Los Angeles, California (CNN) — Large and small donations flowed in Monday evening as dozens of celebrities answered phones for Larry King’s telethon to help the people of the U.S. Gulf Coast suffering from the oil disaster.

“A hundred dollars? Wow! Thanks you so much,” rocker Tyson Ritter told one donor who called in.

The two-hour CNN show raised $1.3 million with proceeds going to three charities deeply involved in the efforts to help humans, wildlife and the environment.

“Everyone’s really pissed off,” actress Jenny McCarthy, who was monitoring online messages in the telethon’s “Tweet Suite,” told host Ryan Seacrest.

Donors could choose to send their money to the United Way, National Wildlife Fund or The Nature Conservancy.

Celebrity journalist Giuliana Rancic said she was on the phone with “Barbara” from Kokomo, Indiana.

“She’s saying it’s the animals,” Rancic said.

Actress Victoria Principal sat next to her on another call.

“We’re just talking about the wildlife,” Principal said.

Singer Aaron Neville, a New Orleans native, said most of the calls he answered in New York were from people concerned about animals impacted by the oil.

“People are crying on the phone and giving money,” Neville said.

Actor Ted Danson said it was important for him to “hear people’s emotions, their fear and sadness” when they called in donations,

CNN correspondents reported live from the Gulf Coast, interviewing people whose lives have been interrupted by the oil disaster.

“The toughest thing I see is losing a way of life that we’ve had down here for generations and generations,” said shrimper Archie Dantin in Pointe a la Hache, Louisiana.

A BP spokesman issued a statement Monday saying the oil company is “proceeding with urgency to make the situation right for the environment and for those who have affected by this tragic event.”

“We stated from the beginning that we accept responsibility for cleaning up the spill and for paying all legitimate claims for those directly impacted financially by this environmental disaster,” BP’s statement said.

The company said over 65,000 claims have been submitted and more than 32,000 payments have been made, totaling more than $107 million.

“The average time from filing a claim to checks being issued is only a few days,” BP siad. “Even for more complex business claims that have provided supporting documentation.”

“I don’t think they’re responding fast enough,” shrimper Keillen Williams said.

Retired NBA star Jalen Rose, who was helping answered phones at CNN’s Los Angeles bureau, said he is sure President Barack Obama will make BP pay.

“But it will take time for that to happen, so we’re here today to provide immediate relief to those in need,” Rose said.

CNN’s Larry King Hosts Special Two Hour

Star-Studded Fundraiser Benefits United Way, National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy Providing Immediate, Direct Support for Families, Residents and Wildlife Affected by Gulf Oil Spill.

Jalen Rose will be joining other special guests including; Justin Bieber, Ted Danson, Cameron Diaz, Kathy Griffin, Chelsea Handler, Randy Jackson, Kerry Kennedy, Lenny Kravitz, Jenny McCarthy, Tim McGraw, Alyssa Milano, Edward James Olmos, Victoria Principal, Robert Redford, Ian Somerhalder, Sting, Melania and Ivanka Trump, Pete Wentz with Ryan Seacrest Hosting Special Online Social Suite and More

CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Soledad O’Brien, Kyra Phillips and Rob Marciano Report Latest Updates From the Gulf During Live Special

(LOS ANGELES) June 18, 2010—CNN original Larry King hosts a special two-hour Larry King Live telethon this Monday, June 21, “DISASTER IN THE GULF: How You Can Help,” from 8 to 10pm Eastern, a star-studded effort to raise funds for United Way, The National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy, organizations working directly with the families, individuals and Wildlife affected by the Gulf oil spill.

“The Gulf oil spill is a disaster both national and natural in scope, and the point of this effort is to get immediate relief to the people and Wildlife who are in urgent need,” says longtime CNN Larry King Live Senior Executive Producer Wendy Walker. “The telethon’s proceeds go directly to the relief organizations who are working on the frontlines to do just that.”

King comments, “I understand bureaucracy and that some things take time, but when you’re out of work, you don’t need help tomorrow, you need help today. I’m grateful so many friends and colleagues are coming out to support our June 21^st telethon. We’re going to raise all we can to help the people and also the Wildlife that need it now.”

Guests include Jalen Rose, Justin Bieber, Deepak Chopra, Cameron Diaz, Philippe Cousteau, Ted Danson, Kathy Griffin, Chelsea Handler, Randy Jackson, Kerry Kennedy, Sammy Kershaw, Lenny Kravitz, Jenny McCarthy, Tim McGraw, Alyssa Milano, Aaron Neville, Edward James Olmos, Victoria Principal, Robert Redford, Gloria Reuben, Tyson Ritter, Richard Simmons, Ian Somerhalder, Sam Trammell, Melania and Ivanka Trump, Pete Wentz, with a special performance by Sting. Guests talk with King on set and via satellite and also participate in the program’s telephone banks taking viewer calls, or in a special online Social Suite—hosted by Ryan Seacrest—for participants using internet social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Celebrity guests post live Facebook updates during Monday’s telethon and the hashtag #CNNHelpGulf is used for viewers and online participants wanting to join the conversation on Twitter.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Soledad O’Brien, Kyra Phillips and Rob Marciano provide the latest news from the Gulf throughout the 2-hour live telecast, with reports from locations including New Orleans, Grand Isle, and other areas throughout the region.

King also welcomes 11-year old special guest Olivia Bouler from Islip, New York, who made news with her effort to protect birds in her native Southern Alabama by providing original watercolor paintings of regional birds to anyone who donated to organizations working to protect Gulf wildlife. She has raised over $20,000 to date through her efforts benefiting groups such as the Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Weeks Bay Foundation, Mobile Bay Estuary Program and the National Wildlife Fund. Bouler paints a picture during Monday’s telethon to auction for viewers, with proceeds going directly toward the evening’s fundraising efforts.

CNN.com/ImpactYourWorld offers users and viewers ways to help, with highlights from organizations seeking volunteers, links for direct donations, tips for helping for those who can’t travel to the Gulf, iReporters’ solutions for the cleanup, a live on-page update of what people are saying in the Twitter world on #CNNHelpGulf as well as celebrity videos and more. CNN also offers the option of mobile giving for telethon viewers with individuals able to give via mobile phone text message to the United Way, The National Wildlife Federation or The Nature Conservancy. Text message donation codes for the organizations involved are announced during the CNN telethon.

United Way’s Worldwide CEO, Brian Gallagher, said, “The situation in the Gulf has created real and immediate needs for families whose livelihoods have been affected.  Calls are coming in now for food, rent and utilities assistance.  We are also preparing for the extensive long-term needs that will arise. United Way will remain on the ground after the immediate response, working side-by-side with Gulf Coast residents to build more resilient communities.  This includes helping people as they re-imagine their lives and livelihoods, take care of long-term health and mental health issues, and learn how to become more financially stable to face any future challenges.”

“The impact this disaster is having on people and wildlife in the Gulf region is unthinkable,” said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “This tragedy is unfolding in the heart of spring migration, nesting season and calving season in the open water.”

Mark Tercek, CEO of The Nature Conservancy, commented, “The Gulf of Mexico is a national treasure that millions of Americans across the country depend on for their livelihoods, food, recreation and inspiration. This precious resource has suffered from decades of neglect and damage, all of which has been dramatically compounded by this catastrophic oil spill. We need a comprehensive effort to protect and restore the Gulf, one that is built on innovation, collaboration and a shared vision of a healthy and vibrant natural system. We must act on this now. We simply can’t wait another day.”

Walker and King recently orchestrated another Larry King Live telethon, Haiti: How You Can Help, which benefited UNICEF and the Red Cross, organizations working directly with those affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti earlier this year. The two-hour special featured a wide-ranging list of celebrities, opinion leaders and tastemakers and raised some $10 million for the earthquake relief effort.

Transcripts, still photography, video clips and web video clips will be made available upon request after air.

For more information on the three organizations involved in this initiative please visit the following:
United Way – www.liveunited.org
National Wildlife Federation – www.nwf.org/oilspill
The Nature Conservancy – www.nature.org/restore

For more information, visit www.CNNPressroom.com.
CONTACT: Ryan Jimenez/Los Angeles 323.993.5120 – ryan.jimenez@cnn.com

CNN’s Larry King Hosts Special 2-Hour Larry King Live Telethon Monday, June 21^st from 8 to 10pm Eastern

Before they’re ready to listen to how they can help, a lot of people want to know why they should help.

Generosity in response to natural disasters is one thing.  Calls to aid the victims of earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis are almost always answered by an outpouring of monetary donations and other kinds of assistance.  But when catastrophes are man-made – when there are individuals, corporations, or governments to blame for creating a problem or making it worse – most people expect those responsible to step up and fix the damage they’ve done.

President Obama says the government is holding BP and all other responsible parties “accountable” for what’s become the worst environmental disaster in U.S.history.  He also says he’s “absolutely confident” BP will be able to meet its obligations to the Gulf Coast and to the American people.

BP CEO Tony Hayward says his company will “not rest until we make this right.”  He also maintains “no resources will be spared.”

The trouble is:  Even if these pledges of “accountability” and “making things right” are completely fulfilled, it’s going to take time.  And time is something theGulf Coast is very, very short on right now.  Help is needed immediately – if not sooner.  And it’s going to keep on being needed for a lot of years.

Philippe Cousteau – grandson of Jacques Cousteau and CEO of EarthEcho International – has been to the Gulf Coast in recent days.  He’s witnessed the disaster there, firsthand, including diving down into the oil-contaminated water.  He frames the urgency of the Gulf’s need in the context of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill:

“After the Exxon Valdez event, incidents of domestic violence and suicide rose sharply and this crisis is no different.  People and the environment are suffering now.  We cannot wait any longer for the government to process these large sums of money and wait for them to trickle down to the people…”

It should be noted:  Litigation arising from the Exxon Valdez spill took more than two decades to sort out.  So long, many of the claimants died before their cases were resolved and the award checks were written.

The United Way (one of the designated beneficiaries of the Larry King Live telethon) reports it’s already seen a “spike” in calls to its 2-1-1 lines in the Gulf and expects the number will keep climbing.

Says United Way’s Worldwide CEO Brian Gallagher:

“The situation in the Gulf has created real and immediate needs for families whose livelihoods have been affected.  Calls are coming in now for food, rent and utilities assistance…”

Adds United Way spokesperson Sal Fabens:

“There are many people whose lives were devastated by Katrina, who were just beginning to rebuild and are now out of work, or somehow traumatized by a major disaster not quite five years later.  The impact on lives is enormous and needs like mental health help are already growing quickly…”

The National Wildlife Federation is another designated recipient of the LKL telethon.  “Unthinkable” is the word its president and CEO uses to describe the environmental impact of the Gulf oil spill disaster.  Larry Schweiger underscores the urgent need for immediate assistance by noting:

“This tragedy is unfolding in the heart of spring migration, nesting season and calving season in the open water.”

While the latest tally of the Gulf wildlife dead – 725 birds, 324 sea turtles, 39 mammals – seems astonishingly small, experts warn the huge size of the spill means they probably will never be able to find more than a tiny percentage of the dead animals.  There’s also the fear that the cycle of damage is just starting – there may be far worse to come.

A grim hint of that “far worse” may be found in the 20^th anniversary Status Report of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council.  In that report, the Council – set up to oversee the restoration of the ecosystem of Alaska’s Prince William Sound – lists only 10 of the 31 injured resources and services they monitor as “recovered.”  What’s more, the Council says that thousands of gallons of spilled oil still persist in the once pristine area.

Mark Tercek is president and CEO of the Nature Conservancy – the third designated recipient of funds raised by the LKL telethon.  He offers this pointed perspective on the national scope of the impact of the Gulf disaster and why it requires an immediate national response:

“The Gulf of Mexico is a national treasure that millions of Americans across the country depend on for their livelihoods, food, recreation and inspiration… we need a comprehensive effort to protect and restore the Gulf, one that is built on innovation, collaboration and a shared vision of a healthy and vibrant natural system.  We must act on this now.  We simply can’t wait another day.”

President Obama has described the Gulf Coast community as “resilient.”  According to Kerry Kennedy of the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights, a resident of this community named Louise Bosarge responded to Mr. Obama’s observation this way:

“We bounce back.  We always bounce back.  Bouncing hurts.”

Our immediate assistance in the face of the Gulf oil spill disaster – be it in the form of donating money or supplies, volunteering time, making environmentally responsible choices as consumers or working to raise public and political awareness – won’t heal the hurt right away.  But it will help ease it.  And it may prevent future pain to our people and our environment.

June 15, 2010 – Ten years ago, the Indiana Pacers had a chance to become NBA champions.

Always groomsmen but never the groom in their NBA history, the Pacers finally reached the Finals after beating their nemesis — the New York Knicks — in the Eastern Conference finals.

“It was magical,” Jalen Rose said last week. “We went from losing to M.J. (Michael Jordan) and to the Knicks on L.J.’s (Larry Johnson’s) controversial four-point play, to finally getting over the top and reaching the Finals.”

The Pacers fell in six games. They won two of the three games at Conseco Fieldhouse but had no answer for Finals MVP Shaquille O’Neal, who averaged 38.0 points and 16.7 rebounds in the series.

“They were just the better team,” Rose said. “Shaq basically played like Wilt Chamberlain against us. When he wasn’t being an anchor down low, Kobe Bryant was being a closer.”

The Pacers credited their rise to coach Larry Bird, who told them when he took the job in 1997 they had three years to reach the Finals.

“The only thing is, I don’t think they realized they were good enough to get to the Finals,” Bird said last week, reflecting on the run. “I knew it, but I don’t think they did.”

Bird, now the Pacers president, wasn’t big on small talk. He kept things straight and to the point. He had his players’ trust because he had been through the playoff battles as a player, winning three titles in his Hall of Fame career with the Boston Celtics.

“Larry was the co-pilot,” Sam Perkins said. “We all respected him because he knew what it took to be successful.”

The Pacers adopted Bird’s whole-team approach. They surrounded All-Star Reggie Miller with outstanding role players.

There was the steady point guard play of Mark Jackson, Dale Davis and Rik Smits in the frontcourt and a solid bench led by Perkins and Austin Croshere.

Only eight players started a game that season, and the substitution patterns were set. Travis Best knew when he would go in for Jackson. The same went for Croshere and Perkins.

“Nobody was really fighting to get more playing time or getting mad if they weren’t playing,” Perkins said. “If we were out of sync, everybody would gather or pick that one guy up. We had the mind-set that it was up to us because nobody thought we would be there at all.”

It was Miller’s team, but Rose was the key. He led the team in scoring at 18.2 points to Miller’s 18.1.

“I remember telling (assistants) Dick Harter and Rick Carlisle that Jalen was our Most Valuable Player,” Bird said. “He was so good that year. He really changed our team.”

ESPN Analyst and Detroit Native Assists Four Local Seniors In Achieving Their College Dreams

Detroit, Michigan – For the eighth consecutive year, NBA veteran Jalen Rose awarded Detroit high school seniors college scholarships through his foundation. Awards were made to students to begin their college education in the fall of 2010. Rose, who attended Detroit Southwestern High School, annually awards college scholarships in his hometown with a minimum of one scholarship to his alma mater.

A committee consisting of Rose, representatives of his Foundation and the Detroit Community selected the scholarship recipients from a large number of applicants.  Entries were based on academic achievement, extracurricular/community activities, goals and financial need.

The 2010 winners of a $10,000 college scholarship are:

Arnetia Vaughn-Scott (Detroit School of the Arts) *Presented by Ford Motor Company Fund
Attending Grand Valley State University

Karima Sultana Uddin (Detroit International Academy)
Attending Wayne State University

Luis Lomeli (Southwestern High School)
Attending Michigan State University

In addition to the annual high school scholarships Rose, a former member of the University of Michigan’s Fab Five basketball team, previously made a gift of $240,000 to the University to endow a four-year scholarship for an incoming freshman.  Established in 2004, The Jalen Rose Endowed Scholarship is awarded based on both merit and financial need to a first-year student with special consideration for students who come from the state of Michigan and either reside in an inner-city area, or are a member of an underrepresented group. The 2010 recipient is Patricia Fields from Crockett Technical High School.

In 2005, Rose earned a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies from the University of Maryland University College.  The graduate said, “I left the University of Michigan after my junior year to enter the NBA Draft but never lost sight of the value of a college degree. I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to further their education, and through this program, more Detroit students will join me in achieving that goal.”

Ford Motor Company Fund
Through active involvement, Ford Motor Company Fund & Community Services seeks to build relationships with organizations that have a well-defined sense of purpose, a demonstrated commitment to maximizing available resources and a reputation for meeting objectives and delivering high-quality programs and services. Ford Motor Company Fund & Community Services places priority on supporting organizations that promote diversity and inclusion.

About the Jalen Rose Charitable Fund
The Jalen Rose Foundation was established by ESPN Analyst/13-year NBA Veteran Jalen Rose to create life-changing opportunities for underserved youth through the development of unique programs and the distribution of grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. Grants focus on education and sports and are distributed in Jalen’s hometown of Detroit as well as other communities in need. More than $1.2 million in charitable donations have been distributed since the foundation’s 2000 inception. In 2010, the Jalen Rose Foundation became the Jalen Rose Charitable Fund in preparation for making a bigger impact in the Detroit Community. For more information visit www.jalenrose.com.

Allow some of the big boys in sports to demonstrate.

Jalen Rose, the former NBA star now at ESPN who could be the most full-force social media machine in or out of his Brentwood neighborhood, goes on one of network’s chat shows and says Cleveland Cavs center Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t start for any of the last four teams left in the playoffs.

Shaq is tweaked enough to tweet. In his Twitter-speak, his giant thumbs write:

“Jalen rose cud neva say wht I am or what I am not, he was soft then, he’s softer now, respect yur elders, u rememba da finals, I saw yo eyes.”

Send.

Rose answers with his own Twitter-esque reply:

“I call it like I see it – U hv an AGAINST the LAW tattoo – but you are a registered police officer & twitter beef is LAME!”

Return.

Is this a double dribble in Twitter etiquette? While he rose to the occasion, calling Shaq out for a “lame” argument on this device, Rose seems to have lowered himself into the spat and inserted a new piece of ironic information about Shaq’s tattoo status.

Rose, using an old fashion cellphone, explained further:

“I have respect for Shaq. No one take away from what accomplished on the floor. With that said, I’m happy he watches ‘First Take’ and ‘SportsCenter.’ I basically said that Father Time is undefeated, he’s aging, and he wouldn’t start for the Lakers, Phoenix, Orlando or Boston. He took it personal and took his beef to Twitter. I didn’t, he did.”

Rose, the former University of Michigan “Fab Five” member who’s more in tune now with his T-Mobile Fave 5, employs his Blackberry and laptop to maintain his own website, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube channel and Ustream.com portals to make himself seen and heard. Without his trial and error, someone like Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson probably wouldn’t be able to launch his own Ocho Cinco Network.

Sure, there’s some backlash when your voice is heard on so many platforms, but Rose tries to parcel himself out. TV and radio (he frequently guests on KSPN-AM 710) are for sports. Ustream and YouTube is his take on lifestyle, fashion, current events. On Twitter, “it’s me raging about whatever’s on my mind.”

The 33-year-old Rose, the youngest of four in his family and the one savvy enough to set up his 90-year-old grandmother in Detroit with an email account, sees himself as a trend-setting product of the times.

“We live now in a multi-hyphen generation,” he said. “Before this society, everything had its own lane. Things were pigeon holed. It was Jay-Z the rapper, not the basketball team owner or clothing line. You see LeBron James doing interviews with Larry King.

“Now, gossip is often misconstrued as truth. News entities print things that may or may not be journalism. That’s where things are now. Times have changed.”

So has the NBA, perhaps the most big-picture and global minded of the four major sports in the U.S. In addition to Twitter and Facebook, it is testing during these NBA Finals more ventures into Foursquare and Gowalla to connect with fans, and its NBA Game Time apps for Blackberry and beyond bring in more from all sorts of distorted locales.

“We’re looking to be as nimble as possible and set up opportunities wherever we can,” Melissa Brenner, the NBA vice president of marketing told the Sports Business Journal, noting that the league, its teams and players have more than 38 million combined followers on Twitter and Facebook.

Rose has more than 94,000 Twitter followers. The Lakers’ Ron Artest, a true Twitter warrior no matter how he spells it, has 8,000-plus following his latest RONARTESTCOM account – the one he used a month ago to launch stories about how he was upset with coach Phil Jackson.

“Just because you have X-amount of followers doesn’t mean you’re popular,” counters Rose. “That’s a huge misconception in social media.”

Another misconception: Twitter must be cool if everyone’s doing it. Especially athletes. Artest, a perfect example.

“The fact that anyone can be seen and heard instantly without having to rely on anyone else can be a gift and a curse – it’s a dangerous combination,” Rose warns. “We have free speech. That’s the number one thing we love about this country. But it can expose ignorance. Bad grammar. Impact your name and your brand.

“When you allow us into your world, now we can judge you, for better or worse.”

And soon enough, you’ve got someone big bully like Shaquille O’Neal trying to unfriend you.

More on the multitasking Jalen Rose

By Tom Hoffarth on June 6, 2010

Jalen Rose, above, speaks about his role in the new movie “Just Wright,” on his YouTube channel.

“Think of how some athletes who came before us could have used social media,” says Jalen Rose. “Imagine Muhammad Ali. Maybe Wilt Chamberlain.”

He pauses to ponder how someone who estimated he had 20,000 sexual encounters could have either built his brand or tore his legacy apart with that kind of information to spread around.

Rose, the 13-year NBA player, former Michigan “Fab Five” star and current ESPN NBA analyst, has become such the social networking butterfly, we tried to pick his mind about etiquette and protocol with these electronic devices left to our imagination (today’s story linked here).

We’ve always liked what Rose has had to say about the NBA. Many others have as well.

The Detroit News’ Lynn Henning wrote this about him recently (linked here): “Every time Jalen Rose appears on ESPN with his NBA analysis, a thought occurs: The one-time Michigan guard is the best former athlete-turned-TV guy in my memory. Fluent, smart, charismatic — he is a premier mix of talents. And as likeable as anyone in front of a TV camera, anywhere. Some of the Michigan State camp will get apoplectic over any Rose compliments because of his attachment to the Fab Five-Ed Martin scandal. That was then. This is now. He is my favorite analyst on television.”

Back in 2004, when Rose was still playing for the Toronto Raptors, we tracked him down after seeing him given a microphone and cameraman and asked to cover the Lakers-Pistons NBA Finals for FSN’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period.”

An excerpt of that story:

A show contributor during the regular season, Rose was so quick-witted and humorous that they gave him a media credential, a producer and a camera to collect sound bites from the Lakers and Detroit Pistons.
The funniest moment so far might have been when he stopped Lakers coach Phil Jackson trying to drive out of practice during Monday’s off day between Games 1 and 2, and Jackson called him “Jamal.”
“I’m going to remember that next time we play (the Lakers),” Rose said by phone before Thursday’s Game 3 in Detroit, his hometown. “I think I just surprised him when I stopped his car. He got the ‘J’ part right and knew I was from Michigan and once played for the Bulls. I think he was going to call me ‘Juwan’ and it just came out ‘Jamal.’ “
Rose, who majored in radio, TV and film at Michigan, thinks he’s a natural and says this gig has “given me an appreciation of what the media has to do, and the real media members haven’t given me a hard time about being a rookie. I appreciate that.”
Rose’s recent offbeat segment for “BDSSP” was interviewing Staples Center celebrities after Game 2, where he was at ease questioning the likes of Steven Speilberg, Jack Nicholson and Denzel Washington. But he froze up when NBA legend Bill Russell came by.
John Entz, the “BDSSP” senior producer, says Rose “speaks his mind and he’s a basketball fan who knows the game. When he goes to the players, you can see them light up.”

If you’d like to respond to Rose directly:

== Via Twitter:twitter.com/jalenrose. He lists his location: ÜT: 34.124125,-118.507559.
He tweeted Wednesday morning: #nbafinals I’m picking the Lakers to win in 7 games over the C’s only if Bynum is effective (not the 6pts/3rebs he avg last year)

== Via YouTube (where he’s been since Feb., 2007) www.jalentv.com

== Via Facebook.com: www.facebook.com/JalenRose

== Via Ustream (where his bio says “All American, ESPN Analyst, Multimedia extraordinaire. I’m here to connect with fans and give you my thoughts on a variety of topics, from music to entertainment to fashion to basketball and more): http://www.ustream.tv/channel/therosereport

== His personal website: jalenrose.com

Much of the chatter of late puts the Bulls as the frontrunner to sign LeBron James and Jalen believes that Derrick Rose and LeBron could successfully coexist on the court.

“Great players and great talents find a way to figure it out,” Jalen said. “Yes, I think they could mesh together on the floor and I’m sure that’s a problem anyone would love to have.”

Jalen believes Derrick is “maturing into one of the top point guards in the game,” and while he sees James as versatile enough to blend his game with a ball-dominant point, he would expect James to be the one with the ball in his hands at the end of games.

But in the final analysis, Jalen would pick Chris Bosh over Rose as the preferred running mate for James.

“I’ll take the inside/outside tandem. Bosh and James would seem to be the better fit especially in today’s game,” Rose said.

In April of this year, James made comments that some construed as a promise to not leave the Cavaliers until he brought a championship to the city of Cleveland. James may therefore be compelled to stay put, Rose says, although he notes that it’s too early to know what will happen this summer.

Rose does know what he would do if he was in Bosh’s or Amar’e Stoudemire’s shoes.

“If I were them, I would wait to see what happens with James and Dwyane Wade before making my decision so I could pair up with one of them and start winning instantly,” Rose said.

In November of 2008, the day the Knicks cleared a large chunk of salary cap room by trading away Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, Rose said on ESPN that credible sources told him that James and Bosh would sign with the Knicks in 2010.

With the moment of truth only a few weeks away, what is Rose’s current read on whether James and Bosh will go through with what he predicted on the air many months ago?

“I plead the fifth, ha ha ha – stay tuned,” he wrote.

Rose has a long-standing relationship with William Wesley, a member of the now-famous team that forms James’ inner circle.

Via Louis Roxin/RealGM

Read
more:http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/66862/20100528/jalen_rose_believes_bosh_is_ideal_partner_for_lebron/#ixzz0pFbiHTGf

May 20, 2010 - It could use a little color, was the sentiment conveyed to educational technician Windell Hall in an e-mail back in January 2009 by an executive assistant to Jalen Rose.

Former professional basketball player turned sports commentator Jalen Rose, a graduate of Southwestern High School, came to that conclusion after doing an interview in the Jalen Rose Resource Lab for BET News this past summer. That avalanched into an enormous effort by Jalen Rose Charitable Fund, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor’s Greek Life Society, muralist Chazz Miller, Southwestern alumni and current students at Southwestern High School to bring color to the room.

Miller, famous for numerous murals done with the Motor City Blight-Busters, came up with the concept. Miller loved the help all the volunteers gave painting the 10-foot Prospector and 12- by-24-foot mural.

“A new mural depicting a Prospector on the golden road of knowledge caring a sack of education is now a beautiful focal point in the computer lab,” said Hall.

The stark white walls of Room 120 were transformed into bright and colorful artistry.

Said senior Angelica Vinales: “I think it’s nice and it’s different.”

Click here for more information or to download an application

* Special thanks to the Ford Motor Company Fund who made a generous $10,000 contribution to present one of the 2010 scholarships to a student from a Detroit Public School.
* We would also like to give a special thanks to the University of Michigan Greek Life family for their program support.