Wednesday's P.M. Hot Clicks: Legends mad at Kevin Durant; Cindy Bruna
American Gladiators Forever
Do you ever find yourself staring out a window, wondering what Nitro and Laser are up to? Well, Sports Illustrated’sAndrew Lawrence has a fascinating look at the characters behind and in front of the camera for the hit '90s show American Gladiators, and it is very much worth your time, as is the following gallery (click for full-size version).
American Gladiators Now and Then
NITRO (1989-92, '94-95)
Seven years after publishing his first book, Gladiator, about his life in the limelight, Dan Clark is working on a second book, Cultivating Happiness, about life after a heart attack. He is also the brains and brawn behind Gladiator ’N Run, a 5K fun run through the California mud.
LASER (1989-96)
A pioneering fitness pitchman for companies like 24-Hour Fitness and Apex, Jim Starr s the director of product development for Life Time Fitness, a Minnesota-based chain of high-end gyms. Hearing his then one-year-old daughter calling for him over the cheers of the studio audience remains his proudest moment on Gladiators.
BLAZE (1989-92)
If you live in the Bellflower, Calif., area and are a parent to a student in grades K through 12, there’s chance Sha-Ri Pendleton-Mitchell might turn up in their classroom to substitute teach. After the final bell, you can find her on the track at St. John Bosoco High, coaching a track team that includes her son, Re-Al, a promising sophomore sprinter.
GEMINI (1989-92)
Michael Horton works as a physical fitness consultant in the Los Angeles area. The youngest of his three children, Wes (inset), a fourth-year defensive end with the Carolina Panthers, can’t remember much of his experiences visiting the Gladiator set as a three-year-old.
ICE (1991-96)
When Gladiators was at its peak, Lori Fetrick made guest appearances on everything from Who’s the Boss? to Ellen; now she travels the country conducting seminars on health and financial wellness.
MALIBU (1991-92)
Batman Forever and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation are just a few of Deron McBee’s film credits. He’s gone from playing comic book characters to using markers, color pencils and watercolors to render them while working avocationally as a graphic artist.
SABRE (1993-96)
Red Williams parlayed his Gladiators fame into a starring role as Jax in the 1997 box office hit Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. These days a married father of two and grandfather of three, Williams teaches scripture in the San Pedro, Calif., area.
DALLAS (1994-98)
After successful post-Gladiator forays into boxing and wrestling, Shannon Hall now trains MMA fighters. She’ll be in Kenia Rosas’s corner for her pro debut against champion judoka Mackenzie Dern on July 22.
MIKE ADAMLE (1989-96)
Adamle is a mainstay at NBC 5 Chicago, where he’s the sports director and an anchor. Like many of his fellow cast mates, he still works out like a fiend and confesses that sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, singing the Gladiators theme song.
JOHN FERRARO (1982-present)
He doesn’t impersonate Elvis nearly as much as he used to. He’s determined to revive the Gladiators franchise and make it everlasting.
Sylvia Fowles Has a Creepy Dream Job
The reigning MVP of the WNBA Finals, Sylvia Fowles has a promising basketball career but has her eye on a second job -- in the funeral industry.
Legends Unhappy with Kevin Durant
Charles Barkley came out strong against Kevin Durant’s decision to joint the Warriors, and Reggie Miller called any championship won by Durant and Golden State “cheap jewelry”.
Lovely Lady of the Day
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Dwyane Wade, Heat Negotiations Running Cold (Sorry)
At first Dwyane Wade’s interest in other teams seemed like a standard Wade move to remind the Heat they can’t let him leave, but it is starting to look like offers from the Nuggets and maybe Bulls could entice the Miami lifer away from South Beach for his final seasons.
Leo Messi, Tax Cheat
Lionel Messi and his father each got 21 months in jail for a tax fraud case, but neither will actually be going to jail. If this is confusing to you, please read Michael McCann’s explainer, which lays out how the superstar could be found guilty without heading behind bars.
This Frog Has Seen Some Stuff
This is Nice
Cubs Celebrate 100 Years at Wrigley
Tennis GOAT, Twitter GOAT
Odds & Ends
Potential replacements for Jon Jones at UFC 200 ... The Week in Wrestling has Ken Shamrock breaking down the Brock Lesnar-Mark Hunt fight, and an interview with five IC champions ... Bucs WR Louis Murphy fell asleep at a wedding and woke up trapped in a museum ... Having twins in Kenya sounds awful ... The New Yorker sent George Saunders to some Donald Trump rallies ... The Mavericks have struck out again in free agency, and they may need to rebuild their rebuilding process ... People are taking out their frustrations on Kevin Durant’s restaurant’s Yelp page
Sing It, Kermit
Happy Birthday, Sylvester Stallone
Click here for previous editions of Hot Clicks, and visit our Extra Mustard Page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories and videos and the latest Cheerleader of the Week gallery. Also check out the SwimDaily Page for the latest updates and Instagram pictures of models who have appeared in our issues.