Cavs Fan Guide: Celebrity Spotting 101

Where there’s a King, celebrity royalty follows. From TV personality Drew Carey to actress Katie Holmes, a slew of stars have expressed they are #ALLINCLE as the Cavaliers pursue Cleveland's first championship title since 1964. Games 3 and 4 may draw noted fans Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden, boxer Floyd Mayweather and pop star Rihanna. Sure sightings are country group Rascal Flatts, who are singing the national anthem for Game 3, and R&B artist and Cavs minority owner Usher, who will take the mic for Game 4. And where's there's an Usher, there's a Bieber — a Justin Bieber, who attended the Cavs opener with singer. So just in case you are one of a lucky few who spot a star, here are a few pointers.

Machine Gun Kelly
Try to photobomb the tattooed, mohawk-sporting MGK, who popped up in Haden's picture during the Eastern Conference Finals and tweeted it out with the caption "meme it." Throw up an "L" for "Lace Up," if you're able to get close by. Pay him back by asking the Twittersphere for a caption.

meme it.

A photo posted by Machine Gun Kelly (@machinegunkelly) on Jun 3, 2015 at 12:38pm PDT

Floyd Mayweather: You'll know it's Mayweather, because he'll be the guy courtside dressed head-to-toe in the Money Team gear and wearing ridiculous sunglasses inside. And don't mock him for wearing jorts. He is, after all, Floyd Mayweather.

Jay Z and Beyonce: It's still unclear if the power pair was really spotted in the Euclid Avenue Starbucks during the Cavs opener, but it’s a long shot (C'mon guys do you really think Queen Bey gets her own coffee?). You’ll score points if you support her vegan announcement by offering her a Restore Cold Pressed juice (Cavs player Matthew Dellavedova was spotted at the new downtown shop).

Kanye West: Sneak down to the court and wish Yeezy a happy belated birthday. Try to get him to smile. He's really, really good at avoiding smiling while on camera.

Shaq: Ask Shaq which club he plans on going to after the game so you can try to re-create his photo with MGK while 'Till I Die' and "Till I Die Part II" play on loop. Don't forget to ask him about the 'Shaqtus' cake Colossal Cupcakes made him.

you know what im probably saying in my head in this pic? -- holy shit im in the club turning up to 'Till I Die' with @shaq right now‼️😱😎 music is a beautiful thing. cleveland is a beautiful thing. shoutout @billbellamy 💯

A photo posted by Machine Gun Kelly (@machinegunkelly) on May 25, 2015 at 3:33pm PDT

Rihanna: You can try to cheer as loud as RiRi, but the bar is set high. The singer attended both games in Oakland to cheer on LeBron and was asked to move seats after her cheering annoyed Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob during Game 1. Maybe this time she'll be seated by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.

Usher and Justin Bieber: This time, take it easy on the Biebs. When the duo attended the opener in October, Biebs got booed but Usher was quick to hug him. Be warned that he may flash his abs.

JoAnna Garcia Swisher: You're more likely to find the actress down the street at Progressive Field, as her husband Nick Swisher and the Cleveland Indians play the Seattle Mariners tonight. But if you do happen to see her, she'll might be screaming loudly for Matthew Dellavedova and freaking out just as much as your average fan in the crowd. Except for the fact that she's an Astronaut Wife. 

#currentmood #Dellavedova #NBAFinals #HometownThrowdown pic.twitter.com/ksiVslP9xt

— JoAnna Garcia (@JoAnnaLGarcia) June 8, 2015

Rascal Flatts: Gary LeVox, the lead singer vocalist in Rascal Flatts, is from Westerville, Ohio, and has worked with Bieber in the past. So after he and the rest of Rascal Flatts perform the national anthem, look to the Bieber-Usher area.

Johnny Manziel: Regardless of your post-Browns season emotions toward Johnny Football, do not, under any circumstances, antagonize Manziel. He may throw a water bottle at you. He'll probably be with teammate and friend Haden courtside or he may even head back to his old stomping grounds at The 9 for an afterparty at the Vault Social Lounge. Oh wait, we forgot he dropped his party boy lifestyle for a quiet existence in a golf course community.

For Cleveland, by Cleveland: Downtown New Year's Eve plans announced

“Cleveland is on fire,” declared John Gadd, co-chair of Cleveland Rocks New Year's Eve at a press conference this afternoon. Yes, we've been hearing it all year, but Ohio Homecoming wants to show people that this is not a rage-and-fizzle comeback but a people-backed embrace of a city that believes in itself. Part of that is building the mentality that we are a city where people want to be on New Year's Eve. Or as reggae singer Carlos Jones said: “The city was treated like that girl in high school that everyone overlooks, and now guess what—she's modeling for Victoria's Secret and might even go on to run the company.” Last year's Cleveland Rock's New Year's Eve with Krewella and Drew Carey ranked No. 2 in TV ratings, second only to the Dick Clark version. This year's party is Cleveland-focused from the food trucks to music. Check out the upgrades below.

Movin' on up to the Lakeside: One of last year's drawbacks was the cold: a blizzard and 21 degrees. The new location at Mall B — a 12.5 acre green roof atop the Cleveland Convention Center — will provide a better space for party people to keep the blood pumping to the beats of Cleveland bands, while the switch to a ticketed event (reasonably-priced) means revelers don't have to spend the whole night waiting in the cold — like many got stuck doing last year.

Baby, it's fun inside: Freeze babies can take the party indoors with a festive VIP soiree in the atrium of the new Global Center for Health Innovation.

 2013 NYE celebration on Public Square

Local love: The bill has been cleared of national acts to make way for local heavyweights. The leader of the local reggae scene, Carlos Jones & The P.L.U.S. Band top it off. “He brings everybody out," said Alonzo Mitchell III, managing partner of Ohio Homecoming. "A little bit for the young people, a little bit for the middle, and a little bit for the late.” Rapper Machine Gun Kelly and DJ EV will also help build excitement for the countdown — and keep the party rocking into 2015.

For ticket information, visit the Cleveland Rocks NYE website.

Machine Gun Kelly Raises His Black Flag

Photo by Quentin Le'Son

Whether you know Machine Gun Kelly as the wild boy who brought a flash mob to SouthPark Mall in August of 2011 or an East Side up-and-coming artist who can spit rhymes with lightning-fast precision, one thing remains true: he has influenced thousands of people around the world. On Aug. 2, more than 3,000 people traveled from 42 states and two countries to attend the first annual E.S.T. Festival in Garrettsville, Ohio, which was hosted and headlined by the 23-year-old artist in an effort to support Cleveland Public Schools and other charities.

"This was a sacrifice on our end to create something much bigger than us and our pockets," he says. "This was all done off of emotion."

Last year, we chose Machine Gun Kelly as one of the 25 Reasons We Rock because of the movement he's creating amongst his fans. Since then, he released his debut album, Lace Up, with Bad Boy and Interscope Records, won the mtvU Woodie of the Year Award in March and recently released his sophomore album, Black Flag, for free June 26.

We traveled to the E.S.T. Fest to talk with Machine Gun Kelly about his reasons for giving away his music, his thoughts behind his movement and to see what's next for one of Cleveland's hottest rap stars.

Cleveland Magazine: As the next step in your career, what does this festival mean to you and how did it get started?

MGK: We had always had this vision, and really it kind of came to fruition by default of the fact that no festivals would book us this year. The one thing I always wanted to have was a legacy and be iconic, you know? As a fan, I can’t think of anything better than someone coming into my life and giving me a community to go to, giving me a family to be around when I feel alone. There’s a girl who paid $1,500 for a plane ticket to come here from Norway. She came here by herself. I met her last night. This is honestly giving people a place to belong for a weekend and free themselves.

CM: What was your creative process behind Black Flag, and how did it differ from Lace Up?

MGK: Lace Up, I was in a negative space. There were so many different MGKs that were present during that. It took a long time to write. Black Flag was one month. Cleveland, Ohio. In a basement. Done. I came home for the first time after touring for about a year and a half. I didn’t write for six months. So I soaked up all of those life experiences, and in one month I put it all into an album. I think it’s my best work today.

Photo by James Bigley II

CM: What's at stake for you with this new album?

MGK: Everything. I think this album will determine if Machine Gun Kelly is going to be the next superstar, like we all believed in, or if he’s just going to stay at this underground state that he’s in. Which is sweet, I’ll just continue running the underground. I’d rather run both worlds, but whatever it is, it’s in God’s hands now.

CM: Why did you make the album free to the public?

MGK: I needed a chance to say everything I wanted without any interference, without any guidance. However, on this next album, I’m going to take all the guidance I can get. My thing is, I gave you all Black Flag, now give me a chance to do something a little bit different on this next album and just rock with me.

CM: So what is "Machine Gun Kelly," and how would you define this movement? 

MGK: Look, when I die, Machine Gun Kelly is going to be alive and walking because Machine Gun Kelly is every one of those kids out there. What people don’t realize is that those kids are going to grow up and become something. And I’m going to be with them when they become that. They’re not going to forget this shit ever in their life. What if one of these kids becomes a judge? There could be a life-altering situation with me where it depends on one person and that one person is him, and he’s like, ‘You know what? This mother f---er changed my life so allow me to give him one more chance.’