The Beat

KEKE PALMER (right), best known for her breakout performance as the title character in Akeelah and the Bee, will star opposite Ice Cube in Comeback. Based on a true story and directed by Limp Bizkit front man Fred Durst, the film, to be released this summer, tells the story of Jasmine Plummer. In 2003 the 11-year-old girl from Harvey, Ill., became the first female QB to lead a team to the Pop Warner Super Bowl.... LeBron James has helped Mike Flynt, the 59-year-old grandfather who played linebacker for Sul Ross State University in Texas last season (SI, Sept. 24, 2007), land a book deal. In December, Flynt signed with James's athlete management company, LRMR Innovative Marketing & Branding, and last month Flynt got a two-book contract with the publisher Thomas Nelson Inc. (A fitness book is planned in addition to Flynt's autobiography.) "It's a great story," said James. "It's about a guy who never gave up his dream, no matter how old he got."... Giants Super Bowl hero David Tyree is also an author-to-be: Last week the wide receiver, whose last-drive circus catch helped New York beat the Patriots, signed for an undisclosed amount with the Strang Book Group. His book is due out on Sept. 2.

FREE AT SI.COM

CELEBRITY CENTRAL
For updated sports and celebrity news, go to SI.com/extramustard.

PHOTO

JESSE GRANT/WIREIMAGE (PALMER)