20 years, said that Ballpark Village, highway construction and downtown safety concerns were among the factors that contributed to the closing.

Justin Bieber Shows Off Purple Hair in Shirtless Instagram Picture

Singer and cultural icon Justin Bieber showed off his new purple hair in an Instagram post over the weekend. “The Biebs”, who has surprised many critics with his latest album, chose to show off his new hair color while clad in only a towel wrapped around his waist.

A photo posted by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on Jan 16, 2016 at 11:04am PST

 

Christian Bale’s “Health Concerns” Are About Weight Gain

Actor Christian Bale has backed out of a planned starring role in a movie based on the life of Enzo Ferrari directed by Michael Mann due to “health concerns”. Bale determined that the movie’s shooting schedule wouldn’t leave him enough time to get in the less than peak physical condition required for the role.

Bale’s commitment to his roles was previously displayed in The Big Short. For that role, he learned to play the drums in two weeks.

Tina Fey And Ronda Rousey To Star In Do Nothing Bitches

Universal Pictures has acquired the comedy script Do Nothing Bitches, written by Paula Pell. Tina Fey and Ronda Rousey are expected to star in the film. The script grew out of a interview posted on YouTube with Rousey where she popularized the phrase…and used a few profanities.

Watch the interview with Rousey below, but be warned the language is a bit salty.

Ronda Rousey “Do Nothing Bitch”

 

Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee Boycotting Oscars

Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee announced today that they plan to boycott the 88th Annual Academy Awards next month. Their announcements are meant to be statements on the lack of diversity among the Oscar nominees and among Hollywood executives

Pinkett Smith, whose husband Will Smith did not receive a nomination for his role as Dr. Bennet Omalu in Concussion, made her announcement with a video posted to Facebook.

Spike Lee chose to make his announcement on Instagram, where he posted a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King and quoted the Civil Rights leader. He also thanked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for an honorary award he received back in November.

#OscarsSoWhite… Again. I Would Like To Thank President Cheryl Boone Isaacs And The Board Of Governors Of The Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences For Awarding Me an Honorary Oscar This Past November. I Am Most Appreciative. However My Wife, Mrs. Tonya Lewis Lee And I Will Not Be Attending The Oscar Ceremony This Coming February. We Cannot Support It And Mean No Disrespect To My Friends, Host Chris Rock and Producer Reggie Hudlin, President Isaacs And The Academy. But, How Is It Possible For The 2nd Consecutive Year All 20 Contenders Under The Actor Category Are White? And Let’s Not Even Get Into The Other Branches. 40 White Actors In 2 Years And No Flava At All. We Can’t Act?! WTF!! It’s No Coincidence I’m Writing This As We Celebrate The 30th Anniversary Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday. Dr. King Said “There Comes A Time When One Must Take A Position That Is Neither Safe, Nor Politic, Nor Popular But He Must Take It Because Conscience Tells Him It’s Right”. For Too Many Years When The Oscars Nominations Are Revealed, My Office Phone Rings Off The Hook With The Media Asking Me My Opinion About The Lack Of African-Americans And This Year Was No Different. For Once, (Maybe) I Would Like The Media To Ask All The White Nominees And Studio Heads How They Feel About Another All White Ballot. If Someone Has Addressed This And I Missed It Then I Stand Mistaken. As I See It, The Academy Awards Is Not Where The “Real” Battle Is. It’s In The Executive Office Of The Hollywood Studios And TV And Cable Networks. This Is Where The Gate Keepers Decide What Gets Made And What Gets Jettisoned To “Turnaround” Or Scrap Heap. This Is What’s Important. The Gate Keepers. Those With “The Green Light” Vote. As The Great Actor Leslie Odom Jr. Sings And Dances In The Game Changing Broadway Musical HAMILTON, “I WANNA BE IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS”. People, The Truth Is We Ain’t In Those Rooms And Until Minorities Are, The Oscar Nominees Will Remain Lilly White. (Cont’d)

A photo posted by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) on Jan 18, 2016 at 5:03am PST

Don McLean Arrested In Maine

Singer Don Mclean, whose song ‘American Pie” is about as iconic as they come, was arrested this morning in Maine. He spent several hours in jail this morning before being released on bail. The 72-year-old McLean was arrested on charges of domestic assault, but no details were made available about what led to the charges.

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