Aug 30

Couple Married After Meeting On VH1’s ‘Dating Naked’

ashley-fonda-alika-medeiros

Ashley Fonda and Alika Medeiros tied the knot earlier this month, in what was, naturally, a naked ceremony.

Pop Minute – August 29, 2014

When VH1 first ordered ten episodes of its ‘Dating Naked’ reality series, few expected much to come out of the unusually open way to date.  Now, the series, which features people go on dates in the nude, has its first married couple.

After a date that included naked surfing and conversation, 27-year-old artist Ashley Fonda is married to 36-year-old yoga instructor Alika Medeiros.  “We really deeply connected and he taught me things,” Fonda tells People magazine. “We realized we both have the flower of life tattoo. I told one of the producers, ‘I’m going to marry this man.'”

Since she had already released her fears, Fonda even opted for a naked wedding.  “We undressed for the ceremony!” says Fonda. “As a little girl, I definitely didn’t picture having a naked wedding, but this was such a liberating experience.”

Another contestant, Jessie Nizewitz, sued the VH1 show earlier this week after an unblurred shot of her aired on the series.

‘Dating Naked’ Cast Members Wed. Marriage A Publicity Stunt For VH1 Series?

Kpopstarz.com – August 29, 2014 – by Toby Robboy

Reality TV dating shows are infamous for their general failure to set up successful relationships, but it looks like the newest kid on the block, VH1’s Dating Naked, has already managed to beat the odds and send one couple down the aisle. Participants Ashley Fonda and Alika Medeiros tied the knot earlier this month, in what was, naturally, a naked ceremony. The Wedding was filmed to be aired on the VH1 in September, raising the question; is this all a publicity stunt to generate viewership for the network’s newest franchise?

The couple met during the filming of their first date in May. For the episode, they went on a naked surfing adventure, and apparently really hit it off. Fonda says of the experience, “We deeply connected and he taught me things,” adding that “we realized we both have the flower of life tattoo,” and that she “told one of the producers ‘I’m going to marry this man.’ ”

The couple wed on August 6, in a ceremony officiated by a shaman. Before stripping down, the blushing bride walked the aisle in a custom Nicholas Anthony gown.  Neither the bride’s nor the groom’s family attended the the ceremony, which will air on September 18.

Both the rapid pace at which the couple went from first date to wedding bells, and the presence of a camera crew make it impossible not to question whether this whole thing just a clever PR move. VH1 has already come under fire for the series – they are being sued by contestant Jessie Nizewitz after accidentally airing an uncensored shot of her vagina. True, all publicity is good publicity for reality TV, but maybe the producers wanted to convince viewers that they can facilitate true love, and not just scandal. Or maybe they wanted to convince potential future participants to give the show a try. Fonda, for her part, denies that any such scheme is taking place: “I’m truly in love with Alika,” she insists, “I’m so excited to see where this relationship goes and grows.”

Loading

written by admin \\ tags: , ,

Aug 29

Cross country: Lodi’s Blake Fonda, Tokay’s Alec Hastings to clash in realigned Tri-City Athletic League

Lodi’s Fonda, Tokay’s Hastings to clash in realigned TCAL

Posted: Wednesday, August 27, 2014 12:00 am, By Mark Godi/News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Blake Fonda

Blake Fonda, left, of the Lodi Flames was sixth at last year’s San Joaquin Athletic Association cross country meet. Alec Hastings, right, of the Tokay Tigers was last year’s Tri-City Athletic League cross country champion. News-Sentinel file photograph (left); Mark Godi/News-Sentinel (right)

Blake Fonda and Alec Hastings are well aware of each other and will be even more so this fall. As the high school cross country season begins, both will be racing in the Lodi Flame Invitational at Lodi Lake at 5 p.m. Friday.  The girls go at 4:30 p.m. It will be the first time they meet this year, but not the last as league realignment has the rivals in the new Tri-City Athletic League.

Fonda, a senior, helped the Lodi Flames win a share of the San Joaquin Athletic Association last year behind standout Phillip Kruse. Kruse has graduated and now Fonda is the front runner for Lodi’s top boys spot. It’s natural then that he’s entered in a bit of a rivalry with Tokay’s Alec Hastings, the Tigers’ top boy. He led Tokay to an outright TCAL title while winning the individual championship.  Both have worked hard in the offseason and are eager to see who currently has the edge.  “We are friendly rivals and it’s like a chess match out there,” Fonda said. “He got me a few times last year and I got him a few times. He knows where I am out there and I know where he is.”

Friday’s race should be an exciting one between the two considering how last spring ended. Both did track and field then and had their last meeting in the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Meet in Elk Grove. There, Fonda was 13th in the 1600 meter at 4 minutes, 28.67 seconds and Hastings 23rd at 4:40.03. Just a week earlier, it was Hastings who bested Fonda in the event at the Division I Section Championships. Hastings ran a 4.26.28, edging Fonda by just under a second.  Since then, both have had busy summers. Hastings went to a running camp at Stanford and ran between 60-65 miles per week. Fonda, meanwhile, says a shorter week was around 50 miles and a longer week closer to 70 in the summer.  Both would like to compete in college with Fonda eyeing Santa Barbara’s Westmont College, an NAIA program. Hastings has a bit more time to decide, but says Long Beach State is a place he really likes at the moment.  Both earn high praise from their cross country coaches, with Fonda a runner that Lodi’s Greg Wright says has grown up quite a bit.

“He’s really blossomed into a good work ethic and become a leader,” Wright said. “Two years ago and even a bit last year he could only see how the race affected himself. Now he sees the big picture and is thinking about how the others are coming along.”  Karen Harty is in her seventh year in charge at Tokay and describes Hastings as one that is fun to watch.  “You wouldn’t know it in practice but he’s a fireball when it comes to competition,” Harty said. “He just comes alive when he gets to that starting line.”  Neither runner will have it easy this year with the reigning SJAA champion returning to Lincoln.

Zach McKeever is a senior now and edged Kruse for the league crown last year. He’ll lead a formidable Trojan squad.  “It’s going to be harder to win (league) this year,” Hastings said. “The new leagues means faster schools.  “I’d say my biggest goal this year is to just make it to state and see how far I can go.”

Loading

written by admin \\ tags: , ,

Jun 07

Jane Fonda: Hollywood Royalty Gets AFI Life Achievement Award And Follows In Father Henry’s Footsteps

By Pete Hammond – Friday June 6, 2014

It didn’t take long to bring up the controversial side of Jane Fonda during AFI‘s Lifetime Achievement Award tribute Thursday night. AFI Board Of Trustees Chairman Howard Stringer addressed the elephant in the room almost immediately upon taking the Dolby Theatre stage: “What not a lot of people know is that Jane Fonda attended the very first AFI tribute in 1973 to director John Ford. She didn’t actually make it into the ballroom that night because she was out front picketing. That’s right, she was there to protest the appearance of one of that night’s presenters, Richard Nixon. Jane, what are we going to do with you?” he said to much knowing laughter and applause. A little while later, AFI CEO and President Bob Gazzale picked up on the theme. “Yes, Jane picketed the AFI Life Achievement Awards. But it wasn’t the first time that she’d marched on AFI,” he said. “Some years earlier outside the gates of the AFI conservatory there was a protest led by Jane and another Life Achievement recipient, Shirley MacLaine. They were there to draw attention to the lack of women in roles in the AFI Conservatory and they were right. Their effort led to the establishment of  the AFI Directing Workshop for women which this year is celebrating its 40th anniversary. And they also helped to ensure women were admitted to the AFI Conservatory where women have flourished over the years.”

HOLLYWOOD, CA - JUNE 05:  Honoree Jane Fonda attends the 2014 AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Jane Fonda at the Dolby Theatre on June 5, 2014 in Hollywood, California. Tribute show airing Saturday, June 14, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT on TNT.  (Photo by Michael Buckner/WireImage)

HOLLYWOOD, CA – JUNE 05: Honoree Jane Fonda attends the 2014 AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Jane Fonda at the Dolby Theatre on June 5, 2014 in Hollywood, California. Tribute show airing Saturday, June 14, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT on TNT. (Photo by Michael Buckner/WireImage)

But as it became abundantly clear this evening was much more than about Fonda’s well-known activism. It was about a film career that has brought her two Oscars from seven nominations — that started in 1960 with Tall Story and is still going strong all the way up to next September’s This Is Where I Leave You. Both are from Warner Bros and both show the remarkable career journey this daughter of a very famous star, Henry Fonda, and sister of another twice-nominated actor/writer/producer Peter Fonda, has taken. Among studio heads that included 20th’s Jim Gianopulos, Sony’s Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton and Disney’s Alan Horn, Warners’ Kevin Tsujihara was also there. As Fonda was introduced and took the traditional march through the crowded room of stars, friends , executives and industryites, she seemed genuinely touched and teared up. Shortly afterward I caught up with her and asked if she was actually crying. “Do I look like I was crying? You bet I was.”  she told me. It made a later clip they showed from her 1965 Western Cat Ballou even more prescient. “You won’t make me cry. You’ll never make me cry,” Cat Ballou says. It clearly didn’t apply to Fonda on Thursday night as she appeared overwhelmed by it all.  And actually a couple of weeks ago in Cannes she told me she burst into tears when she got the phone call saying she received this award. “They asked me to present to Bette Davis and I did. They asked me to present to Barbara Stanwyck (her Walk On The Wild Side co-star), and I did. And of course my father, and I did. But I never dreamed I would be getting this award, ” she told me. Well she did, and in a ceremony that was a rich as any of these has ever been — and I’ve been coming to them since Frank Capra got one in 1982. It was a special night as Fonda became the only daughter of a previous winner to receive the same award. Father and Son Kirk and Michael Douglas and brother and sister Warren Beatty and MacLaine also have made the family connection for AFI in previous years.

The room was decorated with lots of iconic magazine covers featuring Fonda but the most interesting was a Time magazine cover featuring all the Fondas: Henry, Jane and a silhouetted Peter from his Easy Rider days. “I am not so sure about that cover,” Peter Fonda told me as he stared at the blowup during a break in the proceedings. “I remember that interview very well. They had three different writers interview us separately and then we did one together. I recall the writer told me ‘the little brother with the big mouth might take it all’,”  he said, recalling that he dominated the conversation. But then he added that he was so proud of his sister. “She has achieved so much for so many.”

A few tables away, Sandra Bullock told me she was excited to be there. “She’s the real thing, a good egg,” she said of Fonda. She later presented a tribute from the stage. The first onstage after the dinner break though was Meryl Streep, who made her film debut in Fonda’s 1977 Best Picture nominee Julia, where she had a small role but really bonded with the star, who gave her sage advice about hitting her mark. “If you land on it you’ll be in the light and then you’ll be in the movie,” she recalled that Fonda told her. Cameron Diaz also appeared to talk about 9 To 5, a landmark comedy in which Fonda not only starred but produced. Diaz talked about how it showed inequality for women in the workplace and might have changed things forever.

Among others comedian Wanda Sykes showed up in full Barbarella (a campy 1967 movie that got as much attention at this gala as any Fonda has made) regalia to let loose some zingers, as did Eva Longoria whose only reason for being there she said was that they both worked in a L’Oreal commercial. And Sally Field showed up to talk about their 35-year friendship that started when Fonda barged into her 20th Century Fox office to offer advice on how to be a producer and make meaningful films. She talked about Fonda breaking through in the male-dominated world of producing films and then coming up with Coming Home and 9 To 5 among others.

attends the 2014 AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Jane Fonda at the Dolby Theatre on June 5, 2014 in Hollywood, California. Tribute show airing Saturday, June 14, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT on TNT.

2014 AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Jane Fonda at the Dolby Theatre on June 5, 2014 in Hollywood, California.

Perhaps the most emotional moment of the night came when Vietnam war veteran and the inspiration for Tom Cruise’s Born On The Fourth Of July, Ron Kovic, showed up onstage after an emotional clip from Coming Home (another film he inspired) was shown. It was one of two films, including 1971′s Klute, for which Fonda won Oscars. He praised her and the courage she showed in her early activism against the war. Her Newsroom co-star Jeff Daniels also appeared and played guitar and sang a special song written about her, celebrating her “abs, buns and thighs” in a reference to her famous workout tapes. 9 To 5 co-star Lily Tomlin was lovably loopy in detailing her experiences with Fonda. “She transcends her ego, which in my view is worthy alone of receiving a life achievement award,”  she said. Fonda and Tomlin begin a new Netflix comedy series shooting in August. I am hearing talk of Martin Sheen and Alan Alda as possible co-stars but that’s still to be determined.

Fonda spoke throughout the tribute in pre-recorded clips, many of them very touching and raw.  But among the most interesting tidbits was  her admission that her most calculated career move came when she chose to make a comeback opposite Jennifer Lopez in Monster-In-Law. A hilarious clip was shown where the pair engage in an endless slap-off. Fonda said she suspected fans would come to see Lopez and re-discover Fonda in the process. She was right on the money as that is exactly what happened.

Perhaps best of all was Troy Garrity, her son with activist Tom Hayden. He brought the house down. “So many stars have spoken tonight it leads me to believe I only got this gig because I was Jane Fonda’s son,” he said. “But if my mother thinks it was difficult being the daughter of Henry Fonda, you should try being the son of Hanoi Jane. That was a lot of fun. My first 13 birthday parties were fundraisers. We had a different life than other Hollywood families. My mother never hired a nanny to watch out for me. That’s what the FBI was doing. And if they weren’t available, I could always stay with the PLO or the Vagina Liberation Organization.” Then he spoke of his mother’s real challenge, “a journey that began when she lost her own mother at a young age and was left believing that she had to fight for her father’s affection.”

Michael Douglas, who received this award in 2009  and who is also the offspring of a major star, presented the award at Fonda’ s request. They co-starred in The China Syndrome. “You are the rare combination of a movie star and a great actress. You are true film royalty, not through birth but through talent,”  he said in bringing her to the stage to the theme from On Golden Pond, the movie she made with her father and which brought him his first Best Actor Oscar just months before he died. He asked that she accept it, one of the most emotional moments of her life as she explained.

“I’m so happy to add another woman’s name to the list,”  she said as she became only the eighth woman in 42 years to receive the AFI honor. “In preparing for this experience it required me to do a lot a thinking. What I’ve realized is I’ve been blessed to know many geniuses, real geniuses in our business. I have been blessed to know them and so many are gone now. I had to ask myself, ‘Why didn’t I ask them more questions?’,”  she said, adding that she wished she had indeed queried the likes of Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Katherine Hepburn , even Lee Marvin. She said the only person who actually asked her for advice on movie-making was Streep, who was seen laughing in the audience. “And I gave her all my tips. She has me to thank ….  Seriously I just want to leave you with this: When you’re with people who have been at it a long time ask questions. Stay curious, stay interested. It’s much more important to be interested than to be interesting,”  she said.

Like I said, a special night indeed.

Loading

written by admin \\ tags: , ,

Mar 10

Cellist Douw Fonda to perform at Holloway Hall on March 8

For the County Times, February 16, 2014

SALISBURY — Guest cellist Douw Fonda joins the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra at Salisbury University (SSO) during its inaugural concert of 2014, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 8, in Holloway Hall Auditorium.

Cellist Douw Fonda to perform at Holloway Hall on March 8

Cellist Douw Fonda to perform at Holloway Hall on March 8

Directed by Dr. Jeffrey Schoyen, the orchestra features Vivaldi’s Double Cello Concerto, Mozart’s Prague Symphony, Gounod’s Petite Symphony for Winds, Bach’s Concerto for Violin and Oboe, and Dvorak’s “Silent Woods” and “Rondo,” both for cello and orchestra.

A resident of the Netherlands since 1994, Fonda received his formal training at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. He played with the Cleveland and Julliard quartets and performed as a soloist with orchestras in New York and Boston. Today, he is active with Baroque and chamber ensembles including the Vespucci String Quartet, Benjamin Franklin Trio and Musica Rossi. He also is assistant principal cellist with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.

Admission is $20, $15 for seniors, $5 for children 18 and under and non-SU student ID holders. The concert is sponsored by Kuhn’s Jewelers, Eastern Shore Coffee & Water, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Staples & Associates Insurance & Finance and Erick Sahler Serigraphs.

For tickets visit www.SalisburySymphonyOrchestra.com or the Guerrieri University Center Information Desk.

Event: A Dutch duo

WHAT Chamber concert with Douw Fonda and Martin Kaaij

WHEN March 16, 3 p.m. WHERE Universalist Unitarian Church of Haverhill, rear entrance 16 Ashland St., with two parking lots available on both sides of Ashland Street COST $15 for adults, $10 for students; max per family $45, at the door. INFO 978-556-5046

The Fonda-Kaaij duo of Dutch musicians Douw Fonda, cello, and Martin Kaaij, guitar.

The Fonda-Kaaij duo of Dutch musicians Douw Fonda, cello, and Martin Kaaij, guitar.

The Fonda-Kaaij duo of Dutch musicians Douw Fonda, cello, and Martin Kaaij, guitar, will offer a chamber music concert as part of their American Tour.

Born and educated in the United States, Fonda has been active for two decades in the Netherlands and is a sought-after chamber musician. He is also the assistant principal cellist of one of the country’s preeminent orchestras, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Fonda also received a Certificate in Baroque Cello from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He is a member of the Vespucci String Quartet and the founder of the “Muziek op de Dijk’ (Music on the Dike) in his current home town of Deil, the Netherlands.

Kaaij, a native of the Netherlands, is a well-known performer, recording artist and author. He enjoys searching out new repertoire for the guitar, a labor of love he began during his studies with Dick Visser at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam and which continues to this day. Kaaij has performed the premiers of more than 60 new works for the guitar, and he continues to delight audiences with his performances of both new and familiar works.

The program will be a combination of solos and duets by John Dowland, Enrique Granados’ Spanish Dance #5, Joaquin Nin’s Suite Espagnole, J. S. Bach’s Suite for Unaccompanied Cello in C Major, Franz Schubert’s Sonata in a minor “Arpeggione,” and Tom Johnson’s “Failing — A Very Difficult Piece for Solo Guitar.”

 

Also see: YouTube, Vimeo

Loading

written by admin \\ tags: , ,

Jan 24

30 of the best

Lining up for the Gill Melges 24 Worlds in Geelong

Audi Ultra crew including tactician Enrico Fonda, pitman Federico Buscaglia and bowman Lucia Giorgetti preparing for World Championship in Australia.

Audi Ultra crew including tactician Enrico Fonda, pitman Federico Buscaglia and bowman Lucia Giorgetti preparing for World Championship in Australia.

Wednesday January 22nd 2014, Author: James Boyd, Location: Australia

Boats from San Francisco to Geelong, from California to Australia, will all be chasing the title at the Melges 24 World Championship next week.

Audi Ultra is starting her 2014 sailing season facing the longest away race of all: Riccardo Simoneschi’s team ended 2013 with the World Championship in San Francisco, but has headed Down Under where over 29 January to 2 February the best teams in the class will be fighting it out to beat reigning champion Brian Porter’s Full Throttle.

Unprecedented leader and number one in the class ranking, Audi Ultra is ready for this challenge. Riccardo Simoneschi has four of his five original crew that competed on board during the last season. Vittorio Rosso, has been replaced by Luna Rossa sailor Manuel Modena, and past Melges 24 World Champion with James Spithill in 2005.

Aboard Audi Ultra will also be tactician Enrico Fonda, pitman Federico Buscaglia and bowman Lucia Giorgetti.

Holding a World Championship in Australia has thinned out the fleet , however it has raised the quality with only the most professional teams deciding to take part.

Around 30 teams will be competing in Geelong, including a group of winning teams. Besides Audi Ultra, among the favourites Flavio Favini’s Blu Moon, American Bora Gulari’s West Marine Rigging, Olympic champion Nathan Wilmot’s Kaito Northshore Marine and Harry Melges’ Star.  Not to be understimated are teams like Altea of Andrea Racchelli, that has also been a  regular winner. Sadly reigning Melges 24 World Champion, Brian Porter and his Full Throttle Racing Team are absent from the line-up.

“This World Championship will be hard for several reasons,” says Simoneschi. “The conditions, the race course on a very narrow bay doesn’t make it easy and then there is the fact that at least 15 teams are capable of winning. Many Australian crews will be relying on the skills of Olympic medallists in their teams and it will be tough on the start line. We have all ingredients for a successfull championship.

Links: Melges 24 Worlds Australia, Race Results, Interview with Enrico Fonda

 

Audi Ultra Triumphs at the Melges 24 European Sailing Series in Torbole

© 2013 Helly Hansen, Published August 1

Last weekend, July 26-28, was a great weekend for sailing. Sporting Helly Hansen gear, the Audi Ultra crew was crowned the winner of the 3rd act of the European Sailing Series in Melges 24 class. The regatta took place at Torbole and was joined by a myriad of fantastic sailing teams.

The winning crew for the Audi Ultra team was composed of helmsman Riccardo Simoneschi, tactician Enrico Fonda, trimmer Federico Buscaglia, pitman Michele Cannoni and bowman Lucia Giorgetti.

The winning crew for the Audi Ultra team was composed of helmsman Riccardo Simoneschi, tactician Enrico Fonda, trimmer Federico Buscaglia, pitman Michele Cannoni and bowman Lucia Giorgetti.

It took eight intense and hard fought races for the Audi Ultra team to secure the victory of the third stage of the series. The winning crew was composed of helmsman Riccardo Simoneschi, tactician Enrico Fonda, trimmer Federico Buscaglia, pitman Michele Cannoni and bowman Lucia Giorgetti. The team demonstrated its skills by coping with the unstable Ora wind. Their will for a win was obvious from the very beginning of the race, even with the tough competition they had to face. In the final ranking Audi Ultra got the first place and was followed by EFG Bank with an 8-point-margin, and Giogi at 3rd place. Right behind them were the Japanese team of Makoto Nagahashi & Taki 4 of Giacomo Fossati.

After racing in Torbole waters, Audi Ultra’s helmsman Simoneschi shared his impressions from the competition and his expectations of their next challenge in the continental circuit of the Melges 24 Class: “Torbole has been very important, allowing us to understand our skills in preparation for the next European Championship in Medemblick that’s taking place on the third week of August. In Holland we’ll have to face many of the same sailing teams and other more tricky ones such as Lenny, two-time Olympic medalist Tonu Toniste and Storm Capital Sail Racing of the Norwegian Peder Jahre, already three-time European Corinthian Champion.”

We wish the team luck in their preparation and we will follow with excitement the upcoming decisive stages in Medemblik, Holland (16-24 August) and Hanko, Norway (6-8 September).

More Info: Audi Sailing Team

Loading

written by admin \\ tags: , ,