Celebrities studying martial arts?

[sanjuro_ronin]

Originally Posted by GeneChing

'trained in karate at a Shaolin temple' indeed

Hmmm, how does one train at a shaolin temple and call it "karate" ?

[GeneChing]

Originally Posted by sanjuro_ronin

Hmmm, how does one train at a shaolin temple and call it "karate" ?

Same way you raise lions and tigers.

[GeneChing]

Scarlett Johansson did extensive martial-arts training for the Avengers

The Avengers star Scarlett Johansson underwent extensive martial-arts training to play the sexy Black Widow in the superhero action flick.

“You get beat up a lot,” Johansson says in the May 2012 issue of Vogue. “It’s painful.” The grueling training made her lithe and toned and earned her the respect of Avengers director Joss Whedon.

“She was throwing herself all over the place," recounts Whedon. "[She was] the least diva-like human ever on a movie set."

The 5'3" Scarlett, who lost over 10 pounds in 2009 to play the Black Widow in Iron Man 2, has parlayed her stunning looks into a modeling gig as the face of Moët & Chandon champagne.

While Johansson no longer works out as rigorously as she did preparing for the role, she says she feels better when she's active. In 2010, Scarlett revealed she worked out "all the time" to overcome her depression following her divorce from actor Ryan Reynolds.

Johansson, whose divorce was finalized in 2011, is wistful about the breakdown of her marriage. “It was horrible,” she says. “It was devastating. It really throws you. You think that your life is going to be one way, and then, for various reasons or whatever, it doesn’t work out.

"This was something I never thought I would be doing, and there’s no way to navigate it. Nobody can give you the right answer. It’s never anything you want to hear. It’s a very lonely thing. It’s like the loneliest thing you’ll ever do, in some way.”

Scarlett has no regrets about getting married, but realizes in retrospect the marriage couldn't survive the couple's hectic work and travel schedules.

“[It would have been nice] just having more time with my ex and really clocking those hours of face time with the person you love, really live together and not having the pressure of two people that have these careers,” she says.

"It was a beautiful thing: The falling in love and getting married and making that commitment," says Johansson. "I think it’s nice to know that you’re capable of loving somebody in that way. I think it’s a rare opportunity.”

The Avengers, which co-stars Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and and Gwyneth Paltrow, hits theaters May 4, 2012.

Anyone know who she trained with?

[sanjuro_ronin]

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansit.../news/?a=57268

Fight choreographer Jonathan Eusebio adds, "We wanted to make Black Widow very fluid and acrobatic. Wushu, a Chinese fighting style, works well for her body mechanics. It’s very graceful but requires a lot of strength and flexibility. You are also going to see Black Widow executing more sacrifice throws and using a variety of weapons. The game has changed and so has her skill set. She had to learn entirely new things and for her to deal with the various weapons like the ones we gave her was very difficult. She trained very hard and pulled off great performances on game day."

[wenshu]

Anyone remember the show Oz?

I stumbled across this and thought it worthy, although not sure how much he qualifies as a celebrity. Apparently he has a radio show on Howard Stern's Sirius station.



Whatever it is he trains in, I would join just to get to wear the uniform. That thing is glorious.

Anyways I can't find any mention of what martial art he actually studies. Wikipedia doesn't say and his website offends my sense of taste.

[sanjuro_ronin]

He laid the kaibosh on JCVD, LOL !

[wenshu]

[Lucas]

[GeneChing]

Our old Patriot Uniform is on sale for only $9.95. Toss on a few star patches, and we'd all have to salute when you walking the the dojo.

[GeneChing]

There's more pix if you follow the link.

Posted by Jessica, Tuesday 04/17/2012, 10:04 am
Exclusive Pics! Nicollette Sheridan Practices Martial Arts On the Beach With Her New Mystery Man!


There’s nothing like a day at the beach, am I right? Especially if you’re a poor stressed out celeb – you need the rest and relaxation! Luckily (for us), former Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan gets her relaxation another way – we found her practicing martial arts on the beach in St. Barts earlier today. And this wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment thing: Nicollette had gloves for it.

As did the mystery man who was with her! Trainer or new boyfriend? From the second photo, he definitely looks like her trainer. And from the third, he looks like her (not gentle) lover.

Just saying.

[GeneChing]

Just posted on the Avengers thread.

[GeneChing]

Gisele's entries on this thread:
#1
#2
#3
She's like the Robert Downey of the modelling world.

Gisele Bundchen’s Kung Fu Workout
How the stunning supermodel keeps her mind clear, her spirit calm, and her body strong
By Kristen Aldridge


Supermodel Gisele Bundchen hasn’t officially announced she’s expecting her second child with hubby Tom Brady, but she’s definitely going to have a hard time denying it now. The bikini-clad bombshell was recently spotted in Costa Rica sporting a growing baby bump. With another bundle of joy on the way and a 32nd birthday last month (July 20), there is a lot to celebrate!

No stranger to showing off that incredible bod, the Victoria’s Secret angel sure makes staying in shape look easy. During pregnancy No. 1 (with son Benjamin, now 2 years old), she was still wearing non-maternity clothes in her ninth month! Bundchen told Vogue in 2010, “I was mindful about what I ate, and I gained only 30 pounds. I did kung fu up until two weeks before Benjamin was born, and yoga three days a week.”

There’s no doubt she’ll be continuing her dedicated workouts during pregnancy No. 2, so we spoke with her kung fu instructor, Yao Li of the Boston Kung Fu Tai Chi Institute, to get the scoop on her routine.

“Gisele is very focused and very disciplined. I am often surprised by how quickly she grasps the nuances of the movements. When I teach her new techniques, it often seems as though she already knows them,” Li says. “She is very intuitive and knows what it takes to make the move look right.”

Bundchen, who has worked with Li for the past four years, trains an average of three times per week for 90-minute sessions. The benefits of kung fu for a strong body, a clear mind, and a calm spirit—as well as learning self-defense—are truly inspiring.

“The stance work and kicking techniques improve muscle tone and flexibility in the lower body. Blocking drills and hand techniques do the same for the upper body, especially the shoulders and arms,” Li told SHAPE. “Drills that combine hand and foot work require strength and agility in the core muscles, and help to increase coordination and balance.”

The dynamic duo begin their workouts by stretching for 10 to 15 minutes, followed by individual kicks and sparring drills. Next, they practice forms (a set routine of choreographed techniques that can be either a hand form or weapon form such as the bow staff, spear, or straight sword). Lastly, they do additional upper-body strength training and abdominal work.

Clearly it’s working for Gisele! “Learning kung fu is exciting and energizing… you’ve got to feel what it is and if you don’t try it, you won’t know!” Li says.

There's a second page with her basic workout if you follow the link above.

[GeneChing]

In contrast, here's Jessica, who 'learnt' martial arts just for the film, says she likes it, but we'll see if she really continues with it.

I learnt martial arts for Total Recall: Jessica Biel
Renuka Vyavahare, TNN | Aug 1, 2012, 05.40PM IST


The film is the remake of the original Total Recall made in 1990.The film is based on the writer Philip K ****'s short story "We can remember it for you wholesale" and stars actor Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale alongside Jessica Biel in the lead roles.

Talking about her character of Melina, Jessica says, "The character of Melina in this film is quite different from the original film. Len Wiseman and his team have made a lot of difference with this film. To compare the character between both the films is very difficult. Rachel Ticotin has done a fabulous job with the character of Melina she portrayed in the original Total Recall."

Talking about her stunt scenes Jessica says, "While doing the action scenes you do hurt yourself a little, it's no big deal. But while doing an action scene with Kate nothing much happened may be our stars were lucky. I have done all my stunt scenes whatever was required of me to do. But there are some scenes which have been performed for by Janene Carleton. She has been a stunt woman for me in this film and I got to learn a lot from her as well." Jessica loves doing action scenes, she says, "When you do these scenes you put your entire body to use which I don't get to do on everyday basis. I absolutely loved doing the action scenes and I got to learn martial arts as well."

[GeneChing]

I wonder what style. I'm thinking the reference to 'kung-fu skills' is just reporter's license, but if anyone finds out, please to report here. We can always use more kung fu savvy starlets.

Emily Blunt - Emily Blunt Learning Martial Arts For New Movie
14 September 2012 04:10:50 PM



Emily Blunt has been learning martial arts and shooting skills for her new action movie, 'All You Need Is Kill'.

Emily Blunt has been learning martial arts for her new movie.

The actress is co-starring with Tom Cruise in the futuristic military thriller 'All You Need Is Kill' and she has been perfecting her kung-fu skills to prepare for her role, as well as going out on the shooting range.

She told the Daily Mail newspaper: ''I play an arse-kicking sergeant-major. She really knows how to lock and load. She's not very ladylike, but she's a **** good soldier.''

And No Doubt Emily is loving every moment of shooting the film as she recently revealed she would love to do an action film and perform her own stunts.

The 'Devil Wears Prada' actress said: ''The only thing I haven't done is hang from a building, which I'd quite like to do at some point. Or some wire work - something more actiony.''

However, she also revealed she is ready to take a break from acting.

She said: ''Now that I've been doing it for a long time I don't have the desire to be on a film set all the time. I've already got three-movies coming out this year and I feel already that it's a Blunt overload.

''As Marlon Brando said, you've only got so many faces, so don't run out too quick.''

[GeneChing]

Does dating a celeb count? Here's a pic

Mel Gibson now dating a stuntwoman with a brown belt in martial arts
Wednesday Oct 17 2012

It's now been claimed he is romancing Ashley Cusato who is an actress-and-stuntwoman with a brown belt in the martial art.

The Hollywood star has been linked to several women since his turbulent split from Oksana Grigorieva in 2010.

"Sources close to the actor tell us... the two have been dating for about a month - and things are going so well, Mel has already introduced her to several members of his family," reports TMZ.

Ashley has worked as a double for some big names in the movie business, including Denise Richards and Emily Deschanel.

Mel's family are said to be impressed by his new lady love and hope the relationship will go the distance.

"They love her and are convinced she's gonna be around for a long, long time," sources told the website.

In August, it was reported that Mel and aspiring singer-and-model Nadia Lanfranconi were growing close. He was spotted massaging her shoulders while they were dining at a Los Angeles eatery, but later denied they were in a romantic relationship.

The 56-year-old actor has seven children with his ex-wife Robyn, who he split from in 2006. Their divorce was finalised in 2011.

Mel has kept largely out of the limelight since the collapse of his relationship with Oksana. She claimed he had been abusive and got a restraining order against him, while recordings of a man purported to be Mel using racial slurs and other offensive language were made public during their split.