Steve Azar discusses the Annual Kevin Sorbo Celebrity Golf Tournament

Singer/songwriter Steve Azar assists many charitable organizations in his native Mississippi Delta as well as in Nashville, TN. His Steve Azar St. Cecilia Foundation primarily focuses on Catholic organizations that help sick, disadvantaged or abused children. He conducts toy, clothing and food drives annually, and presents fundraising shows for his foundation. His four-day annual “Magnolia” celebrity event highlights the arts, music and food that define Delta blues culture.

An avid golfer, he also participates in charity golf tournaments. Kevin Sorbo’s Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament to benefit A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT) is no exception.

Two years ago, Azar participated in and performed at Sorbo’s first tournament. He truly enjoyed the experience, and graciously spoke about it with this writer in June, 2011.

SW: Please tell me a little about your friendship with Kevin.

SA: Kevin’s a dear friend and I have great respect for him. We’ve become friends over the years. Obviously, golf has been a common thread for us to get to know each other; that’s how we met. It’s interesting. We’ve all become friends through the game of golf and doing charity events; they sort of go hand-in-hand.

SW: I know you played Kevin’s Tournament in the past…

SA: I didn’t get to go last year because I was on tour. It killed me. He changed the date, and he changed it right on top of one my busy times on the road. And then this year, I said, “Kevin, you’re doing it again!” But, I did play the first year. I know all about him, WFIT, and his passion for children, and we both have kids and we both know the benefits and importance of parents getting to spend time with their kids. So, I think we both share that passion.

SW: How did you get involved with the Tournament that year?

SA: We met being celebrity guests at the BMW (Charity Pro-Am) in Greenville, SC, and we just hit it off. I think Kevin started to dig my music and I’ve always dug him as an actor. Even now I’m so proud of him. People are starting to see his talent, and are taking it to a different place. And I guess when you have one of the biggest shows in the world on T.V. (“Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”), you can get pigeonholed a little bit, just like I get pigeonholed sometimes in the country (music) format and I have more of a blues rock background. But, we live in boxes in the (entertainment) industry, and sometimes it takes a minute for people to know that there’re other parts to us, a bigger variety. It sort of penalizes us, but, I like to think that it also opens some doors to a complete career. That’s how we met and we just hit it off.

SW: And Kevin said, “I’m having this Tournament, why don’t you come and play?”

SA: It’s how it all happens. It starts with one and that’s how you meet. I’ve met everybody. Then at all of these events you meet people that have their own charities, foundations and events and then we just start helping each other.

It’s interesting. Kevin and I have a friend, Javier Colon, who’s going to win “The Voice,” and he’s been a friend of ours for years. So, every once in a while something great happens to somebody that’s really great. And so, this is an exciting moment for all of us. And Kevin in (the film) Soul Surfer – my wife and little girl came home and said, “He was unbelievable!”

And we’re so proud of Kevin because it was a great movie and it mattered. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. He’s a hard-working guy. He’s probably intuitive with his own career and he’s going to have great moments with his great things. I’m a journeyman like Kevin (in) that we know our success. The greatest satisfaction is within your own soul and heart and your peers who really respect it.

Watch this blog for a more in-depth interview with Azar.

See Azar’s website for more information and news about his exciting upcoming release of “Delta Soul:” http://www.steveazar.com/

Register to golf in or sponsor the 3^rd Annual Kevin Sorbo Celebrity Golf Tournament, September 23-25, at the Silverado Resort in Napa, CA: http://www.worldfitforkids.org/golf/

(Photo courtesy of Steve Azar)

Golfing with Kevin Sorbo isn’t rocket science: An interview with Burt Rutan

Aerospace engineer Burt Rutan has designed some of the most important space innovations during his illustrious career. He has won the Presidential Citizen’s Medal, Charles A. Lindbergh Award, and two Collier Trophies for his work. He was included in Time magazine’s “100 most influential people in the world” and named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Inc. magazine. Newsweek has described him as “the man responsible for more innovations in modern aviation than any living engineer.”

The aeronautical genius spent decades creating new ways to travel. He designed the legendary Voyager, the first aircraft to circle the world nonstop without refueling, and developed the Ultralite, an all-composite 100mpg show car for General Motors, and Proteus “affordable U-2” aircraft.

Rutan made international headlines in 2004 as the designer of SpaceShipOne, the world’s first privately-built manned spacecraft to reach space for which he won the $10 million Ansari X Prize in the X Foundation’s competition to spur the development of affordable space tourism. The Discovery Channel featured SpaceShipOne’s exciting development and launch in two Peabody award-winning documentaries, including “Black Sky: The Race for Space.” A “60 Minutes” profile entitled, “Burt Rutan: An American Original,” aired in November, 2004, and has been re-aired twice by CBS.

The recipient of six honorary doctorate degrees is the founder and CEO of Scaled Composites, the most aggressive aerospace research company in the world that has developed and tested a variety of groundbreaking projects from military aircraft to executive jets. Based in Mojave, CA, the firm showcases some of the most innovative, energy-efficient designs ever flown.

Rutan also loves golf, and has participated in Kevin Sorbo’s Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament to benefit A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT) since its inception three years ago. He plans to attend again this year.

“It’s a great cause for sure,” said Rutan. “Also, the parties for the tournament are World Class. You will not forget the fun you had at the event, I promise. There are great venues and great fellow competitors. Everyone returns for more!”

Sign up to golf and meet Burt Rutan at this year’s 3^rd Annual Kevin Sorbo Celebrity Golf Tournament, September 23-25, at Eagle Vines Golf Course, Silverado Resort, Napa Valley, CA. Contact Event Producer Lonnie Mintz via telephone at 818-880-5511 or sorbogolf@worldfitforkids.org to register or for more information.

Read the complete interview with Burt Rutan:  http://tinyurl.com/43x5qbz

Win a meet-and-greet with Kevin Sorbo on Ebay!! Auction ends Aug. 18

Let Them Play is a California charity that provides children with no financial means the opportunity to play organized sports. The organization has a cool auction item currently on ebay that benefits the Kennedy High School Football program in La Palma, CA, while giving some lucky winner and a guest an exciting time at Kevin’s upcoming 3rd Annual Kevin Sorbo Celebrity Golf Tournament, September 23-25, in Napa Valley, CA. Wow! Get your bid in NOW. It’s Kevin’s birthday… What a great gift for him and yourself!

Here are the details:

Starting Bid: $300.00

Last day: Aug 18, 2011, 12:29:16 PDT

Item number: 280723073402

Shipping: FREE Economy Shipping

Delivery: Estimated between Mon., Aug. 22, and Fri., Sep. 2

All payments should be made in US Funds via PayPal within 48 hours of winning the auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280723073402

Meet Kevin Sorbo! Attend Kevin Sorbo’s 3rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament and Birthday Dinner on Saturday, September 24, in Napa Valley, CA. Winner and guest will attend the Celebrity Golf Tournament at Eagle Vines Golf Course and Kevin’s Birthday Dinner at the Silverado Resort. Winner and guest will also receive a private meet-and-greet with Kevin at the event. No transportation or accommodations are included.

Let Them Play is committed to providing children who otherwise couldn’t afford it with the opportunity to play organized sports. Proceeds from this auction will benefit the Kennedy High School Football program in La Palma, CA. Due to lacking funds the school has decided to do away with their Freshman and JV Football programs. Let Them Play is committed to helping the Kennedy High School Football program raise the funds that are necessary to keep their all important Freshman and JV programs active.

We feel organized sports are a very important part of a child’s life. They offer children many physical, social and personal benefits. Fitness, stress relief, attitude control, leadership, long-term thinking, teamwork, diversity and resilience are just some of the benefits of youth organized sports. With technology rapidly growing, kids are spending an increasing amount of time on the internet and playing video games. Organized sports help keep kids away from online predators and violent video games. They are also a great way for children to make long lasting friendships. The children that cannot afford to play are not just from inner cities. This problem affects kids in cities of all economic classes. To raise funds, Let Them Play will be auctioning off a variety of items ranging from unique one-of-a-kind experiences, meet and greets and hard to get tickets and products. Proceeds from the auctions will be given to selected youth sports organizations from all over the country.

Together we can do this for Kevin Sorbo and A World Fit For Kids!

Hi, all,

As you know this year’s Fan Sponsorship for Kevin’s 3^rd Annual Kevin Sorbo Celebrity Golf Tournament to benefit A World Fit For Kids (WFIT) has joined the Official European Kevin Sorbo Fan Club (OEKSFC) Birthday Project to support this great event. Together we have raised awareness of WFIT and collected some nice donations already. Thank you so much, everyone!

The OEKSFC posted this message on their website outlining our goal:

Kevin was very touched by our suggestion of a sponsorship and thought this would be a great idea (e.g. a single player: $1,100, a foursome: $4,000), so we hope to be able to grant his wish with the help of our donations; it will then be up to Kevin who benefits from the sponsorship.

All names of those who have donated, together with their countries and the total amount received, will be sent to Kevin on a special card at the end of the project.

But, we need your help. Please consider donating via the OEKSFC website.

And spread the word that Kevin needs golfers and sponsors!

Use your Twitter and Facebook pages and various Social Media sites, blogs, websites and other means to help him, yes? Together we can do this for Kevin and WFIT!!

Here are the links to donate and for more information:

http://kevin-sorbo.blogspot.com/p/birthdayprojekt-2011.html

http://www.worldfitforkids.org/

http://sorbowriter.wordpress.com/2011-fan-golf-sponsorship/

Kevin Sorbo hosts Doobie Brothers at upcoming celebrity golf tournament

Two groups unite to support Kevin Sorbo’s Celebrity Golf Tournament

Oh, my! I am so excited by this news that I could hardly wait to share it!

The Fan Sponsorship for this year’s Kevin Sorbo Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament that benefits his charity, A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT), is combining efforts with his Official European Kevin Sorbo Fan Club (OEKSFC) to raise funds for this fabulous event. Together we are hoping to sponsor a pair or even a foursome of golfers, or whatever Kevin needs.

As many of you know, the OEKSFC offers fans the opportunity to donate to WFIT via their annual Kevin Sorbo Birthday Project that closes at the end of September (his birthday is September 24). They also present a chance to send Kevin personal well wishes via their Birthday Book, which will be available soon on their website to sign for free. They add your messages to a beautifully designed book and send it along with the donations to Kevin.

The Fan Sponsorship, which began last year, collects donations specifically for Kevin’s Tournament to support it and WFIT. Perhaps we can surpass last year’s total of over $1,000.00 that was raised with the help of Stripe, president of the former Official International Kevin Sorbo Fan Club (OIKSFC) and was presented by Tonya at the Tournament. Thank you, Stripe and Tonya! And many thanks to all who donated!

This year the OEKSFC triumvirate of Lindsey, Anne, and Heidi graciously agreed to accept the Fan Sponsorship donations as part of their Birthday Project. They created a really cool page on their website with a link to where and how you can send your gifts. Thank you so much, my friends!

Here are the links:

OEKSFC Birthday Project:

http://kevin-sorbo.blogspot.com/p/birthdayprojekt-2011.html

Kevin Sorbo Annual Charity Golf Tournament Facebook Group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=272373144107

WFIT:

http://www.worldfitforkids.org/

Watch for news at Kevin’s Tournament page:

http://www.worldfitforkids.org/golf/

(Images courtesy of Kevin Sorbo and OEKSFC)

Kevin Sorbo snags hole-in-one to end 2010

Whether or not anyone knows anything about golf, getting a hole-in-one seems difficult… And it is! Although the term is self-explanatory, people unfamiliar with the game may not realize that dropping a little white ball in an only slightly larger in-ground cup from a couple hundred yards away with a stick (club/iron) with one shot (stroke) is known as a hole-in-one.

The hole-in-one is an elusive creature, achieved sometimes by chance, but, mostly through skill. Golf is a game of tenacity, patience (although I’ve heard and said a few curses on the course and seen some wild antics from frustrated golfers!), practice, coordination, and judgment, among other things.

It’s also a game of love. Why else do people put themselves through 18 holes of continuous aggravation, sometimes with seemingly few rewards?

Kevin remains one of the top golfers on the Celebrity Circuit. He plays in tournaments paired with pros, charity events, his own great tournament, and alone on the course whenever possible.

Clearly, his efforts paid off as he achieved his second hole-in-one a few days ago. Wow!

Here’s his Twitter post from earlier this morning:

“I am in Hawaii. And I got a hole in one on a course I have played many times thru the years!! 203 yards with a 4 iron. Now that rocks!”

How cool is that????

Check out his tweet from June 18, 2009, upon obtaining his first hole-in-one:

“oh yeah. i got my first hole in one today!!! i have played this game for years. nary a one. 235 yards away and i put it in 4 inch cup!”

Is there no limit to this guy’s many talents?!

Congratulations, Kevin! Thanks for sharing the fantastic news with us. What a great way to end a prosperous year!

And… way to go!!!!!!

(Photo courtesy of Kevin Sorbo)

International Feast of St. Sorbo…

As many of you know today is the International Feast of St. Sorbo, better known as Kevin’s birthday. Okay, I created the feast thing, but we all wish the Big Guy a blessed 35th…

May your clubs never bend or rust;

May you play with people whose scores you trust;

May the course never be too tough;

May you always get out of the rough;

May you forever have fun in your pursuit of another hole-in-one.

Happy Frickin’ Birthday, boss!

Random Kevin Sorbo thoughts…

Here are some random bits of information I hope you will enjoy.

I finally decided to retire my “Hercules: TLJ” baseball hat. I wore it while gardening, walking, working out, riding bike, etc. It got a little, well, badly beaten.

I think it would be cool to have Kevin sign the brim. My question is: Is this too disgusting to have him touch it… without wearing a hazardous materials suit, I mean? Those are sweat stains, my friends! Ew! And it’s torn on both sides and along the brim’s edge.

As you can see, it was well-loved, complete with bent brim so I would look cooler wearing it… Ha! No baseball hat is complete without that.

So, what do you say? I think I will retire it peacefully… and not ask poor Kevin to touch it.

Announcing the Official European Kevin Sorbo Fan Club Birthday Project 2010:

“We know it is a little early, but on the occasion of Kevin’s birthday on September 24th we would like to make use of the time by collecting donations for WFIT (A World Fit For Kids). As you know, Kevin is the spokesman for WFIT, and supports it with his own golf tournament, which (was) held on June 10/11 2010; we would like to support Kevin in this work with his birthday present and would be very happy to receive your contributions. Everyone is welcome to donate, no matter how much; all fans that don’t belong to our OEKSFC are equally welcome!”

Here are the links:

http://kevin-sorbo.com/the_oeksfc_birthdayprojekt_2010.html

http://kevin-sorbo.blogspot.com/p/bd-projekt-2010.html

Also, here is OEKSFC’s birthday book for you to sign for Kevin. You need not donate anything to leave a message. But, shhhhh! Don’t tell  Kevin… it’s a secret!

http://kevin-sorbo.blogspot.com/p/kevins-birthdaybook.html

The Fan Sponsorship for Kevin’s 2nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament raised $1000.00 for WFIT. Way to go, everyone! Tonya presented the gift to Kevin at the event that occurred June 10/11. She offered a full report that will appear on the Official Kevin Sorbo International Fan Club Page.

Watch for it here: http://www.ozfans.com/Kevin_Sorbo.html

Don’t forget to move from Kevin’s personal Facebook page to his new Kevin Sorbo Official Facebook Page! And tell your friends to “like” it, too!

Here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kevin-Sorbo-Official-Facebook-Page/117383481635060?v=wall

Okay, so this information probably isn’t necessary for most of you, but anything to post this gorgeous picture! Am I right???

And for up-to-date info on what Kevin’s doing these days since he’s such a busy guy, please see his Kevin Sorbo Official Site here: http://www.kevinsorbo.net/

Also, please check out the many cool links on the blogroll at right for great Kevin art, stories, and vids.

That’s it for now… Peace!

(Kevin’s tournament program photo courtesy of Mara)

Kevin Sorbo’s Charity Golf Tournament…

My good friend Mara (from Brazil) wrote this fantastic account and provided excellent photos of her time at Kevin’s 2nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament last week in Las Vegas, Nevada. Very, very cool… Thanks, Mara!

First Day:

Good morning, it’s 7 a.m. at (the) Las Vegas Bellagio.

Gosh it’s been a wonderful night! I’ve been waiting for Kevin’s golf (tournament) for a long time and, oh!  it’s so worth it!

Well, starting at the beginning…

I asked (my friend) Carol some months ago if she’d be willing to go to the event and she said yes! I do LOVE Carol; she’s a wonderful beautiful sweet lady, so that made me so happy! Her sister Shelby would be with us, too, and she chose to be at (the) beautiful huge Bellagio Hotel. What a great choice… just in front of Planet Hollywood where Kevin’s event was going to happen.

We got to Planet Hollywood about 7:30 p.m. (with) the hopes to have Kevin there, and he was!!!! Busy, busy, busy, lots of people around him… he was talking, shaking hands, hugging, giving instructions, wow! When he caught us arriving he smiled to us and said, “Hey guys!”

We approached the check-in table and got to sit down to wait for the time we would be able to get in the ballroom, (then) talked with Dean, a sweet friend of Kevin’s.

At some point Kevin would be able to go our way and I asked him to stop by and give us a hug… I’m aware he was really busy, but you cannot blame a fan for coming this far and not trying to hug this lovely caring man. So, Kevin smiled and hugged us and went on his way down the hall.

Kevin would act like that all night long… Sometimes he would help by “encouraging” a friend on bidding! Very funny and very effective! (LOL!) He would approach all tables, hug his friends, (and) thank people who made the higher bid on the auction. Kevin does have lots of friends who got the ballroom quite full of good people trying to help him raise money for a great cause.

As we arrived at our table I was able to learn (that) Kevin’s mom and dad were already sitting at their table. My God, they are so lovely, so kind, so good to be around. Talking with beautiful Kevin’s mom, I guess he got from her the way she talks like she knows you forever! She told me when Braeden met Carrie Underwood in Hawaii when Kevin was filming “Soul Surfer,” he asked her to take a picture with him, and Carrie said, “It’s always a pleasure to take a picture beside a handsome young man.” Very fun! She also told me she got really worried when she first watched Kevin’s Echidna episode (“Mother of all Monsters” – “Hercules,” season two) because he was so good at the scene her heart was really hurt. Poor mom! I think if I could I would keep listening to Kevin’s mother’s stories all night. What a wonderful lady!

On my way back from the restroom I met Sam. I introduced myself and she, smiling in surprise, said, “muito obrigada!” which means “thank you very much” in Portuguese! Sam is great, a tall feminine beautiful lady, so kind!

The auctioneer gentleman would choose our table to read the items, so Kevin was around us all the time… great view, indeed! (Mara’s happy face)

Sitting beside us were great lovely interesting people, including the ladies who made Kevin’s (art glass) mask, Patti Solomon from Carefree Festival and two of her friends, also lovely. All of them said great things about how Kevin’s family was adorable and how sweet, kind and down-to-earth he is.

I’m quite sure the coquetel and dinner were great! Carol and I were not able to eat anything for we both were too excited by being there, a great event, plenty of good people, good food, good shows, good comedians, (and) a great lady singer who sang a beautiful song Kevin loved.

The top of the performances was an artist who was performing Barbra Streisand! Wow!!!!

What a great, special night!

And there’s more tonight…

Second Day:

I have no information about the (golf) games, but Kevin said he nearly took the third place and we all laughed. They certainly had fun on the course.

Kevin was always busy and talking with several people, but managed to sit at his table for dinner.

Great good food and drinking! This time it was at the London Club inside Planet Hollywood. Sam had arrived and came to greet us, and I presented her to Carol. Sam was beautiful! I took a chance and asked her if Kevin would mind giving me five minutes and she, smiling, said, “Sure, just grab him!” She also authorized us to take pictures of the event.

Then after (Kevin) had dinner I approached him and told him that Sam had authorized me to grab him… and Kevin came – so generously – towards our table and sat down for a few great minutes. He was wearing black pants and a deep blue shirt and was absolutely beautiful.

Then he apologized for not giving us the attention he would like. He’s been working 150 hours a week until the event, four hours of sleeping a day, trying to get as much money as possible for WFIT and his movies… and that this next week he’d go back to the 100 weekly hours of work… Fatigue showed in his beautiful blue eyes and gorgeous face.

Working 100 hours a week! Wow! I do not know how he gets, but Kevin told us that this is the price to raise money to make his movies.

Kevin said one investor who produces a thriller is not willing to give money to a love story and then it’s a movie at a time. I asked him about “Sleeping with the Lion.” Kevin does not know yet if he will be able to raise the money to make it. He loved the script; said he (has been) trying to do the movie for three years.

He put his money on the movies, too, but a movie today needs more than two million dollars to be made. Kevin apologized for being so little on Twitter and Facebook, but (with) working 100 hours a week and making his new movie, “Coffin,” we can understand how difficult it is for him. I asked about “Coffin.” Kevin said it’s a movie in flashbacks.

Sam came over and they talked briefly and then he turned his attention back to us for a few quick treasured minutes. Kevin then headed for the stage for the awards presentation. Very funny when he has drawn some gifts, hoping that his number was also raffled.

Normandie (Nigh) took to the stage to thank the sponsors (she is wonderful!), and in a moved tone she said that we were all there because of Kevin…

It was great for me also meeting Raquel, Julie, Betina, Karen, lovely ladies!

The entertainment was great: a pretty young singer with a beautiful voice who sat at the piano and sang a beautiful song. Kevin had introduced her as (the) one with the sexy voice… He left his table to film her singing and I left mine to photograph him. LOL! He saw me beside him, smiled, and went back to his shooting, letting himself be photographed. Then he filmed us all. Then a bit of good country music, and then the guitar and the beautiful voice of Javier Colon, who sang several songs and is a sweet guy.

The time flew by, and it was the moment for Kevin to head back to the stage and close the event… so soon! He was still surrounded by people and it took some time for me, selfishly, to approach him, because I did not mean to interrupt.

He was speaking to a couple and I was waiting nearby. As they were leaving, Kevin turned to the gentleman and to me and said to him, “You knew she came from Brazil?” (Kevin) turned to me and said that probably the couple would finance one of his movies. What good news!

So, I told him what I was feeling by being there, about how we all are so proud to be his fans, what we think about him and his great work… Said I knew that he was exhausted, but I needed to hug him once more and take one last photo with him. Kevin smiled, nodded, and hugged me warmly, posing for the photo (I lost two photos next to him – I want to die!) that sweet Carol took. Then I took one of him and Carol. It was so hard not to be around his arms.

Kevin allowed us to take the pictures (on) his Facebook and make all collages we want. THANK YOU!

Kevin said he had come by car and would leave on Saturday. Carol and I turned away and reached the entrance of the hall. We looked behind because it was sad to leave… and there was Kevin, lots of people around, as always!

Please see links to more photos and Mara’s story in Portuguese:

http://kevinsorbo.forumotion.com/only-kevin-sorbo-f1/kevin-sorbo-a-good-guy-com-carinho-e-admiracao-t84-625.htm

Watch three great videos here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_z_p_2aTxo