Dixie Carter Buys A New Mansion For Christmas, RAW, ECW, SD!
>> The online presale code for the January 19th Chicago, IL Raw and ECW taping is CENARAW. The sale will begin on Wednesday December 17th at 10AM local time.
>> The online presale code for the February 16th Spokane, Washington Raw and ECW taping is CENA. The sale will begin on Wednesday December 17th at 10AM local time.
>> Phil Strum of The Poughkeepsie Journal has extensive coverage of the passing of Pre Wrestler Mike on his blog. Bell was from the Poughkeepsie arena. Strum currently has an entry posted from Dan Pietrafesa, one of Bell's childhood neighbors. Pietrafesa discusses growing up with Bell, and seeing one of his friends from the neighborhood making it big and competing against stars like the Undertaker.
>> Darren Aronofsky, the director of The Wrestler, was recently interviewed by Alfonso Castillo of Newsday. Here are some of the highlights:
On Unions in Wrestling: I think the problem starts with the fact that they're not organized and they're not unionized. That's the main problem. I mean, there's really no reason why these guys are not in SAG. They're as much screen actors as stuntmen. If not more. They're in front of a camera performing and doing stunts, and they should have that protection. That's the only thing that for me came out of it. Why doesn't SAG help get these guys organized? They're on TV performing. Or, if they're not even on TV, the ring is a theater. So they're not just screen actors, they're theater actors. They're performers. They should have insurance and they should have health insurance and they should be protected.
On Exposing the Wrestling Business: I think everyone knows it's fake. And I think the wrestlers know that everyone knows. Since the WWF became the WWE it's become public knowledge and I think that's what gave birth to ECW and CZW. People know it's fake, so they're kind of getting off on the actual danger of the stunts. So I think maybe the details of how it works are still a little guarded. But I think, if anything, this film gives respect for what these guys were doing, so all the wrestlers were open to it.
On Having a Screening for Vince McMahon, and McMahon's Request: I don't know. I think it shows a lot of respect for the craft. It shows a lot of love for wrestling. It doesn't treat wrestling as a joke. So I don't know how he's going to react. I'm looking forward to seeing what his reaction is. But I think he'll appreciate the authenticity and the research.
>> According to CMT.com's Blog, TNA President Dixie Carter and her husband recently purchased a $2.13 million mansion on Hilsboro Pike in Nashville. The home formerly belonged to country star LeAnn Rimes. The article notes that the house "sits on 3.2 acres and has a nice library, great room and yoga room. It even looks big enough to accommodate a wrestling ring or even a steel cage, but I don't expect any brutal beatings to actually go down here."