LOSE SOME, WIN SOME: Rebecca Privitera of Cabot was recently named the female winner in the 2013-2014 Beachbody Challenge at the company's recent annual Coach Summit in Las Vegas. The 31-year-old, who stands 5 feet 2 inches, weighed in at 380 pounds when she began working out in her living room to the company's fitness program DVDs and using the company's other products. Today, at 161 pounds, she's 219 pounds lighter. Privitera and Bradley Jordan, 36, of Beavercreek, Ohio, each were awarded a $100,000 check upon being named this year's grand prize winners during the company's gathering earlier this month.
ARKIE TIES: There's a Natural State connection on the 10th season of Food Network's long-running competition series, Food Network Star. One of the dozen hopefuls competing is an Arkansas native. Aryen Moore-Alston of Memphis was born in Little Rock and lived there for three months. Although she grew up living abroad, she returned to Little Rock in the summers to visit her grandmother Marjorie Moore, a retired Little Rock schoolteacher. Moore-Alston's mother, Karen, now of Memphis, grew up in Little Rock, attended Hall High and Hendrix College and was one of the first black broadcast journalists in 1976 at Channel 4, KARK-TV. Moore-Alston's competition on the series began June 1 and concludes Aug. 10, when the winner is named.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF GRAND SLAM: Rogers native and country musician Joe Nichols sang "God Bless America" during Tuesday's Major League Baseball All-Star Game, but, judging from some baseball fans' reactions, it wasn't a home run. Instead, the Grammy nominee's softly sung rendition of the song has been panned by many MLB fans on Twitter. One called it "one of the weakest renditions of 'God Bless America'" they'd ever heard, and another described it as a "pathetic version."
GO TIME! Remember an earlier mention here of Cooper Lair, 15, a Little Rock Christian Academy 10th-grader who was chosen to compete in this year's Jeopardy! Teen Tournament? The competition begins broadcasting Monday. Lair and 14 others ages 13-17 will compete on the 29th edition of the teen tournament, which runs through Aug. 1.
PAR FOR THE COURSE: Hanna Brauburger of Bella Vista has been chosen to compete in the 2014 Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, a unique event teaming Champions Tour golfers with juniors and amateurs. The Sept. 26-28 tournament will be televised internationally on the Golf Channel.
Brauburger, selected by a national panel of judges from more than 150 applicants, will compete against 80 other junior golfers from The First Tee chapters around the nation. Brauburger is currently a coach and mentor with The First Tee of Northwest Arkansas.
DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH: USA Today Travel recently included the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro on its list of "10 Best: Southern tourist attractions worth the crowds."
Contact Linda S. Haymes at (501) 399-3636 or lhaymes@arkansasonline.com
SundayMonday on 07/20/2014