T.O. Makes a Living Off Other People's Mouths

Even though Terrell Owens has squashed his beef with most of his Philadelphia Eagles teammates, he's still making sure he has backup a plan in case football doesn't work out. The controversial wide receiver has jumped into the music scene with Dirty South Studios, an Atlanta-based recording studio founded by Owens and friend Theron Smith. Earlier this summer, the studio was hopping with the likes of Ruben Studdard, Young Jeezy, 112 and Jaime Foxx coming through to record.

"It's an opportunity for artists to perfect their craft," Owens told The Associated Press. "They're getting their grind on, and I respect that. I want to help them be successful."

The facility started as a hobby two years ago but has mushroomed into a serious studio once artists realized Owens was involved. Dirty South still only has two recording studios, but Owens plans to expand it to accommodate more studios and also house offices for his Alzheimer’s disease foundation.

As for the recording side, Owens says he wants to stay off the tracks. That’ll last. Deion Sanders says hi, T.O.

In other T.O. news, last week Owens announced he would auction off his 2004 NFC Championship Ring to benefit the Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts. The auction officially started Sept. 9, but had to be cancelled because of too many fraudulent bids. The auction will resume within the next week. For more information, check out his Web site. Click under the tab that says "How to wreck a team even when your intentions are good."

Marcus Camby Heads to Africa

As part of the NBA Basketball without Borders Program, Denver Nugget Marcus Camby has been spending some time in the motherland, teaching kids how to play defense. Camby, along with Dikembe Mutombo, L.A. Clipper Mamadou N'diaye, and Detroit's Darvin Ham, headed to the American International School of Johannesburg in South Africa to work with 106 players under 19 from 25 African countries.

"I have never been to Africa," Camby told the Denver Post. "It's always been a dream of mine. It's a great opportunity. I get to touch lives of people from my homeland and my blood."

Not only did Camby teach on court skills, but also held off-court seminars about education, leadership, character, healthy living and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.

Rasheed Wallace & Donovan McNabb Go Head to Head

Before the Falcons took it to McNabb on Monday night, the Detroit Pistons' Rasheed Wallace was handing it to him on the softball field. The two superstar athletes hosted the 3rd Annual Rasheed Wallace vs. Donovan McNabb Softball Celebrity Classic last week in Camden, N.J. The softball game raised funds for Wallace’s foundation for underprivileged children and McNabb’s foundation for diabetes research. In addition to raising money for their foundations, the game also hosted a bottled water drive for the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Wallace's squad beat McNabb's 6-4 despite a first inning homer by McNabb. Other celebs in the house included rapper Ms. Jade, actress Sonja Sohn ('The Wire'), Fatman Scoop, Eagle Todd Pinkston, New Jersey Nets center Marc Jackson, Seattle Supersonics guard Rick Brunson, Musiq (Soulchild) and others.

Ray Lewis Launches Line of Health Drinks and Bars

Last week Medifast announced it has partnered with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis to launch his own line of health and nutrition products. The line, "Ray Lewis Take Shape America Nutrition," will feature high protein sports performance shakes for men and women, and energy shakes and bars for weight management and healthy living.

"Nobody's more serious about health and fitness than me and staying fit is my top priority," Lewis said in a statement. “That's why I've teamed up with Medifast, a leader in clinical nutrition, to bring my fans a line of products that are packed with everything the body needs to get in better shape and improve their health. I use the products every day as part of my training."

In conjunction with the launch of the products, Ray Lewis also launched a Web site for fans to check out his workout regimen and meal plans as well as Ray's fitness challenge.

"I'll show you how to get into shape my way, using the same sports nutrition foods I use every day in combination with my favorite workouts," Lewis said. "Take my Challenge, you'll see results."

Dance lessons are not included.

Athletes Continue With Relief-Effort Giving

Besides the successful NBA All-Star charity game on Sunday in Houston, athletes are still giving as much as they can to the Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts. Before heading down south last week LeBron James helped load four tractor trailers with diapers, food, school supplies and other items for victims of Hurricane Katrina. King James copped about $120,000 worth of supplies from Sam’s Club in Fairlawn, Ohio to be sent to Mississippi, Louisiana and Houston.

In Denver, Nuggets guard Greg Buckner along with forward Kenyon Martin stood on downtown Denver sidewalks with buckets, collecting cash donations along with food, water, clothing, toys and books to give to New Orleans evacuees, who have been given shelter at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver.

"Any time something like this happens, it's always a no-brainer to try to find a way to give back," Buckner told the Rocky Mountain News "The community of Denver is a very close-knit family and it's all about trying to help. We had a big response from the community. It's unbelievable."

Later on, Buckner and the Nuggets, along with some Denver Broncos, hosted "Party With a Purpose" at Rise nightclub in an effort to raise even more money. The soiree last until 2AM.

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.