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Direct Headline: Steven Seagal Facts That Are Worthy Of A Black Belt
BY Looper Staff MARCH 7, 2023
... He's incredibly difficult to work with....Seagal also made life hard for the "Saturday Night Live" cast. While hosting the show in 1991, he was "very critical of the cast and writing staff." According to Tim Meadows, Seagal "didn't realize that you can't tell somebody they're stupid on Wednesday and expect them to continue writing for you on Saturday." David Spade said that in his six years on the show, Seagal was the absolute worst host, which probably had a lot to do with the aikido king's taste in comedy. According to Julia Sweeney, Seagal wanted to perform a sketch where he played a therapist who wants to sleep with a rape survivor. Evidently, he was banned from ever hosting again.....
....Reincarnation controversy....In 1997, Penor Rinpoche, the Supreme Head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, announced that Seagal was a tulku: a reincarnated Buddhist master who has "vowed to take rebirth to help all beings attain enlightenment." Rinpoche believed that in the 17th century, Seagal was Terton Chungdrag Dorie, a renowned translator who opened a monastery and found several powerful relics. Thanks to this spiritual "history," Seagal was declared a lama (a venerated teacher in Tibetan Buddhism). According to The Guardian, that means "he is just a notch down from the Dalai Lama himself." During his inauguration, Seagal pledged to help ease suffering across the globe. Since then, he's given seminars on compassion at New Age retreat centers.....However, several people are skeptical of Seagal's spiritual status.... Others allege that, before he was a tulku, Seagal donated quite a bit of cash to Rinpoche's school, which might explain his conveniently glorious past life.....
....In February 2011, UFC fans watched middleweight champion Anderson Silva face off against Vitor Belfort. At the time, Silva was considered the greatest mixed martial artist on the planet. In round one, he knocked Belfort out with a front kick to the face. It was one of the most iconic moments in UFC history. Days later, Seagal took all the credit....According to Seagal, he taught Silva that kick. He even claimed that he'd invented that kick. While many assumed Seagal was lying, the actor had escorted Silva to the ring that night. A few events later, Lyoto Machida knocked out the legendary Randy Couture with a "Karate Kid"-style crane kick. Once again, Seagal took credit for the movie while on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!...."
...But that doesn't mean he could fight in real life. Seagal is a seventh dan in aikido, a martial art that relies on joint locks and the redirection of momentum. Seagal was the first American to teach aikido in Japan. But aikido is worthless when it comes to self-defense. According to fight analyst Jack Slack, aikido only works if your "opponent is running straight at you" — something most smart fighters never do. As UFC commentator Joe Rogan explained, aikido "would never work against a trained fighter."...Nevertheless, Seagal claimed he could beat anyone, anywhere, anytime. .... Wall assembled the "Dirty Dozen," a group of kickboxing and karate champions like Benny Urquidez, Bill Wallace, and Howard Jackson. Some wanted to show Seagal was a fake. Others were upset at his comments and wanted to avenge some stuntmen Seagal allegedly injured....Wanting to get the actor's attention, the Dozen appeared in magazines like Prevue and Black Belt. Despite their efforts, there was never any showdown. When Seagal finally met Wall, the movie star supposedly apologized for what he'd said.....
.....some claim he squared off with "Judo" Gene LeBell. A martial arts pioneer, LeBell has studied almost every fighting style imaginable — from taekwondo to boxing. But LeBell was particularly fond of grappling, excelling at judo and jujitsu....LeBell also worked as an actor and a stuntman, appearing in over 1,000 films and TV shows. He was the fight choreographer on "Out for Justice," .... During filming, Seagal allegedly said no one could choke him out, claiming he had a special move that prevented anyone from putting him to sleep. Naturally, Gene accepted the challenge, and the two guys fought. Within seconds, LeBell had Seagal in a rear-naked choke. That's when the aikido master supposedly pulled out his super-secret move — a karate strike to LeBell's genitals....Despite the (literal) low blow, LeBell held on and Seagal passed out. On top of that, the actor reportedly had a bizarre reaction to the event. According to LeBell, Seagal must've had a big meal before the match, because the unconscious star soiled himself.....
....he met an alleged Gambino captain named Anthony "Sonny" Ciccone. ....ordered him to start working with Nasso again. He demanded that Seagal fork over $150,000 for every film he made. Evidently, Seagal was so shaken that he gave the gangsters $700,000....The scandal came to light in 2003, when the government indicted alleged crime boss Peter Gotti and 16 others...n addition to Seagal's testimony, the government had recordings of several individuals — including Siccone and Nasso — discussing how they would intimidate Seagal. They even laughed about how they scared the movie star.....
.... Seagal actually served as a cop in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, for about 20 years. In 2009, Seagal took things to the next level by starring in a reality show called "Steven Seagal: Lawman." In the third season, Seagal moved to Arizona ....In 2011, Arpaio orchestrated a raid against Jesus Llovera, a local suspected of cockfighting. When the cops arrived, they had more than just a warrant. There were up to 40 SWAT officers, a bomb squad, K-9 units, armored vehicles, and Seagal riding on top of a tank. During the raid, parts of the suspect's house were damaged. Seagal's tank tore down the gates to Llovera's property. After arresting Llovera.... owned over 100 roosters. Well, they did what any humane law enforcement officer would: they decided to euthanize them all.....Furious, Llovera started a lawsuit.... and demanded an apology letter from Seagal.....
....In 1999, Seagal worked to force South Africa to stop exporting baby elephants to Japan and received a PETA Humanitarian Award for it. Four years later, he wrote to the government of Thailand about getting them to stop torturing baby elephants. According to his website, he "singlehandedly" made change happen there. He's also attempted to shame India into being better to cows....During an interview with PETA, Seagal claimed when he was a young buck just learning Aikido in Japan, a white dog greeted him. After a few days, the dog started barking at the future master, telepathically warning Seagal that his dojo was on fire. And it was on fire! Seagal put the fire out, and the dog disappeared, never to bark again. PETA, upon hearing this "magical ESP dog" story, gave Seagal an award anyway.....
....The actor has been playing guitar since age 12 and heads the Steven Seagal Blues Band. However, it wasn't until 2005 that Seagal released his first album, "Songs From the Crystal Cave." ..... SputnikMusic called it "the 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' of records," ...... lyrics like: "You're like a ghost. The more you eat, the more you're hungry. A hungrier ghost...."...In 2018, Emmy-winning star Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife") was a guest on "The Katie Couric Podcast," ....Margulies remembered a "horrific" hotel room meeting she'd had with Steven Seagal in the early '90s. ....Seagal claimed to be a "healer," and asked to read Margulies's palms. "He told me I had really weak kidneys," she continued. ....However, she demanded never to be alone with Seagal on set....
....Energy drinks boomed in the mid-2000s. With the success of Red Bull and Monster Energy, dozens of competitors flooded the market .... in 2005 with the release of Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt, a ginseng and goji berry-powered energy drink available in two flavors: Cherry Charge — and the more inscrutable and problematic — Asian Experience.....Seagal released a baffling two-minute commercial featuring himself and swimsuit models hanging out by a pool. The premise is Seagal is so enamored by his drink that he wants to swim in it. ...
....In 2018, he took his first dip into literary waters with the release of his debut book, "The Way of the Shadow Wolves: The Deep State and the Hijacking of America,".... The only thing standing in their way is Tribal officer (and shameless Seagal avatar) John Nan Tan Gode, a Mohawk....He's a member of the Shadow Wolves — a real-life Indigenous patrol unit ....In the first quarter of 2018, Seagal went to bat for Bitcoiin2gen, aka B2G, promoting it on his social media pages and allowing his likeness on official B2G branding. However, Seagal did not disclose that he had been promised $250,000 in cash and another $750,000 in B2G tokens for his endorsement, violating federal anti-touting law....In 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission came down hard.... issuing fines of $157,000 in disgorgement and another $157,000 in penalties. Seagal paid $75,000 toward his $314,000 fine and then fled....
https://www.looper.com/29030/untold-truth-steven-seagal/
BY Looper Staff MARCH 7, 2023
... He's incredibly difficult to work with....Seagal also made life hard for the "Saturday Night Live" cast. While hosting the show in 1991, he was "very critical of the cast and writing staff." According to Tim Meadows, Seagal "didn't realize that you can't tell somebody they're stupid on Wednesday and expect them to continue writing for you on Saturday." David Spade said that in his six years on the show, Seagal was the absolute worst host, which probably had a lot to do with the aikido king's taste in comedy. According to Julia Sweeney, Seagal wanted to perform a sketch where he played a therapist who wants to sleep with a rape survivor. Evidently, he was banned from ever hosting again.....
....Reincarnation controversy....In 1997, Penor Rinpoche, the Supreme Head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, announced that Seagal was a tulku: a reincarnated Buddhist master who has "vowed to take rebirth to help all beings attain enlightenment." Rinpoche believed that in the 17th century, Seagal was Terton Chungdrag Dorie, a renowned translator who opened a monastery and found several powerful relics. Thanks to this spiritual "history," Seagal was declared a lama (a venerated teacher in Tibetan Buddhism). According to The Guardian, that means "he is just a notch down from the Dalai Lama himself." During his inauguration, Seagal pledged to help ease suffering across the globe. Since then, he's given seminars on compassion at New Age retreat centers.....However, several people are skeptical of Seagal's spiritual status.... Others allege that, before he was a tulku, Seagal donated quite a bit of cash to Rinpoche's school, which might explain his conveniently glorious past life.....
....In February 2011, UFC fans watched middleweight champion Anderson Silva face off against Vitor Belfort. At the time, Silva was considered the greatest mixed martial artist on the planet. In round one, he knocked Belfort out with a front kick to the face. It was one of the most iconic moments in UFC history. Days later, Seagal took all the credit....According to Seagal, he taught Silva that kick. He even claimed that he'd invented that kick. While many assumed Seagal was lying, the actor had escorted Silva to the ring that night. A few events later, Lyoto Machida knocked out the legendary Randy Couture with a "Karate Kid"-style crane kick. Once again, Seagal took credit for the movie while on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!...."
...But that doesn't mean he could fight in real life. Seagal is a seventh dan in aikido, a martial art that relies on joint locks and the redirection of momentum. Seagal was the first American to teach aikido in Japan. But aikido is worthless when it comes to self-defense. According to fight analyst Jack Slack, aikido only works if your "opponent is running straight at you" — something most smart fighters never do. As UFC commentator Joe Rogan explained, aikido "would never work against a trained fighter."...Nevertheless, Seagal claimed he could beat anyone, anywhere, anytime. .... Wall assembled the "Dirty Dozen," a group of kickboxing and karate champions like Benny Urquidez, Bill Wallace, and Howard Jackson. Some wanted to show Seagal was a fake. Others were upset at his comments and wanted to avenge some stuntmen Seagal allegedly injured....Wanting to get the actor's attention, the Dozen appeared in magazines like Prevue and Black Belt. Despite their efforts, there was never any showdown. When Seagal finally met Wall, the movie star supposedly apologized for what he'd said.....
.....some claim he squared off with "Judo" Gene LeBell. A martial arts pioneer, LeBell has studied almost every fighting style imaginable — from taekwondo to boxing. But LeBell was particularly fond of grappling, excelling at judo and jujitsu....LeBell also worked as an actor and a stuntman, appearing in over 1,000 films and TV shows. He was the fight choreographer on "Out for Justice," .... During filming, Seagal allegedly said no one could choke him out, claiming he had a special move that prevented anyone from putting him to sleep. Naturally, Gene accepted the challenge, and the two guys fought. Within seconds, LeBell had Seagal in a rear-naked choke. That's when the aikido master supposedly pulled out his super-secret move — a karate strike to LeBell's genitals....Despite the (literal) low blow, LeBell held on and Seagal passed out. On top of that, the actor reportedly had a bizarre reaction to the event. According to LeBell, Seagal must've had a big meal before the match, because the unconscious star soiled himself.....
....he met an alleged Gambino captain named Anthony "Sonny" Ciccone. ....ordered him to start working with Nasso again. He demanded that Seagal fork over $150,000 for every film he made. Evidently, Seagal was so shaken that he gave the gangsters $700,000....The scandal came to light in 2003, when the government indicted alleged crime boss Peter Gotti and 16 others...n addition to Seagal's testimony, the government had recordings of several individuals — including Siccone and Nasso — discussing how they would intimidate Seagal. They even laughed about how they scared the movie star.....
.... Seagal actually served as a cop in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, for about 20 years. In 2009, Seagal took things to the next level by starring in a reality show called "Steven Seagal: Lawman." In the third season, Seagal moved to Arizona ....In 2011, Arpaio orchestrated a raid against Jesus Llovera, a local suspected of cockfighting. When the cops arrived, they had more than just a warrant. There were up to 40 SWAT officers, a bomb squad, K-9 units, armored vehicles, and Seagal riding on top of a tank. During the raid, parts of the suspect's house were damaged. Seagal's tank tore down the gates to Llovera's property. After arresting Llovera.... owned over 100 roosters. Well, they did what any humane law enforcement officer would: they decided to euthanize them all.....Furious, Llovera started a lawsuit.... and demanded an apology letter from Seagal.....
....In 1999, Seagal worked to force South Africa to stop exporting baby elephants to Japan and received a PETA Humanitarian Award for it. Four years later, he wrote to the government of Thailand about getting them to stop torturing baby elephants. According to his website, he "singlehandedly" made change happen there. He's also attempted to shame India into being better to cows....During an interview with PETA, Seagal claimed when he was a young buck just learning Aikido in Japan, a white dog greeted him. After a few days, the dog started barking at the future master, telepathically warning Seagal that his dojo was on fire. And it was on fire! Seagal put the fire out, and the dog disappeared, never to bark again. PETA, upon hearing this "magical ESP dog" story, gave Seagal an award anyway.....
....The actor has been playing guitar since age 12 and heads the Steven Seagal Blues Band. However, it wasn't until 2005 that Seagal released his first album, "Songs From the Crystal Cave." ..... SputnikMusic called it "the 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' of records," ...... lyrics like: "You're like a ghost. The more you eat, the more you're hungry. A hungrier ghost...."...In 2018, Emmy-winning star Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife") was a guest on "The Katie Couric Podcast," ....Margulies remembered a "horrific" hotel room meeting she'd had with Steven Seagal in the early '90s. ....Seagal claimed to be a "healer," and asked to read Margulies's palms. "He told me I had really weak kidneys," she continued. ....However, she demanded never to be alone with Seagal on set....
....Energy drinks boomed in the mid-2000s. With the success of Red Bull and Monster Energy, dozens of competitors flooded the market .... in 2005 with the release of Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt, a ginseng and goji berry-powered energy drink available in two flavors: Cherry Charge — and the more inscrutable and problematic — Asian Experience.....Seagal released a baffling two-minute commercial featuring himself and swimsuit models hanging out by a pool. The premise is Seagal is so enamored by his drink that he wants to swim in it. ...
....In 2018, he took his first dip into literary waters with the release of his debut book, "The Way of the Shadow Wolves: The Deep State and the Hijacking of America,".... The only thing standing in their way is Tribal officer (and shameless Seagal avatar) John Nan Tan Gode, a Mohawk....He's a member of the Shadow Wolves — a real-life Indigenous patrol unit ....In the first quarter of 2018, Seagal went to bat for Bitcoiin2gen, aka B2G, promoting it on his social media pages and allowing his likeness on official B2G branding. However, Seagal did not disclose that he had been promised $250,000 in cash and another $750,000 in B2G tokens for his endorsement, violating federal anti-touting law....In 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission came down hard.... issuing fines of $157,000 in disgorgement and another $157,000 in penalties. Seagal paid $75,000 toward his $314,000 fine and then fled....
https://www.looper.com/29030/untold-truth-steven-seagal/
