Author Topic: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"  (Read 32212 times)

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Offline georgiapeach

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TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« on: August 29, 2012, 09:44:32 AM »
James and Mark

James and Mark     

Name: James LoMenzo
Age: 53
Hometown: Burbank, Calif.
Connection to your teammate: Friends
Current occupation: Professional Musician – former band member of White Lion and Megadeth. 
Describe what you do: For the past 30 plus years I’ve been a professional touring musician. I’ve toured and recorded with some of the most popular, iconic artists, such as White Lion, Ozzy Osborne, Slash, David Lee Roth, Black Label Society, Megadeth, Bobby Brown and DMC (to name more than a few). I’m also founder of Monster House Productions, a video production company geared mostly towards the musical instrument manufacturing sector. We do product demos, instructional videos and just about everything else to help companies promote their products and services.
Favorite hobby: Photography
Word to describe you: Gregarious and reliable.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? My career as a professional musician.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Me
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Jack Sparrow
What scares you most about traveling? Not much scares me about traveling. I’ve gotten accustomed to it over the years. 
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing new places and meeting new people.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: I don’t think we will have too many challenges. We work pretty well together.
Pet peeve about your teammate: He’s too handsome.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Africa, because I have never been.
 
Name: Mark “Abba” Abbattista
Age: 45
Hometown: Denver, Colo.
Connection to your teammate: Friends
Current occupation: Entertainment Lawyer
Describe what you do: I negotiate and draft various music-related contracts and licenses. I help create and develop business strategies and touring opportunities for music and entertainment clients.
Favorite hobbies: Baseball, traveling and photography.
Three words to describe you: Charming, funny and sarcastic.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Being with my wife since we were 14 years old and my children.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? I look like John Lennon or Jesus, but I have the personality of Scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz.”
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? James LoMenzo
What scares you most about traveling? Foreign medical care being sub par.
What excites you most about traveling? New sights, sounds, smells and meeting new people. Plus, I like getting my passport stamped!
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: I don’t foresee any. 
Pet peeve about your teammate: His pink suitcase! (He swears its salmon.)
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Antarctica and the Himalayas – I can’t think of anything more spectacular. 
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I hope to make my children proud of me.


Photo Credit Chris Lipson CBS
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Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2012, 09:45:04 AM »
Thanks to WP!
 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/J7Wdr5iMCcc?version=3&amp;amp;hl" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/J7Wdr5iMCcc?version=3&amp;amp;hl</a>
« Last Edit: August 30, 2012, 04:00:31 PM by georgiapeach »
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Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2012, 01:26:00 PM »
Quote
Name: Mark “Abba” Abbattista
 
What famous person reminds you of yourself? I look like John Lennon or Jesus, but I have the personality of Scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Scarecrow is probably my most favorite Character ever!!
 
This could be GOOD.  :hoot:
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Offline choroneko

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2012, 01:28:24 PM »
I can't wait for their epic one liners (hopefully there will) lol..  :lol:
Choroneko used Splash
Natalie & Nadiya | Jaymes & James | Abba & James

Offline Marionete

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2012, 01:48:40 PM »
I can't wait for their epic one liners (hopefully there will) lol..  :lol:
Yeah :D I also think they'll be the funny team this season!


Offline Magnus

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2012, 06:55:59 PM »
I like the teams who get witty with answering the survey questions. They probably won't last long but maybe they'll be funny.

Offline BlooperGuy

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2012, 09:11:58 PM »
Not quite sure about these guys. :/ They seem nice, but I'm not usually interested in these types of teams. We'll see though.

Offline Marionete

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #7 on: August 30, 2012, 05:29:14 AM »
I hope we won't get another M/M team with the destiny of Elliot & Andrew.. :S

Offline redskevin88

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2012, 06:54:09 AM »
I was listening to this song just now. I remember it as an anti-war song. I didn't know James was in it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHZ79InLGRY&feature=player_embedded

Hope they don't make me cry.
« Last Edit: August 30, 2012, 07:40:53 PM by redskevin88 »

Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2012, 04:01:05 PM »
Beautiful, thanks for sharing that!

Vid is up in post 2!
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Offline Air

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #10 on: August 31, 2012, 06:50:36 AM »
This is our designated funny team for the season, I think.

Offline Jobby

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #11 on: August 31, 2012, 10:30:17 AM »
I can't help but to like this eccentric team. :D

Offline Reilly Queens

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #12 on: September 03, 2012, 01:17:41 AM »
Lol way to represent. :|

Offline Aussie

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #13 on: September 03, 2012, 01:38:11 AM »
Lol way to represent. :|

oh so this is what everyone in colorado looks like

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #14 on: September 03, 2012, 02:43:08 AM »
 :lol:


Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #16 on: September 27, 2012, 12:31:18 AM »
TV Clip!
 
 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/RR-9TANQRH0?version=3&amp;amp;hl" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/RR-9TANQRH0?version=3&amp;amp;hl</a>
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Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #17 on: September 27, 2012, 01:09:41 AM »
Another!!  :tup:
 
 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/O9nDDe8jOis?version=3&amp;amp;hl" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/O9nDDe8jOis?version=3&amp;amp;hl</a>
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Offline starrynight

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #18 on: October 15, 2012, 03:48:27 AM »
They actually provide something different in what is quite a lack of variety in this cast.  They aren't loud arrogant Americans but quiet and efficient so far.  But they aren't getting much screen time so they might not last that long.  That's a shame as I have a feeling it's going to be a struggle to root for a team this season.

Offline Topita

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #19 on: October 20, 2012, 07:18:43 PM »
They actually provide something different in what is quite a lack of variety in this cast.  They aren't loud arrogant Americans but quiet and efficient so far.  But they aren't getting much screen time so they might not last that long.  That's a shame as I have a feeling it's going to be a struggle to root for a team this season.
Have to agree with you on this.
Well into the race and nobody's stood out to me (in the 'rooting for' sense) so far.
I like this team, they're smart, efficient, strong. But like you said, surprisingly little air time for a team that stands out from the rest more.

If they go I'm not really sure who I'll root for.  :duno:
Perhaps the chippendales if they keep racing strong and don't make silly mistakes which nearly got them out of the race on the first leg.  :groan:
They seem to be versatile too so.. But I'd still like to see this team get ahead a bit more in the race.  :)
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Offline AR FAN

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #20 on: October 21, 2012, 09:38:08 PM »
Their one liner about the recognizing the rats during the fast forward was hillarious.  :lol3:

Offline Topita

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #21 on: October 22, 2012, 07:13:22 PM »
Their one liner about the recognizing the rats during the fast forward was hillarious.  :lol3:
:lol3:

Yeah that one made me crack up too!  :lol:
'I think we even recognized some.. there's that drummer!'  :lol:

Hoping we'll get to see a bit more of them in the next episodes. :)
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Offline Flamant

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #22 on: November 14, 2012, 11:25:24 AM »
Geez I really hope that they can find their bags/passports back :(
They are actually one of my favourite :luvya:

Offline Topita

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #23 on: November 19, 2012, 05:54:36 AM »
Abba's right, they was robbed. :(

Really enjoyed this team though, you can be proud of what you accomplished guys!  :tup:

Maybe, hopefully, there will be an all-stars series in a while and they might get a second chance.  :)
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Offline bc922

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Re: TAR 21: James LoMenzo & Mark “Abba” Abbattista "Friends"
« Reply #24 on: November 19, 2012, 04:24:19 PM »
http://www.thedeadbolt.com/1003028691-the-amazing-race-james-and-abba-i-ran-the-race-with-two-broken-legs.html

The Amazing Race: James and Abba, “I ran the race with two broken legs”
by Reg Seeton

This week on The Amazing Race, lifelong rocker friends James Lomenzo and Mark “Abba” Abbattista were eliminated in Moscow after losing their passports a week earlier.

Although the former White Lion and Megadeth guitarist and his attorney friend got a second shot this week on The Amazing Race after leaving their bags in a Moscow cab, James and Abba couldn’t get new passports issued in time to remain in competition.

Despite overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds in Bangladesh when twin sisters Natalie and Nadiya stole their cash, along with Abba’s reactivated knee injury, James and Abba were forced to accept their fate in Russia.

However, as The Deadbolt learned a day after their elimination from The Amazing Race, Abba’s knee injury was much worse than expected.

THE DEADBOLT: So, what’s tougher, the music industry or The Amazing Race?

JAMES LOMENZO: Well, that depends on your point of view, because you get robbed in both of them.

MARK “ABBA” ABBATTISTA: [laughs] And you deal with a bunch of rats in both of them.

THE DEADBOLT: Well, how do you guys feel now about the money situation with Natalie and Nadiya?

ABBA: I think it was an unfortunate thing. Personally, it’s disappointing to think this is what happened because we had nice relationships with them throughout. Trey and Lexi were a little bit more shocking for me.

You hope for the best. But when you see something that isn’t that, especially after the fact – we didn’t learn about it until it was on TV – you don’t move forward by looking in the rear-view mirror.

JAMES: It was a great experience for us anyway. Overcoming the adversity of not having the money and then meeting all of those wonderful people in Bangladesh, really wonderful people who helped us out, it was a great experience because of it.

It was a negative turned into a super-positive and one of the most memorable days of my life. It was really something.

THE DEADBOLT: After getting time to fix the passport situation, were you hopeful at all?

JAMES: We were holding on to hope the whole way, man. It was the only way we could operate. We did realize that it was the longest shot on earth. But it was like when someone gives you a lottery ticket for your birthday. You’re like, “What? You’re giving me nothing,” but you still hope you win the lottery. So that’s kind of where we were at with it.

We were bolstered by the other adversity we overcame on the race, getting through losing the money. It was a long shot from hell, but let’s take it, as usual. It was an interesting experience. We got to see things we probably never would have seen in Russia, and we’ve been there a couple of times prior. So, mostly jail.

ABBA: [laughs] We were inside Russian jails. I got to spend several hours inside of Interpol. I don’t know anybody else who has ever done that.

We knew that it was pretty dim. At the same time, it wasn’t over yet and we weren’t dead. While we still had some breath, we were going to keep kicking with it and take everything in at the same time.

THE DEADBOLT: Abba, given how bad your knee was, do you think you could’ve still continued the entire race?

ABBA: Here’s what happened with my knee: it turned out that it wasn’t my knee. We had thought it was potentially the meniscus. But when I came home and had a few MRIs, it turned out that I fractured both tibias. So, I ran the race with two broken legs.

You know, I probably should not have been running. Even now, I’m sitting as I’m speaking to you with these magnetic bone growth stimulators. I’m still in doctors’ care and still healing several months later.

Could I have done that Russian dancing thing? I wasn’t going to quit. I didn’t go there to quit. It might not have been pretty, but I would’ve powered through it like I powered though everything else that we did not knowing that I was running the race on two broken legs. I’d like to think that toughness isn’t the question when it comes to me. But it wouldn’t have stopped me at all.

We were running on cobblestones and broken streets. It was awful from a pain point of view. At the same time, Amy was there with no legs. Until they cut mine off, I think that her story was more important than mine.

How do you feel about the way James and Abba ran The Amazing Race?