Heads Up for Punk Payback with Bas Rutten
If you follow MMA, you'll certainly know the name Bas Rutten. This dutch fighting legend has achieved fame with a unique combination of cage talent and stage presence.
Bas is exceptionally exuberant, quirky, and joyful in his pursuit of fighting and self defense effectiveness. He has made some popular videos which portray his take on street self defense. As a real life bouncer he's had his share of encounters.
Now Bas is taking his efforts mainstream with a new show entitled "Punk Payback".
Bas's energy and enthusiasm make him "a little much" for some viewers, especially those who enjoy the discipline and structure of formal traditional arts. I personally enjoy his approach because he basses a lot of his technique and theory off of his karate background while adding his MMA experience and stripping down concepts into their most street-ready form.
He mixes humor and levity with serious skill, enough to leave little doubt about his authority on the subject matters covered.
This new show will examine real life surveillance and amateur video of street encounters, breaking down the results and having Bas recreate the situation while offering his advice on successful resolution.
Here's the trailer:
The show is slated to air Wednesday November 2nd at 9:30(est) on Feul TV.
Steven Seagal Sued For Coercing Women Into Sex Employment
Some startling news broken by Josh Dickey of The Wrap, a Hollywood watchdog website:
"Steven Seagal is accused of hiring young women as personal attendants whose real job was to serve his strange and sometimes violent sexual desires, according to a civil lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles by a 23-year-old former model who describes her experience in harrowing detail.
The plaintiff, Kayden Nguyen, said she met the action star in February through an ad on Craigslist seeking an executive assistant and, after three interviews, was told to pack for a trip to New Orleans, where the A&E show "Steven Seagal Lawman" was taping. When she arrived, the lawsuit says, she discovered that Seagal had been keeping two young female Russian "attendants" who were essentially on-call for sex -- 24-seven."
According to reporting sources, Nguyen had been hired by Seagal under the pretenses of a normal assistant job, but found the reality of the situation to be quite different almost at the onset of the meeting.
"The lawsuit says Nguyen accepted the job on Feb. 22, a Monday, and was sped in a limo to a waiting private jet. Her first indication that something was awry was when Seagal told her, as the plane was taking off, that his wife “wouldn’t mind if we had a sexual relationship. Once in New Orleans, she was taken to Seagal’s house in a remote area of Jefferson Parish. The two Russian “attendants,” Sasha and Natasha (pseudonyms) shared a bedroom upstairs, where Seagal’s wife and baby also stayed.
The first assault took place on the first night, when Seagal showed up in Nguyen’s bedroom with one of the girls and said he wanted 'a massage.'" - The Blemish
The situation is said to have gotten steadily worse, as Mr. Seagal's actions became more brazen and more sexually charged. After protests at his initial advances, it is reported by Ms. Nguyen that Seagal used "illegal pills" and more forceable coersion to get her to comply to his desires.
After a few attempted confrontations to both fellow employees and Mr. Seagal himself, Nguyen attempted to extract herself from the situation.
"The ordeal carried on for several days, and it wasn't until Feb. 28 -- the following Sunday -- that she was able to escape the situation.
The lawsuit says Nguyen told Seagal that she had to leave to meet with family members who would be suspicious if she didn't show up. Nonetheless, he told her not to leave the house and followed her with a gun equipped with a flashlight as she went out to a waiting cab, which sped away as she jumped in the front seat." - MSN.com
Furthermore:
"Nguyen's lawsuit claims that even after she got away, Seagal and his employees tried desperately to persuade her to return. When she escaped, she left behind "everything of value she owned," including car keys, her laptop, clothes, and "hundreds of dollars worth of makeup." She was told she would not get the items back until she signed an agreement stating she would not report the sexual attacks.
The lawsuit alleges sexual harassment in violation of federal labor laws; illegal sex trafficking; retaliation; wrongful termination; and false representations about employment. Each of the six counts seeks in excess of $1 million in damages." - TheWrap.com
Seagal's lawyer, Marty Singer, has responded to TMZ that: "Kayden's lawsuit is an absurd pack of lies and she was fired for using illegal narcotics".
Steven Seagal is……Lawman
Bob Patterson over at Striking Thoughts must be absolutely thrilled. The much anticipated "Lawman" has finally premiered.
For those of you not paying constant attention to the activities of Steven Seagal, shame on you. You SHOULD know that he has been working on a new series called Lawman, aired on A&E. In the series Seagal reveals that he has been an official deputy for Jefferson Perish Louisiana for the past 20 years. In between making martial arts movies he serves as a real life cop hitting the streets.
The series is set to focus on Seagal and the Jefferson Perish crew taking on bad guys ala COPS. When they aren't on patrol Seagal takes the time to help fellow officers in learning shooting, combat, tactics, etc.
Is Your Interest Piqued?
I know what you're thinking. Isn't Seagal a bit on the old and fluffy side for this kind of work? He doesn't think so, and it seems like his police brethren are willing to hang on for the ride. If you'd like to see the first two episodes for yourself, the magic of the internet will provide:
A&E did the smart thing and posted the episodes online. They must have realized that the viral value of a show like this is going to be significant, and online chatter is what makes shows like this and Deadliest Warrior a success.
The first episode, The Way of the Gun, focuses on Seagal's shooting capabilities and (of course) some street busts. The second episode, The Deadly Hand, shows Seagal running the officers through some basic Aikido and then (you guessed it) some street busts.
Impressions
It's a surreal experience watching this show. Anybody who follows Seagal knows he has a bit of an ego trip going on, and while he is indeed skilled at aikido, he excessively takes on the 'master' role. As I was watching I could tell the other cops humored him for the sake of the show.
That being said, Seagal does show off real skill from time to time. His shooting is undeniably good and his aikido is still effective. One thing I noticed, and was disappointed by, was that he never seems to run during chases. Seagal-Running is a classic part of his movies, but his larger self doesn't seem too up for it anymore. Through clever camera work it seems like he is in the thick of every arrest though.
When I first started watching Lawman, it felt weird. I wasn't used to what I was seeing. By the end of the second episode however I actually started getting into the groove of it...a little. I think I could stay tuned for a few more episodes to see where they go with this. I would like it if they deemphasized the "busts" because that is where things seemed most forced. Forced drama, forced Seagal-activity, forced Seagal-advice, etc. His cutaways in helping the officers I thought were more genuine and interesting.
Bonus! Games!
A&E gets another high five from me. They included a game on their website called 'Firearms Qualification' that puts you in the hot seat (watch the first episode and it'll make sense). Hold on to your hats because it's actually kinda fun.
You go through three rounds of slick shooting and try to accrue a high score. Each round relates to events in the first Lawman episode.
I tried it out three times and got a high score of 108 (which makes me a Zen Master under Seagal Ryu shooting). Think you can top me? OHH we shall see.
