Flying the friendly skies aboard SI One

2009-02-13T19:50:21-05:00

2009-02-12T22:39:50-05:00

2009-02-13T11:36:18-05:00

sb33

Denver 704905

12 I dont understand why so many of you "hate" on Arash. Whether you like it or not pop culture is as much a part of sports as anything. You people complain about the sports he covers or otherwise. Get a grip on society. If you don't think he does a good enough job, try and do better. Until then, you're just a bunch of wannabes. His columns are EXACTLY what I want to read. 4329088

2009-02-13T19:50:20-05:00

NEfreak

Ocean Park 643986

I dont understand why so many of you "hate" on Arash. Whether you like it or not pop culture is as much a part of sports as anything. You people complain about the sports he covers or otherwise. Get a grip on society. If you don't think he does a good enough job, try and do better. Until then, you're just a bunch of wannabes. His columns are EXACTLY what I want to read.

23 Fine!....Log on to perezhilton.com and wallow away....Get a grip on that! 4335777

2009-02-13T13:41:22-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/704/222/thumb/domo.jpg 2 PA

yosofine

Phoenixville 704862

20 aw sage- one issue a year - after the SB. Good fun and good business 4331316

2009-02-13T17:49:39-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/641/069/thumb/085.jpg 626 OH

sagecreek

641709

aw sage- one issue a year - after the SB. Good fun and good business

22 i love the issue, it sells itself, would just rather see sports in the columns - yeah i've clicked on the photos! 4334839

2009-02-13T16:19:08-05:00

vanHALENrsx

Groton 22858

21 jealous, party of one 4333871

2009-02-13T13:41:22-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/704/222/thumb/domo.jpg 2 PA

yosofine

Phoenixville 704862

20 aw sage- one issue a year - after the SB. Good fun and good business 4331316

2009-02-13T13:28:30-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/704/455/thumb/halloween07j.jpg 11 CA

brianguy

Orange 705095

19 this should be a user contest. otherwise, don't care 4331022

2009-02-13T11:36:18-05:00

sb33

Denver 704905

2009-02-13T12:52:16-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/641/069/thumb/085.jpg 626 OH

sagecreek

641709

18 then why don't you read a magazine on pop culture.....sports illustrated is turning into people or us weekly...i bet you really want to know what the models favorite color is...maybe what crappy hip-hop they listen to...there's way too many other places for this tripe 4330536

2009-02-13T12:17:09-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/145/644/thumb/TEXAS-longhorn-LOGO.jpg 1 TX

lipp79

Austin 145944

15 "arash..write about sports or leave town now...thanks.." -kazman He was writing about what he was assigned, but obviously you missed the 2 sentences after the first paragraph: "My only piece of evidence is an eight-word e-mail assignment from my editor: "You, 19 models, NYC to Vegas, 24-hour party." He would of been in trouble if he HAD written about something he wasn't assigned to. Stop hating and learn to read. -Josh (Austin, TX) 4329999

2009-02-13T12:41:07-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/472/8/thumb/leavitt.jpg 69 FL

mcox567

Sarasota 4748

He would of been in trouble if he HAD written about something he wasn't assigned to. Stop hating and learn to read.

17 kindly refrain from correcting others until you've reach perfection yourself. It's "would have" 4330397

2009-02-13T12:40:09-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/472/8/thumb/leavitt.jpg 69 FL

mcox567

Sarasota 4748

16 I call shenanigans, Arash...I highly doubt you were using two hands to hold that Elle Macpherson mag... 4330336

2009-02-13T12:17:09-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/145/644/thumb/TEXAS-longhorn-LOGO.jpg 1 TX

lipp79

Austin 145944

2009-02-13T12:16:15-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/704/222/thumb/domo.jpg 2 PA

yosofine

Phoenixville 704862

14 Attended the NYC party also- understand the joy, Aresh. The naysayers just don't get it and never will. 4329993

<div class="photo_container image_center"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/24261/bar-rafaeli-si-one.jpg" alt="Bar-rafaeli-si-one" width="614" height="300" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align:right;">Bar Refaeli approves of her giant likeness stretched along the side of a brand new Boeing 737 flown by Southwest Airlines. Erick W. Rasco/SI</div> </div>   SI.com's Arash Markazi is spending the week reporting on this year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit launch. The issue hit newsstands on Feb. 10. LAS VEGAS -- If you're lucky enough, there will come a point in your life when you are certain you have the greatest job in the world. Of course, there is no official way to judge this distinction. It's like saying you have world's cutest kid or the world's greatest mom ... but I'm fairly certain I would at least be in the running. My only piece of evidence is an eight-word e-mail assignment from my editor: "You, 19 models, NYC to Vegas, 24-hour party." This wasn't an assignment I necessarily prepared for when I took journalism classes in college, and it's one I couldn't have even dreamed about when I was a kid and my dad took Elle Macpherson and her <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/9104/index.htm">black spandex one-piece</a> out of my tiny hands and said I wasn't "old enough for that." Well, 20 years later, I can say with all due respect, "Take that dad!" Now, I normally wouldn't brag about flying on Southwest Airlines to Las Vegas from New York, but when your flight on the normally budget airline is dubbed "SI One" and is covered in a photo of cover girl Bar Refaeli on the outside with 19 SI Swimsuit models on the inside ... well, things tend to be slightly more interesting than normal. After all, it isn't everyday that you have Julie Henderson sleeping on your shoulder near the exit row, get a tour of the cockpit with Brooklyn Decker and nearly fall on Jessica White on your way to mix your own drink in the back of the plane. Suddenly, the no-frills airline had more frills than Air Force One. The flight, which left around 11 pm after a party in New York, landed in Las Vegas at 2 am before everyone on the plane was whisked to the Luxor hotel, where there would be another party at club LAX with John Legend performing Thursday night. Apparently, there can't be enough parties when you are with swimsuit models. Before they reveled in Sin City, however, the girls met up with the mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar B. Goodman, who presented them with a key to the city. It was one of the few times Goodman wasn't out in public with a couple of Vegas showgirls in tow, which probably made sense considering he was surrounded by supermodels. The honor was bittersweet for White, who had been presented with a ceremonial key to the city before -- but never actually got a key. "I wish I could actually get a key," said White, who was instead given a figurine of the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. "It would be nice to have one, but I heard if you get presented with the key to the city you can do whatever you want that day, so I'm planning on having a lot of fun tonight." 49881 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/396/7/thumb/markazi_arash.jpg 118 CA

Arash Markazi

Los Angeles 3987