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TAMPA—At the ESPN Next party Friday night, hip-hopper Wyclef Jean said he'd already blogged that the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to trounce the Arizona Cardinal's in Sunday's Super Bowl.
"I feel like the Steelers are going to take it," said the former Fugee, speaking on the red carpet in a G-Star Raw red sporty jacket, Dolce & Gabbana jeans and white patent leather Bally sneakers.
But elsewhere in the party, Jared Fogel, better known as the spokesman for Subway sandwiches, said he loves a good underdog story and will be pulling for the Cardinals.
"My heart says the Cards, my head says the Steelers," he said, wearing a gray sports coat and pink shirt, mingling at the main bar inside the tent. "I love Scottsdale, and I hope the Cardinals are victorious; that would be an awesome surprise."
Other than that, most of the athletes, VIPs and ESPN broadcasters under the 22,000 square-foot white tent were more occupied with catching up with each other, spotting a glimpse of Lindsay Lohan or gaping at the go-go dancers wearing only half-shirts and gold and silver shiny briefs, with, oddly, suspenders hanging down.
And the biggest promised highlight of the party never happened. Hip-hop wunderkind Lil' Wayne was scheduled to blog live from the red carpet on behalf of ESPN.com. But the diminutive, heavily tattooed rapper best-known for the song "Lollipop" showed up after 11 p.m. and went straight into the party after granting a few red carpet interviews. It is worth noting that all of his teeth are covered with diamond-pave grills and that up-close, you can see his eyelid tattoos. These two facts do nothing to diminish his unlikely charm.
The invite-only bash in a parking lot in downtown Tampa hosted dozens of sports stars, as well as DJ Marcellus "Dat Dude" Wiley, DJ Samantha Ronson, her girlfriend Lindsay Lohan and their friends, Benji and Joel Madden, the twin frontmen of the emo-punk band Good Charlotte. Also stopping by to mingle at the all-VIP event, MC Hammer, without the weird pants, Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band, backing up Bruce Springsteen at the Super Bowl XLIII halftime show Sunday.
Ronson spun high-energy indie rock earlier in the evening such as M.I.A. and the Knife, but filled the dance floor later with Beyonce's latest "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)," and a Destiny's Child/Beyonce medley. All night, uniformed police officers stood near the DJ booth, keeping overeager fans at bay, but that Los Angeles-based group of hipsters were the only ones at the event with their own security detail.
Packs of NFL players, although no Arizona Cardinals, roamed the party where Old Spice, Patron and Castrol all sponsored bars and where black-clad hostesses handed out bags of candy, jersey-wearing waitresses handed out cocktails with names like Lime Lubber and the Quarterback Blitz.
The athletes wore a mix of designer gear ranging from Burberry to Louis Vuitton to Roca Wear, blending into the well-dressed crowd easily, except for the fact that they were three times as big and twice as good looking.
Valley couple Jim and Cindy Weber mingled at the center bar for most of the night, enjoying Ronson's set and waiting for Wyclef to take the stage. Jim is a co-owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cindy is a model in Phoenix and Chicago.
"We're just hanging out, having a good time," enthused Cindy. "Did you see Lindsay Lohan? She was just hanging out with her girlfriend. And she's great, really good, doing a great job with the music."
Jim added that he and Cindy are staying at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, where the Cardinals are staying.
"My favorite part has been the interaction with the players," he said. "You couldn't find a more cordial group of guys. They're all just real gentlemen."
