Jasmine Plummer

Her name is Jasmine Plummer, who has the distinction of being the only female quarterback in the history of the Pop Warner Pee Wee Football League, and she led the Harvey Colts to the semifinals of the football tournament in Florida.
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All of that changes, however, when his sister-in-law Claire (Tasha Smith) takes on some longer shifts as a waitress and asks Curtis to watch her 11-year-old daughter, Jasmine, after school until Claire gets home.
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One afternoon Curtis and Jasmine are at the park where Curtis is throwing the football with one of his friends.
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When an errant pass lands near where Jasmine is sitting and reading, Curtis asks her to throw the ball back to him.
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Jasmine nonchalantly leans over, picks up the football, and rifles a pass to Curtis.
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And the reaction of the real Jasmine when she found out that her accomplishments were going to be the subject of a movie offers a real lesson in humility.In the film's production notes, the honor student who is now 15 years old and a member of the basketball, wrestling, and track teams expressed her surprise when she learned the news.
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Cube and Palmer have a terrific chemistry in their numerous scenes together, and in the production notes, Cube explained that in addition to making history, Jasmine gave the people of her hometown something to treasure.
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Jasmine Plummer gives the town something to care about."
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The real Jasmine aspires to play one day in the WNBA.After seeing this film, I wouldn't bet against her.Not by a long shot!

The Longshots centers on Jasmine Plummer (Keke Palmer), a smart, shy teenage girl who prefers reading to socializing with her middle-school classmates.
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As Jasmine's mother, Claire (Tasha Smith), works long hours at the local diner, Jasmine is forced to spend time with her uncle, Curtis (Ice Cube), an unemployed ex-football player with dual drinking and hygiene problems.
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As Jasmine and Curtis gradually warm to each other, Curtis discovers Jasmine's natural athletic talent. Seeing her potential, Curtis convinces Jasmine to train and try out for the Minden Browns. Despite Coach Fisher's reticence and doubts, Jasmine wins him over. She joins the Minden Browns as the back-up quarterback, but eventually wins the starting job and the support of her teammates. She also becomes an inspiration for the hard-up Minden community. Together with Curtis, who unsurprisingly begins to pay more attention to personal hygiene, Jasmine leads the Minden Browns through several improbable wins, through the playoffs and, eventually, the Pop Warner Superbowl game in Miami, Florida. Jasmine also has to deal with the return of her ne'er-do-well father, Roy (Malcolm Goodwin).

Jasmine Plummer Plays Football Despite Difficulties
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It's based on the true story of a little girl - Jasmine Plummer - who made history on the football field in the 1990s.She is now a student at Joliet West High School.

Plummer is just a sophomore, but she's already racked up an impressive resume: varsity basketball, varsity track, straight A's.And, oh yeah, a movie about her life playing football.

"It's really amazing," Plummer said."I really didn't think my life could be a movie 'cause I'm just me playing football."

Plummer made history playing football.She was the quarterback of her junior pee wee team, the Harvey Colts.

And when she took the team to the Pop Warner Nationals Plummer became the first girl in the tournament's 56-year history.

The movie tells the story of how Plummer started playing football.Palmer plays Plummer in the film, and Ice Cube plays the uncle who encouraged her.
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Plummer says most of the story is true, but that Hollywood took liberties with the character who plays her mother.

She says it took a lot to convince her mother to allow her to play football, but eventually she got on board.

"It's a good movie," Plummer said."It's really good and funny.

Her favorite part is the message.

"I hope that girls will see that they can do anything.Just try it.You never know how good you can be," she said.
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Jasmine Plummer's life as a young, female football player has been made into a new movie starring Ice Cube.

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Jasmine Plummer's life as a young, female football player has been made into a new movie starring Ice Cube.Jasmine Plummer's life as a young, female football player has been made into a new movie starring Ice Cube.

Jasmine (his 11 year old niece) has a talent for football and the movie is based on the true American tale of Jasmine Plummer, the first female Pop-Warner quarterback.

Jasmine (his 11 year old niece) has a talent for football and the movie is based on the true American tale of Jasmine Plummer, the first female Pop-Warner quarterback. Wayne is working four weeks on the film as Mr. Peppers, the towns wise, old, homeless man who lives in... [More Info] Posted by: Beverly Pastorini   LOPEZ NEGRETE COMMUNICATIONS CHOSEN AS PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY OF RECORD BY GRUMA Author: Julie Grayum Release Date: Tue 5-Feb-08 4:00 PM HOUSTON (Feb. 5, 2008) - GRUMA, the indisputable worldwide leader in tortillas and corn masa flour production and the makers of Maseca® and Guerrero® brands, have selected Lopez Negrete Communications, the second largest Hispanic owned and operated marketing agency in the country, as their public relations agency of record.
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Jasmine (his 11 year old niece) has a talent for football and the movie is based on the true American tale of Jasmine Plummer, the first female Pop-Warner quarterback. Wayne is working four weeks on the film as Mr. Peppers, the towns wise, old, homeless man who lives in... [More Info] Posted by: Beverly Pastorini   LOPEZ NEGRETE COMMUNICATIONS CHOSEN AS PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY OF RECORD BY GRUMA Author: Julie Grayum Release Date: Tue 5-Feb-08 4:00 PM HOUSTON (Feb. 5, 2008) - GRUMA, the indisputable worldwide leader in tortillas and corn masa flour production and the makers of Maseca® and Guerrero® brands, have selected Lopez Negrete Communications, the second largest Hispanic owned and operated marketing agency in the country, as their public relations agency of record.

Directed by second-time movie helmer as well as former Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, "Longshots" is based on a true story of Jasmine Plummer, an 11-year-old quarterback of the Harvey Colts, who leads her all-boys team to the Pop Warner Super Bowl and in a way inspires her poor Illinois town of Wallace to restore some of its former glory.

HARVEY, Ill. (Dec. 8, 2003) -- Jasmine Plummer, 11, is the quarterback for the Harvey Colts, and she will lead the Junior Pee Wee team into the national Pop Warner tournament in Florida next week.

She is the first girl to play quarterback in the national championship in the 56 years the organization has held the tournament, Pop Warner officials say.

"It's not a big deal.I just like to play football because I don't like to play with Barbie dolls," Jasmine told the Chicago Tribune at the Thornton High School gym.

She joined the Pop Warner Mighty Mites division at age 6.

She led her team to an undefeated record last year.

Here is the official plot synopsis: Based on a true story, a poor Illinois town comes together behind the local Pop Warner football team and their unlikely quarterback, Jasmine Plummer, the first female in Pop Warner football history.Under the tutelage of her uncle Curtis, a former high school football star, Jasmine leads her team, the Harvey Colts, to the Pop Warner Super Bowl and inspires the town of Wallace to reclaim some of its former glory.

Kofi is currently filming the feature the "Comeback" opposite Ice Cube and Keke Palmer.Based on the true American tale of Jasmine Plummer, the first female Pop-Warner quarterback.

Jasmine Plummer didn't suit up this past season because her mom won't let her play with the boys anymore.

"She said they are too big now," said Jasmine, a freshman at Joliet West High School."I wanted to play football more than anything, but she doesn't think it's safe for me because they get bigger."

While she had to give up her first love, she'll be able to relive her football stardom at age 11 on the big screen this summer.

Hollywood decided the feats of Plummer, now 15, deserve big-screen treatment.Her story will be told in the movie "The Longshots," which hits theaters in July.

Keke Palmer, of "Akelah and the Bee," plays Jasmine.
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At age 11, Jasmine, who then lived in Harvey, made Pop Warner football history as the first girl to play quarterback in the national championship in the 56 years the organization has held the tournament.

While out in Florida for the "Super Bowl" of Junior Pee Wee football, the media put Jasmine in sports magazines, newspapers and on television.On ESPN, she was seen running in a clip promoting the Pop Warner tournament.
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Jasmine understands why Hollywood wanted her to be a girly girl in order to make the movie interesting.

"I've always loved sports," she said.She started wrestling at age 7.

Although she gave up football in high school, Jasmine earned a spot on the JT girls' varsity basketball team and is working hard to make it to state finals for the Steelmen track team.

Like Jasmine's life, Keke's character leads her team to the national championships.
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Jasmine started playing for the Harvey Colts when she was 9 years old, thanks to her uncle.

"I saw her play in the streets with some neighbors, with kids twice her size," he said."You can tell she actually enjoyed what she was doing, keeping up with the boys on the street and embarrassing some of them."

Jasmine said she preferred playing sports than playing with dolls.
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During one game, a tackle left Jasmine on the ground unable to move.
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Jasmine didn't return that day, but was soon back on the field.

Her teammates weren't always supportive; it took awhile at first for the boys to accept her.

"The first year I didn't really play quarterback I was just a linebacker.I guess, they listened to me more because they know I can hit them hard," she said.

The following year, she led her team to an 11-1 record and to the national championships as quarterback, a role she loves.

"I get to boss people around," she said with a laugh.

Modest about life

Jasmine, who is the oldest of five children, moved to Joliet at the end of eighth grade, attending Washington Junior High School.So when she got to Joliet West High School this fall, Jasmine's background as a football star was unknown.

Jasmine isn't one to brag about herself.
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And, then through a newspaper interview, Lipke found out Jasmine has her own line of athletic wear coming out.
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Jasmine doesn't like it when people call her a tomboy.

"Just because I liked to play with the boys don't mean I'm a tomboy.I mean, I'm still a girl.I still like to do some things the girls do, but not just the really girly stuff," Jasmine said.

"Jump rope is kind of fun.You won't catch me doing my nails.The hair thing, mom did that," she said referring to a hairdo for a photo shoot.
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"If I do good in school, I can play basketball," Jasmine said.
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I almost got kicked off the basketball team (by mom)," Jasmine said."I just said I was going to get it up.It was just a misunderstanding, and I only missed (an A) by five-tenths."

Who's the celebrity?

In February, Jasmine, her mom and her uncle got to meet the stars portraying them while the actors were filming in Shreveport, La.

"I was more amazed (the actors) were more excited to see Jasmine than we were to see them," Fred Johnson said.
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"Keke's just like me," Jasmine said.
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During their visit, Jasmine tried to play matchmaker, hooking up Ice Cube and Tasha Smith, who plays her mom.
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Her uncle said Jasmine could still get out on the field and play football, but right now they are getting her to concentrate on basketball so she can get a college scholarship.

Jasmine already has a spot on the Chicago Force, women's tackle football team, when she turns 18.After high school, she hopes to play college basketball and then the WNBA.
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Jasmine, her mom, her uncle and her dad, Joseph Plummer, will be going out to Los Angeles for the premier in July.
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Jasmine prefers sports attire or jeans and shirts.