Links: She Kissed A Girl

by Lang Whitaker

It’s 3:42 a.m. according to my body clock, and it’s just past 1:30 a.m. here in Phoenix, so I’m gonna keep this quick.

Ryne and I left the Rookie/Sophomore Game and hooked up with my main man Arash Markazi from SI. We all three headed over to a hotel in Scottsdale where T-Mobile and Dwyane Wade were throwing a party. Once we made it through the velvet ropes, we were asked to walk the red carpet. Right. we turned a corner and found Katy Perry standing there, vamping for the cameras. I led the rest of us behind the cameras and out to the party, where we found Yao Ming kicking it in front of a roaring fire and my main man Sal Masekela chilling on a stage. Sal was there to emcee the event for what they’re calling Shot Of A Lifetime, which was to launch a contest where one lucky fan and five of their friends will have the chance to play HORSE against D-Wade at the Eastern Conference Finals, with the opportunity to win $50,000. (Find out more here or text MYSHOT to 72579 to enter.)

To demonstrate the event, or something, they had several celebrities, including the lovely Eliza Dushku and that guy from “Scrubs” who’s at every NBA event, and some people I’d never heard of (Zach Levi?) awkwardly shoot some hoops with D-Wade. Then they cleared out and Katy Perry took the stage. She sang a bunch of songs nobody knew and then closed it out with “I Kissed A Girl,” which, unfortunately, did not produce the rumored effect all over the dance floor (though Perry did smooch some chick in the front row). There were a few hundred people there but not so many that we couldn’t basically just walk right up to the stage and get a good view of the, ahem, festivities.

img00122After Katy finished, my main man (and ATLien) Jermaine Dupri (left) got behind the wheels of steel and starting spinning, mixing old and new and even getting Terrell Owens up behind the ones and twos with him. Oh, and the Jabberwockees, or whatever their name is, took over the dance floor for a while and made everyone at the party feel bad for trying to dance.

Ben came back from his Reebok event and met up with us, and he allowed Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp to provide the line of the night. Also saw Alonzo Mourning, Gabrielle Union and…well, I can’t remember. It’s too late.

Now I’m beat. And I have to get up in a few hours and get back on my grind.

All-Star, baby.