Too Many Partiers in Houston

Would it be believable that there was just too much stuff to do in Houston last weekend? Luckily we had spies all over the city giving us the lowdown on what was hot and what was not.

For some folks, the weekend started Friday night at Zo & Magic’s 8-Ball Challenge at Jillian’s. Alonzo Mourning hosted the event with Queen Latifah, Fat Joe, Magic Johnson, Ice Cube, Dwyane Wade, Vince Young, Ludacris, and even Matthew McConaughey.

On the same night La Strada was where BET was hosting its Welcome to Houston party, but apparently, no one was there. The folks at the Houston Chronicle said there were no celebs, no fans, just empty.

LL Cool J, Evander Holyfield and a few others showed up at the Grand Room for Def Jam’s Ladies Night Out party. But the biggest bash, it seems was TNT’s shindig, which we don't know anything about. But we did hear about the ESPN party at the Mercury Room which hosted “Celebrity Domino Games”, yeah, that’s right, dominoes. Lil Flip, P. Diddy, Snoop Dogg and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders were all in the house.

LeBron’s gig over at Meridian was dead according to folks at the Houston Chronicle. Yup, another party where no one showed up. Michael Jordan’s gig however, the Air Jordan XXI Launch Party & Private Air Jordan Collection Auction, was off the hook. John Legend and Goapele performed for a crowd that included P. Diddy, Fat Joe, Mark Cuban and several other celebs and athletes.

Apparently one of the hottest parties of the weekend was Puma's soiree at Houston Studios. It was also to introduce new shoe designs by Ludacris and Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier. Some of the lucky guests got some fresh Puma bags.

Another talked-about gig was the Ultimate T-Mobile Experience in downtown Houston. It had the most celebrity power of the entire weekend with Beyonce, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, Slim Thug, Jermaine Dupri, Warren Moon, Paul Wall, MC Lyte and Jay-Z.

Of course the weekend had to end with bang, and only the kind of bang you would expect at a hip-hop club. Actually, check out the story from someone who came to see hip-hop group UGK reunite only to have the night end with him actually running for his life.

See you in Vegas next year!

The Bus Stops at NBC

Since winning the Super Bowl after playing in the NFL for 13 seasons, Jerome Bettis is now taking on a new career in broadcasting. The Bus in a suit and tie? Yeah, it’s hard to picture, but Bettis will work as an analyst for NBC’s Sunday night football games.

"I am looking forward to this new opportunity and to still be involved in the game I love," Bettis told the Associated Press. His first game will be Sept. 7 when the Steelers will receive their Super Bowl rings.

"It will be the proudest night of my life," Bettis said. "I will finally get my ring and I will start my new career in television in front of all the Steelers fans."

Bettis also recently signed an endorsement deal with PLB Sports to endorse his own cereal, Bettis World Championship Crunch. No word on when this one will be hitting stores.

Jay-Z, Nets Looking for Theme Song

For those of you who keep emailing us asking us hook you up with cats in the industry or get your group some shine on the site, well, sorry, we don’t do that; but you can participate in Nets Theme Song contest.

Jay-Z and the Nets are looking for an original theme song for the basketball team by up-and-coming artists. The winning artist of the selected song will be able to kick it with Jigga, perform the song at a Nets game and record it at a New York studio. The song will also be put in rotation for Nets home games. Reps from the Nets and Hot 97 in New York will choose the best three songs and Jay will pick the winner.

For you aspiring artists, you can submit songs up until March 5 at Whosnextonline.com. For you haters, you can listen and diss the wack songs at the same site.

T.O. Gets a Reality Show

Anybody tired of T.O. yet? Hope not, because everyone is about to get a lot more of him. Reality show producers Banyan Productions announced that they have reached an agreement with Terrell Owens to produce a reality television series starring... him.

"Terrell Owens is one of the most talked about and dominating athletes in all of sports. He's also honest, articulate and one of the most physically fit competitors in the country," said Ray Murray of Banyan Productions, mostly known for producing TLC’s Trading Spaces. "We're looking forward to tapping into all of those qualities to create an original and groundbreaking series."

Apparently T.O. will host the show. He will also have guests from the sports world, as well as have the cameras follow him around as he works out and trains for the new NFL season. The show doesn’t have a title yet and they haven’t sold the show to a network yet either, but Murray says that there’s a lot of interest. Here’s a show idea, have Donovan McNabb show up as a surprise guest!