For Paul Rudd, the decision to star in Jay Roach’s new comedy, “Dinner for Schmucks,” was an easy one. “I thought the script was really funny,” he says. “That was it. It was kind of a no-brainer.” Of course Rudd, who’s built an impressive resume of smart comedies, was just as enamored of the man behind the camera. Cliff who? The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has just gotten quite a bit of company: As many as 6,600 graves at the country’s hallowed Arlington National Cemetery for fallen U.S. service members may be mislabeled, one lawmaker said on Thursday.New claims for unemployment benefits slipped last week, but stayed at a stubbornly high level that underscored the labor market recovery was having trouble gaining traction.J.A. Happ said all the right things, just as the crafty lefty always has.Julian Assange, founder of the website that published more than 91,000 secret U.S. military reports from Afghanistan, says he’s revealing injustices. President Barack Obama says he’s concerned that disclosure of sensitive information may harm military operations.1. Will the Jets regret cutting Faneca?For many job-hopping careerists, smuggling a resignation letter in their bag like a guilty secret, there are few workplace rituals so hard as saying so long.Subletting in NYC typically involves some kind of covert transaction. Try to find a budget traveler who hasn’t enjoyed the risk of Craigslist’s lease-free rentals. But thanks to a bill Gov. David Paterson signed into law last Friday, renting an apartment for less than 30 days isn’t kosher. Fortunately, there’s a saving grace for those in search of short-term living: Jersey City.Could nail mats like the Acushakti be the next Snuggies?
Al Johnson, who was J.R. Giddens’ AAU coach in high school and remains a family friend, said Charles Giddens loves reminiscing about the old days and hinted there may be some embellishment in his stories. “Charles Giddens is God’s gift to everything,” Johnson said with a laugh. “He is the guy, and he’ll definitely tell you less. He’s so reserved, you would never know that.”
NBA. Charles Giddens stood in the background, wearing a freshly tailored black suit with pinstripes, an even newer Celtics hat and a glowing smile that was 23 years in the making.
At the fore was his son, J.R., the C’s first-round draft pick who was entertaining the media at the team practice facility.
J.R. had made it. Together, they always knew he would.
After all, Charles Giddens refused to have it any other way. He worked extended hours and backbreaking shifts at Dayton Tire in Oklahoma City, routinely going three or four weeks without a day off to pay for his son’s AAU trips and to support the family’s apartment.
J.R.’s mother, Dianna, hasn’t been able to work for years due to a bout with emphysema that once put her in a medically-induced coma for five months. (Giddens pumps his fist in the air before each game to salute her)
“That’s the hardest working person I’ve ever met in my life,” Giddens said of his father. “I think that’s where I get a lot of my ball-playing skills from. His hard work, his heart, his dedication, he puts that into his life every day. Putting that food on the table and being the best father that he can, giving me and my sister the things he didn’t have when he was younger.”
It was impossible to tell who was prouder on this sweltering July afternoon because each of the Giddens had captured a dream.
J.R., who is about to sign a multimillion dollar contract, wants his father’s days of manual labor at manufacturing plants to disappear, and he is overjoyed to finally take over the responsibility of providing for his family and being the one to spoil them with gifts.
“I’m speechless,” J.R. said. “Every time I look over, I just want to smile. I can’t hug him. We don’t do all that lovey-dovey stuff. I kind of just want to poke him and get him in a head lock or something, like, ‘Hey, we made it, man.’”
An emotional day for sure, Giddens seemed taken aback when he finally lifted his new Celtics jersey emblazoned with the No. 4, a jersey that Charles Giddens clutched under his arm for the remainder of the afternoon.
He wasn’t letting go. He never has, and he never will.
“Him just giving me all the opportunities that he’s never had,” J.R. Giddens said, “that’s why I’m in the position I am in today. That’s who I grew up looking up to is my father. That’s my hero, Charles Giddens.”
|
|
| Advertise with us | About Metro | Contact us | Careers | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Classified Advertising © Copyright 2010 Metro International |
|
