Women, Art And Bow Ties
THE SON of a Navy commander (his father, Samuel) and an anesthesiologist (his mother, Nancy), Dhani Jones, linebacker for the Super Bowl--bound Eagles, was raised to appreciate the finer things: He has an abiding interest in poetry, painting and classical music. He was a guest conductor for the Philadelphia Pops in October (left), and his website, www.dhani55.com, covers much more than football. "I want to branch out so people can see who the rest of Dhani Jones is," he says. Jones works on his site, which averages 6,000 visitors a month, frequently. He keeps a diary ("There is something to be said about butterflies in your stomach before kickoff, but to have them fly all week, then you know it's a battle.") and answers questions from fans about art, books (his favorite is Man's Search for Meaning by concentration camp survivor Viktor E. Frankl) and fashion. (His site connects viewers to Jones's company, Five Star Ties, which sells handmade silk bow ties.) Jones, 26, a bachelor, also offers relationship advice to lovelorn fans. One, Allen Titinik of Philadelphia, recently wrote in, saying, "I had my heart broken bad by my ex ... any words of wisdom, big dog?" Replied Jones, "My advice would be to watch Casablanca [above]." --Sarah Thurmond
BOOKMARKED
Here are some sites Jones often visits.
www.theadamsgallery.com (contemporary African-American artist Alonzo Adams's site) "I like to take a look at his work," Jones says.
www.wireimage.com "I check this to see all the cool people at the different parties I missed out on."
www.privateislandsonline.com "This site sells private islands. I want to buy my own island and call it La Casa de la Mariposa, House of the Butterfly."
COLOR PHOTO
JOHN COSTELLO/PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER (JONES CONDUCTING)
COLOR PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
GUSTAU NACARINO/REUTERS (COMPUTER); COURTESY OF WWW.DHANI55.COM (SCREEN GRAB)
B/W PHOTO
WARNER BROS./PHOTOFEST (CASABLANCA)
COLOR PHOTO
JOSEPH LABOLITO/WIREIMAGE.COM (JONES IN UNIFORM)