IT'S IN THE BAG: Sheridan native Christopher Belt is a finalist in the 11th annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards set for June 14 in New York.
Belt is one of 45 finalists selected from more than 1,500 submissions from five continents and 28 countries. Belt is a finalist in two categories -- "The Bernina Best Handmade Handbag" and "The Perfect Everyday Work Tote Bag by Aimee Kestenberg." InStyle magazine also is hosting an online fan favorite vote in which both of the designer's bags have been entered.
Belt earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts in accessory design from the University of Georgia's Savannah College of Art and Design. He then moved to New York in 2012 to work.
After this month's competition, the designer plans to donate the two bag prototypes to the Esse Purse Museum in Little Rock. Visit christopherbelt.nyc for more info on the designer and his work.
PLAYING ON A NEW FIELD: This past Thursday night, former Arkansas Razorback football player and KARK 4 Today co-host D.J. Williams competed on Fox's new game show, Beat Shazam. The interactive game show, hosted by Academy Award-winning actor and musician Jamie Foxx, features teams of two that race against each other and the clock to identify hit songs. The team with the highest score advances to compete against the software Shazam for cash prizes. During his appearance, Williams was paired with fellow former Razorback and Green Bay Packer Grant Cook. The pair scored first, recognizing "We are the Champions" in the Queen category, landing them $1,000 early on. Alas, they eventually were eliminated in the '80s round.
FAMILIAR TURF: Retired baseball player Dustin Moseley, a Texarkana native who once pitched professionally for the New York Yankees back in 2010, has recently been spending some of his evenings back on his familiar turf -- a pitcher's mound in Little Rock -- as the head coach of the 7-year-old Yankees team in the coach-pitch league at Junior Deputy Ballpark in Little Rock. Moseley, who also played for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the San Diego Padres, currently owns Proformance Sports Academy, a youth training center in Little Rock.
ALL IN A DAY'S (OR NIGHT'S) WORK: Rapper Kaine of the Ying Yang Twins had a unique explanation for what led to his being out of sorts during his recent Little Rock show last Sunday. His reason for being messed up? The singer told TMZ that he prefers tequila but was instead served Ciroq vodka ... with "all the fruity flavors." In the end, he was helped off stage, but Kaine adds that he has a health condition that makes him appear intoxicated even when he's not.
Whatever the reason for his condition, the entertainer wasn't offering any apologies, adding he was simply "doing what I'm supposed to be doing."
Contact Linda S. Haymes at (501) 607-0675 or [email protected]
SundayMonday on 06/04/2017