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Happy 29th Birthday (again), Kevin Sorbo!!!!!
It’s finally here! International Kevin Sorbo Day! Yay!
No, Kevin doesn’t drop down your chimneys with presents or leave chocolate Kevins in your baskets or anything else you people are thinking. So, stop that!
This is HIS day, no matter how much he hates it. Some of us got together and created presents just for him. We hope you all enjoy them as much as we did making them.
Happy Birthday, Kevin!!!!
Many thanks to all who contributed: Loli, Nancy, Mara, Rhonda, Malena, Jan, Carol and Jacqui.
AMAZON WISHES TO KEVIN ON HIS BIRTHDAY
BY CAROL HOWELL (DESSY) 9/22/2012
One lovely sunny day I traveled down a new way
Went silently o’er the road and around the bend
Not expecting adventure, not expecting news
When to my surprise I ran into an old friend
‘Twas an Amazon from the wonderful days gone by
A comrade and warrior from long ago
A friend who walked with me and loves our Big Guy
And who also told stories of his adventures to and fro
As we sat and caught up she shared happy news
A celebration was drawing friends from near and far
Our dear Kevin was not sharing the clues
But the celebration of his birth was about to start
Excitement began to flow thru my veins
A smile crossed my weary face
Was time to gather our sisters together
And begin to decorate this quiet place
It had been a while since we’d gathered together in force
His faithful Amazons had been pretty quiet
But still we were near quietly staying the course
Now we joyfully prepared to start a happy riot
Its time to count our numbers
Its time to stand up and shout
His sweet Amazons no longer slumber
From every corner they’re dancing out
Each Amazon shouting their happy salutations
Each one crying out their wishes to the sky
All carrying presents and congratulations
We’re all here to celebrate the birthday of our Big Guy
Knowing he likes to keep it to himself
And not tell the world he’s a year older
His Amazons remind him he’s the same to them
And the Happy Birthday sign goes up from its folder
It’s time to celebrate; it’s time to dance
It’s time to gather together friends from times gone by
And share our love and stories of adventure and romance
And wish Happy Birthday and joy to our one and only Big Guy
We want you to know our hearts are bursting with joy
At the journey you’ve traveled and the great things you’ve done
The place you’ve come from and the places you are going
We stand together as always celebrating with you as ONE
So on your special day Kevin we send our love and cheer
We dance and sing and laugh still dear friends
Remember Kevin it is you that’s the reason for this lifetime bond
And YOU are the good and kind person who has brought us here
Remember Kevin no matter where you travel no matter where you go
Your Amazons are still here standing strong: It’s not past
We send this Amazon Birthday wish so you will always know
We stand with you all way, Your Ole Amazons love stands fast
Here’s the second of Jacqui-D’s Happy Birthday, Kevin videos:
Celebrate Kevin Sorbo’s birthday by donating to A World Fit For Kids!
At this time last y
ear I was at Kevin’s 3rd Annual Kevin Sorbo Celebrity Golf Tournament benefiting his Los Angeles-based nonprofit foundation, A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT). I met so many interesting people and had a really great time. Kevin was a gracious host, making sure that everyone had fun, including himself.
Kevin often took a few moments throughout the three-day weekend, September 23-25, to praise WFIT, which he joined in 1997, first serving as its Board Chairperson and official spokesperson. He remains its official spokesperson and works hard to create awareness and raise funds for the organization.
He kindly offered a few words about WFIT and the Tournament.
“I’ve been doing A World Fit for Kids! for 15 years now,” said Kevin, “and it’s a wonderful nonprofit foundation that we’ve done really great things with. We’ve got a good program that deals with physical activity, fighting childhood obesity, grades, mentoring, self-esteem and positive reinforcement.”
Francis Palomo, a Teen Fit For Success Graduate, discussed his WFIT experience, and credited WFIT for giving him a chance at a life he never thought he’d have.
Today, he is a successful real estate agent with Century 21, which is a far cry from the life he described as a teenager.
“I felt like a name without a face, but that’s how you feel when you’re a teen growing up in the inner city,” Palomo said. “If you’re not in a gang, you stand alone. If you are in a gang, you can’t expect to live much beyond your 22nd birthday. I felt like I couldn’t win.”
When Palomo got into trouble and had to do community service, he asked if he could work with WFIT at the local elementary school. It gave him the opportunity to be a leader and positively mentor younger kids, and after he completed his community service commitment, WFIT hired him as a coach.
“Having a job was good on the wallet, and it kept me out of trouble,” added Palomo, “but the real benefit I received was in the way that it changed my thinking. I learned that if you are committed, you can do anything. This is exactly what A World Fit For Kids! taught me, and they gave me the chance to learn and to be succes
sful.”
“Kids are our future,” Kevin stated, “and I work with over 12,000 kids in L.A. County, which has a 54% drop-out rate. We have a 98% graduation rate with the 12,000 kids in our program. It’s good.
“We won an award from former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007 for having the Best Afterschool Program in the state of California. We’re going nationwide with WFIT, which we’ve been talking about for a long time. We’ve been putting a five-year plan in place, and once we won this gold star from the Governor’s Office here in California, we’ve been inundated with people wanting to know about our program and what they do.”
Kevin’s exciting tournament, held at the Silverado Resort and Spa in beautiful Napa, CA, benefitted WFIT and consisted of a 
wine and cheese pairings party on Friday night, choice of attending a wine tour or the tournament on Saturday, Kevin’s birthday dinner (September 24!) and silent auction on Saturday night and an outdoor rock concert on Sunday. Celebrities and plain folks like me attended, and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. It seemed like one, big happy family. Smiles and laughter abounded!
I asked Kevin how the idea of having a golf tournament began.
“The golf tournament idea was certainly mine,” he explained. “I’m a golf nut, so I hosted a few of them in New Zealand when I filmed ‘Hercules’ to raise money for kids with cancers of all kinds. It’s something I’d always wanted to do with WFIT, and we talked about it, but the timing or for whatever the reasons that we came up with we just never did it until 2008.
“Combining golf with such great a cause just makes for a fun way to raise awareness and money. I have always found that the people who play the game are usually people who value what this life has given them. It sounds corny, but there is no other sport where you meet others who value hard work, ethics, morality and fair play than those people whom I have met through the game of golf. Combine that with a shared love for the game and you have the makings of a charity event worth attending and making the difference in a sick or underprivileged child’s life.”
The Official Kevin Sorbo European Fan Club (OEKSFC) unites for the second year with the Fan Sp
onsorship for their Annual Birthday Project so that we can once again sponsor a golfer and maybe more at Kevin’s next Tournament.
Donations close September 30, in time to give Kevin his birthday present. They also have an online Birthday Book that’s free for you to write Kevin a nice birthday note.
Since Kevin’s upcoming Tournament was postponed from this year until sometime in the spring of next year, the OEKSFC will reopen donations after Christmas, date to be determined.
Please consider giving Kevin the best birthday gift of all by donating to this very worthy cause.
To donate: http://tinyurl.com/977suz2
To sign the free online Birthday Book: http://289674.multiguestbook.com/
More info about WFIT: http://www.worldfitforkids.org/
(WFIT photo courtesy of WFIT; Tournament photos by Jan)
If you love Kevin Sorbo in Hercules, you’ll definitely love him in Kull…
Kevin Sorbo made his cinematic feature film debut in 1997 with the sword and sorcery fantasy, “Kull the Conqueror,” an adaptation of author Robert E. Howard’s Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon, penned by screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue.
Our friend Rhonda from Georgia offers this fantastic review accompanied by Malena’s and Loli’s exceptional artwork. Many thanks to all who contributed to this story!
“Kull the Conqueror” was Kevin’s first feature film during the “Hercules” days. It was originally planned to be the third “Conan” movie, but Arnold Schwarzenegger passed on it and it was rewritten for the Kull character that was created by Robert E. Howard (also the creator of Conan).
Kull is a warrior from Atlantis, training to hopefully become a member of the King’s Army. Soon, he finds himself in the middle of a battle between the king and his men after the king had killed his own son. He manages to stop the battle and warns the king that his blood would be spilled if he insisted on continuing the fight. The fight did continue, and Kull mortally wounds the king. With his final breath, the king makes Kull his successor. Taligaro, commander of the King’s army (played by Thomas Ian Griffith), demands that Kull give him the crown, but Kull refuses.
Kull is introduced to the ladies in his new harem, one of whom he already knows – Zareta, a beautiful fortune teller (played by Karina Lombard), who had once read the tarot cards for him and foretold that Kull would become a king by the hand of a king, and now it had happened.
Kull has made many enemies, including Taligaro, since taking the throne, and so to overthrow him, they resurrect an ancient sorceress named Akivasha (played by Tia Carrere). She was at one time the witch queen of the lost city of Acheron. She uses her power to trick Kull into marrying her then she betrays him. Zaretta had already foretold that the fate of Kull’s kingdom would be found within a kiss, but not the kind he was expecting. To save his kingdom, Kull had to find the Breath of Valka, which he did not believe existed. With help from Zareta and her brother, the priest Ascalante (played by Native American actor Litefoot) Kull fulfills his destiny and destroys the evil witch queen.
Kevin did a great job playing Kull and had a very good supporting cast surrounding him. The movie is available on DVD, if you haven’t seen it yet. If you love him in “Hercules,” you’ll definitely love him in “Kull.”
A few notes about the making of the film: It was shot in various cities in Slovakia and Croatia, thus creating the ancient atmosphere of Kull’s time. The film was not without problems, most notably, Kevin being stung by a sea urchin, injuring his foot badly. The timing of the theatrical premiere was not the best, either, for a couple of reasons: (1) It was the weekend of Labor Day and (2) It was the same weekend Princess Di was killed and many folk
s stayed home to watch the T.V. coverage of that tragedy. It has been said that Kevin’s grueling workouts in preparation for “Kull” and his filming schedule for the movie may have led to the life-threatening illness that landed him in the hospital just days after the premiere; however, this was never confirmed.
Kevin himself has said more than once that the film would have been bette
r had they stuck to the original script, which would have produced an R-rated film. However, the producers wanted to draw in the audience that was watching Kevin as Hercules on T.V., which was mainly youngsters, so the film ended up being rated PG-13. While it didn’t do very well at the box office, the DVD sold well. In any effect, it was good for Kevin’s first attempt at a lead role in a major motion picture.
I would also recommend that you get the soundtrack CD and the tie-in novel. Both are available through Amazon.com.
Kevin’s movies:
http://www.allmovieportal.com/b/kevinsorbo.html
Kevin Sorbo in Celebrity Ghost Stories and the new Skylanders Giants
Kevin is, as usual, very busy. Here are some of the fruits of his Herculean labors from describing a past ghos
tly encounter to voicing a cool new character in the Skylanders game series.
He does so many interesting things and always seems to have fun doing them. And we’re very happy that he does it all for us, his fans. Yessiree… More Kevin for the buck!
So, turn on your TVs, read his book, watch his movies and play his games! Wow! What a versatile guy!!
And don’t forget our beloved Hercules is now on TV weeknights! Yeah!!
Monday-Thursday, 11 pm ET: “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys,” The Hub Network.
Saturday, Sept. 22, 9 pm ET, and Sunday, Sept. 23, 1 am ET:
Segment on “Celebrity Ghost Stories,” Biography Channel.
Wednesday, Sept. 26, 10:30 pm ET: Guest appearance on “Key & Peele,” Comedy Central.
October 9: Paperback Publication of True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal–and How Nearly Dying Saved My Life.
October 21: Release of “Skylanders Giants” (game); voice of The Crusher.
http://skylanders.wikia.com/wiki/Crusher
“Shadow on the Mesa,” Hallmark Movie Channel, premiers in August, 2013.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2195666/
“The Angel Next Door” (formerly “A Christmas Angel”), release date to be determined.
“Abel’s Field,” release date to be determined.
http://abelsfield.com/index.php
November 30-Dec 2: New Orleans Comic Con, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA.
http://www.wizardworld.com/kevinsorbo.html
(“Hercules,” “Shadow on the Mesa” and “Abel’s Field” images courtesy of Kevin Sorbo)
Don’t forget International Kevin Sorbo Day on September 24!
Many thanks for your monthly Sorbo hotness Sanne, Loli, Malena and Mara! Wow!
Would Kevin Sorbo shave his head? Glyn’s Estepona Con report Part 3
This is the final part of Glyn’s amazing report about Kevin’s appearance at the 12th Costa del Sol International Science Fiction Film Festival in Estepona, Spain, last September 19-24, 2011, at which he received the “Unicorn of Honor” Award. Oh, man, wish I had been there!
Kevin departed Spain on September 24, and traveled to his awesome Annual Kevin Sorbo Celebrity Golf Tournament benefiting his foundation, A World Fit For Kids!, that occurred in scenic Napa, California, which I had the privilege to attend.
More about that later. For now, please enjoy Glyn’s last Estepona story.
Again, we all gathered in the foyer on the Thursday afternoon. This time Kevin was wearing his golfing gear: blue shirt, shorts and trainers. (Yes, his legs are nicely tanned – I know the stuff you want to know *wink*). The talk was taking place in a meeting room in reception where the film had been shown the previous day. There didn’t seem to be a rush for the front row, so me and Snoops got good seats – I was sitting right opposite Kevin’s chair. (He must’ve thought, “OH NO! Not her again!”).
The Spanish press was there doing some interviews with the Spanish-speaking fans, and as soon as they had finished, the talk started. Guess who asked the first question? *blush* *grin* I actually asked a few – I can’t remember which order I asked them in…
Q: Would you have your head shaved for a part?
He said he’d have it cut short, and then said about the first season of “Andromeda” (that) his hair felt really short to him, but in hindsight it wasn’t. He got it shorter for later seasons because Dylan was a military guy and that’s how he’d wear it, but he really missed his long hair.
Q: I know you like old movies, is there anyone from the past you would’ve liked to work with?
A: Cary Grant or Paul Newman – then he paused, gave a big grin and said Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida. He talked about (his upcoming film) “Abel’s Field,” and said having all those tattoos made him feel really cool when he walked into the gym (he pointed at Snoops). I asked how long it took to put them on. Apparently, they just go on like kid’s transfers – just press the design onto the skin with water – so it took less than an hour and they lasted for about five days before they faded away.
Snoops asked if he had ever been injured?
Kevin recounted the time Michael Hurst nearly killed him while filming a fight scene in the Xena episode. (I’m sure you all know the story). He said he woke up in hospital with eight stitches. I asked if they shaved his head. He said yes, but he had plenty of hair to cover it up. Michael thought it was funny and gave him a bottle of Scotch – unfortunately, Kevin doesn’t like Scotch.
Someone else asked him who was his favourite actress to work with?
Without much hesitation he answered Kristy Swanson (“What If…”), saying what a joy she was. Then after a few seconds hesitation, grinned and said he really should have said his wife (laughter).
After his talk came the autograph session. Kevin laid out a collection of photos, and we all clustered around the table. I’d promised Alison (Aliykat) a photo as I know h
ow much she adores the Sorbs, so I made a grab for a nice sexy one for her from his modelling days, and I got one of Herc for myself. Lindsey, who stood next to me, gave Kevin a copy of the club mag and some other items, and Anne gave him a lovely laminated poster of how much the club had raised for his charity. Kevin was very impressed with that and said he would put it on display at his golf tournament and get the celebs to sign it and perhaps they could auction if off and raise more money.
The OEKSFC had their autographs, then it was my turn. (Oh my, those baby blues again *grin*). I handed Ali’s photo over and explained it was for Alison whom he might know better as Alikat, and said she wished she could meet him (he said, “one day”) and that she was really excited to get something that he had touched. He then put his fingerprints ALL over the photo and kissed it. I handed my Herc pic over and spelled out my name: “G – L –Y…” Before I got to the “N,” he said he knew the name (!!) and said he remembered faces. (My scary face, judging by the photos, will probably give the poor guy nightmares for weeks!!!). I told him I was the one who posted cheeky jokes and that my pals say I’m a cheeky monkey… Then I said he was also a cheeky monkey judging by some of his jokes, and I gave him a little monkey pin badge. That made him laugh, and he said his daughter would probably steal that. He also said he had a good joke for me and that he’d post it on Friday, and that he has to get a friend to post stuff because he’s not so good with that side of things. (When I checked it out it was one of mine that I’d sent ages ago!!!! Haha!)
At that point I thought I’d hogged him long enough, so I sat down. Although there were not many people in attendance, it was very busy around that table (with) lots of people taking photos and videos. I don’t think a European Convention event would have been that relaxed.
As the queue was dwindling down, Snoops decided to get a photo signed. He chose a really nice one of Herc and Iolaus. When he said his name was Snoopy, Kevin hesitated and asked him to spell it (he’s probably never signed that name before) then said, “Oh, like the dog.” LOL. When Kevin asked why he’s got that nickname, I chimed in and said he has Snoopy eyes after a few beers. Kevin laughed at that.
After the autographs it was time for the photo session. When it came to my turn I made sure the photographer knew I wanted three different poses then I turned to Kevin and said, “Well, I like to get my money’s worth,” to which he laughed. The first one was a hug; for the second one I told him to put his head on my shoulder; and as I turned around for the third one Kevin gripped my shoulders (ooooo… such a FIRM grip,*swoon*), faced me towards the camera and put his chin on top of my head.
Exit me – well-happy and slightly flust
ered *grin*.
Snoops was next in the queue. He told Kevin he wanted an “arms folded” shot (Hercules classic pose). Believe it or not, this got applause – not sure who was clapping, but I think some ladies appreciated it.
Once everyone had their photos it was nearly time for Kevin to go. The manager of the hotel came in for a photo and got Kevin to autograph the big poster of “Kull,” then it was all over. He waved his goodbyes and thanked everyone for coming and disappeared out of the door …*sigh*. The film, “Coffin,” was being shown to round off the afternoon.
Well, (all), that’s my report. Apart from meeting the Big Guy it was a pleasure and a joy to meet up with fellow fans of Kevin. You ladies rock!!!
Sorry if I’ve missed anything out, but I hope you enjoyed my report. Wish you could all have been there.
Kevin is everything you’ve heard about him and more: friendly, easy to talk to, funny… just a regular guy who you would like to have a beer with… Oh, and did I mention… gorgeous? *wink* *grin*
(Photos by Teresa)
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