Is this a $20 breakfast?

We may have found the first flub in Tampa Bay's Super Bowl XLIII preparations.

Hundreds of NFL fans who attended this morning's Super Bowl Breakfast at USF's Sun Dome probably headed to a restaurant after the program, after their breakfasts turned out to be only an orange, a muffin and a small container of orange juice that was frozen solid.

Yes, this photo shows all they were fed for their $20. Most seemed satisfied with the spiritual nourishment offered onstage by former Bucs and Colts head coach Tony Dungy, Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award winner Warrick Dunn and other former NFL stars.

Fans in the cheap seats were supposed to receive breakfast burritos. The kitchen staff fell behind the demand early and never caught up. While VIPs dined on a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, strawberries, orange juice and coffee on the Sun Dome's floor, regular folks scarfed the muffins, didn't bother much with peeling the oranges and could only look longingly at the rock-solid orange juice cups.

Coffee was available for $2; espresso cost $1 extra.

USF student volunteers told fans puzzled by the slim menu that burritos would be delivered to people in the Sun Dome's upper decks. That didn't happen.

The volunteers faced a steady stream of fans returning to food tables, checking to see if burritos had been delivered. Only a few were at a time - most of them refrigerator cold, and quickly claimed by anyone lucky enough to be nearby when they arrived. At least one visitor received a cold egg and cheese omelet, apparently a leftover from the VIP diners.

Steve Persall, Times Staff Writer

Bush and Kardashian start their party circuit

CLEARWATER — Saints running back Reggie Bush has been to his share of red carpet parties, but as he and his girlfriend, reality show celebrity Kim Kardashian, rode in their limo to Wednesday night's Moves Magazine party at The Venue in Feather Sound, he promised her "a real party."

Bush and Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis hosted the party, complete with Lamborghinis in the parking lot, a Harley by the entrance, blaring hip-hop music, body-painted models, stretch limos and an athlete celebrity list that included All-Pros (Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez, former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, former Ravens tackle Jonathan Ogden, former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe, former Oilers running back Eddie George); All-Stars (Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard), and Hall of Famers (quarterback Warren Moon and running back Eric Dickerson).

It was the first local appearance for Bush and Kardashian, who might be Super Bowl week's "It" couple this week in Tampa Bay.

"When we're together, it's crazy," Bush said on the red carpet. "We're constantly getting stopped. When it's me, I can be kind of low key and move quickly in and out. It's part of the territory, but we like it."

Club Aja back in party mode

Aja (pronounced "Asia"), which the fire marshal shut down for a handful of violations during the club's opening last Saturday, is back in full swing. The venue, located in downtown Tampa's Channelside entertainment district, closed Sunday and Monday for repairs and employee training.

"The contractor missed one or two things," said general manager Dean Del Riccio. Organizers got the place up to code and even had time to install eight 52-inch televisions before reopening Tuesday for a friends-and-family gathering that included free admission and an open bar for guests forced out early on Saturday.

But the true test came Wednesday night during retired NFL player Chidi Ahanotu's Chidi Chidi Bang Bang Super Bash Party. The party, which went off without incident, was a trial run for this weekend, when Pamela Anderson, DJ AM, Jazzy Jeff and other celebs are scheduled to appear at Aja.

"Of course I'm walking through like, 'Are you guys going to be ready?' because I'm seeing people sawing wood and painting," Ahanotu said. "But it's just surface stuff. It's not structural things, so I was confident that they'd be ready for tonight."

-- Dalia Colon, Times Staff Writer

Photo: Chidi Ahanotu at Aja [Dallia Colon | Times] Click image to enlarge.

Jordin Sparks dinner: what's on the menu?

Tonight at 6:30 is the first of two charity events hosted by American Idol season 6 winner Jordin Sparks. The event, at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion restaurant across from International Plaza, will include an intimate performance by Sparks, an auction and of course dinner by chef Roy Yamaguchi and staff. Check out the menu below. Tickets are $100 general admission and $200 VIP, which includes a private meet-and-greet with Sparks. Get details at sparkscharities.org.

VIP menu
Kalbi Style Beef Short Ribs & Kim Chee Vegetables
Big Island Ahi Poke   Heirloom Tomatoes, Cucamelons, Inamona Jus, Crispy Wonton
Kobe Beef Sliders - Sweet Maui Onions
Edamame & Truffle Dumplings   Sesame Ginger Soy
Tempura Green Beans
Mini Crab Cakes   Togarashi Aioli
Kona Kampachi Nanbazuke   Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette
Mongolian Beef Maki   Avocado, Yamagobo, Kabayaki
Lakanilau Roll   Spicy Snow Crab, Tempura Asparagus, Kobe Beef, & White Truffle
Thai Style Shrimp Ceviche   
Fennel Crusted Filet Carpaccio Canapés      
    
General admission menu
Jasmine Fried Rice   Madras Curry Foam
Shrimp Potstickers   Firecracker Soy
Spicy Ahi Sushi Roll   Cucumber, Kaiware, Mango Puree
Lemongrass & Chili Infused Calamari
Vietnamese Pork Spring Rolls    
Indonesian Chicken Satays
Crispy Japanese Pork Belly   Coriander Chili Glaze
Smoked Salmon Cornets   Crème Fraiche

Desserts for all
Chocolate Butter Cream & Macadamia Nut Macaroons
Mini Coconut Haupias
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Curry Milk Chocolate Truffle
Kona Coffee “Cappuccino”   Pot de Crème
Dulce de Leche & Pistachio Petit Four

-- Dalia Colon, Times Staff Writer

Hard Rock turning into celebrity central

Are you a high roller? Then you'd better have a room at the Hard Rock.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is poised to become ground zero for celebrity-spotting during much of Super Bowl weekend, especially late at night, when every other Hillsborough bar has already poured its last drink. But there will be big stars on the playing floor all day.

Friday afternoon brings the Gridiron Greats Autograph Extravaganza, where NFL legends like Mike Ditka, Don Shula, Steve Largent, Tony Dorsett, Deacon Jones, Harry Carson and more will sign autograhps from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets are only $20, so expect this to be a popular -- and packed -- event.

On Friday night, Kevin "Johnny Drama" Dillon from Entourage will host a party called Revolution Tampa at the Hard Rock nightclub Floyd's, with Khloe Kardashian, Vida Guerra (right), Boris Kodjoe, Claudia Jordan and DJ Colleen Shannon. The event runs from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.; tickets are $125.

Then on Saturday, things really get crazy with an A-list party called Rock & Soul Super Saturday Night, with performances by will.i.am and DJ Ruckus, and invited (though not confirmed) guests including Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Paris Hilton, Christian Slater, Blake Lively, all three Kardashian sisters and more. This event is not open to the public.

The good news for fans? While it's not cool for you to harass celebrities while they're playing blackjack or poker, you can approach them on the casino floor and ask for an autograph. Just be polite about it.

What about the Hard Rock's guests? Everyone staying at the hotel this weekend will receive a swag bag full of loot like Arturo Fuente cigars, chocolates, mini liquor bottles, Council Oak steak sauce, T-shirts, pins, CDs and a calendar and playing cards featuring the Seminole Hard Rock Girls.

But nothing beats the swag you'll get if you're famous. Celebrity guests will also receive custom guitars, Vin T bikinis, tickets to a Billy Joel concert in Hollywood, jewelry, Dom Perignon and more.

Times photo (2007): Daniel Wallace

Rattlefish reopens in time for Super Bowl

You can classify the Super Bowl as a miracle worker because it's brought an old Tampa favorite back to life.

The Rattlefish Raw Bar & Grill, which once drew throngs to its waterfront location south of Gandy Boulevard before closing nearly three years ago, reemerges this week as the new and improved Hula Bay Club at 520 W Tyson Ave. It kicks off the grand opening with three celebrity-filled parties for Super Bowl Week.

Nick Lachey and NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson host a charity fundraiser Friday; Playboy Playmate Stephanie Larimore plays host to a bikini contest Saturday afternoon; and rocker Dave Navarro heads the list for a Saturday night party. The afternoon party includes a provision for boaters for $2,500.

Guests will find an expanded restaurant (now 14,000 square feet) offering casual Florida fare with sushi and tapas. It also includes a tiki bar and what is being billed as Florida's longest outdoor bar. Hula Bay will continue to operate after the big weekend. Hours will be Tuesdy and Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 3 a.m.; Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Closed Mondays.

Go to www.hulabayclub.com or call 813-837-HULA (4852) for tickets and more information.

-- ERNEST HOOPER

Live from Channelside

What is usually a modest stage for cover bands in the middle of Channelside Bay Plaza quickly turned into a flashy ESPN Radio set Saturday afternoon.

“The Mike Tirico and Scott Van Pelt Show” will broadcast live from the Channelside courtyard Monday through Friday from 1-4. “The Herd with Kevin Cowherd” will be at the same site from 9-1.

“The Mike and Mike Show,” hosted by Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, will broadcast live a few steps away from ESPN’s main set at Cotanchobee Park behind the St. Pete Times Forum starting Monday morning from 6-10.

For a complete schedule of live ESPN Radio broadcasts, click HERE.

-- Eduardo A. Encina, Times staff writer

Hundreds of football fans flock to NFL Experience

[P.J. Mustain takes his brother Cory's picture at the NFL Experience. AP photo]
View more photos

TAMPA -- Hundreds of football fans passed and punted footballs today at the NFL Experience, the league's interactive gaming complex just south of Raymond James Stadium.

Although many said they don't have tickets to next week's Super Bowl game, they were excited to meet Tampa Bay Buccaneers players, compete in football-related obstacle courses and get their pictures taken next to the shiny Vince Lombardi trophy.

The NFL Experience will be open through 10 tonight, Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m., Friday from 3 to 10 p.m. and next Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

-- Jessica Vander Velde, Times staff writer

Slinky swimsuits slated for MOSI parties

Plastinated human bodies aren't the only things being laid bare at Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry.

The two potentially huge Super Bowl parties slated for the museum will include some serious skin thanks to local designer Adjanys Marrero. Her hand-crocheted swimsuits and cover-ups, neither of which do much covering, will be part of the fashion shows at the Under the Veil parties hosted by Jermaine Dupri on Jan. 30 and Nelly and Antonio Tarver on Jan. 31.

Marrero, a 30-year-old fashion photographer in St. Petersburg, started Adjani Couture in May 2007, inspired by the crocheted bathing suits her grandmother made in their native Puerto Rico. But these aren't grandma's bathing suits. The designs feature plunging necklines, bared tummies and barely there bottoms.

"I put a little modern twist on them," Marrero giggled.

She's looking forward to getting exposure with the high-rolling partygoers. The parties' VIP tickets cost $600. Janet Jackson, Jamie Foxx and Vivica Fox are among the celebrities expected to attend. 

Colleen Jenkins, Times staff writer

More problems for Lingerie Bowl

More problems have hit the Lingerie Bowl, but organizers say the game will go on.

Some players have quit the team over a pay dispute and because they object to holding the game at a nudist resort, said Lingerie Bowl quarterback Reby Sky of Temple Terrace and an agent who represents some Tampa Breeze players.

"I don't have anything against the lifestyle," Sky said, referring to the shift to a nudist resort. "But we as players were having a hard enough time dealing with and defending against the negative stigmas and stereotypes associated with the sport and playing attire before it was announced that we would be playing at a nudist resort."

But Horizon Productions, a Los Angeles company that runs the Lingerie Football League and its games, criticized the players who left the team, saying they were dismissed "because of their overall lack of preparation and attitude."

"We literally have a roster of thousands of models in the Tampa area and around the country that want desperately to be part of the LFL and Tampa Breeze," Horizon Productions spokesman Stephon McMillen said in a prepared statement. "These players are simply bitter about being released and were replaced immediately." 

The Jan. 31 Lingerie Bowl VI, which is to air on pay-per-view during the Super Bowl halftime, was originally to be held on a vacant lot in West Tampa, but neighbors objected. Tampa City Council members also disapproved, saying organizers hadn't obtained proper insurance and permits.

Rumors swirled that the Lingerie Bowl might not happen, but Horizon Productions found a new home for the game at the Caliente clothing-optional resort in Pasco County.

Some players apparently bristled at that idea.

Ricker Yankowski, who represents six players through his St. Petersburg agency Models Without Attitude, said Horizon Productions failed to pay the players Dec. 3 as promised and that the company now says it will pay $1,000 to each player on game day -- about 70 percent less than the players thought they would get. He said at least three of his players have quit, and more resignations may happen. 

"I never thought it would come down to this," Yankowski said. "Taking these girls away from home and family and work, then paying them a lot less, then making them play at a nudist resort, is below moral."

Sky, 22, a model whose real name is Rebecca Reyes, said players' "contracts were voided and the schedules and stipulations were all rearranged."

"Had things remained as they were promised, this would all be a different story," she said. "I don't want this to come back and hurt my career in the future."

That's fine, said McMillen.

"The game will go on," he said, "only with more talented and team-oriented players."

To order tickets for the Jan. 31 Lingerie Bowl, call (877) 993-8499 or visit www.lingeriebowl.com. General admission tickets start are $35 in advance, $50 at the door on game day. VIP and Platinum tickets are also available.

Emily Nipps, Times staff writer

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The Bunnies are coming!

Playboy officially cancelled its annual Super Bowl party last week. But fear not — Tampa Bay will still be stocked with Playmates during Super Bowl weekend.

Want proof? Check out Pied Piper Productions’ Models and Bottles Party on Jan. 31 at Jackson’s Bistro in Tampa.

The bash will feature no fewer than 11 Playboy Playmates, including: Sara Jean Underwood and Jayde Nicole, the mag’s Playmates of the Year in 2007 and 2008, respectively; the Ikki Twins (above) from MTV’s A Double Shot at Love; WWE diva Ashley Massaro; and DJs Crystal Ellis and Tamara Sky. With all the Bunnies on hand, it’s easy to overlook the other stars: DJ Benji Maddon of Good Charlotte (and Paris Hilton’s ex), and WWE diva Kelly Kelly.

General admission tickets are $45 for women and $95 for men, with VIP tickets at $75 for women and $175 for men. All-access tickets, tables and cabanas are $350 to $1,995. For more info, visit piedpiperproductions.com.

Jackson's Bistro is also hosting the top-shelf Leather & Laces Party with Jenny McCarthy, Carmen Electra and Kim Kardashian on Jan. 30. For details, click here.

(Photo via IkkiTwins.com)

Dunn a finalist for Bart Starr Award

The Bucs’ Warrick Dunn is among the three finalists for the 2009 Bart Starr Award for athletes of exemplary character, to be awarded Jan. 31 at the 22nd annual Super Bowl Breakfast at 8 a.m. Jan. 31 at the USF Sun Dome.

Dunn is nominated for his work with the Warrick Dunn Foundation, which provides homes and relief for underprivileged families. The other nominees are Cardinals QB Kurt Warner and Saints QB Drew Brees.

Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, LaDainian Tomlinson, Reggie White, Mike Singletary and Cris Carter are among the previous Bart Starr Award winners. Brooks, Lee Roy Selmon, Tony Dungy, Anthony Munoz and Starr himself are among the players scheduled to attend.

Plenty of tickets to the event are still on sale for $20, which includes a box meal. That’s a huge break for fans — in years past, tickets to the event cost $150 apiece. To purchase, click here. For more information, head to superbowlbreakfast.com.

(Times photo: Mike Pease)

ESPN brings in Wyclef, Kingston, Lil Wayne

As some of us have suspected, ESPN's Super Bowl party will feature an appearance by Lil Wayne. But it won't be Lil Wayne the rapper -- it'll be Lil Wayne the journalist.

Weezy, who in recent months has blogged for ESPN about the Rays-Phils World Series and gone head to head with Skip Bayless on ESPN First Take, will report as a blogger from the red carpet of ESPN The Magazine's NEXT Big Weekend presented by Ford F-150. 

Weezy will camp out to stalk celebrities from the red carpet at the Mag's VIPs-only NEXT Party at 9 p.m. Jan. 30 in a converted parking lot at 202 S Morgan St. in downtown Tampa. Wyclef Jean will be the headlining performer, with DJ appearances by Samantha Ronson and ESPN's own Marcellus Wiley.

You probably won't get into the NEXT Party. But that's okay, because on Saturday, Jan. 31, ESPN is hosting its NEXT-Day Tailgate, a free fan event at the same location. Fans can check out the APV Pro Beach Volleyball team on a custom sand court throughout the day, a special live jump from the Red Bull Energy Drink Aerial Skydive Team, appearances by NFL players and the No. 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice car, and a host of interactive games, activities and food from Skipper's Smokehouse.

There will be entertainment, too -- Sean Kingston is your headliner, with support from Tampa's own reggae rockers Impulse and the USF marching band.

(Photo: AP)

Costner, Strahan land 'Spectacular' gig

Kevin Costner is a popular guy around Tampa Bay. He’s a regular at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am in Lutz, and last fall, his band, Modern West, composed a rah-rah jingle for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Now he’s plotting his own Super Bowl party in Tampa.

Costner and Michael Strahan will host this year’s Saturday Night Spectacular at 8 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Pepin Hospitality Centre. The event will feature a performance by the avant-garde circus Circue USA; Starship Supergroup, a classic-rock supergroup composed of members of Jefferson Starship, Toto, Survivor and the Dazz Band; and, yes, Costner and Modern West (in case you just can’t get enough of It’s All Up To You).

The charity listed as a beneficiary of the event is named for Matthew Tryson Bryant, Bucs kicker Matt Bryant’s 3-month-old son who died suddenly in September. (The charity is still in the works.)

Individual tickets to the party are $875. For more info, visit saturdaynightspectacular.com.

For the past few months, the rumor mill had John Travolta, not Costner, hosting this event, as he did last year in Arizona and the year before in Miami. A cached version of the 2009 Saturday Night Spectacular Web site found through Google featured a “Host biography” of Travolta (a publicist for the party said that page was outdated), and in November, Survivor's Jimi Jamison listed the gig on his personal Web site as a John Travolta Super Bowl party.

But following last week’s death of Travolta’s teenage son, Jett, it’s tough to imagine the actor making the rounds during this year’s game. He was also due to appear at a 15th-anniversary screening of Pulp Fiction on Jan. 29 in St. Pete, but organizers said that event has been postponed indefinitely.

Vida Guerra needs a TO (hey, that's a pun)

Gridiron Celebrity Hoops XI – "the first and only charity basketball game to become officially sanctioned by the National Football League," according to a release - will be held Jan. 31 at Jefferson High.
Promoters promise "NFL legends, Hollywood ‘A-listers,’ streetballers, NFL mascots, cheerleaders, high school dance teams and marching bands will join professional athletes" at the cahrity event.
When/where
Event time 6:30 p.m.; doors open 5:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on www.footballhoops.com, or charge by phone at 301-868-8856. A percentage of the ticket sales benefits Junior Achievers Motivated to Succeed USA (Junior Achievers).Pre-game show: Casely and Tampa natives, Soldja Boyz.
The stars: Cowboys WR Terrell Owens; model Vida Guerra (who will coach); actor Brian White; Dawn Richards and Qwanell “Q” Mosley from MTV’s hit reality TV show, “Making the Band”;
Tickets: $40 for the Outer Court Seats; $60 for Center Court Seats; and $250 for the VIP Reserved Floor Seats.

Tryouts for the Snoop Bowl this Saturday

Does your child like youth football? Is he or she down with the Snoop D-O-double-G?

If so, check out Saturday's tryouts for the Snoop Bowl, Snoop Dogg's annual youth football game. Promoters are looking for 10-, 11- and 12-year-old football players to suit up against the rapper's Snoop Dogg All-Stars during the game, which will take place at 1 p.m. Jan. 31.

Tryouts start at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at Gaither High School, 16200 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. All participants must have been 10 or 11 years old on Aug. 1, 2008; must be accompanied by a parent or guardian; and must have copies of a birth certificate, report card and photo. The maximum weight is 125 pounds for 10-year-olds and 115 pounds for 11-year-olds.

Celebrity coaches are former Buc Mike Alstott and Snoop Dogg himself. The game will feature appearances by NFL stars Jared Allen, Raheem Brock, Andre Johnson and Max Starks, as well as Bucs Michael Clayton, Kevin Carter and Greg "Stylez G." White.

The tryouts are free and non-contact, though you must bring cleats and workout clothes. For details, including a registration form, visit capture-events.com.

If your little one is more into cheerleading, sign her up for the Snoop Bowl Cheerleading Clinic. There are two sessions: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Lightning City Gymnastics, 14214 N Nebraska Ave., Tampa; and 10 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 31 at Gaither High School. Girls ages 5 to 12 are welcome to participate. Registration is $40. For details, visit capture-events.com.

Ditka preps his own Super Bowl Shuffle

Da Coach is getting in da game.

Hall of Famer Mike Ditka will host Gridiron Greats, a four-day series of star-studded events benefitting the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Here's the lineup:

Jan. 28: Ditka, Bob Costas and dozens of NFL players and military personnel will get together for a "Dinner of Champions" at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa. Gale Sayers, Michael Irvin, Jim McMahon and Eric Dickerson are among the stars scheduled to appear. The dinner is 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $500; sponsorship packages are still available.

Jan. 29: Ditka hosts "Da Coach's Championship Week Golf Classic" at Avila Golf and Country Club in Tampa. It's $1,000 per person or $4,000 per foursome. Teeoff is 8 a.m.

Jan. 30: One of your best bets to get autographs from NFL legends might be the Gridiron Greats Autograph Extravaganza at the Hard Rock. Among those lined up to attend: Ditka, Don Shula, Steve Largent, Marv Levy, Tony Dorsett, Deacon Jones and Anthony Munoz. The event runs 2 to 5 p.m.; tickets are just $20 per person.

Jan. 31: Grab your gun for the Gridiron Greats Sporting Clay event, scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Tenoroc Shooting Center in Lakeland. If you are as intrigued by the possibility of Michael Irvin holding a gun as we are, this might be the event for you. Individual tickets start at $600; foursomes are $2,400. For more details, click here.

For more information about any of Ditka's Gridiron Greats events, go to gridirongreats.org.

(Photo: AP)

Pam, Holly, Kendra, DJ AM, Jazzy Jeff coming to Channelside

It hasn’t even opened yet, and already, new Channelside nightspot Aja has a weekend's worth of big-time Super Bowl parties lined up.

On Jan. 29, the new club at the Towers of Channelside will stage a superstar DJ show pairing DJ Jazzy Jeff with DJ AM. Tickets are $50, making this a pretty decent deal, relatively speaking, for a Super Bowl party. (It's also a good chance to see DJ AM, who's providing the tunes for the Maxim Party on Jan. 30 at the Ritz Ybor.)

Jan. 30 brings "Friday Night Blitz," co-hosted by former Hugh Hefner girlfriends Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson of The Girl Next Door, and featuring appearances by a slew of NFL players, including the Bucs' Alex Smith and the Redskins' Deangelo Hall. Tickets are $300.

Finally, "Athletes and Angels," starring Pamela Anderson, Simeon Rice, DJ Vice and a host of NFL players, will take place from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Jan. 31.

"(Anderson) was bringing her kids to the football game, and she wanted to do some kind of event while she was in town," said Enrique de Jesus, one of the partners in the property. She’ll be sitting in the middle of the venue, so ticketholders  may get to mingle with the Baywatch babe.  Tickets are on sale  now for $300. For ticket info on any of Aja's Super Bowl parties, visit ajachannelside.com/superbowl.

If you can’t wait until Super Bowl weekend to check out the sleek, 12,000-square-foot club, Aja will host a grand opening party at 9 p.m. Jan. 16 featuring a performance by DJ Sky Nellor. Tickets are $20 at ajachannelside.com; Call (301) 367-2553 for a table reservation.

The club is located at 290 S Meridian Ave., Tampa.

Hall of Fame luncheon set for the Columbia

The Fourth Annual Super Bowl Pro Football Hall of Fame luncheon is set for noon on Jan. 30 at Ybor City's historic Columbia Restaurant. Merlin Olson will host the event, and confirmed guests include Bob Griese, Roger Staubach, Thurman Thomas and Lee Roy Selmon. Only 175 tickets -- at $1,250 a pop -- will be sold. A Hall-of-Famer will be seated at each table, and ticket holders will receive a limited edition Dick Butkus autographed lithograph. Sponsorship opportunities are $25,000, $50,000 (includes two Super Bowl tickets) and $150,000 (includes four game tickets.) For more information, click here.

Brooks & Dunn Golf Classic cancelled

Add another big Super Bowl party to the list of events cancelled due to the economy.

The Brooks & Dunn Inaugural Golf Classic, a celebrity party and golf tournament hosted by Bucs Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks and scheduled for Jan. 29-30 in Tampa, has been cancelled, officials with both players' charities said Monday.

Natalie Boe, executive director for the Warrick Dunn Foundation, said -- and stop us if you've heard this one before -- the dismal economy was a definite factor.

"We had been fortunate in securing just over $100,000 in sponsorships; however, we were still short of our goal of $200,000," Boe said. "Their concern was that with only six weeks to go before the event -- and two of those weeks being holiday weeks, with a lot of people not having their budgets reevaluated for January -- we were afraid we wouldn't get that commitment for the event."

Boe added that it had been difficult to line up celebrities to jump on board, which made it tough to justify the $10,000-per-foursome price tag for sponsors. She said sponsors and people who had signed up to play in the Brooks & Dunn tournament have already been notified about refunds.

Still, both Buccaneers will be visible around town at other fundraisers during Super Bowl week.

Dunn -- who famously builds homes for the underprivileged through his Warrick Dunn Foundation -- will be part of SuperBuild, an NFL-endorsed event designed to erect six Habitat for Humanity homes in the days leading up to the game. Get details on how to donate at habitatsuperbuild.com.

And Brooks will be part of the Ebony Fashion Fair, a fashion show at the Tampa Theatre that will benefit his Derrick Brooks Charities Youth Auxiliary Rites of Passage Program. Tickets to that event are $35; get more details at derrickbrookscharities.org. Brooks is also slated to attend the Athletes in Action Super Bowl Breakfast on Super Bowl Sunday at the USF Sun Dome. Tickets to that event are just $20 at superbowlbreakfast.com.

And both players are still moving ahead with their respective annual golf tournaments -- Dunn's will take place in April, and Brooks will hold his June 7-8 at Old Memorial Golf Course.