GRANDMASTER AARON BANKS, SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO, JOE FRANKLIN RADIO TV SHOW 01/14,/2012
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WELCOME TO ALL MY FRIENDS GRANDMASTERS AND MASTERS AND TEACHERS ACTORS THIS MAGAZINE IS A ON LINE NEWS AND MAGAZINE OPEN TO ALL IN THE MARTIAL ARTS WORLD SOKE DR GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO 10TH DEGREE BLACK BELT
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By Floyd BURK
GRANDMASTER ARRON BANKS
Banks on Competition
When it comes to fighting, preparation is 99 percent of winning, Aaron Banks says. So learn the rules ahead of time. Since the tournament director has the authority to make minor changes prior to the event, be sure to ask about lastminute modifications. With a little experience, you will learn what deviations are likely to occur and be prepared to adjust your tactics accordingly.
If you compete in forms, knowing the rules is just as important, Banks says. Some groups limit the time you have to do your routine, while others limit the number of times you can kiai or the number of gymnastic moves you can do.
The key to victory in kata, Banks says, is to not “miss the emotion boat. You have to make the observers think you believe in what you are doing. You must psyche yourself up with emotion and feeling. Wipe that smile off your face and show a serious attitude. Be balanced, incorporate power, perform genuine techniques and show indomitable spirit. To do all this, you have to rehearse. A competitor who goes into an event without knowing what’s going on or without being ready turns himself into a blind man.” —F.B.
Banks on Promotion If a person puts on a tournament, Aaron Banks says, he is responsible for the money each competitor pays him.
“Too many [promoters] take advantage of people who are paying to be evaluated correctly. Those who turn a blind eye to judges who have a tendency to lean toward their own students must clean up their act or stop doing tournaments.”
The following are Banks’ tips for better competitive events: •Make a short speech at the beginning of your event to explain what rule changes, if any, have been made.
• Tell the competitors that you expect them to respect each other.
• Remind the competitors that if they have any problems with the judging or rules, they should report them to you.
•Make yourself visible. Let everyone know you have high expectations for their behavior.
• Remove in a respectful manner any official who is caught cheating.
• Devise new ways to make the tournament run as smoothly and professionally as possible.
• Avoid adding divisions until you have enough qualified judges who know how to officiate in those divisions.
• Evaluate your motivation. If you are doing it for the money and not because you love the martial arts, get out.
—F.B.
Crooked Staff
If you are participating in a tournament and witness any cheating by the referees or staff, take your case to the tournament director, Aaron Banks says. “If he doesn’t make an honest effort to find out what’s going on and correct the problem [before] the next event, don’t go to his tournament again. There are plenty more to choose from.” —F.B.
World’s greatest promoter Aaron Banks looks back on the milestones of his 332-tournament career
A former actor who has appeared on television and Broadway, Aaron Banks managed to finagle his Oriental World of Self-Defense onto ABC’s Wide World of Sports five times in 1974.
From his meager martial arts beginnings in 1960, Aaron Banks has organized 352 karate tournaments, 250 martial arts shows and more than 1,000 demonstrations.
Chuck Norris made a guest appearance at the 32nd Annual Oriental World of Self-Defense, held at Madison Square Garden on September 13, 2000.
Chuck Norris is one of the legends who built a reputation at Aaron Banks’ martial arts tournaments. He is shown here after winning the middleweight division of the Professional Karate World
In addition to being America’s premier martial arts promoter, Aaron Banks is an accomplished practitioner of goju-ryu and shotokan karate.
Aaron Banks appeared on the cover of the December 1971 Black Belt. The controversial story examined accusations that he was compromising the integrity of the martial arts for financial gain.
Inside all of us is one truly great accomplishment waiting to happen. For Aaron Banks, that seed has become a reality 352 times—in the form of a martial arts tournament. He has made it his mission to show America what the real martial arts are all about, and he has done so admirably. Much of the history martial artists around the world discuss came about because of the Banks’ crusade to bring the Asian arts to the general public via exhibitions and tournaments held at Madison Square Garden and other well-known venues. There is no doubt that 21st century students have such a variety of styles and competitions to choose from because of the labors of this karate pioneer. —F.B.
Aaron Banks has a reputation for accomplishing the unimaginable. For example, in 1964 he brought Chinese kung fu, Korean moo duk kwan, Japanese and Okinawan goju-ryu karate, judo and boxing under the same roof in his New York Karate Academy. High-ranked instructors from goju-ryu, Banks’ base style, phoned to express their dismay that he allowed all those systems to be taught at his school.
Banks’ answer was and still is unassailable: “If you go to the market for bread, you have a variety to choose from. The same should go for the martial arts.”
Annoyed that the arts were being taught mostly in back alleys and low-end health clubs, Banks became intent on having them viewed as an art form. He began holding exhibitions in cultural centers that hosted opera, ballet and other manifestations of classical art. Many an eyebrow was raised in response, but he persevered in his effort to educate Americans, many of whom received their only exposure to the martial arts via movie clips of Sean Connery and James Cagney executing the occasional judo move.
Banks took it upon himself to show the world what the martial arts were all about and, if he was lucky, he figured he might get some people hooked. It didn’t matter what system or style they chose—as evidenced by the multi-cultural nature of his New York dojo. What was important was that they got involved so they could enjoy the same benefits of improved physical and mental health he derived from his practice.
During the ensuing years, he promoted 352 karate tournaments, organized more than 250 martial arts shows and conducted more than 1,000 demonstrations. He also operated a karate school for 30 years, guiding more than 200,000 people on the martial path. The following retrospective lists 10 events that were among the most memorable for him and the most pivotal for the martial arts community:
• Earning a black belt in 1962. After attaining the coveted rank, Banks opened his first dojo. Almost from the start, muggers and thugs would stop by on a regular basis to try to goad him into proving his skills. “There were challenges almost every day,” he recalls. “I would show them a death certificate and say: ‘If you can read, sign this and please indicate where to ship your body. We’ll go into the back room and that’ll be it.’ As mean and vicious as many of those people were, no one ever did sign.”
To bolster his skills, Banks expanded beyond the scope of his first art, shotokan karate as taught by John Slocum, and trained with moo duk kwan instructor Richard Chun. He then studied under goju-ryu’s Peter Urban and Gonnohye Yamamoto. Somewhere along the line, he found time to pick up the soft styles, including southern praying mantis kung fu and tai chi chuan. That cross-training cultivated Banks’ well-rounded nature and augmented his desire to promote all the arts in their infinite variety.
• Organizing his first karate demonstration in 1963. The 41st Street Theatre served as the venue for Banks’ first commercial karate demo. For all his hard work, he netted three bologna sandwiches and a couple of cokes. Nevertheless, it was a start, and the experience provided him with some essential advertising and promotion on-the-job training. The same year—and during the following two—he demonstrated karate at the Jerry Lewis Telethon, bringing much-needed national exposure to the Asian arts.
• Launching the Oriental World of Self-Defense in 1966.
The venue was the Town Hall in New York City. “Back in those days, many martial arts were all locked up and done underground,” Banks says. “My way of thinking was, They should be for all people. My show gave people the opportunity to see all those different systems performed by various masters of jujutsu, aikido, kung fu, taekwondo, iaido and so on.” Countless Americans learned that the Asian arts of self-defense included much more than karate and judo.
• Organizing the East Coast vs. West Coast Team Compe- Competition tition in 1967. The Manhattan Center was where Ed Parker’s West Coast Team (Steve Sanders, Jerry Taylor, Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris) faced Banks’ East Coast Team (Tom LaPuppet, JoeHayes, Louis Delgado and Kazuyoshi Tanaka). More than 3,800 spectators turned out, and although the West Coasters emerged victorious at the end of the day, all martial artists benefited from the rising popularity of the sport and the emergence of new fighting icons.
• Holding the First Professional Karate Championship in 1968. Banks organized the event so four men would emerge as world champions. Aside from the fact that it was perhaps the first professionally run martial arts event in which the scorekeepers, timekeepers, officials and competitors were paid, it was important for another reason. “Because karate now had its first professional world champions—in four categories —it gave the media something significant to write about and brought competitors some well-deserved recognition,” Banks says.
For the record, Joe Lewis defeated Vic Moore for the heavyweight title, Mike Stone bested Bob Tiani for the light-heavyweight championship, Chuck Norris beat Louis Delgado for the middleweight title and Skipper Mullins triumphed over Kazuyoshi Tanaka to secure the lightweight championship.
“The thing that sticks out in my mind is the fight between Norris and Delgado,” Banks says. “They were such fierce competitors, and they went at it with such emotion. It was supposed to be semicontact.
At one point, Delgado fouled Norris, almost knocking him out with illegal contact. Norris picked himself up, shook himself off and with unrelenting determination went on to win the fight. I said to myself: ‘That Norris is one tough martial artist, not just physically but mentally, too. With the way he stays focused and in control, there is nothing he won’t be able to accomplish if he sets his mind to it.’ ” • Staging America vs. the Orient in 1968. Another highlight of the Banks hit parade was a show that pitted Norris, Lewis, Stone and LaPuppet against a group of Asian fighters.
The Americans won the contest, taking four of the six bouts and proving to the nation that Westerners could defeat Asians at their own game.
• Beginning his tournament-a-month competition calen- calendar dar in 1969. It ran in the same venue, the Sunnyside Gardens Arena in Queens, once a month for three years. “Those tournaments drew the strongest schools and the toughest martial artists who ever existed, including George Cofield, Joe Hess, Moses Powell, Frank Ruiz, Tom LaPuppet, J.T.
Will, Jerry Piddington, Nick Cerio and Joe Lewis,” Banks says. “I would give my speech at the beginning of each event and tell the competitors that the only way to get the media involved was to have a respectable tournament. If there was a street-fight type environment, they would run out, and sometimes there was too much violence and they did leave. So I had to be visible on the front lines. Whenever anything went wrong or people got out of hand, I was there to get things under control.
“I give a lot of credit to those fighters because they really worked hard,” he continues.
“When they won, they really felt it. If they lost, they would go back to their school and train to come back next month and try to win. The fights were real battles.”
• Touring the USA in 1973. Banks took his Oriental World on the road, touring a reported 25 states before heading for Europe. He introduced hundreds of thousands of spectators to the ways of the warrior. The highlight of it all came four years into the crusade during a trip to Great Britain. After entertaining large crowds in cities like Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, he and the rest of the team found themselves scheduled to appear at London’s world-famous Royal Albert Hall. “Chuck Merriman did kata and sword, Ernest Hyman broke ice and performed the nunchaku, and I did my famous ‘skeetshooting’ board-breaking routine (throwing them into the air one at a time and smashing them). The exhibition turned out to be a command performance with the Queen of England looking on.”
• Attracting 19,000 spectators in 1974. Banks’ Oriental World show, which moved to Madison Square Garden in 1972, attracted 4,000 people the first year it was held.
Within two years, that number had risen to almost 20,000.
That meant maximum exposure for the biggest names in the martial arts—from traditional karate stylists like LaPuppet and Merriman to kung fu experts like Kam Yuen (David Carradine’s teacher and fight choreographer for the Kung Fu TV series). Everybody who was anybody participated at one time or another.
• Pulverizing 58 boards in 60 seconds in 1982. On behalf of the martial arts, Banks appeared on a gamut of talk shows—including those hosted by Merv Griffin, Dick Cavatt, Tom Snyder and Johnny Carson. But he says the most memorable one involved his hand turning to mush while breaking 58 boards in 60 seconds during a demo of his skeetshooting routine on the Mike Douglas Show. The power and discipline of the martial arts continued to amaze Americans even after many thought they had seen it all.
About Chuck Norris A difficult childhood sent Chuck Norris in search of discipline in his adulthood, which he found in martial arts. His success as a competitive fighter and trainer subsequently led to an equally successful acting career that saw him starred in a string of popular low-budget, action-oriented features in the 1970s and 1980s. He found his greatest success on the small screen, however, as the star of “Walker, Texas Ranger” (CBS, 1993-2001), which drew sizable ratings throughout its long network run. His tough guy image and stoic performances – once the object of derision by mainstream critics – eventually earned a string of tributes and spoofs on television and the internet, which he weathered with good humor.
Born on March 10, 1940, Norris was one of three sons born to mechanic and truck driver, Ray Norris, and mother Wilma Scarberry. In interviews, Norris described his childhood as an unhappy one – his father was an alcoholic and his parents split when he was a teenager, forcing him to relocate with his mother and siblings to Kansas, then later to Torrance, CA. His experiences at North Torrance High School proved to be equally unpleasant for Norris. Mocked for his mixed heritage – his father was Cherokee – and painful shyness, he pined for a semblance of strength and focus in his life. He found it just a few years later after joining the military.
After graduating high school in 1958, Norris took bold strides to gain control of his future. He married Diane Holecheck that same year, then joined the United States Air Force, which shipped him to an air base in South Korea to serve as an Air Policemen. While there, he developed a fascination for martial arts and began training extensively in Tang Soo Do, a Korean style of self defense, and eventually worked his way up to black belt. In 1962, he was sent back to the United States and honorably discharged from the military in August that same year. Norris then went to work for the Northrop Corporation while training for and competing in numerous martial arts tournaments.
His tournament record began with a two year string of defeats starting in 1964. But by 1967, he had claimed the National Winter Karate Championship and the All-Star Championship, then was declared Middleweight Karate Champion in 1968. The following year, he swept the tournaments and was declared “Fighter of the Year” by the popular Black Belt magazine. Norris soon parlayed his wins into a string of martial arts schools throughout Southern California, where he taught his own martial arts style, Chun Kuk Do, or “Universal Way.” Steve McQueen’s son Chad was among his students and the actor was instrumental in encouraging Norris to pursue a career in movies. He made his first on-screen appearances in cameos for “The Green Berets” (1968) and the Dean Martin spy spoof “The Wrecking Crew” (1969).
The 1970s marked a period of exceptional change in Norris’ life. He suffered a tremendous tragedy in the first year of the decade when his brother, Weiland, was killed while serving in Vietnam. Norris rebounded from the loss and finished his professional tournament career on a high note with a win in 1970 and a draw in 1972 before announcing his official retirement in 1974. Norris also made the acquaintance of fellow martial arts champ, Bruce Lee, who was enjoying massive popularity in Asia and America with his action films. Lee tapped Norris to play the villain in his martial arts feature “Way of the Dragon” (1972) Their elaborate fight – which took place in the Coliseum in Rome – was the highlight of the picture and an immediate fan favorite. At the behest of McQueen, Norris began taking acting classes at MGM Studios to expand his range, which resulted in substantial roles in low-budget features. But the movies were dreadful – “The Student Teachers” (1973) was a sexploitation thriller from Roger Corman’s New World Pictures, while “Slaughter in San Francisco” (1974) cast Norris as a karate killer in an American-Hong Kong co-production. Despite the dreadful aesthetics, both proved to be moneymakers on the drive-in and grindhouse circuits.
Norris eventually worked his way up to his first starring role in “Breaker! Breaker!” (1977), which combined his martial arts skills with then then-popular CB radio craze for a simple and action-driven story about a trucker (Norris) who saves his brother from a corrupt sheriff. Critics lambasted the film and Norris for his wooden performance, but the picture performed well at the box office, launching his career as an action hero in earnest. His next film, “Good Guys Wear Black” (1978), was a more impressive showcase for his martial arts skills, featuring both his trademark roundhouse kick and a flying kick through the windshield of a moving car. He slowly worked his way through the independent feature world, expanding his profile with each subsequent feature in an attempt to make himself more palatable for mainstream audiences. Critics were brutal to Norris throughout this period, citing his stoic screen presence. But action aficionados ate up his movies.
Norris made his first feature for a major Hollywood studio with “Silent Rage” (1982). A tawdry mix of his martial arts action and slasher films, “Silent Rage” pitted his small town sheriff against a psychopathic killer genetically engineered by a mad scientist (Ron Silver). Its modest box office returns sent Norris packing to MGM for the more straight-ahead action film “Forced Vengeance” (1982). His choice of director was the workman-like James C. Fargo, who had helmed the Clint Eastwood hits “The Enforcer” (1976) and “Every Which Way But Loose” (1978). Norris was hoping that the association would assist in his transition to Eastwood’s level of action star, but the picture proved to be unsuccessful. His career resumed its winning streak with “Lone Wolf McQuade” (1983), a cartoonish action-adventure co-starring former “Kung Fu” (ABC, 1972-1975) hero David Carradine and featuring a script with uncredited contributions by John Milius. The film’s success led to a long relationship with independent studio Cannon Films, which resulted in the biggest hits of Norris’ career and his transition from B-movie star to Hollywood leading man.
First was “Missing in Action” (1984), a jingoistic but action-packed military adventure with Norris as a former POW who returns to Vietnam to rescue former comrades still held hostage by communist forces. A massive hit for the studio and the actor, the film was immediately followed by a prequel, “Missing in Action 2: The Beginning” (1985) which took place during Norris’ character’s internment in Vietnam. The film was actually set for release prior to “Missing in Action,” but Cannon relented on the period piece in favor of the modern-day adventure. It was followed by a less successful third film, “Braddock: Missing in Action III” (1988), which marked the directorial debut of brother Aaron Norris, who had served as a stuntman on many of his brother’s pictures, and would subsequently direct most of his features and television efforts.
“Code of Silence” (1985) was the first film that earned Norris near-universal positive reviews. A more low-key effort than his other Cannon efforts, the film gave Norris the chance to play a real character – a hard-working Chicago cop – instead of an indestructible fighting machine and benefited from Andrew Davis’ deft direction and some impressive Windy City locations. Unfortunately, the picture performed only moderately well at the box office, forcing Norris back to comic book adventures like “Invasion U.S.A.” (1985), in which he single-handedly fended off the communist armies of Russia and Cuba in their attempt to overthrow the American government. The movie was a substantial hit, as was its follow-up, “The Delta Force” (1986), which teamed Norris with Lee Marvin (in his final film role) as American commandos who are dispatched to rescue a planeload of American and Israeli passengers from Palestinian terrorists.
By the mid-1980s, Norris was firmly entrenched as one of Hollywood’s leading action heroes, enjoying the exposure and access that status granted him. In 1988, he published his autobiography, The Secret of Inner Strength, which managed to make the best seller lists. He also launched his own youth programs, including Kick Start, which gave middle school children the inner strength and discipline he so craved at that age through martial arts training. Norris further expanded his connection to younger fans with his own cartoon series, “Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos” (Syndicated, 1986-87), which featured the actor delivering a moral-heavy message at the end of each episode.
But while his public profile increased, his movie career began to falter. “Firewalker” (1986), a “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)-style adventure with Louis Gossett Jr., stumbled in its attempt to show Norris’ comic side. The third “Missing in Action” movie and “Hero and the Terror” (1988) also failed to connect with his fan base, while “Delta Force 2: The Columbian Connection” (1990) barely earned a theatrical release from MGM, which picked up the flick after acquiring Cannon Films’ library. The studio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the late 1980s before undergoing protracted death throes which resulted in its complete dissolution in the early 1990s, leaving Norris without a studio contract. He slogged through subpar efforts for the next few years before striking on the idea of creating his own television series.
Initially envisioned as a continuation of his “Lone Wolf McQuade” character, “Walker, Texas Ranger” was streamlined by the network into a straight-ahead action-adventure series with Norris as a Native American Texas Ranger who dispenses justice with his feet and fists instead of a gun. Despite the prevalence of fight scenes and other intrigue, the show was largely family-friendly and featured numerous uplifting storylines and moral-driven scripts. Critics pounced upon the show over Norris’ B-movie background, his crooning of the title song and the show’s fanciful elements – Walker’s martial arts always trumped any villain, no matter how heavily armed, and spiritual elements, including numerous appearances by helpful ghosts, were prevalent – but audiences seeking traditional television fare clung to it faithfully for eight seasons.
After “Walker, Texas Ranger” left the airwaves in 2001, Norris tried to resume his film career, but with little success. He made a few made-for-television movies, including “The President’s Man” (CBS, 2000), which saw Norris play a university professor by day, secret agent by night, followed by the sequel, “The President’s Man: A Line in the Sand” (CBS, 2002). A cameo as himself on episodes of the sitcom “Yes, Dear” (CBS, 2000-06) was followed by a revival of martial arts ranger Cordell Walker for the television movie, “Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire” (CBS, 2005). In 2006, Norris became the subject of an Internet phenomenon, Chuck Norris Facts, a satirical look at the action star’s tough, alpha-male persona, which included such gems as “Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door,” and “Chuck Norris does not get frostbite. Chuck Norris bites frost.” A life-long republican, Norris entered the 2008 presidential race as an avid campaigner for former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who made a surprising, but ultimately failed run for the nomination.
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WHO IS GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO
Posted by SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO on January 28, 2012 at 9:10pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
<p align="center"><b><i><br/> <br/></i></b></p> <p align="center"><b><i><br/></i></b> <b><i> </i></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><i>Soke Grandmaster Irving Soto 8-time undisputed world Kumite Champion /10th degree black belt cover red belt About</i></b>…
Continue <p align="center"><b><i>Soke Grandmaster Irving Soto 8-time undisputed world Kumite Champion /10th degree black belt cover red belt About</i></b>…
WHO IS SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO
Posted by SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO on January 28, 2012 at 9:07pm 1 Comment 0 Likes
Help sponsor "The Gathering of Pioneers" in Houston , Texas, October 11th, 12th, 13th
Posted by SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO on January 25, 2012 at 12:12am 1 Comment 0 Likes
Aloha Tara,
Continue My name is Professor Gary Lee and Founder of the Museum of Sport Karate , first of all I am a fan of your product and I have thought about this .
This is going to be one of my biggest events ever .I have been lucky enough to produce nineteen events and honor many American hero's J.Pat Burleson , Bill "Superfoot" Wallace, Chuck Norris just to name a…
I asked, and I was Given..
Posted by Eric Montalvo on January 24, 2012 at 10:26am 0 Comments 0 Likes
I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity and God gave me brawn and brains to work.
I asked for courage and God gave me dangers to overcome.
I asked for patience and God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.
I asked for love and God gave me troubled people to help.
I asked for favors and God gave me opportunities.
I asked for everything so I…
Key to Happyness
Posted by Eric Montalvo on January 24, 2012 at 10:11am 0 Comments 0 Likes
1) Be honest with yourself and Falsehood is Impossible.
2) Believe yourself to be no less important than anyone, yet no humility.
3) Think positively and behold beauty and good in everything.
4) Exercise daily to tone the body, mind and spirit.
5) Dream of the future; utilize the present and do not dwell on the past.
6) Establish goals and strive to achieve and maintain them.
7) Direction…
BLACK DRAGON FIGHTING SOCIETY
Posted by SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO on January 24, 2012 at 12:52am 1 Comment 0 Likes
Exciting News !!!! Update!! Update!! Update!! Nominated to be inducted into the Black Dragon Fighting Society at the Gathering! J.Pat Burleson , Troy Dorsey, Danny McCall, Daryl Stewart, Bruce Brutschy, Linda Denley, Moses Williams, Richa...rd Dixon R.I.P,Tony Lopez, Zulfi Ahmed…
WELCOME TO THE USA WARLORD MAGZINE OPEN TO ALL STYLE OF MARTIAL ARTS SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO INVITE YOU ALL
Posted by SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO on January 22, 2012 at 1:32pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Dr.Darrell R. Smth &Prof. Irving Soto
Posted by DR.DARRELL R.SMITH on January 20, 2012 at 11:17pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
hello
to all my brothers and wonderful sisters in the martial arts world. me and soto love to do iron palm. also we totaly enjoy martial arts alot. we break real materials and soon we will be doing more videos thank you god bless.
legendary broadcast legend Joe Franklin
Posted by SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO on January 18, 2012 at 10:55am 0 Comments 0 Likes
legendary broadcast legend Joe Franklin.
Joe Franklin is an American radio and television personality who is credited with hosting the first television talk show. The show began in 1951 on WJZ-TV and moved to WOR-TV from 1962 to 1993.
Known as "the king of…
WORLD INTERNATIONAL SUPREME REDBELT COUNCIL.
Posted by DR.DARRELL R.SMITH on December 30, 2011 at 4:48pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
hello
to all my brothers and sisters in the martial arts world,me and grandmaster irving soto are very worry about so many people are saying they are 10 dan and promoting them self. well self promoting is not lagitmate and no good,geting a 10dan is a life time of martial arts training. and training under lagitimate masters and grandmaster. and masters irving soto bent in the martial arts over 50yrs and i bent in 45yrs also we are worry in the year 2020 over 60.000.000 people will be…
ContinueATEMI INTERNATIOAL MARTIAL ARTS FEDERATION SOTO RYU ATEMI JITSU
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SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO WORLD CHAMPION 10TH DEGREE BLACK BELT/ THE STYLE OF MARTIAL ARTS ATEMI AIKI JUJITSU
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BY SOKE.GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO JUJITSU ORIGINALLY IN INDIA
Jujitsu originally was developed in India, spreading throughout Southeast Asia and reaching Japan.
There it became an important part of the military training among the bushi (samurai) class during the kamakurap period (1185-1333). It was taught to disarm warriors so they could defend themselves against enemies who were still armed. Thus, the techniques of kumi-tachi or yawara described in the 13th-century Buddhist work konjaku-monogatari (story of past and present). Over the centuries various schools developed, the ancient military techniques of kumi -tachi or yawara described in 13th century Buddhist work konjaku -monogatari (story of past and present), while other schools developed wajutsu, kogo-soku, hakuda, shudaku, and kempo tach techniques which combined movements and counting grips adopted from Chinese methods of combat. Jujitsu became recognized martial arts during the Edo period (1603-1867. when Japan was at peace.
The ronin (masterless samurai founded many schools and spread jujitsu techniques throughout the country. The Techniques were codified at the beginning of the Meiji period (1868-1912), when samurai were forbidden to carry swords while feuds between noble families were prohibited.
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THE POWER OF ATEMI BY KIM YUSHIDO FROM JAPAN SOKE GRANDMASTERS IRVING SOTO
The art of atemi was developed in Asia more than 4000 years ago, along with the science of acupuncture. The Chinese practiced the art of dim mak, or death touch. In Japan the touch of death is called atemi. Atemi focuses on striking one of the 365 points in the central nervous system. It was valued as a treasure of the masters for many centuries. The art is so deep and complex that it requires a mastery of human physiology. To this day, scientists cannot understand why a single strike to the central nervous system can kill a man.
Ancient Tradition
By tradition, practitioners were not allowed to teach atem,i only a highly skilled master within the family could teach the art of atemi. The bushido code required that a warrior must learn enlightenment and the five principles of earth, water, fire, wind, and void and that a warrior also acquire the five skills of accuracy, timing, ki or chi (internal energy), mind control, and instinct in order to become a proficient warrior.
As atemi continued to develop through the centuries, the Chinese divided the art into 81 points; each point was based on one of the five elements or principles. Atemi continued to be tested for thousands of years in remote regions of China. As the Chinese and Japanese cultures continued to evolve and intermingle, the art of atemi was passed to Japan. Soon the mystical science of mind was added to atemi and its power went to a new level. Stories began to circulate around Asia about wise masters who could kill a person without touching him; this was atemi at its highest level.
Other Systems
Atemi became extremely popular during the 15th century. At the same time, ninjutsu began to flourish and grew throughout Japan for the next four centuries. In the 16th century wing chun was developed by a Buddhist nun. Both wing chun and ninjutsu incorporated atemi into their systems, While other systems attempted to include elements of atemi to increase and augment their techniques' potency in judo,
for example there are three major division. The third and final division is known as atemi-waza, ate waza, or simply atemi. Jigoro Kano made atemi-waza, or vital point striking techniques, an important part of judo after learning them from gichin funakoshi; atem-waza is so deadly that it is not allowed in judo competition, and is taught only to high-ranking belts. Other examples of systems that use atemi are Tatsu Tanaka,s modernized from of jujitsu calledgoshin-jutsu part of the modernization included an emphasis on atemi-waza.Yet another form of jujitsu known as Hakko -ryu atemi strikes and touches based on the principles of koho shiatsu kenpo, too, emphasizes various methods of striking the anatomicalvital points; However, very few people gained a complete understanding of atemi, the true atemi master went underground, becoming even more stringent and selective about the students with whom they shared their knowledge.
By the 1940s, the complete art of atemi was known only by one master, Grandmaster Kakuyoshi Yamamoto, who had been taught by Soke Sokaku
Takeda. Grandmaster yamoamoto selected ten ninth-degree black belt out of 200 student to whom he would teach the atemi art. Only one of those ten students was non- Japanese, an American named grandmaster Irving Soto who had been adopted and raised from infancy by Chinese in New York’s Chinatown. This gave him an insight into asian culture and intensive martial arts studies was possessed by very few non-Asians.
With TIME GRANDMASTR SOTO BECAME GRANDMASTER YAMAMOTO'S best student. He became so proficient at the art of atemi that he was given the title warlord by Grandmaster Yamamoto Soke. Grandmaster Yamamoto
gave Grandmaster Irving Soto his ancient samurai swords and his tenth degree black belt/cover red belt. When Grandmaster Yamamoto died, he left Grandmaster Irving Soto as head of the international bushido federation, the first non-Japanese, TO HEAD THE ORGANIZATION.
Before his death, Grandmaster Yamamoto made one final request to his best student that he would make sure the art of Atemi lived on into the twenty-first and beyond. With the blessings of his master, Grandmaster Irving Soto opened the first dojo in New York to make this wish a reality. Soto named his system Atemi aiki juitsu which stands for the life force, also known as chi flow, that everyone possesses, chi flow is not only vital to physical health and generating power, it also permeates and enhances all facets of life, especially spirituality. The "do" stands for the way that an individual chooses to walk in life following in the footsteps of the masters such as Jigro Kano, Morihei Ueshiba, and Gogan yamamgucchi, Grandmaster Soto broke from tradition and brought the most secret and powerful art from Asia to the west. Grandmaster Soto, trained in Japan for 18 0f his 52 years in the martial arts, which emphasizes the principles of honor, respect, and discipline, and because the atemi art Soto constantly reminds his students that power and humility are interlocking forces that balances each other.
To be continued.
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WHO IS GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO?
Soke Grandmaster Irving Soto 8-time undisputed world Kumite Champion /10th degree black belt cover red belt About me Soke Irving Soto is a winner of numerous world championships And the last person to be taught Atemi- jujitsu Aiki-jujitsu, he has been studying and teaching the martial arts of Atemi jujitsu for the last 50 years; he has traveled all over the world to demonstrating his Techniques and been teaching the military arm forces like the army.
Soke Soto has been in numerous commercials such as MTV, NBC, Phil Donahue Show Live TV, Inside Edition, New York, Newsday, Barbra Sang live TV network show. Aaron Banks Show of World Oriental Show and Hong Kong Television by Raymond Chow he has appeared in sports TV ESPN Sports Martial Arts Channel and the list goes on. Soke Grandmaster Irving Soto is member of the law enforcement community he has taught the sp force over sea and the United States and the federal police, New York Sheriffs federal correctional facilities and NYPD tactical defense for DEA. FBI, US Treasury, seals team 5 and 6 for the Navy, as well as teaching for the DOD police academy and the department in Aberdeen Maryland. Soke Soto has received accommodations from former Mayor Susan Golding of San Diego, CA former Mayor Dinkins of New York City and Mayor of Hollywood CA Johnny Grant, Brigadier General, US Army Commanding Rodger A Nadeau, US Army Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Colonel US Army Deputy Installation Commander John T Wright for his hard work in teaching the US armed force 2002.2003,2004, 2005, 2006.
Irving Soto still teaching and training and working with the military to present Day 2007, 2008, 2009 2010 2011 2012 to the present Soke Grandmaster Irving Soto is a winner of numerous world championships and the last person to be taught Atemi- waza Aiki jujitsu and jujitsu. He has been studying and teaching the martial arts of Atemi Aiki jujitsu for last 51 years. He has traveled all over the world demonstrating his techniques and has been in numerous commercial, such as MTV, NBC, Phil Donahue Show, Inside and inside editions, Barbra Sang show New York live TV network, Aaron Banks live TV Show of World Oriental Show, and Hong Kong television by Raymond Chow. He has appeared in Sport TV, ESPN Sport Martial Arts Channel and list goes on Soke Grandmaster Irving Soto is member of the law enforcement community. Soke grandmaster Irving Soto has taught the United States armed arm forces, and some of the police department around the county, New York City Sheriff’s, federal correctional officer tactical defense for DEA, FBI, US Treasury, Seal teams 5 and 6 for the navy, As well as teaching for DOD police academy in, Aberdeen Maryland, Soke Grandmaster Irving Soto has received accolades from former Mayor Susan Golding of San Diego ca, former New York city Mayor Dinkins, And the mayor of Hollywood ca Johnny Grant, Brigadier General, US Army Commander Rodger A Nadeau, US Army Aberdeen Proving Grounds Colonel US Army Deputy Installation Commander John T. Wright for his hard work in helping the with the US Army.
I was born in Bronx in 1954, 1956 my mother moved to Brooklyn, New York at the age of 2 years old. One of my first professors that I trained with a Japanese man called Tashioshi, he taught in jujitsu. I received my first-degree black belt at the age of 11-year-old. Through Tashioshi I went to Japan I fought the internationals of 16 years old. I became the open champion. Tashioshi moved away in the early 1970’s, I continued my thirst for martial arts science knowledge of jujitsu. I continued to further my instruction
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SOKE DR. GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO 8-TIME WORLD KUMITE CHAMPION 10 TH DEGREE BLACK BELT
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Soke Grandmaster Irving Soto 8-time undisputed world kumite Champion /10th degree black belt cover red belt
i invite you to the -USA ATEMI KI DO DOJO MARTIAL ARTS PHYSICAL FINTESS CENTER LOCATED AT 9805 PROSPECT AVE IN SANTEE CA 92071. FOR INFORMATION THE NUMBER IS 619 4482118 OR 619 961 8350 CALL TODAY
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Soke Irving Soto is a winner of numerous world championships And the last person to be taught atemi- jujitsu aiki-jujitsu, he has been studying and teaching the martial arts of atemi jujitsu for the last 50 years; he has traveled all over the world to demonstrating his
Techniques and been teaching the military arm forces like the army. Soke Soto has been in numerous commercials such as MTV, NBC, Phil Donahue Show Live TV, Inside Edition, New York, Newsday, Barbra Sang live TV network show.
Aaron Banks Show of World Oriental Show and Hong Kong Television by Raymond Chow he has appeared in sports TV ESPN Sports Martial Arts Channel and the list goes on.
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NEW YORK CITY
About me
Headline:
Soke Grandmaster Irving Soto is an 8-time undisputed world Kumite Champion /10th degree black belt cover red belt. Soke Irving Soto is a winner of numerous world championships and is the last person to be taught atemi- jujitsu aiki-jujitsu. Soke Soto has been studying and teaching the martial arts of atemi jujitsu for the last 50 years; Soto has traveled all over the world demonstrating his Techniques and has been teaching the defensive tactics to the U.S Armed Forces. Soke Soto has been in numerous commercials, such as MTV, NBC, the Phil Donahue Show, Inside Edition, New York, Newsday, Barbra Sang’s live TV network show. Aaron Banks Show (World Oriental Show) and Hong Kong Television by Raymond Chow. Soke Soto has appeared in sports TV, ESPN Sports Martial Arts Channel and the list goes on.
Soke Grandmaster Irving Soto is a member of the law enforcement community. He has instructed martial arts techniques to U.S Special Forces around the world. Soke Soto has taught martial arts to the United States Army federal police, New York Sheriff’s Department, federal correctional facilities and NYPD tactical defense for DEA, FBI, U.S. Treasury, The Navy seals team 5 and 6, as well as teaching for the DOD police academy and the U.S. Army Police Department in Aberdeen Maryland. Soke Soto has received accommodations from former Mayor Susan Golding of San Diego, CA, former Mayor Dinkins of New York City and the Mayor of Hollywood CA Johnny Grant, U.S. Army Aberdeen proving Grounds Commander, Brigadier General, Rodger A Nadeau, US Army Aberdeen Proving Grounds installation Commander, Colonel John T Wright for his hard work in teaching the US armed force during the years from 2002 through 2006. Irving Soto continues to teach and train military components to this present Day.
I was born in the Bronx in 1954. I was two years old when my mother moved to Brooklyn, New York, during 1956. One of my first professors that I trained under was a Japanese man called Tashiosh. He taught me jujitsu. I received my first-degree black belt at the age of eleven. Through Tashioshi I went to Japan to fight the internationals when I was 16 years old. I became the open champion. Tashioshi moved away in the early 1970’s, I continued my thirst for the martial arts science knowledge of jujitsu.
I continued to further my instructions with a group of masters from the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. In 1973 I was invited by the Japanese association to compete in the open kumite championship in Japan. Upon winning the championship in 1973,. I was invited to the humble dojo of koshimitsu Yamamoto to compete in the open kumite. After winning kumite championship, I was asked to be under the guidance of Yamamoto to further my instructions in the advanced technique of atemi aiki-jujitsu. I continued to further my instruction by traveling back and forth from Japan and USA. In 1990 I received my 10th degree black belt in Atemi-Aiki jujitsu upon my teacher’s death I was awarded full sokeship to continue the work. I won the kumite for 8 years. From 1973 to1980, I was the World kumite champion.
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I would like to pay my special thanks to some of the masters who took their time to teach me the martial arts science of jiu -ju-jitsu,
1.Grandmaster- Charlie Sprrow-jujitsu
2.Grandmaster- Rudy Jones-jujitsu
3.Dr. Moses Powell- jujitsu
4.Master Saigon Ellis Evans-jiu-jujitsu
5.Master Danny McEddy-Nin jitsu -kempo
SOKE IRVING SOTO
IS A 17-TIMES HALL OF FAMER -MARTIAL ARTS
SOKE SOTO TEACHES MMA, ATEMI JUJITSU, AIKI-JUJITSU COMBAT MIX MARTIAL AND THE ARMED FORCE THE MILITARY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AROUND THE COUNTY
Call me at my cell phone Dojo number 619 448-2118 619-961-8350.
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http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=SOKE+SOTO&emb=0&aq=f#
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I hope my life’s experience in martial arts has been helpful.
My web site is http://grandmasterirvingsoto.webs.com The Styles of martial arts
Systems:
I teach Atemi- Aiki-Jujitsu/jujitsu
Companies I've worked for
USA ATEMI KI DO/DOJO MARTIAL ART PHYSICAL FITNESS’ CENTER 9805 PROSPECT AVE .STE-D SANTEE CA 92071; PHONE 619-448-2118; OR CELL LINE 619 448 2118
Other names
SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO
http://grandmasterirvingsoto.webs.com
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=SOKE+SOTO&emb=0&aq=f#
http://wwwgoogle.com/profiles/sokeirvingsoto.7
Bottom of Form call me at my cell phone Dojo number 619 448-2118 619-961-8350.
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Other names
SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO
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http://grandmasterirvingsoto.webs.com
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=SOKE+SOTO&emb=0&aq=f#
Learn more about Soke Dr. Grandmaster Soto's History and Biography
SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO 10TH DEGREE BLACK BELT 8-TIME WORLD KUMITE CHAMPION
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In 1988, the martial arts community was introduced to Jean-Claude Van Damme with the arrival of the movie BLOODSPORT. Van Damme displayed a unique fighting style that combined raw power, agility and speed. Due to the success of the film, Van Damme would be catapulted into. However, behind the Universal Soldier lies the story of Frank Dux.
The untold Frank Dux story is of a hard upbringing that included chapters written in struggle and humility. It is the story of a fighter, molded by traumatizing experiences of fear that would compel him to train and grab hold of martial arts and at the age of 19, become champion of the international fighting event known as the Kumite.
Frank was born in 1956, in Toronto, to parents who were holocaust survivors. Frank and his parents would move to California when he was seven.
Although he possessed tremendous athletic ability, Frank’s lack of financial means would direct him towards free lessons in martial arts.
“I started training in 1968,” recalls Frank. “I got into martial arts because I could not afford shoes. I had combat boots because that is all my parents could afford to buy me. When I went to high school, in order to play sports, you had to be able to buy cleats. I could not afford a deposit for helmets and shoulder pads.”
Frank’s natural athletic ability no doubt contributed to his career in martial arts. “I used to play [football] with Aaron Mitchell who went on to play ball for the Dallas Cowboys and even Aaron will tell you I was the only guy who could catch him. That’s how fast I was. Guy Sularz went on to be one of the top players with the [Minnesota] Twins, and I could out hit him too. I was a great athlete but when I could do martial arts, you didn’t need shoes.”
Not having the means to purchase cleats and other necessary equipment would prevent Frank from participating in organized sports. However, it wasn’t a love for fighting that propelled him to learn martial arts. It was a greater motivator, fear.
“It’s not about fighting. It’s about building character and getting over your fears. When you conquer your fear there is a tremendous amount of exhilaration that comes from that. I was about 10 years old when these two kids threw me into a garage because I looked odd to them. The kid reminded me that his father was a district attorney and buried a hatchet about two inches from my head. He could have split my skull. That had a profound effect on me. I never forgot that.”
That experience would cause Frank to seek out training in martial arts. Frank had the desire to protect himself, coupled with his athleticism, it would propel him forward but not before humbling training experiences that would make great material for any martial arts movie.
“John Leone would let me sit in on classes on qi energy and that’s what I learned from him. Then on Van Nuys Boulevard I would go see Bob Osman who was one of the strongest karate men in the world. Bob taught me the idea and concept that one punch is all you need, and that is all you should have to use in fighting… and develop your strength and power… and I became a knockout king and that is where I got that from. When I went to Bill Usagi’s school, you’d see Bruce Lee in there. He wasn’t Bruce Lee as we know him at that time. He was friends with Bill Usagi. What I learned from Bill Usagi was focus and speed.”
Since Frank couldn’t afford to pay for the class at Bill Usagi’s school, he had an unwritten arrangement with Bill Usagi that allowed him to learn. Frank would clean up in front of the school and in return Bill would open the window blinds so Frank could see inside.
“Bill would look at me and guide me through the window. I didn’t have parental permission. I couldn’t afford lessons but he wanted me to learn. I would practice on the sidewalk and everyone would make fun of me. ‘Look at this stupid kid out there.’ I had to overcome the humiliation because I wanted to learn.”
In middle school the “sidewalk dragon” was already a proficient fighter, attributing much of it to genetics. “By the time I was 14, I was knocking out grown men. I loved training but when I was a kid I was huge. In school I got a lot of ridicule because of that.”
This was referenced during the opening to BLOODSPORT where a young Frank Dux is depicted as being much taller that his school classmates.
Frank’s financial state would cause him to develop a sense of maturity and seriousness that lent them to his training regimen. “I was mature. You have to be when you are poor to survive. It makes you grow up quickly. I did not have much of a childhood. ‘How are we going to eat today?’ We’d go collect bottles so we could have food and my mom was sick and it was hard to buy medicine. Through that kind of adversity I trained myself and through the kindness of many people I learned martial arts.”
In BLOODSPORT, a young Frank is caught trying to steal a sword. This leads to a meeting between his parents and future trainer. During the meeting, his father mentions that he owns a vineyard.
Frank described how the script strayed from reality. “That’s not true. What the producer was trying to show was that martial arts redeems you and that scene was a quick way to tell that. My dad didn’t work in a vineyard. My mother was really sick and my parents were immigrants from the holocaust. They came to the country with nothing.”
Mention of a vineyard was a part of Frank’s philosophy when discussing young martial artists. It’s a principle he taught during seminars. “Children are impressionable and anybody can be a child in martial arts. You can be 30 years old and still be a child in the martial arts. To really learn, it’s like cultivating a grape. You have to expose it to the elements and at the same time you have nurture it, to really grow and get the fruit of the vine.”
In high school, Frank trained with Jack Seki and Senzo Tanaka. The latter was a former Kumite champion and gateway for Frank’s introduction to this elite fighting event. “Jack, was one of the few guys who put on a program where you could attend classes for a buck 25 a month. It was low enough that if I could collect bottles… I would turn them in to the local liquor store and get a nickel. That was basically me finding two bottles a day on my way home from school.”
Despite his skill in martial arts, Frank was quiet and timid. “I had a few friends, not many. High school was rough. I did not fit in. I was wearing combat boots, a military fatigue jacket and two pair of jeans that I had to make work. My biggest [problem was wondering] where is my next meal coming from?”
After high school, Frank joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He couldn’t discuss his activities while in the military but he took the time to clear up any discrepancies regarding his veteran status. “From 1975 to 1981, I was in the Marine Corps. My DD 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) establishes that I was an intelligence specialist. I was in reserved status. I wasn’t a Vietnam War veteran. I was a Vietnam-era veteran. That’s all I can tell you.”
As our conversation continued, I shifted focus to the topic of the Kumite and how Frank came to be involved in the fighting circuit famously depicted in BLOODPSPORT. It turns out that none other than John Keehan, the eccentric martial artist known as Count Dante, was involved. “[John Keehan] died and I ended up going instead. The myth is that he was involved in some type of robbery but he was too flamboyant as far as the [Black Dragon Fighting Society] were concerned and they had him killed with the Dim Mak strike but these are just rumors and allegations.” (See related article on John Keehan for more details.)
Frank was given the opportunity to join the Kumite because of his affiliation with Tanaka, a former Kumite champion, also because of his relationship with Jack Seki. While BLOODSPORT placed the Kumite in Hong Kong, Frank provided the details on the true location of the three-day event which he attended alone.
“To make sure that they kept out people, they held the event in secrecy in the Bahamas. I got there and I fought and I won. After that, there were private planes. They took me here. They took me there. Fighters got shit but the promoters made a fortune… I went by myself. I was scared shitless. I wanted to leave. I thought, ‘Am I going to get killed? What am I doing here?’ I couldn’t sleep. I was so anxious.”
Frank spoke on the various fighting styles at the event and why Kumite was better than UFC. “The fighters came from everywhere. They had [as] much stuff as they could get in there, people from every indigenous country. We had a guy from Brazil who did Capoeira and I saw some Monkey kung fu. When [UFC] put in all of these rules they watered it down. It’s like a big old brawling match and wrestling. It looks like the WWE for real. You got Brock Lesner spitting on people.”
In BLOODSPORT, Frank must defeat the feared fighter “Chong Li,” played by Chinese martial arts film star Bolo Yeung. Yeung executed his role effectively, coming across as vicious and ruthless but he did not come close to capturing the essence of the real Chong Li according to Frank. The real Chong Li lost and Frank went on to win the title.
“Bolo Yueng looks like a pussycat compared to the real Chong Li,” Frank recalled. “He was huge. He was taller than me. People think Koreans are small. That’s not necessarily the case. People’s logic was that the Orientals are smaller than me. That’s not true. The biggest guy in the NBA (Yao Ming) is Chinese.
Our discussions of Chong Li provoked Frank to share information pertaining to a previously undisclosed element of the Kumite and the martial arts community as a whole. “I want people to understand the prejudices that contaminated the event. I knew plenty of Black fighters, a guy from Nambia, and they wouldn’t let him fight because he was Black and they had elitism. I fought him one day and I beat him but he was a magnificent fighter. This Nambian never got his fare share.
“Another guy named:
Soke Dr Grandmaster Irving Soto, who is 8-time world kumite champion was part Puerto Rican, they would never let him out of the second tier to fight and he was itching to fight me. He is one of the few guys who can actually do Iron Palm [during demonstration] and bust the bottom brick. He gets viciously attacked on the Internet and what it really comes down to, honestly is that there are so many of these guys out there who are of Oriental descent, that want to keep this myth going that they are superior to us. It’s never about a person being born in Korea or Japan or ‘their race makes them superior.’”
One of the challenges Frank faced was in fighting misconceptions in the martial arts community about him and other pioneering martial artists in America.
“I had a big run-in with Black Belt magazine. They were going to say that I was one of the first American ninjas, like in the movie… before Stephen Hayes. Hayes was not even around when I was doing what I was doing. I did not go along with it. I’m not the first. If you really want to talk about the first then the distinction belongs to Ronald Duncan and they wouldn’t give him credit. I feel bad for Ron Duncan. Here is a guy who did a tremendous amount for the industry and teaching people.”
“People got locked out. Another guy, Benny Urquidez, tried to fight in the Kumite. He wasn’t permitted because he was Spanish.”
(Benny “The Jet” Urquidez was a competitive, American-born martial artist of mixed Spanish and Amerindian descent who has appeared in a number of martial arts films, most notably WHEELS ON MEALS and DRAGONS FOREVER alongside Hong Kong action masters Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao.)
Frank spoke about Vic Moore who was considered for the Kumite but not allowed to participate because he was Black. “There was so much prejudice at the time. They were not going to allow that to happen. People forget that in the ’60s we just had the Civil Rights Movement. You’re talking about five or six years later, in 1975, people did not change that quick. People don’t realize martial arts was behind the Civil Rights Movement, it wasn’t in step with it. [Moore] never got the credit he deserved. He beat guys like Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, Mike Stone… Vic Moore beat everybody but the only person he will tell you that he never beat was me.”
According to Frank, The Kumite was sponsored by the Black Dragon Fighting Society and the IFAA (International Fighting Arts Association) which was composed of several organization and promoters. “This wasn’t sanctioned,” explained Frank. “It was a small elite clique of the top martial artists in the world saying, ‘I’m going to send my best against your best’”
Frank’s post-Kumite career had him engaging in two to three fights a week over the next several years. He compiled a record of 329 victories, without any defeats. These fights would be the impetus for another Van Damme movie.
“The fights started to look like LIONHEART (1990). That’s why LIONHEART was made,” said Frank. “They fought me so much because I became an expert on how to avoid being hit and at the same time delivering one hit to drop a guy. My longest fight in my fight career was one minute and forty seconds. Any of the Black Dragons who ran the event will confirm it. I’m quoting what they told me. That’s professional fights… when I was first on the scene. I lost an amateur fight and that was not counted.”
“The fight scenes themselves – fighting in a pool, fighting in an ice rink, fighting with cars all circled around – those all came from me talking to Sheldon Lettich.”
Frank’s mention of Lettich shifted conversation to the creation of BLOODSPORT, Frank’s brief career as a fight choreographer in Hollywood and what would become a broken relationship with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Frank was friends with Lettich, writer of BLOODSPORT and subsequent writer-director of LIONHEART.
“Sheldon wanted to show that he could write and have a career in Hollywood. In order to do that he needed something published. So he decided to make a 16mm short, a 20-minute film called FIREFIGHT. He asked me to put up money which I did. We got it made and he was in the office of an editing studio, cutting it, and met (producer) Mark DiSalle. Mark confided that he wanted to do a movie on martial arts but he could not get interest. He remembered the story about me in Black Belt magazine and about the [Kumite]. He started discussing this with Sheldon. Sheldon said, ‘I know Frank Dux. He is here in my film.’”
Soon after, Frank met with DiSalle and shared his story. DiSalle commissioned Lettich to write the movie and they moved forward shortly thereafter, managing to get the movie done.
Frank went on to explain why he never appeared on film with Van Damme. “I did all of the fight choreography in BLOODSPORT. Van Damme was trained in Shotokan (karate) and ballet but he did not fight like me and I had to train him. I have to give Jean-Claude credit. He really did a fantastic job compared to what he had to work with. You have to remember this was a small-budget film. The uniform you see Jean-Claude wearing, that was my stuff. They had originally got him a bunch of silk pajamas and sowed the crotches shut. What’s interesting is that he never allowed me to appear in the film. My kicks were quicker. They did not want me to outshine him and I was told that specifically.”
What drove a wedge between Frank and Van Damme was the actor’s first self-directed film. Like BLOODSPORT, the film was to be based on the life of Frank Dux and was originally to be called THE KUMITE. Yet when a deal involving the original script fell apart, Van Damme rewrote Frank’s story, shot it and released it under the new title, THE QUEST. Released in 1996, the film became a box office flop that only exasperated Van Damme’s already troubled career that had begun its downward spiral with the box officer disaster that was STREET FIGHTER.
Due to a decision made by the Writers Guild of America, Frank received none of the box office take from THE QUEST, only a credit for writing the story. In response, Frank filed a suit against Van Damme, one that he ultimately lost. Frank claimed the trial was unfair and cited instances of perjury. Regardless, this episode was a turning point for both men. It not only ended their relationship, it marked the end of Frank’s involvement with Hollywood and proved that despite having creative control, Van Damme couldn’t rescue his own career from a slide into direct-to-video oblivion.
In recalling the fallout from their rift, Frank essentially took credit for making Van Damme. “His career tanked. I was really the driving force behind his career. He’s a fantastic performer but without being told what to do or given the right words… I wrote a lot of his material and never got credit for it. Without me there telling him what to say and what to do, his career went into the toilet.”
According to Frank, Van Damme has tried to make contact with him in recent months in an effort to gain his participation on a new movie. (It’s been rumored that Van Damme has been trying to get a new tournament film off the ground.)
Frank’s fallout with Van Damme isn’t the only controversy the martial artist has faced. Over the years, Frank’s involvement in ninjitsu has caused many to question his credibility. I asked him why all of these “internet ninjas” attack his reputation. “There’s a lot of people who engage in what’s called trade libel and they want to have everybody in the world feeling like they are the only legitimate martial artist of that ilk. Anyone with knowledge in that area, they attack them. It’s like one guy saying, ‘I’m the last Indian and all of these other Indian nations are full of shit. I’m the only real one.’”
Frank described a great deal of confusion that he was involved in during the ’80s ninja movie boom. He shared stories of his school being broken into several times. A guy who knew about the incident was run down by a car. Another man had his hand cut off on his front porch.
“This is like a cult that went crazy. There was so much garbage going on in that ninja boom with guys running around like they were real ninjas. It was insane. I’d find grown men running around in my backyard in ninja outfits. This is prior to BLOODSPORT.”
When you consider that BLOODSPORT was a low-budget film and that THE KUMITE was never created, it’s fair to say that Frank’s story has yet to be told. It’s an intriguing story that includes a shadowy military background, involvement with an underground fighting society and a personal story of perseverance.
Related Topics:
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The African American martial arts star of the 1970s gets a DVD set devoted to his impressive skills.
By Steve Ryfle
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Before Jackie Chan and Jet Li, before Chuck Norris, Jean Claude van Damme and Steven Seagal, Jim Kelly earned his place in the pantheon of martial arts heroes fighting alongside Bruce Lee in 1973's "Enter the Dragon." With his lightning-quick fists and feet, cocksure attitude and repertoire of quotable one-liners, the Afro-sporting, chisel-chested Kelly was as cool and flashy as Lee was fast and lethal.
Nearly four decades on, Kelly has become a certified cult film legend -- the 2009 blaxploitation spoof "Black Dynamite" contained more than one homage to his movies -- though his Hollywood career was all too brief.
This week, Warner Home Video will release its Urban Action Collection, featuring three of Kelly's classic films on DVD for the first time: 1974's "Black Belt Jones" and "Three the Hard Way" and 1976's "Hot Potato." A fourth entry in the set, 1974's "Black Samson," stars Rockne Tarkington, the actor who was originally set to play Kelly's groundbreaking role in "Enter the Dragon."
The collection and a new wave of public appearances are going a long way toward helping Kelly reclaim his legacy as Hollywood's first African American fighting film icon.
"I broke down the color barrier -- I was the first black martial artist to become a movie star," said Kelly, 63, the owner and director of a tennis club in the San Diego area. "It's amazing to see how many people still remember that, because I haven't really done much, in terms of movies, in a long time."
Kelly owed much of his initial success to a combination of athletic prowess, raw ambition and a little luck. Raised in Millersburg, Ken., and San Diego, where his father ran a locker-rental service for U.S Navy sailors, Kelly excelled at sports in high school and attended the University of Louisville on a football scholarship, but he abruptly quit school in protest of a coach's racist treatment of a fellow player.
He discovered karate by chance in the mid-1960s and quickly made it his life's focus. By decade's end, he was living in Los Angeles, studying and competing with prominent martial artists and teaching at his own karate school.
"My ultimate goals were to get into the movie business, to become famous, to make a lot of money and motivate and inspire young people, people of all nationalities and colors," Kelly said during an interview last month. "But I didn't know anything about acting. And there weren't a lot of black heroes in the movies at that time. I felt that with the martial arts, I could offer Hollywood something different. So my goal was to become a world champion martial artist and try to get noticed."
In 1971, Kelly won the middleweight division title at the Long Beach International Karate Championships. Soon afterward, he was hired to train actor Calvin Lockhart in karate for the 1972 thriller "Melinda," and he ended up playing a martial arts instructor. His breakthrough role in "Enter the Dragon" followed -- after Tarkington unexpectedly dropped out of the production.
"Two or three days before we left to shoot in Hong Kong . . . suddenly I was stuck without an actor," producer Fred Weintraub recalled. "Somebody told me about a school that Jim Kelly had on Crenshaw Boulevard. I went down to see him, watched him work out and hired him immediately."
As Williams, an inner-city karate master on the run from racist cops, Kelly had just a few short fights, but with his funky fashion sense and unquestionable sexual prowess -- in one memorable scene, he takes a veritable harem to bed -- he made a lasting impression on moviegoers, particularly African American males.
" 'Enter the Dragon' is a primary text for my whole generation, and Jim Kelly's presence is invaluable," said film and television director Reginald Hudlin. "Jim Kelly looked cool, he had a perfect mushroom-bomb-shaped Afro, he carried himself in a stylish way, and he was political. You were glad to see yourself represented onscreen in general but specifically by him. Jim Kelly conveys a level of class that not every black exploitation-era hero had."
The movie was a giant hit, and Kelly was rewarded with a non-exclusive, three-picture contract with Warner Bros. He was the first martial artist signed to such a deal.
Between 1974 and 1976, he landed his biggest roles in the films contained in the new DVD collection: In "Black Belt Jones," he played a secret agent fighting the mob; in "Three the Hard Way," he teamed with ex-NFL stars Jim Brown and Fred Williamson to thwart a white supremacist plot; "Hot Potato" follows Kelly into the jungles of Thailand to rescue a diplomat's daughter who's been kidnapped.
When Kelly's studio contract ended in the late 1970s, black action movies and martial arts films had fallen out of favor. Instead of midbudget studio projects, Kelly now starred in ultra-low-budget schlock titles including "Black Samurai," "Death Dimension" and the Hong Kong-made "The Tattoo Connection."
By the 1980s, Kelly was in movies only rarely; he turned his attention to tennis and became a ranked professional player on the USTA senior men's circuit. Since then he's divided his time between athletic and business pursuits, practically disappearing from view except for a 2004 Nike TV commercial with NBA star LeBron James titled "Chamber of Fear," a pastiche of kung fu movie tropes.
His prolonged absence seems to have enhanced his icon status rather than diminished it, however.
"Jim Kelly was gone for so long, some people thought he was dead," said David Walker, co-author of "Reflections on Blaxploitation." When Kelly appeared at Comic-Con International in San Diego last summer, "everybody went nuts when they found out he was there because he's a true living legend, and there's still a mystique about him," Walker said.
Added Hudlin: "The iconography that Jim Kelly established as the cool martial artist with the giant 'fro resonates to this day. If within only a few films you can create an image that lasts over 30 years, you must have done something really right. And he did."
Kelly has attended a few other events to sign autographs and take pictures with fans. Still physically fit, he doesn't rule out another action movie role, either.
"I never left the movie business," Kelly said. "It's just that after a certain point, I didn't get the type of projects that I wanted to do. I still get at least three scripts per year, but most of them don't put forth a positive image. There's nothing I really want to do, so I don't do it. If it happens, it happens, but if not, I'm happy with what I've accomplished."
SOKE GRANDMASTER DR IRVING SOTO 10TH DEGREE BLACK BELT AND WORLD CHAMPION / ATEMI AIKI JUJITSU
President Barack Obama
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THE USA WARLORD MARTIAL ARTS MAGAZINE WELCOME YOU.
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This magazine is open to all martial arts styles from different disciplines, This is a positive martial arts magazine, So we humbly ask all the members to be courteous respectful to all the member in the magazine; follow all rules, regulation and policies regarding soliciting. Members that do not show respect for another member will be banned from the martial arts magazine.
This magazine is for martial artist and everyone that’s interested in the martial arts, Not personal gain or envy, its for those who serious, honorable and have lots of love and passion for the martial arts
We are all here to share our experiences and knowledge while learning from one another the beauty of all martial art
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_____________________Bill Wallace (martial arts)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Bill Wallace
Born William Louis Wallace
December 1, 1945 (1945-12-01) (age 64)
Portland, IN, US
Other names Superfoot
Nationality American
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight 166 lb (75 kg; 11.9 st)
Style Shorin-ryu Karate, Kickboxing, Boxing, Judo, Wrestling
Stance Orthodox
Fighting out of Daytona Beach, Florida
Trainer Jim 'Ronin' Harrison
Years active 1972–1980
Kickboxing record
Total 23
Wins 23
By knockout 0
Losses 0
By knockout 0
Bill "Superfoot" Wallace (born December 1, 1945) is an American martial artist who was a Professional Karate Association world full- contact karate champion. He was the Professional Karate Association (PKA) Middleweight Champion kickboxer for over 15 years.
Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 Education
3 Accomplishments
4 References
5 External links
[edit] Background
Wallace was born in Portland, Indiana, and trained in wrestling during his high school years.[1] He began his study of Judo in 1966 and was forced to discontinue his Judo related activities due to an injury he suffered to his right knee during practice.[1] He then began to study Shorin-ryu Karate under Michael Gneck[2] in February 1967 while serving in the U.S. Air Force. After entering the point fighting tournament scene and achieving success there, he switched to full-contact kickboxing.
With the coaching help of veteran fighter Jim 'Ronin' Harrison, Wallace won 23 consecutive professional fights between 1974 and 1980,[3] becoming the Professional Karate Association middleweight world full-contact karate champion and retiring undefeated.[4][2] He was known for his fast left leg kicks,[5] especially his roundhouse kick and his hook kick, which was clocked at about 60 mph.[4] He focused on his left leg due the Judo-related injury to his right knee, using the right leg primarily as a base. He also suffered the loss of one testicle during a point fighting tournament, when his protective cup was struck at an unfortunate angle. He saved the testicle and showed it to football running back legend, Jim Brown at the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (which also featured commentating from Wallace).[6]
A year later, Wallace turned professional and captured the PKA middleweight karate championship with a second-round knockout. He relinquished the crown in 1980, undefeated. The PKA promoted the sport of full-contact karate. Full-contact karate differed from kickboxing in that leg kicks were allowed in kickboxing and forbidden in full-contact karate.
[edit] Education
Wallace studied at Ball State University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1971 in physical education.[5] In 1976, he earned a master's degree in Kinesiology from Memphis State University.[5]
[edit] Accomplishments
Wallace has taught Karate, Judo, Wrestling, and weight lifting at Memphis State University and has also authored a college texbook on Karate and Kinesiology, and continues to give seminars.[5] He has acted, most notably in A Force of One starring Chuck Norris.[7] Wallace was the play-by-play commentator for the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view event in 1993 alongside fellow kickboxer Kathy Long and NFL Hall of famer Jim Brown.[3] Wallace runs the Superfoot organization which are karate schools under his system. He was elected to Black Belt Magazine's Hall of Fame in 1978 as "Man of the Year."[8] His film credits include A Force of One with Chuck Norris; Kill Point, with Cameron Mitchell; Continental Divide and Neighbors, with John Belushi; The Protector, with Jackie Chan; Los Bravos with Hector Echavarria; A Prayer for the Dying, with Mickey Rourke; Ninja Turf; and Sword of Heaven.[9] Wallace was a trainer and close friend of Elvis Presley and John Belushi and was the personal trainer who found Belushi dead of a drug overdose at the Chateau Marmont on March 5, 1982.[10]
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/></ _____________________ Michael Jai White From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For other people named Michael White, see Michael White (disambiguation). Michael Jai White White in October 2009 Born November 10, 1967 (1967-11-10) (age 42) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Occupation Actor Years active 1989–present Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967) is an American actor and professional martial artist who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture,[1] having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn.[2] Contents [hide] 1 Career 2 Personal life 3 Filmography 3.1 Film 3.2 Videoclips 3.3 Television 4 References 5 External links [edit] Career His first major starring role and breakout performance was in the 1995 HBO film Tyson, as heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. He portrayed the eponymous character in the 1997 movie Spawn, making him the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture. His work in Spawn earned him a nomination for the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Male Newcomer. White starred opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in Universal Soldier: The Return. In 2001, he also starred opposite fellow martial artist Steven Seagal in Exit Wounds. In 2003, he starred in Busta Rhymes' and Mariah Carey's music video "I Know What You Want". Since 2003, in addition to his on screen roles, White has been doing voice work, including Static Shock, Justice League, and the upcoming Spawn series. White showcases his martial arts skills in the direct-to-DVD film Undisputed II: Last Man Standing. He also appears in Michelle Yeoh's Silver Hawk in 2004. His film, Why Did I Get Married? opened at number one at the box office on October 12, 2007.
White played the role of the mob boss Gambol in the Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight. He also starred in the film Blood and Bone and the blaxploitation homage Black Dynamite, both released in 2009. In Black Dynamite and his upcoming 3 Bullets with Bokeem Woodbine, White is writing the scripts as well. This isn't the first time he's written material, but this is the first time the movies have been realized.
On March 30, 2010, White appeared on The Mo'Nique Show to promote his film Why Did I Get Married Too. The two joked about the acclaim that comes with winning an Oscar.
He just appeared in the music video for Toni Braxton's new song "Hands Tied" from her album Pulse, as well as the Nicki Minaj music video for Your Love as Nicki's sensei and love interest.
He also stars in the Kevin Tancharoen directed short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth.[3]
[edit] Personal life
White was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved as a teen to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he graduated from Central High School in 1988. He is an accomplished martial artist, holding seven legitimate black belts in Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do, Kobudo, Goju Ryu, Tang Soo Do, Wushu and Kyokushin,[4][5] with a specific focus in Kyokushin (although his style incorporates aspects of many different martial arts forms).[6] White started martial arts training at the age of seven. In August 2005 he wed his girlfriend of two years, Courtenay Chatman, an OB/GYN who trained in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Senior Kwofie was the best man at their wedding. The couple have a daughter named Morgan Michelle who was born on December 24, 2008. Michael has two sons from a previous relationship.[7]
He is an avid chess player, as seen in his movie Blood and Bone.
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SOKE DR. GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO HANSHI FANK DUX WITH SOKE GRANDMASTER IRVING SOTO
legendary broadcast legend Joe Franklin.
Joe Franklin is an American radio and television personality who is credited with hosting the first television talk show. The show began in 1951 on WJZ-TV and moved to WOR-TV from 1962 to 1993.
Known as "the king of nostalgia", Franklin's highly-rated television and radio shows, especially a cult favorite to cable television viewers and his long-running "Memory Lane" radio programs, focused on old-time show-business personalities.
Franklin has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music, musicians and singers, the Broadway stage shows, the films and entertainment stars of the first half of the 20th Century, and is an acknowledged authority on silent film. He began his entertainment career at 16 as a record picker for Martin Block's popular "Make Believe Ballroom" radio program. Among Franklin's own idols, as he frequently told viewers, were Al Jolson, whom he literally "followed around" as a teenager in New York, and Eddie Cantor, who eventually began buying jokes from the young Franklin and whose Carnegie Hall show Franklin later produced. Franklin would delight his audience with trivia about the most obscure entertainers from past generations and equally unknown up-and-comers from the present. His guests ranged from novelty performers like Tiny Tim, and Morris Katz to popular entertainers like Bill Cosby and Captain Lou Albano to legends like Bing Crosby, Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, but also frequently included (sometimes on the same panel) unknown local New York punk bands, self-published authors, "tribute" impersonator lounge singers, and the like, giving the show a surreal atmosphere that was part of its appeal. Many of today's well known talents such as Woody Allen, Barbra Streisand and Julia Roberts got their first television exposure on The Joe Franklin Show. Others, notoriously shy of live interviews, made frequent appearances on Franklin's programs: Frank Sinatra, for instance, appeared four times. Joe's Franklin's lovable and funny persona even prompted comedian Billy Crystal to imitate him on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" for four years. In addition to his TV Talk Show, Joe appeared regularly with Conan O'Brien. He's also seen on "The David Letterman Show," "Live With Regis And Kathy Lee," and has been mentioned several times on the hit cartoon series "The Simpsons."
Joe played himself in the films "Manhattan," "Ghostbusters," "Twenty Ninth Street," "Broadway Danny Rose," and has been featured in The New York Times, Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, and The Village Voice. He was recently honored by The Museum Of Television and Radio.
We recently created a special Joe Franklin Show YouTube channel and are currently in the process of uploading many of the hundreds of thousands of interviews Joe Franklin has conducted. Enjoy! Joe Franklin's Classic Interviews and videos from "Joe Franklin Remembers ..." are also available on BLIP.TV.
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THE USA WARLORD MARTIAL ARTS MAGAZINE WELCOME YOU
Malick Ndir commented on a photo of you. Malick wrote: "Dubbed "the Muhammad Ali of the broadcast interview," the Larry King was an American journalist, broadcaster and the suspender-wearing host of "Larry King Live" (CNN, 1985 - 2010), one of the longest running and most viewed interview programs on... television. Over the course of his 50 years in broadcasting, King has interviewed more than 40,000 individuals, including every American president since Gerald Ford; a joint interview with PLO chief Yassir Arafat, King Hussein of Jordan, and Yitzhak Rabin of Israel; and a debate between Al Gore and Ross Perot that earned the highest ratings in the history of CNN. Detractors labeled King's style as "softball," but viewers, critics and broadcast organizations, consistently lauded him and he was a consistent contributor to scholarships and charities throughout his long, successful run. Born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, NY, on Nov. 13, 1933, King's childhood was marked by tragedy and financial difficulty. His father, Edward, died when King was nine, forcing the family to seek welfare to make ends meet. King, who had dreamed of a career as a radio announcer since the age of five and thus, regularly practiced his vocal technique at home, was forced to put that ambition on hold and go to work to support his mother and brother. He worked in a string of menial jobs, including UPS deliveryman, until a chance encounter with a CBS broadcaster pointed him towards Florida. Opportunities in radio for less experienced broadcasters were available there, so King landed a job cleaning up at WIOD in Miami Beach. When an announcer quit the station, King took over his position, and by 1957, was working as a disc jockey and hosting two newscasts and a sportscast. King also adopted his surname while at WIOD, at the behest of the general manager, who - in a common practice of those conservative times - found Zeiger too ethnic. King ended up borrowing the new handle from an ad for a local liquor store. Eventually, King fell into his true niche of interviewing with a midmorning interview show that broadcast from an area restaurant - conducting interviews with every person willing to sit at his microphone, from local figures to the restaurant's waitress. Bobby Darin became his first celebrity guest after hearing King's show on the radio and heading over to the restaurant before performing at a concert. King's style - comfortable, inquisitive and rarely combative - caught on with Miami listeners, so by 1960, he had moved to television to host a local debate program called "Miami Undercover" on WPST (now WPLG). But a taste for an extravagant lifestyle that sprung up in the wake of his success, led to serious financial difficulties for King. In 1971, he was arrested for grand larceny as part of a much-debated deal between himself and Wall Street financier Louis Wolfson, who had given King money to support New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison, who was investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. According to Wolfson, not all the money lent to King made it to Garrison, and the radio personality was unable to repay the amount. King eventually pled no contest to passing bad checks, but the scandal effectively ended his broadcast career for three years. During that period, King worked as director of public relations for the Louisiana Downs racetrack, as well as penning several articles for Esquire magazine. King made his way back to radio via color commentary for a Louisiana football broadcast, which helped pave his return to WIOD in Florida, and in 1978, inherited a nationally broadcast radio talk show from the late and popular host "Long" John Nebel. The program - now called "The Larry King Show" - which ran live from midnight to 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, was a combination of King's interviews, call-ins from listeners, and King's own op-ed piece, which closed the show. "The Larry King Show" ran until 1994, when King's time slot was shifted to mid-afternoon - a period usually reserved for local programming - and ratings suffered a decline. King began "Larry King Live" in 1985 and viewers outside of the Miami area got to see the man behind the voice for the first time; King's outsized glasses, suspenders, and vintage RCA microphones quickly became established trademarks, as did his staccato delivery and habit of addressing his callers by their hometown instead of by name. But beyond King's personality and approach, the calling card for the program was the sheer name value of his guests. In a given month, King could feature chats with political figures like Bill and Hilary Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, and John F. Kennedy, Jr., as well as sports, music and movie personalities like Audrey Hepburn, Prince, and Mike Tyson. King was frequently accused by critics for lobbing "softball" questions at his major league guests, but for sheer star power, few other talk show hosts could claim King's drawing power. "Live" also enjoyed an additional perk as the first daily television talk show to be simulcast on cable and on radio via the Westwood One network. But King used his program for more than just a promotional platform for celebrities. His ratings numbers (the highest for CNN) frequently allowed him to use the program as a forum for serious political discussion, such as the aforementioned debate between then-Vice President Gore and Perot over the North American Free Trade Agreement (or NAFTA), which netted some 16.3 million viewers. King also broadcast for 37 straight days during the 2000 presidential elections and subsequent voting recount, featuring interviews with candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore. Following the attacks on American on Sept. 11, 2001, King hosted some 700 guests to discuss the tragedy, and in 2003, welcomed Queen Noor of Jordan and top military officials and ambassadors from the Middle East to discuss the invasion of Iraq. King also broadcast for 20 consecutive evenings after Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005, and hosted a three-hour special that instructed viewers on how to donate to relief funds. Of course, King's celebrity guests also netted ratings numbers. His 2003 interview with a corpulent and seemingly addled Marlon Brando - which culminated with a full kiss on King's lips from the actor - sent entertainment reporting into a frenzy. King also hosted a 2001 program dedicated to the surviving members of the Beatles following the death of George Harrison, as well the final interview with Tammy Faye Messner prior to her death from cancer in 2007 - and in one of his more embarrassing scoops - the first post-jail with socialite Paris Hilton in June 2007. More controversial were his shows devoted to the paranormal, which featured such headline-grabbing psychics like James Van Praagh and John Edward, though King occasionally allowed professional debunkers like James Randi to debate these guests on the air." Reply to this email to comment on this photo. To see the comment thread, follow the link below: http://www.facebook.com/n/?photo.php&fbid=1132809914551&set=o.17870819673&mid=3789dd7G5aca8d85G24431abG11&n_m=mastersoto%40aol.com Thanks, The Facebook Team ___ Find people from your AOL address book on Facebook! Go to: http://www.facebook.com/find-friends/?ref=email This message was intended for mastersoto@aol.com. If you do not wish to receive this type of email from Facebook in the future, please follow the link below to unsubscribe. http://www.facebook.com/o.php?k=d8f5e8&u=1523223941&mid=3789dd7G5aca8d85G24431abG11 Facebook, Inc. P.O. Box 10005, Palo Alto, CA 94303
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At the age of 15, Soto signed with Click Model Management and began modeling during summer vacations. Weeks after being signed, she traveled to Paris where she appeared in a layout for Vogue shot by Bruce Weber. She returned to Northampton after the summer to resume her schooling and would continue to model on occasion until she graduated from high school.[3] She later appeared on the covers of American and British Vogue, British Elle, Mademoiselle, Glamour and Self magazines.[4]
She also appeared in her first music video with former boyfriend Nick Kamen, Madonna's "Each Time You Break My Heart", directed by Tony Viramontes.[3] Soto and Kamen were often used as models by Ray Petri: the late fashion stylist and creator of the 80's London "Buffalo Boy" look.[5]
[edit] Acting
In 1988, when Soto returned to the United States, she auditioned and landed the role of "India" in her feature debut, Spike of Bensonhurst, a comedy which starred Sasha Mitchell and Ernest Borgnine. In 1989, she was cast as Lupe Lamora, in the James Bond movie Licence to Kill starring Timothy Dalton and as Maria Rivera in The Mambo Kings.[6]
Soto has participated in more than twenty movies, among which are: Mortal Kombat (1995) as Kitana; Island of the Dead as Melissa O'Keefe; Piñero (2001) as Sugar, starring Benjamin Bratt; and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002) as Ryne alongside Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas. Soto also made two guest appearances on the television series C-16: FBI. In 1995, she played the role of Doña Julia, one of Johnny Depp's many love interests in the tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, Depp playing the title role. She also made an appearance in Marc Anthony's music video for "I Need to Know". In 1996, Soto played the title role in the campy movie Vampirella based on the comic book character.[6]
[edit] Magazine covers
In 1990, Soto was chosen by People as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.[7] In 1995, she was featured in the Sports Illustrated "Swimsuit Issue".[4] She was ranked #58 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002.[8]
Talisa Soto Posted by Eva Voorhees on September 12, 2009
Talisa Soto (born March 27, 1967) is an American model and actress of Puerto Rican descent.
Soto was born Miriam Soto in Brooklyn, New York, where her parents moved to from Puerto Rico in the 1950s. Her parents relocated to Northampton, Massachusetts when she was still just a child. Soto’s family was one of the few Puerto Rican families that resided in her neighborhood. She was raised and educated there, but she felt that people were prejudiced against her and she became a loner.
Soto landed her first modeling job in 1982, when she was fifteen years old. In 1985, she tried to sign up with the Ford modeling agency, but was rejected because she looked “too” Latina. Soto then went and signed with Click Model Management and headed for Europe. (On a side note: Frances Grill, who owns Click, thought the name Miriam sounded too old for her. So they decided to call her Lisa, but sometimes when she called the agency she was put on hold. Her booker would say, “tell Lisa I will be right with her,” after this happened a few times; “tell Lisa, tell Lisa,” her name evolved into: Talisa.)
She established herself as one of the top models of the 1980s and was busy modeling in Italy and France. She appeared on the covers of Vogue, British Elle, British Vogue (Photographed by Lord Snowdon) Mademoiselle, Glamour, and Self magazines. She also appeared in her first music video with former boyfriend Nick Kamen, Madonna’s “Each Time You Break My Heart”, directed by Tony Viramontes. Soto and Kamen were often used as modeles by Ray Petri: the late fashion stylist and creator of the 80’s London “Buffalo Boy” look.
In 1988, when Soto returned to the United States, she auditioned and landed the role of “India” in her feature debut, Spike of Bensonhurst, a comedy which starred Sasha Mitchell and Ernest Borgnine. In 1989, she was cast as Lupe Lamora, in the James Bond movie Licence to Kill starring Timothy Dalton and as Maria Rivera in The Mambo Kings.
Soto has participated in more than 20 movies, among which are: Mortal Kombat (1995) as Kitana; Island of the Dead as Melissa O’Keefe; Pinero (2001) as Sugar, starring Benjamin Bratt; and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002) as Ryne alongside Lucy Lui and Antonio Banderas. Soto also made two guest appearances on the television series C-16: FBI. In 1995, she played the role of Doña Julia, one of Johnny Depp’s many love interests in the tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, Depp playing the title role. She also made an appearance in Marc Anthony’s music video for I Need to Know. In 1996 Soto played the title role in the campy movie Vampirella based on the comic book character.
In 1990, Soto was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. In 1995, she was featured in the Sports Illustrated “Swimsuit Issue”. She was ranked #58 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002.
During the 80s, Soto resided both in London and New York City with Nick Kamen. In 1997, Soto married Costas Mandylor and they were divorced in 2000. She met actor Benjamin Bratt while the two were filming Pinero and they were married on April 13, 2002. The couple has two children: daughter Sophia Rosalinda Bratt, born December 6, 2002, and a son, Mateo Bravery Bratt, born October 3, 2005. They reside in Los Angeles, California.
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