Jay-Z Commands Star-Studded Guest List

It's no secret that Jay-Z is an avid sports fan or that athletes warm up to Jay-Z's music before game time. So when the Jigga man opened his new '40/40 Club' in Atlantic City last week, the superstars came out.

Magic Johnson, Terrell Owens, Eddie George, Barry Bonds and Serena Williams all showed up to support their favorite rapper.

"I'm inspired by [Jay-Z]," Serena Williams said from the red carpet. "He's an entrepreneur. He started from so very little and has so much. I'm inspired by him because I'm on that same road. I started from very little, and I'm aspiring to be like him."

Jay is also planning a 40/40 Club in Las Vegas and one in Los Angeles. He's currently working with Magic Johnson to get the L.A. spot popping.

"I think we both saw that we're both doing some big things," Magic told MTV about why he wanted to partner with Jay. "When two people are doing big things and grew up the same way, just in different arenas, it's time for us to do things together. We have the same mindset; he dominated in his field, I dominated in my field. It's positive that the hip-hop arena and basketball arena cross over. It's all about entertainment."

Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, T.I. and Timbaland were in the house as well.

The next night, Jay held his much anticipated 'I Declare War' concert at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey (Click here for BV's coverage). LeBron James was on hand to see Jay and Nas unite on stage as well as watch performances from Kanye West, The Lox, Young Jeezy, Paul Wall, T.I. and others. He did the show all over again the next night at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

Brandy Covers Her Q-Rich Tattoo

Yeah, there really isn't a chance that R&B songstress Brandy and NBA 3-point champ Quentin Richardson will be getting back together… Ever! According to various reports, Q-Rich took back the $1 million engagement ring he gave to Brandy.

In response, Brandy went through the painful process of turning a tattoo on her back from an image of Richardson to one of a cat. Meow!

Ron Artest Preps Album for January

Ron Artest debuted his video a while back for his upcoming album. Although the video was somewhat cheesy, Artest is still moving forward with his album, 'New York,' shooting for a January release date.

"Mike Jones is on the record, Big Pokey from Houston, 112, Nas, Havoc," Artest recently told MTV.com. "Prodigy, Nature. The album is crazy. It's called New York cause I'm just reppin', keeping it simple. The first single is the one with Mike Jones called 'Get Low.' It's a 'hood 'Rocky' type joint. It's gonna get you amped up, get you ready to throw a couple of punches. I got another called 'Oh Yeah.' I got tracks for the ladies, for old people. I got tracks for [Latino] people. And you know I got tracks for the 'hood. It's crazy. I got records people not gonna like. It's controversial. Some people don't like me when I rap. They say I shouldn't rap, but I'm gonna spit some bars. My songs is gonna be crazy and blend in right with the industry, and they not gonna like that."

We're sold!

Artest also announced that he's working on a video game that combines boxing and basketball. Artest said that when playing basketball in the game, you can take out your frustrations in a boxing ring, which will feature basketball players pitted against each other.

"If you wanna get into a little scuffle, but you can't fight 'cause you might get suspended, you go to the boxing ring," Artest said. "And it's not any NBA players, its 'hood legends. The 'hood be fighting with each other. After you knock somebody, you go back and play."

Artest wishes that would've happened last year.

Sports Legends Rice, Malone, Dorsett Join Reality Show

Ever think, 'I could have covered Jerry Rice on that play' or 'I can shoot free throws with a blindfold and still do better than Karl Malone'? Well Spike TV is giving you a chance to prove it. In April, the cable network will be launching 'Pros vs. Joes', a reality series that puts your average loud-mouth sports fan against the great athletes who played basketball, football, baseball, soccer and other sports.

Each week, three Joes will go up against a superstar team of five Pros. The Joes and Pros will be put through different challenges that will test their athletic skills, physical stamina and brute strength. Pros will be challenged not only in their own sports, but will compete in other contests as well.

Some of the athletes slated to participate include Rice, Malone, Bo Jackson, Dominique Wilkins, Tony Dorsett, Mugsy Bogues, Herschel Walker, Clyde Drexler and other sports legends.

Is it fair for us young bucks to take out these old fogies? Come on now!

Magic Pitches Celebrity H-O-R-S-E Show

Magic Johnson is also getting into the reality show craze, as if he doesn't already have enough business interests. He's currently pitching a show called 'Celebrity HORSE,' a reality series where celebrities would compete in a game of H-O-R-S-E. With the success of Celebrity Poker, and Dancing with the Stars, Magic along with former "Weakest Link" producer, Phil Gurin are hoping the H-O-R-S-E idea catches on with networks.

For those who don't know what HORSE is, it's a street basketball game where one competitor shoots from a random spot on the basketball court. If he or she makes the shot, the other competitors must follow suit. Those who miss the shot, rack up the letters H-O-R-S-E. Of course, the winners would have money go to their respective charities.

About the Author:

Quibian Salazar-Moreno is a freelance writer living in Denver and a regular contributor to AOL Black Voices. You can e-mail him or visit his Web site to talk sports, entertainment and everything in between.