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Rihanna and Steven Soboroff, the president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, are certainly making the most out of their recent brief encounter at the Clippers playoff game. Sitting next to each courtside at Staples Center last Friday, Rihanna posed for a selfie with Soboroff using his phone. But she fumbled the phone and dropped it to the floor, breaking the screen. That's what they call in the marketing world an opportunity. The Daily Mail's original item dismissing Soboroff as a jolly pensioner was nothing compared to what has followed.
Soboroff, no slouch at thinking big — remember when the space shuttle Endeavour rolled through LA streets? — got Rihanna to sign the disabled phone. Then he put it up for auction on eBay to raise money for the LAPD Foundation. (There's a day left to bid.) And now Rihanna herself has donated $25,000 to the foundation, a donation that was announced on TakePartLive by host Jacob Soboroff, the commissioner's son.
Sorry I broke your phone @SteveSoboroff :) @takepartlive 10PM ET on @pivot_tv @LAPoliceFdtn #specialannouncement #tonight
— Rihanna (@rihanna) May 13, 2014BIG @rihanna news: she's donating $25,000 to @LAPoliceFdtn for cadets
& families of fallen officers. WATCH: http://t.co/PpwxpBjDRk
— Steve Soboroff (@SteveSoboroff) May 13, 2014WOW. Current top bid is $10,000 to @LAPoliceFdtn for my #rihannaselfie phone + her $25K! 1 day left to bid: http://t.co/qfFRETdMFL @rihanna
— Steve Soboroff (@SteveSoboroff) May 14, 2014