Fred Flintstone could have been on the ballot BPAA Celebrity Hall of Fame. Seriously.
08/20/10
I've noticed that the newest buzzword among young people is "Seriously?" That means something like "Are you kidding me? Really?" I have to say that describes my feelings about something that came out of the bowling world recently and still has me perplexed.
Nine "celebrities" attached in some way to bowling were nominated for the Bowling Proprietors Association of America (BPAA) Celebrity Hall of Fame. Previous inductees included Pittsburgh Steelers greats Jerome Bettis and Lynn Swann.
This year, voting was opened up to the general public, and of the nine nominees, country and pop singers Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber garnered hundreds of thousands of votes, and Swift has been named as the newest inductee, class of 2011. Seriously?
Each nominee had brief credentials listed by his/her name. Here they are:
Taylor Swift: Since country music star Taylor Swift's rise to fame, she has been frequently spotted and photographed hitting the lanes with celebrity friends like Selena Gomez and Cory Monteith.
Justin Bieber: Teenage heart throb Justin Bieber demonstrated his love of bowling in the music video for his smash hit single "Baby" that has garnered nearly 232 million views on YouTube. Bieber also hosted a bowling-themed release party in New York City for his album "My World 2.0" where he defeated R&B star and New York radio personality Nick Cannon in a bowling showdown.
Jeff Bridges: Oscar award-winning actor Jeff Bridges starred as "The Dude" in the 1998 critically acclaimed bowling film "The Big Lebowski." In Bridges' role he reinvented "cool" and the movie has since become a cult classic.
Bill Murray: Comic genius Bill Murray starred as the memorable Ernie McCracken in the 1996 comedy "King Pin." Since his role as the flamboyant McCracken, Murray has been a bowling icon with the popularity of his character living on through millions of Internet views.
Pauley Perrette: Perrette is best known for her portrayal as the loveable and upbeat gothic forensic scientist Abbey Sciuto who regularly enjoys bowling with nuns in the hit CBS series "NCIS."
Kim Kardashian: Photographs of Kim Kardashian at bowling centers and charity bowling events have graced the covers of celebrity magazines and tabloids nationwide. Kardashian also showed her skills on the lanes with sister Khloe on her hit reality show "Keep Up with the Kardashians."
Dwight Howard: A true bowling aficionado, NBA all-star center Dwight Howard frequently hosts charity bowling tournaments in Orlando and has been honored in the pages of US Bowler Magazine for his support of the sport.
Chris Paul: NBA All-star point guard Chris Paul is an avid bowler who has served as an advocate and youth ambassador for the United States Bowling Congress. Paul, who dubs bowling his "second favorite sport" regularly runs a celebrity invitational pro-am bowling tournament on the PBA tour that pairs celebrities with professional bowlers.
Jimmy Fallon: The former Saturday Night Live star turned late night talk show host regularly conducts zany segments with celebrity guests including Grapefruit Bowling with Jennifer Anniston, Drew Barrymore's bowling ball lick and a perennial show favorite-Human Bowling.
1Seriously? Because a "celebrity" bowls "frequently" with friends, why does this qualify him/her for a Hall of Fame?
If they wanted to put charity bowling event hosts up for a vote, NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon should have been considered way before most of this year's nominees. He runs a big charity bowling event every year.
Chris Paul has made television commercials with pro bowler Chris Barnes for bowling, and hosts a charity tournament annually which has been televised. Last year's celebrity winner was some guy named LeBron James.
What about Michael J. Fox who starred in the movie "Greedy" wherein he played a pro bowler? He appeared at Carolier Lanes through Johnny Petraglia that year for an exhibition match.
Tim Matheson was in a not-too-memorable movie "Dreamer" in which he played a professional bowler.
And people were nominated for featuring "zany" bowling stunts? Geez, David Letterman has had many professional bowlers on his show over the years. Why isn't he on the ballot?
Obviously it doesn't matter who was on the ballot, when the two teens brought in mega-votes (Swift, 613,324 and Bieber, 608,015). The voters must have been related to the people who chose Walter Ray Williams, Jr., for this year's ESPY award in the Best Bowler category over Kelly Kulick.
If Kim Kardashian (yuck) was nominated, why not Hugh Hefner's former live-in girlfriends, who took a road trip to Las Vegas and stayed in the suite that had a Brunswick lane in it?
Or Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Bill Engvall, who recruited pro bowler Jason Couch for an episode of Blue Collar Comedy where the three bowled a match against three older women and lost!
My guess is that people don't read the (supposed) qualifications of the nominees, but rather go for the name. That means that Fred Flintstone could have been on the ballot for his contribution to bowling.
Actually, he would have been a more qualified nominee than most of the "celebrities." I'm not knocking their talent or like-ability, just the experiences that qualified them for a national high honor in the world of bowling.
Seriously.
Column
Bowling Editorial By Joan Taylor
I've noticed that the newest buzzword among young people is "Seriously?" That means something like "Are you kidding me? Really?" I have to say that describes my feelings about something that came out of the bowling world recently and still has me perplexed.Nine "celebrities" attached in some way to bowling were nominated for the Bowling Proprietors Association of America (BPAA) Celebrity Hall of Fame. Previous inductees included Pittsburgh Steelers greats Jerome Bettis and Lynn Swann.
This year, voting was opened up to the general public, and of the nine nominees, country and pop singers Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber garnered hundreds of thousands of votes, and Swift has been named as the newest inductee, class of 2011. Seriously?
Each nominee had brief credentials listed by his/her name. Here they are:
Taylor Swift: Since country music star Taylor Swift's rise to fame, she has been frequently spotted and photographed hitting the lanes with celebrity friends like Selena Gomez and Cory Monteith.
Justin Bieber: Teenage heart throb Justin Bieber demonstrated his love of bowling in the music video for his smash hit single "Baby" that has garnered nearly 232 million views on YouTube. Bieber also hosted a bowling-themed release party in New York City for his album "My World 2.0" where he defeated R&B star and New York radio personality Nick Cannon in a bowling showdown.
Jeff Bridges: Oscar award-winning actor Jeff Bridges starred as "The Dude" in the 1998 critically acclaimed bowling film "The Big Lebowski." In Bridges' role he reinvented "cool" and the movie has since become a cult classic.
Bill Murray: Comic genius Bill Murray starred as the memorable Ernie McCracken in the 1996 comedy "King Pin." Since his role as the flamboyant McCracken, Murray has been a bowling icon with the popularity of his character living on through millions of Internet views.
Pauley Perrette: Perrette is best known for her portrayal as the loveable and upbeat gothic forensic scientist Abbey Sciuto who regularly enjoys bowling with nuns in the hit CBS series "NCIS."
Kim Kardashian: Photographs of Kim Kardashian at bowling centers and charity bowling events have graced the covers of celebrity magazines and tabloids nationwide. Kardashian also showed her skills on the lanes with sister Khloe on her hit reality show "Keep Up with the Kardashians."
Dwight Howard: A true bowling aficionado, NBA all-star center Dwight Howard frequently hosts charity bowling tournaments in Orlando and has been honored in the pages of US Bowler Magazine for his support of the sport.
Chris Paul: NBA All-star point guard Chris Paul is an avid bowler who has served as an advocate and youth ambassador for the United States Bowling Congress. Paul, who dubs bowling his "second favorite sport" regularly runs a celebrity invitational pro-am bowling tournament on the PBA tour that pairs celebrities with professional bowlers.
Jimmy Fallon: The former Saturday Night Live star turned late night talk show host regularly conducts zany segments with celebrity guests including Grapefruit Bowling with Jennifer Anniston, Drew Barrymore's bowling ball lick and a perennial show favorite-Human Bowling.
1Seriously? Because a "celebrity" bowls "frequently" with friends, why does this qualify him/her for a Hall of Fame?
If they wanted to put charity bowling event hosts up for a vote, NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon should have been considered way before most of this year's nominees. He runs a big charity bowling event every year.
Chris Paul has made television commercials with pro bowler Chris Barnes for bowling, and hosts a charity tournament annually which has been televised. Last year's celebrity winner was some guy named LeBron James.
What about Michael J. Fox who starred in the movie "Greedy" wherein he played a pro bowler? He appeared at Carolier Lanes through Johnny Petraglia that year for an exhibition match.
Tim Matheson was in a not-too-memorable movie "Dreamer" in which he played a professional bowler.
And people were nominated for featuring "zany" bowling stunts? Geez, David Letterman has had many professional bowlers on his show over the years. Why isn't he on the ballot?
Obviously it doesn't matter who was on the ballot, when the two teens brought in mega-votes (Swift, 613,324 and Bieber, 608,015). The voters must have been related to the people who chose Walter Ray Williams, Jr., for this year's ESPY award in the Best Bowler category over Kelly Kulick.
If Kim Kardashian (yuck) was nominated, why not Hugh Hefner's former live-in girlfriends, who took a road trip to Las Vegas and stayed in the suite that had a Brunswick lane in it?
Or Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Bill Engvall, who recruited pro bowler Jason Couch for an episode of Blue Collar Comedy where the three bowled a match against three older women and lost!
My guess is that people don't read the (supposed) qualifications of the nominees, but rather go for the name. That means that Fred Flintstone could have been on the ballot for his contribution to bowling.
Actually, he would have been a more qualified nominee than most of the "celebrities." I'm not knocking their talent or like-ability, just the experiences that qualified them for a national high honor in the world of bowling.
Seriously.
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