Kareem M. Elseify

Biography
and special web site postings

Special web site postings for Kareem Elseify ...

Posted August 15, 2009 The Elseify Family would like to thank  Mr. Jay Markowitz for his generosity and taking the time to write to us about Kareem Elseify.  If he had not sent us his email, we would not know and you would also not know more about Kareem.  We encourage all friends and family to send us pictures and memories of our son, friend and brother, Kareem Elseify. I would like to submit the following for Kareem's tribute site. Kareem sent me these photos while he was working on the David Mamet movie 'Spartan.' I met you all at one time or another back in the mid-nineties when Kareem and I were closer. Know that you have my deepest condolences and if you are still looking for someone to write about Kareem's life, I would love to help.  I first met Kareem in ’92 at an audition for the National Lampoon theater in Santa Monica. While everyone took turns standing up and introducing themselves, my friend Andy and I made ourselves feel better about our chances by exchanging derisive comments about the other hopefuls. Kareem stood, and in a thick Arabic accent introduced himself as an Egyptian national who had come to Hollywood to try a career in stand-up comedy because his friends said he was the funniest guy in the mosque. Just as Andy’s and my heads were about to explode, Kareem started laughing and revealed the dupe with perfect OC enunciation. Then the whole room was laughing. Kareem managed to fool a roomful of comedy devotees and snobs, who all previously would have sworn on a bible that they could see any simple gag like that coming from a mile away. That day I became a fan.  Kareem and I became friends, even sharing an apartment together at one point. Because of that, I had a change to share lives with Kareem And through improve, sketch, and stand-up comedy, I had a chance to share the stage with Kareem. As both of us fancied ourselves as pop culture elitists, we constantly challenged each other in our ability to crack each other up, the more inopportune the moment or the more inappropriate the subject, the better. But on stage, Kareem was a god. With those chisel cut features, fearless confidence, and a mind like a steel trap, you always felt that you were watching someone on the verge. In ’95, Kareem scored an opportunity to do five minutes of stand-up on stage during a Alanis Morissette/Weezer benefit concert at the Roxy. This was a hefty gig, with an audience of industry performers and players and of course, Kareem wanted to come up with something new that would make people remember him. He played around with a few ideas, but nothing was good enough. The night of the performance at the Roxy, Kareem still had not decided what he has going to do. Alanis Morissette has just finished performing her then ubiquitous hit “You Oughta Know,” a empowering, emotional diatribe against a former boyfriend, and it was Kareem’s turn to hit the stage. The crowd was amped and I was nervous. He looked at me, smiled, lit up a Newport, and went up on stage. “Hello everyone,” he took a puff, “I’m Alanis’s ex-boyfriend and I would like to take this opportunity to respond.” He then proceeded to riff on that premise from off the top of his head for five minutes (“First, I told that bitch never touch my damn Newports”) bringing some of the audience to tears with laughter. He absolutely killed. It was a glorious moment. That night I became a believer.  After 2005, I lost contact with Kareem, something I attributed to a certain aloofness that he had, but I expected to hear from him again. Then, I happened to Google his name and came across the announcement of his passing. So, I wanted to share some memories with you. It took me while to write these brief stories, because I hoped that if I ignored it, it wouldn’t be true, and I get an email from Kid Kareem once again. Is it possible to be a believer and not a believer at the same time? Jay Markowitz jaymarkowitz@gmail.com    Missing his bear hug, his bushy hair and his love to all. Posted:  5/5/2009 We just needed to post our fond memories of Kareem .  We truly loved him.  He was part of our daughters life for so many years.  We first met Kareem in Los Angeles and enjoyed his visits to Canada on numerous occasions.   I  remember when he spent a Christmas with us and who cares that our Christmas tree would not stand up and was leaning against the wall the whole time he was here.  I cooked him our traditional "Eggs Benedict's and Champagne and O.J. breakfast and gave him his Christmas gifts.   He was wonderful and we loved him.  He was so generous and we loved him dearly.    He was great with the electronics and hooked us up to a universal converter which was appreciated by all.   My husband Bill and I thought he was so wonderful and we will miss him dearly.  He was generous, caring and sincere.  I will never forget you Kareem and we love you dearly,.  I had the privilege of meeting your mother Layla in L.A. when wet there.You  have touched our family dearly and will always be in our hearts.  We love and miss you Kareem,.  Judi Fowler, Bill Fowler, Jenn ifer Fowler and familiy. Posted:  1/27/2009   It's been almost 2 years since our loss of our beloved son, brother and friend, Kareem.  Since that horrible day on February 11, 2007, no day passes without remembering him.  Our lives have changed forever since then.  Until now it is unbelievable to us that he is no longer alive.  We always remember those precious days and hours we spent with him watching a basketball game or sharing with him his love for the movies, and asking him what movie we should go to this week.  For those who knew Kareem and those who heard about him, he always had the answer.  I don't believe I ever asked him a question or told him about something I heard without him giving me the answer or telling me I know.  He was like a walking encyclopedia, smart, quick, and always ready to give an answer to your question or give advice for your problem.  He was the reason for the success of many of his friends, and many of them tell me that without Kareem , their life would be very different.   Selfishness was not part of Kareem.  He was a giving person, like his name, Kareem, which means generous or giver, and that is what his life was all about.  A few months before his passing Kareem was working very hard to help the Democratic party win.  He thought it was the party for change.  He was one of the first who recognized who Barack Obama was, and his potential as our US President, and he offered to volunteer his time to Barack Obama's campaign.  I had never heard about Barack Obama before Kareem mentioned his name to me, and I have no idea how he chose Barack Obama, the unknown, to be his pick for President of the United States, but since that day, all of the Elseify family were excited to support Barack Obama because of Kareem.  Now I am sure that Kareem is smiling in the heavens, saying "I told you Dad. He is great."  One day I hope to find someone to help write Kareem's biography.  His life was full of excitement.  His Blackberry has hundreds and hundreds of people he knew.  While he worked on many movies with Mr. Art Linson, the major Hollywood producer, he was in many ways the unknown soldier for the many successful movies he produced, including Lords of Dogtown, Fight Club, Spartan, The Edge, and more.  He was the mentor for his little brother Sharif Elseify.  He went to all of Sharif's football games coming all the way from Los Angeles to Laguna Beach.  We would like to thank the entire Laguna Beach Varsity football team for putting KE (the abbreviation for Kareem Elseify) on the back of their helmets this year.  We would also like to thank many of his friends and relatives, those who stood with us in the difficult days that followed our loss of Kareem.  Without their kind help and brotherhood, our lives would be much more difficult to bear.  Without mentioning last names,  I would like to thank Kevin, John, Victor, Craig, Derek, Jeff, Art, Patti, Stephanie, Pomo, Tim, Ted, Payam,  .........  and so many more. Elseify Family        Missing his bear hug, his bushy hair and his love to all. Posted:  5/5/2009 We just needed to post our fond memories of Kareem .  We truly loved him.  He was part of our daughters life for so many years.  We first met Kareem in Los Angeles and enjoyed his visits to Canada on numerous occasions.   I  remember when he spent a Christmas with us and who cares that our Christmas tree would not stand up and was leaning against the wall the whole time he was here.  I cooked him our traditional "Eggs Benedict's and Champagne and O.J. breakfast and gave him his Christmas gifts.   He was wonderful and we loved him.  He was so generous and we loved him dearly.    He was great with the electronics and hooked us up to a universal converter which was appreciated by all.   My husband Bill and I thought he was so wonderful and we will miss him dearly.  He was generous, caring and sincere.  I will never forget you Kareem and we love you dearly,.  I had the privilege of meeting your mother Layla in L.A. when wet there.You  have touched our family dearly and will always be in our hearts.  We love and miss you Kareem,.  Judi Fowler, Bill Fowler, Jenn ifer Fowler and familiy. Posted:  1/27/2009   It's been almost 2 years since our loss of our beloved son, brother and friend, Kareem.  Since that horrible day on February 11, 2007, no day passes without remembering him.  Our lives have changed forever since then.  Until now it is unbelievable to us that he is no longer alive.  We always remember those precious days and hours we spent with him watching a basketball game or sharing with him his love for the movies, and asking him what movie we should go to this week.  For those who knew Kareem and those who heard about him, he always had the answer.  I don't believe I ever asked him a question or told him about something I heard without him giving me the answer or telling me I know.  He was like a walking encyclopedia, smart, quick, and always ready to give an answer to your question or give advice for your problem.  He was the reason for the success of many of his friends, and many of them tell me that without Kareem , their life would be very different.   Selfishness was not part of Kareem.  He was a giving person, like his name, Kareem, which means generous or giver, and that is what his life was all about.  A few months before his passing Kareem was working very hard to help the Democratic party win.  He thought it was the party for change.  He was one of the first who recognized who Barack Obama was, and his potential as our US President, and he offered to volunteer his time to Barack Obama's campaign.  I had never heard about Barack Obama before Kareem mentioned his name to me, and I have no idea how he chose Barack Obama, the unknown, to be his pick for President of the United States, but since that day, all of the Elseify family were excited to support Barack Obama because of Kareem.  Now I am sure that Kareem is smiling in the heavens, saying "I told you Dad. He is great."  One day I hope to find someone to help write Kareem's biography.  His life was full of excitement.  His Blackberry has hundreds and hundreds of people he knew.  While he worked on many movies with Mr. Art Linson, the major Hollywood producer, he was in many ways the unknown soldier for the many successful movies he produced, including Lords of Dogtown, Fight Club, Spartan, The Edge, and more.  He was the mentor for his little brother Sharif Elseify.  He went to all of Sharif's football games coming all the way from Los Angeles to Laguna Beach.  We would like to thank the entire Laguna Beach Varsity football team for putting KE (the abbreviation for Kareem Elseify) on the back of their helmets this year.  We would also like to thank many of his friends and relatives, those who stood with us in the difficult days that followed our loss of Kareem.  Without their kind help and brotherhood, our lives would be much more difficult to bear.  Without mentioning last names,  I would like to thank Kevin, John, Victor, Craig, Derek, Jeff, Art, Patti, Stephanie, Pomo, Tim, Ted, Payam,  .........  and so many more. Elseify Family     Posted 2/24/2008  On February 11, 2007, just a month and a half before his 35th birthday, Kareem Mansour Elseify passed away unexpectedly for causes undetermined, at his apartment in Hollywood, California, USA.  Kareem was of Egyptian decent, born in the Bronx, New York, New York on March 24, 1972.  He and his mother and father moved from New York to California in 1977 when he was five years old. We are heartbroken for the loss of our son Kareem who was a generous, intelligent and one of the most charismatic people you can find.  From the moment he was born,  it was very exciting and fulfilling to watch Kareem grow up.  In his early childhood days, his curiosity to touch things, and ask many questions did not go unnoticed.  It was like he knew his life would be cut short, and he wanted to know everything about everything, NOW.  He wanted to have fun, listen to music, watch television, and play video games. When he was 6 years old, his most exciting thing to watch on TV was the International News on ABC.   He was not the quietest kid in class, but he was definitely the most intelligent.  His teachers loved him because he was so smart.  The only problem was that he kept their hands full, asking so many questions, that they sometimes had no answer for.  Kareem was the best pal to his friends, as most of them will attest to.  He spent most of his childhood in Santa Monica, California by Ninth Street and Montana.  There were four things he loved while growing up – movies, video games, music and skateboarding.  I remember the first time I got him a skateboard.  It was the most exciting day in his life.  He told me about a shop on Santa Monica Blvd in Santa Monica that sold skateboards.  He knew exactly what he wanted.  He asked the man to put certain wheels on the board, certain logos, decorations and after we were done, we almost spent my whole paycheck, but the smile on his face after he walked away with his special skateboard in hand was worth a million bucks.  One of the most memorable incidents I recall about Kareem when he was a youngster growing up was when he went to the YMCA camp in Big Bear for a week in the summertime.  When I went to pick him up after camp was over, I found him covered with mud and dirt, and I found out that he never took a bath for the seven days he was there, since, as he put it, the shower they had there was not like the one he had at home.  It took two hours of soaking and cleaning to remove all of the dirt and grime.  But when I asked him how the camp was, he told me that it was the best time he ever had, and that was good enough for me to hear. Tomorrow will be one year since that horrible night on Sunday February 11, 2007 when we found Kareem dead in his apartment.  It has been a horrific year for all of us, family, friends and even those who knew him only remotely.  One year after his death his cell phone is still ringing.  For many of those who knew him, he left a mark on their souls for the generosity, love and devotion he had for them.  He is missed wholeheartedly by all of us, and no day passes without his memory coming across.  It is God’s will, and he is among the chosen ones.  Posted 3/24/2008 From: Kachina K'ang, CLD [mailto:KachinaK@cox.net] Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2008 9:13 PM To: elseify@kareemelseify.com Subject: Happy Birthday Kareem.... Written Thursday, February 15, 2007 King of the Freaks...and the Ruler of the Big Playground--RIP Kareem! By Kachina K’ang I met Kareem in 1981 or 82 at Roosevelt Elementary. He was a very large boy. He was a tall, dark and awkward 4th grader with a chipped front tooth and kinda rude. I liked him immediately. All through elementary no one messed with Kareem, no one challenged him, most were afraid of him. But, I remember thinking that there was a soft side, a caring side and a very funny side of Kareem that I would catch occasionally walking back to Mrs. Gross's class. We both went on to Lincoln Jr. High but I moved away after 8th grade and looking back, I don't remember him much at Lincoln. Fast forward to 1992 at an LA night club. In the midst of hundreds of people crowed into a dark open room I hear my name called. The people parted and a tall, slender, handsome young man was looking at me with a grin ear to ear. I had no idea who this boy was but I was rather intrigued at the possibility of someone interested in talking to me. "It's Kareem, Kareem ElSeify". My mouth hit the floor. This was not at all what I remembered my 3rd grade classmate looking like. He had transformed and his inner beauty was shinning for the entire world to see. We exchanged numbers and spoke a few times on the phone. But, soon after lost touch. In October 2006 I was searching myspace for long lost friends and I found Kareem. Although his page was private, and his default picture was Biggy Smalls, I messaged him anyway with the hopes that it was him. And it was. He made me his friend and I was able to see more of his transformation. He was still slender but now had long, full, kinky hair. He was beautiful. We made plans to meet up at El Coyote with other Lincoln friends, Rachel Grumman, Daniel Gonzalez and Ali Johnson. We had fun laughing through email about the stories we would re-live and the new stories we would share. But, to my dismay, Kareem did not show up. Last week I messaged him on myspace. I sent him a video of Stevie Wonder on Sesame Street singing Superstitious and pointed out to Kareem to pay special attention to the boy in the background with long kinky hair. Kareem gave a big hardy cyberspace laugh and said HE was that little boy. That he was and still is the "King of the Freaks...and the ruler of the big playground". I told him I was very disappointed that we did not see each other and he told me "Your Time shall come". I thought, What an overconfident little shit, but that I couldn't wait. Last night I received a phone call from Ali Johnson that Kareem had died. I looked on his myspace page in disbelief and saw the many comments posted, RIP. Reading through the words of friends I realized that Kareem went from being a lonely awkward child to a popular handsome man. I wrote to his best friend Derek, a mutual friend from Lincoln, and extended my condolences. And in that moment my heart sank. I sat in silence with tears rolling down my face feeling a fraction of the loss that Kareem's friends and family were now consumed with. The realization of how incredibly delicate life is was almost unbearable. You will be missed Kareem but I know that wherever your spirit is...you are and will remain the King of the Freaks and the Ruler of the Big Playground. And that someday my time shall come and we will meet up again. Love, Kachina Kachina K'ang, CLD "The journey is what brings us happiness not the destination"-Dan Millman CAPPA Certified Labor Doula www.cappa.net Montessori Visions Health and Sex Educator www.montessorivisions.com Posted 2/11/2008 Dear Kareem, We miss you today and every day.  Today we are especially remembering the special times we spent together making our picks to win the Oscars, buying the big screen TV that wouldn't fit through our apartment door,  the time you called and got two tickets to the Oscars and just hearing your commentary on everything you were so knowledgeable about.

Date Page Last Updated:  03/24/2010