ESPN Debuts Latest Film in 30 For 30 Shorts Series

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN debuted the latest installment in its 30 for 30 Shorts series today.  Silver Reunion debuted today on Grantland.com.  The short—directed by 5-time Emmy Award winning director Rory Karpf—centers on the 1972 USA Men’s Olympic Basketball team and its controversial matchup against the Soviet Union.  Four decades after the team’s much talked about game which led the team to a silver medal finish, the team members reunited to either officially accept or once again refuse the medals for a game that each believes the team hadn’t actually lost.  The team had originally been awarded the Silver medal from the game.  But each member turned down his medal in protest.

This latest installment in the 30 for 30 Shorts series sees the team reunite for the very first time and discuss the choice whether or not to accept the medals that they believe were wrongly awarded.  The controversy stems from what is believed to be a series of bad calls that led to the then Soviet Union’s win.  It can be viewed online now at http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9103152/the-unclaimed-medals-1972-us-men-basketball-team-stars-latest-30-30-documentary-series.

The 30 for 30 Shorts series is crafted by Blue Moon.  Other previous films in the series include:  Arnold’s Blueprint, Ali:  The Mission, Holy Grail:  The T206 Honus Wagner, and others.  They can all be viewed online at Grantland.com.

To keep up with the latest in ESPN’s 30 for 30 Shorts series and more, go online to http://www.espn.com/30for30 or its Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/espn30for30.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN, Grantland Premiere New 30 For 30 Short

Courtesy: ESPN

 

ESPN and Grantland have premiered the latest in the network’s 30 for 30 shorts series.  Ali: The Mission can be viewed online now at grantland.com.  The short, which is narrated by music star John Legend, follows boxer Muhammad Ali’s 1990 mission to free hostages being held in Iraq.  Ali’s mission in question took him to Iraq and a face to face meeting with then dictator Saddam Hussein.  Ali met with Hussein to try and negotiate the release of Americans who had been taken hostage after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.  The hostages in question were being used as “human shields” to try and prevent American forces from striking the region.  Ali’s mission was a success, bringing home a total of fifteen hostages.  And six weeks afterwards, the U.S. embarked on Operation Desert Storm on January 16^th, 1991. 

When asked about Ali and narrating this latest short, Legend said, “There are so many stories and myths out there about The Greatest, but this one struck a personal chord with me as I don’t know that people today are even aware of Ali’s immense philanthropic work or this specific mission to Iraq before Desert Storm began.”  He went on to share his thoughts on being part of ESPN’s latest project saying, “Entertainers and athletes are often blessed with a platform from which to improve the world, and it was an honor for me to be the voice of this film showcasing the incredible journey Ali made that changed the lives of these hostages forever.”

The new short was directed by Amani Martin (Benji, HBO’s Brooklyn Dodgers, The Ghosts of Flatbush).  It features interviews with and stories from the hostages themselves.  The individuals in question will share their stories and reactions to everything that unfolded through Ali’s negotiations with Hussein.  It can be viewed at grantland.com now at http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8849155/the-latest-offering-new-30-30-documentary-series or at ESPN online at http://espn.go.com/30for30/film?page=ali-the-mission.

To keep up with all the latest news on ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, fans can go online to http://www.facebook.com/espn30for30 and http://www.espn.com/30for30. 

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Airs Latest Film In 30 for 30 Series Tuesday Night

Courtesy: ESPN/ESPN Films

The latest installment of ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 series is set to air tomorrow night, October 9^th, at 8pm EST.  Following the success of Broken, ESPN will next air the program, 9.79.  9.79 follows the now matchup between track stars Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis in the Men’s 100m final at the 1988 Olympic Games.  While the matchup made news headlines around the world, the steroid scandal that followed it was just as big.  97.9 focuses on the scandal as well.  The scandal centered on what would become an increasingly large revelation about those who had taken P.E.D.’s and anabolic steroids.  Johnson himself was wrapped up in the scandal, and would lose his gold medal as a result of the investigation.  The trailer for the special can be viewed here:  http://espn.go.com/30for30/

Along with tomorrow night’s broadcast, Grantland.com will run two features related to 97.9.  One of those features will be a podcast featuring an episode of Bill Simmons’ The B.S. Report.  Malcolm Gladwell will be on the podcast.  There will also be a first-hand account of the matchup written by Grantland writer Charlie Pierce.  Pierce was on hand for the race at the games in Seoul.

97.9 was a selection in this year’s annual Toronto Film Festival.  It was directed by Daniel Gordon.  For those that can’t catch tomorrow night’s broadcast, there are four more films in the latest 30 for 30 series.  Audiences can catch There’s No Place Like Home next Tuesday, October 16^th at 8pm EST.  And on the following Tuesday, October 23^rd, ESPN will air Benji at 8pm EST.  ESPN will close out the month with a broadcast of Ghosts of Ole Miss on Tuesday, October 30^th at 8pm EST.  The last film in this series will be You Don’t Know Bo.  Fans can catch this piece Saturday, December 8^th at 9pm.

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.