Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Tom Zbikowski Walks Away From The NFL, Plans On Becoming A Firefighter In Chicago

Monday, November 18, 2013
Written by: The Post Game
 
Tom Zbikowski (Photo by Getty Images)

Tom Zbikowski was never afraid to pursue his passions off the football field.

The former Notre Dame All-American safety was drafted in the third round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2008 and has also competed as a professional boxer, winning all four of his bouts.

And now that Zbikowski has lost his desire to play football, he has no fear about moving on.

The 28-year-old Zbikowski was cut by the Chicago Bears earlier this year, and rather than trying to get back on a roster, he has decided to walk away from football to pursue another dream. Both Zbikowski's brother, father and grandfather have worked as firefighters in the Chicago area and, as reported by the Chicago Tribune's David Haugh, Tom will begin Chicago Fire Department academy training next month.

 
"I've had an extremely blessed life and I saved three-quarters of my money, so I can do whatever I want and I want to be of service to a community," Zbikowski told Haugh.

Zbikowski's rookie contract with the Ravens was for three years and $1.66 million. His second contract was a one-year deal for $1.2 million. He then signed a three-year contract with the Colts that would have paid him $5.4 million if he had stuck with the team. Although he only played one season in Indianapolis, Zbikowski received a signing bonus of more than $1 million. He also earned more than $225,000 in boxing. That's a gross of more than $4 million.

"Firemen show up in scary situations," he said. "They're symbols of pride, of faith, of what's good in society. I like to live dangerously.''


Zbikowski tried to apply for a spot in the Fire Department earlier this year but was turned away after wearing improper clothes when he went in for his interview.

The Buffalo Grove, Ill., native admitted to Haugh that he had fallen into drinking heavily during his final NFL season, 2012, in which he started 11 games with the Colts. He had lost his passion for the game and turned to alcohol as a reprieve. While he says he had indulged heavily on the nights before game in other years, he said it only started to affect his play in Indianapolis. Before long Zbikowski had gained weight and was not the same player he once was.


Zbikowski took a diet pill that was banned by the NFL, and after failing a drug test he earned a four-game suspension. Had he made an NFL roster in 2013, he would have been suspended until Week 5.

Now, Zbikowski told Haugh, he's stopped binge drinking and has started boxing once again. It's not hard for his family to see that he's in a much better place now than he was one year ago.

"I always thought Tommy overachieved and got everything out of everything in life he could," Ed Zbikowski told Haugh, "so he's content."


Friday, November 8, 2013

Olga Kurylenko Rumored as New Wonder Woman

Olga Kurylenko Rumored as New Wonder Woman


Olga Kurylenko (Photo by: www.complex.com)

Ask any film buff to list some female movie stars who have played Bond Girls, and one would probably be surprised at the list of names people could produce. However, if anyone spouted the name of the Bond Girl in Quantum of Solace, the world would be surprised.

Despite not being a household name, Olga Kurylenko has starred in several well-known and well-received movies in her brief acting career: Paris, Je’Taime, Hitman, Max Payne, Quantum of Solace, Centurion, To the Wonder, Seven Psychopaths, and Oblivion. Now, the 33 year-old actress is rumored to be testing for the role of Wonder Woman.

According to SchmoesKnow.com insider, The Phantom, Kurylenko is one of the front-runners to become the next Wonder Woman on the big screen.
 
 
The rumor mill concerning the involvement of Wonder Woman in Zachary Snyder’s Batman vs. Superman started earlier this month when it was reported that Thor 2: The Dark World’s Lady Sif, Jaimie Alexander, was in talks with Warner Bros.:

 

Alexander had also recently spoken publicly about her desire to see Wonder Woman return to the big screen, although her endorsement came with certain reservations:

“You know, let’s talk about this for a second: you’ve got very few female superheroes that are dominating films these days, unless they’re in a skintight outfit and their boobs are pushed up to their chin. And it’s not OK. It’s not. There needs to be a positive role model. If you’re going to make Wonder Woman, make it like The Bourne Supremacy. You know, let’s do something awesome like that. Alias was a fantastic show. Why can’t we do that? Why does she have to be in hot pants and spandex and all this stuff? And yeah, I get it, it’s visually stunning for…half of people. But at least make her grow a pair. All she does is eat ice cream while she’s crying over a boy. I know it never aired but that’s what the script said.”

Wonder Woman is not the only thing on Olga Kurylenko’s radar, however. The Ukrainian-born actress has been a hot commodity lately. Currently, Kurylenko is working with the Waldorf-Astoria on a commercial campaign in which she portrays a world-traveler’s experiences visiting the Waldorf-Astoria.

Kurylenko was also recently cast in the lead role of a new supernatural/horror film entitled Mara. The film is being directed and produced by Myles Nestle of The Solution Entertainment Group, Steven Schneider of Room 101 (Paranormal and Insidious), and James Edward Barker and Scott Mann of Mann Made Films. In Mara, Kurylenko plays the role of a criminal psychologist who is attempting to save a victim’s daughter and herself from being killed by a demon which attacks people in their sleep. The film is meant to explore the mythology and legends behind sleep paralysis and Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS).

With those projects, along with several others on her plate, Kurylenko may not have time to devote toward recreating Wonder Woman. All we know at this point is that regardless of who is cast, Batman vs. Superman is going to be amazing