The Beat

"Some peoplelike Biggie; some people like Tupac," says Eagles defensive end N.D. Kalu,referring to hip-hop's most infamous feud. "But you can like both ofthem." And so Kalu joined more than a dozen Eagles who, despite theirfriendships with quarterback Donovan McNabb, attended Terrell Owens's 32ndbirthday party in Atlantic City on Dec. 12. (Though the invitation promised"excessive partying" and "the hottest tight ends," McNabbdidn't show.) Eagles defensive end Jevon Kearse and ESPN's Michael Irvinmingled around a cash bar at The 40/40 Club until Owens arrived at midnight,surprising some by having agent Drew Rosenhaus, the architect of Owens'sspectacularly unsuccessful apology to McNabb and the Eagles, in tow. Notablyabsent were A-list invitees Michael Jordan, Barry Bonds and actors Jamie Foxxand Ben Affleck. "It wasn't no Hollywood, red-carpet, Grammy-typething," Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard says. "One to 10? It was in theeight range."

• 24 and House ofWax star Elisha Cuthbert (born in Calgary, raised in Montreal) takes her hockeyseriously enough to write Hollywood Hockey Thoughts, a blog on NHL.com. But itmay have been more than her appreciation of a rugged checking center that ledto her writing "Watch out for [the Kings'] Sean Avery" last month. Thepair were spotted lunching and holding hands when the Kings played in Torontoon Dec. 6, and Cuthbert (left) was in the stands at the Air Canada Centre towatch L.A. beat the Maple Leafs. That might explain why Avery was on his bestbehavior: The NHL's leader in penalty minutes, he managed to stay out of thebox.

• In 2004, beforehe was hired as USC's hoops coach, Tim Floyd had a summer job with Walt DisneyPictures, advising the cast of Glory Road (which opens Jan. 13). The movietells the story of the 1966 Texas Western team, the first with anall-African-American starting lineup to win the national title. Among thoseFloyd won over was actor Derek Luke (Friday Night Lights), who plays the lateMiners guard Bobby Joe Hill. "He got me to take the thinking out of mygame," says Luke. "He made basketball innate." Another lesson thatLuke learned: "Those short shorts are women magnets. Women love'em."

• Consider thedilemma facing 22-year-old Cal State--Los Angeles senior Laura Quinn when NotreDame and Ohio State tussle in the Fiesta Bowl: Her younger brother, Brady, isthe Fighting Irish quarterback--and she's dating Buckeyes linebacker A.J. Hawk.Asked who the loyalty-challenged aspiring sports broadcaster might root for,Hawk's mother, Judy, suggested Laura would sew together two jerseys. "Andif A.J. does touch Brady," she said, "I'm sure the camera will be onher a lot."

PICTURE THIS

Sometimes in life you meet that special someone who'sreally on the same wavelength. That's more or less what happened to KellySlater (right) of Florida and Kalani Chapman (left) of Hawaii at the PipelineMasters in Ehukai Beach Park, Hawaii, last Saturday. Slater is the reigningworld champion, but it was Hawaii's Andy Irons who shone at the Pipeline. Hewon the event to clinch a $40,000 payday and surfing's Triple Crown.

SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE

A translation guide on the British embassy's World Cupwebsite explains how to say "He puked his guts up" in German.

They Said It

ALAN THOMPSON, Australian national swimming coach, on atraining exercise that included a mock terrorist execution of his swimmers:

"In hindsight, if it was done again that may be anarea that would be deleted from the program."

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LUCY PEMONI/ICONSMI (PICTURE THIS)

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NICK LAHAM/GETTY IMAGES (THOMPSON)

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STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE.COM (CUTHBERT)