By Sue Kim With the New Year in full swing, so are the Hollywood Knights. Westlake High School was the place to be as the Knights went up against the Westlake Warrior faculty for the first game of 2003. Westlake’s gym was packed with fans side by side with celebrities old and new to the current season. Melissa Schuman took the stage (in this case the gym floor) to sing the National Anthem and then it was time to set the clock and start the new year off right...with a winning game (you have to read on to find out if it really happened). It was Kiko and “9 foot (as Anthony put it)” faculty member Brant for the tip off. Brant’s height proved to be helpful as the faculty gained possession of the ball first. With Kiko and Cylk both attempting to put numbers on the board first, it was faculty member Looker that made a two point shot for the warriors. Cylk came right back for the Knights and made a two point shot following Looker’s basket. Later D. Magorien of the faculty and Anthony were on the floor trying to gain control of the ball and it was the faculty that won the ball this time. As the first period came to a close, “9 foot” Brant went in for a dunk but his attempt proved to be unsuccessful. Up by four points, the Knights led with a score of 11-15. Jason, Arlen, Josh, Cylk, and Romeo were in for the Knights at the beginning of the second period. Josh was fouled by Warrior Erickson and made one of his two free throws for the Knights. Warrior faculty member Brant made his second attempt for a slam-dunk in this quarter, which was successful putting the score at 17-28, the Knights still leading. At the end of the period, Romeo tried to make one last shot before half time but missed as the buzzer sounded leaving the score at 27-42, Knights. Tonight’s halftime show should have been called a halftime spectacular with the number of artists that performed. First up was TJ Fantini, followed by CJ, and last but not least the group Prymary Colorz. After giving fans a chance to meet with the celebs they’ve been watching in action, it was time to give the Warriors a chance to catch up with the Knights. Cylk, Dejai, Kiko, Eric, and Romeo came in for the Knights in the third. Faculty member Buckley made the first shot of the second half putting two more points on the Warriors’ score. Faculty member Bergmann tried to pass the heat of the ball to one of his teammates but instead made an empty pass. Warrior number 42, Lichtl, fouled Wesley as he went in for a shot sending him to the free throw line. While he made his first free throw, he gave a Westlake High School cheerleader the chance to make his second. At the end of the third, the Knights still had control of the board with a score of 49-60. It was the very last chance for the Warriors to gain control of this game as the beginning of the fourth quarter was underway. The Warriors missed out on their chance to get ahead as the Knights made a total of 29 points in the last period alone. Arlen, Cylk, Wesley, and Anthony are just a few of the Knights to thank for the abundance in points. At the end of the game it was 70-89 on the board with 0 minutes left on the clock. That winning streak of 2002 certainly crossed over into 2003 for the Knights. Think that the Knights can be pushed off this winning streak? Come watch them play at Warren High School in Downey to find out.

By Jeanne Flores Saturday, January 18, 2003 marked the first game in the New Year for the Hollywood Knights as Arlen Escarpeta, the Goodfellas, Eric Winter, Kiko Ellsworth, Josh Henderson, Anthony Montgomery, Andrew Walker, Cylk Cozart, Wesley Jonathan and Jason Crook suited up against the Westlake High School Faculty Warriors. Jesse Metcalfe, Chystee Pharris, David Nicoll and Jeff Licon watched on from the sidelines as Melissa Schuman opened up the game with the National Anthem. Many fans appreciated watching the former Dream member and now actress, belt out her vocals. “I thought it was really good. She has a really good voice,” said Marlee Miller, Freshman. What has Melissa been doing since Dream? She revealed that she has just finished filming a Warner Bros. Movie titled “If You Were My Girl” (an urban remake of the 1985 film “Can’t Buy Me Love”) starring fellow Knights member Nick Cannon and Christina Milian (she plays her best friend) and is slated for release sometime in the spring/summer 2003. For those who ever wondered if Melissa still keeps in touch with her former group members, she said, “We keep in touch. We don’t talk on the phone all the time and do that kind of stuff.” Knights coach Andre Smith and assistant coach Marvin Williams were on hand to coach the team. “It feels good to be back with them. I like these guys a lot and I have a couple of personal friends on the team. It’s awesome to be back and see these guys play,” commented Smith. When he wasn’t playing ball, the always-animated Anthony was spotted on the sidelines with a camcorder talking to the Warriors and recording the team huddle. At one point in the quarter a very tall Warrior, Paul Brandt (Special Education and Health teacher) missed a dunk which disappointed a very packed gym. However this gave Anthony a chance to take the microphone and call Brandt on his foiled attempt. During the second quarter, an ill but dedicated Knight, Jared Padalecki arrived as promised by Michael Mirisch during his announcement in the first quarter. Soon after his arrival, Brandt successfully slam dunked his way to narrow the gap between the Knights and the Warriors, but it wasn’t good enough because the score was 27-42 Knights lead by the end of the first half. As if being given free Power 106 shirts by Charles and winning prizes such as a free class ring and a Dreamworks jacket wasn’t good enough for those in attendance, the crowd was treated to three energy packed performances by former MMC member TJ Fantini, CJ, and Prymary Colorz. TJ impressed the crowd with his smooth dance moves and melodic voice as he sang his single “Come Get Funky” off his recently released album (available at TJ’s official website: www.tjfan.com) “Classified.” “Well first of off, the audience was awesome. They were really into it. My heart was pounding and I had a great time.” Jacqueline Junt, Sophomore, expressed, “ I thought TJ was really good. I liked his style, his dancing, and I thought it was really cool how all his dancers were wearing basketball jerseys. It was really fun.” Next, 13 year old CJ, who revealed that he would be appearing on Star Search this upcoming Thursday, kept the crowd dancing to his rendition of the Jackson Five’s “Dancing Machine.” Many people have been quick to dub CJ as the “little Justin Timberlake” but CJ replied, “Lots of people compare me to people such as Timberlake, Usher, all different types of artist. That’s cool, I totally support them, but I’m CJ, I’m my own person.” The adoring fans may have noticed David Nicoll circling around CJ during his performance with a camcorder. “David Nicoll is so cool, he’s such a great supporter, and he’s helped me out through a lot right now,” commented CJ. “I thought CJ was really good,” began Jacque Coydsale, Freshman, “We were really shocked when he did the moonwalk.” Finally Prymary Colorz (Josh Royals, Raj Nichols, Marcus Dilley and Jonathan Thomas) dazzled the crowd with their song “If You Only New” off of their self-titled album (which is available in stores now). Few may have realized that it was a special treat to have the singing group perform on Saturday night because they are based in Florida. “It was tight,” began Jonathan, “It was fun because we have the best fans in the world. I mean they were really energetic and we get a lot of support. If we can do a show and be this close to the fans, it’s very welcomed.” “I think Prymary Colorz are really good. I like their outfits and the way they sing. They’re very entertaining,” said Nicole Johnson, Senior. After the performances, fans got one step closer to their favorite entertainers with the autograph session. After some personal action, the Knights headed back to the floor to warm up for the second half while Romeo stood at half court and sang Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You” on the microphone. Somewhere in the crowd, D-Smoove was spotted socializing with fans when he was asked about 3rd Storee’s status. “We’ve been out of the country, just working really hard, working on the next single, and in process working on the new album. The new 3rd Storee album should be out somewhere around June.” And of course D-Smoove added how much they miss performing for the Knights games, “We miss performing for all the games, we love the people for coming out and having a good time.” Third quarter was accompanied by a little gymnastic match between a cheerleader and a fan as Charles and Anthony tried to out beat each other to see who’s side had more spirit. Both females back flipped and cart wheeled their ways down the sidelines while the Knights grabbed various fans from the stands to help shoot their free throws throughout the game. Between the third and fourth quarter Hani Youssef (Dean of Students) recognized the student coordinators and the Junior parents involved for making the night possible. The game finally ended in the Knights favor, 89-70 with Anthony thanking everyone for attending the game to help raise money for the Junior class. One step closer (with the performers and newcomer for the season, Jason Cook): What is the concept of “If You Were My Girl?” Melissa: It’s about a boy who pays the more popular girl in school to act like she’s his girlfriend. So basically it’s about the boy gets popular and the whole story picks up from there. Which do you prefer more? Acting or singing? Melissa: I like them both. They’re both my love. I think acting is easier than singing because when you’re a recording artist, you travel a lot more and you don’t have a normal life per say, but as an actress you’re able to balance out a normal life with what you have to do with performing.” Where did you learn to dance and sing like that? CJ: I first learned to sing and dance when I was 9 years old, professionally. Did you always want to be a singer? CJ: I didn’t find my true passion until I was maybe about, um…eight. Could you describe the sound of this album? TJ: It is funky, funky, funky. How did the MMC help you as a performer? TJ: First of all, they gave us a great experience. When we were down there, we sang dance acted for 24 hours a day basically. So it brought me a lot of stamina. I would have to say it was the best experience of my life. Do you keep in touch with any of the cast members? TJ: I do. Actually Nikki [Deloach] was here tonight to watch me actually. How did you sign on with the HK? TJ: Well, my publicist got a hold of Michael Mirisch and he came through and watched one of our rehearsals one day and said, “We want you guys, we got to have you guys!” So he was pretty much, “Will you perform?” and I was like “Of course I’ll perform!” Could you describe the sound of your album? Marcus Dilley (Prymary Colorz): Our album is a great mixture of different styles of music. Something for everyone. There’s a common theme of positive-ness, of love, of unity, but it has many different flavors, and if you pick it up, there is something on there that you would love very much. Who were your influences when performing? All: Boyz II Men What is it like to have fans look up to you and consider you as role models? Raj: It comes with the job. Jonathan: Anyone in the spotlight becomes a role model. A lot of people consider boy bands or groups to have a bad reputation, so how do you guys differ yourself from the typical stereotype? Josh: We just sing songs. I think that people have to see us before they can see the substance that exists within our group. They have to see us and hear us as oppose than just looking and seeing a picture. This being your first game of the season, what was it like? Jason: It’s good to be back. It’s fun to get back and see the guys; they’re like good friends because I haven’t seen them in a while. How do you like coming out here and interacting with those who watch you on tv? Jason: It’s fun. As long as everyone is having a good time, I’m having a good time. I’m here to support the team and support the school. What is the best part about being on the Knights? Jason: I get to take pictures with all the great fans. What would you tell those who wanted to go into acting just like you? Jason: You got to be a lunatic to pursue acting, and a lucky [person]. Quote of the Knight: "You’re 9 feet tall and you can’t even dunk. What’s up with that huh?" – Anthony Montgomery on [Westlake faculty member] Paul Brandt

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