8 is enough degrees of separation

Forget Kevin Bacon. There's plenty of celebs - and a movie or two - with a direct connection to Roseville. The real trick is connecting one to the next.We've heard the names bandied about for years. Molly Ringwald was an original Brat Packer. Summer Sanders was America's swimming sweetheart. But is there any relation between Roseville's shining stars? Turns out there is. Granted, it's sometimes a tenuous connection at best - but we found it. Think you can do better? We dare ya.1. Take Evelyn Ashford.The Roseville High School graduate came to the city when her father was stationed at the now-shuttered McClellan Air Force Base. Known for her hefty haul of medals from three Summer Olympics - four golds and one silver for the 1984, 1988 and 1992 games - she was elected into the Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1997. Her American teammate on the 1992 Olympics team was ... 2. Summer Sanders. Born in Roseville in October 1972, Sanders took home two golds, a silver and a bronze at the 1992 games. She still holds the 6-and-under 25-meter freestyle record for the Roseville Sugarbears, and the Olympic-size pool at the Roseville Aquatics Center bears her name. But the swimming sensation is still making waves, most recently serving as host of the 2006 reality game show "Skating With Celebrities." Before that, she hosted another reality game show titled "Beg, Borrow or Steal." That had her co-starring with Rich Eisen, who works as a commentator for the NFL Network. That channel airs professional football games, some of which feature ...3. Tedy Bruschi.The linebacker for the New England Patriots was born in San Francisco, but his family later relocated to the city and he graduated from Roseville High School. Not just a football player, however, he also was a high school standout in wrestling, track, shot put, discus and the triple jump. But the 1996 draft pick isn't all jock: He's also a noted saxophonist. As a Patriot, Bruschi faced off on more than one occasion against the Dallas Cowboys, the team that loosely inspired the movie "North Dallas Forty," which saw the acting debut of ...4. Dan Bunz. The Oakmont grad was born in Roseville in October 1955 and went on to a storied career with the San Francisco 49ers. As a player, he saw action in two Super Bowls wins, including Super Bowl XVI in which he made a pivotal tackle of Cincinnati Bengal Charles Alexander to save the game. He's currently a part of Sports Specific Training, a Rocklin-based athlete-training outfit. But it was his acting side that got him in "North Dallas Forty" with Nick Nolte, who also starred in the flick "Northfork," co-written by ...5. Michael and Mark Polish. The twins who are usually linked with Rocklin actually graduated from Roseville High School (there was no Rocklin High at the time). While they've been involved in several aspects of the film industry - including the indie hits "Twin Falls, Idaho" and "Jackpot" - they finally found major mainstream success with "The Astronaut Farmer." The brothers co-wrote the film, in which Mark acted and Michael directed. The flick starred Billy Bob Thornton, who became a household name with his movie "Slingblade." But that movie was originally a short drama, titled "Some Folks Call It A Sling Blade." In it, the role of the reporter who interviews the main character was played by ...6. Molly Ringwald. The "Sixteen Candles" star was born in February 1968 in Roseville and appeared in dozens of films and TV shows. Her real start came in the ensemble cast hit "The Facts of Life." More recently, she headlined last year's touring revival of the Cy Coleman-Dorothy Fields musical "Sweet Charity." But one of her biggest roles was in "The Breakfast Club," which co-starred fellow Brat Packer Emilio Estevez, who played the title character in ...7. "Wisdom." The film, a portion of which was shot in Roseville, is about John Wisdom, who becomes a modern-day Robin Hood. Estevez's co-star in the film was Demi Moore, who appeared in "A Few Good Men" with actor Kevin Bacon. (Are you kidding? We couldn't resist!) Bacon, in turn, appeared in the documentary "The Directors," which featured an appearance by James Woods, star of ...8. "Diggstown." The 1992 movie, which co-starred Louis Gossett Jr., is the tale of a man who's been released from prison (Woods) and sets up a relationship with a boxer (Gossett), saying he can knock out 10 Diggstown men in a boxing ring within 24 hours. And the connection? It was filmed in Roseville.