Five(ish) Questions

Robert Kardashian on Scott Disick's fitness cover, his Vince Young rivalry and ascary Houston visit

Rob Kardashian

As soon as he hung up with me, Robert Kardashian — brother to Kim, Kourtney and Khloe and co-star of the family's collection of reality shows — promised to log onto YouTube and watch Rebecca Black's Friday (he hasn't seen it). But not before giving his sister Kourtney's boyfriend, Scott Disick, some shit for his Men's Fitness cover.

I chatted with him in advance of his Houston Final Four visit, which includes a party he's hosting Friday night at Midtown's 5th Amendment to promote a gaming website he's partnered in — RivalSpot.com. Robert won't be partying (he just had his appendix out) but he will be challenging fans and friends to the new NBA 2k11 on Xbox.

Read on to see what else I talked about with the sometimes model, always USC fan and reality star.

CultureMap: Have you been to Houston before?

Robert Kardashian: I was in Houston a couple of years ago to host a New Year's party. I have no idea where, and it was really weird. I think I got drugged.

CM: Tell us a little bit about RivalSpot.com. Are you a big gamer?

RK: RivalSpot is pretty much a way for users to connect and compete with friends to play sports games for cash and prizes, as opposed to just bragging rights. It's something a lot of guys and girls can take advantage of; there are probably half a million people playing one video game online right now. I'm a huge gamer. When I'm not filming or working on some other project, I'm on RivalSpot.

CM: Speaking of filming — give us some sneak peeks as to what we can expect from your newest reality show, Khloe & Lamar?

RK: I'm gonna be on that one a lot more than you see me on the other shows. We're actually filming right now, and it's all the crazy stuff that goes on in our house.

CM: I saw Scott Disick was on the cover of Men's Fitness. Do you two get your swoll on together?

RK: He is? Really? I am 100 percent surprised; I did not think he was a big worker outer. That's actually pretty crazy. I'm gonna give him some shit for it.

CM: The article refers to him as Kourtney's husband, too. Did they get married?

RK: Definitely not.

CM: Who are you rooting for in the Final Four?

RK: I don't care, because I only support schools I went to. I don't know if you've heard of USC.

CM: I've heard of USC. Do you know where you are? Most people down here, we've got memories of a little game back in 2005 . . .

RK: Yeah, yeah, I get a lot of shit from my friends from Texas. I'm a very loyal fan. I've loved the Dodgers since forever, the Lakers since forever. I'm probably pulling for UConn, though, because they have the best point guard.

CM: So if my friends and I stop by Friday night are you going to let us win, or what?

RK: NBA 2k11 is a little harder, but I'll be kind of nice. I'll mess around and play with a bad team. I'm a very nice guy, and we're all winners here.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”