Hey, Camp Fans!

We last talked about Mark Cuban almost five years ago on the Everything Summer Camp Blog. We discussed Emma Kaufmann Camp where he attended summer camp, we discussed his education, and we learned about his first job at 12 years old selling garbage bags in order to afford a pair of expensive sneakers that he had his eyes set on.

We’ll dig even deeper today to learn a bit more about this entrepreneur and moneyman!

Sleeves Rolled Up 
No stranger to hard work, Mark’s work ethic has always been there—evident from his 12-year-old business selling garbage bags. He’s one guy who worked his way to the top by rolling up his sleeves and putting in long hours! In fact, he once went seven years before taking a vacation. Throughout that time, he didn’t feel that he could sacrifice the time if he to be successful.

Cost of Free Speech
Most of us know Mark Cuban as the straight-talking shark from ‘Shark Tank’. You may also know him as the owner of the NBA Dallas Mavericks. What you may not know him for is how involved and outspoken he is concerning his NBA team as well as the referees and the league in general. Speaking his mind has actually gotten him in trouble with the NBA. He’s paid $1.7 million in NBA fines—pretty costly for exercising one’s right to free speech.

Family Man in Chief
Believe it or not, Mark’s talked a lot about running for president someday. He’s even gone as far as to hire his own personal pollster during the 2016 election. The idea of running was put to bed when he was voted down 4 to 1 by his family over whether or not he should run. Running for office is certainly strenuous on a candidate’s kids and spouse as well, so it was good of Mark to put off a presidential run for his family’s sake.

So hopefully that gives you a better idea of who this moneyman, Mark Cuban is. I hope you enjoyed learning more about this well-recognized and potentially political figure of our day. Check out his previous post to learn more. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John

Hey, Sandler Fans!

The last time we talked about Adam Sandler (about five years back), we discussed Eisner Camp—part of the Union for Reform Judaism—the camp he attended, we discussed his SNL days, and we talked about his film career which includes ‘Bedtime Stories’, ‘Hotel Transylvania’, ‘Pixels’, countless other classic comedies, and almost the candyman himself in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.

This time around, let’s dig a little deeper to see who this classic comedian is at his core!

No Joke
Adam Sandler has been performing as a Stand-up Comedian since he was 17 years old. And it’s certainly no putdown when I say that he’s rumored to have never written a joke. How can that be? Well, Sandler is the type of comedian who has a natural humor about him. He prefers not to have written or rehearsed material when he gets on stage. Instead he just sort of wings it while he’s up there.

Schmoozing Roomies
Before their names were known, Adam Sandler and Judd Appatow were roommates while they were new in L.A. and looking for work. Sandler slept on a mattress on the floor. It took them up until 2009 to make their first movie together.

Cool Cameos
Adam Sandler isn’t afraid to have some fun with the casting in his movies. In ‘Hotel Transylvania’, mentioned above, Sandler’s wife and daughter were recorded for the early appearances of Dracula’s wife and baby. Also mentioned above, the movie ‘Pixels’ had an arcade machine repair guy played by the creator of Pac-Man—Toru Iwatani.  

So hopefully that gives you a better idea of who Adam Sandler is, not as an actor, not as a comedian, but as a roommate. I hope you enjoyed learning more about this funny guy. Check out his previous post to learn more. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

A handful of years ago, we talked about former summer camper and famous actor Zach Braff here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog. We looked into his time spent at Stage Door Manor in New York as well as his childhood and the path he took that led to his acting career. We covered a lot in his previous post, but there’s still a lot we could learn about this guy.  

Let’s dig a little deeper beyond the surface and learn a bit more about Braff. Check it out:

Braff’s Creek?
Did you know that Zach auditioned for the hit drama from the late 90’s ‘Dawson’s Creek’? The show would have likely kept the title we all know had Zach landed a role on it, but you never know the avalanche of changes that could have been spawned by a different casting job. Of course, Zach didn’t get the job and we know him for a multitude of other roles like J.D. on ‘Scrubs’!

Put One Foot a Few Extra Centimeters in Front of the Other
Zach’s right leg is actually a bit longer than his left. A condition that’s uncommon, but not unheard of, a slightly longer leg typically goes unreported or maybe even unnoticed unless it causes an issue. However, Zach was unfortunate enough to have suffered a herniated disc because of his slightly longer right leg.

We Don’t Want No Scrubs
Zach has gone on to play a number of other memorable roles, but his time on ‘Scrubs’ was very special to him. It seems there were just as many laughs behind the scenes as there were on the show itself. He’s held onto a number of friendships that he created with the cast and crew of the medical comedy-drama series. In fact, he’s best friends with Donald Faison in real life who played Turk, Zach’s best friend on the show!

For many people, ‘Scrubs’ is the role they remember most when they think of Zach, but he has since gone far beyond the TV show with starring roles in films and even directorial credit in his movie ‘Garden State’ which he shot in his home state of New Jersey. Check out his previous post by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Former summer camper and model Cindy Crawford was first featured on our Blog more than five years ago. We learned some interesting things about her such as her attendance at science camp. We learned that she was the highest-paid model in the world at the early age of 29. And we found out about the stroke of luck she had that led to her modeling career.

Today, I thought we’d return to this beautiful woman to see what more we can learn about her. Check it out:

Old School Cindy Crawford
A sucker for the old ways, Cindy misses the modeling game before the advent of digital photography. According to her, using digital to shoot can disrupt the natural rhythm between photographer and model. For instance, if the photographer stops shooting to take care of something that got spotted on a digital photo, that could ruin a “weirdly beautiful” moment, as she put it, from being captured.

Turn that Frown Upside-Down
A model’s smile doesn’t always come without some work. Cindy confesses that she didn’t always know how to smile. It took her roughly a decade to work on her smile before it was perfected. She proposes this as a likely explanation for her lack of smiles throughout her earlier work.

She can do it Hairself!
A woman of many talents, Cindy proved herself to be a talented hairdresser by putting her skills to work on her own hair for her own photoshoots during her modeling in Chicago. On top of doing her own hair, Cindy did her own makeup as well with her very own accessories which she had to tote along to her photo shoots.

You can learn more about Ms. Crawford when you check out the first post written about her by clicking right here. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John  

Hey, Team Tucker!

Today’s post isn’t the first time we’ve talked about former summer camper and famous actor, Jonathon Tucker. In his first post, we learned about his summer days spent at Camp Chingachgook in Kattskill Bay, New York. We covered his home life growing up. And we took a look at the path toward his acting career.

For our follow-up post about him, let’s take a deeper dive and learn a little more about what makes Tucker tick. Check it out:

Bulletproof Boy
Tucker is a huge fan of Bulletproof Coffee. Bulletproof Coffee is made with a tablespoon of both butter and oil (such as coconut oil), stirred into your morning coffee. I too was once a daily Bulletproofer. It’s essentially breakfast all on its own containing fats that come recommended by some health advisors.

My Benign Addiction
In the past, Jonathon has confessed to his addiction…to dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Feeling powerless against his intense cup cravings, Jonathon has noted that his relationship with peanut butter cups helps him understand the many addictions the world faces. If he can hardly resist candy which is “out of this world”, as he puts it, then it must be pretty tough for people who suffer heavier addictions.

Work-outs to Worship
Among a wide range of music that inspires him at the gym including Avicii and Kanye West, Jonathon enjoys Christian rock worship songs. With no explanation as to why, Jonathon isn’t sure why he likes it so much, but offers the background of his Jewish mom, Irish Catholic dad, and his wife’s Hindu and Muslim family that has all influenced his eclectic appreciation for music.

An interesting guy to say the least, I hope you enjoyed this closer look at Mr. Tucker and these three loves in his life: Bulletproof Coffee, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and working out to worship songs. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!